“Your valor is impulsive but splendid nonetheless.”
“But we are not the ones you need to face.”
The maids clasped the hems of their dresses once more, bending their knees as they curtsied gracefully. The maid who’d been holding the box pointed at Marianne, bound in chains. The other raised her clock.
“Now then, shall we resume?”
“You have only a few seconds to make your choice. Act quickly, if you please.”
““Do as you will, but ensure that you have no regrets.””
Then the two disappeared. Color returned to the world. The cold wind blew, and the cloud of dust danced through the air. Elisabeth bit her lip, then raised her hand high.
As she did, Kaito took off at a run.
The maids had told him he had only a few seconds to decide. He didn’t have time to wait and see if she would snap her fingers or not. If she didn’t, there wouldn’t be time to keep the situation from getting ugly.
Kaito had immediately understood what the two had insinuated. His mind was clear, he understood what he needed to do, and he did it without hesitation.
He pulled the Executioner’s Sword of Frankenthal out of the ground where it was buried. The blade was remarkably light, possibly due to the magical assistance it offered. Elisabeth turned around. Her crimson gaze clearly meant to question what he was doing, but he ignored it as his body was practically thrown forward. He already knew how unreasonable his actions were.
No matter what I do, Marianne’s going to end up dead, either from Elisabeth’s torture or from being used up and crippled. Those are the only paths left for her.
Either way, she’d find herself facing Hell. Recognizing that, the reality of her situation helped assuage his guilt as he seized the third unspoken option.
“…Sorry.”
Kaito ran Marianne through with the sword.
The magical blade encountered little resistance as it pierced her chest.
“…Wh—?”
Marianne coughed up blood, her eyes wide in surprise. Kaito felt himself perk up as it showered him. Warm blood ran down his cheek. For a second, he didn’t realize what he’d just done. Then he choked down the bile welling up in his stomach as he peeled his hands from the sword. His gaze met Marianne’s. Kaito looked straight at the woman he’d just killed.
Her face was full of bewilderment. Over and over, Kaito mouthed that he was sorry. For some reason, when she saw that, she smiled tenderly.
“A-ah… My…thanks…Truly…this was…the way…”
Her words were cut short. Still bearing a tranquil expression, her head slumped forward. In astonishment, Kaito turned over her dying words in his head. When he did, a possible end to her final sentence came to mind.
“Wait, did you…?”
Maybe Marianne hadn’t wanted to add any further sins to the burden Elisabeth bore. But before he could give the matter much thought, Kaito was sent flying.
“Urgh!”
He’d been kicked hard, and he slid down the road. He tumbled over the gravel and ash before finally crashing into a pile of rubble. The pain that ran across his body was so intense, he was afraid one of his organs had ruptured. Coughing up blood, he looked up.
Elisabeth was standing at the same spot he’d been a moment ago. She gazed at Marianne’s corpse, her face devoid of expression. A long moment passed. Then suddenly, Elisabeth grabbed the hilt of the sword piercing Marianne and gave it a yank. Blood gushed from the wound, staining the ground dark.
Elisabeth’s black hair fluttered as she turned toward Kaito. Her eyes were narrowed and filled with a dry rage.
“Why act on your own, cur? Based on your answer, you can imagine the punishment that awaits you.”
Her heels clicked as she approached. She stopped directly in front of Kaito.
Kaito stared stupidly at the pale hand approaching him. But just before her fingers could reach him, his vision blurred horizontally. Hina had scooped him up, then leaped to the side. She scraped the ground as she landed, carrying him in her right arm and holding the halberd in her left hand at the ready. Elisabeth clicked her tongue.
“Drop it, doll.”
“I refuse. You are not my master.”
The two glared daggers at each other. Determining that this was not a foe she could contest one-handed, Hina gently set Kaito down and stood in front of him as a shield. Elisabeth pursed her lips coldly.
Trying to prevent a fight, Kaito opened his mouth. But his breathing was so ragged, he couldn’t speak well. He tried his best to gather strength in his wounded chest.
“H-hey, you two, cut it—”
But the moment he’d finally gathered the strength to speak, he realized that the space around him had frozen once again.
Even with his vision blurred from the pain in his abdomen, he could make out the two maids standing in front of him. One of them was wearing shoes stained with the blood of a baby, and the other held her clock. They turned their scuffed purple eyes toward Kaito without a word. The next moment, their fair faces clicked and contorted into expressions that were anything but natural.
The maids wore broken, hideous smiles. They gracefully bowed once again.
“You passed, Sinless Soul.”
“Our master calls for you.”
Humming contentedly, the maids grabbed Kaito’s limp shoulders. He was helpless to resist as they pulled him away. As they dragged him along, he weakly turned to look over his shoulder. After the three of them had traveled a fixed distance, the frozen-blue world suddenly sprang back to life.
“Hmm? …Kaito?”
“Mas— Master Kaito? This can’t be! Master Kaito, where are you?!”
Elisabeth and Hina noticed Kaito’s disappearance and surveyed their surroundings. He wasn’t that far away from them. He stared at them, begging them to notice him. Hina turned in his direction. But then a sound rang out.
Grrrrrrrrr, grrrrrrrrrrrr, grrrrrrrrrrr.
As if to block their view, a deep-black darkness coalesced and swallowed the light. As it growled, the darkness formed fine, rippling muscles and sleek black fur.
Before long, it had taken the form of a first-class hound. Crimson hellfire burned in its eyes.
The Kaiser had arrived, and the air itself froze in awe.
“Gah-ha-ha-ha, heh-heh-ha-ha, gah-ha-ha-ha.”
He laughed at the two of them in a voice that sounded almost human.
That hopeless scene was the last thing Kaito saw before his consciousness faded.
6
Kaito’s Decision
Kaito reflected on just how miserable his life had been.
People kept calling him a Sinless Soul, but he certainly didn’t feel like one. On the contrary, as he’d just committed his first murder in this world. Even though he’d been complicit in murders before, such as helping clean up bodies, this was the first time he’d ever stabbed someone with a sword.
His new life had been a mess. He’d born witness to unspeakably horrible sights and been tortured for nonsensical reasons. He’d been forced to cut off his own hand and carve deep wounds in his own chest. But despite all that, he’d also had some experiences he didn’t want to forget.
Someone had wished him happiness. Someone had promised to protect him.
He’d had to dig through metaphorical mud, chunks of metal tearing at his flesh, but he’d finally received those blessings.
For most people, small comforts like those were a constant in their day-to-day lives, trivial motes of warmth that hardly bore mention. But it had taken Kaito until after his death to receive them.
Because of that, Kaito thought something for the first time.
He definitely wasn’t a Sinless Soul, and the things he’d seen had been hellish. But even so… In spite of all that…
This second life he’d had forced upon him wasn’t a bad one.
Perhaps there had been meaning in the resurrection of a pitiful creature like himself after all.
Of cou
rse, he’d never share these thoughts with anyone.
When he opened his eyes, Kaito found himself seated on an extravagant chair. His surroundings were dimly lit, and the edges of his vision faded into darkness. He brushed against his chair’s expertly crafted armrests as he surveyed the room.
Wait, where am I? What am I doing here?
A pearl-gray tablecloth extended out before him. On the table lay an assortment of foods on silver buffet platters. The food was so colorful, it almost looked like it was made of wax.
There were a number of hors d’oeuvres, from a translucent gelled oyster dish and a vividly orange marinated salmon to a broad selection of pâtés. For entrees, there was a golden-brown pig roast, a vegetable quiche, and an aromatic lobster chowder. There were also fruits drizzled in honey, a cake covered in crushed almonds, and an olive-brown pudding adorned with berries.
The table was absolutely packed with fragrant foods. Flames illuminated them from atop red candlesticks, flickering as they cast their light on the banquet that looked too good to be true. But despite the meal’s splendor, nobody was partaking of the spread.
The silhouette of a man sat at the head of the table.
He wore a silk shirt with a cravat. His coat was decorated with silver thread, and he declined to remove it as he ate. The man ignored the buffet platters, instead eating from a single pure-white dinner plate.
Upon the porcelain dish was a slab of meat with blood dripping from it. The raw liver didn’t even look seasoned. The man cut thin slices of the meat and carried them to his mouth with his fork.
The darkness was broken up only by the candlelight and the soft sound of dishes clinking.
Kaito immediately recognized the man’s crimson eyes, silky black hair, and beautiful, androgynous features.
The man, Vlad, bore a striking resemblance to Elisabeth.
But…why? Why’d they bring me straight to the final boss, of all people?
Confused, Kaito took stock of his body. The pain in his abdomen hadn’t gone away, but he could move his arms and legs freely. He wasn’t bound, nor did there appear to be any manner of magical restraints.
Kaito looked at Vlad, hoping he would drop his guard. Vlad simply continued eating in silence. He seemed engrossed in the meat, as if it was the sole thing on his mind. It was unclear if his guard was down or not. Kaito then turned away from the table to check out the room. However, he couldn’t make out many details. Any part of the room that was even slightly removed from the candlelight was shrouded in darkness.
I can’t even tell where the entrance is. That’s not good.
Kaito choked back his impatience and frustration and calmed his breathing. He had to keep cool. But the feral aroma the smoke from the candles emitted set his nerves on edge. It evoked the image of that black dog, its eyes burning with hellfire.
That reminds me—are Elisabeth and Hina all right?
“Hmm? Caught your attention, has it?”
Kaito looked up with a start. Vlad, no longer eating, wore a surprised expression on his face. Kaito hadn’t expected him to sound so young. Unsure of how to respond, Kaito elected to remain silent.
“My invitation was rather abrupt, I’ll admit. No doubt you’re rather confused at the moment. My apologies.”
Vlad nodded to himself, then snapped his fingers. Darkness and azure flower petals spiraled in front of Kaito, and a bowl of water appeared. The water’s surface formed a mirror, then projected a distant scene.
Kaito’s eyes widened as he looked at it.
“Elisabeth… Hina…”
Elisabeth and Hina were making their way up the slope to the castle, fighting off a colossal black dog as they ran.
Hina swung her halberd, knocking the black dog off its feet. However, her blade couldn’t pierce the dog’s thick fur. Elisabeth sent countless stakes flying toward its back, but they all simply bounced off. The dog’s jaw bore down on her, and she bound it with conjured chains. But although she restrained it, she couldn’t deal a decisive blow.
“Damn you. To think that you would resist my torture devices this well. Truly, you bear the Kaiser’s name well.”
Elisabeth spat a mouthful of blood on the roadside. Her sharp intent to kill hadn’t been dulled. But try as she might to hide it, her crimson eyes were stained with frustration.
Placing both hands on the table, Kaito reflexively shouted out:
“Elisabeth!”
“Don’t you think she’s being a bit impatient? As I see it, Elisabeth is more volatile than a powder keg. Only a fool would try using brute force to subdue the Kaiser. Although to that point, I suppose trying to fight him in the first place was a mistake in and of itself.”
Vlad shrugged, his voice filled with the intimacy of one describing their willful child. He gracefully brought the last piece of meat to his mouth. After wiping his bloodstained lips, he gestured with his fork to the bowl Kaito was staring at.
“The Kaiser is the highest ranked among all the demons we summoned, the apex of what man can invoke. Even Elisabeth, the famed Torture Princess, won’t be able to kill him quite that easily. It would bear poorly upon the Kaiser’s name if she could. And he has his pride as a first-rate hound to consider, as well. The leader of the fourteen is in a league all his own.”
That was the kind of foe Elisabeth and Hina were fighting. Kaito clenched his fists hard. But then he noticed something out of place.
“Wait, hold up a minute. The demon’s over there, but you’re right here. Does that mean you summoned the Kaiser, but you didn’t fuse with him?”
“Precisely. You likely heard it from Elisabeth already, but I acted as the intermediary to materialize the Kaiser into this world. In a sense, the two of us are as one. Normally, it would have been prudent to merge with him for the sake of my own safety. But I’d rather not abandon the pleasure that comes of having a human body, nor do I much care to have my form reduced to such a hideous state—they are laughably hideous, are they not?”
Vlad chuckled. With a frankness that bordered on cruelty, he laughed at his fellow demons. Kaito was reminded of the time Elisabeth had instructed him to laugh at an underling.
Kaito shook his head, then continued asking questions.
“So that means you’re flesh and blood, right? And if I kill you, the Kaiser will die with you.”
“Quite so! A rather foolish thing to ask me, though, don’t you think? You seem surprisingly foolhardy, so I’ll advise a bit of caution—you can’t kill me.”
Vlad delivered this statement with total apathy. He took his napkin and wiped more blood from his lips.
“Elisabeth might stand a chance, but… Much like her, I am no ordinary human.”
Azure flower petals and darkness gathered around his fingertips. He let go of his napkin, and it unraveled. The thread drew a spiral in the air, then suddenly burst into flames. White ash fluttered gently to the table.
Watching him handle the darkness and blue petals, Kaito realized something. This man was close to what Elisabeth would be if she contracted with a demon, just like in Clueless’s example.
“So why’d you bring me here? Are you going to use me as a hostage?”
“…Forgive me. You don’t seem to be joking but rather laboring under a misapprehension… Tell me, do you honestly believe that you would have any value as a hostage?”
“Oh, hell no. I’m just a benchwarmer. I doubt Elisabeth gives a damn whether I live or die.”
“I agree. I invited you here because I have a certain proposal for you.”
Vlad nodded again in a show of near-innocent frankness. But his face then turned serious, and he crossed his hands as he looked at Kaito.
“I wish to adopt you as my son and mold you into a second Elisabeth.”
“Hard pass.”
Kaito immediately refused, not waiting to learn what Vlad meant by “a second Elisabeth.”
Despite his confusion, he was sure of his answer. The instant the idea of being the Kaiser’s contractor
’s adopted son came up, refusing was the only reasonable choice. Vlad bore a confused expression, but he continued.
“Oh, Elisabeth. My dearest beloved Elisabeth. She was my first daughter, and she was my masterpiece. Her only flaw was that she surpassed perfection. She matured even faster than I expected, but in the end, she severed all ties with me. I want to replace her. For all I have attained, for all I have yet to attain, I need a successor.”
“But why would you pick me of all people? It really makes no sense.”
“What I see in you is the potential to surpass even her. I heard a bit from Clueless, but your death was unspeakably cruel despite having committed no sin worthy of such a fate, correct? You understand pain, yet you remain calm in the face of it. On the other hand, you react strongly toward those you hate. Your passion and your composure counterbalance each other.”
“I don’t know if I’d go that far. I feel like there’s a pretty big gap between reality and what you think of me.”
“Is there? I daresay the gap is quite small—I believe I can expect great things from those who know pain but can still kill others if it meets their needs.”
Vlad snapped his fingers. The blond maids from before appeared behind him. They blinked their scuffed purple eyes, then bowed gracefully. Kaito, taken aback, glared at the two.
Vlad, showing no indication of whether or not he’d picked up on Kaito’s hostility, continued, his voice almost musical.
“Above all else, you were murdered and had everything taken from you. And those who have been taken from have a right to take from others in turn. They are, if nothing else, prepared to accept that they have that right. A deep hunger is required if one wishes to harness the pain of others. For if one’s hunger—one’s desire—is shallow, they will eventually be consumed by it. You need a certain capability—the capability to wear the tyrant’s mantle as if it was the role you were born to play.”
Torture Princess: Fremd Torturchen, Vol. 1 Page 16