The women of the Iguro family brought out all the babies and presented them to the Snake Demon.
When the Snake Demon saw the babies, the terrified expressions on the women's faces, and the absence of Obanai Iguro, it instantly guessed that something had happened to Obanai Iguro.
The Snake Demon's forehead veins bulged as he suppressed his anger and demanded, "Where is Obanai Iguro?!"
"I...Obanai Iguro is missing. When we went to the cell earlier, he was still inside, which means he just escaped not long ago. Snake Demon, please give us some time. Obanai Iguro is definitely still nearby and couldn't have gone far. We will definitely be able to catch him!"
All the women of the Iguro family knelt on the ground, begging the Snake Demon to give them a chance.
The Snake Demon's face was extremely gloomy. Give them some time? It didn't even have enough time for itself. That half-human, half-demon creature must be rushing here along the snake hole it had just dug. Time was running out.
The Snake Demon risked his life to return to the palace in order to eat Obanai Iguro, who had been kept in captivity for 12 years.
But unexpectedly, these servants lost sight of its most important food.
The Snake Demon flew into a rage, opened its blood-red maw, and devoured everyone it saw without mercy.
In an instant, the entire Iguro family wailed and screamed, and blood stained the magnificent palace with a bewitching red.
After mercilessly devouring everyone, the Snake Demon was extremely unwilling.
Originally, Obanai Iguro only survived because of the Snake Demon's interest. The Snake Demon had always regarded Obanai Iguro as his special food and his possession.
However, the Snake Demon was unable to accept that his own possession had run away on its own.
The Snake Demon had a conflicted expression.
There are now two paths facing the Snake Demon.
The first option is to escape Hachijo Island before Katō Mitsuko catches up with him at the palace.
The second option is to find and eat Obanai Iguro, then escape Hachijo Island.
The Snake Demon, driven by extreme greed, still chose the second path.
The Snake Demon, clinging to a sliver of hope, thought to itself:
"To leave Hachijo Island, one must cross the forest outside the palace. If Obanai Iguro has only recently escaped, he should still be in the forest."
That half-human, half-demon fellow is now on his way to the palace; he'll never guess I've returned to the forest, eaten Obanai Iguro, and will still have time to leave Hachijo Island."
Having made its decision, the Snake Demon flicked its tongue, which vibrated continuously.
Although snakes cannot distinguish smells through their nostrils, they can achieve the function of smell through a special organ at the top of their mouth, which works in conjunction with their tongue.
This method can accurately identify odors, and is even more sensitive than the human sense of smell.
soon.
The Snake Demon smelled the scent in the air that belonged to Obanai Iguro.
The Snake Demon immediately took action, following the scent of Obanai Iguro.
...
On the other hand,
Mitsuko looked at the ragged boy in front of him and felt a little strange.
Based on the direction the boy came from, he must have escaped from the palace.
His pale skin indicated that the boy hadn't seen the sun for a very long time, and the scars on his face suggested that he had suffered inhumane treatment.
However, there shouldn't be any men in that Snake Demon's palace.
"May I have your name?"
Seeing the still-dripping Nichirin Blade in Mitsuko's hand and his murderous expression, Obanai Iguro obediently uttered his name: "Obanai Iguro..."
"From the Iguro family?!"
Obanai Iguro nodded.
Mitsuko was even more puzzled. Wasn't the Iguro family all women and no men allowed to exist? So why did this child survive?
Sensing that Obanai Iguro was somewhat afraid of him, Mitsuko sheathed his Nichirin Blade, his expression softening.
"Can you tell me about your experience?"
Obanai Iguro realized that Mitsuko didn't seem to have any ill intentions towards her, so she told Mitsuko about what had happened.
Upon learning of Obanai Iguro's ordeal, Mitsuko tenderly removed the dirt from Obanai's hair, patted her head, and comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, you don't need to worry about the Iguro family or that Snake Demon anymore. Just keep walking along this road, and you'll reach the town. From now on, live a good life."
Obanai Iguro paused for a moment, staring blankly at Mitsuko in front of him.
The warmth he had longed for was unexpectedly obtained from a complete stranger he had just met.
Based on the snake hole path on the ground, Mitsuko determined that the Snake Demon had returned to the palace, so he had to rush to the palace immediately to prevent the Snake Demon from escaping.
Obanai Iguro took a deep look at Mitsuko, wanting to etch Mitsuko's appearance into her mind.
After Mitsuko turned and left, Obanai Iguro also headed towards the town.
Suddenly!
Obanai Iguro noticed movement behind him, turned around, and saw that Mitsuko, who was supposed to have left, had returned.
Moreover, Mitsuko's Nichirin Blade was already unsheathed, slashing straight at Obanai Iguro.
Obanai Iguro stood frozen in place, not understanding why Mitsuko suddenly drew her sword against him.
As Mitsuko drew ever closer, Obanai Iguro, convinced of her impending death, murmured self-deprecatingly:
"It was all fake after all..."
Mitsuko rushed to Obanai Iguro, grabbed his collar with her left hand, and hugged him tightly.
The tip of his right-hand Nichirin Blade was aimed at the ground, and he thrust it down fiercely.
A mournful wail echoed from underground.
Then the ground shook, and a snake's tail emerged from the soil, revealing the Snake Demon's entire body to Mitsuko and Obanai Iguro.
Mitsuko's Nichirin Blade struck the Snake Demon squarely in the chest, rendering it unable to break free.
Blood seeped from the ground.
The Snake Demon, who was originally chasing Obanai Iguro, discovered that Mitsuko was also by his side and was about to abandon his mission and choose to escape Hachijo Island.
The Snake Demon discovers that Mitsuko and Obanai Iguro have separated.
Thinking he had found an opportunity, the Snake Demon decisively chose to attack Obanai Iguro.
However, Mitsuko noticed the abnormal tremors underground and, based on the direction, instantly realized that the Snake Demon wanted to attack Obanai Iguro.
So Mitsuko quickly ran to Obanai Iguro and rescued her.
Obanai Iguro looked at the Snake Demon on the ground and realized that he had misunderstood Mitsuko.
Mitsuko didn't want to kill him; he wanted to save him.
Mitsuko placed Obanai Iguro behind her and said, "Obanai, hide to the side for a moment, I have something to do."
Obanai Iguro obediently hid behind a tree.
Kaburamaru wrapped around Obanai Iguro's neck from inside her clothes.
Obanai Iguro patted Kaburamaru's head, tears welling in her eyes, and murmured with a smile, "Kaburamaru, I misunderstood Katō-san."
The perceptive Kaburamaru sensed Obanai Iguro's emotions and affectionately rubbed his head against Obanai Iguro's hand.