Prologue
Erica Blandelli was a girl who stood out.
Her combination of reddish blond hair glittering like a crown, dazzling looks, perplexing volume showing a balanced sense of beauty, and the fact that she still is not even fully developed attracted attention wherever she went.
And she was a foreigner.
In this secluded island country, that was reason enough to attract stares.
Then again, in the neighborhood in Aoyama, there were far more foreigners than elsewhere. It was only a bit, but you could say that the usual causes of her radiance were less effective.
It was past ten at night. She was sitting in an open air cafe along the Aoyama Doori.[1]
Wearing leather pants that matches with her jersey, Erica was waiting for her appointment.
September had only just begun. If it were noon, she would be wearing sunglasses right about now. While showing off her 160-plus centimeter tall model-like body, Erica was idly spending her time.
"I am very sorry for making you wait, Erica-sama."
"You certainly did, Karen. Such a mistake is unlike you."
Erica elegantly gave her reply to the latecomer.
Karen Jankulovski.
She was the personal maid for Liliana Kranjcar, Erica's rival.
But right then she was not wearing her usual maid dress, but a camisole and a short-sleeved cardigan. She could well be on her way for a night out in town.
"I was caught by Liliana-sama on my way out. She wanted to know where I was going..."
"I assume you managed to put her in a box?”
"Without a hitch. We are talking about Liliana-sama here. You can say coaxing her is no more than child's play."
The women denouncing their old friend/rival and Mistress, respectively, exchanged malicious smiles.
The two women from Europe beautifully displayed what many Japanese would see as a well-acquainted relationship. In short, they were like two happily plotting villains.
"You're a bad girl, Karen. Very reliable."
"You're flattering me, but compared to you I still have a long way to go, Erica-sama... so then, this is the promised item."
Karen put a batch of copy-paper on the table.
The girl also known as [Diavolo Rosso] took it with graceful delicacy and checked its contents.
It was the latest edition of the literature that Liliana had been writing since a few years back.
It contained love stories, poems, and her occasional thoughts. Karen had stealthily copied them and Erica purchased them for a high price. These business transactions occurred exactly once a year.
"Oh Lily... this time you've become even more of a poetic maiden..."
"Ohh, but this is because she's experiencing the season of love for the first time in her life. There's nothing she can do about it... ohh, doesn't this topic cause you a bit of discomfort, Erica-sama? I am very sorry."
Erica just shrugged her shoulders to Karen's nonchalant statement.
It was not a pleasant topic, but she was neither honest nor careless enough to let it show on her face. She maintained a very elegant attitude, implying a subtle cynicism.
"I don't care about what you did in Naples anymore. I just won't show any more openings that will be taken advantage of... By the way, Karen, do you really think Lily has a chance of winning that certain person over from me? This is not a sword duel, you know?"
"That certainly is a pending problem, but, well, I am with her in this," Karen said, half admitting Erica's point. "What Liliana-sama lacks, the staff around her just has to make up for... And more importantly, you are extremely unfair in this regard, Erica-sama. Apart from your magical prowess and political strength boosted by your feminine wiles, you are also very intelligent. Couldn't you give us a handicap?"
"What do you want me to do about it? All of that is what makes me Erica Blandelli."
Erica calmly smiled at both the compliment and the complaint.
"Ahh, but if you're going to compliment me like that, please also praise Godou's good luck of meeting a woman like me. He has no idea, but he really is one blessed fellow!"
"Godou-sama, you say? ... Is it possible that that gentleman likes women who will make him spoil them?"
"I'm sure he doesn't hate them, why do you ask?"
"Nothing; Liliana-sama was so proactive and yet it didn't appear to leave a big impact on his emotions. So I thought, rather than proactive, assertive women, maybe a selfish woman who makes him spoil her... If he has reached that level at his young age already, I can see him become a considerable playboy in the near future," Karen said in deep thought. She was probably thinking about how Liliana was behaving lately.
Erica laughed silently and showed a victorious smile.
"No matter how proactive she is, if she says she does it 'as a knight~~,' that blockhead will take it at face value. If you put those two together for just a while, they might get better..."
"Ahh, are you talking about that Japanese miko[2] Right, speaking of miko..."
Suddenly Karen changed the topic.
"'Hime-Miko'[3]... just what kind of people are they? There was also that something-or-other-committee. The Japanese magic associations seem to be quite peculiar."
For a European magician, that impression was only natural.
Erica nodded. The associations the girls belonged to were "Copper Black Cross" and "Bronze Black Cross."
Both of these associations were based in Milan, Italy and were noteworthy on an international level.
At least one association existed in every current and historical major city, and they formed the world of magicians, different from the public society. That went without saying in Europe.
However, Japan had few magic associations.
Most of them were sects rooted in Buddhism, but they did not gather in the cities.
Magicians living in the cities did not create their own associations but were instead organized and regulated by a state-controlled group called "History Compilation Committee." And then there were the Hime-Mikos in question.
"Let's see. Yuri has gone to Europe a lot, so there are people who know about her, but... the truth is that her involvement in the group called 'Hime-Miko' isn't very well known. You see, apparently the 'Hime-Miko' are scouted from families having an amiable relationship with the History Compilation Committee and receive a special education to make the most of their spiritual powers."
There was not much information on Hime-Miko. Its membership was probably controlled by the History Compilation Committee.
Even with the power of an association like the "Copper Black Cross", details such as their numbers or what kind of spiritual power each one holds were unclear.
"Probably, the trick that brings forth new Hime-Miko lies in their lineage. I believe the Committee always keeps track of those families that easily produce people with exceptional spiritual powers; the Committee also observes and protects them so that their bloodlines don't die out. During that process, those with greater spiritual powers are selected as Hime-Miko... something like that."
It was easier for girls than boys to manifest special spiritual dispositions such as spirit vision.
In Europe, it was the same with those who held the qualities of a "witch". The point was, women had a higher chance of holding exceptional dispositions.
"You mean, there are people with special abilities like Yuri Mariya scattered all about?"
"It appears there aren't 'that' many, but at least a few. According to the information I have gotten hold of, Yuri Mariya seems to be very high-ranked even among Hime-Miko."
Erica certainly did not just played around during the three months she had been in Japan.
Although she could not skip school much due to Godou's
nagging, as a knight serving a Campione, she had seen to various arrangements and investigations.
Putting the copy-paper she had come for into a bag, Erica stood up.
Karen bowed respectfully with a composed expression.
"Thanks as always. It really helps me out to have such a generous business partner."
"It's only natural to pay a proper price for such excellent commodities. Although I would gladly pay even more if important information about the [Bronze Black Cross] comes along with it."
"Your feelings alone are more than enough. I don't want to be purged as a traitor yet."
She would stop at the least possible danger, when it could still be settled as an amusing tale. That was what Karen wanted to say.
To her reasonable reply, Erica responded with a ladylike smile.
That was the type of the people with whom Erica liked to maintain long-term business relationships. After all, those who did not know their own limits could fail when others least expect it.
In that regard, Karen was Erica's ideal accomplice, for she would be able to supply Erica with her mistress's personal information for years to come.
"I see. Then, see you some other time. Ahh, if you have any other interesting information on Lily, I'll pay a lot for it as well."
"Understood. If I come upon such a thing, I will certainly contact you. Good night."
Sent off by Karen, Erica left her seat.
The night was long. There were still many things that she had to do.
In the end, it was nearly 3am when Erica was in the vicinity of her home again.
There were no strong magic associations in Tokyo. However, there were quite a few wizards.
After parting with Karen, Erica headed to a certain hotel and took part in an auction they held in a room there. It was a secret meeting where foci and grimoires were sold on a large scale.
Some items seemed like they would be confiscated right away if the History Compilation Committee were to find them.
Erica was participating because she hoped to obtain a rare fetish, and she wanted to make personal connections with magicians unrelated to the Committee.
There were no valuable goods so she did not buy anything, but her other goal went well.
This was another night where she had made her name and face known.
It had been three month since she came to Japan. Apart from being the genius magician who came from Italy, she was also the lover of a devil king, a Campione. By now, there were not many people 'in the business' in Tokyo who still did not know of her.
After getting out of the taxi, Erica walked up the short path to her mansion. The night had gotten late and there were no signs of life whatsoever.
Nevertheless, Erica stopped in her tracks, feeling an unpleasant presence.
Sixth sense... did not nail it. It was a smell mixed into the nightly air.
A faint smell of iron stimulated her nose. Immediately after she felt it, the attack came.
Cutting the air, a lump of iron came flying.
Swords.
The gently curving blades belonged to refined, old-style Japanese swords. However, there were no handles. The four swords were welded together at the base.
The curvature grew stronger as it traversed down the blade, forming something like a swastika symbol.[4] Although no one held the strange sword, it was floating in midair and continued to attack her while rotating at high speed.
Erica immediately jumped away and used magic to call forth her magic sword.
Cuore Di Leone.
The lion's magic sword had an elegant, slender blade and shone with a cool and clear silver radiance.
With it, Erica tried to knock down the swords flying in the air. However, her strike was returned by the swastika. The blades rotating like an electric fan sent Cuore Di Leone flying from its wielder's hands.
Erica had been disarmed.
The swastika sword attacked right away.
However, with a magnificent smile decorating her lips, Erica started reciting.
"Arges, Steropos, Brontes. Bestow thy blessing of lightning upon my sword!"
At that moment, Cuore Di Leone, which had been knocked high up into the air from her hands, gave off purple sparks.
There was a flash descending from the heavens.
The magic sword that held the name of the lion was draped in lightning as it swooped down and pierced the swastika from above.
This time it pierced the center, where the four blades were linked together, without being blown off.
The swastika was completely run through. Smashed to pieces, its blades fell to the ground.
"Its structure is too simple to be some kind of golem or gargoyle. So is this a 'Made in Japan' thing after all?"
While muttering, Erica pulled out a handkerchief.
With it, she picked up one of the smashed fragments and tucked it away. It appeared that a new danger was closing in on her—just what she wanted.
With her adventurous spirit stimulated, Erica walked the rest of the way to her home with a light skip in her steps.
Chapter 1 - Omen of a Storm
Part 1
When people spoke of shrines in Yushima in the Bunkyou ward, it was usually about Yushima Tenjin.[5]
There was also the famous Kanda Myoujin[6] nearby. But right now, she was not at such a major place. There was a quiet shrine in the backstreets of Yushima. Usually without a priest or a full-time miko, this little shrine was cared for by the neighborhood parishioners.
She opened the door to the cozy front shrine and stepped inside.
People from the vicinity who caught a glimpse of her might have thought it strange.
Because after throwing open the usually closed door, the female high-school student wearing a short-sleeved uniform began to roam around shamelessly. But since she was not breaking any laws, there was no reason to reprimand her.
Besides, it was five in the morning. There were almost no pedestrians passing by.
"I said I got it, grampsy. Yeah I'm fine, probably... ohh shut it. Well, I've never gone out with a boy before, but... And whose fault do you think that is?"
While sitting courtly in seiza[7] posture, she was talking fiercely on her cell phone.
Outside, strong winds were blowing violently.
The howling wind continued to rock the shrine as if it was one step short of blowing it away. The sky was covered by dark clouds and looked about to rain any time.
"Eh, how to seduce a man? ... If you're the one to teach me, it's not going to be of any use anyway, grampsy. You're behind the times at best, you know? I'll study by myself."
With one hand, the girl skillfully unfastened the package on the floor.
A long sword in a black lacquered scabbard appeared. It was her reliable partner, three shaku, three sun, five bu[8] long.
Right next to it, ten-odd sheets of paper were strewn about. It was an investigation report on two girls about her age.
"Leaving that aside, I've found an interesting girl... Yep, right, one of the king's lovers... Yeah, because I don't feel like losing. I'll chase her out of Japan for sure... Yes... Yes yes. Of course I'm ready to use force if it gets down to it. That way's more interesting. Okay, I'll contact you again."
After ending the conversation, the girl picked up one of the paper sheets.
Erica Blandelli. Native of Milan, Italy. Member of the Magic Association [Copper Black Cross], Age 16.
Height 165cm. BWH 87/58/88.
There was even a photo attached. It showed an incredibly beautiful girl.
She, Seishuuin Ena, was complacently smiling while looking at the [Diavolo Rosso]'s personal information.
"As an opponent she lacks nothing. This girl will surely allow you and Ena to have some fun."
While calling out to her partner lying on the floor, Ena was looking outside.
It had become completely silent.
The violent wind had weakened and the sun rays were piercing the clouds.
After shrugging her shoulders and murmuring, Ena was about to stuff her cell phone into her pocket when she remembered that it was completely discharged. Pausing midway, she started looking for the battery charger which should be in her bag.
The cell phone Seishuuin Ena had been talking over had had no power source.
Part 2
In Erica Blandelli's dictionary, there was no idiom like "Early to bed, early to rise."
Instead the opposite existed. She would stay up late at night and, unless there were other businesses, she would sleep until around noon.
That was the life-style Erica Blandelli loved.
But, this morning, she abruptly got up from her bed at 5am.
It was not like she wanted to enjoy an invigorating morning on a whim.
While rubbing her tired eyes, she picked up the cell phone near her pillow and dialed a number registered in her address book. The other party did not pick up, but she persistently continued.
"What ishh it, Eri—cca, ishh early in the moring. ... is there...aaaa..an emergency...or ssshhhing?"
At last, her lover, Kusanagi Godou, had picked up.
Probably he was not awake either. He was slurring his words.
Usually this was when she would present him with a graceful morning greeting and a kiss over the telephone. But right now Erica did not have the composure for that, so she cut straight to the point.
"Hey, Godou... today you don't need to come pick me up. I'll go to school at noon. It's regrettable that I won't be able to see your face when waking up, but that's how it is..." Erica said with a whisper that lacked the richness her voice usually had.
It was a faint voice, one that gave a very immature impression.
She was not a morning person; hence the only one who had the privilege to contact her under such dire circumstances was Kusanagi Godou.
"I don't remember our school having flextime."
"Flextime or not isn't the problem. The problem is that I'm unbearably tired this morning. I won't be able to welcome you like this even if you come. I'll probably be in bed the whole time... Ahh, if you like, you can spend the whole morning in bed with me...?"
Because she was weak in the morning, it was Godou's daily routine to come and pick her up for school.
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