I wasn't particularly keen on surprise attacks. I would instead spearhead my demonic troops and boldly launch grand invasions. In short, my dear successor, I'm afraid I can't be of much help. I never took it upon myself to even learn such uninspired spells in the first place!" Well, he sure was completely useless. Kaito dejectedly thought back to the pose Vlad had struck as he'd answered the question with a finger pressed against the side of his head. The stone in his pocket containing Vlad's soulâ€”or rather, a replica thereofâ€”rattled around. He seemed to have sensed the slight against him and was protesting. But Kaito merely ignored him. Well, at least I was able to cobble something together, in the end. Kaito let out a sigh as he adjusted the bit where the black cloak covering his head and body had slipped down. At the moment, Kaito and Hina were taking after the Butcher and concealing their faces behind black cloaks. It was a simple method, and one that would normally make them look rather conspicuous. However, there was no shortage of people in this town involved in illicit business, making their choice of attire quite common. Somehow managing to avoid being noticed, the two of them turned their attention to their shopping. "Should we check out that one next?" "Okay!" Nodding in agreement, Hina walked up to the fruit stand. There she found a basket left directly atop the cobbled pavement, and she pulled an orange out from it. Or rather, she pulled something that looked like an orange from it, although it might have been an entirely different fruit altogether. After checking to make sure it had no serious bruises and hadn't been chewed through by worms, she turned back toward Kaito. "Is this acceptable?" "Looks good to me. Let's grab two of those... That, and two bags of dried figs, please." "Comin' right up." The wizened merchant took Kaito's order with a hoarse voice. Just as Kaito had suspected, the merchant didn't even glance at his customer, simply bundling up the goods with practicedâ€”albeit indifferentâ€”movements. Kaito frowned as he handed over the payment. It was pricey, as was to be expected. But the price of commodities would probably only continue to rise. It's a good thing that Godd Deos was able to save the king and the bigwig aristocrats. The blame for most of society's woes will probably end up falling on me. The economic decline, the shortage of goods, and the disorder stemming from the apocalyptic despair will most likely continue for a long while, but they should all improve as the Capital recovers. I just hope that things won't get too bad before then... It wasn't only everyday folk who were feeling the squeeze; feudal lords, the representatives of the mercantile guilds, and the Church's high clergy were under a great deal of pressure as well. All sorts of people and organizations were going broke. But all Kaito could do was hope for them to hold on. As Kaito became lost in thought, Hina stored the oranges in the magical leather bag they'd taken from the castle. The bag was already loaded up with bundles of rice and herbs, rock salt, a few days' worth of vegetables, and dried cheese. "We should stock up on other stuff that'll keep well, like dried meat and fish." "Understood. In that case, we should go there." Hina nodded, leading the way to the shop two stalls over. It might have been the shopkeeper's seniority that made this booth noticeably nicer than any of the other offerings on the street. Slabs of meat hung from hooks affixed to its simple yet robust roof, and wooden wicker baskets lined the roadside in front of it. Chickens and ducks raised a loud clamor from within the cages. It seemed they were butchered beside the nearby well once purchased. As they approached the shop, Kaito stopped in his tracks. Almost simultaneously, Hina quietly whispered to him. "Master Kaito..." "Don't worry. I noticed." Kaito's response was concise. As they spoke, Hina stooped over and looked at the ducks, while Kaito stood stock-still behind her. Without once shifting their gazes, the two of them searched their surroundings. At some point, a disquieting presence had become mixed in with the hustle and bustle. Several gazes filled with tension, wariness, and unmistakable animosity were focused on the two of them. Furthermore, they could hear a commotion starting up in the distance. Somebody was forcibly stopping the flow of pedestrians. Although Kaito and Hina couldn't see them yet, whoever the interlopers were, they were ignoring the protests of the people around them and trying to block off the street. There could be no doubt that their objective was to apprehend the two fugitives. Kaito shook his head slightly. "I'll admit my disguise was pretty garbage, but still... They found us pretty damn fast, didn't they? What a pain." "It was unavoidable. The bounty on your head is rather large, after all. We should be grateful that at least we aren't being ambushed by someone after they found out about the reward." "Yeah... Things got pretty messy last time." The two of them let out heavy sighs. The ducks kept on quacking. At the same time, the crowd began to stir. A group of armored men were approaching, violently pushing through the crowd. One of them shoved aside a drunkard, who pitched forward and tumbled to the ground. Their determined advance toppled over a handcart full of bouquets, too. An emaciated dog barked as it fled. A chain of furious protests rang out. The band of warriors didn't even spare the angry crowd a glance as they encircled Kaito and Hina. The tension was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Everyone waited with bated breath to see what would happen. Completely oblivious to the situation, a shopkeeper-like man emerged from the back of the stall, flourishing a meat cleaver. "What's all this ruckus, some kinda fight? I don't care who's in the right, but I'll take the side of a pretty lady any day, my dear!" "Ah, I happen to be married, so please don't mind me. My deepest apologies for the trouble." With a quick bow, Hina drew away from the storefront. "And I'm her lucky husband," said Kaito as he embraced her without missing a beat. With a sidelong glance, he confirmed who their pursuers were. Leading the group were a few paladins from the Church's local branch office. Everyone else in their party looked weak, both in posture and in build. It didn't look like there were any mages or priests, even among the lookouts. In spite of himself, Kaito felt let down. He shook his head a little. As soon as they rushed at us all frantic-like, I had a feeling they weren't any run-of-the-mill group. "Man, they made the wrong choice." "Indeed, that they did." "Seriously." Kaito and Hina nodded at each other. Throughout their whole exchange, the paladins continued closing the distance. Kaito squinted. The paladins' silver suits of armor lacked their usual luster, and their gaits were sluggish. It looked like they'd been negligent in their daily training, not to mention failing to take good care of their armor. Despite the town's size, being transferred here probably amounted to a demotion, and their days had likely been spent idly. The man who appeared to be their leader raised an annoyed voice, one altogether lacking in zeal. "You're Kaito Sena, correct?" "...Try to keep your foolishness in check, if you don't mind." "Not planning on giving a straight answer, you bastard?!" The man reached his arm out, his voice filled with pent-up rage. He grabbed Kaito's shoulder and gave it a yank. Kaito turned around with little resistance. Upon seeing his face, the man gave a short gulp. Kaito wore a wicked grin, one wholly befitting the Kaiser. "To think someone would dare to go up against me with such shabby men and arms." Kaito's voice was as cold as ice. The paladin went pale. The situation would quickly deteriorate if the man was allowed to scream. Not wanting to provoke the crowd more than necessary, Kaito quickly set into motion. He reached into the pocket opposite the one where he kept Vlad's stone and pulled out a fragment of a jewel. A blue flash lit up the cobbled road. As it did, Kaito snapped his fingers. "La (activate)." The jewel fragment burst from within. Azure light and black feathers surged up all around them. The two stark colors violently swallowed up Kaito, Hina, and all the nearby paladins. Against the backdrop of the terrified cries of bystanders and livestock, the azure and black wound together in a swirling eddy of magic. Then, with a small popping noise, they vanished. Clap, clap. The soles of his leather shoes audibly struck the ground as Kaito landed. Then he looked down at his surroundings from atop the ruined hill. This was the location where the Torture Princess had fought the Duke and eventually burned him to death. Kaito had traveled to that hill in the blink of an eye. The jewel fragment was a magical teleportation device. By releasing the magic sealed within it, the user could instantly travel to a location where another fragment from the same jewel was buried. Kaito had taken an old jewel from Elisabeth's castle and, under Vlad's tutelage, had used blood and pain as an intermediary to infuse it with mana for this purpose. Now that he thought about it, Vlad technically had been useful in getting out of their most recent jam. Moments later, Hina touched down beside him. On the other hand, the paladins failed to stick their landings and ended up tumbling down the slope. One of them stepped on something dry, then screamed. "Wh-what is this place?!" Human bones lay scattered atop the hillside. Due to their fierce battle against the Duke, the land here had been churned up, and many of the coffins resting in the earth had been destroyed. "Looks like they're all here." Kaito murmured quietly as the confusion and screams continued. There was a reason he'd specifically chosen to come all the way to this distant place. Due to the Duke's horrid deeds, the whole region had been deemed corrupted and subsequently sealed off without exception. In other words, as long as they were here, there was no need to worry about unrelated people getting involved. "Now then, I'd better do something to reward your foolhardy valor!" Kaito gave a loud shout. He grabbed the black cloak he was wearing and forcefully hurled it away. His black outfit, resembling a military uniform with its bloodred embroidery, came into view. Then the wanted sinner made a grand declaration. "As the Kaiser's contractor, and as the enemy of all mankind, I shall be your opponent." Over the past few days, Kaito had quickly come to a number of realizations. First, hitting people with the back of his sword was surprisingly difficult. And second, trying to strike fear into people's hearts while taking care not to leave any lasting effects was quite the task. "Killing one of them by accident would be an absolute mess. Definitely wouldn't be able to undo something like that." "Good work out there! The way you fought was most befitting the ultimate personification of evil, yet at the same time, completely gentlemanly! A splendid job once more! I'm going faint, and my heart is pounding, and I'm head over heels in love with you!" "Your praise makes it all worth it." "Eek, Master Kaito, you're so cool!" shrieked Hina as she hopped up and down. Kaito acknowledged her reaction with a raised hand. Their pursuers had fallen into heaps on the ground in front of them, all of them fully unconscious. However, none of them had sustained any serious injuries. Once they woke up, they'd be able to descend the hill and call