Char and the gang have defeated one of the branches of the giant evil organization(?) known as the underground student council(?) AKA Numbers and corrected(?) their evil ways. Now they’re amped up and ready for the final showdown(?) with the Devil Lord(?)…is the recap from where we left off.
Yeah, that’s a lot of question marks.
In any case, I’m not one to spoil my little sister Char’s fun, so I’m gonna do my best, too. (On what, though?)
We’re gathered around a circular table by a serene lake, but today’s meeting is a bit different.
It’s full of Medjeds.
They’re all wearing white sheets over their heads with two circles cut out for the eyes like a Halloween sheet ghost─which looks very much like Medjed, the minor ancient Egyptian deity─and each one is marked on the forehead with a numeral of their choice.
Um, three of you went with “7”?
It’s awkward being the only guy here dressed completely in black.
“As the newly founded Camelot─or since we have a special remote guest today, we’ll call ourselves by a temporary name for third parties: Chronos. Let us begin our round table meeting.” Charlotte, who has a 1 on her forehead, announces sternly.
As my dear little sister mentioned, there’s a guest attending today’s meeting via my─Shiva’s, rather─communication barrier.
Displayed on the floating screen is Number 1 AKA Alexei Guberg-senpai. He’s wearing a head covering that hides his entire face. Since it’s the first meeting, only the leader of Numbers is present.
‘Is there any reason you’re masking your faces?’ says senpai. ‘I suppose I understand wanting to hide that obviously non-human member in the corner of the screen. But they’re not even well hidden, so what is the point in wearing the garment?’
I know, right?
He’s talking about Gigan.
The towering giant covered in a white sheet with the number 7 (one of three) reminds me of a unveiling ceremony for a giant Buddha sculpture.
“I believe dressing for the part is important,” answers my sister. “We shouldn’t take formality for granted.”
‘In Numbers, we referred to one another by numbers on the principle that “all members are equal.” But your group clearly has an established hierarchy. Therefore, wearing a mask marked with a number isn’t… Wait, I see multiple “7s”. Is there any meaning to your attire?’
I knew you’d notice, senpai.
But don’t worry about that. Let them proclaim whatever number they want. That’s one of the perks of a “we’re family here” workplace.
“Anyhow!” Char exclaims with the gusto that could blow away any smidge of doubt.
Go, Char, don’t sweat the small stuff!
She says, “You and I have come to an alliance. We’ve bonded as if we’d just formed an honorable and beautiful friendship after a smackdown against a backdrop of a setting sun along the river. To defeat the greater evil! Together!”
‘…’
Alexei’s expression looks like a complicated mix of defeat and sadness. I can tell under his mask.
Char continues, “And what is this ‘greater evil,’ you ask? That’s right. I’m talking about the giant evil organization who’s plotting to revive the Devil Lord!─or at least, that’s what I thought. It seems that the situation is worsening.”
“And by that you mean?” asks the little Medjed with a 13 on her forehead.
This rather odd choice of number that Chronos, the god of time, might not approve of was made by Professor Tear. Are we going by twenty-four-hour military time here?
“Two devils made an appearance during our competition. It’s safe to assume the Devil Lord has already been revived.”
As usual, Char’s right on the mark.
“If the Devil Lord’s already revived, wouldn’t they just come forward?” mumbles Medjed Number 4. It’s Liza.
“A final boss sits on his throne and waits for his challengers to come to him,” proclaims Char. “That’s what makes him the final boss. It’s unlikely that someone with the title of a god would directly approach us. And seeing how the Devil Lord was able to summon two subjects of enormous strength, we can judge that it must be fully capable of harnessing its powers.”
Several of the round table members nod in amazement at her deduction.
‘…’
Alexei seems to want to say something, but he doesn’t.
That’s because I had a word with him beforehand and made him agree to refrain from spilling the beans.
Alexei Guberg is possessed by a piece of a Devil Lord or something. I’d asked him to explain what his deal was because the lack of clarity was bothering me.
Lo and behold, the main piece of the Devil Lord Lucifyra is possessing Queen Gizelotte’s body.
According to Alexei, she’s not in her final form yet, but she’s likely up to no good.
At the same time, she’s still very cautious of Shiva for putting a collar on her neck and getting in her way time and time again. Not that I mean to do that…
By the way, what am I supposed to call her? Gizelotte? Lucifyra? Devil Lord? “That hag” is more than enough, but I just want to be formal. I asked Alexei and his answer was:
“That thing is definitely Queen Gizelotte’s flesh and body. Yet its psyche is undeniably the Devil Lord Lucifyra.”
Gizelotte, no more. I guess.
“Not necessarily,” Alexei continued, “Gizelotte and the Devil Lord share a fundamental nature. But her psyche hasn’t disappeared. If anything, it has melded with the Devil Lord─no, more like unified. Nevertheless, they’re still two different minds. They’re not completely one and the same.”
Uh huh, I don’t get it. So what do I call her?
Setting that aside…
What would happen if I were to tell Char, “The queen identifies as the Devil Lord now”?
“Amazing as always, Brother Haruto. Surely, you’d save the day before any of us even act.” (Monotone)
Who would want to see my darling little sister’s eyes void of life and sparkle? I know I don’t.
Once again, my role here is to work behind the scenes so my sister can have some fun.
Which means I’ve got a lot of planning to do. Yup.
Back to reality.
The Medjed with the number 0 on her forehead (Flay) speaks: “If we know who our enemy is, there’s no need to hold back. Let’s get right along and pulverize the crap out of them.”
Char replies, “But we don’t know where the Devil Lord is or what physical form it takes.”
Number 10─or Iris─says gravely, “It looks like we’re always going to be waiting for their move and reacting after the event. We’ll have to handle each situation as they come, and simultaneously gather information.”
“That’s too tedious. We don’t have the time,” answers another 7. This one is Laius.
Side note: the third 7 is Johnny. He’s keeping his mouth shut in today’s meeting. He’s a chatty guy, but he’s also a respectful gentleman who knows when to mind his manners.
“The enemy has inarguably marked us as their target,” says number 8. “Constantly looking over our shoulders will do nothing but drain our energy…”
I don’t know why, but Marianne decided to go with 8. Not that I know why any of these guys chose the numbers they did.
Char rebuts, “That’s precisely what a hero of justice does. He nips each pawn as they come, levels up at every mid-boss encounter, and finally, conquers the final boss.”
Yeah, that’s the standard in anime and tokusatsu shows. Otherwise, the series would be over in just a few episodes.
However, reality is unkind.
Expecting the Devil Lord to graciously abide by some anime trope is─huh? Hold on a minute.
I already know who the enemy is.
It’s none other than Gizelotte─the hag whose life or death depends on my ruling. She may be possessed by the Devil Lord now, but I’ve still got her by the collar.
Couldn’t I steer her into acting according to my scenario with a stern warning?
If she won’t keep her promise, make her.
Or something like that.
What we’re going against is a godlike being called the Devil Lord or whatever─it’s probably powerful. But it’s probably not fully revived yet. I’m just thinking optimistically here.
The fact that the final boss is Gizelotte is honestly a dilemma.
For now, I decide to head to the frontier region to pay my dad, Count Gold, a visit at his castle.