The morning comes, the afternoon comes, and the night comes again. I awoke to the sound of Senri's knocking in the closet of the Descending Inn.

　The Inn of Descend is not vampire-friendly. There were no curtains, and the closet was decorated with an infinitely correct cross design, blatantly designed to prevent vampires.
　However, the weakness of the cross in vampires is quite delicate. It is the right cross that we are weak against, and it is not as fatal as other weaknesses. This is why I was able to fight the crossed swords of the vampire hunter Kainushi when I did not yet have many abilities, and why Senri's sword does not resemble a cross.

　I took another look at the clay-covered design of the cross and let out a small sigh. The steadily increasing number of clever countermeasures against weaknesses is a little different from the image I have of vampires. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're getting yourself into. .......

　I'm not sure if you've heard of it, but I'm sure you've heard of it.
　Senri is beautiful again today. I'm sure you've been checking out the castle last night and moving around during the day, but there's no sign of life in your body.

"Good morning, End.

Good morning, End. The closet should have been designed for more people.

...... It's bigger when you're a dog.

...... because being a dog makes you want to run around.

　Lately, I've been trying not to become a dog too much. The ability is useful, and I love the look of a fluffy white dog or a shapely black dog, but that's why I tend to abuse it if I'm not careful.
　Even if I don't, I'm usually in the form of a dog when I'm on the move, so I'd better not do it in the city.

　I was not feeling bad. I didn't need to untie my limbs to feel fine. The blood was still in his system, unfortunately.

　He paused for a moment, then took out a pair of sunglasses from his drawer and put them on.
　Finally, he checked his pocket for a small piece of stone the size of the tip of his pinky finger - the night crystal he had just gotten last night. 　


§§



　The lifeform I caught in the underground passage was a mercenary.
　It was just a coincidence that I was able to save him in time. I was aware of the existence of the creatures, but I didn't know that they were struggling with the Bone Men.

　There were five men in their twenties and thirties. These mercenaries were not very good. They had strong faces and well-developed muscles, but they were probably as good as the lowest-ranking soldiers in the Ryner army.
　Powerful creatures (even if they can't control it like Senri) usually have strong life force. They didn't have that. They didn't seem to be able to use magic, and the leader, who called himself Razal, was more than I could meditate on.

　But I don't care how strong they are, because I have no intention of fighting with them or engaging them.

　Razzal and the others were the perfect people to get information from. They didn't seem to suspect that we were undead, and I have to admit that I'm not sure why I was so fascinated with Senri, but I was fascinated with him at first, and sometimes I still am.
　If he tries to touch me, I'll punch him as hard as I can, but I'll forgive him if he just watches for a while.



　As it turned out, the information I got from Razal and the others was almost useless.

　Apparently, they had been hired to kill the undead that were invading the old castle. They were hired by the city of Descend. The request was to stay in the old castle and kill the undead that occasionally invaded.
　The reason they gave up the information so easily was because it wasn't something they needed to hide. They didn't seem to be lying.

　That's all they were doing, and they weren't under any orders to protect anything. Apparently, he had taken on similar jobs several times before.

　I didn't get the information that I imagined I would. But I did get information that they don't know anything.
　They are very common mercenaries. Mercenaries are not supposed to go into their employer's affairs unless they have a special reason. Even so, I wonder if they don't care about anything when they're taking on the undead, whose lives are in danger, but that's their choice, so it can't be helped.

　And the biggest thing about last night's investigation of the old castle was that we got the night crystal.

　Senri closed his eyes for a few seconds, then opened them and nodded widely.

I'm pretty sure the ...... presence is gone.

Yeah. I can see that.

　It was only after the night crystal was lost that I began to consciously manipulate the power of blood. That's why I only vaguely understood it until now, but now I do.
　The power is flowing through the little stones. I can see it clearly.

　The black stone was lying in a corner of a nondescript corridor further down the underground passage that Razal and the others were guarding. It wasn't in a treasure chest or on a shelf, but was left there as if it were just a stone.
　It was no bigger than the tip of a pinky finger, and a human being would not have noticed it. Even if they had noticed it, they would not have thought to pick up a small stone in the dark.
　Probably not even a demise knight would have noticed it. It was only because I could see the flow of negative power that I could barely notice its specialness.

　Anyway, despite everything, we have successfully reached our goal in this city.
　But to be honest, ...... things have gone so well it's weird.

　I didn't expect Senri's suggestion to have such a direct result. I was hoping to get some clues, but I guess Senri himself felt the same way because he was so confused.
　Nothing made sense to me. I've always acted based on logic, but what happened in Descend was out of the ordinary. It's all going too well. I feel as if I'm following someone's script.

　I've got what I came for. But I don't know how it got there, or why the Bone Men were attacking the castle, or who was leading them.

　In the first place, what is the "Night Crystal"?　At first glance, it is just a piece of stone. We know that it can be cut to look like a jewel, but we also know that it is quite fragile.



　How could it have been lying in that place?　Could it have originated from the Demon Lord of the Shadow, as Senri had predicted?　But the Demon Lord of the Shadow was destroyed a long time ago. Why was it still there?　And on the other hand - why was there only one left?

　Apparently, Razal and the others checked the passage. The reason why they didn't find the night crystal is because, as I said, it looked insignificant, but undead can instinctively detect that crystal. Even though the passage was newly exposed when the wall collapsed, it was already several years ago.
　There's no way it's still there.

　No, before that, those crystals are not something that can be sensed from a distance.

　The night crystal is in my possession. The reason I didn't leave this place is because what happened was too unnatural.

　Besides, if this was the place where the night crystal came from, it would have been a shame to just leave after getting one. Since it had been destroyed twice already, I would like to collect as many as I can, including spares.
　I thought of swallowing the crystals, but that would be too shallow considering the logic of disappearing signs. If I put an object that absorbs negative power inside my body, my power might be greatly reduced, and my body is sadly often reduced, so I don't feel safe even if I put it inside my body.

　I can run away after I sense the worst signs.
　Senri looks up at me with the same clear eyes he had when we first met.

"I've made a promise. Baron, even if the signs disappear, this city is too hard for you. Let me know if you need anything.

I'll be fine. I can live with a little.

　I've been through a lot since I came back, but even that's better than before.
　Senri will be there for you. There's water everywhere in this place, in case you get caught off guard and lose your strength. I rub my tongue over my aching fangs and clasp Senri's cold hand.


§.


The specialty of [Descend] is garlic. It's so common that it's hard to find a meal in the whole city that doesn't contain it.

　The place we chose to meet was an upscale bar. This was one of the few places Senri had researched that served food without garlic.

There is a tax on garlic-free food in this city.

I want you to go to ...... and take down the people who set that tax.

　I complained to Senri for the first time since I came to the city. We have an excellent sense of smell, and it's not like we can kill vampires by putting garlic in our food, but this is completely harassing.
　But Senri's blood was sweet, and it would give me the same pleasure. She's not eating garlic for me. She's doing it for me.

　The entrance was in the basement. Down a white staircase and through a fancy door.
　As Senri had said, there was hardly a whiff of garlic in the bar, and although there were a fair number of customers, they were well dressed.
　I guess even in a city like this, there must be a certain number of people who prefer not to eat garlic once in a while.

　The mercenaries we saved last night were waiting uncomfortably in a corner. I imagine mercenaries drink heavily, but there was only a small glass on the table in front of them.
　I lifted my sunglasses and approached Senri, hugging his shoulders and calling out to him enthusiastically.

I lifted my sunglasses and approached Senri with enthusiasm, holding his shoulder. I'm a little busy during the day too.

No, no, you saved my life. You saved my life. I owe you a thank you.

　His voice was a little blunt, but I guessed that was because he had lived his life that way. There was no hostility or fear in his expression.

　I have not had much experience in communicating with others except for killing each other, but I know this because I have read a lot of books. When negotiating with mercenaries, you just have to show yourself strong.
　I proudly sat down in front of an empty seat and ordered a mug of the strongest liquor I could find. The bartender's eyes widened slightly, but he didn't say anything.

　After we had parted ways, I rejoined Razal and the others to check on the situation in more detail. I didn't know anything last night, but I promised my employer that I would get some more details. Since the undead had been wiped out, this was the only clue we had left.

　Razzal and the others seemed to be a little nervous. As they had been surprised yesterday, the combination of a man who wore sunglasses at night, who was much younger and stronger than they were, and a beautiful silver-haired girl who looked like no one else, must look like they had a lot going on. Especially when you meet them in an old castle at night.

　I smiled as friendly as I could and said.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Barron. Baron Sylvis. I'm a vampire hunter. She is ...... Lu. I'm Lou Sylvis.

"Vampire Hunter"?　Oh, and .............

　Senri's eyes widened. It's a good idea not to use the name Senri as it may be hunted by the Knights of the Apocalypse.
　It's a name you might see occasionally, but it's worth being wary of.

　My ad-lib self-introduction caused Razzal and the others to look at each other.
　Vampire hunters are probably rarer than the Knights of the End. And from what I've seen of Kainushi and the others, they're odd. That's a good name to have in this town. The cursed Arbatross was a vampire hunter, so I should be too.

　I glanced at Senri's expression and said proudly.

We have the same last name because I'm his son-in-law. We're very much in love. If you make a move on my wife, I'm going to punch you in the face, so be prepared.