Prologue As the hands around his neck tightened, Kaito Sena mused on how predictable this outcome was. In fact, it was a miracle that he had lived this long in the first place. His right arm was covered in shallow lacerations, his left arm unmoving and stained dark red. His ankle had been twisted at an odd angle a few months back and had stiffened that way. And it was possible that the stomach pain he had been enduring for the past three days was due to one of his organs having ruptured. He was seventeen years and three months old. All through his life, he'd only known fickle treatment and been attacked on a whim. It was a life no better than that of livestock, knowing it would eventually be devoured yet unable to escape its fate. In his case, he wasn't going to be eaten but rather buried alive somewhere, or perhaps his flesh would be burned away until only bone remained, or maybe his body would be abandoned in the mountains or dumped in the ocean. The pain weighed heavily on him as time seemed to stretch longer and longer. While he was thinking, the fat fingers pressed down on his neck even harder, crushing his respiratory tract and blood vessels. Sticky tears leaked from his protruding eyeballs. He kicked and clawed at the hands grabbing him, but it was no use. His father was doped up well past the point of being able to reason or feel pain. As Kaito's tongue lolled out in his desperate attempt to struggle for one more lungful of air, a part of him separated from his body and observed the situation with a disturbing level of calm. His brain, on the other hand, was burning with panic. I don't want to die I don't want to die I don't want to die I don't want to die please don't kill me. Against his wishes, his throat gave in. His vision went blank, but rather than infinite blackness, he saw a dancing light. It was almost like his life was flashing before his eyes, like in stories. But this was something else entirely, something sinister. There were corpses as far as the eye could see. There were men and women, young and old, their bodies mutilated and cast aside. Their hands and feet had been twisted off like those of broken dolls, their chests ripped open, their limbs torn off. Eyes, ears, teeth, and tongues were all missing. Before Kaito's eyes lay a mountain of corpses, each lacking so much as a shred of human dignity. A crow cawed before taking flight, a lump of human flesh in its beak. Kaito's vision darkened, and he could hear the roar of countless voices. A mass of people, clad in black and shaking their fists, shouted as high as their voices would allow. "Kill her! Kill her! Kill her! Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!" All their loathing and overwhelming bloodlust were concentrated on one dark-haired girl. She was hovering in front of them, dressed in a straitjacket. Hundreds of chains hung from the gallows, binding her hands and feet while keeping her suspended in midair. She resembled a butterfly caught in a spiderweb. She looked up from her fluttering black locks. Her face was terrifying in its beauty, and her striking crimson eyes turned to Kaito. He gasped. It was clear from her expression that she was no victim. She was looking past Kaito at the raging, bloodthirsty crowd. Her pointed gaze was devoid of fear. Upon her immaculate face was a smile rife with cruelty and wickedness. "Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!" The mob continued their chant, and she laughed as she bathed in their murderous rage. She laughed at it all in a manner both beautiful and sinister. â€”Until the day of your death, try to do some good at least. And then, with a firm crack, Kaito Sena's neck was snapped. Kaito Sena, the boy who should be dead, opened his eyes once more. The light of a bonfire filled his gaze. He appeared to be in a dimly lit stone room. Although he was sure that he'd been killed, this didn't quite strike him as the land of the dead. Standing in front of the confused Kaito was the black-haired girl from before. She was no longer being restrained, although in a sense, she still appeared bound. Covering her slender body was a black bondage dress, and the part over her chest was composed almost entirely of leather belts. Her well-formed breasts, bound beneath the interlacing belts, were over half-visible. Her waist was concealed by black cloth, and past her short skirt extended a pair of gorgeous legs wrapped in what looked like stockings. The inside of her dress was dyed scarlet, and the length of the back flowed like a cape. It was quite the erotic outfit, yet somehow it did not give off a flirty impression. The way she wore the indecent bondage-style dress was akin to a queen in her finest regalia. Her elegant, flowing black hair suited her face, which was more refined than any Kaito had seen before. Yet, a demonic cruelty flickered in her ruby eyes. At once, the peerless beauty parted her thin lips. Her gaze locked on to Kaito, and she spoke at last. "O Sinless Soul, stricken down in a manner most foul. From this day forth, you shall be my loyal servant." Although it made little sense to demand the servitude of a dead man, her tone left no room for refusal. Belatedly, Kaito realized that he was breathing, and as he let slip a small chuckle of confusion, the girl before him made a dignified proclamation. "I am the Torture Princess, Elisabeth Le Fanu. I am the proud wolf and the lowly sow." 1 The Fourteen Demons The castle stood atop a desolate hill, surrounded on all sides by dense forest. It was constructed wholly from frigid stone and, as such, resembled a fortress more than it did a castle. It gave off an oppressive air, and most anyone who spent more than three days inside it would be plagued by nightmares of being crushed by stones. Its corridors were labyrinthine, and if one got lost in them, there was a greater chance of starving to death before finding a way out. It wasn't built with the comfort of its inhabitants in mind; in fact, it seemed to reject the idea of being inhabited altogether. Its kitchen was no different. The layout was abysmal, and its atmosphere evoked the claustrophobic sense of being locked in a dungeon. Not to mention the nature of the ingredients that had been forced upon him. Kaito Sena wore a cotton shirt with rolled-up sleeves and a butcher's apron. His arms were crossed and he bore a sullen expression. Before him lay a towering mound of organs. The varied bits of flesh were all soft and glistening and gave off a strong, peculiar odor. He sighed and, with a sharp knife, began cutting the intestines lengthwise. He then removed the white bits from the heart. As he was dressing the vast quantity of meat with sage-like stoicism, the kitchen shook violently. Kaito ignored this, acting as though nothing had happened. Even if the castle was to collapse and his life was to end, it was of little concern to him. He took the expensive-looking bottle he'd randomly grabbed from the wine cellar, opened it, and poured its contents into a silver fruit bowl. At once, he began dumping the organ meat into the bowl along with some herbs he couldn't identify. His face stern, he continued cooking even as the entire castle shook again. Once more, he ignored it. Even if half the castle was blown away, Kaito would still be fine, so he paid no attention to the tremors. His world was at peace. However, a wicked voice rang out and shattered that tranquility. "Butler! Buuutler!" His name was in fact Kaito and not Butler. Thus, he decided the voice couldn't possibly be calling for him. Under that justification, he continued ignoring it, but then the manner in which he was being called changed. "Kaaaiiito!" "All right, all right! I'm coming right now, so pipe down!" His life was at risk if he continued playing deaf. He slammed the liver he was flouring onto the counter, then took off down the corridor. Thanks to the poor excuses for stained-glass clerestory windows, the corridor was less claustrophobic than the kitchen. At the same time, the patterns of light they cast on the floor were ominous enough to be annoying. He ran atop the patterns, climbed a spiral staircase, and finally threw open a massive pair of double doors. A violent gust of wind blew in Kaito's face. The throne room, as the name would suggest, was adorned with a magnificent throne atop a pedestal, and the array of antique tapestries served to accentuate the room's grandeur. However, a quarter of the room had been destroyed, and the pale-blue sky peeked through a huge hole in the wall. It seemed there was a serious chance that half the castle had been blown away. Standing above the wreckage, an arrogant girl awaited Kaito, her arms folded and her perfectly sculpted legs perched atop the rubble. Her heels clicked as she turned to face him. Her dark hair fluttered around her as she pierced him with her crimson gaze. Her face, a well of inhuman beauty, was punctuated by a smile dripping with unfettered delight. It was truly unpleasant. Her nails were painted black, and they glimmered as she pointed outside. She spoke in a whisper, her voice as sweet as birdsong with the tone of a cat that had just eaten its fill. "Behold, Kaito." Kaito obeyed and peered through the hole. The bright-blue sky and vivid-green forest would have been picturesque were it not for the sticky red that stained the landscape, accompanied by the stench of rust. The once-beautiful setting was now a sickening sight to behold. A nightmarish hellscape stretched as far as the eye could see. Dozens of iron stakes jutted out of the ground, impaling a strange creature. Kaito scrunched up his face as much as he could, but he could still make out the grizzly, bloodied corpses. "Well, Kaito? Have you any impressions?" "Impressions...? It's revolting." "A fitting appraisal, truly. What's more, it lacks the requisite vocabulary and wit to entertain its master. What a boring creature." The girl shrugged. The dying beast was a horrifying patchwork of human corpses. It was a bizarre creature, its skin a collage of human faces with their cheeks and scalps melted together and stretched to the absolute limit. Each face joined its voice in a chorus of agony. A row of human arms along its back served as a mane, and a large number of breasts hung from its fat belly. The girl laughed at the blasphemous abomination, her voice full of scorn. "The time has come, Kaito. The Knight has issued a declaration of war. Or would it be more fitting to consider this mere harassment?" She seemed quite pleased. Watching her lick her garnet lips, Kaito thought she looked less like a panther or a wolf and more like a ferocious, hungry lion. Suppressing his urge to vomit, he looked away from the beast's corpse and gave his announcement through a sigh. "Not that I really care, but food'll be ready in an hour. Save your fighting or torturing or whatever for later." This was the absurd arrangement Kaito Sena had been forced into after he was killed. "As you have yet to reply, I shall say it another way. Devote yourself to me." "Hard pass." When he registered the blunt demand of the girl who called herself Elisabeth, Kaito immediately refused. Naturally, he was confused at being ordered to do some strange girl's bidding immediately after he'd