A week had passed since the Ludain Federation invaded Kyokuto.
We had stayed on alert for a follow-up attack, but so far the Federation had not made another move. The captured Federation soldiers also gave us several pieces of information about the state of the continent that the information blackout had kept from us.
The biggest of those was that the Eastern Great Labyrinth, which had stood inside Ludain Federation territory, had been cleared.
That left only two Great Labyrinths in this world: the northern one and the southern one.
The Great Labyrinths were the devices that maintained the world. They were also the seals on the Evil God.
In other words, the moment the last two were cleared would be the moment of the final battle with the Evil God.
That moment was drawing closer by the day.
"Orun, you're making that difficult face again."
I had been turning the past week over in my head when Shion, sitting beside me, spoke up.
The sudden voice pulled me up from the bottom of my thoughts.
I looked up. Shion was peering at me with autumn leaves at her back.
The fall light caught her silver hair and made it sway faintly.
"…Sorry. I was thinking."
"I figured. I get how you feel, but can we skip the heavy thoughts for now and just enjoy this?"
The small smile on her profile eased something in my chest.
"Yeah."
I let the tension out of my shoulders and breathed out.
When I looked around, colored trees stretched in every direction.
Every time the wind blew, crimson leaves drifted down and laid a soft carpet on the ground.
We were here for maple viewing on Fuuka's suggestion.
Off to one side, Fuuka and the others had gathered fallen leaves, built a fire, and started roasting sweet potatoes.
Dry crackling sounds carried on the air, and a sweet smell rode the wind.
Fuuka caught the scent and her eyes lit up.
"Haruto, is it ready yet?"
"Not yet. Wait a little longer."
Haruto, who was watching the fire, held her back.
"It smells so good, Fuuka-anesama! But you really can't overeat today, okay?"
"…? I never overeat."
Katina and Huey watched the usual exchange with fond smiles.
"This goes down easy."
Luna cupped a steaming sake cup in both hands and smiled quietly.
A little ways off, Luna, Oliver, and Kiryu were enjoying warmed sake together.
The scent of the heated liquor drifted faintly through the gaps in the autumn leaves.
"I'm glad it suits your taste, Lady Luna."
Kiryu narrowed his eyes gently and tipped the flask to refill her cup.
"Yes. It's strange how it tastes sweeter when it's warm."
Luna smiled at the rim of the cup and took a slow sip.
"Still, it's rare to see you drink on your own like this, Luna."
Oliver laughed, surprised.
"That's true. Until now it was just to be polite, but I turned twenty. I wanted to enjoy drinking a little."
There was a calmer, more adult composure in her profile when she said it.
"Does twenty even matter? You can drink from fifteen, once you're an adult."
Oliver tilted his head. Luna looked at her cup like she was thinking it over.
"Yes. For me, it's a big milestone."
Her slow answer melted into the crackle of the fire.
"Lady Shion, Lord Orun, shall I bring you something to eat?"
A soft voice. I turned and found Telshe standing there with a tray.
"Thank you, Telshe. But you can spend the time however you like right now, okay?"
Shion gave her a gentle smile.
Telshe narrowed her eyes a little and shook her head.
"I appreciate the thought. But serving the two of you like this is the time that puts my heart most at ease."
Shion blinked, then smiled.
"I see. Then thank you. We're always grateful for you, Telshe."
The red of the fire lit our faces. The faint smell of burning leaves hung in the air.
In that atmosphere, Telshe's lips curved. It looked like a child about to pull a prank.
"…Ah. So that was it. Forgive me for missing what you meant."
"…Hm?"
Shion tilted her head at Telshe's words.
"You wanted time alone with Lord Orun."
"Eh!?"
Shion's shoulders jumped. Color rushed into her cheeks and she flailed for words.
"I-I didn't say that! I feel safer when you're here, Telshe. I've never thought of you as in the way!"
Watching Shion scramble to explain, Telshe smiled, pleased.
"Fufu. Forgive me. I teased you a little too much."
"G-geez…"
Listening to them, I couldn't help smiling.
Then a familiar voice that usually lived inside my head reached my ears from farther off.
"…Yes. 'Shake.'"
"I already told you I'm not a dog!"
Pale-pink fox Sakuramochi had his ears standing straight up in anger. The alabaster girl Pixie tilted her head at him.
"…You fuss over the small stuff."
"It's not small! Listen. I swallowed every youkai that had been taken into White Cherry. I'm a great youkai. A nine-tailed fox."
Sakuramochi puffed out his fluffy, rounded single tail and puffed his chest with pride.
Pixie blinked once, like it did not matter.
"…Like a poison-insect contest, right? When White Cherry's true master was decided, the youkai inside the blade fought each other, and Sakuramochi was the last one left, so he became Fuuka's only attendant. You did well, Sakuramochi. …Good boy, good boy."
"Don't pet my head, you brat!"
The instant she patted him, Sakuramochi's fur bristled.
Pixie did not care. She shook her head.
"…I'm not a brat. I'm Pixie. I have a name."
"…You say the same kind of thing Fuuka does."
Sakuramochi snorted and looked away.
Pixie kept going, quiet.
"…A name is a precious gift from your parents."
The voice was small, but it landed deep in the chest.
Sakuramochi dropped his eyes for a second, then clicked his tongue.
"…Tch."
He did not touch the subject of names again.
Awkward silence started to settle, then Pixie held out her hand once more.
"…So. 'Shake.'"
"I told you I'm not a damn dog!!"
Everyone's voices carried through the maple mountain.
Fuuka happily stuffing her face with a sweet potato in both hands, and Nagisa scolding her with an exasperated look.
Luna and Oliver's easy conversation.
Telshe teasing, Shion going red.
Pixie's innocent voice and Sakuramochi's shouting.
None of it was anything special.
But I knew those ordinary moments were irreplaceable.
We would keep fighting.
To push back the malice that was coming, and to keep people's future connected.
So that someday we could spend quiet days like this with nothing hanging over us.
I wished for that and looked up at the sky.
The sun was sinking at the mountain's edge, bleeding gold.
Somewhere, someone else was probably looking up at the same sky right now.
Crimson leaves spun through the air and glittered in the light.
I checked the warmth still sitting in my chest, then quietly closed my eyes.
But at the same time, a small stir breathed to life in the depths of my chest.
Two Great Labyrinths left.
The state of the world would no longer allow anyone to stop their conquest.
Before long, every Great Labyrinth would be cleared.
That future was one I wanted too.
But clearing the Great Labyrinths was only the beginning.
The Evil God freed from those seals would move to destroy humanity. That was certain.
If I wanted to protect days like this, I could not treat the Labyrinths as the finish line.
Striking down the Evil God that waited beyond them was my role.
So that people's history would keep being written, and keep reaching the future.
The sense of the coming decisive battle was filling the world, quietly and without fail.