The island of Delph, the westernmost island of Albadamba, caused a bit of a stir when the massive ship appeared offshore.

　The wooden sailing ships approaching across the sea fly the flag of a fleet of merchant ships coming from the northern continent. But that's the only merchant fleet ship the islanders are familiar with, and not a single islander knows about the steel black ship running behind them. First the men who were out fishing noticed it, and then the children who were playing on the beach noticed it, and went to call for the Chief of Delph Island and the accountant, Tokihara, who was in charge of the accounts.

　The chief was glad that the merchant ships had come to Albadamba, though much later than planned, and then he wondered about the fact that there was only one merchant ship, and the black ship running behind it. Tokihara said that would be one of the merchant ships, and he left the beach when he went to inform the other island chiefs of the matter in order to begin dealing with the merchant fleet.
　As usual, a small boat disembarked from the merchant ship anchored offshore and Welkano, the commander of the merchant fleet, came up to the beach. Remy, the half-elf Remy, whom he adored like a grandson, was with him, but furthermore, the fact that a stranger, Dragoneut, was mixed in there made the islanders stiffen their stance.

　Dragoneut is a half-dragon, half-human monster whose inhabitants have been confirmed on the continent. They are the descendants of the dragon kings who once ruled the continent, and although it is not impossible for them to interact with humans due to their high intelligence that wields fearsome power, the number of such oddities was limited.
　The chieftain was also a seafaring warrior when he was young, and he had been told of the dragonite several times by humans on the continental side. Even though they mostly refused to interact with humans, the Dragontooths are an intelligent race. It's not impossible to say that this is rare, but it's not impossible to say that this kind of thing doesn't happen at all.

'Hi, long time no see. Chief Berger.

　Welcano greeted the chief as he placed his arms on his left and right shoulders and slowly bowed his head in the tribal style of the highest salute.

'I am glad to see that you are also in good health. Welkano. But this time things are a little strange.

　The children on the island are curious, and they are quick to start swarming around a dragonet for the first time. Some of the scary kids were being beaten as hard as they could by their parents, who were blue in the face, as they pulled their tails and pecked at their scales.
　Ryujin's face crumpled up and he waved his hands in the air. A broken face, I wondered. Later, Dragon Newt is discussing something with Remy.

'First, about the fact that the merchant fleet has fewer ships than usual...'

　The chief asked, glancing at the dragon man. Welkano makes a difficult face.

'I am very sorry about that. As a matter of fact, our merchant fleet was caught in a storm.'

　He said it in the same tone as usual, but he wasn't a chieftain who couldn't understand where his words were going.

'Well..... It's been a tough day.

　Still, we should be grateful that just one ship made it here. The Chief also gave a tribal-style most respectful bow and bowed his head.
　Next, the Chief turned his attention to the huge vessel anchored offshore.

　The chieftain had never seen a ship like that before. The story is that the Empire has developed something called a magic ship that doesn't rely on either wind or human power for its power, but I wonder if it's the same kind. Even from this beach, they are so large that they seem to lose their perspective. It was several times closer in size than the merchant ship.
　Welkano must have understood what was beyond the chief's gaze. He immediately nodded and explained.

'That is the ship of these Ryuzakis.

　Immediately after Welkano's introduction, Dragoneut also placed his left and right hands on his shoulders and bowed his head, directing a tribal-style most respectful bow to the Chief.

'It is a pleasure to meet you, Chief Bergel. I understand that you are currently the Chairman of the Albadamba Chiefs Council.
'Oh, oh no. The presidency of the council is a rotating system. I have no special power in this United States.

　The Chief flinched a little as he was greeted by Dragoneut, who was more fluent than he had expected.

　Dragoneut introduced himself as Ryuzaki. Apparently, that ship is inhabited by many of the monsters he is connected with, and he came to this Albadamba as an escort for Welkano and his friends on the way. No harm intended, but the word "many monsters" doesn't make sense to the Chief.
　No harmful intent, I suppose. And it also seems like Welkano is putting some trust in them. In other words, he is a monster, but he is trustworthy. The Chief thought about it. The tribes that live on the island of Delph are particularly open-minded in Albadamba. They are often open to the things of the outside world.

'They saved us when we were attacked by the Kraken offshore,'

　When Welkano said that, Ryuzaki looked at him, a little surprised. I don't even know what that expression means.

'If you have protected Welcano and the others, you are our brother. Let us welcome you, Ryuzaki.
Oh, oh.... Yes, ma'am. Thank you, Chief Berger.

　Ryuzaki made a somewhat anticlimactic expression and gave another supreme salute. He was also well behaved.

　As Welkano and the others continue to discuss the upcoming schedule with the chiefs, the chiefs of the other races who live relatively close to them arrive. Albadamba is no small place, so it should be a full day before they can call on a chieftain on a distant island.
　The trading meeting with the maritime caravan should be held tomorrow at the earliest, and the day after tomorrow or later if we look ahead to the preparation period. The chiefs of the other tribes are also coming in completely empty-handed at the moment. They are probably in the middle of having the young men of the tribe prepare and carry their trade goods, such as magical ores and marine products.

"Chief Berger, we have prepared the goods for you, if you don't mind.
'Ah, thank goodness for that. Even though Lord Welcano and the others have had some misfortune, it's still sad to see how little trade goods are available.

　Trading with the continent's merchant fleet is one of the most important events in Albadamba, which only happens twice a year. With one merchant ship's worth of goods, the merchandise would be quite small, so it was imagined that the trade fair would be quite modest. In that situation, the fact that the monsters prepared something for us was a gratifying story in terms of keeping up appearances.

　Afterwards, Ryuzaki informed me that he wanted to stay in Albadamba for a while. As the chieftain, I can't give the consensus of Albadamba, but as the chief of Delph Island, I can give him permission for now.

'But when it comes to monsters, what kind of monsters are there?

　The Chief tilted his head. Ryuzaki was at a bit of a loss for words there.

　When it came to monsters here in Albadamba, most of them were marine dwellers, or fishmen, kraken, and sea serpents. On the island of Albadamba, there are no creatures that can be called monsters, except for the large carnivorous Yaguaras, which live in the forest.
　Once, a group of guys called the continent's Rare Creature Book Squadron, accompanied by a merchant fleet, had visited this Albadamba. According to what they said, Yaguara was also classified as a demonic beast in the broadest sense, but at least the Chief had never recognized Yaguara as such a being.

　That's where Remy, who had been silent until now, opened his mouth.

'Sub-racial monsters like Gilman, Orcs and Goblins. Undead monsters like Skeletons and Dullahan. Spiritual and monster-type monsters like unicorns and ket-shihs. It's a coalition of diverse monsters.
Oh, yeah.

　The Chief let out an exclamation of admiration at the unexpectedly varied composition.

'Just so you know, there are no monsters that eat humans or anything like that, are there?
"Yeah, it's a big...

　He was about to say it, and for a moment, Ryuzaki was at a loss for words. But he quickly shook his head.

'Don't worry, Chief Berger. There are no monsters in our ranks who think of killing and eating humans.'
I hope so. One of our children has only recently gone missing.
'Nah, I see.... That's a worry.

　For a moment, Ryuzaki's expression becomes complicated. Both Welkano and Remy looked at him with their own thoughtful faces, but the chieftain didn't know what the implications of this would be.

　Dragon Newt, Kunihiro Ryuzaki's companion was a vampire named Asuka Benii, and that the vampire was seeking human blood. That's exactly why Ryuzaki was at a loss for words, and why Welkano and Remy saw his face.
　The expression on Ryuzaki's face was something like, 'This makes it difficult to demand blood for any reason,' but of course, the chieftain didn't have the strength to understand that.




　A short time later, Ryuzaki returned to the heavy branch anchored offshore. After nearly two weeks on the voyage, the students, missing land completely, clung to the Thunderbird's divine wings and unloaded their small boats, preparing to head for the beach.

'Hey, Ei, are you okay?　We're at Albadamba?
Oh, ah..... It's finally here......... Ugh.........

　Wisp Hino Ei is groggy. As you can see, the firepower that makes up his body is small.

''I'm sorry, Kyousuke........ Could you get out the etiquette bag........
Really? There is such a thing?　No, are you going to throw up in the first place...?
I feel like I'm going to throw up from the motion sickness........ Ugh......

　With a bop, a large amount of white ashes erupted from the wisp's body.

''Whoa........''
''I'm sorry. Kyousuke, for something so unseemly....
''No, it's not visually unsightly and it's fine........ I see, so this is vomit........

　Kyousuke sweeps the ashes scattered on the floor with a broom that was placed in one corner of the room.

Well, we'll be sailing again in a while........ It may be a short stay, but it's the southern island. Let's enjoy it to the fullest.
'Yes, yes......... The South Island.....

　Ei said that as he wobbled and flew.

''The other, the students... have they already landed?
'Rin is waiting for me. Also, Sakuma is at Benii's.
Beni's....
Yeah.

　Kyousuke nodded.

　Beni is now retreating into his room and not trying to land. In fact, for the past few days, he seems to have become unwell again, and he doesn't appear in the cafeteria much anymore. After all, it's probably because he can't suck blood.
　Classmates also seemed to be concerned about Beni in their own way, the Uozumi siblings had caught a sea turtle and given it to Sugiura, and Sugiura had made a special menu for Beni, using the meat from the turtle to cook a raw steak. The blood that had been drained was put into a bottle and given to Benii to drink, but her condition did not seem to have improved.

　Some of her classmates had thought about a means of getting live blood from the humans somehow, but they had been unable to implement it, as any means would only result in undermining the trust of the humans.
　Seeing Sakuma, Kaoruko, and the others' occasional expressions of contemplation, they too had probably taken into consideration using the power of the Enchantment to get them to donate their blood.

　Kyousuke went out into the corridor to match the pace of Ei, who was flying slowly. He was about to head directly to the deck where Rin was waiting, when he saw a group of unexpected students waiting in the hallway.

Hey, isn't that a snake mound in Harui?

　Harpy's Harui and Lamia's Snake Mound.

　Queen Benii's cronies, the words "Queen Benii's cronies" made the two of them feel strangely nostalgic... The two of them turned their gaze towards Kyousuke and the others, but quickly averted it and showed a bored expression on their faces.

''You two.... What are you two doing?''
I'm waiting. About Asuka.

　At Ei's words, Harui says in an oddly thorny tone.

　Waiting, he says, but the place where they are standing is some distance away from Beni's bedroom. Kyousuke doesn't understand the meaning of the words, down to the aggressive shades contained in them. But even though he couldn't understand, he tried to use his mind to imagine it.

'You seem to be in a pretty bad mood.

　Fearless Ei Hino said fearlessly.

''Han, you don't know what you're talking about.
'No, I can see that. I'm sure Beni is not happy that they can't count on us to be there for them.

　Ei said simply, and the two men stiffened their expressions. Kyousuke tilted his head.

''What do you mean........it's better not to ask, right?
'Well, Kyousuke, if you say you care about the subtleties of these girls' minds, I won't say any more.

　With a twitch, Harui's face tensed up. She was about to say something, just when the door to the room a short distance away opened. Asuka Beni Asuka and Sakuma Shoko appeared. Harui and Snakezuka first made a worried face, and then quickly drowned it out.

''Asuka........''

　Snake Mound looked at Benii, who looked limp, and muttered to himself.

　Benii Asuka was completely pale. Although Benii had always had fair skin, she was now beyond white and pale. The whiteness, which is as sloppy as wax, has an eerie rawness to it. It's like that of a dead man.
　If this was a symptom caused by a lack of blood, why did they keep it quiet until this happened?

''Ah, Utsurogi-kun. Harui-san and the others too.

　Hearing Sakuma's voice, Benii looks up as if she noticed us.

''........Ah.''

　I just said, and dropped my gaze, not really speaking any more words.

''Asuka, are you okay?''
It's tough, but I'm okay.

　He said this without losing his usual tone of voice as much as possible, even with Harui's words.

'....Utsurogi and Hino are there too. Just as well.

　As it is, he continues to turn his gaze towards Kyousuke and the others.

''Well there's something I wanted to tell Utsurogi about this state of affairs as well.
Yeah, I don't mind, but...
Hey, Asuka.

　Kyousuke had just replied when Harui's cold voice rang out from behind him.

''What the hell is that?''
Harui....
I'm not saying that you need to rely on Sakuma and Utsurogi, but why don't you tell us all about those important things?　What?　Were we really that unreliable women to Asuka?

　There is a strange spike in those words. If the words were to be understood as they were, they would certainly mean what Ei had said. Kyousuke finally understood.

''I thought we weren't friends?''

　These two had been Beni Asuka's cronies since her human days. At least that is the perception of the people around them. However, "cronies" is a bit of a malicious term, at least to them, it is a "friendship". There may have been a sense of hierarchy in the relationship, and it may be true that Harui and the others had taken advantage of it.
　Still, it must have come as a shock to Harui and the others to hide the fact that Beni was a vampire, and maybe it was also a shock to them that they had confided in Sakuma first, rather than themselves. Beni relies on Sakuma, Kaoruko, and others, but at least he doesn't rely on Harui and the others. Maybe that was a shock to him.

　He hadn't expected to be told that. Beni had a surprised expression on his face.

''Harui........''
Well, that's okay. I'll get there first.

　Saying that, Harui turned his back to Benii and the others and walked up the stairs to the deck.

''Ah, hey Harui!''

　Snake Mound also shouted and went after her.

　Beni followed it with his gaze as well, but he quickly turned his attention back to Kyousuke.

''So, Utsurogi. About my current state of affairs.

　Kyousuke was surprised that he said such a thing so easily.

''Are you sure you don't want to go after Harui and the others?''
'I want to talk to you first... Oh, Sachi, I'm sorry. It's all right....

　Benii, who had been resting his shoulder against Sakuma, said this, and stood in the corridor, barely on his own two feet.

　He staggered somewhat, but was surprisingly firm in his standing. He scratches his black hair, sweat sticking to his forehead as he repeats his rough breathing with his shoulders.

“Drymia......... I say. 'My current state.'
Thirsty...?
'Yes...... That's what happens when you don't have human blood in your body for a long time.......

　The "vampires" in Kyousuke's world are a race that have gained their power from a special energy that is passed through blood. Much like magic, they are like spiritual genes, and each one has a different form. Through the same structural part of the spiritual gene, the Lord can give orders to his subordinates.
　The same structure exists in Beni's blood that receives commands from the king's spiritual genes, and the same spiritual genetic structure exists in Kyousuke, who became Beni's subordinate.

　Vampires were once ordinary humans. There, they were a race that was able to shed their spiritual genes into their blood through external means. It is passed on to the children born to vampires, but that spiritual gene was not originally intended for humans to have, and so a structural impossibility is created.

　Spiritual genes consumed by life activities and the exercise of power linger in the blood. It is a dead body of energy, so to speak. No matter how much it circulates, it cannot be purified by the vampire's internal organs, which are not much different from those of humans by nature. That's where the need to consume pure human blood, free of energy corpses, comes into play.

　A condition in which the blood is stagnant with dead energy carcasses after not ingesting blood for a long period of time. That's thirst.

'That's all right, but...'

　Kyousuke scratched his cheek.

'Why are you telling me that?'

　Asuka then said something unexpected.

"If I can't suck your blood, I might have to ask you to give it back to me once.

　Can you do that?　Kyousuke thought.