Vol 11 Chapter 2 (2/2)
”Are you stupid? Simply talking to a [Heretic G.o.d] as equals is already an
accomplishment. Furthermore, you are a completely neutral king in the
world of magic, with neither supporters, subordinates nor backing.
Zamparini wishes to establish amicable ties with you right now.”
”I don't really mind if all he wants are amicable ties...”
”If that's all he wants, fine. But supposing Zamparini wishes to become an
adviser akin to being the 'right hand man' of the seventh Devil King, then
it's not hard to understand. At least, I believe he is aiming for the lofty
power and influence held by kings.”
Other than the fact that she was holding G.o.dou's hand as she leaned
against him, Erica acted identically as before.
”Hence, Erica Blandelli by your side is an obtrusive existence to him, which
is why he preemptively contacted the [Copper Black Cross] beforehand.”
”But what does becoming the 'right hand man' have to do with sending you
back?”
”You finally noticed the key point. Hmm, that's the issue.”
Erica seemed to have reached a conclusion, as she murmured towards
empty s.p.a.ce.
”Although [Panormus] is the largest a.s.sociation on the island of Sicily, it
only counts as mid to small scale on the entire European stage. But if
[Panormus] obtains a Campione's protection, or even becomes his direct
subordinate organization, then it can stand toe to toe with bigger and more
prestigious a.s.sociations.”
”On the other hand, prestigious a.s.sociations, like the [Copper Black Cross]
which I belong to, will avoid developing intimate ties with individual [Kings]
as much as possible. Of course, they will still offer their services with the
greatest reverence, but they will not approve of acts such as having their
commander-in-chief's niece and future commander-in-chief candidate
become an immature Devil King's 'right hand man.' ”
”So why do you have to call yourself my 'lover?' ”
G.o.dou exclaimed emphatically, for there must be other ways, right?
”T-This couldn't be helped either. Apart from using the name of an
a.s.sociation's mage, supporting you on a personal basis would be most
ideal. Once a Campione declares 'I will not permit my woman to be taken
away,' no one will dare drive me away.”
Indeed, as soon as she made the lovers declaration, Zamparini became
understanding and accommodating.
As befitted the pa.s.sionate Latin nation, perhaps they were more lenient
when it came to matters of love. However, G.o.dou was a bona fide member
of the Yamato nation!
”Wouldn't it work if you said we are good friends?”
”Idiot, that would only work to Zamparini's advantage!”
As their argument escalated as they leaned their bodies close together,
their voices grew louder and louder.
”...Besides, I believe that a declaration of lovers would better protect my
safety.”
”Why is that?”
”You must have felt it to some extent. Zamparini and his [Panormus]
a.s.sociation are not just a real magic a.s.sociation, but also authentic Sicilian
mafia.”
”He really is a G.o.dfather!?”
”If he deemed me serving by G.o.dou's side to be a hindrance, ordering an
a.s.sa.s.sination would just be everyday business for them. Particularly during
a battle with Melqart, a bullet to the back followed by a cover up would not
be surprising.”
”What a bunch of people...”
”If you have the leisure to panic, why don't you put some effort into looking
more pa.s.sionate...”
Erica finally concluded.
”That is why I called myself your lover. As the girl upon whom the
Campione bestows his full affections, I will be safe from their foolhardy
attempts. Consequently, please treat me as your most beloved woman,
understood?”
And thus the secret conversation ended.
The pair tried their best to look like ”lovers” as they walked back to the car.
Thereafter, Zamparini took them sightseeing to various attractions.
Ancient Greeks, the Roman Empire, Arabs, Normans and various tribes
had conquered Palermo in the past. Its history carried a certain exotic flair
that distinguished the city from many others. Along the old city streets
along the sh.o.r.e, there were many ancient buildings.
Churches and chapels flashed into view. Then they were taken to the
Palazzo dei Normanni -- a palace that was constructed by Arabs in the
ninth century then later rebuilt as the Norman king's residence in the
twelfth century.
”Very well, time to go.”
It was 5pm when Zamparini declared in the car. Exhausted from all the
sightseeing, G.o.dou asked lifelessly:
”...Where are we going this time?”
”To my home, Kusanagi G.o.dou. It's about time for Your Highness to rest.
Tonight, please accept my invitation to be a guest at my home.”
G.o.dou was shocked. Going around acting like lovers with Erica all day had
completely drained him and he wished to have a good rest in a room by
himself...
Soon after, they arrived at Zamparini's home located in a high-cla.s.s
residential neighborhood within the city of Palermo.
Numerous servants were hard at work in this s.p.a.cious and luxurious
mansion. All over the premises were people who appeared rather
disreputable. They were most likely mafia as well as magi belonging to the
[Panormus] magic a.s.sociation.
G.o.dou and Erica were taken to the most grand and luxurious room in the
house. That in itself was certainly nice, but G.o.dou's problem was that he
was not the only one sleeping there.
With a matter-of-fact tone of voice, Erica informed G.o.dou they will be
sleeping in the same room.
Part 4
Night had fallen and dinner time had arrived. But the only occupants of the
stately and magnificent dining room were the master Zamparini, G.o.dou
and Erica. Three people.
It was not yet time to start eating, but the table was already piled full of
high-cla.s.s dishes and sumptuous offerings.
Due to Erica's public declaration of a ”lovers' relations.h.i.+p,” G.o.dou could
only eat mechanically despite facing the most luxurious feast he
encountered to this date. Thanks to that, G.o.dou completely failed to
register what he ate or what anything tasted like.
Then G.o.dou was taken to the bedroom.
Naturally, Erica accompanied him. Willing or not, they could not tear their
gazes away from the ma.s.sive canopy bed. Obviously, there was no other
bed either.
”I-I'm gonna sleep on the couch over there.”
”T-That's right. Even if I declared ourselves to be lovers, there is no need
to go so far.”
Just as they reached consensus, the telephone in the room started to ring.
”This happens to be one of my hobbies.”
A ma.s.sive bath was located in a corner of Zamparini's home. Thus
declared G.o.dou and Erica's host and master of the house, with great pride
over the phone.
”Often I feel that modern Europeans over neglect the customs of the bath...
Hence, I decided to have craftsmen recreate an ancient Roman bath right
here.”
Mesmerized by the sight of the bathing facilities, G.o.dou answered with a
simple ”Huh.”
Inside were three ma.s.sive bathing areas, each wider than any swimming
pool G.o.dou had ever seen. Two were filled with hot water while the third
was cold. The place was filled with giant columns like the Parthenon
temple in Greece, giving a serene sense of solemnity.
Naturally, the facilities were also equipped with sauna rooms and a smaller
Jacuzzi tub. Indeed, this ma.s.sive bathing facility did feel like Roman baths
from the times at the height of their popularity.
”It must have been fate that allowed me the chance to entertain the young
king and his lover. Surely, Your Highness and your lover over there should
take the time to enjoy yourselves here.”
” ”Eh?” ”
Zamparini's sudden proposal left G.o.dou and Erica dumbfounded.
”Hoho, it's only natural for two young lovers to indulge themselves in
pleasure at a place like this. I apologize for my boldness, but I have taken
upon myself to make preparations for the two of you. --Come.”
The old man smiled knowingly and clapped his hands to summon.
With the sound of voices asking ”Are you calling us, Master?” coming from
inside, ten-odd women emerged. G.o.dou was stunned by their appearance.
All the women were merely clad in sheer fabric. The level of skin exposure
was virtually equivalent to full nudity.
Amongst the young women were Caucasians, Negros, as well as girls of
oriental descent. Every girl was outstanding in face and figure. All were
young beauties without exception.
”These are my maids. They are here to serve your every command.”
”N-N-No such thing! This is not my cup of tea, spare me please! I-I-I'm
going to the ordinary bathroom--”
”Well, Uncle Zamparini, thank you very much for your kind offer.”
As G.o.dou refused on reflex, Erica restrained him with a look from her eyes
and proceeded to express thanks.
”Fufufu, isn't this marvelous, G.o.dou? Don't be shy, you should properly
accept Uncle Zamparini's generosity at a time like this.”
Erica leaned herself against G.o.dou as if on purpose.
Seeing this amusing scene, Zamparini respectfully took a bow and exited
the bathing facility.
”Young master and mistress, please come over here.”
A couple of highly exposed maids approached.
Do I have to get naked right now? Just as G.o.dou stood stunned ~ Erica
immediately stepped forward between them.
”Hoho, wait a second. I have no intention of robbing you of your job, but
the privilege of undressing him belongs to no one but me alone. Excuse
me, but please give us some private time alone for now.”
Then she gently and elegantly led G.o.dou away by the hand.
Undress? His mind in a state of suspension, G.o.dou was thus pulled
towards the changing room.
Along the way, Erica released G.o.dou's hand.
”What's going on?”
”Quiet. Those maids are here to investigate. They must have been sent on
Zamparini's commands to verify if we are lovers or not.”
Erica spoke softly and G.o.dou whispered back.
(Investigate?)
(He is probably suspicious about our relations.h.i.+p. Think about it, Zamparini
must have been observing us since last night.)
(Now that you mentioned it, we were having an argument... d.a.m.n it, what
should we do now?)
What could we do now to resemble lovers even more? Hating himself for
knowing nothing of romance, G.o.dou racked his brains to no avail.
(No other way, G.o.dou, we must prepare ourselves.)
(Prepare ourselves?)
(Ah yes, even though I said ”give us some private time alone for now,” the
maids will run after us immediately and Zamparini's doubt would only
increase. We must switch over to offense starting now.)
Erica declared like a knight with decisive valor.
I see, I get it now. G.o.dou nodded. In the world of duels, running away from
risk would only lead to greater danger.
(I got it. So what should I do specifically?)
(W-Well then ~ first undress, both of us need to take off all our clothes, and
then walk out there in front of those girls.)
Her earlier valor seemingly a lie, Erica's face had gone all red.
”Eh?” asked G.o.dou foolishly.
(T-This is the plan for breaking out of our predicament, and it's the only
plan! So G.o.dou, you must suppress your l.u.s.tful thoughts and focus on
carrying out the plan. Swear that you will erase from your memory
everything you see starting this moment! Swear you'll forget it all, do you
understand!?)
Returning from the changing room, G.o.dou was wearing nothing but a
towel wrapped around his waist.
Likewise, Erica was naked aside from the large bath towel she used to
cover everything from her hips up to her bust.
”Let me help you wash.”
Just like before, several girls stepped forward.
”Sure... But limit your efforts to was.h.i.+ng me alone.”
Erica replied elegantly to the beautiful girl who appeared to be the maids'
representative.
”What about the young master?”
”Hoho, perhaps he does want to be washed by you girls... Hohoho,
nevertheless, I will be driven mad by jealousy if I see him touched by any
woman apart from myself. Perhaps I might even be driven to murder him
and the women around him.”
”Fufu, that would be terrible, wouldn't it? I understand.”
Erica's mischievous expression and tone of voice stood in stark contrast to
her dangerous declaration.
Smiling in response, the maid representative gestured to the others with
her eyes. Thereafter, the highly stimulating girls, clad in sheer fabric,
distanced themselves from G.o.dou.
G.o.dou recalled Erica's instructions.
'Act casual. If you panic and lose composure, it won't work!'
Consequently, G.o.dou had no choice but to desperately pretend to act
natural.
Like some sort of incantation, he repeatedly chanted ”mind over body,
mind over body” to himself.
As the maids laid their hands on Erica's bath towel, the piece of cloth was
taken away to reveal a young maiden's magnificent nude body, the most
alluring and seductive that G.o.dou had ever known.
Then G.o.dou saw.
Appearing before G.o.dou like a queen surrounded by maids, Erica's body
was as bare as the day she was born. G.o.dou already knew her figure was
outstanding, but that notion was simply too naive. She was more beautiful
than he could ever imagine.
Her gracefully shaped b.r.e.a.s.t.s, voluminous yet perky, did not show any
impression of sagging.
On the other hand, those rosy flower buds, on the front of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s,
exuded such purity and loveliness.
Her waist was extremely taut and without the slightest fat. Furthermore,
that round voluptuous body part below the waist traced out a most
wondrous curve-
In addition, Erica's pale complexion was unparalleled. Immersed in the
steam of the bath, her alabaster skin showed a tint of redness against its
pristine paleness. The mere sight of her skin was enough to deal a
devastating blow to G.o.dou's rational sense of mind.
”Hoho, G.o.dou is so... You've clearly seen me so many times and yet you
still gaze upon me with such crazed and intense eyes. This pa.s.sion of
yours is what I find truly adorable.”
Erica spoke, smiling as she endured G.o.dou's gaze. c.r.a.p, I forgot all about
Erica's earlier instructions to ”Watch me as if you were admiring a familiar
work of art.”
G.o.dou concurred with Erica's words and said:
”T-That's only because you are so full of charm.”
G.o.dou recited the line that was prepared beforehand.
Due to Erica's strict orders of ”Speak as little as possible to avoid blowing
our cover,” G.o.dou immediately kept his mouth shut.
During this time, the maids poured water over Erica's body. Instead of
using a shower head, they carried water directly using wooden buckets.
After being washed, that perfect skin of hers seemed even smoother than
before.
As if trying not to harm a beautiful yet fragile work of art, the maids washed
cautiously with reverent motion.
Guided by the maids, Erica, with her beautiful silky skin, entered the hot
water bath. Like a mistress of the house enjoying her exclusive bath, she
stretched her legs out with an air of satisfaction.
The bath was filled with floating flowers of red camellia that the maids
poured into the bathwater along with scented oil. This filled the entire
bathing facility with a rich sense of fragrance.
”G.o.dou, when are you going to stop staring at me? Lacking patience is
one of your shortcomings. Please hurry over then.”
”Ah, uh yeah.”
At Erica's behest, G.o.dou responded immediately and stood up to enter the
bath, wading over to beside Erica.
Erica leaned her back against G.o.dou's chest. The blonde female knight
was not only a master of the sword but also the owner of a magnificent
body with a slender figure and skin that felt as soft and smooth as silk.
G.o.dou now entered a posture of embracing Erica.
--Hmm, my entire body feels so hot, it must be due to the hot water.
--Hmm, I feel kind of like I'm drunk. This too, must be due to the hot water.
”Really... Are you still peeping at me? G.o.dou sure is a bad boy, or is it
because I am too attractive...”
Under the hot water, Erica turned herself around, coming face to face with
G.o.dou.
Of course, G.o.dou maintained his posture of embrace. Feeling Erica's
bouncy bosom pressed against him, G.o.dou could not help but scream
”Mind over body!” over and over to himself.
But Erica continued to press the offense.
She lightly kissed G.o.dou everywhere across his face, chin and neck
except for his lips, then stared at him with eyes of craving.
G.o.dou could feel his sanity flying away to the heavens, but he desperately
held on. In the predetermined manner they had agreed on earlier, G.o.dou
stared at the maids and began whispering with Erica.
As the mastermind of the farce, the beautiful maiden went ”Ah, I see” and
smiled.
Like a princess accustomed to issuing orders, Erica proceeded to turn her
gaze to the maid representative.
”Isn't it about time for you all to be dismissed?”
”May we?”
”He tells me he feels self-conscious in front of other women, so leave us
alone for now, we... will 'enjoy' ourselves a bit, understood?”
”Understood. Very well then, we shall be dismissed.”
The maid representative immediately smiled and bowed her head
reverently.
With great swiftness the maids all made an exit. Most likely, they did not
fail to understand the behavior Erica meant by the word ”enjoy.”
Of course, all this was achieved without any merit on G.o.dou's part. It was
clearly such an embarra.s.sing situation and yet Erica's acting was so
natural and convincing. G.o.dou once again recognized Erica's skill in
performing on the public stage.
Even though the maids had left, the two of them remained in tight
embrace.
Several minutes later, Erica slowly chanted spell words softly to use
investigative magic.
”How are things?”
”There's no one around the bath, and no one hiding in here using magic
either.”
Having confirmed it was safe, they both exhaled deeply out of relief.
Erica immediately separated herself from G.o.dou's body and distanced
herself away from him. Soaked in the water for so long, both of them were
almost about to faint.
That night, G.o.dou and Erica spent the night in one bedroom.
Furthermore, they were sleeping in such outrageous conditions -- on the
same bed under the same blanket.
Hearing from Erica that the bedroom was free of investigative magic she
had used in the bath, as well as non-mechanical but magical means of
voyeurism and eavesdropping, G.o.dou originally intended to sleep alone on
the couch. However...
”How can we sleep separately while we are under suspicions? There are
servants outside the room. If we sleep apart, our cover will be blown
immediately!”
Erica snarled angrily. Indeed, it would be most unnatural for a pair of lovers
who had displayed such pa.s.sion in the bath to sleep separately.
Thus the two of them marked an ”invisible boundary line” across the
s.p.a.cious bed.
Having established a treaty of absolute inviolable territory, the two of them
laid themselves on the same bed under the same blanket, becoming
bedfellows. G.o.dou slept on the left side while Erica slept on the right.
In order to avoid trespa.s.sing into Erica's territory, G.o.dou slept with his
back towards her. Likewise, Erica slept in the same posture, both of them
keeping their distance with their backs towards each other.
In any case, let's sleep first. Fall asleep quickly. Trying to dispel
unnecessary thoughts of temptation, G.o.dou kept his eyes tightly shut,
desperately summoning the arrival of sleep. Suddenly, he heard sounds of
sobbing.
With great surprise, G.o.dou found himself hearing extremely quiet sobbing
noises.
”...Erica, are you crying?”
”...l-lmpossible, I'm just a little sad over my loss of purity, that's all.”
Erica whispered in a domineering yet exhausted voice.
”W-What loss of purity, in actual fact, we didn't really do anything...”
”You're such an idiot! For me, my completely naked body was seen by you.
Acts that no virgin should engage in have taken place, and even now, I am
sharing a bed with you ~ furthermore, the things we've done are known to
many others.”
”K-Known to many others?”
”The Campione and his lover who happens to be the daughter of the
prestigious Blandelli family. In our world, this is sensational news whether
politically or as gossip. Very soon, it will propagate everywhere.”
”Is that how it works...”
”Anyone who hears of such rumors will never believe me to have remained
untainted in body. Apart from myself, no one will think I am a pure virgin.”
Sobbing noises. Faint sobbing was heard once more.
”Anyway, it's okay, I have no regrets.”
”Really?”
”Certainly. I, Erica Blandelli, will never ever do anything I regret afterwards,
absolutely never. Please do not misunderstand, I did this for other reasons
and not because I liked G.o.dou.”
G.o.dou fell silent. The fact that he did misunderstand for an instant must be
kept secret.
”Listen carefully, this was simply a.s.sistance offered by the heroic knight
who pitied and took mercy on the man who suddenly became king. Doing
things to such an extent was simply part of my perfectionism, make no
mistake about that.”
”I see... Thank you, Erica, it is impossible for me to properly express my
grat.i.tude to you.”
This was a time when proper thanks were necessary.
Thinking that, G.o.dou suddenly spoke up. His back having crossed the
boundary, he could feel Erica squirming awkwardly, most likely due to
embarra.s.sment.
”N-Not at all. If you and I had never met, the current situation would never
have happened, so pay it no mind.”
”But I mind. Yes, about the matter of your purity.”
Feeling embarra.s.sed, G.o.dou asked:
”If you don't mind, l-l really have to take responsibility, right?”
”Idiot, there's no need to take responsibility. After all, I did everything under
my own will. But you have to keep your promise and forget everything that
happened in the bath, got that!?”
Due to sleeping in the same bed, the two of them continued to chat
throughout the night for a very long time.
Even though he was utterly drained in mind and body, G.o.dou could not
close his eyes, unable to sleep because he was overly conscious of the
person sleeping beside him.
The next morning, G.o.dou immediately got up and looked out the window
as soon as he woke up.
Heavy rain poured down, accompanied by strong gusts of wind and
occasional roars of thunder. Truly, a storm was coming.
From the rumbles of thunder, G.o.dou heard a voice.
'--Long you have waited, G.o.d-slayer! Come! In the real battle, I shall
demonstrate clearly to you with lightning the ancient king's magnificence
as the hunter of dragons. Head east, and I shall await you in the ruins of
the eastern decayed city!'
As the raging winds and roars of thunder pa.s.sed on this message, this was
a voice which G.o.dou alone could hear, because the divine king Melqart
recognized no one but G.o.dou.
”...Could this be Melqart?”
”Yeah, he's calling me.”
Erica asked from bed with a sleepy voice and G.o.dou answered.
Not even seven in the morning, this was far earlier than Erica's usual time
to rise given her morning feebleness. Nevertheless, the roars of the violent
wind together with the divine presence filling the atmosphere must have
woken her up.
”Finally time for a proper battle... Right.”
”What?”
”Nothing major. Just as I thought, it's better to wear less while I sleep, or
else it feels too stuffy...”
”What is with you girl, how do you sleep normally?”
Without leaving the room, Erica began to change into lighter sleepwear.
Due to Erica's strange behavior in her sleepy state, G.o.dou continued to
stare outside the window.
”Melqart said he's waiting for me in the ruins of the decayed city to the
east. Where on earth is that?”
”Probably Soluntum, seventeen kilometers east of Palermo. It was once a
front line outpost of the ancient Phoenicians and now a district of ruins...”
Hearing the approximate location described by the divine king, Erica
whispered softly.
”Go ask Zamparini to send out [Panormus] magi to scout it out. Once the
[Heretic G.o.d]'s presence is detected, start moving out in that direction.”
Hearing the answer of his ”partner,” back to her usual reliable form, G.o.dou
nodded.
Part 5
”An image is appearing in my mind... A weapon of light.”
G.o.dou answered in the car en route to Soluntum.
Sitting beside him, Erica had asked ”Try imagining what power would be
effective in a battle against Melqart the G.o.d of storms?”
G.o.dou had pondered for a while but came up with nothing.
After further contemplation, he still had no idea.
This was only natural. A week ago, G.o.dou was just an ordinary person
completely uninvolved with the world of magic and G.o.ds. After three
minutes of thought, G.o.dou gave up, certain in the futility of further thought.
Then suddenly, inspiration struck his mind.
”Hmm, I get the feeling I need to use a bright and s.h.i.+ny weapon.”
”Could your hint get any more ambiguous...”
G.o.dou shrugged at Erica's sarcasm.
”As expected, in a fight against a [Heretic G.o.d], all one can do is make a
proper entrance to the stage.”
Zamparini spoke from the driver's seat.
He was driving the white BMW. Due to the storm, they were taking an
eastbound national route which had lower traffic.
-Three hours after G.o.dou got out of bed, a ma.s.sive spiritual presence was
confirmed near the Soluntum Archaeological Park, just as Erica predicted.
After receiving the report, Erica had said:
”We are going to battle Melqart now, please lend us a car and driver.”
”No problem, it will be ready right away.”
After hearing Zamparini's polite reply, G.o.dou and Erica headed to the
entrance of the mansion. The old man, both Sicilian mafia boss and magic
a.s.sociation commander-in-chief, made his reappearance driving the white
BMW.
”Hoho, excuse me for saying so, but I'm quite confident in my skills.”
G.o.dou listened to Zamparini's boast with an annoyed expression as he sat
in the rear seat.
As a side note, there was a black attache case on the pa.s.senger seat next
to the driver.
”...Can I look at what's inside?”
With an ominous premonition, G.o.dou opened the case to confirm.
Inside was a sleek black submachine gun. The Thompson M1921 ,
commonly known as the ”Tommy Gun.” Even for someone unfamiliar with
firearms, G.o.dou recognized it as one of the world's earliest submachine
guns, and one that had been favored by a.s.sa.s.sins in the movie ”The
G.o.dfather.”
Furthermore, it was fully ready to fire, with a drum magazine attached to
the gunbarrel...
”Uncle Zamparini is active as a mage in various militant factions across
Europe and America. While I use swords to manipulate 'iron,' Uncle uses
guns and ammunition to manipulate 'flames,' you see.”
”So... So that's why I had that kind of feeling.”
G.o.dou nodded at Erica's explanation.
The trip from Palermo to the Soluntum ruins required roughly thirty
minutes.
Soluntum was a town constructed in the fourth century BCE by the
Phoenicians in the mountains along the sh.o.r.e. It fell into decline after
coming under Greek and Roman rule, and was eventually destroyed by
Islamic Arabs. In modern times, the site was being run as the Soluntum
Archaeological Park and Museum.
Thanks to Zamparini's preparations, the park and the museum were
immediately shut down as part of emergency measures.
But under such weather conditions of roaring wind and torrential rain along
with lightning descending from dark clouds, it was unlikely there would be
any visitors to the museum anyway.
Nevertheless, G.o.dou was gratified to know that park staff were helping
with evacuating visitors.
”G.o.dou, I will leave for a moment to remain on standby somewhere else.
Leave the role of support to me.”
Getting off the BMW, Erica yelled out over the roars of the wind.
”Okay! I am relying on you!”
Before Zamparini could get a word in, G.o.dou swiftly gave his permission.
G.o.dou recalled Erica mentioning the night before that ”Fighting together in
one place will pose certain difficulties...” Although it could be unnecessary
worry, it was better to be safe than sorry.
”Hold onto this, it might come in handy.”
G.o.dou held out his hand to receive the object Erica gave to him.
The object was a lion-shaped ornament that felt quite heavy despite being
palm-sized. After putting it away carefully, G.o.dou entered the
archaeological park together with Old Man Zamparini.
Umbrellas were pointless in such weather since they would be instantly
blown away.
Whether G.o.dou, Zamparini, or Erica who had just taken off, all of them
were wearing raincoats. But to little effect, for G.o.dou found his lower torso
almost completely drenched.
Feeling that the hood obscured his vision too much, G.o.dou simply took it
off instead.
The strong wind, heavy rain, loud thunder and various noises made it
impossible to speak to each other. Without saying a word, G.o.dou and
Zamparini made their way towards the interior of the park silently.
Then G.o.dou felt his entire body filling with power.
It had happened before back when he heard Melqart's ”voice” on the s.h.i.+p.
This was power surging forth for the sake of battle. In order to fight a G.o.d,
this power was produced instinctively by a G.o.d-slayer. The five senses of
the body as well as a sixth sense, down to his fingertips and every
capillary, all were filled with heat and power.
After that, G.o.dou finally arrived at the deepest part of the ruins.
This was a little hill on the seaside, with two columns erected like deer or
goat horns. Other than these upright columns, there were no other
structures.
However, this lack of structures was not due to the ravages of time.
Even eons ago in the distant past, only two columns existed here.
As taught by Erica previously, G.o.dou knew these two columns were the
symbols of the Phoenician sky G.o.d Melqart. Then G.o.dou felt it -- his
presence!
Melqart was located directly above the two columns!
Manifesting tangibly as violent winds, fierce rain, and scorching lightning
and thunder in the air, the sky G.o.d Melqart was making his appearance in
the form of the storm.
'Huhahaha! We finally meet again, young G.o.d-slayer!'
”On the contrary, I am not only a civilized person but also a pacifist. Even if
my opponent is a prestigious G.o.d, I have no wish to accept a dangerous
fight.”
'What G.o.d-slayer is this, to make such a weak statement? No matter,
whether a brat like you agrees to fight or not, there is no problem. To me, it
is entirely irrelevant. But are you sure? There are only six days left, eh?'
”Six days? What do you mean?”
”Kuku... In order to better smash this land,
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