I've had a hell of a time.

　The Lord's creation, Carth Steel, is a terrible ability.
　Well, you have to be very careful when using it because of what it sucks up, but depending on how you use it, it can give me great power.

　However, the curse I sucked out of Arbatos was too terrible.
　While a girl obviously younger than me was able to transform into such a large and strong dog, I was transformed into a small pet dog.
　What I saw in the mirror Senri lent me was a translucent dog with a very lovely face. It was a pure white puppy with long, bushy hair. If I had kept it before I died, it would have been very comforting.

　Too much. It's clearly less capable of fighting than its human form. What's worse, no matter how huge I try to get, I can't change into something like Arbatos. Fortunately, my sense of smell will be enhanced and I won't have to worry about Arbatos tracking me down anymore since the curse has been sucked out of me.

　The rest can be found at ....... The fact that he is small may also be useful in some cases.


　An enclosed space where not even a ray of light can enter. The world was wavering.
　There was nothing to do, so I closed my eyes and listened carefully. If you concentrate, you can feel what's going on outside.

"Carrying case ......, pet?

"Puppy. She's asleep, so I can't show her. Are pets allowed in here?

　Senri's voice came down from above, and my ears twitched. Senri's voice came from above, and my ears twitched.

Of course. If the room gets too dirty, there will be an extra charge. ............

It's okay. I'm well-behaved.

I'm sure you are. He's very quiet.

　I was a little concerned about the rubber collar that was wrapped around him. However, there is a piece of the Night Crystal in the bell attached to the collar, so I can't take it off.
　Albatross was fine with the sun and didn't seem to give off any negative vibes, but that's because she's a human, and I'm still a vampire even if I am a dog.

　I was in a small pet carrying case.
　It had been slightly modified to prevent any sunlight from entering. Well, there's nothing wrong with a little bit of sunlight. .......

　Leaving my pride aside, this is a tremendous improvement from the days when I used to stay in the closet during the daytime.
　Until now, my inability to move around during the day had been a bottleneck in my life as a fugitive, but in dog form, I am big enough to carry even Senri easily, and my daily travel distance has increased dramatically. At night, I can run with a sleeping Senri on my back, and my chances of escaping have increased considerably.

　Epe and the others would think I was with Senri, and would look for the pair. But we're one and one now.

What's your name, by the way?

　The innkeeper, perhaps a dog lover, asks. Senri was silent for a few moments, but then answered in a quiet voice.

The name is ............ Baron.

"Baron ......?　You're a big man, aren't you?

"Yes. Great. Very good boy.

　That's terrible, Senri. I felt sad, and made a mournful sound to express my feelings.



§



　Entering the room. When the curtains were closed and I was taken out of the carrying case, I was back to my normal form.
　My little cocoon swelled up, my arms and legs expanded, my trunk expanded, and I lost the bushy hair that had been my charm. The only thing that remained the same was the elastic collar around my neck.

　The only thing that remained the same was the elastic collar around my neck. I didn't know how it would return right after I transformed, but I soon found out. It's as if my body is growing.
　I instinctively knew how to use this ability to become a dog, but apparently it is a little more difficult to return.

　There seems to be a bit of a conflict between my original curse and the new curse I've absorbed.
　According to Senri, Arbatross was forced to take the form of a dog in the morning, but I was not. There seem to be a few things that need to be verified.

　My skin tingles in the sunlight streaming in from behind the curtain. As I crawled back to my original position and quickly crawled to a place with less sunlight, Senri turned away and threw me his backpack with a rare annoyance in his voice.

End ............ first, put your clothes on.

I wish I could have transformed with my clothes on, it's a curse to be so careless.

End ...... you're a little too ...... carefree.

You're a little too carefree to think about it. Besides, being a dog isn't so bad. You can earn money by doing tricks.

　But it feels strange to be unclothed all the time. Even when I was sick, I wore only clothes. How dare Arbatross attack me in the nude without a care in the world?

　He put on his underwear and put his arms through the sleeves while talking lightly. Senri turns around and checks on me.

Are you feeling okay?　I've never heard of ...... having more than one curse. I can't ...... predict what will happen.

It seems that the ...... vampire curse is stronger.

　Well, I can no longer ...... help you with that.


　But he was going to take my body. He wouldn't do anything to disadvantage himself, so I had to trust in his skill.

　The Barony of Fomet was safely escaped. There was no sign of Kainushi and the others attacking. I think we're out of this mess for now.

You didn't have to say goodbye to your family, did you?

"Yeah, I'm fine.

　I'd already heard what happened. I'd already heard about how you left me for Senri.

　I hadn't seen him in years, and he'd helped me more than I could have imagined.
　I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sentimental. I wish I could have seen my mother and brothers and sisters ......, but I think it would be best not to.
　I am already dead. The fewer people who know, the better. The less people who know, the better. Even if it means nothing, just being named Baron is enough.


　According to Senri, Kainushi is dead.
　He used everything from traps to smoke screens and even poison gas to keep Senri at bay, and in the end he blew up the whole house.
　A brilliant man, even for his enemy. If I had succeeded in stalling Senri just a little longer, Arbatos would have killed me.

　And Senri, who was almost completely unharmed by the self-destruct and immediately flew long distances to help, is even more inhuman than I am.

　I don't know what kind of life Arbatos will lead now that he has lost his owner, but even if he loses his curse, he hasn't lost his memories and experiences. He will live somehow. All I know is that ...... will never again stand in front of me as an enemy.

　It seems that Kainushi's fearsome tracking ability was due to Arbatos' sense of smell. Perhaps the speed of his movement was also due to the fact that he was on top of Arbatos or something.
　Now that I've taken away his power, and now that I have the Night Crystal, there's no one who can track me. Finally, I can relax a little.

　Fortunately, Carth Steel is not an ability that I should be wary of.
　It could be made as strong as you want by sucking up a large number of curses, but the danger is low at the moment. If it had been an ability that could bring about uncontrolled destruction, Senri would have killed him, but this ability is useless against most opponents unless it can be used against Senri.
　It looks like I'm going to be in good hands for a while.

　He approached Senri, who still had her back to him, and hugged her from behind, placing his nose against her neck.
　I can smell the sweet scent of blood flowing under the skin. The blood of Arbatross was delicious, but it was nothing compared to Senri's blood.

　Senri didn't wince, but resisted with a shout.

"End ............

"But you said you'd let me bite you. It's not good to lie.

"I sucked Albatross' blood. End, no.

............ Oh, all right. I don't suck.

　I rubbed my nose, touched my lips to the white skin, and traced it. I rubbed my nose, touched my lips to the white skin, and traced it. The fragrant smell made my mouth drool.

　Senri lets out a small, lusty moan.
　I felt a twinge of pleasure and hugged Senri's slender, soft body with a little effort.

　Even at this point, Senri was not wearing the Blessed Armor.

　Senri Sylvis's blood drives vampires crazy.

　I'm sure I'm the luckiest vampire in the world to have her blood whenever I want it. But it also showed me that we could be targeted by vampires.
　As long as I'm around, Senri won't wear the Blessed Armor. And without the positive energy that vampires instinctively fear, Senri smelled so delicious that I might have noticed it from a few hundred yards away.

　I'll kill you all. Vampires are Senri's enemy. And they're my enemy, too.

　The vampire's bride.

　A vampire's bride," Kainushi said, referring to Senri, "is one who gives blood to a vampire in human form without becoming a part of the family.
　Senri didn't move an eyebrow, but it was a terrible insult to her, who still had the soul of a demon knight.

　Her silver hair touched the bridge of her nose. Her white skin was slightly sweaty. A reprimanding voice flies at her.

"Turn into an end ...... dog. You're a better boy than I am.

I don't smoke. But when I'm like this, ............ I feel so--


　--It calms me down.


　Just as I was about to say that, a tremendous heat flashed through my body.
　It filled the world in a blink of an eye, and it was somewhat like a natural disaster.

　My eyes opened of their own accord in shock. The heat was pain. A positive force burning through me. It surpassed the light of the sun.

　My body, my soul, gone. My negative energy, which had absorbed the blood of Arbatross and boasted an unprecedented amount, was buried. I return to zero.
　My fingertips disappear, my arms disappear, my legs disappear, as if they never existed in the first place.

　This is not Senri's power ....... This is--

　The always calm and collected Senri's purple eyes widened in dismay. I'm not sure what to make of it.

There is no such thing as a "soul release" ............ ....... It's at least a thousand kilometers away,.......



　Epe. I think in my fading consciousness.
　Only Epee the Annihilator, who radiated power as powerful as the sun, could have done this.

　Consciousness disappears. Resistance is not allowed. You'll turn back into a corpse. This isn't just about me.
　This is indiscriminate. A random attack on the undead from a great distance.

　No, I don't want to die. The abyss inside me tries to resist, but it's swept away almost without a fight by its enormous energy.

　Then Senri lifted my head and touched his lips to my neck, just like he had done before. I plunged my fangs into her white skin, selflessly.