It's been ten days since I started helping mercenaries in secret.

　It's been more than ten days since I started helping the mercenaries in secret. It seems that the castle of the Demon Lord of the Void is the center of attention of the undead. Not many visitors, but some kind of undead appeared out of nowhere at least once every three days.

　There were several types of undead behavior. Razzal and the others said that all the undead came to the basement, but that was because they had been ordered to stay there. Most of the intruders came straight to the underground passages, but there were a few who went around the upper floors of the castle.

　The undead were mostly bone men. Most of them were the lowest class of undead that had never been mutated, but there were some Kuro Bones mixed in, as well as zombies and wraiths. Razzal and the others who struggled against the Kuro Bones would certainly not have been able to break through this wave.

　Of course, they were no match for me and Senri (who was now using the name Ru).

　I was surprised at first because I had never fought an evil spirit before, but the Blood Ruler sliced through the incorporeal evil spirit as if it were an object.
　I guess this blade has undead as its virtual enemy. In addition, the bodies of the lower vampires bounced back the mental pollution that the evil spirits dealt with, and it was even easier than dealing with the bone people because they had no substance. In the first place, it would take more than Lord's army of undead to kill Senri, a second-class knight.


　On the other hand, there was something to be seen in Razal's battle as well.
　No, even if there wasn't - the guts of a mere human to fight the undead in the dark is commendable. To be honest, I'm quite jealous of the way he fights, talking to his vulnerable friends and killing his fear.

"What kind of training does it take to become so strong?

Lots of muscle training.

...... You don't look like you've got that much muscle.

Quality over quantity. Besides, it's hard to fight vampires without this kind of strength.

　He replied to Razal while cutting the bony man in half.
　I've grown accustomed to it over the past few days, Senri said in a reproachful voice.

Baron, you need to be more tense.

I'm fine. I'm not careless.

　Now I was hiding my presence with three Night Crystals.
　I'm not sure how much negative power a single crystal can conceal because of its small size, but with three of them, even if the demise knight sees you, he won't know. In fact, Senri has given his approval in this area.

　They had already explored the castle of the Demon Lord of the False Shadow. The inside of the castle would be pitch-black from a human point of view because there is no light source, but this is not a hurdle for a vampire with eyes that can see through the darkness.
　There was nothing new inside the castle. There were no expensive items, and while the existence of an old castle is very intriguing, there was nothing more to be found. The information that the castle had been abandoned a long time ago must be true.

　If this had been all I had seen, I would have judged that there was nothing here and would have left this place quickly. But what was holding me back from that decision was the underground.

　Naturally, I looked everywhere underground. The underground paths were maze-like, but they were not that wide, and I already had a map.
　Perhaps it was an escape route in case of emergency, and the rugged underground passages give a sense of age, but they are not inhabited by demons, and are themselves just passages.


　However, this underground passage is where the Night Crystal springs up.


　The first time I rescued Razzal and his friends, I was sure I had collected the crystal, but the next day, when I came with them, it had returned.
　At that time, I thought there was a crystal that I forgot to collect on the first day. When I saved Razzal and the others, I left without inspecting the underground passage, so there was no possibility that I had left some behind.

　But two days later, when I found the night crystal again, my suspicion turned to certainty.
　It was definitely not left behind. To begin with, the night crystal has a unique presence that only the undead can sense. No matter how small they are, and no matter how dark their color, they are impossible to miss.

　We decided to hunt here for a while.

　The mechanism of crystal formation is unknown. But crystals at night are valuable. The more the merrier. It's hard to describe how weird it is, but we should try to collect as many as we can.

　At this point, it's clear that the undead that appear nightly are after the crystals. I'm sure Senri won't let this go unnoticed. I don't think the other undead are safe either.

　Leaving the guards to Razal and the mercenaries, I sat down and wrote down some notes in the notebook Senri had bought for me.

"What are you writing?

"Secrets.

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

　Perhaps it was a good thing that I had shown strength in the beginning, but Razal and the others respected my will. I am writing this at night.

　I am writing this during the cycle of the night crystals.

　Day 1. I was down when I saved Razzal and the others. The next day I didn't go. Raza and his friends refused the client and took the day off.
　On the third day, when I visited again with Mr. Razzal and his friends, it had fallen. The next day it was not there. And the day after that, there was no sign. The next day, it was there.

　With a pen in hand, I summarize the timeline.

　The first time it came back after a day, the next time it came back was two days later. It does not necessarily mean that it will come back after a day.
　Then, I'll write down what happened on each day as far as I can remember.

　Day 1. Yes. Saving Razzal and the others. Engaged and defeated a large number of Bone Men and Kuro Bones.
　Second day. Unidentified.


　Day three. Yes. Engage the boneys.
　Day four. None. No undead.
　Day five. None. Engaged a boneman. Two black bones killed.
　Day 6. Yes. Engage the Bone Men.
　Seventh day. None. Engage an evil spirit and a corruptor.
　Day 8. None. No undead appear.
　Day nine. None. No undead appear.
　Tenth day. Nothing. No undead. 　

　No undead have appeared in the last few days. It's possible that they've given up, but according to Razal and the others, it's not unusual for there to be no attacks for several days in a row.
　And that's when I noticed it.

　...... could be ............ generated the day after defeating the mutated undead. ...... And?

　I haven't tried it enough to be sure, but if that's the case - I'm in big trouble.
　It's not up to me to decide whether the mutated undead will appear or not. I am also curious about what will happen if they are not defeated.

　However, if this assumption is correct, it is more likely that the power released by the undead is responsible for the creation of the Night Crystal.
　I may be able to make it myself somehow. After all, I now have the groundwork to use necromancy.

　Of course, it's doubtful that Senri will allow me to do so.

　As Lord's masterpiece, I have the power to grow stronger. I have room to increase my power. The quickest way to get stronger is to make friends. There are demons like Oliver who will follow a vampire unconditionally.
　But to be strong, you have to do things that are unethical. And Senri doesn't want that.
　My favorite Senri, the one who's been protecting me all these years, is the biggest obstacle of all. I'm torn.

　Senri, who had been on patrol with Razal and the others, called out to me while I was immersed in the luxury of worry.

"Barron, the big one's coming.

"...... another 'Kuro Bone'?

It's more than that, up there.

　There was no emotion on Senri's face, but as a Senri Master I could tell he was a little nervous.

　You're better than the Kuro Bone. ...... That's a first. No bones have come in yet today.
　I get up. By that time, my earlier worries had already faded away. In the first place, I have no intention of taking the option of leaving Senri. And now that I have multiple crystals of the night, that goal is a realistic one.

　When I focus my attention, I can feel the air trembling slightly.

　No, no. It's--it's footsteps. Still far away, but much 'bigger'.

Can you get into the tunnel?

"No.

　Senri answers immediately. Senri's knowledge and ability to detect the presence of undead is far superior to mine.

　It seems that the sorcerer who has been dispatching the bondmen has grown numb to the idea.
　Is he telling them to come out, or is he planning to force them to bury themselves in the tunnels?

　I said no to Razal and the others who hadn't noticed yet, and the two of us headed up. Their struggles with the Kuro Bone are slowing them down. It didn't matter if they were there or not, the less chance of dying, the better.

　The closer we get to the ground, the louder the shaking gets. Senri said.

"Probably a skeleton giant.

Do the black bones mutate to become bigger?

No. It's made from the bones of giants. But they're more powerful than the Kuro Bone.

　As the name implies, giants are a small race of people who look like humans but are several times larger than humans.
　Because of their size, they have their own unique culture, and are said to rarely appear in human cities. I've never encountered one, of course, but from what I've heard, all of them are excellent warriors. They are much larger than humans, so they must be strong.

　But I see that there is such a thing as ....... I'm learning something.



　They are a race known for their strength. I don't want to compete head on, but I am a little curious to see who is stronger than the lower vampires.

　I run through the dungeon and out. At that moment, the ground trembled even more violently.

What?

　My eyes widen. I didn't need to look for it.

　It was just huge.

　It looked like a bony man with golden bones. But each bone was much thicker than my torso and shone dully in the darkness.
　At first glance, it was impossible to get a full view of him, and his eye sockets, leaking a ghastly red light, stared down at me from above the half-destroyed ceiling.

　The Demon Lord Rynell was also huge, but Rynell walked on all fours and rarely stood on his hind legs, so this one was probably higher in pure height.

　And besides-- it's not one of them.
　The big one seemed to be one, but I could feel the presence of countless bone men around me. Not ten or twenty.

There's also the Kuro Bone.

"All hands on deck?

　I wonder if it is because they are highly organized that they haven't rushed in with such a large number.
　But even so, it's still too much force, no matter what. Razzal and the others won't be able to hold out long enough.

　I'm not sure what to make of this, but I'm sure it's a good idea. ...... No, I'm not sure if they've gathered this much strength because they defeated the Kuro Bones.　I don't know.

　The giant bone man did not roar. They were just quietly looking down at us.
　I've never seen a giant before, but it's as big as its name implies. Even their bare bone bodies are very intimidating.
　I gave up trying to compare our strength. They were too different in size.

　How could I fight such a huge bone man?
　If a bony man of this size had a huge sword suitable for his size and wielded it sparingly, a half-destroyed castle like this would be in ruins. No, a single blow from his fist could destroy the castle walls.

　But it's good. He's huge, he can't move fast enough. And my jumping ability could easily lift me up on my head.
　It has armor, but it's so big it's faint. I'll slash its neck. Destroy it before it destroys you.

　It's a good opportunity to show Senri what I can do.

　I licked my lips at the thought of the strongest opponent I'd had in a long time and said to Senri.



"I'll take care of the big one, Senri.

"Photon Delight.





§_





I wanted to fight you. ......

"I'm sorry. But it was for the best.

　He said, sounding a little apologetic at my words. And the look on his face made my heart ache even more.

　I've seen it many times, but it's still incredibly powerful. The band of light Senri had released had blown the giant skeleton away in a single blow, leaving it helpless.
　It wasn't even a battle anymore. If that light had been aimed at me, I would have been destroyed in a single blow, even though I am a reasonably strong vampire.
　I probably would have been able to defeat the giant bone man, but it would have been impossible for me to do so in a single blow. When it came to fighting the undead, Senri was nearly invincible.

　The most frightening thing is that the "Annihilation" technique is not Senri's original, but Epe's specialty. Even though I have no chance against Epe, it seems I have no choice but to run for my life.

　Despite my depressed mood, Razzal and the others were in a good mood for some reason. Maybe it was a good thing that we wiped out all the undead. If it weren't for us, they would have been killed, but they were in a good mood.

Cheer up, Barron. If you're so narrow-minded, your wife will abandon you.

I've got my pride, you know.

　I knew Senri was capable of defeating the Giant Skeleton, but that was too much. He was about to raise his fist, but where should he put it down?

"Well, cheer up. We took down a big one, we'll report it, we'll get extra money. You're lucky. I'll buy you a drink.

Thanks for that. ......

　I'd like to go to a place that doesn't serve garlic. I'll empty your wallet, don't underestimate the power of vampires.

　I've been thinking about it for a while, and then a question popped into my head.

　Razal and his men are not the strongest mercenaries in the world. They could defeat the Bone Men, but they would be defeated by the Kuro Bones, and they would have been helplessly defeated by the Giant Bone Men.

　But he is not a weak mercenary. He is capable of defeating any demon that appears on the streets, and he has been holding a sword for much longer than I have.
　[Descend] is a peaceful city. There hasn't been a war for a long time, so the level of the mercenaries who come here is naturally low.

I'm sure you'll be able to find something that will help you.

"Dead ......?　No, it seems that there have never been any deaths on the mercenary side. I'm not sure what to make of that.

　I'm not sure what to make of that.



　I thought it was ....... They are mercenaries, and they are not very good at what they do, so they are very selective about what they do.
　If this is just a case of bad luck, it's fine. .......

　Senri also has a look of disappointment on his face. Something is wrong. Everything is wrong.
　But we can't back out. We can do this. The power of the night crystal was too tempting to back out when there was nothing to be sure of.