The day after that battle, Filhana returned to the Empire with two demons.
　Karasuma Yoshitsune and Mitarai Azuki. The number of individuals was much smaller than originally planned, but the fact that they were able to get their hands on the "Demon King Fragment" was more significant. In order to avoid fighting with the blood clans, we divided the team into two and decided to take the king piece and the captured demons back to the imperial capital for now.

　The ones who returned to the imperial capital were Filhana and Ranwald.
　Ei Hino and Melodious were to continue to head east under the eye of the blood clan.

　Apparently, as far as Melodious was concerned, the one who freed the demons that Ranbalt had bound was one of the Five Divine Stars of the Adventurer's Association, the "Nameless" of the planet Hibikiwolf, as far as Melodious was concerned. It's unclear what kind of intentions Nameless had for sabotaging us, but immediately after he freed the demons, Melodious flew under Nameless and engaged him. As a result, the place where the two sides fought has been greatly gouged out of the mountainside and a landslide has occurred even on the city road.
　Although it was selfish, it was inevitable that they would intervene in the standoff with the blood clan if they left the Nameless alone like that. With that in mind, he couldn't blame Melodious for his actions. As a result, it was a fact that he was able to obtain the advantage of recapturing the royal fragment.

　There are a couple of things that Filhana is concerned about.

　One is the Lesbons.
　Soraki Kyousuke, Karasumaru Yoshitsune, and others are demons that Filhana had met when she infiltrated the Adventurer's Guild and went with Lesvon's party to investigate the new continent. As a matter of fact, they don't harbor that much ill feeling. Despite their duties as the Imperial Clockwork Alliance (Dial Knights), their allegiance to the Lord God Fyldelfon and his alleged grandson, the Emperor, and other such things, those strange demons who spoke a human language were good friends to Filhana.
　The same was true for the wombats who had escaped Karasuma and been killed by the Bloods. And, of course, it was the same with Lesvon Balk, Weygun, and Rain, all of whom he had briefly slept and eaten with, well.

　At the beginning of that battle, Rain was there. Rain has known Lesvon since she was a child. As long as she was there, Lesvon must have been in that vicinity. At the very least, I hope they are safe.

　There's one more thing I'm worried about.

　It's about Akira Hino.

　Filhana knew that Ei's "classmates" were those talking monsters, in other words. On top of that, he decided to be ruthless and bring his friends to the Empire, even if it meant forcing them to come to him. He thought he had that much will and determination, but inexplicably, Ei was acting strangely after that.
　Soraki Kyousuke was also a particularly close friend of Ei. From the conversations I've heard, it seems so. That Kyousuke had come to a standstill with Ei and tried to deny his words and actions. Perhaps Ei was prepared for this to some extent, but the psychological burden that was placed on him there was probably more than he thought it would be.

　To be honest, Filhana was worried about Ei. He was the one who suggested that they should go back to the Imperial City and take a break, but Ei was still adamant that he would go. So in the end, it was decided to leave it up to Melodious to take a look at him.
　The ability Ei possesses is unstable. That ability could be the power source for the golem that Ei controlled. It has two characteristics, which are good as long as they lean toward one of them, but if they start to lean toward the other, it would be impossible to control the amount of heat. It could cause enormous damage to the surroundings.

　Ei's abilities are still stable. However, it's extremely dangerous.

　Something that could occur when he loses control of his abilities due to some factor.
　It would be a catastrophe that would engulf a single large city. Does Ei and Ranwald really understand this?

　As Filhana was walking through the Imperial Palace while thinking, she suddenly saw two men and a woman talking in the middle of the passage.

　With a snap, Filhana stops in her tracks.

''It's been a while. Duke Ismo, Count Adjuster.''

　The two imperial nobles turned to Filhana and returned the congratulations.

''Good day to you. Fourth Seat Lord.''
You look rather well. Bishop Granberna,

　The Ismo family is a great aristocrat who is also linked to the imperial family, and the Adjustment family is a prominent family of crafters who have produced several excellent item crafters. Filhana, who is from an orphanage, is not at all related to the orphanage by birth itself, but he had met the two of them when he was crowned a war bishop in the Holy City of Fianderg, shortly before he joined the Imperial Clockboard Alliance (Dial Knights).

　House of Adjustment's Filicis is still a young female earl who has only recently taken the title of head of the family. She is the most skilled crafter of all time, and I've heard that the redesign of this imperial palace is due to her. Even the fifth seat of the Firing Bone Crusher, who created Ei's golem, has publicly stated that he will hand over his item-crafting skills to her.

　But...

　More than that, Filhana had only one thing that bothered her about this filicide.

''Count Adjustment, I have received information that I have seen a talking demon in your vicinity recently.
A talking monster?　That's about as good as it gets, I guess.　Incubus, succubus, and nosferatu talk like a hoot.
Please don't play dumb.

　Filhana stepped closer.

'Goblins, gremlins and gargoyles. What do you make in your own workshop in the industrial city of Gil-Azerg with all these demons in tow?
It's not much. It's a boat. We're building a ship. Well, I'm not the chief. I just lend you my workshop and ideas. You have to know some people to get the materials.

　The Countess of the House of Adjustment replied with a flutter of her hand.

''What is the identity of these talking demons?''
'Isn't it credible that I trained these demons to speak?　Wouldn't it be handy to be able to communicate with goblins and gremlins?
That's bullshit...

　Filhana is about to say, and Filhana keeps her mouth shut.

　This female count is a first-rate crafter, but she's also a first-rate breeder. To say that it can't be done, that is not possible. Filhana doesn't believe it, but there are even rumors that Noi Noi, one of the stars of the Five Divine Stars, the Screaming Dragon Star Noi Noi, was educated personally by this Philisys.

''There's no need to pry any further into the matter. Fourth Seating Lord.

　Duke Izmo, who had been silent until then, speaks to Filhana with a soft smile.

''The workshop of Lord Filicis is a special class private property that His Holiness the Emperor has also approved. No matter how much we are in the Imperial Clockwork Alliance (Dial Knights), we can't force a search without His Holiness' permission.
''I know ... I know. It was out of line.

　Filhana bowed her head politely and then started walking down the aisle again.

　The workshop of Philisys Adjustment. There was no doubt that Ei's classmates were lurking there. Moreover, there was no doubt that new materials were constantly being brought into that workshop and they were building something inside. Filicis is hiding the demons on it.
　''Do you want to advise the Emperor?　But this was also difficult. The two people who are prioritizing the protection of those demons are mainly Ei and Lambart, not the emperor's imperial order. In addition, Duke Izumo and the Count of Adjustment were two people who had the absolute trust of the Emperor, and to compete with them, the 0th Hour Seat "Imperial Wand", the 1st Hour Seat "Silver Wolf Dragon", the 3rd Hour Seat "We have no choice but to draw per giant heaven into our ranks.

　As the war against the Blood Clan intensifies, it's definitely better to protect the demons in the Empire.
　But the Empire is not a monolithic organization. There aren't many forces that can be moved, either.

　According to Ei, the total number of talking demons is 39. Only about half of them are still able to keep track of their movements. With a grim face, Filhana headed to the conference room of the Imperial Clockwork Alliance.



''Dammit!　What is this place?　You're in solitary confinement!

　Gripping the bars tightly, Karasumaru Yoshitsune shouted.

　Karasumaru was thrown into what he shouted was a place that could be called a cell, just as he had shouted.
　To be exact, it was a cage for demons set up in a corner of the Imperial City. A sort of infirmary. Their cages are set up outdoors. However, a tall wall had been erected to surround the cage, and it was prepared for escape in case of an emergency.
　It seems that in the heavily populated imperial capital, there are only a limited number of places where you can safely leave a demon, but even so, it's the worst location. There is also some sort of research facility built nearby, which isn't very creepy.

Karasuma-kun..... There's no point in making a scene here, so........
'Not so much!　No, so what!　I'm supposed to indulge and accept life like this caged bird in a cage!

　From the next room, I could hear Mitarai Azuki's small voice. It was a more firm voice than I expected.

'As long as Hino-kun is here, you're safe........ Yes, right?
I don't know if that's true, but... Because this is an animal...

　The longsword and leaf fan were recovered when they were thrown into this cage. Considering the other side's convenience of not being able to rebel, it's only natural.
　The surrounding cages also seem to be housing some kind of demon. Deafening yells of squeaks and gurgles can be heard. If there are monsters of the same species, it might be possible to communicate with them, but both Karasuma and Mitarai are ayakashi that only inhabit the new continent. I can't expect them to do so at all.


.........
"Hey, Mitarai. No matter how much you're a demon, you'd expect me to take that kind of delicacy into consideration, right?　Huh?
...Karasumaru-kun. I don't like it.
What? Why?

　By the way, the space between the cages is a stone wall, so they can't see each other.
　Come to think of it, I wonder if the other classmates have not been caught as well? Karasuma tried to peek out of the cage to look into the other cells, but unfortunately, his beak was the only thing that could slip through the bars.

　Now, that's when.
　Karasuma's beak poked out from between the bars. As if touching it, a fluttering feather fell down.

''........hmm?''

　And the moment the fallen feather touched the beak.

Nooooooooo!

　An electric shock went through Karasuma's body.

　This is not a metaphorical expression. It was an electric current of Magamon. Its bluish feathers popped the air with an obvious thundercloud.

''What......... This feather.........

　As Karasuma slowly reached out his hand through the grate, a large shadow suddenly fell on his vision. With a huge sound of wings, the wind whipped up, and a huge body with a considerable amount of mass descended with great force. As the wind nearly blew his body away, Karasuma witnessed a large bird of prey moving its wings while wearing electric shocks all over its body.

　Its appearance resembled that of a Steller's sea eagle. It was based on white, but its coloration was beautiful, with a mixture of yellow and blue feathers. There was a strange pattern around its belly that reminded me of a totem pole. The raptor looked at the azure sky for a while, and then suddenly turned his head there, as if he noticed Karasumaru in his cage.

'Good, thunderbolt. Good work this time.''

　Several humans descend after the raptor (Thunderbird). The special shaped armor that they wore all over their bodies may have been used to block the electric shocks due to their powerful lightning resistance. They all seemed to be flying by magic, but they were holding a thin tablet and quill in their hands.

'We got some good data. Go back to the cage.

　The oldest man said as he touched the holograph that emerged from the tablet with his quill pen.
　As the younger men unlocked the cage next to Karasuma, Thunderbird quietly obeyed and walked into the cage. It was locked again and the men walked towards a white building that appeared to be a research facility.

''...Kannari, right?''

　After the men are out of sight, Karasuma asks softly.

'Yeah. Karasumaru-kun, long time no see.

　Kannari's voice from the next cage was unexpectedly calm.

''What are those strange men?　Why are you following it?

　Kannari Toriba is one of Karasuma and his classmates. She was 175 cm tall, or maybe 6 cm. Anyway, he was the tallest of the girls. He was taller than Karasumaru, and to be honest, he was not one of the girls he was good at. Since his reincarnation, he had taken away Karasuma's share of the fastest flight in the class, so he was still not good at it.
　Karasuma had obtained 《Super Speed Flight》 through Phase 2, so who was faster now, Kannari or Kannari?

''Those guys, the Imperial Rare Creature Calligrapher Squad........ I think it was. A person like a curator. I heard they study rare organisms.

　Bachi, bachi, bachi, the sound of popping air can still be heard from next door.

　A rare creature. I suppose that means the Thunderbird falls into that category. Well, that's understandable.
　But I still don't understand why Kannari's people are following those people.

''--because it was the only way to see what's out there.

　In a small subdued voice, Kannari said.

"--They're all overwhelmed. Mr. Hino-kun has become an enemy. The prince who got along so well with you was executed. Especially Mimi-chan. So, I'm going to be the one to do it...
Are you planning an escape plan...?
I don't know yet. ....I can't. But I'm the only one who's going to try not to give up hope...

　Karasuma was blindsided.
　Speaking of Kannari Toriiha, she was just a big girl, just a big girl (although she had a tapa, and a munchie, too) who was reclusive and unflappable for her height. I got the impression that she was hiding behind the big-mouth Nekomiya Miya, who was always eager to show off. The difference was even more striking because the actual Nekomiya was less than 150 centimeters tall, but was a girl who was not afraid to assert herself.

　I didn't know that Kannari had come to say such things in this desperate situation.

''Everyone--you're going to be great, aren't you?

　Thinking back, it was a sign of her growth that she was supposed to be afraid of thunder, but she was making her whole body buzz so much.

''I understand. I'll help you, too, Kannari.
Yeah.
I'm pretty sure I'm fast too. You and I can't afford to be too fast.

　And I am an ayakashi. I'm a rare creature in this world. If I have to, I'll even tell you the stories I heard from you in the New World. If I see what's going on outside, I might even be able to make an escape plan.

"...but I feel a little bad for Mr. Filhana.

　I've got a half promise to keep.

　If it were possible, I would like to see him again before he escaped. Will we ever get an interview with them? They are nothing more than protected creatures, to themselves.

But I wonder if this Salt Lake City guy has escaped.

　Even if he's like that, he still claims to be the strongest in his class. If he doesn't get back on his feet quickly and be able to beat up on the Imperial Clockwork Alliance (Dial Knights) or the Blood Clan, he'll be in trouble.
　Karasumaru slumped down on the stone floor with his hands around the back of his head.



'We've been caught, haven't we?'
You're in trouble.

　The two people who were being taken in the corridor in a daze were Hakuba Ikkaku and Yukinoshita Ryouka. They had been captured.
　It was the result of Bishop's battle with Akeno. In fact, these two had cornered Akeno to a pretty good point. Although they were inferior to Akeno in terms of overall specs, Yukinoshita's firepower was comparable to that of a bishop-class bloodline. In addition, because of the healing magic by Hakuba, she was able to attack in a rather reckless, cancerous manner.

　Only, well, she lost.

　It was a single bullet that turned the battle situation upside down. Immediately after Yukinoshita turned the entire area around her with a plasma fireball into a burnt out field, bullets were shot at first at Yukinoshita and then at Hakuba in rapid succession. The impact of the impact coming from an unexpected direction delayed the regaining of posture for a moment, and then the black energy released by Akeno took away the freedom of my body.

　If only I hadn't gotten in the way of an unnecessary hindrance there.
　If only Akeno hadn't gotten in the way, I would have been able to get away with it.

　When I think about it that way, I feel some kind of frustration.

　The one walking ahead of Hakuba and Yukinoshita is a woman. She is wearing a special forces style suit that seems to follow her entire body tightly. A large rifle slung over her shoulder. Your eyes are glued to the rather small buttocks of the white horse. Whether or not it matches his glasses is left out here.
　She's s*xy in the back, but she's a sniper with her formation reversed. She looks human, but she's not human. Nearly half of her face is covered by a bright red monocle, and she has taken the name Cyclops. There were canine teeth peeking out of her mouth, suggesting that she was probably a blood-transformed demon.

'Hey, you,'

　Hakuba calls out to him.

"You have a gun, but where did you learn how to use it?
.........

　Cyclops does not answer.

　The Blood Clan can transfer supplies from the original world at will to some extent. So the presence of guns and special forces style suits is not that surprising in itself. As expected, though, I was quite surprised to be put in a helicopter on the way to be sent to this castle.
　However, it was indeed unreasonable for a demon from this world to be able to handle those guns at will. The most conceivable pattern is that she, like Hakuba and the others, also passed through the transition denaturation gate and transferred to this side.

''What do you think?''

　Daring to keep his voice quiet, Hakuba asks Yukinoshita.

''That's right. If he turned into a demon when he went under the gate, that means he wasn't a blood relative at that point, but a human.
'Oh, you will. And Beni didn't turn into a demon.

　Hakuba nodded at Snowdonia's words.

'And yet, now they're becoming blood relatives. So that means there are two patterns.'

　With a snap of his fingers, Snowdrop fixes his gaze on Cyclops walking ahead of him.

　Two of them, pawns, are following behind him. It's so that if this one makes any suspicious movements, we can stop them immediately. Looking at the firepower of the snowflakes, it's not encouraging, but in any case, we're not going to resist either. It's the extent to which the freedom of the body, which was suppressed by Akeno's black blitz, has finally returned. Even if they could defeat the pawn, they would be quickly held back by the Cyclops in front of them.

　Snowflake continued without regard to the pawn behind him.

'One pattern is that they were originally human collaborators, but they agreed to be experimenting with the Gate and transitioned over here, and then they were turned straight into a blood race.
.........
The other pattern is that they got caught up in the Blood Gate like we did and agreed to become bloodsuckers because they had no choice. Well, either way, he's the enemy. This guy's sniping hurt like hell.

　Roughly, Hakuba agreed with him. However, Cyclops didn't react at all when he heard Yukinoshita's words there.
　Eventually, Hakuba and the others were led to a single room. When Cyclops opened the door, he was confronted with a scene that looked like a hotel room, with a rather luxurious interior. When he tried to peer in, he heard a voice from inside before that.

''Hakuba-kun and........Yukinoshita-san?''
Oh, that voice is Mr. Kumazaki.

　Kachan, Kachan, Kachan, Kachan.

　Itomi Kumozaki Itomi of Arachne. She had been with us up to the point where she was transferred to the new continent, but then she had disappeared. Karasumaru had told me that she might have been captured by the Blood Clan, and it seems that was exactly what happened. He seemed to have a surprisingly stable life.

'Come inside.'

　Cyclops says coldly.

It's an emotional reunion. I don't want you to butt in.

　Bey, and the white horse sticks out its tongue. Cyclops didn't really react, except for a gyrating of his large eyes.

'You will live in this room for a while. No harm will come to you. There are no plans to inject the bloodline factor into you at the moment either. It's a condition of a man's deal that you do so until you're no longer useful as a fighting force.

　Hakuba immediately realized that this "man" was referring to Yoshiki Koganei.

　Koganei, along with Cyclops and Akeno were returning to their home base. The only person who didn't accompany him was that rook guy named Shakko. It would be good if Lesbon, Inugami and the others were able to escape alone. Of course, so did Kyousuke and the rest of his classmates.
　From what I heard in the helicopter on the way back, it seems that Shakkou is still hiding out near the Adventurer's Autonomous Region. The only thing I heard was a plan about how the wyvern that had been turned into a blood clan or something like that. I don't know the details.

''If they attempted to escape, that's not the case. We will immediately perform blood-formation treatment to make them follow us. That's all.

　As he said this, Cyclops closed the door with a slam. You can hear the sound of footsteps walking away crisply down the corridor.

"Well..... I'm glad you're both safe.
'That's my line. Mr. Kumozaki... and Tentahara-kun, you're there too.

　Yukinoshita says, and Roper, whose tentacles were wandering like objects in one corner of the room, greets him like a gentleman.
　Ryouka Yukinoshita and Itomi Kumozaki. These two are classmates, but they have surprisingly little contact with each other. The first thing they do is belong to different groups. In fact, the two groups didn't really get along with each other: the group of Kumizaki, which was of the inner caste and had a high aspirations for advancement, and the group of Yukinoshita, which was more of the middle caste and was taking it easy and peaceful, didn't get along very well.

　But when you have to live here, you can't afford to be so extravagant.

You will be able to find out more about this. Did your character change?
No. The water can be 100 degrees or minus 100 degrees H2O.

　I guess that's what happens when you see each other after a long time, Hakuba thinks.

''Hakuba, did you guys get caught too?''
Yeah. I'm trapped. Well, things have changed. I don't know all my classmates at the moment.

　For now, they needed to exchange information. Hakuba told Tentahara and the others about what happened in the New Continent after escaping from the blood clan, and that he went straight back to the Adventurer's Autonomous Territory, and the advertisement that Ryuzaki released. In return, the tentacles field told me what they had found out about this castle.
　This castle is apparently the royal castle of a small country located on the east side of the continent. Ostensibly, the king continues to reign here, but in reality, most of the main characters have already been turned into blood relatives and are being manipulated as puppets. They are planning to use the demons with the blood-kin embedded in them as an alternative force for their classmates, and the cyclops is probably a part of that plan.

''Well, I'm just piecing together information I got from eavesdropping around here.

　Saying that, Spiderzaki tugged on the thread from his fingertips with a pin.

''Me and Spiderzaki secretly planted the thread in various places in this castle.

　Tentahara, too, wagged his proud tentacles and said proudly. Apparently, they are picking up the sounds outside with their spider-saki threads. It reminded me of the story that spiders can detect prey passing near their webs by the vibrations of the threads.

'A demon with the blood factor embedded in it? You mentioned using the wyvern.
If he's as good a fighter as that Cyclops, it's tricky.

　In short, it's tricky because it's like dealing with a demon that has become Phase 3. The only person in the class who can be a Phase 3 is Kyousuke. Even that Kyousuke couldn't get a handle on that adventurer's namelessness or something like that.

''Well, Utsurogi-kun will be fine.

　With his arms crossed, Snowman muttered.

It's times like these, with hard work and perseverance, people become strong. It's a good thing that you're able to do this. The current Utsurogi-kun is not a person, but.... If your soul is a person, then you can become strong through hard work and perseverance!
Oh, it's the same old Yukinoshita-san.

　Looking at Yukinoshita, who clenched her fists tightly, Spiderzaki said.
　Yukinoshita Ryouka continued to scream as she clenched her fists in a Shimamoto Kazuhiko-esque pattern that was unusually rough for her these days, with flames in the background.

'Yes, I'm stronger now!　I started playing ballet in the first grade, and I've been training bloody hard every day since!　My growth spurt was almost over, but I drank milk every day to grow taller and hung on the bars for three hours!　I didn't skimp on the running to keep my stamina up, and I kept training to build up my jumping ability!　That's why I'm so strong!　Even Utsurogi-kun can be stronger than that!
'But snowflake, our volleyball team was so f*cking weak.
There!

　I'm not going to be the only one who is strong," he barked as he stuck his index finger to Hakuba.

I can't help but be strong!　And volleyball is a six-man game!　So even if one person, Utsurogi-kun, got stronger, there's nothing you can do about it!　You can't change reality!　So!
So?
So I hope he doesn't stop trying to manage on his own. I hope he knows what's happening here.

　Snowflake concluded with those words and looked out the window at the sky. The sky in the kingdom is so blue that it's hard to believe it's ruled by the bloods, and the garden is well-kept and good.

'Well, there's no point in us worrying about it now, is there?
Yeah.

　I can't just linger in the basket for now. We are tired now, but we should take a break and start thinking about ways to escape.
　A trapped person has his or her own way of sticking it to the trapped.