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Campione 14

Page 20

by The Eighth Godslayer


  Aisha deduced calmly while surrounded by a roaring inferno.

  Despite her frail appearance, Aisha's womanly body did not perspire a single drop of sweat, let alone suffer a single burn.

  Not only that, her white overcoat was not even soiled by a speck of dust.

  "Oh..."

  Gazing down at the completely unharmed Aisha, Uldin picked up his bow.

  With lightning speed, he repeated the motions of nocking the arrow, drawing the bow and aiming thrice, firing three arrows in succession.

  The three arrows all flew towards Aisha's heart while the flames devoured her.

  However, all the arrows passed through Aisha's body and simply struck the ground behind her.

  "What a wonderful skill. However, what if I did this?"

  Uldin muttered as he snapped his fingers.

  The raging flames suddenly vanished and were replaced by something flying towards the ground. Two seven-meter-long pterosaurs—Deinonychuses with their front limbs turned into wings.

  These were the two pterosaurs which had been flying over town, sending the citizens into a state of panic.

  Unnoticed, they had returned to their master's side and were now diving rapidly towards the ground!

  Using the "terrible claws" on their hind legs to attack, they intended to cruelly slash Aisha's slender body apart.

  However, their claws simply passed through Aisha's body.

  Seeing this occur, Uldin whistled loudly. The two pterosaurs returned to the air once more. All of them were watching Aisha on the ground as though in amazement.

  "What trickery is this astounding skill? It's like fighting against air."

  Uldin praised in admiration.

  Aisha smiled with a calm and composed expression as though she were praying. This was the result of her using this time period's "force of attachment" to correct the results of phenomena.

  But under the current circumstances, that was as far as it could manage.

  Presently speaking, Aisha did not have any authorities that could be used to attack.

  Although the charisma authority was quite potent, it was not very effective against gods and Campiones. Unless the opponent was showing a massive opening, it was not worth trying.

  Then how could she break through this encirclement?

  Just as Aisha pondered desperately, cover fire was shot in support. The massive bowguns standing on the castle walls of the stronghold one kilometer away—the ballistae.

  Massive arrows were being shot at Uldin and the pterosaurs.

  However, they were ineffective against the divine beasts. The pterosaur's sturdy outer skin deflected all the shots. Nevertheless, the soldiers refused to admit defeat and prepared many ballistae to keep firing continuously.

  The three pterosaurs began to feel annoyed and started to evade the attack of the arrows.

  At the same time, the castle gates opened and a small team of roughly forty soldiers made a sortie.

  They were rushing forth in a straight line, presumably intending to rescue Aisha.

  "Getting in the way of my romantic pursuits, huh? No matter. I guess I'll need to rely on a greater power to catch you who has turned into air."

  Sitting astride the pterosaur, the Hunnic Devil King declared briskly.

  "I will take my leave for now, but I'll return once night falls. When the time comes, I will surely make you submit obediently!"

  Leading the two pterosaurs, Uldin flew towards the western sky.

  She had apparently survived the battle. Relieved, Aisha relaxed her entire body and collapsed into a sitting position.

  Soon after, the small contingent of soldiers approached.

  "Holy Maiden! Are you injured!?"

  The small team's leader hurried over. Unlike the citizens, he had not trembled in fear.

  Instead, he resembled an excited racehorse. Aisha had noticed. Due to her repeated usage of the charisma authority to encourage them, the soldiers had developed absolute loyalty towards her. Even their fear towards the pterosaurs was easily forgotten.

  "Does that man intend to take the Holy Maiden's life...? What a bastard!"

  "Oh no. Uldin-san does not want to kill me. Instead, he said he wanted to capture me to make me his wife. So there shouldn't be any danger—"

  In an attempt to appease the soldiers' excitement, she told them the truth.

  But unexpectedly, these words made them even more fired up.

  "How dare he intend to make the Holy Maiden his wife?" "That barbarian bastard, how dare he harbor such delusional dreams!?" "Next time he comes, we better teach him a lesson..." "Kill him! Kill that Uldin!"

  Hearing the soldiers yelling in a clamor, Aisha went "Oh dear" in puzzlement.

  What an unexpected development, but no matter. Then a certain soldier brought her a horse and helped her mount.

  This soldier yelled out as he started escorting Aisha towards the stronghold.

  "We must protect the Holy Maiden! Everyone, let's lay down our lives!"

  OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

  Angry roars erupted in response, sounding as though they could cause an earthquake. Meanwhile, Aisha could feel their goodwill as they escorted her towards the stronghold. Rocking on the horse, Aisha murmured to herself:

  "Perhaps, I've done it again...?"

  Part 4

  Like the city of Raurica, Uldin's castle was also built on the Rhine's shores.

  This was for defending against foreign invaders. Reportedly, it was customary for the Roman army to swiftly send soldiers to swiftly repel enemy attacks.

  The Rhine's river water not only provided the citizens with the blessings of water but also stood as a natural boundary and defensive line.

  The water surface of this grand river was now showing the battle between two godslayers.

  They were the ancient godslayer Uldin and Madame Aisha respectively.

  Uldin's "first wife," Ruska, was using a spell to project on the water surface what was happening far away in Augusta Raurica.

  "Fortunately, it's a town that I know. Otherwise, there would be no way of viewing it."

  Ruska spoke softly in an aloof tone of voice.

  The make-shift screen on the water by the shore was showing images of the great tumult caused by Uldin's flames and divine beasts. Nevertheless, all of the attacks had simply passed through Madame Aisha's body.

  "What on earth is that...?"

  "It must be Madame Aisha's authority, right?"

  Erica and Ena were baffled. Even as a Campione, Kusanagi Godou was entirely clueless. However, Ruska used her glass-colored eyes to gaze at the Madame and began to speak slowly:

  "The other godslayer who is not supposed to exist here... Protected by a power capable of reducing to nothingness phenomena that were supposed to happen, correcting all phenomena even if they had already happened..."

  "Eh?"

  Godou wondered if he had misheard because he caught Ruska saying the word "correcting."

  "It's the power that maintains her attachment to this place—Or rather, this world? The force that attaches her to a world where she should not exist. That's what it feels like."

  Apparently an oracle delivered through spirit vision. Ruska spoke in a blank tone of voice.

  "She is only impervious to calamities and powers in progress. Hence the impossible was able to occur just now. However, due to Uldin's keen instincts... He ultimately noticed after all."

  The two Campiones' fight was projected on the water surface.

  Uldin had stated "I'll be back once night falls" and left with his pterosaurs. With that, the incident was temporarily settled for now.

  "Even the full-powered attacks of a godslayer like Uldin could not neutralize that miraculous power... I'm guessing he left because he sensed that."

  Hearing Ruska's words, Godou began to think.

  Very likely, Madame Aisha was actually able to control, to some extent, the "corrective force" she had mentioned before? That was probably the re
ason why she adhered to that suspicious philosophy of hers and indulged freely in her time traveling—

  Speaking of which, this sort of live playback really was quite a convenient spell.

  Although Liliana could do something similar, she could only show images. In contrast, Ruska's live playback included sound.

  Ruska's powers were superior in this and other regards. However, too much convenience was sometimes quite troublesome too.

  Godou took a glance at Clotilde.

  The blonde beauty's face was locked in some sort of mental impasse. She continued to stare intently at the water surface which no longer reflected any images. During the battle just now, she had listened to many problematic statements.

  'I want to make you my woman no matter what.'

  'Once you start living by my side for a while, I'm sure you'll change your mind.'

  Etc etc. Uldin had said quite a lot to Madame Aisha.

  Clotilde's shoulders shook as she murmured to herself.

  "Not only does he have us as wives, but also the other dozen women surrounding him, yet he dares make a move on another woman...!"

  Although her voice was not loud, it was a mournful lament.

  Rather than anger, it was more the expression of mixed feelings. As a result, the mood instantly grew heavy. Godou could not casually offer comforting words to her either.

  Seeing Clotilde struck down by such a blow, Godou felt rather somber.

  (Even a master warrior on Paolo-san's level cannot withstand this sort of matter.)

  (That's only natural. No matter what time period, humans' greatest sources of stress are love, money and health without exception. Even someone like my uncle has started worrying about the problem of losing hair.)

  (R-Really?)

  (He really is unexpectedly concerned with his image and presentation...)

  (Speaking of murder motives, they all boil down to a few causes like love disputes and money.)

  Seeing Erica shrugging as she explained, Ena also whispered in a rare, sighing tone of voice.

  The trio were all whispering in consideration of Clotilde, naturally.

  (Hey, Your Majesty, can we talk?)

  The black-haired Hime-Miko was looking at Godou with a troubled expression when she suddenly spoke up.

  Although she usually behaved with cheerful optimism, Ena would display a Yamato Nadeshiko's docility on occasion. Godou was quite surprised to see her making that kind of expression.

  (So. Even if Your Majesty decides to go somewhere, even if you leave for many years, Ena will resolve herself to wait for you at home no matter what...)

  (Uh sure.)

  (As a result, to stop Ena from stabbing Your Majesty when welcoming your return, Your Majesty really must show appropriate restraint in womanizing outside, okay? This will surely be tough...)

  (......)

  (Hearing Ruska-san describe Your Majesty as very similar to Uldin-san, Ena can understand very well. Ena has always been very aware of similarities between people.)

  (You feel that way too, Ena-san? What a coincidence, I actually have the same feeling as well.)

  Erica instantly nodded in agreement with her companion's words.

  (If Godou were born in this era, he'd probably turn out with the same character? His self-styled pacifism is simply a tenet branded by modern society, isn't it?)

  (So true. Yeah, it's really a great thing that Ena and Erica-san were able to come here together this time.)

  (Indeed that's true. Because we are both here, we can prevent any opportunities for strange women to hang around Godou.)

  (......)

  Realizing he would simply bring about his own demise if he were to raise his objections, Godou endured and remained silent. In actual fact, all of Kusanagi Godou's "bastard" behavior resulted from the girls' own tolerance and goodwill.

  Then Godou turned his gaze involuntarily and found Ruska comforting Clotilde.

  "Why not just stab him mercilessly to take out your anger? After all, he's not going to die."

  "S-So ordinary blades are really ineffective against Uldin-sama?"

  "Yes. I was quite angry once and stabbed a spear into his flank. Although it was probably quite painful, he not only did not die but also had no serious injuries either. Now that's truly vexing."

  "So basically, that's not going to make him mend his ways..."

  The two beauties' conversation was gradually veering off in a radical direction.

  Were such excessive reactions of ancient people the result of living in borderlands like Gaul? Or perhaps, it should be seen as the harsh side of Ruska and Clotilde's natures?

  (Godou, absolutely do not forget the conversation just now, for I hope you can learn a lesson from it. If you don't keep yourself in check, perhaps we may turn out like them as well.)

  (......)

  Godou felt the bottom of his stomach convulsing in pain in response to Erica's whispering grumbles. At the same time, he listened to the two ancient beauties conversing dangerous topics.

  "The only ones capable of terminating godslayers are gods or their fellow godslayers..."

  "Yes, indeed. But no matter which side, they are all rare existences. However, when that man is backed into a corner, he always fights back as normal."

  "If that's the case, if only there were a godslayer right here..."

  "Indeed. If only a godslayer were here..."

  Clotilde turned her gaze meaningfully towards Godou.

  ...Realizing their intent, Godou sighed. If things were left alone, Augusta Raurica would be trampled by that man while Madame Aisha was also going to fall into danger.

  Since things had developed to this point, there was really no way to avoid a duel against Uldin.

  In that case—Godou motioned to his negotiator with a glance.

  "So, shall we confirm the terms and conditions? Just so you know, the price for hiring Kusanagi Godou definitely does not come cheap."

  Comprehending Godou's intentions, Erica immediately spoke up.

  At the castle's plaza, Clotilde swung a pickaxe and dug out a small sack.

  It contained a small blade—Delilah's Razor—and a small lock of hair. This was Godou's severed hair from yesterday.

  Clotilde placed the hair on the ground and pressed her index finger on it.

  With a flash of radiance from her fingertip, a symbol resembling a letter from the Latin alphabet appeared. Then the letter turned into burning flames, devouring the hair. It appeared to be a runic symbol for incineration.

  "This releases the razor's curse. With that, Kusanagi-sama's authority is restored."

  Clotilde reported to Godou who was standing quietly beside her.

  Severing a person's hair would seal their authority. This was the divine artifact named Delilah's Razor. Apparently, one must burn the severed hair in order to neutralize the effect.

  The rune's flames were small but intense. In mere seconds, the hair was completely consumed by the fire.

  Immediately, Godou's body gave off a sound akin to glass breaking. An indescribable feeling coursed through his entire body and he understood that his authority had been released.

  "If you want to go by boat, you can take one from inside the town. That's the fastest way."

  "That would help greatly. Thank you, Ruska."

  "However, it'd be great if you could lend out those pterosaurs. Riding them to fly in the sky seems quite fun. It also looks faster than a boat."

  The trio had gone to pick up their luggage and returned.

  Erica expressed her thanks to Ruska who was standing in front. On the other hand, Ena made a suggestion.

  "I'd advise against it, because those beasts can suddenly go berserk. Even for us, we almost never ride them without Uldin nearby."

  "Oh I see, that's a shame. But if there's a chance in the future, please teach me how to ride them."

  Declined by Ruska with a wry smile, Ena took the opportunity to make a promise. Then Godou's group was taken to where the bo
ats were moored.

  The Rhine's source came from the Alps mountain range.

  In terms of modern place names, this river ran through Switzerland from east to west, then flowed from south to north to trace out the boundary between Germany and France, towards Holland.

  Even in ancient times, the shipping industry relying on this water route was already quite developed and prosperous.

  Ena was the first to jump nimbly onto the large cargo boat that was tied to the river shore. Erica followed at an elegant pace and Godou got on last.

  As a side note, Ruska's final parting words were also quite radical.

  "Well then, we'll entrust the rest to you. I hope you will fight with the intent to kill. Please do not show any mercy."

  "I don't think I have the room to show mercy in the first place... But are you sure that's fine? If that Uldin guy dies—"

  Although Godou brought up common sense in a matter-of-fact way, Ruska shook her head and answered:

  "No, if you don't fight with the intent to kill, you won't be able to corner him. Without the intent to kill... I truly hope you can prepare yourself to fight with the intent to kill your opponent."

  "......"

  Perhaps it was because she had spent so many years following that ridiculous man and a godslayer to boot?

  Although Godou had no intention of sympathizing with Uldin, he reflected on himself and sighed.

  "O spirits of water. I beseech you to bestow special protection upon these people."

  Clotilde invoked magic. Once again, her fingertip shone with the radiance of runic symbols.

  "May your journey be blessed with safe passage. All you need to do is follow the river downstream and the boat will naturally reach its destination."

  She had apparently cast protection to prevent the boat from capsizing along the way. Furthermore, she was aiding the man who was about to battle the husband she loved deeply. With these complicated thoughts and feelings, Godou bowed his head.

  With that, the boat set sail, carrying the three moderners along with complicated feelings of hate and love.

  "This is heavy responsibility in all sorts of ways..."

  As the boat advanced forward swiftly, Godou quietly muttered to himself.

 

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