The Executioner and Her Way of Life

The Escape at Its Height

Manon Libelle was visiting a mountain hot spring town famed as a popular spot for relaxation.

She wore an elegant white kimono, and her geta sandals clacked along on the cobblestones. Her sophisticated style fit in perfectly with the
yukata
and old-fashioned wooden buildings of the village.

A cherubic little girl in a simple dress strolled hand in hand with Manon. She gazed around the town with her eyes wide.

“Mm, mm, how strange. Something about this place feels familiar somehow.”

“I know what you mean. It is certainly a tranquil, calming atmosphere.”

Chatting closely with each other, the two girls looked like sisters who were several years apart. It would’ve been a heartwarming scene to anyone who didn’t know their true nature.

“So what are we doing here?”

“I thought it might be nice to have a little rest.”

“Mmm?”

This particular visit was intended as nothing more than a break, with no sinister plans behind it, much to the younger girl’s confusion.

After their battle with Master Flare, they barely escaped with their lives. It had been worth working with Pandæmonium to create a huge catastrophe, for it had drawn out Flare.

“We finished most of our preparations and confirmed what we needed to know in the last city we visited. I thought we might relax for a bit.”

The two had caused a pandemic using Gluttony, one of the Original Sin Concepts.

Part of the reason for such a massive undertaking was to test the full power of the little girl, who was really just a pinky finger.

Her real self controlled nearly limitless power. With her whole body, she would be strong enough to infect all the living things in this world with Original Sin Concepts.

But since this Pandæmonium was only a fraction of the whole, her might was far from inexhaustible.

At most, Manon’s companion could spread the Original Sin Concept to approximately the population of a medium-sized city. Since the scale of her conjurings was directly linked to the number of victims she could produce, that was the upper limit of Pandæmonium’s pinky finger’s power.

She could taint an entire settlement with Original Sin and offer its inhabitants up as sacrifices.

Alternatively, she could summon one powerful monster created by her real body for a limited time.

The former was perfect for causing chaos, the latter for mass slaughter.

“Vacation, vacation…vacation? What is that exactly?”

“It’s a good thing every once in a while. Taking time to rest and relax is very important.”

They had figured out the limits of Pandæmonium’s pinky finger, but as a result, they used up her entire stock of sacrifices that she needed to produce power. Thus, Manon decided they would rest up in this town and gather some sacrifices while they were at it.

Pandæmonium looked a little sulky at the thought of peaceful rest. Manon held on to her hand so they wouldn’t get separated as they walked toward the inn she’d chosen. Out front, a bound man was being taken away by a group of knights.

What in the world had transpired? Manon observed the situation, listening carefully to her surroundings to gather information.

“I heard a man tried to steal underwear from a young lady at this inn…”

“A big group attempted to assault one of the guests in town…”

“Not only that, but one of the employees tried to sneak into a young woman’s room at night…”

“The manager here really needs to discipline his employees…”

All the whispered rumors had decidedly unsettling contents.

“……”

Manon silently covered Pandæmonium’s ears.

Pandæmonium looked up at the woman questioningly, but Manon just silently shook her head. She knew a child shouldn’t have to hear such awful things. Whether a girl who’d existed for close to a thousand years could really be called a child was certainly questionable, but Manon had already decided to treat her as one in accordance with her appearance.