It's possible that the queens have found out about our presence.

　It was when the sky was finally turning white that Akagihara told Asaaki.
　To be precise, he didn't just tell it to Asahibi. Several vampires were waiting in the empty house in the jungle that Akeno had prepared for them. All of them were pawns who had been pulled up from the old castle with Akeno, and were loaned to the Tokihara as a fighting force and
They are the ones who are. Suzihara will use them to determine the future of the queens and, if possible, recover their blood and offer it to the king.

''I knew it was a bad idea to recover that canine?

　One of the pawns asked. Akagihara nodded.

''When Asahibi-san was attacked by the canine, it was inevitable, I guess. Even if they had killed him and left his body there, it would have had the same result. According to the chieftain, he left the welcome party halfway through and returned to the warship off shore.
Tokihara-san, how is the canine doing now?
We've got it chained up in the basement. We've chained it up underground, but you'll need to be careful for a few days. We're on our way from the half-moon to the new moon now, but the chains can easily be broken by that degree.

　Last night, Asahibi, who was wandering out in a huff, was taken by surprise by the survivors of the werewolf tribe. Asahibi hadn't had any human blood in him for almost a month, so he must have been looking for a meal. It was really no luck that he was attacked there.
　After all, it was not a good idea to let these vampires go out. It was nearly half a month ago that Akeno and the others crossed the ocean to visit this Albadamba. The islanders of Delph Island welcomed them as guests and sent them off, but of course they didn't know that Akeno and the others were vampires, nor did they know that they had left a few pawns behind with the Suzakuhara.

'Well, everything will be taken care of in a couple of days. If you need a meal, I'll prepare one afterwards, so you'll have to be patient for a bit.

　When the trade fair is over, they too will leave this Albadamba. But first, we have to fulfill our objective.

　There are two things we must do.
　The first is to find out through the chieftain what they want and where they'll be headed.
　The second is to get the blood from the Queen, who will probably be on board the warship.

　The latter was obviously more difficult. Besides, it would be better for the Suzakuhara not to leave directly. It would be troublesome if the chiefs realized the attack on the warship was coming. Ostensibly, we need to pretend to be irrelevant.

'On the contrary, the current situation is an opportunity.

　Suzihara said.

'If they find out we're there and that the canine is missing again, we'll have to devote personnel to it. The Queen's guards will be thin on the ground.
Okay. You got that thing already?
We'll be ready. We should do it while they're away from the warship, if possible.

　The reason I went to the trouble of keeping the canine alive is to prepare for this. The saliva of the werewolf tribe has the ability to force the vampire factor back to its basal state. Once bitten, their strength is greatly weakened and they become even more unwell. That's why the king hated its existence and even tried to destroy the clan.
　No matter how much of a queen she is, if all the factors in her body are stopped, she will not be able to move. The most troublesome person to take the Queen into custody is the Queen herself. We have to do something to stop them, or else we'll be out of luck.

　If the mission worked, the Queen could take the body back to the King without any blood.

　But if the mission fails, and we are beaten back by the Queen.

(Then...)

　Suzihara looked at several jars, arranged on a shelf.
　Several sealed containers were labeled and filled with a scarlet liquid inside.

''Hey, Tokihara-san,''

　Asahibi, who had been doing poor shaking and other things, said while looking in the same direction.

''That blood, shouldn't I drink it?''
No. That's a trump card.




　We made our way through the early morning jungle to the square where the welcome party was held. Only the remains of a bonfire remain, but the square was clean and tidy. The village was quiet and still, but there were already signs of people moving about. There are some people who are early risers.
　However, if you run into them, it's going to be a lot of trouble, Kyousuke thought. His companion, Ei, is a smooth talker, but he's not a very good talker. The rest of the masks are also not very good at explaining the situation. I'm not sure if it's a good idea.

''For now, let's start questioning the plants.

　The square is surrounded by a dense forest. The problem is that there are far too many trees to listen to.

'Leave it to me,'

　For some reason, the tentacle field was the first to step into the jungle, undulating and moving. After a few moments of letting the tentacles out of his entire body, colorful and brilliantly colored tentacles grew out from somewhere in the jungle. The tentacles of the tentacle field and the tentacles of the jungle seemed to be making contact and communicating in some way.

''So the tentacles really do grow wild...''

　Kyousuke muttered in a stunned voice.

'Remy-chan told me that Albadamba's tentacles are bottled alive and used to trade with maritime caravans.
"Who's going to buy it?
Aristocrats from the Empire or something.

　Should I not ask beyond that? When did Rin have that kind of interaction with Remy in the first place? Even though she's a slime, it's a reminder that she's not a great communicator of the upper class caste.

'Once, on the boat on the way back home, a bottle exploded and he panicked. Remy and the others barely escaped to another ship, but eventually that ship was taken over by tentacles and is still drifting in the Luvering Sea, apparently.
Oh, my God, I hate that story!
They call them "ten-takler ships. It's famous among sailors on the continent.

　So, does that mean that if we bring the tentaculer ship closer to the tentaculer ship, we can get another ship that can cross the ocean? A ship that has been hijacked and controlled by tentacles is a disgusting story, but if it can navigate on its own, it's a big deal.

"Kyousuke........ You must be seriously examining this tease's yoke again........

　Ei says in a dumbfounded voice from the side.

''It's not like I'm giving you a lesson, though...''

　Rin's body was deformed so that her lips were pointed.

　Before she knew it, Mushroom Kasa had also stepped into the jungle and started a fancy conversation with the colorful poisonous mushrooms that grew under her feet. A mushroom person talking to a mushroom has a horror-like quality to it from the side. What's the difference between that and a flower garden talking to a small flower beside it?
　The investigation is a foot, they say, but it's going to be a pretty steady search. The fact that Kyousuke and the others had nothing to do in the meantime was also boring to say the least. As long as they were here as an escort, they couldn't relax, but after all, there was nothing to do.

'Utsurogi, we've found something terrible!

　From inside the jungle, the voice of the tentacle field could be heard. Kyousuke merged with Rin and stepped inside, accompanied by Ei.

　A large number of tentacles were undulating around the tentacle field. The tentacles that communicated with and tamed all of them were like the king of tentacles. It reminds me of the erotic doujinshi Koganei lent me when I was human. I do not want to bring the girl very much. But I did bring her along.

''Kyousuke-kun, do you like that kind of thing?''
I don't really like it.

　I'll clearly deny Rin's doubts.

'So, Tentahara. What's the hard stuff?

　Kyousuke asked, and several of the tentacles carried a white cloth in an undulating motion.

　A white cloth. For a moment, he wondered what it was, but Kyousuke quickly discerned what it was. And then he was immensely disappointed. It was white with a modest floral pattern and lace, clearly a woman's

Underwear.

　Ei said simply.

'Yeah, pants.'

　Tentahara reiterated.

'It's Inugami's pants. It's not just the pants, though. I'm too scared to touch them, so Utsurogi can keep them.
No, no, I wouldn't touch it either...
Why don't I have that for you?

　Ei's tone was the same as usual.

'Stop it!　You'd end up with burnt bread if Hino had it!
How can Ei be so calm in the first place...?
'I don't even know why I'm so distraught at the sight of women's underwear.... You could go to the department store and they'd have them there.
'It's not just a woman's thing!　That's Inugami's.　That's my classmate's pants!　And it's that, you know, bad girl's pants!　That's pretty cute!
Okay, okay, that's enough, youth.

　From around Kyousuke's shoulders, Rin's body stretched out nimbly and received Inugami's underwear from her tentacles. Of course, it wasn't just the underwear. Rin, who had received the clothes handed to her in a nonchalant manner, but only at the moment she received the bra, she stared at the cup.

'Well, I saw Inugami strip once before at the base........ That was shocking........ It reminds me of that.

　Ignoring Tentahara's enraptured speech, Kyousuke and the others once again look at the shell of Inugami.

''What do you mean, you only threw away your clothes?　As a girl, I imagine I don't really want to do that.
There's no need to be cumbersome. That Inugami guy takes off his clothes when he turns into a wolf, right?

　However, it seems that they only take off their clothes like this in case of urgency, and usually fold them up tightly and leave them in a corner. It was rather stimulating information for an adolescent boy.

'Utsurugi, I'm almost done asking the mushrooms......Wow!　Underwear!
'Utsurogi-kun, I've asked you a lot of questions and what I've found out is... wow!　Underwear!
It's not just my underwear...

　Mushikasa and Hanazono also came back and returned with a reasonable reaction.

''So, how did you hear about the inquiry?''
'Oh, yeah. Let's see, last night, Inugami-san left the welcome party and was seen passing around here.
The mushrooms even saw the Inugami take off his clothes.

　I knew it was voluntary. It was probably for the purpose of transforming.

　So, why was it necessary to transform, after all, is it because they found a vampire? Since Inugami hasn't returned, should we still see that there was an engagement? I am convinced that my previous predictions are not so wrong.

'Tentacles Hara, what do the tentacles say?　You haven't seen the Inugami?

　After saying it myself, I know it's a crazy line, but there's nothing wrong with it.

'Uzurogi........ Tentacles don't have eyes. They can't possibly see.
'It's too late now!　Then what about me, Rin and Ei?　Don't sound like you're looking at something so pathetic!
Well, apparently these guys don't have vision, anyway. They haven't seen the Inugami.

　In that case, the questioning will continue. Since Inugami's underwear was found around here, if you ask the plants, they will at least be able to tell you the direction they were headed.

"Mushokasa, did the mushrooms see the part where Inugami transformed, right?
Yeah, but he was so taken with the image that he couldn't remember the rest of it. But he was so absorbed in the image that he didn't remember the rest of it.
'I wonder why the tentacles don't have vision and the mushrooms do...'

　Later, Hanazono resumed questioning the plants in the vicinity, and it became clearer and clearer which direction Inugami was headed. The group proceeded through the jungle, relying on the information Hanazono had gathered.
　After advancing for a while, Hanazono stopped.

''What's the matter?　Hanazono.....

　When Kyousuke asked, Hanazono silently pointed to a single tree growing in front of them.

　The tree's trunk still had a number of brand new scratches on it, a number of them still fresh. One could tell by looking at them that they were caused by blades, or sharp claws and fangs. As Kyousuke moved closer to check it out in detail, he also noticed something strange at his feet.

'Kyousuke-kun, it's blood.'
Yeah.

　I nodded at Rin's words and crouched down on one knee. A red liquid splashed on the base of the tree and the grass around it. Furthermore, as I scraped the grass on the ground, I found a number of fine, silvery hairs that had fallen off. Probably the body hair of an Inugami who had entered a silver wolf state.

''Does this mean that there was a battle in this vicinity.......?

　At Ei's words, Kyousuke nodded again.

Hanazono, Mushikasa, can you come back here and talk to them again?
Yes.
Okay.

　As expected, it seems there are no tentacles growing around here. The tentacles of the tentacle field are undulating all over the body and approaching towards Kyousuke and the others.

　This place is relatively close to a populated area in the jungle. Right in front of you is an open road. It's probably a road for islanders that connects the villages. At a position where that road is visible, the Inugami engaged with someone---perhaps a vampire. Looking at this blood and hair, and the wound on the trunk, the Inugami is wounded. The wound on the trunk of the tree was probably made by scratching it in the process.

''Hibiki-chan, are you okay........''

　Rin muttered worriedly.

'It's getting to be an indescribable situation, isn't it?

　As expected, I can't say anything irresponsible here. Kyousuke was looking at the tree trunk with a difficult face, but suddenly noticed something strange.

''There's something strange about this tree's wound.''
What?
It just seems like too much for a wound that was inflicted by all that suffering.

　It's kind of like a scar that looks like it was cut to pieces. It was a scar that had been cut again and again, horizontally and vertically. It's too unnatural to be seen as a natural wound. However, it was too strange to think that the Inugami had inflicted the scars intentionally.
　Was it a message from the Inugami, who was in a difficult situation, to himself? But I can't find any kind of regularity in it. Kyousuke turned around and called out to Hanazono.

'Hanazono, would you mind listening to this tree for a moment?'
Uh-huh.

　Kyousuke takes a step or two back and gives up his place to Hanazono.

'Um, it's okay to ask about Inugami-san, right?'
I also want you to ask who gave you that wound. ...Ei, is there anything else?
No, I don't. I think that's good.

　Hanazono nodded and meditated, then gently touched the trunk of the tree with one of his hands. He then gently traced the scar, indicating his intentions by nodding several times, perhaps against the tree.
　The sympathy was surprisingly long, lasting a dozen minutes or so. Then Hanazono slowly opened her eyes and said, "Two things.

'Two, okay.'
Two?
Yes.

　Taking the form of a petite girl, Hanazono turns around and tells Kyousuke and the others.

'First of all, it's about Inugami-san. It seems that Inugami-san fought two men here and lost... and was taken away.

　Hearing those words, Kyousuke and the others fell silent. They were murdered, although it was better than that, but it was not a good situation. But what are they really going to do with Inugami after they take him away? Besides, I said two. If this was Red Moon, that meant there were at least two vampires.

"So, one more thing.

　Hanazono looked at the tree trunk with painful eyes.

''These wounds look like they were inflicted separately by Inugami-san and one of the men.
What did you say?

　According to her story, this is what happened.

　Wounded as a result of the engagement, Inugami dug his claws into the trunk of a tree and scratched it. Later, one of the men noticed something about the tree trunk and brought out a blade and cut the surface of the trunk in multiple cuts. It seems that the man scratched the trunk just before he took Inugami away, just after the two men had just finished their consultation.

''I see, it's a cover-up.

　Ei said.

'So you're saying that the hints Hibiki-chan left behind were correct?
Yeah, they tried to cover it up by cutting it up irregularly from above.... That means it was information that wasn't good to be seen.
You could just cut it down or remove the bark from the tree........sorry. Hana-chan.

　Realizing that the words she had uttered were cruel to the plants, Rin hurriedly apologized to Hanazono.

''No, it's okay.''
Hanazono, do you know which wound Inugami gave you?
I'm going to...

　With that, Hanazono put her finger on the trunk and gently traced the wound. It was immediately recognizable because it took the form of the Japanese katakana, a language Kyousuke and the others were familiar with.

''To........ki......... Toki?''

　Kyousuke nods his head.

'Toki, what is it?'
"An endangered species in the family of the pelican order of crested ibis.

　Rin said. With that, the other members of the group opened their mouths in unison.

"It's in the southeast of Gifu Prefecture, adjacent to Aichi Prefecture.
Or the warlord who lived there.
The one I saw Laraa at the end of her life.
"Kenshiro's Brother.
I'm not playing for laughs.

　Talking to the mushrooms didn't give him much useful information, and before he knew it, they were even mixed in with the mushroom shades. Kyousuke let out a dumbfounded voice.

''Ah, but... Kyousuke-kun.''
Yeah?
Ibis, it's called a bird heron in vermilion.
Yeah, I know.

　'Yes,' he said, but for a moment, Kyousuke couldn't decide if the red heron was read as a heron or not.

'Maybe it's a complication, but the vampires I've known the names of so far are. Akai, Suho, and Akeno, right?
What's Suho?
I know what they call "suou-colour". Utsurogi-kun. It's a member of the Fabaceae family and was used as a dye.

　Hanazono added.

'Dark red..... Anyway, it's red.''
Hmm....

　Beni, Suho, and Akeno. Besides that, Akagi?

　As I recall, Beni said that there were people like sympathizers who supported the vampires in the original world as well. They provided blood and various other root causes. When such sympathetic humans were recognized, they would be implanted with the factor and become vampires.
　From what I've heard, it's a very closed society. The fact that the "red" color is mixed in with the surname is probably not something to be taken lightly.

This could be a pretty big clue.
''Yeah. But with the Inugami in the hands of the enemy, we can't take it too easy.

　As if to nail Kyousuke, Ei said.

'Do we go to report to Ryuzaki once here, or do we continue to ask around and rush ahead? It's best to be cautious.''

　As he was told, Kyousuke pondered. When he looked up, the sun had already risen and the sky peeking through the leaves was blue.
　Ryuzaki and the others said they would be moving first thing in the morning, so if they could get to Chief Berger's house now, they would be able to report in time. We might be able to get some information about the person called Toki, too.

'Speaking of which, the bus driver's name is Asa Akira, right?
Really?
The guide said that. It's a very unusual name. It's called "shallow scarlet".


　Kyousuke scratched his head.

'Beni-san, you don't really tell me unless you're asked, do you?
'If the driver was a vampire, then we'd be talking about what happened to the doctor and the guide. I guess they didn't want to give him too much extra information.

　Hearing Ei's words, Kyousuke was reminded of his homeroom teacher, Katsugushi Idehiko. He was a somewhat inappropriate and lax teacher, but he seemed to be a good and generous adult. He was supposed to have been involved in a fallen bus accident, but what happened to him after that?
　No, it's superfluous to think about it now. Kyousuke shook his head and drove the information out of his mind.

　It was certainly possible that the bus driver, Asahibi, was part of the vampire gang, but he put that aside for now.
　If "Toki" written on the trunk of this tree is a person's name, there is a good chance that it is a vampire's surname. And the fact that he tried to erase it means that he may have run into the vampire's true identity from the name "Toki".

It's possible that the people of the island know his name, right?

　Rin said, reading Kyousuke's thoughts verbatim.

'But such a person wasn't at the welcome party yesterday.
I don't think they'd be stupid enough to show their faces. If you were Japanese, you'd get found out in one fell swoop.
I wonder if they told him not to mention his own name or something. Or the Chief.

　It is true that the string of "Toki" is much more Japanese than the other islanders, but with this much information, we can sway them.

　However, with all this information, we can still sway them. However, if we knew that Chief and Welkano were connected with vampires, it could have the opposite effect. If the other side knows that we have information about Toki, Inugami's life will be in danger.

　If they knew about the crested ibis's connection with the chiefs, this would be a problem. Proving that he is a vampire with harmful intentions is no mean feat. But if the island is to become a battlefield, we must hold ourselves accountable.

Let's keep asking.

　Kyousuke said.

''I'm going to find out where Inugami was taken and have a rescue team on standby. We can tell Ryuzaki and flush out Toki's identity afterwards."

　This may be a risky decision.
　If you want to ensure your own safety and the safety of Hanazono and the others, it's better to explain to Ryuzaki first.

　However, considering the possibility that they might be able to get their hands on the Inugami, or that our movements might be perceived as a danger to the merchants, the islanders didn't want to lose any time by turning back.
　With their selfishness, they might endanger their squad members.

''It's okay, Kyousuke-kun.''

　Rin's consciousness reverberated in her mind.

''(We'll definitely protect everyone.)'
Yeah.

　With a strong determination, Kyousuke looked out into the jungle.
　A few minutes later, based on the information Hanazono had heard, they all began to move forward in the jungle.