“Hmph... Maphaahl is missing as always, I see,” Benetnasch muttered, dissatisfied.
“Well, she does reside on the moon. She probably won’t stick her neck into Mizgarz’s affairs at this point,” Megrez answered with a slight chuckle.
Merak and the Mizar golem stood nearby, looking up at the moon.
“This situation is also exactly what she wanted, in a sense,” said Merak, stepping in for support. “I believe she said, ‘I will take the reins of the world and make it a peaceful place without devilfolk...’ It’s different from what she’d initially planned, but she did make it happen. Some would say she’s the only one who got exactly what she wanted.”
This only made Benetnasch more upset. “That’s why I don’t like this.”
She always does this... Every single time, she leaves while she’s ahead... And by the time I notice, she’s ahead of me. I really can’t stand that, but it also makes it really worth chasing her... Agh, it’s just too complicated!
“I suppose you could say that everything from here on out is our responsibility. We fell for the Goddess’s plot in the past and messed up the world... We still haven’t fully atoned for that,” Megrez said, speaking from the heart.
This only caused Benetnasch to become defiant.
“Don’t group me in with you, idiot.”
She was the only one among the group who hadn’t gone berserk or been controlled by the Goddess. I’m different. That was what she was asserting. Still, though she had never been controlled, Benetnasch had played a part in Lufas’s disappearance. In truth, she couldn’t push that hard.
“We made a mistake back then, but Lufas still returned and fixed the world for us. So from now on, our role should be to...choose the right path and lead the world down the road of peace this time... Doubly so in order to honor the wishes of those who’ve left before us,” Megrez said.
Mizar’s golem and Merak nodded in response, and though Benetnasch didn’t nod along with them, she didn’t deny what Megrez said either.
Alioth, Dubhe, Phecda, and Mizar had all already gone, leaving them behind. That meant it was their responsibility as those who remained—or as the clone of Mizar—to fulfill the dreams and goals the others hadn’t been able to realize themselves. After all, the remaining Seven Heroes were sure that such was the ideal they had chased after when they had still all been together.
As Benetnasch and the other heroes started to walk away, the phantoms of the departed heroes appeared a little ways away from them for just a moment, seemingly watching over their still-living friends. They looked satisfied after that scene and disappeared along with the wind.
＊ ＊
The devilfolk’s castle stood somewhat removed from Maphaahl Tower. They had been given about half the moon as territory to build a country and were now living peaceful and fulfilling lives. The devilfolk were no longer hounded by murderous impulses. Though that neither excused their past sins nor served to relieve them of their fear of Lufas, time was slowly healing them of both.
Today, a certain event was taking place inside the castle that was situated in the middle of their country. For this event, Terra was dressed in a black suit, while Luna was next to him in a pure-white dress. They stood before Aigokeros, who was dressed as a priest and reading aloud from a cheat sheet.
Many people would probably wonder why a celebratory occasion like this was being overseen by the Demon Lord, of all people, dressed as a priest, but Terra and Luna were the ones who had requested this. They didn’t need to swear to the deity who had toyed with their lives so much. Such a deity wasn’t worth believing in. So instead of swearing before a god, they decided to swear in front of the polar opposite instead—a demon—as a show of their defiance.
“Do you, Terra, take Luna as your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to hold, in sickness and in health, in times poor and plentiful? Do you swear to walk the path of your lives together until death do you part? Do you swear to love her, think of her, and be with her upon the name of god?” asked Aigokeros.
“No, not to any god. I swear to my wife and myself.”
“And do you, Luna, take Terra as your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to hold, in sickness and in health, in times poor and plentiful? Do you swear to walk the path of your lives together until death do you part? Do you swear to love him, think of him, and be with him upon the name of god?”
“No, not to any god. I swear to my husband and myself.”
The devilfolk’s wedding ceremony was slightly different than that of humans. They would never swear or pray to any god, only ever swearing love to themselves and their partner. That was probably the most appropriate way to wed for those whose name had the word devil in it.
After hearing their responses, Aigokeros spread his arms out and assumed his original form as the Demon Lord.
“Everyone, do not entreat our god above for the sake of these two. Through their bond of wedlock, they no longer need the help of any god. O Goddess, creator of all that is in this universe, you have created people modeled after yourself and celebrated their love. But that is enough. These two do not need your blessings. Even without you, they will live in love and create a healthy family. Whether in happy times or sad, they will never forget to trust and be grateful for each other. Even without your support, they will work hard, and continue to love and comfort each other, even when experiencing trouble. They will be blessed with many friends, and because of the fruits brought by marriage, they will grow and lead even more fulfilling lives.”
Aigokeros’s speech denied divinity, saying that they didn’t need help or a script. It asserted that they could walk on their own and asked the Goddess to please not do anything unnecessary.
Having heard this speech from beginning to end, Alovenus’s face was locked in a difficult-to-describe expression, but no one at the ceremony knew that.
“Well then, everyone, all together now: God is dead!”
At Aigokeros’s signal, all the attendees shouted that heretical line in unison. At the same time, the sounds of celebratory clapping resounded as the newlyweds walked down the path of flowers.
Seeing them, Mercurius looked like he was about to die.
“Come on, shape up,” Saturnus said. “Don’t bring the place down after you got invited and everything.”
“Yeah, I know... I know, but...” Mercurius trailed off. “If she’s happy, then I’m happy too... We should celebrate...”
“You know you look like the world’s most unfortunate being right now, right?”
Opposite of those two were Pollux and Orm, who were properly celebrating. Well, Orm actually seemed rather conflicted.
“It really is a terrible feeling, seeing your son surpass you,” Orm admitted.
“Well, there’s nothing you can do about it, right? It’s not like you need anyone, seeing as how you’re a perfect ouroboros and everything. I’m also alone at my age, you know. Aren’t we just fine?”
Ouroboroses and fairies were just a little different from normal living beings. They had absolutely no need for making children or finding companions. In that sense, the devilfolk were the same, but Terra and Luna loved each other even without any of that being part of the equation.