Fremd Torturchen - Volume 3 - Chapter 8

8

Destiny’s End

The cell had no windows, causing it to be steeped in constant gloom. Its chilly air called to mind a seabed and carried the scent of mold. If anyone spent too long confined there, the damp and the cold were liable to cause their body to ache and then to vomit up blood.

Centipedes crawled along the ceiling. Rats scurried in and out of holes in the walls.

And within that nasty, isolated cell, a single woman lay horizontal on the floor.

Her face in profile was so beautiful she barely seemed human. Her hair spread on the floor was lustrous and black, her skin was as white as snow, and her lips were so red they seemed to be practically oozing with blood. But due to whatever horrendous crime it was she’d committed, her ravishing limbs were bound in a straitjacket.

Lying down on the chilly stone floor, she sat motionless.

She was silent, and her eyes were closed.

Due to the silence of its sole inhabitant, a deep stillness permeated the cell. But the quiet, which seemed as though it would be endless, was suddenly shattered.

The door opened.

In an instant, the room was flooded with light. But a creaking noise rang out, and the room fell into darkness once more.

The paladin had closed the door behind her.

The woman’s silver armor paired well with her fine silvery hair and mismatched blue and purple eyes. However, a number of unseemly scars decorated her face, as though it had split from within. In spite of that, though, her gallant, beautiful nature was as refined as could be.

The paladin looked down at the bound woman. Although she’d no doubt taken notice of her visitor, she remained motionless.

After waiting a moment, the paladin, Izabella, suddenly spoke.

“Elisabeth Le Fanu.”

“Izabella, eh…? I see you survived.”

“Somehow, yes. Unable to withstand the force of the mana, my whole body tore from within, yet here I stand.”

“Hmph, so you bear scars… What a fool you are.”

“I’m much obliged for your concern. But I wear these scars proudly. I have no regrets.”

“Concern? Hardly… Now, what business do you have?”

“I came here to meet with you.” Izabella gave her answer.

When she did, Elisabeth’s mouth snapped shut. It was as though Elisabeth didn’t take a shred of interest in matters regarding herself.

After wavering for a moment upon seeing Elisabeth’s reaction, Izabella continued in a calm tone.

“I have something I wish to inform you of.”

“…What might that be?”

“Your servant, Kaito Sena, has yet to be located. Your castle was empty before the Church even began their search. He seems to have absconded with a number of your riches and automatons and gone into hiding.”

“…Have you set pursuers on him?”

“We have. However, he is contracted to the Kaiser. If he focuses his power solely on escaping, finding him is likely to be difficult.”

“Mm, I don’t doubt it.”

Elisabeth’s response was concise. Izabella dutifully responded with a nod. Having finished saying what she’d come to say, Izabella peered around the room restlessly. As soon as she did, though, she suddenly launched into some meaningless small talk.

“This room is frigid, not to mention dark. Hardly what I’d call pleasant conditions.”

“Given my sins, the fact I was exempted from interrogation and torture alone would easily qualify as special treatment.”

“Perhaps… Oh, are your restraints getting loose over there?”

Izabella leaned in. Her tone was clearly forced, almost as though she was trying to get whoever was standing on the other side of the door to hear her. She ran her fingers over the leather belts, none of which were loose in the slightest.

Then she drew her face close to Elisabeth’s ear.

“Please stay quiet and listen to me, Elisabeth.”

“…”

“Only a handful of people within the Church are responsible for this decision. But I was fortunate enough to be granted an audience with Godot Deus before his disposal, and both of us wish for your continued survival. The fourteen demons may be dead, but mankind’s avarice has no limits. We have no guarantee that another contractor won’t arise. I won’t deny that you have a duty to pay for your sins and that mankind needs a common enemy. But we can’t afford to lose your strength.”

“…Hmm.”

“The state is unlikely to overturn their decision saying the Torture Princess being burned at the stake is a necessary symbol. Treason though it may be, if you have any will to commit a jailbreak, I have trusted men who I can set into motion. Elisabeth, have you no desire to escape? You fought so hard.”

Then Izabella paused.

After running her fingers across the Torture Princess’s leather restraints one more time, she went on. Her voice was tinged with sadness.

“You killed many, but you saved many, as well. You are the Torture Princess, but you are also a hero.”

“…”

“I feel that it is wrong to disregard that fact. If you have the will to break out of here, simply nod.”

The paladin whose brother was killed by the Torture Princess urged her on. However, Elisabeth refused to nod. Izabella waited. But after a prolonged silence, she shook her head and stood up.

“Hmm… It seems it was only my imagination.”

As she made her announcement for the person beyond the door, Izabella separated from Elisabeth.

Then, with the blue and purple eyes resting between her tragic scars, she looked at the sinner who was merely awaiting death.

Izabella silently gazed at the capital’s savior and at the murderer who’d killed her brother along with countless innocents. But with another shake of her head, she changed her expression. Then, wearing the stern face of a soldier, she spoke again.

“Now, as an envoy of the Church, I have one more announcement for you.”

As commander of the Holy Knights, Izabella made her proclamation to the Torture Princess.

“Elisabeth Le Fanu. Your execution is scheduled for dawn on the morrow.”

No reply came.

Elisabeth just gave a slight nod, as though to affirm her destiny.

Official notice of the Torture Princess’s execution had been posted about two weeks prior to Izabella coming to inform Elisabeth.

And as soon as the notice was posted, the news spread throughout the capital like wildfire.

After having been trampled over and oppressed by the demons, the people had been filled with a relentless sense of fear, rage, despair, and indignation, and it took little convincing for them to change the target of those emotions. No sooner did information get out about the location where the execution was slated to take place than people begin gathering there. They were so fervent in their desire to stake out spots in the plaza that disputes rose up day after day.

And then the morning of the execution arrived.

The sun rose, and with it, a black carriage came like a sinister specter.

All at once, the people raised vitriolic jeers and threw rocks. As they did, the door of the carriage opened.

The Torture Princess made her appearance and basked in the single-minded malice of those present. The scene must have made for a strong example. She’d been made to wear a white dress and had been symbolically bound with thorny briars.

As blood dripped down her body, the beautiful woman made her way down the road toward the platform where the stake had been erected.

The people lining the street let out hateful shouts. They clenched their fists as they yelled.

“Kill her, kill her, kill her, kill her, kill her, kill her!

“Loathsome Torture Princess; repulsive Torture Princess; cruel, hideous Elisabeth!”

Even upon hearing their voices, her expression didn’t waver. A faint smile adorned her lips as Elisabeth looked out into the furious, shouting crowd. But then, all of a sudden, she furrowed her brow in puzzlement.

Among the people filled with fear and loathing, there was another group who was focusing another emotion on her altogether.

The young girl who’d innocently praised Kaito’s arm as “cool” was on the verge of tears. Her mother, too, was casting a heartbroken gaze at Elisabeth.

The old woman who’d once knelt and thanked Elisabeth was there, too, clutching at the sleeves of those around her with trembling hands. Unnoticed by the people beside her or perhaps being intentionally ignored, she was frantically trying to convey something.

The group was small in comparison to the mob, but they continued to shout, undeterred by the fact that their voices were being drowned out. For an instant, one of their sorrowful calls reached Elisabeth’s ear. “Don’t kill her.”

“She’s the one who saved my family,” it said.

“Even though she’s a murderer and sinner without peer,” it said.

“…I truly am surrounded by fools.”

And with that small whisper, Elisabeth kept walking.

Before long, she arrived at the platform. Rejecting the executioner’s roughly extended hand, she walked up the wooden steps to the stake herself. A group of men fastened her to the post.

A priest approached her. As he made to begin praying, Elisabeth interjected.

“’Tis far too late for prayers. Get on with it.”

“But it is for your—”

“Enough. There shall be no salvation for me. This is my end.”

“If you are resigned to your fate, then I will respect your wishes. Do you have any last words?”

“………………………None.”

After hesitating for a few moments, Elisabeth gave her answer.

She closed her eyes, opened them back up, and slowly shook her head.

“I have nothing to say, nor any to say it to.”

The priest nodded, then stepped off the platform. An executioner wearing a leather bag over his face approached her in his place. He took the torch he was holding and used it to light the kindling at Elisabeth’s feet.

Cheers rose up from all around. Just like Vlad once had, she began burning in the flames of man. Elisabeth looked through the billowing gray smoke at the elated masses.

As the heat lapped at her toes, she gave a reflexive comment.

“It…hurts.”

In contrast with her words, her expression was serene and tranquil.

Gazing up at the sky, she thought back on the words she’d just said.

I have nothing to say, nor any to say it to.

That was what she’d declared. And it was true. There was no other answer she could have given.

Everyone she’d held dear had died. Her parents, her people, and Marianne.

However, a single name slipped through her lips.

“Kai…to…”

The words he’d once told her flashed through her mind.

She recalled his stupid, nonsensical promise.

“And hey, you bringing me back to life and summoning me here must have been some kind of fate… So 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.”

“You have my thanks.”

The crackling of the flames grew louder. Elisabeth’s whisper vanished among them.

Then she spoke a few heartfelt words, words that would reach no one.

“Just as you promised, I was never alone, right to the end.”

“Throughout Elisabeth Le Fanu’s bloody life, she was accompanied by a single foolish servant.”

She thought that had been altogether quite fine.

Then she closed her eyes.

The family she had saved broke down into tears, and the old woman covered her face and wailed.

The Torture Princess was to die alone, forsaken by heaven, earth, and all of creation, then descend into Hell.

…However, at the eleventh hour, something happened.

Ksssssssssssssssssh!

Suddenly, a blade came whirling through the sky. It blew away the fire, kindling and all.

As the loud noise rang out, the platform collapsed. Elisabeth went flying and crashed into the side platform the executioners were standing on, almost as though the angle of her flight had been planned. The people in the crowd let out confused cries. Above their heads, a magnificent storm of azure flower petals and jet-black feathers spiraled down.

The spectacle that was unfolding was beautiful, yet for some reason, it struck fear into the hearts of all in attendance.

Amid the uproar, a young man appeared in the air.

He wore a black military uniform, and it fluttered as he glared down over the crowd.

In his left arm, he was carrying an attractive, silver-haired automaton in a maid outfit. And of all things, the Kaiser accompanied him on his right.

None of the people in the crowd could truly tell that the grotesque black hound was in fact the Kaiser. But driven by their instinctive repugnance and terror, they cried out all the same.

Watching them, the young man’s face curled into a malicious smile.

Flanked by an oddity on each side, he gave a loud, booming laugh.

“What a carefree bunch you all are, killing off your own pawns while humanity still has enemies!”

“It can’t be…”

Elisabeth muttered in shock. The young man snapped his fingers before her astonished eyes.

Snap!

In response to the dry noise, twenty jewels appeared in the air around him.

As he channeled mana into them, the people’s screams grew even louder.

Images of Godot Deus floated up above the jewels. As a high priest of the Church, the faith the people held in him was considerable. He raised his wrinkled head, then began making some manner of pitiful plea.

As he did, the young man gave a sinister laugh and snapped his fingers once more.

Snap!

Ksssssssssssssssssh!

A screeching noise rang out, and the stones holding the high priest’s soul shattered in unison. The fragments sparkled as they fell through the air.

Shocked by the abruptness and the atrocity of the deed, the people screamed. Their deep scars left from being attacked by demons had been pried open. They trembled, then succumbed to their rage and hatred. In an instant, their gazes shifted to one of stark animosity.

The young man nodded, satisfied.

The people didn’t know.

They didn’t know Godot Deus had told the young man that the reproductions of his soul were slated to be destroyed or why he’d told him.

After all, they had no way of knowing.

They had no way of knowing that Godot Deus, who’d understood the importance of Elisabeth’s execution better than anyone, had keenly known the vulnerability his death would create in mankind.

There was no way they could have heard.

There was no way they could have heard what he and the young man had discussed right before this, when all his crystals had been gathered in one place.

There was no way they could have known what mutual objective the two of them aimed to fulfill with this display.

And just what was that objective?

The most effective method by which to unite people was to give them a common enemy. And as long as such an enemy existed, mankind would find themselves in need of a dangerous, powerful blade.

To that end, the young man—Kaito Sena—shouted.

“Letting your guard down just ’cause you killed all fourteen demons? Ha! What a joke! You guys are a bunch of dumb-a—no, fools. From here on out, I shall lead the Kaiser and become the stuff of nightmares! And I’ll start with that woman over there, the tyrannical foe of us demons! She will be a hindrance to us no more. With my own two hands, I shall slay the Torture Princess!”

“Why are you doing this, Kaito Sena? I thought you were a man of integrity! What are you thinking?!”

Flustered, Izabella shouted at him. Perhaps due to her honest nature, it seemed that she was panicking in earnest. Kaito watched her with relief, glad that his acting seemed to have passed muster.

The Kaiser stepped on his foot, and the maid gently poked him in the side.

Hurriedly, Kaito snapped his fingers.

“—La (dance)!”

Countless blades dived at the Torture Princess. But the executioners made a split-second decision, pushing Elisabeth aside and covering for her. The brawny men formed a wall with their bodies and guarded the Torture Princess from the would-be assassination.

Then, at Izabella’s orders, the paladins got to work. Unwilling to let any who bore ill will toward the innocent escape, they activated the barrier they’d been intending to use in the unlikely event the Torture Princess tried to escape.

After looking at the sacred white light they were weaving together, Kaito nodded.

“…Yup, I can break through. Looks like I was right.”

He’d wanted to be able to make his escape even if the paladins threw up a barrier, so after he’d left Elisabeth alone on the hill and made his way back to the plaza, he’d tried to figure out how strong it was. Then, by torturing the Monarch, he’d gathered the mana he’d needed to destroy it.

Again, he snapped his fingers. An explosion of azure petals and black feathers danced through the air.

Then, with a noise like glass shattering, the barrier vanished.

“Oh-ho, it seems I am at a disadvantage here. Very well. I take my leave now, gentlemen! We shall meet again!”

After promising another encounter, Kaito gave a twisted laugh. The Kaiser, too, laughed mockingly at the crowd in its humanlike voice. Still embracing the back of Kaito’s neck, the automaton smiled sweetly.

Then their master snapped his fingers once more.

As if by magic, the Kaiser’s contractor vanished.

Finally, the finishing blow was dealt in the form of a delighted voice, which rained down on the terrified, furious, panicking crowd.

“Next time, I shall deliver upon mankind a truly demonic calamity!”

“That…utter…imbecile!”

As the crowd was whipped up into a frenzy, Elisabeth quietly cursed. She clenched her fist, then punched the platform. However, no one was looking her way. She’d been neglected so thoroughly it was hard to believe that she’d just been on the verge of being burned at the stake. Now alone, she bit down hard on her lip.

As she looked down toward the ground, she thought back to something he’d said.

The words had been heartfelt and directed straight at her.

“I like her a whole lot.

“For that person’s sake, I could do or become anything.”

“…I told you, Kaito, ’tis too much for you to bear.”

Elisabeth muttered the words quietly. But there was nobody there to respond to her.

As though to console her, the azure petals and black feathers gently brushed against her slender shoulders as they fell.

Due to the unforeseen turn of events, the Torture Princess’s execution was suspended.

The paladins hastily mobilized a search party to pursue the Kaiser’s contractor. But despite devoting their full efforts to the chase, they were unable to locate him. Given the appearance of a new demon and one that had publicly proclaimed hostility toward mankind, to boot, the Church held a discussion, then handed down their official decision.

The Torture Princess, Elisabeth Le Fanu, was informed of her new orders.

Her mission was simple.

It was to kill Kaito Sena, the fifteenth contractor.