He'd even taken the Torture Princess out on a date, for crying out loud. And he'd told her that even if every single other person scorned her, he would hold her in higher esteem than anyone else in the world. "What a fool he is. What a hopeless, irredeemable fool. The largest idiot in all the world." "I like her a whole lot." "For that person's sake, I could do or become anything." Then Kaito Sena had chosen to become an enemy of the entire world. The mere normal, human boy who knew nothing of magic had done it ever so innocently. In a sense, he'd been like a child looking up to a hero. That was how trivial his reason had been. Elisabeth ground her teeth. Then, like a child, she curled into a ball. The oppressive stillness around her persisted, causing her chilly bedroom to feel like the inside of a coffin. Nothing in it moved. Nothing in it changed. But then, all of a sudden, it underwent a transformation. Some sort of pleasant aroma wafted up. Actually, it was rather smoky. She could even make out the sound of something crackling. "...Wait. Hold on a moment, now." Elisabeth sprang up from the bed. A vigorous fire was burning directly before her eyes. "A fire?!" "Oh-ho, I see you've awoken! Nothing is burning, noâ€”it's a splendid bonfire!" Somebody was sitting in front of the fire, turning around in response to her alarm. His face was concealed underneath his tattered black cloak, and he was gently flapping a feathered fan. Atop the fire was a massive cut of meat hanging from a pair of tripods. Drops of fat were dribbling off its carefully seared surface. "What in the blazes do you think you're doing, Butcher?" "Why, I'm roasting some meat in someone else's castle!" "And to think, you even realized it belonged to another." Elisabeth instinctively narrowed her eyes in exasperation. Ever since the Marquis had destroyed its shutters, her bedroom's window had been left perpetually open. The smoke was drifting through it, finding its way outside. But the ventilation it provided had been the only thing standing between her and becoming the victim of a murder. The Butcher's hearty laugh made it wholly unclear whether or not that fact had registered with him. "I must say, though. I caught wind of the commotion at the Capital! 'How dreadful,' I thought, and after dealing with this and that, and stocking up on some things, I raced over here like an arrow!" "The slowest arrow there ever was." "At any rate, Madam Elisabeth, I daresay you haven't been eating anything decent since that hubbub, eh?" The Butcher's tone didn't waver a note as he carried on. Elisabeth's shoulders twitched. He was completely right. She was, by nature, a glutton and a gourmand. But ever since Kaito and Hina had left, she'd only taken in the bare minimum amount of sustenance necessary for survival. Unfazed by her lack of a reply, the Butcher continued turning the massive slab of meat. After adjusting its position, he nodded, pleased. Then he stylishly sprinkled salt on it from oddly high in the air. "Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho, my meats are the finest meats around! Filled with love and bravery, they'll never let you down! Eat them and your courage will increase one millionfold! As always, I'm your friendly neighborhood Butcher! Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!" "Oy, Butcher. Quit the singing. It's dreadful." "My goodness, how could you say such a thing? My voice has the timbre of a lovely baby bird!" "The world may never know where that confidence of yours wells from. And on that note, why on earth are you trespassing in my castle?" "As I told Mr. Dim-Witted Servant and Ms. Lovely Maid once before, it brings me great joy when you cry out how exquisite something is. Allowing a customer of mine to go hungry would besmirch my honor as a merchant." The Butcher spoke with a persistent calm. Elisabeth gazed silently at his back. Then she recalled a scene from some time ago. Back at a bar in the Capital, Kaito had offered her a bowl of gruel, a bowl that he'd gone well out of his way to bring her. "I figured you might be hungry," he'd said to the Torture Princess. Elisabeth posed a subdued question to the Butcher. "...And that was your sole reason for coming?" "Why, yes. That, and nothing else." The Butcher nodded in a dignified manner, and Elisabeth found herself at a loss for words. The flames gave off dazzling lights as they cracked and popped. As he checked to make sure the meat had been properly cooked, the Butcher went on. "No matter what the times may bring us, one must always remember to eat. That's what it means to be alive, you know. And it's a merchant's role to deliver the provisions for a meal. And besides, meat is ever so splendid. Even when one feels lonely, some good meat will get them right back on their feet." "And just who is it you're saying is lonely, pray tell?" "Oh my, no, I was merely recounting my own experiences. Time spent alone tends to pass in an eerily slow fashion." As he shook his head, the Butcher thrust an iron skewer through the slab of meat. When he pulled the skewer free, clear liquid gushed out. Satisfied with the meat's state, he lowered it off the flame. Then, grabbing it by the bone, he held it in the air triumphantly. "And there you have it!" "Hmm." "And my, what a surprise, what a delight! Grilled arm of troll!" "Are you sure you didn't mean to say 'What a fright!'?" "Now, now, dig in!" Not discouraged in the slightest by Elisabeth's quip, the Butcher held the meat out to her as she sat cross-legged on the bed. She took it, albeit with some dismay. Meaty juices began dripping down onto her sheets. "Hmm... Hmhm..." Elisabeth stared intently at the slab of meat. Now that she examined it closer, it really did seem to be a troll's arm. It didn't, by any stretch of the imagination, look appetizing. But the skin was cooked crisp and juicy, and it was letting off an entirely reasonable aroma. And above all else, the Butcher was standing in front of her and practically bubbling with excitement. Reflexively, she glanced from side to side. But to her misfortune and moderate annoyance, there was nobody present but her to offer retorts. The array of knives resting in the map on the wall glinted in vain. Steeling herself, Elisabeth opened her mouth wide and thrust the meat in. Then she chomped down on it with surprising vigor. "'Tis vile!" "Whaaaat?!" Elisabeth's judgment was immediate, and the Butcher hopped up and down to protest it. She furrowed her brows as far as they would go. In ill humor, she began listing off her impressions. "The skin is aromatic and crispy, and its rough, wild texture is halfway decent! But the taste, the crucial element, is completely off! 'Tis unlike beef, nor is it like pork, chicken, goat, or sheep! What causes it to possess this bizarre, muddy flavor?! I can find no words to describe it besides troll-like!" "Hmm, well, it is troll, after all." "If I had to describe it with a color, I would say it tasted green!" Filled with anger as she was, Elisabeth didn't stop eating. The feeling of food making its way into her empty stomach was incredibly pleasant. She stuffed her cheeks with meat, complaining all the while. "Why, should I, have to, eat, something, so, vile?!" Just as one would have expected, troll meat had a truly, truly bizarre flavor to it. As she worked her way through the meat, she thought back to her dining habits of old. Everything Hina had made had been exquisite. And although Kaito's cooking was generally dreadful, the purin he made, if nothing else, was perfection. But now she was gnawing at a troll's arm, all on her own. What on earth has become of me? Elisabeth bit into the skin, tore at the meat, and shredded the tendons with her teeth. All the while, she was steadily growing angrier and angrier. Forget all this nonsense about enemies and allies, killing and saving! There is a matter that most surely takes precedence! Kaito Sena had decided to become an enemy of the world. Saying it was for Elisabeth's sake, he'd taken Hina and left without consulting anyone else. Then he'd begun walking down the path of a figure destined to be reviled and cursed. Who, exactly, was supposed to benefit from that outcome? Now that she thought about it coolly, there were countless things she wanted to say to the two of them. Her heart was full to the brim with a terrifying amount of complaints and abusive remarks she wanted to level at them. But most of all, she needed to give Kaito a solid punch to the face. Then she needed to ask him to give it a rest and to put an end to his idiocy. Ayeâ€”everything else can come after that. The Church had ordered Elisabeth Le Fanu to kill Kaito Sena. She held certain convictions that were immutable. But Kaito probably wouldn't give up, either. No matter how hard they struggled against their fate, in the end, coming to blows with each other was the only path open to them. She had a duty to kill the enemy of the world. But before she surrendered herself to that tragic fate, she was going to give Kaito a solid kick in the pants. Now was no time to be feeling glad that he'd left the human territories, nor was it any time to be sleeping. Her foe was the most foolish servant in all the world. She needed to do what must be done. And with that thought in mind, Elisabeth gulped down the last of the meat. *** Nothing remained but the splendid bone. With excellent form, she held it up high and hurled it. It spun through the air as it made its way out the window. The bone gleamed as it faded from view. With fists clenched and her expression contorted by anger, Elisabeth shouted out. "Damn you! Why should I be forced to eat something so vile! And why must my thoughts be filled with such distress! I shan't forgive you for this, Kaito, you bastard. I shall hunt you down and have your head!" "Hmm, it seems as though the odds that Mr. Servant meets an untimely demise have risen somewhat, haven't they...?" The Butcher crossed his arms. Elisabeth's indignation and bloodlust were boiling over before his very eyes. Then, gladdened by the fact that she seemed to have regained her vigor, if nothing else, he reached into his sack and pulled out a fresh chunk of meat. "My, my, my, what do we have here? Why, it's a dragon tail!" "This foolishness again?" And with that, for the first time in a long time, Elisabeth's castle felt alive again. "...What the hell is a 'troll-like' flavor?!" "Oh, Master Kaito, you're awake! What's the matter?" "Whâ€”oh, sorry, Hina. I guess I was just having a weird dream." Kaito pressed down on his forehead. It would appear he'd fallen asleep at some point. Because of that, and because he'd expended enough of his own mana that Elisabeth's blood had kicked in, he'd seen some sort of weird dream. He spent a moment pondering what significance the phrase troll-like flavor could possibly have. Then he slowly sat up, turning his attention away from the dream to his surroundings. The room he was in was made of wood, and it had a number of white beds lined up within it. It wasn't clear how they'd pulled it all off, but its walls sported authentic vines, and its ceiling displayed an array of dainty pink flowers. The room's construction had