Campione!

Chapter 5 - Traversing over a Thousand YearsPart 1To this date, Kusanagi G.o.dou had already survived death quite a numberof times.Using "this time as well" was a little inappropriate while "after so long sincethe previous time" was not quite right; nevertheless, G.o.dou was — this timeas well — in deep sleep and — after so long since the previous time — in astate of revival again.This was the blessing conferred by Verethragna"s eighth incarnation, the[Ram].As much as it was not his intention, as a result of his strengthening poweras a Campione, he had not used this incarnation of resurrection for thepast few months. So long as he did not die instantly, he was able to revivefrom the abyss of death.However, there still existed worrying aspects.While the lightning of salvation was pouring down like a heavy rainstorm,he had to sleep continuously for several hours. Until the moment of revival,could he stay safe and sound?Hence, as soon as he realized he was waking up in a cabin somewhere,G.o.dou was greatly relieved.Spurring his body that felt as heavy as lead, he barely managed to sit up."You have woken up, Kusanagi G.o.dou?""G.o.dou-san, you finally managed to recover."Furthermore, inside this cabin, he even saw the two companions whom hemissed greatly...G.o.dou was puzzled. Before losing consciousness, he was fighting in theland of ancient Gaul. (However, since that place was on the Rhine"s eastbank, according to the Roman Empire"s territory, strictly speaking, it waspart of Germania.) Nevertheless, standing before his eyes were LilianaKranjcar and Mariya Yuri —"Why are you two here?"During what was supposed to be a touching reunion, G.o.dou ended upspeaking calmly.Was this question really strange? Yuri and Liliana both smiled slightlywryly."Did I somehow return to the modern age without knowing?""No. It is currently spring during 406 CE, Kusanagi G.o.dou. You are still inthe part of Europe called Gaul and Germania at the time. In terms ofmodern geography, this place is in the outskirts of Bochum.""We borrowed an uninhabited home."Liliana quickly explained the situation while Yuri provided a supplementarycomment with a smile.G.o.dou"s current location had several beds covered by thick and heavycloth.The blanket covering him probably came from the two girls" consideration.This cabin was built using round timber in the style of a log house. G.o.dou"sbed was by the wall.He looked out the window where no gla.s.s was installed.There seemed to be many deciduous trees resembling oaks. It looked likequite a green area...Seeing G.o.dou perplexed, Liliana smiled at him."Actually, Princess Alice of Greenwich and His Highness of Los Angelesdid everything they could to send us here.""Alice-san and that man!?"The two companions took turns in explaining their circ.u.mstances.This included everything that had happened until they embarked on thejourney across time. He was told that the old man encountered in theNetherworld had requested Yuri and Liliana to keep their eyes closedtemporarily.When they opened their eyes, they had already arrived near the battlefieldwhere the "King of the End" had manifested.When the Divine Sword of Salvation exploded with a flash, Liliana instantlyused flight magic to fly together with Yuri, picking up the unconsciousG.o.dou along the way."So the blue I saw at the end was actually you two...""However, because I used flight magic without deciding on a place to landbeforehand, the control was less than desirable. We ended up in thepredicament of flying to this place without meeting up with Erica andSeishuuin Ena... I am very sorry."As Liliana bowed her head, Yuri spoke up beside her."However, Liliana-san later scouted the area and discovered that thiswould be the western part of modern-day Germany.""Don"t feel bad about these kinds of things. It"s thanks to you two that I"mstill alive."When using the witchcraft of flight, Liliana must first decide on adestination.Flying directly without doing so would result in a runaway flight.G.o.dou nodded and explained roughly about his affairs. Then trying tostand up without thinking — He was taken by surprise. His body felt heavyto a scary degree. Even so, he tried his best to steady his legs andmanaged to stand up. Nevertheless, he could only walk unsteadily.Liliana instantly drew near to support G.o.dou"s swaying body. Frantically,Yuri also came to his side, opposite to the silver-haired knight, to supportG.o.dou as well."You had a tough time sitting up just now too... Despite using the [Ram],why is this happening?"This would be considered quite an abnormal case given that theincarnation"s effects were capable of healing severe injuries from the vergeof death. G.o.dou mustered his strength to stabilize his legs while standing,but clearly to little effect.Hence, Liliana gazed intently at G.o.dou and said:"You said you were struck by the Divine Sword of Salvation, right?Kusanagi G.o.dou, an arrow apparently wounded your chest... I saw it.""Eh?"Out of the control back then, the Divine Sword of Salvation had caused adownpour of lightning where iron objects were mixed in.Despite G.o.dou not mentioning to Liliana about the arrow inside thelightning that had struck him, she still murmured indifferently:"Divine Sword of Salvation... A weapon that gathers the weapons ofnumerous warriors. The symbol of the power of salvation. Glory"s lasthope. Although just a sword, hidden within it are the characteristics of allweapons..."Halfway through her speech, G.o.dou realized it was an oracle from spiritvision.However, he still felt that the Hime-Miko was supposed to be the onetelling him this instead. After all, Mariya Yuri was the spirit vision user ofthe highest cla.s.s.Perhaps due to noticing G.o.dou staring wide-eyed, Liliana turned her gazeaway in embarra.s.sment."Ever since visiting Plutarch"s Residence three days ago, my spirit visionability has improved unbelievably... I should say that it is much moresensitive than before.""Yes, indeed. Liliana-san"s sensing is definitely much sharper than before."Happy for the growth undergone by her companion with the same powersof sight, Yuri spoke with elation."Stepping into that sanctuary has stimulated the senses of spirit vision, soit feels like our powers have strengthened to a new level.""Eh... That"s really amazing. But you said three days?"Despite feeling impressed, G.o.dou was baffled at the same time."When using the [Ram] to revive, it used to take only half a day or so forme to wake up...""Well... This time, you slept for three days straight.""I think you were unfortunate this time. The lightning that attacked you,G.o.dou-san, was very likely the embodiment of a poison arrow, evencapable of corroding the resilient vitality of Devil Kings..."Liliana told G.o.dou with a grave expression. Yuri followed with seriousmurmurs. This time, it looked like it was the Hime-Miko who received aspirit vision. She spoke an oracle and her eyes looked as though she wereseeing into G.o.dou"s body."Even as the king of recovery, the ram"s authority was unable to heal youcompletely. That is how powerful the acute poison was. I believe that youstill require further treatment for now, G.o.dou-san...""I can"t believe I happened to get shot by such a dangerous arrow. Isurrender."Muttering in this manner, G.o.dou felt hopeful. With these two girls here,some of the puzzles he could not unravel may finally have a chance to besolved. This fact was confirmed once again.After that, G.o.dou went outside of the cabin.As a test, he discovered that he was completely unable to walk.In the end, Liliana and Yuri had to support him from the left and right sidesrespectively to accompany him outside.Just as seen through the window, there were many trees around the cabin.Most commonly oaks, the numerous trees were flourishing."This was originally a logging cabin in the forest.""It was Liliana-san who greeted people from a nearby village and askedthem to lend it for our use.""We can even prepare food. Let us visit the village to buy ingredients later.""But what about money? If possible, let me pay for things."Freeloading off n.o.bles by a stroke of luck. Working as bodyguards ormercenaries. Illegal activities such as theft or robbery.None of these seemed possible to connect to Liliana or Yuri. In responseto G.o.dou"s offer to shoulder their finances, the serious girls shook theirheads."There is no problem at the moment. Liliana-san has been able to earnmoney just by selling witch"s herbs in the nearby village.""I considered the fact that life in the ancient or medieval world should haveneeds for "witches" and it turned out to be correct."Unexpectedly, the girls had already built up a solid foundation for living.G.o.dou felt impressed. In terms of earning money, these two had donemuch better than the rest who had started living in the ancient worldearlier.Speaking of which, the two girls had also switched to wearing ancientattire.Yuri was wearing a garment resembling a white one-piece dress whoselower hem reached down to her ankles, with a sash tied at her waist and ashawl of hemp on her shoulders. Feminine attire, apparently.On the other hand, Liliana was wearing the type of tunic resembling at-shirt that G.o.dou had seen before, along with a what appeared to be aman"s overcoat.Furthermore, she had leather guards on her arms and a sheathed saberhanging at her waist. Judging from the design of the hilt, it was clearly themagic sword II Maestro."On the other hand, the issue is... The three of you Campiones. Since weneed to wait for the time when the Madame"s "corridor" opens, it isimpossible to return to the modern era straight away.""But we were asked to resolve the "King of the End" problem before doingthat."The two girls explained respectively from G.o.dou"s sides.Liliana was on the right while Yuri was on the left. G.o.dou"s body tensed upinexplicably."The "King of the End" has disappeared for now, right..."G.o.dou lowered his voice to hide his discomfort.However, the pale-haired aristocrat had said "for the day of our inevitablereunion." These words were impossible to ignore...Yuri and Liliana leaned close to G.o.dou — in other words, they pressedthemselves tightly against him — while speaking."Unfortunately, the Netherworld"s Venerable One talked about this. So longas the Divine Sword of Salvation remains in the G.o.ddess"s hands, thiscommotion remains unquelled. In order to clean up this situation, theshining divine sword must be sealed away as decrepit remains... That waswhat he said.""Defeating the G.o.ddess, huh. So either way, it needs to be accomplished.""Umm... By the way, G.o.dou-san, do you feel tired?""Yeah, I guess it"s time for me to return inside.""Also, you must eat things tonight to recover your energy.""Yes. Then after that, you need to sleep earlier and rest properly. With thetwo of us taking care of you, your wounds should be able to recover a bitfaster.""...Uh, can I interrupt for a moment?"Still supported by Liliana on the right and Yuri on the left, tightly pressedagainst his body, G.o.dou interjected."I-I"m already okay, so I think it"s better if you two kept slightly moredistance..."The two girls were acting as crutches to support Kusanagi G.o.dou. Thiswas very gratifying. On the other hand, it was quite normal for him to get astrange feeling from having two girls tightly pressed against him.One was so slender that she seemed as though her body might breakeasily, yet rich with a feminine suppleness and undulating figure. The othergirl looked relatively demure in comparison to Erica and Ena, but in actualfact, there was no doubt at all that her body had reached sufficientmaturity.These two girls possessed these types of bodies respectively.Seeing G.o.dou stammering, the girls seemed to realize where the issue layin the current circ.u.mstances.With a sudden shock, Yuri and Liliana both separated from G.o.dou"s bodyin a panic. G.o.dou breathed a sigh of relief, intending to walk back byhimself along the path they had taken.But he ended up falling. Hence, the two girls instantly came over to supporthim, returning to the previous state."l-lt"s not necessary, didn"t I say that just now?""Nonsense. No matter how you look at it, your condition definitely requiresthe help of others.""Yes. So please do not try to act tough. Please rely on us withoutreservation."Liliana seemed slightly resigned while Yuri appeared a little miffed as thetwo girls spoke respectively.But in contrast to their tones of voice, they were carefully supportingG.o.dou"s heavy body on both sides, helping him to walk slowly. G.o.dou feltembarra.s.sed by the sensations of the two girls" bodies pressed tightlyagainst him while feeling grat.i.tude from the bottom of his heart.That said, he also discovered another problem."In any case, starting tomorrow, there are many worrisome tasks that needto be handled.""Yes. I still wish to hear from you, G.o.dou-san, how you and the othershave been living your life over on this side.""Please recuperate patiently tonight before having a good chat with usabout all the acc.u.mulated topics we wish to discuss.""Uh... As much as I"d like to have a good chat with you two as well... I thinkit"s better if we slept in separate locations at night, right? Alternatively, I"mfine with camping outdoors too. After coming to this side, I"ve grown quiteused to it."This time, G.o.dou tried his best to plead in an appropriate manner with thetwo girls who had shown their care to him through their words.Yuri and Liliana responded to G.o.dou with a gaze that looked like they hadsomething to say."Th-That cabin is quite cramped, right!? Also, with two girls living in thesame home to take care of a boy, it feels quite inappropriate in manyways — !""G.o.dou-san, what do you mean by this? I believe that such opinions arerather late in hindsight.""Also, after hearing your rough explanation earlier, there are a number ofthings I am curious about. During the half-month period in ancient Gaul,you were living harmoniously with Erica and Seishuuin Ena under thesame roof — That is the impression that I gathered. Of course, this is merelymy own casual imagination.""Oh right. Actually, I share the same feeling too, Liliana-san!""You too, I see... Speaking of which, during your battle in the ancient worldearlier, I remember Kusanagi G.o.dou definitely using the [Sword]"s spellwords at the time.""As one would expect, G.o.dou-san must have performed that ritual withsomeone...""I too, am quite curious about the ident.i.ty of the partner in the ritual...Looks like there are many issues that must be pursued tonight after all.""Yes. So G.o.dou-san, please accompany us obediently in a casualconversation."G.o.dou was supported by the two girls, one on each side.Every time in the past, he would receive their a.s.sistance and guidance.However, due to the words "taken away" surfacing in his mind for a fact,G.o.dou rather cautiously avoided objecting.Part 2And so, G.o.dou and the two girls spent a night together.The girls pursued salacious matters rather relentlessly, demandingsupplementary explanations whenever they deemed anything insufficientlyclear. In the end, G.o.dou had no choice but to beg them for forgivenesswith a sigh. The situation was quite frantic.However, the two girls also took care of G.o.dou"s health with the same levelof zeal as they had pursued certain matters.Consequently, G.o.dou slipped into the realm of dreams with feelings ofgrat.i.tude towards Yuri and Liliana"s generosity. As for the ritual occurringjust before the battle against Uldin, the fact that it was actually the three ofthem together... G.o.dou was quite relieved that he had successfullyguarded this secret.Then night pa.s.sed and the next morning arrived."I will go scout the place where the "King of the End" manifested as well ascheck out the situation at Cologne... or rather, Colonia Agrippina. In anycase, I intend to return before dark."During the morning, Liliana set off on her own.As an oriental, Yuri drew resentful stares from people due to herresemblance to the Huns. On the other hand, G.o.dou"s condition was stillfar from ideal. Hence, it was probably more convenient for Liliana to actalone. Capable of using flight magic, she could travel back and forth fromdistant places much faster than horses.Hence, even when noon had pa.s.sed, G.o.dou was not particularly worriedfor her and still continued to rest in bed at the cabin. Instead, what heworried about was —"How are things on those girls" side...?"G.o.dou stared at his right arm while muttering.His "partner" Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi resided in this arm. However,it was currently in a dormant state, most likely affected by G.o.dou"s ill stateof health. Under these conditions, the divine sword was unable tocommunicate with Ena.Erica, Ena, Doni, Madame Aisha, as well as the hero and the G.o.ddess,what exactly happened to them?No idea at all. G.o.dou felt anxious on the bed. But rather than sleeping withhis head under the covers, he sat up cross-legged."Unacceptable, G.o.dou-san. If you do not lie down, it will affect your body"srecovery.""Staying in bed doesn"t suit my personality, Mariya.""Seriously... Unlike previous times, G.o.dou-san, your rate of healing isrelatively slow. You must be more careful."Yuri reprimanded him for lacking self-awareness of his wounded state.Then the kindhearted Yamato Nadeshiko suddenly smiled and said thefollowing:"Whether Liliana-san or I, neither of us has received inauspiciousrevelations so far... Consequently, I believe that everyone should be fine.""That"s true too... I don"t really think Erica or Seishuuin will fight uncertainbattles whereas the other two aren"t gonna get killed that easily."Responding to her kindness of intentionally putting forth an optimisticviewpoint to ease his mind, G.o.dou relaxed his shoulders and lay down.However, he never expected to be spending time alone with Yuri in acramped wooden cabin.G.o.dou recalled the few days he had spent together with Yuri in a cottageon a remote island, feeling a little embarra.s.sed. Speaking of which, thegrain porridge he had eaten for lunch was Yuri"s cooking, naturally. Eventhis aspect was the same as that time living together on the island.Furthermore, as soon as he realized this, G.o.dou was able to relax for real."Rather than staying cooped up in bed all day, I think getting a bit ofphysical activity would be better. Going outside for a bit should be okay,right?""Here you go making this sort of reckless suggestion again..."G.o.dou made his request to Yuri and waited for her serious answer."Your wounds have not recovered. I will be very troubled if you do not restproperly.""Well, because I"m seldom sick in bed, I don"t really know how to rest.Rather, wouldn"t it better for my health if I went for a brief walk?""Seriously... You leave me no choice, G.o.dou-san."Sighing, Yuri nodded as though she were agreeing to the demands of aspoilt child."However, please allow me to accompany you. Are you really not going togo far?""Eh?"Thus, G.o.dou was able to go out with Yuri together.Supported by the graceful Yamato Nadeshiko like the previous day, hestumbled around, using an oak branch he had just picked up to use as acrutch. Although he still felt embarra.s.sed about leaning so tightly againstYuri, G.o.dou could not go back since he was the one who requested thewalk in the first place.Yuri brought the slightly blushing G.o.dou to a nearby stream.The wooden cabin was located in a forest halfway up a low-alt.i.tudemountain. As one would expect, the stream flowing through this place wasclean with transparent and pristine water."Thank goodness there is a water source so close by. It is impossible tocook and do laundry without water.""I see... This kind of mountain isn"t going to have aqueducts or publicbaths, I guess."G.o.dou concurred with Yuri"s comment, resonating deeply within.Naturally, ordinary villages and towns definitely did not have those types offacilities. This proved how extraordinary Roman colonial cities were inancient times as civilized zones.Did Yuri and Liliana use this stream"s flowing water to take their baths?Triggered by this speculation, G.o.dou instantly recalled the sight of thesemaidens" tender skin he had witnessed before. However, he musteredresolute willpower to bury these memories in darkness. Instead, he said:"Because of me, you girls had to come to this kind of place — ""G.o.dou-san, there is no need to say such words.""Really?""Yes, indeed."A conversation with Yuri leaning by his side. A brief exchange of words.Even so, there was an unbelievable sense of connected minds and hearts.Yuri was probably feeling the same. After their gazes met up, shedisplayed a gentle smile."Oh, by the way, this was brought up yesterday as well. G.o.dou-san, yousaid you felt uncomfortable about sleeping in the same place as us. Ibelieve it is time that you gave up on such an obstinate view.""R-Really?""Yes, it really is quite overdue in hindsight. Especially since you and I,G.o.dou-san... We have previously lived together for a number of daysalready."Yuri was apparently recalling their earlier trip to Malaysia.This time, silence descended between them, yet it did not feel awkward.Rather, they felt even more connected than before. After a brief while, Yurislowly spoke up:"After that, it was quite a predicament. The others questioned sointensely...""But clearly we didn"t do anything weird...""O-Of course, in order to prepare for combat against the G.o.ddess, the twoof us undertook the ritual, but it was undoubtedly necessary... Also, it is anact we are already accustomed to...""Y-Yeah.""Ultimately, it was simply because you and I were alone together,G.o.dou-san, do you agree...?""Probably... The way they pursued the matter so far, it made me feel likewe simply should have done something for real, might as well, right?"G.o.dou was suddenly shocked by the muttering grumbles that slipped outof his mouth. Carried away by the sweet mood, he had apparently saidsomething unnecessary. If Liliana were present as well, he could notpossibly have been so careless.Furthermore, Yuri was bowing her head shyly. At the same time, shetugged lightly at G.o.dou"s sleeve, whispering softly:"C-Currently, we are alone together as well — It just so happens that we arealone together.""Yeah.""A-Also, there is nothing especially urgent...""If we get suspected afterwards..."Since they were leaning tightly together to begin with, all it took G.o.dou wasa slight turn of his shoulder to effortlessly embrace Yuri in his arms.Spontaneously, G.o.dou found himself gazing into Yuri"s shy face. Asthough responding to him, Yuri looked up in turn, slowly bringing her lipsnear.Then as long as G.o.dou drew his lips near as well — Just at this verymoment..."Kusanagi G.o.dou! Mariya Yuri! Liliana Kranjcar has returned! Where havethe two of you gone!?"Hearing Liliana"s stern voice, G.o.dou and Yuri could not help but exchangea glance."This does happen sometimes.""We"d better return quickly to Liliana"s side."While feeling the relief from being liberated from a sense of guilt, theysmiled wryly.Then the two of them went back to the cabin.Not long after Liliana had returned during late afternoon...The sun was currently setting. The western sky was dyed red and duskhad arrived. Under the setting sun, G.o.dou was facing the knight who hadreturned from scouting.This mountain cabin was north by northeast of Colonia Agrippina.The Rhine lay twenty-something kilometers to the west. In other words,they were inside the territory of Germania. Over here, there were no roadslike those paved on the Rhine"s sh.o.r.es. Unlike modern times, neither trainsnor cars existed.Making a round trip within half a day was only possible through Liliana"spowers."I first used the [Witch"s Eye] to fly my vision over to the area of ColoniaAgrippina. After scouting the situation nearby, I flew over there personallyand learned of many news."Liliana was reporting outside the cabin.While listening to her, G.o.dou was still recuperating, sitting on a tree stump.In addition, Yuri was inside the cabin, preparing dinner.Using ancient hearths to cook should be quite inconvenient, but Yuri didnot find the task especially grueling.G.o.dou heard that during her Hime-Miko training, she had to liveself-sufficiently in a hut in the mountains with neither natural gas norrunning water, spending her days isolated from worldly life. She hadapparently mastered how to use hearths and other such things during thattime."As expected, being able to fly is so convenient."Having been taken "flying" before by Liliana, G.o.dou mutteredwholeheartedly. Although he was already used to lacking the convenienceof cars and phones, having such inventions of civilization at hand would bebest after all."Then how"s the situation over there?""Slightly complicated. I shall save the details for later when we are havingdinner with Mariya Yuri together. However, there should be quite a fairamount of time before dinner is ready. During this time, let us perform adiagnosis.""Diagnosis?""Yes. Please allow me to have a look at the wound where the DivineSword of Salvation had struck."Liliana pointed at the chest of the puzzled G.o.dou."Campione bodies are tough and resilient beyond imagination. However,this is the first time I am seeing your wound recovery rate so unbelievablyslow. Just in case, it needs to be checked. Could you take off yourclothing?""Eh?""This is only logical in order to examine the wound, right?"Agreeing that she made sense, G.o.dou nodded and took off his shirt.A naked upper torso, almost completely devoid of fat, the kind of physiquethat was very muscular despite looking slender on first glance. This wasprobably thanks to overusing his body constantly on a regular basis.Clearly, the day of getting diagnosed with metabolic syndrome in a healthcheckup was far away.The body"s exterior could be considered unharmed. The lightning hadprobably injured somewhere deep in the body.Since G.o.dou happened to be sitting on a tree stump, he felt like he was ata hospital.Acting as the doctor, Liliana began to blush for some reason, shifting hergaze away from G.o.dou"s body —"What"s the matter? You"re not gonna diagnose my wound?""Oh no. I am very sorry. Looking at it again from such a close distance, Isuddenly feel very embarra.s.sed... Also, all sorts of nonsensical ideas areoccurring to me...""But clearly you were there when we were swimming at a beach last time.What a weird girl you are."G.o.dou laughed lightly. Given the serious personality she had clearlyexhibited all along was clearly fine, it was quite suspicious for Liliana tosuddenly act strangely. There were times when this literary girl, highlyadept at writing poetry and novels, acted in ways that exceeded thecomprehension of an athletically inclined boy like G.o.dou.Meanwhile, still unable to look G.o.dou in the face, Liliana cautiouslyextended her hand, moving her pale fingers over his chest.Then the witch, who was serving as a subst.i.tute doctor in the ancientworld, narrowed her eyes."I knew it... The wound has showed no signs of recovery at all sinceyesterday.""Eh!?""Judging from this situation, one cannot expect it to heal naturally atridiculous speeds like before. You will need to recuperate like this for oneor two months" time. Either that or undergo magical treatment...""But there"s no time to rest slowly right now.""In that case, treatment is necessary. Understood. I will immediatelychange the method of treatment.""...Eh?""You are the one who said there is no time, Kusanagi G.o.dou.""Th-That"s true but.."As Liliana pressed near, having recovered a serious expression, G.o.doubegan to panic.Undergoing magical treatment. Apart from the usual manner, there was noother choice. Oh well, since this happened every time, backing down nowby this juncture might be rather ludicrous.However, G.o.dou still faltered.Recalling the conversation with Yuri during the day, he felt like needleswere p.r.i.c.king his heart."1-1 don"t think treatment needs to start straight away today. Waiting untiltomorrow should also be...""Something that can be finished today should not be saved for tomorrow. Ibelieve that you need to be treated as soon as possible."After objecting rationally, Liliana lowered her gaze with a lack ofconfidence."O-Or rather... You would like someone other than me to treat you? l-lf thatis the case, it cannot be helped. As your knight, I must respect the lord"swishes — ""What rubbish are you talking about? It"s fine for you to do it, Liliana."Halfway through, G.o.dou interrupted the silver-haired knight"s depressedsuggestion.G.o.dou felt that he could never face Liliana again if he had allowed her tofinish. That was what her words made him think. Furthermore, heimmediately realized his own stupidity.By the time he noticed, Liliana was already gazing straight at him.Instead of the stern and knightly gaze she usually displayed, these eyeslooked as they belonged to accomplices who knew each other"s lies."Since... that is your true wish, then as your knight, I...""Y-Yeah.""We are king and knight respectively. For the sake of battle that willinevitably arrive one day, we must do everything to prepare.""That"s probably true, I guess...""Seeing as it is for this purpose, I believe that I must properly do what iswithin my ability..."Up until just now, Liliana was speaking while she stood.However, she had suddenly sat down now, sitting on G.o.dou"s lap.Clearly not a position that matched the relationship between king andknight, this would be more aptly compared to the boldness of intimacybetween lovers on a park bench. However, the two of them gazed intoeach other"s eyes like that.As the silver-haired knight slowly closed her eyes, all hesitation vanishedfrom G.o.dou"s heart completely."Liliana...!""Yes...!"While she sat on his lap, G.o.dou embraced her, kissing her lipspa.s.sionately.Liliana opened her mouth in response, then G.o.dou instantly inserted histongue inside. Thoroughly savoring the taste of her lips, his tongueentangled with her tongue. G.o.dou slowly began to lose control of himself.Moving his kiss from her lips to her neck, he sucked forcefully beforelicking her neck, his tongue wandering over its surface."M-Mmm, mmmmmmm!"Liliana suddenly shrank back. In fact, it was only recently when G.o.doudiscovered that she was very vulnerable to stimulation at this spot. Theloyal female knight endured tearfully while pleading to G.o.dou:"S-Save this for later... Let me apply the spell first..."Right. G.o.dou was reminded again of why they were doing this.He kissed Liliana"s lips again. Next, the fairy-like girl of Eastern Europeandescent displayed eyes of ecstasy while whispering as though inpuzzlement. However, she did not move her lips away."N-No good. The healing spell is not working...""I see... The Divine Sword of Salvation is the weapon for exterminatingDevil Kings. Is it because I am poisoned inside by that thing, the poisoncan"t be cleansed so easily...?"After sharing a few light kisses with Liliana repeatedly, G.o.dou nodded.Upon further thought, it was quite likely indeed. On the other hand, thesilver-haired girl, both witch and knight, panted heavily while speakingstalwartly:"N-No matter what, I will find a way. Because it is for you...""Counting on you."Answering briefly, G.o.dou once again sucked Liliana"s lips forcefully. Inreturn, Liliana responded by inserting her tongue into G.o.dou"s mouth.Just as their behavior was gradually escalating, a noise was heard. Thecabin"s wooden door opened suddenly."Everyone, dinner is already prepared. Where have you gone?"Opening the cabin"s door, Yuri called to them.Luckily, G.o.dou and Liliana"s position was at a dead angle out of view fromthe door"s location. Still remaining in the same posture held in G.o.dou"sembrace, Liliana stopped kissing then yelled back in a resolute voice."Coming! Just wait a minute!""Very well, I shall wait for you both."Clack. The sound of the door being shut. Yuri had gone back inside thecabin.Phew. Sitting on G.o.dou"s lap, Liliana breathed a sigh of relief.Although it looked like she had carried out the deception calmly, she wasactually petrified inside completely. Then after looking up suddenly, shekissed G.o.dou again.Smooch — Sucking forcefully at G.o.dou"s lips, she entangled their tonguestogether, reluctant to end things."It is almost time for us to head back. Otherwise, Mariya Yuri might find itsuspicious..."Finally separating their lips, Liliana added a light kiss at the very end.After doing all this, only then did Liliana urge their return while smilingmischievously.Part 3Dinner that night consisted of cheese, hard bread and soup made frombeans, vegetables and mushrooms.Bought by Liliana from a nearby village, venison served to add somevariety to the simple menu.Everyone gathered around a wooden table to eat this meal.Despite feeling grateful to Yuri for making all this food, G.o.dou had a greatweight on his heart due to the behavior he had engaged with Liliana justnow. But clearly he was just one step shy of doing similar things with Yuriduring the daytime —"In the end, you had to prepare dinner on your own unaided. Manyapologies.""Do not worry about that. Liliana-san, you are the one who must be tired,flying to so many places on your own. Please have a good rest tonight."Unaware of G.o.dou"s guilty conscience, Yuri and Liliana chatted amiably.They both shared the trait of being domestically inclined girls to begin with.Presumably getting used to each other"s pace, they often spent timetogether from day to day. Tonight, the atmosphere was also harmonious asusual.Nevertheless, their amicable relationship was causing G.o.dou some minorstress.Although I"ve come to realize somewhat already, am I really such ab.a.s.t.a.r.d...? These thoughts of self-reprimand gradually began to surface."Then here are the results of my reconnaissance."Hearing Liliana start to report, G.o.dou frantically sat up straight."I was unable to find out the whereabouts of the G.o.ddess and the "King ofthe End." However, I did witness a small conflict occurring near ColoniaAgrippina.""A small conflict?""Yes. One side appeared to be Frankish warriors while the other consistedof giant bears controlled by some kind of magic. The giant bear armyseemed to have crossed over from the Rhine"s east bank — Germania.""Artio is still alive huh...""Also, due to Sir Salvatore having gone missing, Colonia Agrippina"sinterior has become quite chaotic. After all, they have currently lost theirleader.""That idiot!?""Also, there is the place you asked me to visit. Kusanagi G.o.dou, I havechecked out your residence too, but Erica and Seishuuin Ena were notpresent. The house only contained servants.""Even those two as well..."G.o.dou sighed but immediately continued:"Just as I thought, I"d better get back as soon as possible. All of us, let"stravel over there tomorrow."This was his decision as the leader. Yuri and Liliana nodded in agreement.Then dinner finished and after clearing things up, the trio went to bed early.The simple cabin did not provide any separation of s.p.a.ce. The three ofthem had moved the table aside and laid out three blankets on the floor.Then with the trio lying down side by side, a simple bed was made.Then after saying she was washing her face before sleeping, Liliana wentoutside."Excuse me, G.o.dou-san... May I have a moment of your time?"Yuri came over to the center of the bedding where G.o.dou was sittingcross-legged."What"s up, Mariya?""Yes, I have been feeling this all day. The poison arrow wound inflicted bythe Divine Sword of Salvation seems to be healing very slowly."G.o.dou jumped in surprise. Could it be that —"Another journey, most likely dangerous, will be commencing tomorrow.Hence, your injuries need to be cured as soon as possible. Let us,together...""l-lndeed, you"re right.""Yes. I had a feeling that G.o.dou would agree."Sitting on the bedding with G.o.dou, Yuri was in formal seiza posture asthough it were perfectly natural.Furthermore, the pure Yamato Nadeshiko was bowing her head fromshyness. Closing her eyes quietly, she whispered softly with her cherrylips."l-lf we do not hurry, Liliana-san will be back soon."Choosing to wait for G.o.dou to make the first move, this behavior was verymuch in Yuri"s conservative style.Impelled by this cuteness of hers, G.o.dou went "Mariya...!" and drew hisface near, pa.s.sionately taking her soft lips."Ah... G.o.dou-san — Let the treatment now..."The Hime-Miko accepted G.o.dou"s slightly violent kiss while whisperingquietly.G.o.dou could feel her exhaled breath, saliva and magical power pa.s.singthrough her lips, transmitted over to him. Probably because it was thesecond time today, he was able to pinpoint the spell"s movements muchmore accurately than earlier.Through G.o.dou"s throat, Yuri"s spell definitely reached every locationinside his body.But there was no change at all. Rather, strictly speaking, the instant hereceived the healing spell, G.o.dou felt his internal temperature rise slightly,but that was all.It felt like pouring a cup of water onto a dry desert, only producing aninstant of relief."What... is going on here?"Yuri"s lips parted from him and she whispered while staring at G.o.dou"schest.Clearly she had just used spirit vision to see the situation inside G.o.dou"sbody. Gently, she caressed G.o.dou"s chest then said:"I shall try to think of other methods. Sorry for failing to help.""D-Don"t say that. I"m the one who"s ashamed. Clearly, you"ve gone tosuch lengths for me already.""I do not mind at all. Because this is for your sake."Smiling gracefully, Yuri bowed her head and returned to her bed.The timing was just right. Liliana returned instantly right after this.Furthermore, she was unaware that G.o.dou"s heart was pounding violentlyinside."Sorry for making you wait. Then let us rest."The silver-haired knight put out the light.Olive oil had been poured into a dish and lit to serve as lightning.But due to the moonlight streaming through the window, it was notcompletely dark.As the only man present, G.o.dou slept in the middle with Yuri on the leftand Liliana on the right.But due to what he was doing with Yuri just now, G.o.dou"s heart was stillracing and he was unable to fall asleep.After a while, Yuri"s breathing noises from peaceful sleep could be heard.I must sleep earlier — Just as G.o.dou shut his eyes tightly...(Kusanagi G.o.dou, are you still awake...?)G.o.dou heard whispers from beside him. Liliana was lying in bed with herbody turned towards him. Without sitting up, she had simply spun herupper torso to face G.o.dou.Afraid of waking Yuri, G.o.dou answered in quiet whispers too.(Yeah. What"s up?)(Actually, something bothered me when I was giving you treatment.)(S-Sure.)(I intend to confirm it. Could I take a moment of your time?)(!?)Despite asking for consent, Liliana immediately came over to G.o.douwithout waiting for his reply.Still in a lying down posture, she shifted her body over, ending up lying onthe same bedding as G.o.dou"s. Face to face, they were close enough tofeel each other"s breath.This was the kind of situation where one could not deny accusations ofsleeping together.(This type of behavior... makes me quite nervous.)Knowing quite well how questionable her actions were, the silvered-hairedgirl whispered.However, Liliana quietly brought her face near G.o.dou, bravely performinga lying-down kiss, in spite of Yuri sleeping no further than two metersaway.Staying still, G.o.dou and Liliana continued kissing in this manner.The kiss was not especially intense in movement. On the other hand, theirtongues and lips were overlapping and entangling one another repeatedly.Smooch, smooch, the sounds of kissing echoed within the quiet cabin.Enjoying this fully intimate kiss that did not include intense actions, the twoof them still did not separate their lips from each other.(After healing magic is delivered into your body, it definitely activates foronly an instant... Looks like it is necessary to ponder the reasons why.)(1-1 see.)Hearing Liliana"s whispers, G.o.dou nodded at her.In actual fact, he had already gathered the same impression from Yuri"streatment before going to bed. Unaware of that, the silver-haired girl smiledrea.s.suringly at G.o.dou before returning to her bed.Finally, I can sleep for real —Listening to Liliana"s quiet breathing noises in her sleep, G.o.dou slowly shuthis eyes again.Erica Blandelli and Seishuuin Ena.These two girls had already established a "ceasefire agreement" beforestarting their life of cohabitation. Precisely because they regarded eachother as rivals in both business and pleasure, that was why they haddecided to avoid wasting time and energy on escalating compet.i.tivebehavior.However, this sort of compet.i.tiveness did not exist between Yuri andLiliana.The atmosphere was calm and harmonious when the three of them spenttime together, G.o.dou included.Not arguing over which girl was staying by G.o.dou"s side, they respectedeach other and provided mutual a.s.sistance. Indeed, it was a rea.s.suringrelationship.But perhaps because of this, it would not occur to them to establish anagreement between ladies, right?Also, when faced with that type of ritual, G.o.dou himself did not seem asresistant as before...Moreover, G.o.dou was not currently in that cabin while pondering overthese matters.This morning, after setting off using Liliana"s flight magic, two hours hadpa.s.sed already. Flying south from the cabin for nearly sixty kilometers,they arrived at a vast plain in Germania.Apart from a few scattered forests, this was a completely flat area ofgra.s.sland.The current location was also quite near Colonia Agrippina apparently.Acting as the guide, Lilana had already kept her eyes shut for half an houror so.Using her prided [Witch"s Eye] witchcraft to send her vision far away, shewas currently scouting for signs of unrest."Thank goodness we have Liliana-san in times like these.""Yeah."G.o.dou responded by nodding vigorously at Yuri who was praising with asmile.Having Liliana present with her talent in witchcraft meant that efficiencywas vastly improved for movement and reconnaissance. Last time whenthey were wandering the G.o.ddess"s island in the South Seas, life wouldhave been much easier if they had her abilities to help them."I have discovered something a little... No, greatly troublesome."Liliana slowly opened her eyes and reported."It is not too far from here. I intend to head over for a look.""Got it, I"m counting on you."Obtaining G.o.dou"s consent, the silver-haired witch used flight magic.The blue light of flight magic enveloped the trio as they flew towards thesky. After less than thirty minutes of flying time, they landed at a small hillof rock, a couple dozen meters in height.Since they had not crossed the Rhine yet, this place was still withinGermania.Wide open plains lay in all directions. Since they had landed on a highplatform near the peak of the rocky hill, the "troublesome" thing mentionedby Liliana was immediately visible.On a vast plain down below, nearly fifty bears were gathered. Every one ofthem was a giant bear, roughly four or five meters in body length. Thosegiant bodies looked like houses from first glance.These were the G.o.ddess Artio"s minions that G.o.dou and the Franks hadfought before. Furthermore, this group of giant bears had formed a circle,surrounding and staring at a single human.Also, the one standing in the circle"s center was —"S-Sir Salvatore!?"Feeling shocked, Yuri whispered softly.Indeed, the person surrounded by the giant bears was Salvatore Doni.However, Doni"s current face was filled with imposing dignity, shiningbrightly with a sense of intelligence exuding from within. Completelybetraying the comment of "a handsome man who only looked good inface," his usual frivolity and idiotic temperament had vanished entirely."Yeah, I thought I was mistaken a number of times. I"m beginning towonder if I need my eyes checked...""Sir Salvatore"s face could not possibly show such a dignified expression. Itmust be someone who happens to look similar.""1-1 think a little more tact should be exercised..."This was the G.o.dslaying Devil King whom anyone involved in Italy"s magicscene considered troublesome to no end.On further examination, his clothing was different. On top of a simple, whitetunic was a white cape. He was dressed completely in white, giving off arefreshing impression.Furthermore, he was carrying a long and thick blade on his back. A mightysword measuring a meter in blade length."My minions."Hearing the voice coming from Doni"s mouth, G.o.dou was surprised.A woman"s voice. Furthermore, it was that G.o.ddess Artio"s voice!"Once sufficient numbers are gathered, we shall invade this human city todeliver divine retribution upon these barbarians, along with the abominableG.o.dslayer these foolish people worship!"After speaking loudly with Artio"s voice, Doni drew the great blade from hisback.As expected of a master swordsman, his sword drawing posture was quiteexperienced.Shining with the color of platinum, the mighty sword"s blade shone withdazzling l.u.s.ter while bathed beneath sunlight. Undoubtedly, it was theDivine Sword of Salvation."This G.o.ddess hereby swears upon this sword. To vanquish all G.o.dslayerson the earth to accomplish the great task of the world"s salvation. Minions,offer your lives for this cause!"In response to the G.o.ddess"s voice, the giant bear army began to roar.Aaaa — Rrrrr — Toooo — Sssss —Close to fifty giant bears were roaring together, sounding somewhat like achoir. Listening more carefully, it sounded like they were calling a certainname.Artos. The name that carried the name of "hero.""I can see a woman"s black shadow behind Sir Salvatore. Is that Artio...?""Having lost her material body, the G.o.ddess possessed Sir Salvatore"sdivine body, controlling his mind... I am getting this kind of feeling..."Yuri had apparently received a revelation through spirit vision. Liliana andYuri exchanged nods.The three of them were currently watching the commotion below from thehill of rock. Observing from a slightly closer position would probably resultin G.o.ddess and Campione sensing each other"s presence and entering acombat state.In choosing this spot to land, Liliana"s astute judgment had helped greatly.Next, they should find Erica and Ena. G.o.dou nodded at his twocompanions.Part 4Enveloped in blue light again, the trio flew towards the sky.In his current state, G.o.dou felt grateful for the existence of flight magicmore than anything else. Riding was too tiring and would cause a greatstrain on his wounded body.After leaving the place where Doni-Artio was witnessed, they flew forroughly thirty minutes.This was roughly the same speed as a car traveling along a main road.Once the Roman colonial city of Colonia Agrippina on the Rhine"s sh.o.r.eentered into view, Liliana lowered their flying alt.i.tude.The city streets were on the Rhine"s west bank while the east bank was aformer Roman army outpost.G.o.dou"s group landed outside this outpost.After the great chieftain went missing, what happened to the Frankishwarriors gathered here? The purpose of coming here was to ascertain thismatter. A couple days ago, there were roughly three thousand mengathered here."According to rumors I heard in the city, after Sir Salvatore went missing,serious disagreements began to appear among the Franks. This includeddisputes such as whether to continue fighting the G.o.ddess or to return totheir homeland.""It would probably be best for those warriors if they simply withdrew theirforces completely.""Well, even if they went to fight a deity, lives would only end up sacrificedfor nothing. But this kind of development isn"t supposed to happen, right?"After listening to Liliana"s report and Yuri"s opinion, G.o.dou muttered.They were currently bracing themselves against bone-chilling wind inspring while making these prophetic statements. In fact, along their wayhere, they were already getting faint but ominous premonitions.G.o.dou secretly glanced at the problematic outpost.In terms of outer appearance, it resembled Augusta Raurica"s castle whereG.o.dou had battled Uldin previously.The north, east and south sides were protected by castle walls while thewest side had the Rhine for defense. Also, disorganized cheering couldcurrently be heard from inside the outpost.The two girls felt rather puzzled but G.o.dou decided it would be easier forthem to understand by seeing with their own eyes. Hence, he led themthrough the castle gates without offering any explanation.Wooooooooooooo — !Wooooooooooooooooo — !Wooooooooooooooooooooo — !At the central square in the outpost, the crowd was yelling loudly. Ofcourse, they were the three thousand Frankish warriors.Their gazes were all focused on a certain lady. Standing on a podium wasa graceful young beauty dressed in a white overcoat."Everyone! By the recommendations of many various people among you, Ihave decided to a.s.sume my position as the new chieftain. As you can allsee, I am just an ignorant girl, so I shall be in everyone"s care!"Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo — !Only while she was speaking did the yelling pause temporarily.As soon as she finished, the shouts resumed. This seemed to repeatcyclically."Unlike the previous chieftain, Doni-san, I do not have the strength toprotect everyone. However, I shall heal those who become injured inbattle."Wooooooooooooooooo — !"And if just for a little, I too, am capable of using power that even G.o.ds willfear. Consequently, the G.o.ddess Artio probably cannot ignore me.— Should she arrive to invade, I intend to engage her in dialogue, imploringher to have mercy on all of you, the Frankish warriors."Wooooooooooooooooo — !"Never fear. If we hold negotiations, we can surely understand each other.If that doesn"t work, I will also try to come up with other solutions."Wooooooooooooooooo — !"For the sake of Kusanagi-san who died to protect me, let us try hard anddo our best. Kusanagi-san must have turned into a star in the sky and isnow watching over us — That is what I believe!"(...Umm. Isn"t G.o.dou-san clearly alive right now?)(...Indeed. When was Kusanagi G.o.dou killed?)(Basically, she"s the kind of person with excessive enthusiasm. She evengets along with Doni quite well. I also find her airheaded and p.r.o.ne tocausing misunderstandings.)She was making her speech in an adorable voice, amidst noisy andastounding cheering and shouting.G.o.dou and his companions were whispering in a conversation at the veryback of the crowd. Yuri and Liliana were both making a speechless facewhile staring at Madame Aisha who was giving her speech on the podium."Oh, so this concludes the chieftain inauguration speech. But I suppose itwould be better if I said a little bit more?"Wooooooooooooooooo — !"Well, let me think... My name is Aisha. My hobbies are reading, traveling,embroidery and cooking. Age — Age is exactly seventeen years old!"(...Hey hey, it feels like she is starting to go out of control.)G.o.dou disregarded this fraudulent report of age while beginning to ponder.Reportedly, neither Erica nor Ena were in the city — They were nowherenearby, at any rate. Without anyone supervising her, once again, MadameAisha had "spontaneously become the idol worshiped by the crowd."...No wait, perhaps "once again" doesn"t quite cut it.During an era of turmoil and war, she has been like this "all along," right?People could not help but feel drawn to the seductive charisma exuded byDevil King Aisha, worshiping her as their leader, seeking salvation fromher.Driven by her congeniality, she easily agreed to people"s requests, thenproceeding to run out of control...This was very possible indeed."She is a Campione too, after all..."G.o.dou patted the shoulder of a Frankish warrior nearby to make him turnaround. This was for directing the man to call Madame Aisha."Oh my!? You"re still alive, Kusanagi-san!""Since this is critical, I"ll repeat myself. Don"t go writing me off as dead socarelessly."G.o.dou"s first words to Madame Aisha on their reunion was an instantobjection.After the chieftain inauguration speech, they were now meeting in abuilding that served as the Roman army headquarters."l-l"m very sorry. After the battle ended, you went missing so I naturally...O-Oh right, Doni-san has been possessed by the G.o.ddess"s ghost, this isterrible.""I know already. Speaking of which, what happened to Erica andSeishuuin?"While the Madame tried to hide her embarra.s.sment with an affectionatesmile, G.o.dou moved on to his next query.Since Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi still had not awakened from itsdormant state, G.o.dou was unable to use it to contact Ena. This matter waswhat he wanted to confirm the most.While G.o.dou was worrying about dire possibilities, Madame Aisha smiledgracefully."Ah yes. Both of them are safe and sound. After the earlier battle, myconsciousness grew hazy again then I received their help.""Then where are they now?""I haven"t seen them since two or three days ago. I was wondering if theymight have set off in search for the missing Kusanagi-san."The Madame"s speculation was most likely correct. However, was going offwithout saying anything really the way those two girls went about doingthings — especially Erica?While G.o.dou was thinking, Madame Aisha suddenly turned her gaze tobehind him."By the way, who may these two be?""Oh, here are my companions who chased after us from the present due tovarious reasons...""A pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Mariya Yuri.""I am Kusanagi G.o.dou"s knight, Liliana Kranjcar. It is an honor to meetyou."After the Madame shifted the conversation to them, the two girls spoke forthe first time.Yuri bowed her head politely while Liliana greeted with dignified politeness.No matter how friendly or casual the Madame behaved, they probablyintended to adhere strictly to etiquette for Campiones who stood asmonarchs.On the other hand, the one whose position would be called queen —"No, the pleasure is all mine... B-By the way, sure enough, both of you arealso Kusanagi-san"s l-l-l-lovers... Isn"t that the case?"In the middle of her greeting, her voice suddenly became very quiet.Completely taken by surprise with the Madame"s remark, Yuri and Lilianasimultaneously went "Eh?" quietly."Aisha-san, I hope you can stop misunderstanding. Whether Erica,Seishuuin or these two here, they"re all my friends, not that kind of bizarrerelationship — ""H-Here you go talking like that again! 1-1 know everything already!"The Madame shouted at G.o.dou for his interruption."Since Kusanagi-san represents the pinnacle of popularity, you not onlytook turns enjoying love adventures with two girls, but not satisfied withthat, you also established a residence in the city no different from a harem,intending to indulge yourself in a life of depraved l.u.s.t.""P-Please don"t be ridiculous.""So, aren"t you having love adventures right now? Aren"t you cohabitingwith them?""...Indeed that is true. So even more girls will be added to that residence...""H-Hold on, Aisha-san, you"re also one of the freeloaders living there.Aren"t you part of the reason why the female ratio went up?"Listening to their conversation, Liliana and Yuri both frowned.G.o.dou could feel the pressure coming from them while he was raising hisobjections. The Madame clapped."Oh right, I have something else to say about that. Since I have decided toa.s.sume my post as the new chieftain, I shall be moving over there."Before the G.o.ddess"s threat pa.s.sed, she was going to live near theoutpost, the Madame told them.This was an important stronghold where the Frankish warriors and leadersgathered. Moving the chieftain"s residence nearby was only natural.However, G.o.dou said:"I think it"s better if you quit being chieftain straight away...""What are you talking about? Someone needs to take on the job ofprotecting the Frankish warriors from the G.o.ds.""No, just leave the fighting to me. Also, could you please stop the reversalof your authority."Earlier, when they were using Liliana"s flight magic to approach ColoniaAgrippina...G.o.dou noticed that the air was gradually growing cold. Even though it wasclearly spring right now, the air felt like midautumn"s. Also, he had alsoexperienced the same phenomenon before.That was before the duel against Uldin when the Madame had reversedher healing authority.According to Madame Aisha, reversing the power she had usurped fromthe spring G.o.ddess Persephone would produce [Winter"s Authority] — theability to bring a freezing calamity to a vast region in the surroundings.Deciding she must be prevented from using this power, G.o.dou spoke up."No, I can"t keep relying on your care and consideration, Kusanagi-san,this will be my fight next!"Madame Aisha declared with great spirit. Furthermore, she even clenchedher fist tightly with a solemn expression. This was a display of her fightingspirit."And in fighting for my protection, your body is already in this state,Kusanagi-san! To repay your kindness, I will dedicate my all to do my verybest!""With this body—""Don"t forget that I am a user of healing skills after all. Even without anyvisible, external signs, I can still sense vaguely whether a person isinjured."The Madame spoke softly in a devout tone of voice.In addition, she was staring at G.o.dou"s chest intently as though seeinginside. G.o.dou originally thought that she would not discover he was injuredif he pretended to be lively and energetic — He had misjudged greatly,apparently."You suffered an internal injury from the last battle... My authority isineffective against another G.o.dslayer, hence I cannot cure you,Kusanagi-san. But conversely, I shall meet the G.o.ddess in your stead. Withmy honor at stake here, I must resolve the matter!"Madame Aisha"s words were filled with sincerity and determination.Furthermore, her declaration exuded solemnity as befitting someoneknown as queen.