Campione 13

by Princess Goddess of the South Seas

  'Erica and I borrowed a boat and came here. We are currently investigating the island in various ways.'

  Liliana entered the conversation to report on the situation. As a side note, neither of them possessed a boat license. Nevertheless, Erica had borrowed the boat using the reason 'Maybe I'll handle it. Isn't it supposed to be a piece of cake?'

  Despite the engine, a boat was simply another means of transportation after all. Learning by emulating others was easy enough.

  Erica appeared to be quite proficient. Oh well, since Liliana was present and able to use flight magic, there was presumably little chance of being in distress.

  'I was thinking everyone must surely be alive. And it turns out just as predicted.'

  "I-Ignoring the matter of my survival, do show a little worry for Mariya and Seishuuin, okay?"

  Self-conscious about his own ridiculous ability to survive, Godou complained on behalf of his two female companions. Erica responded "Leaving that aside..." and began to ask about the the situation on the island.

  Godou explained concisely. Then Liliana spoke up.

  'This happened last night. After returning to the city of Kota Kinabalu, we tried interviewing a man who had fortunately survived and returned from the island in the past.'

  During the time from last night till now, the two knights had apparently made the most of every moment.

  Truly astute. As Godou listened admiringly, Erica continued:

  'This is what he said. After going around in circles on the island, he became despondent. In the end, he took an inflatable boat he happened to be carrying and rowed desperately downstream. Although he had already resigned himself to death, somehow he was able to return to the ocean.'

  Rafting. This was the sport of navigating white water rapids.

  Attempting that kind of activity on this island was surely quite dangerous. Godou was deeply impressed.

  "Escaping unscathed to the ocean huh..."

  'Apparently it was thanks to his favorite hobby of competitive kayaking. In any case, it looks like we'll just have to follow the water's guidance.'

  'If this goddess controls flames, then water is precisely the substance for sealing her power.'

  Godou nodded in agreement with Erica and Liliana's advice.

  'I have already confirmed, flight magic can only reach as far as the beach on the island. If possible, please make your way there then we should be able to instantly converge with you three.'

  'Gathering everyone together is our first priority. If possible, it would be best to avoid combat.'

  The above was the content of the discussion Godou had with the two knights from afar.

  As the brief conversation ended, the images on the stream also disappeared.

  Having focused her attention all this time, Yuri opened her eyes, turned towards Ena, who had acted as a listener throughout, and nodded.

  It was off to a start again.

  Following a river downhill was said to be taboo in situations of outdoor survival.

  Rivers and streams flowing in mountainous terrain were particularly prone to flash floods. Were it to rain, the water volume could swell instantly, sweeping everyone into the river. Due to the looseness of the soil, there also existed the possibility of accidentally falling into the river.

  Furthermore, despite being the interior of a suspicious demonic realm, this was a tropical zone after all.

  One could not help but worry about the sudden arrival of fierce wind and heavy rain—localized rainstorms. The Borneo region was currently in monsoon season and sudden showers frequently occurred during the time from afternoon until night.

  However, Godou and Yuri were currently accompanied by their companion Ena, the child of nature.

  Trusting in the girl who was capable of sensing incoming rain by smell, they intentionally committed the taboo act with full awareness.

  As if proving the correctness of the Hime-Miko's spirit powers, advancing along the flowing steam brought them to an unfamiliar location.

  The group was walking on fine gravel along the side of the stream.

  Stones of various sizes were scattered all over the ground. Occasionally, they had to make their way over large boulders or step into the stream, immersing themselves up to knee-level in order to advance.

  Given this situation, the various levels of physical stamina in the members of the group were brought into full view.

  Ena was like a fish in water. With motions as agile as a monkey, she kept moving forward.

  By herself, she could probably traverse such difficult terrain effortlessly. But of course, she was not going to do that. She was mainly preoccupied with assisting her childhood friend who lacked physical stamina.

  Yuri panted heavily as she climbed the boulders while Ena backed her up.

  When walking in the rapids, the trio had their waists tied together by rope to prevent Yuri from slipping and getting washed away. Ena led the way.

  "Oh I am truly sorry for being such a hindrance to you all..."

  Yuri apologized with dejection as she made her way arduously.

  Naturally, no one else thought that apart from her. No matter what, Yuri was the true guide of the group, the indispensable compass.

  In fact, there were times when the shores of the river were vertical cliffs.

  Unable to follow the riverbank, they were forced to take a detour, leaving the river and advancing by listening to sounds of water. However, due to the labyrinth's effects, they somehow became lost in the forest.

  Just as Godou panicked, thinking they were in a bad situation...

  "Please go that way."

  Following the direction Yuri indicated resolutely with her finger, they were able to get back to the stream.

  For Yuri's sake, Godou would stop for quick breaks from time to time. Given his physical stamina, this level of exertion was completely not a problem. He also had outdoor experience before.

  In this manner, they traveled for roughly three hours.

  Glancing at his watch, Godou found the time to be approaching 2pm.

  Godou felt that Yuri's stamina was almost at her limits. Her eyes wandering in a daze, her footsteps were weak and unsteady. Whenever anyone spoke to her, she would be startled before attempting to respond. Seeing her forcing herself to smile was heartbreaking.

  "Let's rest around here for an hour or two."

  Although they had been taking breaks every once in a while, it seemed like it was time for a longer period of rest.

  After Godou made his announcement, Yuri immediately showed an expression of relief.

  "U-Understood... Then I shall sit down for a bit over there..."

  Yuri walked unsteadily over to the shade under some trees.

  But she fell down along the way. Godou and Ena immediately hurried over to help her up and laid her leaning against a tree.

  She most likely collapsed from exhaustion. Resting against the tree trunk, Yuri fell asleep with audible breathing noises.

  "Making you suffer so much of this hardship because of me, I'm really sorry..."

  "Oh well, Yuri is enduring hardship for the sake of fulfilling Your Majesty's expectations."

  While Godou apologized as he gazed at the peaceful sleeping face of the sheltered young lady, Ena commented with a smile.

  This sort of answer from the Seishuuin family's eldest daughter revealed a glimpse of her true nature. Above being a modern high school girl, she was first and foremost a highborn Yamato Nadeshiko hailing from a prestigious family steeped in warrior traditions.

  "But it looks like it'll take at least three days to reach the sea if we keep moving at this pace. Ena and Your Majesty can just make it, but Yuri probably can't endure to the end."

  "You're right. I guess we really have to try that method..."

  Godou paced about as he contemplated the idea.

  Then he turned to look at the stream that fulfilled the role of a guideline.

  In terms of caloric consumption, the idea was va
stly superior to marching on land. However, the dangers involved were likely twenty times greater or more. Furthermore, they did not have the necessary equipment.

  "Your Majesty is so amazing. To think you've got an idea already. What is it?"

  "Yeah, didn't Erica and Liliana mention already? There was someone who used rafting to get out to sea. But if amateurs like us with no experience tried it, we'll definitely capsize along the way. Besides, without an inflatable boat or oars, we can't even attempt the challenge."

  In addition, trying to build a wooden boat would require substantial skill and tools.

  Precisely due to these reasons, Godou had abandoned this idea which had zero chance of realization. However, Ena began to ponder in earnest after hearing it.

  "Seishuuin? This really isn't going to work. There's no need to ponder it so seriously."

  "No, although there are many problems in the details... It's not impossible. So long as Ena and Yuri make the most of our spells, it should still work."

  What!? Godou was greatly surprised by this unforeseen answer.

  "Rather than getting cornered without any options because of worrying about risk, it's better to commit to an attempt. But as expected of Your Majesty, Ena couldn't possibly have thought up an idea like that!"

  The Hime-Miko of the Sword remarked cheerfully with a smile of praise.

  "I'm sorry, I completely don't understand what part of my idea is worthy of your praise."

  "No no, Ena always shows admiration for anyone who could come up with even more ridiculous ideas. Besides, Your Majesty is a person who not only has ideas but also puts them into action."

  "Now that you put it this way, I don't feel like I'm being praised..."

  With a subtle feeling, Godou put down his rucksack and began to rummage through his luggage.

  Yuri would probably want to have some light snacks once she woke up. Godou readied his equipment in preparation for that.

  On the other hand, Ena made a childish expression as if about to engage in mischief.

  Taking a knife, she slowly cut down branches from the trees growing on the riverbank. Then gathering the fallen branches, she took out various tools from her rucksack.

  "~~~~~~♪"

  Ena hummed as she engrossed herself in the unknown task.

  Finishing preparations for outdoor cooking (which was not much to speak of), Godou waited leisurely for Yuri to wake up and Ena to finish her task.

  Forty minutes passed. With great satisfaction, Ena placed the finished object into her pocket.

  A little while after that, Yuri woke up and began to survey the riverbank surroundings with a sleepy gaze.

  Godou got ready.

  Ena took out a bottle of natural stream water on which the words "wonderfully delicious" were written on it. The water was poured into a stainless steel pot they were carrying. Then Godou took out a small-sized gas stove to boil it.

  Once the water boiled in the pot, some of it was poured into three aluminum mugs.

  Then instant coffee and sugar from stick-shaped sachets were added and stirred. The sugar portion was especially generous.

  After that, Godou added bag-packaged instant noodles to the boiling water in the pot.

  While waiting for the noodles to cook, Godou called Yuri and Ena over.

  "Fufu. This is so sweet and very tasty too."

  Scalded slightly by the temperature of the aluminum mug's brim, Yuri was drinking her coffee in a cherishing manner.

  She smiled radiantly. In actual fact, people would find sugar particularly tasty after exhausting themselves on a long walk. This was due to the body's desire for energy replenishment.

  "Say, Seishuuin, what were you doing just now?"

  "Hmm, something I made just in case. I'll explain later."

  Seeing Ena busy eating her noodles, Godou decided to pursue the matter later.

  He was quite hungry too. Godou wolfed down the noodles together with the salty broth. On the other hand, Yuri was gracefully eating her noodles with a satisfied expression.

  Renourished, the trio cleared up efficiently.

  Godou still had no intention of setting off immediately. Although they needed to hurry on their way, it would be placing the cart before the horse if this caused Yuri to collapse again. Let's rest a little while longer—Godou thought to himself.

  However, before he could give voice to his thoughts, he suddenly sensed the approach of a situation that rendered his sentence moot.

  A great noise was heard. It was the type of noise produced from trees falling over left and right, trampled by the approach of some kind of gigantic entity.

  Ena stood up and gathered her concentration, directing her focused gaze towards the noise.

  Surprised, Yuri also did the same as her fellow miko.

  Then the figure entered Godou's field of vision.

  A giant, roughly fourteen or fifteen meters tall. Musclebound all over. Since all he wore was a loincloth, his extraordinarily developed muscles were clear to see.

  And he was one-eyed. Instead of two eyeballs, he only possessed one.

  A one-eyed giant. According to Greek mythology, this would be a cyclops. Appearing before Godou's group was a new minion of the goddess.

  Part 5

  The cyclops looked down at Godou's trio from above, making a violent snort.

  He seemed quite excited. It would come as no surprise if he suddenly attacked. Responding to Ena's consent-seeking gaze, Godou passed Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi's usage rights to her.

  Then the jet-black divine blade suddenly manifested in the hand of the Hime-Miko of the Sword in a display of steel might.

  As Ena prepared to approach and attack the cyclops in one fell swoop, Godou gestured to her to stand down.

  There was not much point in skirmishing here against an enemy of merely divine beast class. The mastermind was somewhere else. Godou looked towards the expansive sky behind the cyclops.

  "In any case, you must be watching this! Stop sending these subordinates and come down yourself!"

  Godou called out to the goddess who should be somewhere behind her minion's back.

  The response came instantly. Dazzling light descended from the sky, glittering as brilliantly as sunlight reflecting off the surface of water. Countless lights gathered together.

  This dazzling brightness swirled in a vortex resembling a galaxy and descended next to the cyclops.

  'Fufufufu. I cannot but answer your summons, my dear. My most beloved god-slayer!'

  The goddess' voice came from the vortex of light floating in midair.

  Godou could feel his body and mind overflowing with combat power and rising emotion. Although she still concealed her appearance, her true body was definitely present. Then a familiar cawing was heard.

  SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWK!

  The divine eagle flew from the distant sky. The wounds Ena inflicted seemed to have healed completely.

  With the divine eagle gathered with the cyclops, the opposing side's formation was ready.

  "What the heck do you mean by 'most beloved'... You won't even talk to me face to face."

  'We can casually enjoy that kind of activity later.'

  The goddess replied to Godou's grumbling in an inexplicably adorable tone of voice.

  'Ufufu. In my view, a man must first possess a strong body and heroic mettle in order to become mine. My dear, by my eyes of a goddess', I can tell you are my type of man. How about it, accept these loving feelings and agree to my invitation, yes?'

  "What invitation? Is it going to be... Twisting my arms and legs off again, right?"

  Despite the annoyance Godou was feeling, he still continued to converse:

  "If you plan to take me by force, we'll simply have to resist. But I don't really want to engage in violence. Why don't you give up on me and continue living your life quietly?"

  As a believer in pacifism, Godou tried his best to propose calmly.

  However, the goddess in her vortex of lig
ht form did not answer. Instead she seemed to giving off an impression as though she was smiling "fufufufu..." Godou sighed.

  Just as Amakasu pointed out, this goddess really did seem to have stalker characteristics.

  In that case, Godou had no choice but to respond accordingly. He first asked:

  "Who made this island? Was it you or Alexandre Gascoigne?"

  'Ah, what a truly nostalgic name. Speaking of which, he is also a god-slayer of the present generation. Fufufufu, so it turns out that you two know each other!'

  A correct guess. Godou had mentioned Alec's name simply as a test, but it turned out to be right on target.

  Having gotten a lead, Godou nodded. But then the goddess' next words caused him to go "Eh?" in great surprise.

  'Just as you suggested, this island is something I created to reminisce the age of myths, using the divine artifact given to me by him—His Highness Alexandre, as proof of love. This isolated island, as a goddess' territory, shall become the love nest for Kusanagi-sama and I!'

  "P-Proof of love!?"

  "Given by Prince Alec!?"

  Yuri and Ena were simultaneously dumbstruck by the shocking news.

  However, the goddess did not elaborate further on this topic. Instead, her dazzling brightness intensified compared to before.

  In response to the light, the divine eagle suddenly cried out.

  SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWK!!

  Even the cyclops began to yell sonorously in accord.

  UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

  The savage divine minion stomped his feet. He seemed like he was all to eager to start "twisting off" Godou's arms and legs. In that case, the appropriate choice would be—

  "For victory, hasten forth before me... O Immortal Sun, I beseech thee to grant radiance to the stallion!"

  Pulling out a trump card suddenly, Godou invoked his greatest firepower, the [White Stallion].

  This Fire Goddess had apparently caused all sorts of commotions over the past few years. This was enough to satisfy the condition of "a great sinner who had caused suffering to the people."

  Obtaining victory in this manner would be best. Even if the enemy was not defeated, at least a certain matter could be confirmed—

  Believing thus, Godou summoned a second sun into the eastern sky from where spears of white light were released to descend upon the earth. Godou intended to engulf the vortex of light that stood as the goddess' incarnation.