Campione! Vol 12 Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Name of the G.o.d Heralding Midwinter? Part 1 Subsequently about ten minutes after contacting Yuri, G.o.dou got in touch with a certain someone. In fact, he notified her by saying 'Santa Clauses are being greyified once again!'. He also wanted to utilize that familiar she used in the past to search for the culprit. However, he relinquished that idea after sensing there was some kind of indescribable danger. Viewing it from the perspective of a baseball team, expectations would dictate Kusanagi G.o.dou to be either the fourth hitter or catcher. These were the positions he was accustomed to ever since he was a child. On offense, the pinch hitter was allowed to distance hit. On defense, the pitcher and outfielders would be instructed to set up a containment. There were no inconspicuous movements on his side. However, the fourth hitter for some reason decided to bunt the ball. The catcher, who was supposed to be like a calm and unwavering central control tower, wanted to play in the outfield. This type of vulgarness was comparable to the current situation. Overextending oneself. The furthest thing from playing to one's talents. Didn't Amakasu mention earlier? "This is something that can be cleared up as soon as we sent out Committee members to investigate." G.o.dou had no wish to trouble others even though the problem would be resolved without him doing anything personally. Why did they have to operate in this fashion? They were still far from having the right person in the right place. He felt profoundly dissatisfied . This was why G.o.dou was determined to get in touch with that person. During times like these, he no, she should be someone he could rely on. Presently on the 20th of December, two hours had pa.s.sed. G.o.dou had avoided the gaze of Shizuka and snuck out of the house. He boarded Amakasu Touma's car on Kototoi Street and headed off towards Area 3 of the Chiyoda ward. The setup of this ghost house-like western-style mansion gave the impression that they wanted to silently conceal themselves along this alleyway. This place was where the person in charge of the Tokyo division of the History Compilation Committee resided. To say that she was a beautiful girl would be too neutral and her voice was too thin to be considered a beautiful boy. Incidentally, this woman was very adept at fooling around and among strategists, she was quite problematic to deal with "Thank you for being able to come my King. Today I, Sayanomiya Kaoru, a person of humble talent, intend to use everything in my power to a.s.sist Kusanagi G.o.dou." The person who greeted them at the front door was Kaoru who was wearing a formal black butler's outfit. She chose to speak in an incomparably exaggerated form, but the way she conveyed it was very natural. Her bout of courtesy was humorous but also very elegant. Chuckling, Kaoru seemed to be completely at ease when she gave her witty greeting. "I feel there is absolutely no need for this kind of flattery Why are you dressed up?" "Since Kusanagi-sama wanted to personally come for a visit, I wanted to try and spruce up a bit for the occasion. Let's put this matter aside for now, please enter. Yuri and Liliana-san have already arrived." Wearing a perfectly overdone men's outfit, this girl emitted a frivolous expression towards G.o.dou. After being invited inside her residence, two of his old acquaintances reappeared in the lounge. "G.o.dou-san, we were waiting for your arrival." "We heard that the phenomenon happened again." Seeing that this more or less turned into a formal mission for the Committee members, Yuri wore her entire miko attire while Liliana was dressed in a blue vest with black pants. G.o.dou and the others entered the s.p.a.cious study together. This area was actually Kaoru's office. It had also become the meeting room to a.s.sess countermeasures against heretic G.o.ds many times in the past. G.o.dou proceeded to sit down on the couch. Afterwards, Liliana also sat down to his right. She was completely oblivious, sitting down as if it was her established spot. Their line of sight crossed paths. Liliana flashed an eye signal and G.o.dou responded by nodding his head. It was finally time to thoroughly investigate the facts. The commencement of a critical juncture has initiated. "? What's the matter Mariya?" G.o.dou inadvertently glanced at Yuri only to see she for some reason held a very staunch expression while gazing at him and Liliana. After questioning her, the hime-miko suddenly became fl.u.s.tered and sat down towards G.o.dou's left. "N-Nothing's wrong. Speaking of which G.o.dou-san, I'm not sure when it began but the relationship between you and Liliana-san has become much more intimate " "Intimate uh, well, compared to our relationship from before it has improved slightly. Right Liliana?" "Y-Yes I agree. Returning to that topic Kusanagi G.o.dou, since when did your relationship with Mariya became much friendlier compared to before? As expected, this is probably the reason why there were rumors about you." "Eh?" G.o.dou was puzzled after hearing Liliana satirizing him. "Yes, that must be it. Despite having additional vacant spots, Mariya Yuri sat by your side without the slightest hesitation. This is something I never would have imagined until this day." " ! ? T-This meeting is only to discuss matters regarding the phenomenon in detail with G.o.dou-san." While replying, Yuri completely lost her composure due to fear from this sudden criticism. "Also, it was Liliana-san who started this." "1-1 had the position of a.s.sisting Kusanagi G.o.dou for this situation. Being his consultant, I'm only sitting at my natural post. And furthermore, even the way you address him has changed " The latter part of Liliana's words became a whining murmur that was difficult to hear discernibly. No matter how one looks at it, he was caught between the two girls. The atmosphere became a tad awkward. During this time, G.o.dou coincidentally remembered something. Being able to strengthen his relationship with others was favorable. However, perhaps their relationship was a bit more unrestrained in the past ? "Hey. I see, so that was it." On the other side, the calmly awaiting Kaoru who dressed up like a butler seemed to laugh out of amus.e.m.e.nt and nodded her head. They appeared to be waiting and watching each other's responses. Just exactly what did she realize? G.o.dou thought it was strange but also expressed grat.i.tude towards Kaoru. All of the responsibilities for the arrangement at this location fell onto her. In this chaotic situation, there was Yuri's spirit vision and the mysterious trump card Erica held. These matters should be quickly sorted out. Out of everyone gathered here, the most suitable candidate to accomplish this was none other than Kaoru. Therefore, he used his cellphone to contact Kaoru. Within an hour he received a return call from her. At that time Kaoru straightforwardly told him "the location arrangements for the emergency meeting has been set, please head over at this time. Erica-san will be there as well." Her ability and skill to get the job done were still as good as ever. If Sayanomiya Kaoru was born in the right time period, she would have the moral character of a 'feudal leader' or a 'bishop'. Who made such a remark before? "Looks like I made everyone wait." Moreover, this girl seemed to take the role of a person who enters the stage last. Her attire consisted of a red overcoat along with tight black pants, paying tribute by pairing up 'red and black' as usual. "After being contacted by Kaoru, I told Arianna to find the appropriate item. She went through the entire house, spending thirty minutes to find this. My maid, who also acts as my a.s.sistant, is really quite capable isn't she?" Upon entering the study, she spoke with a tone of brightness. She didn't even do anything but it was like a shameless admission nevertheless. She revealed a broad smile, as expected of Erica Blandelli's temperament. Erica suddenly revealed her findings which was a plain wooden chest. The size of the cover attached to the top could fit into a person's hand. It was black in color and looked quite decrepit. A click sound was made as Erica opened the lid. The contents inside were merely two, three dried up pieces of fruit that were about the same size as a ping pong ball. It resembled nothing other than some sort of dried up fruit. "Out of the magic related items I brought to j.a.pan, this was one that I originally did not have on me at the time. It was not one of the items that came from Milan either. However, why would something like this be mixed in with the other stuff in my apartment? It is quite a peculiar predicament." Erica was smiling while looking around inside the wooden chest. She had a brazen smile that was without fear, like a malevolent lion skulking around to get in front of its prey. "If you trust the note attached to the top of the chest, this box appears to be from the past probably more than one hundred years ago. It was an object brought to earth by a heretic G.o.d appearing in Turkey. Recently there seems to have been various kinds of strange events occurring. In no way can the name of this G.o.d be just a coincidental match to what has occurred during these phenomenons." " Quit posturing. Hurry up and say the name of the G.o.d already." Liliana interrupted her. "What's so awful about a climax of this degree, Lily? I will never flounder the chance to be on center stage. This stunt is something everyone should know about me, Erica Blandelli." After leisurely speaking, Erica suddenly announced: "The name of the G.o.d is Saturnus. He was believed to be the G.o.d of agriculture in the Ancient Roman Empire. He is an existence who gave the populace crops and produce. Furthermore, he brought along the divine festival that Christmas originated from." Liliana gently nodded. It looks like she recognized the name. Saturnus, it should be the first time he heard that name right? G.o.dou felt slightly ill at ease. However, right now he had to ask about the doubts encountered from before. "The origins of Christmas?" "During the end of the year in Ancient Rome, they would conduct a grand festival for Saturnus every December. They dance, sing, drink wine, make a racket, and heartily cheer with merriment." Erica spoke with her usual clear-cut tone. "The t.i.tle of the G.o.d of agriculture originated from the appreciation of the current year's harvest and the festival where prayers were held for a bountiful harvest the following year. During this festival, there appears to have been some sort of social custom where people present tree branches and fruits as gifts to each other. After this social custom was popularized in Christianity, remnants of it remained in various parts of Europe and eventually transformed into a social custom where 'gifts were to be exchanged during the festival hosted at the end of the year'." "A couple of days ago I mentioned that Saint Nicolas was a Saint who brought the fruits of harvest. Saturnus was also a G.o.d of agriculture but he dates back much farther in time compared to the Saint of Christianity." Liliana added on to that as if she was supplementing the explanation. "By around the 11 th century, Christianity had extended throughout Europe. During a time much prior to that, Europeans worshiped Cronus^, Freyr 2 ^, Dagda^ and other indigenous G.o.ds of agriculture. Nevertheless, following the popularization of Christianity, these ancient G.o.ds were replaced by Saint Nicolas. The birth of Jesus Christ served as a form of replacement for the social custom of the great winter festival. "Using our modern calendar, the harvest festival is held around December. This wasn't a rare occurrence for those who engaged within the the realms of agriculture. This festival was even held in ancient Egypt." "Erica-san may I take a look at that thing?" Yuri shyly asked Erica who was recounting unexpected information. Her gaze was cast towards the contents from inside the chest that the blonde beauty held in her hands. "Of course, you didn't have to ask. Perhaps if we rely on Yuri's power we can see something that evades us." Yuri walked towards Erica after leaving the couch. She extended her hand to borrow the wooden chest of hers. Her pale index finger and middle finger reached into the wooden chest, trembling with fear as she touched the dried fruits dating over 100 years old. Following that, Yuri's facial expression suddenly became very stiff. It seemed like she had a pretty clear impression from her spirit vision. However, instead of being jubilant, G.o.dou actually felt worried because Yuri's expression became excessively rigid. "Does this mean it was an ominous proclamation?" Yuri then anxiously replied to the worried Liliana. "Y-Yes. I'm afraid that the ma.s.sive power force I saw in connection to this fruit was located somewhere in Tokyo Bay. Furthermore, this force exists in close proximity to the city area." Part 2 After Yuri described the scene she saw from her spirit vision, Kaoru winked discreetly. The person who received this wink was none other than her trusty aide, Amakasu. Even if his working att.i.tude was extremely lackl.u.s.ter, it would still be unthinkable for anyone to doubt the special personnel's abilities. He took out a cellphone from his wrinkled suit and began negotiating with someone. Shortly after, the conversation ended. After thirty minutes had pa.s.sed, Kusanagi G.o.dou was sitting in isolation aboard a speedboat along Tokyo Bay. Who knows what sort of connections he had tapped into. The role of the Official History Compilation Committee was to arrange a patrol boat from the j.a.panese Coast Guard for Kusanagi G.o.dou to ride on. "The ocean is still freezing at night " "Indeed " Yuri chimed in during G.o.dou's muttering. Under these circ.u.mstances, it was inevitable that his body would be exposed to the piercing ocean breeze on the deck of the boat. The howling wind mercilessly s.n.a.t.c.hed his body temperature. Furthermore it was still evening, which meant even the benefit of the sun was gone in this dark period of time. This further sped up the decrease of temperature. "Mariya, don't you feel cold wearing that ? Oh yeah, there is a spare coat on the ship, you should probably borrow it. Just placing it over your body will be fine." Yuri was wearing her usual attire which consisted of white robe plus a hakama. Wearing something as thin as this on dry land would still be chilly, but in this case they were on a boat. In fact, Yuri's glamorous eyebrows which were exposed to the ocean gust had already turned pale. "No thanks. The clothing I wear can't be too thick, otherwise the sensing will become slower. Even like this, there is no need to worry about me." Because of the freezing ocean winds during the night, a person's body would definitely feel chilled to the bone. Even under these conditions, Yuri did not withdraw due to the cold nor did she blow warm air onto her hands to warm herself. Rather, she firmly straightened her body and sternly stood there. "Was the sensing you mentioned before referring to your spirit vision?" "It does include that as well as the psychic sensing. Right now the sensing power is being extended in all directions to probe for the G.o.d's aura. Because there needs to be a slight adjustment in its strength, the cold temperature actually makes it easier to accomplish." Right now the only people on the deck of the patrol boat were G.o.dou and Yuri. The hime-miko utilized an uncommon ability of hers. She was currently looking for the location that matched the scene from her recent spirit vision. "Ah so when it's cold it's somewhat easier to concentrate spiritually." G.o.dou utilized a sports mentality and nodded. Morning exercises and martial arts activities during the winter time would lead to a rush of adrenaline and an elevated mental concentration. Perhaps those that loathe exercising were incapable of understanding the appeal of this. "Actually, within the religious practices of the hime-miko, one must bear through winter's intense beatings." "Very impressive. It has a miko-sama feeling to it." "Yes, and with the other hime-mikos who were engaging in these religious practice, we learned on the spot together. Everyone showed restraint in spite of the adversity." "Showing restraint in adversity?" "In short, something cold can still get colder." The hime-miko rarely joked like this. G.o.dou wryly smiled and Yuri also revealed a smile that resembled a sakura wafting through the air. Normally this playful smile was never seen so it felt very refreshing. "Then are you forcefully bracing yourself right now?" "Honestly speaking, I am. My fingertips are so cold that they are practically numb." Yuri's smile felt like it was done in distress as she raised her white fingers. Even as she did this, her finger remained firm. Her gentle expression and manners were both peaceful as usual. The ability of this hime-miko to show restraint under these conditions had already been practiced to the point of perfection. Although she said she didn't feel anything, G.o.dou was still concerned for her. "Really ? Ha ha, looks like it. At least it would do you some good to warm up a little." G.o.dou muttered and unconsciously grabbed Yuri's hand. It was as cold as ice. Only after he confirmed that her hand was colder than ice did G.o.dou notice it. What am I doing? His and Yuri's line of sight connected. Until just now, the hime-miko was always trying her best to show restraint under these rough conditions. Her beautiful and composed facial expression in an instant turned completely red as she lowered her head. The reason was certainly because G.o.dou was holding her luxurious hand . "I-I'm sorry! I totally didn't mean to act so recklessly!" G.o.dou immediately apologized. It was very unfathomable. He naturally extended his hand as if he felt he already held hands with Yuri many times before. This explains why he unconsciously stuck out his own hand casually for confirmation . Right now there should a scene where she would for sure say "what are you doing!?" in rage. Antic.i.p.ating the hime-miko to be rightfully angry, G.o.dou was mentally prepared to willingly withstand her vehemence. However, Yuri instead lowered her head in embarra.s.sment and mumbled: "l-l understand. My fingers have already warmed up a bit." Speaking of which, G.o.dou was still holding Yuri's hand. To one's surprise, he had carelessly forgotten about releasing her hand. But thanks to this, the temperature from G.o.dou's hand was able to be transferred to Yuri's hand, which slightly added some heat. Surely enough, the tips of the hand, foot and such were much more susceptible to the cold for women compared to men. G.o.dou, who had yet to release her ice cold hands, felt embarra.s.sed and unwittingly said: "l-lt should be fine after warming up for a bit longer right ?" "Y-Yes, you're right. If it is too excessive then the sensing will become slower. Just for a bit longer really one minute, no, even if it's just thirty seconds then " In response to Yuri's reply, G.o.dou rubbed her hand. Thirty seconds, no, a minute had quickly pa.s.sed. However, he still wanted to warm her up a little and slowly continued rubbing. Afterwards, Yuri and G.o.dou's line of sight matched up. The two of them instantly lowered their gaze. Yuri still hasn't said 'that should be good enough' to signal him to stop. As a result, G.o.dou never had the time to say 'it should be about time to separate our hands'. "Something like this won't affect your probing right?" A calm voice interrupted them. G.o.dou and Yuri released each other's hand in panic and looked in the direction where the voice came from. As it turns out, Liliana was currently walking in their direction with Erica right behind her. "I brewed some coffee even though we were in a rush. I thought that Mariya Yuri would feel very cold in her mission to oversee the monitoring so I felt very bad about this. "O-Oh, I see! But it's nothing serious. Being slightly cold will allow the sensing to become very sharp!" Yuri involuntarily used a brisk manner of speaking in reply to Liliana who was holding the thermos. "Compared to this thermos, your body temperature seems to have increased greatly it's the same for Kusanagi G.o.dou." Liliana commented using a ridiculing tone while staring at the blushing red-eared Yuri and G.o.dou. Both of them had no way to retort what she said. They could only lower their heads and look down enduring the embarra.s.sment. "Well, isn't this the perfect time to take a break? Yuri, please take a break. Letting someone with irreplaceable talent such as you have a rest is also included within my duties." Erica seemed to find this amusing as she interrupted them. Furthermore, she gracefully chuckled while saying to her old friend and compet.i.tor: "Even though I clearly understand Lily's resentment, you shouldn't be too hard on Yuri. Delving into a woman's jealous state of mind doesn't suit you at all." "J-Jealousy!?" Erica's statement left Liliana staring tongue tied. "Yes. Actually, I recently heard an uncanny rumor regarding you. Yet you think it's some crazy fabricated statement. However, after you see it for yourself you will understand that this rumor lived up to its word." "W-What kind of rumor did you hear Erica?" G.o.dou inquired because he felt a troubling premonition. Hence, the girl who had the alias of Diavolo Rosso raised her head of golden hair which gave an impression of royalty and her pupils flashed with a rebellious and judgmental intent towards the devil king. "Of course I'm referring to the love triangle you three have!" "What! ?" "Eh! ?" "Love triangle! ?" G.o.dou, Yuri, and Liliana were all speechless. Moreover, Erica was getting more and more enthusiastic as she spoke. "Due to the inadequate relationship Kusanagi G.o.dou and Liliana Kranjcar have, it appeared the two of them were recently going between each other's houses frequently In addition, news of Kusanagi G.o.dou's alternative lover was uncovered by Mariya Yuri. He even kneeled down for forgiveness." "l-ls it like this Kusanagi G.o.dou! ?" "So the rumors were true! ? Ugh, to think that I had been astutely deceived by you before !" Most of what Erica said was true, however she snuck in subtle facts that would lead to misunderstandings. Yuri shivered at this revelation and gazed at G.o.dou in shock. As for Liliana, he was faced with a chiding look from her. "With only the evidence from the situation, it seems that the referees' views of you are quite unfavorable. However, there is something else I should add. It's easy to believe that no matter what the circ.u.mstances were, Kusanagi G.o.dou would never have this sort of ambition. Because Yuri and Liliana are both intelligent girls, you two mustn't be fooled by men like him." Erica was nonchalantly judging G.o.dou as she spoke. "However I'm still very naive. Yuri and Liliana's complexion completely turned into that of a woman. Looks like you used some brilliant method to deceive the two of them, right Kusanagi G.o.dou?" "This is a misunderstanding! I haven't done anything to victimize them! You two agree right?" "Y-Yes. At the very least I haven't had this happen to me!" "Exactly. At the very minimum he didn't do anything that resembled a deceitful and spurious relationship to me!" The dialogue of the two girls appeared to have some subtle implications in response to G.o.dou's question. Plus, Yuri's gaze still flickered between G.o.dou and Liliana while Liliana utilized an investigative look at G.o.dou and Yuri. Both of them carried a depressed expression on their face. G.o.dou admitted defeat. He never thought it would turn out like this. Nevertheless, Erica's arrival without a doubt strengthens the unity between the girls. Surely enough, when this girl arrived on stage the entirety of the situation will be altered. Regardless if it was for better or worse, she always became someone that people revolved around. Imposing her creative thinking within a team, she would become the focal point. While he was clarifying this point, G.o.dou and the others each drank a cup of coffee to warm up their body. After that, in order to once again raise her concentration, Yuri distanced herself from G.o.dou and the others to be alone. She then closed her eyes. Expanding her psychic sensing, she was probably probing the sea within close proximity. "How is Amakasu-san doing in chasing that spirit?" "Well, he is only pursuing the prankster who covered Santa Clauses in grey. I don't think anything out of the ordinary will happen " The red and blue knights were conversing while eyeing Yuri who was currently concentrating on her psychic sensing. Before setting out, Liliana had used the familiar from before to probe the earth's aura. Even though the matter with the most priority was the gate to Yuri's spirit vision, that other aspect could not be ignored either. Hence, Amakasu headed towards that location. On the other side, G.o.dou actually savored some sort of strange feeling and felt uneasy. If it was during combat, his concentration would be raised to a high degree at will, transforming into his most optimal state. If a heretic G.o.d was nearby then a sense of elation along with a violent surge of power for battle would occur within his body and mind. This was the body of a G.o.dslaying Campione. Right now those feelings were totally nonexistent. Their destination was of course very treacherous. Just when G.o.dou was pondering over this dilemma, Yuri finally opened her eyes and returned. There was actually nothing necessary to add regarding the struggle that will happen afterwards. Because an intense battle did not come to fruition, this subject was simply dropped. Yuri's psychic sensing detected something on the waters of the Kasai seacoast. It was a large emblem made out of stone. A stone sculpture that seemed to be carved out of a material like marble. The shape of a bird spreading open its wings was visible. What was bizarre about the sight was for a bird emblem to actually emerge from the surface of the sea. Moreover, it seemed like it was rooted there. Even though it was exposed to the intense ocean waves it remained motionless. It was solidly entrenched to the earth and fastened. Liliana, who was looking at the emblem residing on the ocean surface from the edge of the patrol boat, displayed an incomprehensible expression. Her hand was holding onto the familiar a doll that had the shape of a pig- "What's wrong?" "This child couldn't sense the aura of the earth. Even though the power from the fruits of the trees was connected to Saturnus, I still think that it must be related to the omens of earth's bountiful harvests " Considering the various circ.u.mstances to this situation, thinking in this way was only natural. G.o.dou could not help but look at Yuri. With her more efficacious spirit vision powers compared to Liliana, she should be capable of discovering something. G.o.dou figured it would be like this. Consequently, the hime-miko had an apologetic expression and said: "I'm very sorry. Even I can't see what kind of power is hidden. All I see is some sort of grey mist surrounding that emblem." "Did you say mist?" "Yes. To put it simply, it appears someone is hiding its true form." After Yuri quietly finished speaking, she once again gazed towards that emblem. "Right now that emblem is emitting a power that corresponds to a G.o.d of earth. Just then sprouts were germinating. G.o.dou-san, if we get any closer we might provoke it." "Is this the divinity of the land that was born from the unidentified omens ?" "It looks like using ordinary methods will not work on this opponent!" Liliana muttered while Erica on the other hand blatantly cut her off. The knights' lines of sight were also fixated on the emblem on the surface of the ocean. Meanwhile, G.o.dou also noticed the enormous amount of magical power being emitted in front of him. As expected, this was the rejection between G.o.dslayers and G.o.dly possessions. The nerves will always tense up when there is a burst of increasing divine energy. A parasitic plant with a trunk, branches and dense flourishing foliage resembling that of an evergreen tree, was growing vigorously nonstop! At first it was a small shrub. Then it turned into an enormous tree right before their eyes. The tree even appeared to be hundreds of years in age. Finally, within a very brief period, a parasitic-like tree emerged at the center of Tokyo Bay. The height had to be above thirty meters. The tree's const.i.tution was also proportional in magnificence to its height. In terms of age, it certainly had the immense structure of a tree that was over one-thousand years old. His Campione instincts told him that it was not a heretic G.o.d. However, he realized this existence was related to heretic G.o.ds since there was definitely divine power lodged within the tree. "Since this lesser G.o.d, a divine beast, had an organic form, this thing is probably a divine plant or a divine tree." Erica spoke admirably. On the other side, the divine plant that suddenly sprouted rustled as its branches swayed. It began to emit a solemn incantation from its entire body. It was simply in a frenzy, on the verge of confrontation. "What a b.a.s.t.a.r.d, this tree actually wants to fight me!" The vindictive aura and desire to battle emitted by the divine tree was definitely towards him, hence it came after G.o.dou. Using his Campione battling intuition, he personally felt this was the case. Even though it had the form of a tree, it was still an existence related to G.o.ds. It appeared to show hostility towards the G.o.dslayer, but Just a moment ago, Erica compared it to a divine beast. In short, its strength should be quite unsubstantial. If it were to face a Campione, it would clearly be considered a weak opponent . "G.o.dou-san!" "Kusanagi G.o.dou, over there!" At this moment, the hime-miko and witch coincidentally warned him at the same time. Did they acquire a spirit vision? They were pointing above a certain thick tree branch on the divine tree in front of them. Quietly standing straight at that place was the Grey One ! It had the same form as the one from a couple days ago with the sailcloth covering its entire body. During the follow-up at that time they found out that a few minutes prior, Amakasu was within Tokyo near the Aoyama district and had encountered the Grey One and pursued it. However, right at that moment was when the Grey One appeared in front of G.o.dou as well. His pursued target had suddenly disappeared. "Did this guy get resurrected over this period of time? Or did another similar guy appear? Which one is it " G.o.dou grumbled while investigating what its true ident.i.ty was. The Grey One was walking on top of the branch while touching the divine tree's trunk. Following that, its sailcloth covered hand sank into the tree's epidermis! Soon after its hand was buried inside. Even the elbow and shoulder were eventually engulfed. In the end its remaining head, body, and feet were completely submerged inside the divine tree. The Grey One had completed its a.s.similation. Furthermore, G.o.dou noticed something. "It's withering ?" Up until now it had been a thriving lush colossal divine tree. The delicate green tree leaves instantly dried up. The appearance of the tree branch and trunk seemed water deprived, dried up, withered. Shortly after, the small tree branches started to fall off one after another. The splash created foam on top of the water as soon as it crashed into the sea. Furthermore, it was similar to the Grey One who committed suicide before . The divine tree slowly crumbled like a building made of sand. Its remnants drifted towards the sky as parts of it were carried by the ocean breeze. What remained was the bird emblem floating on the surface of the ocean. It still remained motionless despite the force of the ocean waves as if it was rooted firmly on the ocean surface. "This time did the Grey One kill the divine tree ?" "It intentionally slaughtered its ally after meeting a Campione? Understanding the reasoning behind this is impossible." Liliana and Erica both spoke with a perplexed expression. G.o.dou tried to ask Yuri. "What do you think Yuri? Since this has happened, do you believe the disturbance will settle down?" "W-What will happen ? I just have an uneasy feeling in my chest. If it continues like this, the same thing will happen again no, I feel this situation may worsen." G.o.dou nodded as if indicating "yes" towards Yuri's worried declaration. Had the large divine tree attacked a moment ago, the summoning of the Boar would probably be enough to comfortably kill it. But without having to do any of that, those guys had already vanished by themselves. Perhaps this was the critical point in time . Part 3 Once the unexpected evening cruise at Tokyo Bay was over, G.o.dou returned home at one in the morning. However, he did not go to sleep right away. He sat seiza-style on his sheets and continuously pondered over the situation for about two hours. Afterwards, morning came around with G.o.dou waking up at six o'clock. On a notepad, he wrote that he did not require breakfast and then departed from the house before Shizuka woke up. He then immediately snuck into the empty cla.s.sroom and continued to contemplate over the situation. Ever since yesterday, he became really concerned over this matter. After reflecting about it without interruption all the way till fifteen minutes before cla.s.s started did he finally arrived at an answer. G.o.dou let out a heavy sigh. In the end, it was going to end up like this wasn't it? This answer was one that he could somewhat accept. It was braving the risk of Shizuka saying "Why did you leave the house so early in the morning!? Are you trying to stealthily hide something sinister from me?" later on. After evaluating in solitude he had arrived at this conclusion. Soon after, he returned to his normal state of mind. Liliana arrived at school and briefly conversed with the others. She received an elegant greeting and a sneer from Erica as well as an invitation by Nanami and the three idiots which went as followed, "The maid coffee shop is already outdated, let's enjoy the winter special at the frequently visited maid slushie shop, the large strawberry slushie". During this time, before he knew it cla.s.s had begun. Today was December 21st. It was the day of the end of term ceremony. After the ceremony concluded without a hitch, G.o.dou welcomed the end of school. Winter break was currently underway. Of course, the insides of the cla.s.srooms and school were still permeating with energy. There were students who went out to play directly after school as well as a group who discussed about the scheduled activities during break. However, G.o.dou chose not to partic.i.p.ate in this kind of fervor. He immediately left the cla.s.sroom and seized Yuri from the adjacent cla.s.sroom. Moreover, he repeatedly pleaded to her to inform him of the state of affairs regarding the post-event processing for the event from yesterday night. "Everyone in the committee were discussing whether or not we could shut down this phenomenon However, I'm afraid it was a G.o.d who created that divine artifact. I think the probability of a human creating it is extremely low " This was what Yuri antic.i.p.ated. After thanking her for providing this information, G.o.dou headed towards the gym. "What's the purpose for asking me to come to this kind of place?" Erica, who had come to this location, spoke with a commanding tone. Whether slinging criticisms with polite sarcasm or acting mysteriously ill-tempered, Erica's recent att.i.tude towards G.o.dou carried elements of both. No, even before that he had always felt this way In short, the reason was probably because she wished to avoid having a friendly conversation with him. However, G.o.dou wanted to converse with Erica right now. Even though this was the case, he felt if he just brought up the topic upfront he would easily be evaded in a graceful manner just like before. So he thought of a plan which involved using an email to call her out. After the end of term ceremony I'll be waiting in the sports field. P.S. Don't run away . "Recently the amount of exercising I have been doing isn't adequate. I would like to give my body a bit of a workout." It was the baseball field for the academy's high school section. G.o.dou stood at the field's home plate as he spoke. Placed by his feet were baseball bats, gloves, and b.a.l.l.s taken from the sports storage room. "Accompany me for a bit. You've played prior to cla.s.s before so it should be no problem right?" G.o.dou spoke as he grabbed a glove and baseball. "Even if you are my opponent, I will still pitch an unhittable ball." "You sure know how to flatter yourself. You ought to know that I, Erica Blandelli, am a girl who can do more than just wield a sword right? There are very few weapons that I can't utilize as I please." Even though the provocation was unremarkable, it appears that he had provoked her fighting spirit. Unable to resist letting out a small burst of laughter, she picked up the baseball bat. Simply just this behavior alone was like part of an agile dance routine, a picturesque action. Was this thanks to being born with athletic apt.i.tude and a Latin sense of rhythm? "I was still thinking about the recent touchy feely business going on between you, Lily, and Yuri and that you should receive a suitable punishment. You asking for trouble like this actually really makes me happy." "W-What punishment? Hey." What was her reason for being that easily provoked? G.o.dou started to complain in response. "I didn't do anything to them. Our relationship only improved just a bit." "Do you think only an improvement in relationship would result in a love triangle? I can't believe this would happen unknowingly. Being as foolish and unwitty as you, you wouldn't know how to read the mood and cower away from girls. Also, during those times you always act carefree. Just what I would expect from Kusanagi G.o.dou's personality." "D-Don't act like you can see through my personality!" "See through you? Matters regarding you I always seem to eh?" Erica revealed a perplexed expression. G.o.dou also had a feeling of uneasiness. They were currently conversing during their pitching compet.i.tion. The communication link to their dialogue seemed to have been severed by scissors "Forget about it. In a moment I will have you experience my supremacy!" Erica brushed aside any hesitation and proceeded to put her hand on the uniform's dress. She tore it apart without any hesitation, making a tear on each side to give herself more mobility. Furthermore, she raised the baseball bat in an upward slant. She made this posture predicting she would hit a homerun. Overall her appearance was like a drawing. However, that posture was composed of gorgeousness. Even the aura of a slugger emanated from her. After being separated for so long, he once again experienced Erica's talent and beauty. G.o.dou felt inconceivably upbeat. As expected, without this kind of behavior it would not be her. G.o.dou felt the corners of his mouth rise as he proceeded to the pitching mound. "Let's start with five pitches ok? If you are able to send a ball flying then you win." "Ara, giving me such advantageous conditions, are you sure about that?" "Haha, it'll be fine this time. Here I come." Following that, G.o.dou pitched five b.a.l.l.s in a row. Erica's baseball bat was unable to even graze one ball. No, she actually didn't even swing once. "Hey G.o.dou aren't the b.a.l.l.s you just pitched overlooking the premise of baseball?" Within the words of the red colored devil carried a tone of criticism as she muttered. "The b.a.l.l.s should be pitched directly towards me with the outcome of whether I hit it or not being the compet.i.tion in progress right? However, the b.a.l.l.s you pitched were all excessively too high or to the sides." Precisely as Erica said, G.o.dou's pitches were atrociously thrown. The b.a.l.l.s that G.o.dou pitched staggered either too far to the side or went above the blonde beauty standing in the batter's box. Because he considered the scope of Erica's arm length and the length of the bat, he implemented his plan to pitch in the places where she was incapable of reaching. "It's fine like this. Since my objective was to only avoid letting you hit the ball, I never intended on issuing a fair compet.i.tion." As expected, baseball related sports are not mainstream in Italy. Not even the knowledgeable Erica had heard of the concept of walking the batter so G.o.dou explained the intention behind this course of action. " So it's like that. This time I'll bear with the loss. Basically it's the same as what you said before." "Are you referring to the objective of avoiding attaining victory or defeat upfront?" With only this degree of explanation, a tint of understanding gradually emerged from Erica's pupils. We were easily able to converse. Maybe my relationship with this girl really wasn't that bad. G.o.dou felt this was unbelievable as he took it another step further and said: "The divine tree, the grotesque Grey One and so on, I feel like the goal of those guys is to prevent me from fighting. Isn't that why every time I get close those subordinates would commit suicide?" Ever since the divine tree located at Tokyo Bay crumbled, he had always . After taking another look at the reason why those grey guys were that suspicious, he had come to a decision. It was to listen to Erica's opinion concerning this matter since he didn't understand the reason why. If he wanted to find someone knowledgeable to help him, then Kaoru would suffice. If a magic savvy knight was mentioned, Liliana demonstrated even more flexibility. Compared to Yuri who is the kind of person who possessed an abnormal spirit sensing ability, no other diviner could be as good of a conversational partner. However, despite all of this he still wanted to get Erica's opinion. Why would he do that? Kusanagi G.o.dou had already overcome many battles to the death. However, due to her frequent support in many instances during those battles Erica also appeared to have a sense of importance. Without any basis for it, this was how he felt. "If it's like this then there would only be one reason." Once she heard G.o.dou's opinion, Erica spoke in an imposing manner. That clear cut tone gave G.o.dou an indescribable feeling of reliability. "To buy more time. It's hard to believe that their actions would serve for any other constructive purpose." "So I'm right?" "Yeah. In short it's the equivalent of protecting a city. The soldiers in the city surrounded by a large army will desperately try to defend to the death, striving to engage in a defensive battle. By doing this, they are waiting for allies to come rescue them. G.o.dou nodded while saying 'I see' towards the reasoning behind the battle tactics Erica described. The reason for buying time was uncertain, but based on her description it would make sense. "Except, if we were to account for non-constructive reasonings " "Are you saying there is a possibility that it isn't a constructive plan?" "Yes. For example, since the enemy is closely pursuing them during the defense of a city, situations where there are a loss of judgment occur quite frequently. Without reinforcements they would blindly fight to the end. There is also the situation right now with the intriguing actions done by these guys it could also be possible that it has ties to a religious ceremony." "Uhh" In that case, there existed the possibility of it being irrational as well? Upon hearing Erica's point of view, G.o.dou suddenly felt a flash of insight. "Then in that case, what you are focusing on could precisely be the breakthrough to the nucleus of the problem. Being able to elaborate to that extent is quite interesting." "That's really flattering of you." Giving an obvious praise would undoubtedly be good, but why does she need to be so tactful? However, this was typical of Erica so G.o.dou forced a smile. "As a n.o.blewoman, I should at the very least reward a gallant knight. Please be my temporary opponent once again." After she finished speaking, Erica extended her hand towards the area where the baseball equipment laid. This time she picked up both the glove and baseball. "Let me crush your ego as we decide a legitimate winner this time." "Wait a second. You definitely mentioned giving a reward, how come it feels like you want to defeat me?" "The best reward is to simply enjoy the moment together where you and I, Erica Blandelli, can decide on the outcome of a battle. Also, if you want to win, a man would do it with his own two hands right?" Erica had a fearless smile as she spoke. Sure enough it was her lioness smile. Fighting till the end? G.o.dou also gave a heartfelt smile. For the moment, backing down was not an option when his dignity as a man was called into question. This time G.o.dou picked up the baseball bat. Afterwards the two of them agreed to the ambiguous rule that if he missed the ball then Erica wins, if it is. .h.i.t then G.o.dou wins. This was not so much a compet.i.tion, but rather them having fun playing ball. Part 4 In the end, the two of them played ball all the way till the sun was about to set. G.o.dou was currently walking along Nezu street where a section of it was dyed in an orange hue by the sunset. Erica was by his side and the two of them walked all the way here together. G.o.dou's reasoning for this was that it unknowingly happened. Once the unresolved compet.i.tion had concluded and the equipment had been put away, Erica very naturally followed him after he said "well, it's about time to go home". Although, if he wanted to refuse walking together with her, there were many reasons he could have come up with. However, overall he felt a 'this is pretty good' kind of feeling. Why does Erica want to follow him? Perhaps it unknowingly happened for her as well. Superseding all this was an issue regarding "I feel pretty hungry after that thorough exercise." He spoke of his animal-like desires in this manner. Erica was unfazed as a result and instead ignored all the ensuing reasons for it. "Same here. There's still some time before dinner, let's just find some other place to hang out in the meantime." "You're still the same as before, completely ignoring the necessity of having a balanced diet." "Those portions had already become the calories for daily consumption. I haven't overlooked the intake and expenditure calculations in regards to this aspect." The two of them walked in jest to the Nezu Sanchome shopping district. There were still a few minutes before arriving at G.o.dou's house. Just as G.o.dou thought it was about time to say goodbye, Erica suddenly stopped in her tracks. "Actually, this has been on my mind for quite a while now. You could say that I've been restraining myself like someone enduring the pa.s.sage of time, but there really is an indescribable flavor permeating the air here." The place Erica was looking at was a Chinese restaurant that G.o.dou recognized. To put it politely, a shabby looking restaurant would be a suitable description. Indeed, its style, making the place known as the "town's China shop", refers to the shop's structure that had been maintained all the way since the Showa period. The restaurant was covered in oil stains and dirt. The outer appearance would compel any teenage girl to immediately distance herself from this establishment. However, Erica was instead attracted to this decrepit and filthy place. With that said, could it be that regardless of the restaurant's style and cooking that were completely devoid of personality, as long as the disgusting food still honored its characteristic flavor it would fit Erica's dietary lifestyle? "So it's that one. Well, if it's Erica then she wouldn't mind" said G.o.dou. After all, he was a native inhabitant so the type of restaurant was very clear to him. There was a provocative advertis.e.m.e.nt pasted on the gla.s.s door entrance that had the words 'mud wonton, mud dumpling, mud ramen' printed on it. "It's a pretty interesting restaurant, I like it a lot. Well, goodbye." "G.o.dou, please hold on for a sec." Just when he was about to take his leave, Erica grabbed his arm. "You intend to provoke the expectations of I, Erica Blandelli, solely so you can head back by yourself first?" Erica spoke in a fearless manner while having dragged G.o.dou to her side. "If it turns out that it isn't as interesting as you guaranteed, I will hold you accountable. So please accompany me a bit longer." "Eh eh! ?" I was undoubtedly close to home, why must I go with her? G.o.dou displayed an intention to decline her. However, there was probably no way to overpower the intensity exerted from Erica's strong muscles. In the end, he was dragged into the restaurant by her. After that, an hour had pa.s.sed. "I see, it's just a restaurant with freshwater fish cuisine containing a muddy aftertaste." After sampling practically all of the dishes on the table, Erica appeared to speak with profound admiration. The cuisines consisted of snakehead fish plus wonton made with celery, carp repeatedly fried in oil, a steamed dish with eel and tofu, and there was a dish they were attentively staring at named 'catfish mud dumplings with sweet vinegar stuffing'. "How should I put it? It makes people cast doubts on the original meaning of a cuisine. It seems like they wanted to conceal the muddy odor by using spices and specially grounded freshwater fish paste mixed together. However, this will never fool me. So that's why they added a filling so sweet that anyone would get tired of it." "As expected, you really like those kinds of dishes that are difficult to eat and the taste of anything crudely made." G.o.dou sighed in sorrow as he spoke to Erica who was a.n.a.lyzing the cuisine's taste with vigor. After glancing over the restaurant's menu and ordering many dishes, G.o.dou immediately gave up on eating at home. He already called Shizuka to let her know he was going out to eat. As a result, G.o.dou maneuvered his chopsticks without worry. After taking a bite off the carp fried in oil, he felt the texture of the crunchy and flaky skin to be very well done. It was not just some crudely made food, this place actually specialized in freshwater fish cuisine. "The father of the restaurant's owner seemed to have gone to China in the past in order to go to school. As a result, he became fascinated with a dish made out of a fish caught in some sort of Yangzte River tributary. He had previously said that he generally studied authentic Cantonese cuisine. Although, this restaurant's flavor isn't true Cantonese style." This restaurant however was a place where the owner often carried out his own culinary creations. Especially items such as the catfish dumplings, it is doubtful whether or not it even exists in China. This was why G.o.dou had initially refused to enter the establishment. Erica then cheerfully said: "Since it's like this, let's also call Lu Yinghua at some later point in time and let him have a taste. That kid was raised in Hong Kong the cuisine there originated from Cantonese cuisine. The Lu household in Hong Kong should also have a Cantonese restaurant in business." "Eh? Yinghua?" Hearing this familiar sounding name gave G.o.dou a jolt. However, why is it that up until now I had forgotten this name? Lu Yinghua. A name with Ying, a friend of the same age ? Where would I have encountered this guy? And right now there was this equally important matter. Within his name was actually the word 'Ying'. On the confusing warning email, the name Ying also appeared in the email sender's name . Could this be considered purely coincidental? "Where is that guy and what's he doing right now ?" "Ara, now that you mention it where did he go ?" When this seemingly familiar person of importance was mentioned, Erica, who was much more adept at gathering intelligence compared to any other person and was frequently capable of grasping other people's movements, felt perplexed. Due to her uncharacteristic reaction, G.o.dou couldn't help but put pause his chopstick movements for a bit and began to ponder. "If you don't mind, would you like to come to my house for a bit? You are welcomed to have some tea." G.o.dou asked as soon as they exited the Chinese restaurant. Why does he feel a bit reluctant to part ways with Erica? Also, doesn't she feel the same as well? It was very intuitive to believe this was the case. "I suppose so. I don't want to be like some sort of vulgar person who overstays Even though I really want to say something along those lines, perhaps it will be fine this time." The foul-mouthed Erica avoided saying it straightforwardly like she would usually do. Plus, it was obvious there was an unfathomable change happening within her, something made her feel indecisive. "However, I can't go. There's a place I need to pay a visit. This matter is probably more important than your invitation." After only saying a few words, Erica quickly took off. G.o.dou sighed. Even though he felt they got along during those past few hours, maybe his belief was wrong? Well, there is nothing he can do about it. Furthermore, G.o.dou had some matters to carefully reflect on. There was the name Erica previously said, Lu Yinghua, as well as the email notifying him that there will be something revived during the winter solstice. The sender was Lu Yinghua. The so-called Ying was probably Lu Yinghua. In addition, what exactly is the resurrection that was mentioned ? "Onii-chan! What is up with you going on a dinner date with that blonde haired study abroad student living near our house!? There's no use pretending to be stupid because I was notified by a number of people who saw you two at that restaurant!" As he returned home and began thinking through things, Shizuka suddenly started interrogating him. G.o.dou ignored her and returned to his own room on the second floor. Where could he meet Lu Yinghua? After checking his cellphone for an address, he realized that the number was registered on his phone. He immediately called him, however he was unable to reach him. G.o.dou felt very anxious. Up until now he had been feeling a very intense sensation of being trapped. The feeling was akin to being enclosed in a maze. However, the structure of this maze seemed to be pretty simple. Even if he was trapped, couldn't he just pulverize the walls of the maze? If only there was something to give him a push, he would clearly be able to do so! While he was feeling extremely anxious, the cellphone displayed an incoming call. The display screen showed Seishuuin Ena as the incoming caller. He recalled that she was the Hime-Miko of the Sword, Yuri's friend, and she was someone whom he had seen many times before. Nevertheless, their relationship is not at the point where they could exchange personal contact info right? His memory was really vague so he was unable to think very much in detail. In any case, he might as well press the talk b.u.t.ton first to receive the call. "Ah, Your Majesty? It's been so long since we last saw each other! Right now Ena is at Mount Mitsumine. Has the party's location been determined yet?" The voice coming from across the phone had a blunt, cheerful, and optimistic feel to it. G.o.dou was at a complete loss towards her candidness and questioned her in response. "What do you mean by party ?" "You know, the Christmas one. Ena would always go to the mountains during these times so this kind of thing would actually a first for me. Everyone will be eating an entire bird right?" "Christmas party ?" It was his first time hearing about this activity. No, was this really the case? Didn't everyone go over this before? Even though it's a bit bold, I might as well take responsibility for the task of hosting it. Well, incidentally holding a gathering within the house sounds pretty nice. However, is a miko normally allowed to celebrate Christmas? 1 guess the level of strictness isn't to that extent. Furthermore . Every year around this time Kaoru-san would become very ferocious. Starting from around the 20th, every day she would be going out with the girls. With a person as difficult to deal with as her, even the nagging from her senior would prove to be useless. 'This year we will do it precisely as Your Majesty suggested. I will be done with these religious practices before Christmas. For the time being Ena will be staying here. Everyone wanted to go watch the New Year's sunrise together. Would it be ok if we viewed it from Mt. Fuji?' The vivid conversation and memory transferred through the phone was enshrouded. "My suggestion " 'Of course, did you forget? Ah, well then, how's it going over there? Your Majesty and cult leader-sama had just met. If you are still alive right now, does that mean everything went alright?' M ii She kept on saying things that he could not recall, puzzling G.o.dou. As a result, on the other side of the phone, Ena whispered 'Your Majesty is behaving really strange today'. 'Uh, what? Eh so it's like that. It turned out like this huh.' She suddenly started saying some strange things. "What are you mumbling about, what's the matter?" 'Just then, the Ama no Murak.u.mo updated Ena on the most recent situation. It seems quite chaotic, but there is no need to worry. If Your Majesty wishes to battle, call out the Ama no Murak.u.mo. An action of that degree should be able to easily break the curse.' "Did you say curse! ?" 'Yeah, uh my batteries are running out. Ena will immediately head to Tokyo. As expected I must accompany Your Majesty in order to avoid boredom!' After leaving some brief words, the line was suddenly disconnected. With that said, it was rather troublesome that Ena's cellphone would always lag due to insufficient battery power. Furthermore, she was able to use the cellphone as a medium to communicate with a guardian G.o.d. An example would be with Susanoo. This time it was basically communicating with the Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi lodged within G.o.dou's right arm! " Oh yeah! Me and Seishuuin are both utilizing this guy aren't we!?" G.o.dou finally recalled bond he had to the Miko of the Sword. In addition, he even comprehended the meaning behind Ena's words. The Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi was a divine sword under the possession of G.o.dou. For the most part he avoided using it as a blade, instead he used this sword's treasure trove of useful functions. One of which was the ability to break apart magic. Although, its abilities appear to have no effect when used against G.o.ds and Campiones. Nevertheless, against these comparatively weak forms of wizardry it was easily able to absorb the effect, rendering it useless. G.o.dou directed his attention towards his right arm. The words 'awaken!', which were directed to the hibernating sword, resounded within him. Being among those with the blood of [Steel], he lacked interest in anything other than combat matters. That was why other than in critical moments, the Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi would hibernate. Ena appeared to be capable of engaging a sword of this disposition in casual conversation while G.o.dou was incapable of doing so. Are you calling for me, King? Upon hearing that haughty reply, G.o.dou immediately issued out an order. "If you notice anything out of the ordinary, be sure to promptly give a warning!" 'Didn't we go over this before? My demeanor is that of a faithful sword G.o.d. There would be no harm in showing off a bit if you wanted to engage in battle.' "If it's a battle you want then be quiet and mind your own business." G.o.dou was conversing with the Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi lodged within his arm while hurrying towards Nezu station. Fortunately it was already the dead of night. After 2 A.M. the number of pedestrians present around Nezu were scarce in number so he didn't have to bear the befuddled expressions of others. "Hey, in order to disturb the area around me, he used a curse which had messed up our memories. Can other people break free from the curse as well?" Just then, I was referring to the removal of the curse that altered my usual behavior. The results were quite significant, right now G.o.dou had already returned to his normal self. Kusanagi G.o.dou was the Campione residing in Tokyo. His partners included Erica Blandelli, Mariya Yuri, Liliana Kranjcar, and Seishuuin Ena . However, the only one with him today was the person of steel located within his right arm. 'You could just have me out in front but there is no point in doing so.' "Why?" This curse is from the heretic G.o.d of bountiful harvests no, I bet he is still plotting to have his newly born priest do something. Under all circ.u.mstances when the one serving as a priest is present, even when the curse is broken a new one will be reapplied. Unless you sever the root of its cause there is no point in doing anything else.' "Basically you're saying my entire surroundings are being enveloped by the curse." 'Of course. A priest's power is to guide the people. Engulfing one or two metropolises with this power that manipulates the minds of the ma.s.ses shouldn't be a surprise right?' Rather than calling this mental manipulation, it would be better to say this was the power to manipulate the ma.s.ses. G.o.dou