Vol 3 Chapter 4 (1/2)
Chapter 4 - Secret Tome of Prometheus
Part 1
Having bid Lucretia goodbye, G.o.dou and Erica were silent as they walked
out the door.
What should be done next?
Just as G.o.dou sighed lightly, a lively ringtone was heard from Erica's
cellphone. Immediately taking out a red cellphone from her pocket, Erica
answered in Italian.
G.o.dou watched her from the side.
Erica's expression and tone of voice were very serious. Could there be an
emergency?
She hung up after about five minutes, and suddenly glared at G.o.dou.
”G.o.dou, didn't you say this morning? About this morning's embarra.s.sment,
you will make amends even if it means ritual suicide by seppuku?'- 1 ^ Were
you lying to me?”
”Of course I was lying, who would want to commit seppuku for that!”
”Hmph, then I'll regard it as just an expression — listen well, you have to
come along.”
”Ah? Why?”
G.o.dou questioned, seeing Erica giving him orders in a matter-of-fact
manner. In the next instant, her gaze aimed at G.o.dou carried the same
derision as if watching a fool.
”Though you yourself are a useless amateur, but that grimoire — the [Secret
Tome of Prometheus] is different. Though Lucretia did not tell us its
functions, there is no harm in bringing it along.”
That's right, the power of the grimoire was not revealed to us after all.
When we asked the original owner, the only answer we got was something
like 'Shouldn't you find out the hidden powers of an item yourself? Asking
about it would be just as tasteless as reading a strategy guide for an RPG.'
Recalling Lucretia's levity in att.i.tude, G.o.dou couldn't help but feel
depressed.
Or perhaps, it was a decision taken under careful consideration?
”So, why don't you carry my luggage for now? Serve me as a sign of your
sincerity to make amends. Do you understand?”
”...You're not going to point a sword at me, then rob it?”
”As a Great Knight of the Copper Black Cross, I have sworn not to do such
a despicable thing! If such an oath were to be broken, I would be a
laughingstock!”
Erica spoke with great emotion. To think that oath sworn would have such
important significance.
So, what should Kusanagi G.o.dou do? Obediently tag along with Erica, or
escape? Or simply stuff that whatever grimoire into her hands and go
directly back to j.a.pan?
G.o.dou picked the fourth option.
”I'm going back to see Lucretia-san, please wait a bit for me!”
Without waiting for Erica's response, he turned around and went back to
the witch's home.
This time he opened the door by his own hands, and entered Lucretia's
room.
”How disappointing, young man. Intruding into a woman's bedroom
uninvited. Complete failure. Quickly close the door, and calm down.”
Lucretia Zola was lying on the bed, gazing at G.o.dou with eyes which were
about to fall asleep.
Wrapped under the blankets, this time she did not raise her body to speak.
She really was very tired. To watch a battle between G.o.ds in proximity, and
survive — probably a task more difficult than G.o.dou could imagine.
”Having said goodbye ten minutes ago, and then returning so soon. Could
your heart be stolen by my beauty, and you came back for a love
confession? Oh well, can't blame you. When a boy in p.u.b.erty meets a
beauty like me, such pa.s.sionate behavior cannot be helped.”
”No, that's completely wrong.”
G.o.dou replied swiftly, he won't let her control the flow of the conversation.
Due to the extremely broad range of friends of the sociable grandfather
and mother, G.o.dou was well accustomed to dealing with this type of
strange person.
”You clearly look so similar to your grandfather, but I don't see any verbal
gift in pleasing women. Still, I'm quite interested in you. What do you wish
to speak with me?”
Lucretia finally opened her eyes.
As if scrutinizing G.o.dou's face, she stared straight at him.
”Weren't Lucretia-san's words just now a bit too strange? Like Erica said,
giving her the stone tablet would definitely be better than the current
situation.”
”Hohoho, but I also said, I picked the more interesting choice.”
”That was absolutely not a lie, I understand. But I feel that — it's not entirely
your true intentions, otherwise I wouldn't get the feeling I was playing
along.”
”Hey, so you think I have other motives, young man.”
Hearing G.o.dou's words, Lucretia giggled with laughter.
”Yes, before I get tired of the whole incident and dump this stone tablet in
the trash can, please tell me the truth. That would be a great help.”
”Threatening me instead! Excellent, that's more like Ichirou's grandson.
Stubborn like him, but in a completely different way. You can't be
underestimated. Yes, otherwise, there would have been no point in
handing things to you.”
Lucretia looked very happy and was laughing on the bed.
”Fine, I will explain directly. It's actually nothing important, but I just want
you to act as that little lady's restraint. Take her down a notch. If you give
the [Secret Tome of Prometheus] to her directly, she will immediately take
it for duels against G.o.ds, that genius!”
”...She is someone that amazing?”
”Yes, Erica Blandelli is said to be the treasured prodigy of the Copper
Black Cross, but that's not the dangerous part. The danger lies in the fact
that she has yet to understand the terror of [Heretic G.o.ds]... In fact, I did
consider the option of retrieving the grimoire and hiding it.”
”Then why not do that?”
”Because that thing will definitely come in handy. So, I wish to hand it over
to some mage. And then when Sir Salvatore arrives, pa.s.s it over and let
him use it effectively — that was one of the plans I conceived.”
”Sir Salvatore?”
Another character addressed with t.i.tle ”Sir”, G.o.dou tilted his head in
puzzlement.
Was he a famous person knighted over in Britain?
”Yes, that's right. Perhaps he is the one who can resolve this incident in
one fell swoop. A great and important man who is impossible for an
unaffiliated mage like me to approach, so it's better to hand the grimoire
over to Erica-san who is from a prestigious family. Can you accept it now?”
”Got it, yes... In other words, you hope I can be a hindrance to Erica?”
”Correct answer! So young man, what do you plan to do?”
Realizing the intentions of this elderly witch, G.o.dou began to ponder.
Knowing Lucretia's intentions now, should he follow her wishes?
What should he do? He was truly displeased with the witch's intentions, but
this island has been met with a situation beyond human knowledge, and
people's peaceful lives were being disrupted.
He didn't think he could resolve the issue himself, but he can't stay out of it
and do nothing.
G.o.dou sighed, if he didn't see this through to the very end, he wouldn't be
able to return to j.a.pan with a peace of mind.
”I know, as long as there is no danger to my life, I will follow and act with
that fellow.”
”Yes, that would be a very great help. Let me toast to you another day in
recognition of your courage and meddlesome ways.”
”Don't call me meddlesome! It could very well turn out to be life
threatening!”
He had witnessed divine power at Cagliari.
G.o.dou was not so naive that he would believe himself to be safe, having
witnessed that scene. In front of that kind of threat, humans were as
insignificant as grains of sand.
”Hohoho, don't be angry. For you to successfully reach here in a country
with a language barrier, that indicates luck is on your side. If it gets
dangerous, run away, I won't blame you. I pray that good fortune be with
you.”
Finally, Lucretia smiled peacefully as she gazed at G.o.dou's face.
Like an old lady watching a grandson, or an older sister blessing a brother
on his journey of growth. It was an ambiguous expression.
Part 2
”What, G.o.dou. You've finally finished your secret talks with that woman?
...How shameless.”
Seeing G.o.dou step out of Lucretia's home once again, Erica murmured to
herself.
”Who are you calling shameless?! I just have some things to confirm with
that person.”
”Shameless enough to do something behind my back. If it's nothing
shameful, then you would have done it openly? Fine, whatever. Hurry up
and go, the next destination is Dorgali.”
”Why are we going there? Have you found news of that guy?”
Erica had indicated their next destination was an hour away by car as
G.o.dou questioned her.
It would be great if the youth he last saw in Cagliari was safe and sound.
”No, but his chances of appearing are quite high... Our spirit vision users at
the Copper Black Cross have discerned the gathering of magical power in
the area around Dorgali.”
”Magical power?”
”Correct, and very powerful. The reason why I went to Cagliari, was also
because spirit vision found a similar concentration of magic there, and then
the boy and the [Boar] appeared.”
Come to think of it, Lucretia also mentioned spirit vision.
Spirit vision users had talent like prophets, and the phone call just now,
was apparently a report from them.
”To predict something like this, how amazing, can they see everything?”
”It's not like that. The content of their spirit vision is very limited, like now,
we still have no idea of the ident.i.ty of the deity on this island — however, it
would be different if a spirit vision user of the highest level were here.
Unfortunately, people possessing that kind of talent are exceedingly rare.”
A spirit vision user's powers were predominantly determined by inborn
disposition.
Come to think of it, if people with clairvoyance were common, it would
actually be quite horrible.
Accepting that, G.o.dou changed his mood. Hearing that the youth might
appear, he suddenly began to feel anxious and wanted to know as quickly
as possible whether he was safe.
”How are we going to get there? Train or bus, which one?”
”Neither, get a car and driver!”
Still, to expect a taxi cab in this town in the countryside —
In the end, compared to calling for a cab from a taxi company in Nuoro, it
would be faster to take a bus directly. Having concluded that, G.o.dou and
the unhappy Erica got on the bus.
Dorgali was a little town on the coast.
It had valleys near the sea, as well as steep river valleys around it. Erica
had mentioned that Dorgali was surrounded by abundant natural
resources, and has been designated as a national park.
Along the b.u.mpy undulating mountain road, the bus quickly sped.
”— Hmm? It's raining?”
Watching outside the window, G.o.dou suddenly found the sky darken.
Soon grey clouds appeared and covered the sky like a heavy curtain.
”Raining? No, that's not it.”
Hearing G.o.dou mutter to himself, Erica turned back to face him. (By the
way, even though the seat beside G.o.dou was vacant, she ignored it and
took the seat in front.)
”It almost never rains in Sardinia this time of the year, you didn't even know
that?”
A Mediterranean climate. Warm, dry, very little rainfall. This island, in the
middle of the Mediterranean Sea, obviously belonged to that climate region
as well.
”Then, could it be...”
”Exactly as you imagine. Perhaps some strange incident will
happen — most likely the omen of divine presence.”
A few minutes after Erica's prophesy, the short bus trip ended.
Dorgali was a very small town at the foot of a mountain.
There were only a few shops and a police station along the main road
where the bus stop was simply marked by a sign. Getting off, the first
things G.o.dou and Erica noticed were the dark clouds in the sky. Compared
to what they saw on the bus, the clouds were clearly more numerous.
Making the cloudless clear sky an hour ago seem like an illusion, the first
overcast skies G.o.dou saw in Sardinia was giving him a great ominous
feeling.
”—It's here.”
Erica suddenly spoke.
And then, rain drops began pelting G.o.dou's face. It finally began to rain.
Heavy rain like a sudden shower, but this was probably not what Erica was
referring to.
Just as G.o.dou thought that, a golden light suddenly flashed.
Cras.h.!.+
As the sound of thunder roared, lightning struck, and the wind began to
pick up rapidly.
— A storm.
Without any warning signs, the storm arrived just like that. And then G.o.dou
noticed something.
Casually flying amidst the storm was a four-legged giant beast — a [Goat] in
the middle of the sky.
Like a Chinese dragon hovering in the air, a giant [Goat] with neither
feathers nor wings, leading the wind, clouds and rain, dancing with the
thunder in the sky.
Since it was very far away, its precise size could not be determined.
Still, it couldn't be smaller than the [Boar] sighted in Cagliari. Its furry hide
was white, and there were two long horns extending from its head.
Roar!
The [Goat] roared loud and sonorously, and blew a sudden gust of strong
wind.
Calling out again, this time it was thunder and lightning descending upon
the ground.
This town was virtually all built with wood, but since it was raining, it was
fortunate that one did not need to worry about a fire hazard.
Even so, it did not change the fact that there was a disaster. With lifeless
eyes, G.o.dou watched the heroic form of the [Goat].
”Is that also an incarnation born from the sword G.o.d?”
”Probably, if possible I really want to use the [Secret Tome of
Prometheus]'s ability to stop it, and then make direct contact, but it can't be
done.”
The feeling he got from Erica suddenly changed, and G.o.dou was very
surprised.
A feeling of splendor like fire and gold, an extremely brave and intense will
exuded from her beauty and her eyes.
It was a majestic and unapproachable figure, like a top cla.s.s partic.i.p.ant
just before a compet.i.tion began.
”Come, my sword, Cuore di Leone. Blade that guards the throne of the
lion! I beseech the predecessors of red and black. Grant your protection to
my body and my chivalry!”
And then Erica began chanting the words like a spell.
Immediately following, the slightly familiar slender sword and a red cape,
never seen before, appeared out of the air. Wielding the sword in her right
hand, Erica majestically wrapped the cape around herself with her left.
The cape had a bold design with black stripes on a red background, and
particularly suited Erica's beauty and blonde hair. In an instant, G.o.dou felt
deeply attracted.
”I will approach that [Goat] to investigate. G.o.dou you should find a place to
hide. We will meet up later.”
”You plan on fighting against that thing?”
”Of course not! I am just investigating. No matter where you are, I can find
you with magic. Be my guest, find a place to hide!”
Leaving those words behind, Erica rushed forth.
Speeding like an arrow through the raining streets as if she was flying, this
speed was completely beyond human limits.
Could this also be magic? As G.o.dou reacted in surprise, he watched as
she receded in the distance.
”...This is not a leisurely situation, I'd better find a place to hide quickly.”
Checking out the situation in the streets, G.o.dou was shocked.
The sudden storm and thunder.
And then, the giant monster flying in the air.
With so many ma.s.sive anomalies, Dorgali finally began to have a
commotion.
There were those who opened their windows to check out the storm
conditions, only to be shocked by the scene in the air.
Cries of terror, screams of surprise, chaotic disturbances, the public was
wailing as if fallen into h.e.l.l.
The storm blew timber and light objects like cloth into the sky. Lightning
periodically lit up the darkness of the overcast skies, while thunder
descending from the heavens torched the earth and demolished buildings.
Who could have thought such a ma.s.sive uproar could happen in a little
town of several thousand in population.
” — Running away recklessly would be even worse, what should I do?”
Seeing the chaos in the town, G.o.dou couldn't help muttering to himself.
Since G.o.dou already knew part of the reasons why this was happening, he
was able to maintain his natural calm. Watching the people in chaos — he
was able to notice.
Like himself, there was another youth calmly observing the panicking
crowd.
A handsome youth so outstanding that one could never forget his face
having seen him once.
The two exchanged glances.
One smiled nostalgically, while the other showed a troubled expression.
G.o.dou had wanted to see him, wanted all along to confirm if he was safe.
However, faced with this sudden encounter, he had a feeling of doubt.
Whenever the G.o.d's incarnations appeared, the youth was also witnessed.
Wasn't this just as Erica had described?
Part 3
Running.
Erica Blandelli was using the [Leap] technique to make her body lighter as
she ran at full strength.
Running towards the numerous buildings that were struck by lightning, all
sorts of objects that were blown away by the violent wind, and the heavily
damaged little town corroded by the rare rainstorm.
In fact, Erica was so fast she might as well be flying.
The stone paved streets were breaking apart, and she leapt between
roofs, streetlights, and all sorts of footholds on buildings, her feet rarely if
ever touching the ground.
It was difficult to build high rise buildings in Europe, particularly Italy.
Since there were many cities possessing iconic sights like the Tower of
Pisa or the Coliseum, in order not to affect the scenery, there were many
legal regulations preventing the construction of high rise buildings.
Erica thought it was a shame.
— If there was a taller building, she could get a lot closer to the [Goat].
Dorgali's buildings were five or six stories max, while the [Goat] was flying
leisurely a couple tens of meters above in the sky.
Though Erica was called a genius in magic, she did not know the
techniques of flying.
Her specialty was [Iron], the ability to manipulate iron and steel like her
own arms and legs for the purposes of offense and defense. Flying, spirit
vision and the preparation of potions belonged to the domain of true
witches like Lucretia Zola.
Finally reaching the top of some tower, Erica took a deep breath as she
halted her steps.
Even though her goal was investigation, watching from such a far distance
was not very useful.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained —
She needed to take a gamble now. Though she had never used it in real
combat, that spell — the secret technique mentioned in the report to her
uncle, it was time to try it out.
Agonizing for about ten seconds, she immediately made her decision.
She will first make the venture, then decide when to advance or to retreat
as the situation dictates.
”Eli Eli lama sabachthani? Oh Lord, why hast thou forsaken me?”^
Erica chanted in a loud voice.
The Golgotha spell words were an incantation of fury and prayer, calling
forth hate and regret.
”O my G.o.d, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night
season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the
[31 J
praises of Israel.” 1 J
Pointing Cuore di Leone towards the sky with her right hand.
This sword was paired with II Maestro, the magic sword of her rival Liliana
Kranjcar.
In the past, these were two precious swords forged for the sake of two
great knights bearing the t.i.tles of the Lion King and the Fairy King. Erica
and Liliana had discovered the two swords in the catacombs beneath
Florence, and each claimed one of the pair as their personal weapon.
”I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is
like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like
a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me
into the dust of death. For dogs have compa.s.sed me: the a.s.sembly of the
wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.”^
This was the disastrous song of despair, carrying anger at the Lord who
withheld salvation even at the verge of death.
”But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help
me. Deliver my soul from the sword; Save me from the lion's mouth: for
T51
thou hast heard me from the horns of wild oxen!” 1 J
This was a hymn of prayer, containing the absolute will pledging allegiance
to the Lord in the face of certain death.
”I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation
will I praise thee.”^
The name of the spell was [Oh Lord! Why hast thou forsaken me?]
Of all the techniques pa.s.sed down by the Copper Black Cross, recognized
as one of the most difficult of the secret arts.
— Feeling the chill of the icy cold air, Erica knew she had succeeded.
From her lips came the proud smile of a lioness.
Clearly not the result of the storm, the surrounding temperature was
gradually falling.
Erica's spell words, has summoned bone-chilling cold.
The hill of Golgotha, the same air as the place where the Son of G.o.d
perished, this same freezing air was now filling Erica's surroundings.
Simply bathed in this cold air would cause an ordinary person's heart to go
numb.
Then for a G.o.d — or a similar divine existence, of course it would still be
extremely uncomfortable.
And so the [Goat] lowered its gaze.
It slowly descended towards Erica's location.
Provocation successful, Erica smiled as she leapt to a neighboring rooftop.
She began to observe the [Goat].
Extremely intelligent eyes. Goats were fundamentally very smart animals,
though they resembled stupid sheep in appearance, they were
exceptionally alert and clever. So this was only natural.
When she met the [Boar] at Cagliari, the [Wind] G.o.d had appeared before
she had a chance to get near like this.
Though she saw the battle between the black boar and the tornado from
afar, she could not get close to observe. However, at this close range she
could now see that the [Goat] did not have intelligence like a divine beast.
Probably only animal intelligence — that was the likely level.
— Let's test it.
”Cuore di Leone, I grant to you the weeping cries of the son of G.o.d and the
Holy Spirit, become the spear of Longinus!”
Using the magic of [Transformation] on her beloved sword, she changed its
form to a spear.
Infusing it with the spell words or despair, this gave Cuore di Leone the
same magical power as the holy spear that pierced the son of G.o.d. Thus a
magical weapon was born, capable of harming G.o.ds and making them
bleed.
”Saint Thomas, share your martyrdom with others!”
Accompanying the new spell words, Erica threw the spear forward.
Granted the curse of never missing its target, even a G.o.d could not escape
the thrown spear, let alone existences beneath G.o.ds — like divine or sacred
beasts.
The spear left a deep open wound on the lower abdomen of the [Goat].
Roar! The giant beast's painful cries reached up into the heavens.
Erica recalled Cuore di Leone using magic, having confirmed her hunch,
that the divine beast born from the [Heretic G.o.d] — an opponent of that
level can be handled with her power alone!
However, her opponent was not so weak as to allow an easy victory
without preparation.
As Erica a.n.a.lyzed the battle potential of her enemy, the [Goat] roared
noisily.
Lightning continually descended from the sky.
The target was clearly the insolent one who had injured the divine beast.
Instinctively, Erica began running before the thunder and lightning could
burn her into charcoal.
Cras.h.!.+
Lightning flashed, while thunder roared.
Intense lightning struck the place she had been standing only two seconds
ago.