Campione 04

by The Hero

  "N, no, that's not it. Your defeat was my failure.... If at that time, I had ki.... kissed you, the ending would have turned out differently, wouldn't it."

  Godou felt his face turn red at her reply, and changed the topic in a panicky voice.

  "That's not true! That's definitely not the reason I lost! More importantly, what happened after that!? What about Perseus and Athena!?"

  "Ah, yes. The problem has not been solved, and danger is still close by."

  Liliana then told him what had happened.

  Hearing that it was only a temporary truce between the two gods, Godou's heart became heavy, and thought of another troublesome problem.

  "Ah, that's right, Erica and the others still don't know that I'm here in Naples... Have you contacted them yet?"

  "Um, no... I'm very sorry, but I forgot about that."

  "I'm not reprimanding you, you know. I'll go and give them a call, so it's no problem at all."

  Although he said that, he was slightly worried.

  If Erica and Yuri were to find out about last night, he would no doubt have to face their sarcasm and scolding. If he were to contact them, would he have to hide the truth? Godou scratched his head, considering his options.

  "Liliana-sama, all the way since last night, had been at Godou-sama's side looking after him. Really, she has not left the bedside even once, such praiseworthy devotion!"

  The person singing praises of her own master was Karen, who had just entered the room.

  "Ka, Karen! It's fine even if you don't say it!"

  "Ara Liliana-sama, no need to be shy. A maiden staying at the side of a wounded warrior, it's as though it were a scene from a painting. Going back to the main topic, if you would like to make a call, you can do it right away, but.... is that really fine with you, Kusanagi-sama?"

  After teasing her master till her face had turned red as an apple, Karen turned to asked Godou.

  Not knowing the meaning behind her question, Godou tilted his head to the side.

  "May I ask if there's something wrong with that decision?"

  "No, while Kusanagi-sama was asleep, we had considered contacting Erica-sama. However, we decided to wait for your decision first, just in case."

  The little devil of a maid stated.

  "Actually, I'm on good terms with Arianna Hayama Arialdi, so I had heard from her that Kusanagi-sama had come to Italy with Erica-sama and a Japanese mistress. And another one from Sardinia - please excuse me, the one you are intimate with privately, Lucretia Zola. Together, Kusanagi-sama had went to Sardinia to enjoy a long vacation."

  Who, just who was the man being described as a sexual maniac?

  At least, it definitely wasn't Kusanagi Godou, hence, when Liliana began to stutter, 'wh, what a depraved lifestyle...' and could not stop shaking, he wished she would stop, seriously.

  "You had disappeared from your place of residence, leaving behind your lovers to run away with a beautiful young girl on a journey. I had such a big shock when I found out, could they be eloping? Had it been a dispute between lovers - problems between man and woman? In conclusion, I deduced that it might be better not to inform your lovers."

  "There are many problems with your train of thought, and furthermore, she's a god!"

  "Ku, Kusanagi Godou..... It's fine if you don't mind the perception of others, you already are a famous advocate of lechery. It's well within reason to have one or two ha, harems under your management... Yes, you will then bathe in a bath filled with champagne, and indulge in debauchery together with your lovers, no doubt about it! And then one day, you will gather every beautiful woman in the world, creating the biggest harem history has ever recorded! - Ku, what depravity!"

  "Liliana-sama, that is only natural for a King. Well, men are such creatures, after all."

  "Oi, oi! Don't be spouting such nonsense with a straight face!"

  Ultimately, Godou had to spend ten minutes to resolve this.

  Scolding the Liliana who had blurted out some ridiculous fantasies of hers, and then intimidating Karen who was adding oil to fire, things finally quietened down.

  "... And that's how it is, I do not have any lovers, there's nothing between me and Erica, we're just friends, Mariya - the Japanese girl is also the same, and lastly, about Lucretia Zola, she's an elder, the same age as my grandmother!"

  "Can normal friends kiss each other so passionately? If that's the case, then wouldn't there be a problem with your morals and sense of virtues?"

  "That... that couldn't be helped, we had no choice!"

  He had already repeated that excuse many times, to no effect.

  Karen had a smile that did not quite reach her eyes like a little devil, disregarding his words. On the other hand, Liliana appeared to have sunk into deep thought, but fortunately she did not pursue the matter, though she seemed to be acting a little weird.

  Godou then borrowed the phone, and dialed Erica's number.

  The call did not connect, and he repeated the procedure for Lucretia and Anna's numbers, which did not work either. Yuri's phone was the same as Godou's, they could not be used in Italy, hence he did not dial her number.

  In the end.... even after many tries, he could not reach any of his companions on the island of Sardinia.

  Part 3

  "Then, you were not able to get in contact with any of your companions? How very strange - !"

  This day, at the old bookstore which had hung up the 'Closed for business today' sign, the house of the witch, Diana Milito.

  The exact location was Diana's kitchen.

  Despite the late timing for lunch, the table was piled with food. They sat in a circle around the dining table discussing, including the master and servant pair Liliana and Karen, and Kusanagi Godou.

  "That's right. I would like to try contacting the headquarters of Erica and the others, and ask if they have any news of them, would you mind giving me their contact information?"

  "If that's what you need, then you should leave it to us, there's no need to worry."

  Kusanagi Godou was talking to Diana.

  Meanwhile, Liliana had been constantly stabbing the seafood salad with her fork, wearing a dark expression. Things that have been giving her a headache have been piling up as high as a mountain, hence it was natural that she did not want to join in the conversation.

  On an unrelated note, while preparing lunch, Diana had said, for example, 'Sir Salvatore is famous for having no interest in women, while Kusanagi-sama is still young and lecherous, right? ...Whether he has any interest in women that are older than him, I'm a little worried!' while being fidgety and seemingly bothered.

  "Well then, Kusanagi Godou - the incident this time round, I leave it in your hands, will there be a problem with that?"

  In any case, he needed to say something constructive.

  When Liliana reaffirmed it with him, the youngest Campione, naturally, nodded his head.

  "Since no-one knows where that bastard Doni has gone, and the only one left is me, I have to do something about it. Maybe this is some kind of fate."

  Compared to all the other [Kings] who had various personality faults, he was the more understanding kind.

  He was also chivalrous and dedicated, if it were not for his immoral love affairs, he would definitely be a great, upstanding man of influence, Liliana could not help but think this way.

  Erica - that vixen, what did she think of his womanizing ways?

  Turning a blind eye. Crying oneself to sleep.[17] No, those definitely don't seem like her - Or maybe, is she actively cooperating and assisting him? That is a very high possibility! Creating an environment of depravity for the [King], causing him to be overly indulgent, and then controlling him for herself!

  No, wait... Indeed, she is horrible enough to be called a demon, but going to those lengths is simply too vicious. Being a dignified knight, one should have the pride not to do that.

  "By the way, do you have any news of Doni?"

  "Y-Yes, about that... On that subj
ect, this morning, Sir Andrea - Sir Salvatore's butler, that is, there had been a phone call from him. Didn't you pick up that call, Diana?"

  Being suddenly asked out of the blue, Liliana replied, flustered.

  Not good. I should keep those excessive thoughts out of my head, when having these serious talks.

  "He had called to confirm our current situation. Not even he had an idea of the current whereabouts of Sir Salvatore... Furthermore, I had just attempted to give him a call earlier, but I could not get through no matter how many times I tried."

  "The same situation as those in Sardinia..."

  Hearing Diana's report, Kusanagi Godou made a difficult expression.

  Though the situation did not seem optimistic, but he did not show any traces of worry in his expression. It might be that those unreachable people were very capable, especially Salvatore Doni. It was hard to imagine him being in any sort of danger, Liliana could agree with that point of view.

  "May I raise a suggestion?"

  Karen, who had been listening, piped out.

  Having finished serving the food, she was sitting and eating together with them.

  "There are too many things which we do not have a clear understanding of at the moment, and the current pressing matters have not been resolved yet. However - the most important thing right now, I believe, would be what we can do in order for Kusanagi-sama to defeat Perseus."

  "That's true - I have to duel that guy... Truthfully speaking, the odds are against me."

  Kusanagi Godou murmured.

  "If it's a problem with [Instruction], in Naples, there are many who are skilled at it - me, for example, witches who are capable at the use of that, there's no need to worry about this."

  "Ah, no. Although there's a problem with that, I'm concerned with something more worrisome!"

  Diana said that, with the look of someone who had absolutely no problem with it, and the panicking young [King] avoided the topic.

  "That guy, Perseus, has the ability to completely seal my powers, so even if I use the [Sword], it would probably be sealed as well, if I knew how he could pull that off - the secret of how he sealed the authorities of Verethragna, then the ending might have been different."

  "... That's how it was, eh."

  Diana sank into deep thought.

  As a Great Knight and a witch, she felt frustrated and mortified, but Liliana also had no idea what had happened. Of course, Karen was the same, hence they were eagerly awaiting their senior's input.

  "Perseus' name also bears the meaning of 'One who came from Persia', in actual fact, his divine attribute has its origins from the Oriental."

  "Persia? Then, isn't that the same as Verethragna!?"

  Godou stood up in shock.

  It seemed as if he were very eager, perhaps the origins of how the undefeated war god's powers had been sealed laid in that direction.

  "Hm, how should I put it? The Persia referenced here, it only refers to the [East]. The Persia of old is also the current Iran, and the god, Perseus' early ancestors were from Iraq, specifically Babylon."

  Without a doubt, Perseus was a hero born in Mesopotamia. However, in the battle last night, he had referred to Verethragna as a [distant comrade].

  Liliana looked very confused, as she did not know these facts.

  "To save his wife Andromeda, he slew the monster Tiamat. Legends say that it is a colossal whale or sea serpent type of sea monster."

  Liliana understood the meaning of Diana's words.

  In these times, the constellation Cetus referred to the sea monster, Tiamat. The constellation of Perseus, the constellation of Andromeda and the constellation of Cassiopeia, for example, these constellations were known as the constellations that represent autumn.

  However, that name had a more important meaning.

  "The name of Tiamat, also shares the meaning of a goddess of Babylon. A great goddess of the land that gave birth to gods, a ruler of the divine world, a goddess that took the form of a dragon, and also a bringer of floods. The one who had struck her down was Marduk, a god of storms, becoming the King of the gods."

  "Are you saying that.... When this myth was spread to Greece, it had become the myth of Perseus?"

  Godou felt as if he had stumbled on a piece of the truth.

  The story of Marduk slaying Tiamat had been altered with the passing down of the story through the centuries, becoming the myth of Perseus. Because of that, Perseus had been known as 'One who came from Persia'.

  Greek mythology had no form of its own, rather, it was a combination of many different myths from many different places.

  Many examples could be found that depicted the gods of other cultures as evil gods or monsters within Greek mythology.

  Athena and Medusa was a very good example of this, and in this regard, Perseus probably had better luck.

  "And that's it, the only mystery remaining is the relationship with the god Verethragna."

  Diana seemed somewhat sorry.

  Having grasped a little of the situation, Godou looked up at the ceiling, a little troubled.

  "If only Mariya was here, she might have been able to give us some clues."

  "Though I agree with you on this point, but since we are unable to get in contact with them, we'll have to give up on that. Or are you implying that we are not capable enough to uncover the secret of Perseus? At any rate, let's think of something together, shall we?"

  Liliana made a realistic suggestion.

  In Europe, people like Mariya Yuri who were gifted with such spiritual vision were scarce. Perhaps he had been asking for too much, and the young Campione nodded his head in agreement.

  "I'll try to contact some friends and see if I can find out anything about their whereabouts. In this kind of situation, the best person to consult is Mariya or Lucretia, after all. I'm also a little worried for their safety."

  With those words, Godou who had eaten his fill stood up from the dining table.

  He strode out of the dining room, leaving behind the witches.

  "Well then.... it would be better if we had a meeting for our next course of action now, don't you agree?"

  After Godou had left, leaving behind the three of them, Karen suggested.

  "It is just as Kusanagi Godou had said. Contacting his companions is the best course of action right now. That Japanese miko's spiritual vision is not something any one of us here can match, and furthermore, we will need to borrow the wisdom of Lucretia Zola."

  Hearing Liliana's reply, Diana nodded her head.

  The witch of Sardinia, Lucretia Zola, known as [Scholar of the Gods], had extensive knowledge of the [Heretic Gods], techniques of magical arts and the strength of magical energies, truly, she was a stellar witch. Even the most powerful witch in Naples, Diana, couldn't hold a candle to her.

  "True. Those who have more years to their age compared to us, it's simply a matter of experience!"

  If she was asked how many years exactly is the difference in experience, it would surely become awkward.

  Karen, who had considered this point, did not ask.

  "In that case, the responsibility of assisting the [King], would have to fall on the lovers of Kusanagi-sama, which would mean that all the credit will be snatched away by Erica-sama... Also, Erica-sama is a Great Knight of [Copper-Black Cross]..."

  Liliana had roughly guessed her witch junior from the same organization, her servant's intention and meaning behind those words.

  "In the same situation, but seemingly powerless, won't the name of the [Bronze-Black Cross] be shamed?"

  "If it's only a little, that's also fine by me..."

  Karen's true reason as to why she did not contact Erica, was probably this. Finding opportunities to boost their own side's standing, and also preventing their rivals from advancing.

  "However, in the face of the threat of a [Heretic God], this is not the time to be concerned about those trivial things, it is enough that we only have to do our part to the best of our abilities."
>
  Liliana said, resolutely.

  "Even if the results do not fall in our favor, but Erica and the others can obtain victory - isn't that fine as well? No matter who, if the [Heretic God] is forced back, bringing safety back to Naples would be sufficient... Even if that is not the case, I will do my utmost in rendering my assistance to Kusanagi Godou, and achieving victory together, is this acceptable?"

  "Understood."

  Karen respectfully nodded her head, before continuing,

  "If it's Liliana-sama, then it would be natural to think along those lines. In that case, then let us inform the headquarters of the [Bronze-Black Cross], to search for Erica-sama and company, whose whereabouts are currently unknown... But, please perform the magic art of [Instruction] on Kusanagi-sama, to create a fait accompli before they arrive, just to be sure."

  "Eh?"

  "Of course, this is Liliana-sama's duty. Since you want to do your utmost to help, naturally you won't refuse? Seeing as you've already said so yourself."

  "Eeeeh!?"

  Oh no. They've turned my words against me! Liliana realized that she had been set up.

  "No, listen here, didn't he say it before? That the secret of Perseus has not been cracked yet!"

  "If it's about the secret, we'll be able to find the answer if everyone brainstorms together. But if we do not decide on a course of action, we will not be able to proceed smoothly."

  "It, it's fine even if it's not me, didn't you say that you would be fine with it, Diana?"

  "Th, that's true - It's embarrassing, but if it's for the sake of fighting a god..."

  Diana answered, her cheeks flushing red. Yep, she may be a little older, but she is still pretty cute. Kusanagi Godou, being the lecher he is, should be fine with her.

  "Well, although we have that worst option available, but - "

  In response to Liliana's suggestion, Karen replied, smiling.

  A smile like an evil black cat, giving off an ill omen.

  "What I would like to say is, that this incident is, surely, fate."

  "Fa, fate?"

  "That is correct. Between Kusanagi-sama and Liliana-sama, there is a bond of destiny. I mean, it is not normal, that the situation has become so serious to the extent that Liliana-sama has no other choice but to kiss a man, this is definitely the work of fate, connecting two persons together, guiding the both of you."