West of Phiyenci, main city of the Northern Island, there was a sacred mountain known as Mt. Figo. Phiyenci itself was built on high land, but Mt. Figo towered over it, looking down upon the city. When Chiho and Ashiya invited Kisaki and the MgRonald hourly crew over to Ente Isla, they chose a flat plain about halfway up this hallowed peak.
Three days had passed since the night Maou had found himself utterly flummoxed by Emi’s “deceitful” act. Albert Ende and Dhin Dhem Wurs were outside together, looking up at the night sky. The two moons were already far closer to each other than anyone in Ente Isla would ever believe—and the satellites themselves were also starting to look smaller.
“Son of Ranga, have the moons ever struck fear into your heart?”
“What kinda question is that? I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Well, when I was young, there was a bit of a drought in my clan’s pastures. We had to move our stock out, and we didn’t have enough people, so young me was asked to chase sheep and goats around as well…and, you know, I noticed something. It felt like, during the daytime, the moons were chasing me the whole time.”
“Oh, that sort of thing? Yeah, I can understand that.”
It was something any youngster might have experienced—the sun and moon in the sky constantly staying a set distance away from you, no matter how much you ran away from them.
“And now that Devil King’s gone and moved the moon, hasn’t he? Boy, am I glad I stuck around long enough to see this!”
“I can’t say I agree with you on that.”
“So what do you think, then? Is this gonna have any impact on us?”
“Man, it’s freezing. Do we really need to talk about that here?”
“Who’s to say how much time I have left in this world, eh, boy? Be a good lad and humor an old woman during her camping trip.”
“I’d be shocked if you ever did die, you know. Siiiigh…”
They were on opposite sides of a campfire, the old woman clad in thick layers. Albert eyed her as he listened to their transport goats bleating.
“Well, apparently, we’re seeing almost none of the tide changes that Eme and Alciel were afraid of. I’m hearing stories here and there about how the sea currents are clearly changing around the Central Continent, though.”
“Hmm. Scary. Simple enough to put into words, but if it’s changing ocean currents, that’s some serious stuff.”
“That it is. The work of God and all that.”
“And that ‘God’ still isn’t doing anything? You don’t think she’s dead already, do ya?”
“Gods dying, huh?” Albert laughed as he prodded the fire. “Yeah, well, the world’s been pretty quiet since the red moon went on the move. Y’know how they’ve been planning the rebuilding of Wezu Quartus alongside the Crusade, to help commemorate Bell’s ordination? Thanks to that, the Central Continent’s got enough people and resources to handle most of the crises they run into. You just never know what life’s gonna serve up to ya, is what I keep hearing from people.”
“No, in my life, I’ve had that thought countless times. But it still makes no sense to me. Why would the enemy do absolutely nothing up to now?”
“Yeah, no matter how strong we might be, holding out this long is nothing but bad news for the other side. That’s what they’re all worried about—the Devil King, Bell, Eme, Alciel…”
“Well, don’t let your guard down. Whether we’re fighting a god or not, we’re gonna be faced with constant surprises, I’m sure. Tell the Devil King that for me.”
“Oh, I think he’s already aware of that…”
“Maybe, but make sure you say it out loud and it goes into his ears, all right?”
“Do I really need to?”
“Look, even if you think it’s pointless, it’s important you say it out loud to him. If he doesn’t listen to you and tells you to shut up, well, we all know how long fools like that survive, don’t we?”
To Albert, the voice of the wrinkly old woman, mixed in with the crackling fire, seemed to be reflecting on all the “fools” she had seen go by in life.
“Well, I’m sure they’ll all listen, except for Lucifer. You think I should tell Eme, too?”
“Tell anyone traveling to the demon realms. Tell ’em you’re speaking for me. Make ’em think that if they ignore this gabby old woman’s advice, they’ll regret it later on. And also…”
The woman, small but burning just as passionately as the fire, stared at the large frame of Albert.
“Once it’s all over, let ’em sit back and say, ‘Oh, that old coot was all worked up about nothing.’ Then, when they’re all old men and women like me, they’ll do the same thing to the younger folk. Then the cycle’s complete.”
“…All right. Man, the elderly are such a pain to deal with.”
“Watch out, you! You’re gonna be one of us in time. You, and Emilia, and that little Devil King, and I’m sure Chiho as well. You’re no spring chicken yourself. Startin’ to experience the kinds of things your mom and dad whined about when you were small, aren’t you?”
“No doubt. I’ve been fillin’ my stomach with good drink more than good food lately.”
“Hah! Sad thing for the head of the Mountain Corps to say.”
Albert laughed at the old woman suddenly turning against him. Being able to laugh at her griping and snapping probably meant he had matured a fair bit as well.
“Do you need me to escort you back home like the old lady you are?”
“Nah, I’m gonna stargaze for a while longer. You should go back as soon as you can.”
“Oh, what, am I gonna have to come back to pick you up? Well, I’ll see what I can do, then. I’m not that well-known among demon folk, y’know.”
He smiled as he lodged the complaint and took his angel’s feather pen out from his pocket. Thrusting it into the air, he opened up a Gate and disappeared—likely headed for the Central Continent, where he’d meet up with Emeralda and Suzuno.
Once he was gone, Wurs let out a hefty sigh, breath visible in the cold air, and looked up at the blue moon.
“We’re all behaving illogically, are we…? Well, even ignoring the fact that God might be human, for all I know…”
The old woman watched the purple fragment in her monocle glint in the moonlight as she looked through the lens toward the moon.
“Assuming she’s not tired of livin’ yet, she might have some hidden desperate move she’ll break out when the youngsters least expect it. What d’you think of that, eh?”
But the astral monocle, capable of telling truth from lies, failed to find the answer in the blue light overhead.