45-Episode 42 Aiming For The East Sea
When I asked Goubayashi about this, he told me this.
The concept of salvation of the soul after death is for the living to become independent and look forward from the fear of death. It is better to believe that there is no such thing at the beginning than to cling to the fantasy that the dead may come back to life.
It was a cold way of speaking, and it was not a religious man's word.
But it was the words of Gourin Yuanshu, a friend of Kuki Kyousuke's. Kyousuke nodded indulgently.
There was one more soul that Kyousuke had to pray for the repose of his soul.
There was a small hill a short distance away from the old castle. Even though it was a hill, like the ruins of the royal capital, it was not a place that could be said to have a good view due to the forest of trees. But Kyousuke chose it as the burial place for Suho Takafumi.
The resolution with him was instantaneous. Whether he had no way to prevent the Extreme Blows, or if he hadn't wanted to prevent them in the first place, he didn't know. But blood splashed from his chest and the Knight Suo fell down. No matter how good a vampire was at physical ability and regeneration, if his heart was crushed, he would die. That's what Beni had taught him.
Kyousuke didn't have the time to take care of himself. There was also the convenience of the limits of activity, as Benii had told him. If he cut corners poorly and the Extreme Cross was deactivated, then Kyousuke would not be able to perform the EX Combination (Ex Cross) for a long time. Thus, there was no guarantee that Suou would not attack Kyousuke and the others who had lost the decisive means.
Suou had ridiculed his own blood fate of being born as a subordinate as 'shitty', but seeing as how he escaped Akeno and bought out the Shinigari, he must have had some sense of belonging. He didn't say anything about where Akeno or Koganei would have been headed.
It was a maddening thing. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a toothache. I never thought that I would have had the thought, "If only we had met in a different place," like in a shonen manga.
Suou's burial took place quite quietly compared to Washio's. Ryuzaki, Goubayashi, Harao, and Nekomiya, who witnessed that battle. And Benii and Sakuma, and Rin and Ei. These eight, plus Kyousuke, and the nine of us gathered up his corpse, which had been erased like ashes, and buried it atop a hill.
To many of his classmates, Suou remains the enemy. He led the Chimera, the monster that desecrated Washio's death, in an attack on the branch school. He tried to kidnap Sakuma and beat her up badly. There was the slightest hesitation in inviting the other classmates to bury such a Suou, but Goubayashi and the others nodded.
''Then we'll continue to explore the old castle again,''
After the silent prayer was over, Ryuzaki said that.
''According to Kurumori, the engine section was damaged when the branch school shook during Suou's attack, and it's going to take another day or so to repair it.
Oh, I see. So you'll be exploring the old castle in the meantime.
He's been holed up in there for a good long time. We're finding all kinds of stuff.
Did they intend for it to serve as a base of operations for the invasion, just like the "Cemetery of Promise (Catacombs)" dungeon? I heard that they had found a certain amount of materials that could be used to renovate the branch school.
Besides, numerous amusements. Starting with table games such as chess and cards, the discovery of a generator and a video game had caused a great deal of excitement among his classmates. Kyousuke felt just a little bit sad as he realized the meaning of Suou's last words to Akeno.
He decided that this wasn't something to talk about at the graveside any more. Ryuzaki walked down the hill with Goubayashi and Nekomiya. Harao yawns loudly.
'I shall return to the branch school and go to sleep again...'
Good job, Harao. Thanks for everything this time.
It is Harao's duty to protect his friends. No one shall disturb his sleep...
As soon as he said it, Harao disappeared in an instantaneous movement.
''You're still a strong character........''
Rin said with a pout. The rest of us nodded silently.
I'm sure you'll be able to find a solution to this problem. It's hard to say that all is not well.
Yeah, it's not a situation I'm willing to let go of, but it does solve one problem that's close to home.
After receiving Ei's words, Kyousuke looked at his own arm.
Compared to before, his bones felt strangely weak. It's a depletion of the 'blood power' due to the prolonged use of the Phase 3 ability. Beni had also referred to this as 'blood depletion'. Apparently blood power can be regained over time, but it seems that Extreme Cross isn't something that can be used on a moment's notice. It seems that if Beni constantly supplies blood, not so much, but Kyousuke's attitude was reluctant on that point.
The people here were Rin, Ei, Sakuma, and Benii. Kyousuke turned to the four of them and bowed again.
'I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you this time. The reason we were able to win was thanks to everyone.
Uh, yeah...
I don't care about that.
Beside the faltering Sakuma, Benii said simply, "I'm just saying, Utsurogi, don't get carried away just because you got to Phase 3.
I'm sure you'll be happy to know, Utsurogi, don't get carried away just because you became Phase 3. It's as if they know you have my blood.
Ugh....
At Benii's words, Kyousuke flinched a little bit. It's a thought that's still true.
The reason why Beni is hiding his power is so that the king won't notice his position. I don't know how many conditions the king needs to have in order to give orders to his subordinates. But since Beni has not yet broken free of his control, Kyousuke's body is also equal to the king's control.
Kyousuke has reached Phase 3. That is to say, he has become a member of Beni's household. Kyousuke is also no longer able to refuse the king's orders.
''We have no choice but to follow up on that. That's right, Beni.''
Hmm, yeah.
There was something implied in Ei's words.
''We need to have another talk with Ryuzaki and the others about our future plans.
The way forward?
What about Koganei-kun and Kaoruko-chan?
As Kyousuke tilted his head, Rin put in a capture.
'Also, about Benii-san's purpose and all that, right?
.........
Beni has his arms crossed and his eyes are closed. Rin and Ei are probably aware of this. The goal for Benai is not the "return to the original world" that Ryuzaki and the others are advocating, but this is not something to talk about at the grave.
But this is not something to talk about at the grave. It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.
''Well, I'm going back to the branch school.
Oh, me, me, me! I'll be back! Let's go too, Hino-kun!
I don't mind. ...but yeah, I guess so.
Rin and Ei follow Benii down the hill. It was Sakuma who was surprised.
''Eh, wait........wait.....''
He couldn't chase after the three of them as they suddenly left the scene, revealing their dismay. Kyousuke sighs - with a body that can breathe out, as usual, but he feels like he's sighing anyway. Those guys were being extra clever, weren't they?
Give Sakuma the same words he had said to Ei just before chasing Suou at the branch school, he said. Kyousuke kept missing opportunities for whatever reason, but he should say it right now.
''Uzurogi-kun........''
Sakuma said, squirming oddly. It felt like it had been a long time since I had seen her like this, oddly enough.
For a while now, Sakuma had been on edge for a while, so it might be inevitable. He rarely even had a chance to exchange words with Kyousuke. He was given a position like the female representative of the class as a position to voice his opinion to Benii, and within a few days after that, there was a series of matters that bothered him, such as Washio's death and Benii's coming out.
The fact that the class is united and that Benai and myself are safe like this is due to her hard work.
'For now, let's go down the hill too.
'Yeah, well...'
It's been a long time since this forest has been untouched, and if it's not good, it's likely to lose its direction.
''........Utsurogi-kun, do you remember the first time we met in the library?''
Perhaps stuck in the conversation, Sakuma suddenly broke off such a story.
'Yeah, you gave Sakuma the book I was going to borrow. "The Witch of the Black Forest, right?"
Yeah. This forest looks a lot like the one in that book, doesn't it?
It's a "Black Forest" (Schwartzwald). It's pretty spooky compared to the image of the Japanese forest.
I knew it. The trees around here are all coniferous.
When I think about it, having these conversations with Sakuma is a ridiculously nostalgic thing in itself. It's been more than a month and a half since I came to this world. It's been almost two months now. It's been a long time since we've talked about the contents of books we read in the library.
Sakuma looks very happy when he talks about these things. I'm sure that this kind of face is closer to her nature than her recent tense expression.
"Sakuma,
What?
As I said before, thanks to Sakuma and the others, we were able to win this race. Thank you.
When I said those words, Sakuma rolled his eyes.
''Sakuma has always helped me on a regular basis as well...''
Is that something you tell people about?
What?
The unexpected reaction came back, so Kyousuke dove down with all his might and rolled down the slope.
''Utsurogi-kun!
'Mi, I mean everyone.... The rest said something similar to Ei.
''Oh, I see......... Hino-kun.........
Sakuma made a difficult face as he helped Kyousuke honestly say while raising his upper body.
'Utsurogi-kun.'
What is this?
I'm going to do my best to be as good as Himemizu-san.
Aren't you supposed to tell him about those things?
Kyousuke felt like sweat was spewing out of his entire body. Naturally, since he was a bone, he didn't have sweat glands.
I don't intend to be so foolish as to not understand what Sakuma is trying to say. But I'm not mature enough to accept it head on. It's as if the price of having turned a blind eye to our own inner world and the emotions around us has come back to haunt us.
This kind of conversation is bad for the heart and makes me sick to my stomach.
Sakuma.
Yes.
But hang on!
That's the kind of thing he doesn't say...
What else was he supposed to do?
As they descended the hill, Sakuma said, 'Of course I'll do my best to keep up with you, Hino-kun,' and Kyousuke was forced to roll down the slope again.
That night, Kyousuke and the others gathered in the captain's office of the branch school. Their faces were almost identical to those that participated in Suou's burial during the day. Since then, Nekomiya and Harao have been removed and Inugami has been added.
The branch school's engine repairs will be finished by the end of the night, so we will have another discussion about our future plans.
As a result of completing the search of the old castle, various materials that were probably left behind by Akeno were discovered. One of them was a report titled 'Outline of the Transition Degeneration Gate'. It was something that Kyousuke and the others couldn't understand for the most part, but they understood from Benii's explanation that it was a report about a gate that could simultaneously transfer to another world and change its constitution into a monster. As a document to hand over to the "Master Majina", the Sage of the Eastern Forest, it was well worth it.
In addition, they also found material on the virus that turned human bodies into ghouls. According to Serena's story, it was about ten years ago that wights began to be discovered as monsters, and according to Beni's story, it was three years ago that the blood clan made plans to migrate to another world, and the difference in the flow of time between this world and the original world is nearly three times as great, which shows that it roughly coincides in time.
''Well, we're just getting started...''
Ryuzaki spread a map on his desk. It was a large map with this continent drawn on it.
The terrestrial continent is spread out in the shape of a crescent moon that roughly depicts the lower chord, albeit rather awkwardly. However, the map was finely drawn only in some areas that stretched from the center to the north, south, east, and west, and the forest where the branch school was currently staying had been dyed gray.
''According to Serena-san, since this world was subjected to a massive offensive by an outside enemy hundreds of years ago, humanity's sphere of activity has been greatly narrowed. I heard that the map of this continent is not accurate either. He said it shouldn't really be a crescent shape, it should be much larger.
The wilderness that first shifted over was almost completely untouched by humans.
At Ryuzaki's words, Rin nodded.
It's just that humanity's sphere of activity---or rather, the narrow scope of the empire's activity--means that if you make a proper detour, you won't have to take a stand with them. So, we're on that detour now,
We are far south of Serena and the rest of the country and out of the Empire's perceptible territory. If you continue eastward, you will find yourself in a wide ocean. Apparently, to the south of the Empire, there is a maritime nation made up of small islands and a land called the New Continent. This area is almost completely untouched by the Empire, and the New Continent is visited only by eccentric adventurers.
The original idea was to pass through this sea and the New Continent and visit the wise men living in the forests to the east. Everyone has no objection to this idea.
There were two problems. The first is that if we go out to sea, we won't be able to meet up with Kaoruko...
Ryuzaki looked up and Benii and Sakuma made difficult faces. I've heard that these two have known Kaoruko for a long time.
But Goubayash said.
'We've talked about meeting up in the east. I don't know where we are in this bay area, but if it's within open sight, that's where they'll be waiting for us.
'Then the first thing we do when we get out to sea is look for Kaoruko...'
I mean, there's a map. There's some rivers in the sea.
Rin says, looking at the map.
'If you're not going to move out of that spot, isn't it near this river? With the ocean, you don't have fresh water, and it's not a great place to stay for long periods of time.
'Surely you're right...'
Ryuzaki checked several of the rivers that flowed from west to east.
''The second problem is that the fact that it's out of the Empire's sphere of influence means that it could be covered by the Blood Clan's sphere of influence.
They all nodded with a difficult look on their faces. Because that was to some extent to be expected.
Just like the ruins of this kingdom, the blood clans may have set up bases in places that are difficult to detect by the Empire, the main power of humanity. According to Serena's mother, Her Majesty the Queen, skirmishes have already begun in various places, but if the Queen and the students of the second year 4 class that were to be incorporated into the war effort are betraying the Queen, there is a possibility that they will put the contraption away once and retreat outside the Empire's sphere of influence.
To be honest, I don't think they have that much power themselves, but that's what I feel because of the few students who are progressing in their ability awakening. There are 40 students with powers comparable to pawns. Even if you exclude Beni and Inugami, there are 38 students. Once you reach Phase 3, you will certainly not be a match for the pawns, and each one of them will gain more than enough power to be included in the core of the war effort.
Anyway, due to such circumstances, the possibility of the retreating blood clans establishing a base on the future path of the branch school could not be denied. Although a conflict with the Empire can be avoided, it is also true that it will not be an easy journey.
''Well, this has some good and bad aspects. Like the search for Koganei.''
Yeah.
At Ryuzaki's words, Kyousuke nodded. At the moment, these two are the two people in the class who are most eager to rescue Koganei.
''Besides...''
Kyousuke interrupted Ryuzaki, who was about to continue and say something, and opened his mouth.
'I'm sure everyone here is already aware of this, but we're going to have to fight those guys anyway.
They all fell silent at those words, and then looked at Beni. Beni let out a slight sigh as she crossed her arms.
''Well, at least I am,''
I'm sure there are others in our class who have realized that. I'm sure some of you in our class have already realized that simply turning human and returning to your mortal coil will not solve the underlying problem.
Ei complements Kyousuke's words.
The Blood Clan has the technology to move between different worlds with a certain degree of freedom. It was easy to imagine this from some materials and items left behind in the old castle. Obviously, letters exchanged between this world and the other, comics that were recently released in the original world, back issues of weekly magazines, etc. were seized almost without interruption.
In other words, when we return to the original world, the blood family will come after us. Many of our classmates may be missed, but the problem is Beni. As a traitor, she is not promised peace of mind, even if she returns to her former world. It wouldn't be Beni who didn't understand that.
If Beni had intended to challenge the king from the beginning, then her ultimate goal in this otherworldly transfer was not to return to her original world.
"It's a rebellion against the king of the vampires who call themselves the Red Moon King.
Though it doesn't help to hide things from the people here.
Beni sighed again and said.
''I had a say in the formation of this two-year, four-group, didn't I?
Beni?
I'm the one who asked for Inugami in the first place.
Hibiki Inugami Hibiki, who had crossed his arms a little further away from everyone and had his back to the wall, looked up.
Beni, who had already grasped the information that Inugami was the survivor of a werewolf that had been destroyed by the bloodline, suggested that Inugami be allowed into the class with a bare face. Even after passing through the Transmutation Denaturation Gate, the Inugami, who were not human from the beginning, would not turn into monsters. The hostility towards the bloodline is prepared from the beginning.
The other people Beni named were Ryuzaki and Goubayashi. The idea was that if they were there, they would be able to hold the class together without Benii leading the charge. There were a few other students who would not have been transferred into the class without Benii's suggestions.
In other words, they were completely caught up in this trip for Benai's convenience.
''Well, I can't tell you that.''
Ryuzaki scratches his head with a bitter smile. Beni makes a surprising face.
'I'm not angry.'
I'm angry if you want me to be angry. Hey, Utsurogi.
What, you're going to dump it on me?
Kyousuke couldn't help but look up. After thinking for a while, he said this.
''No, well, there's no point in getting angry, and Benii didn't make the wrong decision.
At least thanks to Ryuzaki, the class is currently cohesive. Although Benai is charismatic, she alone would not have been able to keep the students aligned so neatly.
It's a pity for Ryuzaki and Goubayashi, but for Kyousuke, it's a good thing that he got Ryuzaki involved. If it wasn't for him, the class would have fallen apart much earlier, and there would surely have been many more deaths.
''........Are you two idiots?''
Yeah, Ryuzaki is an idiot.
Kyousuke is really stupid too.
''Well why do you two sound so proud of yourselves?''
Goubayashi and Ei nodded with a smiling face, and Benii made a puzzled comment to them.
"In this kind of situation, Beni-san, you just need to say thank you. I just say 'thank you' to you.
Uh.....
At Rin's words, Beni choked up slightly. She let her gaze wander in the air for a while, eventually sighing as if in contemplation, and said
''Ah, thank you...''
Whew!
As Rin made heart marks all over her body and cheered her up, Kyousuke put a deco pin on her.
''I didn't want you to be included in the class, but there are guys who were. Sachi and Kaoru, for example.
Asuka-chan.....
Does that mean you were suspected of being disloyal?
Maybe, or maybe I was just being an afterthought, thinking it would be less lonely to have an old friend who was an old friend.
Anyway, the important thing is that Beni came to this trip with a clear intention to turn against the king. Perhaps she must have seen it as her last chance to break free of the king's rule. To that end, she had been making careful preparations for three years now.
Beni had to defeat the king or he would never be free. But apparently there was still some hesitation in letting her classmates go along with that. Whether it's because of the emotions that have grown inside her, or another reason, I don't know.
''Well, I'll go out with you.
Kyousuke said.
'We have to save Koganei, and I'm a subordinate to him, and they have to be defeated anyway.
If you do it, I should do it too.
Me too. It's just not safe for the two of us to be together.
Rin and Ei follow suit.
''I'll help you, too. Asuka.
Sakuma also nodded, placing his hand on his chest.
''I want to put the safe return of my classmates as my top priority.
Ryuzaki said, glancing at Goubayashi. Goubayasi nodded with his arms crossed.
''But we've defeated a few members of our blood clan, and I don't know if we'll be able to stay safe after we return, considering the future. Even Asuka and Utsurogi and the others are classmates, so I'll think about helping them out.
I can't argue with that.
All eyes turned to Inugami, who had remained silent and did not participate in the conversation all that time. Inugami sniffed with a huff.
''I don't care what it takes to beat up those vampires I don't like.
For now, this is a unanimous decision for the moment. Going forward, the second year 4 group will be forced to fight the bloodline.
The problem is the fact that it's hard to get many of their classmates to drink this. If we tell them that we are the enemy of the Washio, some students might agree with us, but we don't want to use the names of the dead to do so. As long as it is a decision that involves danger, we can't force the reluctant students to do so.
Rather, cooperation with Serena and the other human forces might become essential. As the policy of the Empire, it might be difficult for the monster army, the 2nd year 4 group, to cooperate with them, but once again, we need to think about that too.
''There's a lot of challenges ahead...''
When Ryuzaki blurted out, Kyousuke couldn't help but blurt out.
'What, what's up? Utsurogi.
No, I just feel like that's what I do every time...
It's true. I don't know how you can run out.
At Kyousuke's words, Ryuzaki smiled bitterly and nodded.
Just then, an announcement is made over the ship's broadcast that dinner is ready. The group finishes their secret meeting about future plans and decides to leave the captain's office.
Beni's confession has made the situation much more transparent, but there are still many things that we don't know.
After all, what is the reason why the Red Moon King planned to invade another world rather than migrate to another world? Beni says it was because the king was so proud that he couldn't stand to live quietly in the shadows, but is that really all that's true? It's hard to know if it's true even if you think about it.
'Kyousuke-kun!
As Kyousuke pondered as he walked down the hallway, Rin spoke to him from behind. Her gait (?) I'm completely behind the rest of the team as I adjust to the
'Hmm, oh. What is it?
You always think of things that are too much trouble, don't you?
Yeah. It's just the way I am. In the end, a lot of things have happened, but these things never change, do they?
In the end, I'm not sure if I've seen a dramatic change in myself after Extreme Cross. I still feel as empty as ever, and my dependence on others for my values has not changed. It's just that I've come to think that it's not a bad thing to be that way.
''Hey, Kyousuke-kun. This is what happened in the image of Extreme Cross.
Uh.....
Kyousuke suddenly stopped in his tracks. In an image. In a dream, so to speak.
It's not that he doesn't remember what happened. It's not that he doesn't remember what happened, but it was an extreme memory for him who had never had such an experience. An extreme dream. Just by talking about it, all of the things he had been thinking about are blown out of the water.
When we get back to our human form, we'll do more. Let's do it right.
.........?
It's what it is. That's what puberty is all about.
Even if you're worried about being empty or flimsy on the inside, after all, Kyousuke Soraki is a healthy high school boy. Right now, though, he's just a hone.
'More, properly... I mean... what do you mean?'
Well, that's not really saying much here.
The indeterminate girl, Himemizu Rin, announced this in a teasing tone and crawled slyly down the corridor, leaving Kyousuke at a standstill. Her pace was faster than usual, so perhaps she was skipping along.
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Still unable to believe the whole battle that took place in front of her, Remy backed away with a backward glance.
Remy is a member of the Continental Southern Chamber of Commerce Guild. As a member of a maritime caravan, he exchanges goods with the maritime nations of the south. The other day, a terrible storm ran the fleet aground, and Remy's ship, the only one left, washed up on a remote beach to the west.
While the rest of the crew was working on the ship, Remy was picking up the goods and crew from the other ships that had washed ashore. And on the way, he was attacked by fishermen. There are three types of fishmen known to exist in the southern seas: merman, sahagin, and gillman, and the merman is the only race that is friendly to humans. It was the Sahagin that attacked Remy.
There was no humanity around, and the location of the ship being fixed by his fleet mates was far away. Remy prepared to die.
Just then, another group of demons sashayed over and attacked Sahagin.
That army, composed mainly of small monsters that looked like little demons (imps), quickly kicked out the Sahagins who tried to attack Remy, and the Sahagins went back into the sea in a panic.
Remy wasn't sure if he should thank them for their help or just run away quickly. While she was hesitating, the leader of the pack of demons walked towards Remy.
''Miss, are you hurt?''
Uh....yes?
The words were gentler and more intelligent than he had expected, and Remy was disappointed.
'Well, then I'm glad to hear it.'
Then the demon smiled at him. The smile illuminated by the moonlight was a beautiful one.
''Let me ask you, is this the ocean, or a very large lake? Or is it a very large lake?
Oh, no, no. Um, the ocean.
The sea. You can't go east of this, can you?
'Yes. If you go all the way north along the coast, I think you'll find a human city.
The demon put a hand to his chin and thought, 'I see.......' and then looked up at the hat.
''You think?''
Oh, no..... We're in distress too...
'Uh....'
Or maybe it's a deserted island...
Not really. We've been coming from the northwest all this time, and we're supposed to be connected to the continent.
Saying this, the demon looked at the night sea. The sea at night with nothing but starlight has an eerie feeling that can swallow everything. This is the first time in Remy's short life as a merchant that he has ever talked to such a group of friendly demons. Where in the world did they come from and where do they plan to go from here?
Suddenly, Remy thought, and asked the leader of the demons
''Um, I have a little favor to ask you...''
I don't know.
Would you be willing to escort our caravan...?
Of course, I'll thank you. I say. As a merchant.
Caravans hire adventurers as escorts, but escorting ships between the maritime states and the continent seems to be a lot of boredom for them, and it's not a popular job for the adventurers' guild. No matter how much they hang up the asking price, they are rarely able to hire a quality escort. In fact, in the previous storm, most of the adventurers they hired were swept away.
'It's fine.
The demon crosses his arms and looks a little lost.
'I'm going to meet up with you here for a while, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to meet up with you. I just don't know if I'll be able to hang out with you when the person I'm meeting up with arrives.
Yes, that's fine! There seems to be some sahagin out here, and just until the boat is fixed...
Hmmm...
As it was, the demon placed a hand on its own chin and gently stroked its own lips with its index finger. It was an unusually s*xy gesture.
The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that it's a good thing. There's nothing to do while you're waiting for the guy, anyway.
Really!
Remy's face lights up. Although he is a demon, he is apparently a trustworthy opponent, and if you can keep him safe for some reward, it will be a cheap one.
''Ah, I'm Remy. I'm a member of the Continental South Business Guild and I'm a member of the Marine Caravan! Um, where's your brother?
My brother....
The demon frowned blatantly for a moment, but immediately sighed with a 'Fufu' sigh.
''Well, it's fine. I've looked at my inner self, and if that's how it looks, then it can't be helped...''
"Well, uh...
By any chance, did I say something bad?
However, that demon---incubus didn't seem to be particularly bothered by it, and held out its right hand to Remy with a gentle smile.
''Atashi is Kaoru. I'm Kaoru Okuma. Remy, let's get right to the business meeting.''
The whole class transferring out of the human race - I am the weakest skeleton in the world