The Undead King of the Palace of Darkness

The night wore on and the town soon became deserted. I stepped out of the inn alone.

Hardly any people could be seen out and about since it was a fairly rural town. Even so, I moved furtively as I headed towards the location mentioned in the letter.

A half moon shone in the sky. I suppose it is neither good nor bad in terms of phases of the moon. Nevertheless, my body is brimming with power.

I might even be more powerful than the time I first encountered Epée. I felt so euphoric that I even started humming a tune.

Senri let me have her blood. Though I had fed on her just a few days ago, I drank a bit more than usual this time around. It may have been a little too pushy on my part, but I truly needed more strength to deal with this matter.

I did not need more blood in order to quench my thirst but to gather necessary strength. The power I gained and the pleasure I felt was still no match to when I drank from her finger.

The location mentioned in the letter was a large tavern. Despite it being nighttime, the tavern was teeming with customers.

I suppose this was chosen as the meeting place to make me let my guard down even just a little. Also implying that I need not worry about being attacked as we would be in front of all these common folk.

The letter bearing the crucifix that ostentatiously dripped with hostility was surprisingly looking to make a deal with me.

It was not from the Death Knights, but from a Vampire Hunter who had been commissioned by them.

I had expected that people would be after us, but I never imagined that they had already caught up with us.

I had thought we had quite a lead over our pursuers. How ever did they catch up with us and what can we do to outrun them from this point forward?

There were instructions in the letter for me to come alone and the condition for negotiation was a Night Crystal which can be used to conceal negative energy.

I finished the letter and after much deliberation, I decided to take a gamble . They already had us by our necks the moment our location was exposed.

Well, I do not think they would come for my head the instant they see me. Had they wanted to kill me, they would have done so when we were on the road.

Above all else, I really am in need of a Night Crystal. I heard from Senri that it is rather difficult to obtain one .

It is a good thing the opponent is a Vampire Hunter. The Death Knights would never turn a blind eye to an undead, but it is possible to negotiate with a Vampire Hunter who merely hunts vampires for the bounty. I do not know what they would want in return but I can imagine what it could be.

I walked through the blinding lights, entered the tavern and looked for them.

I did not have to look for long.

The Vampire Hunters were dressed in such a way that it made them stand out even amongst the crowd.

A large man clad in black from head to toe and a similarly dressed girl. A large crucifix hung from his neck. It was so overt that it made me want to laugh.

The crucifix is my weakness. It is not powerful enough to turn me to dust the moment I get closer to it. And as a lesser vampire, it does not have that much of an effect on me.

I steeled my resolve and walked towards their table. They peered at me, the man’s cloudy, black eyes and the girl’s eyes that reminded me of a beast.

They were humans. I could not sense any energy radiating from them as it was the case with the Death Knights.

I had heard that Vampire Hunters were people who hunt vampires despite only possessing a normal human body, I see… I applaud them for their courage. Even as a lesser vampire, I cannot imagine ever going after a vampire, and yet they try to achieve that with their frail human bodies….

This… could get dangerous.

It has been some time since I was overcome by such an intense bood lust. I quelled my heart and put on a smile.

I have a bad feeling about them. I imagine they would make a similar impression on normal humans as well. Everyone’s eyes have been fixed on them for quite a while.

“Are… you End?”, said the girl, quivering with anger.

She had black hair and black eyes. She looked younger than Senri but much more intimidating. She gave off the impression of a wounded animal. I wonder if she has something against me.

“Glad to meet you. You even went to all this trouble for my sake–”

“… Take a seat. We didn’t come here to fight. Simply trying to keep up our end of the deal.”

The man narrowed his eyes and shot a reproachful look at his partner.

He appeared to be smart. However, the glint in those cloudy eyes was not something that would be directed at a human being.

I did as asked and took a cautious seat across them.

“I see you came alone as promised. I trust you haven’t told her anything?”

“I merely answered in goodfaith. Moreover, Senri is a little exhausted from the trip you see…”

The eyebrows of the man of indiscernible age twitched and he murmured, “Matches with the information we received”, and nodded.

Looks like they investigated us. Well, I had assumed as much given how they even knew which rooms we were staying in.

I am brimming with power. Everything is happening as I had imagined.

“She is Albertus. I am what people would call, ‘A Keeper’.”

“Keeper…? What exactly do you keep?”

The man who called himself a keeper, said nothing and simply smiled. He withdrew a single sheet of paper from his cloak.

He whipped out a pen and his hands glided across the table. After he was done, he got straight to the point without even bothering to order any food.

“There is only one demand in the commission I received. I need you to return Epée’s princess, who you managed to deceive.”

“And, what do you offer in return?”

The keeper’s smile grew wider and he whispered.

“Absolute freedom. That is what you will get in return. You will be given a Night crystal that will allow you to conceal negative energy and… the Death Knights will never pursue you. I am… merely a mediator sent to negotiate since it would be against their principles to let an undead live after coming across one. It’s not a bad deal, is it?”

I see… so that is how they are going to play it.