“You’re saying that this dhampir child completely ruined all of our plans?” This from Carlkan, a knight from the Lucas faction, who sounded suspicious of this development.
“Exactly, Sir Carlkan!” Flot, the fake priest of Alda, replied, having just completed his report.
“I hear what you’re saying, and I trust you, sure I do. But still . . .” A little healthy skepticism on Carlkan’s part was perhaps to be expected. After all, the details of the reports were pretty hard to believe.
This newcomer had flown to the Fifth and cured everyone of poison. Appeared from the sky and slain all the orcs. Built a well in mere moments. The Second had been slated to be abandoned by spring next year; Carlkan had previously had his own knights deliver a load of poisoned pesticide. Now this child had taught the villagers how to make emergency rations from goblin meat. The bandits that his agents had worked so diligently to point toward the villages were also missing, and Flot was adamant that this child had something to do with that as well.
This child was, apparently, a dhampir. That was a big part of why Carlkan was suspicious.
“Master Carlkan, I saw the incident with the orcs for myself,” added the Bestial Magician who had tamed the orcs. “With my own eyes, I saw the orcs I had unleashed wiped out in seconds by this dhampir!” Bestial Magician was a Job that used magic to create bonds with monsters in order to get them to do the Magician’s bidding.
“Not to mention breaking down the poison I created,” added one of the younger agents. “I made it so that it would kill slowly, and no normal detox magic or potions can stop it. This dhampir has significant skills.” He had used a disguise to pretend to be a middle-aged merchant.
The details revealed that this was not a carefully constructed ruse to avoid responsibility for their failures. Carlkan decided the best course of action was to consider this the truth—at least as these men saw it—and proceed from there.
He was responsible for his own unit of knights, after all. After being a knight for a long time, he had seen for himself that people were sometimes capable of feats that didn’t match their appearance or age.
“This child was a dhampir, eh? It’s hard to believe, but that also makes it possible. At the very least, we have a Magician in the villages at least as strong as a Grade D adventurer, with powerful healing magic.”
Defeating three orcs was not a feat to be sniffed at, but the first had pretty much been a surprise attack, and so swinging that into a second and third was possible, even for a Grade D.
“But this child doesn’t seem to be setting up base there, like those refugee adventurers. Indeed, it sounds like he already left to become an adventurer in one of the towns. So, get the job done while this wonder kid isn’t there.”
“Do you think it’s that simple, Master?”
Carlkan laughed. “You worry too much. What, you think this dhampir has set watch here? Traps?”
“No, that does seem unlikely.”
Of course, Vandal had put Lemures on watch and defensive Stone Golems by the dozen at every pioneer village.
“If this dhampir child plans to become an adventurer, he will need to spend at least a year at the adventurers’ academy,” Carlkan said. “We can use that time to wipe out the villages, making it look like the work of bandits. I will lead my forces, myself, to do this.”
Flot and the others all gasped.
“Are you sure, Master? If this were to get out, regardless of the fact that they are refugees, you would be hanged or sold as a slave!” Flot exclaimed.
“That is the risk we must take. Everything I do is to scour these festering Saulon parasites from the glorious Duke Heartner domain! For the people and for Prince Lucas!”
Carlkan was motivated by more than just disgust for outsiders and pride in his domain. He had yet to really achieve anything for Prince Lucas. If the prince became duke at this point, Carlkan would be in no position to bargain for any kind of seat at the table.
“My unit is scheduled for training maneuvers next month. When that happens, we will start with the Seventh, and then proceed to attack all of the villages. Sir Flot, you will join us.”
“Me? Why?”
“In your guise as the priest, you have spent the longest among these people. We will need you to confirm that each location has been completely eradicated. If we can do this, your own position as a minister will be assured. I’ll be counting on you.”
“Yes, Sir Carlkan.” Flot felt that he was getting dragged into this a little too deeply for his liking, but it was also too late to turn back now.
At that same time, the one who had unknowingly been thwarting Carlkan’s plans was heading through the market to the adventurers’ guild.
His purpose, of course, was to finally register as an adventurer.
The situation has changed a little, with all this new information, but this is still the perfect time to register, Vandal thought. Learning of the Heartner house’s betrayal of Talosheim had given Vandal and his team a new objective: to rescue the giantling slaves still being held in the mines. He had sent word of this to Talosheim, and Borkz was so mad that he was ready to attack the domain at once. Vandal was pleased to hear it.
The main reason Vandal was still registering was because if he missed this opportunity, it might literally be years before he got another one.
I just need to register real quick, then I can leave town and meet up with Eleonora and the others. We’ll wait until night and then fly to the capital.
They had to wait until it was dark if he was going to be flying again, anyhow. He had time and the opportunity.
What he didn’t need was a tropey encounter with some punk low-level adventurers looking to haze the newbie. After learning about the crimes that the Heartner house had perpetrated on Princess Lebia and the others, Vandal was feeling pretty stressed out and pissed off. All it would take was some smartass making a comment about “go home and suck Mommy’s titties, little baby” and he might unleash his full power to shut them up. Give them not just his fists but his claws.