This morning, when Godou conversed with her—
Erica had finished investigating the incident that happened yesterday.
After shaking her off their trail, at the place Godou and the youth went, the group of young men surrounded by fire and debris in the alley of despair were saved by the youth who appeared somehow.
After that, the youth disappeared without a trace like the wind.
In order to prevent Godou from wasting time on the group of young men, Erica told him everything she knew. This morning when she was investigating at the harbor, she had made inquiries with the group of young men about the youth before finally coming over to Godou.
To avoid further delays, Erica hastened Godou to start making his way to his destination.
"You saw the divine beasts yesterday, right? That boy is the prime suspect for summoning them. If it really is the case, then he was simply cleaning up his own messes, and there is nothing to be praised."
"Whether divine beasts or gods or whatever, no matter how matter-of-fact you mention them, I cannot..."
He witnessed everything with his own eyes, but Godou still could not accept them as reality.
"The one appearing at Cagliari was the [Boar], and over the past three days there were three others appearing on the island of Sardinia. The [Camel] at Bosa, the [Ram] at Orgosolo, and the [Bull] at Barumini."
"...Then with the one yesterday it adds up to four."
"Yes. Luckily whenever the divine beasts appeared, a [Wind] deity immediately appears to defeat them, so serious damage was avoided. Great fortune amidst misfortune."
Thinking back to the commotion yesterday, Godou couldn't help but break out in cold sweat.
To have monsters causing destruction everywhere and summing it up as 'serious damage was avoided,' what a terrifying topic of conversation.
"At all these scenes and next to the divine beasts, the boy was sighted on all occasions. Even if he is not the one responsible, he is definitely an important witness. Say, do you still have any objections?"
Watching the self-assured Erica, Godou could only surrender.
There was far too little evidence to defend the youth. With great reluctance, Godou could only agree.
"Let's change the subject, what are gods? I still cannot imagine."
Let's put the youth aside and switch to another topic.
"Well... To be frank, whether or not these are [Gods] in the religious sense, we still cannot say for sure."
Erica watched the sky and Godou also looked up.
Sardinia's sky was blue, deep, and very clear.
On the other end of the sky, was there really a heaven where the gods resided?
"Due to the [Myths] humans have passed along from ancient times, they were born. The essence of the earth, sky and stars, natural elements like the system of earth, air, water and fire[16] or the system of metal, wood, water, fire and earth[17], these are what comprise the supernatural core of [Myths], thus lending form to these existence, the [Gods]. That is the hypothesis that we magi have established."
Godou could only understand about half of what Erica said, but felt compelled to nod and agree with the mention of the word 'supernatural.'
Without a doubt, these existences transcended laws of nature.
"However, for [Gods] that make an appearance, a portion of them rebel against the [Myths] that form their core. We have named them [Heretic Gods], gods who resist the myths. They appear in places unrelated to their myths and bring great disaster. Simply by being present, a god's power will cause great detriment to the human world around it."
"...Gods of disaster. I really agree after seeing that black boar."
"Who knows, that could actually be the incarnation of a gentle god. When originally benevolent gods become [Heretic Gods], they also become the source of chaos."
"Then what about the tornado? Was that a god too?"
"Probably, there are many gods possessing the divine qualities of wind, so its identity still hasn't been discerned, probably a god that opposes the [Boar]. But no matter what their attributes, humans are the ultimate victims."
"That's depressing. When gods appear, what can humans do?"
"First of all, option one is to treat it as a natural disaster like storms or earthquakes, and endure it. Do not cause any commotions, but pray for the gods' mercy or willful departure."
"Offering sacrifices, praying to the heavens, that's entirely reliant on the gods."
"Compared to meaningless struggle, it's far more effective. See, the people of Cagliari have not been in uproar over yesterday's incident? That is the current way."
"Yes, I see. So everyone knows about gods appearing?"
Godou thought about this morning's newspaper as well as the reactions at the inn.
Everyone was acting apologetic and seemed very unnatural. So that's the reason.
"Of course, humans who explicitly know about gods are not numerous, but the ancient streets of Europe are pretty much the secluded residences of magi, so people have been taught how to handle these situations. Also, there is tradition, ways of dealing with minor divine appearances have been passed down the ages from ancestors."
"I get it now. Then back to what you were saying, if that's the first option, what's the second?"
"Yes, option two is the simplest. Defeat the god."
Godou got quite a shock from Erica's unexpected answer.
"Can such a thing be done?"
"Of course not!"
Still recovering from the shock, and then to receive such an unreasonable answer. What is this! Playing me for a fool?
"Impossible for ordinary people, and even the best high ranked magi. But on extremely, extremely rare occasions—if one were to receive the grace and good fortune of something like three or four miracles, then it's possible. However, this is not an option worth considering."
"In other words, a lucky coincidence."
"That's not enough, it's completely impossible without a miracle on the level of a carpenter's son born in a manger, and finally becoming the savior of the world. Hence, option three is the most practical. If it's a comparatively weaker deity, just seal it."
Sealing a god, this reminded Godou of his grandfather's words.
Offering the stone tablet at the village where divine retribution was occurring, was how the incident of strange deaths was resolved.
"That is probably a grimoire from mythical times, though it's unknown what power lies dormant within it."
Erica glanced at Godou's backpack which contained the stone tablet.
"You called it a grimoire, but it's clearly not a book?"
"As an ancient product of a time without paper—the age of myths, that was the time when gods could freely walk the earth. During those days, the grimoires created by gods to preserve their wisdom and power all take this form."
Suddenly, an ongoing noise of clackety-clack completely overcame Erica's voice.
With the ear splitting sound of the brakes, the train slowly entered the station.
Godou stood up, having sat in the seat for dozens of minutes, and said:
"Yes, anyway this is a topic an ordinary person like me cannot understand... By the way, my name is Kusanagi Godou."
"Eh, what?"
"My name. You don't care about my name at all? You haven't even asked once, so I will tell you, I'm not going to repeat myself."
Even though he disliked her, if they were to travel together they should know each other's names.
Hence Godou decided to name himself coldly, but Erica's reaction was even more impolite than he expected.
"Hoho, you're called Godot, a name that sounds like someone who fails to show up as agreed, what a strange name."
Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot."
A story about two vagabonds waiting for a character named Godot who never showed up. Since Godou did not know the content of this play, he had no idea why Erica spoke as she did.
However, he was certain it was n
othing good.
Part 2
The outside view seen from the train, was essentially a boundless plain of grassland.
As well as the endless wilderness, flocks of sheep could often be seen on the vast lands along with shepherds. Raising sheep was one of Sardinia's main industries.
Amidst this scenery, one could spot the ancient walled cities—nuraghes. These were the remains of cities built by locals before the arrival of the Phoenicians, and have now become important tourist attractions.
On the way, they made a switch to the train to Nuoro city.
This was the provincial capital of Nuoro, and Oliena was a little town nearby.
They had set off from Cagliari shortly after noon, and arrived at Nuoro city three hours later. After a rough and bumpy bus ride for another few tens of minutes, they finally reached Oliena.
At around six in the evening, it was already dusk.
Godou decided to visit Lucretia Zola's home the next day, because it might not be possible to find her house immediately, and he wanted to find a hotel before it became dark.
"...Hopefully there will be a hotel with vacancies."
Surveying the surroundings, Godou muttered to himself.
Without any outstanding tourist attractions, it was a very ordinary town in the countryside.
Due to the proximity of hills and mountains, it was full of natural scenery, but there was nothing remarkable about the town. Judging from the scenery witnessed along the train ride, this was a typical little Sardinian town.
"It's probably more convenient to get around this island by car. Anyway, I'm so hungry..."
Godou only ate some bread for lunch, so he was now especially hungry.
Hearing Godou utter such words of defeat, Erica couldn't help but laugh beside him.
"What a useless person. Look at me, the first time traveling by rail, and the first time suffering the motion of a bus. Yet I am just as resolute as always? This is the difference in experience between us."
Watching the braggart before him, Godou had nothing to say.
True, the very slender looking Erica had great fortitude. Her beauty and glamor were unaffected, but the cause of this difference had other reasons.
"Of course you're not hungry. While I was tired of the scenery, and enduring boredom and hunger. You went ahead by yourself to chat with others and didn't share any food with me."
Godou recalled the arduous long distance journey today.
While he sat in the box seats, Erica very naturally walked amongst the others.
Originally Godou thought that it would be annoying to carry out a face to face conversation with her, so he didn't pay much attention.
...Watching the window scenery was only interesting for the first hour. As he looked around with nothing to do, he found Erica happily chatting and laughing with a woman in a very nearby seat.
Since it was all in Italian, Godou didn't understand a single word of it.
However, Erica was using a friendly tone of voice completely opposite to how she treated Godou. Even though the content was unknown, one could guess roughly what she was talking about through her fluent tones.
And then soon after, the woman whom Erica was conversing with, opened a basket near her hand, and took out all sorts of food as if by magic—sandwiches, olives, as well as cheese and fruit... Of course, she shared all of them with Erica.
Feeling a little hungry, Godou felt slightly jealous.
All that food, and Erica kept them all to herself.
"As a knight, I have the obligation to maintain my body at its peak condition. The intake of nutrients from food cannot be overlooked. Anyway, it's not my duty to share food with you."
Erica's words were as self-centered as always.
Godou decided to retort in kind, after all, grudges over food can be very horrific.
"Although that's true, despite a knight-like high class lady's pride, you are surprisingly stingy. Yes, you are also very good at currying favor and flattery. To act all friendly just for the sake of food, how should I put it, conniving? I am impressed."
"You... Calling me stingy and conniving? How insulting!"
The malicious retort made Erica's face filled with anger.
Seeing her furious, Godou silently thought to himself, since this works at riling up her anger, perhaps it could come in handy, let me take note of it.
This was a habit Godou developed during his time in baseball.
As the catcher and the fourth hitter, in order to defeat the opponent's trump cards, he needed to analyze the personality and preferences in advance to prepare for matches.
For someone without outstanding natural talent, this sort of effort was necessary.
"Listen well, I will greet the vast majority of people with a smile. Who wants to create enemies unnecessarily? Perhaps one day you might require their assistance!"
"What a calculating fellow you are. I guess you don't really have any close friends you can be open with."
"Please call it elegant diplomacy. It is required to build amicable relations. If you can't even understand that, it means you're just a child."
"I have no wish to understand that kind of thing."
"Hmph, that is why I say you are just a child, unable to understand these things. To dare call me stingy and conniving, unforgivable!"
Erica declared furiously.
She was staring straight at Godou, pointing her finger at him.
"Fine! In order to prove that I, Erica Blandelli, am not a stingy person, even though I have no obligation to share a meal with you, but tonight this lady will grace your dinner with her presence, think of it as compensation for not treating you for lunch!"
And so Godou and Erica entered the doors of a ristorante.
In Italy, there existed common eateries like trattoria[18] as well as high class ristorantes.
Godou knew the distinction, at least.
The one that Erica selected, was without a doubt, in the latter category.
The internal decor was very classic and elegant. With dim lighting and such a high class atmosphere, Godou felt that it would be troubling the ristorante for two minors to enter.
The two were taken to their table, and Erica began to order.
Of course Godou didn't understand a word of Italian and had no idea what they were saying.
"Wait a minute, you're ordering wine!"
Seeing the bottle brought over, Godou was speechless.
Smelling the aroma of the alcohol, it was clearly an appetizer wine—the sparkling kind.
"Isn't that obvious? Eh? Or perhaps you don't know how to drink?"
"How could this be possible?! The restaurant accepted your order."
Godou responded to Erica's provocative smile.
"By the way, the drinking age in Italy and Spain is sixteen."
"Yes, right, I will be sixteen next month, of course there's no problem... Really, getting frantic over such trivial things, you have surprisingly little tolerance."
"Wait a minute, if you're born in April, then you're only fifteen, the same as me. That's illegal!"
"It's fine as long as you're not discovered. Do you really think I'll get caught?"
As the two argued, the food was brought to the table.
For appetizers, there was prosciutto ham as well as a wide selection of fresh seasonal vegetables. With fried lamb brains(!) which Godou had for the first time, handmade sausage, and baked Sardinian flatbread, the choice of food was quite rich and sumptuous.
There were two meat entrées, a local specialty of roasted suckling pig served in slices, as well as horse ribs that still retained some blood.
Everything tasted delicious. Having endured such a long journey, it was well worth it.
However, the problem was the bottle of red wine Erica had ordered.
Due to the dim lighting, the red liquid seemed as if it was giving off a seductive light. When he saw the champagne before the meal, as well as the meat entrées, Godou should have expected
it.
"Don't force yourself if you can't drink. For such a trifle bit of wine, I can finish it alone."
Erica's nonchalant tone made Godou feel like he was being mocked as stupid.
If he didn't resist, then he would be an idiot. Understanding that, Godou raised his wine glass. Despite everything, his nature was quite competitive.
He slowly kept the wine in his palate, savoring its flavor.
A complicated taste unique to high quality red wine, with a mixture of bitterness, sweetness as well as a hint of sourness. The fragrance of grape and fruitiness assailed the sense of smell.
"Very good, though I don't particularly like western wine, but this is really good."
"Ah, I didn't think you'd know a little about wine, then you cannot complain. Drink obediently."
Hearing Erica's remark, Godou smiled fearlessly in return.
Despite appearances, I've often been forced to spend nights drinking with my grandfather. At the age of fifteen I already have substantial knowledge about alcohol... No, the one who taught his middle school grandson the difference between cheap wine and exceptionally good wine, what on earth could he be thinking?
Mother as well, asking her son to mix cocktails for her, sometimes preparing mixtures like whiskey and water, and even making her son taste them.
In order to cater to her own tastes and forcing it upon her son, in some ways, Godou had been receiving an elite education every day of his life.
"Actually, even when drinking with adults, I have never lost in alcohol capacity. How regrettable."
"Ah, what a coincidence, me too. Till now, I have never lost against anyone in drinking."
And then the two of them began to eat and drink heartily.
Whenever anyone's wine glass emptied, the waiter immediately filled the glass quietly.
The one who drank the last glass was Godou.
Since he was not accustomed to red wine, Godou felt relieved after one bottle. He won't have to worry about getting drunk now.
However, watching this take place. Erica frowned.
"Godou... To think you drank one glass more than me, like a sneaky thief."
"You even bothered to count? That's so stingy, please don't do that anymore."
"You... You have insulted me again. Please do not misunderstand. I shall repeat myself once more. I am not stingy at all. The problem is currently the fact that you have imbibed more alcohol than me."
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