by Heretic God
Castella Sforzesco: The Sforza Castle (in English) is one the biggest citadels in Europe. It now houses several of Milan's museums and art collections.
Cagliari: Also one of the biggest ports in the Mediterranean sea.
Piazza del Campo: One of Europe's most beautiful medieval squares, it is known worldwide for it's beauty and architectural integrity.
Grimoire: Coming from the French, Basically a book on magic, a spellbook.
Gorgon Medusa: The fact is, there are actually three Gorgons in Greek mythology: Stheno, Euryale and Medusa. They were originally considered winged, tusked and fanged women, but later Greek tradition has them all as beautiful women. The first two were immortal, and hence Perseus killed the last one, Medusa, because she was the only one possible to be killed.
Perseus: This is incorrect. Although anyone with a better understanding of Greek mythology is free to correct me here. (No this is pretty much right; the hero Perseus did slay Medusa, and although she was the most powerful of the Gorgon sisters she was the only mortal; however, Perseus killed her not because of that, but because Athena demanded it so after being angered when Medusa slept with Poseidon in one of her temples and thus desecrated it [Athena was known as 'Virgin Athena' after all] -- Aorii)
Tripartite Goddesses: The author is referring to Demeter, Persephone and Hecate, the three forms of a great mother goddess who may have been Rhea or Gaia.
Chapter 3 – A Day in a Lord's Life
Part 1
Not far from the Kyu Shiba Rikyu Gardens and Tokyo Tower, next door to a five star restaurant and surrounded by a school, a television station, a broadcasting tower and an embassy, exist a surprising number of shrines and temples.
One of the districts has a small path winding through it.
Although the path closely follows the contours of the road next to it, the narrow route could be easily missed by anyone who didn't know it existed.
If one followed the confusing and mazelike path, you would somehow eventually end up in front of a flight of steps.
Totaling exactly 200 steps, it somehow felt a bit too long for something right in the heart of the city.
Having climbed the stone stairs, you would see Nanao Shrine[1D 1], which sat at the highest point.
Although, the surrounding wooded groves were certainly not as dense as a nature reserve; the temple, nestled between verdant vegetation, exuded a sense of calm and tranquility.
Inside the temple compound itself, not far from the ante-hall[1D 2], stood a small hut for changing and cosmetic purposes.
And inside one of the rooms, Mariya Yuri was dressing herself.
Wearing a kosode under a furisode and hakama[1D 3], she faced a mirror and combed her long, flowing hair.
Her hair seemed more coffee brown, than black, almost the color of black pearls. She did not dye her hair; it had been that color since birth. Yuri always felt somewhat inferior because of it, but she wasn't too concerned at the moment.
Yes, because the most important thing was that the comb she was running through her hair had snapped a tooth.
... Most inauspicious, I pray nothing malign occurs.
"… Most inauspicious, I pray nothing malign occurs."
She whispered silently an opinion without any logical basis.
It seemed as though it was an ill omen.
If she was a regular girl, she would probably forget what just happened immediately, but Yuri wasn't your regular maiden, and felt there was cause to investigate further.
Having finished dressing herself, Yuri exited the hut.
On her way to the ante-hall, she brushed past several clerics.
Facing their bowing and polite greetings, Yuri inclined her head in return. That this reverential manner was directed at a miko[1D 4], 15 years of age, had a reason, of course.
In this temple, Mariya Yuri had a more august and elevated position than anyone else.
"—— Oh, hime-miko[1D 5], nice to meet you! If you're free, want to chat for a while?"
These sudden, frivolous words were directed toward her.
Although he had spoken a respectful phrase such as 'hime-miko', his tone of voice had no hint of respect at all. He was playing the fool, like some clown that came out of nowhere.
The speaker slowly walked towards Yuri. Although he was wearing leather shoes, his feet made no sound at all treading on the fine gravel of the temple pathway.
Anyone who saw his manner of movement would realize that he was no ordinary person.
"… A pleasure to make your acquaintance. And who might you be?"
"Ah, I apologize for my rudeness. Perhaps it's too late to introduce myself, but my name is Amakasu. To see such an elegant hime-miko such as yourself is an honor for me. I hope we get along from this point forth."
Amakasu introduced himself as he held out a name card.
Yuri accepted the card, and gave it a glance.
His full name was Amakasu Touma, but what really attracted her attention was the title next to his name, stating the department he worked in.
"And what would bring a member of the History Compilation Committee to this place?"
Yuri asked suspiciously.
The sloppily dressed man wore a tattered, western suit; he was quite young, probably around twenty years of age, and didn't look very suave.
But one shouldn't judge a book by its cover. He was an envoy sent by the organization which controlled the magical side of the Japanese world. She had to remain serious and wary in her replies.
"A problem seems to have come up, something which could soon become the worst disaster our country has ever seen. It's somewhat of a thorny problem, and so we hope to add your considerable strength to our efforts; this is why I've come, I hope you understand my position in this."
"…This humble maiden has few abilities, and I fear that I will not be of any service."
"You are too humble. Although it is true that there are many Musashino mikos, those who are experts in analyzing spiritual energy, like you, are few. And besides, there are two additional reasons for selecting you."
Japan has always had spellcasters or spiritualists who passed down their skills.
Mariya Yuri was a descendant of one of them.
And as for the term 'Musashino' —— they were the organization of spiritualists who protected the Kanto region, bestowed the honorable title of [hime] from a very young age, and took on the greatest responsibilities given to any miko.
"As a Musashino Hime-miko, your task also comprises aiding the works of the History Compilation Committee. I'm sure you understand this? If you have any other questions, please leave them aside for the moment, and allow me to finish speaking."
"…Of course. And what is it you would have me do?"
"It would be a great help to us if you became more intimate with a Japanese youth, and also to confirm his true identity. His name is Kusanagi Godou, and the teenager whom we suspect to be a real Campione."
"A Campione?"
That was supposedly the title given to the greatest, most evil sorcerers and tyrants of Europe.
Having heard that dreadful title, Yuri's was rooted to the ground in shock.
—— A pair of eyes, blazing like that of a tiger.
The moment she heard the title, the first thing which came to mind was the aged demon's evil eyes.
"I'm sure you have already understood the first reason why we chose you. Since you've met Dejanstahl Voban in your childhood, you would probably be able to confirm whether the boy really is a Campione."
"… Yes. The 'Campione' you're referring to, is just like the appearance of vicious demons in Japanese myth, a reincarnation of a Rakshasa Raja[1D 6], they should be avoided at all costs. But it's hard for me to believe that. For a normal human to become a [King], doesn't he have to kill a god? —— To think that someone could actually do the unthinkable!"
That was something that happened five years ago; Yuri had once seen a Campione at close range, when she was in a cer
tain small country in Eastern Europe.
Dejanstahl Voban.
Merely hearing this name would send European sorcerers to hurriedly cower in some corner, desperately muttering incantations to ward off evil.
Yuri would never, ever forget, those aquamarine pupils, which blazed like a tiger's in the dark.
She found out much later that, that particular devil had an ability which turned any living thing to dust with just a glance of his eyes, which only added to Yuri's fear of him.
"… I feel the same way, and so I too do not believe that Kusanagi Godou is a real Campione. Let me correct that; I do not want to believe it; although with all the evidence I've collated so far, it is extremely unclear."
Amakasu shrugged his shoulders.
"According to the report of the Greenwich Committee, in March this year, Kusanagi Godou defeated the Persian war god Verethragna on the island of Sardinia, and obtained the rights to the [Kingship]. After that, he travelled all over Italy, and each time he appeared in the city, huge amounts of destruction would occur. It is clear that there is a connection between them… Have you heard about the disturbance in Rome?"
"You mean even the terrorist attack on the Colosseum was…?"
"On the day which it happened, Kusanagi Godou arrived in Rome. The one who invited him was the supreme commander of the Knight corps [Copper Black Cross], the young Erica Blandelli. And when he returned to Japan, he seems to have brought back with him a holy relic of great antiquity…"
"A relic…"
Yuri was extremely concerned by what he just said.
The spiritual strength which she commanded as a hime-miko —— her extremely strong sixth sense and mind's eye was warning her, that she must not take it lightly, that it was an unhallowed object that would bring incomparable disaster.
"Concerning Kusanagi Godou, I would like to inquire more closely. Has he, like me, practiced some form of sorcery before? Or is he perhaps a master of some martial art?"
Yuri had decided to go through with this task with all her heart, and so she began to find out more.
Of course she was terrified of [tyrants], and if she could, she would stay far, far away. But if she did not force herself forward, thousands of people would suffer for it. If that was so, perhaps being chosen to do this was a sort of fate.
"If we're talking about sorcery or incantations, he seems to be completely useless, and the same too can be said in regards to martial arts. All things considered, forget about contesting with the gods, even his background had absolutely nothing to do with divinity —— well, have a look at this first."
Touma took a folder from his briefcase and handed it to Yuri.
She quickly glanced over the material inside.
It contained investigatory information concerning Kusanagi Godou. From his character, personal history, to his events at Italy and abilities as a Campione, all manner of details were placed in the report.
"…If I really wanted to find something abnormal about him, it would be that he was a reserve candidate for Japan, selected to participate in the international youth baseball championships. Apparently he was one of a handful of cleanups in the Kanto district when he was in junior high."
"I'm sorry, but what is this international youth baseball championships?"
"That's an American style baseball competition, mostly composed of junior high students. But I heard that when he was in training camp for the championships, he injured his shoulder, and so pulled out."
"Is that so… I wanted to ask, why was he battling with a Persian deity in Sardinia? Surely even you must think the difference in location and god is strange."
"Concerning this, you should offer Alexander the Great a vote of thanks, because his concept of 'Brotherhood of Man' meant a melding of Greek and Persian races. This gave birth to Hellenistic culture, and gave a common ground to European and Near Eastern culture. This is, of course, far beyond what the average Japanese person thinks about on a daily basis."
Touma so explained with a wry smile.
"In Indian mythology, Verethragna is a god on par with Indra, and actually, under the reforms of Alexander, he was syncretized with the hero-god Heracles, and even given the Greek epithet Artagnes. After Alexander's death, supposedly a group of citizens under the command of Pompey were sent to settle in Sardinia. If one considers it with this knowledge, you can't say that there is no connection at all."
Yuri listened to his explanation while flipping through the folder.
At this point, she noticed a photo of a golden haired maiden clipped to a page… even Yuri, of the same gender, was awestruck by her beauty; it truly was a sight pleasing to the eyes.
"Ah, that girl is Erica Blandelli… she's been identified as Kusanagi Godou's lover, and supposedly she's an unrivalled genius at both swordsmanship and sorcery. I guess you could call her a model mage from a prestigious family."
"Lover!?"
Hearing such an immoral word, Yuri was left speechless.
"It's likely that [Copper Black Cross] realized the importance of Kusanagi Godou before everyone else, and sent her to insinuate herself with him. Even if they used their trump card, a natural born genius, the person still has to create an intimate relation with him. To use a girl for this strategy— I have to commend their thoroughness."
"To, to became a lover just because of that? That's way, way too shameless, way too immoral!! Something like this is completely wrong!! To sacrifice a woman's choice just to gain the power of a devil —— I will never accept it!"
Yuri stared angrily at the photo of Godou in the folder.
Although she was only a miko of little strength, she would never accept a tyrant such as this. Filled with rage and determination, her fear of the Campione incidentally also began to recede.
"…By the way, you did say that there were two reasons for selecting me. May I be privy to the other reason?"
"Of course, in fact, the second reason was something that seemed completely by chance…"
And having heard Touma's reply, Yuri couldn't help but feel some destiny working behind that amazing coincidence.
Who would've thought that at such an inconceivable place, Kusanagi Godou and she shared such a similar fate.
Part 2
It's already been a few days since he returned from Rome.
To be precise, half a week, and being a Thursday afternoon, Kusanagi Godou was currently enjoying his free time after school.
Having passed the school gates, he decided to take a somewhat roundabout journey home.
He'd finally managed to get past the jet lag, and his mood had brightened considerably —— but the minute his mind fell on the Gorgoneion which was resting in a cupboard at home, his mood fell correspondingly.
It should be said, that after he returned to Japan, Godou tried multiple times to destroy that engraving.
But it only ended up being a waste of time.
Having wasted half a day sweating and thinking about it, none of what he tried left even a scratch.
Godou recalled the parting words Erica left him with.
—— 'It may look like a stone, but yet is not a stone. What it is, is a record of the accumulated wisdom of countless godheads. And so it will never wear away, and certainly cannot be destroyed.'
As he once again cursed the idiotic reality that now surrounded his life, his feet kept on towards his home.
The Kusanagi family lived at the edge of Bunkyo ward in Tokyo.
Amongst the many shops that were near a subway station; situated at a corner, was a second hand bookstore that had closed down.
This was the Kusanagi residence. After the death of the shop owner, Godou's grandmother, four years ago, it slowly began to run out of business, and eventually closed for good.
And anyway, when compared to the days when the shop would open and close without a single customer, nothing had really changed.
Especially when one considered there was nothing even approaching a 'manga section' in the sto
re, it was hardly surprising that the bookstore couldn't keep up with the newer shops. Perhaps the store might have survived if it was in Jinbocho[1D 7], but being in a small alleyway, it would have been more unusual if business was any better.
Since four years ago, the Kusanagi family never bothered to restart the store.
And since we're on the topic, the road on which the bookstore was situated, Sanchoume Street, Nazu station, still retains to this day a certain air of an older, downtown Tokyo.
Although Godou didn't think of it like that, having always lived in the area, many other people said it was like so. Indeed, ancient architecture such as this – a shop-cum-residence, exuding a Showa period feel – filled the street.
It was completely different from the streets of Rome, fresh in his memory.
The streetscapes there had few modern high-rise buildings and convenience stores; preserving its original looks, and the whole scene, with all the buildings around, was one of rich gothic grandeur.
Hence the residents there almost seemed like visitors from another city, filled with an imposed sense of vitality.
"Onii-chan, welcome home… though it's really rare for you to get home so early."
Suddenly a voice was heard from behind, addressing him.
Without looking at the source, he already knew who it was; after all, he had already lived with the speaker for more than ten years.
"Shizuka, isn't that really unfair? I've been getting home quite early for these past few days and yet you make it sound as though I stay out on purpose…"
"That's true, but only for the past few days. Last Saturday, you left home early in the morning, and didn't come home till Sunday evening. And then, you even skipped school on Monday. Where did you go, and what were you doing?"
His sister was glaring at him discontentedly.
