A meeting was convened in the Terst Empire.
A meeting summoning all the Zodiacs, the promising PROs, and the high-ranking nobles.
Its scale rivaled even that of the last Manggot war, yet—
There was one person not present.
Frondier de Roach.
The man who had stood before everyone at this conference room’s entrance, issuing strategies and deployment orders. He did not have a seat here.
Instead, another person stepped into the conference room.
“My name is Elodie de Inies Lishaera.”
The one who had entered spoke with everyone in front of her. In the very spot where Frondier had once stood long ago.
“Your Majesty, Your Highness the Empress, and all of you here who have become the light of this Empire. I stand here because I have something to say.”
Everyone gathered in the conference room turned to look at Elodie.
However, their gazes were not kind.
'Inies.'
The child loved by the Five Gods.
Once, a promising talent rivaling even Aster, and the girl who had been more than anyone else the light of the Empire.
But now, the traitor who left this continent following the demon Frondier.
“The gods will come.”
Elodie met their gazes as she spoke.
“The gods consider humanity an enemy, and they intend to descend upon this land and lay waste to the Empire.”
“......”
At her words, everyone fell silent.
Elodie’s statement was unwelcome, but it was not shocking.
Because—
“Why should we believe that?”
One of the PROs spoke.
From the start, they were suspicious of Elodie.
Elodie lowered her eyes.
'So they don’t trust me after all.'
Elodie had been a magician upon whom the Empire placed many expectations. No—even to say she bore all expectations that could be placed on a magician would not have been an exaggeration.
Such a person had suddenly left the Empire and, upon abruptly returning, spoke of a divine assault.
She was a companion of Frondier, who was suspected of being a demon. It was difficult for her to be trusted.
However—
“Hey, Elodie.”
A Zodiac, Daisy Foster, opened her mouth.
“Where’s Ludovic?”
“......Pardon?”
“He left the Empire and went to the continent where you were. Didn’t you meet him?”
“......Ah, yes, I did. He took a room at a lodging house near the home we’re staying at, and we’re living together.”
At that, Daisy grinned and looked over at the Zodiac Monty.
“See, I won.”
“Tch.”
Clink, a few coins flew through the air, and Daisy deftly snatched them out of it.
Monty spoke in clear displeasure.
“I misjudged the boy. I thought he’d return straight to the Empire the moment the matter was over. Was he not someone whose only redeeming point was his loyalty?”
“I told you the sea wasn’t normal. He wouldn’t have been able to come even if he wanted to.”
Daisy’s words were right.
At that time, Poseidon had been in a highly sensitive state. The only reason Elodie had been able to reach here was because she and Poseidon knew each other’s faces.
Poseidon had been all but used by Frondier, yet he still believed Frondier was on his side.
By contrast, Aster had thrown a spear that wounded Poseidon’s cheek, and Ludovic was the one who had carried that Aster on his back. The two of them absolutely should not come into Poseidon’s sight.
“I see. So, the gods are coming.”
Daisy let out a sigh and raised her head. The looks on the other Zodiacs’ faces were similar.
That expression was so strange that Elodie, without thinking, asked,
“......You believe me?”
“Hm?”
“I thought you would not trust my words.”
At Elodie’s words, Daisy smiled bitterly.
“Elodie, do you know what the Empire was like after you and Frondier left?”
“......I, I’m not sure.”
“It was a complete mess.”
Daisy let out a long sigh.
“The crime rate rose to unprecedented levels, the monsters whose spirits had been crushed started coming back to life and charging the barrier, and people’s anxiety just kept growing. Especially Ludovic—he was the biggest problem.”
“......Ah.”
She had heard it from Frondier.
Ludovic was carrying extreme guilt.
Frondier had chosen to leave so the Empire could continue without any trouble, and the one and only thing that worried him. As if even that were his fault, Frondier had said,
“Is Ludovic healthy? Was he the Zodiac you knew?”
“......In my eyes, yes.”
“Good.”
Daisy’s eyes softened.
“Then that’s enough.”
The moment Elodie saw that expression on Daisy’s face, she understood many things.
Because that was a face Elodie herself had once worn.
“If Ludovic has gone back to how he was, then what is right is clear.”
“......! You can’t say it’s that simple!”
One of the Zodiacs who had been listening spoke up in a strong tone.
“We still haven’t cleared our suspicion that Frondier is a demon! Unless there’s proof he isn’t a demon...!”
“That’s right! If Frondier is a demon, then we can’t believe anything said by you, who used to be his companion!”
Another Zodiac agreed, and the Imperial Palace grew noisy.
At that sight, Emperor Terst and Empress Philly’s faces grew more grave.
Even now, in this situation, would the confusion still not end?
'Clear proof that will put an end to this confusion...... Does such a thing really exist?'
Philly’s head started to ache.
But then—
“......Even now,”
A pure-white voice flew into the noise.
“Even now, do we still have to fight among ourselves?”
The words were not loud, but they slipped gently into the heart if one only listened.
Everyone turned to look at her.
Aten Terst.
Only she, as always, stood pure white in this sooty gathering.
“Headmaster Ospreet.”
“......Yes, Your Highness.”
Ospreet bowed his head deeply.
“At the scene of Mr. Atjie’s death, you said something to me. That you had entrusted Mr. Atjie with a request.”
At that, Ospreet’s eyes widened. He answered at once.
“That is correct.”
Those who had gathered at the site of Atjie’s body at Frondier’s request.
Among them had been Aten, one of the three Empresses, and Headmaster Ospreet.
Back then, Ospreet had spoken as if reminiscing about his memories with Atjie.
─I asked him to prevent a split among the Zodiacs. Now it’s something that can no longer be fulfilled.
Ospreet had recited it, sadness laced through his deep sigh.
As if recalling that time, Ospreet’s eyes drooped.
“......A split......”
Someone spoke quietly.
Ospreet had been worried about a split among the Zodiacs that would inevitably occur someday.
Atjie had been the same, and because he knew of that concern, he had accepted the request.
“He clearly said he would do so.”
Ospreet spoke in a regretful voice.
Aten looked at his face for a moment.
Then she said,
“You know Atjie’s father, Angfer, of course.”
“......? Of course.”
“He never once allowed monsters to invade, and that’s why he was called the ‘Iron Wall’. Perhaps because he takes after that temperament, Mr. Atjie was the same. I heard he has never failed a request since becoming a PRO.”
Atjie was not high in the PRO rankings.
He had not been a PRO for long, and he had not taken many requests.
He only ever accepted requests he knew he could fulfill.
“I,”
Aten spoke.
“Think it’s the same this time as well.”
With pure-white eyes.
As if believing that everyone’s eyes were the same as her own.
“I firmly believe he fulfilled that request.”
“......!”
All the Zodiacs’ gazes changed.
Atjie was dead. The fact that it had been done by a god had now become common knowledge.
What did that mean?
When one looked at his temperament and talent, Atjie was someone who ought to have been loved by the gods, yet he had been killed by them.
What were they supposed to realize?
What had they learned?
“Even now, do we still have to fight among ourselves?”
“......”
“Isn’t there someone who’s been waiting a very long time for us to walk the right path?”
At that, everyone fell silent. Some averted their eyes, some lowered their heads.
Aten drew in a breath.
No one knew how deep that breath was.
“Mr. Frondier went to save Mr. Atjie.”
“......He went to save him?”
“Yes. To retrieve Atjie’s soul. He headed for the world of the gods.”
At Aten’s words, everyone murmured. To them, Atjie was already a dead man. Was it even possible to bring him back?
The answer came at once.
“......It’s reckless, it’s absurd. He’s walking into a deathtrap!”
Someone shouted.
At that, Aten slowly closed her eyes, and after opening them again—
She nodded.
“That’s right.”
“......Ah.......”
“Frondier walked into a deathtrap. To save Atjie. He went to save the Atjie who had been personally killed by a god. That is why the gods intend to attack humanity.”
“......? Why would the gods attack humanity?”
At that, Ospreet frowned and asked again.
“Do you truly not know the reason?”
The gods intended to attack humanity.
Then they could stop Frondier.
Because, when humans were attacked, without fail—
“Frondier will try to save them.”
“......”
“That is the reason.”
Everyone’s mouths fell open in a daze.
There were those who believed all of this, and those who did not.
However, since it was none other than Ospreet’s statement, it was impossible to dismiss it as nonsense.
“......Tch.”
And then, this time, a man who had not spoken until now curled his lips upward.
“We’ve grown downright old, haven’t we.”
Ridwi Urpa.
He looked at Ospreet.
As if he had finally escaped from that time when he had drunk himself into a stupor.
No, Ridwi Urpa was not simply “back” now.
He—
“To think we’ve been lying in some brat’s arms sucking our thumbs. Isn’t that downright laughable?”
Ridwi was smiling.
But his eyes were filled with killing intent and rage.
That rage was clearly his inability to forgive himself.
“That’s right.”
Ospreet agreed. He was the same.
“It’s utterly ridiculous.”
Even his deep patience had reached its limit now. All the more so because he had watched every sight that made up Frondier’s path.
Beside him, Daisy Foster quietly watched the two of them.
The two magicians who were the pride of the Empire. These two, who had grown quite old, had shared much of the Empire’s history together.
Daisy grinned. With a peculiar feeling in her heart, she asked Ridwi,
“You’re going to fight the gods? You’ll lose your divine power, you know? Then you won’t be able to be Zodiacs.”
She spoke as if teasing.
But Daisy herself already wore the exact same expression as Ridwi.
“So what.”
Ridwi growled.
“When we fought monsters, did we ever care about something like the position of Zodiac?”
“No, we didn’t.”
Daisy answered. As if she had been waiting for those words.
“We won’t be able to be Zodiacs. That’s right. We’re not Zodiacs.”
Monty spoke.
“Were we originally Zodiacs?”
“No. We were,”
In that moment—
Countless people, without even knowing how many they were, answered with a single line.
“We were hounds.”
By then, all the Zodiacs’ gazes had already changed.
They would devour anything that invaded the Empire.
With that resolve, they had trampled monsters, built the barrier, and protected the Empire.
Had they forgotten that?
So what if they had gotten a little used to peace—had they become puppies with only their tails left, cowering in fear?
No, they could not.
What on earth were they afraid of?
Why were they here!
“Let’s save him.”
Aten’s short voice.
“Let’s do the work that is ours to do.”
The confusion subsided.
And the blades they had each kept hidden for so long slowly began to reveal themselves.
And that sight—
......
Elodie took it in with her two eyes.
─Who’s going to repay you?
─I can’t accept a sacrifice that gets no reward.
─What did you get? After ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) doing something like that, what did you gain?
─Being branded a demon and exiled from the Empire? Having to wear a mask and hide in Palma? Living under threat from both gods and demons? That’s the reward you get?
'......Not yet.'
Elodie held back with all her strength.
Held back so many things.
'Don’t cry.'
Nothing was okay yet.
Not a single thing.
