Fremd Torturchen - Volume 3 - Chapter 4

4

A Secret Date

“So what the hell happened to La Mules?”

“The most likely possibility is some manner of mental attack.”

Atop her bed, Elisabeth crossed her legs as she answered Kaito’s question.

At present, the two of them were trespassing in an unoccupied inn.

It had already grown dark outside.

A few hours had passed since La Mules had abruptly committed suicide. Not knowing what the nature of the demon’s attack had been, the Knight Corps had elected to stage a temporary withdrawal.

Once they’d gotten back to the plaza, Kaito created a cage to hold the Monarch, imprisoned him, and turned him over to the paladins as promised. Afterward, he’d made the rounds and checked in with the guards and patrols to make sure the underlings raid they’d been concerned about hadn’t taken place. The demon had sustained a great deal of damage as well, after all.

Elsewhere, Elisabeth and Godot Deus had been conducting an emergency meeting. Once Kaito and Elisabeth had both finished their tasks, they joined up and, at Elisabeth’s suggestion, took their leave from the still-chaotic plaza.

Kaito ran the hypothesized cause of La Mules’s suicide over his tongue again.

“…A mental attack, huh?”

“Mm. As Izabella said, under normal circumstances, powerful priests obtain God’s grace through prayer. Their very bodies brim with power, much like consecrated relics. But with the King as their foe and against a mental attack with no physical form…they naturally find themselves helpless to resist.”

Elisabeth bore a displeased expression as she put her weight on the mattress, which was piled high with blankets and stuffed with waterfowl feathers. The room was a private one and expensive even for the capital. It was nice and roomy, and all the furniture was of quality make. The corners on all the furniture had been filed down, so the shadows cast by the lamplight all drew smooth curves on the ground and walls.

Idly rubbing the edge of the writing desk, Kaito frowned doubtfully.

“Elisabeth, you said that you’d met all the demons but the Grand King, right? Shouldn’t you know something useful?”

“Your point is painfully valid, but I know naught. Had I known anything of the sort, I’d have taken measures before the battle.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

“Neither the King nor the Grand Monarch possesses any talents of particular note… No, wait. Upon further consideration, that might not be true of the King.”

“Whaddaya mean?”

On hearing Kaito’s question, Elisabeth pressed down on her forehead. She frowned, as though rummaging through her memories of the days she’d spent as Vlad’s beloved daughter.

“The King’s prowess with arms was considerable, and he boasted that the talent itself was his natural ability. However, at this point, the odds of that having been a lie seem considerable.”

“A lie? You mean he was lying to his own comrades?”

“Mm, precisely.”

“And he even fooled Vlad, huh…? Did the King really distrust his allies that much?”

“Nay, his reason likely lay elsewhere. I just told you, did I not? He was fond of boasting about his prowess in combat.”

Elisabeth shook her head.

Illuminated by the lamplight, she interlaced her fingers.

“The King seemed to hold Vlad, the Kaiser, in high esteem. But he was always the first to mock the Governor, who possessed an ability suited for naught but assassination. And even though his rank was lower than hers, he held the Grand King’s powers of mind control in contempt as well. Although, in the end, that resulted in her getting the drop on him and stabbing him with her needles.”

“Given her personality, it’s no wonder she took advantage of that opportunity.”

“What a pitiful fellow… It goes to show just how much credence the King held in martial prowess. In following, he likely just felt ashamed of his ability and concealed it from the rest. At this point, that much is clear.”

Kaito recalled the colossal face that had appeared on the mass’s surface. That had probably been the King.

The muscles in his face had been slack, and the impression he’d given off had been squalid. However, his physique had still possessed remnants of the chiseled, stubborn features of a warrior.

Then Kaito stumbled upon a question.

“Okay, let’s say that hypothetically, the King’s ability is a mental attack. Of all the people who got hit, why was La Mules the only one to commit suicide, then? We don’t know when everyone else is gonna wake up, but their pulses and breathing are all stable.”

“Mm, and the curiosities don’t end there. La Mules was a high priest, and God’s blessing was strong with her. Furthermore, she didn’t possess consciousness. In following, she should have been incredibly resilient against mental attacks. With all that taken into account, then, what in the world happened?”

Crossing their arms, the two of them sank deep into thought. However, they couldn’t come up with answers. And there was nobody they could get information out of. Kaito had already asked Vlad if he remembered anything related to the demon’s attack.

Vlad had responded with a laugh.

“Oh, I haven’t the foggiest. Hmm… Don’t you think it’s interesting, though, coming all this way just to find yourself facing a foe who holds fresh secrets?”

Given how excited he seemed, it didn’t appear as though he was lying.

Kaito furred his brow. He silently cursed at Vlad, lambasting him for his uselessness. As if sensing his thoughts, the stone in his pocket squirmed. Ignoring it, Kaito kept thinking.

Eventually, Elisabeth uncrossed her arms and let out a heavy sigh.

“Given the information we have, giving the matter more thought is naught but a waste of time. Godot Deus had his theories as well, but getting wrapped up in conjecture is folly. One way or another, one thing’s for certain—the demon’s been carved down a notch.”

“Yeah, thanks to La Mules.”

“Given the opportunity we’ve received, it’s been decided that I’m to attack the demon directly tomorrow morning. Without firepower on par with La Mules’s, any damage we deal the demon from outside will fail to keep up with its ability to recover. And long-range attacks could leave us vulnerable to meeting the same fate as La Mules. In following, I shall make for the weakened King and Grand Monarch and attack their true bodies directly.”

“What?!”

Hearing Elisabeth’s sudden declaration, Kaito unintentionally raised his voice. She frowned, as though telling him to quiet down. His thoughts racing, he immediately reprimanded her.

“Are you insane? What the hell are you thinking? We don’t even know what the enemy did to us yet! A-and one other thing. Give me a second.”

Kaito hurriedly pressed down on his forehead. The words attack their true bodies directly repeated frantically in his mind.

A twisted scene floated through his head.

The area around the mass is stained gray for miles around.

The buildings within the encroaching radius had been weathered like old paper, and some of them had transformed into shapes and materials that defied the laws of physics—some glassy and vitreous, others foamy and granular. The very nature of space had shifted once past a certain threshold, as though it had been cut away with a knife.

It was simply consuming its surroundings in a different manner rather than physically corroding them.

The world was being destroyed… And who knows what the hell is going on in there?

The Torture Princess, Elisabeth Le Fanu, boasted absolute power.

Up until then, she’d been handily slaughtering the fourteen demons. Even so, she’d never gone inside a space as bizarre as that one.

“This should mark the first time you’ve ever seen a demon literally destroy the world. Going in there would be suicide, even for you, wouldn’t it?”

“True, we know little of what’s transpiring within the area of acute encroachment. However, our foe has already begun healing. Once it’s finished, it shall resume accumulating pain, as well. The longer we leave it be, the more victims it will claim, and the worse our position shall grow.”

“Still!”

“It’s not as though I yet lay in Sacrifice’s clutches. As far as sheer power goes, I hold the upper hand. If you would not have me face them now, then when? And one other thing. Think back, Kaito.”

Then Elisabeth stopped talking. She cast a sharp gaze Kaito’s way.

He reflexively gulped. Elisabeth began speaking again, her tone deadly serious.

“When the battle is over, I shall be burned at the stake. In following, the Church is within their rights to order a sow such as myself to put my life on the scales. However, they’re no doubt loath to send anyone else into the encroachment area. So the command they’ve given is appropriate. I have no objections nor any complaints. I simply intend to win. That is all.”

Hearing her say that as dispassionately as she did, Kaito clenched his fists.

And the truths the Kaiser had dropped on him weighed heavy on his mind as well.

Suddenly, he found himself at a loss as to how to express the turmoil swirling within his heart.

I can’t just tell her to flee. And the way things are, I can’t forsake the capital.

Furthermore, he was well aware of the grisly deeds the Torture Princess had committed. He’d witnessed the scars her slaughter had left on her hometown with his own eyes. Crimes ought to carry commensurate punishments.

Kaito himself had once screamed that Elisabeth should just clean up her mess and then descend to Hell like she swore she would.

However, the conclusions he’d arrived at were no longer quite the same.

Godot Deus is gone. And the paladins have taken a serious hit. Maybe once everything’s over…

A thought crossed his mind. Would she still submit, once this was all over? However, in his heart, he knew.

“Having lived the cruel and haughty life of a wolf, I shall die like a sow.

“…For that is the choice I made.”

He knew Elisabeth Le Fanu wouldn’t run.

No matter how much pain and despair awaited her, she would accept the consequences of the life she’d led.

Elisabeth Le Fanu would take responsibility for the horrible life she’d led.

She would pay for her sins as the Torture Princess.

As he racked his brain about that fact again and again, Kaito found himself at his wit’s end.

It’s no good… What can I do?

Closing his eyes, he desperately turned over his thoughts again. After thinking, thinking, and thinking even harder, he opened his eyes wide.

Then, led by his heated thought processes, he made a truly odd proposal.

“Hey, Elisabeth.”

“What?”

“Go on a date with me.”

For the rest of his life, Kaito would never forget the face Elisabeth made in that moment.

Thanks to her expression, the experience of being asked, “Are you an idiot?” became precious to Kaito for the first time in his life.

“Are you an idiot?”

“Ah, there it is.”

He’d expected her to turn him down. However, the fact that he expected it didn’t make her verbal arrow sting any less.

He suffered a fair deal of emotional damage. He unconsciously staggered back a step. Before him, Elisabeth fiddled idly with the tips of her black hair. Surprisingly, she too seemed flustered.

A moment passed, and Elisabeth went, practically grumbling. “Or rather, how to put it? I fail to grasp your meaning, and I think it somewhat problematic for a married man to be asking someone out.”

“I agree.”

“And for that someone to be myself, well, then problematic all the more.”

“Still agree.”

“Hmm, might you be coming down with something? Did the King’s attack hit you as well? You’d best turn in early. Don’t go pushing yourself, okay?”

“Man, what am I gonna do? This is the first time Elisabeth’s ever been nice to me.”

The fact that she was so concerned for him was kind of sad in and of itself.

Kaito reflexively looked off in another direction. However, he couldn’t afford to give in that easily. After somehow scraping together his composure, he asked again.

“C’mon, let’s go. We don’t have to call it a date. I’m fine with whatever, I just want to take a walk around the town.”

“I-is that really the sort of thing one ought to propose in the hours leading into a decisive battle? It feels as though you’ve lost your wits… Are you quite certain you’re all right?”

Elisabeth stood up from the bed with great vigor, then pressed her pale palm against Kaito’s forehead. It seemed she was checking to make sure he didn’t have a fever. Kaito doubted that golems could catch colds, but apparently what he’d said had been enough to elicit concern out of her.

Now then, what’s to be done?

I mean, sure…maybe I have lost my wits.

At present, the capital was being overrun by a demon. There was no way of knowing where its underlings might be lurking.

And Elisabeth was planning on heading to near-certain death the following morning.

No matter how you looked at it, now was no time for a proposal such as Kaito’s.

However, he also knew that it was now or never.

“After you die, my inquisition is probably gonna end with me getting the death sentence.”

Kaito spoke. As he suspected, Elisabeth said nothing.

The fact that the Torture Princess was going to be burned at the stake tied in closely with the cruel fate awaiting Kaito. As both her servant and the Kaiser’s contractor, the Church was unlikely to forgive him.

“So I wanna check out the capital while I have the chance.”

Kaito went on. In truth, thoughts of his future weren’t the main reason he was making this request. At the same time, though, it wasn’t as though he was lying.

After all, in his past life, he’d died surrounded by flies in the corner of a cramped little room.

He did, in fact, wish to see the big wide world around him.

Elisabeth thought on it for a few seconds. But after opening and closing her mouth, she heaved a deep sigh.

“Fine. I shall accompany you.”

“Hey, thanks.”

Nodding at Elisabeth’s response, Kaito extended his hand. He turned his palm up, as though inviting her to a dance.

Then she reluctantly placed her hand atop his.

With his still-human right hand, Kaito clasped her pale palm.

And with that, the two of them strolled into the night.

“Hyah!”

“Yikes.”

Before Kaito’s eyes, Elisabeth kicked open the pawnshop’s door.

Her crimson skirt fluttered as she dashed down the short staircase. Bathed in the pale moonlight, she took a short leap before landing with both feet pressed together.

Landing magnificently on the stone pavement, Elisabeth looked over her shoulder toward Kaito.

“How do you like that, Kaito?! I’ve done it once more! Tremble in reverence as you praise me!”

“Yes, yes. Full points.”

Kaito’s response came practically in a monotone.

Elisabeth planted her hands on her hips in dissatisfaction.

She was swathed in a crimson dress, a far more respectable one than her usual bondage outfit, with a high collar reaching up to her throat. It was an elegant, high-class article. However, when she did another spin, her immaculate shoulder blades peeked out from behind the dress’s audaciously bare back.

The inside of her skirt was all frills, and they spread out like the petals of a rose. She stopped in place, and they returned to their original position.

Pressing her palm against her bosom, Elisabeth pouted.

“Now listen here, you! Show more enthusiasm when you praise me! You’re the one who told me to change!”

“I mean, I can’t deny that, but…”

“Heh-heh, ’tis quite the splendid find, for a pawnshop we selected at random! Unlike you, who appears seedy regardless of what you garb yourself in, ’tis showy and extravagant! Wouldn’t you say so?”

Elisabeth’s fashionable plumed hat began to droop. As she fixed it, she puffed her chest out with pride.

Looking her over from head to toe, Kaito crossed his arms with an audible “hmm.”

“It does look kinda nice.”

“Doesn’t it? Then you ought to be more verbose in your praises. You’re an impertinent one, for a servant!”

“I mean… There is a reason I told you to change, you know. If you were wearing your Torture Princess outfit while we were walking around, running into someone could end poorly.”

“Mm, we find ourselves in agreement on that point. ’Tis why I agreed to change.”

“But when you think about it, what we’re doing is really just looting. Are we gonna be all right with you picking out something so conspicuous?”

“Don’t go calling people looters! What a self-centered man you are!”

Elisabeth hissed in anger. Regardless of what she said, though, Kaito had been completely blindsided by how flashy the outfit she’d chosen was. He hadn’t known that her tastes ran that way.

Man, how’re we gonna explain this if we run into any paladins? Kaito wondered, concerned. Elisabeth, on the other hand, hesitated for a moment—no doubt deciding whether or not to call forth a torture device—before snorting. She tapped her heel against the ground to urge him on.

“Well? What did you intend to do from here?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t ‘huh’ me. I’ll have your head.”

Pressing down on her forehead, Elisabeth took in a deep breath, then exhaled.

Adjusting the angle of her hat once more, she raised her lips in a pout.

“This situation as a whole is foolish beyond belief, but having said I’d accompany you, I’ve accepted my fate. Rejoice. I know not what this is, be it a date or what have you, but I intend to accompany you to the location of your choosing! Be honored by my charity. Now, where did you want to go?”

“Well, when you put it that way, I guess there wasn’t really anywhere in particular.”

“Just who do you think you are? I’ll have your head!”

Elisabeth shouted at him, livid. Whatever she had to say, though, the fact remained that Kaito knew next to nothing about the capital. And even in his past life, he’d never had a chance to just go for a walk around a town.

Telling a person like that to imagine somewhere they wanted to go was asking a bit much.

“See, the thing is…”

Kaito conveyed those facts frankly to Elisabeth. Murmuring her assent, she knit her brows as she nodded.

Eventually, her shoulders slumped in dejection.

“Well, your past life being what it was, I suppose I can take your extenuating circumstances into account. But listen here, you…”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Inviting someone on a date like that… Even I, the Torture Princess, find that a tad questionable.”

“I agree with you completely. I have nothing to say in my defense.”

“Given your sorry state, that wife of yours is liable to leave you.”

“Hina wouldn’t do that.”

“In truth, I must agree.”

“I’ve got an awesome wife, don’t I?”

“Mm, and one wholly wasted on you at that.”

“Man, that hurts. Anyway…what about you? Do you have anywhere you want to go visit?”

“A place I wish to visit, hmm?”

Elisabeth crossed her arms as she pondered this.

As she did, the plume drooping from her hat rustled and fell directly in front of her face. With feigned composure, she brushed it back up. But it simply rustled back in her way once more.

Rustle, rustle, rustle. After wrestling with the plume, Elisabeth eventually grabbed the brim of her hat with all her strength.

“Begone, you vexing thing!”

“Now you’ve done it!”

Elisabeth hurled the hat high into the air like a Frisbee. It spun and spun as it fell. Then it landed precisely atop Kaito’s head. Perhaps that was what she’d been aiming for.

Flustered, Kaito lifted the hat up. Its sagging plume rustled as it fell in front of him.

On the feather’s opposite side, Elisabeth was grinning.

Her white teeth glittered as she made her innocent declaration.

“Very well! Then let us wander about the marketplace!”

However, the mercantile district had long since been consumed by the mass of flesh.

They had no way of wandering about the main market. And if they weren’t careful and got too close to the mass, they could unwittingly end up initiating the final battle. Doing that would be idiotic beyond belief. However, according to Elisabeth, the heart of the capital lay elsewhere, which meant they didn’t have a problem.

“While it’s superior in scale, the market that the masses use here is fundamentally quite similar to the one we visited while in the Earl’s territory. There’s little novelty to be had there. As a special courtesy, I shall guide you and allow you to taste all the wonders this city and this world have to offer.”

Her narration brimming with confidence, Elisabeth strode rapidly through the residential districts, moving in the direction opposite from the location of what used to be the market. Kaito obediently followed after her.

Eventually, the two of them made it to a particularly deteriorated section of town, near the castle gates.

As he walked alongside Elisabeth, Kaito surveyed their surroundings.

The road around them was surprisingly narrow. Even the main road looked like some sort of back alley. Unadorned, artificial-looking, boxy buildings were packed tightly along both sides of the street. Even then, at night, Kaito could tell how colorless the sector was. And it looked as though the rows of buildings had been intentionally built to look shady. It was a far cry from the townscape he’d seen in the rest of the city.

Cocking his head in confusion at the strange ambience, Kaito realized something else seemed out of place.

“Hey, Elisabeth, why don’t those buildings have entrances? How are people supposed to get in and out?”

“Hmm, as I thought, you still can’t find it on your own. Well, as far as magecraft goes, you’re an amateur among amateurs. You’re but a hair better than a layman. It’s only natural.”

As she casually ridiculed Kaito, Elisabeth came to a stop in front of a building.

Pressing her finger against a particular section of its wall, she released some mana. Pushed back by a spiral of darkness and crimson, certain rocks rumbled and sank back into the wall. In the distance, the sound of various mechanisms moving and meshing together rang out.

With a heavy scraping noise, the wall opened up. Elisabeth laughed proudly as she strode inside. Murmuring that he’d underestimated the sector, Kaito followed after her.

“Wh-whoa!”

The moment he stepped inside the building, Kaito let out a cry of amazement.

The room before him made it fully clear what Elisabeth had meant by “all the wonders this city and this world have to offer.”

“Wow, that’s a surprise. It’s quite the sight.”

“Isn’t it? Be grateful that I brought you here!”

Elisabeth puffed out her chest. Kaito earnestly bobbed his head up and down.

The room’s walls were radiating rainbow-colored light. It felt as though they’d gone inside a massive conch shell. The material it was made of was strangely supple, billowing in ways that ordinary human manufacturing couldn’t possibly have produced. The parts that naturally stuck out were being used as ledges, and they were adorned with an assortment of bones.

Casting her gaze over each of them in turn, Elisabeth took notice of one in particular.

“The shopkeepers took most of them with them when they fled. But some items yet remain. Look here, Kaito.”

“Hmm, what is it?”

Elisabeth picked up a chain dangling from a lizard’s rib cage. It seemed that the bones were being used to display the goods.

Hanging from the delicate silver loop was a small stoppered bottle with flower petals suspended inside it.

“It’ll only last for but a moment. Take care not to miss it.”

With that, Elisabeth held the bottle beneath Kaito’s nose and uncorked it. Flower petals mingled with the wind that blew up at his face. For a second, he smelled a gentle aroma and felt the heat of sunlit air.

“Man, there’s no way someone made this… Was that a spring breeze?”

“Indeed, that it was! Good nose! Just as you said, sealed within this bottle is air from the prime of spring.”

“Wow, that’s kinda cool.”

The natural warmth quickly faded. However, the petals remained, dancing through the air in a gentle swirl.

Kaito poked at it. The swirl banked left and right as though trying to avoid his finger before popping back in the bottle on its own. Elisabeth tightly refastened the stopper.

“’Tis intended as a souvenir for noblemen who come accompanied by their magician attendants. While they’re more expensive than your everyday trinket, they aren’t particularly useful, so they’re cheaper than most other magical objects. ’Tis likely the reason the shopkeepers left it behind. Also, there’s… Oh? I’d forgotten about this one.”

“What?”

“Try holding it.”

Elisabeth pulled a blue bowl out from the mouth of a wolf skull.

Kaito took it from her. The bowl hadn’t been glazed to attain its color; it had been crafted from some sort of naturally blue material. But although it looked like a hollowed-out jewel, it was strangely light.

As he held it in his palms, Kaito gradually began feeling a familiar sensation.

He hadn’t known it back then, but magical devices carried hollowness and hunger within them.

With his beastly left hand, he filled the bowl with the mana it so craved.

“—La (overflow).”

As he whispered, water began gushing out of the bowl. As though in exchange, one loop around its interior crumbled away. Apparently, there was a limit to how many times it could be used. However, it would be more than enough for a short journey.

Kaito let out a deeply impressed sigh.

“Damn, that’s handy. Lugging around water is a pain.”

“Unlike Vlad’s castle, there are no full-fledged magical tools to be found here. In particular, combat-oriented goods are hard to produce without knowledge of dark magic. However, you can still obtain trinkets of this caliber in the capital. And that isn’t all.”

Elisabeth took the bowl from Kaito and gulped down the water. Then, once it was empty, she placed it back in the wolf’s jaw.

Her crimson dress fluttered as she turned on her heel.

Transfixed, Kaito stared at the curves of her bare white back.

Looking back over her shoulder, Elisabeth smiled mischievously.

“Hold onto your hat. You’ve not seen the last Mage’s Row has to offer.”

Elisabeth certainly wasn’t lying.

With each building she led him to, he found himself amazed all over again.

After the magical curio shop, they visited several other spots.

Mechanical birds crafted from springs and nails, screws and gears, and amber and iron.

Medicines, antidotes, and poisons stored in multicolored ceramics.

Jewels processed into unfathomable shapes.

They spent a particularly long time engaged in a challenge at the herb shop.

“How is it, Kaito? Delicious?”

“I…I feel like it’s super-tasty, but at the same time, it’s somehow super-nasty.”

Kaito gave his answer as he munched on his sandwich. It was smoked chicken on wheat germ bread, and it had some manner of unidentifiable bluish-green paste spread on it.

There had been a recipe affixed to the shop’s wall, with the title Medicinal Herbs You Can Start Using Today! Elisabeth had said she wanted to try it out, and they’d raided the kitchen to recreate it. Despite it being her idea, though, she’d refused to taste-test it, so that role had fallen to Kaito.

The result of that had been the wishy-washy response he’d just given.

Unsatisfied, Elisabeth furrowed her brows.

“What in heaven’s name does it mean to be both tasty and nasty? That makes little sense.”

“I don’t have much of a sense of taste, so it’s hard for me to explain. You could just try a bite, you know.”

“Very well. Ahhh.”

“Here it comes.”

Kaito stuck out the sandwich, and Elisabeth, having lost to her curiosity, ate out of his hand. Kaito was impressed at how vigorously she’d gone at it.

After chewing for a bit, Elisabeth swallowed with utter dejection.

“…The acidity is rather invigorating. And the flavor is mellow and rich. Judged alone, its individual attributes are quite decent, but taken as a whole, they’re altogether disastrous. In conjunction with the dryness of the bread and the chicken, the experience is rather disappointing.”

“Damn, your food critiques are on point.”

“Hmm, did I make a mistake with the recipe? It tasted like something you might cook.”

“You make fun of me so nonchalantly.”

“In any case, this stuff is beyond my comprehension. But if used properly, I feel as though it might bring new culinary horizons upon us.”

Elisabeth sat down on the old wooden counter. Gracefully crossing her legs, she snatched the open bottle.

Hearing her words, Kaito nodded.

“If we bring that bottle back to Hina, I bet she’d be able to make something interesting with it.”

“Mm, let’s add it to the other souvenirs.”

“Roger that.”

Sealing the bottle up tight, Elisabeth stuck it into the leather bag they’d pilfered from a general store along the way. In it already was a bottle with spring wind sealed inside, a clockwork toy butterfly, and a set of fruity tea leaves that crackled when you poured hot water on them.

Snapping her fingers, Elisabeth pulled a coin out of thin air. She placed the designated amount of money on the shop’s counter.

“That’s coming out of your wages, you know.”

“Sure. I mean, even if I saved up, it’s not like there’s much for me to spend it on.”

Ever since the pawnshop, the two of them had been leaving behind payment for the things they’d pilfered. Most of it had come out of Kaito’s wages. However, Elisabeth had paid for some of the stuff out of her own pocket. Now, too, she was straightening her back and plucking a new jar out of the shop’s hanging cupboard.

After reading its label, she placed a coin of her own beside Kaito’s.

“Hmm, then I shall bring her these dried mushrooms. It says their unique spiciness goes well in fried dishes and that they boast considerable benefits to one’s health.”

“Hey, wait, that sounds good. I wanna go with that one, too.”

“Fool! For a man who’s already maxed out Hina’s affection levels, you ask too much! I’m entrusting you with all the goods whose quality is uncertain. I intend to be the one to bring her all the items sure to be well received.”

“I want to make Hina happy, too, you know.”

“Ha, ’tis Hina we speak of! She’s certain to be delighted no matter what we bring her!”

“I mean, you’re not wrong, but still.”

Kaito’s expression unconsciously softened as he imagined Hina’s delighted face. Elisabeth nodded gently, too.

Once they were done picking out souvenirs, they split the rest of the sandwich in half and finished it off.

Kaito bowed toward the unmanned counter in thanks for the food. Elisabeth, complaining once more about the flavor, gulped down water.

“Ugh, I feel sick. Hmm? Hold on a minute. If dreadful food doesn’t faze you, why did I not simply make you eat the remainder?”

“C’mon, that woulda been cruel.”

Kaito nodded. Fair was fair.

After kicking him lightly in the back, Elisabeth headed outside.

As he gave his usual complaints, Kaito followed after her.

By the time they made it out of the herb shop, the night had deepened, and the full moon had shifted its position. However, its movements weren’t obvious enough for Kaito to tell whether or not it was the same as the moon from the world he’d come from.

Besides, even if it looks like my world’s moon, there’s a chance that it’s something completely different.

All he knew was that the moonlight was distinctly brighter than it had been earlier.

Bathed in its silver radiance, Elisabeth murmured.

“Let’s go for a bit of a stroll.”

They walked in silence. After leaving Mage’s Row, they returned to the residential district.

Kaito then followed Elisabeth up a gently sloping road that led toward the higher parts of the city. He had no idea where she was going. However, their surroundings gradually began to look familiar.

Wait, this is…

Eventually, they reached the hill where La Mules had killed herself.

The gravestones stood silently lined up in the dim light. Their cold stone faces were feigning ignorance as to the tragedy that had taken place that afternoon. In fact, they looked almost as though they’d forgotten they were hiding corpses beneath themselves.

After taking wide strides past them, Elisabeth sat down on a clear bit of meadow.

Without hesitation, she stuck her pale legs out from beneath her sprawling dress and clutched her knees. Kaito knelt down on one knee beside her.

The two of them stared out over the town.

Even then, in the dead of night, they could make out the black mountain of writhing flesh.

Eventually, Elisabeth spoke.

“…Satisfied?”

“Yeah, that was plenty,” Kaito responded in kind to her blunt question.

She nodded silently.

A gentle wind brushed at their cheeks. Kaito smelled something rusty and rotting in it. However, he purposely avoided bringing that up.

Time passed quietly.

Gazing down at the malicious mass of flesh, Elisabeth muttered in exasperation.

“…So given our abnormal situation, what’s your true objective here?”

“I accomplished my goal. We were able to pick out presents for Hina.”

“Ha, you just wanted to get gifts from the capital for your bride? What a faithful fellow you are.”

“Now we just have to go back together so we can give them to her.”

Elisabeth shut her mouth tight. From beside her, Kaito examined her face. Her expression was pained, as though clearly stating that she understood what he meant. Still, he didn’t falter.

“Now that you’ve bought souvenirs, you gotta go back.”

Elisabeth still said nothing. Kaito was about to say more.

Then Elisabeth let out a light sigh and relaxed her whole body. Spreading her arms wide, she fell over backward. Eventually, she whispered about something wholly unrelated to Kaito’s emotional appeal.

“Behold, Kaito.”

“Behold what?”

“Look at how bright the stars are. It’s as though all the tragedies of the world are nothing more than illusions.”

Elisabeth spoke in a voice very unlike her; one that sounded almost as though she were dreaming. She didn’t say anything more. After spending a moment puzzling at the meaning of her silence, Kaito broke the ice again.

“You know, I called it a date… I’ll grant you that the phrasing was weird, but I didn’t want to go alone. I wanted to walk around the capital with you.”

“Why?”

“I wanted to see what you’d do.”

“In what sense?”

“I wanted to see how you’d spend the time, knowing that the battle tomorrow could go either way and that certain death awaited you. And you chose to pick out souvenirs for Hina. ‘Ones that would definitely make her happy,’ you said.”

Elisabeth’s response was delayed.

This time, Kaito didn’t look at her face. Glaring at the distant mass of flesh, he went on.

“Someone who was totally satisfied with dying, who’d given up on life, wouldn’t do that, would they? Don’t you actually want to go home?”

“…Listen, Kaito.”

Just as Kaito had guessed, she didn’t deny it. Her voice rang out softly, along with the rustling of clothes.

Elisabeth had raised herself up and appeared to be once more clutching her knees.

“Look at me.”

Responding to her call, Kaito turned toward her like his head had been yanked.

Then he gulped.

Lowering her face to her knees, Elisabeth wore a gentle smile.

It was the kind of smile one would direct toward a child who was asking for something unreasonable.

“You’ve killed none but your enemies, not a single innocent. You shoulder no sin. And for the innocent to be punished for their existence alone is absurdity. Once this battle is over, return to the castle. Then take Hina and flee. As you are now, you should have power enough to be able to evade capture.”

For a second, Kaito wasn’t sure what she’d just said.

Before he’d fully understood it, he instinctively opened his mouth to speak.

“What the fuck are you talking about?!”

“However, you mustn’t kill people. I forbid you from hurting them, as well.”

Suddenly, Elisabeth’s voice became sharp. Her expression, too, transformed into that of a proud warrior. She gave Kaito a stern command as the Torture Princess.

“This is the final order from your master, the Torture Princess.”

“Elisabeth…”

“Don’t give in to the demons’ temptations. If you think you are likely to, then end your life yourself. ’Tis a heavy thing, to harm others, to be loathed by the world, and to constantly shoulder sins.”

The further she got in her sentence, the softer and more disorganized her words became.

She closed her eyes, as though in prayer. When she continued, it was in a small voice.

“… ’Tis too heavy a burden for you to bear.”

Her hair gently rustled as she turned her head up. Her eyes still closed, she gazed up at the sky.

“The stars are bright. Yet, down here the screams well up.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“’Tis simply the way of things. The pleasant time we spent together just now does naught to change what has come before or the things that shall come after.”

“Why does it have to—?”

“I drew enjoyment from people’s pain, pleasure from their screams. Such was the life I chose. One must square their accounts for the tab they’ve driven up. Should the deeds I’ve done be forgiven, it would warp the world of mankind. I myself cannot allow that.”

Abruptly, Elisabeth opened her eyes. Kaito found himself speechless.

Her perfect, jewel-like crimson eyes held no fear or hesitation. They were so tranquil it bordered on madness.

“The demise of torturers should be garnished with their own screams as they sink to Hell with no chance for salvation. Only at such a time is a torturer’s life truly complete. And in this capital, a fitting stage has been set for that finale.”

“A fitting…stage?”

Swallowed up by the beauty of her eyes, Kaito parroted her words back to her.

Elisabeth nodded deeply. Turning back toward the mass of flesh, she resumed speaking.

“The Royal Knights belong to the king and the paladins to the Church. The Church may specialize in fighting demons, but they’re also permitted quite powerful arms. That comes as a result of the fact that in this world, the Church’s status is higher than that of the king’s.”

“…I…see.”

“Whenever a king wishes to assume the throne, permission from the Church is needed. But the Church isn’t a fully autonomous organization. While the Church has historically held a strong say in the way the kings have ruled, their decisions are also influenced by the times the country is facing. Given the unstable state the country is in, it will take countless years for people to return to the capital and for trade and commerce to recover, even once the demons are eradicated.”

Kaito nodded. He now understood a part of this world’s power structure, as well as the trials awaiting its people.

Elisabeth went on, even more dispassionately.

“Moreover, at this rate, the curtain will be drawn on the war against the demons far from the eyes of the people. They will find themselves unable to shake their fears, unable to purge their unease. Society requires a rite of passage.”

A moment later, Kaito’s eyes went wide.

Thus far, he hadn’t been able to figure out the point of her story, but it had finally clicked. He’d realized what she’d meant by a “fitting stage.”

“You don’t mean…”

“The most effective method by which to unite people is to give them a common enemy. The Torture Princess has slain far too many. Burning her at the stake should prove a fitting symbol.”

Elisabeth looked at the mass of flesh, as though gazing toward her own demise.

A self-deriding smile spread across her lovely lips.

“Despots are killed, tyrants are hung, and slaughterers are slaughtered. All for the sake of the people.”

Elisabeth’s whisper was gentle, as though saying that that was simply how things were.

That that was how things ought to be.

Kaito clenched his fists. He tried to shout at her, but the words wouldn’t come out.

As he closed his eyes tight, a thought he’d once had crossed back through his mind.

Something’s wrong.

He didn’t know what it was, but he knew that there was some detail that was off about the whole situation. He bit down on his lip. The words he’d once spat at Godot Deus went off in his ears like firecrackers.

“If you guys had just been stronger, the Torture Princess wouldn’t have even been born, would she?

“If someone were to ask if the Torture Princess was good or evil, then obviously the answer would be evil. It was crazy to ask the allies of her victims to come and save her. If I were on the side of her victims, then I’d be cheering from the rooftops to work her to the bone then put her to the stake. Which means that this doesn’t have anything to do with you guys. I’m the one she summoned, and this is really all just me being selfish, so it’s really my problem.

“What I’m trying to say is that person who saved me wasn’t God or a hero. It wasn’t faith, and it wasn’t you guys.”

“It was the Torture Princess—the most evil woman in all the world.”

Why, why, why, why, why? Why?

Why?

Then Kaito realized something.

Deep in his heart, a young version of himself was crying out. The young boy hadn’t shed a single tear, even when he was kicked, and burned, and beaten, and had his teeth ripped out. Yet he was crying at the top of his lungs.

As though to say that this, if nothing else, was unforgivable.

“I finally found a hero,” he cried out.

“Why are you taking her away from me?” he cried out.

“She saved me,” he cried out.

“From a life that was fated to end in despair.”

“She lifted me out of that hell!” he cried.

Kaito opened his mouth, then closed it. He tried to say something.

He tried to make his younger self see reason, to respect Elisabeth’s wishes. Yet, he didn’t give voice to a single one of the objections and logical arguments that sprang to his mind.

Eventually, he just gently grasped his crying self by the hand.

Yeah, I know. I know.

In this world, Kaito Sena had found someone to believe in for the first time. He’d found a family for the first time.

He’d finally been able to take his life in his own hands.

Who had been the one who’d given him all that? Out of the two worlds he’d lived in, who’d been the sole person to save him?

Trust me, I feel the same way.

At that moment, a quiet, firm resolution welled up within him.

A resolution for his hero’s sake.

Kaito gently withdrew his teeth from his now-bloody lip.

The confusion and anger he’d felt earlier had been completely wiped from his face.

Elisabeth hadn’t noticed anything. Turning toward her, he began speaking, his words as much for himself as they were for her.

“You know, you’re the only one who ever saved me.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“The person who saved me after I was tortured and killed like a worm wasn’t God or some noble hero. Those guys can all eat shit.”

Belief in God ran deep in this world, and Kaito’s words were incredibly blasphemous.

Without hesitating, he went on.

“The only one who saved from that hell was the Torture Princess. Just you, Elisabeth Le Fanu.”

Elisabeth’s eyes widened. That probably wasn’t anything close to what she’d been expecting to hear. It was rare to see her so genuinely astonished. She blinked a few times. However, she eventually shook her head, a thin smile creeping its way across her face.

“…And here I was, wondering what you’d have to say. Are you an idiot? Don’t go getting all grandiose on me. ’Twas on a whim, nothing but coincidence. Feeling indebted for such a thing would be creepy.”

“Coincidence, a whim, it’s all fine by me. Hey, Elisabeth. I told you, right? That until you start walking the road to Hell, I’ll try and stick by your side for as long as I can, even if I’m the only one.”

“Mm, so you did. And what of it? That time is upon us, that’s all.”

“It’s not here yet.”

Kaito spoke definitively. Elisabeth frowned at his strangely forceful statement. Looking into her crimson eyes, Kaito spoke with the sincerity of a man giving his wedding vows.

“I’m not going to let you die.”

Elisabeth’s face froze. She looked like she was about to say something, but Kaito ignored her and stood up. He forced the bag carrying Hina’s souvenirs onto Elisabeth.

Then he ran down the hill at full speed.

“Hey, Kaito, wait! Just what do you intend to do?!”

Elisabeth shouted after him. But he paid no heed to her words and kept running.

He had a single destination in mind.

The square where the Monarch was imprisoned.

When Kaito reached the square, he found himself once more enduring the glares of the paladins manning the perimeter.

He began carefully observing the priests’ barrier. Staring at it, he gauged its strength. Then, once he was satisfied, he asked to be let in. He received a dirty look but was able to enter successfully.

Once he was in, he headed for the section of the plaza that had been curtained off to conceal it from people’s eyes.

The Monarch was sitting inside a thorny cage that Kaito had crafted with magic. A group of paladins was standing guard over it and directing uneasy, hateful glances at the Monarch’s melted body.

Before they could call out to stop him, Kaito snapped his fingers.

When he did, a swirl of darkness appeared above the cage, and supple muscles and sleek fur began knitting together. The horrific black dog Kaito had secretly tasked with watching over the Monarch made its appearance.

Lying sluggishly on its belly, the Kaiser swung its tail back and forth.

“You’re late, O unworthy master of mine.”

“Yeah, I just got back.”

Shocked by the Kaiser’s sudden appearance, the paladins all let out distressed shouts.

Ignoring them, Kaito called out to his beast.

“Looks like I’m gonna have to do it after all, Kaiser. Let’s go.”

“What a self-centered man you are, and what a colossal fool. But you amuse me. I have no objections. But get permission from the mice first. I don’t care for their shrill squeaking. The fuss they make is disagreeable.”

With that, the Kaiser snorted. Kaito nodded, then turned around. As he’d expected, Izabella had been informed of the Kaiser’s manifestation and made her way inside the curtain.

“Kaito Sena! Even if you’re just using it as a guard, you need permission before you—”

“Izabella, there’s something I need!”

Beating her to the punch, Kaito nimbly intercepted her reprimand. Faced with a request, Izabella politely stopped speaking. Not missing his opportunity, Kaito spoke quickly.

“Seal the curtain and cast a silencing spell on it. And I need you to make sure Elisabeth doesn’t get anywhere near the spot.”

“What’s this all of a sudden? What in the world are you intending to do?”

“At the end of the day, my power’s just a stopgap. So before we fight the King and the Grand Monarch, I want to build up as much mana as possible. But because of how much pain’s involved, there’s a good chance Elisabeth will try to stop me. Please.”

“I can’t in good faith give you permission to do something your master would prohibit.”

“That’s just a pretense, though, right? What reason do you have to doubt me? You got a report from the familiars they had observing my fight against the Grand King, didn’t you? If I was planning on making a run for it and abandoning mankind, I’d have done it back then. You should already know that I wounded my own body in order to use the magic I saved Elisabeth with.”

“That’s—”

“Dark magic requires pain. This is necessary for me. If you don’t trust me, you can put as many guards on me as you want. And if I do anything suspicious, feel free to stop me.”

“Kaito, still—”

“La Mules is dead. If the Torture Princess screws up, who do you think’s next in line to fight?”

For the people affiliated with the Church, the wound from having their ultimate weapon, the Shepherd, commit suicide was still fresh and raw. Kaito didn’t hesitate in stabbing at it. He also purposely gouged at Izabella’s conscience.

“Who the hell do you think is gonna end up getting sacrificed for the sake of all the heretics and people who call him a monster?”

“…And you’re saying that this is truly necessary for you to fight against the demons?”

“Yes. I promise I’m telling the truth.”

“I understand… While I will personally be one of your watchkeepers, you have my permission. However, Godot Deus has the final say in—”

“Permission granted. Do as you wish.”

Suddenly, a calm, deep voice rang out. Izabella spun around.

Kaito confidently locked eyes with the voice’s owner.

A priest whose face was concealed by a deep crimson robe was reverently carrying a jewel. A phantasm of Godot Deus floated above it. Narrowing his eyes as though trying to gauge something, he spoke.

“Servant, I can more or less guess what your objective is. However, there are bound to be benefits as far as our current battle against the demon goes. You have my permission.”

“Thanks a bunch. This is gonna be good for you guys, too.”

“I wonder about that… However…ah, yes. There is one thing I’d best tell you.”

“What’s that?”

“Under normal circumstances, the Church does not permit replicating souls.”

Kaito frowned, confused by the expected statement. Unable to make out the true meaning of Godot Deus’s words, he urged Godot Deus on.

“…So?”

“Once this matter is resolved, all the reproductions of Godot Deus’s soul, myself included, are slated to be destroyed.”

Kaito was shocked. The stone in his pocket holding Vlad’s soul rattled around, as though Vlad found this topic to be of great interest. Kaito sorted through the pieces of information that he knew.

Reproduced souls are nothing more than degraded versions of the person from when they were alive. Still, though, they have wills of their own.

Destroying a stone with a copy of someone’s soul inside was practically the same as executing a person.

The way Godot Deus had died—committing suicide so he wouldn’t be of use to the demon—was enough to let Kaito understand the resolve that members of the Church held. Once again, Godot Deus was marching toward his own death.

At the same time, Kaito thought about why Godot Deus had told him that.

Godot Deus worries for the people and trusts in God from the bottom of his heart. But he has a self-serving side, too.

That helped Kaito realize that the resolve the Church possessed and the sacrifices they were making couldn’t possibly have been his sole objective.

Wait, could you be…?

Kaito stared at Godot Deus, trying to figure out what he was thinking. However, it was clear to see that he didn’t intend to say anything more. Eventually, Kaito stifled his conjecture and spoke.

“Sorry. I know that we’re not the only ones being sacrificed.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, servant. However, I wish to witness it. Though it may be for the sake of fighting demons, I wish to witness what it is that you intend to hide yourself from Elisabeth’s gaze in order to do.”

“Yeah, go for it. Watch to your heart’s content.”

With that, Kaito nodded. After checking to make sure that the paladins keeping watch over him were in place, he turned back toward the Monarch’s cage. The drooping man was hanging his head from atop the cage’s metal floor.

Snapping his fingers, Kaito whispered.

“—La (rend).”

The next moment, blood spouted from Kaito’s own arm. He started carving at his body with azure flower petals.

Seeing his sudden, brazen self-mutilation, some of the paladins let out cries.

Ignoring them, Kaito’s fingers danced as he manipulated his blood. He used the spilled streaks of crimson to paint a magical formula at his feet and on the floor of the Monarch’s cage.

Interpreting its meaning, Izabella called out in a strained voice.

“Are you mad?!”

It was Kaito’s second time drawing it, but anyone knowledgeable about magic would be able to easily tell how repulsive it was.

This was a procedure that converted another’s pain over to himself.

His eyes filled with compassion and dry composure, Kaito whispered.

“I’m going to torture you now. It won’t be much help, but here’s something to set your mind at ease.”

He raised his arm overhead.

The corners of his mouth curling up unpleasantly, the Kaiser smiled. The Monarch slowly turned his dissolved head to the side.

Swinging his arm down like a conductor, Kaito made his declaration.

“This is gonna hurt me just as bad.”

The Monarch’s torso tore open.

And at the same time, Kaito’s chest ripped apart.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

The Monarch let out a scream of pain.

Blocked by the silencing magic, his bloodcurdling voice vanished before it could make it through the curtain. However, it forcibly burrowed its way into the ears of the paladins within. Their faces contorted in unison.

Kaito delicately carved into the Monarch’s body. He lopped off his arms, gouged out his eyes, and pulled out his innards. But because he was fused with a demon, the transformed Monarch didn’t die.

In addition, the magical formula was regenerating his body.

AHHHHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!

As he screamed, the Monarch rocked his cage like a madman.

Kaito ignored his wordless pleas. He waved his arm without pause.

The Monarch’s organs danced through the air, his cheeks were gouged out, and his legs snapped into fourths.

As the Monarch’s torture continued, just as Kaito had promised, he himself experienced the same pain. Occasionally, the pain would cause Kaito to die of shock. When it did, he would revive himself, satisfied with his results.

Man, this really is more efficient than just hurting myself, isn’t it?

While he was dying and reviving, the magic he’d fired off ate away at the Monarch. It was a much more efficient way of gathering pain than simply tormenting his own brittle body. As Kaito and the Kaiser suffered more and more pain, the amount of mana at their disposal gradually grew.

As they watched the ghastly spectacle unfold in front of them, one of the paladins muttered:

“…This is madness.”

When he heard them, Kaito elected to remain silent.

He had no words to refute them with. He was well aware of how insane it was.

His resolve and determination firm, Kaito continued the torture. A vision of the young boy who’d died for his sake, Neue, cast a questioning look toward him for the umpteenth time. But Kaito didn’t turn to return his gaze. Just a little more, and he would reach the amount of mana he’d determined was necessary.

Just a bit more, just a little more…

Fighting to pour crimson water into his cup, Kaito desperately struggled to make it overflow.

Eventually, morning broke.

As the sun rose, Kaito lopped off the Monarch’s head.

The demon, who’d chosen a life of devouring people and in the end was granted acute pain, was finally released. He toppled over onto the stone floor. Blood dripped out of his pitifully convulsing body.

Several times more blood was spread around the cage.

The paladins were silent. Either fear or disgust had robbed them of their voices.

Amid the overwhelming silence, Kaito quietly murmured.

“Good work, Monarch.”

With a bloody hand, he swept back his bangs.

Clotted blood stuck to his cheeks.

Even assailed by unimaginable pain, he hadn’t screamed once. His face stained with blood, he smiled.

“Now then, onto the King and Grand Monarch.”