The Unwanted Undead Adventurer: Volume 4

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  Chapter 1: To the Labyrinth of the New Moon

  I found myself with some free time on my hands. Today, I’d been summoned by the adventurer’s guild, so I supposed the payout from the Tarasque carcass was due. With that in mind, I made plans to visit the blacksmith, armorer, and even a general merchant at the tail end of it. To that end, I ensured that I had enough time to complete my tasks. While I’d obtained quite a bit of coin from the sale of the Tarasque, the amount I received was hardly enough for the extravagant schedule I’d initially planned for today.

  Ah, yes. A failure on my part...

  On another note, while I was making trips to the blacksmith and general merchant to procure basic adventuring equipment and weapons for Alize, the trip to the armorer was personal in nature. I had quite a fair amount of clothing of course, accumulated over my lifetime spent as Rentt Faina, a regular human. Needless to say, there were hardly any openings in the back. As such, it was safe to assume my wings would have a hard time finding their way out of said garments—and that was a bit of an understatement.

  It was with those thoughts in mind that I’d set out to purchase some bespoke clothing. It was all made to order, and tailored to specifications that allowed it to brave the dangers of the labyrinths. As a result, it was considerably more expensive. I’d assumed the payout from the Tarasque would be more than enough, but, of course, I was very much mistaken.

  Damn it.

  To make things worse, the clothing I originally owned was already quite tattered and in dire need of repairs. Due to my relatively low income at the start of my journey, I hardly made any unnecessary purchases, and, on top of that, I’d been wearing the clothes on me for quite a while now—through both my Ghoul and Thrall evolutions. They were dirty, to say the least, with some less than usual detritus stuck in the fabric. After all, blood and fragments of flesh weren’t exactly normal to find in clothing.

  I did do my laundry daily...but that wasn’t the issue here. Now that I was almost indistinguishable from a normal human, the mere thought of me wearing the clothes I’d worn when I was still more monstrous... Well, it was a difficult thought at the very least. This was an opportunity as good as any other, so I set off to purchase replacements.

  Unfortunately...it wasn’t meant to be.

  The main issue, of course, was of coin. I’d receive a fair sum from the dissection and sale of the carcass, yes, but if I were to order some bespoke clothing, I would hardly have anything left for Alize’s weapons, equipment, and the like... Not to mention Lorraine’s tutoring fees.

  I suddenly felt myself under immense financial strain. I could feel the weight of debt crushing my very being.

  Ah, to be an individual with multiple debts... To think I would have to live like this, hand-to-mouth and shouldered with debt... What sins, exactly, had I committed in my past life to warrant this? I couldn’t help but think I should have lived a more pious, upright life in my previous incarnation.

  Well... In any case, I suppose this was how things were. Rather than complaining repeatedly that I had little in the way of coin, I should instead come up with some sort of plan. Yes, a plan to earn a considerable sum of coin. Sooner or later, the undamaged carapace of the Tarasque would sell, and, when it did, I’d be blessed with a remarkable windfall. Until then, I’d just have to continue living my hand-to-mouth lifestyle, saving where I could...

  But alas...

  These thought patterns were precisely why I was currently in this unfortunate situation.

  I shook my head. If I were to live my life depending on the next windfall to come, I’d never have any sizable amount of savings to call my own.

  Rentt: are you not an individual who is capable of restraint? You did save up enough coin to purchase a magical pouch before. If you put your mind to it, saving some coin is hardly an impossible task. Surely there could be some way I could set about solving this problem. Some...idea... Hmm. Think, Rentt... To save...to scrimp.

  What was the most basic means by which an adventurer could save themselves some coin...?

  Ah, yes—the provision of materials. An adventurer would present the craftsman with the appropriate ingredients when creating new equipment, gathered by their own hand.

  At least, that was what I thought. However, due to the currently unique nature of my body, and the fact that the equipment I required was largely made to my specifications, gathering the appropriate materials was difficult at best.

  Take my sword, for instance: an instrument capable of channeling mana, spirit, and divinity. Surely such a feat wouldn’t be possible without some rare, hard-to-obtain materials. To make things worse, few craftsmen would be so eager to educate an adventurer specifically on how their equipment was made. This made things difficult, as I didn’t even know what to bring the craftsmen in the first place. I could place an order, then be told by the establishment what I had to fetch; even so, unless I was explicitly instructed on what to bring, I couldn’t just assume. See, only a skilled craftsman would know what they required to craft an item. This would make attempting to save on the construction of my weapons and equipment problematic.

  But for Alize...

  Yes, she could use a stronger weapon, or at least one that met my expectations in terms of quality. But there was no need for her very first weapon to be overly fancy, reason being that if an adventurer were to use a specially constructed weapon from the very start, they’d become dependent upon it, eventually leading to imbalances in their martial prowess. In fact, there was a high chance of said adventurer becoming one that was severely lacking in adaptability. While that wasn’t strictly fatal for an adventurer, one should be prepared for all eventualities. For her sake, I should guide Alize away from this potential pitfall.

  All things considered, gathering the materials for Alize’s equipment by hand wasn’t too bad an idea. Average materials with average performance... That was what I’d set out to gather. It was by no means an onerous task, and, thankfully, I had some free time on my hands. I could very well use the entire afternoon to scour the Labyrinth of the New Moon.

  Hmm... If the search took longer than expected, I’d likely return to Lorraine’s abode tomorrow morning. I supposed I should make a trip back and let her know. I had no need for sleep, after all. Even if I had to work through the night, I’d just keep moving until I completely ran out of stamina. My stamina had become somewhat inexhaustible in nature, a fact I’d discovered having lived this way thus far. A special trait of the Undead, one could say. Mental strain could possibly build up over time, but that would be the only sort of exhaustion I’d refer to if I spoke of it.

  Now that I had an idea of what I wanted to do, I turned, intending to discuss matters with Lorraine back at her abode.

  ◆◇◆◇◆

  “A weapon for Alize, Rentt? You do have to prepare one, yes... But is there really a need to assemble the very raw materials themselves?” was Lorraine’s response as I informed her of my thoughts upon my return.

  She was hardly disagreeing. If anything, she was expressing her thoughts on the matter. In fact, it wasn’t hard to understand why she felt that way. In most cases, equipment for new adventurers was usually settled by blacksmiths and armorers; such equipment was hardly difficult to manufacture.

  However...

  “It’s a matter of coin, Lorraine. I thought to save on costs, somewhat, and decided to gather the materials myself...”

  “Ah, is that so? I understand then. In that case...you have yet to sell the Tarasque carcass, no?” Lorraine inquired. br />
  If anything, Lorraine had most likely already figured this out this very morning, and, as it turned out, it had gone just as she predicted. I continued my explanation, all the while feeling a little deflated at the accuracy of Lorraine’s deductions.

  “Yes... The matter became quite troublesome indeed...”

  “Hmm? Explain yourself, Rentt.”

  I supposed even Lorraine hadn’t envisioned the entire picture, given the strange turns in recent events. Lorraine remained inquisitive, her head tilted to one side as I explained what exactly had occurred in the guild’s dissection chamber. As I did so, Lorraine’s expression slowly changed to one of worry and exasperation.

  “It would seem like sticking your head into strange affairs has become quite the regular occurrence for you, Rentt...”

  Quite exasperated.

  “Don’t be like that, Lorraine. For starters, it was the auctioneer who requested this of me. The corpse wouldn’t sell itself if it were simply left there. It’s also a large, somewhat respectable establishment, so ensuring our interests align would lead to rather...considerable gains in the long term. Don’t you think so?”

  “Yes, yes. I suppose there are merits to the whole thing, and this is not exactly a situation that can be simply ignored. However, consider this, Rentt: The risk of your true identity being discovered is very real. In this particular case...that would be the sole, but still quite large, demerit.”

  I could hardly argue with the validity of her statements. However, so long as I continued living in Maalt, I’d eventually be forced to deal with either issue. When I thought about it that way, I somehow felt being bolder with the entire auction affair was the right way to go.

  I expressed these thoughts to Lorraine.

  “I do understand your angle, Rentt. Hmm... Personally, I would advise against it, but it is true those two problems present themselves as inevitable developments. If not here, then another place, another time... You would equally be as likely to get found out. If one were to think about it in that particular way...I suppose your idea would not exactly be a bad choice.”

  It appeared Lorraine had understood my line of reasoning. But she wasn’t quite finished yet.

  “If you sense any danger, any danger at all, Rentt—escape as quickly as you can. It is not something I enjoy thinking about...but you see, even Lesser Vampires are worth quite a hefty sum. I would not discount the existence of individuals who seek to capture them alive. If you had headed into this whole thing with the aim of selling something at an auction, then woke up to find yourself as one of the items in the catalog... I cannot even laugh about this, Rentt. If the time ever comes, I will assist you in escaping Maalt...escaping beyond the borders of Yaaran. So...do keep your wits about you, Rentt.”

  Lorraine’s expression was grave. I nodded deeply in reply.

  “I understand...”

  However, something Lorraine said had caught my attention.

  “How much, exactly, could you sell a Vampire for...?”

  For a moment, Lorraine once again had a look of exasperation, perhaps from the fact that I seemed to show little concern for the dangers I could potentially be exposing myself to. But she soon gave it some thought, then answered me seriously.

  “Well... It would be raining platinum coins, Rentt. Not a colossal enough sum to swim in, I suppose, but surely not an amount an ordinary person could hope to pay...” Lorraine’s brows furrowed, then she continued her train of thought. “You... Rentt. You do not mean to tell me... Are you attempting to sell yourself for funds?”

  Lorraine’s gaze bored into me as she narrowed her eyes.

  “Don’t be daft, Lorraine!” I shook my head in a panic. “There’s no way I could do anything of the sort!”

  “No, Rentt.” Lorraine was quick to continue on. “Not in that fashion—at the very least, not your entire self... More along the lines of, say, blood or flesh samples. There is a possibility of you doing that, I suppose...”

  I swallowed deeply. Lorraine was right—I had considered it...at some point. Just a tiny bit. I’d thought of the prospect only ever so slightly. Vampire blood had quite the medicinal value to nobles, you see. It was seen as an elixir of everlasting life, of immortality. While I wasn’t sure as to how much of an effect said blood would have, I was sure to obtain a handsome amount of coin for it should I ever attempt to sell a vial at an auction. The auctioneer would certainly have some means of determining the blood’s authenticity, so they’d be able to verify if it truly came from a monster. A Vampire, to be precise. So long as one had enough coin, it was possible to send a sample straight to the Monster Research Institution at the capital of Yaaran. There, the sample could be adequately tested to verify its authenticity. As such, I’d thought it as a fast and easy way to earn vast amounts of coin.

  But I wasn’t entirely reckless, and had given the matter more careful thought. While the blood of Vampires had the effect of bestowing immortality unto an individual, namely by turning them into an Undead as well, it also had another purpose, its original purpose, perhaps: a Vampire’s blood was used to create underlings, familiars.

  By that line of reasoning...would an individual who drank my blood become another one of my familiars? Much like Edel, the Puchi Suri, had.

  Like...Edel though? That...would be most troubling. But I should set that thought aside. In any case, having an increase in the amount of familiars, just like that...

  Logically, we could assume only the rich and powerful would be able to purchase something as expensive as Vampire blood, or at least consciously desire it. It would certainly feel like a net gain to suddenly have an underling that had financial and social power, but I couldn’t quite wrap my head around suddenly being able to command another individual in such a fashion. “Right, you work for me now,” I’d say... No. It was no good. I couldn’t picture myself with such a disposition.

  No...more like impossible. That was the overall feeling I got.

  In the end, I shook my head, as if these thoughts had never crossed my mind.

  “No, I never had such thoughts. I was just thinking about the dangers involved... Coin is an easy metric to understand. I was just...slightly taken in by the image.”

  Honestly speaking...the very thought of it raining platinum coins was quite terrifying in and of itself. Under no circumstances should I ever get caught.

  Lorraine’s monetary estimate, however, largely factored in the fact that I was a special case. By comparison, the more common Lesser Vampire would still fetch a good amount of coin, albeit a less ridiculous amount, since they were seen more occasionally, despite being rare monsters. They were also incredibly difficult to capture—that was the truth of it.

  Most Vampires tended to live in a cluster of sorts, commonly and collectively referred to as a “flock,” with the highest-ranked Vampire dominating all the rest. Commonly, it was a Middle Vampire acting as a de facto leader, dictating the actions of the Lesser Vampires under its command. In turn, Thralls and human servants answered to Lesser Vampires, to describe a common scenario. In such a case, even if one were to somehow capture a Lesser Vampire, there was still the influence of its leader, the Middle Vampire, to consider. For instance, its blood could be remotely controlled, and it could be made to go berserk, then be detonated by its leader, perhaps when the Lesser Vampire was being detained by its captors. After it was robbed of its powers by the Middle Vampire that created it in the first place, its vampiric strength would have nowhere to go, and the resultant forces would cause it to become unable to maintain its humanoid form. At least, that was one explanation for the phenomenon, with the real reason for this happening remaining unknown to this day.

  The important takeaway from this was that Lesser Vampires could die the very moment they were captured, or perhaps shortly after they’d been captured. Their powers would be stripped from them by higher-ranking Vampires, then they’d explode and the flying pieces of flesh and bodily fluids would no longer have vampiric properties. This
made it easy to understand the difficulty in capturing them. Really, it was more the futility of the affair even if one were to capture them.

  But in my case...there’d be no high-ranking Vampire to detonate me even if I were caught. Taking all this into consideration, even materials from a Lesser Vampire would be considerably rare, and would fetch a high price. Excluding special cases like me, the only Vampires that could be captured were solitary Lesser Vampires that naturally resided in the labyrinths. With the exception of those individuals, most Lesser Vampires would have a leader and belong to a flock.

  I now understood just how rare of an occurrence I was. I would surely be hunted and caught.

  Terrifying...

  Simply put, the Vampire materials floating around these lands were either harvested from a leader, or from Lesser Vampires that didn’t have their powers stripped by their superiors upon capture. As for the vial I’d obtained from the Latuule family, I couldn’t be absolutely certain. However, I hadn’t felt any presence dominating my mind thus far, so I assumed it would have been blood from the latter. Of course, there was always the possibility I was simply too far away, or that the powers within me were actively fighting this supposed domination... Whatever the case, so long as it remained dormant or under control, there wasn’t much point to overly worrying about it.

  Laura did warn me of the dangers involved, so if anything did happen... I supposed I’d have to cross that bridge when I came to it. At that point in time, I felt like I couldn’t reach my next stage of Existential Evolution had I not drank the contents of the vial. In the end, I couldn’t find any other solution or path forward, and regretting it after the fact would take me nowhere.

  “Is that right...? Very well, then. In any case...do be careful, Rentt. Oh, yes, you were going to gather materials, right? In that case, I have a few requests of my own. You may deduct the relevant expenses from your tuition fees.”

  Saying so, Lorraine rattled off a list of items she wanted, including a few magical ores and other, various materials. It didn’t take me long to realize what her goals were, judging by the items she’d asked for.