pocket and set the fruit knife on the floor. Then he roughly wrapped the handkerchief around his hand and tied it off tightly with his teeth. "Master Kaitooo, where are youuuu?!" "I'm coming!" After surveying the room one last time, as if looking for Vlad, Kaito took off at a dash. Behind him, all that was left was a fresh bloodstain. "Master Kaito, thank goodness, I was so worrâ€” What happened to your haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand?!" "Huh? What?" Even though he'd wrapped it up with the handkerchief and hidden it behind his back, there had been no hiding his injury from Hina's sharp eyes. Right after they'd found each other in the first-story hallway, she'd let out a scream, circled around Kaito, and grabbed his hand. The handkerchief wrapped around it was already stained red, and blood was dripping off it. Wondering what excuse to give, Kaito unconsciously looked up at the ceiling. But Hina didn't ask. ...What? She's...not going to ask how I got hurt? Hina stared silently at the blood-soaked handkerchief. Then, as Kaito was thinking, a torrent of tears came pouring from the corners of her emerald-green gemstone eyes. "Whâ€”? Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, Hina, why are you crying?" "Lady Elisabeth is wounded, and while I wasn't watching, my beloved Master Kaito has been injured as well... My artificial tears won't stop coming... My pardons, my sincerest pardons. Even though you instructed as such, this happened because I wasn't able to be with you... Even though I am your lover and your shield, Iâ€”" "No, no, this isn't your fault! I mean, hey, my hand just slipped when I was cleaning up the knives... Even if you'd been there for me, I was just being clumsy, so please don't apologize! I'm the one at fault here!" "No, Master Kaito, that isn't the case. If I'd been there, I would have immediately taken your hand in mine and stopped the bleeding and then snapped that violent bastard of a knife in two... Wahhhh!" "Hina, the knife didn't do anything wrong." Kaito was lost as to how to convince Hina not to assign blame to inanimate objects. While he thought, Hina stroked his hand over and over while being careful to avoid his wound. Her tender, sorrowful gesture filled Kaito with guilt. As he was about to open his mouth to speak, Hina's expression suddenly changed. "That's right! I mustn't just stay here like this! We have to treat your hand! All the medical equipment is in Elisabeth's room, so we should headâ€”that's right! Before that, there's something I must tell you!" "Something you have to tell me?" "Lady Elisabeth has opened her eyes!" The instant he heard her say that, Kaito took off at a run. "Oh, Master Kaito! Please wait for me!" As he ran, ignoring the voice calling out for him to stop, he passed through a hallway decorated with imposing stone statues as he pulled ahead of Hina. He dug his feet into the ground atop the unpleasant designs cast by the stained-glass clerestory windows as he rounded a corner. He continued dashing straight down the hallway and then vigorously cast open the door to the bedroom. "Elisabeth, are you okay?!" "...Hmm?" Elisabeth was sitting on the bed, stark naked. Their gazes met, then parted. After an awkward silence, the two clumsily voiced their confusion. "......Huh?" "......Hmm?" Kaito looked once more at the scene before him, unsure of what to say. Elisabeth's pale limbs, each like a piece of art without a single wasted stroke, were adorned with captivating crimson runes. Her slender, crossed legs cast a precarious shadow between them, her waist was so thin it seemed to invite an embrace, and the curves of her breasts were shapely. After looking over Elisabeth's tender, beautiful body from top to bottom, Kaito opened his mouth and spoke mechanically. "I'm very sorry." "I'll have your head." Kaito slammed the door shut with all his might. As he wiped away his cold sweat, he took a deep breath. Hina, who'd been chasing after him, stared him straight in the eyes and lifted a hand. She then loudly slapped Kaito across the forehead. "Ow." "You mustn't enter a lady's bedroom without so much as calling out first, Master Kaito. Bad boy, sir." "Yeah, that...that was my bad." "Please wait here for a moment. Lady Elisabeth, pardon me, I'm coming in." Hina opened the door a hair and then slid inside. When she came out, she was holding medicine and bandages. She lathered a magical dark-green poulticeâ€”apparently of Elisabeth's makeâ€”on Kaito's wound and then wrapped it in a bandage. Although it worked more slowly than a healing spell, it was supposed to close up wounds without the need for stitches. At about the time Hina was finishing up Kaito's treatment, a voice called out from inside the room. "'Tis fine now; my analysis is finished. Enter." "As soon as I open the door, are you going to torture me?" "Ha. Any other day, I'd sit you atop the Ducking Stool, but at the moment I haven't the mana to spare. Be grateful for my poor condition." "Man, I'm not gonna be glad about something like that. I'd rather just get dunked underwater." "...True, I misspoke. If a demon came to attack, we would find ourselves in quite the pinch. 'Tis a nasty situation." As he listened to her quiet voice, Kaito opened the door. Just like before, Elisabeth was sitting atop the bed. However, she was no longer naked, instead wearing her usual bondage dress. The crimson runes were still visible upon the exposed sections of her skin. Elisabeth was in better shape than he'd expected, though, and she was gently tracing the runes on her shoulder with her finger. "To put it simply, these runes inhibit the mana running through my body. They act much like blood clots. Because of their obstruction, I cannot use my mana as freely as I'd wish." "They hold it back? Your mana's not gone?" "Indeed, nothing has been taken from me. If such a thing happened, I would cease being able to preserve the roots of demonic flesh running through my body, after all. I slaughtered my people until their corpses piled up, and doing so afforded me just enough power to maintain my body even without constantly harnessing the pain of others. If that was impaired, I'd not last long." Elisabeth raised her arm out in front of her and then grabbed her elbow, her fingers sporting painted black fingernails. The crimson runes pulsated almost like veins. "My magical energy is silent, like how water that is too clear can appear as if it is nothing at all. However, as I slept, my blood fought against the runes, and most of my mana flows once more... At the moment, I can summon torture devices, but their power is reduced. It's really quite annoying." Elisabeth clicked her tongue. As she did, Kaito thought back to what Vlad had just told him. The Grand King could only use Sacrifice as many times as there were demons remaining. What exactly would happen if Elisabeth was on the receiving end multiple times over? "Is there any way to cure it?" "Both yes and no, in a sense." Elisabeth scrunched up her face in annoyance. Biting down lightly on one of her fingernails, she revealed the sole method. "The only way to remove Sacrifice is to infuse my body with blood that has more powerful magical energy than my own. That would wash away the spell." "Blood with more powerful magical energy than yours?" "Aye, indeed. More powerful than mine, the blood of a grand sorcerer and peerless sinner. Vlad would have qualified, but his body has already turned to ash... As far as other mages who can boast power surpassing mine, the Grand King is likely the only one. I've little choice but to defeat her and use her blood." Kaito's eyes widened. They'd wanted to dispel Sacrifice before they had to fight the Grand King. But in order to do that, they needed blood with stronger magical energy than Elisabeth'sâ€”and that meant they needed the Grand King's blood. I'm having a real hard time envisioning us pulling that one off. Is there really nobody else whose blood would qualify? He bit his lip. Elisabeth no doubt understood just how problematic the method was. Her expression was grave. But she shook her head and then stood up. "'Tis little use sitting around and coming up with bleak predictions all day. We make for the throne room, Kaito." "The throne room? Why?" "Because it has a convenient hole in it." Kaito tilted his head at her declaration. The cloth extending out below her waist fluttering, Elisabeth set off. Her heels clicking loudly as she walked, she spoke decisively. "'Tis time to train in the ways of magic, Kaito. The fighting will likely only get fiercer from here. Hina is what she is, but she won't always be able to reach you in timeâ€”if you remain as weak as you are, you're liable to die." Hearing her harsh assessment, Kaito nodded. From here on out, he was going to need to be able to protect himself. Also, although Elisabeth likely didn't intend for him to take matters that far, Kaito wanted to become even stronger than that, if possible. The weak get stolen from. While he didn't intend to become a pillager himself, he was going to be forced to fight. Sometimes, protecting the peace carried a price. He'd known that since long ago. An arrow of flame flew through the air, an arrow of ice pierced the ground, and a hammer of lightning smashed into a tree. While the flame had been the most impressive, all three had gone without a hitch. "Did...did I do it?" His breath ragged, Kaito wiped away the sweat beading up on his forehead. As he did, blood smeared across it from his freshly reopened wound. He felt dizzy, almost anemic. That was likely because he'd expended the mana in his blood. While it would replenish given time, the sensation was none too pleasant. The area surrounding the desolate hill the castle sat upon was blanketed by a thick forest. One section of it was stained a bloody black from when the Knight's beast had been skewered. Other than that, though, the rest of the forest was serene, save for the newly scorched tips of some of the taller trees. Kaito's magic had a good deal of force behind it. He'd felt a proper weight in his hands, and he turned to Elisabethâ€”who was sitting atop a new throne brought from the Treasuryâ€”with an expression steeped in anticipation. "How...how was that?" "Perfectâ€”" Her response was clear and concise. Kaito's expression loosened at her praise. However, she quickly cut off the congratulatory words as they left her mouth. For some reason, she bore a thoroughly displeased expression. "Elisabeth, your face...you're scaring me here. Was there some sort of problem?" Kaito posed his question timidly. As she placed her elbows on her armrests and her cheeks in her hands, Elisabeth glared back at him. "There were none, which is precisely the problem. Now, Kaito...where exactly did you get that wound on your hand?" "Wh-what, this...? I just cut my hand a little when I was cleaning up the knives." "'Tis rather deep, for a 'little' cut...and a rather convenient one, at that. All it takes to become able to use magic is a small trigger, but even so, you're too proficient... I find it hard to believe this is your first time." As Kaito listened to her speak, he felt himself break out into a cold sweat. The prospect of trying to deceive her and having it going poorly was terrifying. He elected to remain silent. Elisabeth licked her lips, as if troubled by something. "Why might that be? True, your familiarity with pain dwarfs that of most others...meaning the most difficult-to-lay groundwork