somehow alive, just like a soul squirming within a golem. "Elisaâ€”" As he was about to call out to her, Kaito closed his mouth. After hesitating a few moments, he wrapped the stone in a handkerchief and slipped it into his pocket. Then, as if nothing had happened, he turned back around. "It's all right, Lady Elisabeth, just a little more and I'll have you out. Hrgh!" "No, no, wait, if you pull on that bit, you're likely to take my head with it, hey, Hina, for the love ofâ€”" A great tragedy threatened to rear its ugly head. Frantic, Kaito ran over to prevent it. He placed a hand on Hina's shoulder to get her to back off a bit and then called out to the writhing mass. "Hey, Elisabeth, you still alive in there?" "Just what do you think you're doing? Hurry up and save me, Kaito! A bit longer like this and I may die!" "Seriously? Well, that doesn't sound good." Kaito carefully untangled the bits of cloth caught on the ornaments adorning Elisabeth's arms. Hina cleared her throat in apology and then pulled once more with strength unbefitting her thin arms. "Hrgh! How did I do that time, Lady Elisabeth?" "Huff, huff... Good...good work, Hina! Now, with this opening..." Elisabeth successfully rolled out from within the cloth, crawling across the floor on all fours. Seemingly unaware of the seductive way she was arching her back, she shook her head, causing her beautiful black hair to tumble out of place as she yelled. "Vlaaaaaad! That infernal device was a tool designed to train pets not to eat outside of mealtime! That wretched man, he must have expected me to open that drawer without permission and set it up in order to harass me... Enough of this; we're leaving! There's nothing of use to be found here!" Finally reaching her boiling point, Elisabeth stood up and stormed off. But upon reaching the entrance, she suddenly stopped and turned to face the wall on her left. "Waitâ€”come to think of it, perhaps there is something here that we can make use of." Abruptly, she grabbed a decorative sword off the wall. Its blade was needle thin and surrounded by a beautiful spiral of melted ruby. Who knows how it was crafted. It didn't appear to be suited for actual combat. As Kaito reached that conclusion, Elisabeth swung the sword and whispered: "â€”La (burn)." With a noise like water evaporating, the rubies transformed into flames. The flames flickered and gave off heat, as though someone had breathed life into them. Elisabeth flourished the burning sword and offered the grip to Kaito. When he gingerly accepted it, the flames immediately froze and returned to their ruby state. "Whoa, what's up with that...? That's kinda cool. What's the deal?" As Kaito poked at it, Elisabeth's expression became deadly serious. "Kaito, have you any desire to learn magic?" "Wait, magic? What are you talking about? C'mon, I can't use magic." "Cast away your doubt. As my puppet, my mana-rich blood flows through you. And did Vlad not ask you to become his successor?" Losing his voice for a moment after thinking back to that time, Kaito nodded. Elisabeth extended a pale arm and touched his chest. She tapped above his heart with a polished black nail. "For a madman, Vlad was quite rational. His thoughts may have been warped, but his judgment was sound. From the moment he met you, no doubt he realized how high your affinity for demonic energy was... While I have no intention of feeding you demon flesh, there should be merit in having you learn the foundations of magic. Not that you'll be able to freely draw out the mana in my blood, that is. But you should be capable as far as rudimentary dark magic goes." Elisabeth bobbed her head up and down. Kaito pressed a hand against his heart. It was true that Elisabeth's blood was coursing through his body. The matter of whether or not he could use it aside, as far as latent magical energy went, the amount he possessed was far above that of the average person. "Even with Hina by your side, you yourself are as powerless as always. Now, give me your arm." "My arm? Here." "This will sting." Speaking briefly, she ran her finger across it. Crimson flower petals gathered and then stabbed deep into Kaito's palm. At the same time, a figure appeared behind Elisabeth with blinding speed. She calmly raised her hands. "Come now, Hina; pain is a necessary ingredient in dark magic. I'll have to ask you to overlook this much." "...In the future, I ask that you please obtain his permission in advance. I hold deep affection for you, Lady Elisabeth, but should you harm my dearest beloved, I will kill you without hesitation. Please bear that in mind." Murmuring in a low voice, Hina withdrew the knife she'd reflexively pressed against the nape of Elisabeth's throat. Elisabeth shrugged, took the sword from Kaito, and then once more offered him its handle. "Now then, the first lesson. Take this with your wounded hand and then use the blood as a medium to activate the magic within the sword. 'Tis the same technique as when you circulated mana through the summoning circle carved on your chest." "All right, I'll give it a shot." Kaito obediently took the handle from her. Its rough ornamentation caused his wound to throb. But after the years of torturous abuse he'd endured, that degree of pain hardly even registered to him. The same technique as when I circulated mana through the summoning circle, huh? Do I need to use more blood or something? He gripped the handle even tighter, intentionally hastening his bleeding. Red droplets welled up from his palm. He thought back to the sensation he'd felt when his wounds had been so full of mana that they'd felt like they were burning, and fortunately, his experiences in life had left him with the special talent of being unable to forget any information that was accompanied by pain. Using Elisabeth's blood within him as the catalyst, he imagined the sensation of burning and whispered: "â€”La (burn)." Immediately, the rubies became dancing flames. "I knew you could do it, Master Kaito!" "Oh-ho, quite the show for your first time! You're rather quick on the uptake!" The two commended him. As he responded to their praise, he turned his attention to the stone in his pocket. The moment he'd understood how to activate magical devices, it had pulsed, as if to entice him. If I'm right, then I've got a pretty good idea of what this is. "Well, even for a first lesson, that was just the beginning of the beginning. From here, Hell awaits you. There's no point dillydallying. Once you've pilfered anything that looks useful from here, we'll return to the castle and begin your special training!" "I mean, I'm definitely down to learn how to fight back against the demons. But I'd appreciate it if you could take it easy on me." "Oh, that would be unthinkable!" "When you say 'unthinkable'..." After healing the wound on Kaito's hand, Elisabeth strode gallantly into the hallway. Hina and Kaito followed after her. The three of them made a pass through the other rooms, collected various tools and weapons, and then left through the castle gate. They passed through the town littered with human bones as they made their way to the location where the teleportation circle was linked. Elisabeth clicked her heels atop the cobble pavement, and the crimson magic circle rose up once more. Red flower petals scattered through the air and formed a wall surrounding the three of them. The petals melted together as they swirled, transforming into blood. When the cylindrical curtain of blood fell, the three of them had vanished from the town. They'd safely made their way to the basement of Elisabeth's castle, where the teleportation circle was affixed. After traveling through corridors reeking of must and echoing with a sound resembling moaning, the three of them ascended the stairs to the castle proper. "Shall we break for some tea? I believe there are a few tarts that have eluded my grasp." As she spoke, Elisabeth opened the door to the dining hall. The chandelier within let out a loud creak. A chain was wrapped around it, a familiar individual hanging from it by his neck. "Whâ€”?!" The dark figure swayed back and forth, letting out cacophonous creaking each time. Simply hanging there, the person looked almost like an ornament added to the chandelier. The chain glittered, wrapped around and around the figure's silver arms and biting deep into the neck. The bones in that neck had snapped at a queer angle. There was no way this person could still be alive. As Kaito and Elisabeth looked up at the tragic corpse, they both cried out. ""Butcher!"" The one who had been killed was the Butcher, a beastfolk merchant who would come to Elisabeth's castle to sell her meat. His entire body was wrapped up in the tattered black cloak he constantly wore. They couldn't make out his face, concealed as it always was by the shade of his hood. But even without seeing his expression, it was evident he was dead from the cruel shape his neck was contorted in. Clasping her hand over her mouth, Hina murmured in shock. "...Mr. Butcher? Why did this happen?" "I have no idea... Man, what even happened here?" Kaito shook his head. Why had he been killed? Who was responsible? As the tension caused the three of them to cringe, the Butcher's corpse made a lazy revolution. He then called out in an energetic voice, as if responding to the doubts the situation had brought about. "My friends, there is an enemy! An enemy is afoot!" "The corpse spoke!" "That's impossible!" "His spirit must be restless!" "Hmm, none of you seem particularly thrilled by the fact that I'm still alive. I feel oh so very loved at the moment." The Butcher, still strung up, shook his body from side to side in protest. The magnificent chandelier creaked ominously as he waved the scaly arms peeking out from the bottom end of his cloak. "...An arm? Wait, is that chain digging into your tail and not your neck?" "Keen eye! While I may be upside down, I yet live! Just as the enemy was stringing me up, I inverted my body within my cloak! Then they left, not realizing they had hung me by my tail! My, my, that could have gone quite poorly for me." "Wait, that doesn't sound possible; that's like a magic trick or something." "If I wish to call myself the Butcher, surely I should be able to do that much." "You're blowing my mind here, man." The two of them exchanged laughs, glad that he had survived. Then Elisabeth suddenly tilted her head to the side. "Hold it, Butcher. You spoke of an enemy. Who was it that hung you up within my castle?" "Ah, that I did! Madam Elisabeth, an enemy is attacking! Although as the Butcher, I must confess that I don't much care for your fight against the demons one way or the other; as a matter of fact, it doesn't hold my interest in the slightest. Howeverâ€”" "With an attitude like that, death shall come knocking at your door sooner rather than later." "â€”However, should I encounter one myself, then the story changes considerably! A demon came to this very castle! And he emitted a rather malevolent aura at that! He said that he planned to string me up to announce his arrival and then await your return in another room... Hey, waitâ€”please get me down before you go running offfff!" As the Butcher shouted from behind them, Elisabeth and the rest returned to the corridor. She proceeded across the premises with wide strides. Kaito called out from behind her. "Do