Akeno!

　As soon as he returned to the old castle, Suou packed up to Akeno. Akeno, who was adjusting the demonic beasts, looked up and turned around.

''Suou, you're early. How are your people doing?''
I let them go. Their reeds are land-based battleships. I have a gremlin that's probably in phase two.
You have returned with caution.
'No, I came back because I had a bad feeling about it.

　As soon as he said it, Suou grabbed up the chest of Akeno's Sister's outfit.

''You killed that griffon. What did you mean by that?

　A blue streak floated across Suo's forehead. His neatly built face was twisted into a beastly face, and his fangs were bared in a threatening manner.
　Suou, a Knight, and Akeno, a Bishop, are almost equal in strength. However, overall, Akeno was slightly better. This is because the Knight is unable to handle the Black Red Qi. So if you want to shake it off, you can shake it off, and if you want to fight back, you can. But Akeno did not. He was puzzled.

'Mm, no. I was a bit of a handful. I'm sorry for taking the liberty of doing so, but looking at the Phase 2 abilities, in the future...'
That's not what I'm talking about!

　It's usual for Suou to be dumbfounded and yelled at.
　But rarely does he show this much true anger. Akeno shrugs his shoulders.

'Look, it's my fault for not saying it properly, though!　You can't bargain with him once you've killed him.　What do you think would have happened if I'd just gone to see them?　If the Queen has betrayed us, we can't afford to take it so easy anymore!　Get more serious!

　Against Suou's swordsmanship, Akeno frantically shook his head.
　Suou clicks his tongue and finally lets go of his hand. Akeno straightens his wrinkled chest.

I'm not going to be able to say that I'm a great guy because I used a little bit of force against Utsurogi. I'm sorry.
Uh-huh...

　Suou scratched his head briskly. He was right, the Queen's betrayal was definite. However, from the exchange at the church earlier, there is no indication that they have heard the situation from the Queen about this group trip. Suou may have intended to have Koganei stand between them, where he explained the situation, to set up another negotiation.

''So, it was that bad...?''
Quite a lot. If it was Utsurogi, I thought we could get away with it by putting Koganei in between us, even if we had to use a bit of force, but as expected, there's nothing we can do about it when it comes to killing one person. d*mn it!　You!　Since the time of the old world!　d*mn it...!

　Akeno could not understand the human mind at all. But for once, he realized that Suou was seriously revealing his anger and frustration and became more mature.

''What can you say to Koganei........''
'You haven't told me yet? Is it still because of the possibility of defection?
There's no way I'm going to tell you.

　Suou's words were like spitting. Seeing that his anger hadn't subsided yet, Akeno grew smaller.

''Don't tell Koganei about that griffon yet. I'm sorry about that guy, but keep it under wraps. I'll decide what to do about them after I've given it some more thought.

　Enforcement or somehow set up a negotiating forum. When it comes to such a discussion, there is no room for Akeno to interfere.
　It would be dangerous to ride into their stronghold if they attempted to forcefully capture them. Up until now, the Queen's betrayal hadn't been confirmed, so they'd sent a pawn to see what was going on, but if they tried to enforce it in front of her, it could lead to a battle with the Queen herself.
　The Queen and Luke are the big pawns (heavy pieces). If they exert even half of the abilities they possess, the king will know where they are. This is probably one of the reasons why the traitorous Queen won't lead her monstrous army to attack us, but as expected, if we force our way into the castle, that won't be the case.

　The few pawns left in the castle are being sent towards the king. In time, the king would learn of the queen's betrayal. After that, they will be dealt with again, but in the meantime, they will have to follow the orders they received before.

"In the meantime, I'll have a pawn keep an eye on them. If they split up, we'll surround them individually and bring them home. Okay? No killing in principle.
I know, I know.
Are you sure?

　There's no whiteness in Suou's eyes, but he's still somewhat skeptical.

''So, where are they headed now?''
'They're heading straight down the canyon towards us. They'll come around here anyway.
But first, you will not leave the land of the Hydra in the Valley.

　Suou nodded at Akeno's words.
　The Hydra of the Valley. It is a large multi-headed monster that was released by the Demon King who terrorized the world hundreds of years ago to destroy the countries in this vicinity. They still crawl around in the canyon, crawling around as if they were their own. It's not impossible to defeat them by hunting down a few pawns, but they can be used as guard dogs, so I left them alone.

What do you think? It's just a matter of time before the hydra eats them.
'I don't like to take these moves too much, but, well, let's let it go for a while. But I'll increase the surveillance pawns.

　Suou scratched his head.

''One of my friends is dead and I'm upset about it, and when I see that big guy, I'm not going to sit back. If we go to help them when their coordination base is in shambles, well, some of them will probably come to us.
'Come to think of it, we didn't find that reincarnated Oga after all.
'Oh, yeah. d*mn, there's a lot of trouble...




　Ro Rohta Washio was dead. They froze completely for a moment when he told the students gathered on deck about the fact.
　As soon as the returning Kyousuke and Rin were accommodated, the heavy duty branch school departed. It was because there was a possibility that they would be pursued if they stayed where they were. They remained alert to their surroundings, but moved forward through the ravine at the maximum ship speed possible.

　There was a gradual uproar on the deck, spreading as a murmur. Somewhere along the way, they are unable to accept reality, and confusion comes before shock and grief.

''Is that...true...or...is that...true...?''

　Dullahan's Kenzaki Megumi raised her hand fearfully and asked. Ryuzaki nodded.

'I heard from Rin and it's true. That's why we didn't wait for Washio to return and set off. While fleeing from the red-winged demon that attacked Nekomiya and the others, they were pursued and killed.

　Several students, who had been informed in advance, are turning over and trembling. Finally, the realization of Washio's death begins to spread among them.

''What do you mean........!

　The unicorn white horse that was always hanging out with Washio let out a squeezing voice.

''Why are you so calm......... Why, why is Washio........
Washio's death was caused by a decision I made.

　Ryuzaki looked around at the entire class and said clearly.

'If I hadn't told the whole class to leave the kingdom, or if I hadn't told them to stop and explore here, Washio wouldn't have died. I admit it. But I'm not going to step down as leader because of Washio's death, like I did when I was attacked by the King of the Dead Spirit in my base.

　Classmates look at Ryuzaki in different ways. Resentment, sorrow, grief, distrust and fear.
　The emotions of all of his roughly thirty or so classmates were met head on by Ryuzaki.

　You can get off here, or you can run away. But Ryuzaki had no intention of running away again to a corner of the cafeteria like he did at that time. There would be students who would be shaken out of their fears by Washio's death. In fact, that must be the majority of them. Without thinking too much about it, they left the kingdom where they were supposed to be safe, and the result was the death of their friends. There will always be students who will regret this choice.
　The question of whether life in the kingdom was really safe is not the point here. They made a choice and Washio died as a result. Maybe the next person to die will be me. That's the kind of atmosphere that pervades this place.

　That's why Ryuzaki has no intention of stepping down from his position as leader. If the class falls apart here, the casualties will increase even more. In this mountain, if we lose cooperation and disperse, the consequences are clearer than the fire.

'I make no excuses. If you're going to hate me, hate me. But we can't all fall apart here. I know you will.

　As much as possible, Ryuzaki spoke nonchalantly, trying to keep his emotions from blurring into his words. Yes, if putting the blame on himself alone would allow the class to remain cooperative, that was fine. It shouldn't be sad and horrible that Washio died, or to lose sight of what to do now because of that temporary emotion.

'Of course I'm not going to turn the ship back here, either.
Ryuzaki, you are...!

　Hakuba's voice was filled with anger and sadness.

''Tomorrow we will hold Washio's funeral. Until then, each of you will carry out your assigned roles properly. That is all.
Oh, Ryuzaki-kun...

　Ryuzaki spun around and turned his back to the whole class and left the deck as quickly as he could. Sakuma called out to him from behind, but he couldn't stop. As the throbbing of the students gathered on the deck grew louder, they could hear Sakuma trying to bring them together once again.
　It's pathetic. After all that big talk, it's left to others in the end?

　Ryuzaki opened the door to the captain's quarters as it was and holed up inside. It's not exactly comfortable, the heavy duty branch of the ship is shaking very much. As soon as the door was closed, Ryuzaki sat down on the floor slyly, resting his back against the door. He held his head in his hands and nodded his head.
　Ro Rohta Washio died. His jokes were not very funny and he was always looking at other people's faces, always following behind others, always complaining about his part-time job and always asking for a girlfriend.
　He was an alternate on the basketball team, but he worked harder than anyone else and accidentally led his team to victory with a three-point shot in an official match he happened to be in. When I bought him a hamburger on my way home from a game and praised him for his daily efforts, he shyly exclaimed that it was because he wanted to be popular with girls.

　His eyes are hot. Unable to stop the tears that flowed in rags, Ryuzaki let out a sob. His head is so cramped, he doesn't know what to think anymore.

''I'm sorry........ Washio.........I'm sorry.......!

　Thinking of his classmates who were no longer going home, Kunihiro Ryuzaki just cried tears of woe.




　A bad atmosphere prevailed in the class. It's no wonder. One person has died.
　Himemizu Rin was out on the deck, spending her time in a daze. He tried to invite Kyousuke to join him, but he stayed in his room and didn't come out. In the end, I was unable to do anything for him. Perhaps he was forced by Suou's words to confirm the inner life he had been turning away from for so long, and then lost his classmates shortly afterwards.
　Kyousuke, who had barely maintained his humanity only by helping, supporting, and being appreciated by someone else, had his classmates killed in front of him. The box without its contents is fragile. Kyousuke's heart was shattered.

　Last time it was his body, this time it was his heart. Both are shattered.

　In the field set up on the deck, Hanazono (Arraune) was silently tending to the soil. The herb, which is very similar to parsley, is growing fast, coupled with Hanazono's ability to grow.

'Hana-chan,'

　When Rin called out to her, Hanazono Hana looked up and smiled.

''That was tough, Himemizu-san.
'Yeah...'

　With that said, Hanazono once again takes up her efforts to tinker with the soil. Rin had thought that the feeble-minded girl would break down and insist that she wanted to leave this time, but it was something of an unexpected action. Just when she thought it was bad manners to say it, Hanazono said

''Washio-kun, you have confessed to me once,''
What?
I said no, though. I mean, we've been in the same class for about a week. It's a period of time where we don't really talk much.
'Oh, yeah, yeah...'

　As I recall, Rin remembered that there was a rumor of such a thing right at the start of the first semester of her second year. Washio wanted a girlfriend, so he launched a roller-coaster campaign, calling out to all the girls in his class. Naturally, all of them failed, and the girls stopped paying attention to him.
　It must have been shortly after that that he began to take on Ryuzaki, the top caste in his class.

'I was playing with the flower beds in the gardening club at the time. We talked about flowers for a little while.
'Yeah...'
Maybe it's because he's dead. She seems like a good person.

　Hanazono is a good girl, Rin thought. Memories are beautiful, Rin had heard the saying, "Memories are beautiful," too. But many of the students in her class are so terrified of what might happen next that they can't get their work done, fearing that they might be the next to die. In the midst of it all, she is firmly mourning Washio's death.

'What is Hua-chan raising now?'
Tomorrow is the funeral, so I thought I'd grow some flowers. These aren't the flowers Washio-kun praised me for.

　Saying that, Hanazono pointed to a cotton-wool-like flower with large clusters of white flowers.

''What is this?''
Carrots.
Carrots...
Washio-kun, you love carrots, so this is the only thing I could think of.

　Hanazono is no longer as reluctant as before to offer the crops it grows as food. The root and leafy greens were usually delivered to Sugiura on the condition that they leave a proper offspring, a seedling, and continue the seeds to the next generation.

　Washio's memories, huh? Rin recalls.
　Rin was on the track team and Washio was on the basketball team; they had been in the same class since their first year, and they had a lot of chances to talk to each other, and on the last day of the last day of the first year's third semester, Rin had come up to him while he was practicing his short-distance running as usual and asked him to play basketball one-on-one, so he had gone with her one time.
　Rin was surprisingly good at dribbling, and I had a bit of an awkward moment when she knocked Washio off his feet. That's about the only memory I'll remember.

'He was a good man after all, Washio-kun,'

　Rin nodded. He was never a bad guy, even if it was a brazen feeling for the dead.
　It could burn up the anger that he had been killed for it. But those feelings were fading now.

'Yeah. Aya, too, they're having a carrot party tonight and tomorrow.
For Washio-kun?
We talked about it together and decided. If we quit our jobs, it's going to be hard for all of us. It's sad and scary, but we have to do what we can do now. We'll just push ourselves out of the way, little by little, together.
Together, little by little...

　Impossible. It was, oddly enough, the same words that Rin had uttered in the previous battle.

　I can see the goblins stuck to their gun seats on the deck, with Goshigawara turning around to talk to them. Those goblins were not shocked by Washio's death. But what wasn't so shocking was the same for Gofukawara and Okumura.
　They, too, have enough to mourn for their classmate. But they don't seem to be dwelling on it at all. When I asked them earlier, their response was.

''We've lost someone dear to us too, you know.

　It's about "Yukari-san", the older sister of Gokubugawara. What kind of illness she suffered from, how and when she died. Rin doesn't know. But having survived the death of someone so close to her together, she has the impression that the two of them are more energetic than usual, as the other students are unable to move.

　We also see Kannari comforting Nekomiya (Ket Shih), who is shocked by Washio's death as the squad leader. It was hard to watch the pretentious and self-confident Nekomiya Miya blocking out, but Kannari was there with her, giving her some friendly words.
　He told her how glad he was that she wanted to go back to her world with him, and told her that it was that feeling that motivated her to still do her best. Nekomiya still blamed herself for the cause of Washio's death, but Kannari's words had made her look somewhat saved.

　Everyone did what they could, little by little.
　The students of the second year and fourth class are growing up. They are facing their own problems, big and small, and are slowly moving forward, albeit with slow changes. If the same thing had happened at the beginning of the trip, the class would have fallen apart that day.

　What can I do to help? Rin thinks about it.
　For Kyousuke. Or for Washio. What could Himemizu Rin do?

'Himemizu-san, we'll have parsley soon.

　Hanazono said a little happily.

'I'm worried about you, Utsurogi-kun. When the parsley is ready, I'll give him a cup of it.'
'Yeah, well...'

　On the deck of the heavy duty branch school that ran along the bottom of the canyon, Rin stared at the swaying parsley for a while.




　She was worried about Kyousuke Soraki and Kunihiro Ryuzaki. Sakuma Shoko bit her lip and walked down the aisle of the ship.
　Behind her was Inugami Hibiki Hibiki, the first delinquent girl in her class. A literary girl and a delinquent girl. A combination that was unthinkable in the human era. Inugami walked behind Sakuma, her expression several percent more sullen than usual.

　Washio Ryouta is dead. Upon receiving this report, Sakuma's mind went blank.
　He was a classmate, even though they didn't talk to each other very often. It wasn't just dead, either; it was killed. I didn't know what to think, and often felt stunned, and when I came back to myself, I felt a feeling of fear that preceded my grief.
　Since his reincarnation as a succubus, Sakuma had passed through the death line several times before. The death of a classmate, a phenomenon that hadn't happened until now, which could be described as miraculous, caused the paralyzing fear to raise its sickle-neck.

　It was Kyousuke Soraki's presence that suppressed that fear.
　Seeing Washio's death in front of his eyes, Kyousuke didn't say a word as he passed Sakuma, but simply retreated to his room. It's a good thing that you're not the only one who's been in the same room with him," Rin said to Sakuma. I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you, Utsurogi-kun,'' she said.
　The empty attitude of Kyousuke and the words of Rin, spoken with a sense of regret. For the first time, Sakuma knew then that he, who had been saved by Kyousuke, now had to save him. Rin had been trying to do that all this time.

　In the wake of Washio's death, minute changes are taking place in the class.
　Of all of these changes, Sakuma was most surprised by the change in Inugami Hibiki. She had thought that the delinquent girl, the loner of the class, would not show so much interest in Washio's death either. But from what Sakuma saw, it was Inugami who was burning with the most pure rage after receiving the report from Ryuzaki.

'We're going to Benii's, Sakuma.

　Inugami said bluntly.

''Asuka-chan's?''
I've been dumb before, but now I'm gonna confront the vampire.

　His words gave the impression of a shallow connection between Inugami and Beni.
　Sakuma had always wondered how Inugami could perceive the existence of that Red Moon blood race (Red Moon). That's not all. Whenever Inugami talks about Benii, she always gives him the same look as she does when she talks about the Red Moon.

''Inugami-san........''

　As he walked down the aisle, Sakuma suddenly opened his mouth.

'What?'
Are you mad about Washio-kun's death?
Yeah.

　His voice, still blunt as ever, can be heard behind him.

''I can't allow anyone to kill anyone around me any longer.
Is that what you are, Asuka?
You're gonna go check on that guy.

　Sakuma breathed and knocked as he came to Benii's door.

'Asuka. Me.
"Sachi. Good.

　A voice with an unchanging tone could be heard from the other side of the door. Sakuma nodded to Inugami and opened the door.
　Benii Asuka, who was sitting in a chair and looking out the round window, turned around. Benii immediately recognized Inugami behind Sakuma and contorted her face in a sour mood.

''.......Why is Inugami here?''
Would you believe me if I said I was going to pay my respects to my family and my brother, Washio?
.........

　Beni stared at Inugami with narrowed eyes and then looked at Sakuma. Her eyes asked Sakuma this. 'Did you hear the story?' she asked.
　Sakuma shook her head, but firmly insisted on her own words.

'Asuka-chan, I have a favor to ask you.
What.
Tell me everything you know, Asuka-chan.

　There was something wrong with Benii since he came to this world.
　He has always been uncooperative with group actions. It's because of his excessive rejection of 'orders'. But Beni had been able to manipulate that blood at will from the beginning as his classmates experimented with their own usable abilities, and he knew about the side effects.
　That's not all. When the Red Moon demon had attacked the base before, it was probably Beni's fault for defeating that demon. Obviously, Beni is hiding his abilities.

　And Inugami's attitude towards Benii. Today's words and actions.
　I had a feeling that the 'problem' that Kyousuke had been told by Benii was not unrelated.

　When Sakuma cornered him, Benii had a slightly puzzled expression on his face.

''No matter how much Sachi, that's...''
Washio-kun is dead!

　Sakuma shouted loudly. Would it be unfair to mention the names of the dead here?

'It's not just Washio-kun!　The next person to die could be Utsurogi-kun, Ryuzaki-kun, Harui-san or Snakezuka-san... maybe it could be me...!

　But Sakuma didn't stop. He spoke out in a clear way the fear that had bound him to the depths of his heart.
　Washio Rohta is dead. But if this continues, surely Washio won't be the only victim. Beni knows something. It might provide a clue to the next situation.

'I'm not going to go off on you, vampire.

　Inugami grinned.

'I'll let you off the hook, at least for telling Sakuma who you are.
"Inugami....

　At that time, Benii Asuka had a look of resentment on her face, which was unusual for her.

''Asuka, please........''

　When Sakuma took her hand, Benii sighed heavily.
　He then looked around the crew quarters, which were not very large for being assigned to the Queen, and finally glanced out the round window.

'All right. Sachi, and Inugami.

　Benii Asuka muttered to herself.

"I'll talk to you guys. I'm sure you're not the only one who has had to deal with this on your own.




M...?

　Goubayashi Genshu was walking through a ravine when he found a strange trail on the ground.
　It looks like the remains of a bulldozer or excavator. These are so-called caterpillars, but their size is extraordinary. The width of one caterpillar is more than 5 meters, and the distance between the left and right caterpillars alone is nearly 30 meters. If it comes this far, I feel that it is closer to an imaginary land battleship.

　Speaking of battleships, it reminds me of the wreckage of that warship I once saw when I left the base.
　I wonder if Ryuzaki and the others are doing well. I'm not sure if the Zekou that we sent back on the way has delivered that human girl to us safely. Come to think of it, we've come a long way.
　If possible, I would like to return to them and join them again. But it would take a little more time.

　It's been a long time since I got separated from Kaoruko.
　The attack by Akahane was the catalyst. Goubayash was used as a decoy to escape Kaoruko, and was mortally wounded. Afterwards, he was protected by human hands, and even received extensive medical treatment and training, so that in itself was not in vain. But I've lost track of Kaoruko.
　He's a fast runner. I'd like to think that he's managed to escape.

　Anyway, these caterpillar tracks are very disturbing. I'm very curious about these caterpillar tracks, which were thought to be unexplored in the depths of the mountain.

　It might be better to follow it for a while.

　Goubayash followed the caterpillar tracks, fluttering the cloak that was lowered from his shoulder pads.