"Was that a bit too cruel?"
Covering the bleeding spot and looking at Ikoma twitching on the ground, Inaba Tsukiyo asked with some sympathy.
This blow must have hurt more than being bitten by a Kabaneri. She seemed to have heard something crack just now.
"This is the best method. To make a Boy lose his combat ability the fastest, this is the quickest way."
Mumei kicked the Holy Residence lying on the ground with some dissatisfaction, complaining, "What were you trying to do just now?"
"That... that's my question to you." Enduring the constant stinging pain from his lower body, Ikoma glared at Mumei unnaturally, "Do you know what you were doing just now?!"
"Isn't that obvious? I'm sucking blood."
Mumei answered without hesitation, as naturally as if she were saying she was drinking water, but Ikoma couldn't accept such a statement at all.
For Ikoma, who was completely unaware, Mumei's words were too easily misunderstood.
Or, from a human perspective, Mumei's act of sucking blood would probably not be easily accepted either.
The other people on the Iron Fortress were afraid of Ikoma and Mumei from the beginning, believing them to be Kabaneri.
In such a situation, gaining their trust was extremely difficult, unless their perceptions were changed, making them understand that Kabaneri were not actually dangerous.
Ikoma, who didn't fully understand what a Kabaneri truly was, couldn't comprehend Mumei's blood-sucking behavior. In his opinion, Mumei's actions were no different from those Kabaneri.
"I allowed Mumei to suck my blood."
"Miss Inaba! Why?"
Ikoma looked at Inaba Tsukiyo in disbelief, not understanding why Inaba Tsukiyo would do such a dangerous thing.
"Because she needs fresh blood to maintain her state. Kabaneri are not Kabaneri, but they are not human either. You and Mumei don't need human food, but you need fresh blood to survive."
"Huh? You... what did you say?" Ikoma seemed to be greatly shocked, his angry face turning blank, "This... this must be a lie, right?"
"I'm not lying to you, Ikoma. If a Kabaneri doesn't suck blood, then he will gradually lose strength and eventually become a Kabaneri that attacks humans. Although... blood is essential, that's why I let her suck my blood."
"You should know that you are no longer human. As a Kabaneri, you must change your old ways of thinking. When you gain some things, you also lose many things. After gaining the physical abilities of a Kabaneri, you also lost your human identity, Ikoma."
Ikoma's expression became particularly complex, wanting to deny it, but also feeling that it was the truth.
But sucking blood, he simply couldn't accept such a thing, yet if he didn't suck blood, he would turn into a Kabaneri that attacks humans.
A heavy atmosphere continuously spread throughout the carriage. This topic was too heavy for Ikoma.
Pushing away Mumei, who wanted to continue licking blood, Inaba Tsukiyo sat on a box.
The area that had been cut was already starting to heal. At this rate, the wound would completely disappear after a while.
Mumei and Ikoma were not human, so could she be considered a normal human?
Inaba Tsukiyo chuckled self-deprecatingly. Not to mention her ageless characteristic, after gaining the power of a Herrscher, she had completely transcended the human category.
Just as Mumei was about to speak to Inaba Tsukiyo, she suddenly sensed something, turned her head sharply, and her eyes became serious.
"Kabaneri! There's a Kabaneri's aura!"
Mumei ran towards the front carriage. Just as she placed her hand on the metal dial of the door, Inaba Tsukiyo pressed Mumei's shoulder.
Mumei paused slightly and turned to look behind her.
Inaba Tsukiyo stood there, her right hand gripping Mumei's shoulder tightly.
"You are not allowed to leave this carriage. This was agreed upon beforehand."
"Let go of me! I sense a Kabaneri's aura! I must eliminate it quickly!"
Mumei broke free from Inaba Tsukiyo's grip on her shoulder and reached out to grasp the door handle on the carriage.
Then, in the next moment, a cold blade was placed against her neck, stopping Mumei's movements.
"I already told you that you are not allowed to leave this carriage. Since I promised the others to watch over you, I cannot break my word. This is a matter of principle; even if I have to use slightly rough methods, I will make you stay."
If Mumei made any other move, the blade on her neck would sever her head. She knew very well that she had no equipment and was no match for Inaba Tsukiyo at all.
No, even if she still had her equipment on, she couldn't be Inaba Tsukiyo's opponent. The difference in their strength was simply too great.
"You just said you sensed a Kabaneri's aura. What exactly happened?"
"I can sense the Kabaneri's aura. After becoming a Kabaneri, I can sense nearby Kabaneri."
"Oh? Really? Could it be that during the inspection, someone who was bitten got on the Iron Fortress?"
Logically speaking, every passenger boarding the Iron Fortress must undergo a body check, and only after confirming there are no bites or wounds are they allowed to board.
But Mumei can sense the presence of Kabaneri. Could it be that a bitten passenger has snuck into the carriage? No, that shouldn't be possible.
Inaba Tsukiyo could only hear uneasy voices from the front carriages, mostly discussing Mumei and Ikoma in the last carriage.
Treating them as Kabaneri, fearing they might turn into Kabaneri and attack others in the carriage—these were the most common sentiments.
If Kabaneri had truly appeared, the carriage would probably have been in utter chaos by now.
Ordinary residents wouldn't be so quiet if Kabaneri appeared; their unease was only of an ordinary degree.
"I can't let you leave. I haven't heard any screams or sounds of chaos. If Kabaneri had really appeared, the carriage would probably be in an uproar by now. And you also need to seriously consider your current situation."
If Mumei really rushed to the front carriage like that, it would definitely cause a disturbance.
The residents were already afraid of their existence, and the atmosphere, which had just barely calmed down, would be completely shattered, making Mumei and Ikoma's situation even worse.
"You might not care about what others say, but don't you want to go to Kongokaku? If you cause a disturbance, you might very well be thrown off. If you go out and don't find the Kabaneri you sensed, it will only give those samurai an excuse to shoot you."
After speaking, Inaba Tsukiyo put down her blade and turned to sit back on the box.
Inaba Tsukiyo's words made Mumei frown in confusion; she wasn't good at thinking about such complex problems.
Her mission was to eliminate Kabaneri.
She only acted to defeat Kabaneri, so Mumei didn't care what others thought of her.
Just as Mumei was about to open the doorknob, the presence of Kabaneri she had just sensed suddenly vanished.
If she hadn't just sensed the Kabaneri's presence, Mumei would have thought she was hallucinating.
What on earth happened? Why did the Kabaneri's presence suddenly disappear? Was the Kabaneri driven out?
Since the Kabaneri's presence had disappeared, Mumei had no reason to go out, so she could only return to Inaba Tsukiyo's side and slowly fell asleep.
Soon, the sun had set, and the sunset dyed the entire Trianon red, and the Iron Fortress's speed slowly came to a halt.
Just as the three of them were wondering about this, the carriage door suddenly opened, and a girl with a side ponytail appeared in the tail carriage.
"Kajika? Why did the Iron Fortress stop? What happened?"
Ikoma clearly knew this girl who had suddenly arrived and couldn't help but ask.
"The water tank was damaged by Kabaneri when we left Aba Station. Although it was repaired during the journey, a lot of water still leaked out. If we continue, we won't be able to reach the next station. So we can only spend the night here."
Although Kajika was a little scared, Ikoma was her good friend, and Inaba Tsukiyo and Mumei had both protected the Iron Fortress, so she felt that the three of them were not bad people.
"Moreover, Homan's carriage wants to mourn their deceased relatives, and Ayame-sama's father also died in this disaster, so not only will we rest here, but also to mourn the relatives who died last night."
Kajika placed three rice balls wrapped in reed leaves on the ground and explained what was happening inside the Iron Fortress to the three of them.
As she spoke, Kajika watched the expressions of the three.
Seeing that none of them showed any dissatisfaction, Kajika hesitated for a moment, then continued.
"Can you, during this stop, not leave this carriage?"
"Hmm? What's wrong? What happened?"
Inaba Tsukiyo, who had originally planned to go out, asked in confusion.
"It's like this: several of the Six Leaders, besides Ayame-sama, are very displeased about Kabaneri boarding the Iron Fortress. I'm worried the Six Leaders might take some measures, so please try not to give them any leverage."
Shikomorikawa Ayame's father had passed away, and as the successor, Shikomorikawa Ayame did not yet have any real power, so some people wanted to cause trouble.
The Six Leaders Kajika mentioned should be those with background, probably people with some power in Aba Station.
It's strange, it seems that in every apocalyptic setting, there are always some very peculiar people, or rather, it's the same in real life.
When dealing with enemies, they wish they could hide in a crack and not be discovered, but when dealing with their own people, they act as if they are ready to fight to the death, as if they are very formidable.
Simply put, these people are best at being bullies among their own kind.
They are useless in important moments and only cause trouble in other worlds.
These internal bullies are best at instigating people, especially in such emotionally unstable situations; their words are very likely to incite the emotions of others.
These people are often more troublesome than Kabaneri, because their every move could very well lead to everyone on the Iron Fortress being buried with them.
Inaba Tsukiyo had encountered such people in the past and was well aware of the harm they could cause.
'Should I deal with them before they cause a disturbance?'
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