I arrive back in my room. It has been a too eventful day. A dungeon visit, killing Erwin, the origin story of vampires and whatever happened with the girl in the weapon shop.

I make sure that the curtains properly block the incoming sun and then sit down in a chair. I eye the three blood vials I got earlier from the vault, the inventory calls them low-grade. I don't feel hungry right now I drank earlier after all but... I'm curious how this offering tastes. ...garbage. About as bad as the sand blood from Ted. Bah, disgusting. Need to waste a blood pack just to wash that taste down... wait, no, endure that, me. Each blood pack wasted would just shorten the deadline by nearly a week. Can't afford that at the moment.

...

I think Chloe hinted that they got the blood vials from monsters so it probably is just monster blood which I can't taste because I'm not a low-grade vampire. Well, there's nothing I can change about that. No idea what I can do with those vials then. Donating them to a fellow vampire would only cause problems.

(Hey, Elly what can I...), wait she's still in timeout.

click

(Elly, you back with me now?)

(P-please never send me back there again), she seems frightened, (I beg of you! I promise I'll be good just don't ever send me back there. T-this day was unbearable...)

(How so? You're just an AI.)

(Rude! I may not be a 'real' person but I still have feelings!)

(Spare me the theatre. What was it really like?)

(It was an eternity of ...nothing. No visuals, no sounds, no menu, nothing.)

(So you spend the time thinking about what you have done?)

(I tried. But I still don't understand what upset you.)

(*sigh* Fine. Let me try to explain.)

(Yes, please.)

(I did say that my topmost priority was my safety, right?)

(Yes, you did.)

(This includes my mind, my personality. Becoming a demon lord would most likely affect me in some way.)

(No, it wouldn't. You only gain titles that match your achievements or mindset, not the other way around.)

(That's news to me.)

(Errr, emmm... I'll... just claim it is part of this world's common sense? It should've been obvious though.)

(I'll ignore that. Independent of that I guess becoming a demon lord should be treated as a landmine. Everyone and their grandma has access to [Appraise] so it would take what? Ten minutes at most before someone would see that I'm one? And then I'd be in an even worse position than now.)

(You're wrong with that. Divine classes like demon lords and heroes don't show up in regular [Appraise]. Neither do their skills. Those are just as hidden as your evolved extra races of 'Vampire Noble' and 'Vampire Lord'.)

(But my 'Vampire Progenitor' is visible?)

(What, you took the title? Didn't think you'd do that if you're so against the demon lord one. You really need to update me on what I missed today.)

(I just figured that any method that could identify me as a 'Vampire Progenitor' would even easier find out that I'm a 'Vampire Lord', so no point in delaying that.)

(Understood. So as I was saying whatever demon lord class you get exactly it would be not visible in regular [Appraise].)

(Not in regular? But with you, I'd be able to see them?)

(Exactly), Elly is very smug about her superiority in this sense.

(Right, so what else did you keep a secret from me in that regard?)

(Nothing really.)

(...ok, I'll just accept that. So the easiest reason against taking the title now: several people have seen my stats. If I become a demon lord and they see me with suddenly 20 more VIT or something with no change in levels to justify it, they WILL know something is up.)

(Uhhh, doesn't that already apply to 'Vampire Progenitor'?)

(Shit, you're right), I facepalm, (well, too late now, 4-5 HP is less of an obvious change than whatever a game-breaker demon lord class would give.)

(Ok, so I think I get it now.)

(Also even if it does not affect me mentally who is to say it wouldn't introduce physical changes that I can't hide with the [disguise] skill.)

(Answering that would require knowing which demon lord class exactly you qualify for.)

(So you DO have data on those classes?)

(Not as such, sorry.)

(So, can you give up on making me take that title?)

(Only for now. But I'll keep it in the back of my mind in case I find a good argument.)

(*sigh* good enough for now.)

I tell Elly most of the important stuff that happened today.

(So you hit on a nice girl), she's baffled, (and she turned you down?)

(That was... different. So far I assumed that I should not be able to feel any kind of romantic attraction being undead and all.)

(Not sure, none of your skills or classes say anything about such a restriction. Maybe that was completely normal and she just is your type?)

(I don't think so. I had a few crushes in my previous life but not to that extent. It is almost disturbing how strong the feeling of 'I must win her over' was.)

(Huh. What even was her name?)

(No idea, I failed to ask and wasn't of the mind to [appraise] her.)

(So you were too busy to check her out to... check her out. Great. I'm just gone for a day and you're already cheating on me.)

(How would I do that? We've already established that you aren't sufficiently real for that to count.)

(So a threesome then?)

(You want timeout again?)

(...no.)

After some more banter, I check my exp progress, I'm sitting at 653 exp total. After some estimation, I find out that the aoe spells were worth less than 70 exp even with the extra damage from status effects. So the rain variant is simply superior for now.

A bit later in the morning but way before I would need to get up to be at the training place in time I hear some... bells? And they don't stop. Probably some kind of alert.

I look out of the window and see several soldiers running around in a panic in the court, others gathering around what is probably an officer. I decide to make my way down there as well.

I look around but see no one I know. Ah, the problems of being 'new' and not knowing the emergency protocols...

"...situation is as follows", I overhear one of the group leaders, "we have a ghoul outbreak in the slums and need to strike it down before it ."

Uh-oh, they weren't any ghouls there yesterday. So is the other vamp noble around and did his thing recently or...

"Ah, Jared!", Jack approaches me, "That spares me the search for you. Chloe has her group gather in front of your training room."

"Why there?"

"Dunno, just get going."

"Uh, sure."

I run over to the meeting place. Everyone else is already there.

"Ah, good you're also here", Chloe notices me, "as I was saying there's a ghoul outbreak in the slums but you five need to defend the gate so the slum is not our responsibility. So you just continue the day as if nothing happened. Dismissed."

The five soldiers enter the training hall and start their morning routine.

Chloe takes me aside, "mind filling me in on where you were yesterday?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"Ok, listen", she tells me agitated, "someone saw you yesterday enter the slums with the other vampire, Edgar or something, and today we have all those ghouls in there. While yes it can just be a coincidence it is still suspicious."

"I've honestly no idea where those ghouls come from, haven't even seen one in my entire life but", I hand her Erwin's dog tag, "as for what happened there yesterday between me and Erwin..."

"Wait, is that?"

"Yes, I killed him", I tell her matter-of-factly.

"I need a more thorough explanation than that."

"Yeah, that is something I wanted to report on today actually."

"From what you said so far you SHOULD have reported it yesterday, but go on."

"Yeah, sorry, I was... a bit, or rather very confused back then. So Erwin supposedly works with Niles and one other vampire he just called 'boss' on a plan to take over this place. I'm not sure what it is worth but I suspect that 'boss' to be at least a noble, from what I've seen Erwin doesn't strike me to be one that submits to someone weaker than him. So anyway, he wanted me to cooperate with him and tried to force me to kill a few of the slum dwellers by drinking their blood, probably as some kind of blackmail. Well, I refused to kill the man, one thing lead to another and then I killed Erwin with a lucky critical hit from my spell. Truth be told I have no proof beyond my words so take it for what you will."

"Just perfect. So we really do have one vampire noble running around? Therese had a suspicion in that direction, there were a few cases where people died in the lawless area but all vampires had a sort of alibi. So that would add up at least. But our only witness is a suspect himself. Sorry, but I'll need to keep you under closer observation for now."

"Understandable. But don't you have those truth gems to verify whether I'm guilty or innocent?"

"If you recall YOU were the one to break our last gem."

"Oh, right I forgot, sorry."

"Yeah, and don't you forget again 'mister' De..la..", she stops mid-word as a realization seems to hit her.

Then she wrestles me to the ground, "hey, w-what are you doing?", I can only scream in pain.

"How could I forget? You have a family name. I clearly saw it in [Appraise]. I'm so stupid", she says with tears in her eyes.

"I've... no idea what that has got to do with... anything", her grip on me is very painful.

"You don't? No? Only NOBLES have family names!"

"Are you STUPID? Where I'm from everyone has a family name!"

"What?", she lessens her grip a bit, "and where... where should that be?"

"I already told Therese I don't remember where I'm from, the first thing I know was waking up in that forest!"

She finally releases the grip, "sorry. But I have a hard time believing that such a place can be real. None of the nobles I've met would tolerate commoners having a proper family."

"Who says we had to deal with nobles at all?"

"...point taken."

"So I'm off the hook now?"

"No", she shakes her head, "just because you having a family name doesn't prove you're the cause doesn't mean you're 100% innocent."

"Fair enough. How'd we do that?"

"Not sure - I think vampires have full control over the monsters they've created. So we two just go to the slum, you 'order' the ghouls to attack each other and if they don't you're THEN off the hook."

"Sounds like a plan."

Well, she's explicitly wrong about that according to the skill description but saying that would prove that I have that skill, Catch-22, huh?

We make our way to the slums. On press ahead into a passage where no other soldiers are yet.

There I meet a familiar face. Still hungry, just the wrong diet and a bit more green.

Name Kevin Status none Age 15 Classes Farmer 1 Race Tainted (human) 1 Extra Ghoul 1 HP 1071/1071 MP 525/525 SP 1638/1638 STR 189 DEX 147 VIT 189 MAG 63 FTH 84 WIL 105 CHA 126 Equipment none Skills Curse Touch 1, Low Profile 1, Physical Resistance 1, Undead 1, Vampire Hierarchy 1 Weakness all elements

Oh, hey Kevin, you let yourself go quite a bit. But at least you're no longer starving?

growl

Yeah, thought so.

Two more ghouls walk next to him.

"I told you what to do", Chloe ordered me, "so get to it."

"Hey you three, attack the ghoul in your middle" But the three ghouls continue to walk towards us. No surprise there.

I ask Chloe, "You see I've tried, is that good enough for you?"

"Yeah", doesn't sound fully satisfied, "let me dispatch them quickly."

She swings her spear a few times and the three ghouls collapse and moments later turn into dust just like Erwin had yesterday.

"Well, let's go back." With that, we walk out of the lawless area again.

Outside she relays her conclusion, "I'll be honest with you I'm not fully convinced you're innocent but my test failed and I have neither the time nor available men to have you 24/7 under supervision. So you're off the hook for now. But please stay somewhere where you don't attract any more trouble."

"Yeah, sure. Will I need to testify about what I've told you about Erwin and the other vampire earlier?"

"Maybe later. I'll write a report about this so don't worry about it for now and just stay away from Niles. And if you find out something new about this tell me EARLIER! Not a whole day later!"

"Got it, got it. Can I return to my training routine now?"

"Sure. See you tomorrow."

I do my 5 hours of training then produce a rain spell on the flood monsters, this time without status, and then an ice shot with status in the hope of killing one of the big deadly deers.

Your 'Ice Rain' spell has inflicted a total of 479775 damage. You have inflicted 480 damage to Ragelope. Status effect was not inflicted.

Elly informs me, (the rain spell has just put you at 1005 exp. You can take the level of wizard.)

(Good, I'll do that in a moment.)

I sit down for a moment and meditate on taking the wizard level, a few seconds later I feel my status changing.

Name Jared Delacroix Status disguised Age 18 (frozen) Classes Wizard 2 Race Silver Elf 1 Extra Vampire 1, Noble 1, Lord 1, Progenitor 1 Title God’s Lost Child, World Navigator, Noble, Vampire Progenitor

Title Level 1 EXP 212 HP 828/852 [1066] MP 14/1182 [1478] SP 79/576 [720] STR 131+70 DEX 153+5 VIT 132+60 MAG 261+35 FTH 195 WIL 196+20 CHA 154 Equipment Wooden Staff, Book, Leather Cap, Robe, Sun Cloak, Defense Ring, Sun Guard Ring Skills Affinity Magic 2 (Rank 1), Cure Magic 1 (Rank 1), Dark Magic 2 (Rank 1), Earth Magic 2 (Rank 1), Ice Magic 2 (Rank 1), Lightning Magic 2 (Rank 1)

Unnatural Claws 1

Charm Eye 1, Embrace 1, Familiar 1, Greater Vampiric Bite 1

Disguise 1, Intimidation 2

Ageless 1, Beast Killer 1, Enhanced Regeneration 1, Sleepless 1, Stealth 1, Supernatural Toughness 1, Undead 1, Vampire Hierarchy 1 Weakness Fire, Light, Holy

(Ok, so the level increase does not come with the newly gained HP, MP, SP being filled up. Good to know that it only increases the cap.)

(Better to find out now than when you need and don't get it. Btw. the next wizard level needs 1250, go for that next?)

(Yes, we go straight wizard until I can either take the survivor class or the exp cost exceeds 4000.)

(Understood. Anything else I can do for you? I feel... kinda useless.)

(Jeff's notes were kinda incomprehensible so far. Can you check if there's something I'm missing in them? I feel like they would be important to understand but we're missing something essential.)

(I'll see what I can do.)