**Chapter Nine: Growth III**
The attack was swift and heavy, without a hint of hesitation. The armed skeletons crumbled in an instant. There was no need for Senri to lend a hand; the End walking before him was already sufficiently strong. His demeanor, devoid of any negative intent, indicated a considerable change since the first time they met.
Through countless struggles and victories, End had gained confidence and the power to match it. Now, End could likely hold his own against a second-tier Knight like Senri, even if such a scenario was improbable. For Senri, who remembered the time when End was constantly on high alert, this was a deeply moving fact.
End spoke in a serious tone.
“What on earth are these guys after…?”
Yet, his ears were fluffy, and his round, charming eyes gave him an endearing appearance. Although he lacked a tail, the sight of a dog’s head speaking human words was more than just unique; it was unsettling. End was strong—very strong—but also amusing. It was hard to maintain a sense of tension when he spoke seriously in his transformed state.
But perhaps this was just End’s way of communicating. The Order of the Final Knights was serious all the time, so this was a bit unfamiliar, yet as long as it didn’t go too far, it was within the realm of tolerance.
End… his tongue was sticking out.
Unaware of Senri’s feelings, End continued to stride through the ancient castle.
Even though he was of a lower rank, it was truly remarkable for a vampire to suppress their fighting instincts to this extent. Considering the accumulated know-how of the Order of the Final Knights, it was almost inconceivable. Recently, they had become more inclined to seek blood, but it was not as if they were trying to drain it; this was likely a sign of trust. He had never directed any murderous intent toward them.
End… his ears were twitching. He resembled a dog in every way.
Watching him made Senri feel as if he might let his guard down as well.
If he were to show this little one to his former companions, they would surely be too astonished to continue their pursuit. The vampire before him was so carefree that it made him think such absurd thoughts.
§ § §
The darkness was an ally to all undead. My physical abilities and senses were far superior to those of a mere human, and even when I was a Corpse Eater, I could see through the darkness. The skeletons guarding the mansion moved calmly through the complete blackness. For us, the accursed beings, the night was akin to daytime.
It seemed that they were invading from all directions, as the ancient castle was filled with skeletons. The castle appeared to be used for observation, so it likely wasn’t originally inhabited by them. The skeletons moved in groups of several, all heading toward one location.
“There’s a dungeon. Part of the wall collapsed during the recent earthquake.”
Despite being human, Senri spoke as he walked steadily through the pitch-blackness. He was likely using senses other than vision to grasp the surrounding situation. It would be a problem if an Eclipse Knight became immobilized in the dark.
I didn’t know the internal structure of the castle, but by following the sounds and smells, I quickly arrived at a likely location.
There was no sign of a strong enemy, so I cleaved the nearest skeleton in two with my hatchet and descended the stone stairs. It seemed that the dungeon hadn’t been used for a long time, as a musty odor wafted from within. There weren’t many rooms, but the iron bars were sturdier than I expected, and the rust was within acceptable limits.
As I observed closely, Senri informed me.
“It seems the Order of the Final Knights has been maintaining this for observation.”
“…Humans are quite resilient.”
However, if the town was maintaining the castle, they would have quickly noticed the echoes of the earthquake. I couldn’t believe that anything would remain that would attract skeletons.
I soon found the collapsed wall. It was the third cell wall. The rubble had been cleared to the sides, revealing a gaping hole that led further down into the depths.
A faint sound of clashing blades echoed from within. There was a slight scent of blood, but it was likely just a scratch.
A group of skeletons approached from behind Senri. He swiftly purified the leading one with his silver blade in a single strike. Without missing a beat, he advanced, erasing the five skeletons that had attacked him in the blink of an eye. His combat skills were as fluid as art, but I noticed that Senri was slightly flustered.
If it were just one person, he might have taken a moment to admire the little one, but that was definitely not the case.
I held Senri back as he tried to move forward and took the lead. What lay beneath the dungeon was a narrow passage. It was about two meters wide, with a low ceiling that felt oppressive. There seemed to be ventilation, so the air should be fine. There were also holes that appeared to be for drainage.
A hidden passage? However, it was blocked by stone walls, and there were no visible mechanisms at the entrance. I didn’t know what kind of battles had unfolded in this castle, but it might serve as an emergency exit.
I furrowed my brow and searched for information about my surroundings through the scents and airflow.
True darkness. Whether it was from lighting a fire or something else, the air was mixed with the smell of smoke. The underground passage seemed to branch off in various directions, resembling a labyrinth from a fairy tale. However, following this scent and sound shouldn’t be too difficult.
Then, I suddenly noticed a small discomfort. Vampires have resistance to all forms of attack, but that doesn’t mean their senses are dulled.
This… there’s something. It’s not strong, but there’s definitely something. It’s hard to describe, but I felt a slight tugging sensation.
Senri, who had followed behind, said nothing. It seemed that whatever it was hadn’t triggered the detection abilities of the Eclipse Knights. Perhaps it was something only the undead could sense.
The continuous sounds of battle indicated that a significant number of skeletons had already infiltrated. However, the dominance lay with the humans. They were breathing heavily, and there was a faint scent of blood, but the hard sounds of bones hitting the ground were the sounds of skeletons falling.
The negotiation with the skeletons had failed, but humans should be able to listen. The fact that they were not allies didn’t matter; those who wielded blessings like Senri wouldn’t be present (and if they could use blessings, they wouldn’t struggle against skeletons). They likely weren’t Eclipse Knights. If I offered assistance, they would probably be willing to talk. I wanted to investigate the source of the discomfort, but that would have to wait.
If I were alone, I might have raised suspicion, but with Senri, who exuded a purifying aura, there was little chance of being suspected as a vampire.
It was a bit disappointing, but I refocused. There were beastfolk with animal heads, but they rarely descended into human settlements and were not particularly friendly, so I couldn’t afford to show myself before someone who couldn’t be silenced by a dog’s head.
I sensed Senri let out a sigh of relief. I adjusted my glasses, which I had grown fond of, and spoke to Senri with trust.
“Senri, I’ll leave the back to you.”
§ § §
The sound of hard objects colliding echoed through the narrow underground passage.
On the floor lay a haphazard pile of human bones reflecting the dim light of candles. Within the cramped corridor, five men faced the oncoming tide of bones.
Skeletons were not human. However, they were originally human bones. Even those who had worked as mercenaries for years wouldn’t feel good about witnessing the remnants of humanity. But if dozens of them appeared, it was a different story. There was no room for discomfort or unease.
The men were mercenaries. They were neither vampire hunters nor members of the Order of the Final Knights; they were hired hands for battle. Among them, one scruffy-looking man swung his mace while grumbling.
“I didn’t sign up for this many!”
“Quit your whining and kill them properly! They’re not that tough; just remember to smash their heads!”
In response to that voice, Lazar, who had established himself as the leader among these mercenaries (though each man was a freelance mercenary), issued a warning.
Skeletons inherit the aptitudes of their previous lives. The skeletons that had poured in were hardly formidable. The fact that none of the five men had sustained serious injuries was proof of that.
While the number of attacking skeletons was large, the passage was narrow, allowing them to engage only a few at a time. The opponent was an undead creature that didn’t tire, but they had reinforcements, so as long as they didn’t let their guard down, there was little worry of death.
Hunting the undead in the ancient castle was a well-known lucrative job among the mercenaries who came to the Order of the Final Knights.
Originally, hunting the undead didn’t yield much profit unless the target was a significant entity. There was no market for meat or bones, and lower-ranked undead didn’t hoard treasure. It was not a job that would be undertaken by the Order of the Final Knights without a compelling reason.
Conversely, large undead creatures that hoarded treasures could not be dealt with even by Eclipse Knights, so mercenaries had no role to play there.
However, if there was a client, the situation was different.
“As long as there’s a reward and the risk of death is low, quit complaining!”
The current client was the town of DeSenadoro. The reward was guaranteed.
The appearance of the undead was mostly limited to low-ranking creatures like Skeletons, and aside from the necessity of dealing with them at night, it wasn’t a bad job at all. What’s more, the assurance of payment regardless of whether the undead showed up was splendid.
For mercenaries, the most important thing is their life, followed closely by money. This job, while occasionally nerve-wracking due to the sheer number of undead, was far easier compared to the front lines where mercenaries fought against the armies of the Demon King.
“But where on earth are these things coming from…?”
“Who knows? I haven’t heard of any battles nearby…”
With a swing of his mace, he brought it down, crushing a Skeleton’s skull through its flimsy helmet. Lazar furrowed his brow at the question posed by his companion. They had not been informed of the circumstances; all they knew was the job description.
The request was simple: they needed to drive away the undead that had begun to infiltrate the castle at night.
Lazar and his team were stationed at the entrance of an underground passage discovered five years ago. The passage had already been investigated by the city of Descent, and it was clear that nothing was amiss. Lazar and his companions speculated that there might be a reason for the undead’s appearance, and they had conducted several investigations, but found nothing of note. The passage twisted and turned, and while it could easily lead one astray, it wasn’t expansive enough to be called a labyrinth.
As a Skeleton awkwardly thrust its spear, Lazar deflected it with his shield, chuckling at the sight. One of his comrades spoke up.
“We should just call the Order of the Final Knights.”
“There’s no way the Order of the Final Knights would bother with such weaklings. Though… if they got wind of it, they might come. But if that happens, we’d be out of a job. They don’t take any rewards, you know.”
Lazar and his team were laid-back mercenaries. They weren’t aspiring heroes, nor did they venture to the front lines where victory or defeat was uncertain. Their skills were decent, but they were clearly out of their depth wielding spears in such a cramped passage. Moreover, the fact that they were moving in small groups made it difficult to maneuver without accidentally harming each other.
When more Skeletons began to appear, they were taken aback, but at this rate, it seemed they would finish their work without any issues tonight.
Once dawn broke, they would return to the city to rest their bodies for the next night’s job. It was tedious to exterminate the undead in the castle’s depths every night, but they didn’t spawn infinitely. This lucrative job could vanish at any moment.
However, if only they could think a bit more before charging in…
As he pondered this, he crushed another Skeleton with mechanical precision when one of his companions, who had been alert under the dim candlelight, suddenly shouted.
“There’s a mutated specimen! It’s a Black Bone!”
“What!? The commander this time!?”
From the darkness emerged a Skeleton that was only partially concealed. The only difference from the countless Skeletons they had defeated before was its blackened body. But that alone marked it as something far more formidable than a mere Skeleton.
Lazar had researched the undead before taking the job, so he knew that while most Skeletons were weak, the Black Bone was different. Skeletons gained strength and mutated by killing living beings or absorbing the bones of their comrades, but weaklings never reached that level. Naturally, a mutated specimen would be a formidable foe.
Tension surged among his companions. Whatever this creature was, it would likely match the dozens of Skeletons they had defeated thus far. The narrow passage limited the number of enemies they could face, but it also meant they couldn’t surround it.
Their employer had said it was acceptable to flee if things got dire, but Lazar shouted out before anyone could retreat.
“Everyone, get ready! This one is no ordinary foe! We have to finish it before reinforcements arrive!”
At his command, his comrades readied their weapons. The Black Bone wielded a massive curved sword. A direct hit would easily sever an arm. Given that it was a mutated specimen, they couldn’t expect it to be weak.
Lazar’s decision to engage wasn’t born of bravery. He had ensured an escape route was available. If they fled through a side passage, they could exit the castle. However, if this Skeleton pursued them, they would undoubtedly be unable to escape, and worse, they would be killed without a chance to fight back.
It’s fine; the opponent is just a mutated Skeleton, nothing more. He had fought countless Skeletons before; this one was merely a stronger version without any unique abilities like a Vampire. They could defeat it.
With no solid reasoning to bolster his courage, he lifted his long mace, which had a meager silver plating.
The skull of the Black Bone glimmered with a red light, reminiscent of blood, at its center. Its face held no expression, only a dark, cold malice that seeped through.
Cold sweat trickled down his cheek as he focused on every movement. Lazar was not an undead. He had only one life. There was no room for even the slightest mistake.
And then, the black Skeleton advanced silently.
It was a simple downward strike. However, that single blow boasted a speed like a whirlwind. Lazar intended to block it, but by the time he realized it, he had already stumbled backward.
The blade passed mere inches from his face. A few strands of hair were severed, and the air brushed against his forehead.
He couldn’t do anything.
Before he could even sense death, the blade swung back. Time seemed to stretch. The Skeleton was fragile. If his comrades attacked during this opening, they might distract it. But his companions remained frozen. No, they probably couldn’t move. Lazar might have been paralyzed in the same situation. That was how intense that single strike was.
It was far too different from the Skeletons they had defeated before.
No good. He was going to die. He wore armor, but what good was that against such a powerful strike? There wasn’t even time to regret it. His eyes widened as he stared blankly at the raised blade.
—And then, suddenly, a black line shot past him.
A high-pitched sound rippled through the air, and the skull that had been staring at him vanished. His thoughts couldn’t keep up. Staring blankly at the headless Black Bone, his arm, which had been frozen in place with the curved sword raised, finally crumbled down as if it had remembered how to move.
“Alright… that was close.”
A voice devoid of tension called out to the frozen Lazar and his companions. Standing where the black Skeleton had been was a beautiful girl with silver hair and glasses, accompanied by a suspicious man wearing sunglasses despite the night.