The Torture Princess was being burned in the fires of Hell in front of all the masses. Night in and night out, her torment continued without cease. However, Elisabeth Le Fanu had never once tossed and turned. And she had never once feared going to sleep. A Message from Someone (3) "I never once loved you people." I believe I said something to that effect in my last message. Truth be told, though, that was a lie. Back then, I did love you. Or at least, I stubbornly convinced myself that I did. No, no, even that's fairly far from the truth. I really do need to stop talking in vague half statements. But just to begin with, defining love isn't the easiest thing to do. For example, can you truly say that you love the fragile world you live in? Can you really describe your relationship with the thing you interact with and bear responsibilities toward each day with a word as pure and straightforward as love? I strongly doubt it. And even if you can, it's nothing more than the product of self-delusion. In reality, the way you feel about it is complicated, with all sorts of different emotions intermingling and coexisting. I once hated a world such as yours, and so, too, did I love it. The real me never once possessed the unconditional love or boundless mercy that the stories attribute to me. I was never perfectly good, and I was never perfectly evil. However, my saying this might be nothing more than an act of outrageous modesty. Back then, I was driven by all sorts of ideas, convictions, and self-righteousness and filled with all sorts of sorrow, grief, and sadness, and yet even so, I clung desperately to my love and my hope. Thinking back on it now, the inside of my brain must have been like an incandescent pit of hellfire. In other words, I had the makings of a preeminent deviantâ€” â€”as well as the confidence and blind faith befitting a savior, all in spades. If I hadn't, I never would have been able to commit a sin that profane. Or at the very least, I would have refused to bear the burden of my failure. Yet I did in fact both commit a sin and bear the burden. Because of that, I became the most contradictory entity this world has ever seen. I am more sinful than any, holier than any, lowlier than any, and more exalted than any. I am a sinner without peer. And I am an innocent victim. As for my current status, thoughâ€” â€”I'm sorry to say that I've gone well and truly mad. Elisabeth's Daily Routine (Front Side) "Mmm... Ahhh." Elisabeth let out an alluring sigh as she woke. Her consciousness burst up from the fire and curses that made up her nightmare, and her long lashes fluttered as she opened her eyes. Then she gracefully rose. Her blanket slid from her bare shoulders, and her smooth skin gleamed like a pearl in the morning light. Elisabeth preferred to sleep au naturel, and as a result, her silken black hair flowed down her shapely cleavage like water. The whole scene had a taboo beauty to it, as well a peaceful sort of calm. However, Elisabeth soon broke that tranquility with a small scoff. "...Hmph." Her bedroom was modest, and in it, she was alone. The person who was normally by her side when she woke was nowhere to be seen. There was only one other person who was allowed to enter her bedroom in the morning, and it was her automaton maid, Hina. Even since she was first activated, Hina had not only been serving as a valuable combat asset, but she had also been carrying out her maid duties to perfection. Every morning without fail, Hina would bring her a greeting and a cup of tea with a smile on her face. "Good morning, my dearest Lady Elisabeth! The weather is lovely today, as well befits your beauty and my beloved Master Kaito's handsomeness!" Kaito had turned down Hina's offer to do the same for him, so she had been devoting all her effort into making Elisabeth's morning refreshment the best it could be. Because Hina carefully changed the tea's composition based on the ambient temperature and humidity, it always hit the spot just right. Today, though, Hina was absent from her post. However, it wasn't because she was late or had overslept. It was simply because Elisabeth had woken up too early. Outside, it was still dark. Dawn had yet to break. At the moment, Hina was probably still in the middle of partaking in her little hobby before she got to work preparing breakfast (her "brief little indulgence," she called it). Each morning, she would press herself against the door to Kaito's room and listen closely to the sound of his breathing. What she found enjoyable about that was wholly unclear to Elisabeth. However, at least it was harmless. Elisabeth decided to leave her to her own devices. The larger problem lay elsewhere. Outside her window, there was something on the other side of the shutters. Its unpleasant presence was what woke Elisabeth up. She didn't sense any animosity from it. However, the fact remained that it had a strangely foul smell to it. "What, more of this nonsense? Who is it this time who approaches the Torture Princess's castle so fearlessly?" Elisabeth was annoyed, and for good reason. Ever since she subjugated Vlad Le Fanu, she had gotten wrapped up in one bizarre incident after another. For example, there was the battle against the Grand Governor the other day. Before the fight even began, she and the others got wrapped up in a mess involving animal ears. At the end of the day, what even were animal ears? The more she thought about it, the less sense it made. Now, though, things had finally started settling down around the castle. Or at least, she thought they had. "My dream wasn't a pleasant one by any stretch of the imagination, but even so, interfering with my sleep is a heinous crime indeed." Elisabeth strode over to her window. Whoever it was on the other side, they had been ready. She grabbed the shutters and slammed them open. Outside, a dark bat-like figure was flapping its wings. The moment she saw it, Elisabeth snapped her fingers. "Silk Pin." Crimson flower petals whirled up, accompanied by a darkness blacker than night. An almost laughably soft thump sounded out. Her pin pierced the strange creature clean through and pressed it against the floor like a specimen on display. It was a familiar that appeared to be a cross between a bat and a piglet. Something fell from its talons onto the floor. Elisabeth looked at it. Then she frowned. It looked like a crimson flower. And yet it wasn't. It was a human wrist. After being lopped off from halfway down the elbow, the arm had undergone a grotesque treatment. All the bones had been removed around the cross section, and the flesh had been carefully carved into thin little sheets. From there, they'd been peeled outward into a beautiful crimson rose. In the bone's place, something black and boorish-looking had been jammed inside. "All that effort spent, just for that? They could have easily delivered its contents on their own." Elisabeth sighed and went to retrieve the wrist. The object inside the hole was a wooden cylinder. The way it had been plunged into the soft meaty pouch called to mind the image of a man and a woman having intercourse. A wet, squishy noise sounded as Elisabeth wrenched the cylinder free. Strands of viscous mucilage dripped off it. Suddenly, she raised an eyebrow. The cylinder's specifics had defied all her expectations. It was a statue of the Saint, tears of blood and all. "What is this, blasphemy? Sacrilege? A cheap act of rebellion? Any and all of the above, I dare imagine, but still, isn't it a tad blatant? A little subtlety would go a long way... Although, that said, I suppose this whole little scheme was annoying from the get-go." Exasperated, Elisabeth took another look at the Saint statue. Its slender form was soiled from top to bottom with blood and fat, and its neck had a cut on it from being beheaded. They must have removed the head, then sealed it back on with wax. Elisabeth wasted no time in slicing the head back off. Inside, she found a rolled-up piece of parchment. She unfurled it and scanned it over. "...I see. I've seen this type before, but I do wish they'd have at least waited for daybreak." Elisabeth gave her bare shoulders a shrug. Then she snapped her fingers, and darkness and flower petals enveloped her naked body. A moment later, the Torture Princess was clad in her black bondage dress. It was loud, bold, and audacious, just the way Elisabeth liked it. However, that wasn't to say she had designed the outfit intentionally. It took its form all on its own based on the aggressiveness of Elisabeth's mana and the brand of magic she used. It was a design that most people would be ashamed to be caught dead in. However, Elisabeth was quite fond of it. After all, this sort of shameless, provocative outfit suited the Torture Princess to a T. Her dress's hem fluttered as she spoke. "Well, nothing for it. Bothersome as it may be, 'tis best to clean up messes quick. If the matter remains unsettled come morning, that dunce Kaito will no doubt make quite a fuss, and... Wait, hmm? Why should I, the master, have to look out for my servant's feelings?" Elisabeth frowned. How odd. However, she quickly pulled herself together and tossed the wrist and cylinder over her shoulder. A pair of noises rang out, one a hard clunk, and the other a soft splurch. The two items had hit the wall, and they both fell to the floor. Elisabeth didn't spare them so much as a glance. As she set off, the scarlet inside of her dress flared out behind her. Her heels clicked as she strode through the castle and made her way to the exit. The world outside was clad in the black of night. Then without a single attendant in towâ€” â€”the Torture Princess strode out into the moonlight. She probably seemed oddly defenseless like that. However, that was nothing compared with the fact that the Torture Princess's castle wasn't even closed off to visitors. The bare rock it was surrounded by gave it a boorish sort of appearance, and one might even describe the place as fortresslike. However, its actual defenses were surprisingly lacking. It had no barrier erected around it, nor did it house any summoned beasts or gatekeepers. It did have some traps and walking suits of armor to its name, but even those turned off during the day and became nothing more than ornamentation. And the castle's existence wasn't kept a secret in the slightest. As a result, countless people spoke of it in hushed tones. "The Torture Princess lives in that castle of rock and stone," they said. For a rumor, it had a decidedly fantastical ring to it. All that was extremely intentional. In truth, Elisabeth left herself vulnerable to attack on purpose. By using herself as bait for the demons, she was hoping to hasten their showdowns. However, the rod she cast pulled up no shortage of small fry as well. This was certainly not the first unwanted dimwit who'd come knocking on her door. "It's a wondrous honor to be graced with your radiant presence, O beautiful Torture Princess. O ravishing Elisabeth Le Fanu!" A voice overcome with emotion echoed out through the dark forest. A group of birds took off at the sudden noise, cawing loudly as they flew away. The speaker quivered passionately and spread his arms wide. The