Chapter 37: CH 36

While climbing up the stairs to the 4th floor of the Guild, a man was breathing heavily.

His build was good. No, it would be better to say his body was obese. A layer of fat covered his stomach, and there was some underneath his chin as well. Depending on the amount of fat, it might be possible to say that he had the face of an unattractive bulldog.

His hair was thin, allowing light to reflect off it, and the remaining hair was a white colour.

However, his clothes were amazing. He wore a velvet jacket that a commoner could probably not wear. His rings and clothes were quite good items. It quite obviously displayed the depths of his wallets.

Since E-Rantel was under direct control of the Kingdom, the ones running the city were appointed by the king. And the mayor of the town would be their head. That was him, Panasolei Gruze Vauna Rettenmaier.

In contrast to his appearance, he was not useless. He was a person in the useful category.

Since the city was at the forefront of the war between the Kingdom and the Empire, various items and their groundwork needed to be taken care of. It would be sufficient to leave it to merchants, but the one who rejected it was him. It was a job that required one to have sufficient knowledge to prove whether it was the right decision or not.

He was breathing heavily.

“Are you okay?”

The one who spoke to Panasolei was the receptionist of the Guild, Ishpen Ronble. But it was a question that skillfully hid the fact that she was tired having to help him here.

“Puhii. Puhii. I’m not okay. Puhii”

Was his nose blocked, his breathing reminded one of a pig.

“How should I put it. Puhii. Since there is someone old like me, puhii, with a rich build, puhii wouldn’t it have been better to meet on the first floor. Puhii.”

Was he oinking or talking. Ishpen lowered her head as Panasolei’s words caused her to think such.

“My apologies.”

“Puhii. Puhii. Well, there’s no helping it. Puhii.”

Panasolei began walking and took out a handkerchief to wipe away the sweat on his brow.

“Puhii. I can go by myself from here. Thank, puhii, you.”

“Yes. Excuse me.”

After sending Ishpen down the stairs, Panasolei started walking.

If he had turned his head to see her, he would have seen her staring at him while walking down the stairs.

However, Panasolei did not turn back.

He wiped his sweat while walking, and stood before a door. He was about to open it, but hesitated.

The fourth floor of the Guild. On it were the Guildmaster’s office, safes for important items and rooms for talking about important information. The room in front of him was a meeting room. It was made for important meetings about the guild or about things that affected the city.

The talks that occurred here were mostly unpleasant.

The later he opened this door, the happier he would be. But the people who could laugh at Panasolei and had knowledge about the complicated job of running a city did not exist.

Wiping his face with his handkerchief for the last time, he straightened his back. His stomach shook.

He did not knock. While the ruler of this city was the king, it was actually Panasolei.

“I made you wait, puhii.”

As he opened the door, he spoke to all of those present.

He took a step in, and looked at the room.

It was not a large room. About six meters in length, or a bit larger. There was a table in the centre, with six chairs. As there was no windows, it made one feel claustrophobic.

There were several papers scattered on the table. Without paper or cardboard, gaps would occur in the serious information of the Guild. However, it felt like the papers were left there after the last person read it.

Several cups and two bottles of drinks were placed there as well.

Those sitting on the chairs numbered four. Two he knew and two he did not.

One of the faces he knew belonged to a masculine man.

With an outfit of long sleeves and long pants, he seemed to be able to move freely. A light, or magic light, glittered from the sleeves and his collar showing that it was endowed with protection magic. The scabbard at his waist was an exquisite decoration. The long sword was also well made. This too had the glimmer of magic.

He had jet black hair and moustache. His build was fairly large, giving the impression of a tightly wound body, with prominent bulging muscles, that could not be hidden by his clothing.

A warrior. The word was suitable, and the man was the definition of it.

Another face he knew was a thin man with extremely highly strung nerves.

His age was about to enter the late thirties.

He wore a deep green robe. The tall ebony staff he always carried was lain against the wall, its magic crystal embedded in its tip. He wore three rings. In addition a Blazer protected his arms. All were enchanted with top quality magic.

His thin hair was golden and his deep blue eyes carried a sharp gaze. If he had a bit more muscle he would be considered a beauty, but currently he looked like an emaciated man.

One of the unknown faces was the only woman in the room. No, should she even be called a woman.

She was an extremely aged woman. Wrinkled face, wrinkled hands. Her white hair fell to her shoulders in a mess. Combined with her hooked nose, she looked like a witch out of a fairy tale.

Her clothes were work clothes for commoners. It was originally white but it was spotted with green stains, and smelled of grass. The fact that she was called here while wearing that stated her importance.

And the last person.

Shortly cut hair. A square face. A man with warm expression but a will of steel.

He had an atmosphere of being well into his late thirties.

His clothes were like that of a commoner, but it was made of good thread. His neck had the symbol of the Four Great Gods hanging from it. It was simple, but it did not feel lacking. The words clean suited the cleric.

He had a good body, but it was not built to the point of a warrior. However, he was the tallest and everything about him felt big. To the point that it felt like his hands on the table could cover the face of a man easily.

Panasolei said nothing and walked forward, and sat down in an empty chair. He then wiped the neverending sweat with his handkerchief. If then took a cop no one was using and poured water into it.

He emptied it in one breath.

The water had the taste of fruit mixed inside. His cold throat felt a faint sweetness, but it felt refreshing and the feeling spread to the rest of his body.

Again, when he poured in water, one of the men he knew opened his mouth.

“I apologize for calling you. Welcome, Panasolei-sama.”

“Puhii. Ah. Is it another dangerous thing? Guildmaster.”

The warrior-like Guildmaster—-Pluton Ainzack—- had a cynical reply and had a pained smile.

“It is as you say.”

“I see. Puhii….And these people are?”

“Yes. These are people who I feel have the necessary knowledge about this event. Firstly—-

Panasolei lifted his hand, and stopped Pluton’s introduction.

“Hmm. Nice to meet you, pharmacist-dono. I believe your name was Lizzie….Lizzie Bareare-dono was it?”

Panasolei and his acquaintances made faces like it was expected. The two he did not know made surprised expressions.

Panasolei finally registered on the faces of the two he did not know, he felt that he was lowly evaluated from them.

He liked this change in atmosphere.

While wiping his sweat, he hid his smile.

Panasolei’s appearance was extremely unattractive. Rather than being liked by the opposite sex, it was more common for him to be ignored, even at his debut in society, he stayed mostly by the wall.

It could not be helped, and he himself had given up. However that appearance helped at times. Such as first meetings. The fact that his head was different from his body was outside of his partner’s expectations, and he could use it as a good card for negotiations.

This time, he used to raise the two’s evaluation of him.

“So you did know.”

“Of course, Pluton. There is no way that I do not know the woman that is the best pharmacist in this city.”

“Hoh. To know an everyday worker such as myself. You have my admiration.”

The old woman bowed her head politely. Panasolei calmly waved his hand.

“No, the potions you have made have saved the lives of the Kingdom’s soldiers. I believe that I do not need to explain that the Empire will attack in several months. At that time we will be relying on you.”

“Understood. Even if I have to get all my disciples, we will prepare the necessary amount.”

“I thank you for your words. Then shall we discuss this another day.”

“Of course, I shall wait for that day.”

“Then please do, Bareare-dono.”

“Got it. Mayor-dono. And you can call me Lizzie.”

“I see, my gratitude.”

It was like saying it was worth it to come.

The problem that eventually had to be solved had preparations that made Panasolei give his admiration in his heart. His face that looked towards the unfamiliar cleric.

“Now, you are the highest priest working here, Gignal, Elshai-dono, yes?”

“Yes. This is our first meeting, mayor-dono. Please call me Gignal.”

“Thank you.”

Lowering their heads slightly, they exchanged greetings.

“You have saved many soldiers with your healing magic. Allow me to express our thanks in place of the king.”

“Please do not mind it. It was after that war afterall.

“Indeed.”

While he still said that, Panasolei naturally knew. Paying for rewards was normal.

“The funds we receive are used to run the facilities. The one who must express his gratitude is I.”

“No, no, it is appropriate recompense for your work.”

“We, the ones who work for god, would like you to remember that our doors are always open.”

“Got it. My doubts have been cleared just by your words.”

Panasolei then looked at the last person he knew.

“And….it has been a while? Magician Guildmaster—-Theo Lachesil.-dono”

“Wasn’t it only a month? Mayor. Please drop the dono.”

“Really? Then I’ll do so…. Can you tell me why so have summoned the highest powers in E-Rantel to this room? I do not want to hear that I was hurried summoned for a dangerous thing?”

Making a decision that the information was recorded on the papers on the table, Panasolei picked up the thrown papers and read them.

They informed him of the woman Baniara, and what happened to her comrades.

The summary was that they were attacked by a monster, and the party was wiped out, but it was not rare for that to happen to adventurers.

However the problem was the monster was a vampire. And so the report contained lots of information about the questioning that she received.

For example, the massacre of the bandits in the cave. It showed a crack of the destructive power it had. The more he read the more he thought that the vampire was extremely strong.

Reading it several times, it implanted itself in Panasolei’s head.

Including the fact that Lizzie and Gignal who he did not know were called in, Panasolei nodded as he gained a vague understanding.

“I see….Now, I do not know much on this subject. Can you spell it out for me?”

The Adventurer’s Guildmaster, Pluton, and Magician’s Guildmaster, Theo, were friends from the same adventuring party. And so they could get the nuance of each other’s thoughts just by looked at each other’s faces.

They looked at each other, and Pluton opened his mouth.

“Panasolei-sama. A Vampire has been spotted near E-Rantel.”

“Hmm….”

It was quite close. However, was that something to be worried about. While thinking that, the mayor Panasolei did not voice them.

Monsters were close to the world of humans, but there was a boundary. There were occasions where, Goblins Orcs and Ogres came to attack or Griffons, Manticores, or Cockatrices hunted for food. However, there were also cases with monsters apart from those encountered humans when, they were being chased, migrating or other exceptions.

However, undead were different.

Undead with for the death of the living, and were born from unclean places. Such as battlefields and ruins. And they appeared near the land of the living.

It was natural for undead to appear in cities. No, it was rare for none to appear. And so the cemeteries where death was common, was defended from attacks from the inside, and rules were made so that no one could enter at night when undead were common.

They were used to seeing undead, and they were monsters that often came up in conversation.

Vampires had quite the strength among undead.

As Panasolei was not an adventurer he was not too clear on it, but he knew at it was the top five among the undead.

However, it was not an undefeatable existence.

“That is terrible. We must hire adventurers, and calculate how much they will cost.

While Panasolei spoke like that, it was a result that only made him raise an eyebrow.

The rest looked at each other, and made bitter expressions. No matter how one looked at it, it was not good.

“…..Can you tell me why.”

Towards this question, the people at the table looked at each other before deciding on a representative. It was the head of the Magician’s Guild, Tio.

“The problem is that the vampire used <Reanimate Dead>.”

Silence descended upon the room.

It was a silence that the mayor could not grasp. The vampire used a strange magic. Originally, a vampire was a race of undead that could utilise numerous magical skills and this was where the problem started.

The mayor was looking at the report which he read. Indeed, the important information about the vampire was emphasised, yet he failed to understand its importance.

Although the mayor could not understand the meaning of it, the people in this room had no problem grasping the severity of the situation.

“This is extremely dangerous as it knows magic.”

“Basically?”

“<Reanimate Dead> is a third tier magic.”

“So?”

“There are ten ranks of magic, from the first to the legendary Tier 10. Well there are legends of something above that, but it is baseless. We shall not touch it.”

Theo shook his head gently as he faced the mayor directly, before he continued to speak.

“Now, do you know who is the current strongest magic caster?”

A meaningful glance was dished out but no answers came back immediately. Not considering the circulating myths and legends, only one name came to mind when considering a serious answer.

“The Empire’s magic caster. Fluder Paradyne.”

From the mayor’s answer, Theo nodded as if agreeing with the answer given.

“Now, do you know what level of magic the great magic caster Fluder-dono can use?”

“I do not….”

“Tier 6. While you may not think it is amazing, but the most recent case of being able to use it was 200 years ago. The ones known as the 13 Heroes….Do you understand? The existence of the Tier 10 is unclear, so the highest rank that humans can use is Tier 6. Well, the ones who fought the 13 Heroes, the evil gods could use Tier 7 though….”

“Hmm….”

Towards the vague explanation, the mayor seemed to develop an understanding. He began to wipe his sweat.

“Basically please do not think that Tier 3 is just a rank that is faster to count from the bottom than the top.”

“Got it. Basically, being able to use it is quite an accomplishment?”

“Yes, correct. Now for the main point.”

Theo continued his explanation, with a manner like a teacher addressing his students.

“The basic difficulty level of a vampire is 60. This is the perfect strength of an A class adventuring party. Depending on the composition, even B ranks can handle it, but it also depends on the preparations. Added to the fact that it can use Tier 3 magic, even without tests to determine it, at least B class adventurers are needed.”

The mayor frowned as he began to grasp the gist of what was spoken here.

“Basically you want to say that a monster that rivals an A class party has the strength of B class.”

“Yes.”

“Hmm—-”

“Theo, let me explain the rest of it…..” Pluton continued Theo’s explanation. “ For A Class adventurers, their population is approximately two percent of the entire country’s adventurer population. The total number of adventurer’s registered within the Kingdom is 2,000 people. In other words, the number of A class adventurers is about 40 people. Needless to say, A Class adventurers are rare.”

“I see.”

Panasolei let out a breath that resembled a sigh.

“I have a basic understanding. I want to hear your evaluation. Is it dangerous?”

“Extremely.”

“No mistakes.”

“Not wrong.”

“Extremely dangerous.”

“Hmm….Then what would you suggest doing?”

“There is but one answer.” Pluton had a strained face. “At least a combination of A+ rank parties would be suited.”

“T, that is impossible! For too impossible! Where can we find such adventuring parties!”

“Two in the Kingdom, two in the Empire so we borrow one. So three parties. And in the Agrand Council Alliance has four, so—-”

Panasolei had wide and surprised eyes. He narrowed his mouth to oppose.

“Are you serious? Pluton. Moving parties from the Agrand Council Alliance within the Kingdom? Are you seriously saying that?”

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“Yes.”

The mayor’s eye widened further, as if it was going to pop out after looking at Pluton, who nodded gravely. Then he closed his eyes tiredly and collapsed on the chair, weakly shaking his head.

“Impossible. This is the king’s territory. Obtaining permission for that country’s adventurer’s to move freely….It would create all sorts of problem.”

“After all, they are a group of people that could potentially aggravate those people in the Theocracy.”

To Pluton who reviewed that fact easily, the mayor was staring at him with eyes filled with resentment. Still Pluton reviewed a nonchalant expression. The mayor clicked his tongue, staring at Pluton with the eyes intend to kill him.

“….Are there any others? Apart from the Agrand Alliance…. Like Calsanus City-State or Roble Kingdom?”

“In Calsanus City State’s Guild, the highest is an A Class, and Roble Kingdom only has one. They will not let go of them and they may hate us for it, but we can do nothing but contact the party directly. I predict a painful conclusion.”

“Then what about combining three parties?”

“Impossible you know, Mayor.”

The mayor turned his intention towards Lizzie, who voiced her opinion for the first time.

“If the opponent is a vampire that can use Tier 3 magic, then it would be a good fight with two A+ Class parties. But, you know, Mayor that is thinking if the highest magic the vampire can use is Tier 3.”

What they wanted to say and what they were all being cautious of, Panasolei was finally able to understand it and his face paled.

“At most….Basically….”

“Yes you know. At most. If not, then it will be a nightmare within a nightmare. In the case of it being able to use something higher than Tier 3, the words dangerous don’t begin to describe it you know.”

“….We believe so. If Tier 4, four A+ Class parties, if Tier 5 then at least 10 will be necessary.”

“Hence under the condition where we can not determine the strength of our opponent, sending only three teams would just be wasting their lives.”

“Impossible….”

To judge an adventurer’s team solely by their strength, the strength of a team would be equal to 1,000 men. This is due to a particular incident where 2,000 soldiers surrounded an adventurer’s team. When only 1,000 of the men were facing the adventurers, the situation ended without any casualties to the adventurer’s team.

But.

If it was the case that three parties were too little then what was that vampire.

Fully comprehending the dangers of the situation, the mayor picked up a cup and slammed it on the table.

“Then what about collaborating with Gazef-dono?”

Gazef Stronoff, the Kingdom’s strongest warrior. A human with strength beyond that of an A+ adventuring party. An existence the Kingdom should thank.

“It is true that there is no warrior that can defeat Gazef-dono. However, should a four man adventure party fight Gazef, the winners will probably be the adventurers. Gazef-dono has an amazing sword, but he is different from a warrior with slightly blunted swords, a shield, armour and medicine prepared. The party has multiple paths they can take—-They can do four times as many things as Gazef-dono. When fighting monsters, this makes a large difference.”

“Hmm….”

“Mayor. It is currently only in the vicinity, if it makes its way into E-Rantel retreating will be difficult.”

“Ugg.”

Accepting Pluton’s words, Pansolei raised a pained voice.

He understood what they wanted to say. On top of there being no A+ Class adventurers in E-Rantel, they could do nothing but human wave tactics, and the undead needed no rest or sleep. Then they could do nothing but hit it until the sun rose, the results would obviously be bad.

In addition, even if they were not destroyed up to that point, retreating was quite difficult as well.

“If we cannot find A+ Class parties, there are no other options. Even if we search the vaults of the Magician’s Guild, we will probably not find anything that can be effective on a vampire of that strength.”

“It’s a great disaster you know. We can’t do anything but cover our heads and wait for it to pass.”

“I will not hide my displeasure as a cleric, but throwing away lives if a foolish action. However, if there are innocent sacrifices then we clerics with become shields.”

“If it reaches the city, I want to faint at imagining the number of sacrifices you know.”

If they could not assemble them, they could do nothing but tremble. This was the opinion of all those present. However, accepting the fact was not fitting of the position of Mayor.

If they could not be assembled, then find other methods that could lead to a better ending no matter how slight.

Then first was information. When Panasolei was about to open his mouth in agreement, water was poured on him from the side.

“It’s not such an easy problem. Lizzie-dono.”

A flash of bitterness ran across Pluton’s resigned face as he laughed.

“If 4th then the city’s scope, if 5th the Kingdom, anything above that it is on the scale of surrounding countries. This is.”

Theo and Pluton made painful smiles. Lizzie and Gignal made faces expressing their surprise.

“It’s that much of a problem? Certainly it is a strong enemy, but!”

“The opponent can rival the army of a country. At it can move by itself as well. With sentience, and magic, it can predict our movements.”

“The fear of an existence that can rival military powers suddenly appearing….I don’t want to imagine it.”

If it was several tens of thousand of soldiers, their traces of movement could easily be found anywhere. In addition, a large volume of food would be needed to support them, and a prolonged battle would be difficult.

Then what about an individual? What about if it used invisibility magic, and was proficient in espionage?

It was probably possible for it to fly and infiltrate the city, or disguise itself as a traveller and pass through the front gate. It did not need food. In addition it hated the living. That sort of monster was nearby.

From the understanding of a powerful monster, Lizzie and Gignal hung their heads in pain as the understanding changed to recognition that it was an extremely dangerous existence.

A heavy atmosphere hung in the room, and silence dominated. It was to the point that one could hear the others’ throats moving.

“Hah….The worst.”

At Panasolei’s whisper, everyone expressed agreement.

“I have heard the weaknesses of a vampire are the light of the sun and the cleansing of the clerics, can we not attack it using those.”

“Firstly it is impossible. An existence that can use magic of that level and not have any counters for sunlight is quite difficult to believe.”

Panasolei looked to Gignal for help.

“I truly apologise, but magic that can obliterate an undead instantly will probably not work in this situation. Even the Six High Priests of the Slane Theocracy, the three directors and six mikos would find it impossible.”

In the nearby country, even their highest priest could not cleanse an existence beyond A+. It made one feel the meaning of an undead most deserving the word powerful. Panasolei was about to wipe his sweat away, but he noticed that none was flowing.

“….Theo, why did such a monster appear here? What legend did it come out of? Any information?”

“No, such a legend does not exist.”

“Is such a thing possible? Undead which bear hatred for the living, hiding in a corner of this world. I, myself am not familiar with aspects of third tier magic especially whether it is something that could be learned easily.. But Theo, as the head of the Magician’s Guild should have a clear idea on my question. Is it something that she could learn herself?”

“….Impossible.”

Theo’s sharp voice broke the silence within the room.

Magic at this stage could not be self-taught. Then, this could serve as evidence that a figure acting as a teacher existed. Likely the teacher is a dangerous character worthy of investigation.

No one could discard this rather uncomfortable idea.

“…….Maybe it received backing from a country? Could it possibly be controlled and trained secretly?”

Then, we could just negotiate with that person as there is no way to talk with an undead, which harbor a deep hatred for the living. However, the mayor’s idea had to be discarded.

“That situation is highly unlikely. A country that could control a vampiric magic caster is unheard of. Furthermore, by referring to the vampire’s personality, it would be impossible for a vampire to have a cordial working relationship with the living.”

“What about a magic caster that had his blood sucked out and was converted into its familiar?”

“According to the information collected by the Magician’s Guild, having one’s blood sucked out by a vampire would only results in being turned into a lesser vampire. It would lose its qualification to be a teacher.”

“If it’s like this, someone could have betrayed humanity….This is the most logical conclusion. Like a cult or something similar. On those incidents where the adventurers encountered cultists, it is not uncommon to face with the worshippers of the undead.”

“Or….” Based on the Gignal’s personal knowledge, it was the best situation to spread the notoriety of that famous undead.” The worst possible situation, the one playing the role of teacher….Landfall.”

Once again the room fell silent.

Landfall was considered to be the most powerful vampire lord. She had sufficient power to destroy any country, turning it into an undead paradise.

Legend says that she was destroyed in the end by the 13 heroes. Just that for the past 200 years, occasional rumours sprouted about the discovery of the magical items or treasure maps that belonged to Landfall.  

That undead teacher is The Undead.

No one could stop themselves from sighing.

“Landfall’s disciple? It’s the worst possible scenario.”

“Landfall is capable of using Tier-5 magic. If that vampire possessed such strength, without the skills of the 13 heroes, we could not hope to defeat it.”

“It was said that the 13 Heroes have passed away, then again, some of them may still be alive.”

“The Elven King is still alive right?”

“There’s no way to verify the authenticity of such news. It seemed to be a rumour that originated from the Theocracy.”

“….We seem to be dragging on with small talk.”

Sensing that the mayor was tired after his speech. The room once again descended into silence.

“I hope to get some consensus on this. Firstly that vampire is a rather strong enemy.”

“Yes, indeed.”

“Are you saying that if we cannot assemble A+ Class adventure parties, we can do nothing but hug our heads?”

“I hate to admit it. But it’s the truth of the situation.”

“Was there any communication from the nearby villages?”

“At best, we could only assign patrols to search for the undead camp as soon as possible.”

“Erm….although we may find it, we could never defeat it. This is no laughing matter.”

Nobody could answer those words of irony. Everyone there was rather depressed. Then, Pluton muttered something.

“….However before this. We should collect more intelligence at the spot where the vampire appeared.”

The mayor’s brow twitched.

“About the existence of that vampire, was the matter confirmed? Is there any possibility that it was an observational error?”

“No, there is no chance for error in this. We have investigated this matter thoroughly.”

“So it seems….I do have one question….Why leave the girl as the sole survivor? There’s no reason to leave her alive.”

The mayor read through the report several times. He tapped his fingers on the table as he queried.

“We had such a question in mind as well. After considering everything, I came out with a possible explanation.”

The majority of undead had a strong hated against the living. But there were also those with strong intelligence, they would not simply kill the opposite party. Instead, they would enact plans such as causing the enemy to go into a spiral of self-destruction, act by using their minions or a third party.

The possibility that all of this was just to satisfy its sadistic tendencies. To imprint its horrifying form on its victims.

There is one more point—-

“The vampire received more than expected damage from the potion. But there are some out of place aspects in that situation. If it received unexpected damage, the vampire should have killed any witnesses to stop the spread of information.”

Everyone in the room crossed their arms as they immersed themselves in their own ideas. Their long discussion did not result in any plausible explanation.

At this moment, the mayor had a sudden idea.

“How about the idea that the person circulating the potion was releasing his fishing line?”

The atmosphere in the room stirred, the few people inside tried hard to think of facts that could refute the mayor’s assumption. But nothing came out.

If there were a sufficient number of A+ ranked adventurers, then they would be able to fight on par with the vampire. The vampire seemed like it was afraid of someone.

A short moment passed before Pluton opened his mouth.

“The probability of it is very low but it is not entirely impossible.”

“…….Lizzie-dono, could you concoct a potion that could defeat a vampire?”

The questioned pharmacist made her face even more wrinkled.

“Undoubtedly that healing potion is capable of hurting the undead. It’s hard to tell based on the situation at hand. Because to concoct a potion that is capable of repelling a vampire is not something, me, my pupils nor anyone I know is capable of.”

“That healing potion is unheard of even within the Magician’s Guild.”

“Then, how about the potion known as Amrita which can be found in the Theocracy? Rumours said that it contained the power of the gods.”

“….Priest-dono, even us in the Magician’s Guild do not have any records about a potion that could match the potency of the healing potion that is one of the most guarded secrets of the Theocracy.”

The person that gave Brita the potion had his name recorded in the report.

“Momon is it? Did you summon that person here?”

Yes, we made an appointment today. But, there’s still some time left……”

“Is it?……we might as well discuss it. I am curious about the type of potion that managed to defeat the vampire. As to the identity of the person who owned it, I am looking forward to meeting him.”

Panasolei poured water into his cup, and drank. This throat was parched from the talking, and a pleasant cold flowed in.

“….Hah, about the reason for the encounter at the cave, do you have any hypotheses?”

“As discussed before I can only make predictions on our prior assumptions, sunlight weakens vampires.”

Theo highlighted several districts on the map as the mayor silently observed his workings.

“Basically, vampires prefer places where the sunlight does not reach. Plus, vampires have developed a rather twisted sense of superiority over the living. Hence they would not dwell within cities with prey aplenty, nor would they hide deep within the sewers, they prefer a luxurious underground abode. A situation where they would stay in a roughly built cave is non-existent”

“In short, it incidentally managed to find the hideout…..is that it?”

“Yes, other than this there is no other possibilities. The destruction was thorough and there were no signs that they were looking for a magical tool.

“So it seems….”

The matter about the vampire, we have a rough understanding of the situation. About Momon, as a last resort, let’s use this opportunity to investigate thoroughly.

About the other matters, let us complete it within the allotted time.

“Then, before Momon arrives, I have some question that I would like to ask….especially to the Adventurer’s Guild head and the Magician’s Guild head.”

As he looked at the faces of the four, the mayor spoked.

“Among all of you, has anyone heard of the name Ainz Ooal Gown?”

The four people looked at each other with looks of surprise before shaking their heads. Acting as their representative, Pluton opened his mouth.

“The name is unheard off. Who is that person?”

“Erm….I am not too sure. I only heard of the details from Gazef-dono.”

The mayor remained quiet as if he thought of something. After a short moment, he continued talking.

“I heard tell of several incidents involving people masquerading as knights of the Empire, attacking villages near Re-Lantier. But those knights were killed. That is the name of the magic caster who settled the knights and saved the villagers.”

“Hoh.”

It was unsure who let out that sigh of admiration.

The Empire’s knights were exceptional in terms of both equipment and training. The Kingdom cannot match either of the aforementioned. With that large number of knights defeated by a single person, it would suffice to say that magic caster is highly skilled, Mah, although he may have purposely feinted his weakness, his ability should be comparable to the Empire’s knights.

“The magic caster did not take the field himself, rather it was the work of the monster that he controlled. During that time, Gazef-dono confirmed the strength of the monster by his own sword. Although the outcome was a draw, the opponent did not bring out its full potential.”

“….This is the first time I have heard something so utterly ridiculous in this room.”

Theo’s announcement was agreed by both the potion master and priest as they nodded in agreement.

“In essence, magic casters mainly control monsters weaker than themselves. If they held a large ceremony, concentrated numerous spells, or through the help of exceptionally powerful magical tools, a different outcome could be produced. But,……such a situation is unlikely.”

“In other words, the strength of that magic caster is comparable to the warrior that fought with Gazef-dono.”

When that was said, Lizzie had a pained smile.

“No matter how you think about this, it shouldn’t be true right?”

“Mah, it would be more prudent to assume those were Gazef-dono’s flattery or he simply overestimated his opponent’s capabilities.”

“Mah, as you said…..”

Controlling a monster that is stronger than Gazef.

Assuming that is true, then the strength of that person and Fluder Paradyne is on a similar level. No, there is a possibility that his level is higher. Using the current common sense, people would feel that such a matter is not possible.

“The main issue is this….the connection of the people discussed. A vampire that possessed unimaginable power and the mysterious magic caster that saved the village.”

Silence. They were all locked in the maelstrom of their thoughts. The first to break the silence was Theo.

“………The situation might be coincidental but it is too perfect.”

“Moreover, on one hand, he is saving the village, on the other, he is murdering people. These  two matters contradicted themselves.”

“Then—-”

In this moment, there were many opinions. Most of the opinions contained many contradictions. The trust in its validity was rather limited. Soon after, the priest started mumbling to himself.

“How about we consider this from a different angle? That vampire detected the presence of that magic caster?”

“If that is the case, how much does it help?”

The mayor let out a lonely grimace as he answered.

It would be good if the matter was as such. But the truth may not progress so smoothly.

If one was filled with too high an expectation, the shock from betrayal would be higher. Hence it would be more prudent to expect the worst case scenario. That was the personal opinion of the mayor.

“We can only make use of our imagination due to the lack of facts. We’ll leave the matter about Ainz Ooal Gown as our next topic of discussion.”

“If it is like this, regarding the matter of information gathering, the Adventurer’s Guild will extend all the help we can provide.”

“I’ll leave everything to you, Pluton. You do not have to worry about money issues.”

“Understood.”

“Then, let us get some rest before Momon arrives. Excuse me,  Pluton. Could you give me all information regarding Momon?”

“Understood, let’s continue the discussion in my room.”

Everyone stood up and went out of the room at their own pace, But the figures that exited the room numbered seven.

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