them. The Butcher truly did have nerves of steel. Kaito turned and bowed to the Butcher, who was still dancing with joy. "...Thanks a lot, Butcher. That's a huge help." "Mm-hmm, Dim-Witted Servant, showing me proper gratitude?! Away with you, impostor! Show me your true form!" "Wait, have I really never thanked you for anything before?" Kaito narrowed his eyes doubtfully. The Butcher had assumed some sort of strange fighting stance, one that called to mind a bizarre bird. Ignoring him, Elisabeth crossed her arms and spoke decisively. "With that, then, everything is in order! Now, Kaito and I shall make our way to the capital in accordance with the Church's demand! Butcher, I leave the rest to you." "Ha-ha, at your service." "A proper responseâ€”Kaito, quell any regrets you may have." "...Got it." Nodding at Elisabeth's advice, Kaito silently gazed at Hina's face. He placed his hands on the bed, then gently kissed her. Their lips joined, then parted. However, Sleeping Beauty didn't wake. Then Kaito whispered gently to the woman who'd asked to become part of his family. "I'm heading out, Hina. Please wait for me. I promise we'll go back to living under the same roof." He stood up. He stroked Hina's forehead one last time, as one would an infant's, then turned on his heel. The hem of his black outfit that resembled a military uniform waved in the air as he determinedly strode forth. Elisabeth followed after him, her heels clicking loudly. "I await your triumphant return! May fortune favor you!" The Butcher watched them go, waving his hand as he called out from behind them. As her beloved groom departed, the bride remained in slumber. Leaving Hina behind at the castle, Elisabeth and Kaito descended into the maw of peril. Using his blade, Kaito lopped the flying underling to pieces. The ones rushing across the ground toward them found themselves on the receiving end of Elisabeth's stakes. Each of them trusting the other, the way they devoted their full attention to their roles was reminiscent of a dance performance. In the blink of an eye, they completed their slaughter. A colossal mound of corpses was all that remained. After gazing toward the end of the road where the swelling mass of flesh was sitting, Kaito and Elisabeth turned to each other and nodded. "Good, looks like we drove them off for now." "Aye, we can finally take a breather. And those people should have been able to make it to shelter by nowâ€”or not! Go on, you lot, get out of here!" "Hey, Elisabeth, don't be so hard on them. That thing appeared out of nowhere, right in the middle of the capital. If anything, it's impressive they were able to even make it this far." Kaito placed a hand on Elisabeth's shoulder, then made his way toward the group, most of whom had frozen in their tracks. After coming to a stop front of the fleeing residents, he spoke in a calm voice, doing his utmost not to frighten them. "Is everyone okay? If you all go straight that way, the paladins have a shelter set up. There should be guides along the way, too, so you don't even have to go very far." Kaito urged on a parent and child, who up until a few moments ago were being pursued by an underling with a pig's head. However, they offered no response. Upon closer inspection, it appeared that all the adults were paralyzed with fear. Kaito looked around, at a loss for what to do. As he did, a young girl clutching onto her mother's arm called out to him. "Mister...what's wrong with your arm?" Kaito looked at the girl, flustered. Her innocent eyes were transfixed on his ghastly arm. Now even more uncertain of what to do, Kaito frowned. After puzzling over his response for a moment, he sidestepped the question. "Uh...it's...kinda cool, don'tcha think? And it's real strong." "Yeah, it looks really strong! It's scary, but it's cool, too!" "Wow, thanks. That's really nice of you to say. Now, c'mon, you gotta hurry!" Kaito gave the girl's parents a soft push on the arms. The moment the mother felt the beastly arm touch her skin, she shuddered and stepped backward to shield her child. But after seeing the lonely look in Kaito's eyes, her expression quickly shifted. She and her husband quickly bowed to Kaito, then broke off at a run. The rest of the people who'd been frozen still quickly followed after them. However, one old woman struggled backward against the sudden rush of the throng. Casting a sharp glance at the Torture Princess, she fought her way through the waves of people. Elisabeth narrowed her eyes, trying to discern the woman's intentions. "Someone with a grudge against the Torture Princess, perhaps?" That guess was about as far off the mark as one could be. After stopping in front of Elisabeth, the old woman tossed aside her cane and knelt atop the stone street with faltering knees. As Kaito and Elisabeth watched on in confusion, she bowed deeply. In his surprise, Kaito let out an exclamation that bordered on shrill. "Wh-what's the matter, ma'am?" "Hmm? What is the meaning of this?!" "Thank you... Thank you... Thank you..." The old woman thanked them over and over. Looking at her tiny, rounded back, Elisabeth scratched her cheek. "What? Ah yes, well...aren't you a courteous one...? Something about this feels wrong, you know." "Thank you... Thankâ€”" "Good lord, woman, how long do you intend to go on for?! Enough already; up with you! Your thanks are unnecessary." "Ma'am, she's saying that she appreciates the sentiment. C'mon now; it's dangerous here." Kaito extended a hand to the old woman. With his help, she struggled to her feet. Watching her pick up her cane and walk away, Elisabeth coldly shooed her off. "Begone with you already! Heavens, what an odd bat she was... Oi! Look where you're going; don't bow while you walk! There are stones in your path! Listen, woman, don't go toppling over now!" In spite of her attitude, her words were kind. Kaito surreptitiously softened his expression. The next moment, Elisabeth whirled around to face him. "Ah, I knew I sensed something unpleasant! Kaito! Wipe that expression off your face! Remember your place, servant!" "Ow, don't kick me!" Finding himself on the receiving end of a precise roundhouse kick, Kaito clutched his chest as he leveled his complaint. All he accomplished, though, was infuriating Elisabeth even further. "Then explain to me what that expression was just now: as though you were gazing upon a child! I shall not tolerate such insolence!" "I did nothing of the sort! My face just loosened up a little!" "And what is that if not insolence?!" Kaito's complaints of unfair treatment were wholly rejected. Displeased, Elisabeth shook her head from side to side. "Behold, while you were preoccupied with your idle nonsense, that thing returned!" As she spoke, a black shadow spread across the pavement. The sound of two bat-like wings flapping split the air. However, their owner was no bird. They extended from the back of a dog. The top-class houndâ€”the Kaiserâ€”flapped his wings as he descended. His sinewy legs hit the ground, and he shook his body. His wings made a sticky sound as they folded into his back. Once they'd been fully stored, he turned his eyes, which burned with hellfire, toward Kaito. "I have returned, O Accumulation of Seventeen Years' Pain, unworthy master of mine." "Good work out there. How'd it look?" "Before that, I have something I must announce." "Wh-what is it? Why're you acting all scary?" The Kaiser drew up directly in front of Kaito, causing him to jump back a few steps. The Kaiser gnashed his teeth threateningly. "Forcing me to do something as base as run reconnaissance for you is a deed punishable by being ripped to shreds between my jaws. You may be my master, but you are naught more than a worthless scrap of meat. Know your place!" "Geez, man, that's harsh... You don't have to get all mad at me." "Ha, I shall forgive you this once. The view from on high was as pleasant as expected, after all. Much to my amusement, the capital is being rapidly consumed by that mountain of flesh. Rejoice, whelp. Your predictions were on the mark." Shaking his head, the Kaiser pointed with his jaw toward the mass at the end of the road. Laughing scornfully at his degraded brethren, the Kaiser continued: "That thing is comprised of three demons fused together. I was able to identify the three needles that were thrust into their necks." "...Yeah, I figured. This is the Grand King's fault." Kaito nodded. The needles that had been thrust into the demons' necks were magical devices designed to control mindsâ€”the kind that the Grand King had specialized in using before Elisabeth had killed her. The fact that there were three of them meant the demonic colossus currently invading the capital was not one demon but the remaining threeâ€”the Monarch, the Grand Monarch, and the King. "That Grand King is an obnoxious one. Although their ranks were lower than hers, controlling those three would have been no small feat. She must have stabbed them with her needles, destroyed their egos, then carried them into the capital half dead. Three humans take up little space, after all." "Then when she died, the needles stopped working." "Indeed. And with their shattered egos returned to them, their powers ran wild...and once the three of them fused, they began expanding, and the capital got entangled as a result. Would you concur, Vlad?" In response to the Kaiser's question, Kaito gently ran mana through the stone in his pocket. As though it had been waiting for just that moment, a velvety voice rang out. "Your conjectures are as impressive as ever, Kaiser." Vlad Le Fanu's phantom knitted together in front of them and put on airs. He was adorned with a silken shirt with a cravat and a black coat decorated with silver thread, the same noble attire he'd worn when he was alive. He surveyed the scene, his crimson eyes setting off his shoulder-length black hair and giving him a beauty remarkably similar to Elisabeth's. Crossing his legs in empty space, he spoke elegantly. "I would wager that your guess is right on the mark and that this is the Grand King's final trap. A rather straightforward timed explosive, as it were. With their egos obliterated and nothing but their desires remaining, the demons finally began taking in humans and using them, becoming little more than machines designed to gather pain. Quite the intriguing result, I'd say." Vlad laughed in amusement. He pointed at the mass of flesh, as though showing off some sort of entertaining spectacle. "While they used to be my comrades, I do find it interesting that they're more powerful now while they run wild than when they had their wits about them. Perhaps, unbound by human consciousness and rationality, demons become able to wield their power solely for the purpose of destroying the world... Incidentally, Elisabeth, would you be so kind as to restrain yourself?" Vlad shook his head in exasperation. Pierced by an iron stake, his head vanished for a moment. After Kaito turned his gaze toward her, Elisabeth finally stopped the campaign of harassment she'd begun from the moment Vlad had first materialized. With a grim expression on her face, she crossed her arms and spoke in a voice dripping with hatred. "Silence yourself, Vlad. Your voice grates on my ears. Take care you do not forget that, were it up to me, I would shatter the rock your soul dwells in this instant." "That's a bit cold, don't you think? Given your servant Kaito Sena's contract with the Kaiser, I should think it quite prudent to keep me alive to give him advice, as his predecessor. And you understand that, don't you? You