The first report of Olba Meiyer's disappearance sent shock waves across the All Bishops' Sanctuary, the meeting place shared by the six archbishops that led the Church.
Olba was an important figure in this cabal, not just one of their number but one of the intrepid adventurers who joined the Hero on her quest to dispatch the Devil King.
But the Reconciliation Panel, the self-policing group within the Church that handled the investigation into his disappearance, released a report just as shocking aft r completing their search of Olba's office, which lay. in the Church’s headquarters within Sankt Ignoreido.
"The Hero Emilia is alive and well in another world?!"
As the report was read to the remaining five archbishops in their sanctuary, Robertio Igua Valentia, the eldest of their flock and the one among them that served as chief canon of the Church, was the first to react, almost falling out of his chair.
"But Olba himself stated to me that Emilia Justina and her Better Half sword disappeared into nothing at the end of the pitched battle against the Devil King Satan!”
"It would appear that was a total fabrication, sir.”
The female inquisitor submitting the report spoke coldly toward the five, all but striking down the oldest among them with her words.
"We have discovered traces of multiple sonar transmissions that he aimed at this other world. The recent capture and holding of Emeralda. Etuva and Albert Ende was also perpetrated by Archbishop Olba's underlings."
''What...what on...!"
Robertio, whose health had been the subject of recent rumors itself, glowed red in the face at this cascade of unbelievable news.
"Regarding Emeralda Etuva, we have confirmation that she has returned to her home, the Holy Empire of Saint Aile. Other reports state she is publicly avowing Emilia's safety and spreading the word of Olba's apostasy far and wide."
"A-a-apostasy...! Apostasy, by an archbishop...!"
"Canon Robertio! Please, take a breath and calm down!"
Cervantes Reberiz, archbishop and administrator of the Church's agricultural policy, rose to place a reassuring hand on Robertio's back as he shot back against the Reconciliation Panel representative.
"My dear lady, please refrain from overly inciting our order with your—"
"If I may, Archbishop, I am merely stating the truth."
The inquisitor gave them no quarter.
"But...but how we can simply avow that Olba was lying to us...?
Perhaps he himself learned that Emilia was alive and set off to help her..."
“I’m afraid that is not possible, Canon. A dead Hero was found to be alive.
Why would a lone man not spread this cataclysmic news far and wide, instead keeping it to himself for whatever reasons he deemed fit? It is only
natural to conclude that Archbishop Olba had a motive to ensure that Emilia's 'death' was as true as he himself reported earlier."
The inquisitor sighed, face stern upon continuance.
"And if Saint Aile's most well-known court alchemist is officially declaring that Emilia is alive, we cannot ignore the impact this will have. It directly conflicts with the Church's public position that Emilia is dead. I request a
well-considered decision."
"A well...considered..."
Robertio hyperventilated slightly, his anger threatening to make his heart beat its last at any moment.
The inquisitor was not ready to relent, standing firm while facing the panic-stricken canon.
"Will you recognize the mistakes Archbishop Olba has made, or will you continue to push the Church's decisions upon its people?"
All Bishops’ Sanctuary was plunged into a profound silence.
"Or, to be more exact, will you affirm and condemn the apostasy committed by the archbishop against the Church, or will you instead decide to murder Emeralda, Albert, and finally Emilia herself?''
"This is ridiculous... Emilia and Albert are one thing, but what could we do against Saint Aile's court alchemist...?"
Cervantes seemed to suffocate on the words. The inquisitor continued, wholly unfazed.
"It is something the Church has always done, ever since the days when the Devil King's armies freely roamed the land, in order to solidify the Western Island as a monolith under the name of the Church. And when I say 'the
Church,' I mean myself and the other members of the former Council of Inquisitors."
The statement made the already-heavy atmosphere around the Sanctuary seem to sag even more painfully upon the council.
But nothing would stop the barrage.
"No matter which option you select, the Church will have to pay a great
sacrifice. But if we leave the problem unattended like this, the sun will set for good upon the Church's infallibility and authority. I doubt many people would choose to place their faith upon a Church so willing to throw away the Hero, the hope of the people, the woman who dispatched the Devil King."
The inquisitor's glare pelted like a storm of stones against the shaken Sanctuary. Heavily, Cervantes opened his mouth.
"You are part of the Council of...that is, the Reconciliation Panel, yes? How would you handle this question?"
The woman's answer was curt.
“I am sure, Archbishop Cervantes, that you understand the import of the Council of Inquisitors transforming itself into the Reconciliation Panel, at least in name."
Cervantes quickly averted his gaze away from the woman's eyes.
“ln the past, it was the goal of defeating the Devil King that united us. But now, when everyone believes that threat to be gone, it would
be a grave mistake to believe that simply any act in the name of the gods shall be forgiven."
“Wh-what are you saying?"
Robertio did not fail to notice the point the woman danced around.
“l was hoping that the initial shock would subside before I continued."
She chose her words gingerly as she sized up the five archbishops before her, one by one.
“But Satan, the Devil King, is also alive and well on this other world."
Robertio fell away senseless, foam dribbling from the corner of his mouth.
* * *
“So you're having trouble drumming up the confidence? "
Saturday morning, the following day. Early in the morning, with the early-summer sun just beginning to make its full presence known, Emi and Chiho found themselves standing in front of the door to the Devil's Castle.
“Well, I mean…you know.”
Chiho, hiding herself behind Emi as she peeked furtively at the door, was carrying a bulky tote bag. Emi could easily imagine what was inside.
“If I fail here, I don't know if I can recover from that by myself..."
Fail at what, exactly? It seemed silly to even bother asking.
“I’m just saying, it wasn't really right for the summer season, but it was, like, a really well-made bento box! Plus, you know, if it's got poison or something in it, Maou and his friends could be in big trouble..."
"If an Ente Isla assassin was going to poison him, they would 've done it ages ago."
Even Emi could be sure of that.
Chiho felt like either potentially disastrous conclusion would be a huge blow to her, but the matter of her own true feelings at the moment was by far the more urgent issue to tackle.
"Well, standing there and blaming us for all of this isn't going to accomplish anything. Just be yourself. Take the bull by the horns.''
"...All right!"
Emi pushed Chiho out from behind her, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
After a moment, Chiho turned back around, the nervousness still writ large upon her face.
"Uhm, Yusa? I'm sorry. Thank you."
Behind the terse statement was a full understanding of both Yusa and Maou.
Even if Chiho may already have one foot firmly planted in the events sweeping Ente Isla, from Emi's point of view, it would not be the most laudable of tactical decisions to allow her any closer to Maou than she already was.
Right now, in full control of her holy energy, there was no longer any obstacle between her and obliterating the Devil King.
She could wipe clean the memories of everyone in Japan who ever
interacted with him—there weren't that many of them—massacre the rest of the Devil's Castle, call for Emeralda and Albert to zip on over, and make a triumphant return to Ente Isla. That was all there was to it.
But, after a smile with a whirlpool of emotion behind it, Emi responded.
"No problem. I don't care about them at all, but I want to still be friends with you, Chiho, so..."
That, too, was an honest, earnest slice of Emi's heart in verbal form.
Whether that heart came across or not, Chiho took another deep, emboldening breath and rang the Devil's Castle doorbell.
The reward was instant.
"Ah, yes, welcome back."
"...!"
Chiho was frozen, unbreathing, at the sound of an unfamiliar female voice.
Even Emi could clearly see the resolve she spent so much time building up begin to crack and wobble.
Thus, it was not Maou, the master of the house, who opened the door, nor was it his faithful househusband Ashiya. And it certainly wasn't Urushihara the unemployed shut-in. It was Suzuno Kamazuki, the refreshing morning-glory pattern on her aqua-blue kimono framed by her familiar apron.
Even with her hair put up, the morning sun still shone brilliantly through it. It was already growing humid, but not a drop of sweat betrayed itself on her skin, the milky white of skin which so brilliantly matched her kimono. She was drying her hands off with a towel as she opened the door, indicating her presence in the kitchen until this very moment.
She seemed younger than either of her visitors at first glance, but her firm, refined countenance had an air of maturity that Chiho’s still lacked.
"Ah, good morning, Emi...and may I ask who you are?"
"I-I-I..."
Her voice was calm and collected. Chiho, meanwhile, sounded like someone had superglued her throat shut.
"Sadao, there is a visitor at the door."
Chiho was struck dumb once more at this unknown Japanese beauty's words.
She had referred to Maou by his given name. It was a sign of intimate
familiarity in Japanese. As far as she knew, nobody else in Maou's life used it.
Chiho never had, of course, being younger than him and more or less his apprentice at MgRonald. She doubted she could even if asked to.
And yet here was this woman out of nowhere, expressing honest, homespun warmth as she called him Sadao.
Chiho began to. find it hard to remain standing—not because of dizziness, but from the sheer hopelessness of it all.
Emi, watching from behind, had no lifeboat to give her. This was Chiho's battle. Only Chiho had the power to change anything.
"Uh? Is Emi back around again?
"No, not merely Emi."
“Huh?”
It was Sadao Maou, the only man in Chiho's eyes.
"Whoa, Chi?! What're you doing here? It's pretty early, isn't it?”
And his first reaction to Chiho was, at best, indifferent.
"M-Maou...”
Even before the battle began, Chiho's eyes had already begun to tear up.
Emi brought a hand to her forehead in exasperation. This is pointless. He doesn't even realize what's unfolding right now.
"Urn, ah, well, urn, I, uh, if you'd, uh, like, uh, to eat…”
She bravely attempted to piece a few words together, her voice like a
mosquito's cry, but having the wind knocked out of her so early on made the process painfully difficult.
"Uh, is something up, Chi?”
Even Maou noticed Chiho's odd behavior by now, but all he did was watch on, warily, as her face quivered.
The lifeboat arrived from inside Devil's Castle.
"Oh... Is Ms. Sasaki out there…?''
It took the form of Ashiya's listless voice, one that still managed to boom audibly out the door.
"I hate to bother you, Ms. Kamazuki, but I have some teabags inside the shelf under the sink..."
"Ashiya?"
Chiho noticed that, on the other side of Maou and this unknown woman, Ashiya was lying on the floor, covered by something resembling a blanket.
"Oh, no, are you sick, Ashiya?"
"Yeah, I dunno whether to call it that or not, actually." Maou scratched his head as his eyes darted between Chiho and Ashiya. "But, like, this is the story behind that bento yesterday, I guess."
"Huh?"
Chiho, tears still in her eyes, now flashed a look of utter bewilderment.
"Oh, my, look at how finely you chopped these shiso herbs! It's so beautiful..."
"Yes! And a well-sharpened knife performs half of the work for you. After that, take a leaf, cut it in half, place the halves on top of each other, crumple them up, then cut it into strips, and it could hardly be easier."
"So how did you get that red-leaf lettuce all crisp like that?"
"Well, first you wash it thoroughly in cold water, then just shake the excess water off. Remove the core and set it aside first. That will help you remove the sand and other bits of dirt you wouldn't normally see. Much more
effective than simply running it under the tap."
"Don't you need any soy sauce on this hiyayakko tofu?''
"Oh, no. I use a solution of white soup stock diluted in water. That way, the taste of the tofu won't clash so harshly against the saltiness. It results in a much softer, smoother flavor."
Chiho and Suzuno were deep in conversation.
Emi faithfully listened on, a tad nonplussed by this turn of events.
Chiho, learning that Suzuno had come to help Maou keep his home affairs in order after the summer heat got the best of Ashiya's health (and that she simply had the habit of referring to people by their first names), had finally shooed away the tears from her eyes.
After taking a disdainful look at Urushihara, idly wasting away the morning as he let his neighbor handle all the hard work, Chiho reintroduced herself to Suzuno.
"Well! I should say that the variety of food Chiho brought for us will result in quite a lovely breakfast."
The dining table was already largely filled by the time Chiho added her own fried chicken breasts and potato salad to it. For breakfast, it was almost too extensive of a buffet.
"Uh...well, hey, thanks a lot, Chi. This is kind of a surprise. Can't wait to tuck into it."
Maou thanked her s his hand wavered over the table, belying his total inability to decide on his first dish.
''Of...of course!”
"Thanks a lot, Ms. Kamazuki..."
Ashiya, sitting up, looked almost emaciated as he bowed his head.
"Hmm. We've got a lot of people here. Do we have enough teacups and chopsticks?"
Maou began a quick head count.
"Oh, I brought my own."
Chiho cheerfully took a small box out from her bag.
"Very well. In that case, Emi, I do hope you will sit next to me. I am afraid I have nothing but disposable chopsticks to offer, but..."
Suzuno invited Emi, who had been all but tossed aside by now, by offering a set of wooden chopsticks.
It was a remarkably lively morning meal, a scene that made Emi wonder if this was really the Devil's Castle after all. By the time everyone had cups and chopsticks, Urushihara finally drummed up the energy to sleepily lurch over.
"Huh. Breakfast already?"
He brushed off the dirty looks all of the other diners flashed him.
"I don't see any seat or chopsticks or teacup for me, man.”
Maou, Ashiya, and Chiho each occupied one side of the kotatsu table, with Emi and Suzuno sharing the fourth. There was no room left for Urushihara to sit.
Instead, there was a plastic container and fork on the computer desk.
"Our guests come first. And the person who contributed the least to the meal comes last."
Ashiya was cold as ice.
"...Dude, you're gonna so regret this. Like, isn't that the container my Sugiya dinner came in?''
Urushihara half muttered it to himself, dejectedly looking at the disposable plastic bowl as he forked some rice into it.
It was what he deserved, given that even Chiho, who treated nearly everyone she met with kindness, couldn't conjure any sympathy for him.
"So...how are you, anyway, Ashiya? Are you feeling okay?”
"Thank you for your concern, Ms. Sasaki. Thanks to Ms. Kamazuki's kindness, I have been given ample opportunity to rest my weary bones. I hardly wish to be any more of a burden to our Devil's Castle, so I plan to return to my regular routine beginning today.''
"And we have Chiho to thank for that. Such a cornucopia of rejuvenating ingredients she brought along! Nothing like some good meat to revitalize a man's appetite."
"Well, thank you! I wish I could cook like you, though, Suzuno."
The breakfast conversation couldn't have been friendlier. Emi gauged Suzuno carefully. as it unfolded.
The words they exchanged yesterday plainly weren't enough to dissuade her away from Maou, but judging by her cooking and her friendly demeanor
toward Chiho, there wasn't anything suspicious about her.
And think about this: The maniac burglar from last night took a paintball right on the ski mask. That paint, and the smell, isn't the sort of thing that comes off in a day or two. It seemed fair to conclude that Suzuno couldn't have been Emi's scythe-wielding attacker.
"Ah, experience has a way of making anyone a veteran over time, Chiho. I am sure the day will come when you surpass even me in the kitchen."
"Yeah, but Mom cooks for the family at my place, so I don't really get much of an opportunity to practice."
"Oh, the opportunity will come, trust me on that. I, too, was fed very well by my family through all my life, but in many ways, it was more a matter of them continually pushing food in my direction. Why, when I moved away, they made me bring a virtual larder filled with supplies!''
That solved another lingering mystery in Emi's mind. Given her experience with the inside of the Devil's Castle's cabinets, she was wondering who was footing the bill for all these ingredients.
"They were kindly hoping to aid me with my finances until I found useful employment in the city, but having such an enormous quantity will only lead to it all spoiling in the summer heat. So, if I may say so in front of all of you, having three hale young men with healthy appetites next door has been a great help to me."
It was hard to tell if Suzuno was trying to relieve Chiho or prove to Emi that
It was hard to tell if Suzuno was trying to relieve Chiho or prove to Emi that