Fremd Torturchen - Volume 4 - Chapter 7

7

His and Her

The Butcher leaped high into the air, clinging to the wall to avoid Elisabeth’s opening blow.

Spiked Hare carved a victimless path across the floor in vain and nearly smashed through the door. Right before it could, though, Elisabeth snapped her fingers, and the torture device vanished back into darkness and crimson petals.

“Tch, cease your dashing and your scurrying!”

She was well aware of the Butcher’s evasive capabilities. Not letting her guard down for a moment, she summoned another vortex of darkness and petals. Then she drew a sword with crimson runes carved on its blade from within.

“Executioner’s Sword of Frankenthal!”

At the top of her voice, Elisabeth called out the sword’s name. As she did, the runes on the blade flashed.

His tone implying an odd sneer, the Butcher read them aloud.

“‘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,’ was it?”

His voice had a certain scornful ring to it.

In place of a reply, Elisabeth pointed the sword’s tip at him. A number of chains burst out of empty space.

Neither flustered nor panicked, the Butcher merely kicked off against the wall. The chains violently swerved like the heads of a hydra as they pursued him. Assailed by the surging attack, the Butcher bent his body like a cat as he fell.

The action seemed almost thoughtless, and the chains grazed over his head and beside his flank. Ultimately, he managed to slip through all of them, and with a thump, he landed safely on the floor.

He could well have a promising career in front of him as a circus acrobat.

Without sparing a moment to congratulate him, Elisabeth snapped her fingers again.

“Ducking Stool!”

“Good heavens!”

A chair sprouted from the ground, scooping the Butcher up in its seat. The next moment, leather belts sprung out from its back and its armrests, binding his body down. And at the same time, a rectangular chunk of floor beneath the chair vanished.

The gaping hole was filled to the brim with water. Crimson flower petals floated on its surface.

Splashhhhhhh!

A loud noise echoed in the room as the Butcher sank underwater.

A number of bubbles floated to the surface. But after a moment, the water’s surface grew calm.

The Butcher didn’t appear to be putting up much of a fight.

“Hmm.”

Finding that fact suspicious, Elisabeth snapped her fingers. Chains clanged as they dragged the chair up from the water. It was empty. The Butcher was nowhere to be seen.

“I did tell you; if I wish to call myself the Butcher, then surely, I should be able to flip over my body within my cloak the moment before I get strung up. When one lives as long as I have, they develop a knack for escaping restraints.”

A playful tone rose from beside Elisabeth. She turned to look to the other side of the bed. At some point, the Butcher had sat down on it, and at present, he was casually swinging his legs.

Elisabeth took a closer look at the Butcher’s demeanor. Swinging her sword at him from this range would be child’s play. But she suspected the only thing she’d end up destroying was the bed.

Little point in throwing good money after bad, I suppose.

For the time being, Elisabeth elected to stop using force. Adjusting her seat on the bed, she turned to face the Butcher. He continued his speech with the same unaffected cheerfulness as always, as though the two of them were merely having an inconsequential chat.

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, but one really does experience so many things over the course of a long life. Founding the very first guilds, the grand expedition to find the rainbow-hued Mana Egg, leading an army five thousand strong, decorating my beloved dragons…”

“More of your usual nonsense?”

“What would you say if I told you it was all true, Madam Elisabeth?”

The Butcher tilted his head to the side. Elisabeth gave him a long, hard stare.

From the other side of the deep darkness in his hood, he awaited her reaction. She offered no response. He let a few more words slip.

“What would you say if I told you that I hailed from a time before the Saint carried out her duty and fell into her deep slumber, Madam Elisabeth?”

“If that was all, then I daresay I’d do naught. The only bit that catches my attention is the possibility of you being my enemy.”

“Whatever are you talking about, Madam Elisabeth?! I’m not your enemy, not in the slightest!”

With that, the Butcher hopped up and down in his standard display of protest.

“I’m not the enemy of anyone personally. I’m the enemy of all things that exist in this world! That, and I am a merchant.”

Elisabeth crossed her legs and leaned forward, her cheeks resting on her palms. She glared the Butcher’s way.

His declaration had been extremely troubling, but the tone he continued in was, for some reason, incredibly endearing.

“And not just humans, everyone is my enemy. And they are my customers. That is why I was born, and that is why I yet live. Not a lie or falsehood escapes my tongue when I say that truly, everything I’ve done and everything I do has been for your sakes. All for you, my dear customers. And my, what pleasant days they’ve been. And that, precisely, is why I know that better than any.”

The Butcher gently swung his short, scaled legs from side to side. Then he let out a vaguely heartrending mutter.

“‘For the beginning, the middle, and the end all lie in the palm of His hand.’ That, truly, sums up this world.”

“I see. A rather grim tale, that.”

Elisabeth gave a faint murmur. Sighing, she bent her back and calmly uncrossed her slender legs. Then she nonchalantly snapped her fingers.

“I find God rather abhorrent, after all—Hellhole.”

As she spoke, Elisabeth leaped, leaving only the Butcher behind on the bed.

“Hweh?”

The bedroom shook, and its floor collapsed. The broken shutters, the chest of drawers, and the bed were all swallowed up by a conical hole. Within it, a grotesque mass of bugs clamored and buzzed.

Elisabeth was hanging from her sword, which she’d successfully thrust into the ceiling. Raising her face, she looked out at the scene before her. As she’d expected, the Butcher was unharmed. Having adroitly stuck himself to the ceiling, he was currently quite angry. His anger was of a type wholly unbefitting the situation, though, and it almost seemed like it was possible for comical bursts of steam to burst out of his ears.

“How underhanded! I’m trying to have a serious conversation with you here, and I’d appreciate it greatly if you’d stop trying to kill me so heartlessly! We had a deal! You promised!”

“I don’t recall promising you anything. Vlad goes without saying, but I loathe any who tell me stories laden with subtext. Oh, and one other thing.”

“One other thing?”

“Gibbet.”

Elisabeth gave her fingers a light snap.

Still hanging from her sword with one hand, she mercilessly summoned yet another torture device.

“Oh, deary me.”

A long, narrow swirl of darkness and crimson petals encircled the Butcher from top to bottom. A cramped cage, one that a human could just barely fit in if they stood up straight, materialized, then clamped shut around the Butcher.

With another snap of her fingers, Elisabeth dispelled the Hellhole. She then dropped to the ground and made an elegant landing.

The Butcher remained trapped within his cage. He stroked his jaw in contemplation.

“Simultaneous deployment? That’s far too stylish, Madam Elisabeth. Hmm, hmm. To think that I, the Butcher, would become a bird in a cage… Oh? Wait. Might I, by any chance, be playing the role of the captured princess?”

“’Tis far too late for jokes, Butcher. Tell me why you sold the demon flesh. Tell me where you obtained it. Tell me everything you know. Everything you’re plotting. Spit out everything it is that you think I might like to know.”

“Ah, well, that’s Madam Elisabeth for you. Mr. Dim-Witted Servant could never have posed those questions so very economically.”

“Do it, or the needles and spears shall make their appearance.”

Elisabeth snapped her fingers, causing darkness and petals to flare up once again. The cage was soon surrounded by needles. Their sharpness was immediately apparent. The Torture Princess spoke, her face frozen with an ice-cold glare.

“Taking pleasure in pain and in screams—were you not aware? That happens to be my field of expertise.”

“I suppose it is… If that’s the case, then I’d wager you’d be well served by visiting the tomb beneath the Capital. A number of things are going to become apparent there right around now, you see.”

The Butcher’s response was vague. As carefree as his tone was, though, he appeared to be serious. There was no indication that he was joking. But the contents of his claim lacked anything even resembling details.

Elisabeth frowned. Showing no fear toward the needles, the Butcher calmly went on.

“It’s a nonsensical little fairy tale, and one that’s gone on for a very, very long time. There are those who’ve worked to bring these events about, and those who’ve worked to prevent them. I am among the former, but the latter group shall begin to move in earnest quite soon. You’d best be going, Madam Elisabeth.”

The Butcher spoke in a tone one might use with a child. His jaw loosened a little, as though he were looking at someone radiant. And even though he was on the verge of being tortured, he spoke with the quiet calmness of an old retiree.

“If I’m being quite honest, your existence was rather outside my expectations. As I always say, I have little interest in the fights between men and demons. After all, they are of little consequence to the result. I’d never thought someone would rise to oppose the dreadful end of the story that the fourteen tragedies mark the beginning of. And Mr. Dim-Witted Servant is the same. Though your two tales may be small in the scope of things, the results they bear may be monumental indeed… Who knows, after all, how the world may turn from here on?”

“…You speak in riddles. I demand details.”

Elisabeth raised her hand, fingers poised to snap.

As she did, the door opened behind her. The voice that crossed the threshold was serious, yet given the situation, it seemed almost carefree.

“Pardon me. Elisabeth, are you… O-oh?”

“Izabella?”

Surprised at the unexpected visitor, Elisabeth wheeled around.

There, she found an attractive paladin sporting silver hair and a mismatched pair of blue and purple eyes. Several hideous scars were etched into her skin. It looked almost like her entire body had burst from within.

In spite of her scars, her face was still beautiful. Izabella curled her lips into a frown.

“I have information and an order I need to convey to you. I apologize for the sudden intrusion, but what exactly is going on here? Are you…disciplining one of your servants or something? You may be the Torture Princess, but I should think this is taking it a bit far, no?”

“Oh, hardly, but there are a number of circumstances at play here. Now then, your business?”

Given the situation, and the fact that Elisabeth had no idea how many people were involved, she could hardly carry out torture right in front of Izabella.

Elisabeth dispelled the needles, leaving only the Gibbet remaining. The Butcher, still standing upright, showed no particular signs of relief. After casting a concerned glance his way, Izabella gave her report.

“An order’s come down from above. But even I’m in the dark as to where they got their information from, so I have doubts regarding its credibility. For whatever reason, though, all the soldiers under my command have their marching orders. Please, try not to be too surprised when you hear what I have to say.”

“Out with it already! I’d sensed the situation’s irregularity the moment you stepped through my door rather than merely sending a message. Just say your piece.”

Elisabeth brusquely urged Izabella on. Izabella responded with a short nod.

She herself seemed bewildered by the next words that came out of her mouth.

“Kaito Sena, the Kaiser’s contractor, will make his appearance.”

“‘Will’? Not ‘has made his appearance’?”

Elisabeth frowned. The words reeked strangely of prophecy.

After all, although she hadn’t told them, Kaito was currently in the land of the beastfolk. The Church shouldn’t have had any way of tracking his movements.

How, then, could they predict so confidently where he’d show his face?

“He’s slated to make his appearance at the site where the mass of flesh consumed the royal castle—at the underground tomb where all the kings of old lie. But I have no idea what basis they’re making that decree under.”

Aye, the reason for their conjecture is unclear. ’Tis as though they saw him perform the teleportation firsthand…

Elisabeth narrowed her crimson eyes. The sense of discomfort nagging at her was growing by the moment. Then she cast a glance toward the Butcher in his cage. He said nothing, but it was clear that from within his hood, he was smiling.

“I hope it’s simply just another byproduct of the general disarray in our chain of command. After Godd Deos passed, a number of strange things have been happening. And the order has another part to it.”

Izabella’s expression darkened. She, too, was clearly uncomfortable, and likely about the same thing. But after shaking her head, she revealed the grave finale.

“We’ve been ordered to make absolutely sure we kill him before he can enter the tomb.”

It was the moment Elisabeth had surely been waiting for,

and the words she’d least wanted to hear.

The dance of the golden light and white feathers came to an end. They transformed into droplets, then all melted away at once.

After they’d completed their extravagant transformation, a new wasteland spread out before them, different from the destroyed village they’d just left behind.

Their surroundings were gray and barren as far as the eye could see. Off in the distance, they could just barely make out a small clump of buildings that had avoided destruction. Upon looking at the distant townscape, Kaito realized that he’d seen it before.

“Wait, this is…”

At the same time, the plot they were standing on was new to him. In fact, even among the people who lived in the Capital, not many would have ever had a chance to set foot here.

Kaito and the others now found themselves in the center of the Capital; before the mass of flesh had consumed the entire area, it had housed a castle hailed as resembling a white rose and also accommodated a grand garden as well as a number of vacation homes belonging to prominent aristocrats.

However, the events that had taken place here had been no ordinary calamity, and not a single trace remained of the buildings that had once been there. As a matter of fact, the land was strangely smooth. It was like some massive monster had run its tongue over the ground and lapped up everything it found.

And now that I think about it, that’s not far off from what actually happened.

Kaito was well aware of that. After all, this was where the Monarch, the Grand Monarch, and the King had intentionally been set forth to swallow up the land. The center of the Capital had been the heart of human civilization, and the demons had utterly and completely destroyed it. However, there was one thing still standing there, strangely unharmed.

Amid the vast nothingness, a statue of the Saint shedding tears of blood stood tall.

She was hanging upside down, and a rectangular pit sat directly beneath her head. There was a good chance it had originally been locked up tight and covered by a pedestal, but the statue’s protection must not have extended that far, and the mass of flesh must have melted it all away. Kaito squinted, trying to make out what was within.

Deep in the darkness, he could make out a set of stairs. They had likely avoided destruction by virtue of being underground.

Jeanne strode forth, her steps light as she made her way toward its entrance.

“Come now, everyone, let’s be on our way. In the quest for truth, you must simply put one foot in front of the other. The words Ask and ye shall receive are rarely true, but this case is one exception to that rule.”

“The ‘truth’… What exactly is down there?”

“A place with no connection to the lives of the stray sheep—the ancestral tomb of the royal family. One of the high priests, the Grave Keeper, bears full responsibility for protecting it. But what they’re hiding away and guarding so closely aren’t just the corpses of geezers who kicked the bucket.”

Jeanne gave her answer. Unfortunately, though, she stopped short of the most important part.

She continued on at her leisurely pace. Kaito gazed in frustration at the swaying, honey-blond hair covering her back.

As always, her communication skills were lacking in the extreme.

Then he turned his gaze to the ashen earth around him. The current king and the surviving nobles were taking shelter somewhere else at the moment, and they hadn’t gotten around to any sort of restoration effort yet. There was nobody there to interfere with them.

Jeanne kept walking, her strides almost rhythmical.

Now that they’d come this far, there was no turning back.

In for a penny, in for a pound, I guess.

Kaito followed after her. Hina and the Kaiser did the same. As Jeanne approached the pit the statue was guarding, though, Kaito noticed a white light flickering at the edge of his vision.

He thought it might just be an optical illusion, but the lone dot suddenly multiplied. One by one, they ignited, like candles arranged in a ring. Cylindrical lights formed in a circle around Kaito and the others.

“Ah, I see. Sure enough, they’d really rather we not enter the tomb. But given that we’re in the Capital, they can’t exactly use their transfigured paladins. All right, all right, let’s have us a look-see. How do y’all wanna dance?”

As Jeanne murmured, the lights all transformed into droplets and fell in a cascade, leaving behind people in silver armor.

Jeanne cast a glance at the paladins forming a perimeter around herself and the others as though to appraise them.

“Enough fucking around… Where is your leader?”

Right as she spoke, a particularly bright light flashed directly in front of Kaito and the rest.

When the white light bled away, the figure standing in its wake was one that Kaito knew well.

“It’s been some time, Kaito Sena.”

“…Izabella.”

It was the beautiful, silver-haired commander of the Holy Knights: Izabella Vicker.

Kaito was about to say something, but he immediately lost his train of thought. When he’d fled from the Capital, he hadn’t had a chance to get a good look at her face. But now that he had a chance to see for himself, he noticed her skin was covered in cruel scars.

They marked the time she’d used summoning magic in the battle for the Capital. Unable to withstand the force of the mana, her body had burst from within.

Kaito unthinkingly let out a shocked cry.

“Those wounds… Did you get those when you performed the summoning?! Dammit, I told you that you were being rash!”

“How strange of you to say that, Kaito Sena. You turned against mankind. That makes me your enemy, so why lend me any sympathy?”

Izabella spoke, her voice filled with puzzlement. Kaito immediately shut up. As the Kaiser shot a mocking glance at him from his side, Kaito bit down on his lip.

Oh, right… I’m not really in any position to be worrying about Izabella.

Kaito glanced around the gray Capital. He, Izabella, the Torture Princess, and the paladins had all waged a desperate battle to protect the townscape off in the distance.

Then he shifted his gaze back to Izabella. For a moment, he felt a weighty sense of fatigue press down on his body.

Those days we spent fighting together feel like they were an eternity ago.

The situation and the way Kaito now saw the world were so different compared with that episode of his past.

He spent a moment immersed in sentimentality. Izabella, unaware of the things going through his head, continued in a detached tone.

“I’d thought you a decent, honest man. But for some reason, you betrayed humanity. At this late hour, I shan’t ask you your reasons. No matter what they may have been, a paladin’s duty is to slay demons and their contractors. You prepared yourself for that reality when you made your pledge back at the square, I hope.”

“Yeah, that I did. I knew turning my back on humanity would mean becoming your enemy. And even knowing that, I made my choice.”

“Then it seems neither of us bears a grudge against the other.”

Izabella clutched the hilt of her sword, then drew it in a single smooth motion. The paladins followed her lead. Steel glinted brightly in the gray, muted land. Then, one by one, they pointed their consecrated blades at the Kaiser’s contractor.

“Yet we must kill you. For the sake of our orders, for the sake of mankind, and for the sake of the world.”

“Oh, how very illogical!”

Suddenly, a loud voice rang out. Its tone was bright and cheery, yet its echo had a strange coldness to it.

Confused at hearing the young girl’s voice, Izabella blinked.

“Who-who’s there? Who do you have there with you, Kaito Sena?”

“I beg your pardon. It is I.”

Jeanne popped out from behind Kaito. She must have hidden there at some point. As she did, Izabella’s face twitched. Jeanne’s words had been sorely lacking as an introduction, true, but the reason Izabella had stiffened up lay elsewhere.

Oh, right. Now that I think about it, her getup’s even more degenerate than Elisabeth’s.

Jeanne’s outfit, opulent and far more lascivious than was appropriate for her age, seemed to have overloaded Izabella’s straitlaced brain. She looked to be at a loss for words. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jeanne dived right in.

“I beg your pardon again, but did you, by any chance, leave your brain behind somewhere, miss?”

“What? What are you—”

“Who did you receive that order from? Who among the Church’s leadership suggested it?”

“Wait. What are you implying by that, young lady?”

“Who exactly managed to locate Kaito Sena? It can’t have been mere coincidence. Whoever found him must have been tracking his movements. Why, then, did they not report it to the units pursuing him? What was the order you received, miss? It couldn’t have been just to kill the Kaiser’s contractor. They must have added the rider ‘before he enters the underground tomb,’ didn’t they? And they surely gave that part of the order the utmost priority, if I had to guess. Why is that, do you think?”

Jeanne mechanically pressed Izabella for answers. Izabella regarded her with suspicion at first, but her expression grew gradually more and more serious.

She’d clearly realized that Jeanne wasn’t simply spouting nonsense. Izabella’s subordinates exchanged nervous glances as well. They, too, must have found the whole situation fishy.

Still expressionless, Jeanne began talking at insane speeds.

“Have you ever felt as though there were a secret unit among the paladins’ ranks? Have you never found it suspicious, the fact that so many of the most promising recruits got snatched away? And after Godd Deos’s death, did you not get the sense that suspicious matters began cropping up not just within the paladins but the Church itself?”

As a clincher, Jeanne opened her rosy eyes wide, then posed Izabella a solemn question.

“What proof do you have that all that is for the sake of mankind or the world?”

“Who are you?”

The way Izabella was addressing Jeanne had clearly changed. Despite Jeanne’s age, Izabella was now dealing with her as an equal. The tension in the air took on a different note.

Lowering her sword for a moment, Izabella ventured a question to Jeanne.

“Just what do you think you’re doing, Izabella?”

A hard, unfriendly voice rang out. Izabella looked up in surprise, and Kaito cast his gaze overhead as well.

One of the Church’s communication devices was flying up in the gray sky. While it had the same shape as a normal device of its type, its appearance also seemed to be different in a way. Its abnormal size seemed to almost be a testament to how it had received God’s favor. Its pure-white wings were conspicuously oversized as well, creating an overall impression of pomp and splendor.

To put it bluntly, it seemed excessive, and in poor taste.

The person on the other end, likely one of the high priests, droned on in an overbearing voice.

“A contractor’s ears are unfit for a paladin’s words. You’ll merely sully yourself. Kill him, now.”

“Please, Yah Llodl, wait. She could have information of some—”

“Nonsense! What kind of fool sits around and listens to what a demon contractor’s ally has to say?! Everything coming out of their mouths is a lie, intended to lead the faithful astray! Is that what you want?! This kind of nonsense is why we lost so many men at the Plain of Skewers, and your brother among them!”

The man’s heavy-handed rebuke left no room for arguments or rebuttals. Izabella reflexively bit down on her lip.

Kaito looked up at the orb with scornful eyes. Then, after a few seconds of silence, he calmly spoke.

“…Yah Llodl, was it? You know, you’re not like Godd Deos.”

“Ah, so even a contractor like you can tell. You’re right—I’m different from that man. I’m not the same as that fool who was obliterated by a demon without ever coming to understand genuine faith or the Saint’s true will.”

The voice let out a twisted laugh. Godd Deos had been in charge of managing the paladins, and the level of trust they’d placed in him had been high. A number of the paladins standing in waiting trembled with anger.

Kaito heaved a long sigh. With a look of gentle remorse on his face, he shook his head.

“I once accused Godd Deos of being a spectator. But I take that all back.”

“How odd. Who knew contractors were even capable of introspection? The man may have been incompetent, but I imagine he’d be gratified by that.”

“You won’t set foot on the battlefield. You won’t even show your face. You’re the biggest damn coward I’ve ever met. I can tell just by your voice—you’re an overgrown pig of a man.”

“You—!”

As Kaito gave his assessment, his tone was dispassionate and uninterested. The voice cut off, appalled by the sudden affront.

Hearing his master’s diatribe, the Kaiser gave an amused laugh in a rare display of approval.

“Ha, he speaks truth! Those who refuse to display their own strength are weaklings! Those who fight without knowledge are fools! Those who titter incessantly are incompetent! Their lives have no value, and they are, to a man, swine!”

Suddenly, the orb began spinning and emitting light, then gave its wings a hard flap to demonstrate its irritation. White feathers rained down violently from above, and the person on the other side of the orb screeched loudly.

“A demon dares insult ME?! I live my life properly and piously, in service to the Saint, in service of God, and it insults ME?! Izabella, don’t hesitate, don’t think, just kill them, kill them, kill them, and do NOT let them advance!”

As the man flew into a crazed rant, Kaito glanced toward the entrance to the underground tomb.

What could be down there? As he pondered that, Yah Llodl gave a declaration.

“This is for the sake of salvation!”

Salvation again, huh?

Jeanne spoke of salvation, and so did the Church.

In all likelihood, the difference between the two was monumental.

What are they each trying to save, and what are they trying to save it from?

“Kill them! Why are you hesitating?! Carry out your orders! Follow your righteous command from God, from the Sai-Sai-Sai-Sai-Sai-Sai—”

Suddenly, the voice started skipping. With no prior warning, an explosion had gone off right below the communication device.

“…Huh?”

“Wh—?!”

Blasted by the explosion’s shock wave, the orb went into a tailspin. Its ridiculously large wings proved a detriment as it was quickly blown off into the distance.

The people present had no time to dwell on what had just happened, as their visions were blotted out with crimson and black. Rose petals danced extravagantly through the air. Everything in sight was violently painted over in black.

Desperately trying to hold their ground, the paladins called out.

“Commander Izabella!”

“Settle down; I know whose doing this is! What I don’t know, though, is why she’s being so vicious!”

The whole area descended into chaos. Even Izabella, who supposedly knew who the culprit was, was visibly trembling. Kaito and Hina, on the other hand, were calm as could be. The two of them let out low murmurs.

“………Welp, she’s pissed.”

“………She does seem quite upset.”

Then, with the same absurdity it had started with, the explosion suddenly subsided.

In an instant, the area grew silent. And in the center of that silence stood a dark young woman.

Her posture was graceful, and her beauty seemed nearly inhuman.

“So you’ve finally come. The proud wolf. The lowly sow.”

Jeanne gave a soft whisper, the first one present to give voice to their wonder. Then, as if to raise the curtain, she continued.

“Torture Princess Elisabeth Le Fanu!”

It was the black Torture Princess.

The huntress of demons, the peerless sinner, had finally made her appearance.

The black Torture Princess and the golden Torture Princess faced off for the first time.

However, the black princess didn’t spare the golden princess so much as a glance.

Her crimson gaze was focused on one man, and one man alone.

Her servant, Kaito Sena.

“…Kaito.”

“Elisabeth.”

Elisabeth called out his name concisely. Kaito replied in kind.

As luck would have it, they were standing in the Capital, surrounded by land consumed and released by the mass of flesh. In many ways, it resembled the moment they’d parted. Back then, when the battle had ended, Elisabeth had been left there alone.

That, too, felt like it had been a century ago.

Elisabeth closed her eyes. Then, just like before, she turned her head up toward the faint rays of sun peeking through the clouds. Every conceivable form of anguish crossed her face: anger, sorrow, grief, and loneliness. Then her expression changed to that of a child, pleading for something unknown. But abruptly, all of that vanished.

She opened her eyes back up once more, then looked at Kaito, her gaze calm and absolute.

A moment later, even that faded.

Her crimson eyes went wide, and she balled her fist up tight. Then, thrusting that same hand forward, she pointed at Kaito with a single black nail.

As she did, she made her bold declaration.

“Brace yourself, Kaito. Your death is nigh.”

“Is this really how it has to be?”

Kaito found himself questioning if that was how events were meant to play out.

Surely, there were other things that needed to be said, if nothing else. But before he could lend a voice to his exasperation, a shrill noise rang out.

Apparently, the Church’s communication device had recovered from the blast. As it violently flapped its white wings, its puppeteer, Yah Llodl, shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Ha-ha-ha, splendid, splendid! Well said, Torture Princess, what a fine hound you are! Go on, then—fulfill your role! Remember your sins, and remember the shackles you bear! Until the day of your death, try to do some—”

With a thump, a stake wedged itself in the talkative orb’s center. The voice coming from within cut off.

As it did, Elisabeth spoke, her tone as cold as ice.

“You lot brandish your whips at your chained hounds, driving them as you please. But I am the proud wolf and the lowly sow.”

White lights began running all across the communication device.

Then, with a loud boom, it exploded in midair.

“I am no mutt.”

A cascade of white feathers fluttered down toward the earth, providing a dramatic backdrop for Elisabeth’s unwavering declaration.

“Go squeal elsewhere, pig. This is a matter for me and my rage alone.”

A few stray feathers landed on her head, and she shook it gently. Her silken black hair flared out, then returned to its resting position.

As the feathers fluttered down to her feet, her expression shifted.

“Now then, Kaito. For a servant, you’ve been fooling around long enough. I do hope you’re ready for your punishment.”

Her smile was nostalgic in a sense, but it was also fiendish through and through.

Seeing it, Kaito Sena realized something.

Ah, I see… I guess we gotta get that out of the way, don’t we?

Elisabeth had made up her mind to punch him with all her strength. Everything else could come after that. In fact, at the moment, nothing else seemed to matter.

She was standing there, and so was he. They’d reunited. That was all there was to it.

And for precisely that reason, Kaito replied with a wicked smile of his own.

“Damn straight I am! I’m more than ready. And I’m ready to fight back, too.”

The former master-servant pair glared at each other. Ignoring the bewildered paladins completely, the two of them both began summoning their strength. The air was flush with tension. The force they were emitting was so fearsome that no one dared tell them to stop.

Then, in the next moment, they both cried out at the top of their lungs.

“Executioner’s Sword of Frankenthal!”

“La (dance)!”

Elisabeth drew her sword, and Kaito snapped his fingers.

A blade danced across the ashen ground, and a lavish blast of crimson flower petals and darkness exploded to life.

That was the signal that the curtain had risen on the battle.

Confused as they were, the paladins charged as one.

The battle between the Torture Princess and the Kaiser’s contractor had begun. Although they’d been thrown into disarray, the paladins leaped into action as well.

Watching them charge, Hina and the Kaiser sighed. Displeased, the two of them spoke in turn.

“My beloved Master Kaito and my dear Lady Elisabeth are in the middle of their battle, I’ll have you know! They don’t have time to be dealing with you small folk! If you all would go lie down and wait like good little children, that would be splendid!”

“You think of challenging me, with such frail human bodies? How delightful. If the boy weren’t such a nag, I’d have gladly gobbled you all up. Not that you lot look to have much meat on your bones, I suppose.”

Hina deftly repelled the paladins’ attacks from all directions with her halberd. With a displeased expression on his face, the Kaiser swept away his attackers with his tail alone.

Slowly but surely, the battle had gotten underway. It was a chaotic affair, with little rhyme or reason to it.

Izabella brought her palm to her face in spite of herself.

Wh-what’s going on? This is a mess, and the situation makes no sense. There are too many unsolved mysteries… But even so, trying to bring my men together at this point would be a fool’s errand. If I want information, I’ll simply have to emerge victorious.

With that, Izabella made her decision. She readied her sword, prepared to carry out her orders.

It was then that she noticed someone’s gaze on her. Jeanne was staring at Izabella, as though in expectation. Then the golden girl gave her fingers an elegant snap.

“Bandersnatch, Gargantua, Jabberwocky, Pantagruel—go forth.”

One by one, the machines took off. In the space of an instant, Izabella understood—the golden girl meant to oppose her. But even if she squared off against the machines head-on, she was no match for them.

My blade is unsuited to deal with their kind.

Fully understanding that, Izabella still dashed toward Bandersnatch. The fanged beast stopped in its tracks, then began shooting fangs at Izabella like bullets.

Refusing to break stride, Izabella drew her spare sword from her back. Then she thrust it into the ground. Kicking off against its hilt, she leaped high into the air. Bandersnatch’s fangs met nothing but empty air.

Upon landing, Izabella resumed running. Gargantua moved to block her path. It was shaped like a twisted human figure, but its appearance gave her little to work with as far as figuring out an effective way to take it down. Instead, she dodged it and leaped to the side. The figure followed her in hot pursuit. Without a moment’s hesitation, Izabella reached down and scooped something off the ground—the destroyed communication device.

She threw it at the humanoid.

Pierced by the figure’s arm, the orb let out a final explosion. The orb itself shattered, but it caused the humanoid figure to violently lurch. Jeanne spoke, the admiration in her voice diminished by her affected tone.

“Oh my, how unexpected.”

“Probably blasphemous, what I just did. But it was past the point of being repairable. No harm done.”

Izabella smiled as she spoke. Having slipped past Bandersnatch and Gargantua, she was now standing directly before Jeanne.

Her body brimmed with tension as she squared off against the mysterious girl.

Jeanne’s expression was still disturbingly mechanical as a compliment made its way across her lips.

“I see, miss. Foolish as you are, you aren’t half-bad for an ignorant pawn of the Church.”

Although Izabella had no way of knowing it, the compliment she’d just earned was rare in the extreme.

Jeanne nodded deeply, her honey-blond hair bobbing as she did.

“I’ve taken a liking to you. I think I’ll keep you for myself, li’l lady.”

“I—I can’t help but find your phrasing disturbing, but I have a great many things I want to ask of you, as well! If it’s a fight you desire, then I’ll gladly oblige!”

Izabella dashed toward Jeanne. A little closer, and her sword would reach her. Before it did, though, Jeanne snapped her fingers.

Bandersnatch reared up behind Izabella. As it did, she made a humiliating realization.

…She’s underestimating me!

Based on its appearance, Bandersnatch’s method of attack was the easiest to gauge of the four. In other words, Jeanne was saying that if Izabella couldn’t even deal with it, then she had no value as an opponent.

As Izabella was pursing her lips over that fact, the beast leaped. Before it could catch her in its maw, Izabella kicked it in the side. But the beast relentlessly tried to slip its fangs into the joints of her armor.

That very moment, Izabella detached her mantle. Then she scooped up the beast’s entire floating, fanged body in it. The sturdy fabric endured for just a moment, which was long enough for Izabella to smash the whole thing—mantle, beast, and all—into the ground.

Then she closed in on Jeanne.

“You’re mine!”

As she tried to strike Jeanne’s exposed chest with the flat of her blade, though, Jabberwocky leaped forth. The unpleasant-looking machine took the blow in its master’s place. Sparks flew, and Jeanne nodded once more.

“Impressive.”

“I am a commander, after all.”

Izabella showed no signs of stopping. As she drew back her blade, she leveled a palm strike at Jeanne’s jaw.

Jeanne blinked in shock, but the surprises would not end there.

“Oh?”

“Huh?”

At that moment, the two of them were both blown to the side.

And it wasn’t just them, either—the paladins met the same fate. Only Hina, who’d clung to the Kaiser, managed to endure. The Kaiser himself said nothing, but his annoyance was written all over his face.

Deus Ex Machina frantically reassembled itself, transforming into a warped yet supple metal net. Jeanne swooped down atop it, like a princess being caught by her valet.

Izabella, for her part, managed to twist herself around in the air before sticking the landing on her own. She then looked up, trying to figure out what was going on. When she did, she immediately grasped the situation. She let out a quiet murmur, forgetting for a moment the fact that she was in the middle of a fight.

“…This is chaos.”

A massive Wicker Man had just ruptured from within, its chest shredded to pieces. Kaito, having made his escape, wiped the sweat from his brow. Based on his expression, he was clearly in over his head. After all, normal circumstances would leave him woefully unequipped to go up against the Torture Princess. By some miracle, though, he was managing to endure her relentless attacks.

Elisabeth, on the other hand, showed no signs of letting up.

“Gibbet! Ducking Stool! Hellhole!”

“Takes me back, y’know, watching you go all-out like that!”

Kaito let out a half-desperate shout as he dashed. And just as he’d implied, the space around was growing more dangerous by the moment. One of the paladins fell into the pit of man-eating bugs, and another one hurriedly pulled him out.

As he ran, Kaito avoided it altogether. But one of the five simultaneously deployed Ducking Stools found its mark. Right before he was bound in place and plunged underwater, Kaito called out.

“Kaiser!”

“What, you can’t even deal with this yourself?! I’ll have your head if you die on me, O unworthy master of mine!”

Although he had yelled out in frustration, the Kaiser moved in a flash. Grabbing the back of the chair in his teeth, he hurled it into the air. A tank of water appeared in the ground, but instead of falling, Kaito went flying over it.

Letting loose his blade, he cut himself free from his restraints. He then managed to land safely somehow.

Once more, he and Elisabeth faced each other. He, for one, was exhausted. But Elisabeth’s face didn’t have so much as a bead of sweat on it. Crossing her arms, she cast an angry glare his way.

“Why do you run, Kaito?”

“Is that a serious question?! If I took that shit head-on, it woulda killed me! C’mon, Elisabeth, hold your fire for a minute and hear me out!”

As Kaito launched his ardent plea, Hina snapped her neck up.

It was hard to make heads or tails of her situation—she was hoisting up one paladin who’d fallen in the water, yet at the same time, kicking away another who’d come to cut her down.

Even though her surroundings had descended into chaos, though, she still spared the time to call out.

“That’s right, Lady Elisabeth! Even though I’m Master Kaito’s companion, I’ve been getting the sense that I’d best not intrude in you two’s battle! But if you insist on harming my beloved Master Kaito any further, my dear Lady Elisabeth, I will have to stop you, even if it means I must kill you!”

“You too, Hina, enough from you! Not stopping Kaito when he decided to leave… Fools, the lot of you!”

Elisabeth’s rebuke was swift and brutal. It was so threatening, in fact, that Hina found herself at a momentary loss for words.

Elisabeth’s black hair fluttered as she turned back toward Kaito, before ruthlessly snapping her fingers once more.

“Iron Maiden. La Guillotine.”

“Man, a guy can’t catch a break.”

Another vortex of darkness and petals. A pair of maidens, red and white, lined up from within. They each had a decidedly different ambience.

One was bewitching, and the other was pure. But while the impressions that the two statues gave off differed, they had their beauty and monstrous, overwhelming presence in common. As he glared at the two women, Kaito’s thoughts raced.

I wanna get as far back as possible. If Iron Maiden hugs me, it’s all over. And from here, I won’t be able to deal with the speed of La Guillotine’s blades.

Kaito set off an explosion of mana at his feet. With speed surpassing that of any human, he fled.

La Guillotine brought its arms together as though in prayer, then opened them again. A blade shot out from its elbow at unbelievable speeds. No matter how high Kaito raised his physical capabilities, following them visually would be impossible.

He snapped his fingers, virtually on instinct alone, and launched five blades into the air.

“La (stop)!”

One of them crashed against La Guillotine’s blade. The strength of the impact sent the two slabs of metal spiraling off in opposite directions. As the paladins scurried about to avoid them, each cleft into the earth and vanished, leaving huge gashes in the ground.

Kaito breathed a sigh of relief. As he did, though, he felt a chilly breeze at his back. Panicking, he whirled around.

Fu—

The red maiden was standing there behind him. With a smile full of affection, Iron Maiden extended its arms.

Then its neck was rent to the side. The kindness of its expression didn’t waver, even as its head toppled to the ground. It crumbled to pieces, then transformed back into rose petals and scattered.

As it vanished into nothing, Hina stood holding her halberd in Iron Maiden’s wake. Her emerald eyes were wide and crazed.

“Only I, his companion, am allowed to embrace Master Kaito, you hunk of junk that knows nothing of love.”

“Thanks, Hin— No, get back!”

As Kaito shouted, Hina leaped backward.

Torture devices and chains had mercilessly borne down on him once more.

The back-and-forth between Kaito and Elisabeth continued on in much the same way.

At some point, they’d become the only two still fighting.

The paladins simply gazed at the two of them, dumbfounded. And Izabella had been captured by Jeanne, who’d finally gotten serious. Deus Ex Machina had merged together and was presently pinning her to the ground.

“Stop that at once! Let me go! Are you listening to me?!”

“Quiet now, miss. I don’t have any more time to play with you. This is turning out to be quite the show.”

Jeanne crossed her arms as she calmly observed the battle.

Desperate as they were, Kaito’s efforts were impressive. He continually summoned blades, with no time to even gather his breath. Each time the beheading axes and innumerable iron stakes bore down on him, he drove them back. Occasionally calling on aid from Hina and the Kaiser, he successfully continued prolonging his life.

The difference in strength between him and Elisabeth was overwhelming. But in spite of that, he continued putting up a valiant fight.

Armed with tenacity and zeal, Kaito fought back with all his might.

His actions clearly weren’t driven by a fear of death, either. It was as though he was crying out in violent protest.

“Like hell I’m gonna let Elisabeth kill me,” he was screaming.

“Like hell I’m gonna let her kill anyone else she cares about,” he was screaming.

“To go to such lengths… Such folly, and such conviction.”

Jeanne murmured. Azure and crimson rose petals were whirling like tempests before her eyes.

The two masses coalesced, then crashed straight into each other. Each wave of vividly colored darkness was trying viciously to engulf the other.

Her dress and hair whirling about in the wind, Elisabeth let out a cry.

“You chose to become the enemy of humanity, Kaito! You chose that path yourself, bearing sins you had no business bearing! That being the case, hurry up and present me your neck already!”

“Screw that nonsense! And screw dying! Just listen to me, Elisabeth!”

“No, you listen! What’s nonsense is becoming mankind’s enemy without the resolve to die doing so! You’re but a little sheep, bleating with neither determination nor resolve! Cease your foolery!”

“It’s not like you wanted to die either, right?! It’s fine, just listen—”

“Time and time and time again… You’re the one who refused to listen!”

“What—”

“I told you countless times! There was no need for you to bear those sins!”

Chains shot forth, veritable agents of Elisabeth’s frustration. They carved at the ground beside Kaito. Having gone too fast, they also cruelly scraped away at the Saint statue’s cheeks. Massive fragments toppled to the ground, and dust billowed up where they fell.

Agitated cries rose up from among the paladins. Elisabeth ignored them as she called out again.

“’Tis a heavy thing, to harm others, to be loathed by the world, and to constantly shoulder sins, I told you!”

“Elisabeth…”

“’Tis too heavy a burden for you to bear, I told you!”

It was like a desperate wail.

Or perhaps the screams of a child.

Hearing her heartbroken voice, Kaito ground his teeth into his lip. He’d never wanted to make her cry.

I swore to myself that I’d protect you.

He’d sworn to himself that he’d keep his hero alive, no matter the cost. But had that really been right?

Kaito tossed that question around in his mind. Seeing Elisabeth’s face, could he state that with any amount of confidence?

Did I really make the right choice?

Kaito Sena closed his eyes, just for a moment. His younger self sat before him in the darkness, just like he had once before. The young man innocently yearning for his hero gazed questioningly at Kaito. But when he sheepishly reached out and grasped Kaito’s fingers, the real Kaito clenched his fists tight as though to squeeze back.

And with that, Kaito let out an internal bellow.

DAMN RIGHT I DID!

“I’d rather bear it a million times over than let you die!”

Then, at long last,

Kaito Sena snapped.

The Earl’s Grand Guignol. The Governor’s banquet. The Grand King’s circus.

There was no shortage of things that had sparked Kaito’s fury in the past.

However, because of his experiences from when he was alive, his emotions had a sort of built-in brake. Whenever he was about to succumb to his negative emotions, he quickly regained his calm. And the decisions he’d been able to make as a result of this trait had come in handy time and time again. But as a result, Kaito Sena had never truly snapped.

Yet now, he’d gone well, truly, and completely off the rails.

All the common sense, reason, and composure in his brain had evaporated away into nothing.

Taken over completely by rage, Kaito snapped his fingers. Six blades, the most he’d ever been able to summon, began whirling above his head. At times, strong emotions, even negative ones, could grant people abnormal bursts of power. His anger had surpassed its limits, and a new image welled up within Kaito.

Then Kaito shouted, his eyes open as wide as they would go.

“La (transform).”

The blades lay atop one another, then merged into one. They melted like sugar, writhing as they took on a new form.

A jet-black long sword hung in the air. Then it plunged straight down, directly into the earth.

Kaito snatched it up by the handle as though selfishly claiming it for himself. Perhaps he’d been unconsciously mimicking Executioner’s Sword of Frankenthal, as azure runes glittered across its blade.

All things are pardoned unto me. But I am ruled by none.

After flashing once atop the jet-black blade, the runes faded away.

Still holding its handle, Kaito called out the sword’s name, as though the weapon itself were speaking through him.

“Nameless.”

Then he swung his black blade down, cleaving through the air and leveling its tip toward Elisabeth.

She responded by snapping her fingers. All the torture devices vanished.

Only Executioner’s Sword of Frankenthal remained.

The two of them faced each other, silently. Then they dashed in unison.

Unlike when she’d fought against the King’s replica, Elisabeth didn’t resort to underhanded tactics.

Executioner’s Sword of Frankenthal and Nameless collided.

The blow they’d exchanged was head-on.

For a brief moment, a torrent of sparks shot out. Without even pausing to step back, they swung their swords again. Due to the point-blank range, swordsmanship played essentially no role in their fight. It had devolved into a simple slugfest. But if either failed to block so much as a single blow, it would no doubt prove fatal. Such was the savagery of the blows they were trading.

Under normal circumstances, neither would have been able to let up for even a moment. Despite that fact, though, they exchanged shouts as well as slashes.

“Screw your promise to the people! Screw your oath! Sure, I know about that! Hell, I’ve seen the mountains of corpses you’ve made with my own damn eyes! There’s no way you can atone for the sins you’ve committed! Well, tough shit! The Torture Princess deserves to be put to the stake! But what about me?! What’s gonna happen to the guy you saved, huh?!”

“’Tis hardly my concern! Go live out your second life as you please! Live strong and stand on your own! Why, you even have a wife! Is there no limit to your greed?!”

“Now who’s spouting bullshit?! I’m not the only one! You’re just gonna ignore all those people you helped, Elisabeth, all those people you saved, and go off and burn at the stake?! That isn’t right! You didn’t save us just so we could watch you go get killed! Screw that! There’s no way I’m gonna let things end like this!”

Kaito swung his sword like a madman. His cries and his attacks were in sync, and he succeeded in pushing Elisabeth back just a hair. She and her sword were forced back as one. Yet still, she responded to his cries and his blows in kind.

“’Tis naught but your own selfishness speaking!”

“The hell’s wrong with me selfishly choosing to put you above the world?!”

Kaito’s words were firm and resolute. Elisabeth bit her lips. Then they swung their swords once more, each imbuing their strike with the full weight of their fury. A loud clanging noise rang out as sword collided with sword. The two blades grated against each other.

As he gazed at their relentless battle, one of the paladins let out a vague murmur.

“I don’t get it. They’re clearly fighting to the death, but…”

…but if anything, it looked more like a simple quarrel.

His words were lost on the two fighters, though, their cries reaching fever pitches as metal grated on metal.

“I died, you know! I lived a worthless, joyless life, and then I died! But because you saved me from that, you’re more important to me than the whole world put together! So I don’t give a shit! I don’t give a shit about the stuff you’ve done! Here, Elisabeth, here’s what I should’ve said from the very beginning: For my sake, let me save you!”

“Your arguments made little sense from the start, and now your words are no different! Surely, you know such a trifling reason hardly merits rejecting another’s pride, let alone rejecting their lifelong oath!”

“Sure I know that, but that doesn’t change what I have to do!”

“This is absurd! The whole situation is an absolute mess! The Butcher, ‘salvation,’ the imminent end of the world, nonsensical matters keep piling up left and right!

“Yeah! And the whole deal about the first demon’s flesh!”

“Hmm?”

“Huh?”

And then, as though a pin had dropped, the two of them came to an abrupt stop.

They each stared at the other, then exchanged quizzical looks. Then, gathering strength in their swords, they each leaped back, before finally surveying their surroundings.

Hina was standing by, waiting, and she looked to be on the verge of tears. The paladins had simply been watching the fight in a daze. And in the back, Jeanne still stood beside Izabella, who had been struggling against the machine’s arm the entire time.

As expressionless as always, albeit with the corners of her lips turned up just a smidge, Jeanne spoke.

“Well? Are you two finished with your little lovers’ spat?”

““It’s not a lovers’ spat!””

Kaito and Elisabeth shouted their protests in unison.

And that was how, at long last, the two of them finally settled down enough to talk.

“Now that you mention it, there does seem to be some inscrutable little golden lass here, and the Church’s orders were decidedly enigmatic. Kaito…to what end did you come here?”

“The gold girl’s name is Jeanne, but it’d take forever to explain her whole story. I asked her where the first bit of demon flesh came from, and she said she’d show me.”

“The Butcher said much the same—that by coming here, many things would become clear. Explaining that would prove lengthy as well, though.”

They looked at each other anew, then fell silent. After a while, Elisabeth heaved a heavy sigh. Violently mussing up her bangs, she clicked her tongue in irritation.

“I haven’t forgiven you, mind. Nor do I have any intention of doing so hereafter. But it seems a short ceasefire is in order. There are matters we ought to clear up before resolving our conflict.”

“Yeah, you can say that again.”

Kaito and Elisabeth both nodded. As they did, they sensed someone quickly trot up to them.

They both quickly whirled to the side.

When they did, they found Hina standing there. She was silent, instead merely gazing at the two of them with her big, round, emerald eyes. Upon seeing her meaningful, teary gaze, both Kaito and Elisabeth found themselves slightly taken aback.

Eventually, Kaito smiled to try to set her mind at ease, then extended his hand to her.

“C’mere, Hina.”

Hina took it and squeezed it tight. Then she turned toward Elisabeth. Elisabeth met her gaze with a curt, puzzled frown. Before long, though, Hina’s puppy-dog eyes beat her down, and she held out her hand as well.

“All right, all right. Go on, then. But you mustn’t forget. This is but a temporary…truce…”

Not waiting for Elisabeth to finish her sentence, Hina took Elisabeth’s hand firmly in hers. Based on her expression, Elisabeth was at something of a loss. Hina was still silent. She simply squeezed their two hands with all her might.

As she did, a troubled voice rang out from the background.

“Stop this! Unhand me at once! What is the meaning of this?! Am I being taken prisoner?! Even if that’s the case, surely there must be a better way to transport me!”

“Please settle down, miss. You had things you wanted to know, didn’t you? And with me kidnapping you like this, you even have a pretext.”

“But that’s…”

Kaito turned to look behind him. Deus Ex Machina had taken on a humanoid form and was carrying Izabella bridal-style. It looked almost affectionate at first glance, but its metal fingers were holding her firmly in place.

When she’d heard Jeanne’s quiet cajolery, Izabella’s expression had wavered. However, she was still nobly pursing her lips, no doubt trying to force out words of protest. Before she could, though, Jeanne went on.

“And one other thing. It ain’t often my buddy here takes a liking to someone, ya feel? You’re gonna wanna settle down there, li’l lady. You wouldn’t want one of those hard bits to shlick into someplace weird, wouldja?”

Upon hearing Jeanne’s extreme tone shift, Izabella froze up again. Apparently, her brain had decided to just give up. Not having heard their exchange, several of the paladins rushed over, planning on mounting a valiant rescue for their captured commander.

As she turned to face them, Jeanne cast a chilly glare their way.

“I’d stay there if I were you, misters, if you value your commander’s life. Who’s a good boy? That’s right, it’s you, you filthy dogs!”

The paladins obediently lowered their swords, and Jeanne gave them a nod. Then her honey-blond hair fluttered as she turned back toward Kaito. She began matter-of-factly giving out instructions.

“Summon Vlad, if you would. His presence will be helpful to explain things going forward.”

“…I find it nearly impossible to tell if that girl is mad or not, you know.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.”

As he agreed with Elisabeth’s impression, Kaito ran mana through the stone in his pocket. Azure rose petals and darkness swirled to life. As he elegantly crossed his legs in the empty air, Vlad made a displeased remark.

“Good heavens. You forget those you’ve dragged along with you, then throw yourself into absurd situations time and time again. What a cruel, heartless state of affairs. And it’s not even as if I greatly mind the treatment, but I had my doubts as to whether or not you’d survive.”

“Oh, right. I guess you were in my pocket that whole time.”

“I’d ask that you try to do a better job of remembering me, my dear successor. Why, I was even kind enough to avoid saying anything about that disappointing display you put on last night; one that anyone but that doll of yours would have been sorely disillusioned by… No, wait, stop that. Do be so kind as to stop trying to smash me against the ground. You shan’t hear another peep out of me, I swear.”

Vlad quickly shut up. As the Kaiser gave a deep, amused snort, Elisabeth tilted her head to the side in confusion. Hina, still clutching Kaito’s and Elisabeth’s hands, kept gently crying, and Izabella resumed her attempts to struggle free.

Jeanne looked at the whole ensemble. With the violent battle having finally come to an end, she made a loud declaration.

“Now then, the time is upon us—let us proceed and lay bare the secrets of this world.”

Jeanne’s gait as she walked was leisurely, as though nothing at all had happened.

Behind the whore claiming herself to be a saint of salvation, the enemy of the world, his bride, a peerless sinner, the commander of the Holy Knights, a demon, and the demon’s old contractor followed after.

The seven of them strode onward, to the site the Church had worked so hard to keep hidden.

They strode into the underground tomb, where the kings of old were interred.