Chapter 19: 19: 19

The plan of my admission to Temple had been decided.

Yes, obviously, I absolutely wouldn’t get caught with that ring on. This wasn’t on the level of illusion magic, this completely reconstructed my body.

I wondered since Polymorph could reconstruct one’s physical body, woudn’t it be possible to improve one’s physical specs as well?

If I were to change my body to look like someone who’d have 99 points in strength, wouldn’t I get stronger as well?

When I asked this, Loyar told me, strangely seriously:

“….…Polymorph of that level would only be possible for someone with the same amount of mana a dragon would have.”

“Aren’t Arcdemons kind of like dragons?”

“Dragons are illusory monsters. Could there ever be a being in this world which could use magic without even properly casting?”

What a sad excuse of a legend.

I didn’t believe in legends, they were on the same level as lies.

“What you’re using isn’t actually Polymorph. This is just the version our clan makes use of, so you must get stronger yourself. Strength obtained through transformation, wouldn’t be your own strength. You should not rely on such cheap tricks.” 

I’m oh so glad that you confirmed that I wouldn’t be able to use such a cheat ever. Anyway, because I gained the ability of the Dreadfiend clan, I was able to completely transform, not only disguise myself.

“By the way, I have a question.”

Of course, I knew that making myself look muscular by using polymorph wouldn’t really make me muscular.

“For example, is there a limit to how dense I could make my hair?”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

Sarkegaar didn’t seem to understand what I was talking about.

However, I was serious.

“Let’s say I’ve got hair loss, could I just transform myself into a from with a full head of hair? Well, that’s what I was talking about.”

“Isn’t that a matter of course? That’s not such a big deal.”

Ah.

“Sarkegaar! You’re history’s greatest loyalist. Of course! Of course!”

You’re such a nice guy. 

I couldn’t hold in my passion and hugged him.

I held the Eternal Anti Hair Loss Ring in my hands!

“If you wish I shall even give you my liiiiiife!”

Loyar and Eleris stared bankly as  Sarkegaar and I hugged fiercely.

* * *

Gardias Temple.

The main stage of the original story.

Frankly, there was no reason not to go there. As Sarkegaar helped me concealing my identity, I’d be fine. Even if I didn’t intervene, the story would just proceed on its own, going straight for the set ending.

In other words, the less involved I was, the better.

However, just by intervening slightly, variables would appear. The story already changed a lot because Charlotte de Gardias survived.

I didn’t want to get too involved in a story that already had a predetermined ending.

Also.

There really was no need for me to go to school with all these kids. So why did I have to do it?

However, once Sarkegaar would find out that I had no intentions of rebuilding the Demon Realm, I didn’t know what he’d do. As for Loyar, I wasn’t so sure what she was thinking, but Sarkegaar definitely was loyalist, but in the end, he probably was the most dangerous person to me.

In the end, Sarkegaar seemed to want me to grow stronger.

Frankly speaking, I was neither suited for fighting nor was it my hobby. Just like everyone doesn’t want to suffer pain, I felt like I wanted to escape to a place where my survival and well-being were guaranteed.

However, in the end, whether or not I went to Temple, I had to somehow get stronger myself.

In order to someday be able to escape Sarkegaar’s clutches, I needed to have a certain amount of strength. It didn’t matter if I was standing on Eleris’ side or Sarkegaar’s side.

I would have to enter the Gardias Temple.

“But how?”

“If I took you as my adopted son, you would be able to enter Temple.”

Using the position of Count Pontheus, he could take me in as his adopted son, enabling me to enter Temple like that.

I’d also become the son of a noble, so would I be able to live a more comfortable life then?

“That’s too dangerous.”

However, Eleris shook her head. As if not understanding, Sarkegaar frowned.

“What are you saying, Eleris?”

“Sarkegaar, you were the one who personally kidnapped the princess. Now that she has returned, they will restart the investigation of how the princess’ abduction was carried out. They have the princess as witness after all. There’s a chance that they’ll catch your tail.”

“I left no traces.”

“Think of it as just a precaution.”

“……I see.”

A second investigation into the princess’ abduction could draw suspicion to Sarkegaar. It was really just a precaution, but Eleris seemed to think that there was no need to take useless risks.

That was how I thought it was.

“Then, as expected, Eleris would be best to be my guardian……?”

“No, Your Highness.”

“……Huh?”

I thought she’d obviously take on that role, but Eleris just shook her head.

“I am a Vampire. If it’s discovered that I’m a vampire, I’m sure Your Highness of whom I was taking care of would also fall under suspicion. I’m always careful with everything I do, but we don’t know what’ll happen.”

Although Eleris was well integrated into human society, she always kept the possibility of being discovered to be a vampire in mind.

“What? How could I get into Temple if neither Sarkegaar nor Eleris are able to be my guardians?”

“Why can’t you?”

Eleris pointed at the last person present as if it was obvious.

“…What? Me?”

“What?”

You want the beggar king to be my guardian?

What the hell was this nonsense? Both I and Loyar were dumbfounded, but Eleris shook her head.

“I’m just telling you, but it would be most beneficial for you to just be born as an orphan.”

I understood what she meant.

“If you were adopted by Sarkegaar, you might be in danger if his deeds were discovered, and if you were to choose me as your guardian, you might be in danger if my true identity were discovered.”

“…I know what you mean, even if I’m caught, my gang members don’t know that I’m a Lycanthrope, so he could just say that he didn’t know. That’s it, right?”

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“Yeah.”

The members of Loyar’s pack didn’t know that she was a Lycanthrope. So even if Loyar were to be discovered, even if they were questioned most of them wouldn’t know a thing. There were a lot of members after all.

In addition, there was a high possibility that I would not be connected to my collaborators even if they were discovered if I entered Temple as an orphan with no ties. 

Yeah, Eleris was right.

“……So, you want me to live here from now on?”

“I can’t believe Your Highness has to live in such a filthy place! That’s just unreasonableeeeeeee!”

“Did you just call my place flithy? Are ya trying to insult me?”

A fire blazed in Loyar’s eyes.

“Ya want to let me know how it feels like to buy some bread from your own money starting today? Huh?”

“N, no. I, I , I didn’t mean it like that…… The, there’s just a bit of… You know?  I mean, see……”

“Ain’t that a little too much, huh? Hey, if I’m gonna sponsor such a great VIP, d’ya have any idea what the fuck my kids are supposed to do?”

Loyar was their financier.

So, she actually had the greatest say here.

Loyar threatened Sarkegaar with overwhelming force, and Sarkegaar’s face turned completely blue as soon as he heard that she would stop giving him money.

Eleris sighed watching those two fight.

“You don’t have to live here. If you enter Temple, you’ll be able to live in the dormitories. You just need to spend a few days here.”

She gave me a kind of look that seemed to say: “How could I let you live in such a dirty place?”.

Well, I didn’t really mean to become something as grandiose as a noble’s son, but….

When I went to school, won’t the other kids make fun of me for being a beggar? Mentally I was over 30, but no matter how old I’m on the inside….

No, I was just saying if these little punks find out that I made my living by begging at my age, won’t they hit me or something?

“…….”

Still, I couldn’t come up with a safer idea than Eleris’ suggestion.

Just a few days, a few days….

I have to live a few days in this place….

When I asked her if I had to stay a few days here, Eleris told me that I had to.

I was an orphan and didn’t even have a proper identity. It seemed that in order to obtain a new identity, I had to somehow prove that I’m an orphan, and to prove that, I had to get the testimony of Loyar’s group.

I couldn’t believe I had to acquire a new identity through the beggars’ guarantees. What’s with this?

“There are many of my little brothers who don’t really exist on paper, so I know what to do, because some of the guys do end up needing an ID.”

It was natural for her to call them little brothers as she’s the head of this organization, so to speak, but it still was strange hearing it come out of her mouth.

I couldn’t believe a Lycanthrope being brothers with humans. Was this a live-action version of Tiger Brother? So would this Wild Dog also become my brother? No, rather my sister.

Sarkegaar’s words angered Loyar, but she seemed to think that staying in this environment for a long time would be a bad thing for me as well.

“Eleris will come up with the right excuse, so we can just do it like that.”

Loyar seemed carefree. Eleris contemplated how she should get me out of here as soon as possible and admit me to Temple.

* * *

Sarkegaar and Eleris went back, leaving me and Loyar behind. I had already been told what to do. Loyar told me not to worry as no one would touch me anyway, but that wasn’t really the problem….

There’s nothing that can be solved easily.

I don’t really want to go to Temple, but now I had to go while wearing an identity given to me by a beggars’ group. This made me want to go even less. But what could I do? This was the safest way.

Loyar dragged me out of the deep parts of the sewers and took me to the shantytown.

-Whistle!

As Loyar whistled, all the beggars that were scattered all over the place slowly started to gather in one place. Everyone was limping, but they seemed to listen well.

This must’ve been the dark side of Gardium.

“Big sis, what’s with that kid?”

If it were Eleris or Sarkegaar they would have been furious at his words, but Loyar didn’t show much of a reaction. She wasn’t loyal in mind, but very loyal in body. She was that kind of bizarre being.

“He’s a new member. He’s called Reinhardt.”

This was a new name, not my real name which was Valier.

Reinhardt.

No, I mean Valier wasn’t actually my real name either, right?

Anyway, it was an alias, an alias. Nothing more.

Sarkegaar suggested it.

He told me I should choose another name, not Valier, as my alias, so he asked me for my opinion.

Ooh.

I had some in mind.

‘Gromm Hellscream.’

‘……Hellscream? Isn’t that name just too creepy?’

The first suggestion got cut down by Eleris.

‚Then Lich King?‘

‘What perfection! What a fitting name for a great Demon Kiiiiiiiiiiiiing! If it’s Your Highness, you would certainly far surpass the magical capabilities of a lich!’

‘Your Highness, your real name would be much more inconspicuous compared to that.‘

Sarkegaar agreed to it, but Loyar refused. She said something like: “if you’ll choose such an ugly name, you’d be better off just using your real name.”.

Well this name was the equivalent of Kim Eum Doom in Korean.

‘Then Thrall.’

‘……Your Highness, we can’t possible use a weird joke like that.’

Eleris quite seriously thought Thrall was a pun on ‘Damn it’. (T/N: Korean writing for Thrall =ssral, Damn it = jae gi ral or also written as X-ral (ekssral)

Don’t you know the Warcraft series?!

Eventually, after arguing for a long time, we were able to decide on something.

‘How about Reinhardt?’

‘……Oddly enough, it’s a very main character-like name, but…..’

‘I think it’s a better name than Hellscream.’

‘It wouldn’t hurt to add a few more syllables. A King’s name can’t be too simple….’

‘If it’s even longer than that it would be a pain to say. I also don’t want to be mistaken as a noble or something.’

That’s how it got decided. It wasn’t particularly flashy, nor was it something weird. It was just a name.

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