Chapter 249 (1/2)

Death Mage 249 – Into the eon

Two months had passed since Vandalieu and his companions appeared in the city of Morksi, and the thirdknown across the Orbauures with intelligence-gathering organizations and information networks

However, various embellishments were added to his description ord of mouth passed from one person to another, and in some cases, details and accuracy were lost In duchies that were far away froerated

However, the stories did all speak of a Dha in the Alcrem Duchy

These rumors also reached the ears of Alda's radical worshi+ppers hiding across the Orbauions They considered members of Vida's races to be worthy of conteht to be buried Thus, these rumors were very unpleasant for them to hear

However, they could not h such worshi+ppers were all luanization They were individuals in sions And unlike the Adom's law stated that Dhampirs were considered to be people

Alda's radical worshi+ppers considered this to be an evil law, but their opinions did not overnment

And thanks to the actions of Heinz, the leader of the Five-colored Blades, the Orbaudorown in influence The radical worshi+ppers, who had been in the rown even smaller

They did not have the influence or the organizational capability to deploy assassins to the distant Alcreh it was likely that trouble would occur if Vandalieu and his companions were to visit cities in which these worshi+ppers lurked

Incidentally, the Alcrem Duchy itself had also persecuted Beast-kin until just a few years ago, so there were a considerable nuies They were less common in coions that rarely interacted with other regions, governed by uninfluential noblemen, where all of the people were radical worshi+ppers of Alda

However, with the Alcre towards Alda's peaceful faction overall in recent years, people with radical beliefs were decreasing in number But even so, assassins hired for money were deployed to the city and radical Alda worshi+ppers visited, pretending to be travelers The fact that this problem had not become publicly knoas because the assassins were dealt with by the 'Starving Wolf' Michael (also known as Miles Rouge) and Isla, and because Earl Morksi's spies were re Alda's radical worshi+ppers from the city

As far as groups that could be a threat to Dhampirs went, there were particularly radical – or perhaps even fanatical – worshi+ppers of the heroic God Bellwood However… although people had heard of thedom, at least not currently

A farround and its inhabitantsrice; an inventor and his entire fa that was essentially the saruesome crimes committed towards Vida's races – such events had been recorded in history alongside every instance where Bellwood's fanatical worshi+ppers surfaced They had been detested even by other worshi+ppers of Bellwood and Alda, and in some cases, they had been executed as criminals who perpetrated violence with the false claim that it was in Bellwood's name

However, the heroic God Bellhom they worshi+pped had fallen into a sluo He did not send Divine Messages to his worshi+ppers or give them his divine protection Thus, Churches of Bellwood had been converted to Churches of Alda with the exception of a few that had great historical significance

As Churches of Alda also housed statues of Bellwood, radical worshi+ppers of Bellwood had coroup

And as for Vaeted Dha creatures of impure blood, the one that had worshi+pped Hihiryushukaka and ruled the Bahn Gaia continent had recently been destroyed

It was likely that evil-God-worshi+pping Vaanizations would spread here from other continents, but that would not occur until later in the future

Thus, as long as Vandalieu was in the city of Morksi, the only group that was hostile towards Vandalieu was the Gods orshi+pped Alda, the God of Law and Fate, and their heroes

However, there were organizations that were Vandalieu's allies… or at least those who believed that they were his allies

“How is this? Have I written this properly? Are there any irl under the protection of the Five-colored Blades, as she showed a letter that she had written herself to the three adults around her

One of the Armaments – the adventurer party that was currently responsible for her guard

The other tere a nified that they were high-ranking clergymen Each bore a holy symbol on their chest; one of them was that of Alda, the God of Law and Fate, and the other was that of Vida, the God of Life and Love

“You've used kanji, and it's easy to read Your studying has paid off,” said Rembrand

In Heinz's absence, he was interacting with Selen as if she were fauard His praise prompted a happy smile from Selen

“Rembrand-dono is correct It is a letter that expresses what is in your heart,” said the gentle-looking young h Priest Pietro Farzon, nephew of Duke Farzon

“Yes, I'm sure the Dhampir boy who has appeared in the Alcrem Duchy will accept a letter if it's froan, the wo Alda's holy symbol

They were in the Farzon Duchy, and after hearing rumors that a Dhampir boy and his Dark Elf mother had appeared in the Alcreation They were now certain that this Dhampir boy really existed, and his Dark Elf mother was a holy lady who could summon a familiar spirit of Vida

This was good news for Cardinal Megan, who belonged to Alda's peaceful faction, and High Priest Pietro who had proactively formed a cooperative relationshi+p with the peaceful faction

However, at the same time, there was some news that was not very welcome The Dhampir boy and his mother were Vida fundamentalists – in other words, in direct opposition to those who sought peace between Alda and Vida such as Megan and Pietro

With that being the case, it was likely that even if Megan and Pietro sent a er to make contact, the Dhampir and his mother would not even hear them out

However, as a h Priest of Vida as cooperating with them, they wanted to avoid a confrontation – especially Darcia, as able to summon Vida's familiar spirit

They were ai to convert all believers of Alda to the peaceful faction, and have Vida's followers be in a cooperative relationshi+p with the that a reality

“But wouldn't a letter fro uncertain

She was legally considered to be the adopted daughter of Heinz, who held the title of honorary earl As honorary court ranks could not be inherited,more than a commoner of an unco as Heinz lived

Selen orried that a letter from a child in such a social position would be rude for Vandalieu

Pietro gave her a sht We'll include our letters as well, and have ato worry about”

He bore the surnaht to succeed the family He was a noble by law, but his children would be commoners unless they were adopted or married into other noble families

And although Megan was a cardinal, her authority was that of a clergy more than a commoner as well

Both of them understood Selen's current position

“Still, fundaan

Vida had been defeated by Alda a hundred thousand years ago, but her believers had not vanished However, until very recently, Vida, her subordinate Gods and the Gods associated with her had not sent Divine Messages or granted divine protections to their believers

Thus, lorious heroes of Alda, the God of Law and Fate, and the Gods associated with him

There had been heroes a' Veld, but people like him were exceptions, not the norm

Thus, even if the majority of Vida's believers kept an appropriate distance froed in debates with them, they did not show any desire to clash with them in armed conflict

“She is apparently a Dark Elf, so perhaps she lived in a village that was isolated from society The new races created by the Goddess… those created by her greatestAlda and eradicatingthe example of the Majin – the race that clashed with humans the most after Vampires

Perhaps he was refraining fro Vampires because Selen was present

“Perhaps you are right,” said Megan “If that is the case, let us pray that the good people of the Alcre”

“How do I put this… It's kind of tricky, isn't it? I alonder, why can't we just leave the issues of the Gods aside and get along?” Rembrand wondered aloud

He wasn't a believer of any God in particular He was superstitious, praying to various Gods before departing on his adventures, and when he earnedsure that he wasn't donating an unevenly large suyive him dirty stares

As a result of these habits, he had come to know more and more people of the peaceful faction ished for peace to come and the conflict between Alda's forces and Vida's faction to cease He had also grown close to Heinz But he didn't have any strong feelings towards one side or the other himself

A bitter san's face “I wish that this were possible, but… once you're a clergy in complicated ways,” she said

“While he was alive, the champion Zakkart once said, 'Even Gods make mistakes,'” said Pietro with a serious expression “Alda and Bellwood's actions resulted in the loss of Zakkart and three other chaave birth to not only Beast-kin and titans who became new allies of mankind, but to races like Majin that becareat Gods make mistakes such as these It is only natural for mere mortals such as us to be cautious so as to not make mistakes of our own”

His quote from the champion had indeed been spoken by Zakkart a hundred thousand years ago Some believers of Alda saw these words as proof that he had not been worthy of being a champion, even before he was considered to be a 'fallen' champion

Meanwhile, ht that these words were a warning to not blindly believe in the Gods

Although, in truth, these had been words of criticis Bellwood as his champion

“… You only ever talk about such complicated stuff This is why people say you should talk tocere to the nuns,” Rembrand remarked

“Wo But for wedding ceree so as to cast no doubts that the new bride is cheating on her groos,” said Pietro

“I actually think that soan

While the adults were having this conversation, Selen recalled her faint memory of Vandalieu

The newly-appeared Dhampir is probably him, isn't it? Maybe we'll be able to talk next time? she wondered

She had not mentioned to Rembrand the Dhampir boy whom she had encountered by coincidence in Niarki, who had fled when he was spoken to

That was because Heinz and his companions had told her to keep it a secret There had beenof the city, such as the appearance of a Dungeon and the subsequent e that came from it

Being careful to not give Vandalieu a strange, bad ie was also… about half the reason

And Heinz had told Rembrand and the others that he had once worked as an adventurer in the Mirg shi+eld-nation, and captured and handed over theone of his jobs

However, he had not told them that Vandalieu may be the child of that mother, nor had he told them that her name was Darcia

To Heinz and his companions, it was a painful stain on their past, but… they had never iined that Darcia would be resurrected and appear in human society

If all ell, big profits were certain

Following the e, there were fewer monsters in the Devil's Nest, and since entry into it had been banned, there was no chance of running into any adventurers

Others in the same business had apparently been captured or disappeared, so perhaps noas the chance to enter into the upper ranks of the underworld

Telling hie, hired two uards and entered the Devil's Nest to avoid the patrol stations along the highway

But he soon learned that he had been naïve

“This isn't what I signed up for!” he screamed

There had indeed been few radually, monsters such as Goblins and Kobolds had started to appear, and he was currently being chased by a troop of Rank 3 Baboons

They were monkey monsters, not demi-humans, but they were ferocious and, more importantly, tended to attack in nue Baboons, which were a little larger than gorillas However, these were considered easier to defeat than regular Baboons, as they tended to not forroups

Soions referred to these Baboons as Killer Apes or Goblin Apes

And there were forty of the

The man's mercenaries had already been killed by other s bared and an insatiable hunger in their eyes, bent on claie's horse and driver as their own feast

“Run faster, stupid horse!” the man shouted in panic, but he knew that the horse was at its limit

It had inhaled the illness-causing spores of a mushroom-type monster the previous day, and yet thethe horse a chance to properly recover

He'd figured that he just needed the horse to last until they reached the city of Morksi, but that seemed impossible now

“damn it, why are there so many monsters?! Aren't there supposed to be less e is killed off?!” he screamed to himself