Project Necro is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“Wait a minute, all three of you.”

A knife, a chain sickle, and a bomb. I threw a wrench into the plans of the trio as they pulled out their respective weapons.
Kuzuha-chan looked tense. She surely understands what it means to cross a border in secret. Though I do think she’s a little too trusting not to wonder why a group of entertainers is doing this.

The three members of the Terrier Bandits reacted to my words and turned their gaze toward me. After confirming that, I bit down on my finger.
Blood gushed from the wound, and a sweet taste spread through my mouth.
Feeling a slight sense of waste, I pulled my finger from my mouth and spoke.

“Blood Arms, ‘Rope’”

A skill that transforms blood into a weapon. I don’t think a rope is strictly speaking a weapon, but restraints seem to be interpreted as such. Since I can make it, I’ll gratefully create it and make use of it.
I tied the rope—which I’d made long enough—loosely around Behaki’s neck so it wouldn’t be too tight.

“Is this good, Behaki?”
“Yes, no problem.”
“I see. Well then, Kuzuha-chan. Could you pass this rope to the three of them?”
“Ah, yes, of course.”

I called out to her and handed her the end of the rope, and Kuzuha-chan passed it forward in a relay.
All four of them looked a bit confused, but each of them took a firm hold of the rope.

“So, what do you want to do?”
“I think we should avoid fighting if possible.”
“You’re taking your time. We’ve already been spotted.”

Just as Terrier-chan said, the presence of people is drawing closer. Not just one person, but several.
I don’t know how he sensed it, nor how the people heading this way detected our presence.
But I’d rather avoid a confrontation if possible. We’re crossing the border to avoid trouble, so becoming wanted criminals is a bit much.

“Become Dark~.”

So, to prevent that from happening, I used magic.
Dark magic. For the first time since my rebirth, I used the magic skill I’d acquired at Level 1.
I already knew the spell’s effects. The only reason I hadn’t used it until now was simply that I hadn’t had the chance.
The effect at the initial level is very simple. It creates darkness. That’s all.
Something like black mist poured from my palm and flowed out into the surroundings. In the blink of an eye, it dyed the area black, and it still didn’t stop.
In just a short time, the entire area was enveloped in darkness.

“Arje-san, what is this…?”
“It’s fine. It’s just to make things harder to see.”

It was already night, so visibility was poor to begin with. The forest in the twilight, where only a faint moonlight reached.
Even so, the Terrier Bandits, Kuzuha, Behaki, and I, we still could see. To my eyes, the scenery looks almost exactly the same as it does during the day. This is a group with excellent night vision.
But the darkness I’ve created now is pitch black—so dark that even their night vision becomes useless.

……Only I can see.

To be precise, only vampires can see. At least among the members here right now, I’m probably the only one who can see through this darkness without any trouble.
The reason my vision isn’t obstructed is due to the vampire’s racial trait. I don’t know the details, but since vampires are said to be beings formed from the condensed darkness mana, this is probably a benefit of that.
With this, the people coming toward us should lose sight of us. While maintaining the dark magic, I move to the front and call out to everyone.

“Alright, I’ll lead the way, so please stay close and don’t let go of the rope.”
“Wait a minute.”
“What is it, Terrier-chan?”

Is he dissatisfied, or does he have a question? Thinking that, I look over at Terrier-chan, and he’s staring straight into my eyes in the darkness.
It didn’t feel like he was just staring aimlessly. Terrier-chan’s gaze was firmly fixed on me. His eyes looked somewhat displeased, but not like he was glaring.

“…Do you happen to be able to see me?”
“Yeah.”

He replied brusquely.
He can see me, but he has no intention of explaining why. His attitude made that implicitly clear.
I’m only curious about the reason myself, so if he doesn’t feel like talking about it, that’s fine by me.
It’s been a while since we met again today, and the Terrier Bandits have become even more of a mystery, but in my mind, they’re entertainers, so that’s good enough for me.

“Entertainers are amazing, huh?”
“Who’s an entertainer? Just wait a second.”

It must be because of the situation. While muttering a quiet retort to me, Terrier-chan pulled out a dagger. Not just one. The gleam that emerged from her bosom amounted to three daggers in total.
With a casual movement, as if he’d decided to do this from the start, Terrier-chan threw the daggers. He didn’t even glance in the direction he was throwing, yet his aim was precise.
The three daggers flew off in different directions, passing through the gaps between the trees and soaring into the distance. Still without looking back, Terrier-chan gripped the rope again and said,

“Let’s go.”
“Terrier-chan, what did you just do?”
“Those daggers are rigged to explode in sequence. They’re just to distract those idiots in the Border Patrol. Come on, let’s get moving. Show us the way.”
“Ah, yes.”

With Terrier-chan shoving the end of the rope into my hands and giving me a push in the back, I started walking at the front of the group.
If he could see, I think Terrier-chan would be fine leading the way, but he seems to be leaving it up to me.
I thought he might reject me again or get angry that I’d interrupted his fight, but instead of just obeying, he actually helped me do what I wanted to do.
Their names are weird and they’re rough around the edges, but they’re still people you can’t really hate.
Even though I found the mountain path difficult and a hassle, I walked through the darkness, leading the group.
The end of the mountain path was near. With the sound of loud explosions behind us, we made our way through the darkness.