"That's almost too convenient..."
Marco had not expected to find an answer so easily, but Mystogan's people really did have records of the world Selene had escaped to.
"We named it Elentear," Mystogan explained. "Its defining feature is the sheer amount of magic power it contains. In that sense, it is the complete opposite of Edolas."
Their knowledge of Elentear was limited.
Once the researchers discovered Selene there and realized how dangerous she was, they had not dared explore the world any further.
"So Selene scared them off, but Earth-land didn't?" Marco asked with an amused look. "That's a little ridiculous."
Selene had originally come from Earth-land, which technically made her an invader in Elentear.
Yet her presence had somehow protected that world from becoming the target of Edolas's Anima Project.
"I wouldn't call it protection," Mystogan said, shaking his head. "That world may be facing a crisis of its own. If Anima had been used on Elentear instead, it might actually have benefited both sides."
"The magic power there is really that excessive?"
Marco looked surprised, but after thinking about it, the idea made sense.
If Elentear contained more than ten times as much magic as Earth-land, the situation would be extreme.
Earth-land was already living through an age of abundant magic, yet Elentear apparently made it look almost empty by comparison.
"The reports described the entire world as a volcano on the verge of erupting," Mystogan said.
He had never visited Elentear himself.
He had only learned about it after becoming king and gaining access to the records left behind by his father's researchers.
"Can you still locate it?"
That was the only question that truly mattered. Reading reports would never be as useful as seeing the world for himself.
"Yes. Even though my father ultimately chose Earth-land as Anima's target, Elentear's coordinates were preserved as a possible alternative."
Mystogan retrieved the coordinates and handed them to Marco.
"Thanks, Mystogan. I'll go take a look!"
Marco accepted them and immediately prepared to leave.
"Be careful."
Mystogan did not offer to come with him. He understood perfectly well that neither he nor his people would be much help against a dragon like Selene.
Following Marco would only force him to divide his attention protecting them.
"I will."
Marco gave him a casual wave.
Buzz!
Space twisted around him far more violently than it had when he entered Edolas. His figure blurred within the light, then vanished completely.
Silence returned to the royal palace.
...
When Marco appeared again, he had crossed into Elentear, the world whose magic power was supposedly close to bursting.
He understood Mystogan's warning the moment he arrived.
The magic in the air was almost unbearably dense.
With Marco's unusually strong affinity for magic, breathing here felt like inhaling something thick and oversweet rather than ordinary air.
"This place really is in danger."
Marco took a deep breath and carefully felt the condition of the world around him.
Too much magic was not necessarily a blessing. Elentear's magic had accumulated far beyond anything its natural cycle should have been able to support.
If the pressure continued to rise, the world might genuinely tear itself apart.
The imbalance did not feel natural either.
Elentear's magic had a swollen, unhealthy quality to it, as though something had forced it far beyond the limits of the world's normal production and consumption.
Earth-land was also passing through an age of abundant magic, but its natural cycle remained reasonably balanced.
Elentear had already gone well past that point.
Marco equipped the Sagittarius Gold Cloth and took to the sky, searching the land below for signs of civilization.
The population seemed much smaller than either Earth-land's or Edolas's.
Before long, he found a settled area.
Rather than flying in wearing a glowing suit of golden armor, Marco landed outside the city and changed back into ordinary clothes.
Fortunately, the people of Elentear looked no different from those of Earth-land or Edolas, so he did not need to disguise himself as another species.
He did, however, use the Pope's Mask to make his appearance less noticeable.
Marco knew perfectly well that his face tended to attract attention, and staying forgettable would make gathering information much easier.
As it turned out, he barely needed to ask anyone.
Whispers about Selene were everywhere.
The people of Elentear were too frightened to discuss her openly, but quiet conversations followed him through the streets.
It was obvious that the entire population had been living under the Moon Dragon God's shadow for a long time.
Marco listened to the voices around him and soon learned exactly where to go.
Selene lived on Black Moon Mountain.
It was no secret.
She had never bothered hiding herself. Through fear and threats, she had forced the whole world of Elentear beneath her authority.
There was no Acnologia here, after all. Selene had no reason to keep her head down.
"Good. That saves me the trouble of searching her."
Nearly everyone in Elentear knew where Black Moon Mountain was, so Marco found it with little effort.
The Moon Dragon God had chosen a beautiful place for her stronghold. A clear full moon hung above the mountain, bathing its slopes in silver light.
Near the summit stood a large hot-spring estate built in an elegant Eastern style that looked completely out of place in the surrounding world.
Buzz!
Marco appeared directly outside the estate.
Then, without bothering to knock, he released his power.
Boom!
A violent wave of magic tore through the grounds, crushing walls and bringing entire buildings down in an instant.
From the ruins, a figure shot into the sky.
"Who dares?!"
It was a young-looking woman with striking pink eyes and a graceful, curving figure. Her long golden hair flowed down to her waist, and a loose kimono hung around her body.
A cloth covered the top of her head, decorated with an upward-facing crescent moon.
Marco looked up at her without the slightest hesitation.
"You're Selene, the Moon Dragon God?"
Selene's gaze settled on him, sharp with suspicion and careful judgment.
Beneath both, however, was clear confusion.
She had no idea who he was!