Crisis meeting.

All my girls are in the meeting room, and so are Rewera and most of the maids. Aside from my core group, they're currently the only other people in the Dominion who know the truth about the Imagination Engine. Maybe their ideas could help foil this doomsday plan.

I did spend some time to explain that the moon is about one-fourth the size of our planet and that if it's allowed to impact the ground, everything will end. Of course, I left out the fact that some like Aurelia or me could survive even if the entire planet were to be shattered. That would only make them worry that I could abandon them if things don't work out. Though I doubt anybody would think that at this point.

"Can we destroy it?" Rewera asks in all seriousness.

"Unless we erase it completely, the pieces will still rain down on us in a hail of meteorites." I played with that thought before, but I don't think there's anything on this planet with that kind of firepower. Not even Alverost's small Death S*ar would have been able to achieve that.

"Leaving aside the fact that it will cause many problems if the moon just disappeared." Senka comments with a shrug. She knows this stuff better than I do, it seems.

"I heard about the crisis, Chloe." Suddenly, Rolan and his party bursts into the room. He and the others have been freeloading in the castle ever since our heart-to-heart shortly before my official coronation. We worked things out between us; while there's no more bad blood, it's still awkward.

That's why we've been avoiding each other for the most part until circumstances would bring us back together. Circumstances such as this one, it would seem.

"This is not something you can help with." Hestia declares in a commanding tone that causes Rolan to duck in surprise.

"Now now." I'm not particularly interested in what humans who have been indoctrinated in the Old Humans' magic system could contribute here. Especially ones who don't know about the Imagination Engine. But Luna was the one operating the Death S*ar laser, so maybe she knows some of Alverost's plans.

"Let's blow it up." Halthor comes to the forefront from behind Gram and makes this suggestion.

"Already out." Korenga crosses her arms and remarks in a sharp tone. She, of all people, shouldn't be judging others for their ideas. After all, she brought up the idea of letting me launch her in the Godslayer Cannon and explode the moon from the inside as she did against Roamukao. But as expected of two muscleheads, when one makes a statement while filled with conviction, the other accepts it without a shred of doubt.

"Could you not stop it as you did with Alverost's flying fortress?" The bard suggests. He's referring to how Tokomaha grew gigantic trees, and with the help of Aurelia slowing its fall, stopped it in midair. Even now, it's still looming over Zohigal, but the lizardfolk are slowly dismantling it with the technologically advanced tools they found inside the sphere.

"The moon is many times larger than that sphere." Senka explains while pointing out the window of the meeting room. The number on the celestial body's surface has shifted to a twelve, signaling that we only have half a day left. I wonder how Chaos-Juzual is doing it, as the astrology lab in what was formerly Mithra's tower reported that it seems to be actual paint.

"Even with the power of the Imagination Engine, I can't imagine anything that could stop this." I finally admit. After all, the Imagination Engine isn't all-powerful, and things are limited by the laws of physics. Not the ones I know, but the ones future humanity discovered long after my death.

And the only things I can imagine involve destroying the moon, which is so vital for the planet's stability, as Senka explained earlier. With every passing hour, the approach of the moon will cause more massive tidal waves and earthquakes that could be incredibly destructive on their own.

"Have you contacted Exla yet?" The doll girl asks me, and I shake my head in thoughtfulness. Chaos-Juzual said that even she wouldn't be able to stop this, but maybe it was just a trick to prevent me from going to her right away. Even then, I don't know where exactly she is on the Dark Continent, so finding her will take precious time. "And this may be an unpopular suggestion, but maybe you should ask that Mataku for help."

I stare at Senka with my eyes nearly popping out. His goal is the same as Chaos-Juzual's, so he's definitely my enemy. Why would he have any reason to stop this? I'd think that having the planet shatter from being hit by its own moon is even flashier of an end than what he had planned for himself.

"Is that a serious suggestion?" I give her the benefit of the doubt and ask. That's also meant as a request for her to explain in more detail.

"Well, the way you explained Mataku to me, it sounded like he wouldn't like somebody one-upping him. For his plan to work, he will have to do something about the moon-fall." Senka sounds nonchalant in her explanation of something as grave as ending the world.

"The enemy of my enemy, huh? You're the specialist in psychology and the likes. If that's your verdict..." I sigh and lower my gaze.

"You ask help from Mataku?" Korenga inquires in a dangerously low tone of voice. Her history with him is so bad that she would try to kill him on sight even though she knows that she stands no chance.

"I don't know." Returning her gaze, I answer truthfully. Considering I've essentially pardoned Rolan despite the fact that he swung the sword that killed my mother - even if the effect came from Zenlith's battleship - I'm not one to dismiss the possibility to work with former enemies if it benefits me. And afterward, I would backstab Mataku and take him down if he was in any way weakened from this.

"Should I help You decide, Your Majesty?" Suddenly, Flann asks in her usual neutral tone. Her eyes are their normal blue, so she isn't under anybody's control. None that express themselves in her physical appearance at least.

"What do you mean?" I narrow my eyes and look at the androgynous girl. We can't be certain that Chaos-Juzual isn't monitoring us through her, so I'm cautious about saying anything important in front of her. In either case, we'll need a solution that can't be counteracted. After all, if it could be, it wouldn't be a solution.

"I can contact my father." The blonde girl reveals, deadpan as ever. That's a huge revelation I would have liked to have known about a long time ago. There are many things I wanted to ask Mithra. "Shall I?"

I exchange a glance with everybody in the room. Rewera and the maids have a bone to pick with him for seemingly abandoning Maou-mama and leaving her to fight against the Old Humans alone. I, on the other hand, just want to know the reasons for his actions.

However, we don't have time for any of that right now.

"Do it." I come to a decision. Although I'm the queen of a nation now, dealing with things as they come is still a legitimate course of action.

"As You wish." With a nod, Flann stares into nothingness for a moment. Then, space behind her warps in a vortex before snapping back, adding the familiar form of Mithra in his usual blue robes to the foreground.

The instant he appears, many weapons and claws are pointed straight at him from all sides, as the maids make sure he doesn't make a wrong move. Bandaged as always, the former Court Magician's expression at this treatment can't be seen, but he doesn't react at all. I can feel his gaze on me as he leans on his staff.

"Your Majesty." He remarks with a nod, no hint of irony in his voice.