The Unwanted Undead Adventurer: Volume 5 Read online

  “Now, I’d rather not have our relationship built on threats,” I said. “Well, this still comes off as something of a threat, so maybe I shouldn’t be talking.” Now that I thought about it, this actually didn’t seem like a great idea. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up at all. I would’ve used the documents if I had to, though.

  “I don’t know if you’re a genius or a klutz,” Wolf remarked. “Well, whatever. At least you came in here with a plan. If you thought you could solve everything with an up-front approach, you’d be more useless than I expected. In that sense, this proves you caught my eye for a reason.” He forgave me right away and then stuck the papers in his desk.

  It didn’t look like he intended to burn or shred them. I wondered why, gazing at him until he noticed and spoke up again.

  “Oh, this? Well, it lists a lot of business even I wasn’t aware of. Stuff from before I was the guildmaster. I want to know how you learned all that.”

  “It’s a trade secret.”

  “Figured as much. I’ll have to confirm all this and commit it to memory. Could come in handy down the line.”

  Wolf wanted to use my research for himself, apparently. I wondered how he’d use it, but I didn’t expect him to tell me. Maybe it was time to wrap up this conversation.

  “It’s yours now, use it however you want,” I said. “And as far as the double registration, how are you going to fix it?”

  “Hm? Oh, the easiest way would be for you and Lorraine to get married. Then we can consider your old registration a mistake on our part.”

  “Hey,” I complained. I wouldn’t mind that much, but Lorraine wouldn’t be open to a sudden marriage, so I had to reject the idea.

  “I’m screwing with you, there are other ways. We can just erase the name you’re not using and say that person doesn’t exist, or we can say one of those last names was your middle name and merge the two together,” Wolf suggested.

  Both options sounded irresponsible, but double registration was evidently not that serious of a crime. Obviously this wasn’t the right thing to do, but guilds were such lenient organizations that this was to be expected in some places. If I were to try either of the solutions Wolf suggested, though, I was afraid Nive would come to my doorstep.

  “Is there another way?” I asked.

  “Man, you’re trying to solve a double registration issue. You can’t be that picky,” Wolf said and furrowed his brow. He still thought about it, though. After a quiet groan, he seemed to hit upon something. “Right, we do have this one system in place.”

  “What is it?”

  “This rule was only meant to be for guild staff, but while double registrations aren’t normally allowed, we can use them officially,” Wolf explained.

  I had never heard that before, but if the guildmaster said so, it must have been true.

  ◆◇◆◇◆

  If I could have my double registration approved, that would be awfully convenient for me. My two separate identities could come in handy in a few places. Around Nive, for example, I acted as Rentt Vivie, a character with mysterious origins. That’s part of why she suspected me, but if she knew I was Rentt Faina and looked into my past, she might have reason to believe I became a vampire in a dungeon. In the event she searched the Water Moon Dungeon and found that secret passage, it could be a serious problem. That woman I met at the time was short-tempered enough that if she found out I exposed her, she might be angry. But I could worry about that when it actually happened. I couldn’t control what Nive did.

  “From what it sounds like, this system would help me out, but can you really do that for me?” I asked Wolf.

  He nodded. “Of course. But it’s not without its issues. Not sure if you want to accept that or not.”

  The way he said that sounded suspicious, but I didn’t see any other option. This was the best method, so I was willing to accept any conditions.

  “What kind of issues?”

  “Nothing too complicated. Like I said, only guild staff are supposed to know about this.”

  That could only mean one thing. “So I have to join the guild staff if I want to use this, is that what you’re saying?”

  “Well, to put it bluntly, yeah. Can’t make you do anything, though. You’re trying to reach Mithril-class. If you can pull it off, then I’m sure you’d rather focus on that. You’ve got enough problems with your body the way it is, so you wouldn’t want to take on even more work,” Wolf answered.

  He sounded generous, but I wouldn’t know if he truly was until he said more.

  “Thing is, if you don’t use this system, then your only options for dealing with double registration would have to be what I told you before. Marry Lorraine, erase one of your registrations, or merge them together. Each one sounds like it’ll create problems for you. But if you join the guild, there’ll be some bonuses in it for you. The rules would permit you to keep your double registration as is, and you’d get access to the guild’s information network. Also, the point of this system is to let staff members mingle with adventurers and learn what they have to say. You can keep adventuring as you have been, rising through the ranks. There even used to be a Mithril-class adventurer who was a guild staff member. Also, you can use the guild’s facilities in every city for a reduced price, if not for free, you can get bargains from participating stores, and you can make a little extra on the materials you sell. Nothing but advantages, really,” Wolf said, concluding his list of amazing benefits.

  He came across like an overzealous salesman, but it did sound appealing. I could continue to live life as I had been, but now I could use the guild’s offerings as much as I wanted, buy goods for less, and sell materials for more. I was ready to demand I be hired at that very instant, but I knew better than that. Everything Wolf mentioned was a plus, but there had to be minuses. I could think of one.

  “I’d have to do work for the guild, right? How much time do you think I have?”

  I had a surprising amount, actually. Enough I could train a disciple and study magic on a whim, but I didn’t need to mention that. I wasn’t going to take more work if I didn’t have to.

  “Fair enough,” Wolf said after a bit of thought. “I’ll give you as little work as possible. We can just put your name in our registry, how’s that sound? Might have to ask you for something on occasion, but we can talk it out when that happens. Always possible I’ll give you orders during an emergency, but if you have such a problem with that, then just tell me and we can give you a pass.”

  Again, it was all convenient. It didn’t seem to be a joke, either, from the way he looked at me.

  “I appreciate it, but why go that far?”

  “Like I said, I expect a lot from you. That hasn’t changed. Maybe you’re a monster now, sure, but this conversation told me you’re still the same on the inside. No issues here.”

  Was that sincere? I supposed it was, based on the look on his face. That was the expression of an adventurer with conviction. The trouble now was I had no excuse to say no. I could object for the sake of objecting, but this was such a strong offer it would be unfair of me to do so. Maybe that was the idea, but there was nothing else I could do now.

  “Fine, hire me as a member of the guild staff. I’m my own first priority, though, as long as you’re all right with that.”

  “No problem. Alright, now that that’s settled, there’s something else I want to know,” Wolf said and looked up at me.

  “What?”

  “You wore that mask because you couldn’t show your face, but that was because you were a skeleton or a ghoul before, right?”

  “Right. Nobody wants to see dry, rotten, fully exposed muscle,” I said.

  Wolf imagined it and grimaced. “Makes sense. But now you may or may not be a vampire, and look more or less like one, don’t you?”

  “True.” I nodded, knowing where he was going with this. “You’re wondering about my mask?”

  “Yeah, are you wearing it because you can’t show your face w
hen you’re acting as Rentt Vivie? I’m curious.”

  I shook my head. Not that it wasn’t true, but my biggest reason was more simple than that. “Actually, I just can’t take it off.”

  “It’s cursed?”

  “You got it.”

  Wolf jumped to his feet. “Mind if I try pulling it off you?” he asked.

  I didn’t feel like I could refuse, so I nodded. Wolf grabbed the mask from both ends and tugged with all his might. I almost fell over, but the mask didn’t budge.

  “Come on, Rentt, you can plant your feet on the ground better than that,” Wolf complained, but I was trying hard enough as it was. My inhuman strength was still no match for him. He said he couldn’t go adventuring anymore, but it seemed to me he could have continued the job just fine.

  Wolf tried to remove the mask a few more times but to no avail, no matter how much he pulled and shook it. The mask couldn’t be taken off by ordinary means, as Wolf finally came to realize. I told him I got the mask at a vendor, but he looked confused.

  “Cursed goods shouldn’t have been able to enter town in the first place. That’s interesting, I ought to look into it,” he said.

  After that, I left Wolf’s office. “Rentt Vivie” was to be treated as a staff member for the guild, and I would receive my staff license later. A lot happened, but overall, negotiations went well.

  ◆◇◆◇◆

  Before I left the guild, I asked Sheila if she wanted to have dinner with me. The food itself wasn’t the point so much as I wanted to tell someone who knew my situation about what had transpired today. I hadn’t planned on telling Wolf everything, but I couldn’t change the fact that I did. At least I had a guild staff member on my side in the form of Sheila. She could deliver messages between Wolf and me. Also, while I wasn’t asked to do much work, I was still supposed to be working for the guild now. That made Sheila my senior at the workplace, so I wanted to ask her about the rules. I knew something about their regulations and their expectations from adventurers thanks to the pamphlets they kept by the reception desk, but I knew nothing about the internal rules for staff members Wolf had mentioned. I assumed they had something like those pamphlets for staff members as well and I’d be told to read them later, but I wanted to know the basics before that.

  Sheila got the sense I needed to invite her for these reasons, so she agreed to come to Lorraine’s house after work.

  ◆◇◆◇◆

  The food was always good. Tons of dishes were arranged on the table, every one of which was a collaborative effort between Lorraine and Sheila. Some blood was mixed in, but it tasted a bit different from normal. This was more delicious than usual, but I wondered why.

  “Did you season the food differently today?” I asked. Lorraine cooked on her own most of the time, so maybe Sheila’s involvement changed the food somewhat, but that didn’t seem to be all. I didn’t know how to explain it, though.

  “Well, today’s cooking contains both my and Sheila’s blood,” Lorraine explained. “I said she didn’t have to go that far, but she insisted.”

  That did explain the complex flavor. I didn’t know if it was because their blood tasted good combined or because both their blood was good on its own. It was nice of Sheila to offer her blood, though.

  “Sheila, you didn’t mind?” I asked her.

  “I did to some extent, but you’re a vampire and you need blood to live. I’ve known that ever since we made our contract, but you’ve been getting all your blood from Lorraine. She says it’s only about a bottle a month, but I’m afraid that’s going to make her sick one day, so I thought it might be a good idea to try mine,” she said. Wolf worried about the same thing. The last bottle of blood she gave me was almost empty too, so more contributors were appreciated.

  The food with blood was, of course, meant only for me. Lorraine and Sheila had regular meals.

  “In that case, I’m happy to have it. But on to the matter at hand,” I said and changed the topic to what Guildmaster Wolf had told me. Mainly, I informed them that I revealed my situation, that he was understanding about it, and that my double registration could be solved if I joined the guild staff.

  “I see,” Lorraine responded. “Sounds like there isn’t much of a problem, then. All those documents you collected weren’t good for anything in the end, apparently.” Lorraine had helped edit the files I assembled. Her input made it easier to understand the content of the documents, in fact. But it ended up being a waste of time.

  “I just gave them to him. Sorry I made you help out for nothing,” I said, apologizing.

  Lorraine shook her head. “If he trusted you, then threats wouldn’t have been the best idea. I would’ve recommended keeping them a secret in case something happens down the line, but you were never one to be proactive about these things. It’s fine,” she said.

  She didn’t say I couldn’t keep them a secret, however, because she knew I could. I just didn’t want to.

  “Still, a loophole that lets you keep your double registration? I vaguely remember that rule existing, but I’m surprised the guildmaster was so quick to bring it up. It hasn’t been used in Maalt in decades, as far as I know,” Sheila mentioned.

  “Really?” I cocked my head. I figured the rule wasn’t told to adventurers but was in common use by staff.

  “Yes, it’s for staff to use when they want to survey or gather information from adventurers. We don’t need to work as adventurers to get that information nowadays, though, so nobody does it. There isn’t much point,” Sheila explained.

  It sounded like this system was as good as dead, and yet Wolf thought about it immediately.

  “I’m guessing the guildmaster was thinking about swaying you with that from the start,” Lorraine said.

  “Probably, but why go that far?” I pondered.

  “He’s been interested in you for a long time. I imagine he’s been considering how to make you join the guild for just as long. That’d include looking into ways he could hire you while you’re still an adventurer. He really thinks a lot of you.”

  In other words, this was an option he’d had in mind ever since I became a Bronze-class adventurer. However, I doubted he thought I was that important.

  “That does sound like something he would do. He thinks about these things a lot. It’s easy to get the wrong idea from how he looks, but I hear he’s pretty smart. He’s a good person, though,” Sheila interjected, providing supporting evidence for Lorraine’s speculation.

  If that was true, he had me in the palm of his hand. But manipulating someone like me couldn’t have been that hard, as I tended to go with the flow. I decided not to worry about it. This wasn’t bad for me in any way, and if something did happen, I could think about it then.

  Relaxing too much could lead to pain down the line, though, as I had come to feel as of late.

  ◆◇◆◇◆

  When dinner was done and everything was explained, we saw Sheila home then relaxed in Lorraine’s living room.

  “It seems like your double registration problem is solved now, so what name are you going to go by?” Lorraine asked.

  “Oh, I’ll be fine as Rentt Vivie for a while. Changing my name while Nive is still around could be dangerous,” I said.

  Lorraine nodded. “Well you have a point there. But I’m surprised that solution existed. I thought they were going to erase one of the names.”

  “Yeah, he suggested that at first. He also said I could marry you to fix it, but there’s no way I could’ve done that.”

  Lorraine spat out her wine. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she said, scowling.

  “I could have married you and taken the name Vivie, then said they forgot to erase my previously registered name. I was shocked when he said it, but in the end, there was no need to resort to that. Anyway, let’s sleep for the day. Tomorrow we’re buying what we need for the journey, right? Good night.”

  It was about time to gather everything we needed, so I had plans to go shopping with Lo
rraine the next day. I could stay up all night if I wanted, but Lorraine was only human.

  “Yes, right. Good night, Rentt.”

  I waved goodbye and went to my room. I hoped to see some neat magic items tomorrow, but we were only going to buy what was necessary, so that probably wasn’t happening.

  ◆◇◆◇◆

  “Marriage, huh?” Lorraine muttered when she was alone. The word sounded odd to her.

  She was already well past the average age for marriage, but plenty of women married old acquaintances at her age. If he kept the name Rentt Vivie, it would also mean marrying into her family.

  “Marriage, huh?” Lorraine repeated and closed her eyes. She tried to imagine it, but it gave her an itchy sensation.

  ◆◇◆◇◆

  “Oh! That looks interesting,” I said and ran up to a street vendor.

  They had a number of mysterious magic items. Most usable magic items were found at magic item-exclusive stores, where they were appraised and sold with a written analysis, but they could also be found at vendors.

  Appraising magic items was expensive. When adventurers found magic items in dungeons, they usually went to the guild or a magic item shop to get them appraised, but if they were clearly useless, or if they were appraised and turned out to be useless, they turned up here. Common examples of the former were pins that did nothing but bounce in place, singing flowers (whose songs were not good, they just sounded like noise), and torches that flared up and went out at random intervals. Examples of the latter were magic swords that hadn’t been enhanced at all or medicine that looked like healing potions but did nothing but cause a stomachache. Not all the items found in dungeons had applications. Nobody bought them unless they were curious, they knew the hidden uses for these items, or they were children who wanted toys. In the end, they found their way to these vendors.