Chapter 44

Mephisto's Ramblings is the 44th chapter of Kazue Katō's Ao no Exorcist.

Mephisto explains the goings on of various Exorcists to his brother, Amaimon, namely Rin and Yukio.

Summary
Mephisto emerges from the darkness, proclaiming, as a Demon throughout, that humans are driven by three desires: the materialistic desire, the desire to want, in essence, everything that manifests itself in a physical form, most notably, money, food, clothing, and shelter. The second desire is the sexual desire, which Mephisto describes as the easiest to grasp, as humans need to reproduce to survive. Mephisto then questioningly inquires as to what the third desire could be, and adds that it holds more significance than the other two combined. A voice from within the darkness sarcastically asks if the desire is for one to sleep, to which Mephisto reprimands the being, saying that he is quite incorrect. As the being continues to answer, Mephisto proclaims each one of his answers (the desire for fame and the desire for love) incorrect, noting that humans can survive without fame, and that Demons exist to counteract love. Mephisto then reveals the identity of the third desire: the desire for knowledge, stating that said desire is the most crucial, human-craving desire.

The voice then says that it doesn't care if its not smart, to which Mephisto maniacally laughs, claiming that such a notion is preposterous. Mephisto then continues his speech, saying that it is every human's desire to be the smartest, to hoard all the unknown information for themselves, to discover something as of yet unknown. Mephisto then states that humans long to uncover the very secrets of the universe. Mephisto then walks, questioning the true meaning of Assiah and Gehenna, and why they exist they way they do. Mephisto goes on to question the meaning of humanity, Demonhood, and one's very existence. Opening a portal for him and the being watch through, Mephisto points towards one such seeker consumed by the desire for knowledge: Yukio.

Yukio stands before the Order, having been summoned for a meeting, being told that the contents of said meeting are strictly confidential and, to make sure that he holds true to his confidentiality agreement, is forced to sign a Morinas Contract with his blood, to which Yukio complies. As Yukio states his name, rank, and affiliation, the Order members order Yukio to give them every detail regarding his confrontation with Saburota Todo. The Order members then ask Yukio if Todo's actions during their encounter may have alluded to his nearly assured connection with the Illuminati, to which Yukio replies that their confrontation was almost entirely fight-oriented. Yukio does, however, note that Todo's wording hinted at a greater intent behind his actions, although he mentions that he hadn't a chance to figure out what he meant. Yukio is then asked by Lightning exactly what kind of person Todo was, to which Yukio replies that he was quite ghastly. As Yukio's part in the meeting ends, Arthur A. Angel reminds Yukio that the contract he made is not to be taken lightly, as if he breaks it, he will be hunted down by the Demon he made it with. As Yukio excuses himself, he begins to piece the overall situation together inside his head.

Back in the meeting hall, Arthur compares Yukio's cool-headedness with Rin's brashness, noting the extreme differences between the two. Shura then wonders why Arthur made Yukio sign the contract if he noticed the apparent differences, to which Arthur replies that it was Lightning's idea. Shura then angrily retorts that Arthur leaves all the scheming to Lightning, which he agrees with, to which Shura comically replies that that makes Arthur extremely stupid. As Lightning laughs at the two, he says that it was a precautionary measure, and that the Illuminati may already have tabs on Yukio. Lightning then reveals that he was informed from one of his trusted spies within the Illuminati that they, in turn, have spies within the Order, specifically, one in the Japan Branch and two in the Vatican. Ending their meeting, Lightning orders Shura to discover the identity of the Japan Branch spy.

Yukio later arrives back at his dormitory, noting that it's Sunday, and asks a still-sleeping Rin if he finished the special mission, to which he says yes. Yukio then asks Rin if he gave Sei the eyedrops, to which he is met with another "yes". Yukio then tells Rin not to sleep all day, as he is heading out after a bath. Rin asks why Yukio is so busy on a weekend, to which he replies that he has to prepare for lessons and spend the day with Shiemi, meriting Rin's full attention. While Rin nervously asks if the two are dating, Yukio sarcastically goads his brother, leaving him in an agitated state.

Yukio, soon after, arrives at Shiemi's store, and is greeted and thanked for coming out of his way just to tutor her. As Shiemi becomes flustered by Yukio's questions, Yukio, to himself, states that it was one or two years ago that he helped Shiemi, and that one or two years ago, he questioned his father as to why Mephisto continues to allow his and Rin's existence, to which Fujimoto replies that he can't tell Yukio, as he simply cannot at the present time. As Fujimoto tells Yukio that he'll understand someday, Yukio remembers onward that, in the end, all his questions remained unanswered with his father's death, and that Mephisto has become their guardian and allowed Rin to become an Exorcist. Additionally, Mephisto reveals to Yukio that he will be the one to watch Rin, to which Yukio questioningly asks what the Demon is scheming; Mephisto maliciously replies that it's best to save the excitement for later. Back in the present, Yukio concludes that Mephisto is letting the anomaly within Yukio's left eye go, and that the Order forced him to sign the Morinas Contract to monitor him, as he has connections to both Rin and Todo. Inside his head, Yukio wonders which side Mephisto is on, the Demon or human side, and why no one has ever given him the answers he needs. Shiemi then pulls Yukio out of his stupor, and requests a tea break.

In the midst of their break, Shiemi notes that Yukio used to tutor her all the time when she was in middle school, but, during those times, they were never alone. As Yukio takes note of Shiemi's flustered attitude and good will, he states that, in spite of it all, he feels at peace.

Mephisto sits atop the staircase, watching Yukio and Shiemi, commenting that he finds Yukio's ability to cope with his unanswered question by interacting with the opposite sex adorable. Although, Mephisto says that Yukio has investigated his unanswered questions thoroughly, and is prepared to separate them into black and white. Mephisto then notes that the boundary between Gehenna and Assiah has become blurred, and then checks on Rin.

Rin notices a Demon as he walks through the hallways, but is told by Sei that its been there for quite some time. Sei states that he hasn't used the eyedrops, and that he is scared, but wishes to keep them. Rin asks if Sei is scared, to which he replies yes, but he has dreams, friends, and family to keep him safe. He then says that he'll put out a formal request to Rin, should a problem arise, to which Rin replies that he's just a student.

From afar, Mephisto takes note of Sei's choice, and the being, revealed to be an impaled Amaimon, believes that it's all pointless, as human beings just end up dying. Mephisto notes that Amaimon's been making a fuss since earlier, and Amaimon questions Mephisto as to why he treats the fragile humans so carefully, to which Mephisto completely dodges answering, and instead states that Amaimon needs to stay there and cool down his murderous intent towards Rin. Mephisto then states that he may have shown something quite distasteful, and that his trustworthiness may have substantially dropped. Mephisto, however, states that even though he's a Demon, he, too, craves knowledge, and the answers that seem to lie outside his grasp. Mephisto then questions as to what he means, but utters the same words of warning that he did to Yukio: it's best to save the excitement for later. Mephisto goes on to further say that humanity itself will struggle to stay alive as it fights for the knowledge of what lies ahead. And, with that, Mephisto fades away into the darkness from whence he came.

Demons in Order of Appearance

 * 1) Shadow Demon

Battles & Events

 * None

Meister used

 * None

Weapons used

 * None

Abilities used

 * Spectral Awareness

Items used

 * Morinath Contract

Trivia

 * Although Amaimon takes part in answering the majority of the questions Mephisto asks, Mephisto is actually aiming them at us, the audience, instead, and is therefore breaking the 4th Wall by doing so.
 * There is a cameo from an anime called Senyuu. It shows Mephisto watching tv with the main character, Alba, from the series on it.

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