Kaito spoke quietly and bluntly. Godd Deos's reply was a beat late. As one of the heads of the Church, it was a declaration that he could have denied, even if he had to lie. The argument was crude, certainly not something that could be used to cast suspicion on long-standing religious doctrine. Perhaps the reason Godd Deos's response was delayed was because Kaito's voice had the awkward, pure tenor of a child's to it. With the voice of a child asking if God exists, Kaito talked about how he didn't. "I guess He doesn't exist, after all." "God is one who offers prayers, one who savesâ€”" "No, your doctrine's all well and good. But I'm talking about me here." As he spoke, Kaito's energy returned, and he rose to his feet. He looked as though he'd forgotten something. He stuck his hand in his trouser pocket and then heaved a heavy sigh. "I'm sure there are places where God and heroes exist. But what I'm saying is, they don't exist where I am. I'm saying that they weren't there for me... But your explanation made sense to me." "It certainly doesn't sound like it did." "Nah, I can see that I was being a dumb-ass. If someone were to ask if the Torture Princess was good or evil, then obviously the answer would be evil. It was crazy to ask the allies of her victims to come and save her. If I were on the side of her victims, then I'd be cheering from the rooftops to work her to the bone and then put her to the stake. Which means that this doesn't have anything to do with you guys. I'm the one she summoned, and this is really all just me being selfish, so it's really my problem." "Servant...what do you mean to say?" "What I'm trying to say is that person who saved me wasn't God or a hero. It wasn't faith, and it wasn't you guys." Kaito looked up directly at the orb. The things he was saying were little more than a joke. There was no meaning or logic behind them. Even so, he spoke his mind, the uncertainty and anguish in his expression gone. "It was the Torture Princessâ€”the most evil woman in the world." Once, a woman had forced a miracle onto a young boy who lived in a world without gods or heroes. She'd granted a second life to a person who'd been worked to the bone and known nothing but pain. That had beenâ€” It had been a pain in the ass, it had been awfulâ€”and it had been wonderful beyond compare. "So I'm not going to rely on you guys, Godd Deos; I'm just going to do what I can. I've made up my mind." "Wait, what do you intendâ€”?" "I don't have any regrets. So no matter what outcome awaits us, you guys should make sure that you don't, either." Kaito raised his bloodstained hand. A spear of ice shot out of his palm. With a sharp sound, it pierced through the orb. The call cut off. Kaito stuck his hand back in his pocket. He breathed in deep and then exhaled. Then he tightly grasped the stone, which was emitting heat from within its cloth confines. Kaito ascended the gentle slope of the Treasury's stairs. The higher he went, the more the gloom cleared up. Light shone down from the rectangular entrance at the top. As he followed the light with his eyes, he saw Hina standing beside the hole. Her face was strained with tension, and she was looking down into the gloom. "Hey there, Hina." "Master Kaito..." As she noticed Kaito and their eyes met, her beautiful face relaxed and she breathed a sigh of relief. Kaito, having finished climbing the stairs, stood in the throne room. At some point, the sky outside had taken on the hue of twilight. It appeared that the thick clouds had drifted away in the wind as though swimming through the sea. The room was filled with golden light. The massive, delicate tapestries decorating the walls were also lit by splashes of light, and Hina's silver hair shone even more beautifully. Facing her, Kaito spoke. "Sorry for running off on you like that. How are Elisabeth and the Butcher?" "Lady Elisabeth is sleeping at present. As for Mr. Butcher, he said that due to the late hour, he plans on leaving after having dinner. Until then, he plans on watching over Elisabeth, which is why I came here." "Still sticking around after all that... I can't say I'm not grateful, but damn, that guy's got nerves of steel." Kaito spoke with a voice full of admiration, although the fact that his mental image of the Butcher was giving him a big thumbs-up irritated him somehow. Then he realized that his hand, which was sticking halfway out of his pocket, was drenched in blood. His butler uniform was covered in dark-red stains. Realizing how bad it must look to Hina, Kaito frantically tried to explain. "Uhhh, Hina, this is, uhâ€”" "Please forgive me for my rudeness, Master Kaito." After murmuring rapidly, Hina dashed across the room and wrapped her arms gently around his back. She then stooped down a bit and buried her face in Kaito's shoulder. Her silver hair rustled pleasantly against his cheek. Hina spoke to Kaito, who had stiffened up in surprise, in a muffled voice that sounded like she was on the verge of tears. "I'm so glad you're all right... I feared that perhaps you weren't going to return." "Wait, Hina, why? I only... I just went to go get something." "Recently, it feels like you've been becoming more and more distant, Master Kaito... And it feels like you're getting hurt in places where I cannot reach you. The magic you're using has a dangerous aura to it...and that pit down there is dark and hollow and terrifying. I thought that you might have been sucked in by it. Please don't go down there on your own. Please don't leave me alone... I beg of you." "Whâ€”? Huh?" Kaito's voice was full of confusion. It was true that the Treasury was a magical space filled indiscriminately with things brought over from Elisabeth's old castle. It lacked so much as handrails, and if one touched the wrong thing within it, they were liable to die. Even so, there was no reason for a powerful automaton like Hina to fear it so. Thinking on her words, Kaito suddenly recalled a certain scene. There was an illuminated wall, and iron shackles were growing from it. A naked girl hung crucified from them, on display like goods in a store. Having mistaken her for a human, Kaito had unfastened her restraints. Does Hina have memories from back then, from before I turned her on properly? "Hey...Hina..." The question on the tip of his tongue, Kaito closed his mouth. She was lightly trembling as she held him in her embrace. Apparently, she hadn't even noticed the wound on his hand. After thinking for a moment, Kaito wrapped his arms around her. Taking care not to sully her maid uniform, he put strength into them. Uh...I think I saw a mom and her kid playing like this at a park once, right? Kaito then grunted and tried to lift Hina up in his arms. However, it was beyond him. She was heavier than he'd expected. As cute as her appearance was, she was metal on the inside after all. A few silent seconds passed, and Kaito grunted and gathered his strength once more. Hina tilted her head to the side in bewilderment. "Um, Master Kaito, may I ask what it is you're trying to do? Wait, I smell blood... Eek, Master Kaito, your wound!" "Don't worry; it's fine. We've come this far. Hina, can you, like, do a spin?" "It is most certainly not fine, it's... Hmm? If you say so, but a spin?" Hina moved her feet to match the way Kaito was tilting his body. The two of them spun. As they did, Kaito tilted his body even more. Hina frantically shifted her feet. They spun, and they spun, and eventually began energetically twirling atop the stone floor. The hem of Hina's maid outfit gently swayed. Rapidly blinking her emerald eyes, Hina held Kaito tight so as not to let him go as she followed his lead and shifted her feet even faster. Before long, the centrifugal force was lifting Kaito off the ground. Supported by Hina, he spun around in her arms. "No, no, Hina, the other way around! I wanted to do this to you!" "Pardon me? But Master Kaito, forgive me for saying this, but I feel that lifting an automaton body would be difficult, given your physical strength... Ah, but this is really quite fun. It makes my gears feel all warm and fuzzyâ€”eek!" "Hwah!" Kaito had tried to recover by putting down his feet, and the two of them teetered over as a result. Hina maneuvered her body under his to break his fall. The two of them collapsed on the stone floor. "M-my bad! Hina, are you okay?" "Yes, very... As a matter of fact, this situation is rather lucrative for me." With an ecstatic expression, Hina hugged Kaito to her ample bosom. It was a rather problematic position, and he squirmed to get free. He couldn't exactly just stay surrounded by that marshmallow-like softness. Kaito quickly made his escape. Pretending not to notice how regretful Hina's expression was after they parted, he collapsed to the floor next to her. The floor was cold and hard, but the two of them reclined as though they were lying on a bed of flowers. Amid the orange light shining down upon them, Kaito murmured briefly. "Is the fear all gone now?" "Master Kaito..." "I saw a kid playing like that at a park once a long time ago. The kid was crying, and their mom picked them up and spun them around and around." "Around and around?" "I didn't really understand what I was watching at the time. It didn't really click. But now, I understand that it's for times like these. So I thought I'd try it out." *** "Well, if you're not afraid anymore, then I guess it worked." *** "Hina? Can you hear me? Did it not work?" "Oh, I can't take it anymore! I love you so muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch!" Suddenly, Hina let out a shout. Kaito lay there, surprised, and she covered her face and rolled and rolled and rolled far away from him. Then she bonked into the wall of the room. As Kaito silently wondered what he should do, she came rolling and rolling and rolling back, her face still buried in her hands. "I'm not totally following what you're doing, but welcome back." "What am I going to do if you make me wuv you any more, Mashter Kaito...? I weally, weally can't take it anymore...! Shomebody shave me...!" "Hina, you're slurring your words a bit." "I wuv you sho, sho mush I can't even talk...! My shinsherest apologiesh...! Tee-hee." Still covering her face, Hina curled up into a ball and rocked from side to side. After trembling from lovesickness for a little longer, she quickly stopped. Remaining curled up, she murmured. "I told you, Master Kaito. I told you that I'd eventually explain why I chose you, why it couldn't have been anyone else." "...Yeah, you did say that." "To put it all into words would take a week. However, allow me to tell you about the beginning of the beginning. Before you turned me on, before you established my settings... Even in my base state, I could perceive the outside world." Kaito nodded, his suspicions affirmed. It had seemed like she was able to tell what had been going on around her, even when she seemed dormant. She hadn't been turned on at the time, but it