think. What exactly is a tragedy? An irrationality? What exactly was rage? What did it mean to not have any sin? Who got to decide who had sin and who didn't? Was guilty? Or innocent? 'Tis but one answer you can give with any certainty. Namely, that thinking about it would get you nowhere. It was trueâ€”the world did force a small few to bear the great burden of sacrifice far too often. If she was forced to say if that was forgivable or unforgivable, she would probably choose the latter. The day of forgiveness would never come. And the victims had every right to curse, resent, and detest the world. But on the other hand, there was something Lewis and Alice had forgotten. As such, Elisabeth merely gazed at them. Upon finding herself on the receiving end of that ostensibly calm gaze, Alice frowned, then nodded. "It's a shame, Elisabeth. It really is a shame. From looking at your eyes, I can tell I shouldn't expect the answer I want...but you know, I sort of knew that already. Saying to the Torture Princess look at how pitiful we areâ€”please lend us your strength was never going to work, right? So you see, we prepared a reward for you. Now let's talk about it!" "A reward, eh? I must say, I can't imagine anything you'll offer changing my mind." "No, no, that's not true at all! I told you, remember? 'I'll help you meet them'!" Elisabeth's eyebrow twitched. That was something Vlad had pointed out, too. Diablo, the entity with domain over destruction, and God, the entity with domain over reconstruction, were sealed away within Kaito Sena's body. Depending on how he was handled, the world's fate would shift greatly. And Elisabeth had no intentions of letting anyone who planned on reaching for the two of them with blood-soaked hands live. Alice, perhaps sensing the hostility well up within her, shook her head. "We're not going to do anything bad to the two people you care about, really! We just want to help you meet them!" "Perhaps it would be better if I spoke on the particulars of the deal we're offering Elisabeth Le Fanu," Lewis cut in, as though he'd been waiting for the opportunity to do so. La Christoph remained silent. It was unclear whether or not he'd been offered any terms of his own. Elisabeth elected to stay quiet for the time being as well. For the moment, her curiosity had won out over her anger. As long as God and Diablo remained in his body, Kaito Sena could never be freed. Or at least, that was supposed to be the case. And she didn't believe revolutionizing the world was possible, either. I imagine Lewis's primary objective is to root out the rest of the Mixed-Race Massacre's perpetrators and see them punished. After that, it was conceivable that he'd want power and control so as to prevent the same atrocity from ever happening again. The fastest way to correct a foolish flock was to become a shepherd yourself. The Fremd Torturchen, the Torture Princess, saints, and demon grandchildren were all valuable weapons with which to achieve that end. They might even be strong enough to rewrite the world's power structure entirely. However, that was all. The road ended there. There were three different races that lived in that world. Even if you kept one in check, the other two would invariably push back. They all lived in different places and fought in different ways, meaning their resistance would be deep-rooted. Maintaining control would be trying. For a small group to truly maintain control, 'twould take unimaginable power to... No, hold on a moment. All of a sudden, Elisabeth realized something. Their current situation bore a striking resemblance to a story she'd once heard. It was a tale from long, long ago, of events that had happened in the world prior. The Saint had told it, and Kaito Sena had recorded it. Then after she told it to him, the Saint vanished. In spite of the frenetic search conducted by paladins and associates of the Church, she still hadn't been found. However, Elisabeth didn't much care about that. The problem lay in how similar their situations were. Before the last reconstruction, the world had descended into a morass of conflict and war. The Saint, wanting to quell the fighting on her own, went out in search of something. Specifically, a powerful deterrentâ€”God and Diablo. What was it that Lewis needed now that he stood in the same position the Saint once had? As if to answer that question, he spoke. "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... I've already told you that story a number of times. What I want to teach you now is what lies beyond it. You see, over the course of my experiments, I was able to prove a new theory." "An inauspicious prelude, to be sure... What was it that you found?" "Demon grandchildren aren't restricted to breeding with dissolved contractors who couldn't control their demons. While you do need to use homunculus technology to grow artificial genitals for them, it's possible to make demon grandchildren breed with regular humansâ€”and in doing so, we were able to create a new species." *** Elisabeth was at a complete loss for words. La Christoph's shoulders twitched. The test subjects had likely been those who'd tried to murder mixed-race folk and had the tables turned on them. In a sense, it was just deserts. However, it was repulsive simply imagining the process it had taken to finally reach that result. Plus, what was even the point? Lewis continued as dispassionately as if he were talking about crossbreeding mice. "Demon grandchildren have human parts that are too damaged for them to form contracts with higher entities. However, if you cross a demon grandchild with someone capable of using magic, not only does it still inherit some of the demon blood, but you also obtain a new entity with a profound affinity for higher beings. The more powerful a mage the human mother is, the more human the baby becomes, and the easier it is for it to form a contract. My plan, going forward, is to prepare two babies, then transfer God and Diablo from Kaito Sena into them. Immediately thereafter, we can use God to prevent Diablo from going on a rampage. Then by sealing God in a crystal, we'll be able to contain both of them in much the manner the Saint did." "Armchair theories, then. You've no actual proof that your plan will work. And even if it does, what then? The best you can do is contain them. The moment you awaken them, the end of days will commence all over again. That hardly makes for much of a military asset. What gain is there merely from changing their vessel?" "We don't have to use them. We just have to have them." Alice gave Elisabeth's warning an apathetic response. Elisabeth turned her gaze over to her. Seeming to understand the plan despite her youth, Alice smiled gently. "We'll have the babies with God and Diablo in them. That fact's the only thing that's important. It doesn't matter if we don't use themâ€”as long as everyone else knows that if we do, the world will end. That way, we can become proper shepherds." "I seeâ€”you aim to use them as deterrents." Elisabeth heaved a deep sigh. Their plan was the exact same as the Saint's had been in the old world. The similarities between their current situation and the one that had preceded the last world's end of days were more than she'd imagined. However, there were also a number of key differences. For one, the greatest barrierâ€”the summoningâ€”had already been completed. Also, they knew a good deal more about contracts with higher entities than the last world ever had. Terrifying as the prospect was, their plan was much more likely to succeed than the Saint's failed attempt to control Diablo had been. Elisabeth's headache worsened. She looked up at the ceiling. But what exactly is a "proper shepherd"? Was it someone who wouldn't abandon even a single lost sheep? Or was it someone who was willing to cast a single sheep down a ravine to save a thousand others? Or was it perhaps someone who was willing to take a hundred stupid sheep and chop all their heads off? There were too many ways to answer. If nothing else, it was foolishness for lower entities like them to try and find one with their limited reasoning skills and value systems. But if that was the case, then... What exactly would proper salvation have looked like? Even the conversation they were having right there at that moment had come about as a result of how the battle for "salvation" had concluded. The more she thought about it, the more she realized just how inane it all was. The Torture Princess fought through her headache and spoke: "So...what part would you have me play in this horrid scheme of yours?" "Hmm? Why, your role should have been clear from that explanation just nowâ€”you're going to be the mother!" Alice hopped up on top of her chair. Lewis buried his face in one hand. His carefully laid negotiation strategy had clearly just gone out the window. La Christoph blinked and cocked his head to the side. A few seconds later, after realizing what Alice meant, he turned to look at Elisabeth. It was a strangely amusing reaction. Elisabeth, distracted by watching La Christoph, took a little longer to catch her drift. A moment later, though, the veins in her forehead practically bulged out of her skin. "Let me make sure I'm understanding you clearly. You want me to copulate with a demon grandchild and have a baby?" "That's right! After all, you're a woman, and your body's adapted to the First Demon's flesh! And you're the world-renowned peerless sinner, the Torture Princess! And a pretty, mature lady! Why, you might well be the very best candidate for the mother in the whole wide world! So that's our condition for youâ€”and also your reward!" "My reward? What part of that sounds like a reward to you? Do not sully my ears with drivel." "But, Elisabeth, don't you see? All you have to do is have two babies, and you can free Kaito Sena!" Through sheer obstinance, Elisabeth was able to keep her discomposure to a minimum. Alice didn't seem to have any ill intent. Yet in a rare occurrence, her words struck Elisabeth like a spear to the heart nonetheless. The thing was, there was a certain truth Elisabeth had long since known. Skilled mages lived long lives, and the Torture Princess was certainly no exception. She had the capacity to vastly outlive any normal person. However, she'd also done the math. The odds were close to zero that, in her lifetime, she would ever meet a vessel powerful enough to serve as Kaito's replacement and become a contractor to God and Diablo. And even in the unlikely event one was born, it wasn't like she could just force them to take over the role. In other words, the answer was clear: No matter how long she waited, it wouldn't matter. "I wish I could see you," she'd said, dreaming of that someday. But on the other hand, she'd already reached her conclusion. That idyllic dream wasn't going to come true. And once she'd acknowledged that, all that remained was the cold, hard truth. There shan't be a "someday." Elisabeth Le Fanu would never see her dim-witted servant again. Elisabeth recalled a certain sightâ€”a sight that was beautiful, but nothing more. Her two dearest people, slumbering amid azure and crimson flower petals. The