Campione 15

by Son of the Goddess

  "Recently, haven't there been rumors of the hero wielding a sword of light to defeat the Devil Kings? Actually, something similar also happened in Japan's Bousou Peninsula, where people spreading rumors of a hero's divine sword would suddenly appear..."

  Queen Oto Tachibana-Hime, jumped into the sea with sword embosomed. Sea currents carried her sword to a landless location, whence a floating island subsequently appeared.

  Ena recalled the legend that kept appearing in the land of Bousou.

  Reportedly, no matter how many times the History Compilation Committee tried to cover up these rumors, people spreading the rumor still continued to appear.

  Godou jumped in surprise. Sayanomiya Kaoru had told him the same thing earlier. In addition, he had also learnt of something else from a certain person—

  'Regardless, the location where the 'King of the End' sleeps definitely gives rise to legends about warriors and divine swords.'

  'In that case, one would naturally think there was an authentic Floating Island somewhere in Tokyo Bay.'

  These were Alexandre Gascoigne's speculations.

  The 'King of the End' should be sleeping somewhere in Tokyo Bay, near the Bousou Peninsula.

  "Could the goddess Artio's son be King Arthur's prototype—the 'King of the End'?"

  Artio—Artos—Arthur. A chain of connections.

  The relationship between the 'King of the End' and places where legends surfaced about divine swords and warriors.

  Godou muttered due to these details stimulating his imagination. That man was supposed to be the hero who exterminated all godslayers, the existence that Athena once warned him about.

  Part 4

  The goddess Artio had undoubtedly said:

  'In our next encounter, I shall bring my son before you.'

  However—Godou began to ponder. After all, subordinate or allied gods summoned by a goddess were not supposed to possess particularly powerful divinities. Nevertheless, if it really were the 'King of the End'...?

  "In a fight against that guy, I'd die beyond a doubt. That's what Athena said once."

  "Asserted already? That's not so good."

  "Whatever, there's no point getting bothered by it. I'll just do the same as always."

  "The same as always? Ahhh, you mean naturally getting into a fight."

  "At least call it adapting to the situation, Seishuuin..."

  This was the morning two days after Godou was reunited with Erica and Ena.

  Almost simultaneously with the break of dawn, Godou left the house, accompanied only by Ena. The two of them crossed the Rhine by bridge on horseback, arriving at the opposite shore.

  Indeed, they had gone from the city on the west bank over to the east bank—

  The opposite shore was where Doni and the Frankish warriors lived in a Roman army outpst.

  But apart from that, there were no other major buildings. This was no longer within the city's boundaries, since east of the Rhine was Germania, a land where Roman imperial rule did not extend.

  The army outpost was on the east bank in order to intercept enemies coming from Germania.

  (As a side note, the current period seemed to be when the Roman Empire had built "great walls" in the interior of Germania to establish frontier fortifications for blocking Germanic invasions. However, the defensive line had retreated to the Rhine's position by this juncture.)

  Compared to the west bank with well-equipped urban facilities, the east bank consisted more of undeveloped, natural areas.

  If the horses were allowed to gallop for a bit, one would be greeted by the sight of flourishing forests. This area was essentially a plain. The flat grassland stretched endlessly with rather good visibility.

  This sort of scenery with small and medium sized forests scattered sparsely here and there was quite rare in Japan.

  Godou and Ena was heading to one of these forests. It was the Hime-Miko's request.

  "Ena has been spending all her time in cities recently. Hence, purifying the body and mind is necessary."

  Ena spoke cheerfully. The two of them walked amidst the dense coniferous trees as well as deciduous trees such as oak, white oak and beech, strolling under them casually. Before stepping foot inside the forest, they had tied their horses outside.

  Summoning a god's energy into one's body was the secret art of divine possession—

  As the user of this technique, Ena regularly distanced herself from civilization to purify her body and mind using the spiritual energy deep in the mountains.

  "So even in this era, you're still able to receive power from that old man Susanoo?"

  "Ena only tried it out as a test without much hope. It seems like there is a weak connection between this time period and our present... Looks like it's really possible."

  "A weak connection?"

  Godou could not help but mutter. In response, Ena gave an unexpected answer.

  "Yes, although Aisha-san's corridor appears to manifest only once a month, Ena thinks that it isn't totally gone during this time. It's just that it's invisible to the human eye and its ability to transmit things is weakened."

  "......"

  "Probably, 'subtle things' like spiritual energy and magical power can still be transmitted between this and the modern era. Ena thinks that's why divine possession can be used."

  "But is it okay for me to be here? If you're trying to purify your body and mind, being alone should be better, right?"

  "What are you talking about, Your Majesty? Hey, on the last trip to Uldin-san's place, didn't Your Majesty travel together with Erica-san as a pair? So this sort of counts as compensation."

  "S-So that's what this is about?"

  "Yes. That's why Erica-san didn't come along. How considerate of her... Well, her trouble with getting up early in the morning is also partly the reason."

  "That girl is always so lethargic in the mornings..."

  The pair walked in the forest, advancing deeper.

  The spring breeze, blowing through the trees, felt pleasant beyond belief. Streaming through gaps between the leaves, the sunlight was bright and dazzling. Rather than purifying one's body and mind, this felt more like a countryside outing.

  Soon after, Godou and Ena reached the edge of a spring.

  The size was roughly the same as the school swimming pool. The spring water was so clear and pristine that the sight was simply touching.

  "It's so unbelievably clean that I wouldn't be surprised even if a fairy or two lived here."

  "Coming from Your Majesty, that's completely not strange at all—Look, it feels great!"

  Laughing at Godou's words, Ena took off her boots and stepped into the spring water.

  The coldness of the spring water felt refreshing, resulting in carefree laughter—But suddenly, she cried out "Ah."

  "Speaking of water, Ena now remembers. Ena was chatting with Aisha-san yesterday, right, along with Erica-san. It was something mentioned at the time."

  "Something related to water?"

  "Yes. She said that after drifting in the river with Your Majesty, she was trying to dry her drenched clothes and you ended up seeing her naked body. When we were asking Aisha-san about what happened after we were separated, she acted very suspiciously. However, Erica-san managed to get it out of her."

  "Hold on! Many things are wrong with that explanation!"

  It was an event that was quite difficult to talk about. Couldn't she have expressed it in a slightly more prudent manner?

  Believing he needed to defend his honor, Godou loudly protested.

  "Things only turned out that way because we were both careless. It felt more like an unfortunate accident!"

  "Well, Ena thought so too."

  Ena gazed at Godou with a face like a sulking child's.

  Then she suddenly took out a ribbon and tied her long, silky, black hair into a ponytail. After she walked into the shadows of some nearby trees, out of Godou's sight—The rustling of undressing could be heard.

  "!?
Seishuuin, what on earth are you doing!?"

  "B-Because Ena is here to purify her body and mind..."

  Ena answered from the shade in a stiff tone of voice. Then a splash followed immediately. Having removed all her clothes, Ena had entered the spring water.

  "Seishuuin, what are you doing!? I'm right here on the side!"

  "S-Sorry. Looks like Ena got careless as well... N-No, Your Majesty is at fault too. To think you'd stand in this kind of place, th-that's called carelessness too, right...?"

  "......"

  "B-But being even more careless and taking a longer look is okay too, you know...? Like the time with Aisha-san, it's just an accident, right?"

  Waded into the spring water at chest height, Ena spoke quietly.

  She was separated from Godou at the spring's edge by only five or six meters at most. Furthermore, the transparency of this spring water was rather high.

  Hence, even her body from the chest down was clearly visible under the water.

  Godou had witnessed the same at the Chuuzenji hot spring before, the sight of Ena's complete nudity.

  Despite a voluptuous figure rivaling Erica's, with all the curves in the right places, Ena huddled her body and her pale skin became flushed red. Naturally, this was due to embarrassment.

  The Hime-Miko of the Sword was now sitting on an underwater rock.

  Perhaps still indecisive? She was using her arms to cover her bountiful bosom.

  Gazing upwards at Godou in a coy manner, Ena had tied up her silky black hair in a ponytail for the very first time, exuding a kind of charm different from her usual liveliness.

  Thanks to that, Godou was unable to tear his gaze away from the embarrassed Ena.

  "Ah. Ena's very sorry recently, Your Majesty."

  "Eh? I don't think there's anything you need to apologize for, is there?"

  "There is. Recently, Ena seems to have nagged at Your Majesty a lot—Due to another increase in girls, Ena is feeling jealous... Sorry, Ena was supposed to be more calm in the first place."

  Sitting in the spring, Ena bowed her head despondently.

  As a result, she lowered her arms and the breasts she had been covering became completely clear to view.

  "Ena feels a slightly heart-wrenching feeling. It's fine when it's Erica-san, Yuri or Liliana-san, but Ena feels very unpleasant when other girls get near Your Majesty..."

  "S-Seishuuin."

  This was a jealous side that did not quite suit the bright and cheerful child of nature.

  Hearing this confession, Godou felt compelled to give Ena a hug, so he took a step forward.

  Walking any further forward would mean stepping into the spring. Nevertheless, driven by an impulse to shower the Hime-Miko with tender affection, he did not mind and was just about to approach closer—At that very instant...

  Even though it was clearly in the early morning hours, the sky suddenly went pitch black.

  Despite being in a forest, Godou was currently in a wide open space, being next to a spring. Gentle sunlight was supposed to be shining down, illuminating the clear spring water and the forest air.

  " "!?" "

  Godou and Ena looked up into the sky and were surprised at the same time.

  "The sun—It's gone dark!"

  "A-An eclipse?"

  Before they knew it, the morning sun had turned black, becoming a circle of blackness.

  The circle was ringed by a white halo. The sky was pitch black, almost like the scene of a total solar eclipse. This occurred despite the fact that no impending signs of large-scale astronomical phenomena were sensed!

  Furthermore, accompanied by a crash of thunder, white lightning descended from the dark sky to strike the ground.

  From Godou and Ena's location, the black sun lay to the east. The flash of lightning gave off extremely powerful magical power.

  '—It's here.'

  Suddenly speaking softly was Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi from Godou's right arm.

  'My kindred, the blade born from the star of [Steel] has crash landed. Although its origin is unclear, it is surely a horrifying and sharp sword. King, miko, best to beware.'

  "Ama no Murakumo, do you know where it fell?"

  Ena exposed her gorgeous nude body while rising from the water.

  Bearing a nervous and commanding expression, she came over to Godou's side and asked her steel partner.

  'The approximate location is—'

  Godou and Ena exchanged a glance then nodded respectively.

  Beneath the still-dark sky and the eclipsed sun...

  After Ena had put on her clothes again, Godou and Ena were currently riding their horses in a gallop.

  Following Ama no Murakumo's guidance, they moved northeast. Unlike Gaul, Germania on the Rhine's east bank was an undeveloped region. Forests were especially numerous in this area. It was also a forest region frequently used by royalty and nobles as a hunting ground ever since medieval times.

  However, Godou and Ena were currently riding across a plain where there were few hindrances to visibility.

  Hence, even as novice riders, Godou and Ena still managed to traverse the plain without problems. Soon after, the sound of equestrian hooves could be heard from the rear. Three riders were galloping on horseback to catch up.

  "Ah, Godou, you're here too!"

  "You're heading to the place where the lightning descended, right?"

  Finally caught up, Doni greeted Godou who replied with a question.

  The Campione standing as Europe's strongest swordsman also seemed to be a skilled equestrian and was displaying superb riding form. The same need not be said for Erica whose horse was galloping alongside. To Godou's surprise, even Madame Aisha was also riding skillfully.

  "Yes. The sky turning into this would be clearly very unusual, right? Intending to investigate the powerful presence of magical power that descended just now, I left the city and came over with the two of them."

  Erica explained in response. Presumably, she had used magic to divine which direction to pursue. Anyone could tell that the three riders who caught up from behind were very skilled equestrians.

  "To think it would be at such a time, could Artio-san have done something...?"

  Murmuring in this manner, Madame Aisha was dressed in clothing facilitating mobility for once. Instead of a one-piece dress, she was wearing knee-length pants with her usual white overcoat on top.

  This was probably for riding more conveniently. Most likely, she was already used to traveling on horse.

  "Come to think of it, Aisha-san, you mentioned about crossing deserts by camel before, right?"

  "Yes. I've also ridden horses all over South Dakota during the Wild West era."

  She happily revealed her past exploits. As expected of the expert traveler who had traversed the world, oriental and occidental, past and present.

  Allowing their horses to take occasional breaks, the five of them hurried northeast. The trip was guided by Erica's magic and Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi. Not long after that, a small hill appeared before them.

  White, rectangular pillars of stone were arranged in a circle there.

  Similar to England's Stonehenge, it was a historic site known as a stone circle.

  The nearer they approached the stone circle, the more Godou's body and mind filled up with power for battle. As expected, the goddess Artio emerged from the depths of the stone monument.

  Wearing a bear pelt, the beautiful goddess looked down at the world below from atop the hill.

  Imperceptibly, the black sun had moved to what would be the very center of the sky.

  The time was estimated to be noon. Dismounting several hundred meters from the hill, Godou signaled to Erica and Ena with his eyes. From this point on, only the three of us should proceed—That was what he conveyed.

  Comprehending his message, the two companions stopped their horses to wait on standby.

  Conversely, Doni and Madame Aisha dismounted.

  One of the three Campiones, who
knows which one, started walking towards the stone ring's hill.

  "I don't have any intention of fighting in a group of three. It's just that something weird is going on in this area, so the three of us came to check it out..."

  Standing at the foot of the mountain and speaking to Artio, that person was Doni, of course.

  "Who should take the fight? Having a deciding match here first sounds like a good idea."

  "What are you talking about, Doni-san? Even if she is a deity bringing calamity, it is not right to slay her without saying a word. It is more appropriate to have a calm discussion first, making compromises where possible. Bloodshed should be avoided as thoroughly as possible."

  "In contrast to your proposal, Aisha-san, you've already defeated quite a few gods..."

  Godou could not help but point out the inconsistency. Perhaps because this was a question that had been weighing on his mind a long time already.

  "Although you keep saying stuff like how you're not good at fighting, in contrast, you've already defeated one, two... at least four or more deities."

  "Oh Godou, you didn't know? Madame Aisha fights in quite a sly manner."

  "Eh? Although I've slightly guessed this much already, is it really that amazing?"

  "W-What are the two of you talking about!? There was never a battle I wanted to fight in. I always felt bad after every victory!"

  Under unusual conditions akin to total solar eclipse, with a goddess ahead, expected to counterattack any moment...

  Nevertheless, none of the three Campiones said anything serious. They simply took things in stride and faced the situation as usual.

  On the other hand, this was different from a lack of tension. Godou and Doni were gazing sharply uphill. Facing off against a deity, their bodies and minds were filled with concentration and power unique to Campiones.

  It was probably the same for Madame Aisha. In a rare moment, she was also displaying a solemn expression.

  On the other hand, the goddess waiting to strike at the three Campiones...

  "You came as expected, godslayers."

  Solemnly, her beautiful face tensed up and she closed her eyes.

  "The three of you, in addition to those located in distant land... Four, five... a total of six godslayers existing in this present world. How lamentable beyond compare."