Did you win...?

　It's not just a matter of time before you get your hands on a new one.

　With the help of Kyousuke's "Characteristic Amplification", Sakuma's "Enchantment" finally broke the "King's" rule. For a while, there was a continuous rebellion, trying to somehow get inside Benii's consciousness, but after a few minutes of silent battle, that finally disappeared.
　Time was running out. "All of the pawn factors that the King can trace back to must have disappeared in Benii's body. Benii Asuka was finally freed from the "King's" horrific control.

　The unconscious Benii is still trapped in Rin's slime body. But slowly, she handed Benii's body to Sakuma. Sakuma quietly receives Benii.

''Asuka-chan........''

　When Sakuma called that name of quiet, Harui also peeked in from right beside him.

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

　When the two of them called his name, Benii shrank back slightly and opened his eyes slightly.

　At this time, Sakuma suddenly realized an awkward fact. All this time, Sakuma had been trying to "charm" Benii. He thought he was trying to squeeze out as much power as possible, but in the end, he had no choice but to do his best to jump the "king's" control.
　Benii Asuka does not like to be forced to do something by others. If you're not sure, Sakuma is no different from the "king" in that he tramples on her free will, isn't he?

　Or what if the "fascination" has worked so well that you forget about such things?
　For example, what if that cool and mature Beni, who has been with you since kindergarten, starts to come on to you with a slight upturn in his cheeks?　As a best friend, I have no idea how to deal with this at all. Since I was the one who used the 《Enchantment》, should I take responsibility for it?

　Sakuma thought about this alone in a circle.

'Asuka, are you okay?　Can you wake up?

　Harui Yuka asks this in a slightly gentler voice, a change from earlier.

''Hmm........ I'm fine........

　Beni finally responded.

'Really?　Doesn't it make you fall in love with Sakuma?
What, Harui-san?

　Sakuma flinched at Harui's open-ended mannerisms.

　What would happen if Benii said, 'Actually, I do.

　''I've always liked you,'' but it's still quite annoying.

　It doesn't bother me, but it does bother me.

　Benii slowly opened her eyes and looked puzzled for a while, but eventually muttered, 'Ah,' as if she understood.

''There's no way 《Saturation》 has that kind of power....... At the most, it can only make you turn your consciousness towards yourself.
What, oh, really?
Yeah. Well, I'll peek at it for a while, but it won't last...

　Come to think of it, I think Kaoru also said that the effect time wasn't very long.

　Sakuma suddenly felt somewhat ashamed of himself for having had some kind of insolent thoughts about 《Enchantment》. Behind him, Soraki Kyousuke crossed his arms and blurted out.

''But somehow, this time, I wasn't very good.......''
What, has Kyousuke started caring about his own turn for a while now?
That's a good trend, Kyosuke. Well, let's give it to Sattan this time.

　Beside them, Hikano Ei and Himemizu Rin were poking at Kyousuke as if to tease him.

　No, but no matter how short the duration of the effect is and how little impact it has, it's still not to be used on Kyousuke. Of course, it's not just Kyousuke. The power of Enchantment is tightly sealed so that I don't use it against any of my classmates. After all, I can't be as uninhibited about this ability as Kaoru is.

''By the way, Beni.

　Kyousuke says a few words to Benii, who is slumped in Sakuma's arms.

''How's your body? It looked like your factor was pretty much used up, too.''
It's pretty tough to be honest...

　The Queen replied, still in her usual low spirits.

'I don't think I'll last another day...'
All right. I'll go talk to Ryuzaki and the others.

　Kyousuke said, and gave Rin and Ei a look around. Rin peeked out and merged with Kyousuke, and alongside Ei, they began to run towards the back of the jungle. Hiding among the trees, they soon lose sight of them.

　'Potentially,' muttered Benii.

''I wonder if they've been clever...''
To whom?

　Harui plunged in calmly.

　Beni Asuka raised her face and looked at Harui like that. Gazed at by the neat, slit eyes, Harpy's Harui Yuka looked away, as if she had become somewhat awkward.

''Uh, Harui. You know what?
What the f*ck?

　Harui turned away and said bluntly.
　Beni is not an honest character, but Harui is also quite good at it. Sakuma almost chuckled a little bit.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work. We're friends.''
Oh...

　At Beni's words, Harui tried to scratch the tip of his nose. But, of course, he has no arms and is on the wings of a bird, so the feathers only stroke his nose. As it was, Harui couldn't help but sneeze.

''.......I wonder if this is the end of the matter....

　Watching their less than honest exchange, Sakuma smiles bitterly.

　There's still a part of him that can't say that this matter has been cleared up. But the battle is over. That pass has been crossed. Right now, he was relieved that his best friend was safe for the moment, and he felt like he could help his friend make up a little more of his unsophisticated ways.




'Friendship is....nice.'

　Kyousuke said that as he moved forward through the bushes. Ei made a jittery sound.

'What's up with you all of a sudden, Kyousuke.... Certainly, I too think friendship is a wonderful thing, but...''
There's no deep meaning to it, though. Hey, Rin......... Friendship is good, right?
What, you're going to dump it on me there?　What kind of response do you want!

　He had left that place, of course, out of concern for Benii and Harui. He knew about the complicated friendship that Harui had for Benii, and he felt that he should tell Harui something about it from Benii's side. Kyousuke had made the choice to leave the place because he knew it would be hard to do it with them in that place.

　From the Soraki Kyousuke who doesn't understand people's minds to the Soraki Kyousuke who understands people's minds.

　Even Kyousuke is trying to grow up in his own way.

'Yes, yes, Kyousuke-kun is admirable.

　Rin reads the thoughts that have been leaked to some extent due to the combined state.

'I'll do my best to make up for it too.
With Koganei-kun?
Yes.

　That may not be as beautiful as Benii and Harui's friendship, but still, Kyousuke can't dislike Koganei. He still has the feeling that they are friends. Even the words Washio left behind. It's my goal to see Koganei again and make up with him.

"You haven't changed........

　Ei also said that in a slightly softer voice.
　Considering that until a while ago, if you mentioned Koganei's name, he would get angry like a fierce fire and harden his attitude, it's a big difference. Just as Kyousuke was wondering whether he should run into it or not, he passed through the dense forest and came out around the village.

　Several students had already gathered there. Apparently the meeting had just ended, and around Chief Berger's house, the other island chiefs were bumping into each other with difficulty.

'Ah, Utsurogi-kun.'

　A few of the Inugami Rescue Squad's faces were also here. Hanazono was the first to notice Kyousuke and call out to him.

Hanazono, how are things going with Ryuzaki?
Hmm..... Well, I guess I'm just settling the matter, huh?

　When Kyousuke asked, Hanazono replied with a slightly complicated look on his face.

　Ryuzaki should have been involved in the discussions to gain the trust of the people of this Albadamba and to get them to donate blood for Beni. There is no sign of that Ryuzaki or of Mr. Bergel, the chieftain of this Delph Island, in sight. I wonder if that means they got a favorable response.

I guess that Toki is a vampire from this island.
.........

　Kyousuke doesn't know what to say when he receives those words either.
　The same is true for Rin, who also falls silent. After all, it was none other than Kyousuke and Rin who gave that vampire the death knell.

''But that man was a vampire.''

　Ei said once and for all in a cold voice. Hanazono also nodded divinely.

''Yeah. That seems to be what they believed. It's not so much a confirmation as it is a circumstantial proof, but I've found a lot of circumstantial evidence.

　It was probably the large amount of human bones and other things that were in the underground cave of the example.

　Hanazono continued his story further. With all this evidence, Chief Berger and the others trusted that the man who called himself Toki ... Tokihara was a vampire, who had tried to deceive the chief himself, and who had taken the lives of several children on this island.
　But the fact that the neighbor he had been so close to had been a monster, and the fact that that monster had taken so many lives in his hands, and the fact that he had held Inugami captive and had been struck down by Kyousuke and the others. It was impossible to ask them to deal with all of those things in a rational way, which was impossible to foundation.

　Their trust was gained.

　Our suspicions were confirmed.

　The trade fair will be held without incident, and Class 4 of the second year will be able to participate in it. At last, they will even offer a proper apology to the 2 years 4 for the inconvenience caused by Tokihara's actions.
　But even so, Chief Berger said he would need some time to sort out his feelings.

'...........'

　After listening to the story, Kyousuke looked at his hands.

''Well it's not Kyousuke-kun's fault, is it?''
'In this case, I had to do that. Otherwise, it would have been Inugami who would have died.
... hmmm, yeah.

　At Rin and Ei's words, Kyousuke nodded quietly.

　But it was also what he thought when he killed Suou. I had indeed killed something in the form of a human being who was conscious, rational, and intelligent. I killed something in human form that could have been a friend, even if it was never incompatible with me, but perhaps could have been a friend. They knew that if they did not do so, they, or someone else important to them, would die, but they killed something in human form that had made many acquaintances and friends in places they did not know.

　So how could I be so unconcerned about it?

　Something seems a little off.

　But no matter how much I looked at it, the answer would never come to my fleshless palm.




　Gopo. Gopo.

　There is a large flask that could hold a whole person. Various machines were connected to the flask through unidentifiable tubes, and the inside was filled with a suspicious liquid. And, to top it off, there was a human wreck floating around, as if it had been dipped in formalin.
　It would be impossible to tell if it hadn't been told that it was in human form. The limbs are torn off, the pigment has been drained from them, and they look like rags. The shape of the face is barely recognizable as that of a youthful man, but it's hard to say that the tissue is fixed by the fluid, and no one has any idea why they would throw such a corpse into a giant flask.

　Gopo. Gopo.

　Nope.

　It was not a corpse or anything like that.

'The king shows no sign of waking up yet or...'

　A vampire in a monastic suit squints at the flask. In her hand, there are several sheets of paperwork pinned to a board. With a small sigh, the vampire looks at it, breathing slightly, and writes some numbers on the papers.
　The woman with a well-considered body line is called Akeno Miyabi, also known as Bishop Akeno.
　Also known as Bishop Akeno.

　The flask in front of her, and the man sleeping in it, is the "king" of their bloodline.

　Now that he has taken on this appearance, the "King" cannot speak with his own mouth, nor can he move with his own feet. However, he is still alive. The proof of this is the figure of the silent girl chained to the bottom of the flask.
　The empty-faced girl sits on a small throne in front of the flask, nodding like a threadbare doll. Like the man in the flask, the girl, who, like the man in the flask, did not know whether she was alive or dead, looked up slowly the next moment, her whole body shaking with a jolt.

"Are you back, my king?"

　When Akeno asks condescendingly, the girl slowly shakes her head.

　But this girl is not the "king" by any means. You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them. "The King lives in a flask. The body barely functions, only the mind is strong enough to survive.
　"The King has traced the pawn's blood to the Queen's body, and temporarily gained control over it. A timed reign. During that brief half hour, the King would use the Queen's body to assist the pawns in bringing their Queen's blood to him.

　But...

You failed....

　The girl's throat spun such a voice.

'They took back control of Asuka and just like that, time is up. I underestimated them a bit.
They killed Suou. It's not what you think.
Looks like it.

　He sounded calm, but there was still a hint of frustration in his voice. Akeno didn't mention that and decided to calmly read the document only.

'As for the regeneration of your body, it's still the best we can do to maintain the status quo so that no further tissue collapse occurs. At the moment, though.
I see. I suppose we'll have to invade the land of the humans after all.
"We're sorry to inconvenience the King."
Good.

　"The King" was mortally wounded once in his original world. He was placed in a mental maintenance flask by the elders, who feared that the bloodline would collapse. Since then, he has been kept away from the eye for nearly three years on the other side of the world.
　The plan to invade this world had been in the works since then. After all, there was no way to restore the King's body to its original state. Magic technology is much more advanced here, and the bloods took a chance on it.

　But none of the many forms of magical technology that existed on our side had been able to heal the king's wounds. The only recourse is to rely on the Central Empire's forbidden laws, or on the treasures enshrined in the Imperial Palace.

　The original reason for the quarrel that the bloodline had with the Empire can be traced back to this.

　"The King is in a situation where he cannot move his own body, but he can trace the blood of his blood family and control them. This vampire girl now exists only to speak for the "king's" words.

How do you wish to deal with these people?
'It's not a situation where you can't even tell me to leave it behind. Asuka needs to be disciplined especially strongly. But the others don't have to be as much of a priority.

　It seems the King has a thing for the Queen.

Besides, they've been here for almost three months. "The filter must be wearing off.
It's not necessarily a good thing for us that the filter is broken.
'It will put a wedge in their unity. If it's just Asuka alone, I can do whatever I want. Uniting them is tricky.

　Surprisingly, it was a straightforward analysis. Akeno found it surprising.

　I don't deny that I have that in me, but "kings" have a tendency to look down on other people and belittle them. I'm sure that this was the reason for his defeat in this case as well. It's rare that the "King" is so quick to admit that a threat to others is a problem.

Is Scar Red there?
Yes, sir.

　Led by the sound of the girl's voice, the darkness faded softly. As if slowly lifting out of the darkness, a huge man with a strong face stood up. He was a tall man, his entire body wrapped in a military uniform. Like many vampires, his eyes were tinted red.
　And most striking of all, as his name suggests, was the large scar that ran across his face.

　Red has the title of "Luke," which proves that he is one of the strongest and most powerful members of his bloodline. In close quarters combat, in particular, he's on par with the Queen. Red's many abilities, including his ability to soar through the air in all directions, played an important role in the early battles against the Central Empire.
　Even when the blood clans on the front lines were ordered to retreat due to the changing situation, it was Red who played the role of Lord.

　You can find out what the "king" would order to Red, and Akeno had a pretty good idea of what the "king" would order him to do.

　The girl's words spun slowly into words. Both Akeno and Red listened quietly and did not argue at all. The girl said just that, and then, again, kaku, kobe.
　The King is still in the flask, the King is still in the flask. But the King seems to have decided to give his eyes and mouth a rest for the time being. He has fallen asleep. The vampire girl seated on her throne has empty eyes and a slack-jawed mouth.

　Red gave a small bow and accepted the "king's" command.

"..........

　He wordlessly flipped around and was about to walk away from the hall with a tsk tsk tsk sound.

'You're leaving now?'
The king's orders.

　His reply to Akeno's question was curt.

　It's good to have a good work ethic. It's good that he's dedicated to his work, though he's a bit too blind.
　Akeno watches the flask containing the king, checking the paperwork again.

　"Luke" Wounded Face Red (Scar Red) sails off in a clingy manner, with no one in particular to see him off.