Elisabeth's question. Kaito frowned. Who could possibly have information regarding the location of a woman who'd been missing since the very creation of the world? "Her location may well be known to a single...or rather, perhaps it's best not to try to count, but they do exist. I've spent some time investigating him. But upon learning the secrets of this underground tomb, I find my suspicions have finally turned to confidence." The chain on Jeanne's wrist rattled as she raised an arm. Then she pointed at the wall they had broken the barrier on and passed through. It was currently functioning as a door and was resting ajar, and on its surface was an intricate carving of an apostle wearing tattered rags and standing alongside the Saint. As he gazed at the apostle's familiar figure, Kaito muttered meaningfully. "...The Butcher, huh." "This, too, is a reason I sought the assistance of you two Lovers. He is the merchant of legend, one of the founders of the original Five Great Guilds, and known by all with even a passing involvement in trade. And he is also the Saint's apostle, the Butcher. After working to build the foundations for the circulation of goods within society, he went into hiding for countless ages. But there have been sightings of him in recent years, all of which have been located around the two of you." Kaito instinctively cast his eyes downward. He still hadn't gotten his emotions in order over this whole ordeal. Hina, standing beside him, was much the same. The Butcher had saved them a number of times, so it was difficult to think of him as an enemy. But according to Elisabeth, he'd declared himself the enemy of no one individually but of every person living in the world. And he'd supposedly said something else as well. "They are of little consequence to the result. I'd never thought someone would rise to oppose the dreadful end of the story that the fourteen tragedies mark the beginning of. And Mr. Dim-Witted Servant is the same. Though your two tales may be small in the scope of things, the results they bear may be monumental indeed... Who knows, after all, how the world may turn from here on?" That doesn't sound like something the "enemy of the world" would say, does it? That thought stole through Kaito's mind unbidden. The Butcher's words didn't sound like they'd come from someone who wanted the world to end. But he swallowed down the doubts welling up inside and asked a different question instead. "Where is the Butcher right now?" Elisabeth responded to his inquiry by crossing her arms. When she spoke, her voice had a mysteriously quiet ring to it. "He's inside a Gibbet within my castle." "You, uh, you did mention on the way down here that you'd captured him. But you didn't just leave him like that, did you?" "I did. What of it? I can hardly release a man who proclaims himself my enemy. 'Twould be folly." "I mean, I guess..." Surely there are options other than just leaving him chained up, thought Kaito to himself. But the Butcher was notably elusive. Any lesser restraints would probably have ended with him just slipping out. Finally satisfied, Kaito turned his gaze away from Elisabeth. It landed on the first demon. It doesn't matter if it wakes up or keeps sleeping, huh. But we can't let them destroy the world, no matter what method they try to use... Wait, hold on a second. If that was the case, then just finding the Saint wouldn't be enough to stop the Church from running rampant, would it? Was Jeanne perhaps hoping to get the Saint to persuade the fanatics to stop? That plan seemed altogether dubious, so Kaito posed Jeanne a question. "Hey, what's your plan for after we find the Saint?" "Duh, we're gonna kill her ass." Kaito found himself at a loss for words, and his eyes went wide with shock. He hadn't thought that their plan involved killing the Saint. Jeanne's lips curled upward a smidgen. Then, in order to completely crush his naÃ¯vetÃ©, she elaborated. "Why do you seem so surprised? If we kill its contractor, Diablo will be unable to stay manifested and vanish. And God, who yet dwells within her body, is no different. When that happens, the two of them will return to a state where mankind's desires cannot possibly reach them. Furthermore, if we deliver her head to our foes, they, too, will understand. 'The miracle is lost to us.' 'Even if we destroy the world, it won't be rebuilt.'" "But we don't have to kill anyone... If we just get her to make the fanatics see reasonâ€”" "Oh my, you would have us rely on the woman who once destroyed the world? Please don't tell me you only just now realized, Hanged Man. The praiseless road we walk down is paved with thorns, and at its end, we shall become true enemies of this world." Jeanne shook her head in exasperation, her thick honey-blond hair gently scattering across her shoulders. She still bore no expression, but her rose-colored eyes opened alarmingly wide as she made her declaration. "Our salvation lies in murdering Diablo, murdering God, and, yes, murdering a human." A heavy silence spread throughout the dimness of the underground tomb. Kaito still offered no reply. Hina gently placed her hand atop his arm. The Kaiser let out a deep, humanlike laugh. As she scratched gently at her own black hair, Elisabeth spoke in an annoyed tone. "Hmm... The Saint bears God within her body, so I have concerns about our ability to actually kill her. I suppose we'll know once we try. Steady your resolve, if naught else." "Yeah, no, I'm okay. I'd be fine even without you telling me that." "Very well, then." "I do appreciate it, though." "Ha. Appreciate what exactly?" Elisabeth scoffed at Kaito's words of thanks. Even so, he nodded back at her. Jeanne's declaration had come as a blow to him, but he was already over it. He'd seen grisly mountains of corpses before, and starting with Marianne, he'd killed his fair share of people. There was no reason for him to be fixated on the Saint's survival. And besides, once we meet her in the flesh, everything might change on the spot. Right now, we should just worry about getting the Butcher to talk. "It seems there are no objections to our current course of action, then, so I think we'd best be off. Going back the way we came ain't too glamorous or anything, but them's the breaks. All the barriers are destroyed, but the building itself is designed to block teleportation. To go to the Torture Princess's castle, we need to first make our way outside." And with that, Jeanne practically danced her way out of the nursery. The Kaiser scoffed in displeasure, but he, Vlad, Elisabeth, and Izabella, who was still being carried by Deus Ex Machina, followed after her. Accompanied by Hina, Kaito started walking out of the nursery as well. But as he approached the doorway, he stopped in his tracks. His leather soles screeched against the ground. Then he turned back, the hem of his military-style long coat rustling as he did so. As he stared fixatedly at the horrific nursery, he called out to one of the people behind him. "Hey, Vlad. You said that even without this room's messed-up setup...even without the pacification from the pain, the First Demon won't wake up, right?" "Verily, my dear successor. This room was crafted out of an overabundance of fear. It's meaningless, and dare I say even comical...so I have my suspicions as to your intentions." "You're not going to stop me, even though you're onto me?" "Perish the thought! True, your actions are hypocritical, grounded in a trivial sense of mercy! Yet, at the same time, they will lead you one step closer toward becoming a worthy vessel to inherit my willâ€”after all, what you're thinking of doing is a privilege extended only to the strong! Hypocrisy leads to arrogance, and from them flower the origins of all sadism and tyranny! Please defile them all you wish!" "Huh... Well, if that's the way you see it, at least you won't get in my way." Kaito nodded as he gave his blunt reply. Then he cast a fleeting glance outside the room. Vlad was spreading his arms exaggeratedly wide. At some point, Jeanne and the others had stopped as well. Elisabeth was shrugging at the very edge of his vision, as though calling him a fool. But Kaito knew. If I hadn't stopped, you'd have come up with some excuse to do this yourself, wouldn't you? The only bewildered member of the group was Hina. She looked back and forth between Kaito and the nursery. Before long, though, her expression stiffened with resolve. Gripping her halberd tightly, she stepped in front of Kaito. "My dear Master Kaito, I, too, have grasped your intentions. You are far gentler than any other and far more merciful...and that is precisely why it will hurt you so. Please let me doâ€”" "No. This isn't something I should be foisting off on my wife. I'm gonna do it. I have to." Her offer was kind, but Kaito turned it down. With Hina looking to be on the verge of tears, he patted her head, then gestured for her to leave. After waiting until Hina was a safe distance away, Kaito took a deep breath and raised an arm above his head. Then he snapped his fingers. Six blades appeared out of the empty air, deploying in a circle with the cradle at their center like the middle of a flower. They glittered sharply as they turned toward the walls and ceiling. After coming to eerily precise stops, they waited for their master's cue. Kaito murmured quietly, as though trying to persuade himself. "It's a job befitting the enemy of mankind." Then he snapped his fingers again. "La (kill them all)." The blades shot out with the speed of a guillotine dropping, the six of them carving up the walls and ceiling in unison. That is to say, they sliced up the victims installed therein. They'd all been cursed so as to avoid letting them die. But the curse wasn't nearly effective enough to protect against Kaito's magically empowered attack. Their lives, which had been held perpetually just shy of death's grasp, instantly came to an end. One after another, the soundless screams faded. But the slaughter went on. Blood sprayed in all directions, drenching the room in a ghastly shade of red. It looked almost as though six beasts had leaped from Diablo's cradle and savagely sliced their way through the room. And the noise of the walls and ceiling sounded like an orchestra. Kaito, in his black uniform, played the role of the conductor, waving his arm both violently and delicately. The blades were his instrumentalists, and they wove their shearing melody in accordance with his directions. The time it took felt like it lasted an eternity. But every performance must eventually come to an end. Ten or twenty seconds later, Kaito swung his arm wide, then brought it to a sudden stop. All at once, the blade disappeared. Silence descended upon the room. The only sound left was the faint trickling of blood. The nursery-like chamber had been completely ruined. Chunks of flesh and viscera littered the floor, and everything in sight was red. A thick, rusty smell began filling the air. Amid the tragic spectacle, the first demon slumbered gently, as though nothing had changed. Kaito averted his gaze from it, instead looking at the blood gathering at his feet. As he faced the vast pool of red, he let out a gentle whisper. "Good night, everyone. Sweet dreams." In a sense, his words were tinged with madness. But they came from the heart. After all, he'd heard