The Undead King of the Palace of Darkness

Their faces registered surprise but soon turned stiff.

There was no untruth in everything I had spoken so far and the message I had delivered. It is true that to an extent, I had swayed her will by inviting sympathy but she had been the one to make the final decision.

Senri Silvis may be a Death Knight but there is one quality of hers that sets her apart from her peers.

The Death Knights fight for justice and are archenemies of the dark forces, but Senri on the other hand… fights for the weak.

Her naivety knows no bounds. That being the reason why she ended up taking pity on a pathetic, weak undead like me.

I suppose it also could be considered kindness but that deems her unsuitable to be a Death Knight.

“Senri made me a promise. That she will stay by my side and make sure that I won’t be taken over by instincts of undead. And since she can’t permit me to attack humans, she would periodically provide me with the blood I need instead. Senri really is a good girl but she totally isn’t suitable to be a Death Knight, don’t you think?”

“You… bastard…”

Neville turned bright red with fury and approached me. I did not lose any time to utter a warning.

The Death Knights are a terrifying lot. They do not feel the need to justify any attack they make against dark forces.

“Uh-oh hang on! Don’t attack me. If I die, Senri dies.”

“?!”

Epée’s expression turned grim. I got carried away by the feeling of invincibility and exhilaration that the blood gave me and declared loudly.

“You’re wondering who would kill her? Why, her own self! We made a promise. If I were to be slain here or didn’t return for a long time, Senri would slit her throat and die. I would never have come here if I had no assurance of my safety!”

“… That’s nonsense.”

“Lufry! Don’t you all know it in your heart if Senri would actually do it or not given how you’ve known her longer? Tread carefully, since Senri will not survive with only a head unlike me.”

It feels really good to be glared at.

I may be a harmless and pitiful undead, but I am not stoic enough to not feel anything after they purged the better part of my body.

I could feel their murderous intent. Naturally, there are chances that I might get killed in this place.

Nevertheless, I had decided that Senri’s word was gold and bet my life on it.

Strong, beautiful, young, virgin’s blood. Not to mention a former Death Knight. There cannot be a better outcome than being able to feed on such a person and regularly at that.

Just a bit more blood than necessary granted me so much power.

If I am able to feed on her blood regularly, then my living conditions would drastically improve.

Vampires have the dreadful ability of making Lesser Vampires and followers of the targets they feed on.

Although I do not possess the ability since I am only a Lesser Vampire, I would not make her my follower. The reason being, I will not be able feed on her if I turn her into a vampire as well.

Epée moved from his seat for the first time since I entered the room. He got up to his feet and spoke calmly.

“That’s absurd. If she’s going to live such a life, if her life is only going to amount to being a vampire’s livestock, then killing her would be an act of mercy…”

“Oh, that’s true. I can’t deny that.”

I am no longer human. My dark irises have turned blood red and I appear translucent in the mirror. The cross and garlic will soon become my weaknesses and I would not be able to enter someone’s room uninvited. Nor would I be able to cross running water.

I whispered enticements.

“But think about it. No matter how naive she is, do you really think she would be happy to be my blood source forever?”

“… What the hell are you talking about?”

“Senri is just a little lost now. That’s all. And there’s no doubt that Neville and you people are the ones who pushed her to this state.”

Having his name called out brought a change in Neville’s expression.

Senri is naive. She sympathizes with the weak. Although the above are true, there is no way she would simply offer her neck to a vampire when she has been fighting those creatures for a long time.

Neville tormenting me… was the reason for all of this to happen. It further weakened me, who was already pitiful and weak to begin with. Failure to stop them forced Senri to feel obligated to make amends. Which resulted in her offering her blood to me.

None of that which happened were by my design, but it all ended up being very favorable to me. I even consider my near death as good fortune.

“Frankly, Senri was planning on returning the sword herself at first. However, I stopped her. I decided to risk my life and come here to return the sword instead. Good grief, she really is too gullible.”

Had she came over herself, Senri would have been placed under house arrest and she would have regained her senses.

Well, even if she was not restrained, I doubt this status quo could be maintained indefinitely. She may be extremely kind but she is no idiot nor does she lack common sense.

She is a woman of righteousness. And there is no changing that I am an evil creature. It makes sense that the two will clash.

The connection between us is very strained.

I assume a slightly earnest expression and turn to Epée.

“Senri is strong. Monstrously so, to be honest. I would be no match to her even after receiving a bit of her blood. She isn’t a captured princess. Should I become dangerous, Senri would not hesitate to kill me.”

“… so that’s why, we should let you go?”

“If you were to kill me now, Senri would not hesitate to kill herself. She’s in a very unstable condition right now. What she needs now, is some time to collect herself.”

Nevertheless, I shall not let that happen. I am an undead that simply wants to survive. I dare say I am not the kind of King of the Undead the Lord envisioned.

I will not make enemies of the righteous. That is, as long as they do not try to kill me.

Epée laughed scornfully. His eyes popped as he stared down on me.

The sharp look in his eyes made it hard to believe it was coming from an old man. The pressure I felt emanate from his person was extremely terrifying to someone who had gambled his all.

My heart was shaken. However, I did not show it on my face.

His teeth bared, Epée uttered quietly.

“How dare you look down on the Order? You think we are naive enough to let you off when that was all you brought to the table? End, you appear to be mistaken. Senri has lost the battle. She bears the responsibility of her own death and not anyone else. Our duty is to kill repulsive living dead like you.”

I laughed upon hearing those words. I see Epée the Destroyer is not such a tough opponent after all.

I shall survive. I shall do anything to that end. Be it using force, words or luck.

“If you could make that choice, Senri wouldn’t have become that naive. I’m well aware of the Order of Death Knights because I’m a fan of them. Although you’re merciless to your enemies, you’re soft on your fellow knights. And you would never make the wrong choice. Had you wished to kill me, I would already be dead. Let me ask you once more – do you really intend to have your precious princess die along with a single, harmless Lesser Vampire like me? Hahaha… her death would be meaningless. I did say that both of us would die together but our end destination was never the same.”

Epée sunk into silence but a smile lingered upon his face. The other knights searched their master’s face while their own looked grim.

I got ready to make a move. I do not know much about Epée’s abilities but it is after dark now – the hour of the undead. If things do not go as intended and they do attack me, I might be able to escape. The previous stage to becoming a Lesser Vampire, ‘Dark Stalker’ is said to possess the ability to disappear into darkness.

Nevertheless, since I absorbed Lord’s soul, I skipped that stage entirely and hence cannot utilize that skill. I might be able to use it given practice, but it is rather impossible right now anyway.

However, Epée is not aware of that.

They are weighing their options. They are weighing my threat against Senri’s worth.

The Death Knights would never make the wrong choice. The room was quiet except for the clock ticking.

The silence was broken abruptly. Epée looked deep in thought and sunk back into his chair. His disciples sighed deeply.

It may have been naivety that made them give me the most wretched death but this proved that Epée and his disciples were still only human.

They are in a position to show concern for others. But the same cannot be said for me.

“Oh I almost forgot. I had to ask one more thing of you. I need you to return the shadow amulet and sunshade cloak you snatched from me. They are Horus’ keepsakes. And they belong to me. Plus, you people can’t bear to have your princess… sleep outdoors either right?”

“… Lufry, could you get… them.”

“Sure.”

I did not think they would actually return them. Things seemed to be proceeding well.

Lufry opened a safe and retrieved a familiar looking cloak and amulet from the recesses of the room and handed them over to Epée.

Epée placed the cloak on the table and picked up the shadow amulet with the black gem, capable of concealing negative energy.

He held it out in front of my expectant eyes and uttered quietly.

“End… I shall fall for your smooth talk and let you off this time. Not because I trust you but because I believe in Senri.”

The gem in the amulet cracked a little. And before I could object, the amulet was crushed to bits.

Epée dusted off what was left of the amulet from his hands and smiled thinly.

“Disappear from my view while I’m still barely containing myself. Tell Senri that we will surely come for her.”

“… Tch, you monster.”

I felt elation bubbling inside me.

I will be killed if I do not leave this place quickly. Epée’s words made that very clear.

I reckon I pushed them too much… but I managed to buy some time.

I turned my back to them. Almost at the same time, a silver arrow whizzed past my cheek.

I did not sense it coming. Nor did I hear a sound. I had not let down my guard either. Flesh began to burn where the arrow had grazed me. Accompanied by a thud, Senri’s sword that I had just returned, stuck out the door.

The pain made my heart beat stronger.

“End, return that… to Senri. That sword isn’t trivial enough for a proxy to return…”

☠ ☠ ☠

As I left the inn, fear crept into my legs, late as it may be.

I broke into a run to avoid being swallowed by it. The agility that I gained after becoming a lesser vampire, enabled me to run as swift as the wind, and I was out of Engey in the blink of an eye.

I am a coward. I dreaded death all my previous life, and I dread getting killed now.

If there is one thing that is different from before, it is that I can do something about it now. I have the strength and means to fight back. I have a good, strong body. I have a future.

I finally stopped running after I entered the woods.

Under the moonlight, a cool breeze caressed my cheek. No one had chased after me. But by no means did that mean I had gained their approval.

I have already become an unpardonable existence, the world’s enemy, the King of the Undead.

But that is just fine.

I shall not shy away from making use of anything to attain my goal. I shall sacrifice anyone or anything to that end.

Be it kindness, emotions, joy, or anything ever. Nothing matters as long as I can attain freedom.

— I shall resign myself to the fate of becoming the world’s most terrifying monster.

Senri should be waiting. We need to discuss our route of escape .

It is important to focus on what lies ahead. I composed myself, felt happy for having survived and walked further into the woods, humming a song.