112 Yes. (2/2)

Love. I love you so much that I'm following you even though my stomach hurts so much. Because I love you.

”Oh, yeah, okay. I know enough, Barron. But can you fight like that?

End glanced at Senri, asserting something embarrassing. I've been aware of this for a while, but End seems to be the ...... toothless type. Or perhaps he doesn't care what Razzal and the others think of him.

But regardless of what he says, I want you to be quiet. Even though it is almost certain from the atmosphere of the old castle that the other side is waiting for us, I can't hold my nerves.

End is making a powerful speech with a face devoid of any bloodlust. He is pretending to be unconcerned, but I can see his body movements occasionally stop as if he is tensing up. He must be in pain.

”Of course!　But if you're in danger, Razal and the others should run away quickly. If you die, your beloved Lu will be sad!　My favorite!

End is strong, but we can't rely on him this time. Senri sighed heavily and chided End in a low voice.

”Baron, be quiet. I love you.

§ § § §

The atmosphere of the old castle was clearly different from before. It wasn't a very cheerful place to begin with, but if I had to say anything, I would say that it was filled with a very gloomy atmosphere that seemed to cheer me up. If I didn't have a stomachache, I would have been humming a tune.

But even though I was in pain, I remained alert. The lower vampires' instincts were already in battle mode.

Senri leads the way. Followed by Razal, a group of mercenaries, and me.

Razzal and the others are probably useless in this fight. So they're a wall.

A wall to protect me and Senri from traps. I'd like to avoid dying because I don't want Senri's grief and I don't want any hard feelings, but I can't trade my life for theirs. We've come this far knowing the risks, so we should be prepared for anything.

When they reached the main gate of the castle, Senri paused. He hesitated for a moment, but then quickly drew his sword from his waist and scratched the walls of the castle.

One vertical, one horizontal. The scars, sharply made in the shape of a cross, glowed faintly white.

I'm not sure if he was looking at me quizzically, but when he saw my face, Senri said a little apologetically.

It's a mark in case I don't make it out alive. I'll alert those who come after me.

...... I see, a fierce resolve befitting the Knights of the End, who risk their lives to defeat the undead.

I wish I could say it was brilliant, but I know I loved to read.

It's a bad omen. It's called a death flag.

”............

Well, ...... I'm already dead.

I look down at the heavy machete in my right hand. My stomach hurts, but I can at least swing it around and destroy the death flag.

I hesitate for a moment, but I give a small shrug.

No matter what I have to do, I won't let Senri die. That's it. I don't need a sign of resolve. It's in me.

The power was almost useless. Perhaps the curse of the sable, unabsorbed, was responsible for the malfunction.

My physical strength, regeneration, senses, and overall physical abilities were intact, but my active powers were not working properly.

I can't use cannibalism, spell-fire, sharp claws or fangs, or hide. If I put all my strength into it, risking my life in pain, I might be able to activate it, but I can't bring myself to try.

The constant pain is making me lose my concentration. I took a deep breath and distracted myself from the pain by thinking only of Senri.

I'm sure if I can figure out what's causing it, Senri will reward me. With that in mind, this level of pain was tolerable.

I walked through the familiar corridors of the castle. Normally I would lead the way, but this time it would only slow me down, so I had to let Senri lead the way.

The smell was the same as usual. But the air felt different. We passed through a collapsed wall and descended into an underground passage.

I had a little bit of hope, but there was no sign of the night crystals. I walked deeper and deeper, keeping a watchful eye on my surroundings.

We arrived at a dead-end passage. Several large wooden boxes were placed in the passage, giving it the appearance of a storage room. I have been coming here for a while now, but I have never seen any night crystals here.

Incidentally, the crates are empty, as I confirmed when I first came here. I was told that they were brought in by [Descend] and left as is. Senri took a look around and dragged the crate away.

He peeked at the exposed stone floor, illuminated by the faint light of the torches carried by Razal and the others.

Indeed, if you look closely--there are gaps between the stone slabs. This is not something you would notice with just a quick glance. It doesn't smell, so even a vampire wouldn't notice it.

I can't let her turn the stone over with her white-finned fingertips. Replacing Senri, I stepped forward and inserted my trembling fingertips, forcing the stone slab to turn over.

The stone made a crunching sound. It was quite heavy, but it must have been unfastened. It may be difficult to remove with human strength, but if you turn one stone over and make a large gap, it is not difficult to remove the rest.

Carefully pull off the remaining pieces one by one. Hidden beneath the stone floor was an old black door.

It's a ............ trap. No doubt.

Is it the [Descend] that buried this floor?　I'm not sure what to make of this.

But either way, it's troublesome. The door is tightly closed, and there is no smell leaking out. I looked at Senri's face, but he shook his head.

It's ............ protected.

So the blessing detection had a weakness too.

Of course it does. This is the basement of the former castle of the King of the Dead, it would be strange if they hadn't done something like that.

But Senri's expression was tense, but not fearful. I'm sure she's been doing this kind of fighting her whole life.

Then there's no reason for me to be afraid. I hold out my hand to Senri. Senri hesitated for a moment, but then quickly handed me the rusty key.