human parts of their bodies were forced forward. Losing their balance, the underlings toppled to the ground. Seeing the underlings fall, the fleeing townsfolk stopped in confusion. From within them, one woman called out. "Oh... You're Rohan, aren't you? Rohan! Dear!" Forgetting the danger and dread consuming her, she rushed over to the bald underling. Based on the way she'd called his name, they were likely lovers or a couple of some sort. With seemingly rusty movements, the man called Rohan turned to look at her. The moment she extended her arm toward him, the underling's cheek swelled to the point of nearly popping. Coming to his senses, Kaito called out to her. "Don't!" With a pulpy noise, the man's tongue extended out from his mouth, and its soggy, bruised flesh wrapped around the woman's torso. Once he'd captured the woman, his pink wings began flapping, almost as though they had a will of their own. "No, nooooooooooooooooooo!" The woman was carried off toward the mass of flesh, leaving nothing but her screams. Seeing the act of violence carried out before their eyes, the townspeople scattered. The bald underlings' tongues and the dovelike underlings' talons swooped down on them one after another. Furious and repulsed at having been deceived, the paladins raised their swords high. "Damn you!" "Eek!" As they did, one of the bald underlings let out a frail cry. The human parts of their bodies were trembling. Their distended tongues seemed incapable of forming words, but if that weren't the case, they'd probably have been begging for their lives. Large tears were even welling up in their eyes. Demons didn't cry. Like it or not, the paladins were forced to realize that these underlings were still mostly human. All they had to do was lop off the pink wings, and they might yet be saved. Although nobody put that thought into words, hope flooded the square. As it did, a low, cold voice rang out. "La Guillotine, Saint of Beheadings." Five vortexes of darkness and crimson flower petals appeared around Elisabeth, and five white figures emerged from within them, landing on the ground. The five beautiful saints raised their heads, their eyes shut tight. Their thick, straight, evenly cut silver hair swayed. While that was happening, Elisabeth clicked her heels. The saints tilted their bodies and their plain white dresses moved with them. Peering up at the sky, they crossed their pale arms over their chests before stretching back out. With a sharp noise, rectangular blades slid out from their elbows. The blades carved through both types of underling in succession, arcing in ways that defied the laws of centrifugal force. Unlike the time they'd been used at the Governor's manor, the blades returned to the saints' arms after reaching the end of their paths. Blood rained down in every direction. Perplexed screams filled the air. Among all the people present, Kaito was the only one with calm eyes. He nodded. Izabella said nothing. However, one of the other paladins called out in a quivering voice: "We might have been able to save them!" "Idiot. Get the notion out of your head that any man turned into an underling can be saved. Discard your naive dreams. Killing them is the only option." "You can't knowâ€”" "I can. I am more familiar with the work of demons than any other." After speaking firmly, Elisabeth clicked her heels again. The La Guillotines bisected the underlings one by one. Their pitiful corpses began piling up. Amid them, the Torture Princessâ€”beloved daughter of the Kaiser's previous contractor, Vlad Le Fanu, and a woman who'd surpassed perfectionâ€”made a merciless proclamation. "Harboring hope is worthless. Trust only in despairâ€”and fight back against it, so that you may find a chance to destroy it." Her eyes were fierce as she spoke. Kaito bit down on his lip when he heard her, as though he was listening to a tragic drama. Then a single paladin sprang into action. "Ha!" Izabella's silver hair fluttered as she gave a sharp fighting cry. She brandished her sword, severing an underling's neck. Its head, still that of a human, went flying into the air. Blood dripping down her porcelain skin, Izabella gave a resounding order to her troops. "Kill them. That's my order, so I shall bear both the responsibility and the sin. Grieve not; just put an end to this." Looking at Izabella's bloodstained visage, Elisabeth narrowed her crimson eyes. However, she said nothing. Perhaps in order to encourage themselves, the paladins let out a sudden battle cry. As they shouted from deep in their abdomens, they raised their swords overhead. The Royal Knights followed in their wake. After that, the knights calmly carried out their work. Aside from their wings, the corpses that lined the streets were completely human. Eventually, the underlings were successfully exterminated. The paladins repaired the barrier. With the aid of the priests, they were also able to reinforce it past the point it had been at before. Transportation of the young and infirm began again as well, and the paladins formed an escort to hasten the escape of the able-bodied. After watching this series of events and gazing at the corpses piled up in a corner, the reality of the situation hit Kaito once more. These people are trying desperately to survive. That, and the fact that battles against demons were cruel and tragic beyond words. 2 A Moonlit Banquet No matter how stagnant it may seem, time always marches on at the same fixed pace. At the end of the battle, the sun had set, and night had finally arrived. The capital, cruelly transformed as it had been, was concealed behind a thin curtain of darkness. While it was likely only temporary, the mass of flesh had stopped expanding as well. Perhaps having sensed the decrease in available citizens to use as fresh materials, it had also stopped indiscriminately attacking. "...That felt like it took a lifetime." Off in one of the square's nooks, Kaito muttered to himself. However, all the events that had occurred up until then had taken place in an almost bizarrely short period of time. There had simply been too many bloodstained tragedies, causing his sense of time to be completely distorted. And he likely wasn't the only one. At long last, the defenders had finally gotten some time they could use to take stock. However, the battle was far from over. Countless drops rained down upon the pavement. Drawn in by the noise, Kaito lifted his head. When he did, he saw a cylinder of white light appear around a handful of people, then transform into droplets and fall to the ground. When the light faded, the people who had been standing there were nowhere to be seen. The Church's teleportation circle was operating without rest. However, someone must have determined that transporting everyone present within the day was impossible, as one of the circles was being used to bring in troops and supplies from outside the capital. Using the newly delivered grain, the Church's nuns immediately got to work cooking gruel. The people waiting in line for the teleportation circle, having temporarily overcome their panic that had arisen out of nearly being slaughtered, voluntarily offered up their assistance. Sending them off with thankful gazes, the priests in charge of the teleportation circle took turns expending their mana. Beads of sweat welled up on their foreheads. And the people in charge of the barrier were even more exhausted still. I guess battles aren't only fought on the battlefield. However, Kaito was unable to assist them. The mana he currently possessed didn't solely originate from Elisabeth's blood; he himself had generated a large supply as well. But he'd obtained it from pain as a result of his contract with the Kaiser. It was incompatible with priests' mana, which the talented among them could obtain by collecting energy within themselves that they'd accumulated from prayer and that was apparently also called spiritual energy. And although he'd wrapped his beastly arm in cloth so as to avoid scaring anyone, there was a chance it would unravel if he lent a hand distributing the rations. ...Man, it hurts to admit it, but I really am part evil now, huh? As Kaito thought earnestly, he suddenly found warm steam gently caressing his cheek. Frantically, he looked up. Upon inspection, he discovered a chipped bowl of vegetable gruel floating in front of his face, and there was even a wooden spoon. One of the Church's nuns was holding it out to him with an affectionate smile. "A blessing from God. Please have some." "Wh...? U-um, I really shouldn'tâ€”" "Don't be silly. If you don't eat, your body won't hold out." The young nun firmly pushed the bowl into his hands. Kaito frantically shook his head to stop her. The word inquisition flashed through his head, as well as the various fanatical, exhaustive, scornful things Clueless had said about heretics. Godot Deus's attitude toward Kaito and Elisabeth hadn't exactly been friendly, either. That was simply the way the Church's representatives were. If that was the case, then what was this nun's angle? Bewildered by the unexpected turn of events, Kaito avoided meeting the nun's gaze. Why would someone from the Church come give me gruel? Is it poisoned? Could there be poison in it? Could there? Then Kaito noticed something. Magical flames lit up the plaza from within a number of containers. The flames posed no risk of accidentally causing a fire, and their golden light served to warm those present. Amid the firelight, the nuns were walking about and distributing the gruel. It seemed they were handing it out not just to Kaito but to everyone who lacked the energy to go get it themselves. Kaito gazed dumbfoundedly at the proceedings. The nuns' faces as they recited words of prayer and concern for those present were filled with genuine kindness, the type Kaito had never experienced back when he was alive. Even though they were dealing with the Kaiser's contractor, it was difficult to see their actions as malicious. But if that was the case, then Kaito found himself with all the more reason not to meet her gaze. Won't it cause trouble for her if anyone finds out she was nice to a demon's contractor? Wait...could it be that she doesn't know who I am? With that thought, Kaito was finally satisfied. After all, his left arm was currently concealed by a bundle of cloth. While his military uniform would make it difficult for him to be mistaken for one of the townsfolk, he could easily have been confused for one of the mages simply taking a breather. It that case, what should I do? The nun's feelings would probably be hurt if she found out later that he'd been the Kaiser's contractor. He was at a loss. However, he didn't want to frighten her. And he didn't want to refuse the rare kindness. Ultimately, he ended up taking the bowl with his right hand. "I'll take you up on that. Thanks for the food." "No, thank you for this afternoon. May God's protection be with you." After closing her eyes and praying for him, the nun smiled again. Then she left, her thick black veil fluttering as she went. Taken aback, Kaito watched her go. Apparently, she had known who he was. And even so, she'd brought the food just for him. "...Well, that was nice." After nodding a few times, Kaito began scooping the gruel into his mouth. A weak, salty flavor spread across his tongue. However, after a moment, the sweetness of the grain and the vegetables began to sink in. Due to the abuse he'd suffered in life, Kaito's sense of taste was weak. As long as it didn't have detergent or poison in it, he could eat just about anything. Despite that, although it didn't compare to the home-cooked meals his beloved Hina prepared for him, he felt