Hey!
"Yeah!

　A small victory party was held at the Adventurer's Tavern afterwards, and although it was somewhat cramped to bring in more than 10 monsters, there are few places where you can bring in monsters to begin with.
　Or rather, this tavern was a tavern where monsters were allowed to be brought in, not a place for monsters to gather and make noise. Therefore, the adventurers around us were looking at us as if they were looking at something strange.

　Perhaps I should have been afraid of a glance, but it had been a long time since I'd seen my friends. There would be nothing to shrink back from. Plus, it would be a triumphant return from the first time Luke had been killed.

'Nope, but you guys are getting stronger!

　Rin said in a bouncy voice.

''Growing up is a nice thing to do!
'I'm going to go ahead and say it, Princess Water. Becoming strong is not the only way to grow.

　Goubayashi murmurs softly, glass in hand.

'But I'll tell you something else. They've grown up. That's a good thing. You and Utsurogi, of course.
"Heh heh heh......... Well, of course......... Hey, Kyousuke........oh, and Kyousuke?

　Rin looked around as she shifted her body around, but there was definitely no sign of Kyousuke Soraki there. Uozumi Salmonichiro, who was eating in a single-minded manner at a seat a little further away, stopped his hand and turned around.

''I saw you talking to that adventurer guy outside about something.
'Oh my.... You're so serious. Well, there's a lot going on here.

　Although I said it in a deceitful way, Rin can understand how Kyousuke feels.
　I've been indebted to Lesvon for a lot of things, but I can't stay that way forever. He has his life ahead of him. He might be able to help him more if he asked for it, but Kyousuke wouldn't want that now that he could join his other classmates. That's why he's talking to Lesvon about what's to come.
　After meeting up, the group will now head to the Vernetus Kingdom. The hot spring inn that Sugiura and the others have prepared is currently a fearsome fortress due to Hanazono's 《Plant Manipulation》 and Harao's 《Pyramid Power》. They will use it as a base to gather their friends and work towards a new policy. We must also consider fighting the Blood Clan.

Well, let's just eat some more food over here...

　When it comes to money, Goubayashi and his friends are the best in terms of money, having won the championship in a fighting competition. On the other hand, it's Rin and the others who have the least amount of money. It might have been different if they had succeeded in exterminating Behemoth, though.
　Currently, the wallets of all of them have been consolidated, so the cost of food at this tavern will come from there.

　Sugiura was the one who was to hold the wallet. Although she showed a wonderful mimicry ability using the "Body Color Change" and an octopus hold in the raiding battle, she is still not suited for combat and will continue to be a cook. With everyone's prejudice that she seems to have a good sense of money, the money was also entrusted to her.

　Incidentally, this Sugiura is sitting around the table with Hanazono at a little distance. They were looking at the food that was served to them with some kind of dissatisfied look on their faces.

''Aya-chan, why are you so angry...?''
'I'm not mad at you but.......these fish fries are too fried........'　I knew I should have been in the kitchen....

　In contrast to Sugiura's pouting lips, Hanazono has a smiling face.

"Mooo, Aya. This is the kind of shop you should be in. This is not a place to eat good food!
That's right.... ........have you ever been to a store like this before, Hanazono?
No.
But,
Naiyo.

　Hanazono also seems to have changed a lot compared to her previous reclusive personality. Although her laid-back nature and her lack of assertiveness remain unchanged, she has become rather tough-minded.

"Eh, Hana-san drinks alcohol...?

　Masuyo Uozumi makes a surprised face and softly hits Rin on the ear. However, Rin can only bend her body limply.

It's a good idea to have a good time. I didn't get a lot of rumors about Hana-chan, so....... I know you drink, Aya, and I know you're good at it. I've heard that she's good at tasting wine. It's a secret to the senses, though.
Hey, he's a heavy drinker.
'Your father and mother both come from strong liver families. They're hybrids.

　Because he is such a Sugiura, he ordered a bottle of liquor here as well. It is a so-called distilled liquor.
　Sugiura likes Japanese sake, so she doesn't really like it.

"Huh..... So it's sake.

　The one who muttered that while tilting her glass was the headless customs officer, Kenzaki Megumi. Normally she would have been about to make a small tweak here, but not the current Kenzaki.

'In moderation.'
Oh, the vultures have changed.
Huh?

　The raw head on the table was showing a smug look on his face as best he could.

　In the human era, Rin's group was practically at the top of the class girls' hierarchy. The members were Kenzaki and Masuyo, a relatively honors-leaning group of sports-oriented girls. The fact that Kenzaki, a member of the public morals committee, was a bit of a nag, and so the other groups had their fair share of flack for him.
　The fact that Kenzaki said and did things as if he was admitting to drinking was an incident in itself. Does this kind of thing mean that he was able to relax his mind?

'Of course, this is a situation, because it's a situation. I won't overlook the drinking of my classmates when I get back to my old world. Okay?
Well, I don't. Booze.

　Rin replied. Underage drinking and smoking has a huge impact on the growth of the body. Rin hasn't given up on her growth spurt yet.
　Aside from her breasts, she'd like to have a little more tapa. More to the point, though, is the length of her legs. Well, this will be the time to go back to being human.

Me too. They say booze is bad for the throat.

　Next to her, Masuyo said the same. Like Rin on the track team, Uozumi Masuyo was famous for being the ace of the swim team, but Rin was well aware that she had an un-blown passion for something other than swimming, as a matter of fact. Since joining the club, she has become more and more like a person who is facing that unfinished business head on. This is also growth. It's a good thing.

　On the other hand, the ones who don't seem to have changed at all are Saruwatari, Okumura and the others.
　Saruwatari seems to have solved some of his own problems, but I can't see any change at all. He's still the same hot-blooded adolescent bastard he was before.

'Is this a girl's view.... I wonder if it's different from the boys' point of view.''

　The classmates are spending their time in the not so spacious restaurant, enjoying their time as they wish. Some, like Rin and the others, are happy to be reunited with old friends, while others, like Goubayashi and Harao, are eating quietly by themselves. Others, like Sugiura and Hanazono, are talking mainly with someone they were close to in the first place.
　If Hakuba was here, he could have had a conversation with Harao, but he was still trapped by his blood family.

''So what do we do now? 'Himemizu.'

　Kenzaki says as he brings the nut to his mouth. His face is placed on the table, so it's kind of composed as if he's feeding them.

'What do you mean?'
'You can use the inn Sugiura and the others have prepared for you as a base, but after that. What exactly do you plan to do now?
Hmm. Well, in the end, I think I'll be following Kyousuke-kun. I...

　In the past, he would have needed someone to give Kyousuke direction, but now he shouldn't have to worry about that.
　Rin wants to return to her former world. The fastest route to do that is to quickly meet with the wise men of the Eastern Forest and get ready for the return. I'm sure there are classmates, not just Rin, who think that way. It's just that it's a bit awkward to abandon your fellow classmates who are trapped for that.

''I'm going to take all my classmates back with me. Including Washio's remains.
"That's what the cranes say, right? 'Yeah. That's a relief.
'I've heard about the snowflakes and Mitarai and the others getting caught. I have no intention of giving up.

　Gulping, Kenzaki clenches his gauntlet-covered fist.

''Where's Masu-chan?''
Me?　I guess I'm like Himelin. I'd like to go home, but....... Well, if you've come this far, you know.

　With that, Masuyo fluffed up her own hair. Her hairstyle was belly-short when she was a human, but it has changed drastically since she changed into a mermaid. This change is probably the embodiment of Masuyo's ideals, and now that she's rethought her goals, I think she's highly motivated to return.

I will respect Utsurogi's future plans, though.

　And then Goubayasi, who was just eating quietly behind him, came into the conversation.
　The action of carefully removing each grape grain from the bunch and bringing it to his mouth, one by one, was amusing in that it seemed to show his meticulousness in comparison to the size of the figure.

'If he's reckless or tries to get us to do something, of course it's our role to stop him,'
Uh-huh. Well, yeah.
'We could take Luke down this time. But I guess that's as far as we can go in the line of cooperation at this point.

　Is Goubayashi's fear that he will turn against both the blood race and the empire at the same time? That's something Rin can understand. He still doesn't have enough strength to take on more than one enemy comparable to Luke's at the same time.

''The irony of a fight isn't necessarily to bring the opponent to his knees, fatty.

　Furthermore, Okumura interrupted from the side.

It's a good idea to have a good attitude if you want to get your opponent to agree to your terms. The "condition" here is, of course, the freeing of the classmate who was caught.
But, Kyousuke, you're not that handy, are you?
'No need to stand around with dexterity, Deb. I'm going to tell this to Utsurogi later, Deb, but we can beat up at least one, and hopefully two, of the Imperial Clockwork Alliance (Dial Knights), who have the same strength as Luke, over here, Deb.

　His tone is mild, but his words are those of the legendary Red Chanko Nabe who once terrorized the neighborhood.

　Our forces are currently being licked to death. It's always a good idea to let them do that, but at least it's not the case now. For both the empire and the bloodline, Rin and the others are nothing more than "targets for the hunt". If we don't correct that perception, if we don't stand on the same playing field, we will not be able to liberate our classmates.

''Certainly, if you're going to use that means to get them to drink their talk, it's the Empire.

　The door opens with a clatter and a skeleton clad in rags walks into the store.

''Oh, Kyousuke-kun. Did you hear me?　Are you done talking to Mr. Lesbon?
I heard. I'm done talking.

　Walking briskly, Kyousuke sits back in his chair.

'It's a high risk. If they perceive you as a threat, they could crush you.'
Well, there's no denying it, Deb.
''But the blood family has to be destroyed anyway. And at this rate, Beni won't be free. I guess it's the Empire's turn to negotiate.

　Kyousuke's words are aggressive. But he also continued.

'But since the goal of defeating the Blood Clan is to ensure Beni's safety and also to get all of our classmates back, well, there's no need for us to actually bump into each other, right?
Would you join forces with the Empire for that?

　Kyousuke looks up at the ceiling after Goubayashi's words.

''It's not a pear as a possibility. But to make sure it doesn't just turn into an exploitation, you still need to punch one in the face, right?

　As I thought, Kyousuke's words are strangely aggressive.
　It's not so much that he can't trust the Teikoku in some way, but rather that he simply can't shake his indignation at their forceful ways. Naturally, his anger was also directed at Ei, who tried to join forces with the Empire.

In the meantime, we need to figure out what we're going to do.

　Next, Kyousuke pulled out a sheet of paper and a quill pen from the dimension case.

'Ooh, a pen. You bought it.
It comes in handy when you need it.
But there's no ink.
Yes.

　As Kyousuke turned his gaze away a little awkwardly, an octopus leg, which had grown nimble from the side, placed the glass on the table. Inside, a black liquid that was clearly not edible was poured out.

''Eh, is this Aya's ink?''
No comment, please. Well, you can use it, that one.

　The gazes of everyone seated on the spot turned to Aya Sugiura. It is true that her lower body is an octopus, but her upper body is human. An octopus spits out ink from its mouth and how Sugiura, whose lower body is an octopus, managed to produce the ink is a mystery.

'Look, look, look, don't look at me. You're supposed to write something down.
Oh, yeah.

　He turned to the parchment with his quill once again, holding the quill in his hand as his stretched octopus feet flattened and slapped Kyousuke's head.

''Um, you're going to move your base to Verneus now, right?''

　Kyousuke vexingly writes a series of words on the parchment.

'Wow, Kyousuke. My handwriting is terrible!
'I don't have a choice!　I haven't held a pen in the last few months or so!
Okay, let me try it.

　Kenzaki snatched Kyousuke's quill from the side and ran it across the parchment.

'The writing looks like you threw a worm on the burnt asphalt.
'Shh, I don't blame you!　It's just that my vision is off!
Use your mind's eye.

　It's a good thing that you're able to get away with it, or perhaps you can't stand Kyousuke's cold criticism, but Kenzaki pushed the brush against Goubayasi. Goubayasi grabbed the pen with his stubby fingers, which could easily grip a human skull, and took notes with dexterity. It's a good thing that the son of the temple is such a master at writing.

But Goubayashi..... I can't read cursive.
M.....
Then let me help you.

　This time, Harao, who had been standing behind him in an instantaneous movement before he knew it, took the pen from Goubayashi.
　Rin let out a cheer.

'Ooh, Harao-kun's good at it too. Except it's not Japanese!'
Why the hieroglyphics?
It's the education gap.
It's not the most civilized place in the world.

　After that, the classmates rambunctiously switched brushes and finally settled on Rin.
　Rin, who grabbed the slime body and softly grabbed the quill, wrote the letters on the parchment smoothly as it was. She wrote the most decent letters out of all of them.

''An unexpected talent.''
Surprising is superfluous.
I've wasted a lot of time.

　Once again, Rin takes up the pen and begins to record the plans for the future, for starters.

''First, we're going to move our base to Verneus, right?
Yeah. And I want to work around that base. My immediate goal is to get into negotiations with the Empire. If I can persuade Ei to join the set as well, well, I think that would be ideal.

　As for the Blood Clan, we may continue to be passive again for some time.
　It's still hard to know their base of operations, but that's where we want to actively look into it from now on.

''So, in order to enter negotiations with the Empire, we need to beat the enemy's main force once, Deb.
"The Dial Knights. Well, I'll just tell you the names of the ones I know. First of all, there's Ei, right?

　Rin writes his name, "Hikano Akira.

"Next, let's see. It's the guy with the sword. They called him Rambald.
There you are. He seemed like the least likely person to talk to me.

　Kyousuke and the others encountered two more people. One of them was an unexpected person.

'Come to think of it, I've been going through too many shocking developments, but so has Filhana-san.
Filhana Granbana, uh...

　I don't even know why she had crossed over to the new continent as a member of the adventurers. At the very least, it's true that she was playing an even-handed fistfight with Luke, who Kyousuke and the others had managed to exterminate with their strength. At the very least, it's safe to assume that they possess the same amount of power.
　However, I don't think he's someone I can talk to at all. Is it a good opponent to negotiate with?
　At the very least, it seems better than that cold-hearted elf Rambaldo.

I think there's another one. We didn't have much luck with it.
Oh, what is it, a child?　The "little girl
"Pluto hero."

　With his arms crossed, Goubayash said in a grave voice.

I'm sure this isn't Japanese, so why does the kanji for 'underworld hero' just pop up in my head...
Let's not dwell on the details. It's probably the transference denaturation gate.

　Rin writes the name of the "Underworld Hero" on a piece of parchment.

"Did Goubayasi and the others also fight?
'We fought ... or rather, we encountered them. They broke into the arena.

　Kenzaki interrupts from the side. While listening to that, Goubayashi's expression is bitter as he nods.

''You have a lot of bad memories.
That's what Goubayasi did to me once, Debbie.
Manipulated?　Mr. Goubayashi?

　At Masuyo's unexpected voice, Goubayashi nodded with a bitter expression, after all.

　It was a bit of a shock to all of them. It's a good thing that you're able to get the most out of your classmates. The fact that he, of all people, is being manipulated is not quite right. What's more, the fact that he is one of the best fighters in his class, and yet he turns against the enemy is also frightening.

'It's another thing for Beni to be controlled by his bloodline. There is something called miasma, which strengthens a creature's ability to fight and causes it to lose its reason. It seems to be the legacy of a demon god who once attacked this world, but that girl can use it as a weapon.
So it's not so much the micromania as it is the miasma that made you go berserk?
'Hmm. Just as I was about to get my hands on Kenzaki, Saruwatari, and Lumiere.

　Looking at his own giant palm, Goubayashi muttered.

'You mean you're going to use your dangerous abilities. It's going to be tricky to get more than just a fistfight.'
The miasma of the miasma is a miasma of the miasma itself. I don't want to fight it head-on.

　It's an unusually weak statement for him, but that's how careful he needs to be. It is the gourd palm and the zekou, or ooga.

''Then, the ones who seem to be able to take advantage of it are Ei and Filhana-san.......''

　Kyousuke murmurs as he looks at the names on the parchment.

''Kyousuke-kun, are you okay?　Next time you see Hino-kun, will you be able to bring him back properly?
You have to see it to believe it.

　Kyousuke's gaze was staring at the one name written there.

'I don't know, but I'm going to say it. The next one we're going to beat is Ei. We're going to beat that crankhead and drag him to our side once more. Negotiations with the Empire will come after that.
I'll get my regular wife back soon. I'll start earning points frequently too.

　For some reason, Rin had started shadowboxing as she hurriedly got off her desk.



'You've been paid off at the gate, Ackee.

　Melodious Killer spoke as he looked up at the crescent moon floating in the night sky.

'.....Yeah.
'I think you could have been a little more cooperative. Hey, Ackie.
Yeah.
Well, if this country becomes a battlefield, the Empire will be in trouble, and I guess we know we can't force our way into it either.
Yeah.
Hey, Ackee.

　Melodious huffed a glance down and the one who was just ministering to her was a tiny little wisp that came out of his black magical armor.

'Hey Ackie, are you feeling a little relieved?'
...what?
Are you relieved that you were prodded to cooperate with the investigation and that it took you so long to locate your friend?

　There was a slight, blue tinge to the flames.

　Melodious knows that this is not just a fireball.
　It's a divine flame that continues to generate tremendous energy. At the same time, it's a devil's fire that, once it starts to run wild, can turn an entire city into scorched earth. That is the true identity of Ei Hino. That flame, which continues to burn on a principle very similar to the Red Mirror shining in the heavens, was named the "Black Sun" by the Sixth Seat (Sixth O'Clock) Rambaldo of the Imperial Clockwork Alliance (Dial Knights).

　Be careful not to run out of control, Rambaldo had secretly told Melodious. He is currently in a stable, high-powered state of fusion, but depending on his mental state, his flames can go into a highly unstable state of disintegration. When this happens, the flames not only produce heat, but also release a poison that can easily lead to a person's death.
　That's why Melodious had to always pay attention to Ei's mental state as well.

''........My resolve is not that lukewarm.''

　Ei only answered that to Melodious' question.

　They were currently camping in the Kingdom of Verneus, a country in the southeastern part of the continent. From this hilltop near the royal palace, the glittering streets of the royal capital of Verneus could be clearly seen even at night.
　This evening, Melodious and his men reached this royal capital. The objective was to capture the demons that were probably going to wash up and gather in this country. Those demons were, to be more precise, Hino Ei's companions, those whom the Blood Clan might target in order to replenish their strength.

　Merodias and the others raised the authority of the empire and asked for an audience with the king of this country. They explained the situation and demanded that they help in the search for the demons, but they were prodded, which is the current situation.
　So, Melodious asked Ei about the matter of being prodded, ''Are you relieved?'' and received the above curt answer.

''That skeleton boy, he's an important friend of Akki's, isn't he?
I've said that before. He was my friend.
Don't you like it?
It's not that I don't like Kyousuke. But I have committed a serious betrayal to him, and I still do, and I don't expect him to forgive me for it. And I have no intention of asking him to forgive me for it.
Huh ... I see.

　Merodias nodded, nodding with both hands on his cheek. And inwardly I thought this way.

''Just like Phil sister said, this is a troublesome guy...''

　If Ei is betraying himself, it would be against his own heart. The fact that he is not aware of it is also troublesome. If he continues to lie like this, he will surely not be able to maintain the balance in his mind.

(I think there's a limit to how much I can recover if I'm alone.... Can't you send me more support?

　I wonder when Filhana and Rambaldo will join them once they return to the Imperial Capital.
　Or it could be the other Imperial Clockwork Alliance (Dial Knights), but there aren't too many men who would be willing to work together against this operation in the first place. This is an area where the shortcomings of the Imperial Clockwork Alliance, which operates on its own judgment except in the case of an emergency call-up, seem to be exposed.
　Well, if we can get the other Knights or His Holiness the Emperor to put down roots while Rambalt is in the Imperial Capital, it will be easier to move. The best thing would be to get the Imperial Council to move and prepare for a full-fledged opening of war with the Blood Clan, but since they're so heavy-handed, it would take a lot of time. Until then, they would have to take the brunt of the arrows themselves and stop the blood clans from moving.

In the meantime, Ackie, tomorrow we'll start the search for you, okay? Are you okay?
Yeah, no problem.

　Ei's words remain stiff throughout. After all, it seems that the reunion with that skeleton responded so much.
　If they were to meet up again, the next step would be to see if they could maintain their balance. If I'm not careful, this lush corner of the peninsula might turn into a scorched earth where no one can live.

(Well, we'd better get rid of it before that happens...)

　"Melodious Killer, the underworld hero, stared at the flames emerging in the evening darkness, his twin eyes slowly narrowing.



'Luke's Shakko is dead.

　The first thing Akeno said to everyone gathered in the throne room was, "The enemy is a group of demons that have passed through the Transmigration Gate.

The enemy is the demons who passed through the Transmigration Gate. They raided one of the hiding places in a mob and were killed along with a number of pawns. "That's what the 'king' saw through Shakko's eyes."

　It was hard to tell whether that was good news or bad news for Yoshiki Koganei.

　It was Kyousuke and the others. They are steadily gaining strength. They never faltered from that defeat, joining up with their stragglers and successfully defeating one powerful enemy.
　The man had always been that way. He would rise up against adversity time and time again and crush the strongest enemy. Koganei had grown to the point where it would be a great thing to share in that victory, but in retrospect, it was too late. For now, I can only quietly admire him in my mind.

　But it was done. Kyousuke and the others had defeated Shakko.

　It will finally be impossible to ignore their presence among the blood clans.

"So, what does the 'king' say?"
It's not as bad as losing a piece. That's why it's "The Sixth Blood Beast."
I see.

　It was the man who smiled like a toad, the man who was the minister of this castle.
　He was already not human. He was not human when his blood relatives conspired to contact him and set up three stages of takeover to use this country as a base. He is a necromancer who remade his own body through the so-called "secret art of death". After that, he was transformed into a blood relative through the Factor.

However, it's hard to lose someone with a high factor like Luke. We are, you know, somewhat of a lightweight.
Red's recuperation, badly wounded by the Queen, will come to an end soon. The hole Shakko left behind will be filled with him.
That's fine,

　The Blood Beast Project is a plan to implant the bloodline factor into demons and make them into their own kind. Koganei and the others were invited to this world as the prime body in the final stage of the plan.
　The monsters lined up here are the blood monsters that Akeno has created in this world as a prototype stage of his plan over the past ten years.

　One of them could be the Necromancer "Toad", with whom Akeno speaks, or the "Cyclops", whose back is against the wall and who is puffing bubblegum! . They are called the Six Blood Beasts (Zexbreed), and they are the main force of the current blood race. Naturally, Koganei will be added to it.

　Toad. Cyclops. Then there are the Drakes, who are stocky and covered in full plate armor; the Gorgon, a woman with a large number of snakes sprouting from her head; and the cowering, nearly five-meter-long hulking figure of the "That's a Titan. And there's another one called Sleipnir who isn't here, apparently.

It's not exactly the kind of thing you want to see happen when you take down Luke, even if it's in a team. Hey, new guy?
'What?　Ah, ah..... Yeah, right.

　Gorgon smiled bewitchingly as he placed his hand on her shoulder, and Koganei responded with a drawn-out expression. At times like this, his true nature as a bottom of the caste comes out. When you've done your best to put up a false front, it's all you can do to be Kyoromitsu. I am.

The Empire has stolen the Demon Kingpiece from me, but I'm ready to give them back the Blood Kingpiece.

　Akeno said as he flipped through the materials at hand. All of us in the place, flipped through the materials with a quick glance. It's not just Titaan, who is so big that it takes a lot of time to flip through the material.

The 'Resurrection of the King' is not far away. Toad, have you prepared the blood needed for the resurrection?
Yes, sir, that's perfect. We've already selected the people who will make up the material.
"When the King returns, it will be time for us, the Bloods, to build our own paradise in this land. It's the second coming of the mythical war.
Well, let's see...

　Koganei raised his hand timidly in the midst of them. All of their gazes turned in that direction at once. Cyclops' gaze was one thing, but Gorgon's gaze was many and it was scary as hell.

''What, High Elf?''
'Does it work that well?　It. We fought against the Imperial Clockwork Alliance (Dial Knights), but if each one of them are even with us, I think it's a pretty tough match...
That's why they want the king back.

　Akeno tells us in a matter-of-fact manner.

The king is the 'Blood King', one of the king's gods that once existed in this world. There is no one in the world today that can rival the power of a god.
Doesn't ring a bell.
Maybe.

　Anyway, I knew that the king's resurrection was a long-held desire. The reason why he continued to have frequent skirmishes with the Empire was also to get the Blood King Piece back from that Empire.
　The Blood Beast Plan would be a plan prepared for the purpose of being thrown into the operation to recapture the Blood King Fragment as well. However, due to the irregularity of Beni's betrayal, they were forced to switch to a new strategy. That will soon be fulfilled, Akeno said.

''So, Akeno-dono. What about the Blood Beast candidate?　Do we still get them?
After the King's return, the more forces the better. The priority in dealing with them is to capture them. That will not change.

　Akeno responds briefly to Drake's words.

　However, Koganei is a little relieved by the flow of this story. The blood clans still do not recognize Kyousuke and the others as a clear "threat". The movements of the Six Blood Beasts will also be mainly directed at securing the Blood King piece.

Mr. Akeno. I want to work to keep the Empire in check.
All right.

　At Koganei's words, Akeno nodded easily.

''The movement of the Imperial Clockwork Alliance (Dial Knights) has been confirmed in Verneus. I don't think this residence has been uncovered, but first, High Elf. You move to check it out.
Yes.
Drake, take care of the assistant.
Yes, sir.

　A bluish scaly dragoon-newt with two twisted horns walked toward Koganei with a limpid pace. One of his golden eyes was crushed. He is slightly shorter than Koganei in height. If you don't include the length of his horns, he'd be about 160 centimeters.
　Considering that Ryuzaki, the same dragon newt, was close to two hundred centimeters tall, there was a significant gap in height.

'Titans and Gorgons, head north. There's a meeting point with Sleipnir.
.........
Okay.

　The giant and the snake woman nodded in succession.

'Cyclops stay in the castle. Toad, run this country as well as you ever did.
Ha, ha, ha, that's easy for you to say.

　In contrast to Toad's toad-like smile, Cyclops, with his rifle slung over his shoulder, closed his eyes and crisply left the throne room.

'High Elf Lord, it's a pleasure to meet you.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. It's nice to meet you.

　To Drake, who bows his head, Koganei replies, somewhat begrudgingly. Rather, he is polite.

''(Personality's dragonet........ It's hard to do.)

　With a hint of awkwardness, Koganei once again bowed to Drake.



　Night dawned and morning would come. Kyousuke and the others would leave this adventurer's autonomous territory and head east.

　This was where they would say goodbye to the two adventurers who had been taking care of them since the new continent. Although he couldn't do much to thank them, Kyousuke at least bowed his head in gratitude.

''Until now, thank you. Lesbons.''
Don't worry about it. Good luck finding the other hackers.

　His strong ship arm clutched back hard at his bony palm.

'If you ever get a chance to punch Filhana in the face, give her my regards.
Yeah, of course it is.

　After that, Rin and the others also thanked him, Inugami bows lightly, and Goubayashi and the others bowed their heads one by one.

''What are you guys going to do now?''

　With the loss of one arm, Lesvon is not expected to be an adventurer in the future. Although he will be retired from the front lines, he has savings from his working life. I heard that he plans to use it to start some kind of business or buy some land, but I haven't heard any specifics about it.

''I was thinking of owning a monster guild in the Zelga Gladiatorial Principality.
Well, that's a hell of a surprise.
Thanks to you, I'm used to living among demons.

　When they are talking lightly, Goubayashi comes out of the side.

In that case, you should ask the girl named Lumiere. The owner of the guild we took care of. She has demons and assets, but she is inexperienced. It would be my pleasure if you could help them.
Okay, okay.

　A night after the battle, this city of Zernaeus had regained a sense of tranquility. All the wyverns that attacked us have been reduced to ashes, and there are reports of unobserved demons running amok, so it seems that there's still a lot of confusion at the headquarters. I'm a little sorry to say that about half of this is my relatives' fault, but I feel like I'm going to cause unnecessary trouble if I linger here, so I decide to quickly pull out.

　As for transportation, we'll still be relying on the tomatoes in the flower garden.
　When I stepped out of town, I saw a tomato hidden in the forest waving to me.

'Hanazono, how about my mushroom doping to make these tomatoes stronger?'
Oh, no. You're not going to mess with my Ultimate Roger III.

　Mushikasa suggested that he was on a roll, but Hanazono's reaction was cold. On the contrary, they have even put a bag of zuta over the tomatoes to prevent his spores from getting on them.

　Goubayashi and Okumura are bringing in a large number of loads. Some of them were stolen yesterday from their blood relative's hideout. Sugiura and the others worshipped as if they were grateful for the seasonings and spices that were not readily available in this world.
　Saruwatari didn't help with the work, but was teaching baseball to the children who were watching from a little distance, for some reason. Harao is snoring loudly in his coffin. Well, it's not much different around here. Up to the point where Kenzaki slaps the guys slacking off and scolds them for slacking off, it's a complete pattern.

''Kyousuke-kun, what's wrong?''
Hmm, oh no...

　Kyousuke shook his head as Rin suddenly spoke to him.

'I'm just thinking how nice it is to see everyone again after so long.
Ho!　I see.

　For some reason, Rin is emphatic in her ministering.
　As it is, she crawls up the stalk in a sly manner and curls up next to Kyousuke, who sits on a leaf, curled up a bit next to him.

　The friends he hadn't seen in a long time had changed or not changed, but once he had settled in and looked at them, the reunion was honestly a joy to see. More than anything else, Kyousuke was more than happy that they were willing to help him with this. If possible, he wanted to share this joy with more of his friends.

　It's not only with Ei, but also with Koganei.

'Kyousuke-kun, are you getting a little sentimental again?'

　Rin asked as she looked into our faces.

'It might be. Well, I don't want to block it in any more than necessary.''
Okay. Okay, all right.
'It's nice to have company in times like this, isn't it? Rin.
What, um...?

　When Kyousuke's words became a bit heated, Rin twisted her body as if she was a bit woozy.

'I couldn't do it alone, but thanks to Inugami and you, I was able to get back on my feet, and thanks to Goubayashi and the others, I was able to move forward. It's all thanks to you all.
"Kyousuke-kun, you've become rather unconcerned about saying embarrassing things.......
'Eh, I don't know...'
'Hey!　Utsurogi!　Rin!　You guys aren't slacking off either!

　Around the neck, Kenzaki's reprimand came flying in from below. Kyousuke stood up and shouted back.

''I'll be right there, Kenzaki!
"...and then what?　Next, you're going to get Hino-kun back, right?
Yeah.

　Kyousuke nodded.
　He slid down the stalk to the ground and clothed himself with Rin's body as he slid down as well.

　From now on, the cooperation of his friends would be needed. After all, Kyousuke couldn't do anything on his own. It has been so for a long time, and maybe it will continue to be so in the future.
　But before he bowed to his other classmates first, this would be the kind of courtesy he would give her first hand for lending him a hand.

'There may be times when I falter and whine again. Still, I'm happy to oblige, Rin.
Leave it to me, Kyousuke-kun.

　Rin's words were somewhat proud as she answered that.