I've corrected the mixed lines, but my mind continues to buzz.

'Phew ......, hah ......'

　I calmed down and took a deep breath.
　The scent of this blood soothes me.
　I can feel the nostalgic air of home, even though the city is probably half submerged in the red sea.

　Where once the water level of my blood was only up to my ankles, here it was above my knees.
　It was hard to move, as if I had put my foot in the swamp.
　My nose ached, my eyes were sinking, and I could taste the iron in the back of my tongue.
　The sound of ripples clung to his ears all the time.
　It's the sound of the rising and falling of the blood tide that floods the continent.
　The distant screams echoing from afar also combine to form a single piece of music.

　--The sounds of my everyday life have calmed my murmuring heart.

　However, there were also a few unfamiliar noises mixed in with the pleasant sounds of life.
　The high-pitched voice of a girl with an oddly strong accent.
　In front of me, a dark-haired, red-eyed girl, Kounel, who was also immersed in a sea of blood, speaks.

''--Uh, um, Chairman?　That "blood puppet" isn't disappearing like the other ones, is it?　They're just staring at us!　I've been doing this for a while now!

　Quinnell: ......?
　This is that (...) "Kounel Shuls"?

　I find out that the girl who is currently pointing at me and trembling is a real high-level demon, and I get a little excited.
　Apparently, it seems that Kanami and I were able to share a little bit of knowledge by connecting with the 《Distance Mute》.
　Thanks to that, I can find out about the 'primary attackers' here and the place where I woke up.
　Now we are at a point one day further than the place where humanity built its protective barrier.
　The original map would have shown the capital of the Legia nation.

'Don't mind him, Kounel,' she said. She's the one...

　And it was Kanami, the leader of the 'Primary Attack Team', who answered the quunnel.
　She moved her gaze from me, who had taken a step back, and laughed to reassure the quunel next to her.

''Ah, what's the hit!　To be honest, I have a bad feeling about what the Chairman says: ......

　But rather, Kanami's smile seems to have accelerated Kounell's anxiety.
　Towards the frightened Kounel, I try to tell her that there is no threat.

''-- There is no need to worry. I'm just one (1) cleaner everywhere.''

　This was not the Institute.
　But I tried my best to dismiss her concerns by using a poorly worded but respectful language, as if I were a staff member welcoming a guest.

'Ha ......?　Huh?　Could it be, 'Blood Doll'? Are you saying something to me right now?
"Yes, sir. I am talking to you now. I'm just a janitor, so feel free to call me janitor.
What?　Wow, 'I'm a handled rag and a liquid mop'?　The sunset in your mouth is all over the schoolyard, what's that?　I'm scared!

　But that frantic communication is empty and empty.

　The words are not being communicated normally.
　Kounell has heard something else than the words I have uttered.

　It's sad to say ......, but apparently, she's just like the people in the Institute of Research once.
　This bloody environment has taken its toll on her head, and her language skills have been affected.
　This is very troubling - and just when I thought that this was very troubling, a helper is sent out from next door.

'Kounel,' she says, 'I'm just a janitor, don't worry about it. Just feel free to call her a janitor.'
No, I would never say that!　Well, I've got a good ear for it.　Obviously, I just said, 'I'm a handled rag and a liquid mop'. ...... Mr. Chairman, I'm seriously scared, so let's not make that kind of badly done ghost story joke.　

　Kanami reiterated my words to me, but Kounell refused to believe them.
　I wonder how much he doesn't trust me, he does.

'Kounel, I don't joke about these things. Ever since I've been here, I've been serious.
'...... ma, really?　I mean seriously, are you on the same wavelength with this 'blood puppet' as the Chairman?
'No, that's not quite right. I'm just reliving the same life and getting to understand her a little better.

　I continue to patiently persuade her, and finally Kounel breaks down.
　Finding that I could only communicate with Kanami, she looked around in disbelief.
　There are only two members left of the "Primary Attack Team".
　Seldra, the dragon man (Dragon Newt), nodded with a frown, and the female Sith with her wings of magic power at her back turned her face down and roared.

'Seems to be true. It's going to give me a headache if I think about it too much: ......
'Well, that's not the point, it's sickening. Kanami, "Biniuru Bukuro", another one ......

　The two of us here don't seem to understand what I'm saying either (the Sith one may be too sick to even notice my presence in the first place: ......).

　It's very unfortunate, but Kanami seems to be the only one in this search party who is keeping his sanity intact.
　It's a bit disheartening to find out that even the lavish members of the party, Kounel, the upper level demon Kounel, Seldra from The One Who Stole the Reason of Nothing, and Sith, the Apostle, can't stand this environment.
　Seeing me shrug my shoulders in relief, Kanami speaks with a bitter smile.

'Cleaners. I'm sure you already know most of what's going on with the Distance Mute, but right now we're on our way to see Fafner.
'...... Yes, I see that. I understand a little better from my earlier reliving experience or something.
Along the way, I help as much as I can reach. I'm not defeating 'blood puppets' like you, but rather connecting with them through the Distance Mute, reading their lives, understanding their 'unfinished business' and showing them their 'dreams' through magic. It's like you're going around chanting ...... nembutsu and letting it come to fruition.

　Kanami jokes, but it's a truly horrible thing to do.

　Just a few minutes ago he read my life from birth to death in order to understand it without misunderstanding.
　He condensed roughly ten years' worth of time into an instant and then drilled it into his brain.

　Normally, his brain would burn out.
　Moreover, my life, which is full of torture and humiliation, is too depressing to condense.
　And yet, now he is worried about my 'happiness' and 'peace of mind' with an unconcerned look on his face.

　When I shift my gaze to the side, I see many, many lumps of flesh floating on the shallows of blood. These must be the remnants of the "blood dolls" that have come to life.
　As far as I can see now, I can count at least ten.
　Even as a decade or so of experience per one, he has already aged mentally here for a hundred years or so. That fact really frightens me and worries me.

'Are you ......, well, are you okay ......?'
''I'm still fine. With my current magical power, I can use Distance Mute in succession. You didn't have any regrets, so it looks like you won't need to use the Winter's Other World (Wintry Dimension).

　I pounded my chest and bragged that I still had MP.
　I wasn't talking about magical power, I was talking about mental exhaustion, but it didn't come across well.
　Even if they're sane, when they don't get it, they don't get it.

'Yeah.' --There wasn't a single 'unfinished business' with the cleaner. You lived your life so well that I honestly don't know why your soul is trapped in here. If you need a 'mourning', I can send you on your way, but what do you want?

　Those words are kind.
　Truly gentle.

　But if I looked into those black eyes, I felt as if the bottomless abyss had gone on forever.
　When you say 'mourning', those eyes turn to nothingness in the air.
　Normally, there is a kind of 'slit' there, and I, the dead, should be heading to the back of it. ......

'If you go that way, everyone will be waiting for you ......?'
Yeah, I'm waiting. Your 'family' is all waiting for you.

　Her eyes were jet-black, as if she was absorbing it.
　They were full of warmth and compassion.
　She looks the same as she did a thousand years ago, a good-natured person who could be fooled if she wanted to.

　But it's not.
　Without a doubt, things have changed since then.
　The boy who was once frowning at the Research Institute has not shown any unrest in this 'Blood Land'.
　He must have been trained in mind and body by overcoming many 'trials'.
　Even if someone tries to commit suicide here and now, he has the power to stop them without hesitation.
　If someone dies right in front of you, you have the mental strength to look after them quietly.
　No matter what kind of inexcusable situation we face, we have the ability to look forward and move forward.
　I can be sure of that.

　Is this the man who is going to see Fafner now?
　Somehow, when I imagined the scene, I thought--

I'm not done yet.
'Yes ....... By the way, do you know what the road here is?　As you can see, it's a very easy place to get lost.
''I have no idea. I've never been out of that institute, and now I've just woken up, so ....... However, I do know one thing. If you head to the source of this Red Sea ripple, there is a 'Blood Stealer'. Even a thousand years ago, that was the case.
Thank you. Good information.
"No. ......

　Kanami thanked me dutifully, even though I'm sure she already knew this information.

　I take a step back, realizing that I can no longer be of any use to this party.
　Then I focus on myself.
　I looked at my palms and they were just as bright red as the 'Blood Land'.
　The body is constructed of resilient liquid, just like the 'Demon' mixed with slime type monsters.
　The human flesh was gone, and the doll moved only with magical blood.
　It's a body that deserves the name 'blood doll' that Kounel mentioned earlier.

　Unexpectedly, I seem to have come close to being a 'demon' like my parents.
　It's no shock. I've seen those kinds of changes and modifications many times, and I can't help but say that my body has become more beautiful compared to my body before I was born.

　As I was shaking my new body and other things, I could hear the voices of the members who were a bit farther away.

''Ho, I really was talking to a 'blood doll' ......!　The chairman's severity of the problem is increasing rapidly again. ...... Help me, Sith-sama!
Please don't shake me. I can't do this right now. I'm up to my throat.

　Sith, who was lying face down with a plastic bag, was hugged by Kounel for help.
　Behind her, Serdra reports with a bit of pride.

'Kounel, I'm beginning to understand the regularity of the cleaner's language. Maybe that 'blood gnawing and counting place--' just now was talking about Fania's research institute, right?　There seems to be some special logic around the cleaning tools. The 'mop' has come up a lot.
Why is Seldora-sama trying to match the frequency with the bare minimum? It's a real pain in the ass.

　Seeing Seldra trying to understand my language, Kounel looked uncomfortable and distanced himself from me. Kanami follows up with a follow-up, as if to make up for the breach.

'Seldra, you're pretty close to being right. I wish Kounel the best of luck, too, if possible. The words of the 'blood puppets' here may indeed sound esoteric and incoherent...' -- but there are certain laws (rules). The laws (rules) made by that person, within his or her realm, are working properly within him or her. There is no such thing as a meaningless word in the world. It's just that it's a bit of a challenge to adapt to them.
It's a bit of a stretch. ...... No, well, I'll do my best, but I'll do my best, since the chairman asked me to.

　My cheeks loosen up.
　It's like a close party, for what it's worth.
　Even in this 'blood land', I can tell that they are having a fun 'adventure' like a family.

　That's why I felt a little sad that only this one can understand the language.
　Even if I wanted to join everyone's conversation, I could only communicate with one person.

''I think I can kind of understand why Fafner has gotten into the God of Light. 'Oyasama is a true believer because she can say these things with an honest face without shame. I was very moved by what you just said.
............. You're not being sarcastic, you mean it. That's not what I just said, I didn't mean to say that ....... But that's how it sounds. I have to be careful when I talk to Fafner.
"Preachy guy, he likes it, doesn't he?
He doesn't like me.

　He chats with Kanami.
　But the rest of the group cannot join them.
　Kounel is frightened again, Sith's nausea increases, and Serdra continues to twist her neck.

　Kanami realizes that it's not a good idea to talk to me all the time, so she regains her composure and claps her hands.

'Yo, alright. Now that we have one new companion, let's resume our quest!　Heading northwest!　We'll go straight to the area where Mr. Glenn lives!　As usual, Kounel continues to push the blood away. Serdra deployed sonic detection (sonar). My Dimension is thoroughly countered, so I'll walk on Sith's shoulders again.

　Kanami turns her gaze to me while approaching the out-of-form Sith.
　Thanks to our 'past vision' together, we had a 'connection' that we could communicate with each other eye to eye.
　I received a message from the gaze to 'follow me' and nodded back.

　Thus, with the leader's instructions, the party begins to act quickly.
　Kounel stands at the front of the group, "Mmmm," he wrinkles his brow, and uses some special ability.

　Instantly, the water level of blood around us dropped.
　A five-meter radius of blood seemed to dry up and disappear, exposing the cobblestone streets.
　It was like a round hole in a gaping red sea.
　It was a 'safe zone' that always moved around Kounel.

　He began to walk down the path, and right behind him, Serdra would escort Kounell to protect him at all times. In the back of his throat, the monstrous sound of performing sonar or something like that is constantly ringing.
　I remember this. It's the same as the 'echolocation' that blind 'witches' used a thousand years ago.

　I'm sure there's no one better suited to explore this "Blood Land" than the duo.
　It's a good thing that both of these scouting techniques are not magic-centered but make use of the characteristics of a 'magician'.
　In a long term search, conserving magic power is the biggest challenge.
　That's what the two of them are clearing.

　And further behind them are Kanami, who is versatile and strongest in battle, and Sith, who specializes in recovery magic.
　I nodded repeatedly in the rear to convince myself that this 'Primary Attack Team' member is truly the ideal.

　I was going to teach them tips and tricks for walking through the blood pools, but there doesn't seem to be any need for that - and when I turned my gaze to the 'Blood Land' senior citizens' gaze, Kounel, who was walking at the front, seemed to sense that.

　He really is a sensitive person.
　Kounel consults the leader in a small voice.

''Oh no, that cleaner and that other guy, he's really following you ....... Chairman, are you going to keep bringing him along for the ride?　Oh, that's an unscheduled irregularity, isn't it?
''That cleaner is an employee of the Seventh Magical Research Institute and is acquainted with Fafner. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about it. Her 'homecoming' will be good for us.
What, you want to 'go home'?　I see. Then you might be able to use it in many ways to guide your way from here on out. To be honest, the geography in my head is not nearly as useful as it should be.
'Oh, no, I can't show her the way. It's not that she wants to go 'home'. The cleaner was happy with her life, and she was very 'happy' -
What?　Then why--

　The differences in information about me make the conversation a little less engaging.
　However, before that problem is exposed, another problem arises.

''--Oh. It's approaching from ahead. Those 'blood dolls', the three of them.

　As soon as Seldra, the man in charge of the search, reports, Kounel cuts off his chatter and quickly leaves the lead.
　He retreats to stand next to the Sith and bows his head vigorously.

''Teachers!　Please!

　It's a move I've sworn never to engage in combat.
　I smiled bitterly at that too swift move.
　In contrast, the two people in charge of the battle, who were called teachers, seem to be used to it and start planning before the close encounter.
　Serdra points a few hundred meters ahead and asks Kanami.

'There are three of them over there. ...... Kanami, I can fight them no problem. Still, would you do it again?
'There's still plenty of room to spare. To be honest, the amount of natural recovery is more than the amount of MP consumed. Since we can't use it because of the countermeasure against Dimension, we have to work hard here--

　Before he could finish, Kanami started to move.

　In one breath, she kicked the ground - and disappeared.
　Not metaphorically, but truly gone.
　It was too fast for my eyes to follow it.

　I couldn't feel the magic kick in.
　But it disappeared like magic, and when I noticed it, the figures ahead of me had increased to four.

　I stared at them.
　Kanami had finished thrusting its arms into the body of the 'Blood Doll'.

　The same as I did.
　By creating a magical 'connection' and reading its life, I know its 'unconsciousness', and by making it come true, I'm trying to make the 'blood puppet' lose its drive.

　Soon, one of the "blood puppets" returned to the sea of blood, like a water balloon bursting.
　Following that, Kanami stabbed the second one. In just a second or so, it read through its compressed life and made it pop again. Then, to the third body--.

　It's a simple thing.
　It seems that they were preparing for the Winter's Other World (Wintry Dimension) for those who have a strong sense of 'unconsciousness', but there doesn't even seem to be a need for that.

　Perhaps the 'blood puppets' whose souls are trapped in this 'blood land' and live freely are just dead people who are raising resentment towards this world.
　Just by really listening to those dead people's resentment (・・・・・・・・・) and sharing their pain and sorrow, that 'unfinished business' disappears and the drive is lost.

　By the time Kounell's expanding safe zone reaches the battlefield, it's all over.
　The only one standing is Kanami, and the 'blood puppets' have not retained their form.

　Kanami turned around to face us, breathing heavily.
　While wiping her face, which was bathed in returning blood and dyed a bright red--

'Ha, ha, ha ....... If I don't work hard here, there's no place for me to be active, so let me do it .......

　After everything was over, Kanami finished saying the rest of the story.
　Seldora, who had no time to stop her, smiled bitterly at the leader who had gone off on his own, dumbfounded.

''I'm not worried about your magic, though, I'm worried about the state of your mind. ...... easily, but it's insane to look at decades worth of life every time.
'Sure, it's a bit tiring, but ....... I like to send them as generously as possible (・・・・・) this way while I can afford it. And the way you beat Seldora is wildly uneven.
Huh. ....... As much as possible. I'm not going to be the only one who can do that. It's the hardest thing for us 'logic thieves' to do when we don't complete what we can, and that's what we're 'not ready' to do.
'Yes. I don't want to leave any more 'unfinished business'.

　Kanami responded to that with a wry smile.
　I could feel the bond between the two warriors.
　I realized that Serdra, like me, had finished sharing her life with Kanami.
　Their hearts are connected, even if their words are few.

　Behind the two of them, Quuner raises his hand timidly.

''Um, isn't it time for us to really take a break?　I'm getting tired, not only of the Chairman, but also of Atei. We've already walked quite a bit, right?　Because of the red fog, the time is not clear: ......

　Seeing an opportunity for Seldra to talk to Kanami about her "mental fatigue", Kounel suggests a rest.
　The leader puts his hand to his chin and examines the request from its members.

'Hmm ....... It's been twenty-three hours and seventeen minutes and a little over thirty seconds since you jumped off the battlements, to be exact. It's almost the second day. As reported beforehand, your sense of time is going to get crazy here.
'What?　You've already walked that much?　Mr. Chairman, please tell me quickly!　
'I decided not to tell you until someone else gave up. ...... Surprisingly, quunelles can walk.
'I can't walk anymore!　We need to rest now!　We need to rest now!　Master Sith is like this too!

　Kounel insists, pointing at the Sith who were lending him a shoulder.
　However, the person in question holds up one arm and says, "Wow, I can still go!".
　In front of the two of them, Kanami continues to pretend to be troubled, but halfway through, Serdra interrupts the conversation.

'Kanami, there's a house over there where we can rest. It's just about the right place to end our first day of exploration.

　He turned his attention to a single house in the bright red city.
　Hearing this, Kanami agreed to Kounel's request.

''That's right. The search for 'blood land' has just begun. Let's take a break.''

　The moment he said that, Kounel said, "Yay, we're camping!" with a delighted "Yay, we're camping!" as he and Sith headed for the empty house. Behind them, Serdra hurriedly said, "Wait, Sonar doesn't know exactly what's inside, unlike [Dimension]!　I'll lead the way! And while stopping, I followed.

　Kanami, who was also at the back of the line, followed - and turned his face to the side.
　She looks at me with only one eye and mutters.

'...... And I've already guessed the best 'future' today.'

　I know what that word means, albeit in a dim way.
　It wasn't an unscheduled irregularity that woke me, the perpetrator (...).

　Now, I'm walking behind this party as a bystander.
　I'm just following along - but I felt like I was standing on a stage.
　There was a definite feeling of being held back and made to walk.