Chapter 5

2 A Hellish Game Having acclimated to his new world and strange situation, Kaito came to a number of realizations. In order to maintain his soul’s stability, the golem body Elisabeth had created for him automatically translated things into words he was familiar with. As a result, not only could he read and speak this world’s language, but he could understand most of it as well. However, the translation didn’t always follow strict rules. Sometimes Elisabeth referred to things not by their names in this world’s common tongue but in an archaic dialect. When Kaito heard this, his ears picked it up as a foreign language. Furthermore, there were many objects that had the same name as something he was familiar with yet were completely different. For example, besides salt, pepper, and sugar, most of the spices in this world had completely different flavors and intensities than their counterparts from his world. When he’d tried to use them in the same fashion, the results had been disastrous. “…and that’s why my cooking is so bad.” “Ah, but that can hardly be the only reason. Your technique, too, is wretched.” Kaito made his appeal while his wrists were strung up in chains from the dining room ceiling like a prisoner. Elisabeth sat in an antique chair, the legs of which ended in clawed feet clutching orbs, shaking her head from side to side as if to say that Kaito was still at fault. The remains of his grilled pork kidney with garden-fresh salad lay on the floor, skewered by a single sharp spike. If the chains holding him up lowered even a little, Kaito’s right foot would meet the same fate. It was a simple form of torture yet effective nonetheless. Kaito squirmed as he shouted his displeasure. “Don’t go giving me that disappointed face, dammit! You’re the asshole who decides if I live or die! Cut it out, please; I’ll do anything!” “I can never tell if you’re being rebellious or subservient… And you’re far too useless. Your purin is the sole reason your torture is this light; if not for that, I’d have disposed of you a long time ago.” “Wait, you mean my purin’s the only thing keeping me alive?” “Indeed. Give thanks to purin.” This news caused the color to drain from Kaito’s face. Elisabeth nodded once she was sure Kaito understood his position. It was then that Kaito realized. Even at the best of times, Elisabeth’s attire functioned on a razor’s edge. The leather belts wrapped around her breasts left little to the imagination. The height and angle from which he currently hung only exacerbated that fact. From his current position, he had a clear view of the valley between them. “Elisabeth— Er…um…Miss Elisabeth. I couldn’t help but notice your outfit is a bit…risqué.” “Hmm? What are you saying? I— Oh…I see. Prepare to die!” “You’re the one practically showing off the goods! Blaming me for pointing that out is tyranny! Tyranny, I say! And hey, as far as my cooking is concerned, you said the dish I made after we got back from the village with the Knight was good, too, didn’t you? You know, the grilled liver, the one I cut up and skewered and added salt and pepper to!”