Episode 53 — Vermillion’s Research
～ Part 1 ～
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“It’s possible that the Queen and those guys has noticed our existence.”
It was around the time the sky had barely turned light that Tokihara informed Asaake.
To be precise, he informed not just Asaake. In the vacant house Tokihara had prepared inside the forest, several vampires were on stand-by. All of them were the Pawns who had withdrawn from the old castle together with Akeno and were lent to Tokihara as war potential.
He was talking to those guys. Tokihara was using them to figure out the Queen’s movement from now, and if possible, take her blood and present it to the King.
“As expected, it’s bad to collect that dog?”
One of the Pawns asked. Tokihara nodded.
“There’s already nothing we can do at the point Asaake-san is attacked by the dog. The result would be the same even if we kill it and leave its corpse there. According to the chieftain, they seem to have left the welcome party midway through and returned to the warship anchored offshore.”
“Tokihara-san, how’s the dog doing?”
“It’s being chained to the basement. We only need to be vigilant for 2 or 3 days. It’s half moon heading toward new moon right now, but chains of that degree can be easily torn off.”
Last night, Asaake aimlessly wandered outside and took a surprise attack from the werewolf survivor. Since Asaake hadn’t got human blood in nearly one month, he was probably out looking for food. In doing so, he received a surprise attack, truly unlucky.
As expected, letting these vampires going out wasn’t a good plan. It had been about half a month since Akeno group crossed the sea and reached this Albadanba. The islanders of Delf Island showed them in as guests and sent them off, but naturally, they didn’t know Akeno and her group were vampires, neither did they know that several Pawns were left behind at Tokihara’s place.
“Well, everything will be settled in 2 or 3 days. If you need food, I will prepare for you after that, so I would like you to be a little patient.”
Once the trade fair was over, they too, would leave this Albadanba. They had to fulfill their purpose before that.
There were two actions this side should take.
One, look for those guys’ future objectives and route through the chieftain.
Another one, steal blood from the Queen who was probably in the warship.
The later was obviously highly difficult. Besides, Tokihara had better not come out directly. It would be troublesome if the chieftains realize his attack on the warship. Officially, he needed to feign unrelated.
“Conversely, this present situation is a good opportunity.”
Said Tokihara.
“If those guys notice our existences and also know that the dog has gone missing. The Queen’s guards will be thin.”
“I see. Is the aforementioned thing ready?”
“Preparation is being made. As much as possible, we should carry out the plan when those guys are away from the warship.”
It was to acquire that ‘aforementioned thing’ that they had expressly let that dog live. A werewolf saliva had the effect of forcibly returning vampire factors to ground state. Once bitten, it can greatly weaken a vampire’s power, further worsening their condition. For this reason, the King detested their existence, he even tried to destroy their clan, and he did.
No matter if she was the Queen, if the movement of every factors inside her body could be stop, even her would be unable to move. The most troublesome thing when capturing the Queen’s person was the Queen herself. It wasn’t even worth talking about unless they could seal her movement somehow.
Supposing this operation succeed, much less lukewarm things like blood, they could even deliver the person herself to the King’s place.
But if the operation failed and they got beaten at their own game by the Queen,
“(At that time…)”
Tokihara gazed at several bottles lined up on the shelf.
Several sealed containers had labels stuck on, inside them was full of scarlet liquid.
“Hey, Tokihara-san.”
A fidgeting Asaake said, all the while gazing at the same direction.
“Can’t I drink that blood?”
“You must not. That is our trump card.”
Passing through the forest in the early morning, they arrived at the plaza where the welcome party was held. Although the burnt trace of the bonfire remained, the plaza had been beautifully cleaned up. The village had return to its tranquility, or so they thought, but there were already signs of people moving. They were the so-called early risers.
Only, meeting them would only make various things troublesome, Kyousuke thought.Akira who accompanied him was talkative, but his was not what you would call smooth-talking. The remaining members were clumsy at explaining their circumstances as well. If anything, there would only be Rin?
“First of all, let’s start with interviewing the plants.”
The plaza was surrounded by the forest. Problem was, the number of trees were too numerous to ask.
“Leave it to me.”
For some reason, the first one to step forward and tread into the forest with wriggling movement was Shokuzura. A little while after he took out tentacles from his entire body, from nowhere in the forest, awfully colorful, vivid tentacles stretched out. Shokuzura’s tentacles and the forest’s tentacles touched and seemed to be transmitting something.
“There are really tentacles growing wildly…”
Kyousuke dumbfoundedly muttered.
“I asked Remy-chan, but Albadanba’s tentacles seem to have been bottled alive and used for trade in the maritime caravan.”
“Who would buy that kind of things.”
“She said some people, nobles of the Empire for example.”
Better not ask what happened afterward? In the first place, when did Rin have the time to deepen the cultural exchange with Remy like that? Even as a slime, the communication power of the upper caste of the class was not just for show, Kyousuke was once again made aware of this.
“Once time, the bottle exploded on the ship midway through bringing it back and it turned into a panic. Remy-chan and everyone barely escaped to other ships, but that ship eventually got hijacked by the tentacles and seems to wander the Ruveling Sea even now.”
“Amazingly unpleasant, that story!”
“It’s called Tentacler Ship. Seems to be famous among the sailors of the continent.”
So then, if they were to bring Shokuzura to that Tentacler Ship, they would be able to obtain another ship to cross the sea? The story of the ship being taken over and ruled by tentacles was indeed unpleasant, but it was a big deal if they could navigate with their own power.
“Kyousuke…. You’re examining this kind of idle gossip so seriously again…”
Next to him, Akira said that in an astonished tone.
“It’s not particularly idle gossip though–.”
Rin pouted her lips, or transformed her body in a fashion similar to it.
Unnoticed, Kinogasa had also set foot into the forest and started a fancy conversation with the colorful poisonous mushroom growing at his feet. This scene of a mushroom man talking to mushrooms would only appeared horrific to onlookers. Yet what was the different between him and Hanazono who was talking to little flowers right next to him.
Although it was said that investigation was all about walking, this seemed to have become quite a proper search. In the meantime, Kyousuke and the others had nothing to do, if asked if it was boring then it was boring. They couldn’t let down their guard since they came here as escorts, but there was nothing to do after all.
“Utsurogi, I found something serious!”
Shokuzura’s voice came out from the inside the forest. Combined with Rin, accompanied by Akira, Kyousuke set foot inside.
Surrounding Shokuzura were a great number of wriggling tentacles. Would Shokuzura who communicates with all of those and tames them be something like a Tentacle King? Kyousuke recalled the ero doujinshi Kogane had lent him back in human days. I don’t want to bring a girl along at all. I did bring two of them though.
“Does Kyousuke-kun like that kind of thing?”
“I’m not saying I like it.”
He clearly denied Rin’s question.
“Well then, Shokuzura. What’s the serious thing?”
When Kyousuke asked, some tentacles undulated and brought him a white cloth.
It’s white cloth. For a moment, Kyousuke wondered what it was, but he instantly saw through its true nature. And then he was speechless. Reserved flower pattern on white background, this laced thing was obviously woman’s.
“Underwear?”
Akira easily said.
“Right, they’re panties.”
Shokuzura rephrased it.
“Not just any panties. They’re Inugami’s panties. Since I’m really scared I can’t touch them, Utsurogi, you take them.”
“N–no, even I can’t touch them as well…”
“Then I will take them.”
Akira’s tone appeared unchanged from usual.
“Stop! If Hino take them, they’ll be burnt pan right away!”
“In the first place, how can you be so calm Akira…”
“You’re just seeing women’s underwear, I don’t understand why you’re so worked up over them…. Aren’t they everywhere if you just go to a department store?”
“They’re not just any woman’s! They’re Inugami’s! A classmate’s panties! Moreover, that delinquent girl’s panties!? This pretty cute thing!”
“Yes yes, please leave it at that, you youthful boys.”
From the area around Kyousuke’s shoulders, Rin’s body deftly stretched and received Inugami’s underwear from the tentacle. Naturally, not just underwear. Rin indifferently received the clothes the tentacles handed over, however, only at the moment she received the bra, she intently confirmed the cup size.
“Well, I saw Inugami’s strip show at the base once though…. That’s really shocking…. I remember it.”
Ignoring Shokuzura who was talking ecstatically, Kyousuke and the others once again looked at Inugami’s exuviae.
“She threw away only her clothes, so what does this mean? As a girl, I don’t want to imagine too much though.”
“There’s no need to think so hard, is there? That girl Inugami, she probably took off her clothes when she transformed into a wolf.”
Only, she only flung her clothes like this in case of emergency, normally, she properly folded her clothes and put them in a corner, it seemed. This was a relatively strong stimulating information for a boy in his puberty.
“Utsurogi, I’m mostly done with interviewing the mushrooms … uwaa! Underwear!?”
“Utsurogi-kun, I asked around a lot but what I know is … uwaa! Underwear!?”
“They’re not just underwear though…”
Kinogasa and Hanazono came back and both gave the appropriate reaction.
“Well then, how did the investigation go?”
“Ah, yeah. Let’s see, yesterday night, Inugami-san was seen slipping out of the welcome party and passing through this area.”
“The mushrooms seem to have seen till the point Inugami took off her clothes.”
As expected, she didn’t just randomly take them off. It was probably for transformation.
Then why was there a need to transform? There’s no reason other than discovering the vampires, is there? And because Inugami didn’t return, we should think that there was a battle. Kyousuke was convinced that their expectation so far wasn’t wrong.
“Shokuzura, what did the tentacles say? Did they see Inugami?”
Even if I say so myself, I still think these words are insane, but there should be no mistake.
“Utsurogi…. Tentacles have no eyes. I think there’s no reason they can see.”
“You’re saying that now! Then what about me, Rin and Akira! Don’t say that with tone like you’re looking at pitiful things!”
“Well, anyway, these guys seem to have no vision. They didn’t see Inugami.”
Now that it comes to this, do we continue the investigation? Since Inugami took off her clothes here, we should be able to know the direction she headed if we ask the plants.
“Kinogasa, the mushrooms, did they watch until Inugami transformed?”
“Right. However, they seem to be in a daze to burn her figure into their memory so they don’t remember what happened after that.”
“Why don’t tentacles have vision but mushrooms do…?”
To be continued…
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