had been a man and a woman. When their bodies broke down and melded together, it had served as a sort of pseudointercourse and given birth to a horrible childâ€”the child of two demons. True, the two bear a striking resemblance. Elisabeth glanced over at the horrid creature. The thing in front of her looked almost identical to the baby she'd fought. They both had the same broad, winglike shoulder blades. However, Elisabeth felt as though something was out of place. "'Tis a good deal smaller than the one I fought, though. And the one from back then vanished corporeally upon death, as all demons do. What makes this one different?" "You're absolutely right, Elisabethâ€”most of the demon children that attacked us disintegrated on death. However, through a miraculous stroke of fortune, we were able to capture this one in a comatose state and preserve it. "A few days ago, we raided a demon-worshipper temple and apprehended a mage who'd been researching how to preserve underling corpses. We were able to preserve this baby using information and techniques from his documents. Perversion's the mother of invention, baby! It doesn't take a genius to guess what the fucker was doin' with all those underling corpses in his bedroom, I tell you what!" Jeanne made no effort to mince her words. Izabella's eyes went wide, visibly flustered. As the skin visible beneath the metal plates on her face flushed scarlet, she let out an affected cough. "A-ahem. Now, Jeanne, I understand that the circumstances of your upbringing make it difficult to change that tone of yours. I really do. But as I've asked you time and again, could you please try to keep the vulgarity to a minimum? A charming young lady like yourself shouldn't be saying such vile things." "Yes, ma'am. I'll be quiet." "Oh?" Jeanne snapped her mouth shutâ€”a most irregular occurrence, given her usual arrogance and brashness. Elisabeth rubbed her eyes at how unexpected the exchange she'd just witnessed had been. As she did, Jeanne straightened her back, as silent as a model pupil. Elisabeth couldn't help but ask: "So how long has, um...this relationship dynamic between the two of you been a thing?" "You're being boorish, little lady. We're in the middle of a crisis right now, so we should do our best to avoid frivolous conversational detours. Now, the problem is that we were attacked by several of these things. I mean, they were poppin' up like the damn flies from when we couldn't get rid of all them corpses!" "I'm sorry, Jeanne, but could you please try to avoid making light of the situation as well?" "I'll be quiet." Jeanne snapped her mouth shut. Is that how you intend to dodge the question?! Elisabeth thought indignantly. However, Jeanne's evasive words had a degree of truth to them. She was rightâ€”now wasn't the time for that. Elisabeth focused and turned to Izabella. "I wager the babies didn't act alone. Did they have a handler?" "They did; they were led by a single mage... No, we don't even know that for sure. We can't make any assumptions. However, they did have some sort of leader." "You don't know? That is to say, you failed to capture the handler? Surely you recovered a body, at least? With you and Jeanne together, I find it hard to imagine they escaped." "You're right, they didn't escape...but there was also no body." "What?" Elisabeth narrowed her gaze in confusion. Izabella frowned as she recalled the event. Her next words came out hesitantly. "Ever since the end of days, people have been absolutely terrified of demons. So when the attack happened, everyone flew into a panic. Things almost turned ugly, but Jeanne and I managed to turn the tide. But the moment the handler saw that things weren't going their way, they took their own life. And to make matters worse, the demon babies ate their corpse. There wasn't so much as a shard of bone left afterward." "Everything that might have helped identify them got completely devoured. It was all very purposeful on their part, but still, I'm surprised. Purposeful or not, you gotta be fucking crazy to pull a stunt like that!" "Was there anything distinctive about their appearance? Do you even know what race they were?" "They were wearing a jester mask and a dark outfit. We don't even know what they looked like." "...A mask and a dark outfit?" Elisabeth went quiet and thought. There was no way that could be a coincidence. The Capital's attacker must have been from the same group as the man in black with the half-crow mask. And the fact that the man in black was probably the only person in the world who'd noticed the significance of demon crossbreeding only served as further proof of that. "I summoned a pair of weaker demons into a man and a woman, then destroyed both their egos. They had two children. Then I bred the children together. By repeating that process, it was possible to create a pure, powerful demon. Eventually, I created a demon powerful enough to meet my needs." She thought back over what he'd said. Instead of "demon children," perhaps it would be more apt to call the Capital's attackers "demon grandchildren," the failed by-products of the man's iterative quest for sufficient power. That explained why their bodies were so small and weak. Satisfied, Elisabeth spoke again. "I've a decent grasp on the situation now. I believe I have information that may shed light on the attack." "Are you serious?" "Indeed. But first, I have grave tidings." Suddenly, the three of them heard a muffled voice through the door. "The first and second imperial beastfolk princesses, Valisisa Ula Forstlast and Vyade Ula Forstlast, were murdered... Does that about sum it up?" Elisabeth turned around to see who it was. As the door slowly swung open, the voice went on. "The World Tree just sent word of the sad news. It really is a tragic loss." A young man with a freckled face came in. He was dressed all in finery, from his extravagant standing collar down to his silk loafers, and he carried himself suitably. However, his simple facial features were more the sort one would expect to see on a clerk in some quiet village's bookstore. Elisabeth frowned. For some reason, she felt like she recognized him, but he must not have left much of an impression. "Hmm, I can't seem to recall who you are... Name thyself." "Your Majesty, you needn't have forced yourself to come all the way down here!" "Your Majesty?" Elisabeth let out a shocked cry. Izabella knelt. Jeanne initially offered no reaction, but after Izabella shot a glare at her, she hurriedly dropped to one knee as well. The young man raised a hand, gesturing for them to stop. "All is well. At ease... That goes for you, too, Izabella Vicker. It's been some time since we've met in person, but I heard of your deeds earlier. Fine work, as always." "You honor me, sir. But...if I may be so bold, what brings you down here?" "Well, well, well, if it isn't the child who spent the end of days cowering in the World Tree and refused to come out until after things were all settled. Found yourself a backbone yet?" Elisabeth crossed her arms. The skin beneath Izabella's metal plates went pale at the spiteful remark. During the end of days, Elisabeth had served as Diablo's pillar. She was in no position to judge anyone, nor did she really intend to. But the king was the one individual she couldn't help but lambaste. He had made the choice to leave everything to the Mad King, Kaito Sena, and flee to the World Tree. If things had gone a little worse, his actions would have led directly to mankind's annihilation. Then after leaving the safety of his people and country up to Kaito's goodwill, he'd hidden away until it was all over. Upon seeing that Elisabeth had no intention of retracting her statement, Izabella shouted in indignation. "Madam Elisabeth, show some respect!" "No, no. She has the decency to say it to my face, which is as much as I can ask for. I know full well what my subjectsâ€”even my retainersâ€”call me behind closed doors. 'The Craven King.' 'The Royal Family's Stain.' 'The Yellow-Bellied Frog.' That's me. Maclaeus Filliana, in the flesh. The man who fled his country and the worst king in our nation's history." The young man spoke firmly, but he wasn't being combative. He was simply acknowledging his ignoble pastâ€”which was surprising, given how truly pathetic it had been. Elisabeth raised an eyebrow. Seeing her reaction, the young king couldn't help but grin. "There's really no need to be so suspicious. It took me a while, but I finally learned how to face my flaws. People really can change, no matter how pathetic they once were. All they need is a trigger." "Oh?" "For me, it was finding a hero I admired." A hero? Who could that possibly be? Elisabeth scrunched up her face in thought. Surely, there was no one in the world powerful or benevolent enough to warrant the title. If heroes existed, Kaito wouldn't have had to become the Mad King. Before she could ask Maclaeus to clarify, though, he stepped forward. After reaching out and touching the corpse of the demon grandchild, he gave a short speech about the sin it had committed and the people it had hurt, then finished with a prayer. Afterward, he turned back to Elisabeth. "Let's talk, Elisabeth Le Fanu. That's what I came down here to do. The Capital, as well as my dear friends the beastfolk, have come under attack by a new threat. Now then..." Maclaeus paused to take a deep breath before finishing his question. His tone was that of a man thinking of a hero he'd caught a glimpse of long, long ago. "...what would Sir Kaito Sena do, if faced with this crisis?" It happened just a short three years ago, but it felt like it had been a century. "After I returned to the Capital, I researched Sir Kaito Sena in some detail. I'll be honest with youâ€”my goal was to find some sort of flaw in mankind's savior, the Mad King." Maclaeus spoke as though giving a confession. He closed his dull-green eyes partway. Even without his elaboration, Elisabeth could have guessed at his impure motives. After the end of days was averted, Maclaeus no doubt came to a harsh realization. False, twisted stories about a savior earned far more praise than the real thing ever could. And there was no glory to be had for a king who had deserted his people. Unofficial rumors about the Mad King spread like wildfire among the populace, to the point where they were still being echoed in fervent whispers to that very day. For that was simply how rumors were. But to the young figurehead of a king, that harsh reality was too much to take. And so he began his investigation. If he wanted to protect his own pride, he needed to be able to look down on Kaito Sena. But things didn't quite play out that way. "The more I researched, the more I was struck by my own ignorance. Even as the reconstruction sect solidified their positions around me, I was blind to the Church's insanity until the end of days actually came. But it was the next thing I discovered that truly filled me with despair. The man who stood atop that round table, the man who determined the fate of the world, was no man at all. He was just a boy, younger than even me. When I learned about Kaito Sena's age, I finally ran out of excuses. He saved the world, while I ran away. And nothing I did could ever change that." Upon learning who Kaito really was, Maclaeus had