not to knock, and then opened the door a hair. He could hear two people sleeping within. He slid into the room to check up on them, being careful not to make a sound. It appeared that the Butcher had dozed off. His face was as hidden as always, but Kaito could make out strands of drool dripping onto the sheets from within the man's hood. Kaito wiped away a little of the saliva. The Butcher mumbled something or other. "Eh-heh-heh, I'm afraid I can't eat any more. Oh, but if you insist, then three tarts for me." "Man, you really do have nerves of steel, don't you?" After muttering earnestly, Kaito turned his gaze to Elisabeth. Illuminated by the moonlight, her face had a sort of otherworldly beauty to it. After staring for a moment, he whispered to her. "You're probably going to be livid. But I've made up my mind, Elisabeth." *** "See you later. When you wake up, I'll make you some purin." No response came from Elisabeth who was still in a deathlike slumber. Kaito reached out to stroke her cheek and then stopped himself midway and grasped his hand tightly. He instead gave her a light wave and then left the bedroom with silent footsteps. "Sweet dreams, Elisabeth." After murmuring as though he were calling out to a child, Kaito shut the door. As he basked in the light shining down from the skylight, he took a deep breath and then exhaled. He walked through the hallway and then made his way down the stairs to the basement. When he reached the underground passageways, he reviewed his mental map before advancing deeper and deeper into the complex corridors. Upon reaching the empty room and the edge of his memory's range, he stuck his hand in his pocket. He grabbed onto the transparent stone with his bloodstained hand. Its azure rose was already in full bloom. Suddenly, the stone emitted heat, enough that it felt like it would sear his skin. Black feathers danced before Kaito's eyes. Azure petals swirled as well, and together they blanketed the room. An overwhelming amount of black and blue flooded his vision. A bloody animal's scent came in from somewhere. A strange wind whirled, feeding the feathers and flowers to the surrounding darkness. A single man stood in their wake. He sat upon a seat of beast bones, and he whispered as if he knew everything. "Well then, have you decided?" "Yeah, I've decided all right." Their exchange was concise, as though they were close friends. Then Kaito Sena made his declaration to Vlad Le Fanu. "I'm going to form a contract with the Kaiser." The words he spoke were absurdly foolish and far too reckless. This was also the only method he had come up with to overturn this situation. 5 A Desperate Decision Kaito and Vlad exchanged silent gazes. Vlad's expression was filled with unmitigated glee. He slowly narrowed his crimson eyes and then gave a faint nod and stood up. He snapped his fingers, and the chair made of beast bones disappeared. The stone room was empty once more. He then looked at Kaito, checking him over from head to toe. Suddenly, his beautiful expression crumpled and was replaced by a wicked smile. "I see, how splendid. Then I take this to mean that you've finally worked up the resolve to join the side that takes from others?" "Nope, nuh-uh. Not even a little bit," Kaito responded indifferently. Vlad's eyebrows twitched. A few seconds of silence passed. Vlad's expression screamed that this development was far outside his expectations. However, Kaito received his gaze coolly. Vlad crossed his arms and then began speaking in a displeased voice. "You've already passed the first ordeal. Congratulations, you've graduated from being offal. The Kaiser has acknowledged you as a candidate for forming a contract. I call it a trial, but back then, there was a considerable chance that you would simply be devoured. After all, he is a beast who could test a thousand men and then devour all of them. Delightfully, you managed to meet my expectations and catch his eye. And yet..." "Yeah, I more or less figured. It would have honestly been more of a surprise for you to put a safe contract in front of me." "And yet while you wish to form a contract, you say you have no intention of coming to our side and taking from others. What exactly are you thinking? If your desire is shallow, it will eventually swallow you whole. If you don't possess the capability to wear the tyrant's mantle as though you were born to do so, the odds you'd even be able to make a contract are low." "Yeah, I don't doubt it. But even after I make a contract with a demon, I don't plan on tyrannizing people. That's one thing I'm not going to budge on." Kaito obstinately shook his head. Doing that would make him sink to the level of his father, who had abused him throughout his life. And he had no intentions of joining ranks with the spider who ate Neue. There had been a time where he'd wanted to carry out his revenge, even if it meant joining the side that tormented others. But now that the spell his father had put him under had been broken, that choice was no longer available to him. Kaito had no plans to forgive those who tyrannized others, even if that person was himself. Vlad frowned upon hearing his words. "Demons seek the pain of men and turn it into power. How do you intend to fight the Grand King without the will to take from others? If all you do is form the contract, you will remain baggage. Do you mean to say that it's possible to face off against demons, hurling stones at them without getting your hands dirty?" "Damn right. I had this idea, seeâ€” Will you hear me out?" Then Kaito began telling Vlad about the method he'd thought up. Vlad silently listened to Kaito's explanation and then eventually twisted his lips in amusement and exasperatedly looked up at the ceiling. A mixed light burned in his eyes, one that suggested that he was both displeased and highly intrigued. Once he was finished explaining, Kaito asked Vlad about his plan's viability. "...And that was pretty much what I was thinking. Would that work?" "It is possible, but it's a plan utterly devoid of sanity from the moment of conception. I never expected you to be such an out-of-the-box, forward-thinking fool. What a foolish, foolish man you are. Hats off to you." Vlad rubbed his chin as he surveyed Kaito with his crimson eyes. Kaito returned Vlad's gaze. Seeing the resolveâ€”and thus, in a sense, the madnessâ€”in Kaito's determination, Vlad spoke. "A question, though, if I may?" "Shoot." "Why go to such lengths?" It was a clear, straightforward question. Kaito tilted his head to the side a hair. Vlad raised his index finger and elaborated on his natural doubts. "If you wished to flee, you could do so, carrying vast riches along with you. And with a doll to serve as your bodyguard and companion, no less. A man's life is short. It would last you long enough for a rather enjoyable life on the run. In a sense, Elisabeth brought this on herself. After becoming the Torture Princess and battling demons, being captured by mankind seems an obvious fate for her. And as you hail from another world, the demons' savage acts should have little to do with you. Why, then, would you go to such lengths?" "Because she's my hero." Kaito spoke frankly, responding with the answer he himself had reached before. Vlad probably didn't understand the implications of the word hero. However, he didn't seek any further explanation. After all, Kaito's face was filled with undisguised admiration. At the same time, there was a fact that Kaito came to understand. After all, Elisabeth had saved him out of nothing more than a whim; egoism. At one point, having sensed how irrational that was, there was even a time when Kaito had wished to die again. As a result, he'd told her that if he felt like he was in danger, he'd just go running to the Church and that he had no intention of accompanying her down the road to Hell. However, even so. To such an extent that it had made him believe heroes could exist in a world devoid of them... To such an extent that it had made him feel like God could exist in a world devoid of gods... Elisabeth had brought about an absurd, lovely miracle. "For her sake, I'd be willing to meet a fate worse than death. That's all there is to it." That was how much he valued her for granting him, who had known nothing but fear and pain, a new life. In order to save the person who'd given him that, there was something Kaito needed to do. "For my sake, Elisabeth Le Fanu has to exist. That was what I decided." Throughout Elisabeth Le Fanu's bloody life, she was accompanied by a single foolish servant. Kaito had promised to live a life that would result in the story going that way. And he couldn't go back on his word. "I won't regret thisâ€”no matter how much I may want to, I won't accept any regrets." "To destroy oneself out of admiration, to press deep into the darkness out of hope, and to choose pain in order to fight, hmm. How naive." Vlad let out a deep sigh. He shook his head, as if lamenting, and covered his face. His eyes gleamed through the gaps between his fingers and spreading across his face was a smile so unseemly it seemed that his lips would tear. "Truly, my favorite kind of arrogance." Vlad loudly clapped his hands together. Wind reeking of beasts blew fiercely around them. Thousands of feral howls rang out. They echoed high and low and began forming an orchestral tune. Azure flower petals and darkness burst forth from between Vlad's hands. His palms began tearing open, spilling massive amounts of blood onto the floor. Kaito squinted to discern the ichor's true nature. It wasn't real blood. This was Vlad's mana, seeping out from the stone and crawling around by his feet like a living creature as it began tracing an intricate summoning circle. As the wounds on his palms grew so deep that the bones became visible, Vlad's laughter boomed. "Very well, my dear successor! That tragic resolve of yours! That foolish determination! That mad judgment! Show me just how far they can take you! My body is already dead! Let us bet on whether you will be able to abide by your ideals or whether you will fall and become my true successor! My goodness, this shall be most entertaining, no matter how the die lands!" His crimson blood changed colors in a flash and went up in an azure blaze. The glyphs on the summoning circle melted together, and the long and short hands of a clock sprang forth from the circle's center and became etched into the floor. However, the two were yet to overlap. Vlad extended a blood-soaked hand to Kaito. He spoke in a lilting tone, as if inviting Kaito to dance with him. "Now then, dark magic is accompanied by pain, and the power of demons demands it! Show me the depths of your resolve!" Kaito gently lifted up his own bloody hand. The moment he did, the scene from just before flashed back through his mind. Hina had smiled as she cried and wrapped his wounded hand up in hers. Kaito clenched his hand shut, reopened it, and murmured. "Sorry, Hina." He then placed his palm atop Vlad's hand. His left hand was then cleanly chopped off at the wrist. Huge amounts of blood spurted from the cut. Vlad laughed