"d*mn ...... stupid. Stupid, Alba. How could you fall for such an obvious trap?

"......

The weakness of the Knights of the End is that they are honorable. They are ...... strong with their enemies, but too soft on their allies.

　Cainusi laughs, "That's a terrible thing. Alba, who walks beside Cainusi with her staff, makes no reply.

　The sun had set and the sky was shrouded in darkness.
　The immortals are more active at night. Even if they are not like vampires who turn to ashes the moment they are exposed to sunlight, the difference between the day and night abilities of most demons is quite large.

　The werewolf who appeared in the daytime. His words and actions were clearly a trap.
　He didn't even try to hide it when he ran away without even trying to attack. It's blatant.

　Now that the King of Beasts, the source of the curse that creates werewolves, is dead, werewolves are reasonably rare. If they are using them, then whoever is behind it must be a big deal.

　But Lefley and the others didn't go after it. Instead, they threw out the night crystal and went to work on the Knight of the End, who was giving the vampires what the werewolves wanted.

　All of this was just what he wanted. And he knows it, so he's doing it.

　In the meantime, Kainushi laughs at the young man he once fought.

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to be treated like a nuisance even by your own kind.

"............ kill.

　There are not a lot of demise knights who would give in to a vampire. I'm not sure if you'll be able to find the right one for you.
　I don't know why I'm here, but I'm pretty sure I've come in pursuit of the night crystals. What a strange coincidence.

　The End was strong. Theories of the past would not work against a vampire with human reason. Besides, that young man is still inexperienced. I'm sure he's even more powerful now that some time has passed.
　Senri Sylvis was outstanding. He had always been a bad match for Kainushi, but even after burying so many demons, Kainushi had only been able to halt him in his tracks. And in terms of spirit - it takes a strong mind to be able to watch over a vampire that emits a negative aura that is the opposite of a blessing.

　But no matter how powerful the pair is, it's still just the two of them. They have too many enemies.

It's going to be busy.

Kill!

　The many demon lords are looking for a powerful ally. That werewolf is a stepping stone to capturing End. It would be unbearable for a vampire with a human spirit.
　I can't help you, but I can at least pity you.

　Alba frowns and looks up at Kainushi.

"Rino, we should go, too.

...... As much as I'd like to, ............ he's not our target for this job.

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

Let the people who want to destroy each other destroy each other. We're ...... human beings.

　You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.

　For whatever reason, Cainusi's strength was greatly reduced after the curse was taken from him.
　Alba's resentment against vampires had not diminished, and although she was training anew, a mere human could not match her fighting ability.
　So all we can do is keep our wits about us.

　I walked leisurely through the city and arrived at the city hall that I had visited during the day.
　It was already dark, but the number of guards standing in front of the gates had not diminished. The scene was just as he had expected, and Kainushi let out a small sigh.

I knew there was something ............ they were hiding.

　The mayor of the city is not that big, and the mayor is not that resentful of the people around him. There is no reason to keep guards on duty day and night.
　And yet, he keeps guards there as if he is scared of something.

　Kainushi's longstanding intuition told her there was something about him.

　Lefley's raid on the castle had been a blow. It was hard to be a hired hand and not be able to stop your employer, no matter how ridiculous his actions were.
　If the werewolf hadn't come to guide them, Lefley and the others wouldn't have rushed into the suspicious castle alone. They'd be waiting for reinforcements.

　Godd*mn it.

　I walked around the town hall, careful not to attract attention.
　There were guards standing guard, but they didn't seem to be that motivated. I guess it's a peaceful city.
　The only incident that happened last time was an earthquake that destroyed part of the old castle, and nothing has happened since then.

　--Ostensibly, though.

　The last time that happened was when a part of the old castle collapsed in an earthquake.

Now, let's give the mayor a secret greeting and ......



§I've been paying attention.



　I've been paying attention. The demise knight has a plan, but the vampire hunter goes even further.

　People who have a grudge against the undead and don't think well of the Knights of the End, who are on the side of justice, are all on Kainushi's side.
　And there are probably more of them than the Knights of the End think.

　The gathering of information began when the crystals of the night began to appear quietly.
　Descend is a city that once fought against the King of the Dead. It's no coincidence that I had a collaborator.



　You climb over the fence, break the window without making a sound, and carefully enter the city hall.
　Enter the faintly lit hallway. There was no one inside the city hall.

　There was not a sound in the building, which was creepy because it was so clean and well furnished.

"Alba, can you smell that?

　Alba, who was crawling to her feet and holding her nose, frowned and shook her head.

I can smell the dead ......, but I can't tell.

　Alba's abilities had been diminished by the loss of the curse.
　His physical abilities and sense of smell had been developed over the long period of the curse, and he was strong enough to be a mere human, but not as strong as he had been when he could transform into a dog.

　Cainusi cowered and took out a map of the house from his pocket.


　There are many suspicious things about this city.

　The great earthquake that caused part of the old castle to collapse.
　The sudden start of morbid vampire countermeasures. The city has begun hiring mercenaries from the outside to defeat the undead that have begun to appear.



　And - even if those mercenaries don't return alive, [Descend] has remained silent.



　Mercenaries are basically rootless. If a mercenary who travels from place to place in search of work suddenly disappears, few people will be suspicious.

　But it's a different story if you're paying attention.
　According to the research of my collaborators, there have been more than ten teams of mercenaries who have visited [Descend] and been hired to kill the undead.
　Some of these teams may have completed their missions and disappeared. However, there are always signs that a party has completed its mission and is no longer with us.

　Where did the mercenaries go when they disappeared without leaving a trace?

　Proceed onward, taking care not to make a sound.

　The undead are powerful. In addition to being highly immortal, some of the undead that have mutated repeatedly have intelligence far beyond that of humans.
　However, even these undead cannot completely hide in a human village. There is a limit to how far they can go without anyone noticing or feeling uncomfortable.

　In a city of people, you have to follow the rules of human nature. Kainushi is a professional. He knows what to look for.

　What Cainusi has is a copy of the drawing used when the city hall was renovated a few years ago. The contractor who had done the work had already disappeared, but the map that his collaborator had gotten at the time clearly showed the newly built basement.

"Why do they want to go underground? ............ Do they have an instinct to return to the underworld?

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

　Vampires like coffins. Other undead don't go into coffins, but they tend to hide underground in dank, dark places where light can't reach them.

　The city hall was supposed to be empty at night, though there were probably civilians there during the day.
　But the mayor hadn't come out. He must still be in there.

　The mayor was definitely human. Which means there's someone behind the mayor's back manipulating him.
　Whatever it is, it's not-- it's not a vampire. And that person is afraid of a vampire attack. 　

　The reason I'm here today is to gather information. Since Lefley and Nevilla, the Knights of the End, had come, the mayor was sure to take some action.

　However, the possibility of the city hall itself falling into the hands of the enemy is not that high. Things are proceeding very carefully - so quietly that the Knights of the End are not even aware of it.

　There's probably no need to go through every room. Keeping a wary eye on your surroundings, you make your way to a basement room that has been renovated.

　On the way, Cainusi stopped.

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

It reeks of ...... blood.

　Alba drew a silver dagger from her waist and held it at the ready. Cainusi wrinkled his forehead and said.

It's ...... too late. You're acting fast. ............ Did I irritate you too much?


　Kainushi does not have the ability to detect negative forces like the demise knight. But I have experience with this.

　I'll go on. He descended the stairs to the basement that appeared without hesitation. The chilling air caresses your cheeks, but it doesn't stop you.

　It's already gone. A residue of presence remains. I'm sure he was there a moment ago, but he's gone.
　I'm a step too late. Should I call this good luck or bad luck?

　A room in the basement. There were pieces of flesh in a pool of blood.
　A room in the basement with minimal furnishings. Pieces of flesh stuck to the walls. It must have exploded from the inside - probably attack magic. It would have to be powerful to make such a mark.

　Alba is rummaging through the room, her face unchanged.
　Picking up a piece of cloth that had sunk into the puddle of blood - a scrap of clothing, Kainushi frowned.

　During our initial discussion. The natural enemy of the Dark Ones. He shouldn't have taken the demon knight with him.
　Cainusi would do anything to hunt down the Dark Ones, but it was better for a man to stay alive than to die.

　Dead men tell no tales. The only way to make a dead man talk is to use forbidden magic.