Even if given the chance to repeat his life, Kaito still considered his life absolutely terrible.
Being called an innocent soul did not feel real to Kaito at all. He even ended up as a murderer in this world.
Although he had indirectly assisted in murder before and helped dispose of bodies, he had never killed someone directly with a blade.
His new life was downright awful. Witnessing unimaginably horrific scenes frequently, beaten and tortured unreasonably at whim, even ending up in situations where he had no choice but to sever his own arm or carved deep wounds on his stomach. But at the same time, he had also made unforgettable memories.
He had received benevolent wishes from others. He had been protected by others.
These were warm words that he had received by plunging his arm into mud, ripping his skin repeatedly with razor blades.
Originally, this sort of warmth was nothing more than snippets of happiness easily obtainable in normal life. However, Kaito had to risk his life in order to hold such warmth hin his hand.
Precisely because of that, a certain emotion had actually started taking root in Kaito's heart.
He was absolutely not some kind of innocent soul. The scene before his eyes was tantamount to hell. Yet even so...
This utterly unreasonable second life was not all bad.
His being reborn like a bug was not completely pointless, perhaps.
However, to this day, he had yet to tell anyone about these feelings of his.
* * *
Kaito woke up to find himself sitting in a luxurious chair. His view was quite dim. The scenery before his eyes gradually melded with darkness. Touching the intricately carved armrest, he looked around him.
(Where the heck... is this place? Why am I here?)
Before him, a pearly tablecloth extended straight ahead of him. Placed on it were silver tableware and food that was as colorful as waxen artwork.
The appetizers included translucent oyster jelly, bright orange marinated salmon, and all kinds of pate. A whole pig roasted to a golden color. Vegetable quiche and fragrant shrimp soup. Honeyed fruits. Cake covered with crushed almonds. Caramelized pudding decorated with berries on top.
Giving off great aromas, the dishes covered the entire table. Flames flickered from the red candlesticks, illuminating the table of lovely food that seemed almost fake. However, no one was partaking in this grand feast of delicacies.
There was only one host at the table. A man in black.
He was dressed in a silk shirt with a tie and coat embroidered with silver thread. Instead of the dishes on the table, he was eating something on his pure white plate.
On the porcelain plate was a red-black piece of meat, still dripping with blood. Thinly slicing what looked like raw liver that had not even been seasoned, the man brought the pieces to his lips using his fork.
Amid the darkness illuminated by candlelight, the faint sound of tableware colliding echoed.
Those red eyes, lustrous black hair, handsome face with androgynous beauty were all impressed deeply in Kaito's memory.
This man... Vlad, was very similar to Elisabeth in appearance.
(What... the heck. Of all people, why was I the one who's been dragged to face the final boss?)
Kaito examined himself in his confusion. Although the pain in his abdomen had not gone away, at least his arms and legs could move freely. He was not tied up and neither did there seem to be any magical restraints.
Kaito looked for Vlad's openings. Vlad was eating quietly, looking like he was single-mindedly enjoying the meat without thinking anything. Kaito wondered if this counted as an opening. Next, he turned his head to check the room's situation. However, even the interior of the room was unclear. The light from the candles faded the farther away from the table. It was as though this giant room melded into one with the darkness.
(If I can't even find the entrance, this is bad.)
Kaito suppressed the anxiety in his heart and adjusted his breathing, trying his best to calm down. However, smoke with a beastly odor was drifting over from the candles, disrupting his nerves. As though guided by that smoke, he recalled the black dog with eyes burning with hellfire.
(Oh right, Elisabeth and Hina... I hope they're alright.)
"Eh? Are you worried?"
Startled, Kaito looked up, only to see a surprised expression on Vlad who had stopped eating. Both his tone and vocal quality sounded younger than expected. Not knowing how to answer, Kaito chose silence.
"Ah yes, mental confusion would only be natural seeing as you were invited here so suddenly. Excuse me."
Vlad nodded on his own and snapped his fingers. Darkness and blue petals swirled in a vortex before Kaito to produce a silver basin filled with water. Shown on the water's surface, calm as a mirror, was an outside scene.
Kaito leaned forward to look and widened his eyes in surprise.
Elisabeth and Hina were advancing along the sloped path leading to the castle while fighting a gigantic black dog.
Hina swung the halberd, striking the black dog's leg but the blade was unable to pierce the muscle under the thick fur. Elisabeth summoned countless iron stakes to stab the black dog's back but they were all deflected. Confronted with the approaching jaws, she summoned chains to wrap around the dog's snout. Although she managed to restrain the dog, a decisive blow seemed beyond her.
'Damn it, instruments of torture and execution are not effective at all. Should I say as expected of The Emperor?'
Elisabeth spat blood at the ground but her acute intent to kill did not weaken. However, in those blood-red eyes of hers, the color of impatience could not be hidden.
Supporting himself with two hands on the table, Kaito yelled:
"Elisabeth!"
"My, don't you find that her personality is a bit too impatient? In my view, Elisabeth's flaw is that her flash point is even lower than dynamite's. To arrogantly think that she could overwhelm the opponent with brute strength when facing The Emperor, how utterly foolish. But on that note, choosing to fight him is in itself already a mistake."
Vlad shrugged. He sounded very cordial, like talking about a willful child. He elegantly delivered the last piece of meat into his mouth, licked blood from his lips, and used his fork to point at the silver basin that Kaito was watching.
"The Emperor is the highest ranked of all the demons we summoned, the extreme of all demons summoned by mankind. Even the famous 'Torturchen' Elisabeth cannot kill him so easily. Were he so easy to kill, The Emperor would fail to live up to its name. Priding in himself as a top-quality hound, he stands at the pinnacle of the fourteen, on a completely different level compared to the rest under him."
Kaito clenched his fist at the thought of Elisabeth and Hina fighting against such an enemy, but at that moment, he spontaneously found a point of doubt.
"W-Wait a sec. The demon is over there. Yet you are here... Does that mean you entered a contract with The Emperor but did not merge together?"
"Indeed. Elisabeth should have told you that the The Emperor manifests in this world using me as the medium. In a certain way, the two of us are two entities in one. Logically speaking, out of safety concerns for the body, merging together is more appropriate. However, I have no wish to abandon the pleasures afforded to the human body, to transform into one of those deformed bodies. Because that would be ugly to the point of making one laugh, wouldn't you agree?"
Vlad chuckled. Despite his cold appearance, he candidly mocked his demon brethren. Kaito recalled how Elisabeth had laughed at a demon's devotee and what she had said.
Shaking his head, Kaito continued:
"In other words, you are currently using your original body of flesh? If you're killed, The Emperor dies too?"
"Precisely! However, isn't it utterly foolish for you to confirm this matter with me? Seeing that you are completely ignorant of the situation, allow me to enlighten you—You cannot kill me."
Vlad asserted calmly, wiping blood off his lips with a napkin then proceeded:
"On the other hand, it would be possible for Elisabeth... Because neither she nor I are ordinary people."
Blue petals and darkness gathered at his fingertip. The napkin he released from his hand was shredded, forming a spiral in the air and suddenly burned. Next, the white ashes drifted onto the dining table.
Watching the way Vlad controlled darkness and blue petals, Kaito realized that this man was precisely the human closest to what Krulus feared, "Elisabeth forming a contract with a demon."
"Why bring me here? Are you trying to use me as a hostage?"
"...My apologies, I am not trying to mock you, but I feel that you truly fail to understand... Do you actually believe you have value as a hostage?"
"Not really. I don't contribute to combat strength and Elisabeth probably doesn't care if I live or die either."
"Indeed, that is correct. I have a proposal for you personally, which is why I had you brought here."
Once again exhibiting candidness that could be described as innocence, he nodded. However, Vlad suddenly turned solemn. Steepling his hands, he stared straight at Kaito.
"I wish to adopt you as my son, to make you a second Elisabeth."
"I refuse."
What did he mean by "a second Elisabeth"? While pondering the meaning, Kaito already declined on reflex.
Despite his mental confusion, he replied without hesitation. With The Emperor's contractor offering to adopt him, Kaito had no choice but to refuse. However, Vlad made a surprised look for some reason and continued:
"Elisabeth is my beloved first daughter, my greatest masterpiece of excessive perfection. Her growth outstripped my expectations but in the end, she broke ties with me. I wish for a replacement and for the sake of what I have obtained so far and everything I shall accumulate in the future, I need a successor."
"Even so, why pick me out of all people? I don't get it."
"I see potential in you, equal to hers or even higher. According to Krulus' report, you are an innocent soul, killed in an undeserved death through cruel means, yes? You possess deep knowledge of human suffering yet can stare at wounds calmly. Furthermore, you have a strong reaction towards hatred. There is a proud side to you."
"And nothing more than that. There's still a huge gap between the real me and your opinion."
"Is that so? I do not believe there is such a great difference. I see great promise in those who are capable of killing to fulfill aims despite knowing pain. There is plenty of room for growth in the negative side."
Vlad snapped his fingers. The two blonde maids from earlier appeared behind him. Blinking their cracked violet eyes, they curtsied elegantly. Surprised, Kaito glared at them.
Kaito did not know if Vlad noticed the hostility in Kaito's eyes, but Vlad continued like singing a song.
"Most importantly, you have been killed. You have been deprived of everything. Those who have been deprived gain the right to be plunderers. At least, you have the disposition to entrench the notion of 'the right to plunder' into your mind. It is very suitable for the matter of gathering human suffering, an essential desire. Because half-baked thirst will only cause one to be devoured by one's desires. 'Qualification'—The 'qualification' enabling one to become a tyrant matter-of-factly is essential."
Vlad monologued like a poet, analyzing like a scholar.
Kaito desperately resisted to avoid getting swallowed up by his words. Listening to that voice that seemed like a strange incantation under candlelight, Kaito felt like his consciousness was about to be taken away by Vlad. Refusing to lose himself, Kaito did not wish to, nor did he think he could, become Elisabeth.
What the man before him was saying was nothing more than the words of a madman.
"Since childhood, Elisabeth had been plagued by the fear of tyrannical death. That pain and terror forged her to become the greatest work of art. I want to make you my second masterpiece to become my successor. That being said, wanting a son after losing my daughter would be the most direct way of putting things... What do you say?"
"I refuse. Shut your babbling mouth. You're pissing me off."
"A very energetic answer! However, you should still listen to me for a bit. It doesn't cost you anything."
Vlad did not make a move. He narrowed his eyes like a mischievous youth. Or perhaps, his resembled those of a dog breeder's, scrutinizing a puppy and hearing the puppy giving off a good bark.
"I will not despise you as Krulus did, nor will I seek to exact any price from you. Never. Because doing so would be completely unreasonable... Despite saying that, doesn't it seem a little strange for me to be reasoning with you?"
"What are the terms you intend to offer? The safety of Elisabeth and Hina?"
"Certainly not! How could matters between a father and a daughter be decided by the choice of someone like you? My beloved daughter, adorable, endearing, foolish, contemptible Elisabeth's fate shall be determined by myself and the The Emperor. This is love. Know your place, lad—She is the beloved daughter of mine, Vlad Le Fanu's."
Instantly, Vlad's red eyes were filled with cold light. He stood up and walked over to Kaito, tracing his black fingernail across the surface of the water in the silver basin. Elisabeth's image shook for a moment.
"My relationship with her will not permit any interference from the likes of you."
After delivering such a viscous gaze, he smiled cheerfully again.
"Indeed! The terms I offer you ought to be more wonderful, something extremely valuable to you. My skill in magic surpasses that of Elisabeth, allowing me to secure a link with another world quite effortlessly."
Vlad puffed out his chest with pride. His expression of delight was like a child inviting a friend over to play a game. He said he wanted to adopt Kaito as his son, yet he was showing such innocent childishness. But suddenly, Vlad's lips began to curl deeply to reveal an evil grin. Seeing that look, Kaito understood unavoidably.
Despite forgoing a merge, this man himself was unmistakably a demon.
Demons would target openings in human hearts.
"Just a few days ago, your father sank into the ocean due to a bit of trouble he got himself into. How about summoning him here to serve as your toy?"
The instant he heard these words, Kaito's heart stopped for an instant.
* * *
"...Don't tell me, that guy... He died?"
By the time he came to his senses, Kaito had already stood up. The chair made an exaggerated noise and fell over backwards. The silver basin shook and the image on the water surface disappeared. However, Kaito was too preoccupied to care about any of that.
Kaito felt a shock as though his head had been struck violently by a hammer. After a while, he felt a strange sense of emptiness. He felt like his chest had become hollow, like his heart had been crushed.
Vlad's words was this unexpected for Kaito. That was why Kaito felt such a great shock.
Dead... That man died. That bastard, whom Kaito thought would live on forever no matter what happened, was dead...
"Yes, indeed. He died. Congratulations! Or rather, he got what he deserved... Hmm, although I consider myself a synonym for evil, would saying something like that be a contradiction? Whatever, let the contradiction continue! An ending that feels great! Come, what is your decision?"
"Decision? What can I do... My old man is dead."
"Did I not mention just now? I could resurrect him to serve as your toy as a gift! If you wish to avenge your own death, I suggest you should agree to my terms. Don't worry, you have no need to feel shy or to hide anything."
Vlad kept nodding to show understanding and cordiality, smiling innocently at Kaito.
With an expression like inviting someone to a cruel game, he continued:
"Rip his intestines, crush his lungs, strangle his neck. It will be very fun, right?"
I must not listen to Vlad's sweet words, those are words of a demon... Despite knowing that, Kaito could not resist the mud of emotions surging violently from the bottom of his cracked open heart.
He yearned to tear out that man's innards, to kill him mercilessly when he begged for mercy. Simply imagining that scene made him feel good inside. If he actually did that, how exhilarating it would be.
By doing so, the fear and hatred restraining him like shackles all this time would surely all disappear.
Surely, it would be worth abandoning all his values as a human for the rest of his life.
"At least——————————————————Let me think for a while."
In the end, Kaito squeezed these few words from his throat like spitting blood. Under the emotions of extreme excitement, dizziness, resembling fear, his body was trembling slightly. Vlad nodded deeply.
"Of course, time is in abundant supply... At least for you."
Hearing Vlad say that to him, Kaito turned his hollow gaze towards the water surface. A sharp flash of silver flew across his view.
'——Take that!'
A giant scythe of execution descended on the black dog's neck but the dog caught it with its mouth and crushed it between its jaws. Hina's maid uniform was tattered all over and covered in holes while she was swinging her halberd.
'Lord _____! Lord _____! Lord _____! Lord _____! Where are you!?'
Taking damage repeatedly, she ignored her own body and desperately called someone's name.
(That's—me...)
Witnessing that kind of scene, Kaito thought he should be feeling something. However, despite understanding the necessity, he did not know how to react. After the intense shock to his mind, he could not process the scene in front of him.
Right now, everything happening before his eyes seemed like it was in another world away from him. It felt like his soul had returned alone to that room when he had been strangled to death.
Not knowing what to do, Kaito reached for the water surface like a child.
His trembling fingers entered the water with a splash.
The mirror-like water surface was disrupted completely, showing nothing after that.
* * *
"This will be your room, Lord Kaito. Please use it as you please until you reach a conclusion."
Another maid, different from the previous pair, bowed to Kaito while holding a lantern in one hand.
When she lifted her face, Kaito saw crooked pearls glinting in the center of her eyes. Probably created a long time ago, her face had some parts that were crumbling. Kaito nodded and she turned around, leaving the room to disappear into the darkness of the corridor. Her slow footsteps as well as the rattling from her left ankle gradually faded into the distance.
Left alone, Kaito moved his blank gaze around this filthy room in a circle.
"...Isn't this that room?"
Kaito was visiting the first time but he felt a sense of deja vu.
The room's layout approached a cube and there was yellowed wallpaper with a floral pattern on the walls. The cute plaster decorations on the windowsill had a thick layer of dust accumulated. Originally pure white, the furniture had turned filthy, but the golden handles remained bright. What should have been dolls and plushies on top of the dresser were now replaced by rifles and wooden horse models, probably considering Kaito being a boy. Covered with cobwebs, the bed surrounded by four posts was covered by a collapsed mattress. On top of it, several blankets were placed in a criss-cross manner.
Dried bloodstains remained on those blanket's gnarled surface. After checking all this out, Kaito nodded.
"As suspected, this was the child's room where Elisabeth used to live."
Kaito had accidentally trespassed an illusory room in the treasure vault and this room was the real thing.
The door Kaito had found in the treasure vault was probably made of the memories taken from this room and recreated in the magical dimension. Compared to the illusion he had seen back then, the real room was far dirtier, but the interior decoration was virtually the same. It looked like Vlad had replenished some of the objects taken away by Elisabeth, recreating the room that had lost its master or restoring it to a close approximation. Judging from this fact, Kaito could also see his exceptional obsession with Elisabeth. Possibly in consideration for Kaito, some of the decor in the room had been slightly changed to suit a boy, it felt rather ludicrous.
"......Hoh."
Suddenly, Kaito lost his sanity completely. The intense desire to laugh was making him hold his stomach tightly. Everything was too funny. Opening his mouth wide, he laughed to his fill.
"Hahahaha, hahahahaha, hahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
His muscles convulsed, his tears came out. Even in the end when laughing became painful, Kaito still continued to laugh like mad. He ha gone crazy, insane beyond compare. Whether his father's unsightly death or the current situation, everything was nothing more than a ridiculous farce.
Also, these were all lies.
——————Bam!
Suddenly, Kaito's laughter stopped and he smashed his fist hard against the wall. His bones fractured, stinging sharply, but he still swung his fist again. Leaving blood on the wall, breaking his fingers, Kaito still showed no intention to stop, punching the wall like mad while yelling:
"Dead huh! That guy's dead huh! Killing others on whim and getting killed himself in the end huh! Serves him right! But... But how could I let go of my grudge so easily!? How could I possibly forgive you!? I must kill slaughter you again, by my own hand!"
Kaito pummeled the wall again. Inside his tightly held fist, his little finger snapped. Even though hatred and anger filled his mind, he still did not regain his calm at all. Like a child in a tantrum, he was pushed around by turbulent emotions amid crying. After panting heavily, he smashed his forehead against the wall and muttered emptily:
"But... Letting a murdered victim kill someone who has already dead, that's... I totally don't get it."
With self-deprecation, Kaito revealed his thoughts then smiled weakly. Soon after, Kaito moved his head lightly away from the bloodstained wall and looked around his surroundings as though seeking help from someone.
Unintentionally, his gaze stopped at the bed.
".......Elisabeth."
In his weary eyes, a vague image of Elisabeth as a young girl surfaced.
That sickly looking beautiful girl, half her body buried in the sea of blankets, sitting on the bed. Her completely lifeless and hollow eyes also reflected Kaito. Her beautiful face was the one thing that had not changed, not then, not now.
Like a child, Kaito's face went distorted as he asked the young Elisabeth:
"Hey, tell me, what exactly did you experience? Why did you end up like that?"
The illusion did not answer. Even so, Kaito continued to question, screaming desperately.
"Tell me, Elisabeth! Why did you choose to become Torturchen!"
This was the question that had been buried deep in his heart, the question he had agonized over all this time.
Why did she become Torturchen? What reasons were behind it, what kind of hatred? Or perhaps, there was nothing at all? However, the illusory girl did not answer, of course.
The Elisabeth in front of him was nothing more than a delusion created by Kaito's mind that was on the edge of a breakdown. Kaito was aware of that himself, but he still wanted to grab the girl before his eyes. Soon after that, the girl's image slowly dissolved and disappeared.
"...Ho, hahahahaha, hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
Kaito began to laugh again. He laughed loudly, explosively, madly, rolling on the floor, then started hitting the wall again. His bloody fingers made disgusting noises then he withdrew his hand from the wall and wiped his tears away.
Suddenly, his confusion finally subsided. Suddenly, nothing flowed from his eyes anymore. His wild emotions vanished with abnormal speed. With a mind as calm and clear as the surface of a lake, Kaito quietly reached his conclusion.
No matter how long he laughed, this hatred probably would not ever reach an end.
Kaito had been cruelly and tragically killed.
That was the truth... And nothing more.
* * *
The maid with crooked pearls for eyes was waiting ready outside the child's room.
"Please come to the dining hall. Lord Vlad is waiting for you."
Led by her, Kaito went to the dining hall again. In the darkness, Vlad was the same as before, sitting at the host seat. Unlike Elisabeth, he did not seem to require dessert and had finished his meal rapidly, enjoying his wine now. Kaito looked at his profile while he was swirling his wine glass and said:
"I've decided. Let me kill my old man. He is the one guy I can't forgive even when he's dead."
Vlad put down his glass and said in a gentle voice as though erasing Kaito's guilt for him.
"An excellent decision. Revenge is your deserved right. There is no reason not to exercise it."
There was no surprise on his face. It looked like he had expected this answer from Kaito. That was only natural. Since he hoped to adopt Kaito, naturally, he understood the true nature of the hatred binding Kaito.
Kaito clenched his aching fist and pleaded while hesitating.
"Before that, even if only once... I won't ask you to let me see your daughter Elisabeth, but at least, can I see Hina... Let me say goodbye to her?"
"...Hina? Oh, you mean that puppet of mine that was cast aside without being activated? To think you like it so much, how unexpected. Do you have a hobby of 'playing house with dolls' by any chance? In that case, I could fine-tune a doll similar to her... No, a doll even more suited to your tastes. That would be no problem at all."
"Hina is her own person, my one and only irreplaceable Hina, not a puppet."
Kaito closed his eyes and recalled the warm sensation of being embraced against her bosom. Her adorable face, framed by silver hair, reappeared under his eyelids. However, Kaito opened his eyes to dispel the image.
"Despite our short time together, she did look after me. Also, one more thing... When I'm saying goodbye to Hina, make The Emperor stop attacking. It's too much of a handicap for Elisabeth to fight it alone."
"Deriving the feeling of 'looked after' from a doll, how incomprehensible. What a selfish wish when you have already decided on betrayal... Whatever, I shall make a special exception and consider it your first and last act of willfulness as my successor."
Vlad nodded and issued some kind of order to the blonde pair of maids. Taking the watch, they silently walked out. Watching them depart side by side, Vlad explained proudly:
"That timepiece is an enchanted tool, capable of isolating someone from the stream of time as long as they lack resistance against magic. Back then, the surrounding space seemed to stop from your perspective, yes? But in actual fact, you alone had been separated from the normal flow of time. As users of enchanted tools, that pair of maids could easily kill you in that space while Elisabeth outside could not even touch you. Ultimately, it is something designed to take care of small fry, but robotic dolls are hard to say. Although it usually does not take effect, it might work in this case judging from the injuries previously seen. Very well, how about a glass of wine while you are waiting?"
"No thanks."
"How boring. In my opinion, learning to appreciate wine would make life more enjoyable."
Kaito refused Vlad's suggestion and found a random seat to plunk himself down. Like Vlad, he ignored the food in front of him and clasped his bloody fingers together. Vlad shrugged lightly and took another sip of wine.
After an uncomfortable period that felt endless, the dining hall door opened with the sound of approaching footsteps and something being dragged. Kaito looked in that direction and widened his eyes in surprise.
"...Hina!"
"No need to be subdued, it was already lying in the rubble."
"It appears that Elisabeth left it behind, finding it a hindrance."
"So Elisabeth did it, perhaps not wanting it to fight until its destruction. As always, my Elisabeth is so kind-hearted when she shows kindness. Looks like there is no way for you to have the puppet pass along a message, and have the puppet and Elisabeth 'escape' together."
Listening to the report from the maids, Vlad glanced at Kaito and mocked him. Kaito hastily rose up from his chair.
Hina was supported at the shoulders by the two maids. Her clothing was very tattered with damage to her simulated human skin. Even though she looked like she had trouble even walking, she still kept the halberd cradled in her arms.
"...Lord, Kaito... Ah... Lord, Kaito, where are, you..."
Murmuring like dream talk, she shook her messy silver hair and looked up. Her hollow emerald eyes saw Kaito dashing towards her. At that moment, her eyes widened in surprise and the light of joy returned to her turbid eyes.
"...Lord Kaito!"
Hina broke free from the maids and even tossed away the halberd she had been clutching tightly, spreading her arms like she had forgotten her pain and wounds. Kaito paused. Although it was no longer possible to achieve his goal of having Hina pass along a message and escape together with Elisabeth, his commitment to betrayal had not changed. Right now, he had no right to be hugged by her.
"Lord Kaito! Ahh, thank goodness you are alright!"
"Farewell, Hina. Return to the castle on your own."
Hearing Kaito, Hina also halted in her steps in the middle of rushing at him. Her expression froze completely from intense shock as though a stake had been driven into her heart. Several seconds later, Hina righted her posture and stared straight at Kaito.
She brought her hand lightly to her abdomen, adjusted her breathing then said:
"Lord Kaito, did I do something inadequate?"
"Hina, you did nothing..."
"In that case, I am terribly sorry, but could you point out the error in my ways? I will change everything. I am stupid and even failed to notice my mistakes, but if you could give me a chance to rectify my failures, there would be no greater happiness for me. Please be merciful."
"No, it's not like that. You didn't do anything wrong at all."
Kaito hastily refuted Hina's unexpected speech. With a troubled look, Hina said:
"Then... Then have you tired of me, Lord Kaito? Do you have no wish to see my face ever again? Do you not want me by your side? In that case, I shall plead with Lady Elisabeth for her assistance, to modify this face as much as possible to what you prefer, Lord Kaito..."
"No, Hina, you did nothing wrong. It's just that I've decided to follow this guy."
"Lord Kaito... You are going to... follow Vlad?"
Looking at the person Kaito indicated, Hina looked troubled. Kaito nodded hesitantly.
"I actually don't want to go with him, but there's something I must do no matter what, even if it means that I have to cause other people suffering. And this guy is the only one who has the method."
Saying that, Kaito looked away from Hina's face that resembled an abandoned puppy's.
Hina had not done anything wrong yet Kaito had already made his decision to betray. Precisely because of that, he did not want to make Hina show such an expression, but he could not keep her by his side anymore either.
Currently, Hina did not constitute any threat, so as long as she gave up on Kaito, Vlad would probably let her go.
Besides, their relationship only started from Kaito's accidental activation of her. As long as she forgot Kaito and found a new master, she should be able to spend her life in happiness and peace.
At least, that was what Kaito wanted to believe.
"Forget your preset love, go back and live in freedom. Don't bother with Elisabeth, or Vlad... Forget me and input a new setting."
"Please do not be silly, Lord Kaito."
"Huh?"
Kaito was interrupted by an icy voice. Until now, Hina had never gotten angry at Kaito, not even once. She took a breath and exhaled then righted her posture sternly.
Putting her hand lightly on her magnificent chest, she closed her eyes and spoke quietly:
"Even if these feelings originated from my settings as a robotic doll, my heart belongs to myself alone. The instant I chose you as my master, Lord Kaito, and at the same time was selected by you, I decided to offer my all to you alone. I live because I wish to live for you, Lord Kaito, and I perish because I wish to die for you. Asking me to serve another master would be impossible. Even a command from you, my most revered master, cannot deny these feelings of mine."
"...Hina."
"Why must you follow a man like that?"
"Sorry, I have to go with him. And even if I have give him the rest of my life, I must kill my old man!"
Kaito had started yelling by the time he realized. Perhaps as a reaction brought upon by the wavering in his thoughts, anger, killing intent and all the pain he had suffered in the past, everything filled his heart again. Gnashing his teeth, he breathed heavily like a beast.
Hina seemed to realize something suddenly, changing the sad look on her face. She ought to understand Kaito's past but as though searching for something, she quietly asked him:
"Something like that... Is something like that your happiness?"
"Eh... Huh, happi-ness?"
"Is it truly happiness?"
"Huh? Yeah, I guess."
Shaken by Hina's solemn tone of voice, Kaito could not help but nod. However, he did not know if it really was happiness. In fact, murder was probably an act the farthest removed from the word "happiness." However, as long as he killed his father, that turbid vortex of hatred in his heart should subside.
Hearing his answer, Hina smiled with gentle beauty.
"I am glad for you."
"Huh?"
Hearing the unexpected reply, Kaito reacted with surprise again. For some reason, Hina was nodding. She looked like a mother who understood her child's happiness, smiling contentedly with hands superimposed together.
"Back in the castle, I have never seen you smile from the heart, Lord Kaito... Hence I have been worrying the whole time. Since you say that this is a choice you made for the sake of happiness, Lord Kaito, I shall not say anything more on the matter. With sincere joy from the bottom of my heart, I support the path you have chosen."
"Hina, so you've been worrying about me whole time huh..."
"Your happiness, Lord Kaito, is my happiness, the one and only supreme happiness... I understand. So with this happiness in my heart, I shall comply with your wish and deactivate myself."
"What!?"
This time, Hina's unexpected words caused Kaito to stare wide-eyed. He did not hope for that at all. He was bidding Hina farewell only so that she could live on.
Kaito clutched Hina's shoulders tightly and she looked back peacefully at him.
"Don't be ridiculous, Hina! Why must you deactivate yourself!?"
"Since you will not be needing me, why would I need to continue living? It was not Lady Elisabeth's intention to run away and I was merely in the way. Please rest assured. So long as you are able to obtain happiness, I shall gladly turn back into a puppet."
"Don't be like this... I'm begging you, don't. I don't want tyou to die. You have to be wise about this."
"So kind... You are really so kind, so merciful. Your infinite concern, I hereby accept it with endless gratitude. However, I have decided long ago that I shall live and die with you. Since you require me no more, my love is therefore forfeit. You have no need to feel guilty about this. Please see me off with simple smiles and praise."
Hina smiled quietly. In her voice was unshakable pride that Kaito could not understand at all. Kaito knew that no matter what he said, he would not be able to overturn her determination. Next, Kaito naturally released his tightened grip. Hina took a step back and raised the hem of her maid uniform's skirt. Her silver hair glittered under the candlelight, swaying lightly. She stepped back with her injured foot and curtsied gracefully.
"Lord Kaito, so long as you do not call my name in the next hour or two, I shall enter eternal slumber. Thank you for your abundant love, to have spent time with you, so kind-hearted that you are... To be fortunate enough to become your lover, I have no greater happiness than that."
Hina had called such a short time happiness. Her voice was filled with gratitude without the slightest pretense. Hina bowed her head deeply and said:
"With sincere love and gratitude, I set forth for death. Farewell."
After bidding farewell, she picked up her halberd to use as a crutch and walked away unsteadily. Shaking off the hands from the pair of maids intending to support her, she left the dining hall. The determined image of her back soon disappeared into the darkness.
Standing there frozen, Kaito looked blankly to see Hina off.
At the same time, Marianne and Elisabeth's conversation reappeared in his mind.
"If you were to kill me now, I fear that there will never be anyone in this world who will love you."
"Yes, you are correct. Forever and ever, there will be no one."
He had a feeling as though losing something important without knowing it.
Kaito stood there in a daze. However, before he could figure out this deep sense of loss, Vlad said to him from behind:
"Allow me to confirm just in case. Due to a few words from a mere toy, your blood thirst accumulated over the long years have disappeared, thoroughly refreshing your mind, congratulations... This type of miracle did not occur, did it?"
"...Cut the crap. Hurry and summon my old man."
Kaito cursed quietly. Vlad nodded and snapped his fingers.
As though waiting ready all along, the two blonde maids pushed one of those carts used for transporting food to arrive then suddenly opened a silver lid on top.
Lying there was a doll dressed in a black tuxedo without hair, eyes or a mouth.
This ball-jointed doll with pale skin looked quite simple in structure. It was hard to believe it could hold a human soul. Vlad picked up a table knife from the dining table. After spinning the eagle-handled knife deftly in his hand for a while, he suddenly stopped. Using the sharp silver edge, he suddenly slashed halfway through his hand.
One cut severed the artery. The great quantity of blood dyed the tablecloth red then started dripping to the floor. After that, the blood gathered together as though it was alive, beginning to trace out complicated shapes on the ground, different from a teleportation magic circle.
At the same time, Vlad frowned slightly. On his arm under his sleeve, words of holy scripture was glowing red. The Church's restraints were definitely carved on his body. Whenever he activated magic, he would suffer even greater physical torment. However, his expression was no longer affected by this.
"'My words are not falsehoods. My words are not falsehoods. My words are not falsehoods. His soul traverses from one realm to the second, continuing to cry intermittently on the ground, recovering his own form in the sky.'"
Vlad repeatedly muttered something. The summoning magic circle glowed red in response to her voice.
As the light gradually brightened, the air in the room also changed.
"'Take form——Transcend——Take form——Recover——Take form——'"
Dry air started to dance like thousands of glass fragments with dangerous sharpness. Kaito's gaze chased after these intangible lights, flying all over the place, brushing past the tip of his nose. Indeed, a scene from another world was projected in front of him.
Roads, cars, crowds, advertisement signs, rivers, schools... All were scenes from the world that Kaito had left after being killed.
"You would do best to close you eyes. Ordinary people tend to go insane after staring at this light for too long. You probably have no wish for your mind to be brought back to the other side, right?"
Kaito hastily closed his eyes as soon as he heard Vlad. Even so, the colored light's brightness continued to be imprinted upon his retinas. As much as Kaito tried to avoid the light and focus on the darkness, everything that had happened so far naturally surfaced in his mind.
For the sake of escaping the weird light, Kaito gradually sank into the bottom of his sea of memories.
The fluttering of black hair, the otherworldly beauty declared, sometimes maliciously, sometimes proudly:
'My name is "Torturchen" Elisabeth Le Fanu.'
'Both a proud wolf and a lowly sow.'
'Whether you or I—Both of us are to be forsaken by all creation across heaven and earth, to ultimately die.
Silver hair fluttering, the beautiful doll showing a gentle smile filled with love.
'Please rest assured. I will protect you at all costs.'
'With sincere love and gratitude, I set forth for death.'
The red-haired youth smiling on the verge of tears, speaking in a trembling voice amid chaos:
'Ah, I'm probably hoping... You could find happiness in this world, I guess.'
Speaking of which, Neue's wish had not come true even at the very end.
By the time he realized this, Kaito's chest began to stir intensely. He heart was aching, his breathing grew difficult. Was this really okay? Would he really not have regrets? Even he was questioning himself honestly as though from a different person's standpoint.
(Shut up, shut up, in spite of this... In spite of this, I have to slaughter my old man.)
"—It is done."
Hence, Kaito opened his eyes.
* * *
".........H-Huh?"
Kaito's father was undoubtedly standing in front of him.
The fierce man with the unkempt beard was looking around him. Scratching his messy black hair, his eyes swiveled around like a chameleon's, checking out his surroundings. Kaito definitely remembered that distinctive aquiline nose, but unable to accept the situation before his eyes, Kaito was in a deep frown.
Examining this man from head to foot, Kaito muttered quietly after a while:
"......Weird, was he always like this?"
"W-What is this place? Is it the afterlife? Eh, Kaito? Why are you here, asshole? Huh? N-No way... Are you trying to take revenge? How dare you even think of that!?"
His father suddenly started to scream and yell. Even after death, he was still so easy to set off, and through his intuition that bordered on persecution mania, he realized the danger he was facing.
Despite the flying saliva from his constant raving, there was no longer any insanity in those bloodshot eyes of his.
At that moment, Kaito suddenly realized that his father's insanity was almost definitely caused by drugs. Even now, in that face of his, Kaito could still see hints of his cruelty and sadism, which had not changed the slightest. His muscular body, thoroughly accustomed to hurting others, ought to be terrifying but that was all.
The angry shouting face from his father was like the difference between heaven and hell when compared to Elisabeth's evil expressions.
Kaito even thought that his father's expression was far inferior to the bizarre faces of demons, Krulus' cold and condescending gaze, or Marianne's insane sadness. Naturally, he could not compare to Vlad's smiles of delight either.
Kaito could not help but mutter blankly:
"...He's totally... not scary at all."
The fear that used to fill his heart vanished all at once after he witness his father's exceedingly ordinary expression of rage. Anger and intent to kill turned into confusion due to the massive contrast between reality and his feelings. The extreme nervousness causing his entire body to go tense was slowly dissipating. Kaito lost his earlier calm and rubbed his eyes hard.
(Hey, what the hell is going on? Is this him? Is this really him?)
"Hey... Kaito, why are you silent? Huh? I'm talking to you!"
The man before him... had killed him. Originally the incarnation of absolute terror, the person he hated with every fiber of his being, Kaito could no understand at all. Looking at this guy, the threat he presented could not even compare to that of The Earl.
(Ahhh... I get it now.)
Kaito recalled every incident he had witnessed after coming to this world and silently reached a revelation.
(I've seen far too many terrifying things on this side.)
There was too much evil beyond human wisdom. Having spent too long by the side of the woman fighting against such evil, all the things Kaito once feared no longer had any effect on him.
Kaito finally realized that the contemptible and tyrannical father no longer existed. In front of him was just a petty man of absolutely no consequence, a man who did not even know about self-control.
Examining the face that kept yelling, Kaito quietly threw out a comment in disappointment.
"...What the hell, this sucks."
In the next instant, he could not help but burst into laughter. His father showed surprise, another ludicrous expression, causing Kaito to laugh even more. Holding his sides, Kaito laughed, rolling on the ground. At the same time, he heard what sounded like the breaking of the heavy chains that had bound him till now. This time, he really felt from the bottom of his heart how ridiculous everything was.
To think that what bounded him was this kind of low-life.
"I don't need him."
"Huh? What's with you suddenly, asshole? Huhhh? How dare you ignore your old man and look down on me? What are you laughing like an idiot for? Have you lost your marbles?"
"I don't need someone like him. The price is too heavy."
Even with him grabbing Kaito by the chest, Kaito simply shrugged. He turned to look back, only to see Vlad in a deep frown. The deep wond on his left wrist had already healed.
(A monster as expected.)
Thinking that, Kaito pointed his thumb at hi father while asserting as though a load had been lifted off his heart:
"This guy is totally not worth it for me to kill by putting my entire future on the line."
Although his father did not understand what Kaito was talking about, he seemed to know he was being belittled and swung his fist. Vlad snapped his fingers and instantly stopped Kaito's father's arm, prompting him to stare at his own arm in surprise. Vlad motioned with his chin for Kaito to continue. Kaito nodded and said:
"After coming to this world, I saw hell."
He saw those who created hell and the person who fought against them. He witnessed terrifying scenes where the weak was devoured. And in this hell, he had barely survived. Carving a bloody teleportation circle on his own stomach, forced to help out with no avenue of escape until all demons were destroyed. All this started from a certain woman's tyrannical ways.
"Torturchen" Elisabeth Le Fanu. A proud wolf and a lowly sow.
Right now, Kaito was serving by the side of the most terrifying, the most beautiful, and the most atrocious sinner.
Hence, there was totally no need to feel bound by the likes of this scum before him.
Killed by him... So what?
He had no time to care about something so silly. Kaito still had an important promise to uphold using the rest of his life.
"Even amid despair, there's still hope. Even if I have brace myself and take the plunge, I have to work hard for happiness."
Kaito declared firmly without any hesitation, breaking his contract with Vlad.
Vlad crossed his arms and pondered. He stared straight at Kaito's face then sighed deeply, covering his face with his slender fingers, shaking his head with a dramatic an exaggerated motion.
"It appears that I took you in too late."
"Yes, it's a bit too late."
Faced with Vlad's sad exclamation, Kaito replied casually.
"Definitely."
Vlad nodded, feeling disappointed from the bottom of his heart about the situation, stumbling. He walked over to Kaito's father and placed a hand on his shoulder. At the same time, Kaito's father began to yell randomly:
"Are you looking down at me? Quit putting me up to this kind of crap or else I'll kill you, asshole, I'll kill you!"
It looked like Vlad had restrained his mouth earlier too, no wonder it had been so quiet. Vlad frowned impatiently and brought his lips near Kaito's father's ear. As though a carnivorous predator had brought its teeth near, Kaito's father instantly stopped talking. In a sweet voice, Vlad whispered quietly to that ear which had been deformed from fist fights.
"Killing this thing in front of you again, to let you enjoy a second life, how do you feel about that?"
Kaito's father was stunned for a moment before licking his lips. He accepted things way too easily. At the same time, Kaito turned around and ran. Angry shouts filled with murderous intent were chasing after him.
"Kaito, hold it right there! Stop running!"
"As if I'd stop just because you said so, idiot!"
Correct decisions could be made as long as one's brain was not atrophied. Kaito did not want to just stand there and get killed by him. While making weird noises, his father pursued. Kaito charged at the entrance he had gone through earlier. The pair of maids did not take any action. Although Kaito did not know if he could make it to Elisabeth alive, at least he had to stop Hina from deactivating even at the cost of his own life. Right now, he should still be able to make it.
At that moment, Vlad snapped his fingers. Blue petals and darkness swirled in a vortex and a stake skewered Kaito's foot.
"Gaahhh!"
Kaito screamed from the intense pain and fell on one knee. At the same time, his father caught up and grabbed the back of his neck firmly, dragging him. Shaking in anger, his father strangled Kaito's neck.
"Quit looking down on me, you fucking kid, quit looking down looking down looking down looking down on meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Kaito raised his hand, trying to resist, but his palm ended up pierced by a stake too. His bloody arm dangled powerlessly.
His view gradually contracted and his consciousness faded. Recalling the excruciating feeling of pressure on his windpipe, that kind of sensation was happening on his throat again. Although the golem body was immortal, at this rate, his neck was going to break, severing his arteries. If that happened, death would still occur.
(Am I going... to be killed again?)
Talking such a big game earlier but dying so shamefully in the end. But back then, no one came to rescue him either. If he called for anyone know, it would probably be useless. No one was going to come for him.
Kaito recalled that gentle smile and warm embrace. Why did he not embrace her tightly when she was leaving...? Kaito felt truly regretful and whispered lightly, shedding a tear.
"..............I'm sorry, Hina."
Thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud, from somewhere came a noise.
Kaito's father suddenly loosened his grip. Kaito opened his eyes slightly to see his father staring in shock at the direction of the noise. Curious, Kaito turned his eyes forcefully to look in the same direction.
After seeing what was there, his mouth gaped open in shock just like his father.
Hina was on rampage, swinging her halberd like a hurricane while she approached.
Seeing her so fierce, it was hard not to doubt why she had been so weak earlier... Knocking away the maids that went up to stop her, with blushing cheeks and radiant eyes, she called out:
"You called me, right? You called me, right? You just called me, right? Ahhhh, Lord Kaitoooooooo! I will save you now!"
"Holy crap."
Kaito could not help but mutter. Sensing instinctively he was in danger, Kaito's father released him and tried to run. Kaito was thrown to the floor but did not feel any impact. By the time he realized, he noticed he was being held tightly in Hina's right arm. She used her remaining left arm to brandish the halberd in a flash.
"Huh?"
"You will pay with your body for the crime of strangling Lord Kaito."
Kaito's father's upper torso was effortlessly cleaved into two, sliding to one side along the cross-section, spilling blood and guts everywhere. His father was rendered motionless, probably because the instantaneous blood loss had exceeded activity limits.
Hina's strike had not the slightest hesitation or delay. The power was astounding.
Held against Hina's bosom, Kaito was stunned. To insulate Kaito from all impact, Hina dropped the halberd and embraced Kaito with both arms. Naturally, she buried Kaito's face into her bountiful bust. At the same time, she cried out, overjoyed:
"Ahhh, Lord Kaito! You have saved me from the abyss of death once again. Your kindness knows no bounds, your mercy knows no bounds! I heard your merciful voice loud and clear! Until the last instant of my life, I will love you and stop anyone from hurting you!"
"Ha... Hahaha."
Kaito could not help but relax and laugh. All this was a total mess, but joy gradually crept up in his heart. He originally thought no one would save him, but he was wrong.
Also, he would never think that again.
Kaito raised his bloody hand. Seeing it, Hina screamed in sadness, but Kaito ignored the state of his hand and touched her cheek with his trembling hand. Not wanting to soil her pale skin, he only used his fingertips to feel her warmth. After a while, Kaito exhaled in relief.
"Lord Kaito? What is with you? Do your wounds hurt?"
"I'm so glad you survived. Honestly... Honestly thank goodness... I'm sorry, Hina, I'm sorry."
"L-Lord Kaito! Please do not apologize! Are you okay? I will forever serve singlemindedly by your side, whether in sickness or health, so long as this life persists! Ahh, this love! These feelings! Ah, it must be maternal instinct."
Hina murmured with a serious look on her face, but her expression suddenly changed and she looked up sharply. Intense blood lust like an animal's flashed in her emerald eyes.
"Of the rats hurting you, Lord Kaito, one still remains."
Kaito looked up to see Vlad in contemplation, stepping on Kaito's father's internal organs with his shoe. Seeing that frozen profile, Kaito felt his whole body run cold. He was angry with annoyance filling up his mind, even losing the ability to think "crush Kaito and Hina immediately."
"Go to hell, bastard."
"Don't, Hina!"
In the next instant, Hina vanished. Using her battered body to pick up the halberd, with dilated pupils, she attacked Vlad. Without looking back, Vlad snapped his fingers.
With a swirl of darkness and petals, a rotary saw manifested in the air.
The saw went straight for Kaito instead of aiming at Hina. Vlad's disinterested gaze looked like he was testing Hina. Without a second's hesitation, Hina dropped the halberd and twisted herself very forcefully, trying to shield Kaito with her own body.
At that moment, Kaito saw her image superimposed with Neue.
"No, Hina!"
Kaito immediately pushed Hina out of the saw's trajectory.
"Eh? Lord, Kaito?"
Hina widened her eyes in surprise, reaching forward with her hands. Looking at her, Kaito smiled.
Instantly, a burning sensation sliced through his body. Kaito was instantaneously disemboweled. Although the rotary saw looked very menacing, its sharpness was inferior to the halberd. Thanks to that, Kaito avoided getting chopped into two, but many organs fell out from his wound. Unable to make a sound, he collapsed on the spot. Hina cried out in a frenzy.
"Lord, Kaito!? Lord Kaito, Lord Kaito, nooooooooooooooooooo!"
"...Ug... Gah, ha... Geh."
Kaito could feel the warmth of his throbbing internal organs on his palm. His heart was pounding, so annoying. Trembling on the ground, he thought with hazy thoughts.
(Will Hina... find a chance... to escape...? Not gonna happen...)
Given her personality, she could not possibly abandon Kaito. He had to find a way to tell her to escape. However, he was in no shape to speak coherently. His vision faded.
In his field of view that was supposed to pitch black, there was a flash of light. What exactly was this feeling? Having experienced the flow of teleportation magic through his abdomen, Kaito was able to understand. This was the restless magical power in Elisabeth's blood that was mixed in his own blood. In this crisis faced with death, Kaito's soul was synchronizing with blood possessing even greater magic.
The blood's memories were automatically recreated.
What appeared before him resembled the flashbacks that people commonly spoke of.
However, this was an extremely evil scene, completely different from what people usually described.
* * *
Countless cruelly slaughtered corpses with hundreds of crows flying over them. A crowd shouting "kill, kill, kill." A girl suspended in the air, dressed in a bondage suit. A sickly young girl, looking out the window of a child's room.
A graceful man ran a finger over her skinny shoulder dressed in a negligee.
THe girl's tousled hair shook, her body trembled in surprise. She hastily looked up, only to see the man raise his arms in a surrendering gesture. Seeing his face, the girl breathed a sigh of relief.
"My goodness, Uncle Vlad, please do not startle me so."
"Hello Elisabeth, my lovely daughter... Have you been a good girl today? Did you secretly kill a cat like last time?"
"Most certainly not. I shan't do anything like that again."
"Really? Oh well, fine. Regardless what you decide, I will keep your secret."
The uncle's handsome face was very similar to hers. He was quite delighted to meet her again. For some reason, he called Elisabeth his daughter instead of his niece.
Elisabeth wanted to respond but suddenly covered her lips. She coughed dryly a few times, leaving traces of blood between her fingers. Seeing her so pitiful, Vlad spoke in a coaxing voice.
"Poor Elisabeth, plagued by incurable illness since birth. Possessing the same cruel nature as me, my lovely Elisabeth. The reason I am here today is because I have brought the 'qualification' from the abyss of death that will cure you of your incurable illness."
"Really? But Uncle, even the doctor says this illness cannot be cured. Also, what do you mean by 'qualification'?"
"You will know when the time comes. Here, take this. Just as I helped you cover up your 'prank,' do not breathe a word about this to anyone, okay?"
The uncle brought his index finger to his lips and winked. Elisabeth nodded innocently. Vlad stroked her gently and took out something from his bag.
"Eat this and you will be able to enjoy your life more than anyone in the world."
Elisabeth reached out and accepted from Vlad the lump of meat that resembled a human heart.
After eating this meat, Elisabeth's life was peacefully extended to sixteen years of age.
Everyone considered Elisabeth's survival a miracle and were overjoyed. However, Elisabeth's parents passed away as though paying the price for the miracle. One night, the horse-drawn carriage carrying them fell down a cliff. Even though the cause was unknown, an old man passing by that road prior to the accident claimed he saw the shadow of a giant black dog.
At the funeral, everyone spent the night in sorrow. Dressed in funeral attire, Elisabeth was sitting by the window as usual. A pale finger slid across her shoulder, prompting her to suddenly lift her tearful face.
Appearing in front of her, dressed in black was the uncle who was supposed to be wandering different lands.
"Uncle Vlad."
"Hello, Elisabeth! It is wonderful that you survived, lovely girl that you are!"
Failing to notice the unnaturalness in his flamboyant ways, Elisabeth was just about to hug her favorite uncle. However, Vlad suddenly clapped his hands in delight. Elisabeth halted and widened her eyes in shock. Her parents had just died yet her uncle was applauding with joy.
"Uncle?"
"It appears that the demon's flesh has succeeded in taking root inside you!"
Back then, Elisabeth did not understand what Vlad was talking about. But looking at his face under the moonlight, she instantly came to realization.
Her uncle's face did not match his age at all. Exceptionally young, exceptionally beautiful... And exceptionally evil.
In a tone of voice like a child inviting others to play a malicious game, Vlad continued:
"Elisabeth, you will no longer die from human diseases. But from now on, you must hurt others and take their pain and suffering of the soul as offerings for your own body. Otherwise, the demon's flesh inside you will decay, causing you to die in abject pain and agony. Worry not, no need to be afraid. Just relax, my lovely and adorable Elisabeth."
Under the moonlight, Vlad smiled, his lips curling maliciously, he shouted:
"Right now, you have plenty of people to use, inherited from your parents' territory. Until you have eaten them all up, until you have eaten your fill, eat as much as you can."
Elisabeth instinctively knew that her uncle's words were not in jest. In fact, she had a faint feeling that what she had eaten at the time was taboo food that must not be touched.
Hugging her shoulders, Elisabeth shuddered. The uncle smiled at her and said:
"Yes, this is it, Elisabeth Le Fanu. Become a sow greedier than anyone."
A few days later, unable to bear the intense pain attacking her entire body, Elisabeth killed someone for the very first time in her life, using a real instrument of torture, with her Uncle Vlad's assistance.
Vomiting while crying, she used the Intestine Extractor to crush her living victim's innards. She used the Iron Birdcage to slaughter a girl. Building up a pile of corpses together with her day after day, Vlad laughed.
"Splendid, splendid, Elisabeth! Continue, continue, Elisabeth! How are you, Elisabeth, my lovely daughter, do you feel joy?"
".......Yes, I do......Indeed... Perhaps."
Feeling hatred, blood lust and resentment at herself, Elisabeth buried such feelings at the bottom of her heart, staring at the dead bodies with her teary eyes. The more her tears flowed, the greater the sense of guilt, the more people's hatred deepened, increasing without end. Finally, a vicious flower bloomed from Elisabeth.
Her ten-odd attempts at suicide were all stopped by Vlad. After meeting the demons he had summoned, she decided to cast away all hesitation.
"Cry or laugh, nothing changes in the end."
Accepting her cursed fate, Elisabeth used her magic to weave a long skirt, using her accumulated magical power to summon instruments of torture and execution, she began to massacre the residents of the castle town.
Abusing her innocent people, Elisabeth sat alone on her throne, swirling her wine glass.
"Where would you find someone apologizing while eating pork and beef? Crying or regretting, nothing will change what I do. Hence, I have decided... to be arrogant."
"With joy in my heart, I will make everyone in this world my sacrifice."
"Since sacrifice is preordained, who would cry for that and apologize!? I shall sneer while slaughtering you, putting all of you on my plate, to devour completely in joy, then rub my belly in contentment. However, you people possess th right to kill me. Even though I keep devouring you mercilessly nonstop, once the eater and the eaten are reversed in position, I shall die in blazing flames."
"Curse me, begrudge me, decry me to go to hell!"
"I am 'Torturchen' Elisabeth Le Fanu."
"Forsaken by all creation across heaven and earth, a proud wolf and a lowly sow!"
After that, Elisabeth went on to build up a reputation of many bloody legends, obtaining power to rival the highest-ranked demons as a worthy successor to Vlad. Unexpectedly, Elisabeth suddenly raised a banner of rebellion against Vlad, her self-proclaimed foster father.
Using thousands of stakes to impale the armies of devotees led by Vlad, she laughed with a evil expression:
"Hello, Vlad. Surely, you believe that you would never see the day when you are going to be killed, right? Today is the day of reckoning. Die together with me, killed by shallow pigs and disappear!"
Thus, she and Vlad fought each other and both ended up captured by the Church.
Engaging in sin without fear of God, was it ultimately just to sustain her life as one person?
Or was it for the sake of taking out her "father" who kept increasing his allies and power, impossible for humans to oppose him?
To this day, she had never say a word about this to anyone.
* * *
"—————Gah, hah!"
Kaito vomited a load of blood and woke up. It felt like blood forced down his throat had gone back in reverse. This pain and shock seemed to shake his soul from its sluggish state. Elisabeth's memories vanished from his view as though dissolving. With gradual loss of blood from his body, his mind returned to reality.
The ground felt as warm as a blanket and unusually soft... His senses were starting to hallucinate, probably, to think that he would find the blood under him particularly comfortable.
Lying in a pool of blood, Kaito closed his eyes, ruminating over the memory he had just witnessed.
(...Definitely the worst. Your life that no one can save.)
Banishing the heavy desire to sleep, Kaito slowly opened his eyes. His blurred vision did not allow him to discern the dark scene. However, he knew that Hina was swinging the halberd, fighting something.
She was desperately protecting Kaito. At that moment, Kaito pondered with his hazy mind.
(Even God would forsake you and leave you to your own devices. But knowing all this, you still committed your resolve to become Torturchen. I don't get why you did that.)
Kaito reached out, dipping his hand in the viscous pool of blood. Then he extended his arm farther out, to find a spot on the floor that had not been soaked by blood, then desperately moved his trembling hand.
(Why could you openly choose to live, choose to fight, without any hesitation at all...?)
Crawling with unsightliness on the ground, Kaito continued to move his finger. Ignoring his pain and blood loss, he wriggled like a worm. Thinking he was trying to escape, Vlad laughed and whispered:
"The master intends to abandon you in battle and flee? Even so, will you still continue?"
"Lord Kaito is escaping? Wonderful! Then I will buy time for him!"
The noise of clashing weapons resounded repeatedly. Kaito crawled bit by bit under the flash of blades. Writing with blood, he connected lines with lines and smiled lightly.
"However, sure enough, we... definitely are similar, in some ways. This is what they call kindred spirits, I guess."
Krulus was right, Kaito definitely resembled Elisabeth in certain ways. Kaito reached out a bit more, squishing his internal organs while writing.
"I've already died...... So there's no way for me to punch him while still alive. But you... are alive, so do it now... Beat up your father, viciously."
Kaito traced his finger to connect the beginning and the end of the circle. After doing that, he collapsed on the ground. He could feel hot magical power in the blood. Only then did Vlad realize and shout in alarm:
"—This is..."
In front of Kaito, the teleportation magic circle of Elisabeth's was done.
Due to experiences in his past life, Kaito had mastered the special skill of never forgetting any experience accompanied by pain. Using this special skill, he had carved the map of Elisabeth's castle onto his own skin and memorized it without hesitation.
Furthermore, reaching an agreement with Elisabeth one time, he had Elisabeth carve her teleportation magic circle on his abdomen.
The magic circle Kaito had drawn from memory began to pulsate while the blood carrying Elisabeth's magical power started to flow. The vivid red color began to shine like a melted ruby.
Assisted by the light from the magic circle, Kaito was finally able to see what was inside the room. Vlad was releasing attacks with an anxious look while Hina took them on desperately. Kaito spat blood and shouted:
"Then you should settle everything on your own and go to hell as you had sworn! Elisabeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeth!"
As Kaito yelled, darkness erupted with a mad dance of red petals in the room.
A long skirt hem fluttered in the air together with the storm of darkness and red flowers. The scarlet on the inner side of the skirt drifted across Kaito's view. The beautiful girl showed up, her elegantly-shaped chest clad in leather straps and puffed out proudly. Her gorgeous black hair fluttered in the wind while her red eyes reflected Kaito's image.
Dressed in a bondage-style dress, the otherworldly beauty landed on Kaito's blood and guts.
This scene was so beautiful yet so infuriating too.
Held in her pale hand was the Executioner's Sword of Frankenstahl.
"Helloooooooooooooooooo, Vlad."
Elisabeth instantly figured out the situation and laughed madly and viciously. Her lips were curled with extreme malice and fearlessness. Vlad timidly took a step back.
All covered in blood, Elisabeth was not exhibiting the Church's restraints, but Vlad was. Furthermore, the Emperor was not by his side. As though looking at prey that had been delivered right to her door, Elisabeth licked her lips greedily.
She pointed the Executioner's Sword of Frankenstahl high up. Red petals and darkness spiraled around the blade. Next, she swung down the glowing longsword just like that, as though giving the order for an execution.
"Forsaken by all creation across heaven and earth—Die in solitude!"
An explosion of chains formed a vortex in the room, flying over Hina's head just as she ducked down swiftly in a prone position. Smashing the other doll maids into smithereens, the chains entangled Vlad like snakes. Vlad struggled as hard as he could, trying to use blue petals and darkness to sever the chains but every time he struggled, a new chain would tie up his body. Squeezed until his bones creaked, his flesh was crushed.
"......Gah."
Spontaneously, he was hung in the air by the chains just as like Elisabeth in the past. Red petals gradually accumulated in the surroundings, but as though mourning the dead, the great quantity of red petals instantly melted away, transforming into a large wooden stake for execution by fire. Using chains to bind Vlad, Elisabeth swung her sword again. The sword's trajectory left red flames in its wake, flying forth. Rather than the blue flames of demons, this was the red flames of humans.
As though punished at the hands of the people, Vlad was burning in human flames.
"...To think I... by the likes of, this... What an outrage, Elisabeth."
Pitch-black darkness and blue petals swirled in Vlad's surroundings but could not cut the chains. The flames reached the edges of his magnificent coat then started to burn his skin slowly. Vlad widened his eyes in disbelief.
His red eyes glared at Elisabeth. Elisabeth smiled gently at him in return. Finally coming to terms with his situation, Vlad swept his gaze around his surroundings.
At that instant, only then did Vlad finally realize that death had him firmly in its grip.
Blank mutters with a tone of dependence leaked out from his lips intermittently.
"Elisabeth... Elisabeth... Elisabeth...... Elisabeth."
"Oppressive rulers need to be killed, tyrants need to be hanged, genoiciders need to be slaughtered brutally. This is natural law. What awaits at the endpoint of the path of torture is hell without a shred of redemption, adorned by one's own screams. Only then does the torturer's life come to a conclusion. Man at the root of all evil, you shall set off first. I shall not run away and will follow you in the near future."
Vlad's long hair began to burn. Abandoning his dignity completely, his entire body shook violently. With a slight cracking sound from the stake, the flames ignited his muscles. Towards this man who was burning like an ordinary person, Elisabeth declared:
"Execution by Fire—This is the most fitting resolution for you and I."
"Elisabeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeth!"
With a scream of rage and anguish, Vlad was devoured by the flames.
The fire caused his face to bloat then char, turning his flesh into charcoal, gradually erasing his entire existence. Even the bones he left behind were mercilessly crushed by the chains. In the end, he was turned into pure white ash, scattering in the wind. Hence, Vlad Le Fanu became one of many corpses begrudging Elisabeth.
Thus in such a simple manner, the man who followed The Emperor and had created Torturchen met his demise.
Then after that, Elisabeth remained the only one standing there as always.
Inside the room where heat from the fire lingered, she slowly closed her eyes and looked up to the sky. Her black hair fluttered in the wind behind her. Red petals danced, some of them settling on her skin.
Confronted with the death of one with inseparable ties to her, Elisabeth inhaled then opened her eyes.
"Too weak!"
Then raising a fist into the sky, she declared her victory happily.
Out of all things you could've said, I can't believe you picked that...
While thinking that, Kaito released his consciousness that he had been clinging to by force.
Even if given the chance to repeat his life, Kaito still considered his life absolutely terrible.
Being called an innocent soul did not feel real to Kaito at all. He even ended up as a murderer in this world.
Although he had indirectly assisted in murder before and helped dispose of bodies, he had never killed someone directly with a blade.
His new life was downright awful. Witnessing unimaginably horrific scenes frequently, beaten and tortured unreasonably at whim, even ending up in situations where he had no choice but to sever his own arm or carved deep wounds on his stomach. But at the same time, he had also made unforgettable memories.
He had received benevolent wishes from others. He had been protected by others.
These were warm words that he had received by plunging his arm into mud, ripping his skin repeatedly with razor blades.
Originally, this sort of warmth was nothing more than snippets of happiness easily obtainable in normal life. However, Kaito had to risk his life in order to hold such warmth hin his hand.
Precisely because of that, a certain emotion had actually started taking root in Kaito's heart.
He was absolutely not some kind of innocent soul. The scene before his eyes was tantamount to hell. Yet even so...
This utterly unreasonable second life was not all bad.
His being reborn like a bug was not completely pointless, perhaps.
However, to this day, he had yet to tell anyone about these feelings of his.
* * *
Kaito woke up to find himself sitting in a luxurious chair. His view was quite dim. The scenery before his eyes gradually melded with darkness. Touching the intricately carved armrest, he looked around him.
(Where the heck... is this place? Why am I here?)
Before him, a pearly tablecloth extended straight ahead of him. Placed on it were silver tableware and food that was as colorful as waxen artwork.
The appetizers included translucent oyster jelly, bright orange marinated salmon, and all kinds of pate. A whole pig roasted to a golden color. Vegetable quiche and fragrant shrimp soup. Honeyed fruits. Cake covered with crushed almonds. Caramelized pudding decorated with berries on top.
Giving off great aromas, the dishes covered the entire table. Flames flickered from the red candlesticks, illuminating the table of lovely food that seemed almost fake. However, no one was partaking in this grand feast of delicacies.
There was only one host at the table. A man in black.
He was dressed in a silk shirt with a tie and coat embroidered with silver thread. Instead of the dishes on the table, he was eating something on his pure white plate.
On the porcelain plate was a red-black piece of meat, still dripping with blood. Thinly slicing what looked like raw liver that had not even been seasoned, the man brought the pieces to his lips using his fork.
Amid the darkness illuminated by candlelight, the faint sound of tableware colliding echoed.
Those red eyes, lustrous black hair, handsome face with androgynous beauty were all impressed deeply in Kaito's memory.
This man... Vlad, was very similar to Elisabeth in appearance.
(What... the heck. Of all people, why was I the one who's been dragged to face the final boss?)
Kaito examined himself in his confusion. Although the pain in his abdomen had not gone away, at least his arms and legs could move freely. He was not tied up and neither did there seem to be any magical restraints.
Kaito looked for Vlad's openings. Vlad was eating quietly, looking like he was single-mindedly enjoying the meat without thinking anything. Kaito wondered if this counted as an opening. Next, he turned his head to check the room's situation. However, even the interior of the room was unclear. The light from the candles faded the farther away from the table. It was as though this giant room melded into one with the darkness.
(If I can't even find the entrance, this is bad.)
Kaito suppressed the anxiety in his heart and adjusted his breathing, trying his best to calm down. However, smoke with a beastly odor was drifting over from the candles, disrupting his nerves. As though guided by that smoke, he recalled the black dog with eyes burning with hellfire.
(Oh right, Elisabeth and Hina... I hope they're alright.)
"Eh? Are you worried?"
Startled, Kaito looked up, only to see a surprised expression on Vlad who had stopped eating. Both his tone and vocal quality sounded younger than expected. Not knowing how to answer, Kaito chose silence.
"Ah yes, mental confusion would only be natural seeing as you were invited here so suddenly. Excuse me."
Vlad nodded on his own and snapped his fingers. Darkness and blue petals swirled in a vortex before Kaito to produce a silver basin filled with water. Shown on the water's surface, calm as a mirror, was an outside scene.
Kaito leaned forward to look and widened his eyes in surprise.
Elisabeth and Hina were advancing along the sloped path leading to the castle while fighting a gigantic black dog.
Hina swung the halberd, striking the black dog's leg but the blade was unable to pierce the muscle under the thick fur. Elisabeth summoned countless iron stakes to stab the black dog's back but they were all deflected. Confronted with the approaching jaws, she summoned chains to wrap around the dog's snout. Although she managed to restrain the dog, a decisive blow seemed beyond her.
'Damn it, instruments of torture and execution are not effective at all. Should I say as expected of The Emperor?'
Elisabeth spat blood at the ground but her acute intent to kill did not weaken. However, in those blood-red eyes of hers, the color of impatience could not be hidden.
Supporting himself with two hands on the table, Kaito yelled:
"Elisabeth!"
"My, don't you find that her personality is a bit too impatient? In my view, Elisabeth's flaw is that her flash point is even lower than dynamite's. To arrogantly think that she could overwhelm the opponent with brute strength when facing The Emperor, how utterly foolish. But on that note, choosing to fight him is in itself already a mistake."
Vlad shrugged. He sounded very cordial, like talking about a willful child. He elegantly delivered the last piece of meat into his mouth, licked blood from his lips, and used his fork to point at the silver basin that Kaito was watching.
"The Emperor is the highest ranked of all the demons we summoned, the extreme of all demons summoned by mankind. Even the famous 'Torturchen' Elisabeth cannot kill him so easily. Were he so easy to kill, The Emperor would fail to live up to its name. Priding in himself as a top-quality hound, he stands at the pinnacle of the fourteen, on a completely different level compared to the rest under him."
Kaito clenched his fist at the thought of Elisabeth and Hina fighting against such an enemy, but at that moment, he spontaneously found a point of doubt.
"W-Wait a sec. The demon is over there. Yet you are here... Does that mean you entered a contract with The Emperor but did not merge together?"
"Indeed. Elisabeth should have told you that the The Emperor manifests in this world using me as the medium. In a certain way, the two of us are two entities in one. Logically speaking, out of safety concerns for the body, merging together is more appropriate. However, I have no wish to abandon the pleasures afforded to the human body, to transform into one of those deformed bodies. Because that would be ugly to the point of making one laugh, wouldn't you agree?"
Vlad chuckled. Despite his cold appearance, he candidly mocked his demon brethren. Kaito recalled how Elisabeth had laughed at a demon's devotee and what she had said.
Shaking his head, Kaito continued:
"In other words, you are currently using your original body of flesh? If you're killed, The Emperor dies too?"
"Precisely! However, isn't it utterly foolish for you to confirm this matter with me? Seeing that you are completely ignorant of the situation, allow me to enlighten you—You cannot kill me."
Vlad asserted calmly, wiping blood off his lips with a napkin then proceeded:
"On the other hand, it would be possible for Elisabeth... Because neither she nor I are ordinary people."
Blue petals and darkness gathered at his fingertip. The napkin he released from his hand was shredded, forming a spiral in the air and suddenly burned. Next, the white ashes drifted onto the dining table.
Watching the way Vlad controlled darkness and blue petals, Kaito realized that this man was precisely the human closest to what Krulus feared, "Elisabeth forming a contract with a demon."
"Why bring me here? Are you trying to use me as a hostage?"
"...My apologies, I am not trying to mock you, but I feel that you truly fail to understand... Do you actually believe you have value as a hostage?"
"Not really. I don't contribute to combat strength and Elisabeth probably doesn't care if I live or die either."
"Indeed, that is correct. I have a proposal for you personally, which is why I had you brought here."
Once again exhibiting candidness that could be described as innocence, he nodded. However, Vlad suddenly turned solemn. Steepling his hands, he stared straight at Kaito.
"I wish to adopt you as my son, to make you a second Elisabeth."
"I refuse."
What did he mean by "a second Elisabeth"? While pondering the meaning, Kaito already declined on reflex.
Despite his mental confusion, he replied without hesitation. With The Emperor's contractor offering to adopt him, Kaito had no choice but to refuse. However, Vlad made a surprised look for some reason and continued:
"Elisabeth is my beloved first daughter, my greatest masterpiece of excessive perfection. Her growth outstripped my expectations but in the end, she broke ties with me. I wish for a replacement and for the sake of what I have obtained so far and everything I shall accumulate in the future, I need a successor."
"Even so, why pick me out of all people? I don't get it."
"I see potential in you, equal to hers or even higher. According to Krulus' report, you are an innocent soul, killed in an undeserved death through cruel means, yes? You possess deep knowledge of human suffering yet can stare at wounds calmly. Furthermore, you have a strong reaction towards hatred. There is a proud side to you."
"And nothing more than that. There's still a huge gap between the real me and your opinion."
"Is that so? I do not believe there is such a great difference. I see great promise in those who are capable of killing to fulfill aims despite knowing pain. There is plenty of room for growth in the negative side."
Vlad snapped his fingers. The two blonde maids from earlier appeared behind him. Blinking their cracked violet eyes, they curtsied elegantly. Surprised, Kaito glared at them.
Kaito did not know if Vlad noticed the hostility in Kaito's eyes, but Vlad continued like singing a song.
"Most importantly, you have been killed. You have been deprived of everything. Those who have been deprived gain the right to be plunderers. At least, you have the disposition to entrench the notion of 'the right to plunder' into your mind. It is very suitable for the matter of gathering human suffering, an essential desire. Because half-baked thirst will only cause one to be devoured by one's desires. 'Qualification'—The 'qualification' enabling one to become a tyrant matter-of-factly is essential."
Vlad monologued like a poet, analyzing like a scholar.
Kaito desperately resisted to avoid getting swallowed up by his words. Listening to that voice that seemed like a strange incantation under candlelight, Kaito felt like his consciousness was about to be taken away by Vlad. Refusing to lose himself, Kaito did not wish to, nor did he think he could, become Elisabeth.
What the man before him was saying was nothing more than the words of a madman.
"Since childhood, Elisabeth had been plagued by the fear of tyrannical death. That pain and terror forged her to become the greatest work of art. I want to make you my second masterpiece to become my successor. That being said, wanting a son after losing my daughter would be the most direct way of putting things... What do you say?"
"I refuse. Shut your babbling mouth. You're pissing me off."
"A very energetic answer! However, you should still listen to me for a bit. It doesn't cost you anything."
Vlad did not make a move. He narrowed his eyes like a mischievous youth. Or perhaps, his resembled those of a dog breeder's, scrutinizing a puppy and hearing the puppy giving off a good bark.
"I will not despise you as Krulus did, nor will I seek to exact any price from you. Never. Because doing so would be completely unreasonable... Despite saying that, doesn't it seem a little strange for me to be reasoning with you?"
"What are the terms you intend to offer? The safety of Elisabeth and Hina?"
"Certainly not! How could matters between a father and a daughter be decided by the choice of someone like you? My beloved daughter, adorable, endearing, foolish, contemptible Elisabeth's fate shall be determined by myself and the The Emperor. This is love. Know your place, lad—She is the beloved daughter of mine, Vlad Le Fanu's."
Instantly, Vlad's red eyes were filled with cold light. He stood up and walked over to Kaito, tracing his black fingernail across the surface of the water in the silver basin. Elisabeth's image shook for a moment.
"My relationship with her will not permit any interference from the likes of you."
After delivering such a viscous gaze, he smiled cheerfully again.
"Indeed! The terms I offer you ought to be more wonderful, something extremely valuable to you. My skill in magic surpasses that of Elisabeth, allowing me to secure a link with another world quite effortlessly."
Vlad puffed out his chest with pride. His expression of delight was like a child inviting a friend over to play a game. He said he wanted to adopt Kaito as his son, yet he was showing such innocent childishness. But suddenly, Vlad's lips began to curl deeply to reveal an evil grin. Seeing that look, Kaito understood unavoidably.
Despite forgoing a merge, this man himself was unmistakably a demon.
Demons would target openings in human hearts.
"Just a few days ago, your father sank into the ocean due to a bit of trouble he got himself into. How about summoning him here to serve as your toy?"
The instant he heard these words, Kaito's heart stopped for an instant.
* * *
"...Don't tell me, that guy... He died?"
By the time he came to his senses, Kaito had already stood up. The chair made an exaggerated noise and fell over backwards. The silver basin shook and the image on the water surface disappeared. However, Kaito was too preoccupied to care about any of that.
Kaito felt a shock as though his head had been struck violently by a hammer. After a while, he felt a strange sense of emptiness. He felt like his chest had become hollow, like his heart had been crushed.
Vlad's words was this unexpected for Kaito. That was why Kaito felt such a great shock.
Dead... That man died. That bastard, whom Kaito thought would live on forever no matter what happened, was dead...
"Yes, indeed. He died. Congratulations! Or rather, he got what he deserved... Hmm, although I consider myself a synonym for evil, would saying something like that be a contradiction? Whatever, let the contradiction continue! An ending that feels great! Come, what is your decision?"
"Decision? What can I do... My old man is dead."
"Did I not mention just now? I could resurrect him to serve as your toy as a gift! If you wish to avenge your own death, I suggest you should agree to my terms. Don't worry, you have no need to feel shy or to hide anything."
Vlad kept nodding to show understanding and cordiality, smiling innocently at Kaito.
With an expression like inviting someone to a cruel game, he continued:
"Rip his intestines, crush his lungs, strangle his neck. It will be very fun, right?"
I must not listen to Vlad's sweet words, those are words of a demon... Despite knowing that, Kaito could not resist the mud of emotions surging violently from the bottom of his cracked open heart.
He yearned to tear out that man's innards, to kill him mercilessly when he begged for mercy. Simply imagining that scene made him feel good inside. If he actually did that, how exhilarating it would be.
By doing so, the fear and hatred restraining him like shackles all this time would surely all disappear.
Surely, it would be worth abandoning all his values as a human for the rest of his life.
"At least——————————————————Let me think for a while."
In the end, Kaito squeezed these few words from his throat like spitting blood. Under the emotions of extreme excitement, dizziness, resembling fear, his body was trembling slightly. Vlad nodded deeply.
"Of course, time is in abundant supply... At least for you."
Hearing Vlad say that to him, Kaito turned his hollow gaze towards the water surface. A sharp flash of silver flew across his view.
'——Take that!'
A giant scythe of execution descended on the black dog's neck but the dog caught it with its mouth and crushed it between its jaws. Hina's maid uniform was tattered all over and covered in holes while she was swinging her halberd.
'Lord _____! Lord _____! Lord _____! Lord _____! Where are you!?'
Taking damage repeatedly, she ignored her own body and desperately called someone's name.
(That's—me...)
Witnessing that kind of scene, Kaito thought he should be feeling something. However, despite understanding the necessity, he did not know how to react. After the intense shock to his mind, he could not process the scene in front of him.
Right now, everything happening before his eyes seemed like it was in another world away from him. It felt like his soul had returned alone to that room when he had been strangled to death.
Not knowing what to do, Kaito reached for the water surface like a child.
His trembling fingers entered the water with a splash.
The mirror-like water surface was disrupted completely, showing nothing after that.
* * *
"This will be your room, Lord Kaito. Please use it as you please until you reach a conclusion."
Another maid, different from the previous pair, bowed to Kaito while holding a lantern in one hand.
When she lifted her face, Kaito saw crooked pearls glinting in the center of her eyes. Probably created a long time ago, her face had some parts that were crumbling. Kaito nodded and she turned around, leaving the room to disappear into the darkness of the corridor. Her slow footsteps as well as the rattling from her left ankle gradually faded into the distance.
Left alone, Kaito moved his blank gaze around this filthy room in a circle.
"...Isn't this that room?"
Kaito was visiting the first time but he felt a sense of deja vu.
The room's layout approached a cube and there was yellowed wallpaper with a floral pattern on the walls. The cute plaster decorations on the windowsill had a thick layer of dust accumulated. Originally pure white, the furniture had turned filthy, but the golden handles remained bright. What should have been dolls and plushies on top of the dresser were now replaced by rifles and wooden horse models, probably considering Kaito being a boy. Covered with cobwebs, the bed surrounded by four posts was covered by a collapsed mattress. On top of it, several blankets were placed in a criss-cross manner.
Dried bloodstains remained on those blanket's gnarled surface. After checking all this out, Kaito nodded.
"As suspected, this was the child's room where Elisabeth used to live."
Kaito had accidentally trespassed an illusory room in the treasure vault and this room was the real thing.
The door Kaito had found in the treasure vault was probably made of the memories taken from this room and recreated in the magical dimension. Compared to the illusion he had seen back then, the real room was far dirtier, but the interior decoration was virtually the same. It looked like Vlad had replenished some of the objects taken away by Elisabeth, recreating the room that had lost its master or restoring it to a close approximation. Judging from this fact, Kaito could also see his exceptional obsession with Elisabeth. Possibly in consideration for Kaito, some of the decor in the room had been slightly changed to suit a boy, it felt rather ludicrous.
"......Hoh."
Suddenly, Kaito lost his sanity completely. The intense desire to laugh was making him hold his stomach tightly. Everything was too funny. Opening his mouth wide, he laughed to his fill.
"Hahahaha, hahahahaha, hahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
His muscles convulsed, his tears came out. Even in the end when laughing became painful, Kaito still continued to laugh like mad. He ha gone crazy, insane beyond compare. Whether his father's unsightly death or the current situation, everything was nothing more than a ridiculous farce.
Also, these were all lies.
——————Bam!
Suddenly, Kaito's laughter stopped and he smashed his fist hard against the wall. His bones fractured, stinging sharply, but he still swung his fist again. Leaving blood on the wall, breaking his fingers, Kaito still showed no intention to stop, punching the wall like mad while yelling:
"Dead huh! That guy's dead huh! Killing others on whim and getting killed himself in the end huh! Serves him right! But... But how could I let go of my grudge so easily!? How could I possibly forgive you!? I must kill slaughter you again, by my own hand!"
Kaito pummeled the wall again. Inside his tightly held fist, his little finger snapped. Even though hatred and anger filled his mind, he still did not regain his calm at all. Like a child in a tantrum, he was pushed around by turbulent emotions amid crying. After panting heavily, he smashed his forehead against the wall and muttered emptily:
"But... Letting a murdered victim kill someone who has already dead, that's... I totally don't get it."
With self-deprecation, Kaito revealed his thoughts then smiled weakly. Soon after, Kaito moved his head lightly away from the bloodstained wall and looked around his surroundings as though seeking help from someone.
Unintentionally, his gaze stopped at the bed.
".......Elisabeth."
In his weary eyes, a vague image of Elisabeth as a young girl surfaced.
That sickly looking beautiful girl, half her body buried in the sea of blankets, sitting on the bed. Her completely lifeless and hollow eyes also reflected Kaito. Her beautiful face was the one thing that had not changed, not then, not now.
Like a child, Kaito's face went distorted as he asked the young Elisabeth:
"Hey, tell me, what exactly did you experience? Why did you end up like that?"
The illusion did not answer. Even so, Kaito continued to question, screaming desperately.
"Tell me, Elisabeth! Why did you choose to become Torturchen!"
This was the question that had been buried deep in his heart, the question he had agonized over all this time.
Why did she become Torturchen? What reasons were behind it, what kind of hatred? Or perhaps, there was nothing at all? However, the illusory girl did not answer, of course.
The Elisabeth in front of him was nothing more than a delusion created by Kaito's mind that was on the edge of a breakdown. Kaito was aware of that himself, but he still wanted to grab the girl before his eyes. Soon after that, the girl's image slowly dissolved and disappeared.
"...Ho, hahahahaha, hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
Kaito began to laugh again. He laughed loudly, explosively, madly, rolling on the floor, then started hitting the wall again. His bloody fingers made disgusting noises then he withdrew his hand from the wall and wiped his tears away.
Suddenly, his confusion finally subsided. Suddenly, nothing flowed from his eyes anymore. His wild emotions vanished with abnormal speed. With a mind as calm and clear as the surface of a lake, Kaito quietly reached his conclusion.
No matter how long he laughed, this hatred probably would not ever reach an end.
Kaito had been cruelly and tragically killed.
That was the truth... And nothing more.
* * *
The maid with crooked pearls for eyes was waiting ready outside the child's room.
"Please come to the dining hall. Lord Vlad is waiting for you."
Led by her, Kaito went to the dining hall again. In the darkness, Vlad was the same as before, sitting at the host seat. Unlike Elisabeth, he did not seem to require dessert and had finished his meal rapidly, enjoying his wine now. Kaito looked at his profile while he was swirling his wine glass and said:
"I've decided. Let me kill my old man. He is the one guy I can't forgive even when he's dead."
Vlad put down his glass and said in a gentle voice as though erasing Kaito's guilt for him.
"An excellent decision. Revenge is your deserved right. There is no reason not to exercise it."
There was no surprise on his face. It looked like he had expected this answer from Kaito. That was only natural. Since he hoped to adopt Kaito, naturally, he understood the true nature of the hatred binding Kaito.
Kaito clenched his aching fist and pleaded while hesitating.
"Before that, even if only once... I won't ask you to let me see your daughter Elisabeth, but at least, can I see Hina... Let me say goodbye to her?"
"...Hina? Oh, you mean that puppet of mine that was cast aside without being activated? To think you like it so much, how unexpected. Do you have a hobby of 'playing house with dolls' by any chance? In that case, I could fine-tune a doll similar to her... No, a doll even more suited to your tastes. That would be no problem at all."
"Hina is her own person, my one and only irreplaceable Hina, not a puppet."
Kaito closed his eyes and recalled the warm sensation of being embraced against her bosom. Her adorable face, framed by silver hair, reappeared under his eyelids. However, Kaito opened his eyes to dispel the image.
"Despite our short time together, she did look after me. Also, one more thing... When I'm saying goodbye to Hina, make The Emperor stop attacking. It's too much of a handicap for Elisabeth to fight it alone."
"Deriving the feeling of 'looked after' from a doll, how incomprehensible. What a selfish wish when you have already decided on betrayal... Whatever, I shall make a special exception and consider it your first and last act of willfulness as my successor."
Vlad nodded and issued some kind of order to the blonde pair of maids. Taking the watch, they silently walked out. Watching them depart side by side, Vlad explained proudly:
"That timepiece is an enchanted tool, capable of isolating someone from the stream of time as long as they lack resistance against magic. Back then, the surrounding space seemed to stop from your perspective, yes? But in actual fact, you alone had been separated from the normal flow of time. As users of enchanted tools, that pair of maids could easily kill you in that space while Elisabeth outside could not even touch you. Ultimately, it is something designed to take care of small fry, but robotic dolls are hard to say. Although it usually does not take effect, it might work in this case judging from the injuries previously seen. Very well, how about a glass of wine while you are waiting?"
"No thanks."
"How boring. In my opinion, learning to appreciate wine would make life more enjoyable."
Kaito refused Vlad's suggestion and found a random seat to plunk himself down. Like Vlad, he ignored the food in front of him and clasped his bloody fingers together. Vlad shrugged lightly and took another sip of wine.
After an uncomfortable period that felt endless, the dining hall door opened with the sound of approaching footsteps and something being dragged. Kaito looked in that direction and widened his eyes in surprise.
"...Hina!"
"No need to be subdued, it was already lying in the rubble."
"It appears that Elisabeth left it behind, finding it a hindrance."
"So Elisabeth did it, perhaps not wanting it to fight until its destruction. As always, my Elisabeth is so kind-hearted when she shows kindness. Looks like there is no way for you to have the puppet pass along a message, and have the puppet and Elisabeth 'escape' together."
Listening to the report from the maids, Vlad glanced at Kaito and mocked him. Kaito hastily rose up from his chair.
Hina was supported at the shoulders by the two maids. Her clothing was very tattered with damage to her simulated human skin. Even though she looked like she had trouble even walking, she still kept the halberd cradled in her arms.
"...Lord, Kaito... Ah... Lord, Kaito, where are, you..."
Murmuring like dream talk, she shook her messy silver hair and looked up. Her hollow emerald eyes saw Kaito dashing towards her. At that moment, her eyes widened in surprise and the light of joy returned to her turbid eyes.
"...Lord Kaito!"
Hina broke free from the maids and even tossed away the halberd she had been clutching tightly, spreading her arms like she had forgotten her pain and wounds. Kaito paused. Although it was no longer possible to achieve his goal of having Hina pass along a message and escape together with Elisabeth, his commitment to betrayal had not changed. Right now, he had no right to be hugged by her.
"Lord Kaito! Ahh, thank goodness you are alright!"
"Farewell, Hina. Return to the castle on your own."
Hearing Kaito, Hina also halted in her steps in the middle of rushing at him. Her expression froze completely from intense shock as though a stake had been driven into her heart. Several seconds later, Hina righted her posture and stared straight at Kaito.
She brought her hand lightly to her abdomen, adjusted her breathing then said:
"Lord Kaito, did I do something inadequate?"
"Hina, you did nothing..."
"In that case, I am terribly sorry, but could you point out the error in my ways? I will change everything. I am stupid and even failed to notice my mistakes, but if you could give me a chance to rectify my failures, there would be no greater happiness for me. Please be merciful."
"No, it's not like that. You didn't do anything wrong at all."
Kaito hastily refuted Hina's unexpected speech. With a troubled look, Hina said:
"Then... Then have you tired of me, Lord Kaito? Do you have no wish to see my face ever again? Do you not want me by your side? In that case, I shall plead with Lady Elisabeth for her assistance, to modify this face as much as possible to what you prefer, Lord Kaito..."
"No, Hina, you did nothing wrong. It's just that I've decided to follow this guy."
"Lord Kaito... You are going to... follow Vlad?"
Looking at the person Kaito indicated, Hina looked troubled. Kaito nodded hesitantly.
"I actually don't want to go with him, but there's something I must do no matter what, even if it means that I have to cause other people suffering. And this guy is the only one who has the method."
Saying that, Kaito looked away from Hina's face that resembled an abandoned puppy's.
Hina had not done anything wrong yet Kaito had already made his decision to betray. Precisely because of that, he did not want to make Hina show such an expression, but he could not keep her by his side anymore either.
Currently, Hina did not constitute any threat, so as long as she gave up on Kaito, Vlad would probably let her go.
Besides, their relationship only started from Kaito's accidental activation of her. As long as she forgot Kaito and found a new master, she should be able to spend her life in happiness and peace.
At least, that was what Kaito wanted to believe.
"Forget your preset love, go back and live in freedom. Don't bother with Elisabeth, or Vlad... Forget me and input a new setting."
"Please do not be silly, Lord Kaito."
"Huh?"
Kaito was interrupted by an icy voice. Until now, Hina had never gotten angry at Kaito, not even once. She took a breath and exhaled then righted her posture sternly.
Putting her hand lightly on her magnificent chest, she closed her eyes and spoke quietly:
"Even if these feelings originated from my settings as a robotic doll, my heart belongs to myself alone. The instant I chose you as my master, Lord Kaito, and at the same time was selected by you, I decided to offer my all to you alone. I live because I wish to live for you, Lord Kaito, and I perish because I wish to die for you. Asking me to serve another master would be impossible. Even a command from you, my most revered master, cannot deny these feelings of mine."
"...Hina."
"Why must you follow a man like that?"
"Sorry, I have to go with him. And even if I have give him the rest of my life, I must kill my old man!"
Kaito had started yelling by the time he realized. Perhaps as a reaction brought upon by the wavering in his thoughts, anger, killing intent and all the pain he had suffered in the past, everything filled his heart again. Gnashing his teeth, he breathed heavily like a beast.
Hina seemed to realize something suddenly, changing the sad look on her face. She ought to understand Kaito's past but as though searching for something, she quietly asked him:
"Something like that... Is something like that your happiness?"
"Eh... Huh, happi-ness?"
"Is it truly happiness?"
"Huh? Yeah, I guess."
Shaken by Hina's solemn tone of voice, Kaito could not help but nod. However, he did not know if it really was happiness. In fact, murder was probably an act the farthest removed from the word "happiness." However, as long as he killed his father, that turbid vortex of hatred in his heart should subside.
Hearing his answer, Hina smiled with gentle beauty.
"I am glad for you."
"Huh?"
Hearing the unexpected reply, Kaito reacted with surprise again. For some reason, Hina was nodding. She looked like a mother who understood her child's happiness, smiling contentedly with hands superimposed together.
"Back in the castle, I have never seen you smile from the heart, Lord Kaito... Hence I have been worrying the whole time. Since you say that this is a choice you made for the sake of happiness, Lord Kaito, I shall not say anything more on the matter. With sincere joy from the bottom of my heart, I support the path you have chosen."
"Hina, so you've been worrying about me whole time huh..."
"Your happiness, Lord Kaito, is my happiness, the one and only supreme happiness... I understand. So with this happiness in my heart, I shall comply with your wish and deactivate myself."
"What!?"
This time, Hina's unexpected words caused Kaito to stare wide-eyed. He did not hope for that at all. He was bidding Hina farewell only so that she could live on.
Kaito clutched Hina's shoulders tightly and she looked back peacefully at him.
"Don't be ridiculous, Hina! Why must you deactivate yourself!?"
"Since you will not be needing me, why would I need to continue living? It was not Lady Elisabeth's intention to run away and I was merely in the way. Please rest assured. So long as you are able to obtain happiness, I shall gladly turn back into a puppet."
"Don't be like this... I'm begging you, don't. I don't want tyou to die. You have to be wise about this."
"So kind... You are really so kind, so merciful. Your infinite concern, I hereby accept it with endless gratitude. However, I have decided long ago that I shall live and die with you. Since you require me no more, my love is therefore forfeit. You have no need to feel guilty about this. Please see me off with simple smiles and praise."
Hina smiled quietly. In her voice was unshakable pride that Kaito could not understand at all. Kaito knew that no matter what he said, he would not be able to overturn her determination. Next, Kaito naturally released his tightened grip. Hina took a step back and raised the hem of her maid uniform's skirt. Her silver hair glittered under the candlelight, swaying lightly. She stepped back with her injured foot and curtsied gracefully.
"Lord Kaito, so long as you do not call my name in the next hour or two, I shall enter eternal slumber. Thank you for your abundant love, to have spent time with you, so kind-hearted that you are... To be fortunate enough to become your lover, I have no greater happiness than that."
Hina had called such a short time happiness. Her voice was filled with gratitude without the slightest pretense. Hina bowed her head deeply and said:
"With sincere love and gratitude, I set forth for death. Farewell."
After bidding farewell, she picked up her halberd to use as a crutch and walked away unsteadily. Shaking off the hands from the pair of maids intending to support her, she left the dining hall. The determined image of her back soon disappeared into the darkness.
Standing there frozen, Kaito looked blankly to see Hina off.
At the same time, Marianne and Elisabeth's conversation reappeared in his mind.
"If you were to kill me now, I fear that there will never be anyone in this world who will love you."
"Yes, you are correct. Forever and ever, there will be no one."
He had a feeling as though losing something important without knowing it.
Kaito stood there in a daze. However, before he could figure out this deep sense of loss, Vlad said to him from behind:
"Allow me to confirm just in case. Due to a few words from a mere toy, your blood thirst accumulated over the long years have disappeared, thoroughly refreshing your mind, congratulations... This type of miracle did not occur, did it?"
"...Cut the crap. Hurry and summon my old man."
Kaito cursed quietly. Vlad nodded and snapped his fingers.
As though waiting ready all along, the two blonde maids pushed one of those carts used for transporting food to arrive then suddenly opened a silver lid on top.
Lying there was a doll dressed in a black tuxedo without hair, eyes or a mouth.
This ball-jointed doll with pale skin looked quite simple in structure. It was hard to believe it could hold a human soul. Vlad picked up a table knife from the dining table. After spinning the eagle-handled knife deftly in his hand for a while, he suddenly stopped. Using the sharp silver edge, he suddenly slashed halfway through his hand.
One cut severed the artery. The great quantity of blood dyed the tablecloth red then started dripping to the floor. After that, the blood gathered together as though it was alive, beginning to trace out complicated shapes on the ground, different from a teleportation magic circle.
At the same time, Vlad frowned slightly. On his arm under his sleeve, words of holy scripture was glowing red. The Church's restraints were definitely carved on his body. Whenever he activated magic, he would suffer even greater physical torment. However, his expression was no longer affected by this.
"'My words are not falsehoods. My words are not falsehoods. My words are not falsehoods. His soul traverses from one realm to the second, continuing to cry intermittently on the ground, recovering his own form in the sky.'"
Vlad repeatedly muttered something. The summoning magic circle glowed red in response to her voice.
As the light gradually brightened, the air in the room also changed.
"'Take form——Transcend——Take form——Recover——Take form——'"
Dry air started to dance like thousands of glass fragments with dangerous sharpness. Kaito's gaze chased after these intangible lights, flying all over the place, brushing past the tip of his nose. Indeed, a scene from another world was projected in front of him.
Roads, cars, crowds, advertisement signs, rivers, schools... All were scenes from the world that Kaito had left after being killed.
"You would do best to close you eyes. Ordinary people tend to go insane after staring at this light for too long. You probably have no wish for your mind to be brought back to the other side, right?"
Kaito hastily closed his eyes as soon as he heard Vlad. Even so, the colored light's brightness continued to be imprinted upon his retinas. As much as Kaito tried to avoid the light and focus on the darkness, everything that had happened so far naturally surfaced in his mind.
For the sake of escaping the weird light, Kaito gradually sank into the bottom of his sea of memories.
The fluttering of black hair, the otherworldly beauty declared, sometimes maliciously, sometimes proudly:
'My name is "Torturchen" Elisabeth Le Fanu.'
'Both a proud wolf and a lowly sow.'
'Whether you or I—Both of us are to be forsaken by all creation across heaven and earth, to ultimately die.
Silver hair fluttering, the beautiful doll showing a gentle smile filled with love.
'Please rest assured. I will protect you at all costs.'
'With sincere love and gratitude, I set forth for death.'
The red-haired youth smiling on the verge of tears, speaking in a trembling voice amid chaos:
'Ah, I'm probably hoping... You could find happiness in this world, I guess.'
Speaking of which, Neue's wish had not come true even at the very end.
By the time he realized this, Kaito's chest began to stir intensely. He heart was aching, his breathing grew difficult. Was this really okay? Would he really not have regrets? Even he was questioning himself honestly as though from a different person's standpoint.
(Shut up, shut up, in spite of this... In spite of this, I have to slaughter my old man.)
"—It is done."
Hence, Kaito opened his eyes.
* * *
".........H-Huh?"
Kaito's father was undoubtedly standing in front of him.
The fierce man with the unkempt beard was looking around him. Scratching his messy black hair, his eyes swiveled around like a chameleon's, checking out his surroundings. Kaito definitely remembered that distinctive aquiline nose, but unable to accept the situation before his eyes, Kaito was in a deep frown.
Examining this man from head to foot, Kaito muttered quietly after a while:
"......Weird, was he always like this?"
"W-What is this place? Is it the afterlife? Eh, Kaito? Why are you here, asshole? Huh? N-No way... Are you trying to take revenge? How dare you even think of that!?"
His father suddenly started to scream and yell. Even after death, he was still so easy to set off, and through his intuition that bordered on persecution mania, he realized the danger he was facing.
Despite the flying saliva from his constant raving, there was no longer any insanity in those bloodshot eyes of his.
At that moment, Kaito suddenly realized that his father's insanity was almost definitely caused by drugs. Even now, in that face of his, Kaito could still see hints of his cruelty and sadism, which had not changed the slightest. His muscular body, thoroughly accustomed to hurting others, ought to be terrifying but that was all.
The angry shouting face from his father was like the difference between heaven and hell when compared to Elisabeth's evil expressions.
Kaito even thought that his father's expression was far inferior to the bizarre faces of demons, Krulus' cold and condescending gaze, or Marianne's insane sadness. Naturally, he could not compare to Vlad's smiles of delight either.
Kaito could not help but mutter blankly:
"...He's totally... not scary at all."
The fear that used to fill his heart vanished all at once after he witness his father's exceedingly ordinary expression of rage. Anger and intent to kill turned into confusion due to the massive contrast between reality and his feelings. The extreme nervousness causing his entire body to go tense was slowly dissipating. Kaito lost his earlier calm and rubbed his eyes hard.
(Hey, what the hell is going on? Is this him? Is this really him?)
"Hey... Kaito, why are you silent? Huh? I'm talking to you!"
The man before him... had killed him. Originally the incarnation of absolute terror, the person he hated with every fiber of his being, Kaito could no understand at all. Looking at this guy, the threat he presented could not even compare to that of The Earl.
(Ahhh... I get it now.)
Kaito recalled every incident he had witnessed after coming to this world and silently reached a revelation.
(I've seen far too many terrifying things on this side.)
There was too much evil beyond human wisdom. Having spent too long by the side of the woman fighting against such evil, all the things Kaito once feared no longer had any effect on him.
Kaito finally realized that the contemptible and tyrannical father no longer existed. In front of him was just a petty man of absolutely no consequence, a man who did not even know about self-control.
Examining the face that kept yelling, Kaito quietly threw out a comment in disappointment.
"...What the hell, this sucks."
In the next instant, he could not help but burst into laughter. His father showed surprise, another ludicrous expression, causing Kaito to laugh even more. Holding his sides, Kaito laughed, rolling on the ground. At the same time, he heard what sounded like the breaking of the heavy chains that had bound him till now. This time, he really felt from the bottom of his heart how ridiculous everything was.
To think that what bounded him was this kind of low-life.
"I don't need him."
"Huh? What's with you suddenly, asshole? Huhhh? How dare you ignore your old man and look down on me? What are you laughing like an idiot for? Have you lost your marbles?"
"I don't need someone like him. The price is too heavy."
Even with him grabbing Kaito by the chest, Kaito simply shrugged. He turned to look back, only to see Vlad in a deep frown. The deep wond on his left wrist had already healed.
(A monster as expected.)
Thinking that, Kaito pointed his thumb at hi father while asserting as though a load had been lifted off his heart:
"This guy is totally not worth it for me to kill by putting my entire future on the line."
Although his father did not understand what Kaito was talking about, he seemed to know he was being belittled and swung his fist. Vlad snapped his fingers and instantly stopped Kaito's father's arm, prompting him to stare at his own arm in surprise. Vlad motioned with his chin for Kaito to continue. Kaito nodded and said:
"After coming to this world, I saw hell."
He saw those who created hell and the person who fought against them. He witnessed terrifying scenes where the weak was devoured. And in this hell, he had barely survived. Carving a bloody teleportation circle on his own stomach, forced to help out with no avenue of escape until all demons were destroyed. All this started from a certain woman's tyrannical ways.
"Torturchen" Elisabeth Le Fanu. A proud wolf and a lowly sow.
Right now, Kaito was serving by the side of the most terrifying, the most beautiful, and the most atrocious sinner.
Hence, there was totally no need to feel bound by the likes of this scum before him.
Killed by him... So what?
He had no time to care about something so silly. Kaito still had an important promise to uphold using the rest of his life.
"Even amid despair, there's still hope. Even if I have brace myself and take the plunge, I have to work hard for happiness."
Kaito declared firmly without any hesitation, breaking his contract with Vlad.
Vlad crossed his arms and pondered. He stared straight at Kaito's face then sighed deeply, covering his face with his slender fingers, shaking his head with a dramatic an exaggerated motion.
"It appears that I took you in too late."
"Yes, it's a bit too late."
Faced with Vlad's sad exclamation, Kaito replied casually.
"Definitely."
Vlad nodded, feeling disappointed from the bottom of his heart about the situation, stumbling. He walked over to Kaito's father and placed a hand on his shoulder. At the same time, Kaito's father began to yell randomly:
"Are you looking down at me? Quit putting me up to this kind of crap or else I'll kill you, asshole, I'll kill you!"
It looked like Vlad had restrained his mouth earlier too, no wonder it had been so quiet. Vlad frowned impatiently and brought his lips near Kaito's father's ear. As though a carnivorous predator had brought its teeth near, Kaito's father instantly stopped talking. In a sweet voice, Vlad whispered quietly to that ear which had been deformed from fist fights.
"Killing this thing in front of you again, to let you enjoy a second life, how do you feel about that?"
Kaito's father was stunned for a moment before licking his lips. He accepted things way too easily. At the same time, Kaito turned around and ran. Angry shouts filled with murderous intent were chasing after him.
"Kaito, hold it right there! Stop running!"
"As if I'd stop just because you said so, idiot!"
Correct decisions could be made as long as one's brain was not atrophied. Kaito did not want to just stand there and get killed by him. While making weird noises, his father pursued. Kaito charged at the entrance he had gone through earlier. The pair of maids did not take any action. Although Kaito did not know if he could make it to Elisabeth alive, at least he had to stop Hina from deactivating even at the cost of his own life. Right now, he should still be able to make it.
At that moment, Vlad snapped his fingers. Blue petals and darkness swirled in a vortex and a stake skewered Kaito's foot.
"Gaahhh!"
Kaito screamed from the intense pain and fell on one knee. At the same time, his father caught up and grabbed the back of his neck firmly, dragging him. Shaking in anger, his father strangled Kaito's neck.
"Quit looking down on me, you fucking kid, quit looking down looking down looking down looking down on meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Kaito raised his hand, trying to resist, but his palm ended up pierced by a stake too. His bloody arm dangled powerlessly.
His view gradually contracted and his consciousness faded. Recalling the excruciating feeling of pressure on his windpipe, that kind of sensation was happening on his throat again. Although the golem body was immortal, at this rate, his neck was going to break, severing his arteries. If that happened, death would still occur.
(Am I going... to be killed again?)
Talking such a big game earlier but dying so shamefully in the end. But back then, no one came to rescue him either. If he called for anyone know, it would probably be useless. No one was going to come for him.
Kaito recalled that gentle smile and warm embrace. Why did he not embrace her tightly when she was leaving...? Kaito felt truly regretful and whispered lightly, shedding a tear.
"..............I'm sorry, Hina."
Thud thud thud thud thud thud thud thud, from somewhere came a noise.
Kaito's father suddenly loosened his grip. Kaito opened his eyes slightly to see his father staring in shock at the direction of the noise. Curious, Kaito turned his eyes forcefully to look in the same direction.
After seeing what was there, his mouth gaped open in shock just like his father.
Hina was on rampage, swinging her halberd like a hurricane while she approached.
Seeing her so fierce, it was hard not to doubt why she had been so weak earlier... Knocking away the maids that went up to stop her, with blushing cheeks and radiant eyes, she called out:
"You called me, right? You called me, right? You just called me, right? Ahhhh, Lord Kaitoooooooo! I will save you now!"
"Holy crap."
Kaito could not help but mutter. Sensing instinctively he was in danger, Kaito's father released him and tried to run. Kaito was thrown to the floor but did not feel any impact. By the time he realized, he noticed he was being held tightly in Hina's right arm. She used her remaining left arm to brandish the halberd in a flash.
"Huh?"
"You will pay with your body for the crime of strangling Lord Kaito."
Kaito's father's upper torso was effortlessly cleaved into two, sliding to one side along the cross-section, spilling blood and guts everywhere. His father was rendered motionless, probably because the instantaneous blood loss had exceeded activity limits.
Hina's strike had not the slightest hesitation or delay. The power was astounding.
Held against Hina's bosom, Kaito was stunned. To insulate Kaito from all impact, Hina dropped the halberd and embraced Kaito with both arms. Naturally, she buried Kaito's face into her bountiful bust. At the same time, she cried out, overjoyed:
"Ahhh, Lord Kaito! You have saved me from the abyss of death once again. Your kindness knows no bounds, your mercy knows no bounds! I heard your merciful voice loud and clear! Until the last instant of my life, I will love you and stop anyone from hurting you!"
"Ha... Hahaha."
Kaito could not help but relax and laugh. All this was a total mess, but joy gradually crept up in his heart. He originally thought no one would save him, but he was wrong.
Also, he would never think that again.
Kaito raised his bloody hand. Seeing it, Hina screamed in sadness, but Kaito ignored the state of his hand and touched her cheek with his trembling hand. Not wanting to soil her pale skin, he only used his fingertips to feel her warmth. After a while, Kaito exhaled in relief.
"Lord Kaito? What is with you? Do your wounds hurt?"
"I'm so glad you survived. Honestly... Honestly thank goodness... I'm sorry, Hina, I'm sorry."
"L-Lord Kaito! Please do not apologize! Are you okay? I will forever serve singlemindedly by your side, whether in sickness or health, so long as this life persists! Ahh, this love! These feelings! Ah, it must be maternal instinct."
Hina murmured with a serious look on her face, but her expression suddenly changed and she looked up sharply. Intense blood lust like an animal's flashed in her emerald eyes.
"Of the rats hurting you, Lord Kaito, one still remains."
Kaito looked up to see Vlad in contemplation, stepping on Kaito's father's internal organs with his shoe. Seeing that frozen profile, Kaito felt his whole body run cold. He was angry with annoyance filling up his mind, even losing the ability to think "crush Kaito and Hina immediately."
"Go to hell, bastard."
"Don't, Hina!"
In the next instant, Hina vanished. Using her battered body to pick up the halberd, with dilated pupils, she attacked Vlad. Without looking back, Vlad snapped his fingers.
With a swirl of darkness and petals, a rotary saw manifested in the air.
The saw went straight for Kaito instead of aiming at Hina. Vlad's disinterested gaze looked like he was testing Hina. Without a second's hesitation, Hina dropped the halberd and twisted herself very forcefully, trying to shield Kaito with her own body.
At that moment, Kaito saw her image superimposed with Neue.
"No, Hina!"
Kaito immediately pushed Hina out of the saw's trajectory.
"Eh? Lord, Kaito?"
Hina widened her eyes in surprise, reaching forward with her hands. Looking at her, Kaito smiled.
Instantly, a burning sensation sliced through his body. Kaito was instantaneously disemboweled. Although the rotary saw looked very menacing, its sharpness was inferior to the halberd. Thanks to that, Kaito avoided getting chopped into two, but many organs fell out from his wound. Unable to make a sound, he collapsed on the spot. Hina cried out in a frenzy.
"Lord, Kaito!? Lord Kaito, Lord Kaito, nooooooooooooooooooo!"
"...Ug... Gah, ha... Geh."
Kaito could feel the warmth of his throbbing internal organs on his palm. His heart was pounding, so annoying. Trembling on the ground, he thought with hazy thoughts.
(Will Hina... find a chance... to escape...? Not gonna happen...)
Given her personality, she could not possibly abandon Kaito. He had to find a way to tell her to escape. However, he was in no shape to speak coherently. His vision faded.
In his field of view that was supposed to pitch black, there was a flash of light. What exactly was this feeling? Having experienced the flow of teleportation magic through his abdomen, Kaito was able to understand. This was the restless magical power in Elisabeth's blood that was mixed in his own blood. In this crisis faced with death, Kaito's soul was synchronizing with blood possessing even greater magic.
The blood's memories were automatically recreated.
What appeared before him resembled the flashbacks that people commonly spoke of.
However, this was an extremely evil scene, completely different from what people usually described.
* * *
Countless cruelly slaughtered corpses with hundreds of crows flying over them. A crowd shouting "kill, kill, kill." A girl suspended in the air, dressed in a bondage suit. A sickly young girl, looking out the window of a child's room.
A graceful man ran a finger over her skinny shoulder dressed in a negligee.
THe girl's tousled hair shook, her body trembled in surprise. She hastily looked up, only to see the man raise his arms in a surrendering gesture. Seeing his face, the girl breathed a sigh of relief.
"My goodness, Uncle Vlad, please do not startle me so."
"Hello Elisabeth, my lovely daughter... Have you been a good girl today? Did you secretly kill a cat like last time?"
"Most certainly not. I shan't do anything like that again."
"Really? Oh well, fine. Regardless what you decide, I will keep your secret."
The uncle's handsome face was very similar to hers. He was quite delighted to meet her again. For some reason, he called Elisabeth his daughter instead of his niece.
Elisabeth wanted to respond but suddenly covered her lips. She coughed dryly a few times, leaving traces of blood between her fingers. Seeing her so pitiful, Vlad spoke in a coaxing voice.
"Poor Elisabeth, plagued by incurable illness since birth. Possessing the same cruel nature as me, my lovely Elisabeth. The reason I am here today is because I have brought the 'qualification' from the abyss of death that will cure you of your incurable illness."
"Really? But Uncle, even the doctor says this illness cannot be cured. Also, what do you mean by 'qualification'?"
"You will know when the time comes. Here, take this. Just as I helped you cover up your 'prank,' do not breathe a word about this to anyone, okay?"
The uncle brought his index finger to his lips and winked. Elisabeth nodded innocently. Vlad stroked her gently and took out something from his bag.
"Eat this and you will be able to enjoy your life more than anyone in the world."
Elisabeth reached out and accepted from Vlad the lump of meat that resembled a human heart.
After eating this meat, Elisabeth's life was peacefully extended to sixteen years of age.
Everyone considered Elisabeth's survival a miracle and were overjoyed. However, Elisabeth's parents passed away as though paying the price for the miracle. One night, the horse-drawn carriage carrying them fell down a cliff. Even though the cause was unknown, an old man passing by that road prior to the accident claimed he saw the shadow of a giant black dog.
At the funeral, everyone spent the night in sorrow. Dressed in funeral attire, Elisabeth was sitting by the window as usual. A pale finger slid across her shoulder, prompting her to suddenly lift her tearful face.
Appearing in front of her, dressed in black was the uncle who was supposed to be wandering different lands.
"Uncle Vlad."
"Hello, Elisabeth! It is wonderful that you survived, lovely girl that you are!"
Failing to notice the unnaturalness in his flamboyant ways, Elisabeth was just about to hug her favorite uncle. However, Vlad suddenly clapped his hands in delight. Elisabeth halted and widened her eyes in shock. Her parents had just died yet her uncle was applauding with joy.
"Uncle?"
"It appears that the demon's flesh has succeeded in taking root inside you!"
Back then, Elisabeth did not understand what Vlad was talking about. But looking at his face under the moonlight, she instantly came to realization.
Her uncle's face did not match his age at all. Exceptionally young, exceptionally beautiful... And exceptionally evil.
In a tone of voice like a child inviting others to play a malicious game, Vlad continued:
"Elisabeth, you will no longer die from human diseases. But from now on, you must hurt others and take their pain and suffering of the soul as offerings for your own body. Otherwise, the demon's flesh inside you will decay, causing you to die in abject pain and agony. Worry not, no need to be afraid. Just relax, my lovely and adorable Elisabeth."
Under the moonlight, Vlad smiled, his lips curling maliciously, he shouted:
"Right now, you have plenty of people to use, inherited from your parents' territory. Until you have eaten them all up, until you have eaten your fill, eat as much as you can."
Elisabeth instinctively knew that her uncle's words were not in jest. In fact, she had a faint feeling that what she had eaten at the time was taboo food that must not be touched.
Hugging her shoulders, Elisabeth shuddered. The uncle smiled at her and said:
"Yes, this is it, Elisabeth Le Fanu. Become a sow greedier than anyone."
A few days later, unable to bear the intense pain attacking her entire body, Elisabeth killed someone for the very first time in her life, using a real instrument of torture, with her Uncle Vlad's assistance.
Vomiting while crying, she used the Intestine Extractor to crush her living victim's innards. She used the Iron Birdcage to slaughter a girl. Building up a pile of corpses together with her day after day, Vlad laughed.
"Splendid, splendid, Elisabeth! Continue, continue, Elisabeth! How are you, Elisabeth, my lovely daughter, do you feel joy?"
".......Yes, I do......Indeed... Perhaps."
Feeling hatred, blood lust and resentment at herself, Elisabeth buried such feelings at the bottom of her heart, staring at the dead bodies with her teary eyes. The more her tears flowed, the greater the sense of guilt, the more people's hatred deepened, increasing without end. Finally, a vicious flower bloomed from Elisabeth.
Her ten-odd attempts at suicide were all stopped by Vlad. After meeting the demons he had summoned, she decided to cast away all hesitation.
"Cry or laugh, nothing changes in the end."
Accepting her cursed fate, Elisabeth used her magic to weave a long skirt, using her accumulated magical power to summon instruments of torture and execution, she began to massacre the residents of the castle town.
Abusing her innocent people, Elisabeth sat alone on her throne, swirling her wine glass.
"Where would you find someone apologizing while eating pork and beef? Crying or regretting, nothing will change what I do. Hence, I have decided... to be arrogant."
"With joy in my heart, I will make everyone in this world my sacrifice."
"Since sacrifice is preordained, who would cry for that and apologize!? I shall sneer while slaughtering you, putting all of you on my plate, to devour completely in joy, then rub my belly in contentment. However, you people possess th right to kill me. Even though I keep devouring you mercilessly nonstop, once the eater and the eaten are reversed in position, I shall die in blazing flames."
"Curse me, begrudge me, decry me to go to hell!"
"I am 'Torturchen' Elisabeth Le Fanu."
"Forsaken by all creation across heaven and earth, a proud wolf and a lowly sow!"
After that, Elisabeth went on to build up a reputation of many bloody legends, obtaining power to rival the highest-ranked demons as a worthy successor to Vlad. Unexpectedly, Elisabeth suddenly raised a banner of rebellion against Vlad, her self-proclaimed foster father.
Using thousands of stakes to impale the armies of devotees led by Vlad, she laughed with a evil expression:
"Hello, Vlad. Surely, you believe that you would never see the day when you are going to be killed, right? Today is the day of reckoning. Die together with me, killed by shallow pigs and disappear!"
Thus, she and Vlad fought each other and both ended up captured by the Church.
Engaging in sin without fear of God, was it ultimately just to sustain her life as one person?
Or was it for the sake of taking out her "father" who kept increasing his allies and power, impossible for humans to oppose him?
To this day, she had never say a word about this to anyone.
* * *
"—————Gah, hah!"
Kaito vomited a load of blood and woke up. It felt like blood forced down his throat had gone back in reverse. This pain and shock seemed to shake his soul from its sluggish state. Elisabeth's memories vanished from his view as though dissolving. With gradual loss of blood from his body, his mind returned to reality.
The ground felt as warm as a blanket and unusually soft... His senses were starting to hallucinate, probably, to think that he would find the blood under him particularly comfortable.
Lying in a pool of blood, Kaito closed his eyes, ruminating over the memory he had just witnessed.
(...Definitely the worst. Your life that no one can save.)
Banishing the heavy desire to sleep, Kaito slowly opened his eyes. His blurred vision did not allow him to discern the dark scene. However, he knew that Hina was swinging the halberd, fighting something.
She was desperately protecting Kaito. At that moment, Kaito pondered with his hazy mind.
(Even God would forsake you and leave you to your own devices. But knowing all this, you still committed your resolve to become Torturchen. I don't get why you did that.)
Kaito reached out, dipping his hand in the viscous pool of blood. Then he extended his arm farther out, to find a spot on the floor that had not been soaked by blood, then desperately moved his trembling hand.
(Why could you openly choose to live, choose to fight, without any hesitation at all...?)
Crawling with unsightliness on the ground, Kaito continued to move his finger. Ignoring his pain and blood loss, he wriggled like a worm. Thinking he was trying to escape, Vlad laughed and whispered:
"The master intends to abandon you in battle and flee? Even so, will you still continue?"
"Lord Kaito is escaping? Wonderful! Then I will buy time for him!"
The noise of clashing weapons resounded repeatedly. Kaito crawled bit by bit under the flash of blades. Writing with blood, he connected lines with lines and smiled lightly.
"However, sure enough, we... definitely are similar, in some ways. This is what they call kindred spirits, I guess."
Krulus was right, Kaito definitely resembled Elisabeth in certain ways. Kaito reached out a bit more, squishing his internal organs while writing.
"I've already died...... So there's no way for me to punch him while still alive. But you... are alive, so do it now... Beat up your father, viciously."
Kaito traced his finger to connect the beginning and the end of the circle. After doing that, he collapsed on the ground. He could feel hot magical power in the blood. Only then did Vlad realize and shout in alarm:
"—This is..."
In front of Kaito, the teleportation magic circle of Elisabeth's was done.
Due to experiences in his past life, Kaito had mastered the special skill of never forgetting any experience accompanied by pain. Using this special skill, he had carved the map of Elisabeth's castle onto his own skin and memorized it without hesitation.
Furthermore, reaching an agreement with Elisabeth one time, he had Elisabeth carve her teleportation magic circle on his abdomen.
The magic circle Kaito had drawn from memory began to pulsate while the blood carrying Elisabeth's magical power started to flow. The vivid red color began to shine like a melted ruby.
Assisted by the light from the magic circle, Kaito was finally able to see what was inside the room. Vlad was releasing attacks with an anxious look while Hina took them on desperately. Kaito spat blood and shouted:
"Then you should settle everything on your own and go to hell as you had sworn! Elisabeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeth!"
As Kaito yelled, darkness erupted with a mad dance of red petals in the room.
A long skirt hem fluttered in the air together with the storm of darkness and red flowers. The scarlet on the inner side of the skirt drifted across Kaito's view. The beautiful girl showed up, her elegantly-shaped chest clad in leather straps and puffed out proudly. Her gorgeous black hair fluttered in the wind while her red eyes reflected Kaito's image.
Dressed in a bondage-style dress, the otherworldly beauty landed on Kaito's blood and guts.
This scene was so beautiful yet so infuriating too.
Held in her pale hand was the Executioner's Sword of Frankenstahl.
"Helloooooooooooooooooo, Vlad."
Elisabeth instantly figured out the situation and laughed madly and viciously. Her lips were curled with extreme malice and fearlessness. Vlad timidly took a step back.
All covered in blood, Elisabeth was not exhibiting the Church's restraints, but Vlad was. Furthermore, the Emperor was not by his side. As though looking at prey that had been delivered right to her door, Elisabeth licked her lips greedily.
She pointed the Executioner's Sword of Frankenstahl high up. Red petals and darkness spiraled around the blade. Next, she swung down the glowing longsword just like that, as though giving the order for an execution.
"Forsaken by all creation across heaven and earth—Die in solitude!"
An explosion of chains formed a vortex in the room, flying over Hina's head just as she ducked down swiftly in a prone position. Smashing the other doll maids into smithereens, the chains entangled Vlad like snakes. Vlad struggled as hard as he could, trying to use blue petals and darkness to sever the chains but every time he struggled, a new chain would tie up his body. Squeezed until his bones creaked, his flesh was crushed.
"......Gah."
Spontaneously, he was hung in the air by the chains just as like Elisabeth in the past. Red petals gradually accumulated in the surroundings, but as though mourning the dead, the great quantity of red petals instantly melted away, transforming into a large wooden stake for execution by fire. Using chains to bind Vlad, Elisabeth swung her sword again. The sword's trajectory left red flames in its wake, flying forth. Rather than the blue flames of demons, this was the red flames of humans.
As though punished at the hands of the people, Vlad was burning in human flames.
"...To think I... by the likes of, this... What an outrage, Elisabeth."
Pitch-black darkness and blue petals swirled in Vlad's surroundings but could not cut the chains. The flames reached the edges of his magnificent coat then started to burn his skin slowly. Vlad widened his eyes in disbelief.
His red eyes glared at Elisabeth. Elisabeth smiled gently at him in return. Finally coming to terms with his situation, Vlad swept his gaze around his surroundings.
At that instant, only then did Vlad finally realize that death had him firmly in its grip.
Blank mutters with a tone of dependence leaked out from his lips intermittently.
"Elisabeth... Elisabeth... Elisabeth...... Elisabeth."
"Oppressive rulers need to be killed, tyrants need to be hanged, genoiciders need to be slaughtered brutally. This is natural law. What awaits at the endpoint of the path of torture is hell without a shred of redemption, adorned by one's own screams. Only then does the torturer's life come to a conclusion. Man at the root of all evil, you shall set off first. I shall not run away and will follow you in the near future."
Vlad's long hair began to burn. Abandoning his dignity completely, his entire body shook violently. With a slight cracking sound from the stake, the flames ignited his muscles. Towards this man who was burning like an ordinary person, Elisabeth declared:
"Execution by Fire—This is the most fitting resolution for you and I."
"Elisabeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeth!"
With a scream of rage and anguish, Vlad was devoured by the flames.
The fire caused his face to bloat then char, turning his flesh into charcoal, gradually erasing his entire existence. Even the bones he left behind were mercilessly crushed by the chains. In the end, he was turned into pure white ash, scattering in the wind. Hence, Vlad Le Fanu became one of many corpses begrudging Elisabeth.
Thus in such a simple manner, the man who followed The Emperor and had created Torturchen met his demise.
Then after that, Elisabeth remained the only one standing there as always.
Inside the room where heat from the fire lingered, she slowly closed her eyes and looked up to the sky. Her black hair fluttered in the wind behind her. Red petals danced, some of them settling on her skin.
Confronted with the death of one with inseparable ties to her, Elisabeth inhaled then opened her eyes.
"Too weak!"
Then raising a fist into the sky, she declared her victory happily.
Out of all things you could've said, I can't believe you picked that...
While thinking that, Kaito released his consciousness that he had been clinging to by force.
