Iguro Miwa and Mitsuko headed to the Snake Demon's palace.
Hachijo Island under the cover of night.
Most of the shops on the street have closed.
Only a handful of shops had their lights on.
And without exception, all the shops with their lights on have signs that begin with "Iguro".
However, these stores had absolutely no customers.
Yes, there were some women from the Iguro family who dressed extravagantly, wanting to adorn every single strand of their hair with jewelry.
When these women saw Iguro Miwa and Mitsuko walking together, their eyes widened with envy and jealousy.
"Miwa, I never imagined you'd find such a wonderful lover! Why wasn't I the lucky one?!"
Iguro Miwa could only force an awkward smile and say, "Just lucky..."
After giving a few perfunctory replies, Iguro Miwa continued to lead Mitsuko forward.
Mitsuko asked, "Are all these shops opened by your Iguro family designed to attract men?"
"Yes..."
Anyway, now that Mitsuko knows what he should know and what he shouldn't know, Iguro Miwa simply answers all the questions Mitsuko asks.
Mitsuko sarcastically said, "You people have a lot of wealth, but instead of doing something safe, you choose to rely on demons to harm your own kind and make money. You even sacrifice your own children to demons. In some ways, you are even more vile than demons."
Iguro Miwa nodded repeatedly in agreement, but in her heart she was thinking that once she saw the Snake Demon, she would make Mitsuko suffer a terrible death.
When Mitsuko and Iguro Miwa were halfway through their journey, Mitsuko suddenly heard a strange noise.
"Sizzle, sizzle!!"
Mitsuko looked in the direction of the strange noise and saw the kind fisherman he had met earlier that morning hiding in the bushes, calling out to Mitsuko anxiously in a low voice.
Mitsuko summoned a cloud of black mist, enveloping Iguro Miwa and rendering her immobile, before going to meet the fisherman alone.
The fisherman grabbed Mitsuko and pulled him behind a large tree, then sternly scolded him: "Being alone with a woman from the Iguro family so late at night, are you out of your mind? What did I tell you this morning? Leave Hachijo Island at dawn and don't trust anyone from the Iguro family. Why won't you listen to my advice?!"
Mitsuko was about to speak when the fisherman interrupted him.
"No, it's obvious now that the Iguro family has their eyes on you, child. Hachijo Island hasn't seen any newcomers for a long time; they definitely won't let you go. Child, come with me now, I'll take you out to sea and leave Hachijo Island!"
The fisherman pulled Mitsuko along, wanting to take her away from here.
But Mitsuko remained unmoved; he would not leave until he had achieved his goal.
Mitsuko didn't understand why the fisherman would help him, especially since the fisherman had previously mentioned how afraid he was of the Iguro family.
Now, however, the fisherman chooses to risk being discovered by Iguro Miwa by appearing to warn and intend to help Mitsuko.
"Uncle, why are you helping me?"
"You child, this is not the time to say such things!"
The fisherman was very anxious, but he found that he couldn't pull Mitsuko up.
The fisherman turned to look at Mitsuko's face, noticed Mitsuko's stubborn expression, sighed, and said, "I am not actually a local resident of Hachijo Island. More than 20 years ago, I was a tourist visiting Hachijo Island, just like you."
When I arrived here, I chose to stay at an inn run by the Iguro family, but that night...
The fisherman's cheeks flushed slightly, then he became extremely serious: "Later, I heard that the woman I met that night was pregnant. I didn't actually want the child, after all, I only considered it a beautiful chance encounter on Hachijo Island. But when I came to Hachijo Island again and tried to persuade her to give up the child, the woman insisted on giving birth to the child."
I naively thought that the woman wanted to give birth to the child and raise it because of maternal instinct. At that time, I decided to take on the responsibility of being a father. I brought all my assets to Hachijo Island, wanting to live a good life with that woman and the child.
But I never expected that all of this was just wishful thinking on my part. After the child was born, I never even saw him, and all my assets were swallowed up by the Iguro family.
When I found the woman and asked her why she did that, this was her answer.
'You and that child were nothing more than tools for my luxurious lifestyle. Now you have nothing, not even any value to me. You want to see the child? Just die. You'll see him naturally after you're dead.'
When I found out, I was completely devastated. I couldn't believe my child was dead, nor could I believe that woman could be so cruel as to kill her own child. So I chose to stay on Hachijo Island to find my child.
But more than 20 years have passed, and I haven't heard a single word about my child. I know in my heart that my child is indeed dead.
Many people on Hachijo Island have experienced this kind of despair. The Iguro family is a shameless vampire clan that enriches itself by murdering others.
"My child, seeing you is like seeing my younger self. That's why I want to stop you, not just to help you, but also to stop my past self by stopping you!"
The fisherman sadly recounted his past experiences, hoping that after hearing them, Mitsuko would choose to leave with him.
Mitsuko apologized profusely, "I'm sorry, Uncle, for reminding you of your painful past."
"I'm fine, then let's leave quickly!" the fisherman said anxiously.
Mitsuko said resolutely, "Uncle, I won't go with you. I still have things to finish."
The fisherman looked at Mitsuko incredulously: "After hearing my story, are you still going to walk into the lion's den? Is there anything more important than your life?!"
"After hearing your story, I'm even more determined to stay!"
The fisherman didn't understand Mitsuko's meaning: "After hearing my story, you're even more determined to stay? What do you mean?"
"It's nothing, Uncle. Just know that I understand what I'm doing, and I won't risk my life. It's time to break the shackles of the Iguro family on Hachijo Island."
Mitsuko held the fisherman's rough hands, hugged him, and looked sincerely at the fisherman's face, saying, "Uncle, go get a good night's sleep now. Maybe everything will be different tomorrow."
After saying that, Mitsuko resolutely turned and left.
No matter how the fisherman called out, it was to no avail.
Watching Mitsuko's departing figure, the fisherman sighed deeply, his posture becoming slightly hunched.