onto the crimson sea. Azure flames burned atop the waves. The subjugation of the Grand Earl and Grand Duke was complete. And as for the result of the battle, Kaito and company had lost. 4 Heroine and Lover Ever since he was a child, Kaito Sena had held heroes in disdain. He had learned of the concept during the short period in which he'd attended school. For a time, he'd hoped that one would come and save him. But no matter how fervently he yearned, he continued receiving cigarette burns all over his body, getting his elbows scorched by lighters, having his toes broken, and being forced to beg for scraps of food from his father and his mistresses. As a result, he'd come to regard the concept of heroes as well as the various stories in which they appeared as ludicrous from the bottom of his heart. Such a person couldn't possibly exist. If there existed someone who amended the injustices of the world, then Kaito's pain and sorrowâ€”or rather, his very existence itselfâ€”should have long been stripped away. Ironically, the cruelty and pain accumulated within Kaito served to discredit the possibility that heroes existed. In a sense, he played the role of a villain, as his very life was the personification of how nonexistent and meaningless heroes were in the world. Up to the day he was strangled to death, that perception of Kaito's had never changed. Furthermore, his new world was devoid of heroes as well. While it was a fantastical world rich with swords and sorcery, the land was plagued with demons. There were no noble crusaders or legendary champions. The only person fighting was the Torture Princess, a peerless sinner. She was absolute evil, standing atop a mountain of corpsesâ€”yet those she crushed were even more evil than she. Kaito Sena held heroes in disdain. However, as far as villains went, the same didn't necessarily apply. Kaito sat upon a plain chair in the stone bedroom. He had dark circles under his eyes. Like a reenactment of the previous scene, Elisabeth was lying down on the bed in front of him. The crimson runes creeping along her body had grown even further, covering her pale body like briars. Periodically, she let out pained, feverish moans. Each time she did, Hina, who was standing at the ready by her bedside, stiffened up a little. Other than diligently wiping away Elisabeth's sweat, there was little she could do. A few days had passed since they'd returned from the port town and released the two children to their relatives, who had come alongside members of the Church. However, in spite of Hina's devoted care, Elisabeth hadn't resumed consciousness. Powerless, all that Hina and Kaito could do was wait for her to wake up. Not being able to do anything sucks. Atop his chair, Kaito put strength into his crossed palms. His wound had properly healed, and the power he'd temporarily gotten ahold of had vanished. He no longer felt the sensation of the black dog's tail on his skin. Kaito still hadn't talked to anyone regarding what had happened then. Hina had cast a number of questioning looks in his direction but ultimately decided to focus on nursing Elisabeth. Having agreed with her decision, Kaito had kept his mouth shut. As he gazed at Elisabeth's slender, crimson-encircled body, he let out the same murmur he had numerous times before. ".........Elisabeth." ".........Excuse me." Suddenly, the two of them heard the voice of a third party. Hina grabbed her halberd from the floor and then snapped to her feet. As she did, Kaito fluidly drew a knife from his pocket and pressed it against his palm. However, the presence on the other side of the door simply stood still, unmoving. Kaito and Hina tilted their heads. For some reason, the other party seemed frightened. "Hina, can you handle this?" "Of course. Master Kaito, you should stand somewhere you aren't visible from the doorway." After confirming that Kaito had taken cover, Hina approached the door and quickly threw it open. She swung her halberd, pressing it accurately against the scruff of their neck. The black mass threw up its hands in alarm. A grieving voice called out from beneath a hood. "Iâ€”I come in peace! I'm a bystander and an ally! I am your humble Butcher, friend to gourmands and vagabonds alike! I bring delicious meat! Every day! That's right, it's me!" "Oh, hey, it's the Butcher." "Me friend!" "Please relax. I'm very sorry for my conduct. However, um...I believe that due to Elisabeth's poor condition, we requested to put a hold on deliveries for the time being." Hina tilted her head to the side. The Butcher nodded in assent. He slowly lowered his hands and then brought the large bag covered in X-shaped patches he constantly carried with him into the room. Perhaps in relief, he clutched his chest as he cast a pained gaze at Elisabeth. "Oh, poor Madam Elisabeth... How could this become of a lady with such vigor?" "Sorry, but she still hasn't woken up. If you came to wish her well, then you're out of luck." "No, that wasn't my intention. I came here on a deliveryâ€”to deliver meat." "But we placed a hold..." Hina's reply fully conveyed her bewilderment. However, the Butcher shook his head back and forth. "Indeed, my lovely Ms. Maid, you did put in such a request. But if Madam Elisabeth awakens and finds herself without fresh meat on hand, I think she would be sorely disappointed." "...Mr. Butcher." "It is disgraceful for a butcher to allow a client to go hungry. I have brought her usual selections with me, and as for payment... If it goes bad before Madam Elisabeth finds herself able to eat it, I will waive the fee." "Butcher, man, you..." "Madam Elisabeth is quite the faithful patron of mine. And it brings me great joy when she cries out, ''Tis delicious!' as she does. I pray that she recovers quickly that she may eat meat to her heart's content once more." Tugging on the edge of his hood bashfully, the Butcher looked down and whispered rapidly. Kaito and Hina glanced at each other in surprise. They then spoke to the Butcher, their eyes full of emotion. "My deepest thanks, Mr. Butcher. As Master Kaito's eternal lover and servant, the spirit with which you carry out your duty has resonated deep within my gears. The thought alone is enough. I will gladly pay the fee out of my wages, so please accept it." "No, I'll pay it. Thanks, Butcher... I'm sure Elisabeth will be overjoyed." "No, no, no, I'm simply doing my job. Hee-hee-hee, huzzah, huzzah! Success!" "Hold up there." The Butcher danced around in delight. Realizing that he'd probably foreseen this turn of events, Kaito looked at him with half-dead eyes. However, after dancing and shaking his posterior around in joy, the Butcher suddenly stopped with a serious expression. "Now, now, you two. You really don't need to wear such gloomy expressions! Knowing Madam Elisabeth, she'll be back on her feet in no time! Ah, that's right, I also have a get-well gift for her!" The Butcher rustled around in his bag. At the end of the day, it seemed that his concern had been real. Kaito and Hina watched over his actions warmly. The next moment, though, their faces froze over. The Butcher had pulled out a huge, droopy, mulberry-colored cut of meat. "Aren't you surprised? It's troll liver!" "Get out." "They say it makes the body grow big and strong." "You're sounding like a swindler." "I am no swindler! I am a butcher! Everything I sell is as genuine as can be!" "Ah, but my dear fellows, don't they say that some things are problematic precisely because they are genuine?" This time, for sure, Hina grabbed her halberd, and Kaito cut open his palm. Hina positioned herself to protect the other three. As he protected Elisabeth and the Butcher, Kaito turned toward the window from which he'd heard the easygoing male voice. At some point, its slatted shutters had been cut open, and the man responsible for butting in on the conversation was sitting on its frame. The strange man had bandages draped all over his body, and he was pressing the soles of his feet together. He lifted his silk hat. "My a-apologies, is this a bad time?" The man was strangely slender. Other than the hardened, dirty-looking bandages and the silk hat, he wore nothing. His mouth, which peeked out just barely from beneath the bandages, was curved into a crescent-shaped grin as he introduced himself. "I, my dear fellows, am the Marquis! I apologize for this unseemly state I'm in! I was on the receiving end of some pu-nish-ment from our lovely Majesty the G-g-grand King, you see? Fuuuuck that infernal bitch! Damn, damn, damn, damn? Damn! Damn her to hell! M-my apologies." The Marquis gave a quick bow. A silver, brain-shaped needle was glittering on his nape. Goose bumps ran down Kaito's spine. Upon closer examination, the Marquis's skin under his bandages was hideously burned. His white bandages were stained yellow with bodily fluids, his hair was missing, and his eyes were exposed and swollen. But what scared Kaito and Hina more than the details of his punishment was his name. As the fourteen demons go, the Marquis is pretty high up there. He wasn't a foe that the two of them could hope to take on. Even so, they stood in front of the bed to protect Elisabeth and the Butcher. His voice hoarse from tension, Kaito pushed out noise from the back of his throat. "What do you want, Marquis?" "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, ho-ho-ho-ho-ho, heave-ho? Eep!" As he sang, the Marquis leaped off the window frame and dropped talkatively down to the floor. He then shook all over, like a stray dog. Immediately afterward, though, he rose up straight, as if yanked by a string, and placed a hand on his chest. Kaito narrowed his eyes. Something was springing out from beneath the bandages. Is there something stuck in his chest? "P-p-p-p-p-p-p-please look, if you woulâ€” No, no, no, stop it, stop it, I'll stop, I'll stop, forgive, forgive me, I'll do anyshing, please, no, stop, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!" As he uttered words of reluctance and fierce screams, the Marquis grabbed the thing springing out from his chest and yanked it forward without pausing. Before Kaito and Hina's eyes, both of them stunned into silence, he tore himself from his chest to his crotch and pulled out something rectangular. It was a dressing table, and no small one at that, adorned with a snakelike chain. "Gah... Ack, argh... Blergh..." Blood and mashed-up organs dripped off the mirror's frame. As the Marquis frothed at the mouth and spewed up mucus, he used the last of his strength to stand the dressing table up on the floor. His wound had probably had magic applied to it beforehand, as it immediately sealed up. Still propping the dressing table up, the Marquis fainted, his eyes rolling back in his head. The mirror was filthy, covered in his blood and tallow. Suddenly, an ominous light burned within it. Then a scarlet figure appeared. Cheers, upbeat music, and most distinctly of all, a beguiling female voice rang out. "So is this thing on? Oh, not yet? Is that so...? I feel as though it should have been properly activated. Are you certain? Oh dear, my, it is on! You fool, I'm through with you! Now then, begone! ...And as for you, Elisabeth, how do you do? So sorry for all the commotion." The Grand King shook her crow-feather fan and smiled. However, she seemed displeased with the image she was projecting and moved her head around in search of an angle that better showed off her beauty. Each time she did, the ample breasts peeking out from the top of her dress jiggled precariously. As carefree as her behavior