beastfolk territories. The men's clothing that she wore suited her well. She leaned back in her chair, then crossed her legs in the same manner Kaito had. "We've already heard from the demi-humans about the horribly transfigured paladin corpses they discovered. As it so happens, they weren't the only ones who did." "...What are you getting at?" "Immediately after the underlings started appearing and Vyade gave her report, I dispatched several elite members of my private army to the World's End. Over two-thirds of them died, but their results were more than satisfactory. They brought back the corpses of several transformed paladins, as well as a cackling woman. I don't know much about the woman, but it's interesting, isn't it? It all reeks of the Church's involvement." *** The members on the Church's side were visibly shocked. But it wasn't because the first imperial princess had called them out. As far as they were concerned, the restructuring was already under way. Having their wrongdoings pointed out would hardly affect them at this point. But the captured woman, on the other hand, was a different story altogether. If she really was the Saint, then it meant that the Church had had their most revered person stolen away by the enemy. But that wasn't how the first imperial princess interpreted their distress. Her smile deepened triumphantly as she went on. "If this situation, if the appearance of the two pillars, is the result of you people seeking restructuring...then how exactly do you intend to make reparations?" "My sister is right. It feels like compensation is in order. You know, as a show of good faith." A youthful voice called out in assent. It belonged to a young man with a panther's head. He was probably the third imperial prince. His radiant sapphire gaze turned on the members of the Church. A stuffy voice piped up from his right. "That can wait. We can figure out where the onus for reparations lies after the situation has been settled. Right now, we need to focus on how to stop the underlings from harming our people. The Church has several saints at their disposal. Depending on how they have them act, we ought to consider lessening their punishment." "Oh man, aren't we feeling generous to the people who got us into this mess." "The pureblooded among my people number few, and one of their crucial sectors has sustained damages. Our primary concern is quickly coming up with a defense strategy for it." "...So he's just hung up on his pureblood nonsense." The bespectacled lizard-headed demi-human's words drove Kaito to mutter to himself again. Lute mirrored his exasperation. None of the other demi-human representatives seemed to have complaints, but surely there were other things they should be more concerned with defending. Amid the quarreling, the human king was merely trembling in his chair. Just as Kaito had heard, the man was decidedly young. The king's face was freckled and stiffened from nerves. His advisers, who all looked to have close ties to the Church, were practically glued to his sides. La Christoph, who was sitting a little way off to the side, was the next to speak. "We're currently conducting an investigation into the abuse of power by some of our members. And it's impossible to say definitively whether or not the current phenomenon is an aspect of restructuring or not. I believe that a pragmatic strategy would be for us saints to act as a shield and serve as a front line to defend all three races. I would ask that you all please lend us your strength." "...That's as far as you guys have gotten, too?" Kaito heaved a heavy sigh. As he'd suspected, the Church hadn't completely abandoned the possibility that restructuring would occur. But while they were deliberating, people were dying all over the place. The world was coming to an end, filling to the brim with pain and screams. However, it seemed like that fact had yet to sink in with anyone present. "Lute, you were there when the two pillars arose at the World's End. What information do you have for us?" Vyade finally called out to Lute. He responded by giving a flustered salute. Her decision had been a good one. Right now, what they needed more than anything was accurate information. It was essential that they understand that they were atop a collapsing cliff, that the pot they were perched in had already reached a boil. "Allow me to first say thisâ€”there is no chance that restructuring will occur." Lute was firm in his statement. The room buzzed with frenzied murmurs. The Church members' faces were blotted red with rage. But Lute ignored all the criticism being leveled his way. He calmly relayed a description of the events he and the others had witnessed. "First, regarding what Sir Kaito and his group discovered beneath the royal tombs..." One by one, he laid out the insane truths. The hall steadily grew quiet as a different type of tension filled the air. "...Then the Saint transferred her contracts with God and Diablo over to the Torture Princesses. Her objective was..." ...to abandon the role she'd been burdened with. The moment those words left his mouth, the sound of the round table being violently struck echoed through the room. The Church's people had angrily risen to their feet. "Hold your tongue! We will not sit here and listen to these vile insults! What merit does the testimony of a man who accompanied the Torture Princess and the Kaiser's contractor have anyway?!" "If you can't show off your power, you're just weak. If you fight without information, you're just a fool, and if you whine pointlessly, you're just incompetent. And hey, if your life has no value, you're no better than a pig. So which one are you? Incompetent or a pig?" A well-projected voice served to cut off the clergyman's angry tirade. Kaito's sounded almost listless. One of the high priests was about to raise his voice in objection, but at the last minute, he froze. Kaito's eyes were cold and hard. He gave the man a quiet warning. "Now, listen until he's done." "Errr, well, I have more bad news, unfortunately. The damage from the underlings isn't the only threat. Within ten days or so, the two pillars will collapse. God and Diablo will both be released, and the world will be destroyed." "Yes, and that will herald the start of reconâ€”" "Seven days." Kaito interrupted the priest once again. Every eye in the room turned toward him. Once they had, he nimbly raised a finger and matter-of-factly made his proclamation. "The Diablo pillar will only last seven days. That's as long as Elisabeth's mana will take her." "But, Sir Kaito, Vlad... Sir Vlad said it would last ten days or so." "Sure, if Elisabeth was at peak form. But not now." Kaito gently shook his head. His expression was calm as he shared a piece of information that only he knew. "Because Diablo has infiltrated her body, she can't die. But while she still had her freedom, she expelled one of her internal organs. As a result, her body can't generate new mana anymore." Confused looks filled the room. Saying that Elisabeth had expelled one of her organs was a ridiculous claim. Hina alone squeezed the hem of her maid uniform. Everyone else turned toward Lute, wondering what organ Kaito was talking about. Kaito gave his chest a quick thump. Then he revealed the bizarre truth. "Right now, Elisabeth's heart is inside me." It took a good ten seconds for Lute to fully comprehend what Kaito had uttered. So this is what he meant when he said he was "getting used to it" and would "get better at it soon." Blood carried great significance to dark mages. Their mana originated from their hearts, then traveled to the rest of their body through their blood. And due to the roots the demon meat had spread throughout Elisabeth's organs, hers was a reactor with power beyond compare. And apparently, it was now in Kaito's body. Lute was struck speechless. If that was the case... In other words... Right now, Sir Kaito is... ...the Kaiser's immortal contractor and the inheritor of the Torture Princess's mana. Few would be able to fully understand the overwhelming nature of that truth. However, the color drained from the faces of several of the mages present. Caring little for whether or not his words caused shock or were even understood, Kaito went on. "And because I inherited her heart, a new connection sprang up between Elisabeth and me. Diablo stole away her consciousness and is using her body to birth underlingsâ€”but all pain and injuries they're causing are being delivered straight to me." "...What?" Lute let out a dumbfounded yelp. Kaito grinned. As he did, crimson blood dripped down from the corner of his lips. "But it's not like I can just go passing out now. I have it more or less under control, but it hurts like a bitch." Lute could imagine. Right now, the underlings were transforming the world into a living hell. Their acts of brutality spanned the entirety of civilization. If all the pain they were causing was being transferred to a single person... There's no way they could maintain their sanity! That's madness! How can he withstand it?! "I guess forcing me to get used to pain is the one thing I gotta thank my old man for, huh?" A carefree smile spread across Kaito's face. The expression hardly suited the moment, and the room's occupants froze upon seeing it. Every second, pain was being sent to his body. And all of it was passing through the Kaiser and being converted into mana. The silence was tinged with fear. Kaito himself shrugged, then gave his chin a light jerk. "So? Carry on. If you don't, the world's gonna get destroyed. You do know that, right?" "T-true, it will... No, it won't! Our stance remains unchanged. Even if what you say is true, and the Saint did set down her burden, then the new Saint who bears God within her will carry out restructuring all the same! We have faith in that! We have to...we have to believe in that." "Very well, then. If humanity wishes to sacrifice themselves for their faith, then far be it from us to stop them." A husky, feral voice spoke up. The first imperial princess of the beastfolk licked her lips. Sharp claws glittered atop her fingers as she tapped on the round table's surface. "Your proposal for a unified line of defense among the three races is hereby rejected. And while we're at it, let's annul the peace treaty, too. And while we focus our own defenses, we'll move in on the human territories, too. We have a right to revenge, after all. And the Saint is already in our grasp. This way, we can mount a resistance against the pillars and wipe out humanity, just the way you want it." "Sister, you're making a terrible decision! Declaring war at a time like this? You may excel at battle, sister, and even with the recent loss of your elite troops, your army is no doubt still strong. But do you truly believe that you can accomplish both those things without suffering crippling losses? Your ambitions will leave the forest barren. How can you not see that?" "Be quiet, Vyade! Who do you think you're taking that tone with?! We've remained silent for too long. Letting this opportunity pass us by would mar our pride as beastfolk!" The first imperial princess's indignation shut Vyade right up. Her approval among the people served as her sole weapon. The actual authority she wielded was comparatively slim. Now was not the time to descend into bickering. The demi-human delegation looked at one another, then stood. The bespectacled, aged green lizard spoke solemnly. "Very well. Humanity did bring this upon us.