Well, let's not talk about the miracle that happened to me.

　After a rough welcome at the entrance hall, we decided to start exploring the vampire's castle.

　The castle is a three-story structure with a basement.
　Should we go up or down from the first floor where we are now?

Well, how should I attack? "Well, how should I attack it? I guess I'll just have to go through it randomly.

"I guess we'll just have to go through it." Manuel the Demon Emperor muttered, rubbing his white beard.

　On the other hand, Oswald the Warrior God crossed his arms quietly and closed his eyes, as if it was not his job to think about it.

　When I saw that, I thought.

　...... Maybe these people are more brainy than I thought.

　I'm starting to feel like I need to get a grip.

In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

　For vampires, their own coffin is also their weakness, and they must protect it with the highest priority.

　If the impure soil inside the coffin is purified, the vampire will lose his immortality.

　...... and it's common knowledge for a teacher at the Academy of the Brave.

　When I mentioned this knowledge, Rio, Iris, and Maifa 「「「「 oooh! The three of them shouted in admiration.

　Even Manuel, the "Demon Emperor," shouted in admiration.

"That's great, kid. Even a top-notch Demon Lord hunter wouldn't be able to grasp that much.

"That's what the Demon Emperor Manuel thought of me.
"That's useful information," mumbled Oswald with his arms crossed.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm the one who teaches the students. ......

　By the way, when I was a demon hunter, I probably only had a basic knowledge of monsters that I had actually fought.

　I guess I'm more proficient in the classroom than I was when I was an active Demon Lord Hunter.
　This was a fresh discovery for me.

　Anyway, after we had explored the first floor, we decided to explore the basement.

　We went down the stone stairs to the basement, which were in the corner of the entrance hall.

　After a while, there was an open iron door, which led to a stone basement.

　There were about ten coffins in the room.
　Incidentally, only one of the coffins was more magnificent than the others.

Oh, there really is a coffin in the basement. That's my brother.

"Sir, is that the coffin of the vampire lord?

　"Sir, is that the coffin of the Vampire Lord?" Rio and Iris asked.

　Rio and Iris are saying that, but Maifa is looking thoughtful.
　And I thought, "No, this one's off.

"No, I think this one's off.

"....... What makes you think that, little boy?

"Manuel the Demon Emperor is coming to talk to us.
"Oswald, the warrior god, also seems to be interested, though he doesn't say so.

　I reply to the senior demon hunter.

No, I can't be sure, but ...... I'd say it's a hunch. I don't like the idea of a vampire lord's coffin sitting in a basement with an open door like this, unguarded. Probably, those magnificent coffins belonged to the vampires on the first floor, and the rest belonged to the vampire spawn. The numbers match the ones on the first floor.

"I see. That makes sense.

　But since we couldn't be sure, we took all the coffins from the basement out of the castle, opened the lids and exposed them to the sunlight to purify the impure soil.

　Then we went back inside the castle and started to search the second floor.

　As it turned out, there was nothing to be found on the second floor either.
　So now all that remained was...

"The third floor is the real deal. Fools like heights, as they say.

"Manuel, the Demon Emperor, muttered.
　Vampires are generally said to be vain, so perhaps he's not too far off the mark.

　We walked up the stairs to the third floor.
　We went down the corridor at the end of the stairs and finally arrived at the place we were looking for.

　The audience chamber... in front of the grand doors.

　The vampire lord is in here.
　My instincts told me so.

"Oswald, the god of war, puts his hands on the massive, double-doors and pushes them open.
　The doors opened with a gurgling sound.

　The large room inside, the audience hall, had a red carpet on its stone floor.
　The carpet stretched from near the entrance where we had come in, straight to the back.

　At the end of it was the target.

　The vampire lord was sitting on his throne with one elbow propped up on the floor, a generous smile on his face as he waited for us.

"Welcome, my frail human heroes. I hope you enjoyed the welcome party downstairs.

　He was dressed much like a normal vampire.

　He looked like a gentleman in a fancy black cloak with a red lining, and he was a bit tall, but that was probably within the range of individual vampire differences.

　However, his entire body was covered with a dense miasma.

　A simple vampire does not have a miasma.
　Only monsters that have become demon lords can have miasma in their bodies.

　And above all, I felt a terrible pressure of power.

　Even though we were sitting at the entrance and the Vampire Lord was sitting on the throne at the far end of the large audience hall, the overwhelming power was so strong that we were almost shaking.

　Rio, Iris and Maifa were all trembling slightly, and seemed to be struggling not to be frightened.

　Even if the three of them were geniuses, they were still rookies who had only been training for a little over a year.
　It was far too early for them to be facing an S-class demon lord that could cause a global disaster.



　But on the other hand, there are S-class heroes here as well.

"The two of them, Manuel, the Demon Emperor, and Oswald, the Warrior God, stepped forward a few steps, looking cool even after being hit by the Vampire Lord's power.

What's with the welcome? That's no way to warm up.

"We're here to defeat you, Vampire Lord. We're here to beat you, Vampirelord. You think we're going to get anywhere with a small fry like that?

"Ho.......

　The vampire lord slowly stood up.
　He chanted a spell, and a jet-black sword was born in his right hand.

"Very well. Then I will bury you myself. You should be honored.

　The time for battle is near.
　I'll think of a plan.

　The vampire lord... I don't know exactly how powerful he is, but I know he's a formidable threat just from being exposed to his power like this.

　It would be difficult for me to get around him while protecting my students.
　Before that, it would be too much for me to do without slowing them down.

　And there's one more thing to worry about.

　There's no sign of Cecilia since we got here.
　That means she's somewhere else...

　Just as I was pondering this, Manuel the Demon Emperor came to me with this message.

"Little boy, we'll deal with him. You take the children and find his coffin. His immortality might be a bit of a problem.

　I was thinking the same thing.
　It's better to do what we can do than to stay here and be a burden to others.

　It's not the only way to be a brave person to face an unwinnable opponent in the dark.

　What can you do now with the cards you have been dealt?
　What can you do now with the cards you have been dealt? Searching for what you can do now and acting toward that goal is also the way of the brave.

I understand. Let's go, Rio, Iris, Maifa!

"Yes, yes!

　I took my students, who were a little uncomfortable, out of the audience room and ran down the hallway.

　Before long, I could hear the sounds of battle starting behind me.
　The sounds of metal, crashing, destruction, explosions...

　I ran around the corridors of the third floor, listening to those sounds in the distance.

　I opened the doors of rooms here and there, checked to make sure there was nothing in the room, and hit the next one.

　As I did so, I came to the door at the far end, which I knew was the last one.
　I opened the door with great force.

　What lay beyond the door was a small room.
　There was another massive door at the back of the room...

　There was a guard standing in front of it guarding the door.

　When the guard saw us, he smiled and said.

"We've been waiting for you, Brett. And Rio, Iris, and Maifa. Now, let's see who's desire wins.

　There was a female vampire, Cecilia, wearing jet black armor and a large shield.