We will stand with our old friends and form a united front alongside them. If you all wish to resign yourselves to destruction, then your fate is in your own hands. But the disorder within your Church seems to run deep. I doubt you have the power to successfully protect your people. It appears that this is the end for you." The hostility of the other two races bore down upon the humans. It was true; the Church had been to blame for the current situation. This could all be seen as a natural result of that. However, the humans lacked the resolution to admit fault and try to change the way things were going. La Christoph didn't have that authority. Two of the advisers turned to the king and whispered. "Your Majesty, now is the time to make your decision. Once the restructuring occurs, we will all be saved. But first, we must destroy the pagans. Perhaps we should have done so sooner. We must begin the third king's holy war anew. You must demonstrate your faith in God, for the sake of the people." "Please, Your Majesty, give the order to deploy all the saints." *** The king was clearly baffled. The decisions he was being asked to make were far beyond what he was mentally equipped to handle. He was young, and death and responsibility clearly scared him. The Church obviously wanted to get things under way before any of the influential aristocrats who'd missed the meeting could get a say. "All you have to do is nod," the king's advisers whispered enticingly. While all of that was going on, Lute's gaze turned to a certain someone. Kaito was calmly watching over the proceedings. His eyes were strangely serene, and they were picking up everything that was happening. Kaito heaved a deep, deep sigh. Then, out of the blue, he snapped his fingers. "La (become)." When he did, over a hundred blades manifested in midair. Azure flower petals and darkness had danced luxuriously through the air, and executioner's ax-shaped blades had lined up within them. Everyone present had steel pointed right at their neck. Anyone with any amount of combat experience couldn't help but immediately realize what was happening. It was a dangerous stunt, one that would normally be carried out with hundreds of soldiers. As he stared in wonderment, a thought passed through Lute's head. Normally, a coup isn't something one carries out on their own. That was just common sense. Right now, though, that common sense had been overturned. A voice rang through the hall, one tinged with disappointment. "Enough of this nonsenseâ€”clearly you guys are all useless." Kaito Sena slowly rose from his chair. The hem of his black uniform flared out behind him as he began walking. The way his tunic was dyed scarlet on the inside really was reminiscent of the Torture Princess's dress. It was at that point that Lute realized something. Almost like proof of his explosive development as a mage, Kaito's beastly left arm had returned to that of a human. Kaito casually leaped atop the round table. Lute elected not to follow him. A beautiful automaton, on the other hand, unfalteringly took her place by Kaito's side. "Oh? What's this? You've finally decided to seize your crown, O unworthy master of mine?" Humanlike laughter accompanied the horrible black dog's appearance. Seemingly thinking that he might as well, Kaito snapped his fingers. Azure petals and darkness scattered throughout the room, and Vlad Le Fanu's phantasm made a graceful appearance from within them. "Why, hello, hello. I see that my dear successor has assembled quite the notable audience." Placing a hand atop his chest, Vlad gave an elegant, courteous bow to the members of the conference. The three of them now in tow, Kaito stopped at the center of the table. Azure petals and black darkness swirled up once more. A jet-black long sword dropped from within them. The engraving carved upon its beautiful blade flashed. When it did, its meaning was seared into the eyes of all present. All things are pardoned unto me. But I am ruled by none. Then the azure glow abruptly faded. Flower petals still fluttering through the air, Kaito lorded over his surroundings. "All I wanna do is save the woman I admire. And I don't want to let any more innocent people become victims. That's all. I have no desire to dominate, no lust for glory. And I certainly don't intend on ruling or getting involved with politics at all. I don't give a shit about who's in charge after this. But right now? Right now, I'm taking charge of the world." Kaito Sena, the Torture Princess's servant, lorded over the assembled nobles of all races. Blood dripped from his mouth. He lifted his sword, then pointed it at his newfound hostages. "Humanity, beastfolk, and demi-humans are all equal. Every living creature is ignorant, every living creature is like a stupid animal, and every living creature is precious. So I'll promise you this. I'm gonna keep you all alive. I'm gonna save the world. And that's why..." *** Then the boy who had once died meaninglessly in another world made his grand declaration. "...Just for now, I'm king. So obey me." In that moment, as the world crumbled, the Mad King was born. And as he was, the desperate battle to survive in the world of the two pillars began. Afterword Before I realized it, it was fall. And this is the fifth volume. Hallelujah. Thank you all so much for buying the fifth volume of Torture Princess. I feel like out of the whole series, this volume was the most harrowing for Kaito. How did you all enjoy it? As I was writing it, the thought gosh, this is getting intense crossed my mind a number of times, and during the editing process, I realized, gosh, this really is intense. All I did was follow my plot outline, so I wonder why that could have been. I'm planning on keeping the hits coming in Volume 6, so I hope you will all look forward to it. By the way, this volume is scheduled for release at the same time as the first volume of Ms. Hina Yamato's manga adaptation of Torture Princess, which, as an author, is something I find extremely moving. If you purchase them together, you'll also get a side story I wrote with illustrations by Hina Yamato and Saki Ukai, so please go check it out. Both of them are brilliant artists, and their work is magnificent. The manga version wouldn't have been possible without the love and care of Hina Yamato and everyone else involved in the adaptation put into it, but it also wouldn't have been possible without the support of all you readers, so I ask that you kindly continue enjoying both the manga version of Torture Princess and the original novels. As a side note, the official Twitter account (@goumonhime) is active, so if you'd like, please give it a follow. If you would be so kind. Now, suddenly, we find ourselves in the acknowledgments section, so I'd like to thank Saki Ukai for the beautiful-as-always illustrations made for this volume; my editor O, who gave me all sorts of useful advice; Hina Yamato and everyone else involved in the wonderful manga adaptation; and my beloved family, particularly my older sister. Thank you all so very, very much. And above all else, I would like to offer another round of thanks to my readers. Thank you all so much for reading my story up through its fifth volume. The only way I can think of to really repay you is to write the most interesting stories I possibly can, so I plan to keep working as hard as I can. I pray we will meet again. The Mad King has been born. Will the world end, or will it not? What will become of him and her? Records of a Civil Official This is a record of our defeat. And at the same time, it is also a record of how we are yet biding our time. The two pillars, God and Diablo, that rose up at the World's End brought destruction down upon us all. The first wave of underlings released from the Diablo pillar spread far and wide, sowing slaughter and mayhem in their wake. But it is believed the second wave and those that'll come thereafter will be the real threats. Although the residents of the Capital have survived countless demon attacks, the following waves of underlings boasted such numbers that the people stood no chance. Normally, that would have been sufficient to mark this world's doom. Normally, that is. However, at that very moment, the joint meeting among the humans, demi-humans, and beastfolk bore fruit. When the various races' representatives received word of a second wave, they set aside their grudges and established a united front. An army was formed with the saints at its center, and they were able to shoot down over half the underlings before they landed on human soil. However, victory is far from ours. At present, we're suffering countless minor defeats due to our fatigue and eroded military strength. Does victory await us beyond our present hardships? Or are we perhaps fated to lose? And if so, what will the ensuing destruction and rebuilding be like? We don't even know what form the end will take. After all, our enemies are none other than God and Diablo. The battle we have undertaken is an act of sacrilege, the likes of which have never before occurred, perhaps not even in the world before ours. The beliefs we have held for countless ages are crumbling away, and our spiritual foundations have been shattered. After casting the Creators aside, will life be able to persist as it has in the past? At this rate, nothing about our futures is certain. Everything described above details the brutal nature of the situation we find ourselves in. From here, I will be recording my personal ramblings. However, that is precisely why I hope you will remember them. Even if everything perishes, even if everything comes to an end, even if these records are annihilated in the rebuilding, I hope someone, somewhere, remembers us. Our foolish resistance, our futile struggleâ€”all of it is proof that we lived. Even if there is no possible way to know that, pleaseâ€” â€”I beg of you. Perhaps I've gotten too sentimental. Allow me to change the subjectâ€”the fact that the three races joined together and formed a united defensive front came as a great shock to me. Rumor has it that the Church was involved in the erection of the two pillars. Because of that, I was certain that the first imperial princess of the beastfolk would rise up against humanity. Could it be that something happened at the meeting, something that a lowly public official such as myself could never even begin to imagine? A calamitous act of tyranny, one that threatens to destroy everything? Or perhaps something resembling a miracle? 1 A Pact with the Imperial Princess The location was the joint meeting among the three races, which would shape the fate of the world. Standing atop the pure-white round table, Kaito Sena lorded over his surroundings. His hundreds of swords were leveled at the noses of those who had assembled here to represent their races. The blades glinted keenly as Kaito carefully kept them suspended in the air with a thought. He'd created each and every one of them with magic. In his hand, he held but a single jet-black long sword, and he pointed it at the members of the assembly. He slowly opened his mouth to speak. "Humanity, beastfolk, and demi-humans are all equal. Every living creature is ignorant, every living creature is like a stupid animal, and every living creature is precious. So I'll promise you this. I'm gonna keep you