Chapter 192 - Mother’s return and a growing family?
Chapter 192 - Mother’s return and a growing family?
“I’m sure Darcia-sama will be surprised to see us when she’s resurrected,” said Rita.
“Everyone’s already here, after all,” said Saria, looking around the underground workshop.
The underground workshop, which already normally half-functioned as a hang-out for Vandalieu’s close aides, was packed with a large number of people.
The Storm of Tyranny members weren’t here, as they had returned to the hidden villages of Vida’s races on the Amid Empire side of the continent, but Legion and Gufadgarn had brought the important people from each of the nations within the Boundary Mountain Range.
Almost all of them had met and exchanged greetings with Darcia when she was a spirit. However, now that she was going to begin a new life, it was only natural for them to want to exchange greetings with her again.
The leaders of the Drakonid nation (the Drakonid Elders) and Rowen, a knight who represented the Drakonid nation, were making a fuss after having been brought here by Gufadgarn.
“We made it…! I thank you, Gufadgarn-sama,” said one of the Drakonid Elders. “Who knows what Tiamat-sama and the other guardian Elder Dragons would have said if we were any later. I am relieved.”
“This is no time to be relieved! There is no meaning in simply being here. There is only meaning once we exchange greetings with Darcia-dono once more!” said another of the Drakonid Elders. “We are relying on you, Rowen!”
“That is enough, Drakonid Elders!” said Rowen.
Tiamat, the Mountain Queen Elder Dragon, was putting pressure on the Drakonid nation. The nation’s leaders were desperate because of the great influence that the resurrected Darcia would likely have.
Saria and Rita and everyone else knew this, but Vandalieu was quite the mother-con. This was in the sense that he had been protecting her because she was nothing but a weak spirit, but those mother-con tendencies were unlikely to be cured the moment Darcia was resurrected.
And in the political system of Talosheim, the nation that Vandalieu ruled, he faced no opposition as the emperor whatsoever. There were some figures who could warn him and stop him, such as the general-plus-prime-minister Chezare and the lieutenant Kurt, but every final decision came down to Vandalieu’s will.
Despite that, Vandalieu certainly placed importance on Darcia’s opinions, and unlike when she was a spirit, she would always be by his side. She would likely be more influential in Talosheim than a duke in a human society.
However, this was the area within the Boundary Mountain Range, a region that had been isolated from the outside world for over a hundred thousand years. There wasn’t a single person who had come out of a sense of vigilance and fear for Darcia’s political influence.
“What are you saying Rowen! Darcia-sama is the mother of His Majesty the Emperor, and this is our chance to greet her and become closer to her!” one of the Drakonid Elders said.
“Indeed,” agreed another. “When it comes to occasions such as these, the first impression is important. If we let this opportunity go, the effects of that will be long-lasting.”
What the Drakonid Elders were concerned about was the fact that Darcia’s influence would influence Vandalieu’s relationships with others, especially those with members of the opposite sex.
Vandalieu was currently approaching the development of his secondary sexual characteristics, and this fact was well-known throughout every nation within the Boundary Mountain Range. In other words, he was soon going to be of marriageable age. It would be several more years before he matured to adulthood, but this was the perfect age to form engagements.
Vida, the goddess of life and love, was the being ruling all of the nations within the Boundary Mountain Range, and her teachings advocated for freedom in love. However, there were cases where betrothals were decided by one’s parents.
The thought process behind this was that even if a third party were to introduce the couple to one another, they could still find happiness by becoming closer to each other and fostering love. There was no saying which way was better or worse when it came to marriages that contained love.
Thus, it was not rare for marriage talks to be conducted among parents and superiors. Thus, everyone in the nations within the Boundary Mountain Range was thinking that Darcia may do the same for Vandalieu. The Four Drakonid Elders were particularly conscious of this fact, as Tiamat, the Mountain Queen Elder Dragon who was one of the parents of the Drakonid race, had reprimanded the Elder Dragons that were the Drakonid nation’s guardian deities for being late to make a move… though there were several other nations that had not yet sent anyone to Vandalieu, such as the Merfolk nation and Lamia nation.
Even Rowen wasn’t against the Four Drakonid Elders, the leaders of her nation, bringing her talks of marriage.
The problem was that the one she would be married to was Vandalieu.
“… I understand that, but there is no need for it to be me. Or rather, I do not believe that it would be a fair exchange. Even if I were to become one of his queens, I would simply be buried and forgotten among the others,” Rowen said.
Vandalieu was already surrounded by a number of queen candidates. Rowen imagined that if she were to become one of them, her presence would simply be forgotten.
“Mmm, however… the marriage proposal has not been decided, and there are no girls as beautiful or skilled as you,” said one of the Drakonid Elders.
“It is crucial to know when to give up,” said Rowen. “If this proposal does not happen, we could search for a candidate from among our Kiryujin and Maryujin brethren on the Dark Continent, could we not? Or we could even ask Tiamat-sama herself.”
“That seems like it would lead to the birth of a Vampire-Drakonid… Ah, have some tea,” said a voice, and a pair of hands offered Rowen a cup of tea.
“Thank you… Vandalieu-dono?!” Rowen exclaimed, nearly dropping the teacup in surprise as she saw that it was Vandalieu himself who had given her the tea. “Eh, wait, it is not that I hate you or anything like that!” she said hastily, realizing that Vandalieu had heard their conversation.
“Th-that is right! We are merely being too persistent,” said one of the Drakonid Elders.
“Now, now, please calm down,” said Vandalieu. “I’m aware that there are a lot of women around me, so don’t worry about it. There’s no real need to conduct any political marriages. So… please don’t try to persuade Tiamat to do anything like that.”
“I-I see… Vandalieu-dono, do you find Tiamat-sama unpleasant?” Rowen asked.
“I don’t,” Vandalieu replied.
Tiamat was as large as the true Colossi. Her limbs and tail were covered in scales, and there were two horns protruding from her head. Her appearance was very different from that of a human. But naturally, Vandalieu did not think that Tiamat was ghastly or hideous.
In fact, he felt attraction to her calm demeanor, her overflowing vitality and the gloss of her vividly-colored scales.
“But I think that having dozens or a hundred children at once is a little… too high of a hurdle,” said Vandalieu.
The Mountain Queen Elder Dragon Tiamat was known for her romances with true Colossi, beast-kings and even with gods during the age of the gods. However, she was also known for giving birth to many children.
Indeed, when she gave birth to the Kiryujin and Maryujin, she had apparently given birth to a hundred children each time. At the time, it was necessary to leave behind descendants as quickly as possible, and the children of Elder Dragons developed several times faster than other races.
“That is… true,” said Rowen, finding herself nodding in agreement with Vandalieu.
The prosperity of one’s descendants was something that ought to be celebrated, something that would bring stability to the nation. But a hundred was simply too many.
“Even if Tiamat-sama is known for giving birth to many children, would she not restrain herself…?” one of the Four Drakonid Elders wondered. “No, she would not,” he said, immediately refuting his own idea.
Giving birth to many children was a part of Tiamat’s nature, and deliberately suppressing that characteristic would be difficult.
But I have heard that even Tiamat-sama is unable to give birth to large numbers of children when the father is a true Colossus or an Elder Dragon. Would that not be the case with Vandalieu-dono as well? the Drakonid Elder wondered, but he decided to stay silent, as there was no proof that this was the case… though he decided to later go to the Dark Continent himself to be sure.
“So, as Rowen-san said, we shouldn’t be hasty. I mean, my lifespan is between three thousand and five thousand years, and I’ll still be plenty young in a hundred years’ time,” said Vandalieu.
Even though Vandalieu said that political marriages weren’t necessary, the Four Drakonid Elders still didn’t feel at ease. They suggested that this matter be left for later discussion, having no candidates other than Rowen.
“Now then, I’ll guide you to your seats,” said Vandalieu.
“Is it really necessary for you to guide us yourself, Vandalieu-dono? You are the one who wishes to be close to your mother for her resurrection, are you not?” said Rowen.
“I am close to Mom for her resurrection, ready for it to happen at any moment. Look,” said Vandalieu, pointing at the capsule that contained the root of life in which Darcia resided.
Next to the capsule was Vandalieu, staring into it… his physical body.
Bone Man, a part of Knochen, Sam, Saria, Rita, Zadiris, Basdia, Tarea and others were gathered around him, emotionally recalling fond memories.
“The me here is a clone. There’s all kinds of preparations to be made, so I’ve made a lot of clones, so this is just one of the tasks that I can do,” said Vandalieu’s clone.
Above ground, quick preparations were currently underway for a festival to celebrate Darcia’s resurrection. A countless number of Vandalieu’s clones were making food, while the people were making decorations and organizing a parade.
Up until now, Darcia had only tasted Vandalieu’s cooking through Materialization and another spell that allowed her to share Vandalieu’s senses. But Vandalieu had always wanted her to truly eat it for herself once she came back to life, and he was making enough for everyone.
“I see… can we be of help?” Rowen asked, realizing how much work Vandalieu was doing.
“No, no, you are guests here, Rowen-san,” said Vandalieu. “My physical body was unable to move until recently, so I’ve become used to working with my clones, so it’s alright.”
Indeed, the familiars that were a combination of Demon King fragments and Possessed by Vandalieu’s spirit form - commonly referred to as Demon King Familiars* - were scuttling around Talosheim these days with nobody paying them any attention.
Note: This is a play on words in Japanese. 使い魔/tsukaima = familiar, 魔王/maou = Demon King, put together it is 使い魔王/tsukaimaou = Demon King familiar.
They were mainly working in building construction, carrying heavy building materials in place of Golems and applying paint made from the Demon King’s ink. They were also accompanying Borkus and Vigaro on their monster hunts, acquiring Experience Points for Vandalieu.
Recently, cannon-type Demon King Familiars which used the air pressure from the Demon King’s lungs to fire projectiles from hardened blood vessels of the Demon King were popular for monster extermination… This method was considerably less powerful than the method of firing projectiles using Telekinesis, but it also required less Mana, which meant that it was possible for Demon King Familiars, which were separated from Vandalieu’s main body, to fire projectiles repeatedly.
“I understand. Then we shall observe Darcia-dono’s resurrection from here,” said Rowen.
She and the Drakonid Elders gave a bow, and the spirit-form Vandalieu left to offer tea to other guests.
In contrast to the busily-working clones, the physical Vandalieu remained motionless in front of the capsule, waiting for the moment to come.
A spherical object covered in a thin, pink membrane floated inside the fluid-filled capsule. It was this object that contained Darcia’s body.
A female silhouette with her limbs curled up was visible through the thin membrane, but it was showing no signs of movement yet. If it weren’t for this membrane, Darcia’s state would be more clearly observable. But the membrane was serving an essential function.
“Hmm, if it were not for this membranous pouch, we could have observed her development in more detail,” said Luciliano, sounding a little disappointed as he looked over the summarized records of his observations… which included detailed sketches.
The membrane was essential for obscuring what he could see.
“Could it not be possible for your spirit form to enter the membrane and observe her?” Luciliano said. “I would not go as far as to ask you to tell me what you see.”
“Gufadgarn told us, didn’t she? The root of life is delicate, so another spirit getting too close to it might cause unforeseen complications,” said Vandalieu. “I don’t want to let another spirit close to it, even if it’s my own.”
Vandalieu was curious as to what kind of state Darcia was in, but he had heeded Gufadgarn’s warnings and kept to talking to the capsule from the outside and making sure there was no reaction from Danger Sense: Death.
“Jyuuh… You do not know when to give up,” Bone Man muttered to Luciliano. “Still, this is deeply moving… Knochen, it seems that we can finally achieve the goal that we held back then.”
Knochen gave a happy groan.
As they waited on standby with large, black cloths, Bone Man and Knochen recalled the first objective they were ever given when they were created by Vandalieu.
Bone Man and Knochen, who was a fusion of Bone Monkey, Bone Bird and the others, were the Undead that Vandalieu had created and named in his first year in this world.
Their objective was to carry Vandalieu to Darcia. When they were created, Darcia had already been burned at the stake and reduced to a mere spirit, and they had succeeded in carrying Vandalieu to the site at which she had been executed.
But now, they had finally succeeded in bringing Vandalieu to a living Darcia. If they possessed tear ducts, tears would likely be flowing freely from their eyes.
“Indeed… Reflecting on the past, we have carried Bocchan a long way,” said Sam, who was holding a black cloth as well (the carriage that was his main body was nearby).
“Not really distance-wise, but that’s true,” said Saria, who was holding a towel.
“When we met Bocchan and the others, we never even dreamed that we would have the forms that we have now,” said Rita, holding a towel as well.
“Truly… I never imagined. I wonder if my wife would forgive me,” Sam murmured as he gave a distant gaze towards his two daughters… the two Tartarus Maid Armors.
“Father, what are you saying all of a sudden? I’m sure Mother would not be angry at you,” said Saria.
“It’s just as Nee-san says,” said Rita. “We only became weapon-wielding Undead that heal when we bathe in the blood of our enemies, right?”
The twins tried to cheer Sam up, but it seemed that this wasn’t what Sam was concerned about.
Rita and Saria resided in a high-leg leotard-shaped and bikini-shaped armor, and had bodies with appearances based on when they were alive with the Spirit Form Skill. The hairbands and laces did help a little to cover their bodies, but… they were showing a lot of skin, even though it was pale. Even their plentiful, feminine curves were on open display.
“Bocchan, please continue to take care of my daughters. I beg you, for many years to come,” said Sam as he desperately clutched Vandalieu’s hand, thinking that his wife would not forgive him after all.
“Okay… Mom is going to be resurrected now, so please take care of both me and her,” said Vandalieu.
“Danna-sama, I do not think that is what he means,” said Bellmond, Vandalieu’s steward. “… No, that is not for me to say,” she said, stopping herself from saying any more.
Meanwhile, Pauvina’s large eyes were shining with anticipation.
“I wonder when Darcia-Mama is going to be resurrected!” she said.
The Patchwork Zombie Rapié?age, who was made from the combined corpses of multiple humans and monsters, and the Patchwork Hydra Zombie Yamata, whose nine heads had been severed and replaced by the upper bodies of beautiful women of different races, were nearby as well.
“Mama…?” Rapié?age repeated, seeming a little confused by Pauvina’s words.
It wasn’t Darcia who had given birth to Pauvina; thanks to Vandalieu, she had been given birth to by her own Live-Dead body from her previous life.
But that didn’t matter to Pauvina.
“That’s right. Mama,” she said, pointing at Darcia’s body inside the capsule. “I’m Van’s little sister, so Darcia is my Mama. Mama said that I can call her that, too. Didn’t she, Van?”
“Yes, I remember,” said Vandalieu.
The truth was that Vandalieu was more like Pauvina’s parent than her older brother, but their ages were similar, so their relationship had become something close to a sibling relationship. Thus, there was nothing strange about Pauvina calling Darcia ‘Mama.’ Darcia herself had been happy with it, and Vandalieu supported it as well.
“So Rappie and Yamata, you should call her Mama as well!” said Pauvina.
“… Huh? I don’t remember anything about that,” said Vandalieu, confused.
Rapié?age and Yamata’s ten total faces all looked confused as well.
“Ma… ma? Me… too?” Rapié?age groaned.
“Yamata… too?”
“Yeah! You two were born and reborn thanks to Van, just like me, so we’re all the same!” Pauvina said cheerfully.
It seemed that Pauvina thought that Darcia was Mama to all of them, as they were all something like younger sisters to Vandalieu.
“Ma… ma… Mama… Mama… Mama…” Rapié?age muttered repeatedly.
“Mama~?” sang Yamata.
It seemed that the two had taken a liking to the word.
“Does that apply to me and my daughters, then? Yes, that sounds good,” said Quinn, the queen of the Gehenna Bees.
“Mama… Fufufu…” said the Skogsr? Eisen.
The two of them were happy to jump on this bandwagon. It was true that both of them had been pseudo-reincarnated by Vandalieu, so they met the same conditions as Pauvina and the others, but… no matter how one looked at it, they were not Vandalieu’s younger sisters.
Legion was using a strange technique where they remained in their meat-sphere form but only their heads appeared in human form, allowing them to talk at the same time.
“What about us? I suppose it would be better to ask her first?” said Pluto.
“Don’t ask her that! There’s no way we could ask her something so embarrassing!” said Baba Yaga.
“I’m not embarrassed, though. Should I ask her in your place? I’ll tell her, ‘Baba Yaga is too embarrassed to ask, so I’m asking in her place. Please, let us call you Mama,’” said Shade.
“Shade! You damn brat!” Baba Yaga cursed.
Vandalieu had created Legion using the base form of life, so they had things in common with Rapié?age and the others.
“At this rate, every Undead and pseudo-reincarnated person that His Majesty created will be Darcia-san’s children. Not that I mind that,” said Princess Levia.
“Nee-san! It’s still too early to decide that! We’re royalty, so we should find a proper time and follow procedures, shouldn’t we?!” said Zandia.
“What should I do? I wonder,” said Jeena, seemingly undecided.
“In that case, Orbia-neesan can call her mother-in-law before me,” said the Scylla Privel, looking jealous.
“Privel, I think that has a different meaning. And I’m not really like your older sister, am I?” said the Scylla Ghost Orbia.
“No, no, it is possible that Privel-dono, I and Gizania-dono have the right to refer to Darcia-dono as such, if we are to accept Pauvina-dono’s argument,” said Myuze, a member of the Empusa race that had the characteristics of praying mantises. “Our appearances have changed greatly after receiving Vandalieu-dono’s guidance and divine protection, after all.”
Myuze had become a Crystal Empusa with her entire exoskeleton and sickles-arms turned to crystal, and Privel had become an Origin Scylla, with dragon heads on the ends of the eight tentacles of her octopus-like lower body.
As for Gizania, who was a large-build Arachne with the characteristics of a spider, she was now an Ushioni, with horns like those of a bull.
“That might be true, but… We should wait for the right time. I think that it is disrespectful to our own mothers, and we are being too pushy,” said Gizania.
“Serious as always, Gizania-dono,” said Myuze. “Still, waiting for the right time is indeed essential.”
“Yeah, I’m going to wait too,” said Privel.
“Ah, I’m not gonna be so reserved, though!” said Kimberley, talking to Darcia who was still inside the capsule.
“Iris, you’re still alright with being our daughter, right?!” said the Majin king Godwin.
“Wait, Godwin… that depends on what Iris wants,” said Nemesis George, Iris’s father.
“Father, Chichi-ue, stop asking for my opinion on everything!” said Iris.
“What’re you gonna do, kid? You’re gonna end up with a lot of siblings at this rate,” said Borkus; none of this applied to him.
Vandalieu’s response was very easy to foresee.
“We did it, Mom. Our family’s grown bigger,” he said.
“It’s no good, the kid’s ready to accept anything!” Borkus exclaimed.
“Holy Son, why are you giving up… Ah! Perhaps if I ask now, you would grant permission to erect a statue of Darcia-sama alongside a large statue of you, Holy Son?! Holy Son, I beg you, please consider it!” said Nuaza.
“Hey, don’t go looking for weaknesses in the one you’re supposed to be worshipping,” said Borkus.
Meanwhile, Zadiris was breaking out into a cold sweat nearby. “… This is no laughing matter,” she murmured with a grim expression. “I do not need even more reasons to appear young.”
“It’s fine, isn’t it, Mother?” said Basdia. “We don’t meet the criteria that Pauvina mentioned… or do we? Now that I think about it, you and Tarea have had your aging reversed, and I could be said to have been reborn after the fertility treatment,” she said, blurting out a strange notion.
“Mom, should I call Darcia-san ‘Mom’ too?” said Jadal, Basdia’s daughter.
“Wha -?! Why are you saying such ominous things?!” exclaimed Tarea. “What will you do if I am also stuck with this young image and the ‘magical girl’ thing infects me?!”
“Wait just a moment! I agree with the first part, but I cannot agree with the second! Are you trying to say that we are some kind of disease?!” said Zadiris, flaring up at the way that Tarea had worded her sentence.
“It has already infected Zandia-san and the newcomer Kanako-san, has it not? Kanako-san has even asked Van-sama for a transformation staff,” said Tarea, showing no signs of hesitation or remorse. “And even though I despise magical girls so much, she wishes to form what she calls an ‘idol unit’… You said that you dislike magical girls yourself, but the truth is that you wish to fill Talosheim with magical girls and rule over them as the founder of all magical girls, is it not?!”
“That actually sounds interesting, doesn’t it? Talosheim, the city-state of magical girls,” murmured Vandalieu, still in a state of being willing to accept anything.
“Please give up that idea. I’ll do anything,” Eleanora begged Zadiris, having only just recently acquired the ‘Eclipse Emperor’s Loyal Dog’ Title.
“What is this nightmarish depiction of the future?! Who is going to rule over who?! Boy, do not agree with this! Eleanora, I would not do this even if it were asked of me! It is just… Kanako seems to be knowledgeable in a variety of things, and her songs and dances will be far more popular than someone who is half-hearted like me, so I thought that if I switched places with her at the right time, most people would forget about me,” Zadiris explained, having put a lot of thought into this. “And it was Kanako who told me that if three people are in the spotlight at the same time, nobody will care who the first magical girl was.”
“… Doesn’t that just mean that you were taken for a ride?” said Eleanora.
“Muh… Now that I think about it, I think that may be the case,” said Zadiris.
It seemed that she had merely been deceived by Kanako’s skillful words.
“You should try not to be manipulated so much… seriously,” Eleanora muttered.
“The one who made transformation staves for you and Bellmond was Vandalieu-sama, wasn’t it?” said Isla.
“Isla, do you not have to become Danna-sama’s younger sister as well?” asked Bellmond.
“I am Vandalieu-sama’s loyal servant, and certainly not his younger sister,” Isla replied.
“Be quiet. It seems that the time has come,” said Luciliano, scribbling something on a piece of paper as he observed the membrane inside the capsule which was now making large, swaying movements.
Beyond it, Darcia had clearly started making conscious movements.
The soft membrane was torn from the inside, and a pair of thin arms emerged.
“Open the capsule,” said Vandalieu.
In response to Vandalieu’s command, Gufadgarn immediately appeared out of thin air.
“Certainly,” she said.
Gufadgarn waved an arm, and the preservative fluid drained from the capsule as it opened.
And from within the membrane, Darcia -
“Everyone, in formation!” said Bone Man.
Knochen groaned.
“Puhah, everyone - Eh?! What is this?!” exclaimed Darcia.
The moment she emerged, Bone Man, Knochen and Sam surrounded her on all sides with the black cloths they were holding, concealing her from everyone else.
“Darcia-sama, here’s a towel!” said Rita, as she and Saria stepped past the black cloths to wipe the preservative fluid from Darcia’s body.
“Here is your clothing,” said Bellmond, handing her clothes.
“Th-thank you. Everyone, you’re so coordinated…” Darcia said in bewilderment as her body and hair were wiped clean and clothes were put on her.
Suddenly, she let out a small groan as she clutched her head.
“Darcia-sama?!” Saria exclaimed.
“Mom?! What’s the matter?” asked Vandalieu, flying to her immediately.
“It’s alright, it’s just that my Status… The announcements were kind of too much… They came all at once, so I feel dizzy,” said Darcia, teetering on the spot.
It seemed that she was dizzy from all of the announcements informing her of the various Skills that she had acquired.
“Phew, I might have worked a little too hard with Vida-sama… Well, Vandalieu… You’ve grown quite big in the short time it’s been since I last saw you in person,” Darcia said, looking at her son with her gentle, bluish-purple eyes and touching his head.
Perhaps because he was in his growth period, Vandalieu had grown about ten centimeters taller. He had originally been small for his age, and he was still a little shorter than Zadiris, but he was far bigger than he had been when Darcia last held him in her arms.
“I’m sorry for making you go through so much up until now. Thank you for bringing me back,” Darcia said. “From now on, we’ll always be together.”
“Yes, Mom. Thank you for coming back,” said Vandalieu.
It was that warmth. The warmth of the first unconditional love that Vandalieu had ever experienced in his third life. Tears flowed from Vandalieu’s eyes as he felt that warmth in Darcia’s hands.
At the same time, he made a vow. “I won’t let anyone take you from me again,” he said.
The fact that he had brought Darcia back meant that she could be taken from him again. He engraved this fact into his soul. The Demon King Familiars that had been deployed around Talosheim were on maximum alert.
They were ready to prevent any intervention from Rodcorte or Alda’s forces.
“You’ve become such a worrywart, haven’t you?” said Darcia as she smiled and embraced Vandalieu reassuringly, knowing what her son was thinking. “But from now on, I’m going to fight and help you, Vandalieu. Because of all the reckless things you did, my race has become a strange one called ‘Chaos Elf Source,’ and my Skills are amazing now! I’ve become something like an incarnation of Vida-sama!”
“Chaos Elf… Source? An incarnation of Vida…” Vandalieu murmured.
Darcia’s new body didn’t appear much different from her previous one. Her skin had become a little blacker than it had been before, but that was about it.
“I can feel Vida’s presence, but I think you’re you, right, Mom?” said Vandalieu.
“Yes. Even though I’m her incarnation, my consciousness and personality are my own,” said Darcia. “It’s like I’m still myself, but I’ve become Vida-sama’s incarnation.”
It seemed that rather than having fused with Vida, Darcia had become Vida’s incarnation through direct contact with her.
It effectively seemed to be equivalent to having received an extremely powerful divine protection.
“Ah, I’ve finished changing! I want to greet everyone, so could I do that?” Darcia asked.
“As you will,” said Bone Man; he and the others had read the mood and remained silent up until this point.
Now, they took the black cloths away. A large cheer erupted from those who had been waiting as they saw the resurrected Darcia, who was still embracing Vandalieu.
“Everyone! Thanks to Vandalieu and everyone else here, I’ve been resurrected! Please take good care of my son and this country from now on!” Darcia said to the crowd.
The crowd gave another large cheer. At that moment, Darcia acquired the ‘Empress Mother’ Title.
Next, for some reason, Darcia addressed Kanako and Melissa. “Also, are Kanako Tsuchiya-san and Melissa J Saotome-san here? I have something to discuss, so could you come over here?” she said.
“Us?” said Kanako, surprised and bewildered.
She and Melissa had been observing from some distance away, but the people around them urged them to step forward before Darcia. Doug was following behind them, wearing the same expression of bewilderment.
“Umm, how do I say this… Sorry?” said Kanako.
“We apologize,” said Melissa.
“Eh? I don’t know what you’re apologizing to me for, but…” said Darcia.
Kanako and Melissa ended up apologizing due to the strange sense of uneasiness that they felt, but it did not seem that Darcia had asked them to come forward to reprimand them for trying to curry favor with her son.
“You two, and Doug-kun back there want to become members of Vida’s races, don’t you? That hasn’t changed, has it?” Darcia asked.
“Eh, ah, yes! That hasn’t changed! But if possible, I’d like to become a race with an appearance that isn’t too different…” said Kanako.
“I-I want to make the same request as Kanako!” said Melissa.
“Then perhaps you would be alright with your skin becoming a little darker?” said Darcia.
“Yes! We’d love to become Dark Elves!” Kanako and Melissa said simultaneously, standing up completely straight.
“Well then, it’s the perfect opportunity, so maybe I should just do it,” said Darcia, giving them a smile. “You won’t be Dark Elves, but… blessings upon the two of you,” she said, putting Vandalieu down and embracing Kanako and Melissa instead, placing her lips on their foreheads.
“Ah… AAAAAH!” shouted Kanako.
“Haah… This is… amazing…” gasped Melissa.
“Your skin is turning black?! Have you become Dark Elves?!” Doug exclaimed in surprise, pointing a finger at his two friends.
Kanako and Melissa’s white skin was turning black from their foreheads, where Darcia’s lips had touched them. Vandalieu was observing their life functions just in case, but considering how fast the transformation was, it didn’t seem that there was too much of a burden being placed on their bodies.
“No, they’re not Dark Elves, they’re Chaos Elves. The same race as me,” said Darcia. “So, everyone! I’ve gone from being a Dark Elf to a new race called Chaos Elf! I’ll say it again - Please take good care of me!”
“My word… In the absence of our founder, we were unable to conduct the ritual to transform individuals into Dark Elves, but now, a new Elf race is born… How marvelous! This is the goddess’s will!” exclaimed the Dark Elf king Gizan, welcoming the birth of a new race.
People from the other nations celebrated the birth of the Chaos Elf race as well.
Relieved to see this reaction from Gizan and the others, Darcia turned to Doug, still embracing Kanako and Melissa whose bodies were completely relaxed from the pleasant sensation of the transformation.
“So, Doug-kun… What shall we do?” Darcia asked. “Unlike these two, you’re a human, so it would take some time and we might need to do it multiple times.”
But Doug noticed the gaze coming from Vandalieu, who was standing next to Darcia. “I’m sorry! I respectfully decline!” he said, hastily turning Darcia down.
And so, Darcia was resurrected and a new race created by Vida was born in Lambda.
《Vandalieu’s race has changed from Dhampir (Dark Elf) to Dhampir (Goddess)!》
“Oh?” Vandalieu murmured in surprise.
It seemed that his race had changed as a result as well.
Name: Darcia
Race: Chaos Elf Source
Age: 0 years old
Title: Witch, Holy Mother, Monster’s Parent, Vida’s Incarnation, Empress Mother
Job: None
Level: 0
Job history: None
Passive skills:
Dark Vision
Magic Resistance: Level 10
Physical Resistance: Level 10
Status Effect Resistance: Level 10
Monstrous Strength: Level 5
Super Rapid Regeneration: Level 5
Vitality Enlargement: Level 7
Mana Enlargement: Level 5
Automatic Mana Recovery: Level 5
Increased Mana Recovery Rate: Level 5
Self-Enhancement: Vandalieu: Level 10
Self-Enhancement: Guidance: Level 10
Strengthened Attribute Values: Creator: Level 1
Strengthened Attribute Values: Ruling: Level 1
Allure: Level 6
Strengthened Attack Power while equipped with a bow: Medium
Strengthened Defense Power while equipped with non-metal armor: Medium
Strengthen Followers: Level 1
Active skills:
Cooking: Level 5
Housework: Level 5
Hunting God Archery: Level 1
Hearth-Style Dagger Technique: Level 1
Unarmed Fighting Technique: Level 10
No-Attribute Magic: Level 5
Mana Control: Level 10
Life Emperor Magic: Level 1 (Awakened from Life-Attribute Magic!)
Water-Attribute Magic: Level 10
Wind-Attribute Magic: Level 10
Spiritual Magic: Level 2
Dismantling: Level 1
Spirit Form: Level 1
Surpass Limits: Level 1
Chant Revocation: Level 5
Coordination: Level 5
Goddess Descent: Level 1
Unique skills:
Vida’s Incarnation
Life Attribute Gods’ Divine Protection (Those allied with Vida)
Chaos Elf Founder
ヴァンダ■■’s Divine Protection [Vanda]
Divine Metal Skeleton
Demon Eye of Regeneration: Level 5
Chaos
Darcia explanation (Written by Luciliano):
The strongest mother that Master imagined. There is no other way to summarize Darcia’s existence.
In her previous life, she was a Dark Elf of less than a hundred years of age, a D-class adventurer who only experienced the Apprentice Mage, Archer and Spiritual Mage Jobs. However, she is now a being who could fight on even terms against an S-class adventurer… It would not be impossible for her to emerge victorious in a battle to the death against such a foe. After all, it is hard for her to die completely, in a different way from which this is true for Master and Legion.
First of all, she possesses both the Magic Resistance and Physical Resistance Skills at Level 10. Due to this, it would be hard for unskilled enemies to inflict deep wounds upon her, no matter what weapons or spells they used. Her Status Effect Resistance Skill is Level 10 as well, so she is resistant to the effects of poisons and curses as well.
Furthermore, she has acquired ‘Divine Metal Skeleton’ as a result of Master crafting her skeleton from Orichalcum with great precision. Due to this, she will never suffer a bone fracture. Not even a small crack. After all, her skeleton is made of Orichalcum, which is physically sturdier than Adamantite, is more magically resistant than Mythril and even absorbs shock due to its incredible flexibility.
Even if struck by a weapon that is also made of Orichalcum, the bone would not be damaged unless the wielder of the weapon is extremely skilled.
If her joints are caught in a lock, even if they are twisted in the opposite direction, they would not be destroyed and would return to normal quickly after they are released.
Even if one were to overcome all of these obstacles and inflict a significant wound upon her, there would be almost no point, as she possesses incredible regenerative abilities in the Super Rapid Regeneration Skill. Even if her limbs were to be severed, they would regrow within a minute.
Furthermore, Darcia’s fighting abilities are impressive. She received general instruction from the ‘Mercenary King’ Veld while learning Archery from Rishare, the god of hunting; Dagger Technique from Derborah, the goddess of hearths… probably. She has received such training. (She had the opportunity to train in Skills such as Lovemaking and Bedroom Skill from Godwin’s grandmother, but apparently declined.)
She is also able to cast life-attribute, water-attribute and wind-attribute magic… Challenging her would be foolish.
As a result of her training in the Divine Realm, her ability in combat has apparently improved to the point that she was able to exchange blows in mock battles against Pure-breed Vampires. They said that with a body, she might be able to win against them.
And Master is planning to have her constantly monitored by Demon King Familiars, which serve as both familiars and as his clones, there will be no openings to take advantage of.
She has not yet acquired a Job, as she has been reborn, but once she begins progressing through Job changes… there is no telling what the future holds for her.
However, what is surprising is that she has become the Chaos Elf Source, the founder of a new race, and that she has become an incarnation of the goddess.
It can be assumed that the Chaos Elf race is an even more powerful version of the Dark Elf race, but the details are still unclear. However, it seems that Darcia can turn any willing Elves or Dark Elves into Chaos Elves by giving them her blessing (in the form of a kiss). Also, it is apparently possible to turn humans into Chaos Elves, though it takes more time.
From these facts, it can be assumed that ‘Source’ is equivalent in meaning to ‘origin.’
I think that this is a chance to experience the transformation into another race for myself as an experiment, increasing my own lifespan even further, but… I shall seek Master’s approval first. Even if my request is not granted, the Pure-breed Vampires slumbering in Vida’s Resting Grounds will apparently awaken due to Darcia’s resurrection, so I could have one of them turn me into a Vampire… or I could even ask Master himself.
As for being an incarnation of the goddess, it is apparently accurate to think of it as an extremely powerful divine protection. That is a result of having trained in Vida’s Divine Realm, however.
It can be assumed that this is also the reason she possesses the Goddess Descent Skill, a superior version of the Heroic Spirit Descent and Familiar Spirit Descent Skills. This allows her to temporarily fuse with the goddess.
Incidentally, Master is planning to go to Vida’s Resting Grounds to hear directly about her Titles.