Hataraku Maou-sama! - Volume 8 - Chapter Pr

PROLOGUE 
She never thought this day would come. Even now, she found herself at a crossroads. 
Taking an impartial look at her position, this was a clear dereliction of duty. A breach of trust, even. Although, if you put it that way, she had been abandoning her sworn duty from the very start—ever since that single moment—and just aimlessly passing the days ever since. 
If she wanted to try, she could come up with any number of excuses for it. But if asked whether she was taking any kind of active approach to the issues in her life, the answer was a resolute no. She was merely going with the flow. Her back was turned to her mission; she was too focused on tidying up the problems that loomed in front of her face—and before she knew it, it had grown comfortable to her. Now, her initial mission was starting to seem not so important any longer. 
It was time to come out with it. By now… 
“I’m not sure I know whether it’s really okay to kill the Devil King any longer.” 
“…Oh reeeally now?” 
There was not a shred of reproach to her old friend’s voice on the other end of the line. If anything, it had a sense of relief to it, albeit one still tempered with concern. 
“I kind of had a feeeeling it would wind up like this.” 
“Wind up like what?” 
Her friend chuckled. “Like, by the time we meet again, you still wouldn’t have slain the Devvvvil King or annnything.” 
“Yeah, no defense there, I guess.” 
“Oh, it’s all riiiight! If that’s the way you feeeel, Emilia, there must be some good reeeason for it. Besides…” The friend’s voice took on a more serious, practiced tone. It was rare, coming from her. “You’ve got every right to choose, Emilia.” 
“Choose what?” came the befuddled reply. 
“When Olba betraaayed you, Emilia, you could have easily exacted your reveeenge against all of us.” 

“Revenge? Oh, come on, why would I do that to—” 
“I’m not talking about meee or Albert, now! I mean the Churrrch, or Ente Isla as a whole, you knoooow? The entire world turned its back on you. If you decided to get vengeance, nobody had any right to stop you…even if they waaanted to.” 
“Oh, that’s what you mean?” 
If she were a young Hero, thoughts truly filled with nothing but murder for the Devil King, the idea of her friends betraying her and the world reacting to news of her death with idle complacence would have filled her with deep despair. But these days, it didn’t. 
“Look, I live in a world where everyone’s got cell phones and the Internet’s everywhere you go, but it’s still hard to get info you can rely on. I’m not gonna lose any sleep if a world like Ente Isla gets the wrong idea like that. It’s still a feudal society.” 
“Interrr…what?” 
“Never mind. Besides, I’m too much of a simpleminded ditz for stupid stuff like that to even occur to me.” 
“Well, I dunno what you meeean, but all riiight. If you ever do start to get feelings along those lines, be sure to let me know, okaaay?” 
“Are you trying to tempt me or something?” she said with a laugh. “You want me to do that, or not?” 
“Oh,” came the quick reply. “Whatever path you choose, Emilia, I’m still on your siiide, all right? I’m not at all against destroying the worrrld, even.” 
“The strongest Church conjurer in the world really shouldn’t make idle threats like that. Don’t blame me if the Church starts keeping their eyes on you.” 
“They’ve already got their eyes on me so much! I’m about ready to pluck them out and sellll them as marbles to the local kids.” 
The girl looked at her feet, not too sure how serious her friend was being. Near them was a backpack, filled to the brim with an assortment of bric-a-brac. 
“Well, see you this weekend.” 
“Absoluuutely!” chirped Emeralda Etuva, the most powerful sorceress in Ente Isla.