Fremd Torturchen - Volume 2 - Chapter 1

1

The Chaos Begins

The entire area was one massive graveyard.

A number of grave markers dotted the landscape, abandoned and forgotten by the living. They served as symbols of the dead resting beneath them, and they were stuck throughout the hill like a tragic pincushion.

At present, two figures were being buffeted by the frigid winds that ravaged the naked earth.

One of them was a girl of unparalleled beauty, clad in a lascivious black bondage dress.

Her pale arms and sides were exposed to the elements, and the leather belts providing her chest its sole means of coverage left her shapely breasts largely exposed. The black cloth wrapped around her hips flared out into a short skirt, and behind it, a layer of fabric with the inside dyed scarlet draped outward like a mantle. Her elegant legs, adorned in a layer of thin material, stood out even more sharply against the crimson backdrop. Strangely, though, her appearance did not register as provocative.

She wore her risqué outfit with the dignity of a queen in her regalia, and her crimson eyes flashed like rubies as she smiled.

“Well, well, what do you intend to do, my dear Duke? At this rate, I shall crush you like a worm, and the dead shall count you among their ranks. Come now, try to entertain me a little.”

Her laugh was cruel and arrogant as she made light of her adversary.

The foe was a demon. Twisted and hideous, it was demonic in every sense of the word.

Its form was a coffin made of flesh.

The coffin’s lid reflected a gruesome glimmer while the interior was a throbbing mass of blood vessels and organs. Countless human arms extended from the coffin’s sides, intertwining into a grotesque pair of wings.

That demon—the Duke—was the overseer of the massive graveyard, as well as its creator.

Long ago, a bloody conflict between beastfolk and humans had led to the people of the village neighboring the site to forbid anyone from setting foot on that land. That was what led the Duke to develop an interest in it.

As a result of using the land for his own nefarious purposes, the unbridled resentment of the dead had bled deep into the hill’s soil. It would likely never be fit for human habitation again.

The Duke had buried countless people alive there.

He’d kidnapped them and sealed them within his coffin body, supplying them with air and minimal nourishment through a vent while slowly digesting them.

Still clinging to life while their bodies broke down, it was said that his victims would eventually give in to madness, their laughter interspersed with their screams. Their wails of agony would shake the hill like a thunderstorm, frightening all those who passed by. But over the past few weeks, the Duke had refrained from conducting his dreadful work, and at present, the voices could no longer be heard.

The Duke had been mulling over whether or not he should abandon his hill and flee.

He’d heard that the person who had brought down judgment upon the Kaiser, the strongest of all the demons, was closing in on his location. But because of the arrogance so often found among those who possess power surpassing human understanding, he ignored the pealing alarm bells in his head and stayed put.

That was a fatal mistake.

Now, he was under attack by a peerless sinner: the one person in the world with the power to slaughter demons.

The sinner, the judge, the girl in black, continued her mockery.

“What’s the matter, Duke? Floating there in silence won’t change a thing, you know. Pleading for your life will prove just as futile. And I shan’t let you flee. The time for judgment has come. Here and now, you shall meet an unsightly end at the hand of a fellow sinner.”

“Elisabeth… Elisabeth… Damn you, wretched child!”

“You are aware of the position you’re in, yes? The hour of your demise is upon you. Look upon me and know death incarnate.”

The girl named Elisabeth smiled sweetly.

At that moment, the Duke let out a shriek and shot into the air like a missile. His arm wings spun in a bizarrely delicate fashion, carrying him high above the ground.

When he reached the apex of his flight, the Duke opened his coffin lid. Stakes, the same kind that had been used as grave markers, shot out. As they landed, the stakes ripped up the ground and sent bones and coffins flying. But with minimal footwork, Elisabeth avoided the stakes and escaped unscathed.

She moved with the graceful steps of a dancer, seemingly able to predict the trajectory of every rock and pebble.

Her black hair fluttered as she tilted her head. A stake whizzed past and buried itself in the ground far behind her.

She returned her head to its original position and then shrugged.

“……Is that it?”

“ELISABEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETH!”

The Duke screamed, in fear that his power would be insufficient and out of humiliation from her mockery.

The arms that comprised his wings clawed at the air in anguish. They then swelled, extended, and rushed at Elisabeth like a fleshy, many-headed serpent. Embedded in their palms were countless open mouths, all scrabbling to consume her.

Elisabeth smiled and then moved her pale hand. Crimson flower petals and palpable darkness swirled together in the air.

She confidently plunged her hand into the swirling vortex and withdrew a long sword with a shining crimson blade.

“Executioner’s Sword of Frankenthal!”

Elisabeth’s voice rang out with the sword’s name. As she did, the runes etched onto its blade glowed.

You are free to act as you will. But pray that God shall be your salvation. For the beginning, the middle, and the end all lie in the palm of His hand.

She pointed the sword at the Duke. In accordance with her declaration, countless chains appeared out of thin air. They coalesced into a unified mass, almost resembling the form of a great snake, and then shot out at the Duke. They crashed into his wings, as though challenging them to a battle of strength. After a moment’s struggle, the chains pierced right through them.

Fingers, flesh, and a torrent of blood rained from the sky.

The Duke screamed and then truncated his wings in midair. Releasing a volley of stakes for cover, he frantically tried to use what remained of his wings to put distance between himself and his foe. But as she’d declared, Elisabeth had no intention of letting him get away.

She brought her glowing, crimson blade down as if performing an execution.

“Bull of Phalaris!”

In concert with her shout, the earth shook violently. A storm of darkness and flower petals whirled upon the hill’s peak.

Then a colossal brass bull appeared from within the dark gale, causing a tremor as it landed.

The bull’s mouth snapped open as it stood before the Duke. Like a fly getting swept up by a cow’s breath, the Duke was pulled inside. Simultaneously, crimson flower petals rained down upon the hill and set the grave markers ablaze.

The flames burned brilliantly as they began lapping at the bull’s golden torso.

As a result, the Duke within it began burning.

A wail of agony eerily resembling a cow’s moo bellowed from the mouth of the brazen bull. The screams, distorted by a special mechanism within the bull’s head, belonged to the Duke. They continued for some time, much like his victims’ screams that had once shaken the hill.

Elisabeth smiled upon hearing the Duke’s ragged pleas among his screams.

“IT’S HOT! IT’S SO HOOOT! HELP! SOMEONE SAVE ME! ELISABETH! NOT LIKE THIS! JUST KILL ME! PLEASE LET ME DIE! IT’S TOO HOOOT!”

“…Don’t be ridiculous, Duke. This is how torturers meet their ends. Those screams of yours are the perfect adornment for the death of a tyrant—and besides, why bother begging for your life? As if there were a chance I’d pay you the slightest heed—who exactly do you think I am?”

Playing the part of the calm, impartial executioner, Elisabeth rejected him without hesitation. As she waited for his fat to melt off, his flesh to burn, and his bones to glisten like jewels from the heat, she made her full introduction.

“I am the Torture Princess, Elisabeth Le Fanu. I am the proud wolf and the lowly sow.”

Perhaps the last of his sanity had burned away in the flames, because toward the end, his agony had given way to mirth.

The Duke’s loud laughter, amplified further by the Bull of Phalaris, eventually ceased.

Elisabeth then snapped her fingers, and the flames died down. The Bull of Phalaris, too, transformed into crimson flower petals and vanished. Out from the space it once occupied came a mass of black feathers, proof of the demon’s death.

The feathers burst into blue flames and then burned away into nothingness. Elisabeth closed her eyes. She turned to the sky—as if reflecting upon the deaths of the Duke and his victims—before speaking.

“Now then, it’s time for lunch!”

“Yes, ma’am! I’ve been standing by!”

“Wait, hold up. You’re giving me emotional whiplash.”

Elisabeth’s declaration elicited two responses: one cheerful and the other exasperated.

Suddenly, a silver-haired maid carrying a basket appeared from the foot of the hill. She wore an adorable maid’s cap and clutched the hem of her classic long skirt as she ran. Following behind her was a young man with grim eyes.

The skinny young man, Kaito Sena, wore an unflattering butler uniform. His faded brown hair matched his eyes, and he appeared dejected as he hurried to Elisabeth’s side, ravenous though she was.

He was a mere human—one who had died once already—yet he pledged his service to the Torture Princess, Elisabeth Le Fanu.

And there was a profound reason why he worked for her.

It all began back in another world. The world in which he was murdered.

Following a lifetime of abuse at the hands of his biological father, Kaito Sena’s life reached its end after a mere seventeen years and three months.

His death was as meaningless as that of a worm—a death most pitiful, most unseemly, most cruel, and most gruesome.

Ordinarily, there is no life after death. But because his soul was summoned to another world, Kaito received an opportunity. In truth, he had no desire to be brought back to life. Nevertheless, as soon as he was made flesh again, he was forced to serve an overbearing master.

This master was the very person who had summoned him: the Torture Princess, Elisabeth Le Fanu.

She had the pride of a wolf and was as low as a sow, a sinner ordered by the Church to butcher fourteen ranked demons and the people who had formed contracts with them. Once she was finished, she herself was destined to face execution. After being forcibly resurrected and experiencing a number of events, Kaito had made the choice to continue serving her.

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

He had made the choice to live a life that would bring about such a tale.

And as for the present day, Elisabeth’s demon hunt was proceeding smoothly.

“This is deeeeeeeeeeeelicious!”

Having taken large bites of her sandwich and stuffed her cheeks, Elisabeth cried out like a child.

Elisabeth’s favorite food was entrails, so the sandwich ingredients followed that trend.

Atop savory, toasted buns sat thickly cut foie gras sandwiched between fresh onion and tomato, all adorned with a red wine sauce. Slices of baguette became vehicles for heaps of liver pâté and figs drenched in honey and sprinkled with black pepper. The basket also featured various palate cleansers such as vegetable marinades and egg-based dishes, making its contents a veritable culinary flower garden.

Elisabeth was beaming, her expression absent of any of the cleverness or ruthlessness it bore just moments before. One could practically make out cat ears bobbing happily up and down atop her head.

The silver-haired maid beside her hoisted a bottle of white wine and flashed an elegant smile.

“As you are Master Kaito’s master, Lady Elisabeth, I feel blessed that my cooking suits your tastes.”

“Indeed, Hina, you are without peer in the culinary arts! Kaito may be unable to cook, as he appears to be committed to his uselessness, but activating you may be the one act I can actually praise him for!”

“Hey, I feel like I’ve been pulling my weight around here. I mean, I’ve been doing all sorts of things.”

“Ah, ’tis all in your imagination!”

“All in my imagination, huh? Is that right?”

With an expression that practically screamed fine, whatever, Kaito bit into his sandwich.

Due to his harsh upbringing, Kaito never had the privilege to pick and choose when it came to food. As long as it wasn’t tainted with laundry detergent or drugs, he could eat just about anything. But even though he typically didn’t care about what he ate, he found Hina’s cooking to be quite tasty. As he finished eating, the maid peered at him out the corner of her glittering emerald-green eyes.

“How was it, Master Kaito? Was it satisfactory?”

“Yeah, it was really good. Impressive as always, Hina. You being able to handle the cooking day in and day out is a huge load off my back.”

“Oh, oh, Master Kaito! Being constantly by your side and cooking for you every day… What a splendid coincidence, those are the things that bring me the most joy! I consider them to be my greatest victories!”

“What in the blazes are you two going on about?”

“Unfortunately, while I can’t speak for her, I’m not really saying much of anything.”

As he gave his answer, Kaito patted Hina’s head over her maid cap as she giggled, “Master Kaito, Master Kaito!” and smiled in delight. She looked to be on the verge of sprouting a puppy tail and wagging it back and forth.

Hina was an automaton that Kaito had activated. When she was first activated, Kaito had selected “lovers” as their relationship, and as a result, a roaring flame of passion had been sparked within her. However, according to Hina, her love for him was genuine, welling up from deep within her soul to surpass the framework it had been initially set in.

And her love for him had never once faltered.

As she giggled and hugged Kaito, Elisabeth sat beside them, nodding as she held a wineglass in one hand and polished off a second and third sandwich.

“Ahh, another demon exterminated and a splendid lunch to top it off! Ah, how wonderful it is, washing down rich foie gras with crisp white wine!”

“I made sure to prepare a dry wine thoroughly chilled with spirit ice today, ma’am!”

“Well…yeah, I’m with you. This isn’t half-bad.”

If not for the fact that we’re in a graveyard and the Duke just burned up here, that is, Kaito thought to himself.

Of all the venues they could have chosen for a picnic, the three of them chose to eat right atop the hill where the Bull of Phalaris had just disappeared.

True, they were sitting on the blanket Hina had laid out, but that didn’t change the fact that this was the very place where the Duke and his victims had died. However, Elisabeth simply scoffed at Kaito’s downcast expression.

“What are you on about? This land may be forbidden, but the less superstitious members of the townsfolk actually come here to relax quite often… Of course, as a result, they were the first to fall victim to the Duke… But my point stands. There is no disputing the excellence of this view nor how pleasant the wind feels. However, once we leave, the corruption will cause this place to be sealed off. True, this place has accumulated too much resentment, but it is a shame nonetheless.”

“I mean, you’re not wrong…”

“Having shed no tears, our prayers mean nothing. This is a funeral of sorts. Now drink, Kaito.”

“Whatever you say, boss. I guess you’re right, though. No tears I shed nor prayers I offer would mean anything at this point.”

“We have dessert today as well! All manner of fruit tarts! Lady Elisabeth, if you please.”

Hina retrieved a smaller basket and removed the lid. Elisabeth, eyes sparkling, began making her selection. Hina watched over her with a sisterly expression. Gazing at their intimate exchange, Kaito let out a small sigh.

Then he looked up at the pale-blue sky. Twisted as their circumstances were, at the moment, things were peaceful. Everything was going smoothly. The day-to-day life he’d longed for was safe—and that was precisely why a bitter sense of anxiety gnawed at his chest.

That’s right—things are going too smoothly.

Vlad Le Fanu had been contractor to the Kaiser, the greatest of the fourteen demons.

After she’d defeated him, her fated opponent, Elisabeth’s demon hunt had proceeded without a hitch.

A few days ago, she’d defeated the Grand Governor, a foe even weaker than the Duke. While getting to the battle had been a bit of a struggle, it could be said that the fight itself was completely one-sided.

In this world, fourteen ranked demons—the Knight, the Governor, the Grand Governor, the Earl, the Grand Earl, the Duke, the Grand Duke, the Marquis, the Grand Marquis, the Monarch, the Grand Monarch, the King, the Grand King, and the Kaiser—had descended to the earth by forming contracts with humans. Upon fusing with their contractors, they would twist their bodies into grotesque forms in exchange for granting them immense power.

Demons derived their strength from the lamentations of God’s creations, in particular the suffering of humans. Because of this, demons and their underlings had brought harm to people all across the land.

The higher the rank, the stronger the demon. The lowest ranked, the Knight, could handily rout any army other than paladins specially equipped by the Church. The highest ranked, the Kaiser, was unmatched by any human in the world.

Aside from one woman, one who accumulated pain from her entire fiefdom in order to wield demonic power surpassing that of the demons themselves—Elisabeth Le Fanu, the Torture Princess—that is.

A few days ago, she had defeated the Kaiser, an opponent with whom she possessed a deep connection.

Having defeated her strongest foe, it was possible that none of the rest would pose a challenge for Elisabeth. But that was problematic for Kaito.

After subjugating the fourteen ranked demons, the Torture Princess was to be executed for slaughtering her subjects and countless other innocents. In a sense, every step she took toward completing her mission was like another step up toward the gallows. And as her servant, Kaito was slated to receive an inquisition before following her down the same path.

He’d taken all that into account when he’d chosen to continue serving her. However, he’d just as soon not rush up those steps. He spoke gravely, his voice echoing with the weight of his unease.

“Hey, Elisabeth?”

“What do you want, Kaito? This pomegranate tart is mine, I’ll have you know. Hmm? That face you’re making… What an incorrigible fellow you are. Fine then, I shall grant you a single bite. Watch yourself, though. Should you do the unthinkable and take too large a bite, you shan’t escape with a mere flogging. I would have no choice but to summon a cat-o’-nine-tails, and—”

“That’s not what I’m after. Trust me, it’s all yours. Anyway, you beat the Kaiser, right?”

“Indeed, I did. Hu-hu-hu-hu, and what a weak fellow that Vlad turned out to be. Hu-hu-hu-hu-hu.”

“Please stop laughing like that. You’re freaking me out. But anyway, you beat the Kaiser, who should more or less be the strongest of the bunch… Doesn’t that mean the rest of them aren’t going to be a match for you? At this rate, the demon hunt will be over like—”

“Fool. That line of thinking is carelessness.”

Elisabeth bit into her tart, her response as sharp as a blade.

Her mischievous, innocent expression from a moment ago had vanished without a trace. What replaced it was the stern face of a seasoned warrior. Kaito’s eyes widened.

She licked her crimson lips, instantly blowing away the relaxed atmosphere as she went on.

“Vlad had been shackled by the Church, and on top of that, he hadn’t fused with the Kaiser. If you recall, Hina and I were no match for the Kaiser himself, top-ranked demon and superlative hound that he was; we obtained victory when I was summoned to Vlad’s location so I could kill him directly. Had he and the Kaiser unified as one, we would likely have had no way of surpassing him.”

“Really?”

“Vlad more or less perished in service to his sense of aesthetic. After all, he was the sort of man who would rather die than abandon his pride… But while the Kaiser vanished due to losing his catalyst, Vlad, we have no reason to expect such favorable results from the rest. While I doubt any other demon’s strength is on par with the Kaiser’s… In particular, I lack any sort of information on the Grand King.”

“The Grand King?”

“The next highest ranked, after the Kaiser. Its contractor trusted Vlad and none other. Acting as Vlad’s daughter, I was made to attend a number of the demons’ gatherings, but I met them not once… The more I consider it, the more questions this foe raises. ’Tis a situation I’d just as soon not be in.”

Elisabeth muttered to herself as she bit into the next tart. Berry jam oozed out of it, staining her lips red. She licked voraciously at her pale fingertips, deep in thought, and then turned to look at Kaito.

“Hmm? Are you not going to eat that?”

“Huh? Oh. No, knock yourself out.”

“Mm. No matter the battle, information is essential… This crust is truly excellent… And there is merit to doing our research beforehand… The sweetness and sourness are perfectly balanced… If only we had some data… ’Tis exquisite how the cream just melts in your mouth… Upon second thought, it would have been prudent to do the searching earlier.”

“Um…I think your food critique and your train of thought are getting mixed up.”

“It’s decided. We’ll set off as soon as I am done eating.”

Tossing a morsel topped high with custard cream into her mouth, Elisabeth declared her intentions. Hina, having just cleaned up the glasses, cocked her head to the side. Beside her, Kaito raised a hand to ask a question.

“When you say ‘set off,’ where exactly are we going?”

“That should be obvious. The Grand King had but one acquaintance: Vlad. So we will go to his castle. Given his personality, he likely filled the castle with things from his secret storehouse in order to make it more livable after he fled from the Church and returned to my hometown.”

Kaito thought back to the events of a few months prior.

Back at Vlad’s castle, deep in Elisabeth’s hometown, the two of them had fought tooth and nail against Vlad. Even now, with the fight over, the castle and its surrounding ghost town were firmly blockaded.

Elisabeth grabbed the final tart as she stood.

“There may yet be precious information left there.”

Her proclamation was punctuated by a bite of grape tart.

In one sense, Elisabeth’s prediction had turned out to be correct, yet in another, it had turned out to be completely off the mark.

“Grr, damn you, Vlad, damn you!”

“Welp… Can’t say I didn’t see this coming.”

It was true that Vlad had brought a number of things with him to the castle. However, they had predominantly been furniture for decorating Elisabeth’s childhood bedroom, cookware, curios, and the like. While there were also magical trinkets and tools for creating automatons, there was nothing that seemed like it would offer a connection to his demonic comrades.

As Elisabeth violently rummaged through the desk in Vlad’s room, Kaito looked through the jewelry cabinet.

As he gazed at its luxurious contents, he thought to himself with a bit of dejection. Well, y’know… He didn’t really seem like the type to be super-invested in his comrades.

Behind Kaito, already willing to call it a day, Elisabeth was pulling tomes—recipe books, by the looks—off the shelf and hurling them to the floor.

“Damn that man! Making light of me to the bitter end, I see! He disgraces the name of commander of the demons, bringing nothing with him but goods to support his lavish lifestyle!”

“Man, it really does feel that way, doesn’t it?”

“I’d known that the Church had rounded up all the automatons, but every other magical good is fixed such that only he could use them!”

“Hey, is it possible he was just being careful not to leave behind anything that was related to the other demons?”

“Ha! As if he was a man who would spare a thought for such considerations. No doubt he simply ignored those who did not spark his intere— Bwah!”

As she complained, Elisabeth pulled hard on the handle to one of the desk’s drawers. When she did, a black piece of cloth shot out from within and wrapped itself around her head.

“Wh-what is this? Gah!”

Elisabeth collapsed into a black lump. But based on how energetically she was rolling about, it didn’t seem like she was in any immediate danger. Hina abandoned her investigation of the bed and made her way over to Elisabeth to try and extricate her.

“Are you all right, Lady Elisabeth? Hmm, no, it doesn’t appear that way. I’m going to pull you out now, so please be patient. Hrgh!”

“Wh—grff… Hina… Hold it, that hurts, be gentler, geh!”

“Hey, take it easy, you two.”

After calling out to them half-heartedly, Kaito returned to his task. He brushed a golden chess piece to the side as he returned an intricate bee-wing brooch to where he’d found it.

All this stuff looks like it’d fetch a pretty high price, but I guess that’s about all it’s good for…huh?

Kaito’s hand stopped in its tracks, and he squinted. Amid the jewels sat an ornate black box. For whatever reason, it caught his attention, and he reached out for it. But when he opened it, he found the deep velvet interior was empty.

…Was it just my imagination?

He began to close the lid. Right when he was about to, blue letters floated into the air.

For my dear successor.

“…What?”

He was sure that the box had been empty, but now it appeared to house a transparent stone of unknown material. Opalescent lights dappled across its surface, and a blue rosebud sat sealed within it. Black feathers fell like snow around its tightly closed petals. It was like a little magical snow globe.

“…Wait, is this…?”

Kaito thought back to when he’d seen Vlad use magic. In contrast to Elisabeth, Vlad’s magic had employed blue roses. Furthermore, black feathers were the symbol of demons.

Kaito extended his hand and nervously grabbed hold of the stone. A familiar warmth spread across his palm.

He frowned. The warmth was akin to that of a small flame, yet seemed somehow alive, just like a soul squirming within a golem.

“Elisa—”

As he was about to call out to her, Kaito closed his mouth. After hesitating a few moments, he wrapped the stone in a handkerchief and slipped it into his pocket. Then, as if nothing had happened, he turned back around.

“It’s all right, Lady Elisabeth, just a little more and I’ll have you out. Hrgh!”

“No, no, wait, if you pull on that bit, you’re likely to take my head with it, hey, Hina, for the love of—”

A great tragedy threatened to rear its ugly head. Frantic, Kaito ran over to prevent it.

He placed a hand on Hina’s shoulder to get her to back off a bit and then called out to the writhing mass.

“Hey, Elisabeth, you still alive in there?”

“Just what do you think you’re doing? Hurry up and save me, Kaito! A bit longer like this and I may die!”

“Seriously? Well, that doesn’t sound good.”

Kaito carefully untangled the bits of cloth caught on the ornaments adorning Elisabeth’s arms. Hina cleared her throat in apology and then pulled once more with strength unbefitting her thin arms.

“Hrgh! How did I do that time, Lady Elisabeth?”

“Huff, huff… Good…good work, Hina! Now, with this opening…”

Elisabeth successfully rolled out from within the cloth, crawling across the floor on all fours. Seemingly unaware of the seductive way she was arching her back, she shook her head, causing her beautiful black hair to tumble out of place as she yelled.

“Vlaaaaaad! That infernal device was a tool designed to train pets not to eat outside of mealtime! That wretched man, he must have expected me to open that drawer without permission and set it up in order to harass me… Enough of this; we’re leaving! There’s nothing of use to be found here!”

Finally reaching her boiling point, Elisabeth stood up and stormed off. But upon reaching the entrance, she suddenly stopped and turned to face the wall on her left.

“Wait—come to think of it, perhaps there is something here that we can make use of.”

Abruptly, she grabbed a decorative sword off the wall. Its blade was needle thin and surrounded by a beautiful spiral of melted ruby. Who knows how it was crafted.

It didn’t appear to be suited for actual combat. As Kaito reached that conclusion, Elisabeth swung the sword and whispered:

“—La (burn).”

With a noise like water evaporating, the rubies transformed into flames. The flames flickered and gave off heat, as though someone had breathed life into them.

Elisabeth flourished the burning sword and offered the grip to Kaito.

When he gingerly accepted it, the flames immediately froze and returned to their ruby state.

“Whoa, what’s up with that…? That’s kinda cool. What’s the deal?”

As Kaito poked at it, Elisabeth’s expression became deadly serious.

“Kaito, have you any desire to learn magic?”

“Wait, magic? What are you talking about? C’mon, I can’t use magic.”

“Cast away your doubt. As my puppet, my mana-rich blood flows through you. And did Vlad not ask you to become his successor?”

Losing his voice for a moment after thinking back to that time, Kaito nodded. Elisabeth extended a pale arm and touched his chest. She tapped above his heart with a polished black nail.

“For a madman, Vlad was quite rational. His thoughts may have been warped, but his judgment was sound. From the moment he met you, no doubt he realized how high your affinity for demonic energy was… While I have no intention of feeding you demon flesh, there should be merit in having you learn the foundations of magic. Not that you’ll be able to freely draw out the mana in my blood, that is. But you should be capable as far as rudimentary dark magic goes.”

Elisabeth bobbed her head up and down. Kaito pressed a hand against his heart.

It was true that Elisabeth’s blood was coursing through his body. The matter of whether or not he could use it aside, as far as latent magical energy went, the amount he possessed was far above that of the average person.

“Even with Hina by your side, you yourself are as powerless as always. Now, give me your arm.”

“My arm? Here.”

“This will sting.”

Speaking briefly, she ran her finger across it. Crimson flower petals gathered and then stabbed deep into Kaito’s palm.

At the same time, a figure appeared behind Elisabeth with blinding speed. She calmly raised her hands.

“Come now, Hina; pain is a necessary ingredient in dark magic. I’ll have to ask you to overlook this much.”

“…In the future, I ask that you please obtain his permission in advance. I hold deep affection for you, Lady Elisabeth, but should you harm my dearest beloved, I will kill you without hesitation. Please bear that in mind.”

Murmuring in a low voice, Hina withdrew the knife she’d reflexively pressed against the nape of Elisabeth’s throat.

Elisabeth shrugged, took the sword from Kaito, and then once more offered him its handle.

“Now then, the first lesson. Take this with your wounded hand and then use the blood as a medium to activate the magic within the sword. ’Tis the same technique as when you circulated mana through the summoning circle carved on your chest.”

“All right, I’ll give it a shot.”

Kaito obediently took the handle from her. Its rough ornamentation caused his wound to throb. But after the years of torturous abuse he’d endured, that degree of pain hardly even registered to him.

The same technique as when I circulated mana through the summoning circle, huh? Do I need to use more blood or something?

He gripped the handle even tighter, intentionally hastening his bleeding. Red droplets welled up from his palm.

He thought back to the sensation he’d felt when his wounds had been so full of mana that they’d felt like they were burning, and fortunately, his experiences in life had left him with the special talent of being unable to forget any information that was accompanied by pain. Using Elisabeth’s blood within him as the catalyst, he imagined the sensation of burning and whispered:

“—La (burn).”

Immediately, the rubies became dancing flames.

“I knew you could do it, Master Kaito!”

“Oh-ho, quite the show for your first time! You’re rather quick on the uptake!”

The two commended him. As he responded to their praise, he turned his attention to the stone in his pocket. The moment he’d understood how to activate magical devices, it had pulsed, as if to entice him.

If I’m right, then I’ve got a pretty good idea of what this is.

“Well, even for a first lesson, that was just the beginning of the beginning. From here, Hell awaits you. There’s no point dillydallying. Once you’ve pilfered anything that looks useful from here, we’ll return to the castle and begin your special training!”

“I mean, I’m definitely down to learn how to fight back against the demons. But I’d appreciate it if you could take it easy on me.”

“Oh, that would be unthinkable!”

“When you say ‘unthinkable’…”

After healing the wound on Kaito’s hand, Elisabeth strode gallantly into the hallway. Hina and Kaito followed after her.

The three of them made a pass through the other rooms, collected various tools and weapons, and then left through the castle gate.

They passed through the town littered with human bones as they made their way to the location where the teleportation circle was linked. Elisabeth clicked her heels atop the cobble pavement, and the crimson magic circle rose up once more. Red flower petals scattered through the air and formed a wall surrounding the three of them. The petals melted together as they swirled, transforming into blood.

When the cylindrical curtain of blood fell, the three of them had vanished from the town.

They’d safely made their way to the basement of Elisabeth’s castle, where the teleportation circle was affixed.

After traveling through corridors reeking of must and echoing with a sound resembling moaning, the three of them ascended the stairs to the castle proper.

“Shall we break for some tea? I believe there are a few tarts that have eluded my grasp.”

As she spoke, Elisabeth opened the door to the dining hall.

The chandelier within let out a loud creak.

A chain was wrapped around it, a familiar individual hanging from it by his neck.

“Wh—?!”

The dark figure swayed back and forth, letting out cacophonous creaking each time.

Simply hanging there, the person looked almost like an ornament added to the chandelier. The chain glittered, wrapped around and around the figure’s silver arms and biting deep into the neck.

The bones in that neck had snapped at a queer angle. There was no way this person could still be alive.

As Kaito and Elisabeth looked up at the tragic corpse, they both cried out.

““Butcher!””

The one who had been killed was the Butcher, a beastfolk merchant who would come to Elisabeth’s castle to sell her meat. His entire body was wrapped up in the tattered black cloak he constantly wore.

They couldn’t make out his face, concealed as it always was by the shade of his hood. But even without seeing his expression, it was evident he was dead from the cruel shape his neck was contorted in.

Clasping her hand over her mouth, Hina murmured in shock.

“…Mr. Butcher? Why did this happen?”

“I have no idea… Man, what even happened here?”

Kaito shook his head. Why had he been killed? Who was responsible?

As the tension caused the three of them to cringe, the Butcher’s corpse made a lazy revolution. He then called out in an energetic voice, as if responding to the doubts the situation had brought about.

“My friends, there is an enemy! An enemy is afoot!”

“The corpse spoke!”

“That’s impossible!”

“His spirit must be restless!”

“Hmm, none of you seem particularly thrilled by the fact that I’m still alive. I feel oh so very loved at the moment.”

The Butcher, still strung up, shook his body from side to side in protest. The magnificent chandelier creaked ominously as he waved the scaly arms peeking out from the bottom end of his cloak.

“…An arm? Wait, is that chain digging into your tail and not your neck?”

“Keen eye! While I may be upside down, I yet live! Just as the enemy was stringing me up, I inverted my body within my cloak! Then they left, not realizing they had hung me by my tail! My, my, that could have gone quite poorly for me.”

“Wait, that doesn’t sound possible; that’s like a magic trick or something.”

“If I wish to call myself the Butcher, surely I should be able to do that much.”

“You’re blowing my mind here, man.”

The two of them exchanged laughs, glad that he had survived.

Then Elisabeth suddenly tilted her head to the side.

“Hold it, Butcher. You spoke of an enemy. Who was it that hung you up within my castle?”

“Ah, that I did! Madam Elisabeth, an enemy is attacking! Although as the Butcher, I must confess that I don’t much care for your fight against the demons one way or the other; as a matter of fact, it doesn’t hold my interest in the slightest. However—”

“With an attitude like that, death shall come knocking at your door sooner rather than later.”

“—However, should I encounter one myself, then the story changes considerably! A demon came to this very castle! And he emitted a rather malevolent aura at that! He said that he planned to string me up to announce his arrival and then await your return in another room… Hey, wait—please get me down before you go running offfff!”

As the Butcher shouted from behind them, Elisabeth and the rest returned to the corridor. She proceeded across the premises with wide strides.

Kaito called out from behind her.

“Do you know where the demon is?”

“Ha! Invading the castle of the Torture Princess is the act of an audacious fool. ’Tis but one place someone like that would choose—as the saying goes, impossible heights are coveted by smoke and the foolhardy alike.”

Spitting out her declaration, Elisabeth ran down the path lit by the stained-glass clerestory windows.

After making her way up the spiral stairs leading to the throne room, she threw open the massive double doors.

A gust of wind rushed out to meet her. The throne room was adorned with antique tapestries and an extravagant throne, giving it a dignified air. But ever since one of the Knight’s beasts had attacked, there was a wall that had been completely destroyed.

And out of either laziness or stubbornness, Elisabeth had neglected to repair it.

There was someone sitting upon the throne, the pale-blue sky that peeked through the hole serving as a backdrop.

The person was a handsome young man with rosy cheeks and shoulder-length blond hair. His slender, feminine legs extended out from his short trousers and swayed from side to side as he played with a piece of fruit that he’d brought to the side table.

“And down the hatch…huh?”

He’d just cut the pomegranate in half, and his mouth was wide open. Then his amber eyes caught sight of Elisabeth.

Without even a hint of mercy, she called out.

“Pendulum!”

Crimson flower petals and darkness swirled in the middle of the ceiling. An enormous blade hanging from a chain dropped from it and let out a heavy-sounding noise as it froze in the air. It then swung in a wide arc, the glistening blade rapidly accelerating before it smashed the throne into tiny pieces. But when the dust settled, the boy’s corpse was nowhere to be found among the wreckage.

Unnoticed, he’d somehow made his way over to the wall. The blade corrected its trajectory and then sped toward the boy’s new location. But right before it could slice through him, he vanished a second time.

Elisabeth and company suddenly found themselves face-to-face with him.

“…Wh—?!”

Kaito gasped. But Elisabeth seemed to have anticipated this development.

She licked her lips and then raised her arm once more. As she did, the boy dropped to one knee so quickly that it seemed like the bones in his foot must have snapped. He knelt, making no effort to defend himself. It became evident that an unbecoming scarlet shawl was draped around his neck, as if to cover his nape.

Elisabeth raised an eyebrow at her foe’s unexpected action.

“What are you playing at, Governor?”

“It’s been some time, Ms. Elisabeth Le Fanu, beloved and over-perfect daughter of Mr. Vlad. While I harbor no shortage of animosity toward you, as you can see, I have no desire to do battle with you. I have come today to invite you to my manor, O Torture Princess.”

“What?”

“Here is your formal invitation, with a present to accompany it. P-please, please accept it.”

The Governor pulled an envelope and a paper box tied up with a ribbon out of thin air and then proffered them to Elisabeth with a trembling hand. After she confirmed there was no sort of magical trap afoot, she frowned and took them from him.

Then the Governor suddenly rose, his strange movements evoking the sense of a cord being yanked up.

His features contorted in a soft, strange manner as he gave an awkward, clownish bow.

“P-p-please do come—I’ve been e-e-eagerly anticipating your arrival.”

Without warning, he leaned all the way to the side. His smile the very picture of artificiality, he fell onto the floor and was swallowed up.

Elisabeth snapped her fingers, returning the pendulum to flower petals before crossing her arms.

“The Governor is the next weakest after the Knight, but there was something clearly off about him.”

“Oh yeah, for sure. I thought so as well. What’s up with the box?”

“Its contents appear to be…baked goods. Careful now—make sure not to touch them.”

Within the box was a row of brightly colored cookies. They were plastered with jam and looked quite tasty indeed. But in tune with her harsh voice, Elisabeth snapped her fingers.

The well-made cookies burst into flame in midair and then burned to ash.

“Among all the demons, he was the one who expended the most effort sucking up to Vlad. I know his ability. His is a power suited for assassination—the talent to turn any food he touches into poison or narcotics… Consequently, I expected him to stay hidden and out of my reach for as long as he could.”

“But wait, didn’t he just come to the castle, invitation in hand?”

“Aye, that he did. Why invite me, though? And when did he become so well versed in using teleportation circles?”

Her gaze fell to the invitation. Bluish-green runes flickered across its surface. No doubt they could be used to allow Elisabeth’s teleportation circle to connect directly to the Governor’s manor.

Kaito joined Elisabeth in frowning.

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Indeed, it doesn’t. But I do not intend to fall for his trap. Something lurks beyond it, something we need to verify soon. ’Tis naught but my intuition, though, simply the feeling I’m getting.”

Kaito and Hina both nodded in assent. They needed to find out who was pulling the Governor’s strings. Even though he’d agreed, an ominous feeling swirled up in Kaito’s chest.

I dunno why, but I don’t like how this is playing out.

He clicked his tongue in irritation. As he did, Hina pressed her hand to her mouth and gasped.

“If I may, before we set off, we really ought to let down the Butcher.”

““Oops,”” Kaito and Elisabeth said simultaneously.

Now that she mentioned it, they’d both completely forgotten about him.

When the three of them returned to the dining hall, they found the Butcher swinging back and forth and back and forth and back and forth.

Clearly desperate, he seemed to be trying to bring down the entire chandelier.

“Hold it, Butcher. Don’t go breaking other people’s chandeliers now.”

“Come now—was it not inhumane to run off and abandon me? Was it not unjust? And to say nothing of getting me wrapped up in a fight I had nothing to do with. Madam, I must protest! Even if I should rot away to nothing, the second and third Butchers shall—”

“My apologies. Wait just one moment, and I shall have you freed. Hina.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Hina, having already fetched her halberd, flew up from the floor. Leaping into the air, she struck the chain.

Her sharp attack severed it in a single blow. His tail freed, the Butcher collapsed onto the floor.

Upon landing, he quickly retracted his arms and tail into his cloak like a turtle. Nimbly squirming within it, he righted his clothes without his face ever becoming visible.

He stood, raising his arms in celebration, and then looked quizzically at the other three.

“Hmm? You all look so tense… And Ms. Maid already had her weapon on hand… Are the three of you off to somewhere dangerous?”

“Yeah, we’re heading for the manor of the demon who strung you up.”

“Oh my. If that is the case, Mr. Dim-Witted Servant, then do take care.”

The Butcher’s voice was unusually docile. Kaito met his gaze and silently asked what the matter was.

The Butcher drew his face close to Kaito’s and then whispered in a serious tone.

“It may seem a trivial matter, but…the intruder had a peculiar smell about him. The smell of foul meat.”

The Butcher spoke of how the scent gave him unpleasant premonitions.

Kaito couldn’t help but agree.

When Elisabeth placed the invitation on her teleportation circle, it dissolved in a swirl of blood. The blue runes alone remained, drifting alongside the sanguine lines.

Elisabeth, Hina, and Kaito stood upon it. When they did, the circle turned blue and began spinning rapidly. Azure flower petals surrounded them. They melted together into cylindrical walls and then transformed into black feathers. The feathers shot up into the air and began vanishing.

“Listen, don’t let your guards down. We’ll be in constant danger from the moment we arrive.”

“Got it.”

“Understood, ma’am.”

The black curtain disappeared, and as it did, loud laughter rang out.

Kaito and the others found themselves in a grand entrance hall, no doubt belonging to the Governor’s manor.

A banquet was spread out before them.

“…What?”

The hall was filled to the brim with round tables, each one overflowing with food. A whole-roasted suckling pig sat atop the elaborate mantelpiece, and antique busts were being used as platters to hold pies. Corks shot through the air like bullets, and people were drinking wine and beer straight out of bottles and casks.

A beautiful lady made vulgar noises as she used sausages to scrape up what appeared to be a rich red tomato sauce. Beside her, a young man who looked like a farmhand was stuffing his cheeks with scarlet cakes. Many of the attendants were vomiting from overeating. The floor was covered with red sauces, half-digested food, and vomit, and people had trampled all the detritus down to a sticky paste.

The naked revelry was truly chaotic.

Vivid colors spread out before the three of them, with noxious aromas assaulting their nostrils and lively music beating in their ears. The clanging of silverware rang out to accompany this, as did a sound that resembled a herd of pigs chewing on scraps.

“What is this place?”

Looking out over the magnificent, hideous banquet, Kaito was taken aback. Beside him, Elisabeth silently surveyed the surroundings. Hina stepped forward to cover Kaito and then murmured softly.

“…Lady Elisabeth, this smell…”

“I’m well aware. There’s little need for us all to say it aloud.”

Suddenly, a kindly old woman and a young girl carrying a silver tray emerged from the banquet. Their mouths, stained red, broke out into friendly smiles.

The girl lifted the lid of her tray, revealing the potherb-decorated roast hare beneath it. The hare’s back was drizzled with red sauce as well.

The old woman’s eyes were out of focus, but she spoke kindly as she kneaded her hands.

“My, my, it appears we’ve received three more guests. Welcome to the Lord Governor’s banquet. Ever since we were invited here, we’ve been able to spend countless days feasting on splendid foods, cut off from the suffering of the world. Let’s all continue this magnificent feast together. Come now—eat to your heart’s content!”

She doesn’t seem like an underling. She just seems like an ordinary person.

All the people here drinking and partying, including the demi-humans and beastfolk among their ranks, had apparently come on the Governor’s invitation. The Governor had the power to turn food into poison and narcotics, but for the moment, none of the guests looked to be suffering from any fatal abnormalities. Though the food was likely addictive, that was all.

While pondering how to approach the situation, Kaito’s thoughts were cut off.

“La Guillotine, Saint of Beheadings.”

Elisabeth spoke in a low voice. Darkness and crimson flower petals materialized in response.

A white figure rushed past them and landed with a gong. The beautiful maiden raised its head.

The doll who’d been called a saint resembled the Iron Maiden yet gave off a decidedly different impression.

The saint wore a plain white dress, and its thick, straight silver hair draped down as it closed its eyes as if in prayer. Unlike the showy Iron Maiden, La Guillotine seemed to combine the fastidiousness and tidiness of a nun.

Elisabeth clicked her heels. The saint crossed its pale arms in front of its chest and then spread them out.

With a sharp noise, a pair of rectangular blades slid out of its arms. They swung wide across the hall, gently caressing the necks of all the people within, and then buried themselves in the far wall.

Blood sprayed everywhere as the people’s heads fell from their shoulders.

“…Wh—?”

Kaito was dumbstruck.

As it stood in the middle of the shower of blood, there was no change in the saint’s expression. It crossed its arms once more and then spread them out again.

As the heads rolled, the noise of the instrument someone had been playing stopped as well. The young girl’s head lay beside the fallen roast hare. The old woman’s head slid from her wrinkled neck and then plopped down onto the ground.

Elisabeth prepared to mercilessly click her heels a second time.

Returning to his senses, Kaito grabbed her shoulder tight.

“Elisabeth, cut it out! They’re just ordinary people!”

“Indeed, and when ordinary people find themselves invited to a demon’s banquet, what do you think becomes of them?”

“What are you talking—?”

“Look at what they were eating. Look closely.”

Spurred on by Elisabeth’s calm remark, Kaito ran his gaze across the round tables and then found himself at a loss for words.

Even under the rancid downpour of blood, the banquet’s guests were still gorging themselves. A plump man was shoving muffins into his mouth. He chewed on them with pleasure and then pressed down on his stomach after swallowing.

“Rgh… Ah, ah… Gah, gah, arrrrrrrrrgh!”

His eyes wide and blood and phlegm streaming from his nose, the man regurgitated a sickening substance.

Red vomit poured down upon the food.

Kaito had finally ascertained the true identity of the red sauce.

“…’Tis their own dissolved organs.”

Without hesitation, Elisabeth voiced the conclusion he’d just reached.

Racked with agony, the banquet’s guests vomited up their own organs, which had been dissolved by the powerful poison in the food. However, unable to resist the addictive nature of the demon’s feast, they continued gorging on the food along with their own ruined entrails.

The banquet laid out before them was Hell masquerading as Heaven.

“’Tis too late to treat any of them. The poison itself is incurable. Death is a mercy.”

Elisabeth made her declaration and then clicked her heels.

The Saint of Beheadings obeyed the Torture Princess’s cold command and swung its arms.

The heads of all in attendance went flying. The spray of blood painted the ceiling a vivid shade of red.

A number of heads rolled across the ground like fruits, and the headless corpses collapsed.

Though Kaito desperately wanted to beg Elisabeth to stop, he restrained himself. As if in consideration for his feelings, Hina gently touched his arm.

Elisabeth returned the saint to petals and then strode forth among the corpses.

“Cease your dawdling. We need to seek out the Governor.”

“Yeah, I know. We gotta find him—find him so we can kill him.”

His voice thick with rage, Kaito followed after Elisabeth. The banquet now over, none raised a voice to stop them.

In order to kill the Governor, the three of them began making their rounds through the manor.

It didn’t take long for them to realize that although the Governor ranked low among the fourteen, his deeds were no less horrifying. The Hell he had created didn’t end at the entrance hall but continued on throughout the manor.

“This is messed up. I had no idea that it was gonna be this bad.”

After confirming the situation within, that was all Kaito could say.

In the dining hall, people covered in the Governor’s spices were eating one another, all of them on the verge of death. The kitchen featured a man afflicted by poison, dead after cutting open his own chest and slurping at his innards in search of food. Down in the dungeon, a young mother had committed suicide after leaving a note detailing how she’d eaten her own baby. A young girl was slumped over a couch, her organs shredded after she’d eaten pastries filled with nails. And the courtyard’s pool was filled with the bodies of children who had drowned in a sea of cake and suffocated.

As they made their way up the main stairs to the second floor, Elisabeth responded.

“The Governor is looked down upon as the weakest of the demons, his power even less suited for combat than the Knight’s. He takes his frustration out on humans and schemes to gather their pain in order to grow stronger… He’s akin to a child who tries to grow taller by taking in nutrients.”

“That’s all kinds of screwed up.”

“From the bottom of my heart, I agree with Master Kaito.”

Hearing Hina’s words, Kaito nodded mutely.

His rage had been so overwhelming that he’d achieved a strange calm. He searched for the Governor in absolute silence. But while every turn revealed a new victim, the most important young man was nowhere to be seen.

After going out of his way to give the Torture Princess an invitation, the Governor had vanished.

Where…where is he? Huh?

As he walked across the second-story cloister surrounding the entrance hall, Kaito scrunched up his face.

He smelled something rotten.

The hallway was filled with the fragrance of food, but the difference in that stench was conspicuous. The rest of the rooms and hallways on the second floor had the sweet smell of pastries and the savory scent of meat to cover up the stink of the corpses. But the smell drifting from the corner room on the second floor alone refused to be covered up.

Just before, Kaito and the others had confirmed where the smell was coming from as they made their rounds.

There was a single room on the second floor blanketed in the stench of decaying flesh.

Elisabeth had declared that it was most likely storing food designated for people with repulsive tastes. However, the room’s existence tugged at Kaito’s mind. His rage-enhanced mind selected freely from its available information, and the Butcher’s words floated to the surface of his thoughts.

“He had a peculiar smell about him. The smell of foul meat.”

“…The smell of foul meat.”

As he parroted the words, Kaito broke into a run. Not pausing to tell the others where he was going, he rounded one of the cloister’s corners and made for a section of the floor, a room that wasn’t connected to any other hallway. Like a faithful hound, Hina followed warily behind him. However, sensing that Kaito had thought of something, she said nothing.

When he opened the door, a putrid stench poured out into the hallway.

“Good God, this room!”

Kaito stood in the entryway of a lavish bedroom.

At its center, a massive heap of decaying meat was sinking into the canopy bed.

The sheets were stained a dark red and had been hardened stiff by the rotting fat, and the soiled room showed no signs of life. The window shutters were closed tight. But Kaito squinted as he took in the room’s odd atmosphere.

Looking closer, he could see that the top of the mass of half-melted flesh was moving up and down. The lump of meat was breathing. Beneath its transparent surface, stagnant blood could be seen pumping through its veins.

Kaito took a step back in horror.

The mass of rotting meat…was alive.

“Foul…meat… Which means that’s…”

“Master Kaito, what’s gotten into you? What is this room?”

“What do you think you’re doing? This room had naught but rotting meat in it.”

Elisabeth had caught up with them. In response to their questions, Kaito shook his head.

Pointing at the hideous mass of flesh in front of them, he answered in a low groan.

“…That’s the Governor.”

“What?”

“That pile of rotting meat—it’s the Governor!”

Elisabeth pushed Kaito aside as she dashed forward. As Hina ushered him farther back, Elisabeth stabbed the mass with her finger. Her black fingernail dug deep in the flesh.

The mass quivered a little but offered no other reaction. Elisabeth pulled her finger free.

As she fiddled with the dark blood dripping from the wound with her finger, Elisabeth spoke in a puzzled voice.

“’Tis true; this thing certainly has demonic power running through it.”

“So it really is him?”

“Indeed… But the question then becomes why? When he visited the castle just now, he appeared as a hale young man, taking on a human form as contractors to demons are wont to do. Only when they release their power do they reveal their true, hideous forms.”

“Is that what that mass of flesh is?”

“Nay, it’s precisely because that isn’t the case that the situation is so odd… I’ve seen the Governor’s true form before. ’Tis a gray titan. Hideous as it is, it’s no mass of flesh… Is this the remains of the titan crushing in on itself? Its power is running wild… Perhaps the result of being unable to maintain its ego? What on earth happened here?”

Elisabeth crossed her arms, deep in thought.

Suddenly, the mass stirred.

Something that had been stuck to its skin fell off the bit resembling the nape of its neck. While it was discolored from the putrefaction fluids, it was still recognizable as the scarlet shawl that had been wrapped around the nape of his neck.

Beneath where the stained cloth had peeled off from, something silver glistened.

A decorative needle modeled after a brain was stuck deep in the nape of the Governor’s neck.

“That needle…”

As Elisabeth murmured, the heap of rotting flesh began loudly breaking apart.

The noise it made was horrible, and as it crumbled, the rotting meat—the Governor—opened its eyes.

He looked up at Elisabeth, his eyes like those of a dead fish, and then opened his huge mouth wide and let out a monstrous roar. As he did, his remaining teeth tumbled out.

Elisabeth snapped her fingers. Iron stakes appeared and then whizzed through the air toward the Governor’s open mouth. Beside them, something dark and red slipped out from within the mass of flesh.

Hina, not letting her guard down for a moment, quickly brandished the ax end of her halberd. Then she spoke.

“…What?”

It was something nobody could have expected.

It was the Governor’s heart.

Elisabeth’s stakes were unerring in their aim, and they impaled the Governor and ripped through his back. As they did, Hina tried to cut the heart in two, but it ruptured on its own before she could.

The dark red viscera pitifully disintegrated.

Then the blood flowing from within it transformed into hundreds of arms. The arms dodged around Hina as they grabbed for Elisabeth.

“Wh—?!”

The arms lovingly embraced Elisabeth and squeezed her tight. The discolored poison blood sank into her pale skin. Runes, similar to the Church’s shackles, carved their way into her flesh.

Elisabeth, eyes wide, collapsed to the floor. Hina propped up her shoulder.

“…Hah, hah…”

“Lady Elisabeth! Hang in there!”

“Elisabeth!”

Kaito ran to her side. Meanwhile, the Governor, having lost his heart and been run through by stakes, wept uncontrollably as he breathed his last. The rotting meat stopped moving and then transformed into a large quantity of black feathers.

He vomited up his own heart?

Perplexed by the situation, Kaito knelt beside Elisabeth as Hina held her shoulder tighter. Elisabeth spoke in a quiet voice, her sullied skin trembling like that of a violated maiden.

“Rgh… Ah… This…this…can’t be…”

Then they heard a rattling noise as the sound of chains rang out.

“Sacrifice—a spell that, in exchange for a demon’s heart, can partially seal away demonic powers.”

Kaito went stiff and then spun around.

But even before he could confirm who was there, deep inside he already knew.

Something terrible was coming.

A woman with the majesty of a king was ascending the stairs.

She wore a crinoline dress that made luxurious use of scarlet fabric. Her skirt’s front half was left intentionally bare, leaving the unrefined birdcage-like frame visible. Within, her seductive, unnaturally white legs were on display.

A large group of collared underlings followed behind her, their straitjackets covering even their faces. Chains extended from their overly tight collars, all connecting to the rings the woman was wearing.

With her scarlet eyes and dress, she looked like a roaring flame when she laughed.

“The Governor’s manor is dreadful, isn’t it? Don’t you think it’s a fitting end for that child, dying as a heap of meat in the middle of his own playground? I wanted to crush his heart, which is why I invited you all here. Did you enjoy yourselves? If you did, I’m sure he’d have been pleased. Buffoonery is buffoonery precisely because it inspires laughter, no?”

“You witch… You used the heart of a demon, one of your own comrades?”

Elisabeth, still in agony, posed the question in a voice dripping with hatred.

The scarlet woman nodded brazenly and seemingly proud rather than ashamed.

“Precisely, Elisabeth. Up until now, I’d respected the lives of my comrades out of regard for my dear friend Vlad. But with his death, there will be no more of that. By consuming the lives of the weaker demons, I can use them for particularly effective attacks. Isn’t that just splendid? …Oh my, how rude of me. I became so caught up in idle chatter, I neglected to introduce myself. My sincerest apologies.”

The beautiful woman smiled with all the composure and magnanimity of a queen. She gave an elegant curtsy.

As she did, she pulled on the chains connecting to her rings, causing the people behind her to bow deeply.

“I am the Grand King, Fiore.”

Her introduction complete, she raised her head and smiled. Kaito and Hina stood in awe of her elegant demeanor and overwhelming presence. Even so, they tried to protect Elisabeth when the Grand King made her declaration.

“Playtime is over, little princess—now, the chaos begins.”