The Undead King of the Palace of Darkness (WN)
chapter-30

The Death Knights are guardians of mankind and enemies to evil beings.

They may be few in number but it is made up of the cream of the crop. They learn combat techniques and ways to ward off evil in their headquarters and upon completion of the course, they are assigned to the corresponding units.

Senri is naive. However, that is certainly not all she is.

If naive were all she was, Epée would not have let me go.

She is educated in methods of purging evil, has real-life experience battling monsters and holds the knowledge derived from those experiences.

‘Demon’ is the word that would be used to describe an evil being with intelligence.

In all the stories I have come across, they were portrayed as beings with immense strength, who were cruel and haughty in nature and at times used sweet words to deceive the Death Knights.

Yes… much like how I deceived Senri.

I am still very much human at heart. I cannot state that with much confidence as all I could do in my past life was bear with the pain, but I do not feel as if my mindset has changed.

However, given time, Senri is sure to start doubting me. No, maybe she already does.

The reason Senri saved me was simply because I was in a perilous state. Only because I was really on the brink of death, she lent her neck to a lesser vampire semi-impulsively.

I had not uttered any lies during the negotiations with Epée. They were my true feelings.

Senri is a Death Knight. I should never forget that fact.

I do not intend to harm humans. However, the world would still come for my head in the name of justice and I fully intend to fight back.

Vampires are strong. Although their weaknesses cannot be disregarded, even lesser vampires are much stronger than the average human.

Senri had promised me her blood. Nevertheless, I do not have the slightest inkling how long that self-sacrificing attitude of hers will continue for. I had not realized it since I was surrounded by strong people, but I am no longer what is generally considered weak.

If I were her, I would never have made the choice to offer my neck to a monster. There is no doubt that with all her knowledge of the dark forces, she would hold a great deal of aversion to such an option. At that time, she simply felt compelled to make that choice, that was all.

I needed to gain her trust. She is my lifesaver, my enemy and the shield that protects me.

The battle between Epée and I had started ever since our first encounter in town.

If I fail to gain her trust, the Death Knights win.

And if I manage to win her over, I could live a little longer. The odds of the battle are not in my favor.

If I wish to lead a tranquil life, I can never afford to lose her.

Not just her blood, but I lack too much common knowledge regarding the world to lead a proper life.

When I was a ghoul, I satiated my hunger by partaking the raw meat of monsters. If I had stayed a ghoul, I could have lived a life without ever hurting any humans.

However, vampires are different. Vampires cannot exist without partaking the blood of ‘humans’.

In fact, I tried drinking the blood of wild beasts several times since then, and found it unable to satiate my hunger nor did I feel the euphoria that Senri’s blood gave me.

The reason is the curse. Vampires need to make livestock of humans in order to exist. They cannot live a quiet life deep in the woods.

Vampires only need a small quantity of blood at regular intervals but I doubt there are any willing humans, generous enough to permit that. Hence, it is inevitable for vampires to attack humans and for the latter to detest the former.

I lugged the lizard, whose head I had chopped off, drained the blood and proceeded deep into the woods.

Senri was waiting in a clearing a few miles away from the watering hole.

I could hear the sound of twigs crackling.

The crimson bonfire dispelled the darkness ever so slightly and illuminated the silver, holy knight.

“End, what’s that…?”

“It’s for you. We don’t have salt or pepper, but it’s better you eat some meat…”

“… I see. Thanks.”

A faint smile lingered on her face.

In these past ten days we have spent on the run, Senri has grown a little haggard.

She is a human being. The glow around her was still bright but it was undeniably, fatigue etched on her face.

It is probably mental fatigue resulting from this indefinite life on the run that had started without any preparations whatsoever and the fact that she has to stay by me, a vampire.

Intrinsically, she is different from an undead like me.

I, as a vampire, have a helluva sturdy body.

Ingesting garlic would upset my stomach but I could even eat rotten meat and not have anything happen to me.

I can go for a longer period of time without taking any sustenance. I do not feel any fatigue no matter how much I run and my sense of pain is rather weak as well. Even if I were to get hurt, my regeneration ability would heal me completely. Although I do not possess the special characteristics of a vampire, my body is very much close to one.

However, that is not the case with Senri. She may be much stronger than the average human due to the enormous amount of positive energy she possesses, and may also be trained but at her core, she is but a frail, human being.

She would grow weaker without intaking food at regular intervals, and there is a limit to how many nights she can go without sleep. Fatigue would build up and make her mind dull. And her intake needs to be nutritious or the quality of her blood would drop.

She is stunningly beautiful. However, her beauty and strength are not eternal.

I was sitting some distance away from Senri, and yet, I could still smell the same intoxicating scent of hers.

The scent of blood and flesh.

A simple taste of her blood underneath that pristine, white skin could make my body and soul tremble.

Just being near her made my breathing heavy and set my mouth drooling. No matter how much I try to hold myself in check, it is not something that can be controlled. It is also proof that I am a demon.

I tore my mind away from such thoughts and skillfully wielded my sharp nails to slice up the lizard.

I removed the skin, the innards and the bones. My hands had become soaked with blood before I knew it.

I threaded the meat through the skewers made of branches and placed them against the fire. Senri was nibbling on a fruit, one she did not seem to find particularly delicious.

On my way to throw away the innards, I found a watering hole to wash the blood off my hands.

The abilities of a lesser vampire are amazing. Not just night vision but all the other senses are sharper than the average human and the range might also be wider.

Although I can see in the dark, peering into the bonfire does not leave me blinded. Although my sense of taste is sharp, I would have no trouble eating rotten meat. And the same goes for my sense of smell, hearing and touch.

However, those only serve to represent the distance between me and Senri, a distance that I can never close.

I returned to Senri’s side and examined her face.

“Senri, aren’t you having a hard time?”

“… Not a problem.”

There is no way that is true. However, she does not let any discomfort show on her face.

She indifferently accepted the skewer I offered and nibbled on the bland lizard meat.

A daily life that consisted of simply traversing the woods and insipid food. A life with no joy.

I am aware that ‘The poor cannot afford any manners’. It still does not sit well with me to let my lifesaver lead such a life.

We need to leave the woods soon… or the quality of her blood will deteriorate. The thought that suddenly crossed my mind made me laugh at myself.

It is not a very human thought. I am using Senri but I was sure that I was not just thinking of my lifesaver as food.

A troubling inclination.

Senri has weakened considerably. Before long, she would grow weaker and end up growing weaker than me. If I do not rein in myself, I might end up making a tragic decision when that time comes. That will be the moment of reckoning.

If that moment were to come before I win her over, I am sure to die.

Senri was growing weaker due to malnutrition, stress and fatigue.

However, the positive energy around her person had not dulled in the least. If anything, it had grown stronger.

It is certainly marvellous. I had been under the impression that positive energy (she calls it blessing), represented one’s life force. However, I seem to have been mistaken.

She had such an enormous amount of energy that she would have plenty left over even after killing me. I could never even imagine challenging her with that ridiculous amount of energy.

Maybe she had noticed something in my gaze for Senri’s voice sounded a bit more somber than usual.

“I… really… am fine. You should just think about yourself… End.”

“… I… wish I could walk under the sun…”

“… Don’t push… yourself. You’re not… at fault.”

I am part of the reason why we have yet to leave the woods.

As a vampire, I cannot walk under the sun. Although I would not turn to dust the moment I am exposed to sunlight since I am still a lesser vampire, we still needed to sleep in a place where the sunlight could not seep through. Not to mention, it was the time of the year when the days were longer.

Senri has been forced to keep up with my pace and that has further contributed to her lack of rest. The time I spend sleeping in a hole in the ground, she protects me from up above, under the strong sunlight.

I am aware that the Death Knights may chase me down to these woods and hence it was unsuitable to linger here but we still needed to make a base somewhere.

Seeing my non-responsiveness, Senri looked up at me. Deep purple eyes quietly peered at me.

I made up my mind and steeled my resolve.

Her fingers trembled ever so lightly, as she undid her collar and exposed a pale, flawless, delicious looking nape. There were no wounds left whatsoever from when I drank her blood ten days ago.

My resolve weakened. Senri whispered inquiringly,

“End… are you hungry?”