89 Epilogue: Monster Talent




 The stronghold of Rainer's army was on fire. The order that had been formed under the absolute rule of the weak and the strong had collapsed overnight.

 Originally, the Demon Lord's Army was built on the pillar of the absolutely powerful Demon Lord. No matter how large the army is, if that pillar is removed, the army cannot be maintained.

 The Demon Lord Rainer's death became known in an instant. What struck the Demon Lord's army after that was chaos.

 The chaos spread from the low-ranking fighters who lacked proper intelligence.

 Rynel, who had boasted of his absolute strength, was dead, and Hebram, the hated but feared cannibal, was gone.
 Some fled in fear, some realized the king's death and plotted to take his place, and some went on a looting spree. The camp that had been in place was burning, and the smell of blood and death swirled in the darkness.

 To unite the various races, there must be a force, a symbol.
 The army, which until yesterday had been united as a single force, was now divided into factions based on race, and the treasury had already been broken into by a number of former comrades.

 The leader of the Demon Lord Rainer's army. The werewolf Oliver Arbol, who was once valued for his abilities and strength, quietly emerged from the room in human form.
 The chaos had not yet spread to the houses near the castle. This was probably because the place where the leaders had taken up residence was inaccessible to the lower ranks of soldiers.
 But the peace will not last long. After all, the intelligent people who used to be considered high-ranking soldiers are now watching vigilantly for the former Ryner's army to take over.

 The Demon Lord Rainer's army is over.
 Even if he gets back on his feet, he can't conquer the fortress city of Rhomburg with a pillarless and disorganized army. Oliver has some confidence in his own strength, but he doesn't think he can be king.
 He had to hurry. With a single shudder, Oliver carried Monica on his shoulders and walked out.

 The Demon Lord Rynell was strong and great. But he was dead.
 Oliver didn't think Rynell could be defeated. Oliver has an instinctive fear of vampires, but even to him, the lion dragon Rynell was overwhelming. But looking at the current situation of the Lynel army, it was obvious what had happened.

 The reason why Oliver was trembling. It's not the remnants of the Demon King's army that's on the rampage. It's only vampires that Oliver Arbol fears.

 The only thing Oliver can do now is run. Run and hide.
 Slowly the blood is sucked out of Monica's eyes and she's still unconscious. But she's alive.
 She was slowing me down, but I couldn't abandon her. They had done missions together, and Oliver had been asked by the dreaded End Baron to watch over Monica.

 Blood-red, cruel eyes. The tingle of death in his slender body is not all that different from the vampire that once changed Oliver.
 The chances of him coming back are slim to none. The signs are already distant. Like the founder who once killed Oliver's master, the End Baron did not choose to rule over Oliver.
 But if there was even the slightest chance of a return, Oliver had no choice but to do so.

 The inhabitants of the fortress city of Rhomburg would soon learn of the demon lord Rynell's demise. And they would surely start hunting the remnants as if they were releasing their anger.

 Suddenly, countless shining eyes approached from the foot of the mountain. They are former low-ranking soldiers of the Linel army, and now they are just a bunch of hexenbiests.
 When they see Oliver and Monica, who appear to be human, they surround them in a circle. Their jaws were full of sharp fangs, and they were drooling with excitement.

 It was a sight that was impossible when the Demon Lord Rainer, the absolute strong one, was alive. He has completely lost his reason in this situation where order has been lost. The only time he will be quiet again is when he joins a new charismatic demon lord.

 It's pathetic. I don't have time to worry about a small fish that only has such thoughts for a moment.
 Oliver looked up at the sky near dawn and transformed with a roar.




§ § § §



"What's wrong with ...... Senri-san ...... Baron? Does it matter what kind of dog it is?

§ § "............So, that's ......

 I'm not sure if you'll be able to find a way to do this, but I'm sure you can.
 In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find out more about it here.
 If it were true, it would be a bad idea to enter the city. But there was a reason we had to do it. Dell.

 Dell was half-dead. The rubble had knocked out some of his bones, his blessings were near exhaustion, and the odds of death were high if left untreated. The wounds themselves were far worse than mine, but Dell was not undead.
 Dell is an enemy, but we fought together once. I don't hate him. It was only natural for me to advise Senri to save him. It wasn't because I wanted to flatter Senri, or because I wanted to see the city, but because I knew that Senri would definitely want to help even if I didn't.

 Getting into the city was not difficult.
 Apparently, Senri had been treating the soldiers during his stay in the city, and Dell was known to have gone alone to defeat the Demon King's army. Senri and the others had built up enough trust that they could be let in at night, even if they had a strange black dog with them. They came to Katerina just to say goodbye.

 I'm a black dog now. I could change my size, but not my color.
 My appearance is also more disturbing than before, when I was very bushy. My claws and fangs are sharp, and my form is smart. I used to be the epitome of cuteness, but now I am the epitome of good looks. I'm so good-looking and strong that mercenaries will offer to buy me just by walking around town.



 I let out a confident "woof" and approached Katerina, wagging my tail.
 I walked up to Katerina, who was trembling with fear, and sat down in a spirit of service. Katerina's eyes widened and she froze for a moment, but then she patted my head fearfully and said.

"............ clever ...... Senri, where did you find this? What's your name, what's your name?

"............So, I was outside. I haven't decided on a name yet ....... It looks strong, but it's very smart and nice.

And ............ his tail is white.

Yes. Yes. ............ has turned white.

 Oh, so now I have a white tail. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. It's not a bad charm point.
 Katerina takes out a cookie from her pocket and offers it to me. I accepted it gratefully and licked her hand. Katerina's eyes narrowed and she said happily.

And they are very friendly. You look like a ............ baron.

 I'm a sinful vampire that I can charm a child in such a good looking form. You don't need the magical eye to charm.
 I'm not sure if you've ever heard of it, but I'm sure you've heard of it.

"Baron. Katerina will give you to me?

I'm sorry.

 No way. ...... I'm all about Senri. Jealous? Is this what you call jealousy? It's hard to be popular.
 I left Katerina's side and leaned towards Senri. And that's when I noticed that the tips of my paws were turning white.

 It's funny, ...... I'm pretty sure they were all black just a few minutes ago.


§


 The Demon Lord Rainer is dead. His army still remains, but now that he's killed the strongest demon lord and the cannibals, the rest will fall into place. Dell is there too.
 It seems that most demon lord armies are destroyed when the demon lord is killed. Senri's right, so he must be.

 I'm glad to hear that the members of the merchant corps who gave me food are mostly safe.

 I thought I was going to die many times, but the fight with Rynell brought me many things.
 I've learned how to use my powers, and I've gotten the "Spell Flame". I don't want to do it again, but it's a great experience to fight a powerful enemy.
 I have a lot of things to think about, like encountering new vampires, but it's okay to take a break.

 After all, Senri is good. I feel very safe when I'm around her.
 What vampires lack, I think, is someone to trust them. That's what turns a monster back into a human.

 I was hungry. I got the minimum amount of blood right after the reunion and recovered to a certain extent, but it wasn't enough.

 Senri had been worried about me even after we parted. She also feels guilty about it. I'm sure he'll give me some ...... blood. I'm hoping for the best. I'd like to sleep in a soft coffin for a few days and hang out with Senri.

 As I wagged my tail, Senri gave a small sigh and smiled so slightly that those who knew her well would have to be careful not to notice.

Barron, I'm leaving town now. You can't stay in this city. Dell's people are in a nearby city.

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

 I see. I'm not proud of it, but I can be big now. I can even carry Senri on my back. I'll be able to go anywhere where there's no water flowing.
 My dog form is pretty fast. The next town is just around the corner. I'm not sure I'd like to do a piggyback ride. .......

 The sky is setting, best time to go. I'm always ready. A little more blood would be nice, but I'll save that for later.

Once we get to the far city, we'll relax for a while. You need to rest. Specifically, you need to rest until your body turns white.

 Apparently Senri preferred a white, pretty, bushy dog to a black, good-looking one. This is my favorite, but if Senri says so, then so be it.
 I couldn't help but ask Senri, who was staring at me, eye to eye.

"Can I have some blood?

"Yes. So don't talk. It's very suspicious.

 It's true that a dog that can speak is out of the question. I kept my mouth shut, wagged my tail, and followed Senri as he went through the exit procedure.










§ § § § § § § § § § § §







 A blessing is life itself. A demise knight who excels in the art of manipulating it can regenerate and endure far better than a mere human. They can heal broken bones if they concentrate their power and can fight tirelessly.
 The third level knight, Del Gordon, was badly wounded, but not as bad as the wounds he usually sustained.

 The end is outside the room. Senri and Del were the only ones in the room.
 Del Gordon sat up in bed and stared at Senri.

"Geez, geez, don't treat me. ...... Senri Sylvis. When the wound heals, I'll have to go after you guys.

 The Knights of the Apocalypse are a tight-knit group. I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.
 He was a member of a group led by a knight known for his consistent mission completion rate.

"I owe that vampire a debt. "I owe that vampire a debt, unbecoming a Knight of the End. And you can't win when your wounds haven't healed. So I'm going to have to let the ............ karma slide this time.

 Dell's eyes were grim the whole time. It was understandable.
 In fact, it was probably because Del Gordon was not the victim of an undead tragedy that he was allowed to get away with this.
 But there was hostility in his eyes.

 But it wasn't hostility towards End. It was hostility towards Senri. In a grumbling voice, Dell declared.

"But the next time I see you, I swear on the pride of the Knights of the End, and on all the victims of this tragedy, Senri Sylvis. I will kill you. No matter what the circumstances.

"Yes.

 Senri didn't change his expression.

 Senri was already a traitor. For the Knights of the End, he is even more repellent than their enemy, the undead, a traitor who turned to the undead despite being a Knight of the End.
 My master let me off the hook once, but the others would not.

 But he knew what he was doing. Senri hadn't decided to side with the End without thinking.

 Dell frowned when he saw that Senri's expression did not change. The next voice that came out was not as angry as the previous one.




"Senri, this is a warning. Kill the man, the End Baron. Give him relief before he gets out of hand. You're a natural born demon knight, but that man has the gift of the monster. I'm not talking about powerful abilities. Endo Baron will be a fearsome king. In no time, he'll be the greatest enemy the End Baron has ever had.

 Dell's words were laced with strong emotion.
 I knew it. The End's "sucking curse" has terrifying potential.
 We don't even know what the multiple curses will do to End.

 Senri once speculated that End's appearance when he transformed showed his feelings. Now, End is turning into a jet-black dog.
 It showed that the young man, who was also a bit of an optimist, was not unchanging.

 But even so, Senri stared at Dell and said.


"...... I won't let you.

"...... Kill me. If you still have the pride of a Knight of the End.

 Dell turned away and shut his eyes.

 Dell's fears were justified. From now on, End's escape would be even more difficult.
 Senri's departure would spread throughout the Knights of the End, and the powerful vampire known as the Stake King's family would know of End's existence. I unleashed the Photon Delight, but if I missed even one bat, it would regenerate. Perhaps I haven't killed enough.

 Perhaps purifying it would be a better way to save it. But End probably doesn't want that.
 Then Senri would be on his side.

 Senri made up his mind without showing it, and turned away and left the room.