Campione 11

by The Second Tale

  " "Eh?" "

  Zamparini's sudden proposal left Godou and Erica dumbfounded.

  "Hoho, it's only natural for two young lovers to indulge themselves in pleasure at a place like this. I apologize for my boldness, but I have taken upon myself to make preparations for the two of you. --Come."

  The old man smiled knowingly and clapped his hands to summon.

  With the sound of voices asking "Are you calling us, Master?" coming from inside, ten-odd women emerged. Godou was stunned by their appearance.

  All the women were merely clad in sheer fabric. The level of skin exposure was virtually equivalent to full nudity.

  Amongst the young women were Caucasians, Negros, as well as girls of oriental descent. Every girl was outstanding in face and figure. All were young beauties without exception.

  "These are my maids. They are here to serve your every command."

  "N-N-No such thing! This is not my cup of tea, spare me please! I-I-I'm going to the ordinary bathroom--"

  "Well, Uncle Zamparini, thank you very much for your kind offer."

  As Godou refused on reflex, Erica restrained him with a look from her eyes and proceeded to express thanks.

  "Fufufu, isn't this marvelous, Godou? Don't be shy, you should properly accept Uncle Zamparini's generosity at a time like this."

  Erica leaned herself against Godou as if on purpose.

  Seeing this amusing scene, Zamparini respectfully took a bow and exited the bathing facility.

  "Young master and mistress, please come over here."

  A couple of highly exposed maids approached.

  Do I have to get naked right now? Just as Godou stood stunned -- Erica immediately stepped forward between them.

  "Hoho, wait a second. I have no intention of robbing you of your job, but the privilege of undressing him belongs to no one but me alone. Excuse me, but please give us some private time alone for now."

  Then she gently and elegantly led Godou away by the hand.

  Undress? His mind in a state of suspension, Godou was thus pulled towards the changing room.

  Along the way, Erica released Godou's hand.

  "What's going on?"

  "Quiet. Those maids are here to investigate. They must have been sent on Zamparini's commands to verify if we are lovers or not."

  Erica spoke softly and Godou whispered back.

  (Investigate?)

  (He is probably suspicious about our relationship. Think about it, Zamparini must have been observing us since last night.)

  (Now that you mentioned it, we were having an argument... Damn it, what should we do now?)

  What could we do now to resemble lovers even more? Hating himself for knowing nothing of romance, Godou racked his brains to no avail.

  (No other way, Godou, we must prepare ourselves.)

  (Prepare ourselves?)

  (Ah yes, even though I said "give us some private time alone for now," the maids will run after us immediately and Zamparini's doubt would only increase. We must switch over to offense starting now.)

  Erica declared like a knight with decisive valor.

  I see, I get it now. Godou nodded. In the world of duels, running away from risk would only lead to greater danger.

  (I got it. So what should I do specifically?)

  (W-Well then -- first undress, both of us need to take off all our clothes, and then walk out there in front of those girls.)

  Her earlier valor seemingly a lie, Erica's face had gone all red.

  "Eh?" asked Godou foolishly.

  (T-This is the plan for breaking out of our predicament, and it's the only plan! So Godou, you must suppress your lustful thoughts and focus on carrying out the plan. Swear that you will erase from your memory everything you see starting this moment! Swear you'll forget it all, do you understand!?)

  Returning from the changing room, Godou was wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.

  Likewise, Erica was naked aside from the large bath towel she used to cover everything from her hips up to her bust.

  "Let me help you wash."

  Just like before, several girls stepped forward.

  "Sure... But limit your efforts to washing me alone."

  Erica replied elegantly to the beautiful girl who appeared to be the maids' representative.

  "What about the young master?"

  "Hoho, perhaps he does want to be washed by you girls... Hohoho, nevertheless, I will be driven mad by jealousy if I see him touched by any woman apart from myself. Perhaps I might even be driven to murder him and the women around him."

  "Fufu, that would be terrible, wouldn't it? I understand."

  Erica's mischievous expression and tone of voice stood in stark contrast to her dangerous declaration.

  Smiling in response, the maid representative gestured to the others with her eyes. Thereafter, the highly stimulating girls, clad in sheer fabric, distanced themselves from Godou.

  Godou recalled Erica's instructions.

  'Act casual. If you panic and lose composure, it won't work!'

  Consequently, Godou had no choice but to desperately pretend to act natural.

  Like some sort of incantation, he repeatedly chanted "mind over body, mind over body" to himself.

  As the maids laid their hands on Erica's bath towel, the piece of cloth was taken away to reveal a young maiden's magnificent nude body, the most alluring and seductive that Godou had ever known.

  Then Godou saw.

  Appearing before Godou like a queen surrounded by maids, Erica's body was as bare as the day she was born. Godou already knew her figure was outstanding, but that notion was simply too naive. She was more beautiful than he could ever imagine.

  Her gracefully shaped breasts, voluminous yet perky, did not show any impression of sagging.

  On the other hand, those rosy flower buds, on the front of her breasts, exuded such purity and loveliness.

  Her waist was extremely taut and without the slightest fat. Furthermore, that round voluptuous body part below the waist traced out a most wondrous curve--

  In addition, Erica's pale complexion was unparalleled. Immersed in the steam of the bath, her alabaster skin showed a tint of redness against its pristine paleness. The mere sight of her skin was enough to deal a devastating blow to Godou's rational sense of mind.

  "Hoho, Godou is so... You've clearly seen me so many times and yet you still gaze upon me with such crazed and intense eyes. This passion of yours is what I find truly adorable."

  Erica spoke, smiling as she endured Godou's gaze. Crap, I forgot all about Erica's earlier instructions to "Watch me as if you were admiring a familiar work of art."

  Godou concurred with Erica's words and said:

  "T-That's only because you are so full of charm."

  Godou recited the line that was prepared beforehand.

  Due to Erica's strict orders of "Speak as little as possible to avoid blowing our cover," Godou immediately kept his mouth shut.

  During this time, the maids poured water over Erica's body. Instead of using a shower head, they carried water directly using wooden buckets.

  After being washed, that perfect skin of hers seemed even smoother than before.

  As if trying not to harm a beautiful yet fragile work of art, the maids washed cautiously with reverent motion.

  Guided by the maids, Erica, with her beautiful silky skin, entered the hot water bath. Like a mistress of the house enjoying her exclusive bath, she stretched her legs out with an air of satisfaction.

  The bath was filled with floating flowers of red camellia that the maids poured into the bathwater along with scented oil. This filled the entire bathing facility with a rich sense of fragrance.

  "Godou, when are you going to stop staring at me? Lacking patience is one of your shortcomings. Please hurry over then."

  "Ah, uh yeah."

  At Erica's behest, Godou responded immediately and stood up to enter the bath, wading over to beside Erica.

  Erica leane
d her back against Godou's chest. The blonde female knight was not only a master of the sword but also the owner of a magnificent body with a slender figure and skin that felt as soft and smooth as silk. Godou now entered a posture of embracing Erica.

  --Hmm, my entire body feels so hot, it must be due to the hot water.

  --Hmm, I feel kind of like I'm drunk. This too, must be due to the hot water.

  "Really... Are you still peeping at me? Godou sure is a bad boy, or is it because I am too attractive..."

  Under the hot water, Erica turned herself around, coming face to face with Godou.

  Of course, Godou maintained his posture of embrace. Feeling Erica's bouncy bosom pressed against him, Godou could not help but scream "Mind over body!" over and over to himself.

  But Erica continued to press the offense.

  She lightly kissed Godou everywhere across his face, chin and neck except for his lips, then stared at him with eyes of craving.

  Godou could feel his sanity flying away to the heavens, but he desperately held on. In the predetermined manner they had agreed on earlier, Godou stared at the maids and began whispering with Erica.

  As the mastermind of the farce, the beautiful maiden went "Ah, I see" and smiled.

  Like a princess accustomed to issuing orders, Erica proceeded to turn her gaze to the maid representative.

  "Isn't it about time for you all to be dismissed?"

  "May we?"

  "He tells me he feels self-conscious in front of other women, so leave us alone for now, we... will 'enjoy' ourselves a bit, understood?"

  "Understood. Very well then, we shall be dismissed."

  The maid representative immediately smiled and bowed her head reverently.

  With great swiftness the maids all made an exit. Most likely, they did not fail to understand the behavior Erica meant by the word "enjoy."

  Of course, all this was achieved without any merit on Godou's part. It was clearly such an embarrassing situation and yet Erica's acting was so natural and convincing. Godou once again recognized Erica's skill in performing on the public stage.

  Even though the maids had left, the two of them remained in tight embrace.

  Several minutes later, Erica slowly chanted spell words softly to use investigative magic.

  "How are things?"

  "There's no one around the bath, and no one hiding in here using magic either."

  Having confirmed it was safe, they both exhaled deeply out of relief.

  Erica immediately separated herself from Godou's body and distanced herself away from him. Soaked in the water for so long, both of them were almost about to faint.

  That night, Godou and Erica spent the night in one bedroom.

  Furthermore, they were sleeping in such outrageous conditions -- on the same bed under the same blanket.

  Hearing from Erica that the bedroom was free of investigative magic she had used in the bath, as well as non-mechanical but magical means of voyeurism and eavesdropping, Godou originally intended to sleep alone on the couch. However...

  "How can we sleep separately while we are under suspicions? There are servants outside the room. If we sleep apart, our cover will be blown immediately!"

  Erica snarled angrily. Indeed, it would be most unnatural for a pair of lovers who had displayed such passion in the bath to sleep separately.

  Thus the two of them marked an "invisible boundary line" across the spacious bed.

  Having established a treaty of absolute inviolable territory, the two of them laid themselves on the same bed under the same blanket, becoming bedfellows. Godou slept on the left side while Erica slept on the right.

  In order to avoid trespassing into Erica's territory, Godou slept with his back towards her. Likewise, Erica slept in the same posture, both of them keeping their distance with their backs towards each other.

  In any case, let's sleep first. Fall asleep quickly. Trying to dispel unnecessary thoughts of temptation, Godou kept his eyes tightly shut, desperately summoning the arrival of sleep. Suddenly, he heard sounds of sobbing.

  With great surprise, Godou found himself hearing extremely quiet sobbing noises.

  "...Erica, are you crying?"

  "...I-Impossible, I'm just a little sad over my loss of purity, that's all."

  Erica whispered in a domineering yet exhausted voice.

  "W-What loss of purity, in actual fact, we didn't really do anything..."

  "You're such an idiot! For me, my completely naked body was seen by you. Acts that no virgin should engage in have taken place, and even now, I am sharing a bed with you -- furthermore, the things we've done are known to many others."

  "K-Known to many others?"

  "The Campione and his lover who happens to be the daughter of the prestigious Blandelli family. In our world, this is sensational news whether politically or as gossip. Very soon, it will propagate everywhere."

  "Is that how it works..."

  "Anyone who hears of such rumors will never believe me to have remained untainted in body. Apart from myself, no one will think I am a pure virgin."

  Sobbing noises. Faint sobbing was heard once more.

  "Anyway, it's okay, I have no regrets."

  "Really?"

  "Certainly. I, Erica Blandelli, will never ever do anything I regret afterwards, absolutely never. Please do not misunderstand, I did this for other reasons and not because I liked Godou."

  Godou fell silent. The fact that he did misunderstand for an instant must be kept secret.

  "Listen carefully, this was simply assistance offered by the heroic knight who pitied and took mercy on the man who suddenly became king. Doing things to such an extent was simply part of my perfectionism, make no mistake about that."

  "I see... Thank you, Erica, it is impossible for me to properly express my gratitude to you."

  This was a time when proper thanks were necessary.

  Thinking that, Godou suddenly spoke up. His back having crossed the boundary, he could feel Erica squirming awkwardly, most likely due to embarrassment.

  "N-Not at all. If you and I had never met, the current situation would never have happened, so pay it no mind."

  "But I mind. Yes, about the matter of your purity."

  Feeling embarrassed, Godou asked:

  "If you don't mind, I-I really have to take responsibility, right?"

  "Idiot, there's no need to take responsibility. After all, I did everything under my own will. But you have to keep your promise and forget everything that happened in the bath, got that!?"

  Due to sleeping in the same bed, the two of them continued to chat throughout the night for a very long time.

  Even though he was utterly drained in mind and body, Godou could not close his eyes, unable to sleep because he was overly conscious of the person sleeping beside him.

  The next morning, Godou immediately got up and looked out the window as soon as he woke up.

  Heavy rain poured down, accompanied by strong gusts of wind and occasional roars of thunder. Truly, a storm was coming.

  From the rumbles of thunder, Godou heard a voice.

  '--Long you have waited, god-slayer! Come! In the real battle, I shall demonstrate clearly to you with lightning the ancient king's magnificence as the hunter of dragons. Head east, and I shall await you in the ruins of the eastern decayed city!'

  As the raging winds and roars of thunder passed on this message, this was a voice which Godou alone could hear, because the divine king Melqart recognized no one but Godou.

  "...Could this be Melqart?"

  "Yeah, he's calling me."

  Erica asked from bed with a sleepy voice and Godou answered.

  Not even seven in the morning, this was far earlier than Erica's usual time to rise given her morning feebleness. Nevertheless, the roars of the violent wind together with the divine presence filling the atmosphere must have woken her up.

  "Finally time for a proper battle... Right."

  "What?"

  "Nothing major
. Just as I thought, it's better to wear less while I sleep, or else it feels too stuffy..."

  "What is with you girl, how do you sleep normally?"

  Without leaving the room, Erica began to change into lighter sleepwear. Due to Erica's strange behavior in her sleepy state, Godou continued to stare outside the window.

  "Melqart said he's waiting for me in the ruins of the decayed city to the east. Where on earth is that?"

  "Probably Soluntum, seventeen kilometers east of Palermo. It was once a front line outpost of the ancient Phoenicians and now a district of ruins..."

  Hearing the approximate location described by the divine king, Erica whispered softly.

  "Go ask Zamparini to send out [Panormus] magi to scout it out. Once the [Heretic God]'s presence is detected, start moving out in that direction."

  Hearing the answer of his "partner," back to her usual reliable form, Godou nodded.

  Part 5

  "An image is appearing in my mind... A weapon of light."

  Godou answered in the car en route to Soluntum.

  Sitting beside him, Erica had asked "Try imagining what power would be effective in a battle against Melqart the god of storms?"

  Godou had pondered for a while but came up with nothing.

  After further contemplation, he still had no idea.

  This was only natural. A week ago, Godou was just an ordinary person completely uninvolved with the world of magic and gods. After three minutes of thought, Godou gave up, certain in the futility of further thought.

  Then suddenly, inspiration struck his mind.

  "Hmm, I get the feeling I need to use a bright and shiny weapon."

  "Could your hint get any more ambiguous..."

  Godou shrugged at Erica's sarcasm.

  "As expected, in a fight against a [Heretic God], all one can do is make a proper entrance to the stage."

  Zamparini spoke from the driver's seat.

  He was driving the white BMW. Due to the storm, they were taking an eastbound national route which had lower traffic.

  --Three hours after Godou got out of bed, a massive spiritual presence was confirmed near the Soluntum Archaeological Park, just as Erica predicted.