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Campione 16

Page 22

by The Stirring of Heroes


  Pure white light enveloped Pallas Athena and the war gods.

  This greatly resembled the brightness given off when Liliana used flight magic. As expected, surrounded by light, the gods instantly rose up into the air, flying towards the eastern sky.

  Indeed. Towards the land where the "King of the End" still slumbered—the direction where the islands of Japan lay.

  Part 8

  "...That's what happened. This is the full story of Kusanagi-san's trip to Sardinia."

  Amakasu reported the situation using his smartphone.

  Receiving the report from Tokyo's Chiyoda ward was Sayanomiya Kaoru, a member of the History Compilation Committee's core leadership.

  "What a grand display. Gathering all the strong foes from the past, it's almost like a movie version of a live-action superhero television series."

  "Speaking of which, in the movies, it's the heroes who gather together."

  "In that case, doesn't it fit perfectly? In order to vanquish the evil army of great Devil Kings like Kusanagi-san, the heroes of justice and the former goddess has teamed up."

  "I see. That's quite true."

  Despite the joking words, there was no laughter in Amakasu's voice at all.

  More precisely, his tone of voice was mixed with sighs. Moreover, Kaoru's voice coming from the telephone did not carry her usual cheerfulness.

  "Anyway, the current plan is to meet up with Kusanagi-san and Erica-san at the Pisa airport then return to Japan with everyone else. Although originally, I was planning to enjoy a week's holiday."

  "What a stylish thing to say when you're on a business trip funded by public money. Nothing less expected of you, Amakasu-san."

  "Not at all. Getting proper rest for the body and mind during a heavy workload is a product of professional awareness."

  Ending the heartwarming conversation with his direct superior, Amakasu hung up.

  He was currently in the ancient castle hotel's lobby.

  Mariya Yuri, Hikari, Seishuuin Ena and Liliana were also present. Everyone was ready to return home, travel carrying cases in hand.

  "A serious situation has developed..."

  Liliana was murmuring in worry.

  Of course, the girls had learnt through Erica Blandelli the whole story about tracking down Salvatore Doni. Likewise for the reappearance of old enemies.

  "Perseus, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Lancelot, Athena... Furthermore, there is the wind god seen in Gaul and the 'King of the End' as well. It really feels like the end of the world."

  "How did this come about...?"

  Hearing Liliana's laments, Hikari began to look depressed.

  Meanwhile, Ena was gazing steadily at her fellow Hime-Miko. Ever since arriving at this lobby, the Mariya family's eldest daughter had remained silent with a blank expression.

  As her childhood friend, the Hime-Miko of the Sword took her time before asking:

  "Yuri, could it be that you saw something?"

  "...Perhaps, I suppose one could say that. However, I cannot fathom at all what significance it might actually hold. That is why I am uncertain whether I ought to speak or not—"

  Lacking in confidence while thinking over this matter, Yuri whispered softly.

  Ena responded by requesting in a relaxed tone of voice:

  "But Yuri, you only received the spirit vision after hearing about His Majesty's experiences, right? Whatever you saw, it's okay, just tell Ena first!"

  "Rather than seeing something, actually, it consists of nothing more than a few ambiguous words surfacing in my mind."

  "Words?"

  "Yes. This is the content: 'An evil dragon in the sea. The dragon summoned wind and clouds to blot the sky and sun. Lightning flashed to illuminate the sea. The king shot an arrow, piercing the dragon's chest—'"

  "...A tale of dragonslaying? What could it possibly mean?"

  Hearing the passage recounted by her fellow Hime-Miko, Ena felt perplexed.

  Hikari and Liliana also listened to their conversation with great interest. Furthermore, even Amakasu went "Hmm?" in curiosity, frowning his brow.

  Rather than originating from Yuri, those words seemed vaguely reminiscent from somewhere—

  For some unknown reason, that was the impression garnered

  Translator's Notes and References

  や がる is attached at the end of this, which is a verb suffix indicating hatred or contempt, which I can't find a good way of inserting in.

  The capitalist class who own most of society's wealth and means of production.

  In case you don't realize this, T = Takagi, S = Sorimachi, N = Nanami

  Yamato Nadeshiko: Ideal Japanese woman according to old standards. Beautiful, elegant, subservient.

  Kurizenzai: some kind of Japanese sweet made with soft beans and chestnuts

  Warabite-tou(蕨手刀): a sword used by the Ainu people which influenced the development of the katana.

  Son of Edo: Edo was the former name for Tokyo which rose to prominence as the stronghold of the Tokugawa shogunate. Renamed Tokyo after the imperial family regained power and moved there, it became the new capital of Japan. In short, "son of Edo" refers to a native Japanese man born and raised in Tokyo.

  Tekiya(的屋): itinerant Japanese merchants who, together with gamblers, were the predecessors to modern yakuza. [1]

  Illustrious Sage(顕 聖): taken literally, 顕 means to manifest while 聖 means sage or saint when used as a title but also carries the meanings of divine, holy, sacred.

  Oden(お でん): a Japanese winter dish consisting of ingredients such as eggs, radish, konnyaku and fish cakes stewed in broth. Often sold from food carts and Japanese convenience stores during winter.[2]

  Hassou-no-kamae(八 双の構え): one of the five stances of kendo, an offensive posture with the sword pointing upright and the blade sloping slightly to the rear.[3]

  Psalm 22:2

  Psalm 22:3

  Sorcerer(邪術師): note that the word "sorcery" is used in the Campione! universe to refer to evil magic. Hence, all sorcerers are evil by definition.

 

 

 


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