The Demon Lord Rainer's army is a good place.
　What's good about it is that you can do whatever you want as long as you win the battle. The living environment isn't great, but it's a good place to live.

　It's also good to have the experience of fighting a variety of subhumans. As subhumans come in all shapes and sizes, their characteristics also vary. Some of them can even use swords, and the best part is that there's no killing involved. Now if only Senri were here, it would be perfect.

　There was a small knock on the lid. The night, my time, had come.
　I slowly raise myself up, and with all my strength, shift the heavy lid. It was Monica's face that came into view in the moonlight.

Good morning, Mr. End. Did you sleep well?

"Yes, thank you. Monica. I'm doing very well.

　In the black coffin, which was completely airtight, I raised my upper body and stretched out.

　The coffin had been prepared by Monica. Originally, it was in my prerequisite knowledge that vampires sleep in coffins.
　As a person who has died once, it's no joke, but it seems that sleeping in a coffin has its own meaning, and I'm feeling better than ever.
　I feel much more relaxed. I haven't slept in a coffin this time because I'm in enemy territory, but it's the next best thing to having your blood sucked. I wish I had a portable coffin.

Has the environment improved?

"Well, yes. It's not going to be perfect right away because of the location, but as you said, it's .......

　Monica's eyes were downcast, and she said in a quiet voice, "What I asked for was a prison.
　All I asked for was a better prison environment. There is no way that good blood can grow in an environment that is not cleaned well and not fed.
　I don't think that improving the environment now will produce blood as good as Senri's, but it's okay because if we are nice to the prisoners, Senri might let us suck their blood in a tasty way later.

But there have been protests about it. ............ Fifteen of them.

"Okay, I'll take it.

　I nodded without hesitation at Monica's fearful words.
　It takes time and effort to improve the environment. It's the lower levels of this Demon Lord's army that will do it.
　Yesterday, there were a number of people who came to oppose me, but I solved them all by talking with my fists.

　It seems that the best way to solidify one's position in the Demon Lord's army is to show one's strength, and the number of new challengers is decreasing with each challenge I win. It's only been three days since she arrived here, but rumors have spread, and now she seems to be feared.

　Today, Monica wore modest clothes that covered most of her skin, which was unusual. However, there is no hiding the fact that she has a great figure.
　If I get better, maybe Monica will take a second look at me and give me some blood, so I'll do my best today.


　Today's challenger was an Ogre. They are one of the major factions in this Demon Lord's army, and they've come to challenge me many times since I beat their champion on the first day.
　He had the physique and skin of a demon, but his face was now tense from the moment I met him.

　His eyes widened involuntarily. Normally it was a fist, but today the challenger was holding a sword. It was a blackened sword, clearly too small in length compared to his physique.
　I knew it by instinct, even though it was dark. A silver sword.
　I knew it would come. It would take something as powerful as Arbatos to do any real damage to me without exploiting my weaknesses.

　Monica, realizing what the weapon was, started to open her lips in panic. I stopped her.

It's okay. But if I'm dying, you have to help me. ............ Did you think I was going to complain?

　This is a great way to get the most out of your business. I'm not sure what to do.

　My current body has almost no sense of pain. It is truly wonderful to be painless. But at the same time, pain is something you have to remember.

　If I continue to win without incident, I'm sure I'll grow.

　Senri says pain is a vampire's weakness. They don't always feel pain, so when they do, it stops them in their tracks. I've survived this long in part because I've never had to deal with it before.

　Besides, what threat can a blackened silver sword that has not been cleaned well pose?
　I know a silver sword that forms a perfect cross. I know a holy sword made of precious blessed silver. They will kill me easily.
　Then I must learn to overcome my weaknesses before my next encounter with them. Engaging the silver sword with a low chance of dying is not a bad thing if you think about it.

It's a bit of a pain in the ass, so let's all go at it together.

"......, don't be stupid!　Vampires!

　But it seems that there is only one silver sword.

　The demon closes the distance with one step and swings the sword with all his might. It's a tremendous blow that seems to split the space. But the size of the sword doesn't fit the body.
　I sidestepped the large fall and jabbed at the open side.

　It was meant to be a light attack, but the demon's face contorted in pain and its flesh creaked. The sword swung down and cut back with the same force.



　Too slow. Too slow. The demon is powerful, but not that fast. My eyesight is fast enough to see it. It might be good for evasion training.

　Concentrate your mind while evading and activate the Dark Stalker's ability, "Sen'ei".
　The sound disappears and blackness spreads across his skin. The demon's face becomes agitated.

　This ability was originally designed for hiding in the shadows, but it seems to be effective even when used in battle. The smell is strong, but most of the sound is gone. It's a strong ally for me since I can't use my vampire powers yet. I'll have to learn to use it.

　After three jabs in a similar exchange, the demon kneels down. He's got a better body than me, but he's so sloppy.
　But maybe if the demon becomes a vampire, he'll be stronger than me.　It's quite possible, since I've been able to fight so far, even though I was sickly and weak, despite my talent.

　Next time, I'll try to catch a sword with my claws. Don't do that if the opponent is a Kainushi.
　I look away from the demon and see the next challenger waiting.

　Once that's done, it's fists. A vampire's strength should be enough to snap a silver sword.
　The leaders of the Liners must be much stronger than they are, we need to make up the difference.


§ § § §


　At first it was hostility. It turned to fear, and then slowly to respect.
　The strong are respected in this Linel army. Monica couldn't help but pale at the transition of the situation.

　In just three days, Endo Baron was becoming familiar with the Demon King's army.
　From the start, I've had a vague feeling that this vampire is an oddity. It's so unlike him. The original vampires were more arrogant and incompatible with the living. They were not supposed to fit in so easily with the Demon Lord's army.
　But End doesn't have that. Although he was selfish, it was clear that his nature was different from that of a normal vampire, even though Monica had not yet been sucked dry.

　But its power is real. He can use the abilities of a werewolf and a prowler of darkness. She hasn't been sucking blood for some time now, but her powers show no sign of diminishing.

　Monica hadn't been able to see through her true nature yet.

　At this rate, she'd rise to the top in no time.
　It's impossible for a normal demon king to have a newcomer as a leader, but it's possible for this Linel army.

　Today, I accompanied him to the end of the day, watched him go to bed at dawn, and patted my chest, relieved that the day had passed without incident.

　The improvement of the prison environment is proceeding at a rapid pace. We feed them, clean their cells, and give them the right to go to the bathroom. Taking care of human health is a job that no one wants to do, but if End wants to do it and has overcome his challenger, then it must be done. The POWs now had a better life than the lowly subordinates.

　The environment was changing dramatically. The End was going to monopolize the people who had been sharing. It's hard not to complain. Monica wouldn't eat them, but there were many in the Demon Lord's army who loved humans.

　No matter how many vampires there are, they will never be able to suck the blood of all those people. Most of the humans are spares and will be sold off when they are no longer needed.
　All Monica could do was pray that someone with enough blood to satisfy this nasty vampire would appear soon.

　Suddenly, there was a heavy thud, and a large black shadow leapt against the morning sun to land in front of Monica.
　Oliver Arbol. This werewolf, one of the best in the Demon King's army, stuck out his red tongue, looked at Monica, and said first.

"Well, I'm home. What about that ...... end?

"So far, he's satisfied. I've spoken to Mr. Rainer. But you found me a nasty one.

　The man who's eaten and killed so many warriors in his life shrinks back, his tail thickening. He looks like a frightened dog.

"Don't ever, ever piss me off. If anyone challenges you to a duel, turn them over to me.

"...... Huh. It's too late, I've lost a hundred men.

...... What?

　And not just any hundred. It's not just a hundred. It's a hundred warriors who are confident in their strength and can overpower human mercenaries, even if they are outnumbered.
　As a member of the Demon Lord's army, I can't help but think that I'm lucky that I wasn't killed.

"d*mn it! I'll kill you! I'll eat you! Give me a name, Monica. You're a disgrace to my face. No, no, no, Mr. Endo. ...... I, I never meant to--

　Oliver's eyes glazed over.
　The sun was already up, but there was no sign of Oliver's return to human form. A degraded werewolf can only transform on the night of a full moon, but not the third-ranked Oliver. Regardless of his power, he can transform at will even during the day, and he still retains a relatively strong sense of reason.
　But in his eyes, I saw intense fear and madness. How many vampires had turned Oliver into a werewolf to put so much fear into this man?


　In a calm voice, trying to calm him down.

"Calm down, Oliver. Mr. End was enjoying himself.

"Oh, ......, oh, yeah, right. Well, that's good. I'm really, really glad.

　Oliver's voice was filled with strong emotion.

　But there's something wrong. As far as Monica could see, the End Baron was measuring his strength.
　His movements, which had started out as forceful, were slowly being refined as if he were testing them, and today he was even facing his weakness, the silver sword.

　The demons, who would not back down no matter how superior their opponents were, were completely deflated. End had said that he didn't intend to stay in this Demon King's army forever, but he would only be a poison to this army if he continued like this.

　As a loyal servant of the Demon Lord, Linel, he had to take action.

"...... Oliver, Master End will fight the Cannibals. The end knight is at stake.

　Oliver's ears perked up and his eyes widened.
　The cannibal is the second most powerful in this Demon King's army after Linel. I'm not sure what to make of that. It's a monster in a different sense than a vampire.
　I was going to wait and see, but it's better to set it up sooner rather than later.

　Amazingly, End is learning. We have to finish it before it gains more power and devours this army before it gets out of hand.
　I had a strange feeling. Otherwise, Lynel's army would be devoured from within and destroyed.