things ought to be. ...But isn't that a sin in and of itself? The ignorant had no right to cast blame, did they? Their entire way of life was fundamentally wrong, wasn't it? Then didn't that make the restructuring just a way to rectify that? "Is that what you think? Then you're an imbecile." A razor-sharp voice forcefully smashed through Kaito's reverie. With a start, he came back to his senses. Before him, Elisabeth still sat with her chin in her hands. "Your premise is flawed, to start. The masses were not the ones who decided to cast judgment on me. 'Twas I. And grand accolades are the furthest thing from my mind. Your restructuring may well be more pleasant for me, but I care naught. In fact, 'tis quite the opposite." Elisabeth's gaze bored down on the Grave Keeper. Her black nails glinted as she whispered. "Any who say my sins can be forgiven shall die by my hands. 'Tis all there is to it." Elisabeth ran her tongue over her red lips. Then, with a sweet smile, the peerless sinner continued. "Your cajolery has backfired on you, Grave Keeper. Your death shall come swiftly." That's right. Elisabeth is strong. Kaito had just been forcibly reminded of that fact. Her resolve came completely from within. He had yet to come to terms with that, nor did he fully accept it. But the way she refused to fear death was definitely admirable. Now that he thought about it rationally, Kaito, too, was opposed to the restructuring. He certainly didn't want Elisabeth to burn at the stake. But he saw no reason to endorse a plan that involved everyone in the world dying, either. Calling death "salvation" was nothing but base sophistry. At the same time, Kaito realized something odd. The Grave Keeper's description was mad from its very premise. Most of the people who want the restructuring to happen believe that the pious faithful will remain in the new world. At least, that was what he'd thought. But the Grave Keeper was different. The whole time, she'd clearly been working under the assumption that all humanity would perish. "What...the hell?" Words of doubt spilled forth from Kaito's lips. The Grave Keeper cocked her head to the side, curious as to what he was trying to say. As he looked back at the young girl, the words practically leaped from Kaito's mouth. "You...you know that the restructuring is gonna kill everyone?" "Oh no, not everyone. Our revered Saint will surely remain." "Stillâ€”you know? But then...how the hell could you endorse that?" Kaito gave voice to his genuine doubts. Believing that their piety would ultimately be rewarded with a miracle and would grant them survival was at least something he could comprehend. And as twisted as it was, looking for validation of one's devoutness and righteousness made logical sense as a desire. But if they knew full well that they, too, would be reduced to nothing... That kind of devotion is just too empty. That would mean that all their wishes and prayers had been for nothing. Not a single thing they asked of God would end up meaning a thing. Not a single person would be saved. "Wouldn't that just make everything meaningless?" "Why should we seek results from prayer?" Her voice had a strange, dry ring to it. Kaito's eyes went wide. Ignoring his shock, the young girl made a firm declaration. "That would be blasphemy." Kaito had nothing to follow up with. He had no idea what to say. But then, suddenly, a smile spread across the Grave Keeper's face. To his surprise, her voice took on a gentler tone. "Ah, I see. It rather makes sense that a man from another world would have difficulty understanding. We know full well of the truth behind our world, you see. That is why we believe. God and the Saint have been seeking this restructuring for many ages. With that being the case, then our annihilation, too, is a thing of joy." "What the hell do youâ€”?" "If God deems our existence a mistake, then that is what is just and proper." The Grave Keeper's voice was solemn. She spoke calmly, as though proselytizing to an ignorant sheep. "The next world will be God's kingdom, a perfect, ideal land. And oh, what a marvelous thing that will be. Now is the time for us to repay the Saint for the love she so freely gave us. 'All glory to God.' 'The miracle is upon us.' 'There is no need for us here.' That is what it means to have faith." Kaito shuddered. The hair on Lute's tail stood up. Now Kaito finally realized. So she's one of the "shepherds who would gladly cast themselves into the fire just to catch a glimpse of a miracle" Jeanne was talking about. At the same time, he ruminated on what Izabella had said: that the Church's doctrine was necessary. "Even now, I still hold that the Church's teachings are wonderful. Using faith as a way to support a life lived nobly and properly is an honorable thing. People are weak. They need something to believe in." This girl wasn't using faith to support herself. She was using herself to support faith. She didn't even believe that her prayers would reach anyone. She sought nothing from God. And if she was told to die, she would simply die. That was the nature of her love. Kaito parted his trembling lips. Still shaking, he asked his question. "How can you even think like that? You're so young, but you'reâ€”" "Enough from you, Kaito. Asking such a thing of the Grave Keeper is nigh comical. Now you're the one with the flawed premise." Sounding annoyed, Elisabeth interjected. She gestured rudely toward the Grave Keeper with her chin. When she spoke of the adorable young girl she was pointing at, her voice was tinged with loathing. "The Grave Keeper inherits the memories and personality of every Grave Keeper before them. However, the rite of succession is too great a burden for a baby's mind to bear. As a result, the personalities blend together, and a kind of natural selection occurs. In the end, all that remains is a single common denominator: fervent piety toward God and the Saint. To put it in a few words, she's akin to zealotry personified." She looks sane, but I guess she really, really isn't. Kaito could see that clearly. At the same time, he was reminded once more of the Church's deep-rooted perversion. Preserving the Grave Keeper's memories and personality was no doubt a necessary step for them to take in continuing to conceal the deadly secret that was the first demon's existence. People who could maintain their faith after seeing that thing were probably rarer than rare. But that had resulted in her. You know, that stuff Izabella said is probably closer to how the Church is normally supposed to be. But instead, they'd gotten the whole world involved and had sunk deeper and deeper into their mistakes. What had gone wrong? How had things gotten to this point? No matter how hard he thought about it, no satisfying answer was forthcoming. Ever since the world had been created, or perhaps even before then, thin layers of madness had slowly been trying to engulf everything. But even with the situation as tumultuous as it was, the trigger that had initiated the collapse was abundantly clear. Everything had started when the Butcher had sold Vlad that demon meat. They really did need to talk to the Butcher directly. With that thought in mind, Kaito asked a new question. "Where are you guys keeping the Butcher?" The Grave Keeper completely ignored him, instead tilting her head to the side. Still surrounded by Lute's subordinates, Jeanne was sitting coolly on the floor. The Grave Keeper's gaze shifted to Jeanne's defenseless profile. Then, in a gentle voice, she called out to the golden Torture Princess. "I've heard reports on you, you know. The other Torture Princess. The girl who proclaims herself the maiden of salvation, who rejects God's will, who would pour poisoned wine upon the Saint's lips. You're a fool of a wholly different sort than we... Although I also hear that despite that mechanical impression you give, you took quite a liking to our Izabella Vicker." "So I did. She was my first love, you see." Jeanne's response was instant. The next moment, the eyes of everyone present save the Grave Keeper went wide. "Huh?" "What?" "Excuse me?" "I beg your pardon?" The brief comment she'd given may as well have been a bomb. Upon hearing the words first love, Kaito, Elisabeth, Hina, and even Lute reeled. Embarrassed by their reactions, they all then shut up, and an indescribable silence descended upon the room. Other than the Grave Keeper, whose smile was unchanged, they all wore truly peculiar expressions. Then Jeanne gave her continuation in the same emotionless voice as always. "I'm sorry. That was a joke." "A joke?! I thought you were being serious! Now is hardly the time to be saying such things!" Elisabeth slammed her fist onto the ground, and it sank gently into the bear pelt. Kaito rapidly nodded his assent. Jeanne's so-called "joke" was tone-deaf in the extreme. However, she wasn't done talking yet. "However, I do feel that it was something similar. But hey, beats me! I was chosen by the alchemists to save the world and raised solely for that purpose. I was a princess and a sacrifice. I was created by them, and I destroyed them. For that was my contract with them. Neither of us resented the other. However, I had little direct contact with humans, so I was concerned as how best to interact with the stray sheep until I obtained a servant. So I went to some bandits in a neighboring mountain, snatched 'em up, and learned from their example." "Wait, so that's why your speech gets vulgar at random intervals?!" One mystery had been solved, at least. Now they knew the context behind the fact that Jeanne's word choice would regularly take a turn for the incredibly coarse. But what they didn't know was why she'd chosen then to share that seemingly irrelevant piece of information with them. Ignoring Kaito's expression of bewilderment, Jeanne kept speaking. "So that was my first time." "Your first time...what?" "My first time meeting an 'ordinary human' like that." This time, Jeanne answered Kaito's question. For a moment, her rose eyes went vacant. Then she whispered in an uncharacteristically hazy voice. "My li'l miss was foolish...but she was gallant, and she had honor." That simple sentence hit Kaito like a train. He gazed at her profile and ruminated. Her interactions with people had been severely limited. That was what had made Jeanne the way she was today, into the maiden of salvation. She never looked back at those she'd trampled over, nor did she spare a thought for her victims. But if a single person she perceived differently existed, then... If that's the case, then...that basically is a first love, isn't it? Kaito almost said it aloud, but he held his tongue. Pointing it out now wouldn't do them any good. Izabella was currently far away from them. She'd carried out her will and returned to the Church. And it was anyone's guess as to what had happened to her after being captured by the group of executioner-like people. No, wait. There is one person. There was a chance that the Grave Keeper knew whether or not Izabella was safe. Kaito instinctively turned to look at her. As he did, a sleazy smile spread across her youthful face. Upon seeing it, a chill ran down his spine. Frantically, he tried to ask about Izabella's well-being. But Jeanne spoke first, as though to stop him. Her voice was coolheaded to the last. "Even so, trying to use my li'l miss as bait to negotiate with me is