the entire population of your fiefdom! You dismembered their bodies, ripped out their still-beating hearts, stitched every orifice in their bodies shut, carved into their bones, melted their flesh, gouged out their eyes, severed their tongues, and when you ran out of ideas, you killed parents and children, the elderly, and men and women alike! In the end, your sins reached even the nobles! Torture Princess! Elisabeth Le Fanu! Who would believe anything that came out of your filthy mouth?!" Hearing those words, Kaito was reminded of the reality that had been thrust before his eyes a few days prior. He recalled the scene he had witnessed as he died. He recalled the mountain of corpses, each without so much as a shred of human dignity. He recalled the bloodlust of the angry horde and the smile of the restrained girl. Elisabeth was smiling even now, listening to the knight's tirade as one might listen to a small bird chirping. "And I certainly haven't forgotten what I saw you do to my fellow knights at the Plain of Skewers! Do you have any idea how many sleepless nights I endured in the Kingdom after surviving that?" The knight's sword hand trembled. However, he suddenly stopped talking and looked at Kaito. His armor clanged as he spoke to Kaito in a voice filled with confusion and sympathy. "Why do you stand with such a demoness? I'd heard that Elisabeth was looking for a servant, but if she's holding you against your will, you can come to me. I'll protect you." Kaito turned to look at Elisabeth. She crossed her arms and remained silent. It was true that Kaito had been brought back to life against his will and made to serve her. And he'd personally witnessed her cruel deeds. In truth, he would like nothing more than to live a simple life of peace in this strange new world. Now was his chance to get away. But just as he was about to step forward, Kaito stopped. "Come on, then. Hurry." "Your offer sounds like a dream come true, but can I ask you a question first?" "What is it?" "Why do you look at me with the eyes of someone who's just found their next meal?" After this question, an uncomfortable silence descended among them. The men, still clutching their farming implements, turned toward the knight. Some of them looked worried now. But the knight said nothing. Looking straight at the knight, Kaito continued. "Back when I was alive, I met plenty of guys who would actually pass up a warm meal if it meant getting to beat up a kid. And you've got the same look in your eyes that they all did." He received no answer. But beside Kaito, Elisabeth's shoulders began trembling. She broke out into laughter. She looked truly bizarre, her body twisting as she clutched her sides in amusement. "Of course, of course. It makes perfect sense. Ah, but I didn't expect you to be a member of the Knight Corps. How laughableâ€”say, would you allow me one question, proud sir?" Her laugh was sweet. Some might even say it was innocent. Her crimson eyes glittering with glee, she spoke in a soft, gentle voice. "I slaughtered those five hundred men upon the Plain of Skewers. I slew them, annihilated them, exterminated them. And I certainly don't recall allowing a single one to escape." Her smile vanished. Her eyes were full of contempt, and her question came in a voice as cold as ice. "So why are you still alive?" At that moment, the heads of the men wielding farm implements were blown off. The heads fell to the ground, their lips half-open in surprise. Swarms of flies poured out of their gaping neck holes. The flies then set to work dragging the bodies together with their tiny legs. They gnawed through flesh with their tiny mouths, binding the bodies' skin together with mucus and crafting a miniature version of the creature Kaito had seen from the castle. Kaito stepped back, the bizarre spectacle once again robbing him of his breath. At the same time, the knight's entire body was wreathed in sapphire flames. His horse's skin paled under the light of the brilliant-blue blaze, and the rider himself swelled in size. In order to accommodate its wearer's unnatural growth, the rider's armor inflated like a water balloon. Long gray hair and a beard spilled out from the openings in the enlarged armor. The knight had grown old and hideous. In the face of the imposing, demonic Knight, Elisabeth clicked her tongue, ever fearless. "I know not if you were trying to lower my guard or simply consume my servant before my eyes, but in either case, you are a fool. If you had intended to transform all along, you could have done so from the beginning and spared us the childish farce. Your experience contracting with a demon and surviving the Plain of Skewers has taught you nothing, it seems." Elisabeth heaved a sigh, then nodded in satisfaction. "But perhaps that is why you failed to merge with any but the lowest rank, the Knight." The Knight let out a furious roar. His pale horse broke into a sprint at a speed much faster than even that of his skinless underling. Fire and lightning billowed forth from around the Knight. He grabbed the blue lightning in his hand and transformed it into a massive lance, then he charged at Elisabeth. She didn't dodge the blow, and the lance ran her through. Kaito stifled a scream. The massive weapon gave off a thrumming noise as it speared through Elisabeth's chest. Red blood began dripping from the wound it made. The Knight then jerked the lance free and sent Elisabeth tumbling to the ground. A memory flashed through Kaito's mind. It was a recollection of himself, battered and thrown against the wall, then collapsing to the floor like garbage. "Elisabeâ€”" Kaito ran toward her, then stopped. She was laughing. She twisted her stomach as she sat in a pool of her own blood and laughed, as if it was all so funny that she just couldn't help herself. "Heh-heh, ha-ha, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, ahhhâ€”ha-ha-ha-ha-ha...ha." She grimaced in pain and rose to her feet. Kaito could see clear through the cavity in her chest. Some of her entrails sagged from the hole, but she simply wrapped the loose ends around her arm and wrenched them all the way out. Bleeding profusely now, she cast her guts aside. "I see... So damage of this magnitude is about as mild as an itch. A far cry from having one's soul set ablaze. Now then, pay close attention. This is what true agony feels like." Elisabeth lifted a hand in the air. A great cloud of darkness and scarlet flower petals spiraled around it. They then mantled her body, masking the hole with fresh black cloth. She grabbed something from within the huge spiral of crimson and shadow. "Rejoice, half-wit. I draw this blade for thee." She drew out a long sword. Its blade was bloodred, and it flickered with a sinister glint. "Executioner's Sword of Frankenthal!" She spoke its name, and the runes etched onto the sword sparked to life. As the light reached Kaito's eyes, he could feel the meanings of the runes forcing their way into his brain until the complete phrase made perfect sense. 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. "Come, let us enjoy ourselves to the fullest!" Elisabeth swung the sword through empty space, as if she was tracing both her foes' arms. Silver chains flew through the air in tune with her slashes, wrapping around the Knight's forearms and wrenching him from his mount. He hung in the air, helpless to resist. A moment later, he snapped his fingers, and the beast drew up from behind Elisabeth. Without turning, she swung her blade again. Chains wrapped around the beast, binding it firmly. There was a loud ripping noise as flesh was torn asunder. The shackles twined around its collapsing form and reinforced it as it took on the shape of a horse. They wrapped around the pale horse as well, acting as a pair of reins. Elisabeth raised her blade to the heavens, and the tips of the infinite chains rattled as they spiraled toward the Knight. Once they were finished, the Knight's arms and legs were bound, and at the opposite ends of those tethers stood four horses, his own included. He called his steed, but the horse paid him no mind. "Now, then...let's see how you like being Drawn and Quartered." She swung her sword, and the horses set off in unison. The Knight's limbs screeched, and his joints made popping noises as they were pulled out of place. His flesh, stretched to its limit, began to tear. Blood poured from the gaps in his armor. But the horses did not stop. The Knight cried out in pain and rage. *** His voice was brimming with agony and hatred. The Knight drew near Elisabeth. Kaito, too, approached her from behind, then he gasped. The eyes beneath the helmet were human once more. They were different from when they'd been focused on Kaito and were now the purest blue. They glared at Elisabeth. The Knight's contractor was quite young. Looking down at the man's noble eyes, Elisabeth murmured tenderly. "A survivor of the Plain of Skewers, hmm? It must have been painful. No doubt you detest me." *** "...My apologies, good sir. But the cries of a demon are as unpleasant as the squeals of a swine." There was venom in her smile. The Knight roared, a sound rich with malice and bloodlust. *** The next moment, with the sound of meat being shredded, the Knight's limbs were ripped from his torso. The appendages bounced along the ground as they traveled, still tied to the horses. The fissure ran all the way up his abdomen, and his organs came spilling out in a gentle cascade. Beneath the helmet, the Knight vomited mouthful after mouthful of blood before breathing his last. Then his body erupted into silent blue flames. "Let us return home. That purin of yours was delectable but made for poor sustenance. I'm famished." Her sword transformed into a cloud of crimson petals, and Elisabeth walked off. Kaito couldn't help but stare. He thought back to the scene he'd witnessed when he was first summoned. That and the Knight's accusation. If he pried too deeply, he would invite nothing but pain. Still, he had to know. "Hey, is everything he said true? Did you torture and kill all your subjects, then turn on the nobles?" "Yes indeed. He spoke no falsehoods nor held any misunderstandings. Understand who it is you serve. I am the Torture Princess, Elisabeth Le Fanu. I have caused more pain and death than any before me. I was apprehended by the Church. And I am now tasked with slaughtering thirteen demons." She answered without an ounce of hesitation. She was as ruthless and tactless as a demon, perhaps even more so. Recalling her feline smile from when she'd eaten the purin, Kaito almost felt betrayed. She was someone who hurt people, someone who took from others, and he made no effort to conceal the displeasure on his face. But Elisabeth followed her confession of guilt with something wholly unexpected. "And once I've executed them all, I, too, shall be put to the stake." Her statement was resolute. Kaito's eyes widened. Elisabeth stared straight back at him, her crimson eyes as clear as rubies. Her calm countenance gave no sign that she was lying. A line from earlier echoed in Kaito's mind. Until the day of your death, try to do some good at least. So that's it. Kaito remained silent, perplexed, unsure of how