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Fremd Torturchen - Volume 6 - Chapter 9




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9

Kaito and His Bride

It’s time for a story.

It’s the story of a boy who was brutally killed by another, and a story of a monster who cruelly killed others.

Or perhaps it’s a story of a child who was abandoned by his parents, and a hero who was abandoned by the world.

Either way, it’s a story of admiration and folly.

It’s a story of love, but not a story of romance.

Kaito Sena chose to fight on behalf of the person precious to him. He’d sworn he’d do anything for that dear woman’s sake. He had no regrets. In fact, he was so free of remorse that it bordered on madness. If he had but one regret, though…

…it was in regard to his bride.

Kaito couldn’t tell what kind of expression Hina was making. Even without looking, he could feel the warmth of her cheeks through his fingertips. He opened his mouth to speak, still not meeting her emerald eyes.

Or more precisely, he couldn’t muster the courage to meet them.

“Elisabeth told us, right? We can make a humanoid homunculus from a mixture of our physical data, then cultivate it in your abdomen. Then if we insert my bodily fluids and nurture it with mana, we can make a baby, she said. If you want to, I have enough mana right now that we could easily finish the preparations.”

“I, wh-wha…? Tha… Yes, I recall it distinctly, so clearly that I should surely remember it even if I lost all my memories. I wanted to have at least a dozen beautiful children with you, Master Kaito, and preferably enough for our family to form a small country. But it’s really all so sudden; my heart isn’t, isn’t, isn’t—”

“When I was walking around the Capital earlier, I got to thinking. Even if someone dies, as long as the world is still there, a part of them lives on. People’s lives are short, but one after another, they carve their names into the future.”

Kaito continued stroking her hair, half to calm himself down. Hina was still in a tizzy. However, upon hearing how serious his tone was, she stopped mumbling and gave a small nod.

“Yes, Master Kaito, that’s true. There are many things people leave behind.”

“I swore that I’d save the world, that I’d rescue everything. If the sixth and seventh waves get released, humanity won’t stand a chance. I have to end things before then. The final battle is almost upon us. But out of everyone, I decided to prioritize saving Elisabeth Le Fanu first.”

Kaito laid out his two contradictory objectives. The only way to save the world was by killing God and Diablo while they were still sealed in their contractors’ bodies. Their salvation lay in murdering Diablo, murdering God, and murdering humans. In order to save the world, they needed to kill Elisabeth Le Fanu.

There was no way to lay his two objectives atop the scales and keep them perfectly level.

There shouldn’t have been, in any case. However, Kaito went on without mentioning that inconsistency.

“Hina, you should understand what that means, right? So…”

Hina’s body stiffened. She closed her mouth, not saying anything. Then silently, she sank into thought. After catching his breath, Kaito buried his face in her shoulder. Then he told her what he’d been thinking.

“I figured if you and I had a kid…then you wouldn’t be lonely.”

“Master…Kaito…”

His name dribbled briefly from her mouth. She then pursed her lips.

When she looked up at him, the emerald eyes he’d been unable to meet seemed endlessly clear. She gently pushed him away, then got up and sat cross-legged atop the bed.

Kaito knelt in front of her in kind. She bit down hard on her lip.

Her face was downturned. Worrying she might be crying, Kaito tried to reach out to her. Before he could, she spoke:

“Master Kaito, I don’t intend to ask you to forgive me.”

“Huh?”

“But I also don’t intend to hold back!”

Hina shot her head up.

Her beautiful eyes were burning with a violent fury.

Then without holding back, she planted her fist square in Kaito’s face.

The blow came hard and fast.

When an automaton came at you without holding back, it was no laughing matter.

If things had gone poorly, Kaito could have died. However, he wasn’t as powerless as he had been before. He reflexively reinforced his body so he would be able to take the punch without having to dodge. As a result, the damage was minimal.

Even so, blood gushed out of his nose like a fountain.

Although the spurt of blood hit her directly in the face, Hina continued looking straight at Kaito. She offered no apology. That, coming from the same woman who would weep her heart out and fly into a rage if Kaito suffered so much as a scratch. Upon seeing her like this, Kaito came to a realization.

She’d had to snap there. She’d had to hit him.

That was the conclusion she’d reached, and so she’d put it into action.

“Please don’t look down on me, Master Kaito.”

Hina solemnly started talking. She glared at him with her fist still balled up. Her eyes were burning with the same fury as before, but at some point, clear tears had welled up in them as well.

“I’m well aware. I know what you’re trying to do, Master Kaito, and I know how you’re planning on doing it. I’ve known from the very beginning.”

“You’ve known…from the start?”

“Yes, from the moment you, with all your kindness, said you were taking charge. From then on, I’ve been able to guess everything you intended to do. And I decided it was all right, so I made my peace and remained closely by your side. And yet now after all this time…what was it you said? I believe you used the word lonely?”

The corner of Hina’s mouth twitched upward. Her clenched fist trembled. Her pale fingers weren’t just wet with Kaito’s blood, but with her own machine oil and imitation blood as well. Her skin was torn, revealing its unrefined innards.

Then the emerald dams burst. Big, round tears streamed down her face. When she continued, she was practically screaming.

“Of course, I’m lonely! I’ve been lonely this whole time!”

Kaito gazed at her in astonishment. The harsh truth he’d been avoiding had suddenly been thrust in front of his face.

Ever since we parted ways at the World’s End, all I’ve been doing is trying to save Elisabeth.

It’s time for a story.

It’s the story of a boy who was brutally killed by another, and a story of a monster who cruelly killed others.

Or perhaps it’s a story of a child who was abandoned by his parents, and a hero who was abandoned by the world.

Either way, it’s a story of admiration and folly.

It’s a story of love, but not a story of romance.

Nor is it a story of him and his bride.

Yet who would have thought the bride herself was aware of that?

All this time, I haven’t talked it over with Hina, not even once.

As the pain shot through his face, Kaito came to realize just how cruel that was. Now, though, it was too late to apologize. There was nothing he could even tell her. The die had already been cast. Nothing he said could possibly merit forgiveness. For a long time, he’d been taking advantage of her sympathy. In a way, this was his punishment for that. Even so, though, his resolve remained unshakable. Stopping this story of his was no longer in his power.

Even if she resented him, even if she hated him, that was just how things were. But still, he didn’t want to let things end like this.

With that sole thought in mind, Kaito opened his mouth and clumsily tried to string his words together.

“…Hina, I—”

“But really, that’s all right.”

“…Huh?”

“Even if I’m lonely, even if I’m sad, it’s all right. As long as you are who you are, it can’t be helped. She was the one you chose to protect. I was the one you chose to love. That’s plenty. I’m completely satisfied with that.”

Hina’s tone abruptly softened. Kaito stared at her in blank amazement. Hina slowly reached out, then hugged him tight. She went on, not hesitating for a moment.

“I’m glad I was created. I was able to be by your side. I don’t regret a single thing about my life. For that is what love is.”

Her words were firm and sure. They sounded almost like a profession of love. As Kaito listened to them, he discovered something amiss. Hina’s uniform-clad arms were wet, not with blood, but with some sort of clear liquid.

As he wondered what it was, Hina gently continued:

“However, there was one thing that I truly did get mad at you for. I wished to become part of your family, and you were kind enough to grant that wish. But please don’t refer to children as tools to distract from loneliness. Our children… If the future is graceful enough to permit us to stand alongside our children, then it should be when we’ve chosen to have them, and when we are ready to greet them together.”

She stroked Kaito’s back over and over.

And thus, in her unconditional love, she forgave her groom.

“It’s okay, Master Kaito. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m all right.”

“I—I… I said I loved you. We were supposed to be a family, and I—”

“It’s really okay. I understand. So please follow your heart—so that you may go forth without regrets and say with a smile that you were glad to have lived.”

That’s all I need.

So please don’t cry.

Hina whispered those words to him. And in that moment, Kaito Sena finally realized something.

He had been crying.


Kaito Sena had no regrets. In fact, he was so free of remorse that it bordered on madness. If he had but one regret, though…

…it was in regard to his bride.

Hina stroked his head, as if to say there was nothing more that needed to be said. Heavy tears rolled down his face. He returned her embrace, practically clinging to her. Time drifted by as the two of them sat alone in their own little world.

And it was then and there that he arrived at a decisive answer.

Could Kaito Sena kill Elisabeth Le Fanu?

The answer he arrived at was crucial in determining the world’s ultimate fate.

Eventually, he looked up. He gently drew away from Hina. Alarmed, she drew a handkerchief with a cartoonish spin. She then leaned over to wipe off the blood and tears stuck to Kaito’s face. However, Kaito turned her down and snapped his fingers. Azure petals and black darkness danced in the air around them.

The blood and tears were broken down into fine particles, then vanished. Hina’s wound closed, too. It wasn’t the flashiest spell ever. However, it was unclear if Elisabeth or Vlad in his heyday could have pulled it off so smoothly.

Hina blinked in surprise. Kaito bashfully asked her a question.

“By the way, did you notice me secretly gulping down that blood, too?”

“Of course, I did.”

“And when I was taking down those hidden underlings?”

“I can’t say I noticed every instance, but…probably eighty percent of the time, I was aware.”

“Man, this wife of mine… Nothing gets past you, huh?”

“I’ve heard it’s a time-honored tradition for wives to be dependable, after all.”

Hina grinned. Once again, the two of them were eye to eye. Their faces drifted closer. Spontaneously, their lips met. After exchanging a kiss so long and deep that it left them craving air, Hina murmured:

“Mm… Master Kaito, if I may…”

“What is it?”

“Well, um, even if we aren’t making a child, I still think it might perhaps be nice to have something to remember the end of our date by.”

Once again, her face went red. Without needing to think, Kaito reached out his hand and rubbed her soft cheeks. She gave a small squeak as he played with her face. Once he’d had his fill, he kissed her flushed skin. Over and over again, his lips traveled down her body.

Right as he was about to start nibbling her ear, she frantically raised her voice.

“Er, Master Kaito, uh, you haven’t answered— Hwah, hwah-ha-ha-ha!”

“What other answer could there be?”

Kaito drew his lips toward the reddened nape of her neck. After loosening her uniform’s collar a little, he gently nipped at her clavicle. Hina’s entire body shivered. As she did, Kaito brought his voice down and whispered slowly in her ear.

“If you’re going to tempt me, my beloved, I’ll gladly accept.”

“O-overload.”

“Wait, don’t go all weak on me.”

With an excited sigh, Hina started to fall over backward. Kaito frantically propped up her back.

They exchanged another glance and smiled at each other.

And with that, they pressed their lips together.

Holding your beloved in your arms.

That had to be one of the purest forms that happiness came in, Kaito Sena mused.

She’s warm, she’s lovely, and I don’t want to let go of her. For if we separate, I will surely die.

And he was sure Hina felt the same way. The two of them were nuzzled up next to each other, the very symbol of all the happiness the world had to offer. Warm smiles were spread across their faces, and they were both adrift in blissful slumber.

Eventually, though, the morning arrived.

The final hours were upon them all.

Kaito slowly opened his eyes.

Hina was still asleep. Or to be more precise, she was automatically replicating a human’s sleep. She was as defenseless as a baby. Kaito poked one of her white cheeks. Her lips faintly parted, and a few words spilled out from them.

Perhaps she was dreaming an automaton dream.

About her beloved.

However, Kaito didn’t catch what she’d said. He silently slipped out of the bed. As he stood atop the cold, stone floor, he snapped his fingers. Azure petals and black feathers enveloped his thin body. Then they burst, and he was adorned in his black, military-like uniform once more.

He clutched his glass, blood-filled orb tightly. Without saying a word, he began sending his transmission.

“Attention, all troops.

“It’s just as Izabella Vicker told you all from the Capital last night.

“After releasing the fifth wave, the Diablo pillar’s activities will temporarily slow as it readies the sixth. And the troops of the sixth wave will be unbound from the shackles of the laws that bind this world. We, the living, will be powerless to oppose them.

“Thus, we have to end things before the sixth wave is released.”

“After the fifth wave is annihilated, I ask that the surviving troops all gather before the God and Diablo pillars at the World’s End.”

For his final request, Kaito quietly voiced it out loud.

In truth, he didn’t know if the three races would assemble in accordance with his request. In particular, the demi-humans would want to keep their focus on defending the pureblood sectors. And the Royal Knights aside, suspicion of him had taken root in the paladins. However, he still needed to gather as many people as he could.

It’s just like Valisisa said—right now, everyone I can get my hands on is a pawn. And the more pawns I have, the better.

It was a ruthless way of thinking, but it was also true. His opponent’s board was empty. Instead, two massive pillars towered above it. He needed to cram the board with as many pieces as possible in order to thwart his enemy’s plan.

They’d surpassed the realm of drawing opposite lines of pawns and sending them to fight each other. Many people were probably going to die. With the help of a vanguard, though, they would finally be able to reach God and Diablo. And once they’d weathered the attacks from those in their way, Kaito would be able to call the shots on his own.

He was the only person in the world powerful enough to topple those pillars.

If anyone doesn’t want to come, that’s fine, too. They can go ahead and pick where they want to die.

Their current situation had been brought about by the blooming of the flower of sin that all three races had shared a hand in raising. The punishment for their sloth and ignorance had finally caught up with them. If they averted their eyes, they would eventually end up paying with their lives. If they didn’t want to die, they had no choice but to fight back.

That was the final duty that had been imposed upon the living. It was the one allowance remaining to them in this box of despair.

Kaito abruptly opened his mouth, then bluntly laid out his thoughts.

“Our enemies this time are God and Diablo. And the battle we’re trying to fight is an act of blasphemy that not even the old world could carry out. But even so, if we want the world to be filled with happiness, if we choose to believe in our future, then this is the only path we can take.”

For a moment, Kaito paused. His thoughts suddenly raced.

This was a world in which people would kill innocents in order to save themselves. Was it really worth believing happiness could come? However, he didn’t have time to worry about that. The end had long since arrived on their doorsteps.

“We must take our swords in hand and reject the new world.”

They were stupid, their lives were short, and all they could do was fight.

Yet even knowing how foolish it was, God and Diablo’s creatures were rebelling against them.

“Everyone who lives will one day die.”

That was precisely why they had things they refused to give up.

The decision they’d made was arrogant and sacrilegious in the extreme. And someday, those same people who’d chosen to slay God and Diablo together would undoubtedly draw their swords and begin killing one another. Tragic as it was, Kaito knew that.

But so what. He cast his hesitation away.

Then he boldly encouraged the living for the choice they were making.

“There’s no need to be ashamed. Take up your swords and ready your spears. Our mission is to murder God, and to murder Diablo. Prayers won’t bring us salvation; screams won’t bring us mercy. The only thing we have to rely on is our own strength.”

“Intriguing… Intriguing, I say! You roar well, for a human!”

All of a sudden, a different voice cut into the transmission. Kaito narrowed his eyes.

The boisterous, laughing voice belonged to Valisisa Ula Forstlast.

Due to the beastfolk’s low proficiency with magic, her voice was interspersed with static. The voices of her subordinates rushing around behind her were audible as well. But none of that seemed to concern her, and she went on.

“Very well, Mad King! You possess a rebel’s greatest weapon: madness—that double-edged sword so desperately needed to fight back! I yield to you! Countless will die in this battle! So go forth and lead us into hell!”

“That’s the plan. All right, everyone…”

Kaito took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. He closed his eyes.

At that moment, he felt as though his entire body had been buffeted by a fierce gale. However, the sensation hadn’t been caused by the wind.

Innumerable people were listening to his words. The strength of their gazes was striking him like an arrow. Lute was kneeling, Aguina was adjusting his glasses, the Kaiser was snorting, Vlad was smiling sweetly, Vyade was looking down, Valisisa was smirking, La Christoph was crossing his arms, and the human king was blinking back tears. And countless soldiers were hanging on to his every word.

His next few words would no doubt lead many of them to their deaths.

Even so, he had no regrets.

And so the Mad King made his fearless declaration.

“This here will be our daybreak. Let Ragnarok begin.”



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