'It was good?　Leave your friends behind.
　Janet gave me a worried look.

'I didn't think I could talk to you calmly at that rate.
　When I told them I was going to see Esther, the priestess of the Goddess of Destiny, Lucy, Sa-san, and Furiae all objected fiercely.

''Mako!　What were you thinking, going to see that guy!
"Takatsuki-kun, I'm coming with you. If that brave Alec guy from earlier attacks us, I'll take care of him!
'My knight!　They know you're the messenger of the evil one!　Keep it down!
　There was a lot of swordplay.

"I'm fine.
　I convinced my excited companions and I'm walking through the royal capital, Symphonia, with Janet-san.　
　The destination is the mansion where the Goddess of Destiny's priestess is said to be located.
　Apparently, she is based in the mansion of a great nobleman in the land of commerce (Cameron).

But........I wasn't there, but I heard that the priestess Esther had quite a bit of hostility towards us. Are you sure it's okay?
　Even Janet asked in an uneasy voice.

'It was the Pope who was so hostile to the Apostle of the Evil One, wasn't it?
　The old man who was staring at me with a murderous stare.
　It would be better to stay away from that one.

　But I didn't feel the miko Esther was that obsessed with me.
　If anything, I have a feeling that the miko Esther's target was Friaree-san.
　Well, that's my mistake, and there's also the risk of being suddenly turned over to a brave man.......

　I wanted to accompany someone from another country with a strong position as insurance in case of an emergency.
　I was assuming Sakurai-kun or General Talisker, but if it's the Lady of the Ballantine family, I have no complaints.

''We've arrived, this is the mansion of the Barclay family, the greatest noble family in the land of commerce (Cameron).
I mean...
　The mansion was unique even in the aristocratic district of the royal capital, Symphonia.
　Too large a garden.
　Huge fountains and statues.
　Many gardeners were busily tending it.
　The maintenance costs, it looks terrible.....

"I have an appointment. Let's go.
Yes. Thank you.
　I thanked Janet and walked through the gate of the house.
　The gatekeeper let me through easily when Janet told me her name.
　As expected of the Ballantine family's daughter.　

　We were led into the house by the butler of the house.


　◇


The Apostle of the Evil One, Makoto. How is your head for being a little squirrel?
　The harsh words suddenly flew out of the blue.
　In the guest room that was let through, Esther, the maiden priestess of the Goddess of Destiny, was waiting for me, which I didn't expect.
　The same cold stare as always.

''Esther-sama. Thank you for taking the time to visit me despite my sudden visit.''
That's all right, Janet. But you don't want to be choosy about who you go out with, do you?
I like doing this.
Well that's in poor taste.
　Would you both please stop saying that in front of me?

....
"Hmm.
　Esther, a priestess who has noticed my jit-eye, smiles a nasty smile.
　

''There is no time for useless talk. State your business.
　Esther's voice is indifferent to all intents and purposes.
　No, you're the one who dumped the useless story on me.
　Oh, well, that's okay.
　Let's get to it.

"Miss Freyae, the Moon Priestess, will bring mischief to the world. Are you sure it was a sign from the Goddess of Destiny (Ila)?
　I said what Esther had said earlier in the conference room.

'Yes, that's right. Therefore, imprison the Moon Priestess now.'
I can't do that.
　As I said it, I prepared my next words.

　The one in front of me is a priestess of the goddess of destiny.
　It is said that she is able to see the future of the world and hear the voice of the goddess Ila.
　The meaning of her words is heavy.

'I want you to tell me what exactly is going to happen to me.
　This is the purpose of the visit.
　Imprisoning Mr. Freyae is an absolute no-no.
　But if we know in the future that it's going to happen beforehand, we can prevent it.

"..........
　Priestess Esther doesn't answer.

'Lady Esther?　I ask you to do the same. Please talk to me.
　Me and Janet-san waited patiently.　


''........the seven pillar goddesses who control the attributes of this world. Do you know that there is an exception among them?

"?
　Suddenly he started talking about something irrelevant.

'It's relevant, just answer the question.
Are you talking about Lady Naiya, the goddess of the moon?
　Janet replied to Estelle's statement.

'Yes. The moon goddess Naiya is not from this planet, but the goddess of the outside world. She is a different god race than the Holy God Race, whose territory (territory) is the moon.''
I didn't know that.
　In the temple, they didn't teach me much about moon magic or the moon goddess.
　They took the stance that they didn't need to know anything.

''The future vision of the Goddess of Destiny, Ila-sama, is only about this planet. As a priestess of the Goddess of the Moon, Friae's future vision is not possible.
Hey, that's...
　What's with the moon goddess priestess bringing disaster?
　You're a liar!

'Miss Esther?　So, as for the moon priestess bringing disaster...
　Janet also asked accusingly, but it was interrupted by the next line.


'After the resurrection of the Great Demon King, the brave men of light will die and the earth will be ruled by darkness once again.


!
　Janet's eyes widen in surprise.
　I must have the same look on my face.
　The Water Goddess (Eil)-sama said the same thing.
　She said that the battle against the demon race was more likely to be lost.
　However, when the priestess of the Goddess of Destiny said it clearly........

''So, is that........the inevitable future?''
　Janet's voice trembled.
　Hearing that, Esther, a miko, smiled lightly.

''The future is going to change(──)...''
　Esther, the priestess, said emphatically.

''That is why I am here. The reason why I advised the 'Northern Expedition Plan' is also a stepping stone to victory. I won't let the Great Demon King do as he pleases.
It was you who came up with the idea for the Northern Expedition.
　I thought it was someone from the Land of the Sun.

'It's all about the victory of the human race.
　Smiling gently, the miko Esther was full of compassion for the woman(s) God(s).
　You should always have that kind of face.
　Esther's expression quickly returned to a cold one.

''However, I can still see the future of 'the sword stabbing into the chest of the brave man of light and dying'. Whoever did it I cannot see(¦) it.
I can't see...
　The story is connected.
　A being that the Goddess of Destiny can't see.
　It's most likely that the divine race from the outside world is involved.
　So someone related to the Moon Goddess was the most likely culprit...

'But you know what? Freyae and Sakurai-kun have feelings for each other.　I don't think Mr. Friae would do that for any amount of money.
　The miko Esther laughed stupidly at my plausible opinion, "Huh.

It's a good thing. Isn't it common for people to get killed or injured in a lascivious tangle?
No, it's not a daytime drama...
It's pretty much the same thing.
I don't know if we're alike...

''Um... what are you talking about? .....
　Janet tsked at the conversation between me and Esther.
　You're right, I don't understand daytime drama and all that.
　How can Esther keep up with the conversation?

So what do we do now?　Do you listen to me?
I said no.
'You are a stubborn man. An apostle of the evil one.
What are the chances of me being the culprit, by the way?
　I've been pushing the theory of Mr. Freyae's murderer for a while now, but objectively speaking, I'm suspicious of it too, aren't I?
　After all, his predecessor 'Mad Hero' was a celebrity who was a heroic killer.

''The poor Noah's Apostle of this generation can't hurt a brave man of light. To begin with, you can't even swing a sword, can you?
...that's right.
　My status is too low to equip a sword.

''Above all, a thousand years ago, Evil God King Typhon tricked Evil God Noah. If he's going to take the side of the Great Demon King this time as well, he must be a very dumbass. Well, this isn't the first time Noah has been a clunker.
Isn't that an exaggeration?
　You're being ripped off.　Mr. Noah.

(Ky!　(What's wrong with this guy?!)
　Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down.

So you don't think I did it?
'Yes. Moreover, Eil-nee-sama is keeping an eye on Noah in the underwater temple. If there's any suspicious activity, we'll know immediately.
But you haven't been to the Underwater Temple lately, have you?
"...what?　We shouldn't do that. We need to keep an eye on Noah. We'll make sure of that.
　Huh?　What did I say?

(And yet, this maiden...)
　From the tone of voice and the content of the conversation, could it be.......

''Anyway, all of my actions are designed to make the human race win against the Great Demon King. If you understand, then you should leave now.
　I was told to shush and get rid of him.
　This guy.

Well, I'll be leaving. Thank you for the information.
　I thanked him and decided to leave.

'Oh?'　It's honest. Now, one last thing, if you're going to stop being an apostle of Noah and believe in the Goddess of Destiny (Ila), I'll be a little kinder to you, okay?
　A teasing tone.
　Maybe he was joking.

"I'm only interested in Master Noah.
Oh, that's a shame.
　He didn't seem disappointed at all.　

　What the hell, I got quite a lot of information.
　For that I am grateful.

　We thanked the priestess Esther and left the mansion.



　◇



　Me and Janet-san are walking around, looking back at the meeting we had earlier.

''The brave men of light will be defeated.......is it true?''
　Janet's voice was somber.
'I can't imagine too much, Sakurai-kun losing.
　I mean, I don't want to imagine it.
　I don't want to imagine my childhood friend dying.

''Well, let's hope for the Goddess of Destiny's priestess. It sounds like she's serious about trying to deal with the Great Demon Lord.
'That's it, but wasn't the conversation in the second half even kind of friendly? Makoto and Lady Esther.
Is that right?
　Janet-san said with a little glare.

　Janet-san and I walked slowly through the aristocratic streets of the royal capital Symphonia.

''By the way, Takatsuki Makoto. You'll at least accompany me for a meal, right?
What?
　I would have gone back to the inn as soon as possible to talk to everyone, but....

''You're not going to end up using me as just an intermediary, are you?
　Guillory stared at me.

''And, of course,''
Good.
　I nodded coyly.
　'I'm scared, Janet,' he said.
　I'm not as scared as you are, Jera.

'Come on, let's go.'
Yes, sir.
　Janet pulled me by the arm and took me to an expensive looking restaurant.

　I wondered if the restaurant I was taken to was a favorite of the Ballantyne family, and as soon as I saw Janet's face, I was shown to the best seat in the house.
'Wait a minute,' said Janet, and she disappeared into the back.
　'What is it?'

When Janet returned after saying, "Sorry to keep you waiting," she changed into a nobleman's dress.
　Why the change of clothes........
　I wonder if she had prepared it?

　A little nervously, I left the menu to Janet and waited for the food to arrive.
　Janet-san looking at me and smiling, she looks like a good house girl.
　In fact, that's exactly what it is.....

''Hey, Takatsuki Makoto.
What is this?
　Janet-san with her cheekbones smiled at me with a mischievous look on her face.
　I'm a little thrown off by the difference from my usual gallant female knight.

''I've decided that if I'm going to marry you, it's going to be someone stronger than your brother.
Isn't there too many candidates?
　Janet's brother Gerald Ballantyne is the third-highest ranked goddess hero in the continent.
　Second place is the female hero, Olga, so the only one left is Sakurai-kun, who ranks first.

　If you exclude the brave, the strongest ones are the Great Sage or the Red Lotus Witch Rosalie...all women.
　The women of this world are strong.

'Then we have only Sakurai-kun.
　As she said this, Janet's expression twisted in displeasure.

'Don't be silly. He's the man who stole Sister Noel from your brother. ........And I don't want to have the same man as Sister Noel as my husband.
Excuse me.
　It was a statement that lacked consideration.
　I heard that he and Princess Noel were originally close like sisters, but recently they've been estranged.
　That's a bit of a sad story.

''Originally, at my age, it's only natural to have a fiancée...''
　Janet blurted out, looking a little unwell.
　She said that she had been single until now because of her partner's obsession, but she was under a lot of pressure from her parents.
　

''Hmm, there are those who make fun of me behind my back, calling me a 'retarded knight'...''
Oh, there's a horrible man...
　How can you say that to the ladies of the Five Holy Nobles?

''Well, they're from the Second Pegasus Knights.
　Janet is the captain of the first squad.
　The Pegasus Knights are all females by necessity, since they have to be light in weight.
　And it seems that the first and second squads are rivals and don't get along.
　It's kind of scary to see an all-female workplace.

　By the way," Janet said in a cheerful voice, as if to change the atmosphere, as I was secretly trembling with fear.

'There's a man right in front of me who beat my brother, right?
　Janet-san stares at me with a feverish gaze.
　This, this.........

''That was just a wild game.......and I don't even have a holy sword, so no can do, right?
'It's fine. I don't care if it's a wild game, you beat your brother. By a brother who doesn't know how to take it easy.
Don't you think you might want to learn to go easy on him?
　I got ripped to shreds at first, too.
　Jera-san is a battle freak.

"Takatsuki Makoto.
Yes, sir.
　Janet gave me a crisp look and called my name.

I like you," she said. Come here as my son-in-law.
........................what?

　It was a sudden proposal.