Torture Princess. The two of them looked to where the mass of flesh was resting. A fresh wave of underlings was heading straight toward them. Kaito raised his right arm, and Elisabeth clicked her heels. "I need you guys to run." Kaito snapped his fingers before murmuring softly. "The Torture Princess and the Kaiser's contractor can take it from here." Then the two of them began slaughtering the underlings. Once, at the hands of his cruel father, Kaito Sena's seventeen years and three months of life had come to an end. His death had been as meaningless as a worm's, one most pitiful, most unseemly, most cruel, and most gruesome. However, after his death, Kaito had been summoned to another world and obtained a second life. His summoner had been Elisabeth Le Fanu, the Torture Princess, a terrible sinner who was destined to be executed after killing fourteen demons and their contractors on the Church's orders. During their battles against the demons, Elisabeth had fallen into a trap of the Grand King's. In order to save her, Kaito had formed a contract with the Kaiser, the highest ranked among the demons and, as a result, had gained the ability to use magic. After fighting alongside an automaton named Hina, who was both his own servant and his bride, he'd successfully restored Elisabeth's health. However, after they'd successfully taken out the Grand King, the Church informed them of a new crisis. The capital was under attack, and around a third of its citizens had been killed, including Godot Deus, one of the Church's high priests. The city, which was pivotal to the continued survival of humanity, had nearly been destroyed, and at this rate, it would likely fall, along with all its paladins. When they'd received that message, Kaito immediately got to work making purin. After dissolving sugar in milk, he added egg before mixing and straining it carefully to avoid creating bubbles. Then he poured everything into an earthenware pot and applied heat, cooking it until it reached the appropriate temperature. At that point, all he needed to do to complete it was chill it in the ice-spirit fridge. "Yup, as always, having the ingredients around is a lifesaver." As he waited for the purin to chill, Kaito murmured to himself. In this world, sugar, fresh eggs, and milk were all difficult to obtain without going through major guilds, as they were both the ones who maintained the supply chain and those in possession of ice-spirits. But with the Butcher's help, reluctant as he may have been, they were able to keep Elisabeth's castle sufficiently stocked. If not for that, it would have been difficult indeed for Kaito to reproduce purin in this world. Huh? Wait, if I hadn't been able to make purin, wouldn't that have meant that all my knowledge and experience from my old world was useless? Well, I guess being used to pain came in handy, too. Tilting his head to the side, Kaito grabbed the earthenware pot's chilly handles. Taking extreme care not to put too much strength into his beastly arm, he hurried through the corridor. He dashed up the spiral staircase, then opened up the door to the dining room. Within, a chair with ball-and-claw feet was lined up next to the table, which boasted a stately tablecloth. Seated at the table was Elisabeth, crossing her elegant legs. Likely having sensed Kaito, she lifted her face and displayed her bored expression. Then her gaze landed on the earthenware pot. The next moment, her eyes sparkled with such intensity that cat ears practically sprouted from her head. "Oh-ho, it's complete!" "Yeah, I'm all done." With that, Kaito hoisted the pot. In a flash, Elisabeth grabbed a spoon and held it on standby. Her reaction was as innocent as always. However, not long ago, that was a scene Kaito had feared he might never see again. Breathing an internal sigh of relief, Kaito placed the pot in front of Elisabeth and lifted its lid. With a "ta-daa," a massive, jiggling yellow form appeared. Elisabeth breathed in its aroma, pleased. "Heh-heh, there you are. How pleasantly sticky you seem." "Here, purin, just like I promised. Go on, dig in." "Mm, the wait was killing me... Wait, did we ever make such a promise?" "Oh, right. Uh, don't worry about that." Kaito averted his eyes from Elisabeth. She tilted her head to the side, wondering what in the world he was going on about. It had happened right before Kaito made his contract with the Kaiser. When she'd been in a coma due to having the flow of her mana dammed up by Sacrifice, he'd faced her and whispered: "You're probably going to be livid. But I've made up my mind, Elisabeth. See you later. When you wake up, I'll make you some purin." She hadn't responded. He had almost stroked her cheek, but he'd stopped short, clenched his fists, and left the bedroom. Then he had made a contract with the Kaiser. Elisabeth didn't know about that private moment. And Kaito saw no reason to tell her. Watching Kaito speak noncommittally, Elisabeth made a strange face before turning back toward the purin. She scooped out a jiggling, sticky spoonful, then stuck it in her mouth. "Ah...the texture is excellent... It's sticky yet smooth...and jiggly... What a fine dish this is. Ah-ha-ha." An earthenware pot can hold a great deal of purin. However, Elisabeth polished it off in mere moments. After cleaning out the pot, she heaved a satisfied sigh. "Ah! That was rather splendid. Between this and having activated Hina, your praiseworthy achievements total two." "I see that once again you're blatantly ignoring all the other work I've put in up till now." Elisabeth practically purred in pleasure, radiating the same energy as a cat basking in a sunbeam. Kaito felt like he could almost see cat ears twitching back and forth atop her head. For a short while, Elisabeth scraped at the bottom of the pot with her spoon. However, she eventually relented. Then, with a hard clank, she returned the silver spoon to the table. She crossed her arms, and her expression abruptly stiffened. "Now then, our respite ends here. Not only is the situation dreadful, it's grave." Looking at her from the side, Kaito could see that the innocent light flickering in her eyes had vanished. Her cold expression was that of a resolute soldier. She clenched her fists. A magical chessboard appeared before her, accompanied by white and black pieces. Elisabeth removed a white piece shaped like a bishop. Godot Deus, one of the high priests of the Church, had been killed by the demons. Furthermore, the wicked lot responsible for the murder were still running free and wreaking havoc. Kaito clenched his fists and spoke in a low voice. "So you're seriously gonna go...? You're planning to fight an enemy who took out a third of the capital?" "Of course. The Church has ordered me to slay all fourteen demons. Above all, I myself decided to do so. Having lived the cruel and haughty life of a wolf, I shall die like a lowly sow. A sow forsaken by all of creation... And I have no intention of overturning that fate of mine." Elisabeth gave a sharp response to Kaito's question. Her voice was frosty, making it clear that others had no say in her decision. Upon hearing that, Kaito lost his grip on the words he had planned to deliver next. He watched on as she continued removing pieces. "The remaining demons number three: the Monarch, the Grand Monarch, and the King. Normally, the three of them would not possess the power to storm the capital. What in the world could have happened...? Well, I have my suspicions. But regardless of the accuracy of my hunches, naught but Hell awaits." "Just to be clear, I'm coming with you." "Do as you please. Or rather, I'd like to say that, but this time, I'd included you in the head count from the onset. Fool. Even if you mean no harm, I cannot simply leave the Kaiser's contractor unattended... Listen now, Kaito. While I may owe you a debt for it, the sin you have committed would normally merit execution." "Yeah, I know." "You know nothing. And even supposing you did, you fail to truly understand. Those who embrace the darkness can no longer return to being human...and you have crossed that final line." Then Elisabeth heaved a heavy sigh. After looking Kaito overâ€”his left arm in particular, which had transformed into that of a beastâ€”she shook her head. "You utter fool." Kaito gave no response. For a moment, a heavy silence fell between them. After another sigh, though, Elisabeth stood with enough force to send her chair flying. Stretching her back like a cat, she made a declaration. "In any case, the time to depart is upon us! No matter what idle words we string together, the fact remains that we have no choice but to fight... However, one worry yet remains." "Yeah, we have to figure out what we're gonna do about Hina." They looked at each other and nodded. Elisabeth's black hair fluttered as she set off. Kaito followed after her. The two silently advanced down the corridor as light streamed through the ominous patterns adorning the clerestory windows. Elisabeth opened up the bedchambers, a room she herself had been comatose in just a few hours earlier. At the moment, Hina was sleeping there. She was lying on the bed, surrounded by azure roses. Kaito had created the flowers at Elisabeth's suggestion in order to aid in the reorganization of Hina's gears. Hina slept deeply, swathed in the gentle magic the azure petals were releasing. "Hina..." Kaito unhesitatingly rushed to her bedside and knelt, then gently stroked her forehead. There was no response. Until her scrambled gears were realigned, she would be unable to rise. Elisabeth clasped Hina's pale hand, then nodded after quickly confirming the flow of mana and mechanical noises were all in order. "Her gears are realigning properly. However, there is some time yet before the process will be finished." "So, the problem is what we're gonna do with her until then." "Mm, that it is. While the realignment is in progress, she shall not wake. In short, she is wholly defenseless. We could leave golems to defend her, but their usefulness is limited, so that option leaves me with some unease... So when we consider who I could contact and ask to take Hina and flee should anything happenâ€”" "Ah, well, that would be me." "Dude, your timing is crazy good." With that, Kaito turned to look at the bedchamber's entrance. There stood the Butcher, posing coolly with his finger pressed against his forehead. Although his eyes were hidden by his hood, they were no doubt sparkling. "While the two of you are absent, I shall remain by Ms. Lovely Maid's side. And should anything happen, I'll hoist her upon my back and scurry away with utmost haste. What say you?" "While I'm most grateful for your proposal, are you quite all right with this? If I'm not mistaken, you have little to gain from aiding us." "Oh, there's no need to be so reserved. A dear customer of mine is in a pinch! Such a task is but a trifle... Incidentally, I couldn't help but notice that your ice-spirit storage unit and your carrier golems are getting a bit old, you know. Cha-ching, cha-ching." "...Did he seriously just say 'cha-ching'?" "Understood. Replace as many as you wish and send me the bill. Will that suffice?" "Ha-ha-ha-ha, leave everything to me, your friendly neighborhood Butcher!" The Butcher hopped up and down. Shrewd as he was, the fact remained that his assistance took a great load off their backs. After all, the castle had been attacked by demons a number of times before. No ordinary man would dare come near the place, let alone house-sit for