**Chapter 16: Escape②**
I was born into a noble family in a small country in my previous life. Although I was part of the nobility, it wasn’t anything grand… or so I thought. My title was that of a baron, and I was never invited to the grand parties that often come to mind when one thinks of nobility. However, I had been bedridden since I was ten, so I never really had the chance to explore my territory or fully grasp the privileges of my social class. My house was large, and I never faced any hardship when it came to meals. There were even servants in the household.
Perhaps, compared to the average person, I was wealthy. Otherwise, my family wouldn’t have been able to spend a fortune on treatments for a son who was afflicted with a mysterious illness and was certain to die, nor would they have summoned white mages for healing. In the years leading up to my death, my family had not visited me even once. But that was understandable. My illness was of unknown origin, and my family had their own lives to lead. Even if they had come to visit, I wouldn’t have been able to respond properly.
I held no resentment. I felt so devoid of emotion towards my family that I could almost call myself a monster. At first, I had resented my circumstances and directed that resentment towards my family, but over the years of battling my illness, that feeling had faded away. I had neither the luxury to harbor resentment nor the capacity to feel lonely before I died. Thus, my consideration of relying on my previous life’s family was purely practical.
The Forme N/Ato baron family. The third son. That was my identity in my previous life.
If it wasn’t a negative presence that was pursuing me, then the humans were likely being used by the Master Beasts for tracking. I could blend into my own Zen, which was beyond human reach, but that would only serve as a temporary measure. Entering under the protection of power wasn’t a bad idea, I thought. There was a possibility they could provide me with a hideout, and they might assist in supplying Object resources as well.
More than anything… I believed that even if I were to escape far away, I needed to maintain some form of decorum. I held no grudges against my family. Therefore, I didn’t think it was right to inconvenience them. The affection they had for me was certainly not zero.
“Liスク is… too high.” I teased Senri, who had made such a reasonable statement, by pointing at my hair and eyes.
“I… take after my father. If a monster that looks just like his son starts rampaging around, it would be a problem, wouldn’t it?”
“…………”
For an instant, Senri’s expression twisted as if she were about to cry.
There was no need for such a look. I didn’t view my current circumstances as pitiable. Sure, it wouldn’t have been bad to grow up peacefully as a member of the nobility, learning, falling in love, and toiling away at work without becoming a N/AデN/ADoro. However, I didn’t dislike my current life either.
“…I understand, End. If that’s what you want—then I’ll accompany you.”
“Thank you. It’s fine; it’s not like I’m planning revenge.”
At my words, Senri widened her eyes slightly and replied in a small voice.
“I understand.”
—
I couldn’t remember the name of the town I lived in, but I thought it wasn’t too far away. The one who carried my corpse was a HaN/Aク. And to resurrect me as a Corpse Eater (Freshman), the freshness of the corpse was the first necessary condition. Even if they used preservation magic, transporting a human-sized corpse over a long distance was quite difficult. Of course, the HaN/Aク would have kept a minimum distance. If the place where the corpse was created was too close, the identity of the hidden corpse would be revealed to the Lord. However, there was a limit to that as well.
Indeed, the Forme N/Ato barony was nearby. The map I had bought in SeメSeラ only indicated a rough location, but if I ran with all my might, it wouldn’t take ten days to reach. Although it was in the opposite direction of where I had escaped from the Master Beasts, it might catch them off guard.
I gathered my Object and turned my back to Senri as usual. There was no sign of the Master Beasts pursuing us. My legs were faster than a carriage, and even if Albaトス was fast, the Master Beasts were just humans. The likelihood of them splitting up to chase us was low.
Speaking of which, I had grown quite accustomed to running with Senri on my back. As I thought about this, a sudden sharp pain shot through my back. My body trembled involuntarily, and a small scream escaped my lips. I had forgotten to cut off the Blessing.
“!? Ah… I-I’m sorry!”
“No… it’s fine.”
I was just a bit surprised. As long as I wasn’t considerably weakened, it didn’t seem like I would vanish from that.
However, I did feel pain. I had thought about it during the battle with the Vampire hunters, but for a Vampire, pain was a significant weakness. Since I was usually less sensitive to pain, its effects were magnified.
Once again, weight was added to my back. This time, it was a pleasant weight. Delicate arms slipped around in front of me, and I could feel the rhythm of her heartbeat through our close contact. Senri must have been carrying even more Object, but for a Vampire, that amount of weight was merely a trivial difference.
I dashed forward at a speed that felt as if I were carrying nothing at all. Thanks to the blood from before, my strength surged within me. The sensation of moving my body was always delightful. I kicked off the ground with force, focusing solely on moving forward. It felt as if I had become the wind.
Suddenly, Senri whispered in my ear.
“If you lose consciousness, wear the armor of Blessing… I’ve been training for that. …Did it hurt?”
“To be honest, it hurt quite a bit. But it was bearable.”
I should be grateful that it wasn’t at a level that threatened my survival. If it had been, I would have had no choice but to leave her behind. I leaped high into the air, exposing myself to the night sky. The gradually brightening moonlight illuminated me. With such a grand leap, a strong sense of omnipotence surged within me. Below, I could see scattered trees, slopes, and the gleaming eyes of beasts.
“Just give me directional guidance.”
“…Understood. Leave it to me.”
Following Senri’s instructions, I descended the mountain and sprinted across the empty grasslands. There was nothing to obstruct my view, and with my eyesight, I would quickly notice if the Master Beasts were pursuing us.
Looking back, the cluttered town had been a favorable field for the Master Beasts. If I had a wide enough field to fully demonstrate my physical abilities, I didn’t think they would be an unbeatable opponent. It was pointless to dwell on it now, but perhaps I had fallen into their trap from the very stage of selecting the location.
However, it was likely unexpected for the Master Beasts to have let me escape. If we were to meet again… I wouldn’t let them catch me.
“…By the way, Senri. What was that Master Beast talking about when he mentioned… ‘Ancestor’?”
I had been curious about it for a while. If I wanted to survive, I needed to understand not only my enemies but also myself. Senri was silent for a moment at my question, but eventually began to speak in a quiet voice.
“It refers to a Vampire created by a necromancer, marked by a special curse. It’s filled with the ambitions of its creator… a very dangerous existence. End, I believe you are likely one of them.”
—
The battle with the Vampire hunters was probably more like a game of hide and seek than tag. My legs were faster, so if we both dashed out in an open area without any cover, I could easily pull ahead.
Just thinking about it made it seem like we had the overwhelming advantage, but they would close that gap with their wit, courage, and skill.
Before I knew it, they had already closed the distance. And next, they wouldn’t bother to come to me with negotiations.
“That crystal, that Object. It’s not as good as the first Object you had, but it can conceal about eighty percent of your power. As long as you’re not approached too closely, you can hide from the End Knight as well.”
Senri whispered this while still clinging to me. She said it was fine if I fell asleep, but I wondered if she wasn’t tired herself. The whispering in my ear sent shivers down my spine. Yet, that sensation was somewhat enjoyable.
“That’s… very helpful. Better than nothing.”
“But be careful. There are ways to know a Vampire’s presence beyond just negative power.”
According to Senri, while Vampires were powerful, they were also said to have quite an incomplete status.
The first necromancer aimed for a perfect existence, drawing inspiration from wild zombies to create necromancy and spreading various abominable spells, but the techniques were not flawless. The Vampires created through necromancy possessed numerous special abilities, an immortal body, and powerful physical capabilities, but at the same time, they had many fatal weaknesses. Even an ordinary person could potentially destroy a Vampire if they struck at the right moment.
No, it was likely that they had no choice but to do so. The price of power came with numerous weaknesses. And the original necromancer ultimately could not eliminate those weaknesses.
The necromancer’s techniques, the spells that created N/AデN/ADoro, and the curse of “rebirth” were still not in their completed form. That was why the art of necromancy spread beyond the mind of one person. The first necromancer spread their techniques and sought improvements from fellow mages.
That was the root of the existing necromancers.
For the deceased—there exists a “personal difference” in the curse of “rebirth.” Each necromancer sought perfection and modified their techniques, but personal differences arose in the deceased.
N/AデN/ADoro grew according to the curse etched upon them, and generally, it was around the time they became a Vampire that their talents would “bloom.” If the necromancer who cast the spell was inexperienced, they would fail to remove the curse’s imbalance, and the vessel would collapse under the strain, but if successful, a special N/AデN/ADoro with unique traits would be completed.
The entity referred to as “Ancestor” was a manifestation of the ambitions of a necromancer, a crystallization of their dark desires, and the progenitor of a new breed of monster. It was the ultimate foe that the Order of the Final Knights must eradicate.
Generally speaking, such beings often possess enhanced special abilities, but there are instances where certain weaknesses have completely vanished, or new weaknesses have emerged in some individuals.
According to Senri, there is a high probability that Holos Carmen has embedded something within me.
I have no objections to that assertion. The Lord intended to transfer their soul into me. Furthermore, the Lord was a necromancer with formidable ambitions. It occurs to me that the numerous corpses left behind in that underground chamber may have served as mere test subjects for their arcane experiments. Or perhaps they were the remnants of trials that had already been conducted.
In any case, it would be unlikely for them to embed a curse that could become a significant flaw in the vessel intended for their possession. This was not something I should be contemplating now; there was far too little information to make a sound judgment.
The voice from behind faded away. They had likely succumbed to sleep. Their slumber was shallow; a call would elicit an immediate response, but there was no necessity to awaken them unnecessarily.
I made an effort to reduce the swaying of my back as I continued to run relentlessly.
For seven days, we ran through the nights and slept beneath the earth during the mornings, successfully infiltrating the Fomenart Barony without being caught by our pursuers.