of an eye, the unnecessary sections were removed and the meat was cut to the perfect dimensions. As if to ensure that the meat not suffer more damage than necessary, the cuts were all clean and precise. Kaito unwittingly stopped moving as he watched her masterful knife work. It was at that moment that Elisabeth's voice rang out. "Butler! Oh, Butler!" *** "Kaito!" "I heard you. What do you want?" Abandoning the wet dishes and leaving the rest to Hina, Kaito broke into a run. He had expected her to be waiting in the throne room, but she was still in the dining room. He opened the door and saw her sitting on her ball-and-claw chair, tipping a wineglass back and forth. She wore a sullen expression, and her legs were crossed. A new visitor sat before her, occupying the same seat the Butcher had been in when Kaito had left. "Apparently, this unpleasant man has some matter he wishes to discuss with you." "Ah, pleased to meet you... Young Kaito Sena, correct?" The blond man's face was chiseled, and he wore a black cassock. He evoked the image of a goat, and his eyes seemed gentle as he smiled. Yet, his face gave off a somewhat suspicious impression, and looking at him gave Kaito goose bumps on his back and an unpleasant feeling in his stomach. He also noticed that the man's pronunciation of his Japanese name had been smooth and more correct than he'd heard in some time. Showing no signs as to whether or not he'd deduced Kaito's unease, the man opened his mouth with dignity. "My name is Clueless Ray Faund. I come as an envoy from the Church, looking to conduct a personal interview with you." "...............Huh?" "He truly is your servant, Elisabeth. His manner resembles yours." The man spoke in a tone that made it impossible to tell if he was truly impressed or if he was being sarcastic. Kaito took another good long look at Clueless, the man from the Church. Kaito didn't know much about this world's Church. But based on the fact that they'd been able to suspend Elisabeth's execution and order her on her demon hunt, he could tell they wielded substantial influence. In the face of such power, Kaito's first reaction was the desire to flee. But if he fled now, it would look highly suspicious. Suppressing his automatic response, which was to turn around, Kaito focused his gaze on the man, silently inquiring as to what questions he wanted to ask. Clueless stood from his chair, stretched, and offered a rather unexpected proposal. "Well then, shall we make our way to the Church? I'd rather not hear you out in a place as gloomy as this castle." "Huh? Well-I'm-Lady-Elisabeth's-butler-you-see. I can't just come and go as I please." "Insolent cur... So you'll admit to being my servant when it's convenient for you, I see. Nevertheless, he speaks the truth, Clueless. Do not simply carry off my servants with you. I made that one myself. The core component may be worthless, but it comes attached to a rather splendid golem, so he ends up being somewhat useful. You shan't take him without my permission." "You say that, Elisabeth. But you're the one who failed to report having summoned the soul of someone from another world, aren't you?" At Clueless's declaration, Elisabeth twisted her lips. He seemed to have hit the mark. Kaito was fairly surprised that the fact that he was from another world had been exposed. Laying his large hands one on top of the other, Clueless continued. "However, I have no intention of reporting that fact to my superiors. I can say that I simply wanted to check on the specifics of how you defeated the Knight and the Earl, and besides, this little visit was off the books in the first place. Don't you think that rather than dealing with formalities and punishments, it would be more constructive to quietly resolve this matter together? To that end, I would like to speak with the young man. How does that sound?" "Bah, enough with the farce. At any rate, you intend to blather on and grumble until I relinquish him to you, am I wrong? Fine, then. What a bother. You have my permission. If you fail to return him, however, I shall have your head." "There's a good girl, Elisabeth. A most sensible choice indeed." Watching their exchange, Kaito couldn't help but be surprised. He hadn't thought there was a person alive who could stand up to Elisabeth the way Clueless just did. Nodding to Kaito, Clueless began walking. From the way the conversation had gone, Kaito guessed he was supposed to follow. Neither party seemed to have the slightest interest in how he felt. Half-desperate, Kaito obediently followed after the cassock-clad man. He accompanied Clueless down an underground passage, and they arrived at Elisabeth's teleportation circle. Kaito, having thought they'd been heading outside, knit his brows. Clueless stood in front of the circle and turned to look at Kaito. "Now then, young Kaito, shall we be off? Do mind the vertigo." Clueless reached inside his cassock and pulled out a heavy-looking silver pendant. At the end of its thick chain hung an upside-down sculpture of a veiled woman. The intricately carved veil defied gravity in its obstinate quest to conceal the woman's face. "Guide me down the path of righteousness." He held it over the center of the circle, and the bloody runes blurred. Crimson drops began pouring into the air. They then glowed blue and began orbiting like little planets. When the rotations reached their peak speed, the blue lights froze. They then fell to the floor as one. When the blue rain had cleared up, a basement with a notably different ambience to the one they were in before spread out before them. "This place is..." Apparently, they'd reached a place separate from Elisabeth's basement. The walls were made of bare packed earth, giving off a completely different sense of claustrophobia than stone. The cool air had a damp odor, announcing loud and clear that they were underground. "Come now, young Kaitoâ€”follow me. We're going this way." Placing his pendant back in his cassock, Clueless left through the single door. Outside the room, long, tunnel-like wooden passages extended to both sides. Old magical lanterns hung from the low ceiling and lit the path. It felt almost like a passage built for mining. As he walked through the corridor rich in smells of soil and rotting wood, Clueless spoke quietly. "These are the hidden passageways that extend beneath the Church. They connect to my private chamber. Follow me." Obeying the instructions, Kaito turned halfway through the passage and made his way up a narrow staircase. Beyond it was a surprisingly small room. Its wooden interior was barren, save for a stately desk and a filing cabinet. One wall, however, was adorned with an image of the same inverted, veiled woman Kaito had just seen. Upon closer inspection, he saw a single red tear running down the woman's cheek. Ignoring Kaito, Clueless knelt and offered a heartfelt prayer to the woman. After a few moments, he stood back up. "Forgive me for the wait. And please make yourself comfortable." "Ah, thanks." Kaito, being offered the chair at the desk, took it. While he did, Clueless busied himself with the porcelain tea set that had been left on the desk. He poured a pinkish liquid into a cup. A surprisingly refreshing minty aroma wafted up from it. "I'm quite a fan of this tea, you see. I buy it up every time I'm at my favorite shop." "Uh... Ah, well, that seems like a pleasant hobby." "Ha-ha, I wonder. I'm glad you think so, at least. My subordinates often scold me for buying too much." Clueless winked. It was a very human gesture, but for whatever reason, it made Kaito tense up. Something about the way the man talked seemed uncanny, almost superficial. Clueless moved his own chair such that he was facing Kaito from across the desk. Kaito noted that the arrangement resembled an interrogation. Clueless took a sip of his tea, then began the conversation in earnest. "I must say, I never imagined Elisabeth would drag someone from another world into her demon hunt, even if only as a servant." "Uh, not that Elisabeth really talks about it much, but I got the vibe that it wasn't really a big deal. Are you saying it's uncommon for people to get summoned from other worlds?" "Wait, she hasn't bothered explaining anything? Well, she's never been much of a responsible one. Uncommon would be putting it lightly. It's beyond rare. I'd heard the two of you had shared some memories during the summons, but you and Elisabeth must really be on the same wavelength. That, or perhaps you have similar natures." "You're saying I'm similar to that woman?" Kaito immediately frowned. He would hardly describe himself as similar to that proud, haughty, devil-may-care woman. Taking another sip of tea, Clueless shook his head. "I'm sorry; that was rude of me. I certainly don't find the two of you similar. After all, I've heard that Elisabeth Le Fanu's cruelty started quite early on in her childhood." The statement caused Kaito to start. The image of the young girl he'd seen a few days prior flashed through his mind. She'd just sat on her bed, her body thin and frail and her eyes hollow. Kaito shook his head to dispel the vision. Ignoring Kaito's unrest, Clueless continued on. "She was born as the only child of the distinguished Le Fanu family. She was a feeble child who broke toys and delighted at the deaths of animals, but she didn't truly bloom until she turned sixteen. It was at that point that she began torturing people, gaining significant magical ability from their pain. And with those wicked powers, she killed even more. As she committed her many, many atrocities, no entity, living or dead, could inspire fear in her any longer, least of all God." Clueless's hand squeezed down on his porcelain cup. A stern light burned in his azure eyes, and Kaito could tell that his voice was full of needle-sharp hostility. Clueless had been chatting merrily with Elisabeth just a moment ago, but his words were now steeped in hatred. Squinting in the face of the severity of Clueless's reaction, a seed of doubt took root in Kaito's mind. Obtaining power from the pain of othersâ€”that was exactly what the demons did. But Elisabeth Le Fanu was no demon; she was the Torture Princess. "I thought Elisabeth wasn't one of the fourteen demons, though?" "True, she isn't. She accomplished that all by herself, not contracting with anyone or anything. She shouldn't be able to use the powers of demons, and none but the High Priest has been able to discern the mechanism by which she's able to turn people's pain into her own power. But the facts are the facts. She is an evil woman, with powers surpassing those of the demons. Her very existence is blasphemous." Clueless spat these words. Perhaps he was right, but Kaito wasn't sure how to respond. It was true that Elisabeth was a torturer, a despot, and a tyrant. But now, she was fighting the demons. And the number of people in this world who could stand up to those hell-birthing monsters probably wasn't high. And for now, Kaito was assisting her. While he still lashed back at her at times, ever since the incident with the Earl, he'd stopped having qualms about serving her. He even kind of liked the innocent side she occasionally revealed. Maybe it was a warped way to live, but it worked for him. In his hesitation, Kaito had grown silent. But Clueless nodded, seeming to understand Kaito's position, and heaved a heavy sigh. "Forgive me. It appears I have gotten rather heated. But I thought