the way we arrived here, at the World's End, was given to us abruptly and by a mysterious individual." Suddenly, Kaito recalled what Lute had said back when he'd been caught on the ivy that had served as guard netting. Even though he'd been astonished at the unexpected reunion, he'd heard Lute's words loud and clear. Back then, Lute said... "To think that a human would make it to the World's End. It would appear we were not the only ones invited..." "You said you guys were 'invited,' right?" "Precisely. It would probably be faster to show you the object itself. Have a look." Lute withdrew a piece of paper from the sack on his back. Kaito took it, then stared at it intently. Elisabeth, who was right next to him, peered at it as well. They scrunched up their brows in unison. "This is..." "...Aye." Complex magical runes were piled up along the left side of the paper. Together, they made up a formula designed to interfere with a teleportation circle. Even Kaito, who was generally ignorant when it came to magical matters, could tell how abnormally chaotic they were. It reminded Kaito of the letter the Governor had once given them. Back then, the formula dissolved, paper and all, after a single use. This paper, on the other hand, had survived even after Lute and his men had teleported. Frightened by its incomprehensible construction as he was, he turned his gaze to the paper's right side. A few words were written on it in a round scrawl. The beginning, the middle, and the end all lie in the palm of His hand. If you wish to reject those words, make for the World's End. The right shall be granted to all races impartially. The invitation was almost reminiscent of a poem. The artwork at the end, though, stood out like a sore thumb. A massive piece of bone-in meat was drawn on the paper. It was so impressive, it practically deserved fanfare. "...Aye, the Butcher wrote this." "Yup, definitely the Butcher." "You can tell from so little information? Consider me impressed." Lute's words rang with frank admiration. In truth, Kaito had come to that conclusion off the bone-in-meat drawing alone, but some things were better left unsaid. His expression turned meek as he handed the paper back to Lute. After glancing over its contents again, Lute frowned. "The first time I saw it, it seemed like some manner of practical joke. But it was impossible to write off as such, as the circumstances under which it was delivered were far too peculiar." Apparently, the letter had been delivered to Vyade's third villa. Ever since Jeanne's invasion, Vyade had changed residences and fortified her defenses. But someone managed to not only find where she'd moved but also slip past the guard netting and invade her bedchambers. The culprit had been a small dragon. After leaving the letter on Vyade's pillow, he'd flapped his way out. Afterward, one of the few beastfolk mages had immediately gotten to work analyzing the formula written on the letter. What they'd discovered was that there was an unknown set of coordinates recorded within it. However, there were still many members of Vyade's private army who had yet to recover from the wounds Jeanne had dealt to them. Because of that, she'd chosen Lute, who was naturally resilient and deeply loyal, and put him and his subordinates through a round of intensive healing. While that was going on, she'd also sent out scouts to the designated location and had them bring back reports. Then, armed with their newfound information, the squad had prepared themselves for the environment and set off. Upon reaching the site themselves, Lute and his men had come to realize just where it was that they'd come to. Beastfolk held little piety toward God and the Saint, but even they were versed in their legends. In this world, there exists a place that God designated as its End. A pure place, crafted from snow and water, wind and mana. A place that only those granted knowledge of its location are able to reach. "Given everything you just told me, Sir Kaito, it follows that the first half of the letterâ€”'The beginning, the middle, and the end all lie in the palm of His hand. If you wish to reject those words, make for the World's End'â€”refers to preventing the world from being restructured. But what is this 'right' it says will be granted? Why, it's not even clear what the letter's writer would have us do in order to attain it." "Yeah, it really isn't... What does the Butcher want with all the races anyway?" "In truth, we were at a loss for what to do after we finished setting up camp and laying out the netting. With only the letter at our disposal, we couldn't make heads or tails of things." Lute scratched his head. Apparently, the arrival of Kaito's group had been a great help to him as well. For a moment, the conversation came to a lull. Kaito and Lute crossed their arms, and Elisabeth immersed herself in thought. Silence filled the room. Then a bright voice piped up. "Thank you all for waitingâ€”it's ready! Go on and drink it while it's still hot!" Hina was nearly prancing as she began passing out tea. Her smile was, to borrow an idiom from Kaito's old world, like a breath of fresh air. Kaito and Lute thanked her as they received their bowls. Kaito took a sip from his. It was as sweet as honey, and it had a fruity tanginess mixed in as well. Elisabeth, on the other hand, sat unmoving, her bowl remaining perched in her hand. Eventually, she let out a quiet murmur. "'The beginning, the middle, and the end all lie in the palm of His hand. If you wish to reject those words, make for the World's End. The right shall be granted to all races impartially.' Given that he used the phrase 'all races,' we can assume that, while their coordinates are unknown to us, the demi-humans must have received his invitation as well. And rejecting the notion that everything from the beginning to the end lies in God's hand, eh?" "What do you think it means?" "In all likelihood, something exists here that would serve to hinder God's restructuring of the world." It sounded like Elisabeth already knew what that was. Kaito's eyes widened. The surprise of that realization almost caused him to drop his bowl. The moment before its contents spilled, though, Hina grabbed it from beside him. "Are you all right? Not a single drop spilled on your leg, my dearest Master Kaito, did it?" "Huh? Oh yeah, no, I'm fine. Thanks. Sorry about that." Kaito's thanks was decidedly absentminded. Reflexively, he cast a glance toward Jeanne. The golden girl was as expressionless as always, but the corners of her mouth were ever so slightly curled up. She nodded, affirming his suspicions. Elisabeth went on, her voice low. "'Tis but one thing I could imagine it to be." "Yeah, same." Kaito offered a brief agreement. But he left the role of saying it aloud to Elisabeth. Lute leaned forward in anticipation. Elisabeth reverently opened her mouth to speak. "Here liesâ€”" "Why, indeed, our revered Saint is here." A sweet, bell-like voice rang out. Who the soft interjection belonged to, nobody there knew. At some point, a petite individual clad in scarlet cloth from head to toe had taken a seat beside Kaito. The long garment reached all the way to the floor, spreading out wide like a carpet of rose petals. Half-hidden within its folds, she was also wearing a gold-hemmed vestment of the same color. She looked to be affiliated with the Church. The most surprising bit, though, was what lay beneath the clothes. Their sudden intruder was a young girl. She looked to be less than ten. She had simple flaxen hair and marvelously clear eyes the color of amber. Her short, evenly cut hair paired well with her attractively proportionate facial features. Her appearance was more than sufficient to classify her as cute. But there was just something about her. There's something...catastrophically broken about her. No matter how you looked at her, she was nothing more than a sweet, simple little girl. But Kaito couldn't dispel the strange impression he was getting from her. And the fact that she'd appeared out of nowhere without catching anyone's attention served as proof that she wasn't just anyone. Due to the intrusion of a single young girl, the air in the room was stretched thin and tense. Lute and his men reached for their swords. However, their opponent was simply too young to cut down or cross-examine. Hesitation welled up in their eyes. Hina alone assumed a battle-ready stance as she swiftly moved to protect Kaito. Jeanne merely blinked. Still cross-legged, Elisabeth planted her chin atop her hands. Then she spoke, making no effort to hide her displeasure. "As I suspect. And that's why you're here, I suppose." "Yes, exactly. Lovely to see you again, Elisabeth Le Fanu. I remember the last time we met, you know. You may have known my name, but you didn't have the faintest clue as to the gravity of the role I play. You've matured quite splendidly, O ignorant sheep. I can hardly make light of you after you've come this far." The girl chuckled, clearly amused. Elisabeth's brow furrowed even further. Kaito cocked his head to the side. It would appear that the two knew each other, although their relationship seemed anything but cordial. Who is this girl? What is she? Kaito opened his mouth, about to give voice to those questions. Before he could, though, Elisabeth continued, spitting out her words with a look of utmost resentment plastered across her face. "Is it really fine for you to be out of the Capital like this, Grave Keeper?" 5 The Grave Keeper's Zealotry "Oh, no, it isn't fine at all. It's super not-fine. But we all have to do what we have to do. I serve at the pleasure of God and the Holy Mother. The tomb's seal is broken, and the end is nigh. Soon, the living and the dead will both return to ash. We'll be just fine leaving a handful of men to protect those worthless old kingly corpses, thank you very much. Besides, I had another part I needed to play." The girl's voice was as smooth as silk. Abruptly, she stood up. Her long scarlet cloak fluttered, and she continued her speech in an operatic tone. "I may be the Grave Keeper, but I am also the Messenger. I am the one who blows the horn at the end of days, loudly hailing the sheepâ€”'behold, for she is awakened, and rejoice, for the devout have been granted a miracle.'" Kaito squinted. Her speech was strangely verbose. Considering that she was a member of the Church and a fanatic, to boot, the actual contents of her speech themselves were fairly normal. But the fact that they were coming from someone who looked to be a ten-year-old girl was anything but. The most pressing issue, though, was how she'd addressed herself. "...The Grave Keeper?" Kaito thought back to the horrors he'd seen in the underground tomb. Living people had had their pain harvested for pacification down in the cruel nursery. And the room's gatekeeper had been a monster created by taking a divine creature, feeding it demon meat, and mixing in human parts. The Grave Keeper had been the one responsible for all that. As a result, Kaito had come to believe that the Grave Keeper lacked anything resembling morals or basic rationality. But the girl standing before him seemed entirely sane. That fact sent a shiver down Kaito's spine. You mean that the person who created that stuff, who was able to create all that stuff, knew full well what she