On the other side, Yōsuke was searching for clues within the residence of the Iguro clan.
The entire Iguro estate had become the serpent demon's lair—dark, damp, and cluttered with broken stones. The deeper he went, the more he saw piles of eerily clean white bones, stripped bare by gnawing teeth.
As Yōsuke ventured further, he suddenly heard a faint cry for help.
Following the direction of the sound, he arrived at an open clearing—the voice was coming from underground.
Yōsuke struck the ground with his fist, the earth heaving and splitting apart, opening a massive pit. Beneath it lay a dark, narrow tunnel.
He descended into the tunnel, reaching its end—there, dozens of small children, filthy and trembling, huddled together in fear. These were the sacrificial offerings the villagers of Hachijō Island had given to the serpent demon.
When the children saw Yōsuke's human appearance, it was as if they had seen a savior. Crying, they reached out to him and begged for help.
"Please save us! We beg you!"
Looking at the pitiful children, Yōsuke found himself unsure what expression to wear. If demons did not exist in this world, perhaps these children would now be nestled safely in their parents' arms.
When Yōsuke asked where they had come from, their answers left him utterly shocked.
None of these children were natives of Hachijō Island—they had all been taken from neighboring regions.
Yōsuke sighed deeply.
"So that's it… The island's population never decreases, yet there are always new sacrifices. It must be the island's fishermen—abducting children from the mainland."
When Yōsuke brought the children out from the tunnel and back to the surface, he found that Iguro Obanai and Kanroji Mitsuri had already returned.
Seeing the children behind him, both Obanai and Mitsuri were astonished.
"Yōsuke-san, what's going on with these children?" Mitsuri asked.
"They were kidnapped by the residents of Hachijō Island from outside villages—used as offerings for the serpent demon's meals."
Obanai and Mitsuri frowned deeply.
"How could they do something so vile? That's unforgivable!"
"Let's find the clues about the Shrine Priest clan first," Yōsuke suggested. "Once dawn comes, I'll leave them to you two to send these children home."
Both Obanai and Mitsuri nodded in agreement.
The three of them searched the Iguro family estate for any clues while the children obediently waited in silence.
After some time, Obanai discovered a book that had fallen to the ground—inside was a record concerning the Shrine Priest.
Because Obanai's mother had deceived a Shrine Priest and given birth to him, the other members of the Iguro clan—hoping to bear male children as well—had recorded the characteristics of that priest for reference.
The records described him as follows:
Pale hair, red pupils, a vertical mark between the eyebrows, carrying a priest's staff, and a unique mark on the back of his right hand.
These were the features of the Shrine Priest that Obanai's mother had once encountered.
Yōsuke recalled Ubuyashiki Amane's appearance—aside from her pale hair, none of these other traits matched her.
Just as Yōsuke began to conclude that the "Shrine Priest" appearing on Hachijō Island might not be related to the clan he was seeking, one of the young boys rescued from the tunnel timidly approached him.
"Um… are you looking for the Shrine Priest-sama?"
Yōsuke knelt down, speaking gently.
"That's right. Do you know something about him?"
The boy nodded.
"My sister once fell seriously ill. None of the doctors could help her. Then a man calling himself a Shrine Priest came to our home. He drank just one bowl of a bitter-looking medicine—and my sister was completely cured! It was amazing!"
"When did this happen?"
The boy thought for a moment.
"About a month before I was taken here, I think."
"Do you know if that Shrine Priest is still in your village? Or where he might have gone?" Yōsuke asked.
The boy shook his head.
"After my sister got better, the Shrine Priest-sama left. My parents tried to make him stay so we could thank him properly, but he said something strange—that he had to go to 'the place of origin'—and then he left."
Yōsuke fell into deep thought.
"The place of origin…? What could that mean?"
The boy looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes.
"Big brother, did I help you?"
It was the first time Yōsuke had ever been called big brother. The feeling was unexpectedly pleasant. Smiling, he ruffled the boy's hair.
"Yes, you did. You helped me a lot. Thank you."
After that, their search yielded no further discoveries. As dawn was about to break, they decided to end their investigation. Yōsuke needed to avoid the sunlight, while Obanai and Mitsuri would escort the children away from Hachijō Island.
The serpent demon of Hachijō Island had been slain. Obanai and Mitsuri believed that, at last, no more innocent lives would be sacrificed.
But as they left the Iguro estate, they were suddenly surrounded—an entire crowd of Hachijō villagers, armed with torches and farming tools, blocking their way.
At the front stood an elderly man with a head full of sparse white hair, his skin blotched with dark pustules, leaning heavily on a cane.
"You cannot leave this place!" he shouted. "You killed our revered Serpent God! Without Him, we will lose His divine protection! As village chief, I decree—you must all die here, to beg the Serpent God's forgiveness!"
Obanai barked back in fury,
"The one you worship is no god—it's a demon that devours humans! Do you understand that?!"
But the old man remained unmoved.
"All we know is that thanks to the Serpent God's blessing, our island's fishing prospered and we lived in comfort. You outsiders ruined our happiness—you all deserve death!"
Mitsuri's heart twisted in disbelief. Seeing the terrified, trembling children behind Yōsuke—children these very villagers had kidnapped—her normally cheerful nature gave way to a rare, burning anger.
"How can you say that? These children are innocent!"
The old man snorted coldly.
"To be chosen as offerings is their blessing! And once we offer you as sacrifices, the Serpent God will be reborn—and He will bless Hachijō Island again!"
Obanai's face darkened with fury.
"You decrepit fool—get out of my way!"
His furious shout only provoked the mob further. The villagers roared back in anger, their hateful voices rising into a deafening chorus that pierced the air.