Fremd Torturchen - Volume 7.5 - Chapter 13

A Message from Someone (7)

I cursed, I resented, I hated, I despised, I grieved, I lamented, I cursed, I cursed, I cursed, and at the end of all my cursing…

…my wish was finally granted.

The end of days took place once more. The seeds of evil I’d sowed budded without fail. At that point, all that was left was for everyone to die. The stupid sheep would perish, persistent in their idiocy to the bitter end.

That would have been fine. Just deserts would have been served. That was the verdict I cast, and that was the wish I made. However…

…the person I am now—

—is not who I was then.

…Will you hear me out?

O anonymous listener who I once wished death upon?

It is a tale from long, long ago.

Back then, I made a fatal blunder. I brought about the end of days. But that wasn’t my true intention. I didn’t destroy the world because I wanted to. I was mistaken; don’t get me wrong. One could even say that my very existence was an error. But even so, none of that changes the nobility of my goal.

I just wanted to save the world when nobody else would.

But in spite of that—

—at some point, I forgot.

He—the Mad King—was right. I forgot.

Back then—

—everyone was crying—

—and I wanted to make it so they didn’t have to—

—so now—

—why?

Why are my ears—

—so full of screams and—?

“I caaaught him.”

“Excellent work!”

Elisabeth was in the beastfolk lands.

Having successfully carried out her Peace Brigade duties for the day, Elisabeth returned to Valisisa Ula Forstlast’s residence. With a listless announcement, she kicked the bound mage forward. Her beastfolk subordinates replied with their thanks, and one deer-headed soldier dragged the man off to the dungeons for having committed the crime of ritualistic demon worship.

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.”

“That’s all, correct? I shall be taking my break now. And my dinner, albeit a late one.”

Shortly after she made her announcement, though, the door got 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, bitch!”

“Ah. ’Tis Jeanne… I see you’ve made your way here from the Capital again. 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. Women, I’m tellin’ ya! Like, does she hate me? She doesn’t hate me, does she?”

“As far as I can tell, Izabella’s never been much of a clingy type. I’m off now. Good-bye.”

After exchanging a glance with Lute, Elisabeth beat a hasty retreat and made her way out into the hallway.

Once she’d made sure nobody was coming her way, Elisabeth tossed a jewel downward. It struck the floor and drew a teleportation circle atop it. Crimson flower petals and darkness sprayed up as far as the eye could see, and cylindrical walls the color of blood formed around her.

Fine cracks ran across them.

Then they were gone, and nobody remained within.

Elisabeth had vanished from the beastfolk lands.

Tick, tock… Tick-tock… Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock… Ti— Click.

Click.

“I’ve returned.”

“Hey, welcome home.”

Elisabeth spoke, and a cheerful voice called back.

Kaito tilted his chair backward. Still seated, he turned around.

The little knot that his faded brown hair was tied in dangled behind his head. As usual, his butler uniform looked completely ridiculous on his skinny frame. Appearing the same as always, he checked over the inventory listing for their main storeroom.

Elisabeth started to raise her hand to greet him…

Hmm?

…but halfway through, her arm froze. Something felt dangerously off. She cocked her head to the side.

Meanwhile, Kaito continued scribbling away with his quill pen. From time to time, he would smudge some ink or begin idly doodling.

It was an almost tear-inducingly mundane sight. There was nothing peculiar or amusing about it in the slightest.

Elisabeth chose not to put her discomfort into words. Instead, she strode over to Kaito with a wide gait. Without even looking at her, he pulled out the chair beside his and gestured at it with his chin.

“Mmm.”

“Aye.”

Elisabeth responded as though it were the most natural thing in the world, then sat down as well. A few seconds later, she cocked her head to the side again. However, she didn’t get a chance to vocalize what it was that seemed so odd.

Kaito slid the inventory list over to her and pointed at one of its blank spaces.

“Elisabeth, I gotta say, these documents suck.”

“Dullard… That’s the sole conclusion you reached after going at it all day? I’m out there working tirelessly, so the least you can do as my butler is keep my castle in order. Enough grousing—just do your job!”

Hmm? Hmmmm?

What was she talking about?

The words came to her readily, but they were accompanied by a third wave of indescribable malaise. She raised her hands up and down in consternation. Kaito, for his part, stretched his arms, then pursed his lips.

“I mean, you say that, but… Here, how’s this for a number that’ll knock your socks off? The last seven years of inventory just…aren’t listed.”

“Heavens, wouldn’t it be faster to simply discard them and start from scratch?”

“Right? That was the only real option I could come up with… Ugh, all that time wasted…”

Kaito let out a big yawn, then went limp and slumped facedown on the table. Elisabeth poked him in the head. Now was no time for sleeping. For her troubles, she received a strange “Gehhh.”

As the two of them fooled around, a pair of light footsteps drew near.

“Good work today, you two!”

Upon hearing the cheery voice, Elisabeth looked up and was greeted by a pair of gleaming green eyes and a head of silver hair. They belonged to a beautiful automaton in a maid outfit. Hina beamed adorably as she pushed her serving cart along.

Elisabeth found herself overcome with dizziness. However, she still had no idea why.

Hmhmmm?

“I’ve brought an afternoon snack for you, my beloved Master Kaito and my dearest Lady Elisabeth! There are tarts and muffins and cookies of every variety, so please go ahead and take whatever you like!”

“Damn, you made all that? You sure you aren’t overworking yourself, Hina?”

“Eek, my adorable husband is ever so kind! Take me now! …Ahem. Worry not. If it’s for my beloved Master Kaito and my dearest Lady Elisabeth, then even baking sweets is like being in paradise! Right now, I feel super-duper happy in strict moderation! Eek, it’s like the world itself is jealous of my joy!”

“Uh, okay… Well, I’m not sure I totally follow, but if you’re happy, then I’m happy, too.”

No, no, no, hold on a moment. ’Tis nice that Hina seems the same as always, but…

Something about it was weird. Elisabeth massaged her temples. But no matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t put her finger on what was so odd. Perhaps it wasn’t just one thing. In fact, if she were to force herself to put it into words, then…

“Everything” is odd.

“Lady Elisabeth, which one would you like?”

“The raspberry and honey tart, I should think!”

In that moment, though, Elisabeth ceased wondering. She eagerly extended her hand.

With a “But of course,” Hina deftly dished up the tart. Elisabeth peered down at the plate.

The tart was piled extravagantly high with raspberries, and the honey gave it a glossy sheen. Looking at it was like feasting her eyes on a mountain of rubies. As Elisabeth grabbed a fork, Kaito made a sly quip.

“Man, I can practically see a tail and a pair of ears twitching on you.”

“Silence, you. I’m no cat.”

“And yet you’re the only one who said anything about cats… Looks like even you realize it.”

“If I had to choose between being a cat or a dog, I would be a dog! I’d roll on my back, show Master Kaito my belly, and wag my tail so hard, it would almost fall off! Woof, woof!”

“That’s nice, honey. Even without a tail, you’re plenty cute already.”

Kaito patted Hina’s head past her soft maid hat. As Hina let out more delighted woofs, Elisabeth joined her hand to the petting. Hina was overcome with joy.

Their Hina-cherishing party continued on like that for a little while. Perhaps it was just Elisabeth’s imagination, but the air in the room seemed a bit warmer than it had been before.

With the mood suitably lightened, Elisabeth turned back to her plate and spoke with a smile.

“Now then, to the tart!”

“I do hope it’s to your liking!”

“Make sure you slow down and chew it so you don’t choke.”

“What do you take me for, a child?”

As she shot a complaint Kaito’s way, Elisabeth brandished her fork and sliced carefully through the crust so as not to disturb the cream or the raspberries. Then she slowly lifted the bite to her mouth, and—

“…It tastes like nothing.”

—with a thud—

—all the lights went out.

Tick, tock… Tick-tock… Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock… Ti-ti-ti-ti—

Creeeeeeeeeeak.

“Now then, I suppose that marks the end of the first act.”

A deep voice echoed through the air, and a lamp lit up in the darkness as though it had been waiting for that very moment.

The lamp’s candle cast a white circle around itself. Because it was pitch-black, even that meager light source seemed as blinding as the sun.

Elisabeth squinted. She could see a pearl-gray tablecloth extending out from the circle on into the darkness. Silver buffet platters sat atop it, laden with food so colorful that they almost looked like they were made of wax.

There were a number of hors d’oeuvres, from a translucent jelled oyster dish and a vividly orange marinated salmon to a broad selection of pâtés. The table was absolutely packed with fragrant foods. However, nobody was partaking in the spread, which looked too good to be true.

There was but one person there.

The silhouette of a man, sitting at the head of the table.

He wore a silk shirt with a cravat, and his coat was decorated with silver thread.

Ignoring the buffet platters, he instead ate from a single pure-white dinner plate. Upon the porcelain dish was a slab of meat with blood dripping from it. The raw liver didn’t even look seasoned. The man cut thin slices of the meat and carried them to his mouth with his fork.

The darkness was broken up only by the candlelight and the soft sound of dishes clinking.

After looking at the man’s crimson eyes, silky black hair, and beautiful features, which resembled her own, Elisabeth spoke.

“And who the hell are you?”

“Oh, come now, precious daughter of mine. This thing you do where you forget I exist isn’t nearly as endearing as you think.”

Vlad Le Fanu put down his knife and fork. Elisabeth merely gave him a scoff.

She knew perfectly well who he was. However, her resentment toward Vlad ran deep. The mere fact that she was willing to regard him with apathy instead of outright hostility was a supreme display of self-control. At that point, though, Elisabeth cocked her head to the side.

What was it that Vlad just said?

“…What first act?”

“In a sense, we stand at a legend’s end. The space beyond the fairy tale.”

All of a sudden, Vlad began speaking. He lifted his knife and fork once more.

As he sliced up his meat, crimson blood trickled forth from it.

“This is the stage past the curtain’s fall, the shell of what remains after the final act that was the end of days—but the performance’s end, you see, was nowhere near adequate. With its lease on life renewed, the world continued on. But the bells would eventually toll on a new curtain’s rise.”

For that is the way bells and curtains are.

Ting.

After cutting his meat, Vlad dinged his knife against the plate’s surface.

Then he slowly looked up at Elisabeth, his mouth curling into a smile as he went on.

“Preventing the play from ending. The three races, unified. A noble sacrifice. It’s moving, don’t get me wrong. A tale well worth telling. But what about the story that follows it?”

“…What story?”

“Revolution. Revenge. Betrayal. Any and all of these require diving deep into the actor’s psyche and motives. And that means the story that follows can hardly be told. Eventually, all of it will be buried beneath the black veil of history. And with no regard paid to those who fought so valiantly… Although, of course, it’s entirely too early to tell if there’ll still be a world where one could tell it in the first place. Things are starting to look a little grim.”

Deftly moving his fork, he brought a taut slice of liver to his mouth and laid it atop his tongue. Then he popped it into his mouth, almost as though hammering home his statement to Elisabeth.

The meat’s crimson blood painted his lips a slightly darker shade of red as he let out a casual laugh.

“Nobody’s going to like this. Even seasoned veterans will want to avert their gazes. That’s just the way it’s going to play out.”

“Vlad, don’t tell me… Did you hit your head or something?”

“You know, your concern might well be touching if it weren’t always so insulting!”

On hearing Elisabeth’s reply, Vlad set his utensils back down.

In an unusual turn of events, it sounded like he was being relatively serious about what he was talking about. But what of it? Elisabeth frowned. For her part, there was a fretfulness eating away at her so intensely, it felt like her neck was burning.

Something is off—I’m certain of it.

Her vision wavered. Vlad’s description was unpleasant, but more than that, it was disquieting.

There was something lurking just below the surface, something she mustn’t lay eyes on. However, Elisabeth couldn’t even figure out what it was. Every time she tried to think about it, she was obstructed by an intense headache.

“What…is this?”

Elisabeth pressed down on her forehead. Vlad went back to eating.

After elegantly making his way through the meat, he wiped his lips with his napkin and looked up.

“Caught your attention?”

“What?”

The question came out of the blue, and it was notably lacking a subject. However, Elisabeth didn’t get a chance to ask him to elaborate.

Vlad nodded all on his own, then snapped his fingers. Darkness and azure flower petals filled the air. When they cleared, all that remained on the table was a single bowl. It was deep, and filled to the very brim with water.

The water’s surface, flat as a mirror, was projecting an image of somewhere else.

Elisabeth’s eyes went wide. She gasped.

“Kaito, Hina…”

Kaito and Hina were sleeping, huddled up together with peaceful expressions on their faces. They looked almost serene.

It was just beautiful, nothing more. There wasn’t anything odd about it. Everyone knew they were married, and it was perfectly normal for married people to sleep together. However…

It seems so…distant.

That calm, gentle scene was farther away than the world’s end. Elisabeth was overcome with a crushing sense of isolation.

She knew that the image on the water was just that, an image, but that alone didn’t explain why she felt the way she did. It was like the entire space they were in was cut off from her by some sort of transparent wall.

She gazed wordlessly at the two of them. Vlad laughed a low, booming laugh.

Ignoring him, she reached out, even knowing there was no way she’d be able to touch the scene atop the water’s surface.

After all, it wasn’t real. There was nothing there to reach.

There shouldn’t have been anyway. And yet.

And…yet?

…Splash!

Tick, tock… Tick-tock… Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock… Ti-ti-ti-ti—

Creeeeeee—

—eeeak?

“Hey, Elisabeth, what’s going on?”

“Are you all right, Lady Elisabeth?”

“……………………………Hmm?”

Elisabeth slowly opened her eyes, only to have them immediately seared by a dazzling light.

At some point, the room had brightened up. She could still see the pearl-gray tablecloth stretched out atop the table before her, but the silver platters and waxy-looking food were nowhere to be seen.

Neither was Vlad, for that matter. In fact, Elisabeth had even swapped places with him and was now sitting at the head of the table herself. And the silver bowl with the image of Kaito and Hina had been swapped out for something as well. It was some sort of strangely majestic container.

Elisabeth peered intently at the newly appeared object.

I know this. ’Tis…

It was something she herself had once created on Kaito’s request.

It was an earthenware pot.

What in the world was it doing there? No, no. There was something more pressing to consider.

Namely, the fact that Kaito and Hina were standing right next to her. After looking down at her from both sides, they spoke.

“No response. It looks like she’s a corpse or somethi— Mmph!”

“Come now, Master Kaito! I love you dearly, but you mustn’t make rude jokes like that about women! Lady Elisabeth is a sensitive soul!”

“Y-yeah, you’re right. My bad… Seriously, though, Elisabeth, are you okay?”

“Well, I am a tad worried about the way Hina sees me.”

Elisabeth frowned. From her perspective, she thought of Hina like a little sister, yet for some reason, it felt like she was the one being pampered.

“Hmhm!” Hina puffed out her chest in an inexplicable display of pride. A half beat later, though, she hopped into the air with a start.

“Whoa! Why, Lady Elisabeth responded!”

“Whoa! What’s going on, Elisabeth? You were totally spacing out there.”

“Spacing…out? No, I was just… Vlad was…”

“Did you not want your purin?”

“…Purin?”

On hearing that, Elisabeth looked back over to the earthenware pot. Its lid was still on, but now that he mentioned it, she could definitely make out the pleasant aroma of eggs, milk, and sugar. It was, without a doubt, packed full of wobbly, pale-yellow goodness. Elisabeth instinctively reached for its lid, but she then stopped and shook her head.

“No, wait, the raspberry tart… What became of my tart?”

“Hmm? A tart? Would you have preferred a tart, Lady Elisabeth?”

“No, no, that isn’t it. It feels as though I can’t tell up from down.”

Assailed by another headache, Elisabeth pressed down on her forehead. Now that she thought about it, everything was just downright bizarre.

Her memories felt like they flowed into one another, but there were no logical links among them. They seemed to defy not just time, but space as well. As they watched her start brooding over the subject, Kaito and Hina exchanged a glance. They stepped back from the table.

Then they crouched down and started whispering to each other.

“Did she say that she wanted a tart, and not purin? Am I just misremembering it?”

“If I may be so bold, I’m quite sure she said purin… But you have to remember, Lady Elisabeth is a growing girl. It’s not strange for her tastes to change from day to day. Not to worry, though—we have plenty of apples, so I can go start making a tart right this moment!”

“Wait, what? Elisabeth’s still growing?”

“Oh yes! Why, she’ll probably end up being as big as me!”

“Are you talking about my chest or my height over there?”

At that point, Elisabeth couldn’t help but cut in. It was a matter of some interest to her.

Kaito leaped in place. “Oh God, she could hear us.” Hina cheerfully raised her arm up high. “Your height!”

“Very well, then!”

“Huh? Wait, but if Elisabeth grows as tall as Hina, won’t that make me the shortest one? This is bull.”

Kaito began quietly grumbling. Elisabeth considered poking fun at him but quickly thought better of it. She didn’t want Hina scolding her and telling her that it wasn’t nice to tease guys about their height.

And besides, this was no time for snark, not when she still didn’t know what was going on.

Elisabeth turned back to the earthenware pot. Its lid seemed to have a sort of larger-than-life presence.

EAT ME, it was saying.

This is what appeared in the silver bowl’s place…

Elisabeth reached out again, but this time, she actually took off the top.

When she did, the jiggly yellow purin within came into view. With the lid removed, the sweet smell of milk, eggs, and sugar was free to permeate the air unobstructed. Kaito and Hina started loudly chattering.

“Hey, looks like it came out pretty all right.”

“Just what I’d expect from you, Master Kaito! Your powers of creation rival even God’s!”

For some reason, hearing that comment filled Elisabeth with annoyance.

That aside, though, purin was food. A dessert.

That was an undeniable fact. And as such, it would be absurd for her not to eat it.

She slowly picked up her spoon and plunged it into the purin’s soft surface, scooping up a spoonful that was syrupy and droopy on the sides. Its texture was as splendid as always. She carefully lifted it up.

Then she popped it in her mouth.

“Hey, she ate it.”

“Hooray!”

“Mm, mm, mm, mmph.”

What Elisabeth had tried to say was Why are you two getting excited? Due to the spoon in her mouth, though, the words came out all muffled. This time, she could taste it like normal, and its sweet flavor filled her mouth.

The dish had a full-bodied aroma, just as it was supposed to. Its deliciousness had a rustic simplicity to it, yet at the same time, the way it melted in her mouth was unlike anything else she’d ever eaten. It was hard to believe that such a sublime dish had come from such a foolish servant.

Now that she thought about it, though, she remembered that purin was the only thing Kaito had been able to make properly.

Wait, had been?

Not was?

Elisabeth raised an eyebrow a smidgen. However, she didn’t let her discomfort stop her from moving her spoon. For whatever reason, Kaito and Hina were watching her with bated breath. She couldn’t exactly stop now.

Eventually, the spoon met the bottom of the pot.

With great vigor, Elisabeth scraped up the final bite.

“Ooooh.”

“Aaaaah.”

“As I said, what in the world is it that you two find so riveting about this?”

When Elisabeth shot her quip at them, though, they responded with a round of applause. They clearly weren’t listening to a word she said. It defied explanation. However, it was also kind of nice. She held her spoon up and struck a proud pose.

When she looked back down at the mouthful of purin atop the spoon, though, she froze.

Sitting on the smooth utensil—

—there was something small and white.

“…A rabbit?”

A white rabbit.

The white rabbit had a matter-of-fact look on its face, and it was carrying a pocket watch. Both of the watch’s hands, long and short, were pointing straight at twelve. And Elisabeth knew. The appointed time had come long, long ago. Days gone past would never return. And though the rabbit didn’t look like it was talking, it was. It opened its mouth wide—

—and from inside, darkness came—

—Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down.

Down.

Alice fell down a very deep hole.

“Welcome, Elisabeth. Welcome to Wonderland.”

Elisabeth could hear a young girl. She was saying something about “Wonderland.” But Elisabeth couldn’t see a thing.

Everything around her was pitch-black.

Lying on her back, Elisabeth cast her gaze in every direction. No matter which way she turned, though, all she was met with was a dark that never seemed to end. The blackness had an oddly stuffy quality to it. It was as though she were surrounded by heavy cloth, like the kind that kept stage wings hidden from the audience.

But right when Elisabeth began pondering her situation in earnest, she heard a thump on the floor. The wooden floorboards creaked. Then the noise repeated itself, eventually developing into a sort of pitter-patter.

’Tis the sound of someone running.

Specifically, a child’s footsteps.

They were innocently running laps around Elisabeth. Suddenly, though, she could hear the heels snap together.

The resultant silence was nigh deafening. Elisabeth heard someone exhale, then rattle off a quote that sounded like a monologue from a play.

“After all that bouncing around, it’s finally time for my debut, Elisabeth! Now, what act is this again? I haven’t the faintest, you see. But neither do you, right? In fact, things have gone so far off the rails that nobody, not the actors or the director or even the playwright, can really tell what’s going on. And you’re also a spectator, so that goes double for you. Say, Elisabeth, isn’t it sad? Even here, you’re oh-so-very sad… No, actually, maybe that’s wrong. After all, this isn’t a tragedy so much as it is a farce… Wait, Father, where are we going? Huh? ‘This isn’t our place to appear,’ you say? ‘We weren’t called for, so we should stand down’? You’re ever so kind, Father… Hmm? Wait, hey, don’t leave me behind! Wait for me!”

With a peeved cry, the girl pitter-pattered off, then leaped.

Right above her, the sound of someone’s joints snapping sounded out, and the echo of the girl’s footsteps vanished. It would seem that she was dangling off someone’s shoulder. The other party’s clothes rustled a little as they set off.

A short while later, Elisabeth heard a door open in the distance, then close. Silence descended on her once more.

Who were those people just now? She didn’t know. What she did know, though—

—was that she didn’t trust them one bit.

“And then just when you thought the still darkness would go on forever…”

“…Hmm?”

“…someone showed up with an incongruous hello, hello, hello!”

Elisabeth cocked her head. She could hear someone saying something stupid.

There was obviously someone new present in the murk. However, she couldn’t see anyone. She strained her eyes and cautiously scanned the darkness. Sure enough, one section of it had an oddly “occupied” feel to it.

Yet I never heard any footsteps.

It was like they had manifested out of thin air. She frowned.

However, her concern went unnoticed by her mysterious guest. Intentional or not, they let out a merry cry.

“All righty then, Madam Elisabeth! Time to wake up, hey, hey, hey!”

“Wake…up? No, hold on, I’m—”

“Up—and—at ’emmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

A shout that sounded like some sort of strange bird echoed through the air.

Sensing danger, Elisabeth leaped to her feet, then rolled forward and opened her eyes.

After, she shot a glance backward. Behind her, there was a scaly leg with gleaming claws resting atop a crack in the stone floor. The force of the kick had split open the ground where she’d been just moments ago.

The perpetrator of this powerful attack let out a small breath. However, that wasn’t to say Elisabeth actually saw them do so. The thing was, their entire mouth was hidden by the darkness beneath their hood.

The man, concealed from head to toe in a tattered cloak, struck a pose.

“Phew… That there was my Butcher’s Knockout Alarm-Clock Kick—and brilliantly executed, if I do say so myself!”

“You never possessed any such technique!”

Elisabeth couldn’t help but shout back at the top of her lungs. The Butcher just stood there with his bag on his shoulder and his finger pointing at the sky. It was unclear if he’d even heard her. She turned toward his majestic back and gave him a piece of her mind.

“And besides, was your aim to wake me or to kill me?! The latter makes the former quite a challenge, I’ll have you know! You’re inscrutable, illogical, and baffling to boot! Cough, cough.”

“Willing to even sacrifice your throat to deliver cutting jabs and comebacks… You never fail to impress, Madam Elisabeth. You’re an artist through and through.”

“And don’t go accusing people of bizarre forms of artistry, either! Cough, cough, cough.”

Elisabeth lapsed into a heavy fit of coughing. It had been quite a while since the last time she strained her voice that much.

Before her, a nostalgic figure—the Butcher—hopped up and down in an excessive show of good cheer.

Elisabeth sat cross-legged and decided to stop paying so much heed to his antics. The bare stone floor was cold on her legs. Curious as to where she was, she glanced around. It was a small, cramped room with little in the way of furniture save for the bed beside her. The bed had a simple design but was high-quality all the same. Over on the stone wall, there were magically reinforced knives embedded in a map.

It was a room she was well familiar with. After all, it was the Torture Princess’s own bedroom.

Instead of the bed, though, she seemed to have been lying atop the floor.

“Why am I down here? Or no, rather…what exactly is going on?”

“Hyah!”

“Hmm?”

All of a sudden, the Butcher leaped. Elisabeth watched him as he landed on the wall, scuttled across it, and plucked a knife out from the map. He then landed back on the floor, pulled an apple from his sleeve, and began peeling it.

There clearly hadn’t been any actual need for him to crawl across the wall. Elisabeth gave him a skeptical glance.

“Peel, p-peel peel, peel peel peel.”

“…What exactly do you think you’re doing?”

“Hoh-hoh-hoh, I’m peeling an apple.”

“Well, yes, I can see that.”

“Your cough got me worried, Madam Elisabeth! And so I thought, why not serve you this delicious, juicy apple?! And for dessert, I can make you some meat!”

“You seem to have your dessert and your entrée switched up there.”

Elisabeth was starting to tire of having to play the straight man. The Butcher gave her a wordless thumbs-up. In translation, that probably meant Exactly! The skepticism in Elisabeth’s glance grew, and silence descended on them.

Round and round the apple went in the Butcher’s hand as he peeled it. The long strip of red skin traced a path through the air that seemed almost preordained. As she watched it wind like a snake, Elisabeth let out a quiet murmur.

“Say, Butcher.”

“What is it, Madam Elisabeth? Ah, could it be that you’d like me to cut it into a bunny shape for you?”

“Why? Why betray us?”

The skin snapped. However, its descent was cut short.

As the red peel fluttered in a downward spiral, the Butcher snagged it by the end. He spun it like he was playing with a toy, its red exterior and white interior turning and turning and turning again.

“…It doesn’t mean much, asking that ‘here’ and ‘now.’”

His voice was a soft whisper.

Strangely, though, his tone was calm. He continued rotating the apple skin as he went on.

“Asking ‘me’ is no different from turning to a mirror and asking your own reflection. Asking yourself a question meant for another will leave you forever seeking a reply, and asking yourself a question with no right answer is the first step toward having your heart break for good… I agonized over the same thing myself, you know. Why did she appoint me as her apostle?”

“…Butcher.”

Round and round the spiral turned.

Then out of the blue, the Butcher released it, then dropped the apple itself in turn. Its bare white flesh spun slowly as it drifted through the air, silently passing through the space that was separating Elisabeth and the Butcher.

He was standing on the other side of that apple. Elisabeth directed a faint smile at that hidden face of his.

“That was a falsehood, no?”

“How very right. Or at least, just ‘not a truth’… I’m sure even you realize, Madam Elisabeth—the ‘real me’ never agonized over anything of the sort.”

“Probably not, no… No, you didn’t, no doubt. What a repugnant thought. You didn’t even bother thinking; you just accepted your lot as a sacrificial pawn. Idiot.”

With zero warning, Elisabeth stuck out her arm and snatched the falling apple out of the air. Then with a chomp, she bit into it and began violently chewing its flesh. The Butcher said nothing.

Elisabeth kept eating, spitting out seeds as she went. The small black lumps fell to the floor.

Then she wiped her juice-covered mouth.

“Why, you might well be the biggest idiot I know. What kind of fool spreads seeds of evil through the world he claims to love so dearly?”

“This kind of fool, I suppose. I’m not proud of it, you know. But ‘in their heart of hearts, everyone has just one thing that truly matters to them,’ so it’s not like I had much choice in the matter.”

The Butcher quietly nodded. Elisabeth clicked her tongue as she ruminated on his words.

“In their heart of hearts, everyone has just one thing that truly matters to them.”

It sounded as though they’d come from someone else.

When she finished eating the apple, she tossed its core over her shoulder. It smacked into the wall and fell to the floor. After turning to face the Butcher once more, she narrowed her eyes in irritation.

“And one more thing. About me.”

“Yes? What might that be?”

“I think I’ve come to understand.”

“Come to understand what, might I ask?”

The Butcher cocked his head. Elisabeth closed her eyes and turned her gaze upward. Then she shifted her weight and collapsed back into empty space. But before she could fall, her head struck something.

She was reclining against something hard, smooth, and cold.

“What ‘this world’ is.”

The Butcher offered her no response.

Even with her eyes closed, Elisabeth knew.

He was gone—

—nowhere to been seen.

Tick, tock… Tick-tock… Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock… Ti-ti-ti-ti—

Creeeeeee—

—eeeak!

“…For in short, that is what your existence amounts to.”

As Elisabeth finished her murmur, she sat up straight and slowly opened her eyes.

As she expected, there were two people smiling before her.

“Oh hey, Elisabeth’s up.”

“And a very good morning to you, Lady Elisabeth! Did you sleep well?”

“Kaito. Hina.”

She was back in the dining hall. She realized now that she was sitting atop a cabriole-legged chair.

As for the other two, Kaito was standing on a wooden stepladder, and Hina was holding it steady. For whatever reason, they seemed to be decorating the walls. After Kaito finished sticking some ribbons up by the ceiling, Hina passed him a handful of artificial flowers.

The way they looked working together was so sickeningly adorable, Elisabeth could hardly bear to watch. She shot them a question.

“So what in the world are you two doing?”

“Huh? We’re getting ready for your third-year anniversary party as captain of the Peace Brigade—what else?”

“Master Kaito wanted to surprise you, and I was in full support!”

“Yes, well, that’s all very nice, Hina. But it hardly seems like much of a surprise if you do the preparations in front of me, does it?”

“I mean, you’re not wrong.”

“In fact, I would go so far as to say that Lady Elisabeth is right.”

Kaito and Hina crossed their arms contemplatively. Hina aside, it was odd not having Kaito play the straight man. As a collective married unit, though, they definitely fell on the other end of that particular spectrum. Elisabeth pondered how best to respond.

After giving the matter some thought, Kaito finally spoke.

“But at the end of the day, you wouldn’t want us decorating the dining hall and inviting people over without your say-so, right?”

“Aye, that would be a problem indeed.”

Elisabeth nodded. It was a legitimate concern. Plus, if he hadn’t checked in ahead of time, there was a risk that Elisabeth would be busy meeting with an envoy from the Church or something on the day of the event.

Kaito had clearly put some thought into the matter. However, Elisabeth cocked her head anyway.

“Wait, you said something about guests? It’s not just you two—you invited others?”

“Hey, this is a big deal! It’s been three whole years since you got a job besides just fighting demons! We even handwrote invitations and everything.”

“Don’t worry, Lady Elisabeth, you won’t have to do a thing! Hospitality is a specialty of mine! Plus, we made sure to stock the wine cellar beforehand, and I prepared plenty of food!”

“My my, it’s so lively in here. Look at you all, innocent as babes. I must say, I’m impressed with your ability to maintain such dogged interest in this world.”

Suddenly, Elisabeth heard a deep voice that was as smooth as butter. She frowned.

As Kaito fiddled with the artificial flowers’ placement, he fired a casual response back.

“Vlaaad? You being snide over there?”

“Perish the thought! This is sarcasm, snide’s softer cousin!”

Elisabeth jerked her head to the left. Sitting brazenly beside her was a man dressed in an aristocratic coat. His was a face she’d seen not long ago. Elisabeth wrung a strained question out of her throat.

“And what exactly are you doing here, you lout?”

“Ha-ha-ha! I wasn’t expecting a warm reception by any means, but even so, that’s quite the cold shoulder you’re giving me, my dear. The fact of the matter is, here is where I am. There’s little to be done for it.”

“No, but why—?”

“Come now, think about it. I’ve always been an obstinate one, if I do say so myself. Even death wasn’t enough to get rid of me. And that’s why I’m still here—because that’s the way you perceive me. You understand what I’m getting at, I assume?”

Vlad shrugged. After a short silence, Elisabeth nodded. In other words, that was just the kind of person she saw him as. She slumped back in her chair.

“I see. Then I suppose that’s that, then.”

“So it is. It’s not like I’m here by choice, after all. Like it or not, here I am… I will remind you, though, that the world of man is full of pointless trivialities. Enjoying them is what makes us human. Our species’ very existence is rooted in absurdity.”

“See, now you’re just spouting nonsense.”

“Ha-ha. I see you won’t be tricked quite so easily. You’re a sharp one, my precious. If my dear successor were in your place, I’d have you fooled backward and forward by now. He really could stand to be a bit more of a skeptic.”

“I can hear you, y’know,” Kaito grumbled in annoyance.

Now that he had finished putting up the fake flowers, he started descending the stepladder. Halfway down, though, he stopped in place and glanced at Hina. She was standing expectantly by with her arms spread wide.

Without missing a beat, Kaito leaped into them. She caught him and spun him round and round.

As always, the pair never missed a chance to flirt.

“Ha-ha-ha, Hina, Hinaaaaa!”

“Hee-hee-hee, Master Kaito, Master Kaitooooo!”

“By the way, those two have been like that this whole time, so it’s taken them ages to get anything done.”

“Aye, I don’t doubt it for a moment.”

“Expected as it may be, I must say, it’s a most inefficient way of working. And I’m not sayin’ that ’cause I’m jealous or anything, mind you!”

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

Elisabeth looked up. Long, honey-blond hair fluttered at the entrance to the dining hall.

It would seem that the first guest—

—had arrived a little early.

The girl—Jeanne de Rais—had a golden beauty to her. Elisabeth glanced her over from top to bottom.

Then she nodded and spoke in dispassionate tone.

“…Jeanne. It’s a trivial thing, I’ll admit, but this is ostensibly a banquet. Could you not have come in normal clothes or, at the very least, covered a bit more skin up?”

“You say ‘normal,’ but to me, this outfit is normal. And besides, isn’t your outfit much the same as mine? You look just as much like a flasher as I do, lady!”

“See, you’re even aware that you look like a flasher. Go and get yourself dressed up a little.”

Jeanne was wearing the same obscene bondage dress as always. Only mages possessed garments woven from pure magic like that, but even in the Capital, it was highly irregular for them to wear it when they weren’t on duty. Jeanne did have a point, though. Elisabeth’s outfit had a bit more cloth to it than hers, but on the whole, they were still exceedingly similar. That said, this was Elisabeth’s castle—even she had the decorum to put on a regular dress when she headed out in public. As such, she decided to ignore her own hypocrisy. Jeanne crossed her arms in annoyance.

“I must say, that really isn’t any of your business. And besides, I came not as a guest but to help set up. C’mon, anyone coulda figured out that those two dumb-asses would be wasting the day away gigglin’ and gagglin’ at each other! And plus, callin’ this a banquet? Get off your fuckin’ high horse!”

“Dressing up—now there’s an idea. I think that’s a wonderful suggestion.”

Suddenly, a dignified voice cut in. Jeanne froze, then quickly straightened her posture.

Footsteps could be heard echoing from the entrance to the dining hall.

When Elisabeth cast her gaze in that direction once more, she was greeted with the sight of an alabaster beauty. The comforting voice continued:

“After all, Jeanne, it would be a shame to waste that beauty of yours. I’m sure you would look stunning in a formal dress… We did leave separately, but even so, it was my oversight as well. Next time, I’ll be sure to get you something nice to wear.”

“Yes. No. Yes.”

“Well, don’t go panicking, now.”

Elisabeth tried to calm Jeanne down, but it was clearly an exercise in futility. Jeanne wasn’t very familiar with the subtleties of her own emotions, and her romantic experience was more or less nonexistent.

In other words, having her first love, Izabella Vicker, say something like that to her had proven instantly lethal.

As Izabella took her spot by Jeanne’s still-frozen side, Kaito and Hina finally noticed their new visitors.

“Hmm?”

“Oh?”

The two of them had stopped spinning a little while ago.

Still holding each other tight, they looked up in unison. Kaito let out an excited shout.

“Jeanne, Izabella, you made it! And so early, too!”

“Of course. We would hardly turn away such an invitation, much less coming from you. But we owe all three of you a great debt; it hardly feels right being treated as guests. If you don’t mind, I’d love to help out however I can. But first, Hi—rather, Mrs. Sena, this is for you.”

“Oh, what lovely flowers! That’s so thoughtful of you!”

“I do hope they’re to your liking. I’m glad I could do my part to add some color to the banquet.”

Izabella offered Hina the bouquet she was holding, and Hina took it with a warm smile.

It was composed of lilies paired with a new type of flower bred by the beastfolk, and they were arranged in a beautiful silver-and-white composition. Their thin stems were adorned with countless little florets that shone like stars.

As Hina buried the tip of her nose in the bouquet, Izabella smiled gently.

“Ah, it sets off your lovely hair just the way I hoped it would. I imagine it would look nice next to Elisabeth’s dark hair, too.”

“Hey! Izabella! Quit trying to seduce my wife!”

Izabella and Hina stared blankly at Kaito.

A moment later, Hina’s face went bright red. Words spilled out of her lips as fast as her mouth could make them.

“O-oh, no, no, no, I’m sure Ms. Izabella didn’t have any such intentions, and even if she did, my gears would fall out and stop before I fell for anyone other than you, but even so, Master Kaito, were you being jealous just now? Was that jealousy? Eek! Thank you, God, for this blessing! My heart’s beating so hard that it feels like it might become an inferno that turns all creation to ash!”

“Th-this is a misunderstanding, Sir Kaito! I wasn’t doing anything of the sort! It’s not just your wife—I do this for all sorts of people! To comfort wounded knights, and to welcome new recruits! And besides, I thought they would set off your strong-willed eyes as well!”

As Hina wriggled and squirmed with glee, Izabella hurriedly explained herself.

Kaito couldn’t help but massage his temples. Satisfied with her answer, he nodded.

“All right, I get what’s going on now… You’ve got, like, bucket-loads of secret admirers among the other paladins, don’t you?”

“Wh-what? Secret admirers?”

“Yeah, I figure you’ve got plenty of guys and girls who’re totally head over heels for you,” he continued.

“H-head over heels?”

Elisabeth nodded in agreement. “Aye, I concur. I can picture it with remarkable ease.”

“Right?” Kaito quipped.

Elisabeth thought about it. Over the years, the Church had been home to more than its fair share of corruption, and on top of that, many paladins had lost their lives in the battles against the Torture Princess and Vlad’s demon army. How beautiful must their young commander have looked, carrying out her duties amid all that madness?

Plus, not only did she comport herself with dignity and grace, but the frank manner in which she spoke also made it easy for people to fall for her as well.

If you excluded the reconstruction sect, her approval rating among the paladins was probably through the roof.

And that wasn’t even getting into the other exceptional someone whom she had head over heels for her.

“And I gotta say, there’s something really cool about an attractive woman dressed in a sharp— Ow, ow, ow!”

“How rude. Please revise that.”

Jeanne, the golden Torture Princess and Exhibit A of people who were head over heels for Izabella, reached over and grabbed Kaito by the hair knot. Her expression was downright sullen. Izabella, for her part, was still flustered from the earlier exchange.

Just as Kaito was in the middle of saying, Izabella was dressed to the nines. Instead of her usual armor, she was wearing a slender dress suit. Its white jacket and trousers were designed to be worn by a woman, but they also would have looked just as spiffy on a man as well, a fact that accentuated Izabella’s androgynous appeal. She was a beauty through and through.

However, Kaito didn’t get a chance to finish his compliment. He frantically apologized as Jeanne pulled harder and harder on his hair.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow… J-Jeanne, you gotta tone down the bloodlust back there! It was my bad, okay! I know she’s your first love and all, and I probably said too much… Ow, ow, ow!”

“I’m just glad you understand, mister. That saves us both quite a lot of time. You know what you gotta say now, don’cha?”

By the time she was done speaking, Jeanne’s tone had grown downright murderous. Cold sweat trickled down Kaito’s back. That said, they were in front of both Izabella and Hina, so there was probably a limit to how bad things could get. As far as Elisabeth went, though, the only help she offered was warmly noting, “You seem to be in quite a pinch.”

Kaito raised his hands in surrender.

“Uh, I…I’m sorry?”

“No. I’m not looking for an apology. Like always, your head’s as full of mush as a cat in a sunbeam! Just cotton and fuzz from one ear to the next!”

“Wait, then…what?”

“Hmm,” added Elisabeth. “I haven’t the slightest, either.”

“Elisabeth, you know I’m your servant, right? So when I’m in danger, you’re supposed to come help me.”

“Not my problem, best of luck, et cetera, et cetera.”

Elisabeth’s reply was decidedly aloof. Suddenly, Kaito noticed that Hina and Izabella had wandered off to get a vase for the flowers before they could wilt. If he had been in any actual danger, Hina would have intervened long ago.

In other words, he didn’t need to fear for his life at the moment.

Well, probably.

Jeanne curled the corners of her mouth ever so slightly as she spoke.

“Are you listening, mister? I’ll only say this once. So clean out that shit in your ears and listen up!”

“I’m listening, I’m listening!”

“My fair lady…”

Jeanne took a deep breath, a rare human mannerism for the golden Torture Princess to display. Kaito, Elisabeth, and even Vlad listened intently.

Then Jeanne spoke with barely concealed fervor.

“…isn’t just cool, but adorable. Adorable, I tells ya!”

“Wait, that’s it? That’s the bit you wanted me to revise?”

“Also, why repeat it twice?” Elisabeth asked.

“I suppose she thought it was just that important,” Vlad replied.

The three of them were all well and truly bewildered. Jeanne, expressionless as ever, bobbed her head up and down. Apparently, that was enough to satisfy her. At some point, she had also released Kaito’s hair.

Grateful for that stroke of fortune, Kaito beat a hasty retreat.

That was when it happened.

“Huh?”

A black blur—

—shot toward him like a bullet.

“Up—and—at ’emmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

A shout that sounded like some sort of strange bird echoed through the air.

Then the black blur—that is, the hunk of bone-in meat—smashed directly into Kaito’s face.

Fearing an enemy raid, Izabella reached for the rapier hanging from her waist. However, her puzzlement quickly won out over her concern. People didn’t normally use bone-in meat for launching surprise attacks, after all. The force of the blow nearly caused Kaito to topple over, but Hina quickly rushed over and caught him from behind.

After gently lowering his head down onto her lap, she spoke indignantly.

“Come on now, Mr. Butcher, you can’t attack Master Kaito by surprise like that! I’m very close to being quite cross with you!”

“Wait, why’re you giving me a lap pillow?”

“Hello, hello, hello, Ms. Lovely Maid! My deepest apologies! I was just so giddy about being invited to this banquet, I couldn’t help myself! Hello, hello, hello, Madam Elisabeth!”

“Quite,” Elisabeth replied.

“Oh yes, and congratulations on your third-year anniversary as whatsit of the Something-Something Brigade!”

“Why is it that your attention to detail always fails at the most inopportune times?” Elisabeth grumbled.

Meanwhile, Kaito shook off the shock from being struck by the raw meat and made to sit up. As he did, though, his gaze met Hina’s, and he stopped in place.

Then the two of them exchanged a loving embrace. Elisabeth and Vlad offered up some bemused commentary.

“No, but…why?”

“It’s nice that they get along so well, I suppose, but it does seem to be getting in the way of the rest of their lives.”

Meanwhile, the Butcher spun like a top and made his way into the dining hall proper. Upon reaching the table, though, he came to an abrupt stop.

He looked up at Vlad and went silent for a little bit. After reconsidering the matter, though, he gave him a big thumbs-up.

“And a fine hello to you as well, Sir Vlad!”

“After contemplating as best you could how to act toward me, that’s what you ended up with? I think we can dispense with this strained geniality. I’m a more tolerant man than I look, but even I have my limits.”

Vlad smiled cheerfully as he rested his chin on his hands and elegantly crossed his legs. In contrast to his demeanor, though, his voice dripped with outright hostility. On hearing their exchange, Elisabeth was reminded of something.

That’s right—Vlad and the Butcher share a karmic bond.

The Butcher was the one who’d given Vlad the First Demon’s meat. However, that, too, had been part of the Saint’s plan, and during Ragnarok, Vlad had made no secret of his fury at having been used as a pawn.

I know not how they met, nor how their relationship developed from there. But Vlad clearly didn’t appreciate being used. I’ve no doubt he harbors harsh feelings toward the Butcher.

On hearing Vlad’s comment, the Butcher lowered his hand. However, it would appear that he planned to just pretend like he hadn’t heard anything.

Instead, he whistled and meandered away. After making his way over to Hina, he quickly hid behind her back. When he spoke next, it was from the shadow of her maid outfit.

“Ah, that reminds me! On my way here, I spotted a group who looked to be guests as well! I imagine they’ll be here any moment!”

“There are guests yet to come? Who?”

Elisabeth furrowed her brow.

However, her answer arrived quicker than she expected.

Down the hall, she could make out a group of boisterous voices.

“Vice-Captain Lute…I know it’s a bit late to be asking this, but are you really sure it’s all right for us to let ourselves in?”

“As far as Sir Kaito told me, it should be fine. Although I must admit, I didn’t expect for us to get chased by a walking suit of armor the moment we came inside… Now, I think it was somewhere around…here?”

“Lute!”

“Sir Kaito! Madam Hina! Captain Elisabeth!”

Kaito sat up from his spot on Hina’s lap, and Lute let out a cry of delight. He ran over, and the two of them exchanged a light fist bump—a symbol, perhaps, of how beastfolk-human relations had improved over the past years. Kaito thanked him for showing up.

“I’m so glad you could make it! Wasn’t it hard on you, having everyone take the day off at once?”

“Ha-ha-ha, not in the least. Our Lady Valisisa Ula Forstlast’s magnanimity knows no bounds! And besides, there aren’t nearly as many incidents these days as there were three years ago. Taking a day off like this is nothing! And that, too, is thanks to our captain’s undying efforts.”

The rest of the Peace Brigade members nodded in agreement. Despite their praise, though, Elisabeth frowned.

The image of a regal beastfolk woman flashed through her mind.

“Valisisa Ula Forstlast…”

The name carried a heavy nostalgia with it. It would appear that Valisisa was in good health, and La Christoph was probably carrying out his duties in the Capital like normal as well, praying and believing in God while accepting the love of the people.

Elisabeth closed her mouth without finishing her sentence.

Her Peace Brigade subordinates let out cries of relief at having finally found the dining hall. It was clear that they’d gotten lost in the castle’s vast corridors. After a few of them handed Hina small gifts as thanks for inviting them, they all got to work removing their armor, revealing the layered formal wear beneath. Each of their chests was decorated with colorful tail feathers.

Even in times of peace, it was exceedingly rare for a beastfolk soldier to take off their armor. It was a sign of their utmost trust in the castle’s owner.

They lined up in front of Elisabeth and saluted. However, they then paused.

“Um…Captain?”

“I’ve a fair guess at what you wish to ask, but go on, say it.”

“Is there somewhere you’d like us to put these gifts?”

The beastfolk gestured to the packages they were all carrying. Some were wrapped bundles of cloth, and others were covered baskets, but every one of them was impressively large. Still seated, Elisabeth let out a small sigh.

“This isn’t a child’s birthday party, you know. I appreciate the sentiment, aye, but surely, there was no need to bring that much! ’Tis excessive!”

“We’re sorry, Captain… We just got to thinking about how much you always like to eat, and we got a little carried away.”

“Wait…you mean to say… That isn’t all food, is it?”

Elisabeth reflexively leaned forward in her chair. The Brigade members meekly nodded. “Just what kind of image is it you have of me?!” she cried, turning her gaze up toward the ceiling. Then she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She looked to her side. There, she saw a beastwoman with a goat head.

“I’m sorry for interrupting your lament, but might I have a moment, Madam Elisabeth?”

“Ain? What is it?”

Ain, Lute’s talented wife, was wearing a modest gray dress. She gestured with her chin. Elisabeth looked and discovered that Kaito and Lute were surreptitiously peeking their way. Ain lowered her voice.

“Just now, Sir Kaito and my husband came to me with a request. It’s a special occasion, so they were really hoping that all the women would dress up. I’m here to help with that. Do you have a wardrobe room somewhere?”

“Hold on. Jeanne is one thing, but they want me to change, too? What a pain.”

“Everyone’s gotten on board, even me,” replied Jeanne. “As the star of the show, what are you waiting for? If you don’t get ready, nothing can start, and nothing can end. The thing is, see, I gotta go get changed so a certain lovely lady’ll tell me I look cute! Get a move on!”

“I see it didn’t take much to win you over.”

Nobody could have possibly imagined that the self-proclaimed “oppressor of slaves, the savior of the world, the saint, and the whore” would ever get so thoroughly domesticated. Elisabeth sighed in exasperation. A thought crossed her mind.

If I don’t get ready, nothing can start, and nothing can end, eh?

There was some truth to that.

Elisabeth nodded, and her heels clicked as she set off. Accompanied by Ain and Jeanne, she headed out into the corridor.

The moment she left the dining hall, it went dead silent.

It was as though nobody had even been there in the first place.

However, Elisabeth pretended not to notice that.

Tick, tock… Tick-tock… Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock… Ti-ti-ti-ti—

—ti…tick…?

Of the castle’s many rooms, one of them was where Elisabeth kept various garments.

Inside, it was a veritable sea of cloth.

There were whites as white as snow, blacks as black as night, reds as red as roses, and blues as blue as the sky.

Processed fabrics of every quality and texture had been haphazardly shoved inside. The room seemed to go on forever, yet at the same time, it felt as cramped as a box of sweets. Either way, though, it was an odd state of affairs.

The thing was, Elisabeth didn’t own anywhere near that many dresses. In fact, the wardrobe room had originally held mostly outfits for her servants. At that point, though, an irregularity that minor hardly even warranted notice.

After all, nothing about the situation—

—could be described as anything approaching normal.

Hina hadn’t accompanied them to the wardrobe room. Because of how early the guests had arrived, she was still in the middle of setting the table. Lute and the rest of the beastfolk had offered their services and were helping carry various plates to and fro.

As she directed them around, Hina had offered Elisabeth a wave.

Her warm smile was the last thing Elisabeth had seen before departing the area.

Now Elisabeth was facing off against a seemingly endless assortment of dresses. Beside her, Jeanne let out a faint murmur.

“Man, I ain’t got a fuckin’ clue what to pick.”

“Hey now, best not omit the polite bits entirely.”

Elisabeth shot Jeanne a warning. If Izabella were there to hear her, she’d probably have gotten upset and scolded Jeanne for her foul language. However, Jeanne proceeded to cock her head to the side. It would appear she actually didn’t know what would be best to pick.

Ain took that as her cue to briskly step forward. She spread her arms with the mountain of clothes laid out behind her.

“Now then… It looks like answer is no, but I’ll ask anyway—do either of you have anything specific in mind?”

“No. I’m up shit creek here, lady! How the hell does everyone else pick out their own clothes like it’s nothing?!”

“I haven’t anywhere near the patience to look through that mass. I’m more than happy to delegate the selection to you. I’d prefer something extravagant, though, with bold lines and clean cuts.”

“Ah…something to my lady’s preference would be nice, actually.”

“Something flashy and something trim, then. Very well. One moment.”

Ain strode forward, her expression as composed as ever. The other two watched as she descended into the sea of cloth. It was like a fish vanishing into a wave, or perhaps a honeybee slipping into a rose. The soft folds of fabric conformed to her shape, then went still again. Elisabeth and Jeanne waited in solemn silence.

A few minutes later, the two of them shared a quiet exchange.

“…This is taking quite a while.”

“It really is. Fuckin’ hell.”

“Sorry about the wait.”

Ain popped her head out of an opening in the mass of dresses. Elisabeth and Jeanne practically leaped out of their skin.

Just as promised, she was holding a pair of dresses. The other two each took their proffered item. Elisabeth turned hers inside out, then nodded.

“Aye, not bad.”

“Yes, mine looks good as well. I’m gonna be the belle of the goddamn ball!”

Jeanne seemed to have taken quite a liking to hers. The main dress was golden, and it was adorned with a number of pieces of faintly gleaming cloth, which were layered atop it. On its back sat a ribbon in the shape of a flower. And as for Elisabeth’s dress, it was black with crimson highlights and had suggestive openings on its sides.

Upon seeing their expressions, Ain nodded.

“Now, finding those took a good deal of time, so let’s be nimble and quick about getting you into them.”

“You know, I can’t help but think…”

“Yes, me too. I’ve got a baaad feelin’ about this.”

Elisabeth and Jeanne were no strangers to corsets and tightened belts. Even so, though, the way the skilled healer in front of them looked to be itching to go was enough to strike fear into both of their hearts.

But it was Ain’s next words, and the unsettlingly cheerful tone she said them in, that truly sealed the deal.

“You’re both in good health, but I can see you’ve let that keep you from learning to take proper care of your bodies. Let’s see if we can’t get those joints moving a little.”

The two of them were both Torture Princesses.

As such, chirotherapy was a sensation yet unknown to them.

Elisabeth and Jeanne tried frantically to flee. Before they could get far, though, Ain snatched Jeanne by the shoulder, and Jeanne replied by quickly grabbing Elisabeth’s wrist in kind.

“H-hey, Jeanne! Don’t get me wrapped up in this! Unhand me!”

“Never! If I’m goin’ down, you’re comin’ down with me!”

“Making more victims is never the answer!”

“Don’t worry,” Ain reassured them. “When it starts hurting, just raise your left hand.”

“By that phrasing, you make it sound as though pain is a presumption!”

“W-wait, no, I—I said ‘wait,’ goddammiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!”

Jeanne’s shrill cry echoed across the sea of cloth.

The two Torture Princesses both let out rare screams, then were quickly silenced.

Tick, tock… Tick-tock… Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock… Ti-ti-ti-ti—

…Tick?

T-tick?

“I-I’ve never been through such a harrowing experience in all my days.”

“So much clicking and clacking and snapping and popping… Who knew bones could even bend like that?”

“Now, I hope this will serve as a reminder to the both of you to take regular care of your bodies. If I don’t see some improvement, next time is going to have to involve a medicinal bath.”

“Heavens, woman, what do you intend on doing to us next? What more could you possibly ask of our poor bodies?”

Elisabeth and Jeanne clung to each other and trembled. Ain’s nails were sharp, but her fingers were nimble enough to perform all sorts of minute movements. Never before had the two of them cursed the beastfolk’s digital evolution so much.

“Welcome back! Oh, Lady Elisabeth, Ms. Jeanne, you look splendid! Those dresses fit you so well! They’re splendid! Lady Elisabeth, you’re like a gleaming jewel! And, Ms. Jeanne, you’re like a lovely little flower! If the world could speak, it would boast of both your beauties to all creation!”

“Mmm, ’tis a most pleasant way to be complimented.”

Hina hopped up and down before Elisabeth like an excitable puppy. Elisabeth nodded. That alone made all the strain and suffering she’d endured worth it. Kaito, who was in the middle of carrying a set of wine bottles with Lute and the others, stopped in his tracks.

Then he rushed over to Elisabeth and let out a cry of astonishment.

“Hey, that looks nice on you! See, I told you it’d be good to try wearing a normal dress every now and again.”

“Your compliment is perfunctory at best. I give it failing marks.”

“Why?! I said you look nice!” he shot back, flustered.

At present, Elisabeth’s slender frame was clad all in black, with her two arms bare at her sides. Her collar was so low that it exposed her collarbone, and she had a crimson shawl draped around her neck.

She looked bewitching, yet at the same time, strangely ephemeral.

“You think a pedestrian word like nice is sufficient to capture the entirety of my refined beauty? Why don’t you try that again until you get it right?”

“Hey, having self-confidence is great and all, but you gotta cut me some slack.”

“See, I knew it would look good on you!”

Then Elisabeth and Kaito heard a delighted cry. They looked over at its source.

Izabella was standing in front of Jeanne, who was standing stiff as a board, and nodding repeatedly. Izabella scooped up a tuft of her full, honey-blond hair in her gloved hand.

“It’s just as I thought—a maidenly dress like this truly brings out your beauty. It’s so sweet, so charming. And the color goes perfectly with your hair!”

“…………”

“Oh hey, I guess we finally figured out how to get her to be quiet,” Kaito commented.

“See, what Izabella gave there was a model compliment. Try taking a lesson from her,” Elisabeth replied.

“Wouldn’t that sound kinda creepy coming from me?”

“…Ah, true enough.”

Elisabeth nodded deeply, and Hina hopped up and down in front of her.

“That’s not true at all! The enchanting words that Master Kaito spins with his honeyed voice are always the finest there can be! Lessons are useless for him because he’s been unmatched at compliments since the day he was born! Hmph!”

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Hina. You’re the cutest, just like always.”

Kaito wrapped Hina in a tight embrace to calm her down.

Meanwhile, Izabella took Jeanne by the hand and headed for her seat. The beastfolk, now finished with moving the wine, hurried back to the table as well. Lute theatrically pulled Ain’s seat back for her. Vlad hadn’t once budged from his seat, and the Butcher was restlessly scattering flower petals around the room.

Elisabeth assumed the seat of honor and gazed out over the table.

Sitting atop its pearl-gray tablecloth was a fine feast indeed.

There was organ pie, a whole roast hen, potherbs of every sort, vegetables in jellies and potages, seafood, myriad desserts, and countless other labor-intensive dishes all arranged in a beautiful spread.

And as a finishing touch, the silver and white flowers sat decoratively at their center.

Kaito stood by Hina’s side, his arm gently wrapped around his wife’s back.

They leaned toward each other, the very image of bliss, then faced Elisabeth and smiled.

“Congrats, Elisabeth. Good work these last three years.”

“Congratulations on three years well served, Lady Elisabeth.”

“Aye, thank you. And thank you, everyone, for coming.”

Elisabeth looked out over the group. All of them were wearing warm smiles on their faces.

Kaito and Hina. Izabella and Jeanne. Lute and Ain. Her beastfolk subordinates. The Butcher. Vlad.

Everyone was there. How unnaturally convenient.

“…Thank you, truly.”

For a brief moment, Elisabeth closed her eyes. She breathed in a deep breath.

Then she clenched her fists and spoke.

“Now then, it seems high time…”

However, she stopped midsentence. She hesitated, unsure if she should continue.

She glanced Kaito’s way once more, her gaze strangely reminiscent of a child’s.

Is this for the best? she was asking him. I’m not making a mistake?

But Kaito Sena—

—just returned her gaze—

—smiling at her like he had once before.

And so Elisabeth opened her mouth, emptying her lungs of words and breath alike.

To end it all.

“…we put this charade to rest!”

And in that moment, the world was filled—

—with the heavy, heavy ringing of a bell.

Creeeeak… Ding-dong… Ding-dong… Ding-dong…

Ding-dong

Ding—

—dong

D i n g D o n g

There was nothing there.

And yet at the same time, there was everything.

If one was to describe that place, the most apropos comparison would be to a blank white canvas. Or perhaps a completely black canvas. Nothing meaningful was painted atop it. In other words, one could paint over it to their heart’s content.

It was empty, and it was free.

There was nothing there, yet there was everything.

That was where Elisabeth now stood.

At the spot that lay after the end and before the beginning.

By all accounts, nobody should have been there. Mankind had yet to even be born. However, Elisabeth could sense someone behind her. They were still and silent.

Not turning around, Elisabeth spoke in a soft whisper.

“I know nothing of this place. And I suspect it isn’t just me. Nobody does, save for one exception.”

The list of people who’d witnessed the blank world before the reconstruction was short.

In fact, it had but one name on it—the reconstructor, the one who built the world, who wielded the brush all those lifetimes ago. The Saint.

“This scene was formed from your memories, was it not?”

“…When did you notice?”

“Notice what?”

“That the world laid out before you was all just a fabrication.”

Despite the fact that they were asking a question, the other speaker showed no sign of alarm or confusion. This was an outcome they’d seen coming.

Elisabeth looked up at the sky. Everything above her was empty and hollow. There were no clouds, no sun, and no stars. Not even color. It would seem the two of them truly were standing atop the canvas. Below them, it was white, and above them, there was nothing.

It was a lonely place.

There was no death there.

But the world itself had no life.

And a world with nothing born unto it was a lonesome place indeed.

Elisabeth couldn’t help but lower her voice.

“Subconsciously? Since the start, I daresay… But it only truly became clear with the Butcher. That man betrayed us, and he had no regrets. There was no reason for him to ever appear before us again. And that was precisely why I created him—as a method to put my confusion into order.”

In her eyes, that was the role he played.

As a person, the Butcher was someone who constantly spouted nonsense yet always held the answers she was looking for.

The person behind her didn’t reply, leaving Elisabeth’s words to echo across the ivory plane. Suddenly, those words materialized, taking on a form as hard and brittle as glass. Then they shattered and vanished into nothing.

Even words were alien to a place as empty as this. Like ink spilled in water, they refused to conform, instead getting swept away by some invisible hand. Undeterred by their change, Elisabeth went on.

“This place resembles somewhere else—a dream, spun by a demon. Although, granted, that one was a psychological attack, so the nuance differed somewhat. This place uses memories as its base, and each time I grow suspicious of it, it breaks down and builds itself anew. Thus, the world within can remain gentle forevermore. Ha, what an absurdly convenient dream. Why, if the end of days hadn’t come, I’d have been executed. Burned at the stake, as was my destiny.”

Elisabeth clenched her fists. Inside the dream, three years after Ragnarok, everything had fallen into place. Nothing had been lacking, and everything in her life had been good. But no matter how fate had turned, such a world could never really have come to be.

“Kaito was there, and Hina. The Butcher was alive. Jeanne, Izabella, my men—they were all there as well, and I worked in the beastfolk lands. How could such a place possibly exist?! ’Tis ridiculous! Utter absurdity! Yet exist it did in there.”

Elisabeth bit down on her lip, hard. It had used her memories to temporarily bring about an impossible future.

It was like a fictitious castle built out of sand.

No matter how many times it fell, it would always come back.

But because of that, it was a castle that could never hold a permanent form.

“A sandcastle by the beach. A stage, repeating the same act again and again. A piece of sugar candy, melting away—’tis too pleasant to be called a nightmare, yet too unsettling to be taken as benevolence. So why? Why call me here?”

The figure behind her didn’t move. Elisabeth didn’t turn.

If they wanted her dead, she would be dead. If she had expressed malice, they would likely have lopped off her limbs. However, they just stood motionless, seemingly bewildered by their own actions.

And so Elisabeth pressed on.

Without so much as looking at her face.

“Answer me, Saint.”

“The thing about…dreams, you see…”

The Saint began to answer. Elisabeth closed her eyes as she listened to the woman’s strangely childish voice.

The Saint went on, as though trying to validate her own intentions.

“I felt that…everyone has the right to dream.”

“How do you mean?”

“You bore the burden of the world… Or rather, the people you care about most did. And it fills you with anguish. And so…I, too, would have liked to gaze upon a dream of the time before everything went to ruin.”

At the end, Elisabeth heard a small gasp. That was the wish the Saint had sealed away deep within her heart. It was an insipid, fleeting wish, to be sure. Eventually, Elisabeth let out a short sigh.

“I see. So not quite benevolence, then, but pity. However…”

With her eyes still shut, Elisabeth began walking forward into the darkness. After the first step, though, she felt a pair of hands grab her wrist. Those weren’t the Saint’s fingers. No, it was a sensation so nostalgic, it almost made her tremble—the hands of the two people she loved so much, she couldn’t stand it. But Elisabeth knew. Those two would never have stopped her there.

They would have wanted her to move forward, even if it meant she had to do so alone.

It was cruel, without a doubt.

Yet even so…

Yet even so.

“…I’ve no need of it. I saw the only dream I need long ago.”

Once, the Torture Princess saw something beautiful.

Two beautiful people.

They were people who made the world worth saving.

“And I was by their side.”

Now they were gone.

Yet even so, there were some things that would never vanish.

And so Elisabeth shook off the shadow of her memories and walked. Just like she had walked in front of Kaito when they were trapped in that nightmare long, long ago.

Even though this time, there was no one by her side.

“That was enough.”

And with that, she quickened her pace, eventually breaking into a run. Without looking back—

—she abandoned the Saint.

Ding-dong………ding-dong……ding-dong……ding-dong……ding-dong……ding-dong

Ding-dong

It felt like a bell was ringing somewhere.

A solemn noise, echoing through the air before vanishing.

It was a sound that signaled the end.

However, it was probably just a trick of the wind.

Or perhaps, without a doubt—

—it came from someone’s dream.

Elisabeth slowly opened her eyes.

She was sitting in a place with no night or day.

She glanced about. All around her was purity crafted from snow and water, wind and mana. Above her, a rainbow sheen hung in the milky-white sky. The sky had no sun, nor did it have a moon.

It was beautiful, but there was nothing there, making its beauty hollow. Delicate snowflakes fell from the sky and piled upon the ground.

Two toppled pillars of ivy sat atop the snow.

She was at the World’s End. The pillars rested in that pure world, corpses of giants lying on top of each other and propping the other up. There was a shrine-like cave where the two pillars met, decorated by the azure and crimson roses that yet dotted the ivy. And that cave was precisely where Elisabeth was sitting.

Upon realizing that she was leaning against the crystal, Elisabeth let out a small breath.

“…Ah, I see.”

Even without turning to look, she already knew—there were two people sleeping inside that crystal.

Their faces no doubt bore the same wordless smiles as always.

This was reality.

The crystal was cold and hard.

The distance that its clear walls separated was slim, yet it was farther than the World’s End.

Inside, Kaito Sena was slumbering with his bride, bearing the burden of a world that, by all rights, he should have had nothing to do with.

Elisabeth reviewed the situation.

Mankind had committed a grave sin. Countless people had let themselves be bystanders, and now the mixed-race folk were taking their revenge. The imperial princess had died a noble death, the demi-human had betrayed everything for the people he loved, and the saints’ representative had died while still believing in everything and in God.

As a result, the living were descending into fear and suspicion, and a new battle was cresting the horizon.

This was where Elisabeth had come before the fighting began in earnest.

As she sat with her back to the crystal, she must have nodded off.

And when she did, she dreamed.

It was a long, long dream.

She thought back on the words she’d said just before falling asleep.

“Would it not be better for a world such as this simply to end?”

“Yet even so…”

The words slipped from her mouth. She wasn’t going to turn back.

And so she whispered to those she’d seen in her dream—

—and to the smiles long since lost.

“Yet even so.”

She clenched her fists tight.

Then she glared forward, her eyes gleaming like rubies.

The battle to determine the world’s destiny was beginning.

The one that would determine if everyone deserved to live—

—or if everyone deserved to die.

A short while later, the bell rang, and the curtain rose.