Raizel and Ultear did not go out to watch the preparations for the bonfire.
Instead, they opened the wooden shutters of their guest room and sat by the window to meditate.
"Both of you, the evening banquet is ready."
Boka came to knock on the door.
As he passed by, he had already seen them meditating through the window.
Their Guild Marks were clearly visible on their left hands, glowing faintly in the dim light.
Boka had long suspected they were Mages and wasn't surprised.
He didn't call out to them through the window, respecting their concentration, but instead knocked gently on the door.
"We'll be right out, Boka-san," Raizel responded, standing up and stretching his stiff limbs.
Ultear followed suit, adjusting her black dress.
"It's already evening," Raizel murmured, gazing at the sky.
The setting sun dyed the clouds a vibrant crimson, casting a warm, blood-orange glow over the entire island.
The jungle canopy seemed to catch fire in the light.
Watching the sunset gave them a pleasant, relaxed feeling.
They had been so immersed in their meditation that they only realized the passage of time upon stepping out.
"So beautiful," Ultear whispered.
The sunset reflected brilliantly in her dark eyes.
It wasn't that they hadn't seen sunsets in Magnolia, but even under the same sky, different perspectives offered different scenery.
This was one of the true meanings of traveling—seeing the familiar in a new light.
"Haha, let's eat while watching. The moon at night is even more beautiful here," Boka laughed, delighted to see them so captivated by his home.
In the center of the village, a long table was arranged in a circle, laden with various foods
In the center, a wooden pole framework supported a massive bonfire that crackled merrily.
"Please sit here." Boka led them to the seats directly to the right of the Village Chief, Moka.
The chief's son, Bobo, sat to his left.
"Wouldn't this be inappropriate?" Raizel whispered. "This is practically the seat of honor."
Moka smiled with narrowed eyes and said, "It's no problem, please sit. You are the first honored guests to visit our village in many years, so you should sit here."
"Thank you, Chief."
Since that was the case, Raizel didn't decline further and sat down with Ultear.
"The cups are filled with juice made from fruits unique to this island. Please try it." Moka pointed to two wooden cups containing a bright orange liquid.
Curious, Raizel took a sip first.
It was sweet, tangy, and refreshing—quite similar to orange juice but with a hint of mango.
He raised his eyebrows to signal to Ultear that it was safe and delicious.
Only then did Ultear lift her cup to take a sip, her eyes lighting up.
Once they were seated, the village chief raised his wooden goblet.
"Everyone, let us raise our glasses to welcome our two guests to our village!"
"OH!" The villagers cheered, raising their glasses high.
Raizel and Ultear lifted theirs in acknowledgment, feeling the warmth of the community.
"This is delicious, try it," Raizel pointed to a plate of sashimi.
He had just tried a piece; it was likely a specialty fish from the deep waters around Galuna, as he had never seen it in Magnolia markets.
"Delicious," Ultear agreed.
She picked up a slice with her chopsticks.
The fish melted in her mouth, and even without dipping sauce, she could taste its freshness and a slight natural sweetness.
As the dinner wound down, Raizel turned to the Chief.
"Chief Moka, I'd like to ask a question. Is there a Golden Zodiac Key—specifically Sagittarius—in the village? I heard a rumor it might be on this island. If so, I'd like to buy it."
"Sagittarius?" Moka paused, momentarily taken aback.
He thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"No, it's not here. None of our villagers are Celestial Spirit Mages, and we haven't traded for such an item."
"I see," Raizel nodded, pinching his chin in thought.
'It must have been brought here later, or perhaps by a different traveler.'
"I'm sorry, but we truly don't have it," Moka apologized, seeing Raizel's thoughtful silence.
"It's fine. I just heard a rumor and wanted to check. I'm not insisting on it," Raizel smiled, waving it off.
After all, what Layla lacked in X777 wasn't the Sagittarius key anyway, so the timeline wasn't in danger.
...
"Follow the river upstream. The Moon Temple is there. We can't go there ourselves—it's been abandoned for a long time. Please be careful." Boka stood at the village gate, pointing north into the dark jungle.
"Alright, thank you Boka-san. You can head back now, we'll go there ourselves," Raizel nodded.
He lit a magical torch, casting a warm circle of light around them.
Raizel and Ultear walked along the path, flanked by towering trees on both sides.
Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, spilling onto the path like spilled milk.
The river rushed relentlessly beside them, its waters beating against the banks.
The distance between the southern village and the northern temple was substantial.
Raizel and Ultear walked for nearly two hours before the trees finally cleared.
"We're here."
What came into view was a massive, pyramid-shaped structure built from yellow bricks.
A red crescent mark was painted on the main gate and the two side pillars, glowing faintly in the dark.
"So dilapidated," was Ultear's first reaction.
The stone pillars inside the temple had collapsed, and massive tree roots had grown into the building, reclaiming the stone for the earth.
"Let's head straight to the top," Raizel pointed upward. "But watch your step. With no one coming here for so long, we don't know if the stairs might collapse."
Hearing this, Ultear reached out and grabbed the sleeve of Raizel's right hand tightly.
Raizel carefully led Ultear, stepping cautiously on the mossy floor tiles as they ascended the steps.
He tested each step firmly before committing his weight, ensuring it was safe.
The temple held firm, and they successfully reached the open-air platform at the summit.
The platform was supported by four stone pillars holding up a crescent-shaped stone slab.
Weathered by wind and sun, the slab showed signs of damage, but its function was clear.
The crescent shape framed a circular opening directly above the center of the platform.
"This temple was built to collect Moon Drip," Raizel explained, bringing Ultear closer to the center.
"Moonlight converges through this opening downward, but it requires a magic circle to activate—otherwise, it's just ordinary moonlight."
"Moon Drip?" Ultear tilted her head.
"Legend says Moon Drip can dissolve any magic," Raizel said, looking at the moon. "Including ice formed by Absolute Zero—Iced Shell."
Ultear merely nodded, uninterested.
She didn't know what Absolute Zero was, nor did she care. To her, the moon was just beautiful.
She approached the edge of the temple platform and looked up.
The moon here reminded her of the moon she'd seen from the window of her cell at the Magic Development Bureau.
It was the same celestial body, yet the scenery was completely different.
Back then, she saw only loneliness and despair; here, she saw freedom, beauty, and a future.
Raizel walked to Ultear's side and looked up at the moon without speaking.
They stood there in silence, watching the pale light bathe the jungle below.
"Alright, let's head back," Raizel said softly after nearly half an hour.
"Shall we fly back or walk back?" Raizel asked.
It was getting late, and walking back would take another two hours.
"Let's walk back," Ultear said. Her lips curved into a gentle smile as she reached out to hold Raizel's hand.
"Okay," Raizel blinked, surprised, but didn't pull away.
The two walked in silence, yet harmoniously, with only the sound of wind rustling through leaves and the river lapping against stones accompanying them.
...
The next morning, Raizel woke Ultear before dawn.
They stepped out onto the porch to watch the sunrise together—a promise made the previous night.
Throughout the last 24 hours, they had watched the sunset, the moon, and the sunrise together.
It felt like a complete cycle.
After breakfast, Raizel and Ultear packed their bags to bid farewell to the villagers.
Everyone gathered at the entrance to see them off.
"By the way," Raizel said casually, adjusting his backpack. "You're all demons, right? I figured it out yesterday."
Beside him, Ultear stiffened.
Raizel smiled reassuringly and patted her hand to ease her tension.
The villagers froze.
Chief Moka's breathing grew slightly uneven. He looked at Raizel, then sighed, shaking his head.
"That's right," Moka stepped forward, his voice heavy. "We are demons. But we've never harmed humans. We isolate ourselves because..."
"I know," Raizel interrupted gently. "I just wanted to suggest that you could interact more with the outside world. Even if it means using human forms initially. Perhaps—just perhaps—one day you might be able to make friends with humans as your true selves."
Raizel gave the villagers a thumbs-up, flashing a bright, toothy grin.
"You guys are good people. Or, good demons i guess."
Thump, thump, thump.
One by one, the villagers spread their wings.
The illusion fell away, revealing their true forms—horns, claws, and leathery wings. But instead of looking terrifying, they all wore smiles.
Some, overjoyed at being accepted, even took flight into the sky, circling above.
"See?" Raizel whispered to Ultear. "Not scary."
This time, Ultear wasn't nervous.
Though the demons looked different from humans, she sensed no malice from them.
She smiled back at a young demon child waving at her.
....
Boka rowed them back to the mainland.
As they stepped onto the dock, the bustling sounds of the port returned.
"Thank you, Boka-san. Goodbye!" Ultear stood on the shore, waving enthusiastically.
"Goodbye! You're always welcome to visit our island again!" Boka waved back, his demonic tail twitching happily under his cloak.
Watching Boka's boat disappear into the horizon, Raizel turned to Ultear.
"Let's go," Raizel adjusted his coat. "Next stop, Acalypha. We have a meeting with a tycoon."