The Death Mage Who Doesn’t Want a Fourth Time

Chapter 312: Let’s invite the first guests to the cursed mansion

“‘Heroic God Descent!’” Heinz shouted spiritedly, and his entire body began radiating a blinding light. The light produced by Skills was ordinarily nothing more than a side-effect, but the light produced by ‘Heroic God Descent’ was so bright that it could be used as a weapon to blind monsters. That was how tremendous the effects of the ‘Heroic God Descent’ Skill were.

I can see Guduranis’s movements! I can actually see them!

Up until this point, Heinz had only been able to defeat Guduranis by dying over and over again while learning his combat patterns. He hadn’t been able to perceive Guduranis’s movements; he had fought Guduranis while having prior knowledge of what he was going to do.

If he was facing the real Demon King Guduranis rather than a fake with no independent will or ability to think, he would have likely been killed in the blink of an eye.

That was how much of a difference in power there had been between the fake Guduranis and Heinz. But this changed the moment Heinz used ‘Heroic God Descent.’

By summoning Bellwood upon his own body, the physical capabilities of his body were multiplied dozens of times over.

The fake Guduranis roared as it attacked, but Heinz could see the tentacles, whips, and spears of bone that flew towards him, clear as day.

Heinz severed the tentacles with his sword that was wreathed in blue flames, evaded the spears of bone, and closed the gap to swing his weapon at his foe.

The fake Guduranis let out a furious roar, and highly corrosive, poisonous blood sprayed from its wounds.

Heinz fell back with a small grunt to avoid being showered in the fake Guduranis’s blood. But he didn’t forget to use spells and martial skills to keep his foe in check.

This back-and-forth exchange repeated itself several times. As he saw the fake Guduranis’s body accumulate more and more wounds, Heinz realized that it felt like far less of a threat than it did previously.

His previous self hadn’t been able to perceive the fake Guduranis’s movements at all, but now that he had activated ‘Heroic God Descent,’ it was still a powerful enemy, but one that merely repeated the same simple moves monotonously.

As these thoughts ran through Heinz’s mind –

“You’ve let your guard down, haven’t you?” said Bellwood’s voice in Heinz’s head.

With an echoing, ringing noise, the magic sword that Heinz had thrust towards the fake Guduranis shattered and fell to pieces.

“Wha –”

Astounded, Heinz groaned in pain as several fatal-sounding noises came from within his body. Blood poured out through holes all over his face, and when he threw his arm out to break his fall, it broke and twisted as if it were made of candy.

His mind understood that he needed to quickly create some distance between himself and the fake Guduranis, but his body wouldn’t obey him.

The fake Guduranis roared, and in the next moment, Heinz’s consciousness went blank.

When Heinz awakened, he found himself covered in bandages and poultices.

“Heinz, perhaps defeating Guduranis on your own is too much, even if it is just a fake,” said Diana worriedly.

Hearing her voice, Heinz realized that this was reality, not a dream.

“… If I don’t become capable of doing at least this, then I won’t be able to make full use of Bellwood’s power,” he said.

‘Heroic Spirit Descent,’ which summoned the heroic god Bellwood upon Heinz’s body, was a Skill whose effects transcended ‘Familiar Spirit Descent’ and its superior variations, ‘Spirit Clone Descent’ and ‘Heroic Spirit Descent.’

It drastically improved Heinz’s Mana and physical capabilities; though Heinz could be considered a superhuman in his ordinary state, the Skill pushed his strength into the realm of the gods. But this also placed a heavy burden on his mind and body.

As Vandalieu and his companions had suspected, ‘Heroic Spirit Descent’ caused Heinz muscles to burst, his bones to break, and his cardiovascular functions to greatly diminish. And that was just after using the Skill for a short period of time.

In his current state, Heinz wouldn’t be able to withstand using it in battle.

Heinz’s objective wasn’t to defeat Vandalieu, but to first talk to him. He intended to tell Vandalieu once more about the danger he felt regarding the policies of the nation that Vandalieu ruled.

But given what he had done to Vandalieu in the past, a battle between them was likely unavoidable. Thus, any discussions would have to take place after Heinz defeated him, or during the battle itself.

That was why Heinz had sought power, but… in his current state, both options were out of the question.

“If I strain myself to concentrate… I can use ‘Heroic Spirit Descent’ for a minute, with ‘Transcend Limits’ active. But if I let my focus slip even a little, I can’t keep ‘Heroic God Descent’ active. I might as well not be able to use it at all,” said Heinz.

“If you end up vomiting blood before you can even greet him, you will have no hope of surviving,” said Diana. “I do not believe that he will show you any mercy even if you destroy yourself in front of him.”

“You’re right,” Heinz agreed.

His exhaustion could be heard in his voice, but his face looked unnaturally youthful.

Heinz had been in his late teenage years when he handed Darcia over to High Priest Gordan in the Mirg shield-nation. More than twelve years had passed since then, and he was in his thirties. When he entered Alda’s Dungeon of Trials, he had aged as much as one would expect.

But his aging had clearly been reversed.

“I know that you have been made younger by Alda’s grace, but please do not push yourself too hard,” said Diana.

It wasn’t just Heinz’s appearance that was younger. Alda, the God of Law and Fate, had used his power to reverse the physical aging of Heinz’s body – as well as that of Edgar and Jennifer, who weren’t present.

Over a hundred thousand years ago, Alda had decided to preserve the youth of the three champions who had defeated the Demon King Guduranis, as they were essential to the rebuilding of the world.

That was why Bellwood and the others had been able to take part in the battle against Vida, about a hundred years later, as mortals. And it was because of this that Farmaun was able to found the Adventurers’ Guild, and Nineroad was able to found the Tamers’ Guild.

Alda had now done the same for Heinz and his companions – though this didn’t accomplish much for the Dwarf Delizah and the Elf Diana, who were of races with longer lifespans than humans.

However, this reversal of their aging hadn’t produced any significant effects yet.

“At the very least, I think you should reverse the change you made to the way your real body is damaged when your illusory body is damaged,” said Diana. “No matter how effective it may be, it might render the reversal of your aging meaningless at this rate. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Alda’s Dungeon of Trials allowed Heinz and his companions to face the trials using illusory bodies that were identical to their real bodies. Because of this, even when they were defeated in the trials hundreds or thousands of times, their real bodies had remained unharmed.

But Heinz had changed this so that the damage taken by his illusory body also caused harm to his physical body.

If he didn’t do this, his physical body would never grow accustomed to the burden it would need to bear when Bellwood descended upon it.

But Diana was worried that Heinz’s illusory body suffering fatal wounds every day would cause his real body to die before it could grow accustomed to Bellwood’s power.

“But I am getting used to it, little by little. I’ve started gaining resistance-related Skills, so in the future, I’ll…” Heinz stopped, realizing that he had previously said the exact same thing. “I’m sorry. I’ll be careful,” he said, bowing his head in apology.

“I understand that we have no future unless you become stronger,” said Diana. “I am the one who owes you an apology.”

The gods, as well as Vandalieu and his companions, had acknowledged Heinz as the human representative of the gods of Alda’s forces. And he had ‘killed’ Darcia twice.

Even if Heinz were to give up on everything and flee, Vandalieu would likely give chase and not relent until Heinz was destroyed by his hand. In order to survive, Heinz had no choice but to become stronger, defeat Vandalieu, and make peace with him.

“I’m sorry to have got you caught up in all this,” Heinz said. “I’m sure he would spare you and Jennifer if you were to leave us…”

“You promised not to say those kinds of things. Or would you like Jennifer to finish you off?” said Diana.

“Sorry. By the way, I don’t see Jennifer and Edgar around. Where are they?” Heinz asked.

“The two of them are facing trials with Delizah,” said Diana. “I plan to join them once I have finished treating you. After that, Selen –”

“Heinz-oniichan!” a familiar voice called out.

Selen, the Dhampir girl who was under the protection of Heinz and his companions, came running into the room.

“Selen can spend some time with you while you rest,” Diana finished.

Previously, nobody other than Heinz and his companions had been able to enter this Dungeon. However, the doors at the entrance to the Dungeon had opened after Heinz awakened Bellwood, and people were able to enter from outside.

Thus, Selen was free to visit the town on the first floor of the Dungeon.

It was possible for others to face the trials of the Dungeon as well, but… illusory bodies were only available for Heinz and his companions, so in a way, the Dungeon would be even more difficult than an S-tier Dungeon.

Thus, there were some who observed the battles of Heinz and his companions using familiars in order to learn, but not a single person had decided to take part in the battles themselves.

“You’re all beaten up again,” said Selen. “I learned a new healing spell. Should I cast it on you?”

“Unless it’s the kind of healing spell that passes an electrical current through my body to stimulate its natural healing abilities, I don’t see why not,” said Heinz.

There were many who approached the Dhampir Selen, but many of them did so with the objective of forming connections with Heinz and his companions. Having the sensitivity of a child, Selen instinctively avoided those with such motives and was only open with those without such motives, such as those who were friends with Heinz and the others.

In other words, there were many individuals who were capable but also eccentric oddballs, as was common for adventurers.

“Then how about a spell that plants a seed in you? The plant’s roots will suck out all the bad things accumulated in your body,” said Selen.

“Diana, it seems that there’s some deviant who has been teaching Selen strange magic,” said Heinz. “Could you please do something about it?”

“Heinz, that’s because we have been confined in this Dungeon for years. Rather than weed out your friends, let us prioritize teaching Selen more sensible spells,” said Diana.

“Ah, by the way, Heinz-oniichan,” said Selen. “A person at the Church said there’s a letter for you. From someone called ‘Asagi Minami’ in the Birgitt Duchy.”

“Minami?” Heinz repeated, confused by this unfamiliar name.

Having been confined in this Dungeon until recently, he wasn’t yet aware of the ‘Mage Masher’ Asagi Minami, who was under the employment of the Birgitt Duchy.

Later, a cleric from the Church of Alda came running, bringing the news that Vandalieu had appeared in the capital of Orbaume.

Meanwhile, Vandalieu was making it rain blood in the garden of the recently-purchased mansion, the new Zakkart residence.

The plants and spirits of the garden, which had partially turned into monsters, cheered as their roots absorbed Vandalieu’s blood, which was being poured on them from a watering can.

“Aaaaaah… So filliiing.”

“Oooh, my dryness, my dryness is no more!”

“Is this good enough?” Vandalieu asked.

“It’s fine, I thiiink,” Eisen nodded. “Isn’t that right, you looot?” she asked the spirits.

Instead of replying with words, the spirits began mutating.

The murderer who had come to this mansion to bury the body of his victim crawled out of the ground, his own corpse having become a Zombie.

The corpse of the woman he had murdered fused with a nearby tree and began to move.

Other plants became Immortal Ents and Poison Mushrooms, and even the insects living in the gardens turned into monsters… and the garden of this cursed mansion was now truly a Devil’s Nest.

The Zombie groaned. “Blooood, I need bloooood.”

“A Zombie with fangs like a Vampire that is obsessed with blood rather than flesh… You must be a ‘Blood Sucker,’” said Vandalieu.

“And meeee?” the tree-woman asked.

“A tree that sucks blood, so a Blood-sucking Tree? But you look stronger than that, so you’re a newly-discovered race, I suppose. Alright, I’ll call you a ‘Jubokko,’” said Vandalieu.

The Blood Sucker… A Rank 4 Undead that was slightly more agile and slightly more intelligent than a regular Zombie. Given their obsession with blood, some scholars believed that they were Vampires who had become Zombies.

The Jubokko was a Rank 4 Undead, a new race that Vandalieu had named. It was more powerful than a Blood-sucking Tree, and it used its roots and vines like tentacles to suck blood from the living. Blood-sucking Trees were considered to be among the more ferocious plant-type monsters, but the Jubokko was even more dangerous, as it possessed intelligence.

Until yesterday, these spirits had been frightening but harmless, doing nothing more than swaying the branches of plants and making whispering noises. But after being showered in Vandalieu’s blood from a watering can, they had mutated into dangerous monsters.

If the Senopa Company employee were here to witness this, he might have suffered incontinence out of pure terror.

But for Vandalieu, this was nothing more than part of the tasks that needed to be done when moving into a new home. There were still more tasks to be done inside the mansion, so he turned around to head back.

“Now then, I’ll go and have a look at the people inside the mansion –”

Vandalieu stopped and looked around at his surroundings.

The spirits all around the garden groaned and screeched as they turned into monsters. Buried bodies crawled out of the soil, plants began to move, and spirits that couldn’t find vessels simply became Ghosts and Haunters.

The nearby insects, crows, rodents, cats, and bats began turning into monsters as well.

“… It seems that the monster transformation is spreading across the whole garden, but why?” Vandalieu wondered. “I’ve only given one watering can’s worth of blood so far.”

“Maybe the Mana in your blood has increeeased?” suggested Eisen.

“These guys were probably on the verge of becoming monsters already, right? So you being here is causing them all to turn into monsters one after another,” said Orbia.

“It is likely the result of the mansion being sealed and the miasma inside pooling up without being dispersed,” said Princess Levia. “Though I think that they wouldn’t have become monsters for another few decades, perhaps a century, without someone like you causing it, Your Majesty.”

“… Please make sure that the neighbors won’t be able to see this for a while,” said Vandalieu.

“As you will!” said Chipuras and the other light-attribute Ghosts as they refracted light to create an illusion that concealed the truth of the mansion.

“Leave the sound to me!” said Kimberley, erasing the groaning and shrieks of the spirits.

This would help maintain order in this noble district where many nobles’ mansions were, and allow Vandalieu and Darcia to maintain good relations with their neighbors.

“… Now that it’s come to this, perhaps I should purchase the mansions on either side as well?” Vandalieu wondered.

“Both have people living in them, so that would be impossible, wouldn’t it?” said Orbia.

“You’re right… I’ll go and say hello to them with Mom later.”

The mansions on either side of Vandalieu’s mansion, as well as the one behind it and the one in front of it, were owned by great noble families. Naturally, the heads of the families were absent when Vandalieu and Darcia went to visit and say hello. But all of the servants who answered the doors, without exception, trembled in anxiety during their visits.

The inside of the mansion was being cleaned for the first time in decades, at a quick pace.

Rita and Saria had been smuggled into Orbaume aboard the carriage that Vandalieu and his companions had ridden in… Sam’s carriage. Now, they were dusting the furniture in the mansion.

“This is apparently the first time this place has been cleaned in decades, but it’s surprisingly clean,” said Rita.

“Haunted mansions are odd, aren’t they? Nobody lives in them and they aren’t cleaned, but it’s typical for them to somehow stay clean to some extent,” said Saria.

“Now that you mention it, they are indeed strange. Nobody cleans them or conducts repairs, and yet I have never heard of a haunted mansion collapsing due to mold and such,” said Bellmond, who had a higher ‘Housework’ Skill Level than both the Living Armor sisters and was currently skillfully polishing the antique vases.

“Perhaps it’s the same reason why Living Armors don’t rust and rot away, and Zombies and Skeletons don’t decompose into dust?” said Darcia as she dusted an ominous painting of unknown origins.

“In other words, their current state is maintained by the miasma that corrupts the Mana possessed by the Undead and the place they inhabit?” said Arthur as he and Simon entered the room. “By the way, the cleaning of the attic is complete.”

“The secret chambers have been cleaned as well, though we left the nest of giant spiders that Master has tamed untouched,” said Simon.

It was possible that there were still monsters left that Vandalieu hadn’t tamed, so they were wearing their combat equipment. When one imagined these two ‘cleaning’ the rooms, it might seem like they were exterminating the monsters inside them, but that wasn’t the case.

Incidentally, it seemed that Natania, who had been forcibly invited into the mansion along with Vandalieu during their first visit, still hadn’t mentally recovered.

“Ugh, damn it…!” she groaned.

After the two of them were brought inside, the cursed mansion had begun showing off its facilities… and to Vandalieu, this had been a fun tour, but to Natania, it had been like being forced to go on a ride through a haunted house.

Plates and cups floating through the air, tap dancing performances consisting of nothing more than quiet footsteps and crimson handprints, stained glass windows that constantly changed colors so viewers never grew tired of them, the paintings that smiled amiably at visitors…

“I was so damn scared…! But I was fine with the Living Armors, Zombies, Undead Skeletons, and the ordinary skeletons, though!” Natania exclaimed.

She was being surrounded and comforted by Demon King Familiars and Pauvina.

“Anyone would be scared by sudden loud noises and people appearing without any warning of their presence,” one of the Demon King Familiars said soothingly.

“Man, woman, adventurer, none of that matters – everyone is the same,” said another.

“Even I would be surprised,” said a third.

“Van, you freeze and open your eyes wide when you’re surprised, don’t you? I know these things,” said Pauvina. “As for you, Natania-san, your tail gets all puffed up.! My tail is really short, so I’m always impressed by your tail and Rapiéçage’s!”

Pauvina was a half-Noble Orc, with the ears and tail of a pig.

But it seemed that the way Beast-kin expressed fear through their tails was an embarrassing thing.

“You don’t have to point that out,” said Natania, sounding as if she was going to cry, burying her face into the nearest Demon King Familiar.

“Pauvina-sama, I think it would be best not to mention tails…” said Bellmond, sympathizing with Natania.

And then Vandalieu returned.

“I’m back. I’ve finished turning the spirits in the garden into monsters,” he said. “Now then, I’ll turn these things that Natania is so scared of into not-so-scary Undead.”

“Hurry, Master, I’m begging you!” Natania pleaded.

“… No matter how many times I hear it, it sounds pretty contradictory to me. But I’m an adventurer, so I suppose I understand it to some extent,” said Miriam.

It wasn’t uncommon for adventurers like Natania to be scared of ghosts despite not being scared of Undead.

Undead were monsters, after all. Because they were monsters, it was possible to fight them, and one could defeat the Undead that were weaker than them. Even if the Undead were stronger, one could run from them. That was true for both Undead that had physical bodies, like Zombies and Skeletons, and Undead with no physical bodies, such as Ghosts and Haunters.

Of course, there were powerful Undead who could neither be defeated nor escaped from, but that was true for other kinds of monsters as well, not just Undead. It wasn’t considered cowardly to fear powerful monsters that one couldn’t defeat.

However, one couldn’t use combat to deal with ominous phenomena caused by ghosts whose presence couldn’t be seen or heard… at least, not without taking drastic measures such as destroying cursed mansions and old castles, or collapsing the underground tombs of dead nations to bury them.

Thus, there was a surprisingly large number of adventurers who weren’t scared of Undead that they could punch, but scared of ghosts that they couldn’t punch.

“Let’s get started right away…” said Vandalieu.

He radiated Mana from his entire body, and the mansion let out a creaking noise that sounded like a scream as the Mana permeated through it.

The Ranks of the Living Armors, Zombies and Ghosts that were already Undead increased, and the ordinary human bones became Skeletons and other monsters as well.

The Undead that was skilled at tap dancing with its footsteps and handprints became an Invisible Stalker.

The cheerful, friendly paintings became Cursed Paintings.

The stone and bronze statues became Living Statues.

There were several new Ghosts as well.

Finally, a beautiful woman in her mid-thirties wearing a beautiful dress appeared before Vandalieu.

“Master, and Master’s family. Thank you for purchasing me. I shall serve as a residence for you all,” she said with an elegant bow.

It seemed that she was a split entity of the mansion itself.

“Wow, it seems to be the same type of Undead as Father and Cuatro,” said Saria.

“Creating a split entity that looks just like a human, right from the beginning. Impressive,” said Saria.

“The same as Sam-san… Then perhaps this mansion will become able to fly soon?” said Darcia.

“Mom, I think that’s a little too much to expect from a child who has just been born. Let’s leave discussions about the future for another time,” said Vandalieu.

The beautiful woman looked from Darcia to Vandalieu with her eyes wide open in shock at learning that she was expected to become able to fly. But nobody reassured her that this was a joke, so it seemed that she was taking this seriously.

“… I’ll do my best,” she said.

“Let’s take our time increasing your Rank, without rushing things. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be able to fly one day,” Vandalieu said reassuringly.

“By the way, is that the form you had when you were alive?” Saria asked.

“Yes, but not quite,” the woman answered. “I am an aggregation of the spirits of the people who were killed in this mansion… the people who fell victim to that man. The form I have now is that of that man’s former wife, the oldest of his victims. I am able to change form if I wish, like this.”

The woman’s form changed into one person after another. A prostitute, a maid, a town girl, and even an orphan from the slums. Most of them were humans, but some were Beast-kin, Dwarves, Titans, and other races that weren’t uncommon in Orbaume.

“I see. Then I’ll have you use this split entity that can turn into various people to pretend to be servants when we have guests. When we don’t have guests… Are you able to do housework?” Vandalieu asked.

“Yes. I can do anything related to the mansion, though I cannot give any guarantees regarding the quality of my cooking.”

“Alright. So, do you have a name?”

“No. I perceive myself as a ‘Cursed Mansion.’ But now, I believe I should be called ‘Zakkart Residence.’ That is what is displayed on my Status. I do not have a race title.”

It seemed that she was not the type of Undead with an emphasized personality like Sam was. She perceived herself more strongly as the mansion itself that she resided in.

“I see. But it will be inconvenient to have no name to call you by, and since you seem to be a new race, I’ll give you a race title. Your race is now ‘Silkie,’” said Vandalieu.

The race title Vandalieu gave her was the name of a ghost or spirit that was considered to be the incarnation of a haunted mansion on Earth. He thought this fitting, as her initial appearance of a woman wearing a white dress reminded him of a Silkie as well.

With no objections, she bowed once more.

“… My Rank just increased, and I have become a High Silkie,” she said.

It seemed that by naming her, Vandalieu and his companions had officially become residents, causing her to gain Experience Points.

“Well, we shall continue calling you ‘Silkie.’ Please refer to yourself that way, or something like ‘Silkie Zakkart Mansion.’

“Very well.”

And so, Silkie Zakkart Mansion was named.

As for Vandalieu’s other plans…

“Now then, I’m going to go to the Tamers’ Guild and report that I’ve tamed a Cursed Mansion. I’ll use my reputation as the ‘Genius Tamer’ as well as Mom’s court rank and the influence of the Alcrem house to force them to believe me. I’m sure a staff member from the Guild will come to check, so please give them a warm welcome,” said Vandalieu.

“Alright. We’ll make preparations to welcome the person from the Guild,” said Darcia.

“In the meantime, Darcia-sama, I shall continue cleaning the mansion along with Danna-sama’s Demon King Familiars,” said Bellmond.

Neither of them showed any surprise at Vandalieu’s unbelievable plans. Nobody else had any objections, either.

After all, this had been the plan all along, though a few changes had been made.

First, Vandalieu would have Eisen, a highly-intelligent plant-type monster whose appearance was very similar to a human’s, enter Orbaume brazenly through official means. They had already succeeded in achieving this.

Next, he would have the Vampires Bellmond and Eleanora enter the city officially as well, insisting that he had tamed them. Ordinary people viewed Vampires as a dangerous race created by Vida, creatures that were similar to Undead. But like humans, they were known to be highly intelligent and capable of conversation and communication, with the social skills necessary to hide themselves within human societies.

Thus, if Vandalieu strongly insisted that he had tamed them, it was likely to convince the city guards and the Tamers’ Guild.

After that, he would bring Majin such as Iris and Kijin such as Oniwaka, again insisting that he had tamed them.

From there, the second stage would begin. He would bring insect-type monsters, which were considered to be impossible to tame, such as Pete, Pain, and Quinn. He would insist that he had tamed them. He would force his way through those who doubted him, using his reputation of already having tamed Vampires and Majin.

The final stage would be to insist that he had tamed Undead and force the Guild to acknowledge this, creating a precedent for Undead being tamed.

In Morksi and Alcrem, he had found that it was easier to have the people understand that Ghouls were a race of people that was created by Vida by having them directly interact with Ghouls, rather than trying to persuade them using words.

With that being the case, wouldn’t it be the same for Vampires, Majin, insects, plants, and Undead? That was the idea that Vandalieu and the others had come up with.

Vandalieu was aware that if this plan was carried out, all the Churches and nobles would become wary of him, not just the Church of Alda, the Church of Vida who were on good terms with them, and their worshippers. But it was likely that they were already wary of him regardless of if he carried out his plan or not, and his allies had already been attacked, though it was only by radical renegade members.

Given that the Alcrem house was on his side, and the risk was more or less the same regardless of whether he went ahead with the plan or not, then it was best to go ahead with it.

Duke Alcrem had been the only one to oppose the plan, but Vandalieu had persuaded him and gained his approval.

“I’m off to the Tamers’ Guild, then,” said Vandalieu.

And with that, Vandalieu changed his plans and went to report that he had tamed a Cursed Mansion.

The Tamers’ Guild headquarters would soon be facing its greatest trial since the Guild’s foundation.