Vol 1 Chapter 1 (1/2)
Chapter 1 - The Fourteen Demons
Sitting on a desolate hill, a castle was encircled by a lush forest Every corner of this castle had been built froly cold stone Rather than a castle, it would be better to call it a fortress
After spending three days in such an oppressive indoor environ crushed by stone The coes here meant that one could very aste away and die in the labyrinth if one were to get lost The castle's design evidently showed no consideration at all for the inhabitants, rather, there was a sense of rejection throughout
The kitchen was not convenient to use at all, always shrouded in a claustrophobic feeling like a dungeon cell
But even under the pressure of this sort of atredients after all
Wearing a butcher's apron, Sena Kaito rolled up the sleeves of his cotton shi+rt and crossed his ar quantity of innards, piled up in a s with co a distinctive odor
Kaito sighed and decided to chop up the intestines first, so he used a sharp knife to cut open the intestines lengthwise Next, he re care of this vast number of entrails silently like an ascetic nored the situation, still acting as though nothing had happened
Even if this castle were to collapse soon, putting an end to his life, he did not want to care at all
He opened a bottle of expensive-looking wine that he had taken from the wine cellar without permission then poured out of half of it into a silver platter originally dedicated to holding fruit Then without any hesitation, he ether with herbs whose names eluded him
While he continued with his culinary ith a soleain, but Kaito still did not let it bother him Even if half the castle were to be bloay, all was fine so long as he survived unharmed The world was peaceful, but an evil voice shattered this peace
”Butler, butler!”
Adhering to the logic that his name was Kaito and not ”butler,” Kaito decided that he was not the one being called and resolutely ignored the voice Finally, the ed
”Kaito!”
”Too noisy! I hear you! Coht away!”
Fearing for his life if he kept ignoring the voice, Kaito dropped the liver he had covered with flour onto the counter then rushed to the corridor The corridor had several stained glass s at least, which alleviated the claustrophobic feeling so patterns that creeped Kaito out from the botto across the colorful corridor, Kaito climbed the spiral staircase and pushed open a massive set of double doors
A strong gust of wind greeted him Inside this throne roonificent throne There were even a few ancient tapestries hanging in the roo the space with solemnity However, a quarter of all this stuff had now been bloay, opening ablueness
It was totally no joke What was happening right now could very well demolish half the castle
In front of the re with her ar on the rubble, haughtily waiting for Kaito With a click of her heel contacting the ground, she turned towards Kaito
Her black and gorgeous hair fluttered in the air while her red eyes pierced Kaito
Hanging on her peerlessly beautiful face was a shtful at all Kaito found her face repugnant With nails painted black, she pointed outside and spoke in a bird-like voice, like a cat that had eaten her fill
”Behold, Kaito”
Kaito complied obediently and looked out the hole The clear blue sky and the refreshi+ngly green forest were now shrouded by a sticky red color and a rust-like stench, it was nauseating
In front of him was a nasty scene from hell
Dozens of iron stakes had sprouted out of the ground, i a creepy creature
With his face frowning to the limit, Kaito scrutinized the pitiful corpse that was a bloody mess
”What are your thoughts, Kaito?”
”What else can I say? It's not only creepy but also pitiful”
”Hmph, what an accurate description of your senses Not only are your words inadequate in expressive ability, but you also lack the wit to please your uy”
The girl shrugged In front of her, the terrifying beast, an aamation of hurotesque beast were hundreds of faces, attached to one another by stretching their cheeks and scalps to the liony Instead of a mane, the beast's back featured a line of hu from its bloated belly
The girl scoffed at the sacrilegious and grotesque abomination and said:
”Follow ht has declared war on ht”
The girl licked her red lips, overjoyed Surpassing leopards and wolves, she wasthe revulsion in his heart, Kaito turned away frohed
”I don't mind, but the food will be ready in one hour Whether you want to fight or to torture, save it for after the meal”
The only reason why Sena Kaito was currently stuck in this absolute mess of a situation was because he had been murdered
”Since you did not answer, I shall ask again Pledge your allegiance to me”
”I refuse”
Confronted with the haughty de herself Elisabeth, Kaito refused on the spot The stranger had suddenly appeared before hih he was supposed to have died as ahim to be her servant Kaito was very confused, but he answered without hesitation This was due to the mountain of bizarre corpses, the blood lust in the crowd, Elisabeth's sadistic smile and most crucial of all, the title of ”Torturchen”
With all these danger signals gathered in one place, the girl before his eyes was evidently the one responsible for creating that tragedy Hence, Kaito had no response other than refusal
Kaito expected Elisabeth's mood to be ruined as a result, but for some reason, she nodded, impressed
”Oh? What decisiveness Perhaps you viewedsummoned? Even so, such a decisive answer is still quite unexpected”
”Putting aside whether I' for you or not, did you just say 'summoned'? Hey, what is this place? Why am I here? And most importantly, I should be dead”
”Yes, you are coically, brutally, killed like a worthless bug! In spite of that, suh a doll's body This is a rare act of grace, so rejoice to your fill”
”A doll?”
Hearing the word that Elisabeth had said out of the blue, Kaito could not help but touch his own body Although she called him a doll, he found no difference between the texture of his skin and a huh he did not have awith the height of his eye level, so he did not think his height had changed He plucked out a hair from the back of his head and it was the brown color he had been born with
Just as he was exa his body in doubt, Elisabeth spoke in exasperation
”What are you doing? The vessel for your soul is a golem body created by none other than I Unlike the ones that would collapse into a pile of dirt as soon as you alter the writing on their foreheads, this is a reat sorcerer and skilled artisan This is also the reason why e to your ears Durability guaranteed, your body features all huh your veins However, you will not die even if more than half your body is destroyed On the other hand, if you were to bleed dry of the blood imbued with ”
”But ed”
”Your stupidity is truly incurable As I have already explained, do not compare my masterpiece with those cheap varieties that are not worthIf a soul were to be placed into a body that differs excessively from the form of its previous life, the dissonance could very well cause a breakdown This blank body was designed to conforh external injuries and internal ed, appearance and physique be it a face of poverty or a weak and skinny body, everything is consistent with your state when you were alive Go ahead and express your rapture, grateful for enerosity”
At that moment, Kaito noticed an important difference in his body He looked at his ar it densely had disappeared The constant pain that thoroughly gripped his body over the long years was gone
(I see What a shock This body really isn't mine)
Kaito understood completely A body without pain could not possibly be his own body This painless feeling, one that had been long-absent in his life, was quite co he was like an inflated rubber doll
While Kaito was feeling his arm in a daze, Elisabeth continued
”To obtain a servant, I su preventsto run errands for me, if the Church were to find out, punishment would be unavoidable Furthermore, the brutality of your murder was beyond proportionate to your sin in life, hence you are perfect H, could it be that you are from another world? To be drawn here from a parallel dimension, I really have no idea whether your unusual fortune is a blessing or a curse Whatever, I care not about your original identity From now on, you shall work for me with sincere loyalty”
”I refuse”
”Oh?”
Kaito's answer caused Elisabeth to blink her red eyes with delight She placed her finger, as slender as a blade, on Kaito's forehead, then licking her gorgeous lips, she whispered sweetly
”You have been killed Killed pitifully, tragically and brutally like a worthless bug That low-functioning brain of yours can understand that h you are qualified as an 'innocent soul' by the condition that 'your sins fronomy predicts a destination of hell for you Now that I have said this ive up your second life and seek death like a tra?”
”That's right I've had enough of living as soo”
Kaito replied firmly This was how unmentionable his life had been, a fate worse than hell
He had only attended school for a couple years before al jobs to help his father, but it was never appreciated Whenever his father did not need hi frustrations There was no part of this life that Kaito did not find repulsive He did not even knohat his mother looked like, but presu from malnutrition and pain, his mother had lost the ability to think normally Deprived of the will to even run away, she ended up killed
Kaito wanted a body without pain but he would rather die than cater to another person's whiain, because even if such a shi+tty life could continue, it would just be a longer and smellier piece of shi+t
”I'ive up If you want a servant, find someone else”
”Is that so? Then I shall ainst your wishes”
Elisabeth did not heed Kaito's answer at all Kaito frowned deeply, but she shrugged lightly
”It would be a hassle if the Church's pointless nose were to get wind of the fact that I su a new doll would take substantial trouble, hence it would be utterly ludicrous of h all that sundry work to find a substitute errand boy I do not have that kind of time, after all, I”
At that moment, the door behind Elisabeth was bloith a loud noise
Like a joke in poor taste, the heavy door simply flew in the air and crashed next to her Bits of wood flew past her face, but she did not even bat an eye in that direction Kaito's eyes widened in shock as he looked towards the doorway in trepidation
Over there was a rider on a giant horse
The rider was carrying a terrifying spiked chain while straddling a saddleabout them were their bodies Whether the horse or the rider, neither had any skin Like anatomy models, their muscles were exposed, with blood vessels visible on the surface and glistening fat, presenting the pink color of their bloody flesh Such ugly bodies caused Kaito to instinctively refuse to understand the entities before hi while did Elisabeth turn to the entrance, speaking in a laid back manner
”After all, there are fourteen ranked deht, The President, The Grand President, The Earl, The Grand Earl, The Duke, The Grand Duke, The Marquess, The Grand Marquess, The Monarch, The Grand Monarch, The Sovereign, The Grand Sovereign, and The Emperor And with the exception of The Emperor, who has been captured, I must brutally execute these thirteen demons and their contractors”
The horse neighed and the rider howled But what ca noise as though a stor the unpleasant vibrations on his eardrums, Kaito understood from the bottom of his heart
Indeed, such a terrifying being could only be described as a demon
”Hey, what's up with that guy? Is he 'The Knight' you mentioned?”
”You are quite cal of an imbecile”
”This level of judg as the brain isn't atrophied”
”Unfortunately, this thing is ht's servant Rather than the man himself who had entered a contract with a demon, he is someone who volunteered to become a subordinate In other words, a small fry But he was formerly human, indeed”
Listening to Elisabeth, Kaito involuntarily looked at the horse and rider again That this thing was originally human, he could not believe it at all, neither did he want to believe it If a man volunteered to turn into this as she said, all he could think was that guy hts, Elisabeth grinned
”I understand I understand very well Very ugly, isn't it? Selling one's soul to a de power beyond huinal appearance There is no greater ugliness than this, is there? Laugh as h This is more than likely his ultih, wouldn't you agree?”
Even as a taunt, her words were far too tactless Even sharper hoere eh-pitched sound waves rese Kaito cover up his ears
The rider tightened the reins and kicked the horse's belly The horse proceeded to shatter the floor with its hooves, instantly reaching top speed to close in, trying to smash Elisabeth to death in a direct collision
”Small potatoes are unworthy of my sword—Iron Maiden”
Elisabeth whispered quietly and raised her hand Immediately, red petals and darkness were released into the air fro in a vortex With a thunderous crash, as though the vortex had penetrated space itself, a hued from the floor
Iron Maiden—was the naant doll, a name that did not match its appearance
Long soft hair draped over the doll's back like golden silk The two eyes glowed blue like gemstones A smile of tender love on its lips The doll's ared mercilessly
The maiden's warm embrace was about to be trampled by iron hooves Just as KaitoThe doll's eyes widened, rolling the blue eyes back to beco of tender love rejected, the doll proceeded to show hatred on its face and opened up its belly suddenly
Iron ar towards the horse and rider, s with mechanical motions Unconcerned with the enemy's pitiful screams, the iron arms compressed the horse and rider's body parts that were in the way, crushi+ng them inwards until they were turned into a bloody pulp rese pieces of caterpillars
Without even time to resist, the horse and rider were turned into a ed into the doll's belly And the interior of the doll's belly featured a dense array of countless needles like symbols of maidenhood
Gyahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Accompanied by screams of pain, the doll's abdomen slammed shut
Displaying a sed her lower abdo as well as screa that could drive a listener insane
”Those embraced by the Iron Maiden are not afforded an immediate death”
A, Elisabeth corinned
”If death is what you seek at all costs, then so be it I shall generously grant you your wish However, since I did bring you back froain, it hts? Make your choice, butler or meat?”
”Please let me be your butler”
”Now that is a rapid change of mind”
Thus, Kaito entered Torturchen's service
This was how things came to be
”DIS-GUS-TING!”
With a soul-wrenching yell, the dish, a fork, and the ”roasted heart with aroetables, paired with fruit sauce” flew into the air A fatal rain was showered upon the ancient tablecloth
Next, Elisabeth angrily sto table
”W-What the devil is this? I never thought food could taste bad to this extent It looked decent in appearance, but the inside of the heart was not cooked thoroughly, whereas the surface was too tough to chew Rich in the distinct odor of innards, the sauce was strangely sweet and sour, producing an absolutely terrible syue that was impossible to dispel In a certain way, it was a miracle”
”I'm amazed by your critique”
(I can't believe she gave such a vigorous reaction)
With dead-looking eyes, Kaito plucked out the fork that was embedded in the wall
A couple of days had passed since he was coerced into being Elisabeth's butler Although he started out scared to death of Elisabeth's everyon the brink of death, after all, so he was pretty much used to this type of interaction
Dressed in a butler uniforood hed deeply
”Can you not throw utensils around every chance you get? It's not like you're an old man from the Shouwa period”
”Whether Shouwa or oldabout However, how can I not flip the table when the food is this disgusting!? Good grief! Even swine feed would beskills be so bad!?”
”You've said the sa to me countless times already, which is why I used wine to remove the odor today”
”Hey, don't tell e?”
Kaito chose strategic silence Seeing Kaito's guilt, Elisabeth silently waved her hand
With a ruh in a cartoon scene, the chair rammed into his botton, one could tell that spikes, spikes, and even e from the entire surface of the back rest, the seat and the arled as hard as he could
”Hold on, wait a sec! Let's talk first! Think about this, don't you think you're asking for the ians right off the bat!?”
”You need not seek excuses Incidentally, what is with your lack of respect for me, the one known as Torturchen? How brazen of you? Would turning your back into a sieve iant attitude?”
”My senses towards fear and danger have numbed after I was killed once! It's my fault, please don't torture me!”
”Hmph, then I shall befro indirectly that you have no reason to respect me except out of fear?”
”No, that's not true at all, err I think?”
”Kaito, you cannot even be bothered to find an excuse now?”
”No, let me rephrase myself!”
Despite crying out, Kaito already knew his fate Namely, to be turned into a hued her mind and dismissed the torture chair with a ”hmph”
”Very well, so be it, I a, so I shall offer you a chance to redee for me”
”Pudding?”
Hearing Elisabeth solemnly issue an inexplicable order, Kaito cocked his head in puzzlement
”Pudding indeed,” Elisabeth repeated herself and nodded seriously Crossing her legs conceitedly, she leaned back against her chair
”It would be too unrealistic to rely on someone like you who cannot even cook a ive up However, the possibilities inherent in sweetness are slightly greater, so I shall allow you to make an attempt If you tellyou as a garbage creating machine”
”Don't say so You'rethe wounds on ? It does sound fa like purin?”
”Purin? I know not of this purin, but judging fro?”
Confronted with this extremely sloppy response, Kaito nodded In fact, the custard pudding known as purin in japan was so quite memorable for him
One day, a wo for the young Kaito The woman had s the next day Now that he thought back to the tiuilty conscience in leaving the young Kaito behind to escape on her own However, to Kaito, his joy from back then remained a vivid memory He had alsothe dessert
The ingredients in the kitchen were sufficient to recreate the dish, but he lacked the right cooking utensil, so he asked Elisabeth
”Hey Elisabeth, since you can use earth to olems, doesn't that mean you can also make a clay pot?”
”How dare youto have you scrapped, do you not know your place? Fine What is this clay pot?”
”The clay pot is like this, a pot made from heat-resistant clay, it's round”
With clue ability, Kaito tried to describe a clay pot Elisabeth looked intrigued but proceeded to snap her fingers Soon enough, tiny footsteps could be heard from the corridor
Creak—
The dining hall door opened and a ular earthen blocks appeared Then the tiny gole a small pile of earth
”Ehhhh, hey Elisabeth, look what you've done! Isn't that so sad?”
”Pay it no mind Despite appearances, it was not actually conscious You wanted a pot, yes?”
The earth squir the potoff stea clay finally turned into his familiar pot after repeated tries
”This earth is i, but take it and use it however you like”
”Thanks, this really helps”
Kaito picked up the pot gingerly in his arms and walked to the kitchen He first filled the clay pot ater then added flour to cook Doing so sealed the s a sar in it then carefully added a beaten egg after it had cooled, taking care to avoid bubbles and frothing in the process Next, he washed the clay pot and coated it with butter Using a clean cloth, he filtered the egg mixture However, the crucial step had yet to coently with the lid on for around ten to fifteena wire mesh over the stove, he placed the clay pot on top but he was not confident in fine-tuning the heat
”Now then, how did it turn out Hht”
It looked like Elisabeth's application of fire resistance was superb Even the therentle heat The rest of the process was now up to luck
Soon after, a sweet fragrance began to fill the kitchen After waiting for residual heat to dissipate, Kaito placed the clay pot in cold storage powered by an ice spirit spell Once it had cooled down sufficiently, he took the clay pot out to the dining hall
Elisabeth probably had nothing to do Surprisingly, she aiting patiently for Kaito
”H How unexpected”
”Yeah, thanks to you, I guess it's done Try it out”
Kaito placed the clay pot before her Elisabeth craned her neck, looking like she aiting for Kaito to open it for her Gripping the handle, Kaito lifted the lid, instantly releasing a burst of sweet fragrance Seeing the large luht yellow substance, Elisabeth tilted her head in puzzlement
”What is this? It is not pudding, is it?”
”Oh, I guess it's not the sa after all This is purin Purin”
”Purin? Oh?”
Elisabeth repeated like a parrot and scooped up a s yellow substance, she frowned suspiciously
She delivered the spoon to her ain
”This, how odd No Hmm Quite delicate smooth”
The spoon kept entering her an to eat ravenously nonstop Soon after, the pot was empty She slammed the spoon hard on the table
”You are off the hook!”
”Thanks”
See, you can do it if you try Elisabeth sine a pair of cat ears popping out of her gorgeous black hair, ly with satisfaction