Itadaki no Hecate Second

The Beginning of Final Days

"Does it have to do with the presence of one of the Four Gods of the Earth in Tokyo?" said Bel Peol, and the Spiral Organ nodded.

"You were lucky to get away from there by yourself," Yuji said.

"I had some unlikely assistance," Lamies said, not mentioning that it was, in fact, Yuji's own father who had come to his rescue. That was something the man himself would have to reveal. "Indeed, it troubles me. It would make sense were it any of the other three, but the Evoker of the Demon Horde is known for a bloodlust that rivals that of the Chanter of Elegies—although unlike her, he is not obsessed with a single target. For him to be here would mean that he aims to take the initiative and directly declare war on Bal Masque; yet he did not follow when I had escaped his grasp and risked bringing back knowledge of his involvement. The obvious thought would be that he is waiting for more troops in order to lay siege, but something just doesn't feel right. His apparent goal is very aggressive, yet his actions are deliberate. I suspect his lingering in Tokyo is more than just waiting for more Flame Hazes to arrive, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

"He isn't known for hesitation, so it can't be that he's afraid to take us on. The suspicion that he is rallying more troops is all we have to go on, but Hecate by herself could easily dispatch any number of Flame Hazes that come our way, which is the main reason I don't keep a large garrison of Denizens here when they could be of more use elsewhere," Bel Peol said, thinking about the facts and hypotheses seriously. "To begin with, Flame Hazes wouldn't gather in masses unless they were sure a problem was drastic enough on a global scale, and even then, they're very picky about their leaders."

"We might have a better idea if we knew more about him. Who are these Four Gods of the Earth?" Yuji asked. "Are they anything like the Snake of the Festival or Alastor-san?"

"Not at all," Bel Peol answered him. "Quite frankly, they don't even come close, but they are pretty strong in their own right. A single one of them can't possibly match any of the Trinity or the Flaming-Haired Blazing-Eyed Hunter should she reach nearly half her potential, but if there were two of them at once going all out, they could give even Hecate a run for her money."

"So they're stronger than Margery-san or... what did Shana call her... Wilhelmina-san? And for one of them to oppose us means that there's something giving him confidence of victory."

Lamies added to her explanation. "All four of them are Native American Flame Hazes: the Summoner of Star River, Eastedge, stoic and firm; the Invoker of Brightened Dew, Centerhill, with a strong sense to protect the world; the Raiser of Great Billows, Westshore, deeply sensitive; and finally, the Evoker of the Demon Horde, Southvalley, passionate yet vicious. All of them were Flame Hazes with a very strong sense of duty, even after the Flame Haze Civil War, and today command the four main Outlaw branches of America."

"Flame Haze Civil War... Is there anything more about their past?" Yuji asked. "I know it might not seem like information we could use against him now, but if we can learn from his history, we could find out his driving force."

"And extinguish it," Bel Peol concluded. "You can have some frightening ideas sometimes."

"You're overestimating me, Bel Peol. So, Lamies-san, do you know anything?"

"I do, but the Chanter of Elegies is familiar with the same story in more detail. After all, she fought them herself during the Civil War. Perhaps you should ask her?"

"I guess I could, but she's still not exactly on friendly terms with us just yet. As it stands, I'm just lucky she fights on our side whenever she sees the need to keep others away from her target," Yuji said, directing his index finger towards his chest.