Campione 15

by Son of the Goddess

  Godou was surprised by this unexpected discovery. At the same time, he spoke up to defend his honor.

  "Uh, I'm sorry to interrupt while you're so engaged in the conversation, but I need to go out a while to handle a necessary task."

  Hence, Godou rode his favorite horse and went into the streets of Colonia Agrippina.

  However, he was accompanied by three people. The maid from earlier, Erica, as well as Ena. The three girls were riding respectively on horses taken from the stables at Godou's residence.

  "Godou really isn't a person who misses out on any opportunity!"

  "Who could've expected things to get weird between him and that person..."

  "C-Come on. You two should know very well that Madame Aisha is the one who needs to be watched the most closely, right!?"

  His two companions were riding behind Godou's horse with the maid slightly further away.

  Apart from the maid in the back who dutifully remained silent, the rest of them chatted casually while moving through the Roman colonial city.

  Peace was maintained in the city's interior and the citizens were living their lives as usual.

  Reportedly, the standing Roman army normally stationed inside Colonia Agrippina was defeated by Salvatore Doni singlehandedly and had retreated already.

  At the time, Doni's Frankish subordinates had arrived, resulting in the occupation of the city.

  Normally speaking, the Franks would begin to loot, resulting in a great deal of bloodshed among the citizens, with people captured as slaves and towns burned by arson—This kind of tragic scene would be usual, but contrary to Godou's expectations, Doni actually prohibited such atrocities.

  "That man turned out to be quite wise in this area, thank goodness..."

  While patrolling various parts of the city by horse, Godou muttered to himself.

  Seeing the Frankish warriors looking restless in the city, Doni had realized their intentions and had apparently given orders to prohibit looting from the very start. After all the effort spent in obtaining a stronghold needed to fight a deity, labor should not be wasted unnecessarily. That was how Doni expressed it.

  Back in modern Milan, Doni once commanded the [Copper Black Cross].

  Godou was surprised to find Doni quite used to leading subordinates. But rather than a general, it would be more accurate to describe him as a bandit boss or a barbarian chief.

  "By the way, Your Majesty. By 'necessary task,' you mean patrolling the streets?"

  "Yeah. As for why—"

  Just as Godou was about to explain the reason to Ena, it so happened that the "reason" took place before their eyes.

  As they passed before a bar, three Frankish men with topknots were causing a ruckus inside the shop. It looked like an argument had erupted between them and other customers in the bar.

  "Could you help me go stop them?"

  "Understood, master."

  Under Godou's orders, the maid waiting at the back dismounted swiftly.

  Then she entered the bar and spoke a few words to the rioting Frankish men. As a result, the troublemakers instantly stopped, looked at Kusanagi Godou who was waiting outside, and began to show panic on their faces.

  "In other words, Godou, you're watching over the Franks' actions?"

  "Well, even with the great chieftain's orders, it's inevitable that people from the conquering side would get cocky. Since that idiot is kind of sloppy with certain details, I was thinking that this kind of incident should be reduced if I let those Franks know that I will patrol around town."

  Godou nodded in response to Erica.

  Doni and the Frankish warriors were currently at what used to be a Roman army outpost.

  The city streets where Godou's group was visiting were located on the Rhine's west bank. In contrast, the outpost's location was on the east bank.

  Going back and forth simply required crossing a bridge. Due to irregular bouts of isolation, the Frankish warriors seldom visited the city streets on this side. But still, there were a small number of exceptions as one would expect.

  "I have returned, master."

  "Sorry for troubling you. Thanks for the help."

  "This sort of thing is nothing at all. On the other hand, I did hear something strange."

  Returning from the bar, the maid made a slightly displeased look.

  "The men were causing trouble just now because they heard someone in the bar bring up disrespectful rumors..."

  "Rumors, you say?"

  "Yes... Soon, a hero wielding a sword of light shall arrive to vanquish Devil King Salvatore Doni of the Franks, the black-haired ally as well as the witch in white. That was what they said."

  "......"

  Godou signaled to his two companions with his eyes. The two girls nodded together in response.

  "That was the rumor we heard in Augusta Raurica as well."

  "Did a rumor spread from that city all the way here? When did Your Majesty and Aisha-san get added in as well... Eh, wait a sec."

  After Erica murmured casually, Ena showed a pondering expression.

  "This seems like something that Ena heard before somewhere."

  "I am also wondering about this rumor. Something about it bothers me regarding that goddess called Artio."

  Erica also murmured in deep thought.

  Godou only felt that it was a strange coincidence, but the girls apparently found the rumor to be some kind of hint. The blonde Italian girl suddenly proposed a constructive idea.

  "In any case, let's visit Sir Salvatore's side next. Godou's patrolling job should be handed over to someone else. Of course, don't ask Sir Salvatore to do it but let me take command instead."

  Despite having arrived in this city for less than half a day, Erica was already thinking with such practicality.

  Having displayed how nothing less should be expected from the one named Erica Blandelli, she turned to the maid and smiled glamorously.

  "I will be returning to the mansion afterwards to get reacquainted with all the other servants. From here on, Ena-san and I shall be the mistresses of the house. You don't mind serving us, do you?"

  "Of course not, madam."

  The maid bowed her head respectfully.

  Thus began their new life in Colonia Agrippina.

  Part 3

  Later at night, on that day when Erica and Ena met up with Godou...

  For the first time in a while, Godou gathered with his companions for dinner together in his residence.

  The dishes included salad with olives and broad beans, fruits such as figs and grapes, boiled pork, roasted hare, sausages, grain porridge, deep fried flower bulbs whose name was not known, etc. Quite a sumptuous array of offerings.

  Also, there was the casual chatting between Godou and the two girls who were finally reunited with him.

  Although it was supposed to be quite a lively occasion, there was the addition of Madame Aisha who was "freeloading" here, as well as the presence of thirty maids to wait on them.

  After finishing dinner and escaping to the office reserved for the residence's master, Godou spoke from the bottom of his heart.

  "There's too many girls here. I really feel like moving over to live in the soldiers' quarters with Doni and the rest. It's basically all men there..."

  The former Roman army outpost was located on the opposite side of the river. Currently, it was where Doni's faction lived for now.

  Gathered at Colonia Agrippina, the Franks' women and children were also living in the city.

  Most of the men capable of fighting were at the outpost. Apart from women who went there to cook, it was all men and quite a pig sty. Nevertheless, Godou still envied that sort of environment devoid of females.

  Casually sitting down on the desk meant for handling official matters, Godou crossed his legs and spoke:

  "I'd feel so much more relaxed in a place with only the smell of men's sweat, like a baseball or soccer club's activities room."

  "This is a little difficult for me to
understand."

  "No matter what, this isn't something you should be saying in front of Ena and Erica-san."

  Next to the desk, Erica showed surprise while Ena made a wry expression.

  Unlike the rest of the female lineup here, Godou did not feel mentally exhausted when hanging around these two girls. Well, in a certain sense, Madame Aisha was also someone he "did not mind" interacting with.

  "It's no big deal, right? I'm actually more able to adjust to that kind of place. Other than that, living like before, just the three of us, would be nice and relaxing too."

  "Oh dear, compared to such a grand harem, you're saying that having just Ena-san and me would be better instead?"

  "Ehehe... Putting it that way, Ena feels embarrassed by the compliment."

  "Oh no, I don't mean anything weird in that."

  Seeing the two girls smile suddenly, Godou began to panic.

  Then a knocking was heard from the office's door followed by a voice from outside.

  "Is everyone inside? To celebrate our safe reunion, let us drink and chat the night away in joy. This is called a free and easy party, hohoho."

  Madame Aisha had arrived at the door. Just as Godou was about to reply, Erica took action first. Taking a seat on the desk where Godou was sitting, she moved up close to him and leaned herself intimately against his body before saying:

  "Please come in, Madame!"

  "Ah yes. Pardon my intrusion."

  Seeing Godou who had stiffened from the sudden intimate contact as well as Erica leaning against him, the cheerful Madame froze as she entered the room.

  "E-Erica, stop doing weird things!"

  "Yes, that's right, Godou. The Madame has come over. —How terribly sorry I am, Madame. Please excuse the unsightly display."

  By the time Godou regained his senses, he found that Erica had merely separated slightly from him before apologizing gracefully. Nonchalantly, she placed her hand on top of Godou's while continuing to apologize in a passionate tone of voice:

  "Wanting to fill up the lonely void we felt due to our separation with this person—Godou—we impatiently desired privacy for the three of us. Unable to bear it, we hid in this kind of place."

  "W-When did I do such a thing!?"

  Godou retorted against the blonde beauty whose eyes were lowered in a gaze of ecstasy. Madame Aisha's mouth opened and closed, muttering meaninglessly, apparently speechless.

  Nonchalantly ignoring all this, Erica murmured passionately like a lover:

  "Seriously... Godou is so shy. Just bear it for a little longer. After a delightful night of chatting with Madame Aisha, we still have enough time. —Ena-san should also understand, right?"

  "Ah, yes. Of course, Ena understands, Your Majesty."

  Catching the signal from Erica's eyes, Ena spoke abruptly.

  Then took a seat on the desk as well, taking up the spot next to Godou—opposite Erica's side—whispering in a stiff tone of voice:

  "Although Ena also wants to enjoy Your Majesty's love sooner, Ena is good friends with Aisha-san too and wants to chat over many things. No problem, Ena can wait patiently..."

  The Hime-Miko's watery eyes drew near to Godou while she whispered softly.

  Caught in the middle between Ena's cuteness and Erica's bold passion, Godou was quite shocked. Meanwhile, Madame Aisha's mouth finally stopped muttering unintelligibly and managed to find words:

  "S-S-Sorry, I didn't notice. Th-That's true too. Surely, the three of you must have many things to talk about and apart from that, with this and that to do, you must be very busy tonight. I-I-I will excuse myself now!"

  Finishing her speech extremely rapidly, Madame Aisha left the office.

  Her face was bright red and her head was bowed low...

  "Ehehe... Feels so naughty, like driving her away."

  "But it's true that we would like to spend some quality time together, just the three of us. A prank of this level probably shouldn't deserve karmic retribution."

  The two girls next to Godou commented respectively.

  Furthermore, Erica suddenly brought her lips near Godou's ear and bit him without warning.

  "Ouch! W-What are you doing, Erica!?"

  "Not like it matters. After all, we originally wanted to say private time for two, but changed it to three people together instead. Consequently, you should be thanking Ena-san and me for our generosity, Godou."

  "......"

  "For example, you should share the joy of reunion through a kiss."

  This time, Erica brought her face and lips close to Godou's lips.

  Although he considered evading, Godou did not actually carry through with this thought. He suspected this was because he was already used to it and he could also understand to some extent what the audacious Italian girl was implying.

  But as the kiss progressed to the point when both of them were sucking forcefully at each other's lips, one could no longer regard this as one-sided intimate contact that Godou was accepting passively.

  "N-Not just Erica-san, Your Majesty..."

  After separating from Erica's lips, Godou found Ena's face drawing near this time. However, the Yamato Nadeshiko, who would tend to grow timid in situations like this, did not press her lips towards him no matter what, despite bringing her face close enough for their foreheads to almost touch together.

  At the very brink, she was hesitating, still unable to commit her resolve.

  The sight of her behavior invited Godou's tender affection. Godou took initiative and kissed her gently, making contact like a light peck. Ena smiled blissfully as a result and pressed her lips against him in the same manner, kissing Godou on her own.

  Just as this sweet air of burning passion was produced between the trio of Erica, Ena and Godou—

  Sitting on the office desk, the trio was suddenly startled.

  "Uh, umm... It's about time we start discussing serious matters, right..."

  "Perhaps you are right. D-Discussing the situation is necessary, after all!"

  "S-Speaking of which, Erica-san, there's something you find concerning, right!?"

  The girls exchanged a few words as though trying to change the mood.

  Prior to the battle against Uldin, the trio had engaged in that certain ritual.

  This was their first kiss since that event. However, for some reason, it now felt even harder than before to resist the momentum in such behavior... Was that why Erica and Ena both pulled themselves back to regain their senses? This posed a different kind of risk compared to being alone with one of them.

  Godou felt his heart pounding madly. Ena was also clearly panicking.

  Then Erica coughed drily and finally managed to muster a resolute voice to start talking:

  "After listening to what was said, the impression I gathered is that the goddess Artio should be a mother earth goddess. The bear is a totem of the earth, while saying she'll bring her son along is also proof of this fact."

  "She's one of Athena's kind?"

  "Yes. It is quite common for goddesses linked to the earth mothers' lineages to have a boy or a young man by their side as a companion. This companion is sometimes a lover, sometimes a brother or follower. However, for this type of myth, in their most ancient form, in most cases it is a 'son'."

  Hence she was identified as a mother earth goddess. Godou agreed with Erica's argument.

  "If I had to give examples, in Greek mythology, there is the handsome young man Adonis who was loved by the goddess Aphrodite. Godou, you should recall the name of Baal, the divine king who was revived by his sister, the goddess Anat. Then there's the earth goddess Leto's son Apollo... Tracing all the way back to the origins, these are all relationships between earth mother goddesses and their sons."

  Erica suddenly lowered her voice at this point.

  "In addition, through the passage of time over the ages, the 'mother earth goddess and son' relationship has given rise to another variant, that of 'a woman possessing magical powers along with the hero under her pro
tection'..."

  "Hero? Erica-san, you can't be saying...?"

  "How sharp of you, Ena-san. The so-called hero is the warrior whose very being could be taken as a metaphor for a 'sword.' Possessing the trait of invulnerability, one who subdues dragons and snakes. The various sword gods. Heretic Gods. These are the heroes that we call the [War Gods of Steel]."

  Bringing up the term referring to the war gods who stood as the Campiones' mortal enemies, Erica continued.

  "For example, there is the hero Achilles whose invulnerability was conferred by his fairy mother, Thetis. Raised by the Lady of the Lake, Lancelot du Lac also fits the mold."

  "Lancelot huh..."

  Nostalgically recalling the name of his great rival, Godou could not help but mutter.

  "On further thought, these kinds of guys also exist in this era."

  "Yes. However, the problem here is King Arthur—the hero that Lancelot and Divine Ancestor Guinevere were seeking. Did you know? The name Arthur evolved from the word 'artos.'"

  "What does it mean?"

  "Hero. There's also another meaning, bear. Coming from the strongest beast in European forests, the [Bear], that was probably why it took on the meaning of hero, brave and powerful. Furthermore, the name Artio's etymology also comes from Artos."

  Saying that, Erica shrugged.

  "The name of the goddess Artio carries the meaning of [Bear]. I recall her definitely being a goddess worshiped by the Celts in central Europe. If this goddess has a son, then Artos would surely be his name. Then becoming the hero who later served as King Arthur's prototype—"

  "Eh, wait a sec, okay?"

  Godou's memory was jogged by the repetition of the two words, Artos and Arthur.

  "Didn't Alice-san mention before? King Arthur's legend was a fake myth fabricated by the witches of old. I remember Gascoigne trying to solve the puzzle."

  "Indeed. Moreover, Prince Alec has also made the following findings through his investigation—the hero called the 'King of the End' by the Divine Ancestors had descended at one point under the name of Artos during a certain period between the fifth and sixth centuries..."

  "......"

  "Actually, Ena also thought of something."

  The Hime-Miko of the Sword began to speak in an uncharacteristically strange tone of voice.