possessed garments woven from pure magic like that, but even in the Capital, it was highly irregular for them to wear it when they weren't on duty. Jeanne did have a point, though. Elisabeth's outfit had a bit more cloth to it than hers, but on the whole, they were still exceedingly similar. That said, this was Elisabeth's castleâ€”even she had the decorum to put on a regular dress when she headed out in public. As such, she decided to ignore her own hypocrisy. Jeanne crossed her arms in annoyance. "I must say, that really isn't any of your business. And besides, I came not as a guest but to help set up. C'mon, anyone coulda figured out that those two dumb-asses would be wasting the day away gigglin' and gagglin' at each other! And plus, callin' this a banquet? Get off your fuckin' high horse!" "Dressing upâ€”now there's an idea. I think that's a wonderful suggestion." Suddenly, a dignified voice cut in. Jeanne froze, then quickly straightened her posture. Footsteps could be heard echoing from the entrance to the dining hall. When Elisabeth cast her gaze in that direction once more, she was greeted with the sight of an alabaster beauty. The comforting voice continued: "After all, Jeanne, it would be a shame to waste that beauty of yours. I'm sure you would look stunning in a formal dress... We did leave separately, but even so, it was my oversight as well. Next time, I'll be sure to get you something nice to wear." "Yes. No. Yes." "Well, don't go panicking, now." Elisabeth tried to calm Jeanne down, but it was clearly an exercise in futility. Jeanne wasn't very familiar with the subtleties of her own emotions, and her romantic experience was more or less nonexistent. In other words, having her first love, Izabella Vicker, say something like that to her had proven instantly lethal. As Izabella took her spot by Jeanne's still-frozen side, Kaito and Hina finally noticed their new visitors. "Hmm?" "Oh?" The two of them had stopped spinning a little while ago. Still holding each other tight, they looked up in unison. Kaito let out an excited shout. "Jeanne, Izabella, you made it! And so early, too!" "Of course. We would hardly turn away such an invitation, much less coming from you. But we owe all three of you a great debt; it hardly feels right being treated as guests. If you don't mind, I'd love to help out however I can. But first, Hiâ€”rather, Mrs. Sena, this is for you." "Oh, what lovely flowers! That's so thoughtful of you!" "I do hope they're to your liking. I'm glad I could do my part to add some color to the banquet." Izabella offered Hina the bouquet she was holding, and Hina took it with a warm smile. It was composed of lilies paired with a new type of flower bred by the beastfolk, and they were arranged in a beautiful silver-and-white composition. Their thin stems were adorned with countless little florets that shone like stars. As Hina buried the tip of her nose in the bouquet, Izabella smiled gently. "Ah, it sets off your lovely hair just the way I hoped it would. I imagine it would look nice next to Elisabeth's dark hair, too." "Hey! Izabella! Quit trying to seduce my wife!" Izabella and Hina stared blankly at Kaito. A moment later, Hina's face went bright red. Words spilled out of her lips as fast as her mouth could make them. "O-oh, no, no, no, I'm sure Ms. Izabella didn't have any such intentions, and even if she did, my gears would fall out and stop before I fell for anyone other than you, but even so, Master Kaito, were you being jealous just now? Was that jealousy? Eek! Thank you, God, for this blessing! My heart's beating so hard that it feels like it might become an inferno that turns all creation to ash!" "Th-this is a misunderstanding, Sir Kaito! I wasn't doing anything of the sort! It's not just your wifeâ€”I do this for all sorts of people! To comfort wounded knights, and to welcome new recruits! And besides, I thought they would set off your strong-willed eyes as well!" As Hina wriggled and squirmed with glee, Izabella hurriedly explained herself. Kaito couldn't help but massage his temples. Satisfied with her answer, he nodded. "All right, I get what's going on now... You've got, like, bucket-loads of secret admirers among the other paladins, don't you?" "Wh-what? Secret admirers?" "Yeah, I figure you've got plenty of guys and girls who're totally head over heels for you," he continued. "H-head over heels?" Elisabeth nodded in agreement. "Aye, I concur. I can picture it with remarkable ease." "Right?" Kaito quipped. Elisabeth thought about it. Over the years, the Church had been home to more than its fair share of corruption, and on top of that, many paladins had lost their lives in the battles against the Torture Princess and Vlad's demon army. How beautiful must their young commander have looked, carrying out her duties amid all that madness? Plus, not only did she comport herself with dignity and grace, but the frank manner in which she spoke also made it easy for people to fall for her as well. If you excluded the reconstruction sect, her approval rating among the paladins was probably through the roof. And that wasn't even getting into the other exceptional someone whom she had head over heels for her. "And I gotta say, there's something really cool about an attractive woman dressed in a sharpâ€” Ow, ow, ow!" "How rude. Please revise that." Jeanne, the golden Torture Princess and Exhibit A of people who were head over heels for Izabella, reached over and grabbed Kaito by the hair knot. Her expression was downright sullen. Izabella, for her part, was still flustered from the earlier exchange. Just as Kaito was in the middle of saying, Izabella was dressed to the nines. Instead of her usual armor, she was wearing a slender dress suit. Its white jacket and trousers were designed to be worn by a woman, but they also would have looked just as spiffy on a man as well, a fact that accentuated Izabella's androgynous appeal. She was a beauty through and through. However, Kaito didn't get a chance to finish his compliment. He frantically apologized as Jeanne pulled harder and harder on his hair. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow... J-Jeanne, you gotta tone down the bloodlust back there! It was my bad, okay! I know she's your first love and all, and I probably said too much... Ow, ow, ow!" "I'm just glad you understand, mister. That saves us both quite a lot of time. You know what you gotta say now, don'cha?" By the time she was done speaking, Jeanne's tone had grown downright murderous. Cold sweat trickled down Kaito's back. That said, they were in front of both Izabella and Hina, so there was probably a limit to how bad things could get. As far as Elisabeth went, though, the only help she offered was warmly noting, "You seem to be in quite a pinch." Kaito raised his hands in surrender. "Uh, I...I'm sorry?" "No. I'm not looking for an apology. Like always, your head's as full of mush as a cat in a sunbeam! Just cotton and fuzz from one ear to the next!" "Wait, then...what?" "Hmm," added Elisabeth. "I haven't the slightest, either." "Elisabeth, you know I'm your servant, right? So when I'm in danger, you're supposed to come help me." "Not my problem, best of luck, et cetera, et cetera." Elisabeth's reply was decidedly aloof. Suddenly, Kaito noticed that Hina and Izabella had wandered off to get a vase for the flowers before they could wilt. If he had been in any actual danger, Hina would have intervened long ago. In other words, he didn't need to fear for his life at the moment. Well, probably. Jeanne curled the corners of her mouth ever so slightly as she spoke. "Are you listening, mister? I'll only say this once. So clean out that shit in your ears and listen up!" "I'm listening, I'm listening!" "My fair lady..." Jeanne took a deep breath, a rare human mannerism for the golden Torture Princess to display. Kaito, Elisabeth, and even Vlad listened intently. Then Jeanne spoke with barely concealed fervor. "...isn't just cool, but adorable. Adorable, I tells ya!" "Wait, that's it? That's the bit you wanted me to revise?" "Also, why repeat it twice?" Elisabeth asked. "I suppose she thought it was just that important," Vlad replied. The three of them were all well and truly bewildered. Jeanne, expressionless as ever, bobbed her head up and down. Apparently, that was enough to satisfy her. At some point, she had also released Kaito's hair. Grateful for that stroke of fortune, Kaito beat a hasty retreat. That was when it happened. "Huh?" A black blurâ€” â€”shot toward him like a bullet. "Upâ€”andâ€”at 'emmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!" "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" A shout that sounded like some sort of strange bird echoed through the air. Then the black blurâ€”that is, the hunk of bone-in meatâ€”smashed directly into Kaito's face. Fearing an enemy raid, Izabella reached for the rapier hanging from her waist. However, her puzzlement quickly won out over her concern. People didn't normally use bone-in meat for launching surprise attacks, after all. The force of the blow nearly caused Kaito to topple over, but Hina quickly rushed over and caught him from behind. After gently lowering his head down onto her lap, she spoke indignantly. "Come on now, Mr. Butcher, you can't attack Master Kaito by surprise like that! I'm very close to being quite cross with you!" "Wait, why're you giving me a lap pillow?" "Hello, hello, hello, Ms. Lovely Maid! My deepest apologies! I was just so giddy about being invited to this banquet, I couldn't help myself! Hello, hello, hello, Madam Elisabeth!" "Quite," Elisabeth replied. "Oh yes, and congratulations on your third-year anniversary as whatsit of the Something-Something Brigade!" "Why is it that your attention to detail always fails at the most inopportune times?" Elisabeth grumbled. Meanwhile, Kaito shook off the shock from being struck by the raw meat and made to sit up. As he did, though, his gaze met Hina's, and he stopped in place. Then the two of them exchanged a loving embrace. Elisabeth and Vlad offered up some bemused commentary. "No, but...why?" "It's nice that they get along so well, I suppose, but it does seem to be getting in the way of the rest of their lives." Meanwhile, the Butcher spun like a top and made his way into the dining hall proper. Upon reaching the table, though, he came to an abrupt stop. He looked up at Vlad and went silent for a little bit. After reconsidering the matter, though, he gave him a big thumbs-up. "And a fine hello to you as well, Sir Vlad!" "After contemplating as best you could how to act toward me, that's what you ended up with? I think we can dispense with this strained geniality. I'm a more tolerant man than I look, but even I have my limits." Vlad smiled cheerfully as he rested his chin on his hands and elegantly crossed his legs. In contrast to his demeanor, though, his voice dripped with outright hostility. On hearing their exchange, Elisabeth was reminded of something. That's rightâ€”Vlad and the Butcher share a karmic bond. The Butcher was the one who'd given Vlad the First Demon's meat. However, that, too, had been part of the Saint's plan, and during Ragnarok, Vlad had made no secret of his fury at having been used as a pawn. I know not how they met, nor how their relationship developed from there. But Vlad clearly didn't appreciate being used. I've no doubt he harbors harsh feelings toward the Butcher. On hearing Vlad's comment, the Butcher lowered his hand. However, it would appear that he