down the proposal. Kaito clutched the vial from over his pocket. When he did, the bed creaked. A soft, pleasant aroma drew near him. Kaito could tell what it was without having to open his eyes. Hina was lying down beside him. Kaito sighed, then spoke to her again. "...C'mon, Hina. I reallyâ€”" "My apologies, Master Kaito..." Then she hugged him tight. As she gently cradled his head, her soft hair brushed against his face. Her touch wasn't sexual but sensual: a gesture meant to soothe and comfort. She ran her fingers through his hair. His eyes widened in surprise. She lay by his side, her twinkling emerald-green eyes rich with adoration. She looked like a woman caring for her troubled husband, and Kaito was at a loss for words in the face of such raw affection. "...But you seem weary, and this is how lovers comfort their beloved." Hina gently stroked his hair, running her hands across it again and again. Kaito wondered if this was how children felt when their mothers patted them on the head. Her hands were warm, and their warmth traveled all the way to his heart, transcending reason and language to gently unravel the knots of stress deep inside him. Surrounded by clean sheets and the warmth of skin, Kaito could feel his eyelids growing heavy. "...Hina, if you keep doing that...I'm going to fall asleep." "Isn't that a good thing? You can rest easy. Everything is going to be okay, Master Kaito. "No matter what happens, I'll protect you." When she whispered those words into his ear, the knot of stress finally came undone. Kaito realized how unnerved he had been, both by the gruesome display he'd been shown and by the fate that had been thrust upon him. Apparently, he had carried that fear of an agonizing, horrific death all the way back with him. Oh... I get it now. I was afraid. He didn't know what would happen now. But here, at least, he was safe. There was no pain here, and if anyone wished ill on him, Hina said she would protect him. Back in his old life, no one had ever protected him. This was the first time since he was born that he had ever felt so at ease. He'd never imagined that something so peaceful awaited him after death. Accompanied by those thoughts, Kaito slowly but surely drifted off to sleep. He dreamed. He dreamed, yet he knew it was a dream. Various images and sensations flashed across his eyes and skin, appearing and disappearing like the light of a revolving lantern. Enduring countless wounds. Stifling innumerable sorrows. The words Remember this, carved into his skin every time he messed up at work. The small, warm tongue that would lick his wounds. The big, round eyes that seemed to suggest they could even love a piece of trash like Kaito. The grief and despair he felt in the moment his windpipe was crushed. Lamenting the fact that he couldn't even scream. The body in the armor. The Knight's eyes. The terrifying spider. Neue's pained smile. The first kindness he'd received. The words Neue had left him. The wish Kaito wanted to grant, no matter how impossible it seemed. The vision of the frail girl, gazing at the outside world. The people, slaughtered without mercy. The wicked, cackling girl. The distant voice he heard. "But if she was to form a contract with one of the thirteen demons, her power would grow, and those shackles would be insufficient to restrain her. If that happened, she would become far more dangerous than any of the current contractors." "You embarrass yourself, Earl." "You and Iâ€”we are fated to die, forsaken by all of creation." "Having lived the cruel and haughty life of a wolf, I shall die like a lowly sow." "...For that is the choice I made." Her long black hair fluttered as she looked over her shoulder. Kaito realized something as he was lost in thought within the dream. Ah, that's right. You aren't going to run, are you? No matter how much pain and despair awaited her, she would take responsibility for her life. She would take full responsibility for her wretched life. As the Torture Princess, Elisabeth Le Fanu would bear it. It was then that Kaito slowly opened his eyes. Hina held him, still stroking his hair. On her face she wore a peaceful, spellbound smile. She would have been unable to do anything while stroking his hair. Feeling he'd done something wrong, Kaito quickly got up. Hina seemed reluctant to let him go. She looked at him, then tilted her head to the side. "Were you able to relax? Compared to earlier, you seem much calmer." "Yeah, thanks, Hina. Because of you, I was able to get my thoughts in order." Kaito leaped from the bed and immediately went to leave the room. Sensing his newfound resolve, Hina did not rise to follow him. Kaito stopped in his tracks, then turned around. Hina sat on the bed, a contented look on her face as she saw him off. Standing in front of the door, Kaito asked her a question. "Hey, Hina. Would you be sad if I died?" "In the horrible and unlikely event you were to pass away, Master Kaito, I should surely die as well." "No, no, no, no, no. What are you talking about?" "Well, you see, I have absolutely no desire to spend so much as a second in a world where you do not exist." As if wondering why he would ask such a ridiculous question, Hina looked at him in puzzlement. Kaito, feeling a headache coming on, pressed down on his forehead. Her response had, once again, been over-the-top. Kaito didn't know what was to become of him. He felt he should tell her not to follow him to the grave, but for the moment he simply returned to bed and stroked her silken silver hair. Hina smiled a warm smile and brought her cheek close to his. The way she looked at him with unreserved affection, she really did resemble that puppy from so long ago. Turning her words over in his mind, Kaito muttered as if to confirm his thoughts. "I see. I guess, if nothing else, I'll have to keep living, then, won't I?" He made for the hallway. Not long after, he broke off into a run, searching for Elisabeth. He found her in the throne room. She sat alone in front of the caved-in wall, gazing at the full moon. Below, the dark forest rustled. At the place where the beast had been skewered, no traces remained of its corpse. But its bloodstain was etched deep in the earth. Even then, in the dead of night, the ground appeared unsettlingly damp. However, eventually new trees would grow and cover that up as well. "What happened to that beast's corpse?" "It burned together with the Knight. But that matters little. Cast your gaze skyward." Not even turning around as she answered, Elisabeth lifted a gaudy wineglass off the table beside her. She raised it overhead and tilted it from side to side, the full-bodied wine swirling within. The red wine reflected the white of the moon. "'Tis a good moon tonight." She gulped down the moon's reflection, then placed her glass back on the table. Kaito retrieved the bottle from a silver bowl packed with spirit-made ice. He poured her another glass of wine, then drew out the vial of poison from his pocket. He poured a drop of the clear liquid into the wine. The beverage briefly changed from a velvety red to a sickening shade of purple before settling back to its original hue. Kaito handed the glass to Elisabeth, who'd been watching the whole process. "Very interesting. And what might this be?" "He told me to poison you." "Oh-ho, and quite the fine poison it is. Even I might not live after imbibing it. Here, 'tis a special occasion, so I shall give it to you. A glass of wine from your master. Accept it with thanks." "I respectfully decline. Such a thing would be wasted on me." "Clueless, eh? And what did he offer you in return? A painless death?" "I'm surprised you could guess." "Yes, well. No matter if you live or die, Hell surely awaits you." Elisabeth spoke bluntly. It seemed she'd more or less suspected what was in store for him. It probably wasn't the case that she'd been hiding it from him; it was more likely that she simply hadn't cared enough to tell him. She placed the glass back on the table, then gave a large shrug. "You'd be a fool to take his offer. 'Tis too high a price to pay if death awaits you in the end regardless. But the basic details are half-reasonable. If you were to seek refuge with other members of the Church and avoid being captured by Clueless and his fanatics, the odds that you would be shown mercy and be allowed to keep living are actually quite high." "Really?" "You do hail from another world, after all. It would be absurd to accuse you of heresy. True, if you were to survive all thirteen killings, you would likely be treated as one of my possessions, but you still have time remaining. And Hina possesses the knowledge required to link the teleportation circle to the Church. Do as you will." "Wait... Are you saying that it's all right for me to run away from here?" "Of course not, fool. You're a puppet of mine. You will remain mine until the moment you break. But unnecessary as it may have been, a servant of mine showed me mercy, and failing to return that mercy would be boorish. Do as you please. But if you intend to flee, you'd best be covert about it. If I catch you deserting, you will face torture." Yawning, Elisabeth recrossed her legs. She exhaled softly, then reclined against the throne. Her face, cast in profile by the moonlight, had the sharp beauty of a blade. She said nothing more. Even if Kaito continued waiting, it didn't look like more words would come. He turned to leave without a sound. But before he could, Elisabeth murmured softly. "A question, though. Why not just slip me the poison?" "Hmm?" "You've despised demons ever since that affair with the Earl. Do you intend to sit idly by and allow the birth of an even more powerful demon? Surely Clueless warned you of the danger." Elisabeth turned. Her crimson eyes glittered in the moonlight as they fixed on Kaito. He pondered her question. He hadn't expected it, not from Elisabeth herself. After thinking for a moment, he responded frankly. "Just like that important-sounding guy from the Church said, I don't think you're the type to make a contract with a demon." "Oh?" "You were going to die aloneâ€”forsaken by everything in creation, right?" "Yes, indeed. I shall die with the solitude of a wolf and as pitifully as a sow. All by myself." "So not even a demon will be by your side, then, right?" That was Kaito's declaration. She probably wouldn't even have a demon by her side when she died. Because she'd tortured innocent people and piled up countless corpses, she would be executed. She herself had chosen that solitary, pitiful death. Her lips twisted into a smirk. Her shoulders shook, and she burst into pleased laughter. She nodded once, and Kaito left. He exited into the hallway, then cast his gaze up at the clerestory windows and the moonlight they were letting in. Trying to avoid looking at the creepy images they were casting on the stone floor, he muttered under his breath. "...Eleven left, huh?" He clenched his fists, his face full of determination. The following morning, with Hina's assistance, he fled the castle alone and made for the Church. Kaito passed through the teleportation