"I'm sorry, Lou. I couldn't even begin to explain the numbers.

It's okay.

　I'm not sure what to say, but I'm sure you'll understand.
　To be honest, that number of undead is too much for even the most skilled mercenaries to handle. It is obviously strange that a small group of people like the Knights of the End accomplished this without blessing.
　The end may have been flippant, but it was too much.

　I think it should have been cleansed, but if the whole thing was wiped out, there would have been no reason for the destruction, and even Senri couldn't be so dexterous as to wipe out all but a few parts. Soul Release is a ranged attack.

　And...

I've been wanting to meet your client for a while now.

"Hmm ...... Luu is a curious one. He's just a big shot.

　Deck, who was accompanying her, sniffed and said. The man who had initially been staring at Senri's appearance seemed to be consciously avoiding looking at him, perhaps because he had seen End's power.

　But no. He said he was just a big shot, but clearly this town was hiding something.

　It's not the end, but it's quite irregular that they didn't call the Knights of the End when so many undead appeared in the first place. The undead are an enemy that can do more harm than good. Unlike other hexenbiests, their pelts can't be used effectively, nor can their bones be cut into weapons. We should be the first to contact them.

　The Knights of the Apocalypse would not stand idly by if they knew that there was something the undead were after in the place where the King of the Dead once lived.

　The place where he and his mercenaries were headed was the largest building in the center of Descend. It was probably the city hall.
　Guards were guarding the gates, but we were let in easily because we had talked about it beforehand.

　I searched for signs out of habit, but there was no sign of the undead. In the first place, the city hall, like other buildings, is decorated with silver, which the undead hate.
　We can't be too careful because of the unprecedented presence of the night crystal, but if there are undead who use this place as a stronghold, they must be of a very high rank or--.

　A few minutes after being ushered into the reception room, an elderly man with a good figure appeared.
　His face was pale, as if he had been living in a state of inactivity, but he was definitely human.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Ratzal. That's the one--he doesn't look like it.

Looks don't matter when it comes to defeating the undead.

You're right.

　The man nodded to Senri's emotionless voice and introduced himself. It seems that the man who came here is the mayor of Descend.

　The first thing Senri felt when he arrived in the city was a strong sense of discomfort. The city's measures against the undead - against vampires - were far too paranoid.
　So I did some research. Descend had always been a city that excelled at fighting the undead, but it was only in the last few years that it had begun to focus so heavily on fighting vampires.
　In other words, the man in front of me was the one who had taken excessive measures against vampires in this city. However, there is no trace of the vindictiveness towards vampires that is often associated with those who implement such policies.

　Senri read the emotion in the mayor's eyes with a natural gesture. Her five senses, enhanced by the blessing, even caught the mayor's heartbeat.

I'm not sure what you are,......, but I didn't think that so many undead would attack the old castle, but I can't believe that you could defeat them all by yourself,.......

　The emotions that were readily apparent were doubt, impatience, and ...... slight awe. I'm sure you'll find a lot of people who'd like to know more about this.

　I'm glad I didn't tell you about the ...... end.

　Now, what should I do in front of this crazy mayor? Even if the mayor has something to hide, the people living in the city should have nothing to do with it. We can't just leave him like this. Senri has decided to take End's side, but he's not going to abandon everything else.
　We should at least know what kind of things ............ are being hidden.

　He glanced behind him at Razal and the guards guarding the entrance.
　The Knights of the End are immensely powerful against the undead, but their meticulously manipulated blessings also give them inhuman strength against living creatures.
　Don't worry - even if you put them all together, Senri is stronger than you.

　Then Senri took a small breath, stared at the mayor, and said.


I'm a vampire hunter and a former ---- Knight of the End. I'm a vampire hunter and a former Knight of the End, so I have no problem with undead like that. Even if the enemy is much stronger, of course.




§ § § §




　I'm worried about Senri. But my stomach hurts. I wonder how long it's been since Senri left. I was still writhing frantically in the closet.

　Could it be that Sable is manipulating the blood in my stomach to do something bad?
　It was painful enough to make me have such an impossible fantasy. But at the same time--it's just painful.

　It gives me peace of mind that I'm not going to die. The incurable disease that I had before I died - the dead soul disease - was certain that death awaited me first. Compared to that, I feel much better mentally, if not physically.

　And what's more, I've already figured out a way to get out of this situation.

　The useless vision of the Lord said that the cause of the pain was that the curse was weaker in lower level vampires than in vampires.

　In other words - I should break free from the lower level and become a full vampire. Then the curse on me would be able to defeat Sable's curse - or at least compete with it.

　Until a few days ago, I didn't know why I couldn't mutate or how to mutate for any length of time. But now I know both.
　The reason I couldn't mutate was the safety the Lord put on me.


　And the way to unlock it is through words.




　If it's too complicated, it won't be able to mutate quickly enough when it takes over, and if it's too easy, it might be deactivated before it can take over.
　When I dove into my inner self and faced the Lord of Bones, the last piece of information he sent me was the deactivation key.

　It was also proof that Lord's will had given a certain value to my existence.

　A single word. Just by reciting it, I could probably mutate.

　A true demon of the night, powerful and abhorrent to all mankind.
　And it's Senri who's holding it back.


　Let's be honest. I've always been a little afraid of changing.
　Partly because it would increase my weaknesses, but most of all because I was afraid of how Senri would react to me becoming a complete monster. If possible, I hoped I could live like this forever.

　Because, in this body, there was still a chance that I would be able to enjoy the sunrise with Senri.
　Senri was very kind to me now, but there was no guarantee that he would be the same to the changed me.

　Sable was defeated. But I couldn't kill him. Next time he'll be sure to take precautions and come at me full force.
　I'm growing up, and the sucking spell is undeniably a powerful ability, but I don't know how much longer I can fight like this. My opponent is a true demon group that has been fighting against the dreaded Knights of the End for a long time.

　I rolled myself up, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. I can feel the curse I sucked out of Sable raging inside my body, tormenting my soul.
　But I can still endure. I must endure.
　So far, I've put it off, telling myself I'll wait until I'm ready. To mutate just to run away from the pain is too shameful.

　Even if the conclusion I've come to is to mutate, it should be because of my firm will.

　It's just will. But I've lived by my will this far.

　I'm okay. I can still fight. I can get up. Sharpen your mind, embrace the pain.
　This body will not die. It survived being decapitated, burned by the sun. It's no laughing matter that a vampire got a stomach ache from sucking blood.

　Then I slowly stretched out my curled body. As I tried to stand up, my fingers sunk into the wall of the closet. I choke on the pain as it rakes through my guts, but there's no need for me to breathe.

"Sable, that's no big deal. I just feel like all my guts are going to come out of my mouth, that's all.

　That's right. I don't need my guts. I can live without them. But it's not the body the curse is tormenting. It is clear that the pain will not disappear even if the stomach is emptied. ...... I'm dying.

　But I can't let Senri act alone any longer.

　You'll be able to find a lot of people who are willing to help you out. The only one who can touch Senri is me.
　I force myself to think stupid things to boost my morale. I tell myself.

"Okay, okay, okay, okay, no big deal. I'm just dying. I'm just a little bit dying. And if you think about it, I'm already dead, so what?




"............ end. You look pretty good.

What?

　Apparently, more time had passed than I thought. Through the closet, Senri's purple eyes looked at me in disgust.
　It must have been daytime just a few minutes ago, but it was now completely dark outside. It was my time.

　Pushing the door open, I step out of the closet. My face is tight from the pain, but my limbs aren't shaking. It would still be difficult to fight properly, and I wasn't used to the pain, but I could at least move.

　The gentle Senri stepped forward in a natural motion and carried me by the shoulders. Silvery hair. The sweet smell of blood on her white skin makes me forget about the pain for a moment.

"Are you sure you're okay, ..................?

"Yeah, ...... I'm fine. I'm fine now. Let me tell you something.

　I'm entirely responsible for the sable's blood being sucked out of me. Senri had warned me from the start not to suck the curse too much. I had gotten a little carried away with Albatross and the cannibal curse.
　I held my stomach and said to Senri, who was watching my expression closely.

"Oh, it hurts. My stomach hurts a lot. So be gentle with me if you can. Tell me a story gently. Tell me a joke, but preferably a hug and a story in my ear. The pain won't go away for a long time, there's nothing I can do if I just stand here.