youth tripped over his feet, Hina, still holding her halberd, dropped her voice an octave. "Never again utter such rudeness to my dearest Lady Elisabeth." "Wha...? I don'tâ€”" "And heeere I goooo! Hachaaaaaah!" The young man started to let out a bewildered yelp, but he was cut off by a loud, cheerful cry. At some point, the doorway had gotten thrown wide-open, and something large and heavy came hurtling through it. It was a massive piece of bone-in meat. After spinning through the air, it struck the young man square in the forehead. It made for a bizarre sight, but it was apparently effective nonetheless. The youth keeled over backward, then went still. It looked like it had given him a concussion. Elisabeth blinked in confusion. It wasn't a dream. It was reality. And there were two people she was well acquainted with standing behind her. Specifically, Hina and the Butcher. "Now hold on a minute... What are you two doing here?" "One thing led to another, you see!" "And we ended up tailing you!" With the grisly room to their backs, the two of them proudly puffed out their chests. "One thing led to another," eh? Elisabeth scratched her cheek. The fact of the matter was, considering how slow he was moving, she still could have returned the young man's attack with time to spare. She had never been in any real danger. Yet somehow or other... ...she felt as though she'd been saved nonetheless. The carriage rattled along the dark night road. The driver who'd been manning the reins on their way there had already fled, so the Butcher was filling in for him. "Why, I could do that with my eyes closed!" he'd claimed. And sure enough, he was handling the carriage more deftly than even the driver had. There are mysteries about when it comes to that man. Is there anything he can't do? As Elisabeth pondered that question, she stole a glance at Hina, who was sitting beside her. Hina said nothing, a silence that Elisabeth mirrored. However, their expressions were like polar opposites of each other. Hina was smiling happily, but Elisabeth was frowning in discontent. Eventually, Elisabeth looked back away from her seatmate and quietly spoke. "...You've no objections, Hina?" "About what, might I ask?" "You saw the atrocities I committed back in that room. You ordered the man not to call me a monster, but...your master is Kaito, not I. There's no need for you to flatter me. I appreciate your diligent service, don't get me wrong, but you needn't pretend to hold me in such regard." "I'm sorry, Lady Elisabeth, but please don't misunderstand me." Hina's voice rang out dignified and resolute. Elisabeth turned back toward her so fast, it was like she'd been slapped in the face. Hina was staring straight at her. Even in the dim, her emerald eyes shone like jewels. She softly opened her mouth, then spoke with a gentle calmness. "I might not have a sense of morals the way humans do, but I am aware of how your past deeds and cruel nature have drawn hatred and criticism from many. I can't refute what they say...but at the same time, it's my right to choose who I want to protect, and who I want to hold dear." My heart is mine and mine alone. Not even my beloved master can deny me that. That was what Hina was saying. Elisabeth had no answer for that. Instead, she just stared off into space. Eventually, she curiously posed a question. "...How utterly puzzling. What about me do you find so worthy of your admiration?" "Hmhm, there are oh-so-many things... But the specifics are a secret. That's something you'll have to figure out for yourself someday, Lady Elisabeth. It wouldn't mean anything if I just told you." Hina playfully raised a finger in front of her lips. Yet again, Elisabeth had no answer for that. It seemed wrong for the Torture Princess to affirm herself in that way after committing such a massacre. Beside her, her automaton companion kept on smiling. It was the expression of someone who knew their own heart inside and out. As the Butcher let out a strange "Heigh-ho!" cheer from up in the driver's seat, Elisabeth let out a low murmur. "You're a strict one, aren't you?" "Oh yes! I may dote on Master Kaito, but even I know when it's time for some tough love!" Hina puffed up her chest with pride. Elisabeth shook her head in defeat. The tension drained from her face, and a smile spread across itâ€”the first genuine smile she'd worn that day. She nodded. "You know, in the interest of avoiding a large hassle, what say weâ€”?" "Keep this all a secret from Master Kaito? Oh, of course." They exchanged a glance, and with that, their girls' promise was official. A moment later, they both broke out into laughter. Another strange "Heigh-ho!" echoed through the air as the carriage rattled beneath the dawn sky. And back at the castle, a certain dim-witted, softhearted boy was still fast asleep. A Message from Someone (4) To begin with, thoughâ€” â€”what does it really mean to go mad? Whenever I start pondering that question, I immediately feel my sanity begin to slip away. Big deal, you might think, coming from a self-proclaimed lunatic. And you'd be completely right to do so. But it's the truth, so I'm afraid there isn't much I can do about it. Honestly, though, I'm really not sure. When was it, I wonder, that I went completely mad? Was it when I chose this world's appointed time? When I sowed the seeds of evil throughout it? When I made an attendant who would serve me and me alone? Was it when I brought about the worst possible result, one that could never be undone? Was it when I decided to take responsibility for the deed I'd committed? Or was it, perhaps, long, long agoâ€” â€”when I made up my mind to perform that summoning? When I decided that I wanted to save the world? If so, though, wouldn't that mean that there has been something messed up about me all along? That there is something wrong with me as a person? That it was a mistake for me to ever have been born? Surely, that's too harsh. It's not as though a baby can bear sin. Would the mistake lie with the very world that created such a person, then? No, no, I'm getting this all wrong. Blame and criticism, I can take. They're far more pleasant than the blind faith and respect I was subjected to before, after all. But at the same time, I can feel it keenly. Is there anyone in this world who has the right to condemn me? Who? Who has that right? Certainly not you all. You don't know anything. Not a single, solitary thing. I'm not the Saint. I'm not the Suffering Woman. I'm not someone worthy of respect. I'm just a person. Just another lunatic. Yetâ€” Yet even soâ€” â€”I've been alone all this time. Elisabeth's Daily Routine (Back Side) Ever since the moment she was first turned onâ€” â€”Hina the automaton had been Kaito Sena's eternal lover. In his sickness and in his health, she was his soldier, his love outlet, his sex doll, and most importantly, his faithful companion and maid. Constant caring and devotion were Hina's trademarks. However, even she had a secret that she couldn't share with her lover. Specifically, it was about the "brief little indulgence" she enjoyed before getting to work on breakfast. Each morning, Hina would go to Kaito's room and press herself against his door. Kaito's traumatic past life left him frequently plagued with nightmares, so Hina wanted to make sure she could "accidentally" wake him up whenever he started moaning in his sleep. If his rest was peaceful, though, then that was when the fun really started. After all, Hina's secret hobby was listening to Kaito breathe as he slept. Each and every day, she would devote the considerable full force of her automaton hearing capabilities toward that one task. Then as she listened to him, she would trace idle little circles in the air with her fingers. "Pant, pant... Oh, Master Kaito... You're sleeping so soundly, so defenselessly today. It's ever so adorable! Why, it hardly seems fair for one person to be so cool and so lovable! Yet nobody in the whole wide world is your better in either regard! Oh, I fall harder for you each day! ...Eep, you just said 'mmm'! How erotic! Oh, if only my most fervent wish could come true, and I could wake you up each morning with a passionate smooch!" "H-hmm... It feels as though it might be dangerous to call out to her right now, doesn't it? Ah, but nothing ventured, nothing gained! Now here I go! Ahem... Ms. Lovely Maid?" "Eep! Wh-who goes there?! Who's eavesdropping on me?!" Hina leaped up with a start and wasted no time in assuming a combat pose. She normally preferred to fight with a halberd, but she was still a force to be reckoned with even when unarmed. She could snap a bear's neck with her bare hands, and a single one of her kicks could knock a man's head clean off. And the other party was well aware of that fact. He quickly raised his hands in a show of surrender. "I come in peace! It's meâ€”the one who everyone loves, the one who's always by your side when you need him most! Your humble Butcher!" "...Oh, Mr. Butcher?" "Me, friend!" "Ah, my apologies... You won't tell Master Kaito about any of what you just heard, will you, Mr. Butcher? I'm sure I can count on your discretion. And on that note, welcome to Lady Elisabeth's castle! What brings you here today?" "Oh goodness. I feel as though if you trusted me any less, my head and torso would be sharing a tearful farewell right now..." He shivered, and atop his shoulder, the large round sack he was carrying, which was covered in X-shaped patches, shook in turn. The Butcher was a demi-human merchant who often frequented Elisabeth's castle. The tattered black cloak he wore covered everything but his scaly hands and feet, adding to his already considerable air of mystery. When Hina saw him tremble like a scared puppy, she hurriedly moved to comfort him. "Oh no, there's no need to be afraid! Worry notâ€”as long as you don't become an enemy of my beloved Master Kaito, I would never dream of attacking you!" "For words intended to set my heart at ease, they still have a decidedly frightening ring to them... Ah, but I have a task that needs doing, so I had better pull myself together, hadn't I? I apologize for showing up at such an early hour, but the thing is, I believe I left something here." "Oh my! What is it?" "One of my pieces of meat on the bone." Suddenly, a cry of "Again?! How do you keep forgetting those?!" echoed out from Kaito's room. However, it didn't sound like he was actually awake. What a dedicated straight man he was. Meanwhile, Hina gently tilted her head to the side. "Oh, goodness me... I'm afraid I have some unfortunate news. When Lady Elisabeth was drinking and making merry last night, I believe she grilled it and ate it." "I'm too late already?! Rgh... How transient and fleeting the life of meat is..." "Hmm. Come to think of it, though, while I'm certain she got something out of the ice-spirit fridge, it might have actually been something else. Here's an ideaâ€”it's a little earlier than usual, but I was just about to head to the kitchen to prepare Lady Elisabeth's morning tea. Would you like to come with me and check?" "Ah, you're too gracious! A thousand thanks!" Without Hina accompanying him, he couldn't enter the