an enemy. And even if she was an enemy, at least he'd be the only one to fall victim. Also, if he left, there was no guarantee he would ever be able to find his way back here. He would rather regret having saved her than regret not being able to. With all that in mind, Kaito decided to undo her restraints. He checked nearby, but he didn't see anything that looked handy for that purpose. He did, however, notice a small leather bag tied around her ankle. Her arms were bound, so she herself was unable to reach it. What a cruel placement. Kaito took the bag and looked inside. He flipped it over, and out fell a key and a piece of parchment. Taking the key, he undid her handcuffs. Her arms slumped feebly to her sides. Even with her freedom restored, she didn't seem to have any intention of moving. As Kaito looked around for something to cover her with, his eyes chanced on the parchment still lying on the floor. Large red letters were written on its front. *** As his golem functionalities deciphered the script, Kaito tilted his head. Suddenly considering a possibility, Kaito looked more closely at the girl's body. As he did, he finally realized where his conflicting feelings had been coming from. Upon closer inspection, he'd realized that the silver-haired girl's slender limbs were connected by spherical joints. And her straight silver hair wasn't, strictly speaking, hair but was made out of glittering silver thread. She was a doll. She was probably just one more object being stored in the Treasury. The next moment, the girl's head went clack, clack, clack as it began bobbing up and down. Her head swung to look at Kaito. Her eyes were made of emeralds, and they glinted ominously. Kaito was struck by fear as he returned her gaze. Her face was as beautiful as a painting, but it bore no expression. And its surface was as rigid as a mask. The girl'sâ€”or, rather, the automaton'sâ€”limbs began turning, each ball joint rotating in a different direction. Alarmed by the abnormality, Kaito ran his gaze over the parchment. After reading the words in red, his eyes widened, and he started running. Be careful, as it may attack humans during start-up. Kaito fled with all his might. From behind him, the sound of the doll rapidly crawling across the ground pursued him. Kaito ran, the Treasury acting as an obstacle course. He leaped over a chair, slipped between two chests of drawers, and slid down a mountain of gold coins. Finally, he reached his target. The doll didn't appear to understand how to dodge, simply barreling in a straight line. As such, it took time for it to destroy things when it needed to clear its path. Taking advantage of this, Kaito created distance between the two of them as he fled. But he knew that if he so much as stumbled, he, too, would join the destroyed objects' ranks. Hold up! C'mon! You can't be serious! His leg muscles stretched near the point of snapping, he dashed up the final set of stairs. He ignored the pain, driving his body with sheer willpower. If he turned around, he was done for. He was out of objects to defend himself with. Swallowing his fear, he somehow managed to reach the black door. But it was still sealed shut. He banged on the door, screaming in desperation. "Elisabeth, open up! Open the door!" "What now, Kaito? Have you finally learned your lesson? Henceforth, I hope you'll properly sample your cooking first." "I knew you were trying to punish me! Forget thatâ€”just hurry!" Suddenly, Kaito felt a chill, as though his heart had been pierced by a needle. Trusting his instincts, he threw himself to the ground. The doll's leg pierced the air above his head. She struck like a serpent, attacking from a bizarre angle, and the tips of her toes demolished the thick door. Elisabeth's voice rang out in confusion. "Wh-what now? What is that infernal racket?" As he listened, Kaito dashed headfirst through the torrent of splinters. He was covered in wounds as he rolled into the throne room, but he was able to distance himself from the entrance to the Treasury. The doll staggered forth. Her gait and pale skin made her the very image of a revenant. It seemed Elisabeth had gotten herself some wine, as she did a spit take. She wore a rare expression as her voice was alight with flustered fury. "You worm! Just how far down did you slither?! That thing is an automaton, made in poor taste by my foster father! In the absence of orders, it simply destroys everything in its path! Why would you activate such a thing?!" "I mean, I'm sorry for just turning it on, but how was I supposed to know?! I only took off its shackles, and it turned on by itself!" "Taking off its shackles is how you turn it on, you imbecile!" Elisabeth tossed aside her wineglass, as well as the round side table she'd taken out to pair with it. It seemed she'd been treating herself to a little rest and relaxation, but that tranquility had long been shattered. "Ah, how vexing! To think that I should have to busy myself over a mere doll!" She rose from her throne, irritated, and rapped her heel twice on the floor. Darkness and crimson petals billowed across the floor like mist. A mass of thorns shot up from within it. But the doll's reflexes were superb, and her jumping power was like that of a beast. She leaped over the thorns, cleanly evading them. By clasping a thorn between her palms and the soles of her feet, she managed a landing that avoided injury entirely. "My... To think you would dodge that." Murmuring in admiration, Elisabeth held her hands behind her, then swung them forward. An iron ax made specially for decapitations launched from the darkness, flying over the thorns and aimed for the doll's neck. The doll's head, however, swung down, almost as though it had been dislocated, and just barely managed to evade the ax's blade. Elisabeth's eyes widened in surprise. The doll's legs clicked as they bent, and she leaped again, this time landing directly before the throne. She closed in on Elisabeth. Elisabeth seemed to be timing her movements, though, and she snapped her fingers. "Ducking Stool!" A chair sprouted from the floor and cleanly scooped up the doll's behind. Leather belts strapped her into place. The Ducking Stool resembled the Iron Chair Kaito had once been made to sit in. However, its seat had no spike holes. In their place, long chains were affixed to the chair's back. Suddenly, a rectangular section of floor around the doll disappeared. The space beneath her was filled to the brim with water, crimson flower petals floating on its surface. With a grand splash, the doll was plunged underwater. Perhaps the doll was struggling, because the water's surface bubbled and frothed. But after a period, she stopped moving. The chains rattled as they dragged the chair out of the water. The doll was still. Water dripped from her silver hair. Elisabeth breathed a sigh of relief. "Good heavens, at last it's quiet again. However, this thing can pump water off its body. No doubt it will resume function shortly. Perhaps it would be best to destroy it before it gets its gears turning again." "Hey, wait a minute. Do you really have to destroy it?" "I thought this was obvious, but failing to destroy it would be incredibly dangerous! Unless it was your intent that I spend the rest of my days evading a homicidal doll, that is. In that case, would you like to serve as my shield? Hmm?" "No, I mean, it was my fault in the first place that it got turned on, after all... I would feel really bad if you had to destroy something so well made... Can't you just turn it off, like it was before?" Kaito attempted to pacify Elisabeth. As terrifying as the automaton had been, he was to blame for turning her on in the first place. And he was reluctant to destroy something that had been so elaborately crafted to appear human. Not to mention how expensive the doll looked. He doubted his ability to make financial reparations. "Hmm? One moment. As you say, it would be something of a waste. Perhaps we can make use of it after all." As Elisabeth pondered, the doll began trembling before her. An unpleasant squeaking noise rang out as the doll's head shook at an impossible angle. Ominous light returned to her emerald eyes. Elisabeth then spoke quietly, almost in song. "Halt, O gears, for thou art eternally fair." The doll suddenly froze. The next moment, her entire body visibly relaxed. Seeing the doll transform at a few words, when Elisabeth had had so much trouble restraining her, startled Kaito quite a bit. "Wh-what'd you just do?" "An incantation to make it register a new master. Heh. For it to have worked means the doll's old settings have all been overwritten. I should be able to set a new master for it now. In doing so, the new master's orders will take top priority. That should make it stop attacking people haphazardly. Now, then..." Elisabeth made to open her mouth again. Before she could, the doll clicked her head into motion. Clack, clack, clack. Distorting her neck, the doll looked at Kaito. He gave a small hop in surprise. However, the doll did nothing more but silently train her emerald-green eyes on him. Kaito looked back in bewilderment. Her gaze seemed almost entreating. Elisabeth gave a short whistle in admiration. "Well, well, well... It seems to have made the choice for me. Count yourself fortunate. Apparently, after being saved by you twice over, it has taken a liking to you. Very well, then. You shall be its master. One problem remains, however." "Me, its master? Wait, and there's a problem, too?" "Upon becoming this thing's master, a 'relationship' must be established. Its creator had an unfortunate fondness for putting people on the spot, you see. Of the four relationships, namely: 'parent and child,' 'siblings,' 'master and servant,' and 'lovers'â€”only one is correct. Should one select incorrectly, the automaton will turn on its master and try to kill them. A trivial matter for me, but you would most certainly perish." "One in four is pretty harsh odds. What should I do?" "Oh heavens, I haven't the faintest idea. 'Twould be quickest simply to destroy it, but you seem to find that option distasteful. Ah, well, here... Among 'parent and child,' 'siblings,' 'master and servant,' and 'lovers,' select the one least likely to betray you." Elisabeth smiled a devious smile, then resumed her position on the throne as if her work here was done. Picking up her wineglass and side table, she leisurely turned around. Apparently, she planned on observing this as a detached spectator. Elisabeth seemed to be set on simply enjoying herself. Kaito frantically racked his brain. After all, his life was on the line. He knew he would rather die than pick "parent." He didn't know much about siblings, but his memories of the one time he'd met a guy he was related to were thoroughly unpleasant. And after looking at Elisabeth and considering his relationship with her, "master and servant" was definitely out. Only one option remained. "I guess I'll pick 'lovers.'" "Well, there's a virgin for you." A rude assertion. But before Kaito could protest Elisabeth's verbal abuse, the doll began shaking more violently than ever. Unable to withstand the convulsions, the belts restraining her popped off. Hot steam burst out of the openings in her ball joints. Her response had been so severe that Kaito, despite himself, was more worried for the doll than for himself. "Hey, uh, are you sure