Fremd Torturchen - Volume 6 - Chapter Ep1

Part 2—The Torture Princess Arc Prologue

The red sun had just sunk in the sky, and darkness was beginning to overtake the area.

A single figure was running through the night.

It was a man, clad in a dark mage’s stereotypical droopy hood. He was frequently glancing about as he ran. It seemed the magical traps he’d been laying about had completed their tasks, as he didn’t see any sign of his pursuers. Certain he’d successfully made another escape, he breathed a sigh of relief. That caused him to let his guard down.

A slender figure fell on him from above.

Someone had descended like an arrow from the rooftops, mercilessly landing on him high-heels-first. Although he narrowly avoided having his neck broken, he let out an ugly scream when his attacker trampled on his stomach. The voice that rang out was as cold and as sharp as a knife.

“Squealing like a pig is unbecoming. ’Twas obvious your crimes would catch up with you. So why did you think you could escape me? ’Tis precisely what’s so irksome about you weaklings who fail to grasp the difference in strength between you and your superiors.”

The man frantically looked up at his foe. Her resplendent, black hair glittered in the moonlight, and her skin, which her risqué bondage dress laid bare, was captivatingly awash in the light as well. The man let out a cry filled with awe and despair.

“E-Elisabeth!”

“Precisely. I am the Torture Princess, Elisabeth Le Fanu.”

A sadistic smile spread across the beautiful woman’s face.

As she pressed her foot down on the man, she made her bold declaration.

“I am the proud wolf and the lowly sow.”

“I caaaught him.”

“Excellent work!”

As she made her listless announcement, Elisabeth kicked the bound mage forward. The beastfolk replied with their thanks as they approached their captured foe. A deer-headed soldier dragged him down to the dungeons.

Elisabeth rotated her shoulders in exasperation. Lute walked up to her and handed her a hot cup of tea.

“I would expect nothing less. With this, we can strike another name off the most wanted list. He gave us the slip when we busted up the last demon-worshipper site, you see, and sniffing him out was beyond us.”

“Well, the blame for that hardly rests with you. I was conveniently able to trace his traps back to him, but…such a trick can only be performed if one possesses a proper grasp of magic. Anyhow, that’s all, correct? I shall be taking my break now. And my dinner, albeit a late one.”

“Oh, Ms. New Captain! We’re getting off, too, so if you don’t mind, we could eat togeth— Hwah!”

The new recruit, with his characteristic notched ear, let out a jovial remark. However, Lute immediately snatched him up by the nape of his uniform. The legs of the coyote-headed recruit dangled.

Lute shook his head, as though instructing him not to get in her way. The recruit didn’t seem to understand, but he obediently went quiet. Elisabeth drank down her tea as though nothing had happened.

After giving the cup back to Lute, she began walking. The moment she did, though, the door was violently kicked open.

The voice that rang out seemed somehow puppetlike, yet at the same time, it was strangely obnoxious.

“Pardon me. Elisabeth! Is Elisabeth Le Fanu around? Listen to what I gotta say for a minute, ya bitch!”

“Ah. ’Tis Jeanne… I see you’ve made your way here from the Capital again. When you leave, I do expect you to mend the door on your way out. How many times does this make, anyhow?”

“Don’t worry about that; just listen. I don’t understand what’s going on in my little lady’s head. On some days, she’s kind to me, and on others, she seems wholly uninterested. Why, today and yesterday, she barely even greeted me. Women, I’m tellin’ ya! Like, does she hate me? She doesn’t hate me, does she?”

“The way I’d heard it, Izabella’s been up to her ears in work since yesterday. And besides, she’s never been much of a clingy type. I’m off now. Good-bye.”

Waving her hand in exasperation, Elisabeth grabbed the basket from the table. Jeanne seemed to be on the verge of launching into another tirade, but Lute signaled to Elisabeth with his eyes that he could take it from there. She left the room.

Then after successfully escaping into the hallway, she dropped a jewel onto the floor. It was a magical device she’d created by taking a gem already rich in mana, then carving spells and pouring blood into it. The moment it landed, a teleportation circle appeared on the ground. Crimson flower petals and darkness sprayed up as far as the eye could see.

Cylindrical walls the color of fresh blood formed around her. Then fine cracks ran across them.

Once the circle had vanished, nobody remained within.

Thus, Elisabeth vanished from the beastfolk lands.

She arrived in a place that had neither day nor night.

Elisabeth surveyed the pure land crafted from snow, water, wind, and mana. Above her was a milky-white sky blanketed in a rainbow-colored film. Neither the sun nor the moon was visible. Everything around her was beautiful and empty.

The delicate snowflakes crunched under her feet as she walked.

Eventually, she arrived at a strange sight.

There were two pillars of ivy toppled over, like corpses of giants.

The two of them were lying on top of each other and propping each other up. Because of that, there was a shrine-like cave at their center. She boldly sat down in it, surrounded by ivy decorated with azure and crimson roses.

While magically maintaining her body’s temperature, she opened up her basket. Inside it were a variety of sandwiches packed with fruits, vegetables, and meats. She nodded as she glanced fondly at them.

Normally, the beastfolk preferred mild flavors. Compared with the dishes in the early days, though, Elisabeth’s meal was seasoned fairly heavily, and the serving size had gone up as well. She gestured at it and spoke:

“Behold this transformation. And I uttered nary a complaint. Kind, isn’t he? ’Tis little wonder you all got along so handsomely.”

Her tone seemed to indicate she was talking to someone. However, there was no response.

As she imagined Lute going out of his way to pop into the kitchen, Elisabeth began eating her sandwiches. As she did, she snapped the fingers on her free hand and retrieved the personal documents she’d been secretly keeping. She went over her recent thoughts.

“Little has changed from the information I reported previously. No incidents of note have occurred, at any rate… Ah, but there is some good news. Although they yet continue, the mixed-race murders have subsided dramatically over the last year. ’Tis a natural result of the situation calming down, but still. That said, there is something strange that’s caught my attention about the way it’s subsided. The result itself is auspicious, but I shall have to analyze it later. Now, as for today…”

The way she was talking really did make it seem like there was someone else there. However, the only reply she received was silence.

At Vyade’s suggestion, she was working under Lute’s command to preserve the public order. The world’s wounds were deep, and the new way people perceived God and Diablo had given rise to a number of new catastrophes. The reconstruction sect had scattered across the land and acquired greater influence, and demon worshippers had begun running rampant.

The Torture Princess’s job was to operate behind the scenes and bring them to justice. However, there was no shortage of paladins and other humans who refused to accept her, so she was working out in the beastfolk lands.

The soldiers who’d survived Ragnarok seemed to carry a certain sense of guilt, and they were generally kind to her. And the new recruits held a great deal of admiration toward the actions she and her servant had taken, so they tended to approach her with a degree of familiarity as well.

It was, all things considered, not entirely unpleasant. However, Elisabeth did her best to keep to herself.

In order to best protect the world, ’tis best to avoid nurturing new bonds.

There was no way of knowing whom or what she would eventually have to sacrifice. And there was also the possibility that everyone would eventually find themselves needing to kill the Torture Princess.

Such were Elisabeth’s concerns. For the moment, though, unstable as the world was, things were peaceful. She secretly found that miraculous fact quite pleasing.

After all, this ugly, selfish world was the very one he’d chosen to protect.

“Now then, I suppose dinner’s over. ’Twas a fine meal, but…surely, not a dish exists in this world that compares to the ones you made, Hina.”

Elisabeth quietly murmured, but after a moment, she shook her head and withdrew the thermos from her basket. She heartily drank down its contents.

Suddenly, she let her body go limp. A small thump rang out as her back collided with something.

As she leaned against the transparent crystal, Elisabeth quietly closed her eyes.

Two people were sleeping inside the crystal at her back.

They were as silent as ever, and unchanging smiles adorned their faces.

Elisabeth remained facing forward. She refused to look back. However, because nobody was listening, a few words suddenly fell from her mouth.

Her words were like a drop of blood, shed straight from the heart.

“…I wish I could see you.”

Of course, from within the crystal, Kaito and Hina offered no answer.

It had been three years since that fateful battle.

“You can see them; you can!”

The voice that echoed through the castle sounded like a bell ringing.

As she heard those words, which seemed almost to be a response to the murmur she’d made a while back, and gazed at the scene spread out before her, Elisabeth narrowed her eyes.

What had happened? For a moment, she wasn’t totally sure.

Over the past three years, Vyade had moved back from her secondary residence to her original home. The lighting throughout its entire audience chamber was dim. Furthermore, the room’s daintily embroidered curtains cast whimsical shadows atop the stairs leading up to the throne. The curtains’ large, floral design was gorgeous, yet they possessed the same solemnity as a large, aging beast. The room seemed undefended at first glance, but a number of skilled soldiers were hidden away in its nooks and crannies. Or at least, they were supposed to be. Now, though, not a single one of them seemed to be present.

Lute and the others standing behind her hadn’t noticed yet, but Elisabeth could tell.

They’ve all been knocked out already.

Earlier that day, Valisisa had come to visit Vyade. The first imperial princess had been busy pursuing a group of reconstruction-sect members who’d gotten their hands on some surviving transfigured paladins, but she’d gotten back a few days prior. The way Valisisa had ordered Elisabeth, Lute, and the others to come greet her as well had been haughty, yet friendly at the same time. That was what they’d been on their way to the audience chamber to do.

However, the room they’d been heading toward was steeped in the scent of blood.

Elisabeth glanced around the room with her crimson eyes.

Within, the worst possible result was awaiting them. Two beastfolk lay toppled over.

Sitting motionless in the throne was a white wolf with her head drooping low. Atop her was a red fox who was dressed in a military uniform and looked like she’d moved to cover the wolf. Their red and white fur was matted thick with blood.

And standing before the two imperial princesses of the beastfolk were two humans.

The lovely voice from before had come from one of them, and as for the other—

“The true value of information lies in its ability to set people’s minds in motion.”

The man began speaking in a detached tone. He was tall and possessed a distinct sort of melancholy. Although he was attractive, the bottom part of his face was concealed behind a crow mask. Wearing just half of a mask was a rather strange choice. The rest of his body was garbed in a thick, black outfit. Curiously, it made him look almost like a doctor or a researcher.

For some reason, instead of fleeing, he chose to begin making a speech in the bloodstained room.

“Moving, how the three races managed to come together for a common goal. But the information that was shared among them and subsequently leaked can be described as nothing but a gross error. The possibility of people appearing from other worlds and the details regarding demon flesh, in particular, should have been concealed. Now everyone knows that by summoning from another world a soul that’s accustomed to pain, placing it in an immortal body, making it form a contract with a demon, and giving it the heart of an individual who’s ingested demon flesh and accumulated a massive amount of pain, it’s possible to artificially create an entity capable of revolutionizing the world.”

His voice was just as heavy and gloomy as his melancholy appearance would imply.

Lute and the others were still stunned. The man’s speech, which had been wholly inappropriate for the time and place, had only served to exacerbate that. However, Elisabeth knew exactly what he was talking about. She clicked her tongue.

The possibility of people appearing from other worlds and the details regarding demon flesh.

That was, without a doubt, one of the things she’d been afraid of.

But how would someone arrive at that thought before the information faded from memory?!

Only someone who reared hell within their mind the way Vlad did should have been able to notice that fact. Furthermore, Elisabeth had feared even that faint possibility and had taken steps to prevent it. However, the man spoke to no one in particular.

“It may seem trivial, but in truth, the fact that this person comes from another world is surprisingly crucial. The people of this world don’t realize it themselves, but their imaginations are narrow, causing their potential to be limited. One would have to destroy their very ego to escape the shackles they themselves are unaware of. However, people from other worlds are different. I died, but I got a second chance at life. This time, I’m going to accomplish everything I set out to do. That conception serves as an almighty justification. It gives them that magical quality that allows them to obtain limitless power.”

“But you need the First Demon’s flesh for that, and I made certain to retrieve it all! It should no longer be possible to obtain meat from a demon that powerful!”

Elisabeth let out a shout. The man nodded magnanimously, as though congratulating her.

“An apt measure. That was what posed the largest problem for me. You all put down the reconstruction-sect members who’d carried off the meat before I could get to them. An impressive display. However, that was where another piece of information became crucial. Specifically, the records from the battle at the Capital—in particular, the ones regarding demon crossbreeding.”

Elisabeth’s eyes shot open. That was a piece of information that not only she, but everyone had overlooked.

After their egos were destroyed, two demonic contractors were able to have a powerful child within their fused mass of flesh. It had been exceedingly unprecedented. However, upon being faced with the end of days, nobody had paid it much heed any longer.

Upon seeing Elisabeth’s agitation, the man nodded to affirm her fears.

Then as though lecturing a group of incompetents, he solemnly went on.

“I summoned a pair of weaker demons into a man and a woman, then destroyed both their egos. They had two children. Then I bred the children together. By repeating that process, it was possible to create a pure, powerful demon. Eventually, I created a demon powerful enough to meet my needs. Of course, the whole process was a little more involved than merely breeding mice. As you can see, it took me three whole years to reach this point.”

The man hung his head sadly, his heart apparently filled with grief. However, someone stroked his arm to console him. It was the owner of the first voice, the one standing beside the throne.

“It’s okay, Father. Please don’t be sad. We made it, didn’t we? That’s what matters. All’s well that ends well! And really, we’re just getting started!”

The voice belonged to a young girl. She was wearing a blue bondage dress, but it was so covered in ribbons and frills that it was difficult to recognize it as such. In Elisabeth’s opinion, it was a bit much. However, she was certainly cute and girly. Her hair was white, and her eyes were red. It was unclear if it was innate or not, but she seemed somewhat lacking in pigmentation.

Her voice matched her lovely appearance, and her tone was practically singsong.

“I heard your story, Elisabeth. It’s a very sad story. That’s what I think. I’m thinking about you, even if no one in the world is. And you know, I think it would be better if your story didn’t end like that. After all, sad things are sad. No matter how much you patch them up, they still make you want to cry. That’s why you’ll be able to see them!”

Although the girl was surrounded by the smell of blood, the smile that spread across her face didn’t have a hint of malice in it.

She extended her pale hand in front of her, then called out to Elisabeth in a gentle voice.

“I’ll help you! I’ll help you, Elisabeth! I’ll help you meet the people you care about!”

“…Who the hell are you?”

Elisabeth growled out that lone question. The girl stared blankly at her. After she blinked, though, she suddenly grabbed the hem of her skirt. She performed an awkward, yet adorable bow.

“That’s right; I have to introduce myself first. That’s what you did. So I should do the same. My name is Alice Carroll. I am the ideal girl of men and the sinful harlot who deserves to be stoned. However, that’s the name Father gave me, and the words I thought up. My real name, the one I lost, is Sara Yuuki.”

“Sara Yuuki? Wait… That strange pronunciation… That self-introduction… No, you can’t be—”

“You’re the Torture Princess, so… Yes, it would be strange to be the same. Being the exact same would be odd. So as someone who was reincarnated, I suppose I should say it like this: I am…”

The girl let out an amused chuckle.

And with purity in her voice, the girl—the one unburdened by that world’s original sin—made her proclamation.

“…the Torture Princess from Another World. The Fremd Torturchen, if you will.”

Thus, the curtain rose on a new stage.

On a cruel story, one that may or may not eventually be told as a tale from long, long ago.

It’s time for a story.

A story of repentance, dreams—

—and hatred.