Chapter 2 - Calm Before the Storm

Part 1

In the high school section of Jounan Academy, the boys and girls had gym

cla.s.s separately.

Students from the same grade were mixed together but segregated by

gender. G.o.dou's 5th Cla.s.s was placed with the 6th Cla.s.s.

Today, the boys' lesson was baseball.

The girls were doing softball, but since it was being carried out alongside

the boys, they used the same field. Hence, it was a rare occasion when

both the boys and girls of the 5th and 6th Cla.s.ses had gym lessons

together in the same location.

—The boy from the 6th Cla.s.s pitched the baseball from the mound.

The ball failed to reach the catcher's glove, but instead flew between the

right and center fielders as the blonde batter swung rapidly.

As the outfielder returned the ball, the batter had already reached third

base splendidly.

Lessons within the school were only for beginners. In terms of level, they

were even worse than amateur leagues, so any active performance here

was nothing to be proud of.

This person obtained four hits with four turns at bat, and as pitcher struck

out all the batters of the opposing team.

Mixed among the boys, the only active partic.i.p.ant was Erica Blandelli who

was totally amazing despite being a girl without a doubt.

Swinging her bat with splendor and the same ease as her sword.

"G.o.dou! I want to pitch an even faster ball, you have to catch it! If it's

G.o.dou, you definitely can catch it!"

"Don't be stupid! We're not even on the same team!"

As the teams switched roles at the half-inning, Erica spoke nonsense at

the pitcher's mound. G.o.dou, whose own match had already ended, sat

down to watch and coldly replied.

Starting a short while ago, Erica's fast b.a.l.l.s began to slip from the catcher's

glove.

It was to be expected. To demand a beginner catcher to receive that kind

of fast ball was very unreasonable.

"The girls have one person extra, so may I join the boys? Of course, I won't

let any of you boys flee from competing against me, how's that?"

The situation was created by Erica's proposal not long after cla.s.s started.

Erica Blandelli's athletic prowess was already well known throughout the

school.

Since her capability was fully acknowledged by the boys in the cla.s.s, and

even the gym teacher, she was placed into the A team of the 5th Cla.s.s.

From that moment, the nightmare began to crush the boys' self-esteem.

When Erica pitched. Strikes were usually called. At best, the batter might

hit an infield grounder.

When Erica pitched. The catcher would get hurt because the b.a.l.l.s were too

fast.

When Erica batted. Singles. Doubles. Triples. Home runs.

Those situations repeated themselves as if being copy and pasted. Not

long after that, even the girls, who were having a softball match, stopped to

gather round and watch Erica's performance.

Every time the blonde young lady gave a super performance, all the girls

cheered.

"That fellow is truly doing as she pleases... She should really hold back a

little."

Rather than surprised, it would be better to say G.o.dou was impressed.

As someone who already knew her extraordinary athleticism, this level of

performance was completely unsurprising. Even if her baseball experience

was zero, she was a monster who could give a performance exceeding

professionals.

"So, Kusanagi-san, how are you?"

Yuri had left the girls' team and came over to greet G.o.dou.

Come to think of it, gym cla.s.s was the only time when the 6th Cla.s.s' Yuri

shared lessons with Erica.

"Is Erica-san using some kind of strange magic? If that is the case, she

must be stopped. To be performing at this level against boys is completely

abnormal."

"I don't think so. Since this is a compet.i.tion, she is achieving victory entirely

on her own bodily strength."

G.o.dou responded with a simple answer to Yuri who was questioning with a

worried expression.

"She is a knight after all, but please don't cheat so much during times of

jest... If only she insisted on fairness when I'm busy with things..."

Usually, Erica would use magic to enhance her abilities when messing

around with G.o.dou, but she insisted on fair compet.i.tion when it came to

gym cla.s.s. Personally, G.o.dou would prefer it if she did the opposite.

Sigh, he truly could not believe he became friends with someone like that.

"Erica's athletic abilities are extraordinary, and would cause one to suspect

the use of magic because her bodily capability and stamina are beyond

imagination."

Middle school was the time when G.o.dou stood out as the cleanup hitter

and catcher of the baseball team.

But because of that, he completely understood how unreasonable Erica's

abilities were. If she actually played baseball, she would be the type to be

the fourth bat, the cleanup hitter for sure.

"Though it feels like she's going too far, but it should still be within

acceptable limits, right?"

"I see... Kusanagi-san, you trust Erica-san very much."

Yuri spoke with a slightly stiff expression on her face.

"When I saw that kind of performance, the first thing I thought was she

must have used some kind of magic. I feel a bit ashamed for doubting

someone due to prior bias."

"In this case she wasn't acting unreasonably. As long as she keeps it to

this level of doing as she pleases."

While she completely destroyed the self-esteem of the opposing boys as

well as her own catcher, Erica stood on the pitcher's mound with a smile as

radiant as the sun. As if she was enjoying things from the bottom of her

heart.

"Anyway, though she is a sly fellow usually, her character is unbelievably

straightforward, so don't worry, it'll be ok."

"...Understood. However, that actually makes one feel a bit envious."

Yuri relaxed her expression and smiled as she murmured.

A faint elegant smile, she seemed rather reserved with her smiles.

"Envious? Mariya?"

"Uh, yes... To be honest, I am actually not good with sports."

"Ah, I see."

Although a little surprised, G.o.dou found it understandable.

Unlike her usual miko outfit, Yuri was currently wearing her sports uniform.

Her slim body—clearly revealed how slender her limbs were.

...Furthermore, her excellent figure was also visible.

Although not to the same level as Erica, it was still a figure full of

characteristically feminine curves. Feeling embarra.s.sed, G.o.dou frantically

redirected his gaze to the match.

"Yes. My physical stamina is less than a normal person's. From birth, I

have never had a happy memory related to sports."

Yuri's countenance seemed a little wistful as she shyly watched G.o.dou

while she opened up to him.

"Actually, that time when I fled from Athena, I felt muscle pain afterwards."

G.o.dou felt apologetic since he felt like he did something bad during that

incident.

However, he also noticed.

"I am very sorry about all those different troubles. But last time that

rendezvous point shouldn't have been that far away from Mariya's shrine.

Maybe a distance of two kilometers or so?"

Around that area, as he spoke, G.o.dou recalled the map of the

surroundings near s.h.i.+ba Park.

However, Yuri was showing a harsh gaze indicative of slight anger.

"To me, that is quite a long distance! Kusanagi-san may be someone who

has plenty of energy to waste, but do not look down on those who do not

have physical stamina!"

For some strange reason, the angry Yuri seemed especially cute.

Of course, G.o.dou did not dare reveal his inner thought. At that time,

G.o.dou only wanted to be as low key as possible.

"Uh, I'm truly sorry, if something like that ever happens again, please call

me earlier and I will immediately come to your aid. Definitely, I promise."

Using Verethragna's authorities would allow one to literally "fly" to help

those in a crisis.

Hence, it shouldn't be a false promise, probably... G.o.dou wondered as he

thought 'is it really ok?' Yuri nodded with a forced smile.

"Kusanagi-san, did you not warn that the power is a little uncertain and that

you have yet to master it? It is not good to rely on such a power... please

keep that in mind carefully."

Under the influence of Yuri's words and gentle smile, G.o.dou also smiled.

Part 2

"So, Yuri-san, how do you feel after interacting with Kusanagi G.o.dou?"

Sitting at the driver's seat and gripping the steering wheel was Amakasu,

who suddenly asked a question.

Unable to discern his true intentions, Yuri who was sitting on the

pa.s.senger side, gave a questioning expression and replied "Ah?"

"What I want to ask is how is the great Devil King and Yuri-san's personal

relations.h.i.+p going? One that began with the two of you overcoming a

deadly crisis together. Does he have some kind of heart racing feeling

beyond pure friends.h.i.+p, and will progress into happy yet embarra.s.sing

developments?"

"Amakasu-san, I do not understand at all what you are trying to confirm."

And didn't state clearly.

By the way, Yuri was dressed as a j.a.panese miko with her white robe.

She had just been working at the Nanao Shrine and stopped when

Amakasu dropped by to visit as agreed yesterday.

"We need to constantly review and adapt our relations.h.i.+p with him from

this point onwards, so this is just for reference."

"Will the personal relations.h.i.+p between Kusanagi-san and I influence the

plans of the Committee?"

"Of course, greatly."

Amakasu steered the car into the Shuto Expressway and drove towards

s.h.i.+buya.

As a side note, traffic was still restricted on this same Shuto Expressway in

the direction of dawn. This was due to the fact that repairs were still

underway for the damage caused by the battle between G.o.dou and

Athena half a month ago.

"Honestly, we have no intention of making Kusanagi G.o.dou an enemy.

Before, he was just a senseless person who was not even [King] but now

he has obtained a completely unreasonable power. Prior to that, it would

have been impossible to even imagine him becoming a monster of some

place."

"Why are you talking like that... Don't use words like 'monster.' He is still a

normal person at heart..."

Without any pretense, Yuri tried to defend G.o.dou.

However, if one simply looked at G.o.dou's abilities, Amakasu's words were

impossible to deny. Amakasu simply forced a smile and nodded.

"His future—to see what kind of Devil King he will develop into. As long as

we maintain intimacy with him all along there will be room for establis.h.i.+ng

an ultimate relations.h.i.+p. If it weren't for that, we would not have prepared

such a troublesome plan."

The caution displayed by Amakasu and the History Compilation Committee

was understandable.

European countries already had a history of coexistence with a number of

Campiones, and so the magic a.s.sociations there were experienced with

[King] dealings.

However, it was still the first time for the Committee to come into contact

with a locally born Campione.

"Thus, in case of emergencies, it is necessary to establish a close friendly

relations.h.i.+p with him. ...This was well played by the Copper Black Cross

that first discovered the importance of Kusanagi G.o.dou."

"The a.s.sociation Erica-san belongs to?"

"Yes. To send as a lover one of their candidates for core leaders.h.i.+p, and to

make as much use of his abilities in areas unrelated to the public, a truly

shrewd and excellent strategy."

—Lover!?

Finally understanding Amakasu's words, Yuri's eyebrows shot up in anger.

"Is your side planning on adding someone like Erica!"

"After all, he is a young man despite being the great Devil King possessing

divine authority—to manipulate him with a woman is a most practical

solution. A cla.s.sic strategy, wasn't there the story of Samson who was

bewitched by Delilah in the Old Testament of the Bible?

"Please do not mix the Bible into this discussion!"

Yuri sternly reprimanded Amakasu who was chattering away.

The thought of some unknown beauty using her charms on G.o.dou for such

purposes made Yuri raise her voice without conscious intent.

"Kusanagi-san is currently at his limits resisting the seduction of Erica-san!

This kind of behavior testing a person's self-control is completely

unacceptable. Imprudent, unhealthy! What kind of woman do you actually

want to put up to this task!?"

"Aya, we're finally back to the original topic, as for our female candidate..."

Amakasu sneered in a proud manner.

Yuri felt her body shake, and felt the coming of some unpleasant words, an

unwelcoming premonition.

"I think that if Yuri would take on this role, you would be a perfect

candidate. ...Even as a compet.i.tor against that Erica. I believe that

Yuri-san is on the same level and certainly not inferior, isn't that great—"

"What, what are you talking about. I do not think I have any need to

compete with Erica-san!"

The image formed in her mind was the brilliant blonde beauty, whose looks

and outgoing personality were like the bright Mediterranean sun.

To compete against that kind of opponent for a boy's attentions.

Just the thought of it made Yuri feel like her hair was becoming white.

Impossible and she completely refused to do it. What kind of joke was this?

"No no, it's possible. Though the opponent is strong, but on the other hand,

Yuri-san also has substantial chances of success. Believe in yourself!"

"...Amakasu-san, please stop with these stupid jokes. Enough."

Whenever Yuri was truly furious, she always seemed like she was smiling

for some reason.

Her lips slightly curled, and speaking with a cold tone.

"Oui, mademoiselle. My apologies, anyway, the plan just discussed was

just one of many. If possible, please forget it."

With an exaggerated motion, Amakasu shrugged his shoulder then

continued to drive without saying another word.

The two of them sat in the domestic car which exited the Shudo

Expressway at the s.h.i.+buya exit, and continued towards the direction of

Meguro.

Part 3

Located in a quiet corner of Aobadai was a certain building.

A public library managed and run by the History Compilation Committee.

All unrelated persons were prohibited. Even the residents from the

surrounding area were unaware of what kind of public facility it actually

was.

Yuri, led by Amakasu, stepped into this library.

As a library, its structure was exceedingly simple.

Throughout this clean and quiet library were shelves full of books.

However, there were very few people. The occasional person either

belonged to the History Compilation Committee or was someone related.

In addition, there were the books being collected.

Reference books recording all types of magic and wizardry—most of them

were either grimoires or books about incantations.

Ordinary people could not comprehend these things. These were the

distilled essence of danger and wisdom, forbidden books about magic.

The library existed precisely to house and isolate these precious hidden

books from the world.

"Aobadai's book repository... Can you tell me? This is the first time for me

to come here."

"Unless it was necessary to tell you, there was no need to come here. No,

please wait for a moment? There are still some issues."

Leaving those words behind, Amakasu continued leading Yuri forward.

—There was a s.p.a.cious reading room on the second floor of the library.

Yuri looked at her surroundings as she waited.

Though there was not a single other person, it looked very much like a

normal library. However, the neat rows of books on the shelves gave off a

strange presence which Yuri's spirit sense picked up.

This was not a simple book repository after all.

These books were born from the circulating records of the profound

secrets of magic and wizardry.

These grimoires acc.u.mulated ancient and profound magic. It was said that

some of the rare ones are cla.s.sified as [Special Items].

The books collected here felt like masterpieces.

It was said that powerful mages and users of spirit powers wrote down

numerous books by hand, and there have even been confirmed reports of

books ma.s.s produced from printing presses suddenly obtaining magical

properties.

...Yuri turned her curiosity to the book shelves.

The t.i.tles of these books varied, but most were written in western script.

Those written in j.a.panese only took up less than 30%.

The activities of the History Compilation Committee only began after the

Second World War.

Committee members played a large role in restricting the spread of

magical knowledge from foreign sources. The numerous books contained

in this library were surely the result of decades of their efforts to collect

grimoires.

"Sorry to have you waiting, but what we wanted you to look at was this.

Since it is guarded by powerful spells, forcefully reading ahead will

definitely cause something bad to occur, and no one can predict what may

happen."

Amakasu returned, and in his hands was a leather-bound foreign text that

was not very thick.

"...Something bad may occur?"

"Yes. Probably something like placing yourself in a corner of the room,

talking to angels that no one else can see, then making sounds like 'ah

papapa' and going on a mental journey around the world."

"A common person cannot appraise such a dangerous book!"

You should have given me such an important warning earlier. Yuri spoke

with an unyielding tone.

"Probably, if it is being guarded by such a strong spell, then it must be a

powerful grimoire without a doubt! I see no point in further appraisal..."

"Ah yes, this is why human desire is so terrifying. Why do these grimoires

need to be enchanted with such strong spells of protection? It feels similar

to the way that prices are raised for rare books. ...However, if it's Yuri-san

then it should be safe to appraise the book without reading the contents.

It'll be fine."

Making a harmless expression, Amakasu spoke as he smiled, and placed

the book on one of the larger tables in the reading room.

[ h.o.m.o homini lupus ][1].

This was the t.i.tle written on the cover.

From the paper quality and damage to the bindings, it appeared to be an

ancient tome over a century old. Lupus—meant wolf in Latin, recalled Yuri.

"If this is authentic, it should be a grimoire privately published in Romania

around the earlier half of the nineteenth century. Past legends tell of an

Ephesian secret cult wors.h.i.+pping the [Dark Virgin Mother of G.o.d, Queen of

Wild Beasts] and holding covert rituals where people who tried to read the

books would be 'turned into inhuman servants covered with fur.' Inhuman

and covered with fur—generally refers to things like wolves and bears."

Amakasu's casual example revealed the depth of his knowledge.

Yuri felt that his words felt a bit fantastical.

"In terms of changes, what is well known is that people's bodies will

undergo complete transformations after reading. Rather than a grimoire, a

cursed book would be a better description—"

"Ah ah, you're right. Those magic books will continue to increase the

werewolves' curse. Due to this, if it's the real thing it is an extremely rare

and precious treasure."

"Please don't talk about that in such a happy manner!"

Yuri reprimanded Amakasu's impropriety with a stare and faced the

ancient book once again.

—Concentrating her gaze and calming her heart.

Her spirit vision was not a power that could be used at will freely.

Melting the heart into the sky, entrusting it to guidance from the divinities,

and making use of eyes and instinct. This would allow one to see

something or notice something. Depending on the situation, one

sometimes found important clues, but they might not be what one was

expecting. Furthermore, there was always an issue of accuracy in

divination.

...However, a wise historical existence could be felt from this book.

There was some truth to Amakasu's words.

Once upon a time, there was a witch who lived in the depths of the forest,

and many of the animals respected her—in particular the stronger

existences of wolves, bears and birds. This book recorded the difficult and

powerful points of the ritual. The only ones able to read the book were

either servants or people related to the witch, and the book would reject all

common magi.

"This is not a cursed book... as long as the one reading it had sufficient

experience and capability, then one would not be harmed by the hidden

mysterious powers of this book, and would obtain knowledge instead."

Yuri vaguely felt the properties of the book and muttered.

"I think it is a device meant to prevent the unqualified from reading it—it is

a test for resisting the curse rather than an intention to transform the

reader's body."

"Ah yes, so to sum up, this is the real thing. As expected of Yuri-san, you

saw through everything."

"This is all I know for now. I can't guarantee for the rest, so don't count too

much on this kind of ability."

Amakasu agreed with Yuri's deductions. —And then

The werewolf-controlling grimoire of the witch, as well as Amakasu Touma.

The library.

All these vanished suddenly. Yuri and the s.p.a.ce around her was

enveloped in darkness. She felt like she was standing in the dark

surrounded by a gloomy atmosphere.

"Is this a hallucination? Due to the grimoire?"

Yuri tried to raise her spirit vision and see the truth behind these illusions.

This was a rare occurrence but it does happen occasionally when contact

was made with an object hiding strong magical powers. Hence, there was

no feeling of panic at the time—

The hallucination persisted.

There was something in the depths of the darkness. Focusing her gaze, it

seemed to resemble something like a rat. The rat slowly transformed,

gradually increasing in body ma.s.s. In addition, it changed its posture. This

was a dog... no, a wolf. From its ferocious and sharp appearance, Yuri

made such an identification.

From its four legs the wolf stood up onto two. Rather than a wolf, this was

a werewolf's posture.

Was it due to contact with that grimoire? A hallucination as a result of that?

As Yuri puzzled, the werewolf slowly walked in the darkness—from the

dark hole walking up to the surface of the ground. From there, dancing

serpents could be seen. The werewolf stepped upon and slaughtered them

all.

And then the werewolf reached out with its arms towards the bright sun in

the sky.

Caught it. The werewolf caught the glowing sphere with its bare hands.

In the end, the werewolf swallowed the ball of light, and gradually took on

the form of an elderly human. It was the person who Yuri met before.

A tall thin body, wise-looking face—and emerald green eyes.

The ancient Campione ruling over eastern and southern Europe. The

ancient Devil King cast the light from his evil eyes at Yuri and smiled

hideously.

"—Marquis Voban!? How, why are you here!?"

As the most intense terror attacked Yuri and she wailed, consciousness

was soon lost.

Part 4

It was around 10pm at night when that phone call reached the Kusanagi

residence.

"Yes, Kusanagi here."

'This voice, is it G.o.dou? It's been a while, how are you, my friend?'

It was a slightly familiar voice heard from before, in fact it was a voice

G.o.dou didn't want to hear coming from the receiver.

A complete waste of a voice with such depth. G.o.dou immediately put down

the receiver and hung up the phone.

"...Ch. That brat finally revived!"

G.o.dou who usually did not pray for the misfortune of others, felt like this

was one of those exceptions.

Just to be safe, he unplugged the telephone wire from the base of the

phone. Temporarily avoiding phone calls was an acceptable sacrifice for

this cause.

However, his cellphone began to ring when he returned to his own room.

G.o.dou glanced at the display, the caller's name was "Unknown."

Furthermore, a foreign phone call? Should he just ignore it? But then there

was a huge risk. Perhaps one day he might open the door to his home to

find that fellow appearing and saying 'I came over because you didn't pick

up the phone.' That would be the worst scenario.

G.o.dou prepared himself and pressed the b.u.t.ton to pick up the call.

'Suddenly hanging up the phone, that's too cruel!'

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Anyway, why do you know my home and cellphone

numbers?"

'You're such a fool. Isn't it natural to know a good friend's phone number?'

If this was a face to face conversation, then he'd probably be doing things

like winking as well.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, tall and handsome. A bright expression on his

proper face, and extremely friendly. The appearance of an elegant

gentleman, but in reality, the strongest warrior possessing a body of

steel—

G.o.dou recalled the image of the one who called himself his 'good friend.'

"Hey Salvatore Doni, we don't really count as friends you know, and I don't

remember ever telling you my phone numbers."

'Hmph, you're the fellow who didn't even want to exchange phone numbers

or mailing addresses. Thanks to you, I had to order my subordinates to

investigate. And from now on, please do not use "don't really count" to

describe our relations.h.i.+p. Didn't I say already, that we are great friends?'

"If that's what you think, please look up the dictionary definition for the

word 'friend' one thousand times before you call again."

Salvatore Doni.

The twenty-four-year-old Italian, as well as the Sixth Campione.

He possessed ma.s.sive influence centered around southern Europe, and

had defeated four G.o.ds. In terms of age and experience, he would count

as G.o.dou's senior.

However, G.o.dou had no intention of using honorifics with this guy.

G.o.dou himself found it unbelievable, since he would usually interact with

elders with the appropriate att.i.tude and word choice.

However, it was entirely different when facing this man. From the depths of

his heart, a certain subtle feeling of opposition prevented it.

'Hey hey, the one who doesn't understand friends.h.i.+p is you. That is totally

shameful for a j.a.panese.'

"What does nationality have to do with it?"

'Of course it does. I remember that "write letters to enemies, and predict

the thoughts of friends" is a j.a.panese saying. It was written clearly in some

j.a.panese literature I read before."

"Uh... is that really so?"

G.o.dou felt that there must be some mistake in Doni's words. In reality,

G.o.dou did recall something similar lost in the depths of his memories. If it

was really true, could this guy actually be correct?

'It's possible, after all our relations.h.i.+p is not the type which improves after a

fight to the death. —At that time, how many times did our fists pummel

each other, and how many rounds did our blades clash together violently?'

"What blade clas.h.i.+ng? I only got stabbed by you... No, I just got sliced by

you."

To Doni's enthusiastic words, G.o.dou simply responded coldly.

This man is full of exaggerated delusions and a total medieval chivalry

romantic, better stay away from him.

'You were truly great that time. Overcoming unavoidable death and fighting

me with fierce burning battle spirit—I responded with all my strength.'

"Going all out on a lower level opponent like me, you really lack the

magnanimity of an adult."

'We both felt it during that battle right? Ufu, that this man before me will be

a worthy rival for eternity. —As fated opponents to battle to the death

repeatedly. How could you not have felt that?'

"Didn't feel a thing! Not even for an instant!"

'—And thus, my eternal rival. With love and respect please call me

Salvatore. How about it, you can even call me by my pet name [Toto].'

Though it was extremely tiring to talk to this guy who was impossible to

argue against, G.o.dou still forced himself to respond in the negative.

"I'd rather die than use your pet name!"

'Hoho, you're still such a shy boy. You know you want me, but still treating

me so coldly... I know, this must be what they call tsundere in j.a.pan.'

"You have seriously misunderstood j.a.panese culture! If that's all you're

going to talk about, I'll be hanging up now?"

G.o.dou totally felt that he had already wasted too many words with this

idiot, and was about to hang up.

'Please wait, my friend. Today I just wanted to give you a warning. Do you

know of the one named "Sasha Dejanstahl"?'

"Just in name only. Isn't it the strange old Devil King who lives near you?"

'Well, it's actually the Italian peninsula and the Balkans respectively. If you

look at the map, I guess you could say it's close by. That old gramps really

doesn't have a personality that one could easily live with, but recently it

seems like he's no longer there.'

"I don't even know if it's a castle or a dungeon located in some place!"

G.o.dou casually imagined the great elder Devil King and how he would

speak, but somehow it didn't fit.

'Oh, that's called cla.s.sical style. I don't think that kind of life is bad actually,

but old Mr. Voban doesn't agree, that person has very few desires other

than gluttony, and doesn't care much about things like land or architecture.'

Another unexpected character commentary.

...Come to think of it, whether Kusanagi G.o.dou or Salvatore Doni, both

were [Devil Kings] and fearful existences to others. However, both had

idiosyncrasies that were rather unbecoming for a [Devil King], so perhaps it

wasn't too surprising after all.

'Before he became king he lived as a vagabond, and led a tough life

always short on food for almost two decades. His life was turned around

when he defeated either the monstrous wolf Fenrir or Garm.'

"Isn't Garm the h.e.l.lhound in Norse mythology?"

'You are correct. In some places he is also known as Garmr.'

—These were definitely things that fellow Erica would know.

G.o.dou gathered his thoughts as he listened and answered briefly, but if he

went over to ask that girl, it would only turn into a situation where she

would force unnecessary knowledge into him.

Apparently before Doni became a Campione, he was an unsuccessful

Templar Knight. Completely opposite to Erica's genius talent in both magic

and swords, Doni's only a.s.set was his unsurpa.s.sed skill with the sword,

but his talent in magic was zero. To a Templar Knight who required skill in

both swords and magic, it was equivalent to a mark of failure.

'Well, this probability is higher. Though the G.o.d he defeated first is

unknown, it is known that the Marquis Voban's first authority could

summon several hundred wolves to do his bidding with the power of the

[Legion of Hungry Wolves]. Due to this, he must have killed some kind of

wolf G.o.d.'

"Several hundred of them, that number is really..."

'Subsequent authorities included transforming people into salt with a stare,

calling forth storms to blow away towns and roads, and turning the people

he killed into something like zombies or ghosts to be used as obedient

slaves.'

Truly Campiones are the worst. G.o.dou sighed.

Both Doni and himself were the same—people who possessed

unreasonable special abilities.

"Anyway, so what does this troublesome old gramps have to do with me?"

'Aya, sorry, I almost forgot. Since this old gramps should now be in Tokyo,

there was something about shopping, and also something about staying

out of his territory...'

"Who would do something like that! So why did he come to j.a.pan!?"

G.o.dou yelled loudly, and really felt like scratching his head.

...Heading towards troublesome developments again. Give me a break.

'Hohoho, I can tell you, but there's a condition—if you beg for a.s.sistance

from me who is your friend, older brother, as well as the hero Salvatore,

then I will immediately...'

"I definitely refuse! I don't need you to tell me!"

After refusing, G.o.dou tried some other questions.

"That old gramps has defeated quite a few G.o.ds, right? Also, you've killed

Irish and Norse G.o.ds before, right? How many are there in total?"

'If you add up both our kills, probably over ten. Is there a problem?'

"No, for each G.o.d you've defeated, it means one less for me to fight."

Who knows how many G.o.ds there were all over the world. The fewer left to

fight the better. G.o.dou spoke as he worried about his own situation.

'Haha, what are you talking about? Even if the other Campiones and I

defeat all the other G.o.ds, battle will come when it comes. This kind of

calculation is pointless.'

"Why? If you guys kill them all, then they can't fight any more, right?"

'—Even if we kill G.o.ds, they are not erased entirely. As long as mankind

exists, and myths perpetuate, killed G.o.ds can resurrect. Never forget that.'

Doni was speaking in a rare serious tone.

Dark battle spirit and joyful feelings were quietly stored in his heart.

Though he looked outgoing and frivolous in appearance, he was a man

with a warrior spirit, living for the sword and dying for battle.

'After all, only part of a G.o.d appears on earth for us to fight. Their true

nature are myths. Even if their bodies are destroyed, as long as myths

continued to exist, they will be able to rematerialize and resurrect countless

times. Furthermore, it is impossible to make myths disappear unless all of

mankind is eliminated.'

"As long as myths exist, no matter how many times they will..."

'That's the way it is. So perhaps there may come a day for you to battle

Verethragna again. That G.o.d is rather famous in western Asia, and it won't

be surprising for him to resurrect somewhere.'

This was all there was to the conversation with Salvatore.

Disconnecting the call on his cellphone, G.o.dou felt troubled. —Let's hope it

won't turn into a battle against the oldest Campione...

Part 5

Yuri woke up to find herself at Nanao Shrine.

Yuri had been sleeping on some blankets in a traditional j.a.panese-style

room of the shamusho.[2]

She felt very dry in her mouth.

Adjusting her kimono and hair, Yuri walked out of the room.

The kitchen was also located in the same building and had a well-stocked

fridge. Wanting to get a drink, Yuri walked towards the kitchen.

"Ah, Yuri-san, that's great, you finally regained consciousness. ...Is your

body feeling ok?"

Amakasu Touma was in the kitchen.

He was in the middle of browsing through dozens of doc.u.ments laid out on

the table.

"Did anything strange happen—what happened to me afterwards?"

"You were looking at that grimoire with your spirit vision as usual, and

suddenly lost consciousness, so I hastily brought you back to the shrine.

Aya, and the shrine leaders scolded me, sorry for bringing you trouble."

Bowing his head, Amakasu seemed to continue with great interest.

"And then Yuri-san's expression became very strange, did you see

something?"

"No, not at all. I guess I was just a little tired that time, and then just lost

consciousness. Nothing strange happened."

Yuri explained immediately.

Why would a hallucination of Sasha Dejanstahl occur? This was

completely impossible to understand. Meeting that old man was over four

years ago. Could it really be due to contact with the grimoire from eastern

Europe that the memories of the Campione were awakened? Or, or was

there another reason?

Anyway, one must not rashly jump to conclusions.

Yuri decided to change the subject, and glanced towards the doc.u.ments

Amakasu was reading.

"What are these? ...Resumes?"

If these were meant to be private, then they should not be spread out in

such a place. It would be unthinkable for a representative of the History

Compilation Committee to be so imprudent.

Having thus decided, Yuri took a look at the pile of doc.u.ments.

They all seemed to be resumes with L-size[3] photos clipped on.

...It looked like all the photos were of teenaged girls, and every one of

them had a cute appearance. Some of the girls had a more mature and

adult feel, while others were cute and innocent. There were also some girls

who looked very outgoing, and others that looked quite sincere. There was

a great variety of them.

"Ah ah, this is the matter we were talking about. To pick someone qualified

to be the lover of Kusanagi G.o.dou. Truly the elite of this nation, they are all

extremely talented individuals."

Amakasu talked with quite a joyful appearance.

Yuri casually glanced at the resumes which resembled job recruitment

profiles.

"Perhaps in order to defeat an opponent of Erica Blandelli's caliber, it

would take a combination of elegance, adolescent adorability, and the

friend route character. Sounds about right. However, there is also the

possibility that he prefers other types. This is quite a difficult decision."

"Amakasu-san! Is your side really planning on putting that plan into

motion!"

The History Compilation Committee member simply retracted his head

slightly in response to Yuri's scolding.

"These are necessary human resources. Unless Yuri-san has a better

suggestion?"

"Umm, ummm... If it is explained clearly to Kusanagi-san, and an

opportunity is created for practical negotiations, he should be able to

understand where he stands—"

"Haha, that's not going to work. He is a teenaged boy after all."

Amakasu laughed condescendingly with sounds of "hehe" as if trying to

provoke Yuri's anger.

"No matter how honest he claims to be, he cannot refuse if he is begged

by the girl he is going out with. That's what males are like... For a boy of

that age, dreams or aspirations to higher morals can never compare to the

value of girls."

"Precisely, that is why you cannot ignore the wishes of a girl and force her

to play the role of a lover or anything like that!"

What Yuri feared was the History Compilation Committee using its

authority to force this mission upon a hapless young girl or miko from some

wizardry family.

That kind of tyranny was definitely unacceptable. To the excited Yuri,

Amakasu calmly replied.

"How could that be? Don't worry about the will of the person being

selected. They will be carefully chosen from volunteers. Relax."

"Ah!?"

"After all, the t.i.tle of the Campione is very effective. Whether personally or

the interests of the clan, there are numerous advantages to becoming the

lover of the first Devil King of j.a.pan. Lack of volunteers is simply not a

concern."

Amakasu smiled in an extremely satisfied manner.

Yuri was shocked. Could there really be so many selfish volunteers

appearing one after another—

The Latin beauty Erica Blandelli who called herself the lover of Kusanagi

G.o.dou and pa.s.sionately approached him completely unabashed.

Strangely enough, Yuri did not feel repulsed by Erica's presence.

At most it made her feel awkward at times. Though Erica could be very

calculating, she was always open and straightforward—perhaps due to

that relaxed and candid personality.

No matter what, Erica could place herself in danger without hesitation for

the sake of G.o.dou.

After the battle with Athena, Yuri understood that perfectly. However, what

about the other girls planning on approaching G.o.dou in order to make use

of his power and status?

"Still, still not allowed! If he gets close to girls with those kinds of intentions,

what kind of bad influence will they bring? It's not easy for Kusanagi-san to

have an opportunity to start a new life, what is going to happen!"

Yuri could not help yelling, feeling that this was a dirty matter.

"However, there will be a ton of people trying to use him for his powers

anyway. If we don't do it, someone else will. Unless Yuri-san yourself will

keep watch over this young man by his side."

"But, but, if that's the case... However for me, I don't think Kusanagi-san

has a good opinion of me."

He probably did not have a good impression from all that nagging from me.

Though Yuri was a complete stranger to the subtleties of the male heart,

however, she felt that her conclusions were correct. Since she had always

been distancing herself from others in an obvious manner, it was natural to

think that others thought the same.

Shyly, Yuri bowed her head.

Probably, my face was blus.h.i.+ng all red, the color of a fully ripened

persimmon.

"On the other hand, perhaps it is Yuri-san who dislikes Kusanagi G.o.dou?"

"Dislike!? Not at all. Though Kusanagi-san and Erica's actions are

inappropriate, I do feel that he is friendly, generous and a person of good

character. He is not arrogant despite possessing that level of power, and

being humble is one of his virtues ... So, I don't dislike him at all."

"Hoho, it really is like that. Then please maintain current relations for now.

Blus.h.i.+ng shyly, your head bowed down, yes yes, very good. Extremely

cute."

"Ah, Amakasu-san, what are you talking about?"

Amakasu suddenly took out his cellphone and snapped a picture of Yuri

with the camera.

Yuri could not understand the intentions behind his actions.

"Reference material. The other Committee members will definitely approve

at the next meeting. Anyway, the power of Yuri-san's photo will surely blow

away the compet.i.tion."

"Uh? What do you mean?"

"Isn't it true that Yuri-san doesn't wish for unscrupulous girls to approach

Kusanagi G.o.dou? In that case you must develop good relations with him,

isn't that right?"

"That's why I said, I am not..."

"Nothing to worry about. We the History Compilation Committee will lend

you our full support, and so, please win over Kusanagi G.o.dou with full

confidence!"

The declaration shocked Yuri like a clap of thunder.

"Win, win over!? I don't intend to have that kind of relations.h.i.+p with

Kusanagi-san!"

"Hohoho, still not being honest. Whatever, this will be a perfect ingredient

to flavor the dish, let's just leave it at that."

Amakasu gave a fearless smile as he spoke with incomprehensible words.

"Let's put it this way. We wish to ma.s.sively increase Yuri-san's influence

over Kusanagi G.o.dou. Our hope is that whenever he is tempted by Erica

Blandelli, or when he is falling into darkness drunk on the power of his

authority, you can persuade him and guide him down the right path."

"I can guide that person towards the right path?"

"Yes. Just become closer to him starting with normal situations, and have a

better relations.h.i.+p with him than Erica Blandelli. Do your best. It's a

promise. If you can do that, we will terminate that plan."

Amakasu's tone of voice was akin to the serpent who tricked Eve into

eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, but Yuri was completely

oblivious.

"...No, but even now, all I've been doing is nagging at Kusanagi-san, and

leaving him with a bad impression. It's probably fruitless to try to improve

relations at this point—"

To become even more intimate with him than that Erica, it was completely

unthinkable.

Amakasu answered the insecure Yuri with a naughty smile.

"Please don't worry. I have a secret plan—and it works precisely because

the current relations.h.i.+p is distant. Up to now, it only counts as the tsun

phase, so if you start going dere as much as possible from this point on,

boys will definitely fall for you without fail!"

"—Ah? What... is that?"

"First why don't you try making a lunchbox personally? Then say 'This is

extra, it's not like I made it specially for you, but it would be a shame for it

to go to waste, so here you go' when you hand it over to him. Isn't that the

best tactic?"

"Ah!?"

"Pardon my forwardness, but if you lack information in this area, I can

provide some from my personal collection. I'll send them over in a short

while; do you prefer DVDs or games?"

"Ah, umm, Amakasu-san? Please don't continue the conversation so

casually."

In reality, this event would end up having a great influence in G.o.dou and

Yuri's future life.

Of course, Yuri at that time had no idea at all.

Part 6

It was a beautiful j.a.panese garden of a hotel.

To Liliana Kranjcar who was born and grew up in Milan and whose

grandfather was Croatian, the s.p.a.cious garden in a former n.o.bleman's

antiquated mansion was a very interesting s.p.a.ce.

There was plenty of natural scenery in the grounds which covered tens of

thousands of square meters.

Lush green trees were neatly trimmed, while water flowed into pools

through small rivers. There were also ancient paG.o.das and sacrificial altars

in the depths of the waterfall.

However, this garden full of foreign allure seemed to have no effect on her

companion.

Upon deciding on the accommodations in Tokyo, Sasha Dejanstahl Voban

immediately arrived there. As if shaken by the compact style of the garden,

Liliana also became subservient.

Voban's bedroom was located in a separate building within the hotel's

garden.

A tiny traditional j.a.panese house.

However, its interiors were very modern in contrast to the traditional outer

appearance.

In it contained western style rooms that a European like Liliana could

quickly get accustomed to. There were also a few j.a.panese style rooms

with tatami and ornamental screens.

"So Kranjcar, is there any news of the miko?"

Voban suddenly asked.

Voban spoke with perfect j.a.panese as he downed the cup of sake by

himself, looking over the typical but undistinguished menu listing items like

tempura and sas.h.i.+mi.

Until the previous day, this old man had no knowledge of the j.a.panese

language.

However, both Campiones and accomplished magi possessed exceptional

language learning ability. As a result, it was not surprising that Voban had

mastered the language simply by conversing with Liliana who excelled in

j.a.panese.

Furthermore, it only took him about fifty to sixty minutes.

Learning an unknown language in such a short time would not have been

possible for Liliana. Likewise, even other Campiones and Great Knights

would probably fail to match such a feat.

"No, not yet. My apologies."

Liliana bowed her head in penance.

—Mariya Yuri, fifteen years of age, lived in the bay area of Tokyo.

Possessing exceptional spirit vision, she was a special religious leader

called the Hime-Miko.

In reality, this level of information was extremely easy for her organization

the Bronze Black Cross to investigate.

Even so, Liliana did not report with honesty.

She recalled the things done to the girls in the Austrian villa four years ago.

Amongst all the miko there, Yuri had been the most silent and the one with

the most conservative personality. Furthermore, she looked the weakest

and most delicate.

However, who was the first to arrive at Voban's ritual site?

Everyone there had been very frightened, but she was the first to enter.

She understood the fear in the other girls, and decided to go ahead

herself.

"...Hmph, is that so. Anyway, it's fine. If it so happens, what should one do

if a little bird jumped into a cage? If you tie a rope to it, no matter where it

went, you can find the cage easily enough."

Voban gloated as he moved his fingers over the cup.

—A birdcage? Liliana frowned at the strange a.n.a.logy.

"About what I just said, I wonder who was it that hallucinated the image of

I, Voban? Perhaps some kind of chance occurrence, where they mistook a

prophetic ability as spirit vision—it's not some kind of powerful wizardry

ability, right?"

Of course, whether the person who hallucinated was Yuri or not, Liliana

could not have known.

However, it was said that Campiones possessed extraordinary instincts.

There have been several rumors that Campiones can sense when they are

in danger, and have an animal-like instinct to detect the presence of

G.o.ds—their fated rivals. However, this was the first time Liliana heard that

they could see through spirit vision.

What kind of extraordinary powers does this old man possess!

"I don't know if that fellow is the miko we need to find. However, I am

positive it will be of great use to capture that person."

Voban smiled and finished the alcohol as if drinking water.

After several days together, Liliana could tell that he was not a picky eater.

He ate and drank everything and anything, consuming not for taste but

only to satisfy hunger and thirst.

"You don't seem to be very good at finding things. Then how about we find

someone else to take the job? Or perhaps, this should be a job for a

witch—Maria Teresa, come here."

Voban called the name of a woman.

In response, a dead woman with deeply sunken eyes appeared out of

s.p.a.ce, wearing a large black hat—a member of the [Dead Servants].

"This deceased was once a witch, and shouldn't find it too hard to find the

spirit vision user who saw me in a hallucination. Find that person using

those skills you possessed when alive!"

The Dead Servant witch nodded to acknowledge the tyrannical order and

disappeared once again.

Mariya Yuri will be caught sooner or later. Liliana had no doubts about it,

and deeply sighed.

References

1. ↑ h.o.m.o homini lupus est is a Latin phrase meaning "man is a wolf

to [his fellow] man."

2. ↑ Shamusho: The building used as the administrative office of a

shrine

3. ↑ L-size: Also known as 3R, or 9 x 13 cm.