“I’ve yet to sense anyone suspicious around us, either.”
As they calmly passed the time, the three of them quietly whispered among themselves. They were feigning being relaxed, but they were constantly surveying their surroundings. Lute’s subordinates were doing the same.
All of them were waiting.
They were waiting to ambush the killer when they attacked a new village.
Their simple yet precise plan had been suggested by a rather unexpected source.
“Let’s put aside the matter of who the killer is for the moment. Right now, we should be focusing on how to prevent the next massacre.”
Back at the village with the strung-up victims, Kaito had shelved the prospect of identifying the one responsible.
Just because they’d figured out that the culprit was a demon didn’t mean they had any concrete way of stopping the killings. Their top priority needed to be preventing the murderer from preying on any more victims. And in order to do that, they had to figure out where the next attack would take place. But even though Kaito had been called in to help, his investigative capabilities were borderline nonexistent. Unfortunately, his presence wasn’t doing much to improve the situation.
They also didn’t have time to add him to the patrols that were going from village to village. More victims would undoubtedly spring up in the interim.
“Is there any way we could figure it out for…oh. Well, I guess we could ask him.”
It was at that point that Kaito thought of asking a particular man for advice.
Specifically, the Kaiser’s previous contractor: Vlad Le Fanu.
After all, the man had committed his fair share of massacres himself. His unique viewpoint might prove useful.
With that hope, Kaito ran mana through the jewel containing the replica of Vlad’s soul.
Extravagant azure petals and black feathers sprang out from within. With that as his backdrop, Vlad made his appearance, as gracefully as always. His cravat paired well with his aristocratic outfit, and it waved from side to side as he crossed his legs in the empty air.
“Do you have some business with me, my dear successor?”
“There’s something I want your opinion on. Do you mind?”
“Hmm… Rather cheerful words, coming from a man who abandons others to mind-numbingly boring jewels once they’ve served their purpose.”
“Sorry about that, then. Back in you go.”
“Let me hear you out.”
It looked like Vlad’s complaints about boredom were rather serious.
The beastfolk were startled by the man’s—who was clearly no saint—sudden appearance, even though he was just a phantom. However, Kaito decided to leave off the explanation for later and instead told Vlad what had been going on.
Stroking his chin, Vlad nodded thoughtfully.
“Lend me a map.”
Something had clearly piqued his interest, as he stared intently at the map Kaito held up. He fired off a series of questions to Lute as he pointed to various locations.
“Where did the past killings take place? Hmm, beastman diets vary from species to species, so villages tend to be homogenous, correct? What types of animal were the victims? What, don’t call them ‘animals’? Oh, quit fussing over minor details. Hmm, I see. Now, how were they killed? Skinned, skewered, strung up… Now then, would you tell me about the species that live in the villages in this radius? Yes, all of them.”
Finally satisfied, Vlad stroked his chin again.
Having been made to recount the details of the past killings, fatigue crept across Lute’s and his subordinates’ faces. Kaito silently swore that if Vlad couldn’t come up with anything after all that, then he’d never let him outside again. But Vlad himself snapped his fingers, his gesture overflowing with composure.
He indicated a particular village with a white-gloved hand.
“The next attack will be here.”
“How can you know that?”
Kaito was taken aback at Vlad’s confidence.
Vlad pointed at the map again, tracing a large circle with the site of the most recent attack at its center.
“Oh, it’s simple. At first glance, the locations of the killings don’t seem to have any rhyme or reason. But they’re all selected from within this circle surrounding the most recent attack, are they not? I think it rather likely that our foe’s teleportation capabilities are restricted to this circle’s diameter.”
“I mean, even so, that’s a big area.”
“Quite. And we had already calculated the range our enemy was teleporting at. But the area is too large to narrow it down to a single village they might target.”
“If that’s the case, then you’d best change your point of view. Take a gander at the villagers who’ve been killed up till now. In order, it’s rabbitfolk, birdfolk, and foxfolk. Skinning, skewering, and stringing up. They’ve each been killed in an appropriate way, but they’re rather diverse, aren’t they?”
“You’re not wrong, but so what?”
“The village I marked is both within the circle and home to deerfolk. In other words, a species with a trait not found in any of the victims to date—their antlers.”
“But what does that have to do—”
“Hmm? Isn’t it obvious, my dear successor? Think about what will happen after they’re killed. The new spectacle, with the corpses all lined up. Think of all the possibilities that antlers offer when you’re tormenting them and using them as decoration!”
A heavy silence descended on them. The very air seemed to have suddenly grown colder.
Kaito was at a loss for words, and Hina shook her head. Lute and his men were practically brimming with bloodlust. As he basked in their judgmental gazes, Vlad smiled sweetly.
Then he brazenly went on, as though it were only natural that he give an answer when posed a question.
“If it were me, I would undoubtedly choose this place! Assembly-line work is best when you’re having fun!”
Man, “unthinkable” doesn’t even begin to describe the way he thought about it… I mean, I called it an assembly line, too, but still.
As he sipped at his flower soup, Kaito ruminated on the earlier events.
There were times when people really should refrain from saying everything that came to mind.
Although they’d gotten into a small quarrel, the group eventually decided to go off Vlad’s hypothesis and lie in wait at the deerfolk village.
While the deer-headed beastfolk were taken aback by the arrival of both the national guard and visitors of another race, they let them in regardless. Despite their confusion, they’d even tried to show their guests a warm welcome. But Kaito and the others had turned them down, instead directing them not to come outside that night no matter what unless they were given the signal to flee.
Then, after holding a meeting on their routes and plans, they took up their positions by the village’s front entrance.
At first, Kaito had been worried about that fact and had asked if it was okay for them to be out in the open. But according to Vlad, his concerns were unfounded.
“Our foe will clearly be lax. After all, if they were to run into a patrol, they could simply annihilate the small fries to the last man! This time, though, those who were fated to become prey have brought along the Kaiser’s contractor. And our foe is unaware of that fact. Because of that, our presence should have little effect on how our foe moves. Go forth and meet them boldly! That is the proper way a tyrant ought to conduct himself!”
Vlad had, in fact, been useful. But his thoughtless remarks toward the beastfolk had crossed the line.
At present, he had been crammed into his jewel once more. It had been squirming in displeasure for some time now. But Kaito blithely ignored Vlad’s complaints.
All’s well and good if his intuition’s on the mark, but…if it isn’t, more people are gonna die.
Anxious, Kaito cast a glance toward Lute. His golden eyes were filled with a tension so fier
ce that it seemed like he might stop breathing. Lute had agreed to Kaito and Vlad’s proposal. But it hadn’t been anything more than a compromise on his part, as he hadn’t been able to come up with anything more effective. Kaito could tell.
Lute had been the one to invite him. But that definitely didn’t mean he trusted Kaito and his companions. He’d promised them hospitality, but the situation was nowhere near peaceful enough to just take an outsider at his word.
Given that they invited me as a visiting commander, a member of the nobility has to be behind it. I don’t know how monolithic the beastfolk are, but if nothing else, it’s gotta be someone who’s at least involved in their national politics.
Still, he didn’t know who that person was. For that matter, they hadn’t even taken him to their headquarters or told him anything beyond the details of the killings. And in spite of all that, they were having him do dangerous fieldwork for them.
If Kaito’s promise to help turned out to not be of any use, Lute and his men probably weren’t planning on giving him any additional information.
In a sense, it could be said they were taking advantage of his goodwill. But even though he realized that, it didn’t make him feel particularly put out.
After all, I’m just a fugitive right now. I’d much rather be of use to someone than aimlessly running around and trying to find someplace to hide.
Kaito had no desire to get exploited in some scheme and become embroiled in an international controversy. Compared with that, sleeping outside in order to help catch a serial killer was a piece of cake.
Besides, the unease that Lute and his men were feeling was genuine. They wanted to resolve the situation from the bottoms of their hearts.
And the fact that a huge number of beastfolk had been brutally killed was true as well.
Given all that, he had no reason not to lend them his aid.
But the thing that’s bugging me is…
Why was a demon doing this? They were all supposed to be dead. Had a new contractor appeared?
Or could it be that…
On that note, Kaito shook his head and cut off that train of thought. Mindlessly listing off possibilities wouldn’t do him any good. Any matter involving demons quickly surpassed rational expectations.
Right now, he needed to focus on the danger directly in front of him.
As he forcibly changed gears in his mind, he drank down the rest of the floral soup. His bowl was empty, and Hina’s eyes sparkled when she saw that. She raised her hand with the vigor of a puppy wagging its tail.
“Master Kaito, Master Kaito! The seconds your faithful Hina made are over here, my love!”
“Could I have more, then, darling?”
“Of course! I shall serve it alongside a hearty helping of love!”
Hina smiled as she took the bowl from Kaito. As he watched their exchange, Lute displayed a dumbfounded expression. After a moment, though, he oohed admiringly.
“My, how passionate. Could it be that you two aren’t master and servant, but lovers?”
“We’re married, actually.”
“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek! My heart’s fluttering so hard that I might just die!”
Upon hearing Kaito’s immediate reply, Hina’s face flushed. Placing her hands on her cheeks, she began twisting back and forth. Lute became more and more bewildered.
“O-oh. That reminds me, Madam Hina, you did just refer to yourself as his bride. I see. So Madam Hina, the automaton, is your wife, then, Sir Kaito?”
“Why? Is that weird?”
Kaito posed the question. Lute had reacted with revulsion and disgust to some of the things he and Vlad had said and done. And the beastfolk revered nature, so there was no guarantee that they wouldn’t feel hostility toward automatons. Kaito gave up, not expecting anything in the way of a favorable response. But to his surprise, Lute violently shook his head from side to side.
“No, not in the slightest!”
Kaito was a bit astonished at how insistent Lute seemed.
He definitely didn’t seem to be lying. Oddly bashful, Lute cleared his throat.
“Ahem, the thing is, you see… My wife is both a decade my junior and a goatwoman. She’s a wonderful girl with a pure heart who loves the wind and the earth…but as you can see, I’m a wolfman. We encountered no small amount of antagonism leading up to our marriage. I am very fortunate that my master is an open-minded one, and that my subordinates get along with my wife so well. To this day, though, there are those who speak poorly of us behind our backs.”
“My goodness, how dreadful! It grinds my gears when people get in the way of mutual love!”
“Thank you for your kind words. You truly are a compassionate woman. In that respect, I see little difference between the two of you, and you clearly hold a great deal of affection for each other. I think the two of you are wonderful for each other!”
With that, Lute patted his chest. Kaito involuntarily softened his expression.
Hina’s cheeks were growing more and more flushed, and she was twirling her fingers aimlessly in the air.
“‘Wonderful for each other’? Oh my… While it’s true that Master Kaito and I are a uniquely fated pair, and that we were bound by destiny the moment the world came into being, hearing you say so makes me feel rather bashful. Eek!”
“Yeah, hearing you say that makes me real happy. I bet your wife’s happy, too, having a husband who thinks so fondly of her.”
Kaito’s pleased expression and Hina’s bashfulness seemed to be contagious. Lute laughed in embarrassment as he scratched his head.
His subordinates were looking their way in amusement. Upon noticing that fact, Lute got flustered and called out to them.
“Now, look here, you lot! What do you think you’re doing, listening to us so intently?!”
“Lucky you, Captain, getting to brag about your wife to someone new!”
“All of us have heard every last one of your stories a million times already, after all!”
“Be quiet! Ahem… My goodness, though, what a surprise, being able to bond with another devoted husband like this.”
“Yeah, same goes for me.”
Kaito nodded. Lute’s smile reached his golden eyes as he whispered gently.
“You see, we beastfolk don’t much care for lies. So to speak quite candidly, I had thought you a rather cold-hearted man. But deep down, it seems that you’re a compassionate gentleman after all.”
Kaito found himself blinking at how unexpected the remark had been.
Lute’s red tail swayed gently as he slowly went on.
“When we came to invite you, I purposefully gave you few reasons to lend us your assistance. I didn’t even mention offering remunerations for your military advice. But despite all that, you came with us anyway. To tell you the truth, we’d been prepared for a much more protracted negotiation.”
“Really? Wait, did I totally just miss a chance to get information out of you guys?”
“We held several trump cards to use if you tried. But if we’d had to, we probably wouldn’t be sharing this fire as we are now. When inviting along a demon’s contractor, great care must be taken in evaluating their character. Or so I’d thought, in any case, but it appears the impression of you that we got from the battle against the Earl held true.”
Lute flashed him a faint smile, to which Kaito responded with a strong nod.
As he’d thought, Lute and his men didn’t plan to offer up any information regarding the beastfolk. Even so, though, it looked like his amenable behavior had curried him some favor. They seemed to hold more trust in him than he’d expected.
That fact alone made Kaito truly glad.
Lute raised his bowl to try to conceal his bashfulness. He completely drained the cooled floral broth, then spoke.
“By the way, Mrs. Sena, might I trouble you for seconds?”
“Eeeeeee! He called me ‘Mrs. Sena’! He called me ‘Mrs. Sena’! For that, you can have as many refills as you want!”
Then Kaito trailed off midsentence.
Something was shining near the edge of his vision. Upon closer inspection, the moonlight was reflecting off something in the tree line. But there was nothing natural that should have glinted like that late at night in the forest.
Everything was completely silent, the lively atmosphere from a moment ago having vanished like a distant memory.
First Hina, then Lute stood up. Kaito rose to his feet as well.
Then he looked at the “thing.”
“…What is that?”
It looked like neither a human nor a beast.
In fact, it didn’t look alive at all.
At first glance, it looked like a silver spider.
Or, perhaps, a better way to put it would be to describe it as an intricate mass of rubbish.
Kaito squinted. Whatever it was that had appeared out of the darkness, it was made out of a series of joined pieces of metal. But although it did have eight legs, its basic shape was like that of an insect or a crustacean. However, the metal plates that made up its body constantly shifted and squirmed as they glimmered. The fact that its exterior was constantly undergoing minute changes caused its appearance to be wholly divergent from that of any creature found in nature.
Kaito involuntarily racked his memories for something similar to compare it to.
Suddenly, an old memory flashed through his mind. His teacher back in elementary school had been fond of visiting art museums, and Kaito thought back to the contents of a picture his teacher had enthusiastically described during recess one day.
…Avant-garde art.
The picture had been a piece of art enclosed in inorganic material that was designed to ridicule the living.
That was the closest thing he could come up with to describe the entity before him. But there was no reason for it to exist in this world, let alone within the beastfolk territories. It was probably akin to an underling that someone had created.
As he vigilantly collected his thoughts, Kaito felt a sense of unease.
Torture Princess: Fremd Torturchen, Vol. 4 Page 5