THE TEENAGER BEGINS MOVING THE WORLD

“What…in the hell are those people thinking?!”

Maou was lying low behind the MgCafé counter, the helmet for his delivery runs still in his hands. He’d just gotten back from a run to the far edge of their coverage zone, only to find a couple of familiar figures waiting at the registers downstairs. He’d never mistake anyone else for Suzuno, and the sight of her was already enough to make his heart leap out from his throat—but when he saw Chiho next to her, it threw him into a state of complete befuddlement.

“Oh man, did she tell Chiho about what she did?!”

Judging by her personality, it wasn’t an unthinkable thing for Suzuno to do.

“Damn it… Seriously, what is with her?”

She’d been acting clearly out of sorts in the morning, so he’d decided it was time to sit himself down and have a serious talk with her. She’d begun by talking about her disillusionment with the Church and its Archbishops, as well as the latest news from Ente Isla—all in that same meandering sort of style she’d exhibited earlier. But halfway through, she’d fallen silent more and more often, and the next thing he knew…

“Ngh…”

The way he’d acted afterward seemed so pathetic to him now. When a person (or Devil King) ran into a situation they truly never saw coming, it became impossible to logically reason through it. Her shining eyes, slightly flushed cheeks, and the words coming out of her well-shaped lips had taken Maou—who had just been trying to “debug” her a little—and shocked him to the core, like a sniper had just scored a shot on his temple. The next thing he knew, he was on his bike and headed for MgRonald. He couldn’t remember anything about what he’d done just before he’d taken off.

“Chiho did say her test-prep center was nearby… They probably just ran into each other outside, so now they decided to have lunch or something.”

“Oh? Nobody’s here. Excuse me?”

The MgRonald instincts implanted into his DNA put an immediate end to his one-man game of hide-and-seek, and he bolted upright, right into the crosshairs.

“Ah, sorry! Welcome…!”

“Good afternoon!”

He was greeted by Chiho, hands held behind her back.

“Oh… Um, hi, Chi.”

“Hello!”

She was smiling at him.

“Why do you have your jacket and helmet up here?” she asked, still smiling.

“Umm, I needed to handle something fast…”

Chiho was a fellow MgRonald Barista. The lie he’d fashioned for her was desperately laughable.

“Oh, you did?”

The smile went nowhere.

“Uh, so, what’ll you have?”

Beaten down, Maou broke every rule of the customer service manual as he struggled to serve her. He still had all his delivery stuff with him, and he hadn’t even washed his hands. Chiho must have known that, but she made no comment about it.

Now he was sure of it. Chiho knew.

“Um, so, so today’s coffee blend uses, ah, C-C-Colombian beans…”

His mouth stalled on him. It was so meaningless. He was acting like an unfaithful man, scared to death that his lady had just discovered his cheating ways.

“Maou?”

“Yes!”

“Amane’s actually going to be joining us later.”

“……Huh?”

He blinked, startled. It was yet another unexpected twist.

“Nord is looking after Acieth. I wanted to ask a favor from Ms. Iwaki, but I don’t think Suzuno and I have enough negotiating power. So we’ll have Amane along, and perhaps Ms. Shiba as well.”

“The landlord? What’re you gonna do?”

This was already sounding scary—but Maou, unsure where this was going, could do little apart from ask the question.

“Well, this is still in the planning stages, and there’s no guarantee it’ll work…but, you know, if you saw Ms. Shiba here without any warning, you’d be scared out of your wits, right? So I wanted to warn you in advance.”

“Y-yeah, you’re probably right, but—”

“Oh, and I’ll have hot blend coffee while I’m up here. Milk and sugar, please.”

“O-okay. Um, hang on a sec, okay?”

Maybe Maou was jumping to conclusions. But if he was going to actually make something, he couldn’t keep his helmet and jacket around. Placing them under the counter for the time being, he washed his hands at the sink on the far edge.

“Oh, and Maou?”

“Mm?”

His hands dry now, Maou took the hot cup from the machine when:

“You really need to give Suzuno a reply soon.”

“…! …Dah! Whoa…!!”

He then juggled the suddenly slippery cup a few times in the air, catching hold of it mere inches from the floor. Ever so gingerly, he looked up, only to find Chiho now staring coldly at him.

“D-did you hear about it?”

“Yes. All of it.”

“Ummm…”

“And based on what I heard…”

Maou stayed where he was, crouched down with a cup in his hand, unable to stand back up.

“…it sounds like there’s a possibility with Suzuno as well.”

“Huh? Ah, um, no, a ‘possibility,’ I mean…”

“That’s what ‘not giving a reply’ sounds like. That’s why I’ve been waiting all this time.”

“Oh…”

“You can accept her, refuse her, throw her out on the street… You can do any of that. But if you don’t, doesn’t that mean you’re at a loss over something?”

The cup in Maou’s hand was now back to room temperature. He hadn’t even touched the cash register yet. Underneath Chiho’s gaze, he was frozen like a statue.

“I understand. I know now’s not the time for this. We’re busy here and Over There, and we have a lot to worry about. I understand all that. But still…”

Chiho’s voice was strong, and resolved, as it rained down upon him.

“The one thing you mustn’t do is run away and leave everything unsettled.”

“I—I’m not running away…”

“You’re not? Because I feel like you’re about to ride it out and try leaving it all vague again…”

She wasn’t letting up.

“Aren’t you going to be even busier once you win the war against heaven? Like, you’ll have multiple challenges that’ll all take more than a year or two to wrap up. And even before that, the way Suzuno’s putting it, this Crusade’s making the whole thing a lot harder, isn’t it? Once you plunge into that, when am I ever going to receive a reply?”

Before now, Chiho, out of consideration for Maou’s situation, had refrained from bothering him for a reply. Now, things had changed.

If this kept up, it would all just start flowing away. He wouldn’t accept Suzuno’s feelings; he wouldn’t spurn them; he’d just run away. In other words, he was being a…

“Maou, you’re such a wimp!”

It was probably the strongest, most vicious thing Chiho had ever said to him. And it was the pure, unvarnished truth.

If Maou could’ve taken a firm stance with human women, the way Ashiya and Urushihara could, he would’ve been able to find an excuse and given them a “no” as gently as possible. They lived in different worlds, different ecosystems; they had nothing at all in common. That wasn’t something beyond him, personality-wise. But Maou never did it. Not with Chiho, and not with Suzuno. The warmth of the feelings thrown in his direction flustered him; he turned away, unsure what to do.

“When Suzuno first came to us, I thought of her as a rival. I was told she had the best chance of making something work with you. So it’s fine if she has feelings for you. But…there’s something I’m never going to give up.”

“What’s…that…?” Maou asked in a painfully dry voice.

“My place in line.”

What did she mean by that?

“I want my reply to come after Suzuno’s. Do you know what I…”

“…”

“…No, never mind.”

Chiho was about to launch into an impassioned argument but stopped after she noticed Maou reflecting on something. Chances were good that Maou, still unable to process Suzuno’s confession, was too thrown by Chiho knowing about it that his brain was failing him.

“Amane’s going to be here soon. Can I have my coffee?”

“Ah, s-sorry…”

Not even this dire situation permitted his crewmember’s DNA to hand her a cold cup. Maou took out a new one, filled it with today’s coffee blend, and placed it on the counter with the milk and sugar.

“Talk to you later,” Chiho said, putting exact change down before picking up the cup and turning around. Before she could go:

“Chi, I…!”

“Maou.”

But Chiho’s sharp voice cut him off.

“I think I’m about to decide for myself, too, from here on in.”

“…Huh?”

“I’ve been troubled about this for so long. I thought there was nothing I could do about it. But…now that I know Suzuno’s the same way, I feel a bit relieved.”

“Wh-what are you—?”

“Starting today, I’m not going to worry about what other people think. I’m going to choose for myself and move on. And once it’s over…”

Now, finally, Chiho gave him a sincere smile. But it wasn’t the warm, youthful one from before. It was smoldering, forged with an iron will.

“…you won’t feel obligated to call me ‘Chi’ any longer.”

“…?!”

“I’ll see you later.”

With that riddle of a farewell, Chiho went back downstairs.

Maou stood there for a few moments, dumbfounded, before grabbing his helmet and jacket and following her down, as if driven. But Amane was already down there, joining Chiho and Suzuno as they all discussed something, serious looks on their faces. Then, much to his surprise, they all filed into the staff room.

“What’s up, Maou?” Akiko asked, noticing him in a daze at the base of the stairs. Maou, unable to believe what he was seeing, couldn’t respond.

Eventually, though, he willed himself to go back to work—and somewhere along the line, Chiho, Suzuno, and Amane all excused themselves. Then, in another surprise, Iwaki did the same after the dinner rush. “Sorry, everyone,” he said over the crew’s headsets, “but I got an errand over at the regional office. I’ll be back in about an hour, and I’ll be in contact if you need anything, so Maou, take over for me.”

Maou, hearing this, instinctively knew today’s trio of visitors had something to do with it. He had casually asked Libicocco about them when he came down, but he sadly was on kitchen duty the whole day, out of sight of both the dining area and the staff room. “Did something happen?” he asked, picking up on Maou’s consternation—and after a moment of thought, Maou decided to be frank with him.

“Honestly, even after all this, I don’t know.”

“Um…”

“But I’ll tell you one thing—I really don’t want to go home today.”

“Huh? Did you do something to rile Crestia Bell’s anger?”

“Whoa! Stop right there! That’s the last name I wanna hear right now!”

“Oh. I’ll try not to say it, then.”

There was not much else Libicocco had to offer.

Then, ever so cruelly, time marched on, all the way to closing—and with Libicocco getting out early at ten PM, Maou began to feel truly alone. Iwaki had returned long ago, but he was so scared of learning what she’d talked about with Chiho that he couldn’t will himself to leave the café counter.

Still, they had to lock things up.

“Maou? Doing okay? Something happen upstairs?”

Maou, hearing his manager’s voice on his headset, resigned himself to his fate and headed down.

“Oh, good, you’re done? Sorry to bother you, but would you mind staying on a little after closing?”

“Huh?”

“We’ll be done down here in just a moment. I need to talk with Ohki and Kawata as well, so can you wait just a little bit in the staff room for me?”

“Okay…”

Looking over at the counter, he could see Akiko and Kawata wrapping up the closing procedure.

“What’s that about?”

Gripped by an indescribable dread, Maou handed Iwaki the closing check sheet from upstairs and went to the staff room. She didn’t officially relieve him of duty yet, so he remained in his uniform—a smart move, it turned out, because around ten minutes later, Iwaki, Akiko, and Kawata all filed into the room, each taking a folding chair.

“Now, this may sound kind of weird…”

Iwaki put her hat on the desk and sat down, looking at the calendar on the wall.

“…but I’ve received a request to reserve the whole restaurant for a private event.”

“The whole…?!”

All three of Iwaki’s crewmembers were shocked.

“Is that…possible?”

Akiko couldn’t be blamed for asking. This wasn’t a fancy restaurant or hotel. No one in their right mind ever considered renting out an entire fast-food joint for themselves.

“Not…usually, no. But we’ve got kind of a special case here. So, apologies this is so sudden, but it’s set for tomorrow afternoon.”

“Tomorrow afternoon?!”

This was beyond sudden. The three of them looked at the calendar, then back at Iwaki several times, trying to figure out what lay behind this “special case.”

“Does this have to do with Chi visiting earlier?” Maou ventured.

Iwaki nodded, looking a bit embarrassed. “Yes… It’s kind of an odd thing, actually, but Sasaki introduced me to a Ms. Ohguro, you see, and apparently she wanted to reserve the entire restaurant. I’m not sure exactly how they know each other…but have you heard of this company?”

She took out a business card. Seeing what was on it, Maou had to resist laughter:

SHIBA INDUSTRIES, LTD.

AMANE OHGURO

DISTRICT MANAGER

This company, and Amane’s wholly unexplained position in it, were a total mystery to Maou. But he knew that his landlord had her fingers in a lot of different businesses. If it was a family company, it wouldn’t be odd if her niece had some kind of corporate title within it.

“SHIBA Industries, you see, is the principal stockholder of MgRonald Japan.”

“Whaaaaaaaaaat?!”

He could no longer contain himself.

“…It’s that big of a surprise to you, Maou? It’s in the company handbook. Didn’t you see it when you studied for the managerial exam?”

He’d definitely glanced at the list of chief stockholders while prepping for that test—and yes, come to think of it, “SHIBA Industries” was definitely on that list. But never in a million years would Maou link Miki Shiba to that name.

“Either way,” Iwaki continued, leaving the jumbled Maou in the dust, “an outfit like that has voting rights at the stockholder meetings, so we can’t really snub them as a company, you know?”

“R-right…”

“So here’s the important part,” she continued, her voice growing tense. “The three of you were requested to staff this event.”

Maou could say nothing in reply. There was no way this was a simple business-to-business request. Chiho and Amane were planning something. Something outrageous. Did Chiho know about this “SHIBA Industries” thing? And if one business card from them had the power to engineer all of this, then Miki Shiba herself must have been involved—not just Amane, the young lady who always dressed like she’d just got out of bed.

“Um… Why would they do that? We don’t have anything to do with this company.”

Kawata looked just as confused as Maou.

“I don’t know,” added a much more optimistic Akiko, “but maybe we could put this on our résumés, huh?”

“Well, you can turn them down, of course. I’m afraid I can’t give you a bonus or anything for manning this event. But what do you think?”

““…””

Maou’s coworkers looked at each other, mixed emotions on their faces.

“It’s just the three of us?” he asked. “Working that event, I mean?”

“No,” replied Iwaki, slightly distressed. “You’ll have Yusa and Libicocco…and also, Sasaki is returning for one day only.”

“Wha? Chi is?!”

“Did Chi get requested by name, too?”

Iwaki gave Maou a look. “…She brought Ms. Ohguro in, remember.”

“Wow… Who is Chi anyway?”

“I always knew she was more than just another high school teen, but…”

“I’ll be on hand as well, of course,” Iwaki continued, a glint in her eyes. “And…

“…so will Ms. Kisaki.”

“Wheeeeeeeeeere aaaare youuuu, Suuuuzuuuuunooooo?!!”

Back at home—and despite everything that had happened in the morning, and everything Chiho had said to him at work—Maou immediately started banging on the door to Room 202.

“My liege, calm down! Bell isn’t in the apartment right now!”

“What?!”

“Tonight she’s working in shifts with Emilia’s father to take care of the Yesod girl in our landlord’s house!”

“Oh, man…!”

He had no evidence, but he was convinced she planned to give him the slip all day along.

“D-damn it! She knows I hate going in that house!”

Chiho apparently had her phone off, and given the late hour, he hated to just drop into Shiba’s place without warning. Even if he did, he had no expectation Amane would tell him the truth—and going face-to-face with Suzuno right now was hard for him.

“You! You’re coming tomorrow, too, right? You heard nothing at all?!”

“Huh? No, um, I was just told to work like I always do, so…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Maou seemed tantalizingly close to figuring out the puppet master behind this, but he just couldn’t grasp who it was. It seemed like Chiho was the ringleader, with Suzuno and the Shiba family lending her their support—but why get the crew at MgRonald involved in this?

“This isn’t…just so they can feed Acieth, is it…?”

It was the likeliest explanation. They had been caring for Acieth for less than a week, but everyone involved was at their physical limit. Nothing about Alas Ramus’s condition had appeared in the information Suzuno was getting from Ente Isla, as of yet. With so many question marks ahead, maybe it was a good idea to exercise as many options at their disposal as possible.

She was just eating so much. Before, if she ate a ton, that would keep her proportionally full and happy for a while. Now nothing she ate seemed to fill her at all. It made Maou wonder whether someone had opened a Gate in her stomach. Consuming at her level was physically impossible, no matter how you attempted to explain it. But not only was she not getting full; she wasn’t even going to the bathroom.

Maou had yet to see Shiba herself around, but he knew Amane and Nord had been working the most on Acieth, with Suzuno and occasionally himself and Libicocco pitching in with some rice balls. Now, temporarily, Chiho had joined the team. That much he understood, and along those lines, the idea of using Shiba’s riches to rent out a MgRonald for the day and keep Acieth continually fed made the most logical sense.

But there were still a few questions. Based on the number of rice balls she ate, was it really necessary to reserve an entire fast-food kitchen for her sake? They could’ve just phoned in a catering order for two hundred burgers or whatever, Maou felt—during his time there, he had seen businesses and student groups order sandwiches by the hundred several times before. Big shareholder or not, that would be a lot less money and hassle for Shiba than reserving an entire location. This was doubtlessly going to cost several times the total bill for Acieth’s care so far, and Maou couldn’t see any good reason to go through with it.

After all, many of the people called to man this event—Kisaki, Kawata, Akiko, and Iwaki, to be exact—knew nothing about Ente Isla. If they brought Acieth inside, all four of them were bound to start wondering who this bottomless pit of a young girl was. Part-time and full-time employees all had to sign a standard confidentiality agreement, of course, when they took on their jobs—but Kawata and Akiko, both normal college students, would find it pretty tough to keep quiet.

“I just don’t get it! What are they even trying to do?!”

He really did need to storm into Shiba’s house, right now, and find out. The time was now past one in the morning, but Maou, his mind made up, left his apartment, marched toward the dark form of the house next door as it loomed high—

“Hey you.”

—and was stopped by a sudden voice along the road.

“Huh?”

A figure was standing there, underneath a streetlight. Maou didn’t recognize him. He had a suit on, and between his face and his natural-looking blond hair, he didn’t look ethnically Asian.

“Sorry, but can I ask you something?” he asked in fluent Japanese.

Maou was now on high alert. Here was this man, dressed perfectly neatly, in the middle of the night, in the middle of a shabby residential neighborhood. He had sought out Maou, and despite the threat he knew he presented, he looked completely serene.

“Who’re you…?”

“I told you, I want to ask you something. You’re Sadao Maou, right?”

“Yes…”

He acted like he knew full well who Maou was.

“Don’t be so wary of me. I’m not here to hurt you. But would you mind going back home and turning in for the night? You’re about to walk into Mikitty’s house, aren’t you?”

“M-Mikitty?”

The name, one his unconscious mind tried so hard to fend off, made him realize everything. It was hard to tell, late at night under this streetlight, but there was a single non-blond lock of hair on the man. It was a straight yellow.

“Are you from Earth’s—”

“I know you think we’re meddling, but all of us are just as surprised. There’s no previous example of this, but—well—these things happen, we imagine. Tomorrow, apparently, we’ll have a wind blowing in from across the universe, helping that seed grow its first buds. So just sit back and watch, all right? The one who will birth the ‘eleventh’ of the Holy Cross shall not be you.”

Maou didn’t think he took his eyes off him, but one blink, and the man with the yellow shock of hair was now just a few inches from his face.

“You have work tomorrow, don’t you? Staying up late isn’t good for your health. Hurry up and sleep, child of the world.”

He didn’t feel any demonic force, or holy force, or physical force for that matter. But when the man went silent, Maou’s consciousness was suddenly drained from him in an instant—and thanks to that, he never even noticed the nine figures surrounding his apartment and Shiba’s house.

Maou had no memory of falling, but when he came to, it was morning and he was tucked inside his futon. Libicocco was in his own, on the other side of the table, snoring like he usually did. It was half past six, his usual wake-up time when his shift started at nine.

Looking at the phone by his pillow—the charging cord helpfully plugged into it—Maou balled his hands into fists.

“What…the hell…?”

The man with blond and yellow hair. There was no doubting it: That man, the one who called his landlord “Mikitty,” was part of her family—from the Tiferet branch of Earth’s Sephirah. Probably one of the “overseas relatives” Amane and Shiba mentioned to him before, given that Amane Ohguro’s father was born from the Sephirah known as Binah.

The children of Earth’s Sephirah—in other words, his landlord’s family—were dotted across the planet, all enjoying prominent positions in society by the sounds of it. Amane was their direct descendant, but she bore none of the typical outward appearance of a Sephirah child—indicating, perhaps, that the man from last night was more of a direct Sephirah relation, the same as the landlord.

As a rule, their sole interest was in protecting Earth. Thus, Amane and the rest of them almost never took a direct role in affairs on Ente Isla. They reached out only when Alas Ramus, Acieth, and their other “distant relatives” were in danger—but despite being powerful enough to overwhelm Maou and his friends, he knew that he could never rely on them as allies in his battles. So why would one of Earth’s Sephirah children go through the trouble of blocking him when all he wanted to do was ask his landlord about the wild party she was planning at MgRonald today?

“He said something about the ‘eleventh’… What’s with that? What’s even going on here? What…?”

Were Chiho and Suzuno connected with them? Or did Amane, agreeing to lend them a hand, ask her own brethren for some assistance? Maou had no grasp at all, and it irritated him. But there was nothing to be done.

He sat up in his futon, rubbing his head.

“…?”

Then he heard someone climbing the stairs outside. Two someones… And one of them, the moment they reached the outside corridor, came running with a light, nimble stride toward Room 201.

“Daddy! Daddy! Wake up! G’mornin’!”

The voice made Maou unconsciously tear up. Climbing to his feet, he opened the door gently, not wanting to run into the girl he pictured on the other side.

“Mommy! Daddy’s up! G’mornin’, Daddy!”

Alas Ramus—excited, beaming, and looking perfectly healthy—had both arms up as she looked at him.

“Sorry to bother you so early. I dunno why, but Alas Ramus insisted on seeing you, so…yaaawn…”

And behind her stood Emi, carrying a large shoulder bag and looking like she could use a nap.

Amazingly, it was Chiho from whom Emi ended up getting a call about everything that had transpired. Their talk began with a discussion of Acieth’s illness and whether Alas Ramus was all right, but Emi noticed midway that Chiho wasn’t her usual self. And so now:

“It was just, like, she was supposed to be going easy on reaching out to us, but this was kinda out of character for her. She was acting all rigid or something. Scared. I can’t really put my finger on it, but it just felt weird, so I came back a little early.”

Since Maou had agreed to take on some of her shifts, the plan was for her to pay a visit back no later than tomorrow.

“I tell you… Everybody’s starting to act crazy nowadays, aren’t they?” Libicocco, awoken by Emi’s arrival, was putting away the futons.

Maou nodded at him, then said to Emi, “So you didn’t face quite so many problems where you were?”

“No, there’s… There’s a mountain of problems…hhhaarwn…” Stifling a yawn, she began going over the events happening in and around Devil’s Castle Ente Isla.

By the time she’d arrived, Kinanna was already laying waste to the land (Gabriel’s “kaiju” description was putting almost too cute of a spin on it). The Federated Order of the Five Continents, picking up on his demonic force, had deployed from Saza Quartus to the south to determine its origin. To the Devil King’s Army, anticipating only the Crusade from the west, this was a bolt from the blue, and Emi—along with Albert, Laila, and the rest of the army’s leaders—began to admit to themselves that innocent victims may now be a certainty.

“But it turned out that the group sent from Saza Quartus was led by Chief Rajid of Vashrahma.”

“Rajid of Vashrahma? Wasn’t that one of the people Ashiya negotiated with?”

“Yeah. And Emeralda and I kinda owed him a favor, too.”

Chief Rajid Rahs Rian, warrior leader of Vashrahma, had sent word to Saza Quartus’s Federated Order forces that they were being sent to “slay a dragon.” Picking up Kinanna’s demonic force, he instinctively thought that Ashiya, as careful and dedicated as he was with his plans, would never pull something like this. Something unexpected must be afoot, he reasoned, and the scouts he sent out in advance told him about a gigantic, mountain-like dragon wreaking havoc across the land.

Ashiya had briefed Rajid in detail about his plans for the denizens of the demon realms and where they’d be moved to. The way Rajid saw it, if something wasn’t done, the North and the West—still unaware of this project—might start taking unilateral action. Thus he declared this a dragon-slaying quest, explicitly adding that he had no interest in seizing territory, and deployed a few armies. This ensured that the Federation forces loyal to the emirates of Haruun, as well as the few affiliated forces remaining on the Central Continent, didn’t try anything careless with him.

“That’s impressive. But why’s everyone so accepting of Vashrahma going on this dragon-slaying journey?”

“Well, Vashrahma is home to the Great Olidyma Desert…and they’ve had to deal with an annoying ‘dragon’ or two there as well.”

Emi left it at that, her eyes staring off into the distance a bit.

“But anyway, long story short, Kinanna’s in great shape, and fortunately, not a single human’s lost their life over it. But I guess Bell being promoted to Archbishop had a huge impact on the world. I heard now and then from the North about how much trouble Lady Wurs and Farfarello are having.”

The Federated Order, as populated with natives from the Southern Island as it was, got in the way of the Church’s Crusade. That, to an unknowing observer, was the biggest ongoing conflict in Ente Isla—and thanks to it, the attitude among the Church knight corps in the North and the West was going from irritated to dangerous. The assorted excuses the Order was giving the knights had the effect of making the new Archbishop’s ordination and ceremonial parade overlap with the Crusade, essentially making the Order an enemy of every Church adherent in the world. The North had a sizable number of believers as well, and some of their clans were now openly criticizing Dhin Dhem Wurs’s actions.

“Once Bell’s official ordination is complete, that’s when the Church forces will really get moving. Alciel said the East would likely deploy the Eight Great Scarves at that point, but…”

“…And then they’re gonna encounter each other, huh?”

“Right.”

If the Church (unaware of anything) and the Eight Great Scarves knights (deliberately left in the dark) clashed, it was easy to imagine them going straight into all-out war. It would then become a matter of days before the embers drifted over to Devil’s Castle.

“The way Lucifer sees it, apparently launching Devil’s Castle, in and of itself, is already doable. But if we blast off now, the entire Central Continent could erupt into war, and if we try settling demons across the planet in that state of affairs…”

Emi paused to pat the head of Alas Ramus, currently playing with her smartphone in her lap. This was all for her happiness. That much hadn’t changed. But that didn’t mean it was okay to keep Ente Isla entangled in war forever.

“We can’t afford to botch the landing here. Right now, we’re just barely holding on to a stalemate. If we want to do something about that, it’s now or never.”

Wurs, the Azure Emperor, and Rajid were all allied with the Devil King’s Army, but that wasn’t the only side they were involved with. If, instead of respecting the oral agreements they made with Ashiya, these world leaders decided it was more important to protect their own lands and interests, the planet would immediately split apart.

“After all, you know, even I worked alongside you and Libicocco. We can help Alas Ramus and the Sephirah children, but I don’t want to hear you give me lip about ‘Oh, poor us, the demon immigration thing failed and they’re all dead now.’”

“Rather light way to put it, huh?”

“Well, sorry. The only demons I know personally are you guys, Camio, and the ones in Isla Centurum.” Emi shrugged. “So anyway, Chiho told me Bell was over with you guys, which shocked me. But I figured it’d be a good chance for us all to talk about the future, so I talked Gabriel into letting me come back.”

“The water wuz so big! An’ cold!”

“Cold?”

Alas Ramus spread her arms out wide to demonstrate her point, accidentally throwing the phone aside in the process.

“Didn’t Chiho tell you? About where Gabriel opened up his Gate? There’s a cave east of Devil’s Castle with a huge underground lake, and that’s where I had him build the Gate for me. We got home last night.”

“…Ah.”

Now he had a grasp of the situation. Combining that with what Suzuno had told him yesterday (before she went on that tangent), there were no contradictions in his mind that needed explaining. But Maou still had a lot to dread.

“Sounds like you’re at your wit’s end over there, huh?”

“You said it. I think Rajid pulled a really smart move for us, but even that’s going to buy us another week or two at best.”

Looking at the calendar, there were four days left until the conclusion of the purification ritual Suzuno was (supposed to be) undergoing. That was likely all the time they’d have for making adjustments.

Once Suzuno returned to Ente Isla and received her ordination, there was no other stopping point they could seize to change the flow of things. They’d be guaranteed a future where, no matter what happened with Maou’s war against heaven, huge numbers of people would die.

“So anyway, Alas Ramus popped out of me demanding to see you first thing in the morning, so I forgot your umbrella. I’ll get it back to you later, okay?”

“Sure, um, anytime.”

“No, not ‘anytime.’ Soon. You hardly ever use that thing, even. I bought you a good one for a reason, you know—”

“Whoa! Can we not talk about that right now?”

Maou’s suddenly raised voice made Emi, Alas Ramus, and Libicocco all look at him wide-eyed.

“Huh? What? What’s with you all?”

“Just don’t talk about it. There’s no telling who might be listening in.”

For some reason, Maou’s eyes were squarely upon Libicocco.

“Wh-what? Did I do something wrong, my liege?”

“What’s your deal today?”

Maybe he didn’t want Libicocco to know that Emi had bought it for him; if Chiho were to find out and wasn’t prepared for it, she could understand his trepidation over what would happen next. But with anyone else, if he explained the whole story, it hardly seemed like something to be so embarrassed about…

“I just… I don’t wanna think about this extraneous stuff any longer… Eesh.”

But Maou looked honestly exasperated, so Emi dropped the subject.

“Daddy? You okeh? You hurt?”

Alas Ramus, apparently concerned over Maou’s drained expression (and mind), climbed into his lap, reached out with her little hands, and mussed up his hair, still scraggly from just waking up.

“Ugghh… Daddy’s a little tired right now, okay, Alas Ramus? How ’bout a hug?”

“Ooh! Hug!”

Alas Ramus, loving her father more than anything in the world, hugged Maou with all her might. Maou listlessly hugged her back.

“Hey, uh, did something happen to the Devil King?” Emi asked Libicocco in a hushed voice.

The demon shook his head. “…To be honest, I cannot say. Ever since that Yesod girl fell ill, everybody’s been acting so unnatural.”

“Oh, by the way, I’m assuming Alas Ramus never got sick?” Maou asked.

“She’s been fine the whole time. That’s why the news from Chiho surprised me so much. She’s a little pouty about how I don’t have much time to play with her right now, but…”

“Acieth’s eating three hundred rice balls every day.”

“…I heard two hundred.”

“It varies day to day. You should watch her eat an entire half of a watermelon down to the bare rind before your eyes. It’s straight out of a horror movie.”

Then Maou gave Alas Ramus and Emi a quizzical raise of the eyebrow.

“I heard she started getting sick after you guys left for Ente Isla. You think she’ll get better now that you’re back?”

“Well, why don’t we go visit her and find out? They asked us to bring food along whenever we do, so we can buy something at the convenience store—”

“No. Let’s not.”

“Huh…?”

A wave of anxiety spread across Room 201.

“You can’t go near the landlord’s house right now. Especially not you.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“I’m not really sure she’s on our side right now.”

Maou clued Emi in on the events of late last night.

“Sephirah child or not, that’s a pretty amazing story… Libicocco, you didn’t see him?”

“Oh, right, I woke you up when I left the apartment at one AM, didn’t I? I was knocked out within five minutes of that.”

“Huh? Me? No, er… I went back to sleep, and then I woke up a moment ago…so I didn’t see anything.”

“Oh, come on. Guess I can’t blame you, but…”

If Maou had been snuffed out so effortlessly, chances were good that something had happened to Libicocco, too.

“Anyway, let’s just assume that there’s no way for us to see Chi or Suzuno right this moment. For whatever reason. Maybe that’s why she struck you as odd.”

“Are you saying that Ms. Shiba is trying to use Chiho for some purpose?”

“Well, I don’t know. That’s the thing. It might be the other way around, judging by how Chiho took Amane to MgRonald.”

Maou and Emi both shook at this undefinable anxiety.

“What about Father? He’s visiting their house to take care of Acieth, isn’t he? Is he home?”

“Oh, yeah, he is. Let’s talk to him while he’s here.”

All of them stood up and went downstairs. Maou rang the doorbell on Room 101. There was no reply.

“Hello? Father? I’m coming in!”

Having no other choice, Emi used her key to open the door.

“Oh, he is here.”

Nord was sleeping soundly on his futon.

“Father? It’s me. Can you wake up for one second? Hey… What’s with him?”

“Mommy, Grandpa’s weird!”

“Huh? Wh-whoa, Alas Ramus…”

Alas Ramus wriggled her way of Maou’s arms, nimbly removing her shoes and toddling up to Emi.

“Grandpa can’t wake up. He’s staying beddy-bye till the alarm.”

“The alarm? What do you mean?”

Emi frowned, looking concerned as she brought a hand to Nord’s forehead.

“Wait. Did that Tiferet guy do something to him? Or…”

The next moment, Emi picked up on something. She looked around.

“Wait. Where’s Erone?”

Erone, who should have been living in Room 101, was gone.

“He hasn’t gone berserk, too, has he?”

“Nah, I’m pretty sure we don’t have to worry about that again…”

Maou turned around as he spoke, Libicocco following his lead.

“Your Demonic Highness?”

“Who the hell is that…?”

Someone was on the roof of Shiba’s house, looking straight back at them. It was Tiferet, and he was even waving at them, as if chiding everyone there.

“Bastard. Treating us like idiots…”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“…It’s probably the landlord’s family that put Nord to sleep. I guess they wanna keep us in the dark as much as they can. And judging by how he’s not hiding it at all, I’d guess that Erone’s someplace where they can control his moves. They’re not gonna let him have a chance to act up again. Not this time. Ugh… Alas Ramus?”

“Yeh?”

“Do you know when Grandpa might wake up?”

“Yeh! For lunch!”

He had no idea why, but Alas Ramus seemed so sure of it—and it even seemed like that hateful blond-haired guy on the roof was nodding his agreement.

Maou winced. “All right. So they just want us to forget about this for now and wrap ourselves around their finger awhile longer, huh?”

He grunted, annoyed.

“Not to sound like a broken record…but I hate dealing with my landlord.”

The atmosphere around the Hatagaya Station MgRonald that afternoon was disconcerting. They were open for business as usual until Amane’s reservation began at noon, but everyone staffing the place was on pins and needles, wondering what they were about to experience, and it certainly took the polish off their work performance.

“Great. If this keeps up…”

And Mayumi Kisaki, wearing her uniform on the front lines at Hatagaya for the first time in a while, was the same way.

Her reunion with Maou, Kawata, Akiko, and Emi was nothing if not awkward. One look at her expression, and everyone instantly realized that even she had no idea what was going on.

“I know we’ll be reserved all afternoon, Ms. Iwaki, but did they say anything about running deliveries?”

“Well, it’s strange, actually,” Iwaki replied, uncomfortably grinning at Kisaki’s question. “We were told there wouldn’t be any delivery orders, so don’t worry about it.”

“Oh, um…no?”

Maou never expected to see his former boss act so unnerved—not unless her bitter college rival Himeko Tanaka was involved.

“Well, whatever happens, let’s just do the great job we always do. Marko, Kawacchi, Aki, Saemi… It’s been a while, but let’s knock it out of the park. It’ll be good working with you, too, Libicocco.”

“…You bet.”

Libicocco knew Kisaki only in passing, but he was all too aware of just how much Maou respected her, so he acted just as obedient to her as to Iwaki.

The crowd for the morning shift was no different from any other Sunday morning. A few customers voiced their appreciation that Kisaki was back for the day, while others did a double take at the sign announcing their afternoon closure, but nothing at all unexpected occurred. Only the employees knew that the closure was for a private event; all customers were told was that this was a onetime closure. (Otherwise, people would assume that MgRonald allowed the general public to reserve the whole place for private parties, which would pose problems.) The excuse given was that they needed to “replace some faulty kitchen equipment”; they even took a few regular items off the menu for extra plausibility.

So, despite their unease, Maou and the rest beavered away at their jobs. Apart from the pared-down menu, it was a completely typical morning. And then:

“…What’s…?”

Kisaki, of course, was the first to notice something strange. The moment the clock read eleven fifty, every single customer in the dining space began to get their things together, preparing to leave.

“Um… Huh?”

The diners all stood, as if answering some signal they’d worked out with one another in advance, and lined up by the trash can to drop off their trays. It didn’t even take five minutes for all of them to clear out of the restaurant.

“What was that? I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“No, neither have I.”

Kisaki and Iwaki both looked flustered, and for good reason. There had been a good thirty or so customers inside, eating or relaxing or chatting with one another. No matter what kind of restaurant you ran, customers never stuck to the letter of the law when it came to closing times like this. The sign at the front did say they closed at noon, but everyone on the crew assumed the last few stragglers would be out of there by twelve ten or twelve fifteen. But like a well-trained army, every one of them marched out of there five minutes before closing.

What’s more, from that point forward, not a soul went inside until the clock struck noon. Even if the CLOSED sign was on the door; even if the PA out front was announcing the closure; even if crewmembers put all the chairs on top of tables and had the buffer out for a deep floor cleaning, there was always at least one customer who’d lumber on in. Today? Nothing. There was hardly even anyone passing by outside, especially compared to a normal Sunday.

“Come to think of it, Chi isn’t here yet, is she…?”

“It’s kind of eerie…”

“…”

Kawata’s and Akiko’s faces were tensed up. Maou, Emi, and Libicocco put themselves on high alert, prepared for whatever may come. It was easy to see it now—Amane and her cohorts were about to do something completely bonkers. Probably not too bonkers, if Chiho and Suzuno were involved, but if they wound up endangering Kisaki and the rest of the staff, it was up to Maou and his allies to protect them.

Then, as Maou slipped out from behind the first-floor registers and into the dining area, she appeared. The minute hand on the kitchen’s wall clock had just shifted its way to high noon.

“Oh, good, I thought I’d be late! Ugh, it is just blazing outside… Ah, Maou! So good to see you again!”

“…Huh?”

“Wh-why is she…?”

It wasn’t just Maou. Emi was just as taken aback this time.

“Oh, and you’re here, too, Yusa! Hello!”

Opening the neglected automatic doors, dabbing her sweat-moistened brow with a handkerchief, it was…

“Ah, and you must be the manager! Thank you for all the kindness you’ve shown Chiho! I heard you were recently transferred, but I am so happy I was invited to this!”

“Oh, ah, um, yes…‘invited’?”

Kisaki couldn’t be blamed for flailing like this. Before her was Riho Sasaki, Chiho’s mother—and for reasons nobody there could fathom, she was the first guest at this inscrutable private event, negotiated just yesterday by Amane in the name of her aunt. Why was she here? And…why had she been invited?

“Chiho told me, you see, about how all the employees’ families were going to be invited to this sort of thank-you party. She just recently left, but she said you were letting her join in anyway, so…”

“Oh, um, I’m sorry, your daughter said that?” Iwaki asked, Kisaki being too shocked to speak.

“Yes, I believe so, but…”

“…Oh, my apologies. My name is Iwaki; I’m the manager who took over in Kisaki’s place. Um… Well, to be honest, Ms. Sasaki, the whole restaurant’s been reserved for the event this afternoon…but we’re not sure who’s reserved it, or what’s going to be taking place, exactly.”

“No? Hmm. So why did Chiho call it a thank-you event, then…? Maou, Yusa, did either of you hear anything?”

“N-no, ma’am.”

“Me neither. Sorry.”

Maou and Emi could only give her the truth.

“Well, huh…”

Riho looked just as confused. An uneasy silence fell over them all, Kawata, Akiko, and Libicocco quietly watching.

Then:

“Oh, a car…”

A black sedan stopped in front of the MgRonald, drawing everyone’s attention. A man, presumably the chauffeur, opened up the rear seat—and the person who stepped out turned everyone’s eyes into dinner plates.

“…Chi?”

“Chiho? What is that girl doing…?”

Even with Maou there, it was likely Riho who was the most surprised of them all. This was a luxury car, the kind you’d need to be a corporate board member or high-level politician to go around in. Seeing their daughter hop out in street clothes would make any parent wonder.

She was soon followed out of the car by a queasy-looking Acieth, Suzuno giving her a supporting hand. Lastly, from the front passenger seat, Amane stepped out—in formal wear, a rarity for her. She led the rest of the group through the automatic doors, marched right up to Iwaki, and gave a little bow.

“Ms. Iwaki, thank you again for going out of your way to accommodate this sudden, unusual request.”

“Oh, no, um, we’re glad to do business with you, so…”

“I also need to apologize to you, Ms. Kisaki, for interrupting your no-doubt busy schedule.”

“Ah, um, no problem…”

“Chiho Sasaki here, you know, she insisted on enjoying your attendance here, so…”

Amane turned toward Suzuno, who was currently helping Acieth to her seat at a table that the kitchen had a good view of.

“All right, Amane,” chimed in Chiho, “I’m going to get changed. Ms. Iwaki, is my uniform still on top of the lockers?”

“Y-yes, um, right where I left it earlier.”

“Thanks a lot. Oh, Mom, you’re here early! I’ll be ready in just a second, so have a seat, okay?”

“Hmm? What’re you talking about, Chiho? I—I’m not sure what you want me to…ah.”

Chiho, not waiting to hear her mother’s reaction, quickly disappeared into the staff room.

Everybody on hand was thoroughly confused. But nobody there—not Iwaki or Kisaki, nor Kawata or Akiko—felt it right to cross-examine their “customers” Suzuno and Acieth about this. And while Maou, Emi, and Libicocco all wanted to yell at Suzuno right this moment, they couldn’t while their boss was right there.

“Boy, uh… Thanks? All these people, they come here for me, and all…”

““Huh?””

But even they had to react to Acieth, who sounded like a pop idol saying hello to her fans to kick off a concert.

If everyone was here “for her,” then Amane and Chiho must’ve intended to have the crew cook up a storm for Acieth after all. But this whole red-carpet ceremony seemed way too exaggerated for that. Nothing about it made sense—Riho’s presence in particular. Nobody could’ve felt more awkward being here right now; she’d expected this fun little mixer, and not only was it not that, but nobody in attendance had any idea what they were supposed to do. Plus, she was all but a stranger to almost everyone here.

A good five minutes passed by, everyone sitting silently as the awkwardness weighed stiflingly upon them. Then:

“Sorry to keep you guys!”

Straight into the awkwardness walked Chiho, a much more familiar-looking sight in her MgRonald uniform. She looked at Amane; Amane lightly nodded back.

“Ms. Iwaki, Ms. Kisaki… Kawata, Akiko, Mom… I’m sure all of you must be really confused right now. I’m sorry if this seems kind of weird to you.”

She made a mysterious apology to five in attendance, mentioning each one by name in order. It made Maou’s veins freeze. The only people she apologized to were the five who knew nothing of Ente Isla.

“Ah, Chiho…?!”

Emi must have noticed the same thing. But Chiho just gave her a quick look then promptly turned back toward Iwaki and the others.

“So this afternoon, we’re all going to be cooking up some food for this girl. But as you’re all about to find out, she can eat a lot. And I mean a lot. A hundred burgers, two hundred; that’s just for starters.”

“Oh, right, I thought I knew her! Didn’t she eat, like, nearly forty burgers here once? I think that girl in the kimono was here with her, too…”

The combination of Acieth and Suzuno jogged Kawata’s memory.

“Forty?” exclaimed Kisaki, eyeing Acieth and Kawata in order before recalling something of her own. “Wait… You know… I think I’ve seen her here before. Her…and you, too.”

Amane raised her eyebrows. “I’m impressed you remember. I think I’ve only been here once.”

“No, um… I’m sorry, I just remembered because it felt like you glared at me a little before you left…”

“Oh, did I? Well, maybe…”

Amane seemed to recall this herself.

“This is fine and all,” Kisaki said, “but Chi, can you start explaining yourself a little? All we’ve been told is that this is for a ‘private event.’ So what’s going on? I know we have Ms. Ohguro from SHIBA Industries and this young lady as customers, and we’re ready to do our best for them—but if you’re involved, too, then it’s not really adding up any longer.”

“You’re right. But I think before too long…”

“Ah…gn, gnnh…”

“Look out! Chiho, I think she’s reached her limit!”

“…It wasn’t enough after all, huh? She ate a pretty decent amount before we left, but… Okay! Maou! Yusa! Please take the apple pies in the machine right now and serve them all to Acieth! Libicocco, bring out all the salads that’re ready in the fridge!”

“Huh? Whoa, wait! Didn’t she eat at all?!”

“She did, but she just can’t hold out! She’s already gone through a hundred rice balls today!”

“Wh-what? You’re kidding!”

“Quit jokin’ with us!”

Maou, Emi, and Libicocco, all astounded to see Acieth still hungry, promptly went on the move. The others were still frozen in place.

“Acieth! Hold out for me! Just a little bit longer!”

“Unghh… No… I can’t…”

“Whoa! Stop right there! Amane, why’re you just standing there?! Do you have any, like, mints on you or something?!”

Maou was shouting now, ignoring his aghast manager. But Amane seemed to be all but ignoring him.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Sasaki, but could you move back a little bit? It could be dangerous around her.”

“Huh? Um, all right. Um?”

In fact, she was now keeping Chiho’s mother behind her, all but ready to allow Acieth to fall out of control.

“Suzuno! Do something! The apple pies need a run through the fryer first! We need at least one more minute!”

“What, what do you want me to do…?”

“Chiho! Amane! Bell! What are you all doing?! If this keeps up…!” Emi, unable to parse these events, yelled at Chiho and the others, seemingly encouraging Acieth to begin wrecking the place.

And then, the next moment, it was all too late:

“Ah, ahhhhhhh!!!”

“Wha—”

“Huh?!”

“What, what, what’s that?!”

“Whoa, what on…?!

“Agghh!”

With a bloodcurdling scream, Acieth’s eyes and mouth began to emit beams of sharp purple light—in plain view of Kisaki, Iwaki, Kawata, Akiko, and Riho. But they each had just a moment to express their shock before:

“Nrgh!!”

It was Emi and Maou who went on the move. The light ray from Acieth’s mouth was headed directly for Kisaki. Emi and Maou both leaped over the counter, erecting barriers of demonic and holy magic in front of their former boss. The beam hit both barriers at the same time.

“Ah!”

The beam changed its trajectory, attempting to skirt around the holy barrier.

“Ahhgh!”

Then it deflected off Maou’s demonic barrier, slamming right through the table next to them as it pulverized a chair and gouged a hole in the wall.

“Libicocco! Feed her something! I don’t have any force left! I can’t hold this!”

“O-okay!!”

Maou’s shout propelled Libicocco into action. He lifted the basket from the fryer, grabbing the five apple pies Maou had thrown in with a single hand.

“Huh? Whoa! If you do that, you’ll burn yourself…!” Akiko exclaimed in understandable alarm. After all, he had just watched a man grab apple pies that had just been submerged in three-hundred-degree oil with his bare hand.

But Libicocco had no time to hesitate. He made a bull rush for Acieth, pies in one hand and a salad prepackaged in a plastic cup in the other.

“Hey! Push it in from there!”

Handing the salad to Suzuno, he used his fingers to pry open her mouth, then shoved the piping-hot apple pies inside.

“Worph!”

And with that, the beams of light vanished.

“Mmmph!”

“Whoa!”

With nothing battering against their barriers any longer, Emi and Maou were suddenly thrown off balance and to the floor. And Chiho, in the background for all of this, watched on as Acieth was virtually force-fed, like a goose being prepped for foie gras.

“I don’t think,” she observed, “that’s gonna last five minutes. Ms. Iwaki? Ms. Kisaki?”

“…Huh?”

“Chi… What was that…?”

“I’ll explain everything in order as we work. But it’s pretty much what you’ve just seen. This girl, Acieth Alla, needs to be continually fed, or else those light beams are gonna keep destroying everything around her. So…for starters, I’d like a hundred hamburgers and fifty cheeseburgers ASAP, please.”

“A—a hundred-fifty burgers?!”

“I know you had enough inventory delivered to you yesterday! Please hurry! We’re gonna see more death rays soon!”

“Let’s go, Ms. Kisaki!” Maou shouted at her from the floor as she stood frozen. “I don’t know what’s going on, but Chi’s telling us the truth! Kawacchi! Aki! Ms. Iwaki! She’s gonna wreck the building if we don’t step up! Hurry!”

“Hurry…? But…”

This unthinkable string of events was still too much for the afternoon crew of a MgRonald franchise to handle. Chiho invited herself behind the counter and began operating a register, switching it to order mode. Akiko was the first to respond to it.

“I—I dunno what’s up, but we gotta just do this, huh?”

“Ohki?!”

“Ms. Iwaki! This makes no sense whatsoever, but if we got an order in, we gotta fill it! I think it’s one of those things where we gotta ‘do’ first and ask questions later! You too, Kawacchi!”

“Ah, ahh…”

“Um, okay…?”

Akiko’s encouragement—or really, the HAMBURGER–100 line flashed on the monitors in assorted locations around the kitchen—kindled something in the instincts of the crew.

“…Well, all right! Marko! Chi!”

Finally, the volcano began to rumble.

“Nobody’s going home today until we get to the bottom of this!”

With that, Kisaki flew into the kitchen and started cooking.

“So we just gotta keep feeding her, right?! Marko, Kawacchi, Aki, you guys focus on burgers! Ms. Iwaki, work those fryers and keep the fries and apple pies flowing, please! Saemi, I want a full inventory of everything we got in reserve, in case we run out of anything. When you have a moment, back up anyone that needs help! I’ll start running desserts and drinks upstairs! Chi and Libicocco, you’ll be serving and assisting the cooks! All of you got your headsets on?!”

“““““““Right!”””””””

At Kisaki’s instruction, the seven of them thrust themselves into their work. Suzuno, emptying the last of the salad back at the table, felt the need to speak up.

“Ch-Chiho! Let me join you…”

But:

“Chi! Libicocco! Don’t cause trouble for our customers!”

Kisaki’s scolding—meant more to dissuade Suzuno than Chiho—struck sharply home.

“Please, everyone, feel free to take a seat as you wait. You too, Ms. Sasaki. Ms. Ohguro, just sit back and let the MgRonald crew take care of things.”

“V-very well.”

“Okay…”

“Wow, you switch gears pretty fast, huh? I hate to say it, but you’re a real good boss…”

Suzuno, Riho, and Amane each took a seat, wowed (or cowed) by Kisaki’s inner strength. Once everyone was settled, Kisaki gave them a satisfied smile, turned on her headset mic, and yelled out in her clear, resonant voice.

“All right, people! We’re experiencing a lot of firsts today, but we can work through this! Let’s rock!”

“Okay!”

“Also! Chi, Marko, Saemi, I have a lot of questions once we’re on top of things a little, so get ready!”

“R-right…”

“I hear you…”

No matter how outlandish this was, it all came down to providing food for customers as quickly as possible. Once everyone was on the same page with that, the crewmembers trained by Kisaki never lost sight of their mission. (If anyone had lost sight of it, it was Maou and the other Ente Islans, the ones fully aware of what made Acieth tick.)

As he backed up Kawata, currently stationed at the grill and overseeing a few dozen patties at once, Maou chanced a glance at Acieth and Suzuno next to her. When their eyes met, Suzuno blushed and made a very pointed effort to turn away.

“…!”

“…Is now really the time for that?!”

Apparently her declaration of feeling for him wasn’t just her getting carried away. She appeared to be dragging it along still, inside her mind. But Maou was prepared for the worst. He was still in the same place—amid this odd mix of Japan and Ente Isla. But it was Chiho who’d thrown him into all this, though he still had no idea why Amane, Shiba, and her family had agreed to it, too. But what’s happened has happened. There’s no turning back now.

“We can think after this is over!”

“Hey, Marko! What’re you doing?! We’re never gonna cook a hundred-fifty burgers unless we’re working all three platens at once!”

“Ahh, sorry, Kawacchi! I’ll be right there!”

At long last, he dove into the kitchen, fulfilling his role as a Class A crewmember at the Hatagaya MgRonald. Come to think of it—the thought just popped into his mind—but just recently, he had been griping about how all he was allowed to do in the war against heaven was stay here and live life like everything was normal, wasn’t he?

“Not that I wanted this kind of development, but…” he exclaimed to himself as he faced up to the grills, the air shimmering with heat.

It was now nine in the evening. Everybody was exhausted, but no one had dared to try leaving. Acieth was asleep.

The statistics were nothing short of terrifying. In the past nine hours (more or less), the number of burgers she had gone through alone was threatening to pass five hundred. She just ate, and ate, and ate, making the staff concerned about their remaining inventory. The attendees who weren’t in on Acieth’s true nature, looking on as she vacuumed all the burgers and fries and drinks and sides—ohhh, all the sides—into her mouth, could do nothing but gape in horror. And even with all that work, the MgRonald dining space was down two tables and four chairs and now sported two holes—one in the ceiling, another in a wall—that would likely need repair before the location could be open to the public again.

In the midst of it all, Kisaki and Iwaki, Kawata and Akiko, and Riho received the full rundown in bits and pieces from Maou, Emi, Amane, Suzuno, Libicocco, and Chiho. There was, to say the least, a lot to discuss—but the crux of it, in the end, all came down to the world of Ente Isla.

They all listened on, too amazed to say anything. Riho, in particular, seemed pretty shell-shocked—after all, one of her daughter’s friend circles was essentially a race of inscrutable, hyperdimensional beings. Kisaki, seeing the blood drain from Riho’s face from her adjacent seat, groaned.

“If I may ask a question?”

“…Yes?” Maou said, hunching up a little at Kisaki’s stern tone. Now that everything was gradually being revealed, she’d be realizing soon that he had been lying about himself the whole time. He doubted she was willing to let that slide…but Kisaki had a surprise for him.

“So now that we know all of this…are we gonna be allowed to live?”

“What?”

“Huh?”

It threw both Maou and Chiho, the organizer of this event, into disarray.

“The Hero and Devil King of another world… That’s…a national secret or something, right? And now that we all know… I mean, are you going to use us as sacrificial pawns for your mission, or kill us to keep us from talking, or something?”

“N-no! No, not at all!! We’re not monsters or anything!”

“And I was born in Japan, keep in mind! I didn’t even meet Maou and everyone until about a year ago, so there’s no ‘national secret’ about this! Why are you asking about that?”

“Why wouldn’t I ask about that?! Don’t you see? We’ve all been suddenly dragged into this, given this wild story, and we’ve got nothing to deny it with! And by the looks of it, Marko and Saemi and Libicocco were all prepared to keep it secret from us forever, unless something happened!”

Kisaki hit the table with her fist, startling Iwaki, Kawata, and Akiko.

“And looking at you people at work… Casting weird magic to block these death rays, flying around, jumping out the second-story window like it was nothing… It’s all so unbelievable! And…Marko! That little kid that appeared at Saemi’s feet and started playing with Ms. Ohguro! You said that was your relative when you brought her in, didn’t you, Chi? I saw it! She just appeared out of thin air! What’s even the deal with all of this…?!”

Explaining what “the deal” was with all of this would require starting over with their description of Ente Isla. But Maou was far more curious about why Chiho, Suzuno, and Amane had decided to set this whole stage just so they could reveal it all to this particular set of people.

“Well, listen,” Maou calmly began, attempting to assuage his former manager. “This isn’t exactly the conclusion I was looking for, but us coming to Japan—and taking work here at MgRonald, for that matter—was a total coincidence. There wasn’t any deep reason behind it. We needed money to live, and that was it. And, Ms. Kisaki, me wanting to become salaried and help you with your work… None of that was a lie! It’s how I really feel! And I hope you’re willing to believe me!”

“That’s what you’re hoping I believe right now?! Because I think you have a lot more to explain than that at the moment!”

Maou’s carefully chosen words simply led to more anger.

“Because… I don’t think any of us knows how we should interact with you now…”

“Th-that…”

And this was Kisaki. To Iwaki, Kawata, Akiko, and Riho, there even seemed to be an element of fear involved with them all. To Maou and Emi, who had lied to them for months and each possessed enough power to quickly end their lives, they didn’t see a way to regain everyone’s trust, no matter how long they talked to them.

“…When I first learned about Maou and everyone, I was the exact same way.”

“…Chi?”

“They showed me all this unbelievable power. I was so scared all the time… Like, we had been friendly for so long, so how should I deal with them now? But…”

Chiho flashed a glance at Emi, then her mother.

“I realized that, in the end, my feelings are always gonna be my own.”

Then, suddenly, she fell silent. She kicked her legs around a bit, fidgeting.

“Um… I’m kind of embarrassed to say this, right here and everything…but I, uh… Both before, and after, he revealed himself, I’ve always… I’ve always been in l—ah, um, in love with him…so…”

“““““We know.”””””

“Huh?! Wh-why?!”

The choir of voices hit Chiho like a shock wave.

“Why? Don’t tell me you were trying to hide it, Chi.”

“I think pretty much anyone would’ve picked up on it.”

Akiko’s and Kawata’s observations made her instantly blush.

“…Yes, well, there’s a pretty good chance your father’s noticed, even.”

“No!”

Even her mother was funning with her. Chiho began squirming with her entire body, hands on her cheeks.

“M-M-Maou, what am I gonna doooo?! I—I had no idea everybody at home and MgRonald knew…!”

“Wh-why are you asking me?!”

“What is with you guys…?”

Amane, supporting the napping Alas Ramus on her lap and opting to remain a spectator up to now, let out a peeved yawn.

“Aww… B-but if everyone knows, then okay! I—I—I—I love Maou, whether everyone knows the truth or not, and I actually already told him before!”

“Huh?!”

Kawata had the biggest reaction to this.

“And he’s been deferring his reply for nearly a year now!”

“Well, that’s the most outrageous thing I’ve heard all day! I didn’t know he was that kind of person!”

“Wow, Maou. No way. Not a whole year! That’s crazy!”

If looks could kill, Kawata and Akiko had just brutally murdered Maou.

“Why are you all torturing me here?”

All he could do was curl up on his newfound bed of nails.

“So, um, like I was saying…! We organized today for Acieth’s sake, yes, but even more than that, it’s for you, Mom!”

“Huh? Me?”

Riho, pointed out by her daughter, raised her head up. Chiho was at the end of her rope, but her eyes showed true dedication, even as courage and fear intermingled within them.

“Mom, I wanted you to…recognize my dreams for the future, so, you know, that’s why I caused all this trouble. I’m sorry.”

“Chiho…what are you talking about? I’m sorry, I’m still so confused…”

“Mom… Mom, what kind of life do you want me to lead?”

“Huh? Where did that question come from?” Riho blinked helplessly.

“Because for me,” Chiho went on, “my dream is to eat together with Maou and Yusa, and Ashiya and Urushihara and Suzuno and everyone else, whenever we want to. But the way things are…that’s going to be impossible before too long. I’m gonna go to college, of course. But… Mom, I want you to know all about the people I truly love. I want you to know about what’s most important to me right now. So I talked with them. I created this whole thing so you could understand, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Ente Isla exists. The same way that I did.”

“And that’s…today?”

“Yeah. Like I said, there were a few other reasons, too, but…”

Now Chiho turned to Kisaki and the rest of the crew.

“I need to apologize to all of you as well. It’s all a bunch of nonsense. and I’m sure you’re all hopelessly confused…but for a little while to come, Acieth needs to stay here, in Japan. And if she’s like that at a time like this, we couldn’t keep it going alone. Right now, if Maou and everyone want to deal with the problems they’re facing, a healthy Acieth is a must-have. So if we want to work through these control issues, we needed the facilities and staff of a fully fitted MgRonald, and also…”

Chiho looked down at Acieth. She had started to lightly snore.

“…Also, Acieth’s just terrible at keeping secrets. So I wanted to let her go around to more places than just her apartment building and Ms. Shiba’s house. So I did it, and I didn’t consider any of your feelings or needs when I did. So I’m really sorry for that.”

She deeply bowed to Kisaki, Iwaki, Kawata, and Akiko in order. The last three were still nothing short of bewildered. Only Kisaki wasn’t.

“Lift your head up. You don’t need to do that.”

Chiho did as told.

“MgRonald is supposed to be a place where visitors can relax and enjoy a good meal. If the Hatagaya Station location served that purpose for that girl today, then all of us take joy from that. There’s no need for an apology. If you need to apologize to anyone here…it’s to Marko, Saemi, and Libicocco, isn’t it?”

“Huh…?”

“It’s obvious to me they had no idea you were planning this. I imagine, now that you’ve blown their cover, they’re going to face a lot of difficulties in their lives. I’m sure you were aware of that.”

“…I was.”

“So why?”

“Because it probably won’t bother them. That’s why I chose the people I did. I mean…you’re back to normal now, aren’t you, Ms. Kisaki?”

“Well, that… I’m a grown woman. And we’ve known each other long enough that we’ve built a common trust…”

“I know there are a lot of ‘grown’ people out there who unconditionally hate anything they don’t know about, like a child.”

Chiho sounded surprisingly stern as she fired back.

“But Ms. Kisaki, even after everything she’s done today, you referred to Acieth as a ‘customer.’ When I punched a hundred burgers into the register, Akiko immediately sprang into action. The burgers Kawacchi made always looked exactly like they do in the TV ads. Ms. Iwaki, you arranged the order for the sides to be delivered so she had a constant variety to enjoy. All of you… Whether they’re from Hatagaya or another planet, I trusted that you’d treat them all just as well. Even if it was a shock to you…I thought that, as a fellow native of Japan, if I staked my life on convincing you all, you’d understand. And you’re already jabbing at Maou like usual, aren’t you, Kawacchi and Akiko? So…”

Tears were forming in her eyes as the adults in the room listened to the young girl speak. She was involving the whole world in her quest now—a quest to make them accept the truth, and the people that she loved. To make all these people around her—just a small corner of Japanese society, but living in a world larger than any high school teen could comprehend—understand.

“Mom, when I grow up, I want to live for the sake of the people of Ente Isla.”

“Chiho. You… That…”

“No. For the people of Ente Isla as well. I was born here, on Earth, in Japan. My family’s in Sasazuka.”

Everyone in the restaurant, and others who weren’t, were on her mind as she spoke.

“I want to be an adult who can cherish my homeland, my family, and everybody here just as much. It’s just that my group and Maou’s group are like two polar opposites. So…Mom, I need to ask you something. I promise I’ll never ask for something so self-centered ever again. Will you please allow me, just this once, to save a world?”

“Self-centered” didn’t begin to cover it. What intention was there, what prospects for success, that drove a mere human like Chiho to strive for more than what she was already doing? But only those who didn’t see today coming were visibly shaken by the words. Suzuno and Amane watched on, their expressions unchanged.

“…Chiho, I just don’t know what you’re saying any longer.”

But despite it all, that was probably the most open-minded response she could have expected. Most people would’ve broken down in panic by this point. The man her daughter had an unrequited crush on wasn’t even from this planet. He and his cohorts had tricked everybody around them. But…

“But I’m your mother. I know that Maou and his friends are, um, decent people. There were…well, several times when I’m glad I trusted in them.”

There was no way anyone could fully measure the words, and emotions, couched in that “well.” Riho was full to bursting with them. But she held out:

“…I have two conditions.”

Her pointer finger went up in the air.

“First, promise me you’ll go to college, even if you need to take a gap year in between. One in Japan…or Earth, I guess I should say, maybe? One here, I mean.”

Now the middle finger joined it.

“Second, listen to what people around you say and try not to get sick or hurt. If you can stick to those two rules…well, whenever we have to talk to your father about it, I’ll take your side.”

“Oh, Mom!”

Wiping the flowing tears away, Chiho gave her mother a big nod. It made Kisaki fondly recall a moment from her own past.

“…Ms. Kisaki?”

“No, um, I know this is strange to bring up right now…”

Watched over by the Sasakis, Kisaki turned toward her coworker Iwaki.

“But I just remembered—my mother said the same thing to me. It was just when I began to have a dream I was pushing myself toward. She just told me to go to some kind of college and keep myself in good health… It’s funny, huh? I guess parents all think the same thing that way.”

“Hmm… I wonder. I never really had a set dream for the future, so I don’t think my parents ever said that. I was always kind of an obedient child, though.”

Kawata and Akiko listened to the grown-ups speak.

“…Yeah. I mean, if I’m just gonna take over our restaurant, there’s no pressing need for me to go to school…but I have no idea why Mom and Dad are so insistent on it…”

“Well, my parents were so set on it that it honestly chafed on me a lot, but…I think there’s a big difference between experiencing only the world of your own hopes, and getting to pursue them after being exposed to a lot more options. You talked about how you could use what you learned in school for your business, right, Kawacchi?”

Both of them were adults, in the legal sense of the term, but neither of them really felt like it yet. They crossed their arms as they mused to themselves.

“Still… A Devil King and a Hero, huh? Heh-heh-heh…”

“And that’s why you called him ‘my liege’ now and then, huh, Libby?”

“Y’know, Marko,” Kisaki said, “if all this is true, that means you’re a lot older than us, doesn’t it? Maybe we shouldn’t call you by a nickname, huh?”

“How about I call you ‘Your Highness’ like Libby does?” Iwaki asked.

“Huh? N-no, please, don’t! If Ms. Kisaki and Ms. Iwaki start calling me that, I’m gonna be too freaked out to work. Please, just stick to what you’ve been calling me all along, okay? I mean it.”

“Wow. Okay.”

“Weirdo.”

But the two managers whom Maou respected so much, despite their misgivings, smiled at him.

“I want to ask you. Is it possible for us to…you know, visit your homeland or whatever?”

Chiho, despite the tears running down, was the first to reply.

“It’s a forty-minute trip each way!”

That made all of Chiho’s precious friends from Japan open their mouths wide.

“““““That’s close!!”””””

“W-wow…”

“What on…!”

“The—the wind, the smells…”

“I can’t believe it, but…”

“This is…just…”

Kawata and Akiko, Iwaki and Riho, and finally Kisaki were at a loss for words.

Not terribly long ago, they were all on the first floor of the Hatagaya MgRonald. Right now, they were atop a steep, precipitous hill, battered by a strong wind. Beneath them spread Phiyenci and its Goat Pasture, the biggest city in Ente Isla’s Northern Island.

“This is not Japan! It’s totally not Japan!”

“I—I know, Aki! Quit pushing me! There’s not any fence!”

“Wh-what’s that city?! This is… Whoa. You’re kidding me. Is that a goat? It looks like it’s the size of an elephant!”

“…We’re on what’s known as the Northern Island, one of the continents of Ente Isla. Chiho knows a lot of people in that city. Oh, um, Kawata, you should step back a bit. The ground looks a little loose over there.”

“Yusa, what are you doing?! Huh?! Why are you just floating in the air like that’s completely normal?! Wha?! There’s no ground there, right?!”

“Oh, s-sorry. I just wanted to be there in case Kawata lost his balance and fell.”

“Ugh… I think I’m starting to feel dizzy.”

“Ms. Iwaki? Are you okay?”

As Emi dealt with Kawata, Akiko, and Iwaki on the edge of the hill, Chiho, Suzuno, Kisaki, and Riho were looking down at Phiyenci below, grave looks on their faces.

“Oh, man… I… I’m just completely amazed by this… And you were talking about saving this world? Ente Isla? And this is just a tiny part of it, right? What’re you gonna do, even?”

“Well, in a little while, a really big war’s going to break out. One big enough to turn the whole world on its side. But whether a lot of people have to die in this war or not rides on what we do over the next few days.”

“Oh… And that’s why that girl Acieth needs to be healthy for you? You sure it was okay to leave her at MgRonald?”

Amane, Acieth, and Libicocco had all stayed behind, as well as Maou, who deemed it too dangerous to fuse with Acieth in such an unstable state.

“One time in the past, one of Acieth’s companions went completely out of control, but in a different way from her. We managed to get him calmed down with Yusa’s powers, though. Right now, it’s safer for him—and her—to stay on Earth, for assorted reasons.”

“Chiho, let me just say, I’m not going to pay for the damage your friend did to the restaurant, okay?”

Riho looked genuinely anxious.

“Do not be concerned, Riho,” Suzuno replied. “Amane is a distant relative of Acieth, you could say. Any damage they cause will be covered by either ourselves or the Shiba family.”

“Oh, uh, will it? Well, that’s good… Wait, that’s not good. Ms. Kisaki is right, Chiho—what are you going to do? You talked about saving the world, but if this is a video game, then isn’t the last boss of it working at your MgRonald right now?”

Even at this point, the thought of a marauding Devil King working fast food to make ends meet was ridiculous.

“Wellll, about that… Suzuno?”

“Yes. Currently, all the world’s main military forces are just about to clash with one another at a single point. In the middle of that point is Devil’s Castle, our base in this world. However, the Devil King’s Army is currently trying to shift the structure of the world to something new. We want to keep any casualties that result to a bare minimum…but as things stand now, we could very well see all four continents at war with one another by the morrow, and all our efforts could wind up for naught.”

“I—I see… It sounds like something from a history textbook…”

“And that is what Chiho is trying to prevent.”

“But how? I mean, Chiho’s a normal teen. She’s great at cooking and archery, but…you know, just because she’s gotten acquainted with this world doesn’t mean that, um, she can float in the air like Yusa over there, right?”

Suzuno answered the fretful question by pointing straight ahead. “Riho… Kisaki… It is a bit far away, but can you see a column in the middle of the large open area inside town, shining in the light?”

“Yes, I do. Looks like it’s made of glass, or ice.”

“It is actually a spear of ice, one that was planted on the spot through the use of what you could call this planet’s dark force. It was Chiho’s skills with a bow and arrow that created it.”

“…”

Kisaki fell silent, unsure how to respond.

“Ohh, I think I’m getting a fever…”

Riho, meanwhile, was attempting to escape from reality.

“You see, Chiho has a unique weapon, one that no one else on Ente Isla can lay claim to. With that force, I firmly believe we can avoid the tragedy that an all-out war will bring. I am not being rash or thoughtless when I say that… Ah, but our friends are coming shortly.”

“Huh? Friends?”

It was Emi who replied first, a bit surprised.

“Bell? Which friends are these?”

Suzuno turned toward Emi, looking a bit remorseful. But instead of answering, she conjured a ball of holy magic in her palm and sent it flying.

“Is—is that magic?!”

In the space that Kisaki exclaimed her surprise, three figures suddenly appeared in the precipice above Phiyenci.

“Alciel! Lucifer! Gabriel?!”

“Gahhhh!! Someone’s here!!”

“Aki, I told you, stop pushing!!”

Ashiya, Urushihara—sporting a pair of black wings—and Gabriel—wearing a T-shirt with SHIBUYA! on it in block letters, demonstrating that his lack of fashion sense was still going strong—were there.

“Boy, it’s a group tour now, huh?”

“Dude, isn’t this, like, a lot more people than what we talked about?”

Gabriel and Lucifer seemed less than impressed as they bantered among themselves. Meanwhile Ashiya, in human form, alit in front of Kisaki and Riho, took a knee, and lowered his head.

“Ms. Sasaki, Ms. Kisaki, and everyone from MgRonald,” Ashiya greeted. “I am sure this comes as a great surprise to you. I cannot even begin to apologize for being so untruthful with you before now…but this I promise: Chiho Sasaki is the final hope of all who live and breathe upon our planet, Ente Isla. And I swear upon the name of my master that she will never veer from the correct path.”

“Er, yes…”

“Um, Ashiya, you…”

Kisaki and Riho nodded, despite it all.

“Alciel,” Suzuno retorted, “the Devil King has just finished making a complete ass of himself on the other side. I am not sure swearing upon his name is very convincing at the moment.”

“Silence, Bell. If you were more prudent in what you… Ah, but enough of that. Chiho, what do you think? Do you really want to have your mother along?”

“Huh?! On what?!”

“Yes, I was hoping it’d be possible to.”

“Wait, Chiho, I—I didn’t hear anything about this!”

Being taken “along” on something made her mother panic. Chiho calmly sized her up.

“I just thought that when I say I’ll ‘save the world,’ that probably wouldn’t make much sense to you. So I wanted you to come down and see things for yourself. If you need to go back, we can take you back in forty minutes like before, so don’t worry.”

“D-don’t worry? You’re—”

“Hold it, Bell! Alciel! What’re you gonna do with Chiho and her mother?!”

Riho wasn’t the only one concerned. Emi was just as disconcerted by this sudden development.

“What? I thought you had been briefed on our upcoming plans, Emilia… Bell told you nothing?”

“Huh?”

“I… I am sorry. I thought Alciel had informed you before your return to Japan, Emilia.”

“Huuuh?!”

A couple wires had apparently gotten crossed. But the way things were going, Emi being told the news right now wouldn’t change plans much.

“Devil’s Castle,” Ashiya said, “will be launched one month ahead of schedule. But before it can, we need to make certain arrangements…and depending on who handles these arrangements, we may wind up making very different impressions on the players involved.”

“A month in advance?!” Emi exclaimed. “What the hell?! Why didn’t you tell me when I went back?!”

““Just a careless mistake,”” Ashiya and Suzuno shamelessly admitted.

“Chiho gave us her blessing last night,” Suzuno continued. “Just as with the zirga, there is no personal danger or physical burden to risk. We could have taken her back home to Sasazuka, but there is no ignoring Chiho’s school and test-prep-center obligations. Thus, in order to preserve Chiho’s current life in Japan, Riho’s cooperation is an indispensable part of the plan. I am glad to see our discussions have gone well. The Sasaki family is truly a virtuous one!”

“We got around half of the main cast gathered at Noza Quartus right now, so we really gotta get going soon…”

“The ‘main cast’ for what?! What’re you gonna make Chiho do this time?! I need to go back to Japan for today! At least give me something concrete I can tell the Devil King about!” Emi’s yells were still quite loud.

“Huh? Wait, Maou hasn’t heard anything, either?” Urushihara asked.

“Oh? Did nobody run this past the Devil King? Wow. Betcha he’s gonna be pretty pissed off again, huh?”

“Come to think of it… Bell!” Ashiya said.

“I, um, a lot of things happened, and, er, I failed to find quite the right timing…”

Kisaki, looking at Suzuno and the confused men staring at her, was completely lost—but with her business background, she knew what she was looking at here.

“A classic case study,” Kisaki commented. “If a business fails at the core concepts of communication, contact, and discussion, it’s easy for it to get tripped up with things like these.”

“Whoa,” Gabriel suddenly yelped, putting a hand to his ear. “Incoming from Laila. She says the Azure Emperor’s arrived at Ea Quartus and he’s headed for Noza Quartus right now. We really gotta get moving, or things are really gonna hit the fan, mm-kay?”

“I think you’re right. Chiho, we can talk after we reach Noza Quartus,” Ashiya said. “You as well, Ms. Sasaki. Here, Gabriel, can you take her mother for me?”

“You bet! Please, mademoiselle, take my hand.”

“Huh? Um, okay.”

“Wait, Gabriel! Alciel! Lucifer!” Emi prompted.

“Bell, you’ll be taking the MgRonald staff back for us, right? Can you give them the story on the way back?” Ashiya said.

“Ah… Yes, all right. No, the Devil King will not be happy about this…”

“…Try to reason with him.”

“Yes. I will.”

“Now, Ms. Sasaki, we must go!”

“Okay, Ashiya. Thanks a lot. Well… Ms. Kisaki! Ms. Iwaki! Kawacchi and Akiko! Sorry for all the grief I caused you today! I’ll make up for it once I get back!” Chiho said before departing.

“Hang on tight for me, mademoiselle? Ha-ha-ha!”

“All…right…”

And at the next moment, Lucifer, Ashiya, Chiho, and Riho were swallowed up by the Gate that Gabriel had opened. The MgRonald crew, watching a group of people vanish before their eyes, just stood there, frozen.

“Wait a second, Bell! That was a Gate, right?!” Emi shouted. “Is that safe right now?! Aren’t there Church knights at Noza Quartus?!”

“…They are safe for now. That is, until the day I complete my ritual and am ordained Archbishop.”

Suzuno looked up at the sky Chiho and the rest had disappeared to, whispering.

“Soon, we will launch Devil’s Castle. Whether the land around it turns into a sea of flame and destruction, or the stage for the biggest farce the world has ever known… It all depends on Chiho.”

“What do you mean?” Emi looked worried. “What are you gonna make her do? Because if it’s something dangerous, you really will piss the Devil King off.”

Suzuno shook her head, her expression reflecting her indefatigable confidence.

“If he is angered, I am ready to face the full brunt of it. Do not worry, Emilia.”

“…Bell? What’re you talking about?”

“…We had best return home. Ms. Kisaki and her team are going to freeze to death up here, and I am concerned about Acieth. For now, we all need to take a breather.”

As Suzuno took out her angel’s feather pen and assembled the crewmembers, Emi watched from behind her, a suspicious eyebrow raised. When she looked back at the city of Phiyenci, Adramelech’s ice spear seemed to be seated casually on the ground, enjoying a command view of the world spreading out after its owner’s death.

“Bell, please, can you at least tell me what Chiho’s doing before we return to Hatagaya? Otherwise, I won’t be able to back you up if the Devil King reacts funny.”

“No matter how he reacts, I am always on his side.”

“And I’d also like to know why you’re talking and acting so weird when it comes to him. Talk to me already! I’m getting so irritated!”

Emi kept pestering Suzuno. The way she seemed to smile a little whenever she mentioned Maou’s name grated on her mind. Then Suzuno, finally relenting, looked at the spear of ice.

“Tomorrow, Noza Quartus will be the site of a conference attended by Lady Dhin Dhem Wurs, Chief Rajid Rahs Rian, the Azure Emperor, General Hazel Rumack…and myself and Archbishop Cervantes Reberiz.”

“…What?”

For the nth time today, Emi was stunned into silence. This was, in essence, an international summit of all the world’s major leaders. Never had all these household names gathered in the same spot at the same time before. Even during the peak of the great war against the Devil King’s Army, the leaders generally stood back in the rear, mere background players compared to the Hero.

Even more unusual, though, was the presence of the Azure Emperor and Cervantes. That emperor was the first leader Ashiya had personally negotiated with, but unlike Wurs, he was never the type to venture into the front lines of conflict himself—his Eight Great Scarves forces handled that. Here, his motives were a total unknown. And right now, it was safe to say that only heaven itself presented more of a threat to the Devil King’s Army than Cervantes.

“Chiho will be serving as chairman of the conference.”

But beyond Emi’s stunned silence lay nothing less than a total choke-out of her thought process.

“Nobody else can do that. It has to be Chiho. No one except her would be acceptable to all of the participants.”

“And……… And how does that connect to saving the world?”

Suzuno gave Emi a lonely smile. “They will discuss only one question at the event. The feat that the Hero Emilia engineered in the past shall take place once more, under the lead of Chiho.”

A suddenly strong gust of wind blew across the hill, taking up Emi’s and Suzuno’s hair. The sky—clouds hanging low over it, as they often did above Phiyenci—seemed like a mirror reflecting Emi’s own heart. But within that gust, Suzuno’s words rang true:

“They will be discussing the ‘Second Invasion’ of Devil’s Castle.”