Chapter 286
Accompanied by Elder Zermus, I went to Regudus-dono and explained the situation. He nodded magnanimously and agreed. We then spent some time discussing matters that might cause trouble while living together, such as things that might be considered rude to one another.
Of course, I was present throughout. Since the two of them did almost all the talking, it would not have mattered whether I was there or not. However, I am the leader of the clan that owns this city. In other words, I am their landlord. It would be problematic for the landlord not to attend an important discussion concerning the lives of the residents.
After spending a full two hours ironing things out, I logged out since it was getting late. While our forces were steadily gathering in preparation for the battle against the Hellbeasts, my own work had not progressed as much as I had expected. I would have to hurry.
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"Yo, bro. I've been waitin' for ya."
The next day, Jigoro was there to greet me when I logged in. Wondering what was going on, I looked behind him and saw several Undead Puppets standing there with their armor battered and worn.
The damage to all their armor was severe, making it obvious that they had fought their way through some harsh battles. As I had expected, Jigoro seemed to have put them through training that drove them to the brink of death. There must have been a life-or-death struggle taking place inside the cave.
"Looks like you made them stronger. Thanks... Huh? What's this?"
Just as I was about to thank Jigoro, I noticed a change. I had thought something was stuck in everyone's helmet, but in fact, something was emerging from the inside.
On closer inspection, it appeared to be a horn. They seemed to have evolved, and when I removed their face guards, their bodies had turned black. Could this be...
"You made them fight until they evolved!? That's completely insane..."
"But they're stronger now, aren't they? That's what you asked for."
Making them fight until they evolved meant having them battle repeatedly until their levels increased by ten. No wonder Iris's armor was battered to this extent. Without the recovery item Shiitake had made, 'Zombie Cure-All,' such reckless training would surely have been impossible.
While I was pleased that our forces had grown stronger, I was also worried that Jigoro intended to continue using this method in the future. If so, Iris's workload maintaining their equipment would increase tremendously. I wished he would take it a little easier next time, but... he would probably do it again.
In any case, their evolution was cause for celebration. I should check what form their evolution had taken.
――――――――――
Name: Undead Soldier No. 1
Race: Evil Puppet Lv 51
Job: Evil Soldier Lv 1
Skill: 【Super Vitality Enhancement】
【Defense Enhancement】
【Evil Spear Arts】
【Evil Shield Arts】
【Armor Arts】
【Increased Vitality Recovery Speed】
【Coordination】
【Night Vision】
【Status Ailment Immunity】
【Light-Attribute Vulnerability】
【Blunt-Force Vulnerability】
――――――――――
Apparently, Evil Puppet means a puppet of evil, while the Job Evil Soldier means an evil soldier. Their appearance had certainly grown more ominous, so it was easy to see why those names suited them.
Every soldier Jigoro had taken with him had evolved into an Evil Puppet. Evolution had not granted them any new Skills, but three existing Skills had evolved. It would be fair to say that the quality of our forces had risen by several notches.
"I'm taking a different bunch with me today. Giving orders from behind, telling them to do this and that, is surprisingly fun."
"That helps. Oh, right. What are the three who went to Mepo Town with you doing?"
"Eiji and Toji went back together. Shiitake stayed behind and was schemin' up somethin' with the Metallica. Heh heh heh."
"What do you mean, scheming? What are they planning to do?"
Jigoro laughed cheerfully, but I suddenly felt uneasy. The Metallica were highly technologically advanced, yet childlike in certain ways, while Shiitake was undeniably capable but had a mad scientist's tendency to think up outrageous schemes and actually carry them out. I could not even imagine what sort of chemical reaction would occur when those two were combined.
I did not think they would plot anything that could harm our comrades, but there was a very good chance they would do something that made Jigoro cackle with laughter while I clutched my head. I intended to check with Shiitake, just in case, but Shiitake was probably too focused on work to look up.
"Also, that Scar... whatchamacallit Clan showed up. Since you weren't around, Iris sorted things out and apparently went to meet another clan."
"The Nadeus Clan? Hey, you should have told me that first. But I may have imposed on Iris."
The signal flare I had launched yesterday had reached them safely, and they had apparently made it all the way here. They must have realized that we had conquered what was supposed to be a dangerous region.
Unfortunately, they had arrived while I was logged out, but Iris had apparently dealt with them. She must have taken care of things in my place despite having work of her own. I was grateful, but at the same time, I felt guilty that I had made her handle negotiations and mediation with the residents—duties tacitly regarded as my responsibility—even though I had real-life circumstances of my own.
"I doubt she considered it a bother... But never mind that. Anyway, I'm borrowing the soldiers."
"Sure, go ahead. Just use them without breaking them."
Jigoro left with several Undead Puppets, saying, "Yeah, yeah." They would probably return after evolving again, even if they were beaten black and blue in the process. I would look forward to their return.
After seeing Jigoro off, I checked for any other messages before going to look for the Nadeus Clan. I had forgotten to ask where they were, but I guessed they would be in the town square. When I went there, I found Muno-dono surrounded by Scar and Centaur children, telling them some kind of story.
"It has been a while, Muno-dono."
"Oh, it's you. You actually managed to defeat the monsters here. When we saw you off, I thought there was no way you'd manage it."
When I spoke to her, Muno-dono gave a cheerful little chuckle. From her perspective, our challenge must have seemed like nothing but reckless folly, so her reaction was entirely natural.
The children gathered around Muno-dono greeted me energetically before pestering her to continue her story. Apparently, the tales she told were extremely interesting. If I kept her talking for too long, I would earn the children's resentment. I would ask only what was necessary.
"We somehow managed to conquer it. By the way, where is the chieftain of the Nadeus Clan? I would like to introduce myself..."
"The chieftain went off to help the other clans, full of enthusiasm. What a fool, leaving his clan behind at a time like this, eh?"
Whoa, was I going to miss him again? The last time I had dealings with the Nadeus Clan, I had been unable to meet their chieftain, and it seemed we had crossed paths yet again. I had wanted to meet him at least once before the decisive battle, but there was nothing I could do if he was not here.
"That's unfortunate. But if he went to help them, does that mean the Nadeus Clan will cooperate in protecting the Scars?"
"Of course! We haven't fallen so low that we'd ignore our kin in danger. Besides, that... Hellbeast, was it? We've had trouble because of those things too. If we can join forces with you, so much the better. And you've got a sturdy wall here, too."
As she said this, Muno-dono gazed at the wall surrounding 'The Secret City of the Mist-Crying Princess.' Compared to Japanese stone walls, it was rather haphazard, but to a clan that wandered from place to place, a wall built by piling up stones might have looked extremely reassuring.
"If you like, you are welcome to settle here permanently even after this disturbance is over. There is plenty of land available."
"Hmm... Well, I'll think about it."
"There's land to spare? That's good."
"!?"
As Muno-dono and I were talking, a familiar voice interrupted us. I turned in surprise and saw a man I had met only once before standing there.
"Kirilz!? When did you get here...?"
"Well, well, my friend! This time, I've come to see you! And the elder of the Nadeus Clan looks hale and hearty too!"
He was Kirilz, one of the Dark Elves I had first met in the 'Dark Forest of Temptation.' Kirilz beamed broadly and put an arm around my shoulders. I was happy to see him again, but my confusion over how and when he had arrived was overwhelming.
Kirilz, unaware of my confusion, greeted Muno-dono. Muno-dono was confused in turn. She probably could not understand why a Dark Elf, who normally lived in the forest, had come all the way to a place like this.
"What brings you here? Aren't you forest dwellers?"
"Of course, I haven't come merely to see you. Though I wish that were all it was."
"The Hellbeasts? I heard they had appeared there too."
"Exactly. You're well informed."
Sei had reported that Hellbeasts were swarming into the 'Dark Forest of Temptation' as well. If Kirilz had not come here just to visit, that was the only reason I could think of for his arrival.
Kirilz gave a broad nod when he heard my guess. He seemed impressed that I knew about the Hellbeast invasion, but every player could use the chat function, allowing us to exchange information quickly even over long distances. It was not really anything worth praising me for.
"I hear you've gathered your forces and intend to eliminate the source of all this. Since this is no concern of ours alone, I thought I'd ask you to let us join the battle."
"That would be a godsend! We're currently working to expand our forces, but if even the Dark Elves join the fight, then..."
My voice was cut off by a loud crash from beyond the royal palace behind us, as though something had collapsed. What on earth had happened this time? I exchanged a look with Kirilz, excused myself to Muno-dono, and headed toward the source of the sound.