Campione 04

by The Hero

  ".... If I told you to wait, how long do you think you could give me?"

  What method should I use to answer him?

  He was at a loss of what he should have said, hence he had just blurted out whatever he had thought of.

  "A warrior is always on the battlefield. Instantly rejecting the challenge, I cannot admire your imprudence. However, it's fine... The moon tonight is beautiful. I shall wait while savoring the sight of the moon. Once you have prepared, come to the place where we had fought last night!"

  Looks like there was not going to be a problem.

  Perseus sounded as though he wanted to draw in as large an audience as possible to watch their duel, he had to think of a way to change the venue - while Godou was thinking, Perseus continued,

  "Then, I shall await your arrival..... Ah, one more thing. I do hope you arrive early. If I have finished my moon-gazing, I will head straight for your location, but as I thought, the place of a duel, if it is not the one both parties have agreed upon, it just won't feel right. I bid you farewell, for now."

  His voice could no longer be heard.

  No matter what they tried, there were no replies. Godou sighed deeply, there's no way to postpone it further. What should I do? How can I win against that mighty hero?

  While Godou was ransacking his brain over this, Diana said,

  "Kusanagi-sama, you do not seem sufficiently prepared.... I have a request to ask of you, would you please go outside for a while? Between us girls, we have a matter of extreme importance to discuss."

  Being asked that by the oldest (of them) landlord, Godou complied.

  While worrying about what to do, the lost Godou left, sighing.

  - Really, what should I do?

  Part 2

  "We're running out of time, shall we begin the meeting? What methods should we use to allow Kusanagi-sama to achieve victory, let's start the meeting to decide that!"

  "I have a suggestion. If Liliana-sama uses [Instruction], then everything will be resolved."

  "That, is actually quite a good idea. Lily, is it ok if we leave that to you?"

  "T, there's no way I can agree with that!"

  Of the three persons remaining in the dining room, Diana had started off with the pending problem and Karen had replied with a simple and concise solution, and with that it felt like the discussion had ended.

  And that was when Liliana started shouting like she was in her death throes.

  "I, with Kusanagi Godou, ki-kissing and applying magic through it, it's unthinkable! Forget it, I cannot approve of that!"

  "Earlier in the day, didn't you say that you will be helping him to the best of your ability?"

  "L, let me make this clear first. That was referring to anything besides kissing! T, that.... how should I phrase it, that's not something a maiden should be doing, I think. I... and Kusanagi Godou, aren't anything like boyfriend and girlfriend, or lovers, we don't have such a relationship..."

  Her face was fiery hot, she did not have any idea what she was saying, and her head was in a mess, but Liliana did not forget to retort.

  "Furthermore, there are two other witches here, it doesn't have to be me!"

  "I am unable to use [Instruction], hence you will have to count me out."

  "Although I can use it, but I think it'll be better if Lily does it, because the one Athena had granted inspiration to was Lily after all. Having knowledge directly gained from that inspiration, a greater depth of understanding than others, wouldn't it be better to be passing on that knowledge to Kusanagi-sama?"

  "Su, suitable mages from other places can be brought here, and then use [Instruction] on him..."

  Even Liliana herself knew that she was being unreasonable, and did not finish her sentence.

  What reasons did the three witches have for staying by Kusanagi Godou's side? In a fight against a god, no matter how many mages they were, they would not be of any help.

  Unless they were mages of the highest rank, they would only be dragging the Campione down.

  Hence, even if they knew that the god and the King were fighting, they would not come. A convention of the magical world, hence the mages that lived near Naples did not come.

  And another thing to be mentioned was the special characteristics of Verethragna's ten forms.

  There were conditions to be met in order to activate them, which were best kept secret.

  Diana and Karen, they could be forced not to speak by Liliana's authority, but anyone else... He was a reckless person, hence they had to stay and help no matter what.

  "Liliana-sama, please hear me out. I feel that you are making an unnecessary resistance."

  To the Liliana who was repeatedly soliloquizing to herself, the sound of Karen's voice broke her out of her trance.

  "Now, all that's left is for you to say, 'I'll do it'. If you still insist on not doing so, besides showing everyone that you cannot read the atmosphere, you will also be thought of as an obsolete woman..."

  "Indeed, that's right - in the first place, Lily, why are you so against it?"

  The youngest maid had finished her attack, then passing the baton to Diana.

  "I feel that Kusanagi-sama, whether it is his personality or appearance, he's not bad, as a man. Only just one kiss with him wouldn't be a problem, don't you agree? Hmm?"

  "There's a problem! A big problem!"

  Liliana resisted in a loud voice against the senior witch who was happily discussing her personal matters.

  "It is nothing much, a kiss. If you pretend that you are giving a goodnight kiss to your father-sama, and quickly get it over with, it would be fine."

  "I agree. Or pretending to be having some skinship with your boyfriend. That would be ok too."

  "That's why, I can't do it! I, if I have to give up my first kiss, it has to be to my destined partner in love, that I have decided!"

  Liliana protested vigorously and loudly.

  She had only just finished saying that when she realized her folly, and wanted to cover her face in regret.

  Once, she had revealed the secret in her heart to Erica, and the usually graceful and composed Erica, had immediately burst out in roaring laughter.

  [.... T, that was too much, Lily. If anyone saw me laughing like this, my rating as a lady will plunge for sure! B, but you're really, a maiden that's extinct in modern times, as I thought!]

  Erica had said something along those lines, what kind of response would these two have?

  Liliana anxiously awaited their response, Diana and Karen did not say a single word, merely silently looking at her - they were not smiling?

  Slight surprise could be seen on their face, and then their faces had an expression that seemed to say, 'Aahh, as I thought'.

  Why? She felt sad for herself, who had admitted this with her very own mouth, but Liliana Kranjcar felt that she was usually seen by others as a rough but heroic female knight, so why did the two of them have such an expression - ?

  "U, umm, that.... I used to think that that would be nice, but actually, I didn't really mean it that seriously...."

  It was clear to anyone that this was an attempt to cover it up, finding excuses, causing her to become even more nervous.

  ".... I see. I understand now, Lily! In that case, let me divine the compatibility between you and Kusanagi-sama!"

  "N, no need to go that far."

  Liliana refused Diana who had suddenly suggested that.

  This witch whose age she refused to tell, seemed to have been a love fortune teller as a side occupation, and had told every couple that they were perfectly compatible, and that they would definitely obtain happiness. Who would believe this kind of nonsensical fortune telling?

  "Destiny, is it..."

  Even Karen was muttering to herself with a serious expression.

  Not her usual little devil expression, but the opposite, giving off a foreboding omen. No one knew what she was scheming then.

  "Liliana-sama, what is the ideal scenario of your destined lov
e?"

  "I, if you ask me that suddenly, I don't know how I should answer either.... anyway, if you really want me to say it, it would be a situation where everything is out to prevent the relationship between them, but no matter their distance, no matter how many times, the powerful bond of their love would bring the two of them back together."

  Liliana hesitantly answered the sudden question.

  Because these were the usual materials used for her fantasies, she could recite it with ease.

  "Then, what about love between people of different backgrounds? Like the love between a King and a knight, for example."

  ".... T, that's not very popular nowadays, you can't say that it's destined."

  This topic, was it a metaphor for Kusanagi Godou and her relationship?

  I won't be falling for it, Liliana calmly said to herself - while in a corner of her mind, there was an intense thought of crossing social position and traditions, considering that classic relationship that struck her emotionally.

  "A young man, rumored to have had his way with many women, had his heart stolen by a simple girl-next-door in a chance encounter, and thus changed his entire lifestyle for her.... what do you think about this scenario?"

  "It's too convenient to be true. Such words from that kind of playboy, who could possibly believe them!"

  Liliana shouted, rejecting that scenario instantly.

  - With all of the women before you, everything that I've had with them was never real. Besides you, I need no other.

  With an expression so serious that it was scary, the scenario and the youthful face which said that to her in her imagination, why was he an Asian, and why did he look so much like that boy she had been with for these two days?

  "The two of them, while escaping danger together, helping each other, slowly becoming friends that do not dislike each other, and unwittingly became so close that no other person could wedge in between them, what about this scenario....?"

  "That is merely the suspension bridge effect! Because of the unusual circumstances, they lost their ability to make cool-headed decisions!"

  In the mind of Liliana who was still strongly resisting, appeared the memory of the crises both yesterday and that day.

  The two of them, against a god, escaping the predicament...

  She who was a knight had worried for him, and had wanted to protect him. What about him? He should know how to take care of himself, shouldn't he? Though the both of them were worried for each other in different ways, but with time, they would be able to solve all problems... and it felt like the both of them were rather compatible.

  Furthermore, for a failed knight's sake, he had promised that goddess -

  This was a debt she had to repay. Even if she had to offer her body.

  ...... On that subject, she had wanted to ask him, but had forgotten, whether Kusanagi Godou had wanted to win against that hero - Perseus.

  If his answer was 'yes', then he would be needing all of Liliana's knowledge.

  However, he had never said that he wanted to win, or that he wanted to use the [Sword].... does he mean to bear this entire burden by himself?

  - Thinking that, Liliana suddenly felt an inexplicable feeling burst forth.

  ៛Kyun៛[24] Like little needles painfully pricking her heart - rather than painful, it was unbearable, but it contained the slight tinge of a feeling of sweetness. This was the first time she had felt such an unimaginable emotion.

  An uncontrollable throbbing in her chest. A thumping heartbeat that won't stop.

  "I, I'm going to see him for a bit! I'm worried about the effects of the drug - no, only slightly concerned, it's only that, don't get any weird thoughts!"

  At this rate, she could no longer restrain herself.

  Her mind full of thoughts, Liliana walked towards the guest room that Kusanagi Godou used.

  "Certainly. Have a good evening."[25]

  "Well then, we're counting on you, Lily."

  (By the way, 'this girl, she fell for it!' was written on the faces of the scheming maid and the witch who dressed younger than her age as they smiled maliciously, but let us leave that aside first.)

  Liliana arrived at the guest room that Kusanagi Godou should be residing in.

  Opening the door - she found herself looking at an empty room, as though it were natural to be so. There was no mistaking it, there was not a single soul inside.

  She hurriedly checked the rest of the rooms in the building in a panic, but he was already gone, nowhere to be found within the house. The young Campione had vanished from Diana's abode.

  Part 3

  Godou, who ultimately could not find an answer, boarded a public bus.

  If it had gone on as it was, most likely the situation would have quickly escalated to using that method of transferring knowledge.

  The numbness in his body fully gone, Godou seized the opportunity when the witches were discussing to slip out of Diana's house, and boarded the bus towards Santa Lucia district.

  Aboard the bus that traversed the night of Naples shakily, Godou was agonizing over something.

  Though he had already used that method many times in the past, and it might be a little too late to be saying it, but indeed, it was a method he hardly agreed with.

  Sometimes he felt that it would become too complicated with Erica and Yuri, perhaps that was one of the reasons.

  I have to sever the connections I have with this place, or else.... Fighting without having used that method, the difficulty was approaching 'impossible' from 'next to impossible'. He felt as if he had already lost before it even started.

  Absentmindedly, he gazed outside the window.

  The night was beautiful, but you could only truly understand that beauty when seen from higher ground.

  .... At any rate, the duel with Perseus was already a fixed point in the future.

  If he ran away, Athena would happily smile and cause Mount Vesuvius to erupt, it was a risk he would not take. If it came down to that, who knows how Naples and the surrounding region would end up like.

  In a situation where he could not use the [Sword], how should he approach the fight?

  In the end, he could not think of anything beyond that, it was back to square one for him.

  - While considering those points, the public bus had stopped at a certain stop. Godou hurriedly got off the bus.

  Nearby, there was both a train and a tram station, and they both stopped at somewhere nearby Santa Lucia harbor. Though it would only have required one stop on the train, but it would be better to think of something as he went there.

  From Diana's house he had taken a map of the city, and had left afterwards.

  "..... If only Erica was with me, then I wouldn't have needed to think this hard over this.... wait, what am I saying!"

  He saw a public payphone on the road ahead -

  In an instant, he thought of calling Erica's cellphone number, and he yelled out.

  Up till now, he had always been saying not to use that method, yet if he were to call for help, and got Erica to come over - it would mean a decisive defeat for him.

  However....

  "I can't think of anything good, what should I do!?"

  It was like when a writer had written nothing, and the deadline was almost up. Godou walked on, muttering, and before he knew it he was at the coastal road.

  The smell of the tides drifted into his olfactory senses.

  The murky black sea stretched out before him.

  Facing a certain direction from the Santa Lucia harbor - east, to be precise, one could see the coast, an outline of an arc, and the many buildings that were constructed beside the coast, the harbor, and the many anchored vessels in the harbor itself.

  Even further, one could see the ruins of the wrecked Egg Castle.

  It was not far from the place where the golden haired hero was awaiting.

  Godou heaved a deep sigh, with a feeling of 'oh, whatever', prepared to head there, and at that time.

  ".
... You've not yet finished the preparations for the duel, may I ask where do you plan on going before then?"

  A cold voice, from behind him.

  Godou cautiously turned around. He was not sure since when, but the fairy-like Liliana Kranjcar was behind him.

  "How did you find out where I was...?"

  "I derived your approximate location using magic, and then using flight magic, flew to the general vicinity. If you wish to escape from a witch like me, you'll have to work harder."

  Liliana explained concisely, and she seemed disappointed,

  Godou sighed again, his knowledge of magic was simply too superficial.

  "Let's go there together..... I would like to speak with you."

  While saying that in a frightening tone, Liliana walked in the direction of the sea.

  The coastal road during that time, had quite a fair bit of human traffic. There was a large greenified park nearby, and also many open-air stalls and small stores side-by-side, a street rife with activity.

  It would indeed be inconvenient to be conversing on the road with so many goers.

  .... As I expected, is she here to preach to me? Godou suddenly reminisced about being scolded by an intelligent-looking Yuri, and he made up his mind.

  He would simply ignore those words, and find an opportunity to escape later.

  Liliana who was oblivious to the thoughts currently flowing through Godou's head, asked,

  "Kusanagi Godou, do you wish to win in that battle ahead?"

  "A, about that, of course I'd like that to happen, if it were possible. Because I am someone who hates losing at anything."

  Godou replied while thinking.

  He did not want to lose, but life would be easier if he could win by simply having a reason of 'not being able to lose'.

  Remembering those sports programs on television, every time, the moment the Japanese representative team appeared the entire crowd would cheer and applaud. During those times, Godou would feel the sense of irony; the crowds cheering and roaring their support were excited and light-hearted, and on the other hand the participants had it really hard with the stress.

  "If that's the case, then why did you not try your best, for the sake of victory?"