A gentle yawn stretched across Tamamo's face as she watched Maria meticulously pack a rucksack with supplies. "Human, where are you going?" she asked, her voice thick with drowsiness.
Maria, dressed in a rugged explorer's outfit, hoisted the bag onto her shoulders with her physic power. "I'm going to Germany. I'm going to bring back some spring water from the Black Forest to lift the No Life King's curse. It might be the only way to get Kaito back."
"Here are some talismans to help, if you manage to find it," Tamamo said, lazily tossing a small pouch.
"Thanks, Tamamo," Maria said, catching the pouch with invisible force. "Take care of Kaito for me while I'm gone." With a final nod, she opened the door and disappeared.
Just as the door clicked shut, Epsilon, pushing a complicated-looking contraption on a wheeled cart, entered the room. Beside her was Yumi in a lab coat.
Tamamo, still drowsy, fixed her gaze on them. "What are you doing now, human?" she asked, her tail giving a lazy flick.
Epsilon's synthesized voice answered for Yumi. "We're trying to communicate with Kaito. This machine will allow us to tap into his consciousness and reach him in the other world."
Tamamo closed her eyes and yawned again. "Well, good luck with that. I'm going back to sleep."
_______________
In the heart of the Empire's capital, a city that once prided itself on its grandeur, Kaito and Ysoria walked a path of unsettling normalcy. The streets were crowded with citizens going about their day, but the reality was a twisted and obscene. Female citizens walked around naked, while the men were fully clothed. A female citizen bought groceries from a vendor, but the transaction ended with a public sexual act. In the town square, a chaotic orgy was in full swing, yet no one seemed to notice the perversion.
"It's relatively peaceful here," Ysoria observed.
Kaito, however, was baffled. "Peaceful?"
He placed his hand on Ysoria's shoulder and channeled his blessing, a soft, golden light that washed over her. In an instant, the world's twisted veil was lifted. Ysoria's eyes widened in horror as a deep blush spreading across her face.
"Oh, Goddess, what is this debauchery!?" she shrieked, her voice shaking. "They are doing such indecent acts out in the open!"
Her cry caught the attention of a guard, who began to approach them. "Hey, you!" he shouted, his eyes lingering on Ysoria's form. He suddenly grabbed her large breast and fondled it with a tight grip.
Ysoria shrieked, batting his hand away. She backed away, shielding her body with her hands. "What do you think you're doing!?"
The guard frowned, a look of genuine confusion on his face. "It's common sense for a man to greet a woman by her breasts." He gestured toward her. "You're breaking the law by dressing so indecently."
"What's wrong with the way I dress?" Ysoria's clothes, though revealing, were still the sacred attire of a Saint.
"You have to ask? How are you not embarrassed? It's common sense to be naked in public. Look around you."
Ysoria looked, and she saw numerous citizens stared at her. Some averting their eyes in what she now understood was a hypnotized modesty, but most men stared, their faces flushed with a strange mixture of lust and bewilderment.
The guard's voice grew harsh. "Now strip, before I have to take you to prison for indecent exposure."
Before he could take another step, Kaito's fist lightly connected with his jaw. The guard's body went limp, collapsing to the ground in an unconscious heap.
"Their common sense of reality has been altered," Kaito said. "Likely caused by the Sculptor of Mind."
In the distance, more guards were approaching, drawn by the commotion. Kaito prepared to face them all, but suddenly, a figure grabbed both his and Ysoria's hands.
"What are you doing standing around? Come with me!"
Reluctantly, Kaito followed the figure, Ysoria being dragged along, her mind still reeling from the sight of the city's debauchery. They were led to an out-of-the-way wooden house, where a naked woman was peeking out of a window, making sure the guards hadn't followed them.
"The guards and the soldiers of the Empire have been brainwashed," the naked woman said, her voice filled with a desperate sadness. "The Empire is no longer safe from his influence."
Ysoria's eyes widened in recognition. "You're Princess Tina!"
Princess Tina turned toward them, her bountiful body on full display. She smiled, but it was a smile filled with a haunting emptiness. "It has been a while, Ysoria, or should I call you Saint Ysoria now."
"I've shielded myself from the influence of his power, but the same can't be said for my loyal retainers and my father, the king."
"I don't think you did, Tina," Ysoria said, a deep blush on her face as she looked at Tina's naked form.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Tina looked confused. "Well, let me give you a hug, I'm so glad to see you again."
Tina pulled Ysoria into a tight hug and gave her a deep kiss, much to her surprise. Ysoria, dazed, was barely aware of the kiss before Tina backed away from her.
"You must be the Hero, given that Ysoria is here. Let me properly greet you."
Tina turned her attention to Kaito and pressed her naked body against him, going in for a kiss.
"I appreciated it, but I've to pass."
Kaito simply laid a hand on her shoulder and channeled his blessing, a gentle wave of light that restored her clarity.
The emptiness in Tina's eyes vanished, replaced by an instant, soul-crushing horror. She backed away from Kaito and hunched down on the floor, a blazing blush spreading across her face. The humiliation was so profound, she wished the ground would swallow her whole.
With a sudden, frantic cry of self-loathing, Tina bashed her head against the wall and fell to the floor, unconscious. Ysoria immediately rushed to her side to heal her.