Before I was born, I was born into a noble family in a small country.
　I was born into a noble family in a small country, but I don't think it was much of a noble family,....... I was a baronet, and I was never invited to any of the big parties that people often talk about. However, I was bedridden from the age of ten, so I rarely looked around the estate in detail, nor was I aware of my privileged status, but the house was large and I never had trouble eating. He had a number of servants.

　He was probably wealthy compared to the average. Otherwise, he would not have been able to spend a lot of money to have his son, who was suffering from a strange disease and was certain to die, treated, or to have a white mage come and cure him.
　My family did not visit me for several years before my death. But that's just the way it is. My illness was unexplained, and my family had a life. And if they had come to visit me, I wouldn't have been able to do so to their satisfaction.

　No hard feelings. I have no feelings toward my family, to the extent that I feel it is dry even for me.
　At first, I resented my situation and directed it at my family, but that has disappeared over the years of my illness. He died with no room for resentment and no room for loneliness. That's why I decided to rely on the family before I died, completely out of pragmatism.

　Baron Fomet. Their third son.
　That's who I was before I died.

　If they're not tracking us because of the negative vibes, then it's humans they're tracking.
　You can disappear into the wild, but that's only a stopgap. I don't think it's a bad idea to be under the protection of power. They may offer you shelter, and they may help you with supplies.

　Above all, ...... I thought I needed to make a decision, even if I had to flee far away.
　I have no grudge against my family. So I don't think I should bother them. The love they had for me was not zero.

　The risk is too ...... high. I pointed to my hair and eyes and made fun of Senri for saying such a reasonable thing.

I'm like ...... my father. You don't want a monster that looks just like your son running amok before you know it, do you?

".............

　Senri's face twisted for a moment as if he were about to cry.

　I don't have to look like that. I don't consider my current situation to be pathetic. It would not be so bad to grow up peacefully as a member of the nobility, learning, falling in love, and working all the time without becoming an undead.
　But I don't hate my current life either.

...... Okay, End. If it makes you feel any better, I'll go out with you.

Thank you. It's okay, I'm not looking for revenge.

　Senri's eyes widened slightly at my words, and she answered in a small voice.

I understand.



§I know.



　I couldn't remember the name of the city I lived in, but I knew it wasn't that far away.
　It was Huck who carried my body. And in order to be resurrected as a Fresh Man, the corpse would have to be fresh.
　Even with the use of cooling magic, it would be quite difficult to carry a human-sized corpse a long distance.
　Of course, Huck would have kept a minimum distance. If the land where the body was found was close by, the Lord would know the identity of the hidden body. But even that has its limits.

　As it turned out, the Barony of Fomet was nearby. The map I had bought in the city of Semesera showed only a rough location, but it was less than ten days away if I ran as fast as I could. It was a waste of time since it was in the opposite direction of where he had escaped from the Kainushi, but it might catch him off guard if he thought about it.

　He gathered his things and turned his back to Senri as usual.
　There was no sign of Kainushi and the others following me. My legs are faster than a chariot, and even if Arbatos' legs were faster, the Kainushi are only human. It was unlikely that they would split up and come after us.

　By the way, I've gotten used to running with Senri on my back. As I was thinking about this, I suddenly felt a strong pain in my back.
　My body shakes involuntarily, and I let out a small scream. I forgot to turn off the blessing.

What?　Oh, ......, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

No, it's ...... okay.

　I'm just a little surprised. It's unlikely I'll disappear from it unless I'm too weak.

　But I can feel the pain. Pain is a big weakness for vampires, as I thought the other day when I was fighting a vampire hunter. Because they usually don't feel pain, it has a great effect on them.

　A weight is placed on my back again. This time it was a comfortable weight.
　A slender arm is slid forward, and the heartbeat can be felt through the close contact of the body. Senri must be carrying more weight, but to a vampire, it's just a weight, a margin of error.

　He runs as if he is not carrying anything at all. Thanks to the remaining blood from before, he is full of strength.
　The sensation of moving my body always feels good. You kick the earth hard and think only of moving forward. It's as if I've become the wind.

　Suddenly, Senri whispers in my ear.

I'm training ...... to put on the armor of blessing when I lose consciousness. Did ............ that hurt?



"To be honest, it hurt a lot. But it was bearable.

　I should be thankful that it wasn't a threat to my survival. If it had been, I would have had to leave her behind.
　I jumped up into the air and exposed myself to the night sky. The moonlight is getting bigger and bigger, illuminating me. Jumping up like this gives me a strong all-around feeling.
　Below me, I see sparse trees and slopes, and the eyes of a shining beast.

I just need directional guidance.

"...... Okay. I'm on it.

　Following Senri's instructions, they made their way down the mountain and across the empty meadow.
　As far as I could see, there was nothing to block my view, and my eyesight would tell me if Kainushi was following me.

　In hindsight, the chaos of the city was an advantageous field for Cainusi. If the field was large enough for me to use my physical abilities, I think I would have been no match for him. It's no use to say this now, but I think he was playing right into his opponent's hands from the stage of choosing the location.

　But I'm sure Kainushi didn't expect me to miss. Next time we meet, ............ I will not lose.

The next time we meet, I won't lose. ...... Speaking of which, Senri. I've been wondering what the ...... "ancestor" is that Cainusi was talking about.

　I've always wondered about that. If we are to survive, we must know not only our enemies, but ourselves as well.
　In response to my question, Senri remained silent for a while, but then began to speak in a quiet voice.

The Necromancer has created ............ a vampire with a special curse on it. It's a ...... very dangerous being, filled with the ambition of its creator. End, I think you're probably one of them.


§.


　Perhaps the fight against the vampire hunters is more like a game of hide and seek than a game of tag.
　If you're not sure what you're looking for, you can always ask for help.
　If you think about it that way, we have a huge advantage, but they will make up the difference with their wisdom, courage, and technology.

　They have already closed the distance between you and them without you even noticing. And next time, they won't bother to negotiate with us.

"The crystals, they're real. It's not as good as the first one, but it hides 80% of your power. If you don't get too close, if you don't get close enough to be seen, you can hide from the Knights of the End .......

　Senri says in my ear as he sits on me. I'm not sure if you're sleepy or not.
　The whisper in my ear gave me the creeps. But the sensation is slightly pleasurable.

"That's ...... nice. It's better than nothing.

But be careful. Negative power is not the only way to know what a vampire is.


　According to Senri, vampires are powerful, but in a very incomplete state.

　The first necromancers, aiming for perfection, created necromancy from wild zombies and spread it by creating a number of abominations, but the techniques were not perfect.
　The vampires created by necromancy had many special abilities, immortal bodies, and powerful physical capabilities, but they also had many fatal weaknesses. Weaknesses that, if exploited, would allow ordinary people to destroy vampires.

　No, perhaps it had to be that way. The price of power is weakness.
　And the Necromancer of the beginning could not destroy those weaknesses.

　The necromancer's formula, the formula for creating the undead, and the curse of Rebirth have not yet been perfected.
　This is the reason why the art of necromancy is not confined to a single person's brain but has spread outside. The first necromancer spread his art and asked his fellow mages to improve it.

　That is the root of all existing necromancers.

　That is why there are individual differences in the curse of rebirth.
　Each individual difference is caused by the necromancer's desire for perfection and the modification of the formula.

　The undead grow according to the curse engraved on them, and their talents blossom when they become vampires.
　If the mage who applied the curse is inexperienced, the curse will not be balanced and the vessel will not be able to withstand and will destroy itself.

　The distinguishing name given to such individuals is "Ancestor".
　It is the culmination of a necromancer's ambition and the founder of a new monster. It is the most important opponent for the Knights of the End to destroy.

　In most cases, its original special abilities have been enhanced, but some of its weaknesses have been completely erased or replaced with new ones.

　And according to Senri, there's a high probability that Holos Kamen has something in store for me.

　I can't argue with that.
　The Lord intended to transfer his soul to me. And the Lord was a necromancer with strong ambitions.
　Come to think of it, those bodies in the basement might have been spare parts to test the formula. Or maybe they were just leftovers after the test.

　Either way, he wouldn't put a curse that could be a major drawback into the vessel he was going to use.
　It was not something to think about now. There was too much to decide.

　I can't hear the voices behind me. Perhaps he's fallen asleep.
　Sleep is light. If I call out to him, he'll respond immediately, but there's no need to wake him.


　I kept running, trying to keep my back from shaking too much.




　And so, after seven days of running at night and sleeping under the earth in the morning, we made it safely into Baron Fomet's territory without being overtaken by our pursuers.