Vol 12 Chapter 2 (2/2)

Princess Alice, Lucretia Zola, and Liliana Kranjcar.

These were the three witches G.o.dou knew. It is said that they benefited

from being naturally gifted with manipulation magic unaccessible to normal

female magicians (for example those like Erica).

The scope of this type of magic was precisely witchcraft. Erica had raised

this subject at some point in the past.

She said 'even though I really don't want to admit it but for the sky and

earth, in other words, magic involving the elements of nature, Liliana far

surpa.s.ses me'.

Except why was he unable to recall when it happened and where it took

place?

”However, if we choose to execute in this manner we must send the

hunting dog sprite toward Tokyo. Doing this will require time and effort I

guess you can say that like anything it will have its dangers.”

”Well, we can't just release those monster-like beings and not look after

them.”

G.o.dou had previously battled a magical beast familiar summoned through

the use of magic. Even a small causal disturbance could result in fatal

injuries towards humans.

”Hence I added voodoo magic to this map of Tokyo. When the hunting dog

is released on this map to conduct its probing, it enables a much quicker

result that is equivalent to actually being within the capital Tokyo.”

As she finished speaking, Liliana moved her fingertips away from the

photographic map. It seemed like she finished casting her magic.

This so-called voodoo magic was a term from folklore. Say for example, a

person who was detested had their hair buried inside a doll that was to be

burned. In that case, the detested person himself would be burned to

death. Of course the result from this kind of incantation when one wishes

to exert supernatural properties on an object is akin to the object becoming

a replacement for the target itself.

”Are the preparations ready? Where is the hunting dog?”

”The preparations are already finished. This is it.”

The object Liliana took out was a pig which she set down by her foot.

It was a doll in the shape of a pig. Two days ago, Liliana won this toy at a

video game center. It was designed to be palm sized, a style that allowed it

to be rocked about, but it had quite a sinister expression.

” But upon inspection, it's just a pig doll.”

”This pig doll is infused with spirit from the essence of earth. The reason

why I previously stated it was going to be a hunting dog was merely so you

could easily comprehend. I thought since we must pursue spiritual energy,

a spirit pig, an animal which avidly uses its sensitive snout, would be the

best choice. I'm about to start.”

”Nah, it wouldn't have mattered whether it was a dog or pig.”

G.o.dou went on to state. Verethragna's authority, the [Boar], is also

categorized as a type of pig.

”For objects that are specially applied with some sort of wizardry magic, I

actually feel like compared to a doll, using something similar to a small

prop would have been better ”

”T-This happened to be the only thing I had on hand resembling a pig!”

Liliana seemed slightly embarra.s.sed as she retorted.

”If we are able to confirm an upsurge in spiritual energy, then let's first try

heading towards the actual location ok? If there happens to be Santa

Clauses being grayified or if it already happened, there is a high possibility

it could be much more frustrating than a prank carried out by a magician

somewhere.”

Regardless of which, the searching magic had already been applied

without a hitch.

On the large photographic map that Liliana had prepared, the pig doll was

slowly moving at a speed of around one or two centimeters per three

minutes.

As expected, no one was s.h.i.+fting the pig around, it was independently

crawling.

”However, waiting around is quite monotonous, how about we go eat

lunch?”

G.o.dou brought up this suggestion. It had already pa.s.sed noon a long time

ago and his stomach was still empty.

”Ah, no thanks. If possible, please help yourself since my undertaking

requires me to maintain the voodoo magic on the map.”

Liliana replied in this manner towards G.o.dou's lunch invitation.

”Then I'll probably just go buy something. Liliana, is there anything you

want to eat?”

Since his partner was preoccupied, he wanted to go run an errand for her.

From G.o.dou's perspective this was a rightful concern that was to be

expected in this situation.

Liliana revealed an unhappy expression on her face. She frowned in a way

as if she was preaching something.

”Didn't I say this yesterday? The fulfillment of your role as a devil king

Campione remains significantly inadequate. This is the first time I've heard

of a devil king going out to buy lunch.”

”That has nothing to do with it. I am different compared to guys like that old

timer Voban. I'm going shopping at a supermarket anyways, so I can pick

up some bread while I'm at it.”

G.o.dou shrugged his shoulders after he finished speaking. Liliana's

expression changed to that of complete astoundment.

”You should also find a butler or maid in order to distance yourself from

these miscellaneous tasks since you are one of the seven Campiones in

this world.”

”A high school student having either a butler or maid following them, I

haven't heard of such a thing before either.”

”Well then, Kusanagi G.o.dou is certainly a G.o.dslayer. That being the case,

this moment makes for a great opportunity. Please begin slowly adapting

to the pleasures of being attended to by other people ok?”

Because of the perplexing words Liliana stated, G.o.dou questioned her with

an 'eh?'.

To maintain the voodoo magic, the only necessity was to supply the

incantation while being within close proximity.

As a result, during that period of time a person is free to do other activities

without a problem . Liliana put on her commonly used ap.r.o.n and

entered the battlefield that is a kitchen. Prompted by the replacement of

her sword with a kitchen knife, chopping board, flat frying pan, ladle, and

things of that nature, she was struggling.

”l-ls there anything I can help with?”

”No need to worry. As the king you should just relax and wait over there.”

The well-intentioned proposal was outright rejected.

G.o.dou could only watch from the kitchen entrance as the proficient cook

Liliana prepared the dishes. Having a girl cook for me personally is

really 0

What seemed to be a vertigo of mixed emotions and confusion had hit

G.o.dou.

Liliana wore a black sweater along with blue jeans. After adding the ap.r.o.n,

a sense of determination could be perceived from this appearance. This

sort of adjustment gave him a very distinct feeling of having entered a girl's

personal domain.

The G.o.dou as of now was neither a G.o.dslayer nor a Campione.

Continuously standing there in fear, he was simply a man who was still

unaccustomed to girls due to having no girlfriend experience at his age.

After waiting approximately thirty minutes, Liliana was finally done cooking

and had swiftly cleaned the cooking utensils. Lunch appeared to be ready.

However, right now the pig was still in the living room traversing around on

the map.

”Want to go outside and enjoy today's beautiful weather? Despite it being a

tad cold, at least there is no breeze.”

Liliana had suggested this and proceeded towards the courtyard with the

plates containing the food she cooked.

In that direction was a circular wooden table with two wooden chairs.

Originally this set was most likely used frequently during the warmer

seasons. However, today was precisely as Liliana had said, the

temperature could be considered quite warm for the month of December. It

seemed like there would be no issues eating here in the courtyard.

Afterwards, the dishes were set on the table.

There was bologna pasta, warm vegetable salad, a piping hot bean soup,

as well as black tea stowed inside a thermos.

”Since I didn't head out to buy anything, I felt quite unprepared. There is a

possibility that it won't be compatible with your tastes ”

”I completely don't get which of these dishes were unprepared for.

Especially the pasta, it is very delicious.”

G.o.dou felt that the notification Liliana gave in advance was unfathomable.

The noodles and pate were considerably rich in taste.

He actually thought they were those instantly made food products since

Liliana rapidly made these dishes within ten minutes.

But the gratifying taste was actually created through diligent cooking and

stewing for long periods of time.

”Actually, those noodles were prepared using the utmost simplicity since I

only recooked yesterday's leftover beef stew with a few added seasonings.

After that I just re-added some more minced meat ”

On the contrary, G.o.dou felt admiration towards Liliana after being informed

that the cooking was simple.

This was the flavor of the dish wasn't it? By modifying the leftover food, a

new delectable flavor was created. The amount of time and effort spent

were both reduced. It indeed seemed quite reasonable.

G.o.dou, who was a male in his teens, stuffed the food in his mouth as he

wolfed down the cuisine personally prepared by Liliana.

Such actions were solely due to the delicious taste. Furthermore, he was

eating face to face with Liliana, trying to find every possible way to hide his

own embarra.s.sment.

After he had his fill, he proposed to clean the dishes himself. However, he

was actually denied from doing so.

G.o.dou was unable to feel at ease when walking together with Liliana, who

cleaned all the dishes herself, back to the living room. The pig on the top of

the map had at one point stopped and laid there overturned.

Its abdomen was facing upward and it was trembling uncontrollably.

”It seems to have detected an upsurge in spiritual energy.”

Liliana spoke in a grave tone after looking at the hexagram images

displayed from the magic she applied.

At that place was perhaps the next location where Santa Clauses devoid of

red might appear.

The location was Odaiba Today was nearing Christmas, that scenic

gathering spot would without a doubt be filled with sweethearts.

”Well then, we should probably hurry over there and check it out.”

G.o.dou lowered his head in response to Liliana. This was probably

expected from him.

In order to pursue the mystery of the gray Santa Claus, he had to journey

to this scenic gathering spot together with an exceptionally attractive girl.

Also it was still just the two of them. G.o.dou felt inexplicably embarra.s.sed

toward this situation.

Part 4

They rode the JR tram to get to Odaiba.

After arriving at the location they would release the pig familiar allowing it

to try to pursue the aura from the strange phenomenon.

This was the type of plan G.o.dou and Liliana agreed on from inside the

moving tram.

However, the situation surpa.s.sed their expectations; it transpired a long

time ago and by then it had already concluded.

Facing the devil king and female knight who entered Odaiba, the culprit

who initiated this disturbance had already called it quits.

The seaside that everyone was accustomed to had been created by using

land reclamation. This area was now a very popular entertainment venue

for gatherings and leisure.

Once they disembarked from the tram at Odaiba Marine Park station,

G.o.dou and Liliana trekked towards a nearby area that was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with

liveliness. As expected, the number of large shopping centers designated

for the young male and female visitors stretched as far as the eyes could

see.

The strange phenomenon of Santa Clauses being greyified already

manifested here. All the Santa Clauses located here were infected with the

color grey. Their magnificent red color subsequently vanished.

Right now they had already lost the mood to confirm one by one whether

or not all the Santa Clauses were greyified.

After G.o.dou sent an eye signal towards her, Liliana retrieved the pig doll

from her pocket. That familiar was the so-called pig beast spirit of the

earth.

Once the owner placed the doll on the ground, she began to recite spell

words in a whisper.

”By the greed caused by the wild beast, go forth and pursue this

suspicious aura!”

The pig seemed as if it was gliding along the surface as it moved.

In contrast to the time it was moving along the surface of the map, the

movement speed at present was comparable to a nimble mouse. At the

same time, Liliana closed her eyes and used the Witch's Eye to enable a

vision transfer. The purpose behind doing this was to allow the Eye to

follow behind the pig.

However, G.o.dou believed this sort of method would not result in any

important information. This incident will probably take some time to figure

out. However

”Kusanagi G.o.dou I discovered something strange.”

Liliana reported what she saw. Ten minutes had gone by after that.

G.o.dou squeezed himself into a large crowd of people and noticed it as

well. Using the pig that was pursuing the strange phenomenon as well as

□liana's Eyes, he was led to this location.

Within the meandering crowd of people all of the normal humans were

oblivious to that thing.

Even those who were directly facing this outlandishness were incapable of

rationalizing the situation. This was because to ordinary people the best

course of action would be to ignore it, hence the situation not being

surprise worthy. However, G.o.dou was perplexed.

That thing was walking amongst the crowd of people like an ordinary

person.

The people within its vicinity were completely unaware of that thing's

existence.

It resembled some aspects of a human figure. It was using two feet to

walk, had two arms along with a head and torso.

In spite of that, the body was completely covered with what seemed to be a

grey sailcloth. The underlying skin and face could not be seen at all.

”What is that? It doesn't look like a G.o.d or divine beast.”

”Nor is it a magician. No matter how you a.s.sociate it, it's impossible to

cla.s.sify it under the category of a human being. Perhaps it is a fairy or a

spirit of some sort.”

G.o.dou was flabbergasted as a result of Liliana's statement.

”In addition to G.o.ds, there are actually those kinds of guys roaming these

grounds!?”

”It wouldn't be on these grounds. They basically all reside within the

Netherworld. Only in extremely rare circ.u.mstances would they go to the

extent of coming to this side.”

Liliana fixed her eyes on the Grey One and paced around him while she

spoke.

”It appears only Los Angeles's John Pluto Smith-sama has the capability to

transfer to the Netherworld and summon the residents from there for a

short period of time due to the authority he usurped from Oberon the fairy

king.”

”Speaking of which, that guy seemed to have done something like that in

the past somewhere ”

G.o.dou frowned after hearing the name of the North American Campione.

When did I encounter this guy before and what kind of things did we do?

”No matter what, let's first try to make contact with this grey colored guy.

Conversing with it accomplis.h.i.+ng this would be great.”

If the other member was a G.o.d, no matter what kind of appearance it had it

would probably still be able to engage in conversation.

Well, there were certain times when traces of communication would feel

very enigmatic However, no matter how you look at it, you would be

skeptical whether it is even possible for the Grey One to engage in

conversation.

Soon after, the Grey One left the crowd of people.

It was heading towards a lesser used coastal route. Was it planning to

continue roaming at a different location? Up until that point, G.o.dou and

Liliana continued to close in on the Grey One.

After that, the target stopped in its tracks. It looked as if it was waiting for

the two of them to come over.

Could they actually peacefully make contact with it? Just as G.o.dou

was looking forward to that possibility

The pursued target conducted a series of movements that was beyond all

expectations. Slowly raising its right hand and spreading open its palm, a

knife-hand gesture was prepared.

Then in one swift motion, the Grey One placed the knife-hand gesture next

its neck and proceeded to chop its own neck off . What appeared to be the

head portion of the sailcloth swirled into the air.

”Huh, did it actually commit suicide!?”

The two of them quickly accelerated their pace. The sailcloth covered body

of the Grey One toppled forward.

Once they approached the corpse, G.o.dou immediately peeled off the

sailcloth. The insides were shaped to look exactly like a human body.

The physical body seemed to resemble a muscular and youthful person.

However, it had a very black coloring.

Its pitch-black color gave the impression it was made of carbon while the

texture of it resembled that of charcoal. Also, once it came in contact with

the air, the charcoal-like body made a slight rustling noise as it crumbled

like a collapsing sandcastle.

”The head portion over here also collapsed ”

On the other side, Liliana spoke while inspecting the neck of the Grey One

who committed suicide by cutting its own throat.

She also ripped apart the sailcloth and looked inside this should be the

area where the head and face were.

”What the heck is this guy ”

The mysterious person who committed suicide was apparently a spirit of

earth.

Facing this state of death, G.o.dou was unable to comprehend the situation

and was left feeling stumped.

”Neither a human nor a G.o.d, this existence, who was responsible for the

annoying Santa Claus mystery, has now committed suicide 0 It is

really hard to understand this incident.”

Amakasu muttered through the cellphone as he sighed in sorrow.

The grey sailcloth and bits of black ash plummeted down at the location

where the suicide just took place.

”Upon normal inspection, the incident of Santa Clauses being greyified

should consequently have ended I think this is the case. Well, I'll do a

quick inspection of the situation. All in all I'm very thankful that the two of

you were capable of supporting each other.”

” It seems like your inexplicably happy, am I right Amakasu Touma?”

”Of course I would be happy. It cannot get any better than having my

workload lessened.”

Amakasu replied to Liliana's slightly derisive question.

In short, the History Compilation Committee would take care of the job that

dealt with the aftermath of an incident. G.o.dou and Liliana originally held no

responsibilities in regards to this aspect. They now have nothing left to do.

The two of them headed back in the direction of the large shopping centers

for the time being.

”First hold on a sec.”

After he first spoke to Liliana, G.o.dou walked towards a crepe stand.

The food he bought used cooked apples mixed with cream, and then that

was mixed with caramel and orange sauce.

Even though it was a pretty warm for a day in the middle of winter,

however, this place was an area along the seaside.

It was quite chilly due to the winds blowing over from the sea. In that case

it would be best to not order anything such as ice cream.

”Which kind do you want Liliana? Pick your favorite.”

”What are you really up to? Today's cooperation toward this common goal

was solely because it was the request of a Campione. I, Liliana Kranjcar,

never planned on accepting a salary from you.”

The female knight spoke with a look of appraisal. However, G.o.dou calmly

retorted.

”What are you going on about? Wasn't it Liliana herself that said I was

someone who wasn't aware of my role as a king? As a result of that, my

mindset had slightly changed.”

”W-Why do you say that?”

”It is the duty of a king to give rewards to knights for their achievements.

No need to thank me, just accept this ok?”

G.o.dou declared this and handed two crepes in her direction.

This was really for accompanying him in exploration, and there was that

lunch she made not too long ago etc. All the various things she did were

included in this act of appreciation. However he should probably avoid

saying it that sentimentally.

After being urged on in a slightly facetious manner, Liliana showed a bit of

courtesy towards this which felt somewhat forced.

”If it's like this, then as a knight I'll just have to accept this.”

When she finished speaking, Liliana acquired one of the crepes.

Just like that, the two of them began eating their crepes, making a

crunching sound while they were doing so. G.o.dou certainly did not have a

sweet tooth, although he did not particularly detest desserts either.

However, the unforeseen location they were in at the moment made it

impossible to calmly savor this kind of sweetness.

The reason was because his partner beside him was a silver-haired

European girl. Furthermore she had a fairy-like ambience and was

absolutely stunning, making her a particularly eye-catching girl.

She appeared to stand out even in Odaiba where there were a myriad of

young girls.

He had already noticed it while eating along the way. Even though they

were acting naturally, people from the crowd that circulated through here

gathered an interest in them.

Having said that, Liliana on the other hand looked like she was oblivious to

the attention they were receiving. She was completely composed like there

was nothing out of the ordinary. There was the fear she might think the

reason for the attention was due to her being an outsider.

The difference between her and Erica, who acknowledged her own beauty,

was astounding.

In any case, he was sure to be seen as her boyfriend by other people

because he was alongside her Kusanagi G.o.dou didn't believe he had

the capability to hook up with someone that had the looks and tolerance of

Liliana.

G.o.dou contemplated on whether or not to say something after they

finished eating.

'Well then, I should probably be going now. Thank you for all that you have

done today 1 these were the kind of words he thought about saying.

This was probably the proper and correct way to go about this. Since he

lived nearby there shouldn't be any problems riding the same tram back

with her. Although if he wanted to prolong their time together there were

numerous reasons he could come up with

At that moment, a pair of lovers walked by right in front them.

The man and woman looked like they were young college students. The

female student was carrying a ma.s.sive yet adorable teddy bear in her

arms. The dimensions of that teddy bear made it impossible to carry with

two hands.

Was it bought in some kind of doll store?

As he pondered on the thought, he unintentionally noticed the store that

the couple exited from. It was an enormous video game center.

” It appears to be the same facility we went to before.”

Liliana suddenly mentioned this as G.o.dou had just finished eating his

crepe.

”Well, that is because this is a popular chain of arcades. The place we

went to before is of the same type.”

”In other words, this place also has the opportunity to go hunting. In

addition to that, the teddy bear that we just saw was a humongous toy. I

don't have that category of children inside my bedroom ”

The way she muttered was as if she thought of some sort of plan. Liliana

was one of those types of girls who would call her doll related objects as

her children. G.o.dou nodded his head, and while purposefully using an

uninterested tone, he said:

”I'm not sure if it is a prize from the video game center. If it is, something

that big would probably be set-up to be difficult to obtain.”

Even though G.o.dou was unfamiliar with what goes on within the industry, it

was very likely that this was the case.

”Even with the money spent on buying it from the store you might still be

unable to obtain it. We might as well just head home directly for today.”

”No matter what kind of situation it is you must find a method to secure

victory. Your suggestion is really quite negative.”

Liliana spoke in a manner that slightly ridiculed him.

She also cleared her throat with a cough and went to say with a hint of

embarra.s.sment:

”I regret to say that I, Liliana Kranjcar, am not quite familiar on the sure win

methods and how to conduct myself in a place like this. I wish to have a

senior that possesses the corresponding knowledge to guide me for a bit.”

What an exaggerated way of speaking, it pretty much meant: ”would you

like to go to the arcade”.

This invitation caused G.o.dou to hesitate.

”Even if I had the knowledge and such as you said, I don't really go to

these kinds of places. Nanami and Sorimachi from our cla.s.s look like they

would be somewhat familiar in this aspect.”

There was a difference between large scale games, free games, and PC

games.

It could be said that G.o.dou's knowledge on these topics were quite vague.

As a result, this was a perfectly normal way to decline someone. It was

basically the natural course of action to this situation right?

However, Liliana did not back down one bit to this degree of suppression.

She chuckled and said:

”Then it should just take about ten minutes total. Furthermore, my

compensation isn't some kind of cheap object that can be paid off

completely with just one crepe.”

In the end, the event that was predetermined to be ten minutes prolonged

to forty minutes. Plus, speaking of the results .

”We still weren't able to nab that big one.”

G.o.dou stated this after exiting the arcade.

There were four sets of doll grabbing machines that were equipped with

the teddy bear prize within this arcade. Furthermore, there was a

difference in their dimensions. There were extremely small ones like the

size of a cellphone strap, small ones that you could fit on your palm,

medium sized ones about as big as a football, and lastly there was the

exceptionally large kind that the pair of lovers were holding onto just then.

The largest item, being the highest benchmark, was of course the one

Liliana set her eyes on as her prey. However, the claw's strength was

particularly weak so no matter what you did it was unable to grab the toy.

G.o.dou even lent her a hand but it was completely useless.

It was quite admirable how those pair of lovers were capable of acquiring it

so easily.

After expending a large amount pocket change and time, the two of them

finally gave up. Even though they were only pa.s.sing by, if only they were

able to obtain it, then .

”Well, the couple who were able to seize it could be considered quite

capable.”

Although the inside of the store had become quite warm, at that moment,

Liliana still spoke with a calm expression.

She was holding onto two bear cellphone straps. These bear straps

actually had a male version and a female version that were modeled

slightly differently. The female one had a ribbon as well as a very gentle

expression.

Incidentally, G.o.dou vulgarly called them 'male and female' and was forced

to correct himself by his partner.

” Oh yeah, you can have the one over here.”

Liliana suddenly handed him a cellphone strap.

It was the male, no, the boy bear one. G.o.dou was confused.

”Are you sure? You went through a lot of trouble to gather a boy and girl

pair.”

”Yeah. The boy and girl pair is like a pair of lovebirds on the same branch.

They probably shouldn't be separated.”

Liliana stated her beliefs using a firm choice of words.

”However, I also want to share these with you. Although I don't know why

I'm compelled to think this way, in fact it is quite unimaginable How

about this is just to commemorate today?”

The female knight's face suddenly blossomed with brilliance as a warm

smile surfaced upon her lips.

Perhaps because of this, G.o.dou carefully accepted the boy bear. Honestly

speaking, even he was uncertain what the reason was. He thought it would

be fine as long as he treated the situation with caution.

However, because it was a small fictional object, it would really make

people feel a tad embarra.s.sed.

”If this cellphone strap were to become mine then it would be a bit well,

just allow me accept it for now. Perhaps at a later date I'll just give it to my

sister oh, I think that most likely won't occur.”

”How you handle the item you received is your liberty. If you really decide

to do that, I would have to change my relation to this Kusanagi G.o.dou

person.”

Liliana sighed as they walked side by side towards the station.

In the end, they stayed together all the way until they reached Nezu.

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