Besides its beautiful green mountains and clear waters, this place was most famous for its hot springs.
Yusui also had another name: the City of Hot Springs.
Upon entering Yusui, Scribe discovered that this small town did not seem to have been affected by demons.
Tourists filled the streets everywhere, with dazzling lights, music, and dancing.
Everyone wore smiles on their faces, with not a trace of panic to be seen.
A special fragrance seemed to permeate the air, intoxicating people and drawing them in.
Scribe even wondered whether he had come to the wrong place.
He would rest here for the night.
After picking a cheap inn, Yoriichi booked himself a room.
Yes, he did not book one for Scribe.
The meaning behind it was already obvious.
Though Master did not say it outright, he still understood me.
Leaping down from the window, Scribe ran toward the largest hot spring inn in town.
Since he had come to a hot spring town, how could he not soak in one?
Standing at the entrance, Scribe chose between the different types of hot springs.
Rose Hot Spring, Jasmine Hot Spring, Cherry Blossom Hot Spring.
There were all sorts of them. If you could think of it, the inn could provide it.
In the end, Scribe's gaze settled on a name at the very bottom.
Scarlet Hot Spring.
"Sorry, but this hot spring costs extra."
The inn's manager, a pale-faced man who looked like a toad, answered him.
"If you accept that, I'll prepare it for you right away."
Extra?
Curious, Scribe continued asking.
"In that case, the Scarlet Hot Spring must have something special about it."
"The Scarlet Hot Spring is our signature hot spring. Just as its name suggests, the spring water is scarlet."
As he introduced it to Scribe, the toad-like man spoke in a mysterious tone.
"Of course, you'll have to experience its particular benefits for yourself."
"Then I'll choose this one!"
Without hesitation, Scribe paid and entered the area where the Scarlet Hot Spring was located.
Just as the innkeeper had said, the Scarlet Hot Spring's water was indeed scarlet.
Not only that, but the air also seemed to carry a faint, cloying sweetness.
Though the hot spring was large, quite a few people had come specifically for it.
After looking around for a while, Scribe finally found a suitable spot.
He submerged his entire body in the spring, and warmth spread through every part of him.
A tingling sensation rose from within, and Scribe instinctively let out a muffled groan.
"This hot spring really is something else."
As time passed, Scribe felt his mind growing dizzy.
Have I soaked for too long?
He felt groggy, as if even his thoughts had become sluggish.
Forget it. I'll soak a little longer, then head out.
Slowly closing his eyes, Scribe planned to leave after a while.
The scarlet spring continued to give off steam, yet not a single person immersed in it wanted to leave.
Before anyone realized it, a man soaking in the spring with his eyes closed suddenly sank beneath the surface.
The faint splash was almost impossible to notice in the hot spring, and one person was nothing compared to all the bathers.
A little while later, a woman suddenly sank as well.
Three, four, five...
As more and more people sank, the color of the spring seemed to grow even more scarlet.
The scent in the air also became richer.
In his drowsiness, Scribe sensed that the spring beneath him seemed to have changed.
It felt as though ink had been poured into pure water.
The two different liquids mixed together, and the sticky sensation made him deeply uncomfortable.
His eyelids twitched as Scribe tried to open his eyes.
But whenever he inhaled even a little of the fragrance in the air, his desire to open them weakened.
At last, Scribe was the only one still floating on the surface.
Beneath the red spring water, a tentacle as wide as two fingers emerged.
Following the current, the tentacle slowly approached Scribe.
Two meters, one meter, half a meter...
The next second, the tentacle touched Scribe's skin.
The tentacle, which had seemed lifeless, suddenly sprang into action. Like a python hunting prey, it tried to bind Scribe to death.
Sensing the abnormality from outside, Scribe's body detected killing intent and reacted instantly.
His tightly shut eyes flew open, and Scribe grabbed the tentacle wrapped around him.
"What is this thing?!"
Without time to think, Scribe drove his elbow straight into the hot spring wall behind him.
A tremendous force erupted, blasting a huge hole through it.
The red spring water poured out through the hole and quickly drained away.
The sight at the bottom of the hot spring was revealed before Scribe's eyes.
Where solid ground should have been, there was a large hole. Seven or eight tentacles extended from it, stretching more than ten meters outward.
Several of the tentacles still had humans bound around them.
Judging from their pale skin and bulging eyes, those people were already dead.
As if it had noticed Scribe's movements, every tentacle rapidly retracted.
There was actually a demon beneath the hot spring!
Realizing this, Scribe grabbed the tentacle binding him.
A snapping sound rang out. The demon beneath the spring severed its own limb to save its life, abandoning that part of its body.
Watching the demon withdraw all its tentacles, Scribe knew he had been tricked.
He had known there were demons in this town, but he had not expected them to prey on humans so openly.
"Other than me, everyone is dead."
Looking around, Scribe discovered that he was the only person left in the once-spacious area.
The drained spring water was mixed with a large amount of blood. The demon had likely drained all the blood to reduce the volume of the corpses.
Just as Scribe considered what to do next, another group pushed open the door and walked over.
This is bad!
Suddenly realizing something, Scribe's heart began to pound wildly.
The next second, a man walking at the front noticed something strange about the Scarlet Hot Spring.
"Murder!"
In an instant, Scribe was surrounded by the people who had come to soak in the hot spring.
Turning the Tables, the Demon Who Let It All Hang Out Under the Moon
After observing the expressions of those around him, Scribe knew they had mistaken him for the murderer.
Their brows were tightly furrowed, their gazes fixed on him as they watched his every move.
Their throats bobbed from time to time, and their fingers were clenched into fists, as though they were guarding against him.
A bespectacled man with a stiff expression, looking like some high-ranking executive, spoke.
"Behave yourself, murderer."
Then he directed everyone to surround Scribe and summoned the inn's manager.
After a brief explanation, the bespectacled man blamed all the missing people on Scribe, claiming he had killed them.
Pointing at Scribe, the bespectacled man shouted at the toad-like man.
"I understand. I'll handle it."
Rather unexpectedly, the toad-like man showed little panic on his face.
After finding rope to bind Scribe, the toad-like man said he would find professionals to deal with him.
Nodding, the dozen or so people led by the bespectacled man relaxed slightly.
In their eyes, once the toad-like man dealt with Scribe, their lives would be safe as well.
But as the toad-like man pushed Scribe outside, Scribe suddenly noticed something strange about his movements.
It was as though the right half of his body had no strength. Even his steps were unsteady.
It felt as though something had snapped in the right half of his body.
A nearly imperceptible cloying scent also drifted through the air.
This smell... could it be?
His mind raced as a possibility gradually took shape in Scribe's head.
"I left something inside."
Scribe suddenly stopped and pointed at the changing room nearby.
"Something? Could it be the murder weapon?"
The bespectacled man's eyes shifted, believing it might be evidence that could convict Scribe.
"Wait a moment. I'll get it. It might be evidence."
The bespectacled man jogged into the changing room and brought out the Nichirin Blade.
"It really is a sword! You really are the murderer!"
Upon discovering that he had brought out a sword, the bespectacled man's voice immediately turned shrill.
Before you continue