Currently the History Compilation Committee seemed to be putting all their efforts into controlling information, and were busy sealing off the affected areas.
They had already controlled all news and prohibited the media from making detailed reports. During this time, an abortive incident of toxic gas leak near Kawasaki was reported... A fabricated news source.
All sorts of methods were employed to publicize it, in preparation for covering up the ridiculous truth.
The biggest problem now faced was how to handle the families of petrified victims. No matter what, failing to return home without any communication would worry friends and family, causing them to take action.
If there was a way to resolve the incident swiftly, of course it should be taken.
Personally, Godou wanted to see Yuri and Liliana revived as soon as possible.
Nevertheless.
"Due to the current situation, I guess we need Kusanagi-san's cooperation no matter what. It would be a great help if you could agree readily. In addition to that, at the same time as saving the victims of petrification, please slay Athena in her vulnerable stone form. If another incident could be prevented by striking at its root, then 'all will be fine.'"
Kaoru's request sent Godou into deep thought.
Right. If he took the opportunity to slay Athena then everything would be resolved.
However, Godou still stood there staring blankly. Ever since Athena had turned into a statue, he had been idling on this beach for hours.
That star which had displayed white [Swords] of terrifying power —
Godou believed that the one controlling it, Guinevere, would probably target Athena again.
This goddess who had brought great disaster to human society, even if he were to abandon her to her own devices, no one would complain, right?
Time continued to advance, and night had fallen.
Godou was still idling on the seashore accompanying Athena's statue.
He had just received a call from Amakasu, informing him that Ena was arriving later to bring something over. He must have realized Godou was agonizing over something.
However, Amakasu did not try to broach the subject.
Intending to respect a Campione's decision? Or leaving things alone because he gave up on understanding why Godou was troubled? The latter seemed more and more unlikely.
Anyway, even Godou himself could not articulate why he felt so concerned about Athena's matters.
"She... Is really about to die?"
Guinevere's subterfuge. The matter of the Holy Grail. Athena's various behavior. After much thought, Godou reached that conclusion.
A beach in early winter. A charming statue enduring against the icy cold sea breeze.
Even though it had the appearance of an eleven or twelve-year-old girl, there was no child-like innocence in that face.
Neither powerless nor harmless. She was the queen ruling over the high heavens, the bountiful earth and the dark underworld. The exalted goddess.
With death approaching, she had forced herself to pay Godou a visit —
"Why would she do that..."
Godou could imagine, but he was uncertain if he guessed correctly. It was probably too difficult to fill the cultural divide through his lone efforts. Godou instinctively took out his cellphone.
A warrior queen from the Bronze and Iron Age civilizations. What he needed was someone whose brain was wired the same way.
"Give me a break, I can't possibly talk to that idiot!?"
Amongst all Godou's friends and acquaintances, one particular young man was clearly furthest away from modern ways of thinking.
The child blessed by heaven in the strange ways of the sword. The god-slaying knight.
Despite Godou's efforts to forget him, it was strange how that man always managed to elicit a hostile response. It always felt like irrelevant concerns. That guy was like a Viking warrior who had conformed to modern life, but he was not an appropriate conversation partner. Best to reconsider.
As a result, Godou decided to call someone else.
He made an international call to Italy. Accounting for the current time of 6pm with a time difference of eight hours, whether that person had awakened or not was a rather delicate question —
'What's going on, Godou? You finally couldn't bear the loneliness of my absence?'
Instantly connected to Erica Blandelli, Godou decided this would count as rising early for her.
However, she was speaking in a cheerful manner unlike her usual tone of voice when getting out of bed.
"Even when you're not around, I'm still very lively and not depressed at all. Don't make up strange stories."
'Of course not, it's not like I'm Lily. I was just imagining how someone might feel after losing me, an existence much like the sun.'
Godou could only laugh wryly in response to her usual confident and imposing manner.
"Let's put that aside. We have a real crisis over here."
'......Yes. And it truly seems like a real crisis."
After a brief explanation, Erica commented with indifference.
Furthermore, she even added the following remark calmly:
'Well, whenever you feel lost, know that your heart has already made its decision. Just do as you feel. I will back you up properly once we converge later.'
"My heart has already made its decision?"
No way. Being unclear on what to do was the exact reason why he wanted to talk to someone.
But Erica carried on indifferently.
'The Kusanagi Godou I know, is a person who acts without a moment's hesitation when he wants to defeat someone. Yes, it is impossible to imagine someone who grew up in peaceful modern Japan to have such bold decisiveness.'
"I am a veritable pacifist and member of modern civilized society. Stop making these strange descriptions."
'What's wrong? I've always thought, that Godou here, is similar to those early equestrian tribes enamored with civilization. Acting civilized during times of peace but completely merciless in battle. And about to be accustomed to a vagrant life requiring great decisiveness.'
What was Erica trying to say? Godou was getting angry.
If that were true then he was just a selfish inconsiderate person. That would be a massive amendment to the character description!
'Do you need me to point out all the similarities between you and the nomadic Mongolian horde that swept through China and various nations in Europe? In that regard, I'm sure Godou you don't need any help in understanding..."
"None of your business. But really, when I feel lost my heart has already decided?"
Even though he completely ignored the criticism that refuted his claim to being a modern human, he will keep the other piece of advice in mind.
"When are you coming back?"
'It's not like I require special permission, but I won't be able to board a plane immediately. With the current situation, I do need to return to Japan as soon as possible. We will meet up first before seeing how things go from there. Before that, please fight as you see fit.'
I see. Godou nodded firmly, ending the conversation with Erica.
She could not return immediately to support him, but without any worry or uneasiness, he will wait for the return of the companion whom he could trust to watch his back.
In that case, it's really up to myself how to handle things as I see fit —
Guided by that notion, Godou's thoughts naturally fell in line. Yuri and Liliana in that state must be saved. The petrified victims all have to be rescued no matter what. And then there was Athena, if that troublesome goddess also had extenuating circumstances...
Abandoning someone for the sake of another, that was not Godou's style of doing things.
I will adhere to my own principles no matter what.
Part 2
"Sorry you had to wait, Your Majesty!"
Ena arrived on the seashore half an hour after the call to Erica had ended.
As usual
, she was wearing that uniform from that school located goodness knows where, with the cloth bag slung over her shoulder carrying a Japanese sword. In addition, she had brought food contained in convenience store bags, as well as outdoor equipment such as sleeping bags.
"...You brought all sorts of things."
"I was thinking perhaps we might need to spend the night here just in case. For the moment, Amakasu-san has also arranged for lodgings nearby."
Ena lightly put down the luggage on the beach as Godou spoke with his eyes widened in surprise. Perhaps due to her martial arts training and running around in the mountains, her legs and back must be rather strong.
"I was absorbed in my thoughts and it totally did not occur to me. Thanks and sorry."
"Don't worry about it. Let's make something to eat."
Saying that, Ena immediately went to work gathering fallen twigs from nearby.
She seemed to be choosing dry twigs that were not soaked by seawater. Realizing the Hime-Miko's intentions, Godou also followed suit.
A few minutes later, Ena used a lighter to start a fire with the twigs and paper they had gathered.
Thus a campfire was ready. Due to excellent night vision, the lack of lighting did not pose any inconvenience, but it was still rather chilly. Having a fire for warmth felt really great.
"Seishuuin doesn't smoke, right?"
"Right. But lighters and matches have all kinds of convenient uses, so I always keep them on me."
True. They were tools with many uses out in the wild.
Having responded like a child of nature, Ena poured mineral water bought from the convenience store into an outdoor kettle, and started boiling the water.
Then she took out two portions of cup noodles.
She placed deep-fried tofu into the noodles in clear broth, and set out all sorts of deep-fried food.
Deep-fried pork chop sandwiches, BLT sandwiches, hotdogs and burgers. There were also various flavors of rice balls such as salmon, tarako salted roe, kombu seaweed and plum. It seemed to be an assortment of food items appropriately selected from convenience store shelves.
"Eating outdoors like this is rather delicious."
"Yeah. Cities are so nice, so easy to collect ingredients. If this was the mountains, gathering food would be such a chore."
The two sat around the campfire and began their meal facing each other.
Since he was rather hungry, Godou didn't bother with manners and swept everything clean.
The seaweed in the cup noodles turned out to be surprisingly tasty. The taste seemed to seep slowly into the depths of his tired body. Ena was also enjoying her food with great relish.
She seemed like the type who could not resist this kind of junk food.
Godou had heard before that the daughters of the Seishuuin family were raised as high class ladies back in the village...
"I have done this before, but it seems like it's been a while since I went to the mountains."
Godou recalled going on trips with friends who loved the outdoors.
Spending time together with Ena was like having a male friend. Even though Godou had grown more or less accustomed to getting along with girls, it still felt very exhausting most of the time.
Incredibly, this child of nature did not make him feel the same way.
"Does Your Majesty like visiting the mountains? If that's the case, go with Ena. Next time Ena plans on climbing the sacred grounds of Ukokusan. It's a place where even locals do not venture for training unless they are veterans. A very tough challenge. It's gonna be fun."
"...I think our experience with 'mountains' are on completely different levels."
The invitation felt like it was no different from a one-way trip to the afterlife.
Godou smiled wryly at Ena who made her suggestion with complete carefreeness.
"If we're going, let's pick somewhere less challenging. How about a mountain more suitable to novices, that even Mariya can make her way up with effort?"
"...Yuri too?"
"Yeah. If we're going out next time, let's bring Mariya and Liliana along as well."
Godou asserted.
With those two's talents, they would not need to subsist on instant food all the time.
Perhaps they would even prepare exquisite outdoor cuisine. Well, eating so casually today turned out to be quite pleasant too. However, it would not be appropriate in situations where Yuri and Liliana were present.
They would probably say something like prohibiting this kind of unhealthy food...
Godou recalled Liliana's passionate diatribe against the evils of food additives and trans fatty acids.
"Let's rescue them tomorrow. You'll help, right? Seishuuin."
"Of course. You can rely on Ena!"
Godou began to ponder as he listened to the upbeat voice of the Hime-Miko.
He must save those two girls, as well as the others. This was already established. The remaining problem was how to clear up the whole story of the troublesome goddess. Ever since night had fallen, he had been troubled by these questions...
Godou was about to throw trash into the convenience store bag when he noticed something.
"What's that?"
There was a piece of paper in the bag.
A few words in English were written on it.
The scribbled handwriting read "Watch out. Here comes snatcher!"
"Beware of thief... Something like that? When did that get in here?"
"Sent by a spell — hmm, no, definitely not."
The Hime-Miko stared at the note as she wondered.
Now that it was mentioned, Erica had used that kind of spell before, called something like mailing. It was convenient magic that allowed one to send letters to anyone freely. Ena also sent a letter of invitation into Godou's desk once, and most likely had used the same spell.
"The sensation of a spell... Completely cannot be felt. Probably someone put it in there while Ena was traveling here. Or maybe it was placed while we were eating..."
"What?"
Godou was completely shocked.
Nevermind Kusanagi Godou, for someone to be able to elude Seishuuin Ena's senses —
Who could possibly have such abilities? For the Hime-Miko of the Sword with her beast-like sensitivity to have failed to detect anything. Truly a divine level of skill!
Ena also seemed taken aback. She stared at the note with a pouting expression.
Leaving that aside for now, what did they have to "beware" of?
Godou suddenly remembered. He had almost completely forgot that thing.
He took out his cellphone and called Amakasu. It might have been lost already.
Worried thoughts occupied Godou for minutes as he waited —
"No no. Shaking off stalkers sure is tough. Right, looks like I have a call, is something up?"
"Amakasu-san! You're okay!?"
Godou was reassured to hear Amakasu's voice just as he was worrying.
The special agent of the History Compilation Committee had suddenly appeared on the beach in his usual sloppy suit, and was walking over.
As befitted the ninja, astutely appearing and disappearing without warning.
"Could it be, that witch Guinevere showed up?"
"An excellent question, Ena-san. That presence just now really was that lady. I had to use every single spell and technique at my disposal, and ran with my life to get here."
Amakasu responded to Ena's question with a haggard face.
Then he took out the Heavenly Reverse Halberd from the pocket of his suit — the divine artifact.
"I knew it, this thing should probably stay with Kusanagi-san... I think running away from magi along the likes of Divine Ancestors is too much of a burden for me..."
"No. I'm really sorry, but I will continue relying on you for now."
Godou was very worried and felt sorry for forcing a troublesome task on Amakasu.
However, he bowed his head.
"Didn't Mariya say before, better
not let this piece of stone get near Athena? Even though it seems okay currently while she has turned into stone, but it might not last."
"...What do you mean?"
"...Your Majesty, I knew it."
Amakasu looked very surprised, but it was Ena who deduced the situation.
Godou explained assertively to the two of them, as well as to petrified Athena.
"Obviously I will save everyone who has been petrified, but I have to end things decisively with her — I don't know in what manner, but there will be a definitive conclusion for sure. Thus I was thinking, if it results in another severe disaster... My humble condolences."
The great goddess had said that her fate as Athena had been blemished.
Godou felt it was hyperbole. Be that as it may, Godou was also someone who could barely be classified as civilized. Really, just barely.
Amakasu went "oh my, things will really get hairy" and looked up at the sky, then bowed to express agreement.
Ena generously nodded with total acceptance.
Nevertheless, Godou really felt like scratching his head in revulsion at his declaration, so typical of Devil King Campiones.
"That said, how should we proceed specifically?"
It was now late at night.
Having contemplated all sorts of things, Godou muttered to himself.
"Athena's petrification can be released with my sword, but the problem is the Holy Grail..."
He was currently in a room on the second floor of a local residence along the seashore. The lodgings Amakasu had arranged. The next day will be full of trials and it was a blessing to be able to get a good night's rest.
This house was built on a spot that had offered a wide view of the coast.
If Athena made a move they would immediately be able to react. Godou's window faced the ocean. The statue of the goddess continued to stand majestically on the winter beach. Local policemen and Committee employees had already sealed off the area.
It was already decided that Godou would be alerted by cellphone if anything out of ordinary was observed.
As a side note, the entire house had been taken for the convenience of police-related personnel. There had been other families who wanted to arrange for lodgings, but they were turned away with random excuses.
The only one in this room was Kusanagi Godou.
Campione 09 Page 14