After all, there was nothing she needed to do at the moment, nor, for that matter, anything she could.
Her target, the Kaiser’s contractor, was currently in nonhuman lands, a place where she couldn’t carelessly venture. Ever since she’d discovered that fact, she’d been spending her time idly. But although she was lying down, Elisabeth was not, in fact, asleep.
She was finding the deafening silence hard on her ears, leaving her unable to get any rest.
And so, as she lay on her bed, events from the past bubbled up in her mind.
Once, Elisabeth Le Fanu had stood in silence among a raging torrent of jeers.
Having been forced to wear a straitjacket and stand in the public square, she’d found herself the subject of a terrifying amount of hatred. And before that, her narrow, cramped cell had been so quiet that there was a chance it had had an effect on her psyche.
Even after the Church had returned her castle to her, she still hadn’t had anyone to talk to.
Until the day she summoned a Sinless Soul as a servant to foist various chores and responsibilities upon.
“Who would have thought I’d end up reeling in someone from another world?”
Elisabeth’s tone was sardonic. It had been a coincidence of astronomic proportions, one that verged on a miracle. But the way she saw it now, it had hardly ended up being a joyful one.
After all, Kaito Sena was a colossal fool.
He was stupid man, unthinkably good-natured, naive, and possessing an unparalleled sense of stubbornness. For the sake of someone wholly undeserving of being saved by him, he’d even made a contract with a demon and endured unspeakable pain.
If anyone asked Elisabeth what she thought of his behavior, she would probably describe it as the most foolish act anyone had ever committed.
“You know, you’re the only one who ever saved me.”
That was what Kaito Sena had told her. She had forcibly summoned his soul when all he’d wanted was to die, gotten him wrapped up in her demon hunt, and warped his very destiny, and he’d thanked her.
“The only one who saved me from that hell was the Torture Princess. Just you, Elisabeth Le Fanu.”
What a truly, truly pitiable man you are.
She considered something, and not for the first time.
Kaito Sena was like a faithful mutt. And because he’d been starving, wounded, and shivering, it didn’t matter how the person who picked him up and took him inside treated him. He would think highly of them regardless.
It was true that there had been some joyous aspects to his second life. He’d met Hina, for one. But it was ludicrous to think of someone as your savior just because they tossed you a few sandy scraps of bread when you were starving.
Due to his own misfortune, Kaito Sena had found value in someone he ought not have.
And if that wasn’t worthy of being called pitiable, then what could possibly be?
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, no—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.
Aye—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.
“CHAAAH!”
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?”
“Wh—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 clearly been designed to put nature’s beauty front and center.
The fragrance of the flowers also seemed to have a sterilizing effect. Their aroma was sweet, but it had a sting to it as well.
Hina was sitting atop a wicker chair at his side. On his other side, he was flanked by a goatperson wearing gloves and a sanitary cloth mask.
Then he noticed the thick bandages wrapped around his shoulder. The beastman healer gave a slight nod.
“The wound had sealed almost completely before I even began treatment. Very impressive. But your skin was thin in places, so I applied herbs to help speed along your recovery. You passed out due to a mana deficiency and some mild fatigue. You should be all better now. Feel free to get up and move around as you please.”
“Oh, Master Kaito, thank goodness! Thank goodness!”
Hina cast her arms wide and squeezed Kaito in a tight embrace. Bewildered, he glanced at the healer.
The goatperson, who was more than likely a goatwoman given the size and shape of her horns, offered a nurturing smile.
“I told her there was no
thing to worry about, you know. But even so, your wife waited by your side on the verge of tears, not leaving you alone for a moment. Do you have anything you’d like to say to her?”
“Sorry, Hina. I guess I really gave you a scare there, huh?”
Kaito gently returned her hug, repeatedly stroking his wife’s back.
As she gradually calmed down, Kaito rummaged through his memories.
So, uh… I definitely remember getting on that teleportation circle Lute and the others drew…
After he had, they’d traveled to a gorgeous building artisanally crafted out of wood and colored stone. According to Lute and the others, it was one of the royal family’s secondary residences. Then they’d led him to the infirmary that had been set up in one of the rooms.
Upon obeying the healer’s instruction and lying down on a bed, he’d immediately passed out.
“Wait a minute, a secondary residence of the royal family?”
Kaito opened his eyes wide. This wasn’t just some hospital they’d been brought to.
Flustered, he made to get down off the bed. But he found himself unable to move.
At some point, Hina had anchored her slender arms firmly around him.
“Um, uh… Hina dearest?”
“Why yes, Master Kaito? I believe I did tell you that I intended to get quite upset at you later.”
It seemed her frustration wasn’t just talk. Kaito’s face went stiff. But then Hina loosened her arms. After taking a step back, she fixed him with a pointed stare.
Then she made her pained appeal.
“Haven’t I told you? When you go off on your own and do such dangerous things, my love… Do you have any idea how much that determination of yours makes me want to kill my powerless self?”
Hina’s face contorted, just like it had back when the two of them had had their fight back at the castle. Immeasurable grief was welling up within her jeweled eyes. Her expression made it clear how much her concern for her bridegroom had been eating away at her heart.
Struck by realization, Kaito reached his own arms out. He hugged Hina tight.
It was the best option we had.
Torture Princess: Fremd Torturchen, Vol. 4 Page 7