Chapter 212 (2/2)
”Onii-chan, did you kill the monsters with those claws?” another one of the orphans asked
”No, Fang here is the one who mainly took care of the was introduced to the orphans
”He looks strong!” the children said
Fang, who disliked huive , still suppressing his aura, and none of the children becae rats over there?” asked Matthew, pointing at three very large rats that were about the saave a squeak
They were Great Giant Rats, each of a different color - white, black and gray They had round eyes, whiskers that acted like feelers, and long, thin tails All three of them looked exactly like rats, except for their size
”That's Maroru, Urua They're the Great Giant Rats that I found and tamed on the way home today,” said Vandalieu
These were the Rank 2 arn had recoht and tainally animals who had been born fro ani with Undead, then transfor Blood Potion
”Stand in line,” Vandalieu ordered
Perhaps because the Great Giant Rats had been born fro of Undead and transformed into monsters by Blood Potion, they were firmly loyal to Vandalieu On top of that, their appearance was exactly the same as ordinary Great Giant Rats; there was no way to tell that they had been born in unusual circuh Great Giant Rats were not as common as Goblins, they were still very co, there was nobody who could refute his clai encountered and tamed them by chance
Even Bachens of suspicion
”Can we pet the as you aren't too rough Make sure not to pull on their whiskers or their tails,” said Vandalieu
The children began petting the quiet Great Giant Rats They had grown up in an orphanage, so they were used to being around rats, but it seemed that they were very curious and interested about these enormous rats that would be taller than thes
The Great Giant Rats squeaked and showed off their cute side to the children, rubbing their sainst the on a show
”So cute!” one of the children said
”Hey, didn't these guys sound deeper when they squeaked earlier?” said Mattheas one of the older children, realizing that the lovable enor sly
But the rest of the children were obsessed with the three rat sisters
Maroru and Uru the children ride on their backs, and the youngest of the rats, Suruga, went over to Fang and began slapping her tail against hiave hiave in and let out some soft, never-heard-before barks as he approached the children
It see our best to show off our char anything even though you're our senior?! You call yourself a a in Rank but lost when it came to appeal, reluctantly went to interact with the children
”Hey, did you see that?!” said Matthew, turning to Vandalieu
But for so children sitting on his back
”What is it?” Vandalieu asked
It seeth of a Dhah your arms are so thin,” said Matthew ”You'd be fine even if Seris-neechan got on your back, right? Even though she probably weighs about ten ti?! There's no way I'uess it's iotten fatter these days,” Matthew continued ”Ah, but I think you'd be fine with Vestrneechan on top of you, since she's thinner than Seris-neechan -”
Seris and another nun of around the sa face, quietly walked behind Matthew and took a hold of his cheeks
”Matthew, if you have the tis about Seris, you can help us carry the e,” said the nun named Vestra in a considerably blunter tone than Seris's ”Seris, don't get upset over every thing he says You need to scold him”
”Vestra… Thanks,” said Seris ”I knohat I need to do, but…”
”Co when Rudo-niichan made fun of you in the past!” said Matthew
”The past is the past, and the present is the present! Go and help!” said Vestra sternly
”Okay then Let's go,” Matthew said to Vandalieu
”Yes, let's get it done and out of the way,” said Vandalieu as he began carrying the food with Matthew
”Eh? Vandalieu-san, you don't have to,” said Vestra, hastily trying to stop hiht! You've h as it is!” Seris protested
But Vandalieu diligently pushed the cart that was loaded with dried ic and furs that could be used as blankets
”I', so don't worry about it,” he said ”And you don't have to add '-san' to my name; both of you are older thana food cart… and you're an aot it together better than us,” said Seris
The two nuns began helping hihly of Vandalieu having a te a Tauess boys have to work, after all,” Matthew sighed ”Hey, Vandalieu, teachis self-taught so I'ht,” said Vandalieu
”Matthew, don't cause any more trouble for Vandalieu-san… Wait, you're okay with it?” said Seris
As Vandalieu and the others headed towards the food storage, Darcia was talking to the head of the orphanage Other than having an eye-patch over her left eye and being very thin, the head of the orphanage seeant woman
”I see, so this is Vida's…” said Darcia
”That's right When this city was still developing, and the sluer as if it were the city's shadow, the first head of this orphanage built this building with his own private funds 'This is the place that needs thehas a history to it, if nothing else,” said the head of the orphanage, s been repaired here and there ”I don't think it can be calledto a Dark Elf, however,” she added
”No, I'”
”Is that so? You have such a dependable son, so I thought… I would certainly like to hear about how you educate your child”
”Oh no, I don't do anything special I've caused nothing but hardshi+p for ht back to the days that she had spent with Vandalieu… and felt a little depressed at all the trouble that she had caused hi depressed This conversation was not just to build a good relationshi+p with the orphanage's head, but also to gather inforether
”More iood relationshi+p with the priest of the Coion,” Darcia said
The head of the orphanage seehts
”I suppose you can tell The first head of this orphanage was a Vida fundamentalist, while the priest of the Communal Church is a member of Alda's peaceful faction,” she said ”In the past, the entirety of the Alcreood place for Vida's races to live in, and this orphanage took in Beast-kin and titan orphans, so there weren't good relations back then”
About three hundred years ago, there was a tragedy in which the daughter of the Alcrem Duchy's duke lost her life to a bandit attack The attack on the troop of caravans that she ith resulted froht, and around half of the attacking bandits were members of Vida's races such as Beast-kin and titans
The duke, who loved his daughter dearly, did everything in his power to hunt bandits At the same time, he exiled hts, guards and civil officials He left a will to his descendants that members of Vida's races must not ever hold public positions
Unfortunately, the duke had served as king of the nation for two terure who had made the Alcrem Duchy prosper Many of the exiledthat he would come to his senses one day
The next duke maintained his father's policy out of the sadness he felt fro his older sister
This policy had been continued until recently Under the policy's influence, Vida's religion had grown less influential, withAlda's followers over the generations, causing the orphanage to becoed from the Church
”As you can see, we have Beast-kin and titan children here too,” said the head of the orphanage ”But that is because we have received support, albeit secretly, froh I do believe that it was for political reasons rather than out of coreed as she watched Fang and the rats play with the Beast-kin and titan orphans
If Vida's races were completely persecuted, there was a risk that they would unite and form a rebellion, and it would have also been problematic if they turned to crime because they could not afford to eat
But since the duke would not change the policy against Vida's races, it was hard to support the orphanage openly That was likely why the lords of the region in the past had done so in secret
”But then, wouldn't it be possible to repair the relationshi+p?”
The entirety of the Alcrem Duchy now allowed members of Vida's races to take up public positions The wolf-type Beast-kin Kest serving as a guard was one exae slowly shook her head ”It does not go very well Even if the systees, people's hearts… We have had some disputes with Alda's priest at the Coan
Unfortunate for the children, but convenient for us, she thought, finishi+ng her sentence in her head
Darcia and Vandalieu were against Alda's peaceful faction… or rather, against all of Alda's forces It was i, but it would be strange if Vandalieu gained friends ere followers of Vida with good ties to Alda's peaceful faction as a result of his support of the orphanage
In other words, I need to e, and pull the followers of Vida at the Communal Church towards us I have to do ht to herself
”Is soe asked
”No, it's nothing,” Darcia replied with a s preparations to open the grilled skewer cart tomorrow, an incident occurred
The owners of the food carts on the saathered in front of Vandalieu's food cart There was an unusual air about the revealed himself from the food cart's shadow, and the Great Giant Rats were alert as well
”U the matter…?” a bewildered Darcia asked the food cart owners
”Please, spare us!” one of the food cart owners said
”I' you, please stop!” said another
The food cart owners bowed their heads,Darcia even more confused
”The skewers at your food cart are delicious and too cheap! And the er than yesterday Don't tell e Boar meat!”
”If you sell stuff like that at the same price, nobody will even take a second look at our meatball soup that has Goblin and Kobold ears in it, or our sandwiches with vegetable and meat scraps!”
”We procure thefor it, and we do all of the butchering as well,” said Vandalieu, still continuing to cook his skewers ”That's brought our prices down, and you're feeling threatened as a result?”
If even the poor residents of the slums could acquire delicious food for the same price, they would certainly choose the delicious option And Vandalieu's skeeren't just cheap; each skewer had a large quantity of uessed, today's skewers had been made with thehad defeated This was meat of a quality that would have been better suited for sale at a food cart on the main street near the entrance to the city or in a proper restaurant, not in a back alley that connected the sluht district
What the food cart owners said was correct There was no way that their products, which relied on their quantity and cheap price to make up for their terrible flavor, could co that we should just set up business souys can only do business here because you're on a teistration, but the rules of the Commerce Guild let us set up business anywhere, after all!”
”But the reality is that you don't have anywhere to go Your current products won't sell on the ht chase you out because your food carts aren't a good look But if you et as ,” said Darcia
”Th-that's right! You guys probably think that we should just work harder to sell better food rather than the crap we'renow, or buy new food carts to set up new businesses on the ry food cart owner shouted
”But if you could do that, you'd have already done it It seems like you all have your own circumstances, too… Maybe you can't do manual labor because you injured yourself when you were a et any jobs because you don't have an education or because you have a criet by froredients or new food carts”
”How the hell do you know all of that?!”
The food cart owners whose circuuesses broke into tears The rest of the exhausted, , who had been wary of the food cart owners at the beginning, was now looking at them with a pitiful expression
Incidentally, Vandalieu and Darcia knew of the food cart owners' circumstances because their advisor Chipuras had told theht happen if they sold their skewers at too cheap a price
He had infiltrated human society as a Deputy Guild Master of the Commerce Guild and as a counsellor; one of his jobs had been to extend a helping hand to those who had stumbled in life, ensure that they had nobody to turn to other than him, and utilize theuess the circu this of you, right?” one of the food cart owners said
”I've been courted by the 'Starving Wolf' Michael, so you can't do anything rash,” said Darcia ”I'm sorry We didn't intend to drive you people into a corner, but…”
”It's fine… Unlike the guy before hiuy”
”He only asks for space rent once a month, and he settles disputes properly”
”His subordinates make sure to pay for their food, too”
It see Wolf' Michael, or rather Miles, was respected by the inhabitants of the slu you Putting theWolf' aside, your son is a talented Tamer who can tame istration, but even if that doesn't work out, you canIf our businesses fail, we'll end up dying on the streets!”
”I thought you'd say that, so I've prepared another option for you,” said Vandalieu, pointing at the large stone vase that was on his cart
”Huh?”
”I will teach you how to make a new product, so will you become a part of our chain… our affiliated stores? I just need you to mark your carts with Vida's holy symbol,” Vandalieu told the bewildered food cart owners
This was the point where Vandalieu's encroachan to becoa) Rank: 2 Race: Great Giant Rat Level: 70 Passive skills: Night Vision Status Effect Resistance: Level 1 Enhanced Body Part (Front Fangs, Fur, Tail): Level 1 Enhanced Agility: Level 1 Rapid Healing: Level 2 Enhanced Attribute Values: Creator: Level 2 Self-Enhancement: Guidance: Level 2 Active skills: Surpass Limits: Level 1 Whip Technique: Level 1 Armor Technique: Level 1 Unique skills: ヴァン■■■'s Divine Protection [Van]
These are the three sister rats ere born fro anih Blood Potion, then increased their Rank
Their appearance is that of ordinary Great Giant Rats, but they acquired a variety of Skills around the ti battle, they use 'Armor Technique' martial skills - 'Stone Form' to increase their defense and 'Rapid Reaction' to increase their reaction speed They move quickly and use their tails like whips, and eneet close are s
Of course, ordinary Great Giant Rats do not possess the 'Status Effect Resistance' and 'Rapid Healing' Skills
They are also far ent than ordinary Great Giant Rats, and they worshi+p Vandalieu as their creator
Na Level: 85 Passive skills: Dark Vision (Transforth: Level 2 (LEVEL UP!) Detect Presence: Level 2 (LEVEL UP!) Intuition: Level 1 Self-enhances, Claws): Level 1 (NEW!) Mental Resistance: Level 1 (NEW!) Active skills: Silent Steps: Level 2 (LEVEL UP!) Aura of Darkness: Level 1 (NEW!) Scream: Level 1 (NEW!) Unique skills: ヴァ■■■■'s Divine Protection [Va] Want to support Yoshi+'s translations? Head over to the Donations Page