by The Hero
Known as Spaccanapoli, this was one of the older streets in Naples.
The center of the city, close by Garibaldi Square and the nearby cathedral was bustling with activity, overflowing with the friendly atmosphere of a traditional commercial and working-class neighborhood. In a decrepit corner of that lay Diana Milito's ancient bookstore.
"—M-Madam? Did you hear that, Lily? This little girl dared to call me 'Madam'... Say something for me!"
"Karen, when addressing a... young lady like Diana, shouldn't there be a better way?"
Naples, the birthplace of pizza, was also a university town.
It was in the year 1224, the era of the Syrian Kingdom, when the University of Naples was established. The university has lasted through the ages till the present times. Perhaps one of the reasons would be the environment, as there were a surprising number of old bookstores in the area.
There was a street next to Piazza Bellini that was well known for having many old bookstores.
In the building known as the 'House of Milito', the three witches had gathered there.
Somehow, no matter which country, one could feel the same sort of atmosphere in these ancient bookstores.
Within the cleanly designed store, were a collection of a myriad of old books, tomes and other texts, and it gave off a very peculiar atmosphere.
"When Liliana-sama is not being sincere, she will look elsewhere, and will not engage in eye contact... Like how she was earlier."
"What!? Lily, is that true...?"
"Not a single bit! Karen, don't say things without any basis or proof behind them!"
"Ara, weren't you rather concerned about that the other day? —Wondering about Diana-sama's actual age? Did you not say this last time, although she had dressed younger than her own age, she still could not conceal the crow's feet around the corner of her eyes?"
"I didn't say that! Definitely not to that extent!"
"Now, now, you let the cat out of the bag, Lily. How cruel of you girls!"
The owner of the shop, Diana Milito, was a witch that resided in Naples. Age unknown, a baby-faced young female who liked to dress herself in fluttery dresses with plenty of frills, which, strangely, did not look out of place on her.
Liliana was only seven years old the first time she met Diana, who was already a young woman then.
From that time, till now, roughly nine years later, she still bore the same smile, and her youthful appearance had not changed at all.
Be that as it may, the passage of time had not left her untouched, as shown recently by her crow's feet wrinkles, or the fact that her skin had not seemed as glamorous as before.
How old was she, exactly? It is probably best not to think too much about that.
Liliana hurriedly changed the topic of conversation.
"More importantly, Sir Salvatore is running late, and that is worrying."
"... Hmph! Lily, using such a topic to feign innocence. Being a Campione, how could anything bad possibly happen to our lord?"
Diana replied, sulking.
You're already way past your prime, please act more like your age - although Liliana really wanted to say that, she still resisted the temptation. No, it would be a very perilous thing to say.
"Naturally, that was not what I meant. What I was referring to was our lord's mental and psychological issues, because he is lazy and carefree, there are things he has to overcome himself."
Between them, only Liliana had directly met with the [King of Swords] before.
Upon hearing her words, Diana also showed a worried expression, and Karen nodded as though she had a sudden epiphany.
"In other words, do you mean to say that Sir Salvatore is that kind of person? ... ... If you discount the fact that he holds the power of the [King], personality wise, you would be hard-pressed to find something positive about him?"
"I often hear that he is a sloppy and forthright person."
Liliana took out her blue cellphone.
The problem was, Salvatore Doni did not carry these kinds of electronic devices with him when he went out.
It was said that even if he did bring one, he would lose it unknowingly, somehow. As a preventive measure, this time round he had an assistant, who would be of immense help in such situations.
After several rings, the person on the other end finally answered the call.
"This is Kranjcar... What is the current situation with our lord?"
"I'm sorry for being late. Though I managed to bring him in to Naples, the King stopped by Garibaldi Square for some gelato. Could you drop by to pick us up? I'll pass the burde- sorry, pass him over to you."
Although he seemed somewhat tired, he still spoke with a very harsh tone.
"That's fine, I'll be making my way over now. I'll meet up with you later then... ... Our lord has already arrived, I'll be going to pick him up right away. Diana, bring Karen with you to the underground first, this way it'll be faster."
After hanging up the phone, Liliana continued explaining the current situation to her comrades.
After hanging the 'Closed for business today' sign at the door, the three witches made their way outside, onto the streets of Naples.
Liliana soon split up with the other two and headed straight for Garibaldi Square.
Liliana Kranjcar was both a witch and a knight.
Her rival, Erica Blandelli, in a broader sense, was also a witch, but was probably closer to a [Female Magician].
There was a very thin line between being a [Witch] and a magician.
This had been defined by the sacred miko and priestesses of old.
Their knowledge and magic had been directly imparted from the witches of the previous generation.
Diana Milito, a witch of the [Bronze Black Cross] living in Naples, was also the person who had taught Liliana the arts of the witch. And Karen, who also had training in the same type of magic, was currently staying at Liliana's side for further education.
After bidding farewell to her companions, Liliana passed along Corso Umberto, gradually going towards Garibaldi Square.
The statue of the hero of the revolution, Giuseppe Garibaldi, watched over the station square.
As expected, the place was fully packed, but she had an idea where to go to find him.
That was because, from the crowds, she had heard two very familiar voices.
"Answer me, Salvatore Doni, although it was only just now that were you licking that gelato, when on earth did you go and buy this?"
"It's not good to worry about the little things, Andrea. Look up and enjoy the sky."
An eye-catching duo were discussing something.
One of them had black hair, wore silver framed glasses, and had an intellectual, somewhat neurotic look. On his slender face between his brows, a deep crease had formed.
The other person was a blond hunk with a seemingly carefree attitude.
"Look, the sun is pretty good today. And listen here, summer is in full bloom now. We're currently in Naples. The city of the shining sun and sea. This is the place for yachts, beaches, beer, barbeque and men and women of all ages to have fun - everything essential about summer! In a situation like this, there is only one thing I intend to accomplish here. Yes, that's right, it is to have a vacation!"
In his hand, was a bottle of limoncello.
It seemed like a very cooling and refreshing drink, the label on the bottle was imprinted with many drops of water. The blond man was sucking on his straw as he made his declaration.
To further add on, he was wearing an aloha shirt with flower patterns, indeed, he was dressed very casually.
"Sir Salvatore!"
Liliana called out towards him.
Without a doubt, this was Salvatore Doni, the strongest knight of Italy, the [King of Swords], one of the godslayers, a Campione.
"Ah, long time no see, erm... Kranjcar, was it?"
"She is Liliana Kranjcar, my king."
Facing the Campione who was happily greeting her, the be
spectacled youth respectfully added.
His attitude and words had suddenly become very polite and business-like, reverting to an expressionless poker face, in contrast to before Liliana had called out to them, it could be described as an 'instantaneous reversal'.
His name is Andrea Rivera.
For Salvatore Doni, he was sometimes an aide, other times, a secretary, but most importantly, a manager.
Covering all types of tasks and errands, the youth known as [The King's Butler].
"Ah-, is that so. Sorry, I can only remember the names of people I have met five times, you're probably around three times? I can't really remember your full name-"
Facing the smiling [King], Liliana did a military style salute.
In actual fact she had met him six times, but she kept that to herself. It would be bad to be fooled by his personality. He was a true monster - even if all the magicians in the world were to join forces against him, he still would be able to obtain victory, the immortal king of swords.
"Then, Liliana Kranjcar, I will now leave the king to you. If you don't mind, I will take my leave now to settle other pressing matters."
"That would not be a problem. You have my thanks, Sir Andrea."
Liliana replied, expressing her gratitude.
Without Andrea Rivera, Salvatore Doni would be a mere warrior, unable to function as a leader of the magic world. This is why he had been granted the title of [The King's Butler].
"With that, my king, Liliana will be taking over from now on, please listen carefully to her instructions and act like a true king should. This, I sincerely ask of you."
Rivera made a request, in a respectful manner.
Upon hearing this, he, who was one of the seven devil kings in existence, frowned.
"I already know that. It's not like I'll be purposely making trouble for her, you simply worry too much."
"Forgive me, that is merely one of my responsibilities - if you will allow me to say this, I am worried that you might suddenly leave halfway due to your capricious nature, and as such, I have instructed Kranjcar to contact me immediately should such a situation arise. It would be my good fortune if you would bear that in mind."
If you run away, I won't be held responsible for what happens afterwards... His words seem to imply that.
Liliana agreed silently.
Rivera and Salvatore Doni were friends, even before the latter had obtained the power of a [King]. Even if one were to disregard that, he was still able to criticize the devil king directly without fear, this fortitude and diligence of his were to be admired, which is how he had obtained this role.
"I know, I know. Conversely, about the assignment I gave you, carry it out properly."
To his concerned butler, Salvatore Doni gestured with his hand for him to leave. Wordlessly, Rivera bowed, and promptly left, vanishing into the crowds.
"Where is Sir Andrea going?"
"Earlier, I had requested him to run some mundane errands... Alright then. Shall we go to finish things on your side?"
Doni answered Liliana's question with an air of boredom.
Finishing the rest of the limoncello, he picked up his suitcase which was resting on the ground.
It was a sleek black case that seemed like it could store something very large.
His title, the [King of Swords], might have something to do with the size of that suitcase.
"But, I just can't get excited over this - I heard that it was because that there might be danger that you asked for my help, but still..."
Doni complained lazily.
When all's said and done, compared to Dejanstahl Voban, he was much more manageable. His capriciousness, could possibly be said to be part of the fearsomeness of the [King].
He was a resident of the battlefield. Somehow, that was the best way to describe him.
To the magicians of Italy who knew that fact all too well, they treated his normal behavior and personality as simply a fashion fad of his generation.
"As I thought, without an enemy before my eyes, I just can't get fired up, don't you agree? We should get a few gods, demons, monsters or whatever, doesn't matter if they're friendly, and have a battle royale to spice things up -"
"My lord... As I suspect that the incident this time might have something to do with a god, or perhaps a dragon-like being, I believe that this will live up to your expectations."
Liliana said, conveying the facts concisely and simply.
If it were possible, she would have liked to obtain more accurate and reliable information before releasing the details, but there was no helping it.
Anyway, it was already enough that the king had been brought to Naples. The most important thing right now would be to prevent him from taking any unnecessary actions.
Hearing the news, Salvatore Doni's attitude changed immediately.
"Would you care to explain further, Liliana Kranjcar?"
Her full name that was not remembered no matter what she did, was clearly said this time.
His lips slightly twisting to one side in a grin, his previous slovenly attitude like that of a young boy had all but vanished. Salvatore Doni smiled gleefully, leaking out his true nature as a warrior.
Part 2
Originally, Naples was a colonial city of the ancient Greeks.
The remnants of stone pits where slaves were once made by the people of old to work in. Then, the remnants of the sewage systems, water tanks built by the Romans of later generations. And after that, the remnants of underground warehouses that were used to store food, provisions, and liquor.
The traces of these constructs could still be found in present times, beneath the older streets.
Napoli Sotterranea - also otherwise known as [Underneath Naples].
"... ... Although these underground ruins have already become a sightseeing attraction, this specific part of the underground is not open to the public, as it has been sealed and hidden by the witches of Naples."
Liliana remarked, leading the way.
The district of Santa Lucia.
Facing the Bay of Naples, it consists of the Santa Lucia harbor, Castel dell'Ovo and other sightseeing spots.
They entered an old clothing store in the district, and greeted the middle-aged woman running the store.
Even if you wanted to compliment it, the clothing sold in the messy shop could not be described as 'decent'. The fat lady, who looked perfectly suited to the store and was in fact Diana's subordinate, wordlessly brought them to the back of the shop.
The interior of the store - was a place that only witches have been.
It was an entrance to the underground ruins below.
Unexpectedly, there was a square hole right in the middle of the bare ground. Stairs, carved from stone, extended into the depths below, and Liliana, who could see perfectly fine in pitch darkness, descended down the stairs without so much as a torchlight.
"... ... The [Snake] number the most, after that would be the [Cow]."
Doni, following behind Liliana, murmured to himself.
The pathway of the ruins was like an abandoned mine, long and narrow.
This place had used to be a quarry, dating back to the BC era, thus it would be very similar to an abandoned mine. However, the many drawings carved upon the walls, suggested something else.
These were simple, primitive stick drawings, and it would not be hard to believe if someone said that these were carved by people from the Stone Age.
As Doni had said, there were many drawings that resembled snakes on the walls.
Some were depicted with very long, curling bodies, or multiple heads, and a few even had bat-like wings.
Other animals that were drawn included cows, birds, pigs and lions.
Someone with a magical background would instantly recognize these to be the likeness of goddesses of the land, and probably were carved after the coming of the Roman Empire.
"In the past, this was the location of a secret underground temple... ..."
&nbs
p; Liliana softly whispered, not wanting to disturb the tranquility of these sacred grounds.
Ever since a certain patriarchal monotheistic religion became the official religion, the holy miko who possessed divine power were branded as [Witches], persecuted and hunted down.[12]
And thus they fled to the underground, in order to preserve their wisdom and knowledge, they built this underground temple to pass on their teachings and arts.
These drawings portrayed the beliefs of the witches, symbolizing the gods.
"Incidentally, snakes seem to be like the guardian deities of witches, why is that so?"
Being asked this question out of the blue, Liliana hesitated for a moment.
In the ancient times, the miko who served the great goddesses of the land were the ones who became the first [Witches].
With the influx of Christianity and the decline of the traditional beliefs in Europe, the originally sacred miko were suppressed and boycotted, and were slowly regarded as heretical and to be feared.
The great goddesses of the land in those days, usually were those that ruled over the domains of life and death.
Athena, Ishtar, Isis, Tiamat, Cybele, to name a few. The goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, was also originally a powerful great goddess of the land.
The sacred animal that represented the cycle of life and death, the snake.
And thus, the snake became the symbol of the goddesses of the land, the guardian spirit of the witches.
Though Liliana had some qualms about the reliability of the details on the occult in this kind of place, she decided to leave that matter aside for the moment.
"To explain that would consume a large amount of time. I will give you an explanation later, so please kindly wait in the meantime."
"Hahaha, sorry, sorry. I should have learnt that before, but I totally forgot all about it."
Doni's carefree attitude showed that he had no intention of reflecting on his actions.
Although Campiones and magicians seemed to be similar beings, they were in actual fact, totally different existences.
Liliana once again deeply felt how true that statement was. Kusanagi Godou, who Erica Blandelli was enthusiastically chasing after, prior to becoming a Campione, had completely zero knowledge of the magical arts, a civilian.