She showed no signs of fear or hostility in the face of a Campione.
Alec felt impressed by her ability to maintain composure. The witch continued to speak calmly.
"It can't be helped for young ones to become arrogant after becoming Campiones. However, to send a letter saying 'arriving tomorrow, hope to meet then' without even signing a name, don't you think it'd feel a bit suspicious to the receiver? It's not good for the heart, you know, and hopefully next time you invite me on a date you can act a bit more like a gentleman."
The final mocking sentence — truly made the moniker 'Prince' weep.
"It can't be helped, Madam. It's actually not arrogance since he treats all ladies poorly. Please don't take personal offense."
It was Alice's turn to speak in complaining tones.
"Really... So you didn't make a proper appointment after all. Alexandre, despite your appearance, you are really bad at dealing with women. Hearing your attempts at pleasantries is like listening to an awkward middle school student."
"Mind your own business! Anyway, back to the subject at hand, Lucretia Zola, I have things to discuss with you!"
Alec tried to cover up his embarrassment by raising his voice.
He stared directly at the elderly — but still extremely beautiful witch.
"Since you should be the authority in this area, I wanted to inquire no matter what, regarding the [Steel] war god Lancelot's connections with you witches."
"Oh... If it's about that, I believe you can also choose to ask this Princess over here."
Lucretia Zola spoke cheerfully as she alternated her gaze between Alec and Alice, as if comparing the two.
"Looks like there are complicated factors at work. Well, fine. When I first heard of the Holy Grail-seeking Campione I already expected an inevitable day like this. If you don't mind, please enter my humble abode!"
Alice followed Lucretia into her home, with Alec entering last.
The door to the home of the witch closed automatically, the heavy wooden door shutting with great momentum.
"Before we discuss the hero Lancelot, may I ask something first?"
Lucretia asked when they reached the living room.
Everyone was seated around the table with a serving of herbal tea each.
"No problem. It is only fair to return the courtesy if you can answer our questions."
"...Devil Kings really show a gentleman's magnanimity only at times like this. You're going to continue to become even more powerful, and turn into something like Marquis Voban."
With a displeased expression, Alec ignored Alice's criticism.
It would have been too tactless to say aloud "Don't compare me to that savage who only wears a veneer of intellect." Resolutely, he chose to ignore her instead.
"Then I shall go ahead. Prince, why do you seek the Holy Grail?"
The joking atmosphere was gone in an instant. Lucretia asked once again with a solemn expression.
"Other than the fact that it is a container for incomparable magical power, no other extraordinary value has been identified for this sacred treasure. However, if such an item were to fall into your hands — as a Campione, Prince, surely you can predict the kind of chaos it will ignite... In the past, your obtaining of the counterfeit already stirred up that particular conflict."
In the past four years, Alec had sought the Holy Grail twice.
The first time was the second year after becoming a Campione. The Holy Grail obtained and hidden away by England's King John had manifested. After much fighting, the object of contention was determined to be a fake.
The second time was last year.
It was an adventure whose goal was the tomb of King Arthur and Avalon the land of the fairies discovered by ancient heretical monks. It was commonly believed that the Holy Grail also lay dormant there. In the end, it was determined that what the monks discovered was completely different from what was expected, and thus the search ended.
"As a Campione, if you were to obtain the Grail's incomparably great magical power, a cataclysmic event that tears apart the heavens and the earth may arise. Or perhaps you may become the strongest warrior in history who can destroy [Heretic Gods] with ease. For the many people involved in magic that either fear or welcome such an event, a great commotion will likely result... So, what is the reason why you seek the Grail even at the risk of such turmoil? Pray tell me."
"Nothing much, all I want is to investigate it."
"...Huh?"
Lucretia greatly doubted this simple answer.
Wasn't I clear enough?
"Simply stated, I just want to confirm what sort of thing it is. I want to discern its true nature with my own two eyes. If it is something useful I will keep it with me, otherwise I'd throw it away. I am well aware of the trouble it will cause to my surroundings, but oh well."
Not unaware.
Shrugging at these indifferent words, Alice offered her commentary:
"Madam, Alexandre is a Campione after all. Even though I think he is too serious and petty in weird areas, he turns out to be rather arbitrary with his whims. The main point is, people with this kind of personality indulge themselves in their own little world, bringing trouble to others without a thought."
"If he didn't have such obsessions, he would really look like the type of person who acts seriously."
Lucretia clapped her hands together with a smack.
"It feels strange to hear an unexpectedly honest answer. Yes indeed, though a little different from the norm, it is still expected of one from the lineages of the Campiones."
"Can you shut up with the personality attacks?"
A violent outburst.
Cough cough. Alec made a series of deliberate coughs and continued.
"Back to the subject of our request. Please tell me, what exactly is Lancelot of the Lake?"
"No problem... However, you sure set your sights on a intriguing deity."
A mischievous luster returned to Lucretia's eyes.
Alec remained dead serious and shook his head.
"That can't be all. It is something whose true identity is even more elusive than King Arthur. At least the hero Arthur was probably based on an actual general. On the other hand, Lancelot's true origins cannot be traced at all. There are far too few leads."
Alec glared coldly at the beautiful faces of the two witches.
"However, two witches have judged this unidentified hero to be a war god of [Steel]. One of them is this Princess and the other is you."
"I must apologize. He has already read the report."
"Report...? Ahah, that one."
Lucretia nodded after a bit of thought.
"Even though it was something rushed out madly before the deadline, that thing keeps bringing trouble."
"It can't be helped. That level of research paper can only be read by Witens like the Diogenes Club. Even if they inadvertently wrote down knowledge meant to be transmitted orally, those people should not have leaked..."
The Princess seemed to have turned away, feeling responsible for the leaking of secrets.
Anyway, it was time to use this material for a counterattack. Just as Alec decided that, the Witch of Sardinia began to speak slowly.
"Lancelot du Lac is the guardian deity of high ranking witches — like me who has reached the earthly pinnacle, or the Princess who has reached the heavenly pinnacle."
...Oh? — Alec exclaimed.
"Having said that, the advantages offered are not that significant. Only to the level of bestowing one or two divine decrees when performing long rituals? If one of us witches had the disposition for theophany, then it might be possible to use the violent skill of divine possession."
A symbiotic relationship between the adulterous hero deity and witches, the descendants of ancient miko.
Alec was secretly overcome with excitement. This subject piqued his curiosity and was very interesting indeed. He must dig deeper. However, what if he was unable to pry anything more out of this wi
tch's mouth...
"A womanizing hero who only shows interest towards witches who have attained ultimate status between heaven and earth...? As for beings known as 'Divine Ancestors,' what kind of existence are they?"
The term was finally uttered. It would be bad if the witches continued to beat around the bush. Fully prepared, Alec revealed his trump card.
"Alexandre, are you trying to say that you met a Divine Ancestor somewhere?"
"By chance a few days ago. There was someone who appeared before me, calling herself Guinevere. Know her?"
The Princess' usual disapproving manner vanished.
Hearing her serious reply, Alec secretly cheered in his heart. This sense of victory gave him much satisfaction.
"Even the White Miko-Hime has never encountered a Divine Ancestor. Guinevere in particular, is considered an existence akin to a queen amongst the Divine Ancestors. She is a sacred demigoddess, having transcended human and female boundaries. She does not appear before others very much."
Seeing the nostalgic expression on the elderly witch's face, Alec understood.
There were no signs of trying to hide anything. In that case, he should ask upfront directly.
"Lucretia Zola. What is the nature of your relationship with Guinevere?"
"Fellow researchers in the past, I suppose... Back when that princess had just reincarnated, she made a suggestion to me once.
— If you are interested in [Steel], would you like to search for the 'King who manifests at the end of eras' together?
Guinevere invited me like that, so I accepted."
"King who manifests at the end of eras?"
"Madam, what on earth is this...?"
The two young adults asked simultaneously.
Alec's cellphone began to vibrate.
Tsk. Ruining things at the perfect moment.
Nevertheless, only a rare number of trusted subordinates knew this number of his. The LCD screen revealed the caller to be Sir Iceman. After brief deliberation, Alec apologized and took the call.
'What's wrong with you, man? It seems like you simply love mystery and adventure, including the accompanying danger and peril. This time I can't help feeling that, Alec.'
"What do you mean by that, and where are you now?"
'Not too long ago, I had just arrived at port Cagliari on the island of Sardinia. After taking a ship all the way from Crete, I received a report from the Cornwall headquarters as soon as I arrived.'
"Report? Is it a report expressly addressed to me as the commander-in-chief?"
'Yes. A most urgent report. An hour ago, a [Heretic God] manifested in the coastal waters of Sardinia and has started moving towards the east coast of the island. It looks like it will be landing soon.'
Sir Iceman's tone of voice became even more depressed.
If this continued, a situation of fighting two gods within a week could develop after all.
Part 5
Getting results from the conversation with Lucretia was originally the first priority.
However, news of a [Heretic God] appearing could not be ignored.
First Crete and now Sardinia.
Heretic Gods had been appearing one after another at every place Alec visited as a Campione.
The first could be shrugged off as coincidence, but not when it happened a second time. Alexandre Gascoigne was not an optimist.
No matter what, he had to confirm the details with his own two eyes. Alec activated the authority of [Black Lightning].
Those fellows at the Witenagemot were the ones who named this authority.
Alec did not bother to decide on a particular name himself. This was the authority usurped from Ramiel, the fallen angel of visions and lightning.
God speed — the power to enter a supernatural realm of acceleration.
At the same time, it conferred to the body a kind of agile feline athleticism.
However, so-called "god speed" came with many troublesome aspects. In the beginning, he was unable to touch things that were moving at normal speeds until he grew accustomed to the speed. To others it looked too slow while Alec was too fast.
Moreover, it strained the mind and the body.
After entering the realm of god speed for five minutes or so, his body would start making violent creaking noises. Due to the massive difference in time flow compared to the world of normal speed, processing this disparity caused the brain to give off a terrible ringing.
If he continued for yet another twenty minutes before deactivating the authority, the unpleasant aftereffects would be a thousand times worse than the initial symptoms of time disparity.
There were also times when god speed was overused, making it impossible to return to normal for what felt like three days' worth of time. The whole experience was really similar to the story of Rip Van Winkle.[22]
Even though it was an extraordinarily powerful ability, there were too many troublesome side effects.
However, two years after he usurped the authority of god speed, Alec finally discovered a new way to make use of his power.
Sustained use of god speed caused all sorts of troublesome strain on the human body. In that case, might as well turn the body into one that was suitable to the true nature of lightning speed —
Campiones often made effective use of their authorities by altering the form of their body.
This was called manifesting an [Avatar]. In order to use god speed fully without suffering from the strain, Alec became thunder itself — taking on an avatar of lightning.
Turning into lightning, Alec flew towards the sky.
This avatar dissociated the human body, transforming it into plasma.
Turning into this form completely eliminated the god speed's burden on the mind and body, allowing him to fly without reservation. That is right, not running along the ground on legs as normal, but flying in the sky.
— Well, the avatar of lightning also had its weakness. In fact, it was quite a fatal one...
Nevertheless, it was currently the form most suited to long distance travel.
Using god speed (or perhaps more aptly, lightning speed), Alec flew immediately to Orosei Bay on Sardinia's east coast, moving due east from Lucretia's home inland to reach the shore.
Appearing before his eyes was a beautiful beach. Every May, the tourists flocking to frolic in the summer sea must have made quite a bustling crowd. However, what occupied this place was currently —
Alec stared at the massive creature before him and snorted "hmph."
Walking from the shallows of the sea towards the beach without slowing down at all, it was going to land soon. Body size... roughly 50m or so.
With a shocking gigantic body and bulging muscles all over, it was the form of a strong and well-built male. However, above the neck it had a [Bull]'s head.
A bull-headed human-bodied [Heretic God]. It was the god Minos that Alec had just fought previously.
"...This seems to be quite interesting."
Making a comment, Alec released his body of lightning and returned to human.
"Oooh... This appearance... I recognize it! No mistake, the appearance of an ancient warrior!"
Standing tall, it boomed with a loud voice from far above the beach.
The call of Minos. Hoh, Alec smiled sardonically.
"We gods and ye god-slayers — the two sides commonly exchanging nothing but swords, spears, arrows and blades! However, thou shalt hear my declaration first!"
It's coming, what will be said next?
Let's have a guess, right... Something like: Mine appellation be Minos, God who ruleth over ancient Crete as the great king of the land.
"Mine appellation be Minos, God who ruleth over ancient Crete as the great king of the land."
A correct guess, how boring.
Alec's smile was infused with greater and greater mockery.
"God-slayer! I, king of the land, declare war upon thee! We gods ruling the heavens, the oceans and the great land, and ye devil kings of
taboo, are absolutely irreconcilable mortal enemies! Come, as determined by ancient Fate, it is time for us to duel!"
What was with this Minos?
Those were the same words uttered before battle by the bull-headed god that Alec faced a few days ago.
With only minor differences in content, was this an illusion that imitated that god's appearance and behavior? No, as a Campione, Alec's entire body and mind were full of fighting spirit and power, having entered a state of battle. This was the state when facing a Heretic God.
"This shouldn't be an illusion..."
Alec muttered as he sneered.
"However, it doesn't make sense for that god to revive. If that fellow really did resurrect, then more impressive skills should be displayed. What of it?"
Faced with the incomprehensible giant god, Alec was full of curiosity.
The desire to clear up this mystery heightened. This unexpected farce lit up his battle desire and his heart burned with hostility towards the god.
As a result, a change came over Alec's body.
Mastery — he had now mastered the authority usurped from the bull-headed god he defeated not so long ago.
A great sense of satisfaction flowed from within.
If this thing was an incomprehensible existence, then forget about everything else and subdue it first before investigating. That was the fastest and most direct way!
"Nothing is stronger than the great bull dwelling in my heart. Death goes to that which carries false appearances... Very well, I will go all out to reveal your true form."
As the corner of his lips rose to reveal a calm and clear smile, the Black Prince activated his third authority.
"Wind that sings of fascination, night which devours the light, all travelers, helpless in the perilous journey, accompanied by heavy sorrow, abandon all hope!"
Spell words flew out from his mouth.
Alec immediately kicked the heel of his leather shoe hard against the beach.
"Fu, ooooooooooooooooooh!?"
"Hahahahahaha! Last time I was dragged by Minos into a labyrinth, but this time the tables have turned. I invite you into my labyrinth. Enjoy it carefully!"
The god that greatly resembled Minos, but was not Minos, roared in shock.
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