Fremd Torturchen - Volume 3 - Chapter 1

1

A Town Rejecting Death

People were being devoured, livestock was gnawed to pieces, and buildings were getting chewed away.

The capital was being eaten alive.

There was no other way to describe the cruel simplicity of the events that were unfolding.

One clear afternoon, a mass of flesh had suddenly exploded forth from the town’s quiet, gloomy mercantile district. It had expanded rapidly, crushing countless buildings and swallowing up whole crowds of bystanders. Although the rotting meat’s expansion eventually slowed, it was continuing to overrun the capital, which until the start of this catastrophe had boasted three-tenths of mankind’s population and had been a center of commerce and politics.

Those who had just barely avoided the first wave of expansion had frantically sought shelter. However, any who fell behind were soon swallowed up by the subsequent waves of undulating tissue.

The elderly had desperately struck the mass with their canes, but their efforts were fruitless, and they were swallowed from their trembling ankles up. A dog tied to the eaves of a building barked as it was crushed beneath the advancing pulpy folds. Those too sick to move were engulfed, beds and all.

And to add to their misfortune, the mass of flesh was alive.

In other words, anyone consumed by it was either assimilated or transformed.

The majority of its victims were still alive as they became fused with the writhing mass.

The surface of its flesh was decorated with the faces of humans, beasts, fish, and bugs—any and all living creatures that had been captured—like some sort of grotesque sculpture. The screams trickling from the victims’ faces were bloodcurdling.

Oooooooooooohhh… Oooooooooooohhh… Oooooooooooohhh…

Their voices rang out with intense bitterness toward those who had survived.

Those who avoided being assimilated soon found an equally harsh fate awaiting them. Their bodies were forcibly warped, ending only when they were ejected as underlings, emerging from the main body to capture prey, be consumed, and then sent forth again, each time being fused together and broken back down.

Those who had once been human were hunting those who still were.

All the city’s inhabitants were forced to acknowledge the sheer hopelessness of the situation.

That, after all, was what demons did. Powerless humans had no means with which to fight back.

Even so, in order to survive, everyone tried their hardest to flee.

A desperate fight raged in one corner of the capital. Several residents had escaped to a wide street, but underlings had caught up to the group containing most of the children. One bug-like underling swung its sickle-shaped arm and severed a number of their legs. The wounded, no longer able to flee, were dragged mercilessly toward the awaiting mass. Their desperate cries rang out. However, a strangely calm murmur cut through the noise of the street.

“Reenactment of the Plain of Skewers: Impaled Victim.”

The voice was strong and elegant.

Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab!

Accompanying the voice was a cloud of dust and a noise loud enough to drown out the caustic howling. Hundreds of iron stakes impaled the underlings, raining a gruesome shower of blood onto the road.

Trembling from the unexpected development, the people timidly looked up.

“…Is she…the Saint?” someone muttered in amazement.

A single young woman stood before them.

She was beautiful and wore a provocative bondage outfit. Her appearance was like the coming of a messiah or perhaps a tyrant, and her lustrous black hair and dress with scarlet-dyed interior fluttered in the wind.

Her chest was concealed by thin leather straps but was otherwise practically bare. Her erotic attire was a far cry from that of the Suffering Saint from the people’s faith. However, the beauty and solemnity of the person who had arrived in that hell made it impossible to imagine her as anything but a hallowed figure.

Hearing the people’s supplicating voices, though, the woman scowled.

“And just who do you think you’re calling a saint? Hold your tongue if you’re going to refer to me in such a repugnant manner!”

The woman waved her hand as though shooing away a dog.

Then she casually shifted her gaze from the group. As she turned to face the band of onrushing underlings, she clicked her tongue in annoyance.

“Tch, more of them? To have your bodies twisted and warped against your will… How pitiful you creatures are. I shall grant you swift deaths, if naught else.”

She lifted her face to the sky and extended a pale hand. Swirling darkness and crimson flower petals materialized at her fingertips. Without hesitation, she thrust her hand into the center of the vortex.

And from there, she drew a long sword.

“Executioner’s Sword of Frankenthal!”

With a ringing voice, she called out the sword’s name. As she did, the runes etched on its bloodred blade glinted.

Their meaning was forcibly drummed into the minds of all who looked upon them.

You are free to act as you will. But pray that God shall be your salvation. For the beginning, the middle, and the end all lie in the palm of His hand.

“Nail Gun!”

Shunk, shunk, shunk, shunk, shunk!

As the woman swung her sword down, the darkness and crimson petals spiraled outward, and rusty nails appeared in their wake, burying themselves in the underlings’ flesh. Chains wove like serpents, snaking their way through gaps in the spiral to mow down any who escaped.

The people raised cheers of joy. However, the woman turned to shout at them in an icy voice.

“Why have you stopped, you fools? It is the duty of the weak to flee. So flee. Do not turn to me. Do not rely on me. Do not look up to me—who do you think I am?”

With one hand on her hip and her crimson eyes shining, the woman gave her haughty introduction.

“I am the Torture Princess, Elisabeth Le Fanu. I am the proud wolf and the lowly sow.”

The capital was a place where information gathered, and there was no shortage of educated people among its citizens. The tale of the Torture Princess was well-known, and the people gasped at her declaration. A heavy silence fell over the crowd.

Someone timidly opened their mouth to speak but was interrupted.

Gya-gya-gya-gya-gya-gya-gyaa!

A strange, grating scream split the sky. New underlings began swooping down from the heavens.

The massive, grotesque crows—whose bodies were riddled with eyeballs—snatched people up from behind with their warped talons. Atrocious screams rang out before falling silent an instant later.

“—La (dance).”

A calm voice rang out, and a blade danced through the air. The underlings were all split in two, and their viscera pelted the earth. The people who’d narrowly avoided a grisly fate raised their voices in bewilderment.

“…Wh-what just, who…? Wh—?”

A woman who’d just been saved from the crows looked down at her bloodstained hands and lost her breath.

The only person present who could truly understand what had happened was the Torture Princess. Assailed by confusion, the people began fleeing on their hands and feet.

Then the sound of combat boots clicking against the ground echoed. The group froze.

A young man had appeared before them. The hem of his black outfit, which was adorned with red thread, fluttered as he walked.

The man was thin, and his left arm had been transformed into that of a beast. His faded brown hair had been tied back into a knot, and it matched the color of his eyes. He looked unnaturally composed.

He turned toward the group, all of whom bore terrified expressions. However, he paid their reactions no heed, instead focusing on confirming with his stern gaze that no more attacks were forthcoming.

As soon as he finished, he exhaled lightly and scratched his head, visibly relaxing.

“Phew, looks like that worked… But damn, it still doesn’t feel completely stable. How am I supposed to get better at this?”

As he grumbled, he waved his right arm around like a conductor’s baton. The blade that had just sliced apart the underlings drifted along and followed the path his hand had taken. The Torture Princess gave the hem of his outfit a quick yank.

“You know, you’re inspiring no small amount of terror at the moment.”

The young man’s eyes went wide, and he turned on his heel, flustered. Surveying the group’s expressions, he raised a perplexed voice.

“Wait, for real? Did I do something suspicious?”

“‘Suspicious’ hardly begins to describe it. You struck the perfect image of a villain making his entrance back there.”

“Whaaat…? I mean, I guess I can’t totally deny being a villain, but still, I’m not your enemy, you guys…”

Hearing that, the group finally let down their guard a bit. They turned inquisitive gazes toward Elisabeth, as though to ask if she knew him. She nodded, then answered.

“Be at ease. Suspicious as his left arm is, this one is a servant of mine. His name is Kaito, or Sena, or perhaps Kaito Sena.”

“Thanks a lot for that half-assed introduction. But it doesn’t matter; don’t worry about us.”

As he waved with his beastly left arm, the man—Kaito Sena—lined up beside Elisabeth, the Torture Princess. The two of them looked to where the mass of flesh was resting.

A fresh wave of underlings was heading straight toward them.

Kaito raised his right arm, and Elisabeth clicked her heels.

“I need you guys to run.”

Kaito snapped his fingers before murmuring softly.

“The Torture Princess and the Kaiser’s contractor can take it from here.”

Then the two of them began slaughtering the underlings.

Once, at the hands of his cruel father, Kaito Sena’s seventeen years and three months of life had come to an end.

His death had been as meaningless as a worm’s, one most pitiful, most unseemly, most cruel, and most gruesome. However, after his death, Kaito had been summoned to another world and obtained a second life.

His summoner had been Elisabeth Le Fanu, the Torture Princess, a terrible sinner who was destined to be executed after killing fourteen demons and their contractors on the Church’s orders.

During their battles against the demons, Elisabeth had fallen into a trap of the Grand King’s. In order to save her, Kaito had formed a contract with the Kaiser, the highest ranked among the demons and, as a result, had gained the ability to use magic. After fighting alongside an automaton named Hina, who was both his own servant and his bride, he’d successfully restored Elisabeth’s health. However, after they’d successfully taken out the Grand King, the Church informed them of a new crisis.

The capital was under attack, and around a third of its citizens had been killed, including Godot Deus, one of the Church’s high priests. The city, which was pivotal to the continued survival of humanity, had nearly been destroyed, and at this rate, it would likely fall, along with all its paladins.

When they’d received that message, Kaito immediately got to work making purin.

After dissolving sugar in milk, he added egg before mixing and straining it carefully to avoid creating bubbles. Then he poured everything into an earthenware pot and applied heat, cooking it until it reached the appropriate temperature.

At that point, all he needed to do to complete it was chill it in the ice-spirit fridge.

“Yup, as always, having the ingredients around is a lifesaver.”

As he waited for the purin to chill, Kaito murmured to himself.

In this world, sugar, fresh eggs, and milk were all difficult to obtain without going through major guilds, as they were both the ones who maintained the supply chain and those in possession of ice-spirits. But with the Butcher’s help, reluctant as he may have been, they were able to keep Elisabeth’s castle sufficiently stocked. If not for that, it would have been difficult indeed for Kaito to reproduce purin in this world.

Huh? Wait, if I hadn’t been able to make purin, wouldn’t that have meant that all my knowledge and experience from my old world was useless? Well, I guess being used to pain came in handy, too.

Tilting his head to the side, Kaito grabbed the earthenware pot’s chilly handles. Taking extreme care not to put too much strength into his beastly arm, he hurried through the corridor.

He dashed up the spiral staircase, then opened up the door to the dining room. Within, a chair with ball-and-claw feet was lined up next to the table, which boasted a stately tablecloth.

Seated at the table was Elisabeth, crossing her elegant legs. Likely having sensed Kaito, she lifted her face and displayed her bored expression. Then her gaze landed on the earthenware pot.

The next moment, her eyes sparkled with such intensity that cat ears practically sprouted from her head.

“Oh-ho, it’s complete!”

“Yeah, I’m all done.”

With that, Kaito hoisted the pot. In a flash, Elisabeth grabbed a spoon and held it on standby. Her reaction was as innocent as always. However, not long ago, that was a scene Kaito had feared he might never see again. Breathing an internal sigh of relief, Kaito placed the pot in front of Elisabeth and lifted its lid.

With a “ta-daa,” a massive, jiggling yellow form appeared.

Elisabeth breathed in its aroma, pleased.

“Heh-heh, there you are. How pleasantly sticky you seem.”

“Here, purin, just like I promised. Go on, dig in.”

“Mm, the wait was killing me… Wait, did we ever make such a promise?”

“Oh, right. Uh, don’t worry about that.”

Kaito averted his eyes from Elisabeth. She tilted her head to the side, wondering what in the world he was going on about.

It had happened right before Kaito made his contract with the Kaiser. When she’d been in a coma due to having the flow of her mana dammed up by Sacrifice, he’d faced her and whispered:

“You’re probably going to be livid. But I’ve made up my mind, Elisabeth. See you later. When you wake up, I’ll make you some purin.”

She hadn’t responded. He had almost stroked her cheek, but he’d stopped short, clenched his fists, and left the bedroom.

Then he had made a contract with the Kaiser.

Elisabeth didn’t know about that private moment. And Kaito saw no reason to tell her.

Watching Kaito speak noncommittally, Elisabeth made a strange face before turning back toward the purin. She scooped out a jiggling, sticky spoonful, then stuck it in her mouth.

“Ah…the texture is excellent… It’s sticky yet smooth…and jiggly… What a fine dish this is. Ah-ha-ha.”

An earthenware pot can hold a great deal of purin. However, Elisabeth polished it off in mere moments. After cleaning out the pot, she heaved a satisfied sigh.

“Ah! That was rather splendid. Between this and having activated Hina, your praiseworthy achievements total two.”

“I see that once again you’re blatantly ignoring all the other work I’ve put in up till now.”

Elisabeth practically purred in pleasure, radiating the same energy as a cat basking in a sunbeam. Kaito felt like he could almost see cat ears twitching back and forth atop her head.

For a short while, Elisabeth scraped at the bottom of the pot with her spoon. However, she eventually relented.

Then, with a hard clank, she returned the silver spoon to the table.

She crossed her arms, and her expression abruptly stiffened.

“Now then, our respite ends here. Not only is the situation dreadful, it’s grave.”

Looking at her from the side, Kaito could see that the innocent light flickering in her eyes had vanished. Her cold expression was that of a resolute soldier. She clenched her fists.

A magical chessboard appeared before her, accompanied by white and black pieces.

Elisabeth removed a white piece shaped like a bishop.

Godot Deus, one of the high priests of the Church, had been killed by the demons. Furthermore, the wicked lot responsible for the murder were still running free and wreaking havoc.

Kaito clenched his fists and spoke in a low voice.

“So you’re seriously gonna go…? You’re planning to fight an enemy who took out a third of the capital?”

“Of course. The Church has ordered me to slay all fourteen demons. Above all, I myself decided to do so. Having lived the cruel and haughty life of a wolf, I shall die like a lowly sow. A sow forsaken by all of creation… And I have no intention of overturning that fate of mine.”

Elisabeth gave a sharp response to Kaito’s question. Her voice was frosty, making it clear that others had no say in her decision. Upon hearing that, Kaito lost his grip on the words he had planned to deliver next. He watched on as she continued removing pieces.

“The remaining demons number three: the Monarch, the Grand Monarch, and the King. Normally, the three of them would not possess the power to storm the capital. What in the world could have happened…? Well, I have my suspicions. But regardless of the accuracy of my hunches, naught but Hell awaits.”

“Just to be clear, I’m coming with you.”

“Do as you please. Or rather, I’d like to say that, but this time, I’d included you in the head count from the onset. Fool. Even if you mean no harm, I cannot simply leave the Kaiser’s contractor unattended… Listen now, Kaito. While I may owe you a debt for it, the sin you have committed would normally merit execution.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“You know nothing. And even supposing you did, you fail to truly understand. Those who embrace the darkness can no longer return to being human…and you have crossed that final line.”

Then Elisabeth heaved a heavy sigh. After looking Kaito over—his left arm in particular, which had transformed into that of a beast—she shook her head.

“You utter fool.”

Kaito gave no response. For a moment, a heavy silence fell between them. After another sigh, though, Elisabeth stood with enough force to send her chair flying.

Stretching her back like a cat, she made a declaration.

“In any case, the time to depart is upon us! No matter what idle words we string together, the fact remains that we have no choice but to fight… However, one worry yet remains.”

“Yeah, we have to figure out what we’re gonna do about Hina.”

They looked at each other and nodded.

Elisabeth’s black hair fluttered as she set off. Kaito followed after her.

The two silently advanced down the corridor as light streamed through the ominous patterns adorning the clerestory windows. Elisabeth opened up the bedchambers, a room she herself had been comatose in just a few hours earlier.

At the moment, Hina was sleeping there.

She was lying on the bed, surrounded by azure roses.

Kaito had created the flowers at Elisabeth’s suggestion in order to aid in the reorganization of Hina’s gears. Hina slept deeply, swathed in the gentle magic the azure petals were releasing.

“Hina…”

Kaito unhesitatingly rushed to her bedside and knelt, then gently stroked her forehead. There was no response. Until her scrambled gears were realigned, she would be unable to rise.

Elisabeth clasped Hina’s pale hand, then nodded after quickly confirming the flow of mana and mechanical noises were all in order.

“Her gears are realigning properly. However, there is some time yet before the process will be finished.”

“So, the problem is what we’re gonna do with her until then.”

“Mm, that it is. While the realignment is in progress, she shall not wake. In short, she is wholly defenseless. We could leave golems to defend her, but their usefulness is limited, so that option leaves me with some unease… So when we consider who I could contact and ask to take Hina and flee should anything happen—”

“Ah, well, that would be me.”

“Dude, your timing is crazy good.”

With that, Kaito turned to look at the bedchamber’s entrance.

There stood the Butcher, posing coolly with his finger pressed against his forehead.

Although his eyes were hidden by his hood, they were no doubt sparkling.

“While the two of you are absent, I shall remain by Ms. Lovely Maid’s side. And should anything happen, I’ll hoist her upon my back and scurry away with utmost haste. What say you?”

“While I’m most grateful for your proposal, are you quite all right with this? If I’m not mistaken, you have little to gain from aiding us.”

“Oh, there’s no need to be so reserved. A dear customer of mine is in a pinch! Such a task is but a trifle… Incidentally, I couldn’t help but notice that your ice-spirit storage unit and your carrier golems are getting a bit old, you know. Cha-ching, cha-ching.”

“…Did he seriously just say ‘cha-ching’?”

“Understood. Replace as many as you wish and send me the bill. Will that suffice?”

“Ha-ha-ha-ha, leave everything to me, your friendly neighborhood Butcher!”

The Butcher hopped up and down. Shrewd as he was, the fact remained that his assistance took a great load off their backs. After all, the castle had been attacked by demons a number of times before. No ordinary man would dare come near the place, let alone house-sit for them.

The Butcher truly did have nerves of steel.

Kaito turned and bowed to the Butcher, who was still dancing with joy.

“…Thanks a lot, Butcher. That’s a huge help.”

“Mm-hmm, Dim-Witted Servant, showing me proper gratitude?! Away with you, impostor! Show me your true form!”

“Wait, have I really never thanked you for anything before?”

Kaito narrowed his eyes doubtfully. The Butcher had assumed some sort of strange fighting stance, one that called to mind a bizarre bird. Ignoring him, Elisabeth crossed her arms and spoke decisively.

“With that, then, everything is in order! Now, Kaito and I shall make our way to the capital in accordance with the Church’s demand! Butcher, I leave the rest to you.”

“Ha-ha, at your service.”

“A proper response—Kaito, quell any regrets you may have.”

“…Got it.”

Nodding at Elisabeth’s advice, Kaito silently gazed at Hina’s face. He placed his hands on the bed, then gently kissed her.

Their lips joined, then parted.

However, Sleeping Beauty didn’t wake.

Then Kaito whispered gently to the woman who’d asked to become part of his family.

“I’m heading out, Hina. Please wait for me. I promise we’ll go back to living under the same roof.”

He stood up. He stroked Hina’s forehead one last time, as one would an infant’s, then turned on his heel.

The hem of his black outfit that resembled a military uniform waved in the air as he determinedly strode forth. Elisabeth followed after him, her heels clicking loudly.

“I await your triumphant return! May fortune favor you!”

The Butcher watched them go, waving his hand as he called out from behind them.

As her beloved groom departed, the bride remained in slumber.

Leaving Hina behind at the castle, Elisabeth and Kaito descended into the maw of peril.

Using his blade, Kaito lopped the flying underling to pieces.

The ones rushing across the ground toward them found themselves on the receiving end of Elisabeth’s stakes.

Each of them trusting the other, the way they devoted their full attention to their roles was reminiscent of a dance performance. In the blink of an eye, they completed their slaughter. A colossal mound of corpses was all that remained.

After gazing toward the end of the road where the swelling mass of flesh was sitting, Kaito and Elisabeth turned to each other and nodded.

“Good, looks like we drove them off for now.”

“Aye, we can finally take a breather. And those people should have been able to make it to shelter by now—or not! Go on, you lot, get out of here!”

“Hey, Elisabeth, don’t be so hard on them. That thing appeared out of nowhere, right in the middle of the capital. If anything, it’s impressive they were able to even make it this far.”

Kaito placed a hand on Elisabeth’s shoulder, then made his way toward the group, most of whom had frozen in their tracks. After coming to a stop front of the fleeing residents, he spoke in a calm voice, doing his utmost not to frighten them.

“Is everyone okay? If you all go straight that way, the paladins have a shelter set up. There should be guides along the way, too, so you don’t even have to go very far.”

Kaito urged on a parent and child, who up until a few moments ago were being pursued by an underling with a pig’s head. However, they offered no response. Upon closer inspection, it appeared that all the adults were paralyzed with fear.

Kaito looked around, at a loss for what to do.

As he did, a young girl clutching onto her mother’s arm called out to him.

“Mister…what’s wrong with your arm?”

Kaito looked at the girl, flustered. Her innocent eyes were transfixed on his ghastly arm.

Now even more uncertain of what to do, Kaito frowned. After puzzling over his response for a moment, he sidestepped the question.

“Uh…it’s…kinda cool, don’tcha think? And it’s real strong.”

“Yeah, it looks really strong! It’s scary, but it’s cool, too!”

“Wow, thanks. That’s really nice of you to say. Now, c’mon, you gotta hurry!”

Kaito gave the girl’s parents a soft push on the arms. The moment the mother felt the beastly arm touch her skin, she shuddered and stepped backward to shield her child. But after seeing the lonely look in Kaito’s eyes, her expression quickly shifted.

She and her husband quickly bowed to Kaito, then broke off at a run. The rest of the people who’d been frozen still quickly followed after them. However, one old woman struggled backward against the sudden rush of the throng.

Casting a sharp glance at the Torture Princess, she fought her way through the waves of people.

Elisabeth narrowed her eyes, trying to discern the woman’s intentions.

“Someone with a grudge against the Torture Princess, perhaps?”

That guess was about as far off the mark as one could be. After stopping in front of Elisabeth, the old woman tossed aside her cane and knelt atop the stone street with faltering knees. As Kaito and Elisabeth watched on in confusion, she bowed deeply.

In his surprise, Kaito let out an exclamation that bordered on shrill.

“Wh-what’s the matter, ma’am?”

“Hmm? What is the meaning of this?!”

“Thank you… Thank you… Thank you…”

The old woman thanked them over and over. Looking at her tiny, rounded back, Elisabeth scratched her cheek.

“What? Ah yes, well…aren’t you a courteous one…? Something about this feels wrong, you know.”

“Thank you… Thank—”

“Good lord, woman, how long do you intend to go on for?! Enough already; up with you! Your thanks are unnecessary.”

“Ma’am, she’s saying that she appreciates the sentiment. C’mon now; it’s dangerous here.”

Kaito extended a hand to the old woman. With his help, she struggled to her feet.

Watching her pick up her cane and walk away, Elisabeth coldly shooed her off.

“Begone with you already! Heavens, what an odd bat she was… Oi! Look where you’re going; don’t bow while you walk! There are stones in your path! Listen, woman, don’t go toppling over now!”

In spite of her attitude, her words were kind. Kaito surreptitiously softened his expression.

The next moment, Elisabeth whirled around to face him.

“Ah, I knew I sensed something unpleasant! Kaito! Wipe that expression off your face! Remember your place, servant!”

“Ow, don’t kick me!”

Finding himself on the receiving end of a precise roundhouse kick, Kaito clutched his chest as he leveled his complaint. All he accomplished, though, was infuriating Elisabeth even further.

“Then explain to me what that expression was just now: as though you were gazing upon a child! I shall not tolerate such insolence!”

“I did nothing of the sort! My face just loosened up a little!”

“And what is that if not insolence?!”

Kaito’s complaints of unfair treatment were wholly rejected. Displeased, Elisabeth shook her head from side to side.

“Behold, while you were preoccupied with your idle nonsense, that thing returned!”

As she spoke, a black shadow spread across the pavement. The sound of two bat-like wings flapping split the air. However, their owner was no bird.

They extended from the back of a dog.

The top-class hound—the Kaiser—flapped his wings as he descended.

His sinewy legs hit the ground, and he shook his body. His wings made a sticky sound as they folded into his back.

Once they’d been fully stored, he turned his eyes, which burned with hellfire, toward Kaito.

“I have returned, O Accumulation of Seventeen Years’ Pain, unworthy master of mine.”

“Good work out there. How’d it look?”

“Before that, I have something I must announce.”

“Wh-what is it? Why’re you acting all scary?”

The Kaiser drew up directly in front of Kaito, causing him to jump back a few steps. The Kaiser gnashed his teeth threateningly.

“Forcing me to do something as base as run reconnaissance for you is a deed punishable by being ripped to shreds between my jaws. You may be my master, but you are naught more than a worthless scrap of meat. Know your place!”

“Geez, man, that’s harsh… You don’t have to get all mad at me.”

“Ha, I shall forgive you this once. The view from on high was as pleasant as expected, after all. Much to my amusement, the capital is being rapidly consumed by that mountain of flesh. Rejoice, whelp. Your predictions were on the mark.”

Shaking his head, the Kaiser pointed with his jaw toward the mass at the end of the road. Laughing scornfully at his degraded brethren, the Kaiser continued:

“That thing is comprised of three demons fused together. I was able to identify the three needles that were thrust into their necks.”

“…Yeah, I figured. This is the Grand King’s fault.”

Kaito nodded. The needles that had been thrust into the demons’ necks were magical devices designed to control minds—the kind that the Grand King had specialized in using before Elisabeth had killed her. The fact that there were three of them meant the demonic colossus currently invading the capital was not one demon but the remaining three—the Monarch, the Grand Monarch, and the King.

“That Grand King is an obnoxious one. Although their ranks were lower than hers, controlling those three would have been no small feat. She must have stabbed them with her needles, destroyed their egos, then carried them into the capital half dead. Three humans take up little space, after all.”

“Then when she died, the needles stopped working.”

“Indeed. And with their shattered egos returned to them, their powers ran wild…and once the three of them fused, they began expanding, and the capital got entangled as a result. Would you concur, Vlad?”

In response to the Kaiser’s question, Kaito gently ran mana through the stone in his pocket. As though it had been waiting for just that moment, a velvety voice rang out.

“Your conjectures are as impressive as ever, Kaiser.”

Vlad Le Fanu’s phantom knitted together in front of them and put on airs.

He was adorned with a silken shirt with a cravat and a black coat decorated with silver thread, the same noble attire he’d worn when he was alive. He surveyed the scene, his crimson eyes setting off his shoulder-length black hair and giving him a beauty remarkably similar to Elisabeth’s.

Crossing his legs in empty space, he spoke elegantly.

“I would wager that your guess is right on the mark and that this is the Grand King’s final trap. A rather straightforward timed explosive, as it were. With their egos obliterated and nothing but their desires remaining, the demons finally began taking in humans and using them, becoming little more than machines designed to gather pain. Quite the intriguing result, I’d say.”

Vlad laughed in amusement.

He pointed at the mass of flesh, as though showing off some sort of entertaining spectacle.

“While they used to be my comrades, I do find it interesting that they’re more powerful now while they run wild than when they had their wits about them. Perhaps, unbound by human consciousness and rationality, demons become able to wield their power solely for the purpose of destroying the world… Incidentally, Elisabeth, would you be so kind as to restrain yourself?”

Vlad shook his head in exasperation. Pierced by an iron stake, his head vanished for a moment.

After Kaito turned his gaze toward her, Elisabeth finally stopped the campaign of harassment she’d begun from the moment Vlad had first materialized. With a grim expression on her face, she crossed her arms and spoke in a voice dripping with hatred.

“Silence yourself, Vlad. Your voice grates on my ears. Take care you do not forget that, were it up to me, I would shatter the rock your soul dwells in this instant.”

“That’s a bit cold, don’t you think? Given your servant Kaito Sena’s contract with the Kaiser, I should think it quite prudent to keep me alive to give him advice, as his predecessor. And you understand that, don’t you? You really shouldn’t be so hard on yourself—oh, careful there!”

Assailed by numerous stakes, Vlad bent his body at a strange angle.

Unsurprisingly, his expression soured. Seeing that, Elisabeth scoffed.

“Ha. You’d best brace yourself. The moment your task is through, I shall kill you once more. I shan’t spare you a shred of sympathy.”

“Quite right. I’ll brace myself, then. Alas, this body of mine is somewhat short on methods I can use to flee.”

Vlad shrugged, the apparent sorrow in his words wholly at odds with his general demeanor. However, seemingly reluctant to get stabbed again, he lightly snapped his fingers and vanished. All that remained of him were a few azure flower petals.

After stomping on them, Elisabeth clicked her tongue.

“Tch, what a revolting man.”

“I mean, that’s just how it is. Vlad will be Vlad, after all.”

“And you. Speaking as if this is someone else’s problem!”

Elisabeth grabbed onto the knot of Kaito’s hair, then yanked. Screaming, Kaito frantically tried to resist.

“Owwww! Cut it out, Elisabeth; you’re gonna pull it out! The pain is one thing, but I don’t wanna go bald!”

“Just shut up and go bald! Bald, I say! All this came about because you had to go and act on your own! Forming a contract with the Kaiser… Surely you are this world’s greatest imbecile!”

“No, seriously, you’re gonna pull it out! Stop, stop, stop!”

“Worry not! Even if I pull it out, it shall grow back!”

“Wait, is there even a spell that can regrow hair? Owwwwwww!”

“Aye, there is! You can’t set the color, however!”

“Wait a minute; I don’t want blond highlights!”

“Better that than torture, I’d wager! I shall say it again. The acts you have committed are folly, crimes worthy of an inquisition. Rough treatment is the least you should prepare yourself for! Hmph…that said, perhaps it is best to leave it at that. After all, now is hardly the time for me to be tormenting you.”

Perhaps her mood had finally lifted, because she released him. With teary eyes, Kaito inspected the state of his hair. As he did, Elisabeth turned her crimson gaze toward the mass of flesh invading the capital. Kaito followed her lead.

“…Man, that’s messed up.”

“Mm, that it is.”

Even then, the three fused demons were still carving deep scars in the town and its people.

In a complete reversal from her demeanor a moment ago, Elisabeth spoke in a strained voice.

“Demons draw their power from the pain of others. Let us make haste, Kaito. The longer we leave that annoying thing be, the more pain it shall accumulate and the more power it shall gain. Bothersome as it is, we need to join forces with the paladins.”

“Yeah, I’m with you. No time to waste.”

Kaito gave a brief nod. However, he bit down on his lip, as though hesitating over something.

After a beat, he spoke in a hoarse voice and reaffirmed their situation.

“This’ll be…our final demon subjugation.”

The mass of flesh sitting before them was the last three of the fourteen demons.

Thinking ahead to what awaited them afterward, Kaito clenched his fists.

After executing all the demons, the Torture Princess, too, would be going to the stake.

Elisabeth Le Fanu had finally begun making her way up the steps to the gallows.

The main road branched off in a complex pattern, but most of its paths led to the main square, named for an apostle who was said to have faithfully served the Saint to the end. At the moment, the square was being used as a temporary shelter.

From behind Elisabeth, Kaito looked out over the plaza.

The place was likely loved by the people, and on holidays, it would probably have been no surprise to see the place bustling with food carts and street performers. At present, though, no vestiges remained of its usual, tranquil self.

The square was surrounded by an elegant iron fence modeled after vines, with paladins lined up within. In addition to the gate being firmly shut, they were serving as a thick human wall. Their silver armor sparkled, emblazoned with white-lily coats of arms, as they worked to maintain the magical barrier covering the square.

Looking over their stiff faces, Kaito spoke in a tense voice.

“…Hey, are we really going to be able to just stroll on in?”

“Mm, I see your point. We are the Torture Princess and the Kaiser’s contractor, after all. While I have my doubts as to how well we’ll be received, I see no better options.”

With that, Elisabeth shrugged. Their minds made up, the two of them headed for the plaza.

The gate rattled open before them. Several corps members rushed out from within. Facing the mass of flesh, the resolute paladins ran down the main road where no small number of underlings lay in wait for them.

The square was likely being used as a base from which the corps engaging in rescue operations for the residents who’d been unable to escape would enter the danger zone. Even so, Kaito thought back to the scene that had just unfolded before them.

If we hadn’t been there, even more people would have been swallowed up… Given the situation, it’s hard to say if their rescue operations will even make it in time.

It was clear that the paladins needed help. Newly motivated, Kaito turned back toward the square. As he did, Elisabeth called out to one of the paladins guarding the entrance.

“I’m Elisabeth Le Fanu. The Church requested my aid, and here I am.”

“And I’m her servant, Kaito Sena. Nice to meet you.” Shaking off his tension, Kaito introduced himself.

However, the only response they received was a cold stare.

Several seconds passed. One of the paladins dashed back toward the rear of the square, possibly having received a message. The rest, though, remained as silent and unmoving as bronze statues, the tips of their swords pressed against the cobbled street.

“Um, we, uh, we came to help.”

Kaito spoke once more. Still, no answer. There were several people inside, but all they displayed was open malice. Kaito couldn’t think of a good reason for them to be receiving the cold shoulder.

Kaito frowned, then quietly whispered to Elisabeth.

“You know, I wasn’t exactly expecting the red-carpet treatment, but still, this is brutal.”

“Don’t be unreasonable. This, too, is within expectations.”

“Wait, seriously? Damn, I never took you for the understanding type.”

“This is my just deserts. At the Plain of Skewers, I faced five hundred members of the Knight Corps and slew them, annihilated them, and exterminated them. While these paladins here are from higher in the organization, no doubt many of them had acquaintances among the victims. Their rigorous training and discipline are likely the sole reason I’m not at sword’s point at the moment.”

Elisabeth replied at the same volume. Kaito nodded with newfound understanding.

Given the facts, the paladins’ reactions were only natural.

“That makes sense, then.”

“Mm, that it does.”

No tyrant was in a position to complain when those they oppressed wound up expressing malice toward them.

Normally, people who get crushed like worms don’t get the chance to come back, after all.

Elisabeth Le Fanu had once stood atop a mountain of corpses.

And those corpses were the allies of these paladins.

Suddenly, a clear voice rang out and obstructed Kaito’s train of thought.

“So you’re the Torture Princess. First, I wish to express my gratitude. You did well to respond to our summons.”

The gate opened, and a woman, accompanied on each side by a paladin, strode out from within.

She herself was likely a paladin as well. Her body was as lithe as a rapier, and she wore the same silver armor as the others. However, atop her shoulders was a magnificent, deep-blue mantle of fine make embroidered with silver. Her silver hair dashed against it and further improved the flashy impression she gave off.

That and her pair of mismatched blue and purple eyes caused her to boast otherworldly beauty. However, the light within her eyes was cold.

She looked a good deal younger than her fellow paladins, and the fact that she was a woman was unusual as well. Despite all that, Kaito was surprised by something else entirely.

Damn, that’s impressive. For an ordinary human, she’s got crazy stores of mana.

Ever since his contract with the Kaiser, Kaito’s ability to gauge the flow of mana had been refined. While the woman’s stores of mana couldn’t compare to the Torture Princess’s or to Kaito’s, given that he’d made a contract with a demon, it was well above what an average person could hope to possess.

In stark contrast to Elisabeth’s sinister, thorny mana, this woman’s seemed as deep and as placid as the sea. Kaito could tell, not from knowledge, but from intuition, that she would be well-suited toward healing, protective, and summoning magic.

It looks like she’s doing pretty well for herself among the Holy Knights, but I bet she could’ve become a pretty strong mage, too… Wait, huh? Did I just call her an ordinary human?

It was almost as though he thought of himself as some kind of monster. But he could hardly blame himself. For someone who had been reincarnated from another world, not to mention one whose left arm was that of a beast, continuing to perceive oneself as an ordinary human was no easy task.

Even so, I seem to be getting worse about it.

In spite of himself, Kaito looked off into the distance and grinned self-derisively. However, the woman interpreted his smile a different way.

Narrowing her cold eyes, she spoke.

“How rude. What, is there something on my face?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry, I was just laughing at myself. Don’t worry about it.”

“…At yourself? At a time like this?”

“Mm, well, my servant is a man of many peculiarities. Paying him heed is little more than a waste of time. You’d do best to simply ignore him… And as I said, I am Elisabeth Le Fanu, the Torture Princess.”

“Allow me to welcome you once more. Thank you for coming all this way.”

“Enough with the empty formalities. I received word of Godot Deus’s death. Are you in charge here?”

“I am not. Rather than explaining the situation, it would be quicker to simply take you to meet the man who is. Follow me. I expect you’ll be quite surprised.”

With that enigmatic declaration, she turned on her heel, her magnificent mantle whirling behind her. Her two attendants went after her.

After exchanging a glance, Kaito and Elisabeth obediently followed behind.

A row of simple tents was lined up on top of the stone ground.

As he passed by them, Kaito peered within one.

Within, a healer was desperately pinning a convulsing man to his bed while using medicinal herbs to alleviate the man’s pain. Kaito could make out a number of other healers applying magic and medicine left and right to care for the wounded. Given that they each boasted considerable reserves of magic, their original place of employment was probably the royal palace.

A long queue extended past the tents. It looked like those who were deemed too young or too ill to flee on their own were being teleported out of the city. Regardless of the fact that the line was guarded on both sides by Royal Knights, everyone on it was so nervous they would have broken down at the drop of a hat.

Elsewhere, the paladins were calling out and gathering the uninjured and those with only minor illnesses. However, between the people who were screaming in derangement and those who were glued to the ground with dead eyes, there was no shortage of people ignoring their orders.

Every single person who’d escaped bore a heavy, desperate burden.

“…This place is on edge, all right.”

“And for good reason. It would be rather aberrant for a man who could relax after only so barely fleeing danger.”

Hearing Kaito’s whisper, Elisabeth nodded.

Eventually, the two of them made it to the middle of the square. Seeing something strange there, Kaito narrowed his eyes.

“…What’s up with that?”

“That’s a statue of the Saint. Hardly an oddity.”

“No, but, like, what’s it doing here?”

A bronze statue of an upside-down saint shedding tears of blood stood before them. In front of her was another statue, a kneeling apostle wrapped from the head down in tattered rags. Surprisingly, the apostle was a demi-human. Legs with scales engraved in them and sharp claws peeked out from the bottom edge of the rags.

He looked as though he was both rejoicing and lamenting at the Saint’s suffering.

The scene called to mind torture, making it a strange choice to decorate a beloved plaza.

“It’s a little grim for a plaza decoration, don’t you think?”

“Perhaps, but according to the Church’s legends, humanity’s current society is built on the foundation of the Suffering Saint’s sacrifice. In short, the scene signifies the sins man forced the Saint to bear. People must live proper lives, constantly recalling their sins as they sing prayers of gratitude. The statue is situated in an everyday place to remind them of that. It serves as something akin to a warning.”

“…I see.”

Her explanation was blunt, nearly to the point of heresy, but it inspired a vague sort of understanding in Kaito. He shifted his gaze from the bronze statue and the tent beside it. It was placed just off the statue and was a good deal narrower and longer than the ones holding the injured.

The female paladin stopped directly in front of it. Raising her left arm, she gestured for the two of them to enter.

“This way.”

Feeling the hostile gazes of the Royal Knights standing guard bearing down on them, Kaito and Elisabeth went inside. As they did, they were assailed by bright lights, forcing Kaito to squint.

“…Wh—?”

“Not bad. Impressive even, being able to assemble so many.”

Elisabeth’s voice was full of admiration. Kaito looked and discovered that an entire wall was covered in active magical communication devices. Civil officials were frantically setting them into motion, trading messages with partners that were removed from there by great distances.

Tense, angry voices filled through the air, and the female paladin called out to the two of them again.

“Please keep walking. Our destination lies farther in.”

Prompted on by her words, Kaito and Elisabeth continued on.

The air was hot and muddy, but the farther in they went, the cooler it got. Upon reaching the inner depths of the tent, they could hear new voices going back and forth, voices possessing a different kind of gravity than the ones from before. There was a desk placed directly on the stone ground, and a map of the capital was spread atop it. Paladins were pointing at it and exchanging arguments with stern expressions.

“For La Mules’s bombardment, we should…”

“We’ve received authorization for tomorrow afternoon…”

“Considering the angle and the effective range, the hill in the graveyard is…”

“The people we’ll need to secure it are…”

Whatever they were discussing, it was going completely over Kaito’s head. A man was floating in front of them. Upon seeing the man’s strangely blurry back, Kaito began doubting his own eyes.

Wait, why is that guy’s back blurry?

The man was dressed in a simple yet high-quality vestment. He was probably affiliated with the Church.

Wondering who it was, Kaito frowned. Beside him, Elisabeth muttered in a strained voice.

“…Godot Deus?”

“Godot Deus?!”

Kaito reflexively let out a hysterical cry. That shouldn’t have been possible.

Didn’t Godot Deus die?

Godot Deus was supposed to have lost his life in the initial attack, when the three demons had explosively begun their expansion. However, upon being called a dead man’s name, the man turned to face them.

“Elisabeth, I see. You did well to make it here.”

Aside from through communication devices, this was the first time Kaito had ever seen Godot Deus. In contrast to his expectations, Godot Deus’s appearance was nothing more than that of a thin, wrinkled old man—the kind you could find just about anywhere. But given the fact that his supposed death hadn’t stopped him from appearing before them, he was clearly no ordinary man.

Kaito narrowed his eyes and looked over Godot Deus again. Upon closer inspection, he was partially transparent. A silver bowl sat at his feet, a jewel resting in a sparkling pool of water.

As Kaito stared at it, the stone in his pocket squirmed. At the same time, Kaito realized something.

I see. Godot Deus really did die.

The Godot Deus floating in front of him was nothing more than a reproduction of his soul, the same as Vlad was. Supplied with mana from the holy water the Church had prepared, he was commanding the troops from beyond the grave.

The stone squirmed again. It seemed that Vlad wanted to talk to the man, perhaps due to them both being reproductions. But if Kaito did as Vlad wanted and materialized him, there was a solid chance the paladins would strike him down on the spot.

As Kaito ignored the stone, to his surprise, Godot Deus spoke up.

“Do you have Vlad in there?”

“Wait, you could tell?”

Completely exposed, Kaito responded in surprise.

At the sudden mention of the Kaiser’s former contractor’s name, tension filled the room. Elisabeth stared off into space. Godot Deus calmly shook his head.

“Your left arm is that of the Kaiser’s and proof that one lacking knowledge of summoning was encouraged by a third party to form a contract. When you told me not to have any regrets, you were warning me that this was the choice you had made. Servant of Elisabeth’s…what a fool you are, forming a contract with a demon.”

“Yeah, I agree with you there. But I haven’t hurt anyone, and I plan to keep it that way. The minute I tried to harm an innocent, my master Elisabeth will probably immediately behead me anyway. I haven’t given you guys any reason to criticize me or give me orders…and you don’t have any grounds to punish me.”

“Strong words. However, it is true that we lack pieces to play. If you intend to fight alongside Elisabeth, I shall allow it. However, there is one thing I wish to confirm.”

Godot Deus extended a bony hand.

Then he spoke in a low, husky voice.

“Would you mind letting Vlad out?”

In response to his request, Kaito gently ran mana through the stone in his pocket.

Suddenly, azure rose petals and darkness whirled up within the tent. The paladins let out frantic cries. As he basked in their reactions, Vlad’s phantasmal body knit itself together in the air.

Overflowing with androgynous beauty, he crossed his legs and lorded over his surroundings.

“Hey there, Godot Deus. Long time no see.”

“What are you putting on airs for, you buffoon?”

“You’re trying to make it sound like you showed up after being called for, but you were literally just begging to be let out.”

Elisabeth and Kaito interjected at the same time. The paladins gripped the handles of their swords in unison. However, after realizing that it was just a phantom, they lowered their guards.

Vlad’s black hair fluttered as he smiled at Godot Deus.

“The last time was the inquisition—no, it was the time when you spared no pains in tormenting me? To see one of the Church’s high priests reduced to the same state as me… I never realized the Church was so fond of twisting the natural order. For the first time, I find myself intrigued in you fellows.”

“I suspected that the dregs of your soul were still present in the world. How deplorable. After the Torture Princess’s execution, we’ll have to destroy you posthaste.”

“Oh, you needn’t worry about that. I hear Elisabeth intends to do me in herself before then.”

“Even so, Elisabeth’s servant’s arm aside, things exceeding our expectations seem to be appearing left and right… This, too, must be one of God’s trials.”

Half ignoring what Vlad had to say, Godot Deus shook his head again. After listening to their exchange, Elisabeth suddenly piped up.

“Aye, I was surprised as well. Does the Church not oppose defying death in such a manner?”

“It is as you say. With my soul currently residing with God, by all rights, Godot Deus should cease existing in this world as quickly as possible. However, the people are in a panic. After all, I am the one among the high priests with the authority to command both the Torture Princess and the paladins. A man entrusted with a blade must not be put to his rest alone.”

Godot Deus spoke as though it were a matter that didn’t concern him.

Kaito knew next to nothing about the power structure governing this society. But he’d been able to piece together that command of the Holy Knights, an organization ranked higher than the Royal Knights, rested not with the king but with the Church and that they were an organization specializing in fighting demons.

I guess I’ll have to ask Elisabeth about the specifics later.

As Kaito pondered that, Godot Deus made yet another astonishing proclamation.

“I am not the only Godot Deus who currently exists. Others are stationed all over the capital. All in all, from the shelters scattered about to the escape routes to the places connecting them, the sum total count of me’s in operation comes to twenty.”

“…What?”

Kaito let out a dumbfounded exclamation. He couldn’t help but picture twenty Godot Deuses all gathered in the same room. Filled with instinctive revulsion, he furrowed his brows.

The prospect of having multiple reproductions of the same soul at once was twisted beyond belief.

From beside him, Elisabeth loudly laughed.

“Ha-ha, what a lark! To think of the Church’s head priest sullying providence in such a manner! You lot truly do have your backs against the wall!”

“Watch your mouth, woman!”

One of the paladins launched a sharp rebuke. However, the woman who’d guided Kaito and Elisabeth there lifted a hand to admonish him. After nodding to the woman, Godot Deus turned back toward Elisabeth.

“Once more, the Church calls upon the Torture Princess. Fight alongside the paladins and defeat the demon that invades the capital. Your foe is the final three of the fourteen demons. This shall be your final order.”

With that, Godot Deus paused for a beat.

His gaze pierced Elisabeth with the intensity of a hawk’s.

“Until the day of your death, try to do some good, at least.”

“I’d have done all that had you told me to or not, you senile old man!”

The Torture Princess replied loudly to the Church’s command.

Her answer was accompanied by a truly fiendish smile. Godot Deus nodded, satisfied. Elisabeth scoffed, then tapped the map of the capital with her black-polished index fingernail.

“Now, this battle shall take place in an urban environment, so on the matter of how much I’m allowed to destroy…”

“If I may, we don’t need the Torture Princess’s assistance.”

A clear voice rang out and interrupted Elisabeth’s question. Elisabeth narrowed her eyes in annoyance.

Kaito turned to look at the speaker. It was the female paladin, the one who’d just stopped her underling from chewing out the Torture Princess. He tilted his head to the side at the unforeseen opposition.

On the other side, Elisabeth sneered provocatively.

“That reminds me, we’ve yet to hear your name. Who are you? What gives you the right?”

“My name is Izabella Vicker, commander of the Holy Knights. Godot Deus, please know that I speak with utmost respect. We mustn’t borrow the Torture Princess’s strength. We mustn’t rely on a sinner.”

“Skip the sentimentality. State why you feel she is unnecessary.”

“Yes, forgive me. As per the previous meeting, once we finish evacuating the residents, we plan to launch an all-out attack on the demon with the support of the priests. And La Mules, the Shepherd, will be joining us as well.”

“Hey, Elisabeth?”

“Now, of all times? What is it? If it’s some idle nonsense, I shall strike you dead.”

“What’s the Shepherd?”

“A high priest who bears the authority to summon first-class mythical beasts and spirits. It would seem that quite the big shot has been slated to make an appearance.”

Elisabeth answered Kaito’s question. From beside her, he saw her face stiffen a hair. Seeing that, he could tell that this person was the real deal.

The paladin—Izabella—continued talking.

“In particular, the priests possess God’s blessing, a boon that renders them inviolable by the hands of demons. The expanding demon body itself is unguarded, and the effectiveness of a magical beast attack should be obvious. Given those conditions, the Royal Knights and the paladins together should prove to be sufficient to subjugate the demon. We can settle this matter with mankind’s hands alone; to rely on the Torture Princess now would sully the Church’s pride.”

With that, she completed her dignified statement. The paladins around her nodded in assent.

Upon hearing the paladins’ true thoughts, Kaito’s face twitched. The first one to respond, though, was Vlad. Tracing his own lips with his white, gloved hand, he laughed low.

“Strong words from a young maiden who knows nothing of demons nor, I wager, the touch of a man. Go on then, my dear successor, give them a piece of your mind!”

“What are you guys, dumb-asses?”

Not waiting for Vlad to finish speaking, Kaito spoke of his own volition. Vlad’s lips curled. Raising her elegant eyebrows, Izabella turned to face Kaito.

“What did you just say?”

“That demon is swallowing people up one by one and tormenting them. Even if you guys could defeat it on your own, you should be looking for any help you can get, even if it comes from a monster. That pride of yours can eat shit. If you think you’ve got time to be spewing garbage like that, why don’t you go march outside and take a good, long look at all those faces covering the demon’s surface?”

Despite his rage, Kaito was utterly calm. His mind was cold and clear.

His words themselves were coarse, but he layered them on in a level, icy voice. Then suddenly, he went silent. The gaze he focused on Izabella had no malice in it, simply pure questioning.

“Don’t you want to save them as soon as possible?”

Surprisingly, no counterargument came. Disappointed, Kaito blinked.

Izabella simply stared at him, eyes wide in puzzlement. Her face seemed ever so young and looked like she’d just been struck or like she’d just heard something she hadn’t expected. She opened her mouth to speak.

Before she could, one of the other paladins spoke up.

“Who are you to talk? You’ve got a monster’s arm, and you made a contract with the Kai—”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, precisely. How very right you are!”

All of a sudden, a lively voice rang though the air.

Elisabeth clapped her hands together and grinned. As if inviting him to dance, she extended a hand toward the paladin about to make his rebuttal.

“And on that note, I shall return home! Good work, everyone!”

“No, wait, that… Godot Deus has to…”

“…And if I were to say that, ’twould be you lot who would regret it. To think that you failed to understand even that much. I’d thought the paladins would be able to at least gauge how outclassed they were. You lot are like children, ignorant of your own limits.”

Elisabeth delivered scathing criticism.

The atmosphere in the room froze over with a loud snap. At least, Kaito felt as though it had. Upon being verbally abused by the Torture Princess, the same woman who’d once slaughtered their comrades, a number of hands reached for swords. As they did, Kaito raised his beastly arm.

Then he openly displayed a terrible bloodlust he’d accumulated from tasting death hundreds of times over.

“Don’t move. If you draw those, I’ll make the first move. And I’m faster than you guys.”

The situation tottered on the precipice. Neither Godot Deus nor Vlad spoke, each surveying the other’s movements.

The paladins’ eyes were filled with rage, and Kaito looked directly into them.

“Please don’t make me use the Kaiser’s power for something as stupid as this.”

Suddenly, Elisabeth moved. Paying no heed to the tension filling the room, she majestically spread her arms wide and stomped the ground.

For some reason, she began twirling, and her dress fluttered behind her.

“God’s blessing, eh? I see, I see. True, the Church’s divine protection is effective against demons. However, demons exist to destroy God’s creations. And that is what you all are. God’s creations doomed to have your prayers dashed by the powers of darkness.”

The black cloth of her dress, the inside of which was dyed scarlet, spun like a pinwheel.

Elisabeth continued in a lilting tone.

“The demons invading the capital are running rampant, drawing their power from the bottomless well that is the suffering of your people. As the mass grows, its collection of pawns continues to multiply.”

She loudly slammed the tip of her heels onto the stone floor. Having gathered the full attention of everyone present, she stopped in her tracks and smoothly extended her arm toward the ceiling.

“Numbers beget force. And one can accomplish much through the use of force.”

Darkness and crimson flower petals swirled at her fingertips, and she drew the Executioner’s Sword of Frankenthal from within the vortex.

Unsure of her intentions, the paladins tightened their grips on the hilts of their swords.

Not sparing a glance in their direction, Elisabeth clutched her sword and glared at the ceiling as if looking for something.

“As I thought. They’re coming!”

As she spoke, the ceiling of the tent warped like a pool of water struck by a school of fish. A moment later, it teared open.

Kaito’s eyes widened. Cacophonous laughter rang out, and some sort of ominous white mass descended upon them.

Elisabeth swung her sword and reaped several of whatever it was that assailed them in a single swing. She brought her sword around with a backswing, slaying just as many. Even so, the mass had a sizable number of survivors swooping down on Kaito and the rest.

A huge number of feathers filled the air, obscuring their vision.

“—!”

Reflexively, Kaito used his beastly arm to shred something flying in front of him.

Still unclear as to his attacker’s true nature, he frantically fought back against the waves of animosity and bloodlust bearing down on him. The paladins, on the other hand, tried to avoid the initial attack and calmly assess the situation.

The difference in their judgments caused their fates to diverge.

Several of the paladins had their heads torn off with force that would have been unthinkable had their foes been human. Blood gushed and sprayed as their armored bodies spun.

With comically heavy noises, they toppled to the ground.

Scraw, scraw, scraw, scraw, scraw!

Round objects flew through the air to accompany the shrill laughter. The paladins reflexively caught them, then screamed when they realized that the objects were their comrades’ heads.

Amid the chaos, Izabella was the first to react. She quickly drew her sword, then swung it in a semicircle. Its blade glowed white, as the priests had apparently consecrated it, and she sliced open the stomach of one of their assailants.

Kaito turned his gaze toward the collapsed corpse. It was an underling with the body of a dove and the head of a fish. Like some sort of cruel joke, its feathers were white.

Splattered by the underling’s blood and trampling on its guts, Izabella shouted.

“Move! You’ll make yourselves targets if you freeze up!”

“Draw your swords, fools!”

Godot Deus gave a rebuke, as well. The paladins, who’d been caught unawares by the atrocious attack, returned to their senses and drew their blades in succession.

While that was going on, Elisabeth was slaying underlings with gorgeous, dance-like movements. She wasn’t summoning torture devices, likely realizing that the confined space would result in friendly fire.

She was prioritizing the underlings attacking the civil officials. Kaito followed her lead.

Their enemy’s ranks waned quickly. Their grotesque corpses littered the ground.

Other than in the initial attack, none of the paladins had fallen. Making sure they had reclaimed their original presence of mind, Kaito called out.

“Everyone, get down!”

“Get down!”

Izabella echoed his shout. Immediately afterward, Kaito snapped his fingers.

“—La (dance)!”

A massive blade flew through the air, just barely passing over the paladins’ heads. Cleaved in half, the underlings toppled to the ground.

Despite the torrential rain of blood pouring down on them, none of the paladins flinched. They quickly mopped up the underlings who’d evaded the blade.

Eventually, the inside of the tent became quiet again.

As though they’d traded places, screams rang out from outside.

As she aggressively wiped blood off her face, Izabella spoke in astonishment.

“Impossible… The barrier!”

“Your paladins formed a perimeter around the square and maintained the barrier from there. The barrier is hemispherical, and your men form its center. In short, the barrier’s thinnest point is overhead… The underlings must have gathered there, then broken through with sheer numbers. ’Tis no hard task, should they be willing to sacrifice a dozen or so of their forces.”

As she gave her dispassionate analysis, Elisabeth strode forward. Her lustrous black hair fluttered as she turned to briefly look over her shoulder.

“Why are you all standing there so addled? If you wish to protect your allies and kill your foes, you’d best follow me.”

Her dress fluttered as she left the caved-in tent behind her. With Izabella at their head, the paladins snapped into action and went after her.

Kaito was about to be reeled in as well, but he stopped himself. He quickly surveyed his surroundings. The civil officials were trembling, but none of them seemed to be badly injured. At some point, Vlad had vanished.

He probably just got bored… What a carefree— Huh?

Then Kaito realized that Godot Deus was staring at him. After making sure his jewel was undamaged, Kaito nodded. After exchanging a meaningful glance with Godot Deus, Kaito ran outside.

The moment he did, he sucked in his breath.

“—!”

There, he found yet another hellscape spreading out before him.

Just like before, the dove-bodied underlings were lopping people’s heads off one after another. Blood shot out of their dismembered torsos before they spun and toppled over. Their severed heads crashed against the stone ground, popping like overripe fruits.

At the same time, other underlings were grabbing a dozen or so people by the arms and forcibly dragging them toward the mass of flesh.

“Ahhh! Ahhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Desperate screams filled the air as the people’s legs flopped atop the tragic corpses. They looked almost like marionettes, playing out an act in a cruel comedy. However, their crazed screams were no doubt the real deal.

“Heavens above!”

Unable to bear the terrible spectacle, even one of the paladins maintaining the barrier was on the verge of fleeing. Frantically, Kaito went to try and stop him. However, before he could, Izabella admonished the man.

“Stand your ground! Focus your mana on mending the damaged sections! We will deal with the intruders!”

Right as she shouted, a new black shape rushed in through the cracks in the barrier.

Izabella looked up pointedly.

“…A second…wave?”

The final word of her sentence was tinged with bewilderment.

As he looked at the reinforcements, Kaito’s eyes went wide. He muttered in astonishment.

“No way… That’s too cruel.”

The new underlings still had most of their human forms intact.

Strange pink wings protruded from their naked backs. Each time they flapped, the human parts of their bodies were forced forward. Losing their balance, the underlings toppled to the ground.

Seeing the underlings fall, the fleeing townsfolk stopped in confusion.

From within them, one woman called out.

“Oh… You’re Rohan, aren’t you? Rohan! Dear!”

Forgetting the danger and dread consuming her, she rushed over to the bald underling. Based on the way she’d called his name, they were likely lovers or a couple of some sort. With seemingly rusty movements, the man called Rohan turned to look at her.

The moment she extended her arm toward him, the underling’s cheek swelled to the point of nearly popping.

Coming to his senses, Kaito called out to her.

“Don’t!”

With a pulpy noise, the man’s tongue extended out from his mouth, and its soggy, bruised flesh wrapped around the woman’s torso. Once he’d captured the woman, his pink wings began flapping, almost as though they had a will of their own.

“No, nooooooooooooooooooo!”

The woman was carried off toward the mass of flesh, leaving nothing but her screams.

Seeing the act of violence carried out before their eyes, the townspeople scattered. The bald underlings’ tongues and the dovelike underlings’ talons swooped down on them one after another.

Furious and repulsed at having been deceived, the paladins raised their swords high.

“Damn you!”

“Eek!”

As they did, one of the bald underlings let out a frail cry. The human parts of their bodies were trembling. Their distended tongues seemed incapable of forming words, but if that weren’t the case, they’d probably have been begging for their lives. Large tears were even welling up in their eyes.

Demons didn’t cry.

Like it or not, the paladins were forced to realize that these underlings were still mostly human.

All they had to do was lop off the pink wings, and they might yet be saved. Although nobody put that thought into words, hope flooded the square.

As it did, a low, cold voice rang out.

“La Guillotine, Saint of Beheadings.”

Five vortexes of darkness and crimson flower petals appeared around Elisabeth, and five white figures emerged from within them, landing on the ground. The five beautiful saints raised their heads, their eyes shut tight.

Their thick, straight, evenly cut silver hair swayed.

While that was happening, Elisabeth clicked her heels.

The saints tilted their bodies and their plain white dresses moved with them. Peering up at the sky, they crossed their pale arms over their chests before stretching back out. With a sharp noise, rectangular blades slid out from their elbows.

The blades carved through both types of underling in succession, arcing in ways that defied the laws of centrifugal force. Unlike the time they’d been used at the Governor’s manor, the blades returned to the saints’ arms after reaching the end of their paths.

Blood rained down in every direction. Perplexed screams filled the air.

Among all the people present, Kaito was the only one with calm eyes. He nodded.

Izabella said nothing. However, one of the other paladins called out in a quivering voice:

“We might have been able to save them!”

“Idiot. Get the notion out of your head that any man turned into an underling can be saved. Discard your naive dreams. Killing them is the only option.”

“You can’t know—”

“I can. I am more familiar with the work of demons than any other.”

After speaking firmly, Elisabeth clicked her heels again.

The La Guillotines bisected the underlings one by one. Their pitiful corpses began piling up.

Amid them, the Torture Princess—beloved daughter of the Kaiser’s previous contractor, Vlad Le Fanu, and a woman who’d surpassed perfection—made a merciless proclamation.

“Harboring hope is worthless. Trust only in despair—and fight back against it, so that you may find a chance to destroy it.”

Her eyes were fierce as she spoke. Kaito bit down on his lip when he heard her, as though he was listening to a tragic drama.

Then a single paladin sprang into action.

“Ha!”

Izabella’s silver hair fluttered as she gave a sharp fighting cry. She brandished her sword, severing an underling’s neck.

Its head, still that of a human, went flying into the air.

Blood dripping down her porcelain skin, Izabella gave a resounding order to her troops.

“Kill them. That’s my order, so I shall bear both the responsibility and the sin. Grieve not; just put an end to this.”

Looking at Izabella’s bloodstained visage, Elisabeth narrowed her crimson eyes. However, she said nothing.

Perhaps in order to encourage themselves, the paladins let out a sudden battle cry. As they shouted from deep in their abdomens, they raised their swords overhead. The Royal Knights followed in their wake.

After that, the knights calmly carried out their work.

Aside from their wings, the corpses that lined the streets were completely human.

Eventually, the underlings were successfully exterminated.

The paladins repaired the barrier. With the aid of the priests, they were also able to reinforce it past the point it had been at before. Transportation of the young and infirm began again as well, and the paladins formed an escort to hasten the escape of the able-bodied. After watching this series of events and gazing at the corpses piled up in a corner, the reality of the situation hit Kaito once more.

These people are trying desperately to survive.

That, and the fact that battles against demons were cruel and tragic beyond words.