The Undead King of the Palace of Darkness

Thus, morning came and peace returned to Dessend.

Not a single resident of the town was aware of the terrible plot that was quietly being carried out, nor the impending ending of the world or its prevention.

Right now there was an uproar about the Mayor being killed, but a replacement will most likely be appointed soon.

Once, Dessend used to be the frontline base in the fight against the Demon King. However, the fear that was engraved there and the spilt blood had become simple tales after many years.

Human life is short. No matter how much they fear and prepare, their memories will eventually fade away. It was the most important thing to keep in mind while fighting undead with no life span.

Judging from the situation, there was no doubt that the Mayor was deceived by the Mirage King’s subordinate and contributed to his revival, but even that would have been impossible if it had happened right after the war.

A room in the town hall. Keeper, who heard about the course of events from Lufry, let out a muffled laugh. “Kukuku… without the proactive Mayor, those vampire countermeasures will eventually disappear too…”

Vampire countermeasures cost money. It cost money to run water too, and it was also quite difficult to gather silverwork and the right crosses that were effective against the vampires. Therefore, most towns didn’t have perfect vampire countermeasures.

To start with, even if they did, there were plenty of ways for sneaking in if one tried all possible means — yes, just like this time.

Keeper seemed to have been searching the Mayor’s mansion and the town hall to gather the evidence while Lufry and Neville were fighting. If he used the influence of the Order of Death Knights, it wouldn’t be difficult to accurately find out what had happened in this town. Memories and fear fade away, but retelling those step by step is a specialty of humans that are short-lived.

The mercenaries who apparently visited the castle with Senri were also safe. They seemed to have fled after seeing the monster appear, but they too would also talk about the terror of the undead.

What kind of monster the King of the Dead was and what kind of tricks he used too.

“Is that man… really dead?”

The sharp-eyed girl that stood still next to Keeper – Alber glared at Lufry. She really had a sharp look in her eyes. In the past, she seemed to have acquired power from the curse, but even after it was lifted, she hadn’t lost her fighting spirit.

“There is no doubt. That guy — brought Senri to the town, was exposed to the sunlight and turned into ash. Right before the eyes of the town guards.”

“…Tsk.” Neville clicked his tongue loudly with irritation. His sharp eyes were bloodshot, but he didn’t curse.

There was no way he could. If he saved Senri and died, how could Neville mock his death, even if the other person was undead, when he himself couldn’t move when it mattered the most?

It was obvious from seeing her fight with the Mirage King that Senri hadn’t lost her power of blessing. End Baron – formerly known as Lierre Formet, lived his life as a human until the very end despite being an undead.

He was an abnormal undead. And, he was a frightening undead. That young man would be remembered by the Death Knights for a long time.

“You seem dissatisfied.”

“… I don’t need exceptions! Shit! At this rate, that guy – will keep staying in Senri’s heart.”

Neville’s expression was full of anger with no outlet.

Lufry and Neville were only saved because the soldiers had heard the last words of that vampire and went to patrol the area. Although not as much as Senri, Lufry and Neville had also squeezed out the last of their powers. There was no way of knowing what would have happened if they were left alone for a long time on that land where the miasma spread by the Mirage King was whirling about.

If a vampire appeared, they just had to kill it. But it was impossible to kill a vampire that was already dead. No matter how much of a human heart they had, as long as the Order of Death Knights killed them, they were an enemy. But what could the Order of Death Knights even do if they chose death themselves in order to protect humans

That meant complete defeat.

No exceptions could be made. Vampires were cunning, a lot of Death Knights had been tricked and killed by vampires that pretended to be humans. Even if 1 out of 100 vampires possessed a human heart, all Lufry and Neville could do was purify them.

Keeper put his hand on his chin and narrowed his eyes.

“Hmm… in that case, would that not be a bigger reason to stay by the princess’ side? That woman’s qualities are too good for her to break like that.” “She needs… time.”

Senri, who had received treatment and somehow narrowly escaped death, completely restored her strength in a short period of time with the help of her innate power of the blessing. But her heart was a different matter. After hearing the situation from Lufry, she only answered with ‘I see’, keeping a befuddled expression on her face ever since.

Apparently, Senri and End got along better than Lufry and Neville had expected. Senri, who seemed to be out of it no matter what was told to her, was one of the reasons why Neville was irritated. But there was no need to worry.

“Besides, let’s clear this up properly. Senri — won’t break.”

Senri Silvis was strong and benevolent.

She would fight. Because she had powers and even if she were to be covered in scars. That was the reason why Epée the Destroyer had recommended her to be a 1st class knight.

End’s death most likely came as a great shock to Senri. She would forever remember the young man, who saved her and died outside of the battle. However, she already had the strength to continue fighting no matter what tragedy struck her.

Senri Silvis was a genuine Death Knight. That was something both too noble and too pitiable.

And, sadly enough, this world wasn’t peaceful enough for her to not need to fight.

Then, Lufry’s expression changed. He looked at Keeper with serious eyes.

“The age of darkness is coming… now is the turning point. You will become busier too, Keeper.”

“Kukuku… I’m not a warmonger.”

As is often the case, eras have their ups and downs and there are turning points in a battle against darkness.

The Mirage King, who should’ve been killed in the past, managed to come back to life, albeit in an incomplete form. The Stake King is steadily growing his power while still being under fierce attack from the Order of Death Knights.

And – their master, who had once been bestowed the title of the strongest Death Knight – Epée the Destroyer, would die in the near future. It seemed like he already had a premonition of his death. Hence, he was training his disciples.

Lufry couldn’t help feeling the change, whether he liked it or not. Epée was a deterrent. Powerful and intelligent undead were eagerly waiting for his approaching death.

There would most likely be a big battle.

And, it would be impossible for that girl, which was kinder than anybody, to not be there.

“Let’s return to the headquarters. We don’t have time to let her mop around forever.”

“I will retrain anew. So that I won’t need help from a vampire next time.”

Neville declared strongly with dimly lit eyes in response to Lufry’s words.