ruined that plan was a monster who'd appeared out of nowhere. Having one's assumption of superiority suddenly overturned would throw anyone into a panic. With a little sense, though, one could pull themself together, then try and come up with a new plan to salvage the situation. Trying to flee would be folly. There was no help to be found that way. No matter how far away you got, the result would be the same. However, that of all things was the option the man went with. He gradually began making his way backward. It would seem his plan was to escape out the temple's door. Things had gone silent after the screams and gunfire, but the angry residents were still right outside. The man was so preoccupied with the threat before him that this unfortunate fact had completely slipped his mind. But all of a sudden, he stopped in his tracks. He was the last mixed-race person standing, so it stood to reason that his instincts were sharp. He looked up. There, he saw a golden girl swooping down on him like a hawk. Jeanne murmured: "So long nowâ€”it's time for good little boys to go beddy-bye." She twisted her body in such a way that it hardly seemed possible and skimmed his jaw with the tip of her foot. His brain shook, causing him to immediately pass out. If she'd wanted to, it would have been trivial for Jeanne to snap his neck. However, she elected to spare his life. The recoil from her kick caused her to decelerate a bit. She used the opportunity to check the demi-human girl's condition. She looked terrified, so Jeanne tried giving her a little smile. Then she approached the ground. The moment before she was dashed against it, though, a silver flash shot toward her like a shooting star. A hand reached out and caught Jeanne. The scene of the knight catching the golden princess in her arms played out exactly as it had once before. It was like an image straight out of a fairy tale. The woman squeezed Jeanne tight. After breathing a sigh of relief, she softly buried her nose in Jeanne's honey-blond hair. For some reason, seeing them like that made the demi-human girl blush and hop high into the air. As she did, the womanâ€”Izabella Vickerâ€”raised her face from Jeanne's and shouted: "What in the world possessed you to leap out like that?! I thought my heart was going to stop!" "Oh my, my lady, you were worried you would fail to catch me? C'mon, girl, give yourself some credit! A top-tier babe like you ain't gonna screw up like that!" Jeanne gave her a spirited response. She was clearly taking great joy in being embraced by Izabella. After all, Izabella could have handled the situation just fine on her own. Yet even knowing that, Jeanne had leaped down anyway. And it had all been leading up to that moment. Put bluntly, Jeanne loved being embraced by Izabella. Izabella glanced over her to make sure she wasn't hurt. After breathing another sigh of relief, she cleared her throat. "Ahem... It's certainly true that I had no intention of letting you fall. But that doesn't mean I can't be worried about you. And so I ask you yet again... Can you please try not to be so reckless?" "Yeeeees, ma'aaaaam. Aye-aye, Captain." "That...doesn't sound quite as sincere as I'd like." Izabella pursed her lips in irritation. Jeanne chuckled. It was a far cry from her normal, automaton-like behavior. It was clear that she wasn't repentant in the slightest. Izabella furrowed her brow. Jeanne, pleased as could be, began thinking. Ah, I see, how intriguing. Huh, so this is what it feels like to have someone worry about ya! This shit ain't half-bad! ...Although, I do hope you'll forgive me, my lady. After all, if not for what I did, you'd never let me cling on to you like this, would you? Jeanne had confessed her feelings to Izabella. However, the two of them weren't actually dating. This, too, was an old story by now. After the end of days was averted, Izabella had come to Jeanne with a question. "I wanted to check with you personally. Is it true that you have romantic feelings for me?" "I won't mince wordsâ€”yes, it's true. That's why I went and swapped out your body for machine bits. I wanted to save you, no matter the cost." "Is it also true that I'm your first love?" "Yes." "...I see. I've acknowledged your feelings, and I appreciate them." And that was the last Izabella mentioned of it. Jeanne had never gotten a satisfying response to her confession. Izabella did get Jeanne hired as a royal mage and made sure they stayed together. But that was all. Jeanne couldn't understand what Izabella was thinking. Not only did Jeanne portray a relatively atypical brand of femininity, but she had trouble understanding the subtleties of normal human emotions altogether. As such, Izabella's actionsâ€”or lack thereofâ€”had left her at a total loss. However, the culprit herself didn't seem to realize the effect she was having on her. It was utterly vexing. At the same time, Jeanne had no intention of forcing an answer out of her. Just getting to be by her side was enough. For someone with hands as bloodstained as Jeanne's, it was more than she could have asked for. Still, she did find herself longing to be embraced from time to time. It was a sweet craving, one that she herself didn't fully understand. Jeanne, taking full advantage of her current opportunity, nuzzled up close to Izabella. Seeing how unrepentant she was, Izabella opened her mouth to scold her. Before she could, though, Jeanne sealed up her lips with the tip of her finger. Izabella blinked and went silent. As the gears in her cheek spun, Jeanne reached toward her tenderly. "And what about you, my lady? Are you all right? I asked quite a lot of you back there. Even with magical reinforcement, it must have put a lot of strain on your flesh-and-blood parts. Ain't this the bit where a normal person's supposed to start hackin' up blood?" "I appreciate the concern, but I've trained more than most. There's no need to worry. I am a commander, after all!" Izabella clenched her fist. It was true; she didn't seem even a little exhausted. However, Jeanne began touching her all over to make sure nothing was out of place. Izabella pursed her lips again. Her movements from before had transcended the limits of flesh, and Jeanne was concerned about the burden it had put on her body. The dance-like fighting style was something the two of them had worked on together. During Ragnarok, Izabella figured out how to make her machine parts move. And afterward, Jeanne had given her a hand and helped perfect the technique. By running mana through the Deus Ex Machina parts that made up Izabella's body, Jeanne was able to control her like a puppet. It really was no exaggeration to say that Izabella Vicker herself was Jeanne's new weapon. While Jeanne was "using" her, Izabella's physical prowess and ability to process information both drastically increased. And just like the real Deus Ex Machina, she was able to receive Jeanne's orders without Jeanne having to say a word. Once she mixed in her own judgment, she was able to act on her own volition while still fighting as instructed. It was like she was moving her legs while following her partner's lead. It was like they were dancing as a pair. That was why they called their technique Waltz. As Jeanne and Izabella had their exchange, the demi-human girl continued gawking at them. Perhaps she'd been hypnotized by their beauty, as it appeared they'd awakened something in her. When the other hostages saw the girl's lively figure, they seemed to realize that the danger to their lives had passed. They glanced hesitantly at one another. Then they all made a rush for the inner sanctuary. Jeanne's tone was flat; it was clear how exasperated she was. "They don't seem to learn, nor do they seem to give up. I guess this is that 'conviction' shit at work, huh?" "They've been through a lot. If they still have that much energy, we should probably count it as a blessing." "How very sentimental. The way I see it, they're all just a bunch of dumbfucks, but...so be it, I suppose." This time, the hostages were successful in getting the sanctuary door open. As she watched them all rush underground, Jeanne rested her back against Izabella. A troubled look crossed Izabella's face, as she probably wanted to go untie the rest of the bound young girls. Jeanne pretended not to notice. As she fawned on Izabella, she let out a small whisper. "We finished your absurd request. In a moment, we'll begin moving the hostages and second-class residents somewhere safe. You're on your own now, Elisabeth Le Fanu. Dunno how things are goin' over there, but if you're gonna bite it, you'd better make damn sure you get us that intel first." The golden Torture Princess made an insolent proclamation. And far away, over in the demi-human king's villa, the ebony Torture Princess nodded. "Aye, very well. I should think that goes without saying. I'll make do somehow or other." The communication only went one way, but Elisabeth murmured back regardless. Then she gave her fingers a sharp snap. The thin blood membrane floating in front of her eye popped, and the image of the inside of the temple shattered into pieces. A red droplet landed on Elisabeth's cheek like a tear. Alice twitched in surprise. Lewis was as silent as ever. Elisabeth wiped it away with the back of her hand as she squared off imposingly against the two of them. She sliced at the air with Executioner's Sword of Frankenthal. Her free left hand was wreathed in darkness and flower petals. Sensing her fighting spirit, Alice stepped forward to match her. La Christoph nodded briefly. Between the rumbling from the temple and Elisabeth's murmur, he'd sensed that the situation with the hostages had been resolved. Wanting to get ready for battle himself, he made to release his chains. That was when Elisabeth grabbed him by the collar. "Up we go!" "Pardon?" She ran mana through her petal-covered hand, then lifted La Christoph's entire body up. Executioner's Sword of Frankenthal abruptly vanished, and she let out a firm shout. "Now we flee!" "Huh?" La Christoph stared vacantly at her. A moment later, though, he went, "Ah" with comprehension. It had taken him a second to process what was happening to him. Instead of offering him an explanation, Elisabeth merely took off at a dash. However, La Christoph was simply too tall for her to lift properly. His hair and hem dragged sadly behind him as she ran. After loudly kicking the door open, she made her way outside. The door swung shut with a surprisingly quiet thump. All that remained was a deafening silence. "Hmm?" Alice tilted her head to the side. Then a few seconds later, she burst. "Wha... Wha... Wh-WHAT THE HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECK?!" Alice bounded to her feet. The white ribbons on her hat stood straight up. She hopped up and down in a violent rage, flailing her fists as she shouted. "Wh-who just runs away like that without fighting?! Who does that?! You can't just say whatever you like and then flee! That's mean! Mean, mean, mean, mean, mean! We have to go after them at once, Father! Faster than if we were chasing the White Rabbit!" "No, there's no need to rush." Lewis murmured flatly. Alice tilted her head in confusion again. Lewis took the mask still resting in his hand and leisurely raised it up to his face. A small click rang out. Then after covering half his features with the white crow mask, he murmured