Rustle, rustle, rustle. After wrestling with the plume, Elisabeth eventually grabbed the brim of her hat with all her strength.
“Begone, you vexing thing!”
“Now you’ve done it!”
Elisabeth hurled the hat high into the air like a Frisbee. It spun and spun as it fell. Then it landed precisely atop Kaito’s head. Perhaps that was what she’d been aiming for.
Flustered, Kaito lifted the hat up. Its sagging plume rustled as it fell in front of him.
On the feather’s opposite side, Elisabeth was grinning.
Her white teeth glittered as she made her innocent declaration.
“Very well! Then let us wander about the marketplace!”
However, the mercantile district had long since been consumed by the mass of flesh.
They had no way of wandering about the main market. And if they weren’t careful and got too close to the mass, they could unwittingly end up initiating the final battle. Doing that would be idiotic beyond belief. However, according to Elisabeth, the heart of the capital lay elsewhere, which meant they didn’t have a problem.
“While it’s superior in scale, the market that the masses use here is fundamentally quite similar to the one we visited while in the Earl’s territory. There’s little novelty to be had there. As a special courtesy, I shall guide you and allow you to taste all the wonders this city and this world have to offer.”
Her narration brimming with confidence, Elisabeth strode rapidly through the residential districts, moving in the direction opposite from the location of what used to be the market. Kaito obediently followed after her.
Eventually, the two of them made it to a particularly deteriorated section of town, near the castle gates.
As he walked alongside Elisabeth, Kaito surveyed their surroundings.
The road around them was surprisingly narrow. Even the main road looked like some sort of back alley. Unadorned, artificial-looking, boxy buildings were packed tightly along both sides of the street. Even then, at night, Kaito could tell how colorless the sector was. And it looked as though the rows of buildings had been intentionally built to look shady. It was a far cry from the townscape he’d seen in the rest of the city.
Cocking his head in confusion at the strange ambience, Kaito realized something else seemed out of place.
“Hey, Elisabeth, why don’t those buildings have entrances? How are people supposed to get in and out?”
“Hmm, as I thought, you still can’t find it on your own. Well, as far as magecraft goes, you’re an amateur among amateurs. You’re but a hair better than a layman. It’s only natural.”
As she casually ridiculed Kaito, Elisabeth came to a stop in front of a building.
Pressing her finger against a particular section of its wall, she released some mana. Pushed back by a spiral of darkness and crimson, certain rocks rumbled and sank back into the wall. In the distance, the sound of various mechanisms moving and meshing together rang out.
With a heavy scraping noise, the wall opened up. Elisabeth laughed proudly as she strode inside. Murmuring that he’d underestimated the sector, Kaito followed after her.
“Wh-whoa!”
The moment he stepped inside the building, Kaito let out a cry of amazement.
The room before him made it fully clear what Elisabeth had meant by “all the wonders this city and this world have to offer.”
“Wow, that’s a surprise. It’s quite the sight.”
“Isn’t it? Be grateful that I brought you here!”
Elisabeth puffed out her chest. Kaito earnestly bobbed his head up and down.
The room’s walls were radiating rainbow-colored light. It felt as though they’d gone inside a massive conch shell. The material it was made of was strangely supple, billowing in ways that ordinary human manufacturing couldn’t possibly have produced. The parts that naturally stuck out were being used as ledges, and they were adorned with an assortment of bones.
Casting her gaze over each of them in turn, Elisabeth took notice of one in particular.
“The shopkeepers took most of them with them when they fled. But some items yet remain. Look here, Kaito.”
“Hmm, what is it?”
Elisabeth picked up a chain dangling from a lizard’s rib cage. It seemed that the bones were being used to display the goods.
Hanging from the delicate silver loop was a small stoppered bottle with flower petals suspended inside it.
“It’ll only last for but a moment. Take care not to miss it.”
With that, Elisabeth held the bottle beneath Kaito’s nose and uncorked it. Flower petals mingled with the wind that blew up at his face. For a second, he smelled a gentle aroma and felt the heat of sunlit air.
“Man, there’s no way someone made this… Was that a spring breeze?”
“Indeed, that it was! Good nose! Just as you said, sealed within this bottle is air from the prime of spring.”
“Wow, that’s kinda cool.”
The natural warmth quickly faded. However, the petals remained, dancing through the air in a gentle swirl.
Kaito poked at it. The swirl banked left and right as though trying to avoid his finger before popping back in the bottle on its own. Elisabeth tightly refastened the stopper.
“’Tis intended as a souvenir for noblemen who come accompanied by their magician attendants. While they’re more expensive than your everyday trinket, they aren’t particularly useful, so they’re cheaper than most other magical objects. ’Tis likely the reason the shopkeepers left it behind. Also, there’s… Oh? I’d forgotten about this one.”
“What?”
“Try holding it.”
Elisabeth pulled a blue bowl out from the mouth of a wolf skull.
Kaito took it from her. The bowl hadn’t been glazed to attain its color; it had been crafted from some sort of naturally blue material. But although it looked like a hollowed-out jewel, it was strangely light.
As he held it in his palms, Kaito gradually began feeling a familiar sensation.
He hadn’t known it back then, but magical devices carried hollowness and hunger within them.
With his beastly left hand, he filled the bowl with the mana it so craved.
“—La (overflow).”
As he whispered, water began gushing out of the bowl. As though in exchange, one loop around its interior crumbled away. Apparently, there was a limit to how many times it could be used. However, it would be more than enough for a short journey.
Kaito let out a deeply impressed sigh.
“Damn, that’s handy. Lugging around water is a pain.”
“Unlike Vlad’s castle, there are no full-fledged magical tools to be found here. In particular, combat-oriented goods are hard to produce without knowledge of dark magic. However, you can still obtain trinkets of this caliber in the capital. And that isn’t all.”
Elisabeth took the bowl from Kaito and gulped down the water. Then, once it was empty, she placed it back in the wolf’s jaw.
Her crimson dress fluttered as she turned on her heel.
Transfixed, Kaito stared at the curves of her bare white back.
Looking back over her shoulder, Elisabeth smiled mischievously.
“Hold onto your hat. You’ve not seen the last Mage’s Row has to offer.”
Elisabeth certainly wasn’t lying.
With each building she led him to, he found himself amazed all over again.
After the magical curio shop, they visited several other spots.
Mechanical birds crafted from springs and nails, screws and gears, and amber and iron.
Medicines, antidotes, and poisons stored in multicolored ceramics.
Jewels processed into unfathomable shapes.
They spent a particularly long time engaged in a challenge at the herb shop.
“How is it, Kaito? Delicious?”
“I…I feel like it’s super-tasty, but at the same time, it’s somehow super-nasty.”
Kaito gave his answer
as he munched on his sandwich. It was smoked chicken on wheat germ bread, and it had some manner of unidentifiable bluish-green paste spread on it.
There had been a recipe affixed to the shop’s wall, with the title Medicinal Herbs You Can Start Using Today! Elisabeth had said she wanted to try it out, and they’d raided the kitchen to recreate it. Despite it being her idea, though, she’d refused to taste-test it, so that role had fallen to Kaito.
The result of that had been the wishy-washy response he’d just given.
Unsatisfied, Elisabeth furrowed her brows.
“What in heaven’s name does it mean to be both tasty and nasty? That makes little sense.”
“I don’t have much of a sense of taste, so it’s hard for me to explain. You could just try a bite, you know.”
“Very well. Ahhh.”
“Here it comes.”
Kaito stuck out the sandwich, and Elisabeth, having lost to her curiosity, ate out of his hand. Kaito was impressed at how vigorously she’d gone at it.
After chewing for a bit, Elisabeth swallowed with utter dejection.
“…The acidity is rather invigorating. And the flavor is mellow and rich. Judged alone, its individual attributes are quite decent, but taken as a whole, they’re altogether disastrous. In conjunction with the dryness of the bread and the chicken, the experience is rather disappointing.”
“Damn, your food critiques are on point.”
“Hmm, did I make a mistake with the recipe? It tasted like something you might cook.”
“You make fun of me so nonchalantly.”
“In any case, this stuff is beyond my comprehension. But if used properly, I feel as though it might bring new culinary horizons upon us.”
Elisabeth sat down on the old wooden counter. Gracefully crossing her legs, she snatched the open bottle.
Hearing her words, Kaito nodded.
“If we bring that bottle back to Hina, I bet she’d be able to make something interesting with it.”
“Mm, let’s add it to the other souvenirs.”
“Roger that.”
Sealing the bottle up tight, Elisabeth stuck it into the leather bag they’d pilfered from a general store along the way. In it already was a bottle with spring wind sealed inside, a clockwork toy butterfly, and a set of fruity tea leaves that crackled when you poured hot water on them.
Snapping her fingers, Elisabeth pulled a coin out of thin air. She placed the designated amount of money on the shop’s counter.
“That’s coming out of your wages, you know.”
“Sure. I mean, even if I saved up, it’s not like there’s much for me to spend it on.”
Ever since the pawnshop, the two of them had been leaving behind payment for the things they’d pilfered. Most of it had come out of Kaito’s wages. However, Elisabeth had paid for some of the stuff out of her own pocket. Now, too, she was straightening her back and plucking a new jar out of the shop’s hanging cupboard.
After reading its label, she placed a coin of her own beside Kaito’s.
“Hmm, then I shall bring her these dried mushrooms. It says their unique spiciness goes well in fried dishes and that they boast considerable benefits to one’s health.”
“Hey, wait, that sounds good. I wanna go with that one, too.”
“Fool! For a man who’s already maxed out Hina’s affection levels, you ask too much! I’m entrusting you with all the goods whose quality is uncertain. I intend to be the one to bring her all the items sure to be well received.”
“I want to make Hina happy, too, you know.”
“Ha, ’tis Hina we speak of! She’s certain to be delighted no matter what we bring her!”
“I mean, you’re not wrong, but still.”
Kaito’s expression unconsciously softened as he imagined Hina’s delighted face. Elisabeth nodded gently, too.
Once they were done picking out souvenirs, they split the rest of the sandwich in half and finished it off.
Kaito bowed toward the unmanned counter in thanks for the food. Elisabeth, complaining once more about the flavor, gulped down water.
“Ugh, I feel sick. Hmm? Hold on a minute. If dreadful food doesn’t faze you, why did I not simply make you eat the remainder?”
“C’mon, that woulda been cruel.”
Kaito nodded. Fair was fair.
After kicking him lightly in the back, Elisabeth headed outside.
As he gave his usual complaints, Kaito followed after her.
By the time they made it out of the herb shop, the night had deepened, and the full moon had shifted its position. However, its movements weren’t obvious enough for Kaito to tell whether or not it was the same as the moon from the world he’d come from.
Besides, even if it looks like my world’s moon, there’s a chance that it’s something completely different.
All he knew was that the moonlight was distinctly brighter than it had been earlier.
Bathed in its silver radiance, Elisabeth murmured.
“Let’s go for a bit of a stroll.”
They walked in silence. After leaving Mage’s Row, they returned to the residential district.
Kaito then followed Elisabeth up a gently sloping road that led toward the higher parts of the city. He had no idea where she was going. However, their surroundings gradually began to look familiar.
Wait, this is…
Eventually, they reached the hill where La Mules had killed herself.
The gravestones stood silently lined up in the dim light. Their cold stone faces were feigning ignorance as to the tragedy that had taken place that afternoon. In fact, they looked almost as though they’d forgotten they were hiding corpses beneath themselves.
After taking wide strides past them, Elisabeth sat down on a clear bit of meadow.
Without hesitation, she stuck her pale legs out from beneath her sprawling dress and clutched her knees. Kaito knelt down on one knee beside her.
The two of them stared out over the town.
Even then, in the dead of night, they could make out the black mountain of writhing flesh.
Eventually, Elisabeth spoke.
“…Satisfied?”
“Yeah, that was plenty,” Kaito responded in kind to her blunt question.
She nodded silently.
A gentle wind brushed at their cheeks. Kaito smelled something rusty and rotting in it. However, he purposely avoided bringing that up.
Time passed quietly.
Gazing down at the malicious mass of flesh, Elisabeth muttered in exasperation.
“…So given our abnormal situation, what’s your true objective here?”
“I accomplished my goal. We were able to pick out presents for Hina.”
“Ha, you just wanted to get gifts from the capital for your bride? What a faithful fellow you are.”
“Now we just have to go back together so we can give them to her.”
Elisabeth shut her mouth tight. From beside her, Kaito examined her face. Her expression was pained, as though clearly stating that she understood what he meant. Still, he didn’t falter.
“Now that you’ve bought souvenirs, you gotta go back.”
Elisabeth still said nothing. Kaito was about to say more.
Then Elisabeth let out a light sigh and relaxed her whole body. Spreading her arms wide, she fell over backward. Eventually, she whispered about something wholly unrelated to Kaito’s emotional appeal.
“Behold, Kaito.”
“Behold what?”
“Look at how bright the stars are. It’s as though all the tragedies of the world are nothing more than illusions.”
Elisabeth spoke in a voice very unlike her; one that sounded almost as though she were dreaming. She didn’t say anything more. After spending a moment puzzling at the meaning of her silence, Kaito broke the ice again.
“You know, I called it a date… I’ll grant you that the phrasing was weird, but I didn’t want to go alone. I wanted to walk around the capital with you.”
“Why?”
“I wanted to see what you’d do.”
“In what sense?”
“I wanted to see how you’d spend the time, knowing that the battle tomorrow could go either way and that certain death awaited you. And you chose to pick out souvenirs for Hina. ‘Ones that would definitely make her happy,’ you said.”
Elisabeth’s response was delayed.
This time, Kaito didn’t look at her face. Glaring at the distant mass of flesh, he went on.
“Someone who was totally satisfied with dying, who’d given up on life, wouldn’t do that, would they? Don’t you actually want to go home?”
“…Listen, Kaito.”
Just as Kaito had guessed, she didn’t deny it. Her voice rang out softly, along with the rustling of clothes.
Elisabeth had raised herself up and appeared to be once more clutching her knees.
“Look at me.”
Responding to her call, Kaito turned toward her like his head had been yanked.
Then he gulped.
Lowering her face to her knees, Elisabeth wore a gentle smile.
It was the kind of smile one would direct toward a child who was asking for something unreasonable.
“You’ve killed none but your enemies, not a single innocent. You shoulder no sin. And for the innocent to be punished for their existence alone is absurdity. Once this battle is over, return to the castle. Then take Hina and flee. As you are now, you should have power enough to be able to evade capture.”
For a second, Kaito wasn’t sure what she’d just said.
Before he’d fully understood it, he instinctively opened his mouth to speak.
“What the fuck are you talking about?!”
“However, you mustn’t kill people. I forbid you from hurting them, as well.”
Suddenly, Elisabeth’s voice became sharp. Her expression, too, transformed into that of a proud warrior. She gave Kaito a stern command as the Torture Princess.
“This is the final order from your master, the Torture Princess.”
“Elisabeth…”
“Don’t give in to the demons’ temptations. If you think you are likely to, then end your life yourself. ’Tis a heavy thing, to harm others, to be loathed by the world, and to constantly shoulder sins.”
Torture Princess: Fremd Torturchen, Vol. 3 Page 11