The Undead King of the Palace of Darkness (WN)

The moon was high in the sky. Cold wind danced around the trees and caressed my face.

The strength of an undead created by necromancers is governed by the cycles of the moon. Meaning, depending on whether the moon is waxing or waning, their power grows stronger or weaker.

That might be the reason why we, the undead, are referred to as being of darkness or night.

I would surmise that the curse is designed in such a way. And I, as a Lesser Vampire, am no exception. I get much stronger during the full moon and far weaker during the new moon.

Well, the one that weakens us undead the most comes around everyday, the day, during which the sun shines bright. However, the ones that chase us to the ends of the world, factor in time of the day and the cycle of the moon when in pursuit of us.

The reason Epée let me off is not because of my ingeniousness, but his indulgence.

It is not me that he was indulging but Senri.

I suppose a talent like hers is hard to come by even in the Order of Death Knights, that is only composed of the elite.

If I remember correctly, only a select few are capable of becoming first-class knights. Not to mention, it is probably even more uncommon for someone Senri’s age to have the qualities to become one. That is the reason, the Death Knights chose to trust her rather than kill the monster.

Well, the Death Knights are not the only ones that target vampires.

For instance, there are unaffiliated necromancers who try to tame a vampire with a collar. Also as unbelievable as it may sound, there are ‘Vampire Hunters’ who specialize in hunting vampires.

Even ordinary soldiers or mercenaries would join forces to hunt me down if they were to ever find out that I am a pseudo-vampire.

I need to carefully plan my next course of action.

Vampires are incredibly strong with several powerful special abilities but at the same time, possess a lot of weaknesses.

The most common ones being the sun, garlic and the cross. Vampires cannot cross running water nor can they enter a house uninvited. They are not reflected in mirrors and a wooden stake to the heart can kill them. Not to mention, things like silver or holy water that are dreadful to any average evil entity, are also a vampire’s weakness.

However, I am still a Lesser Vampire. Although my weaknesses are a lot fewer compared to a true vampire, it would still be too premature to head for a town.

I had realized that the reason Epée the Destroyer broke the shadow amulet to pieces, was not because he was carried away by his emotions.

But because its existence would render them unable to pursue me.

It was a declaration of war. It was a display of their iron will, that meant even if they let me go this once they would kill me for sure.

The Death Knights track undead by their negative energy. I am not aware of how exactly it works, but considering the Death Knights are capable of doing so, it would not be too far-fetched to conclude that the other knights and vampire hunters may also have the same ability.

Now that there is no amulet, even if I were to blend into the crowd and live a peaceful life as a sort of night owl that dislikes mornings, it is quite possible that the Death Knights would find/attack me.

I dare say that a device like that is rare. I searched through the ruins of the Lord’s castle but was unable to find anything alike.

And it is now impossible to find out how the Lord managed to acquire it.

It has been ten days since I ran away with Senri. We have been steadily making progress through the woods. There have been no signs of any vestiges of the Lord since that day. Perhaps he is gone for good.

The moon was reflected in the lake. I peered into it and was greeted by my translucent reflection.

I am… free now. Completely free. Although there are people on my tail, my choices are endless now. And no one to block my path.

The reality of that felt very burdensome.

I was bedridden for most of my previous life. Once resurrected, I was under the Lord’s protection.

The fact that my choices were endless meant that the weight of responsibility of my actions lies on me.

The reality of that hit hard.

How should I live my life? How should I defend myself? How do I protect? How do I escape?

However, that unease still brought me solace. Even if I had to face hardships, I would never want to handover the reins of my freedom to the Lord.

A big, dark lizard slithered through the trees. The beasts here seem to be of a different kind than the ones in the vicinity of the Lord’s mansion.

A pair of ferocious gold eyes stared fixedly at me. Its mouth slightly ajar, I could see rows of small teeth.

However, the lizard is not aware of the truth.

That I am… a demon, far stronger than the average beast, with inhuman strength and a dark being that can survive decapitation.

The nails on my fingers began to transform and taper into sharp claws.

It was the ability I had gained upon becoming a ghoul, ‘Sharp Claw’. Although it is no more than an extension of my nails, it is sharp and strong enough to use in place of a knife.

I waved my hand and laughed.

“I’ll present it to Senri. Anything to make her produce even one more drop of blood.”

While I pondered about Senri and how she was slowly coming to her senses, I leapt upon the lizard in front of me like the true beast I am.