Previously, they had already seen the Campione known as the Black Prince.
"I remember today's visitor should have been a Mr. Gascony introduced by Pires-kun. What kind of funny idea is this?"
Professor West scrutinized Alec's face as he spoke.
"Exactly as was said. I am Alex Gascony. A Frenchman heading to Oxford for study, and a student hoping to meet you today. That's the story."
Alec admitted the pretense without reservation. After all, it was likely that the fairy doctor would have seen through a disguise. Hence, he openly showed the face of the Black Prince and made a visit under an awkward alias.
"Hmm. I see."
Using the name of Alexandre Gascoigne to make a visit to a facility related to John Pluto Smith would have been strange behavior that would easily develop into diplomatic problems between Devil Kings.
In order to avoid undue alarm, Alec had chosen to arrive in such a manner—
Presumably having figured out Alec's intentions, the Professor shrugged and sighed slightly.
"I guess I'd better ignore the fact that the name is reminiscent of a certain someone who is cause for concern. No, I think I'd better think more carefully about it!"
"Come on, at a time like this, formality is more important than substance. Hence this is enough."
"Then for what purpose has Mr. Gascony come to this place?"
Annie Charlton interrupted.
She glared very sharply at Alec. If the Professor was met with danger she would immediately step forward to protect him. Such resolve was clearly visible. What an amazing heroic female.
"I don't plan on hanging around for long, so let's cut to the chase. Dragon bones — or using the way they call it in this city, that would be 'Angel's Remains.' Please lend them to me for a brief little while."
"What?"
"What are you intending to do with that sort of thing?"
Alec smiled proudly in response to Annie and the Professor's surprise.
"For experiment and verification."
"Are you planning to bring turmoil to the world again?"
"So, what are you going to do? Even though I intend to perform an act of charity by removing a seed of disaster from the world, people who don't mind their business would probably disagree. Whether what I described is an act of good or evil, there is no way for you to ascertain."
Alec seemed to be deliberately evading Annie's question.
"Anyway, I need dragon bones for this reason. Professor, I received news that you obtained dragon bones from Sichuan province in China roughly ten years ago. If you'll lend them out generously, I won't have to waste any unnecessary effort. I hope you will consider it."
Unnecessary effort. Namely, theft.
Whenever there was something he wished to obtain, no matter what kind of wealth, authority, or magic the owner possessed, he would never shy away from the act of theft. Being concerned with society's notions of morals or common sense was completely not his style.
"You are a terrible man! Despite your usual serious demeanor and behavior, once you get into action, you reveal that horrible troublemaking nature of yours!"
West shook his head with great annoyance.
"Very well, As you wish. I will provide you with the 'Remains' I possess."
"Joe! You cannot decide so rashly!"
In response to Annie Charlton's warning, Joe West answered with deep consideration.
"Asherah has perished, and the [King of Flies] is disbanded. Los Angeles is currently celebrating long awaited peace that had not appeared for years. It's time to put aside the conflict between Pluto and the Black Prince. Besides, Annie, I don't believe he is the kind of Devil King who would easily resort to theft and take what he wants without warning."
In a duel between two Devil Kings, the outcome was completely uncertain. This was not a matter of who was stronger.
Because a Campione's talent lay precisely in seeking victory no matter the odds, achieving success through apparently foolish but bold action.
However, the matter of winning or losing was not only limited to 'theft.'
Joe West was correct. This was Black Prince Alec's personal victory.
He was the Devil King of divine speed and the labyrinth. The one who vanquished innumerable foes using suspicious authorities. Furthermore, he was skilled in magic and strategy. This sort of disposition made him the most powerful eccentric thief in history.
Finally with great reluctance, Annie nodded in agreement to her teacher's words.
Part 2
On a table in the research lab was a shallow dish.
In it sat a milky-white little stone.
"Reportedly, when a [Heretic God] manifesting on earth loses their material body, in extremely rare instances, a portion of their remains survive as flesh and bone. Chinese Daoists call them 'Dragon's Bones' while North American magi call them 'Angel's Remains.' Isn't that right?"
"Ah yes. But of course, flesh and bone that is completely different from any other creature on earth."
As Alec muttered while examining the stone, the Professor replied.
"When deities pass on, their bodies either turn into sand and collapse or change into stone and shatter. On those occasions, if a part maintains its form by chance, then it becomes worshiped as a sacred relic, to be used as a massive power source for magi. Well, it is an exceptionally rare thing to find."
The Professor looked down at the stone in the shallow dish.
"This was the object found by chance from a place in China where the creation goddess Nüwa[2] had descended."
"Nüwa. Also a mother earth goddess possessing a 'snake' divinity."
Alec took out the Heavenly Reverse Halberd from his pocket, and brought it close to the milky-white stone.
The Halberd proceeded to lengthen. From the length of a ballpoint pen it became almost a meter long. The change rendered Professor West and Annie speechless.
"As expected, it reacted to the mother earth goddess' remains..."
Alec knew from his decade long experience in adventuring.
The "remains" of deities carried divine properties far surpassing divine beasts in level. They could very well provide the same effect as contact with a god—
Alec smiled at the smooth progress of his plan.
So, how should he use this Halberd? Let's try stabbing the tip into the floor and see... It went through. It almost felt like sticking a rod into mud.
The Heavenly Reverse Halberd's tip was embedded into the ceramic tiled floor.
"Before the founding of the country, amorphous land was floating and suspended like globules of fat. Izanagi and Izanami were tasked with 'maintaining and stabilizing this floating country,' and were bestowed the Heavenly Reverse Halberd. The two gods stood atop the Floating Bridge of Heaven, inserting this Halberd into the sea, and started to stir..."
Alec recalled the passage in Japanese mythology.
He attempted to stir the tiled floor using the Heavenly Reverse Halberd. Amazing. The ceramic tiles gradually lost hardness and cohesion. In the beginning, it felt like mixing concrete, but gradually the sense of resistance disappeared, like ice-cream melting.
"...Melted? Did it lose its form?"
"Using the Japanese way of description, it should be called the 'Leech Child'[3] state."
The Professor and Alec, as well as Annie who had remained silent all this time, were all focusing their gaze on this phenomenon.
Mere dozens of seconds ago, the ceramic tiles were still a part of the floor.
But now they had become a flowing liquid with a color that was hard to describe. On first glance it appeared transparent and colorless, but continued scrutiny found it to be pure white, then glittering with light. Flashing all sorts of colored light, it kept changing colors like a kaleidoscope.
Within it, all the colors of the human world could be found. Colorlessness carrying infinite color.
"...Gascony. Or rather, Alexandre Gascoigne. What is the 'Leech Child'?"
<
br /> Annie suddenly questioned, but not in a student's manner.
Or more accurately, it was like the royal tone of one king questioning another as equals.
"That was the deformed child who was the firstborn of Japan's creator gods Izanagi and Izanami. His body was said to be amorphous and lacking in bones. Soon after his birth, he was washed into the ocean and buried in darkness..."
As Alec explained, he suddenly had an idea.
He reversed the clockwise motion he was using to stir the Heavenly Reverse Halberd, and tried going counterclockwise instead. After stirring for a while, the sense of resistance gradually increased.
The feeling of stirring water soon became that of stirring ice-cream.
Then it became like stirring concrete, and finally, completely solid.
...The ceramic tiles on the floor were restored. Well, except there was a spiral pattern in the center of the tiles, so it was not exactly back to its original appearance.
"The 'island-fishing' and 'country-founding' myths passed down in East Asia and the South Seas.[4] Could this Halberd be that divine artifact reappeared...? The key to forming land and even giving birth to the Leech Child..."
Alec's mind was a turbulent sea of recalled facts and imaginings.
The strongest [Steel]. The king who manifests at the end of eras. Past incidents in Japan. The Heavenly Reverse Halberd's requisite powers. Also, Avalon and Guinevere...
"Come to think of it, now should be a perfect opportunity to cut those cursed ties with that woman..."
Alec used the magic of [Dismissal] to dispel the Heavenly Reverse Halberd.
This allowed it to be retrieved when necessary by the magic of [Summoning]. European knights used this magic whenever they needed to carry their swords and lances with them. Alec proceeded to turn to the owner of the lab.
"My apologies for taking up your time. My matter has finished so let me take my leave."
"For us, that is the greatest favor you could do."
Towards Alec's statement, Annie responded with a displeased expression:
"Then leave, before you bring disaster to our city. Alexandre Gascoigne, I sincerely hope you never step foot in California ever again!"
Leaving the research lab, Alec turned himself into lightning and headed towards the sea.
In order to test the functions of the Heavenly Reverse Halberd again.
Satisfied with the results, he decided to spend the night in Los Angeles.
It was a room facing the Pacific Ocean, in a high class hotel. Having arranged room service and finished his meal, his bed was already prepared.
However, Alec was sitting on a chair by the window, deep in thought.
Traveling to the west coast of North America all the way from East Asia, he was both exhausted and jetlagged. Be that as it may, there was still a mountain of matters to consider.
Alec had cast "barrier" magic in the room beforehand.
Simple magic for warning about the approach of danger. Nevertheless, it was more than sufficient for the Campione of divine speed. Whether fleeing, fighting, or confusing the enemy, the choice was up to him. As a result, Alec simply spoke indifferently when the magic alarm sounded.
"If you want to visit at night, shouldn't you call first?"
"This level of rudeness is completely acceptable for a gentleman's room that was booked under a fake name. Avoiding unnecessary toil is my style."
What kind of mystic technique or method had been used?
What should have been a locked window was now flung open, causing the curtains to flutter in the wind.
Casually stepping in from outside the window was a black-masked eccentric. Furthermore, this room was on the tenth floor of a high-rise hotel.
The mask's visor had a design reminiscent of insectoid eyes.
Under the cape which resembled a demonic bird's wings, an eccentric person was dressed in an opera-style high class outfit.
"Gascoigne. You and I had agreed to a non-aggression pact. Does your current visit not violate those terms?"
John Pluto Smith. The dark Devil King who lorded over Los Angeles had appeared.
"I'm not visiting as Alexandre Gascoigne... I have already communicated this fact to your subordinates."
"From the abysmal attitude you showed to my friends at the lab, this statement of yours is as good as junk."
Smith shrugged his black-caped shoulders. It was an exaggerated motion that one would find in a theatre performance.
The ordinary hotel room had essentially been turned into a theatrical stage.
"In the coastal waters of Los Angeles... In the Channel Islands' vicinity, an island not recorded in maps had suddenly appeared. This strange phenomenon happened around 1500 hours today."
"Oh?"
"Furthermore, at around 1700 hours, this island suddenly vanished again."
"Really?"
"It was reported to me by a benevolent mage who sensed massive magical power and deliberately went to investigate. By the way, Gascoigne, you seem to be personally carrying a divine artifact?"
"Purely coincidence. So what?"
Alec replied nonchalantly.
"With regard to this matter, it's in your best interests not to get in my way."
"That really sounds oh so attractive... What are you planning, Gascoigne?"
The mask's visor glared at Alec's handsome face.
"It is true that your grand imagination and initiative are your strong points. However, if memory serves me, you have never applied those strengths towards anything apart from personal hobbies. Even one such as I, believes that you need to be treated with caution."
"Stop talking nonsense. I am neither as self-centered nor as destructive as people say I am."
"That I can agree. However, compared to common morality, you place greater importance on your personal aesthetic ideals. Furthermore, your reckless, inconsiderate, and troublemaking personality is exactly as rumored. Hence I believe public opinion cannot be dismissed."
"...Eh."
"Consequently, trusting you unconditionally would be equivalent to a dangerous gamble."
Alec smacked his lips, declining to retort.
This melodramatic cosplay maniac was different from China's freakishly strong girl or Italy's idiot. If one were to offer negotiations, this man could at least be counted on to respond rationally. The agenda must be pushed.
"How about eliminating the leader of the Divine Ancestors? A plan to root out and cleanse the seeds of trouble. This should have personal relevance to you."
"Divine Ancestor. A term last heard many months ago."
"Entrenched in North America, sorcerers have been classified into various factions. One of them is composed of witches who worshiped as queens the European Divine Ancestors of old. That group of witches crossed over from Europe to the American continent during pioneering days, and wreaked much havoc."
Alec brought up the dark side of history known only to magi.
Of course, Smith was well aware of it. After all, the [King of Flies] he had spent the last few years fighting was a faction of sorcerers related to witch lineages.
Finally, the black-masked king nodded and went "True."
"These witches' secretive activities and troublemaking preparations, caused the Protestant clergy to enter a pathological fervor on witch hunts. This resulted in the torture of many innocent women. A most tragic event."
"...So, Gascoigne."
The mask's visor pointed straight at Alec as Smith began to speak.
"In other words, is this what you are proposing? The Divine Ancestors, who still hold great influence over sorcerers — in order to deal them a devastating blow, I should turn a blind eye to your secretive dealings."
"Ah yes. You don't want to fight a second Asherah, right?"
"Hmm."
Smith paused silently for a brief moment, then began to mutter slowly.
"True, this is mutually beneficial. However."
"What is it? Do you need evide
nce that I am speaking the truth?"
"Demanding that from a man like you would be useless. Only because your wit and imagination are indeed exemplary. However, when unexpected incidents flare up, it is also true that you abandon those qualities without hesitation."
"That's not abandoning. It's just ad-libbing in response to changing situations!"
Alec could not help but make a violent outburst at the accusation.
"Our opponents have always been gods and our peers, the Campiones. Precisely because common sense and logic are never applicable to these opponents, reacting flexibly is only natural."
"Well. I can't disagree with that... But for you, being flexible can result in the original plan going completely awry. Probably that time when the fake Grail had appeared, you began taking reckless action on your own, and ignored your negotiations with that Princess."
Princess.
Naturally, Smith was referring to the former spokesperson of England's Witenagemot, daughter of Duke Gododdin, Alice Louise of Navarre.
Alec could not believe that that woman had disclosed their secret agreement so easily...!
Alec was secretly incensed by Smith's sarcastic tone. However.
"Having said that, I am also well aware that Alexandre Gascoigne's plans do succeed on occasion, numerous times... Very well, I shall turn a blind eye to your rudeness this time."
"Really. Then I apologize."
Alec calmed down from Smith's words. Even though he was nowhere near as melodramatic as that masked eccentric, the Black Prince was also a rather vain Campione.
Having ended the conversation, John Pluto Smith bowed elegantly and left through the window.
Exactly how a famous actor would exit the stage after the curtain call.
In less than twenty seconds, Alec took a brief glance out of the window, but there were no signs of the black-caped black-masked hero. He had vanished like a puff of smoke.
"Still a man who comes and goes so mysteriously."
After grumbling to himself, Alec took out his cellphone.
He made an international call to his trusted subordinate in England, Sir Iceman.
Alec succinctly summed up for the legendary knight the "plan" he had crystallized over the past few hours. For the organization leader to be abroad for extended periods of time, strategizing and taking action personally, Sir Iceman could only lament against the reckless plan.
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