Chapter 2 - Journey to Colonia AgrippinaPart 1Madame Aisha was the G.o.dslayer who had traveled from the twenty-firstcentury to this era.Today, she was still dressed in the usual attire she had worn ever sincearriving in ancient Gaul — the white overcoat with the long robe thatresembled a one-piece dress.The bright and sunny weather of spring was quite comfortable, sendingAisha"s spirits to a crescendo.Blowing across the water, the favorable wind was smooth and gentle.Driven by this wind, the merchant"s ship that Aisha had boarded wassailing downstream along the Rhine, towards the north of the Romanprovince of Gaul.Judging by modern sensibilities, the ship would be roughly "twice the sizeof a yacht or thereabouts.""The people of this ship are so friendly and helpful."Whether the ship"s owner or the wheat traders on board, everyone treatedAisha very nicely.Four days earlier, at the pier of Augusta Raurica, Aisha had asked them ifshe could hitch a ride. They agreed readily.During the daytime, the ship would sail along the river, blown downstreamby the wind.At night, she would wrap herself in a blanket and sleep on the ship while itwas moored along towns by the sh.o.r.e.Then on the fourth day of the journey, during the daytime, the ship arrivedat the Roman colonial city of Mogontiac.u.m.The ship was only supposed to unload merchandise here and then returnupstream to the city of Raurica.There was still far to go before reaching her destination of ColoniaAgrippina, which lay much further north.Madame Aisha disembarked amidst the merchants" smiling farewells.Everyone saw her off with warm words and smiles.Finding the world full of benevolence, Aisha felt "warmth" in her heart.(In actual fact, this was all due to Aisha"s slight invocation of her charismaauthority when she first made her request with a smile. Perhaps theirfriendly behavior did not stem from pure benevolence, nevertheless,Madame Aisha had no wish of being a pessimist who refuted thesepeople"s kindness. She believed that humans must live by supporting oneanother.)After disembarking, Aisha first went to find a meal.Her special skills included being able to sleep soundly no matter where sheslept and finding all food delicious no matter what she ate. These twospecial skills were probably what allowed her to live her life completelystress free regardless of location.On this occasion, she chose a cheap restaurant nearby. Her orderconsisted of some slightly hard bread and vegetable soup flavored withpepper. Aisha thoroughly enjoyed these trivial and ordinary pleasures."Next, I should find my next ship."Leaving the restaurant, Aisha made her way to the pier again. The Rhinehad been used extensively for water transport since antiquity and manyships were moored at Mogontiac.u.m"s pier."Who should I ask...?"She murmured to herself as she looked around the pier. Instead ofsearching for friendly-looking sailors, she was doing the opposite. Sincepeople always said yes no matter whom she asked, Aisha found thesesituations quite troubling instead. In actual fact, there was no one nearbywho would reject her requests —"Come to think of it, I wonder if Ena-san and the others are okay?"Perhaps due to arriving at the pier, she recalled what had happened backwhen she first set off.Even at the city of Augusta Raurica, she had selected an suitable ship toboard in the same manner. Seizing the opportunity when the caring butslightly nagging Kusanagi G.o.dou was away, she had departed on herjourney alone.At that time, Ena was apparently following Aisha.Not long after the ship left the city of Raurica, a second ship followingbehind suddenly suffered from a fallen mast and the misfortune of abreached hull. The pa.s.sengers instantly set themselves to throwing waterout of the ship and seemed to be in quite a state of panic.Aisha had clearly witnessed Ena"s speechless appearance at the time."Putting me under surveillance and not letting me travel, seriously, thatKusanagi-san. Is he really that worried about me? That"s a bit excessivelyprotective of him..."Last time at Raurica, a battle had taken place between Uldin and him.At the time, Kusanagi G.o.dou had come forward to fight in Aisha"s defense,risking his life and exhibiting benevolence and courage. He was definitelyquite a kindhearted youth.Nevertheless, whether surveillance or caring, it was still too excessive.The charisma power did not affect Kusanagi G.o.dou who was likewise aG.o.dslayer. The chivalry and spirit of self-sacrifice in protecting Aisha allcame from the youth"s own free will.Suddenly, Aisha was taken aback with surprise."Could it be, no way, is he actually... in love with me!?"Aisha wondered while wandering aimlessly at the pier.Like a strike of lightning, the shock caused her heart to waver, making herbody sway unsteadily. Leaning against the railing by the river, she finallymanaged to stabilize herself."Is protecting me a means to hide his shyness? Or is he unable to face hisown feelings honestly...? It should be one or the other, right...?"In that case, everything made logical sense. Aisha seemed to haveglimpsed the light of truth."B-But Kusanagi-san has two lovers already. Despite clearly makingrighteous speeches, he turns out to be no better than Uldin-san. Quite anunfaithful womanizer... Without mincing words, he would be human sc.u.mof a slightly silly variety..."Shocked by the truth she had divined, Aisha felt her body temperaturerising as though she had a fever. She kept murmuring:"But he risked his life for me... Also, despite putting up such a serious frontall the time, who knows what scandals are secretly circulating about himand any number of ladies. This is attractive in itself, a bit of a bad boyfeel — Oh no! This is no good at all!"Aisha"s mind was instantly plunged into all sorts of thoughts. Disapprovaland affirmation clashed intensely, erupting sparks in a battle of light anddarkness."This won"t do, Aisha. If I allow myself to be carried away by theseemotions and accept him, surely I"ll be the one crying in the end, at anolder age to boot... Of course, I can still pa.s.s as his younger sisterperfectly plausibly, yes, a very lively and energetic younger sister...""Excuse me, Aisha-san?""Oh no, I feel like I"m seeing Kusanagi-san"s face before me when mythoughts are with him... If I don"t calm myself down a bit more...""No actually, I am right in front of you, in the flesh — Can you hear me?""Yes, I hear you— Wah!?"Aisha was so shocked she fell backwards.Standing before her and watching in surprise were Kusanagi G.o.dou, EricaBlandelli and Seishuuin Ena. Unbeknownst to Aisha, they had somehowgathered here already."K-Kusanagi-san, did you overhear what I was saying just now!?""Just the last sentence. After going through all the trouble and finding youmurmuring to yourself by the river, I was originally thinking of capturingyou... Were you trying to say something?""Pay no mind to it! They were simply murmurs, a maiden"s privatethoughts!"In an effort to conceal the heavy pulsation in her heart, Aisha yelled loudly."B-But anyway, how did you catch up to me, Kusanagi-san?""Like you, Aisha-san, we came by ship."Having traveled downstream on the Rhine by ship, G.o.dou answeredMadame Aisha"s question.It was the only small-size sailing ship that was about to depart, similar to ayacht in size and appearance. Given a favorable wind, it was capable ofmoving rapidly across water.With an estimated speed of twenty knots, it was comparable to the legalspeed limit of automobiles.However, having grown accustomed to walking and riding horses, G.o.doufound it quite fast. Currently on board were G.o.dou, Madame Aisha, Ericaand Ena."I was near that Uldin guy"s forest when I heard about Aisha-san goingmissing, so I went and asked that guy to borrow a ship.""Then through various means, we managed to catch up to you, Madame."G.o.dou replied, followed by Erica who reported in a courteous tone ofvoice.Not too long ago, G.o.dou had also borrowed a ship from Ruska andClotilde to sail downstream along the Rhine.Like last time, Clotilde had bestowed a water protection spell at theirdeparture. This allowed them to travel much faster than an ordinary ship.Furthermore, G.o.dou and Erica both had excellent night vision.This allowed them to take turns watching over the ship as they advancedduring nighttime, proceeding to pick up Ena at Raurica and chase afterMadame Aisha who had set off first. As an extra precaution, Erica hadtaken a hair from Madame Aisha to use for search magic, thereby allowingthem to close in substantially and avoid having to check ships one by one."No other way, I suppose..."Madame Aisha apparently gave up. She sighed and said:"I was originally thinking of leaving you behind, Kusanagi-san who isslightly too naggy, so that I may negotiate with Doni-san first. I"ll give up onthat now. So let the four of us do our best together from now on!""Agreed. But I don"t really nag that much."Still getting slightly strung along by Aisha"s pace, G.o.dou objectedindifferently."I just speak a bit of common sense, that"s all.""You"re saying annoying things again... But I understand. Kusanagi-san,you feel so concerned about me that you can"t help yourself... Isn"t thatright?""Well, that"s because like that idiot Doni, you"re someone I really need topay attention to."In a careless moment, G.o.dou said something he should not havedisclosed in front of this centenarian-plus woman.Unlike her G.o.dslayer peer, G.o.dou"s sworn sister Luo Cuilian, MadameAisha was quite cheerful and candid in behavior and personality alike.Even worse, she was quite p.r.o.ne to gossiping as a result of thispersonality.Meanwhile, for some reason G.o.dou could not fathom, Madame Aisha wasgoing "I knew it..." and nodding to herself.Then looking up, she secretly glanced at G.o.dou"s face."But Aisha-san, there"s something Ena doesn"t understand."While Madame Aisha was acting suspiciously, Ena asked incredulously."In order to chase after your ship, Aisha-san, Ena also hitched a ride onanother ship that was setting sail, but gave up when a hole opened up inthe ship"s hull.""Ah, so it really happened.""The next ship taken was suddenly beached. Then the one after that wasunable to set sail because of the commotion from an old man"s stomachache. If they"re all coincidence, Ena thinks that"s a bit excessive..."Using Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi as a medium, Ena had contactedG.o.dou.After picking up the raven-haired Hime-Miko who was stranded and waitingat the riverside near Augusta Raurica, G.o.dou had heard about this matter.Due to three inexplicable instances of trouble, she had been unable to tailAisha.One could not help but suspect an element of human intervention in threesuccessive instances of misfortune.Presumably, Madame Aisha must have done something? For example,little tricks of magic..."Indeed, it cannot be said to be pure coincidence. I am truly sorry."As expected, Madame Aisha answered in an apologetic tone of voice.She clasped her hands together before her chest, making a pose like apious nun in prayer."Actually, I was praying before boarding the ship: Please protect me duringthis period when I am heading over to visit Doni-san and guide himtowards the path of benevolence so as to prevent more people fromsuffering.""Praying... Do you believe in some kind of religion, Madame?"Feeling surprised, Erica interjected. Presumably she found it quiteshocking for a G.o.dslayer to use the word "praying.""Or perhaps, you believe in a deity of some place?""Oh no. Actually, there was one time over in China when I had no choicebut to defeat a benevolent guardian of the populace."Confronted with this sudden confession, G.o.dou, Erica and Ena exchangedglances with one another.In other words, it was nothing as half-baked as "little tricks of magic.""As a result, I obtained an authority of fortune"s blessing. It is quite aninsignificant power, only taking effect to help me accomplish my taskwhenever I vow to do good...""F-Fortune"s blessing huh..."Normally fazed by nothing, Ena could only mutter "I surrender" inresponse.Most likely, she never would have imagined that such occurrences wereactually the result of a G.o.dslayer"s authority."So in trying to hinder Aisha-san, Ena encountered weird events...""Yes. I pray not to any G.o.d but towards my own authority. — When time isnot ripe yet for good to result, even the benevolent shall encountermisfortune, when time is ripe for good to result, fortune shall come to pa.s.s,let the good be rewarded with fortune and evil shall reap what they sow..."At this moment, the sound of rumbling thunder could be heard."It was sunny up until just now..."G.o.dou looked up into the air. Before he knew it, the thunderclouds hadalready spread far and wide, completely darkening the sky."Madame Aisha, is this caused by that authority?"Erica suddenly realized something and asked the terrifying femaleCampione."Taking effect over the duration it takes to bring a good deed to fruition — Inother words, right now, while making her way towards Sir Salvatore, thepower of fortune is still protecting the Madame!?""...Oh, now that you mention it, that"s true indeed."|/pThe Madame answered readily in the affirmative. G.o.dou and his friendswere shocked.Within the mere time span of the earlier exchange, a great rainstorm hadalready started its downpour. Striking the people and the Rhine"s surfacealike, the raindrops actually hurt. In modern parlance, it would be aguerrilla rainstorm.Finally, a strong gale began to blow in transverse while lightning struckdown incessantly from the sky.In merely four or five minutes, a storm had descended. Naturally, facedwith a great rainstorm, the Rhine shook G.o.dou"s small sailing shipviolently. The intensity of the ship"s rocking was undoubtedly beyond whatamus.e.m.e.nt park rides could offer."Hurry and get ash.o.r.e, we must get back onto solid ground!""Th-This storm is on a totally different level compared to the accidents thathindered Ena!""Indeed, it must be because of Kusanagi-san. As expected, when aG.o.dslayer caught up to me, ordinary trials and misfortunes are notenough.""So, because I"m getting in your way, Aisha-san, that"s what"s causing thisstorm!?""When clearly Aisha-san is getting swept up in it as well?""This sometimes happens when I use this power. Someone"s fortunebecomes another"s misfortune. Fortune adhered to misfortune, misfortunelurking amidst fortune. Fortune and misfortune would summon each other.Perhaps this is the truth that this world conveys..."On the river"s surface, scoured by wind and waves, the water was billowingturbulently. As a result of the heavy rain, everyone became completelysoaked.Only Madame Aisha was calmly explaining away.As the price(?) for using the authority of fortune, she was probablywell-accustomed to getting swept into sudden misfortune and calamities.In contrast, Erica, Ena and G.o.dou were showing signs of anxiety. In anycase, they started taking action to counter their desperate situation.But it was already too late.Produced by the strong gale, giant waves made the ship"s body turn ahundred and eighty degrees — They capsized.Naturally, all four of them were tossed into the raging winds and turbulentwaters in the middle of the Rhine.Part 2Liliana Kranjcar was a witch with outstanding talent.Being only a teenager, she had yet to reach the level of top experts.But in this age, she undoubtedly held outstanding promise, a rare prodigywhom everyone expected to eventually reach the pinnacle along this path.Furthermore, currently in front of Liliana was the "top expert" who couldserve as her role model.Princess Alice — the princess who stood at the pinnacle of theheaven-oriented system of witchcraft.As Europe"s most powerful miko and highest-ranking witch, she hadbrought Liliana and Mariya Yuri to meet "a certain person who wanted tosee them."The trip was a bit different from expected.Their current location was a hotel that had been converted from an ancientmedieval Italian castle.Climbing a long and spiral staircase, Alice led Liliana and Yuri to anobservation room at the highest and fifth floor. One of the walls was madeof gla.s.s, providing a view of the "outside" scenery.This ancient castle was situated in the Casentino area, a region of forestdesignated as a national park.With trees extending all the way to the horizon, the land was covered whitein snow that had fallen a few days prior. Meanwhile, the bright light of thecrescent moon illuminated the greenery and silver-white snow down below.Such scenery of fantasy was visible from this observation room."Come to think of it, aren"t you also my junior, Liliana?""Yes, although I am still in training."Standing under the moonlight streaming in through the window, theprincess asked. Liliana answered concisely.This was not because she was unused to interacting with fellow witches,for Liliana would often address her master or seniors as "auntie" or "sister."Nevertheless, Liliana was also a knight at the same time and did not intendto address a n.o.ble princess with too much familiarity.On the other hand, Alice smiled and accepted Liliana"s stubbornadherence to etiquette, then spoke:"Wonderful, then there"s no issue even if I verbally pa.s.s along the words ofwitches. Liliana and Yuri, please note that you must carefully keep whatyou hear here a secret, okay?"Alice brought her index finger to her lips to make a gesture ofconfidentiality.Then Yuri, the j.a.panese Hime-Miko, bowed apologetically."Excuse me, Princess... In that case, would it be better if I took my leave?""Nothing to worry about, Yuri, so please remain present. You can beconsidered the cousin of us witches. Furthermore, apart from the witches,a select few people are privy to this secret as well."The witch, who stood at the pinnacle of the heaven-oriented system,smiled mischievously."Even the Witenagemot"s Diogenes Club is also a part of the select few inthe know. There"s also North America"s premier fairy doctor — the elderlygentleman who a.s.sists a certain Devil King."Indeed as expected. Liliana nodded silently. Princess Alice intended toshare secret knowledge that was only pa.s.sed verbally even betweenhigh-ranking witches.Right now, Alice was using summoning magic to call forth a perfume bottleinto her right hand.She swiftly waved this tiny bottle towards Liliana and Yuri. A refreshingfloral scent entered their nostrils.Having smelled this fragrance before, Liliana and Yuri were shocked. Theyremembered the aroma from an incident concerning a certain divine swordthat counted as part of j.a.pan"s national treasure."O skylark, take me to the furthest reaches of the clouds, your songresounding in the heavens between the clouds, leading me together inflight—"As Liliana watched in shock, Princess Alice chanted spell words.Considering this in conjunction with the magical presence that exudedaccordingly, Liliana remembered.Unmistakable. The princess was using "that witchcraft." Liliana wascertain. Before her eyes, the observation room"s gla.s.s glowed brightly fromthe moonlight. In the following instant, her entire view was taken over bywhite light...Once the white light dissipated, Liliana found herself standing on a cliff bythe sea. Looking down at the foot of the cliff, she could see raging wavescrashing against the rocks. Also, the sky was purple.Mariya Yuri and the princess were next to her.Yuri gulped. From the sight of the purple sky alone, it was already obviousthat this was no ordinary place."Sure enough, the Netherworld... Princess, you used a spell to cross overto the Netherworld, yes?""Yes, that"s right, although we tend to call this realm the "Astral Plane.""Yuri confirmed with the princess who answered with a wink.The Netherworld, a domain outside of the mortal realm.An alternate dimension where the mind and ectoplasm ranked higher thanmaterial substance. It was said that j.a.panese wizards called it theNetherworld while Chinese Daoists referred to it as Youmingjie or Youjie inshort. Known to Persian wizardry as the Menog, Greek mysticism called itthe Idea Realm, etc.Heretic G.o.ds seemed to call it the [Boundary of Life and Immortality].The perfume the princess had released just now was a secret elixirconcocted to help human bodies adjust to the Netherworld"s air. During theAma no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi incident, Liliana had also prepared thesame elixir to send Yuri to the Netherworld.The princess did not use it on herself, most likely because there was noneed to.Instead of using her physical body, the frail Princess Alice apparently wentoutdoors by sending her spirit body "outside." Essentially, the princess infront of Liliana and Yuri"s eyes was nothing more than a projection,something akin to a ghost. There was no issue of spirit bodies needing toadjust to the Astral Plane."The person who wants to see us turns out to be in the Netherworld huh...""Not exactly? You"ll understand quicker if you see with your own eyes.Let"s hurry over to the meeting place."After answering Yuri"s query, the princess closed her eyes. Thesurrounding environment instantly changed.A Buddha statue stood upright in the middle of a cave, a sight reminiscentof cave monasteries in India.Unlike in the earthly realm, traveling in the Astral Plane relied on the mindrather than walking. Once accustomed to this realm, magi could transferinstantaneously simply by imagining their desired destination."Very regrettably, it"s not a place we can fly directly to, because it"s asecret location that cannot be reached except by transferring according toprescribed rules. As a result, we need to make various stops."Then the scenery changed again.A chalk palace built next to a lake. An endless desert of hot sand with onlyan oasis offering respite. A vast plain where a giant bird design was carvedon the ground. Dense forest where all sorts of poisonous insectivorousplants flourished. Streets evoking imagery from 1920s America in theProhibition Era, etc...The final destination was at the foot of a bare mountain.Before their eyes was an ancient Greek temple. Stout marble columnsstood upright in a rectangular arrangement with a roof on top. A smallbuilding."The appointment was clearly decided here, but the other party is absent."No one else could be seen in the surroundings. As their guide, Alice,frowned, Yuri asked."Someone who does not reside here?""Exactly. Seriously, how could that person be tardy even at a time likethis..."" — Princess. Just as you say, I have only "just arrived." A minute or two"sdelay shouldn"t count as being late, right? What do you say?"A voice Liliana had heard before. Then came the clinking sounds ofiron-studded boots striking the stone floor surrounding the temple.Although Liliana had been in continuous state of shock all night, this wasthe greatest shock of all. The same went for Yuri. In a rare moment, theprudent Yamato Nadeshiko raised her voice:"You are the person who set up this appointment to meet us!?""Hoho, how honored I am to know that you are so moved to see me."The new arrival was wearing an elegant blue suit with a black cape.Covering the face was a masked helmet with a visor whose designresembled an insect"s compound eyes. Worn on the feet were iron-studdedboots.The one who had made the appointment to meet them at the Astral Planetemple was none other than John Pluto Smith.The Campione renowned as Los Angeles" guardian saint."The whereabouts and exploits of Kusanagi G.o.dou and Italy"s handsomeking are not precisely the reasons why I"m here."Coming through the mask, the tenor voice sounded as lively as that of atheatrical performer."I heard that they"ve gone missing due to a certain Madame using anauthority that serves as a "pa.s.sport." As a result, a certain old acquaintanceapproached me to cry and beg, asking for my help no matter what.""Requiring your personal presence as a Campione, Smith-sama...""That"s very normal. The only ones capable of opposing G.o.dslayers aretheir peers — other G.o.dslayers — and the G.o.ds. This is universal truth."Reacting to Liliana"s murmurs, Smith shrugged."Then I got in touch with the princess, hoping she could relay news to meregarding this incident. In addition, I heard that there were two miko whowere able to "see" the era where Kusanagi G.o.dou had flown to. That said, Istill haven"t decided if I"m going to accept my old acquaintance"s requestyet."The visor"s compound eyes looked towards Yuri and Liliana."In any case, I troubled you two to make a visit, hoping you could a.s.sistme.""Excuse me... May I ask who this "old acquaintance" of yours might be,Smith-sama?"In response to Yuri"s question, Smith quickly raised his right hand andpointed a gloved index finger towards the interior of the temple."The one who lives inside. Well, this individual is not only difficult to pleasebut also very neurotic and pessimistic... A most troublesome personality, atany rate. Let me just add that he is also a man who is troubled to no endby the commotion raised by my friend, Madame Aisha.""Troubled to no end...?"Liliana frowned, unable to understand what Smith meant.Yuri"s expression suddenly went blank. Her eyes also becamegla.s.s-colored while she began to murmur on her own."The sanctuary belonging to the one who carves time... Recordingeverything in the world, the library keeping the records of the void...""You saw it. Impressive indeed."Hearing the oracle Yuri spoke due to spirit vision, Smith nodded. On theother hand, Liliana was worried about her companion"s hypnotized state.Furthermore, this only served to raise even more questions."To my tentative understanding, I take it that this place is not simply asanctuary steeped in history. If possible, please answer another of myquestions. Smith-sama, how are you related to the one who lives here?""A truly pertinent question, Liliana Kranjcar."Liliana was shocked that the black-clad G.o.dslayer knew her name.She had always thought that Smith was only aware of her as nothing morethan Kusanagi G.o.dou"s follower. Seeing her reaction, Smith laughed andused his left hand to push his cape open.Revealed beneath was still the blue costume. Carried in the holster on hiship was that gun."I have a number of important connections to the Astral Plane. This is oneof them."Smith drew the handgun from his hip."This was something forged by the dark elves living in this realm. To me, itwould be something like the magic sword Excalibur."The six-shot large-caliber revolver. The magic gun the color of gray steel.It was the legendary handgun quite well-known as John Pluto Smith"sweapon, a tool for firing the "magic bullet authority" usurped from theG.o.ddess Artemis. It was said that the vast area of the entire California statewould be incinerated utterly if the authority"s full power were to beunleashed...This magic gun was an otherworldly weapon forged in the Astral Plane —The Witenagemot"s report had mentioned it. But hearing it directly from theman himself, Liliana felt an indescribable sense of emotion, possibly due toJohn Pluto Smith"s "masked hero charisma.""Come to think of it, I have heard that you are able to travel freely betweenthe earth and the Astral Plane, Smith-sama.""Ah yes, that is one of my insignificant privileges."Smith replied to Liliana and returned the magic gun to its holster."That"s the power I usurped by killing one of the fairy kings who rule theAstral Plane. Furthermore, I also inherited a king"s duties and obligationsfrom him.""Duties and obligations...?""Including the Plutarch"s Residence here, this entire level is part of theterritory I rule over. Oh well, despite being king, I"m actually nothing morethan an absentee figurehead. But upon receiving a definite request like thisone, I still can"t leave things unattended after all."Fairy king. Plutarch"s Residence.Hearing unexpected terms, Liliana was overcome with astonishment."I came back to this place because I received a desperate plea regardingKusanagi G.o.dou, Salvatore Doni and Madame Aisha... To exterminate thethree of them. So, what should I do?"Straight from John Pluto Smith"s mouth came a shocking statement.Part 3Kusanagi G.o.dou: G.o.dslayer, Devil King, Campione.Despite having no desire for them, he possessed numerous abilitiesbeyond that of ordinary humans. Nevertheless, flying in the air or breathingunderwater were not among them.Hence, even someone like him would still be plunged into a desperatecrisis once thrown into the Rhine that was almost about to overflow due toa sudden storm.To escape this crisis, G.o.dou made use of his greatest weapon.His physical stamina. After being thrown overboard, he struggleddesperately in the raging and turbid waters, swimming while trying tosearch for the capsized ship.Especially shocking was Madame Aisha who was facing the same situationas him.Despite her non-athletic appearance, she was looking for the capsizedship just like G.o.dou. Meanwhile, the remaining companions —"Anchor me, Cuore di Leone!"First of all, Erica Blandelli started summoning the magic sword of the lionwhile falling into the river.Manifesting in her hand, the slender longsword immediately transformedand turned into an anchor with a chain attached. Erica threw the anchor,causing it to fly at high speed towards the Rhine"s sh.o.r.e.She was roughly thirty meters from the sh.o.r.e.Nevertheless, the anchor"s flight and the chain"s length both allowed it toreach the sh.o.r.e effortlessly.The anchor hooked the ground with a clang, forming a lifeline connectingErica to dry land.Meanwhile, the other person, Seishuuin Ena —"O Great G.o.d of Arms! I beseech you to grant me protection fromdrowning!"This incantation to ward off drowning was magic that had been usedpreviously on the G.o.ddess Circe"s island.While praying for protection, Ena desperately reached out.The chain connecting Erica to the magic sword on the sh.o.r.e happened tobe nearby. No, the clever blonde most likely threw the chain inconsideration of the Hime-Miko"s position. Ena gripped Cuore di Leone"schain with her right hand tightly.Watching this scene, G.o.dou was relieved. He turned to the woman besidehim and said:"Are you okay, Aisha-san!?""Y-Yes. I"m okay for now!"But just at this moment, descending lightning struck G.o.dou"s ship directly."Uwaaaah!""Kyaaaaaaaah!"Falling from the sky, the thunderclap completely destroyed the small sailingship that G.o.dou and the Madame had finally managed to climb aboard."G.o.dou, Madame Aisha!""Are you okay? Respond if you"re still alive!"Erica and Ena kept screaming in desperation but G.o.dou was too occupiedto answer then.Swallowing the turbid water again, G.o.dou could feel the impending threatof drowning. Nevertheless, he did not give up, refusing to let his life betarnished by such a shameful demise. Desperately, he looked for anopening.Drifting along the Rhine under the storm, G.o.dou and Madame Aisha werealone. The timber and bits of wood from the ship"s wreckage became theirallies.G.o.dou immediately searched for large planks of wood. Although theycould not guarantee his survival, at least he would be able to float abovethe surface."Aisha-san, hurry over here!""Okay!"G.o.dou reached out to Madame Aisha who was drifting beside him. In turn,she desperately tried to grab G.o.dou"s outstretched hand — She managedto succeed. Holding hands, G.o.dou pulled her slender and feminine body tohis side.Then the two of them drifted, holding onto a plank of wood.But the situation was still quite terrible.The heavy rain continued to fall nonstop while raging winds roared.The Rhine was already a large river to begin with. The sudden increase inwater volume could easily cause a flood any time.Amidst the roaring water currents, G.o.dou and Madame Aisha weresubmerged many times and relied on the wooden plank"s buoyancy to floatback up. It was difficult to predict how long a single wooden plank couldcontinue to keep them safe. Moreover, rocks, trees and boats from otherunknown sh.o.r.es had been swept into the turbulent flow, resulting in thethreat of colliding with them.The way it looked, death seemed to be looming near —This shipwreck incident was even more hazardous than last time"simpromptu Whitewater rafting on the "G.o.ddess" island" in Malaysian waters.Consequently, G.o.dou was slightly preparing himself mentally for the worst.Roughly dozens of minutes later..."How surprising, we"re saved at last...""It"s probably because the power of fortune protected us!"Without a watch, G.o.dou could not tell exactly how much time had pa.s.sed.But currently, the Rhine"s surface had calmed down completely. The stormhad quieted down as suddenly as it had arrived. Drifting while hugging thewooden plank, G.o.dou and Madame Aisha were both unharmed.However, having soaked in water for so long, the cold was an issue.Noticing that the wooden plank had already drifted near the sh.o.r.e, G.o.doukicked his legs in the water, shifting course towards the sh.o.r.e. Thanks toMadame Aisha helping out with her own kicking, they soon arrived ash.o.r.e."A blessing in disguise, is that how it goes...?""Yes, between the misfortune encountered due to your pursuit,Kusanagi-san, and the fortune that saved us, it"s fortune"s victory thistime."For some reason, Madame Aisha was smiling leisurely.Probably accustomed to tumultuous experiences, what horrifying survivalability. Nevertheless, G.o.dou did not have the composure to smile, for hewas confronted with new worries."I don"t think I"ll make it if another incident similar to that storm appears. Ifonly there were countermeasures...""Yes, in any case, let me dispel fortune"s protection.""...What, that can actually be switched on or off at will?"G.o.dou had thought it was an uncontrollable ability like the corridorauthority.Stared at by G.o.dou, the Madame smiled deceptively."Oh, please allow me to explain. Once begun, acts of fortune or misfortunecannot be stopped, so I had to wait until the storm subsided first!""Well, that"s actually fine, I guess..."By this point, G.o.dou could not bring himself to say: Shouldn"t you haveswitched it off the moment we met again? Looking at his right arm, G.o.doucalled upon the divine sword residing there, Ama no Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi."By the way, Seishuuin and Erica are safe, right!?""Yes... They apparently left the water before us..."The divine sword answered irritably.G.o.dou nodded. Due to drifting in the river with Madame Aisha, he wasworried about his companions" safety and ordered Ama no Murak.u.mo noTsurugi to relay confirmation of each other"s situation between him andEna.True to the names of the Hime-Miko of the Sword and Erica Blandelli, theyhad apparently escaped the desperate crisis unharmed as well."Pa.s.s a message along to tell them we"re fine. Then since neither sideknows where they are, let"s meet up at Colonia Agrippina."Ama no Murak.u.mo"s response felt something like a person nodding theirhead silently.After arriving in ancient Gaul, G.o.dou had found out he could use the Amano Murak.u.mo no Tsurugi as a cellphone subst.i.tute. But since the divinesword was clearly unenthusiastic about communications unrelated tobattle, relying on this unmotivated communicator for a way to meet up withhis companions would be quite inefficient.Coming up with a slightly better solution, G.o.dou finally slumped hisshoulders. Much more time seemed to have pa.s.sed than expected, seeingas the setting sun had dyed the western sky red. G.o.dou decided to halttheir travels for today and prepare for rest."Anyway, something needs to be done about these wet clothes..."The place where G.o.dou and Madame Aisha went ash.o.r.e was a desertedgra.s.sland.Let alone a town, a single home could not be found. Due to the violentstorm, there were no boats pa.s.sing by on the Rhine. G.o.dou and MadameAisha were thoroughly drenched. Naturally, they had no change of clothessince their luggage had sunk to the bottom of the river along with the ship,but at least they escaped with their lives.Looking at his optimistic travel companion, G.o.dou was stunned for aninstant.Heavy from moisture, Madame Aisha"s overcoat had been taken off anddiscarded in the water already. Currently, she was only wearing the whiterobe that resembled a one-piece dress.Due to being thoroughly wet, her clothing was clinging tightly to her skin.Thanks to that, this excessively senior woman"s perfect figure was readilyapparent from a single glance.Despite a very slender physique, her voluptuous b.r.e.a.s.t.s were like ripenedfruit whose weight would bend branches whereas her posterior displayedmesmerizing curves.Furthermore, she was not wearing a bra.s.siere, an article of clothing yet tobe invented in ancient times. Drenched white fabric became see-through,offering faint glimpses of the skin beneath.Then there was her long black hair, thoroughly drenched, exuding anincredible air of seductiveness...Finding his gaze suddenly glued to her, G.o.dou frantically averted his eyes.Then Madame Aisha noticed her current appearance and instantly coveredher bosom with her arms."U-U-U-Umm, let us s-start a fire!""Th-That"s a great idea!"Erica was able to start fires with magic, but she was currently absent.Like G.o.dou, Madame Aisha did not seem motivated to learn magic either.On the other hand, she was carrying flint ready for use. Together withhigh-valued coins, it was kept in a small and bulging bag tied to her waist."Carrying this sort of thing with me has proved unexpectedly handy."The graceful female Campione remarked readily.G.o.dou was quite impressed by how she was so accustomed to theseterrible situations that she had acquired such insight. On the other hand,G.o.dou had also secured a bag of the Roman Empire"s gold and silvercoins to himself, not unlike Aisha. Hence, all they had lost was their heavyluggage and there was no need to worry about money for their travels.Using the flint, Madame Aisha started a fire on the dry gra.s.s and twigs thatG.o.dou had gathered. Once the small cracking fire was lit, G.o.dou said:"Til head over there for now to see if anyone"s coming. Just in case, I"mdrying my wet clothing first.""What is going on— Kyah!?"G.o.dou was taking off his shirt in front of Madame Aisha, causing her toquestion. Seeing G.o.dou"s exposed upper torso, Madame Aisha staredwide-eyed.Completely unconcerned, G.o.dou hung his wet shirt on a branch."See you later."Having said that, G.o.dou left the fire, knowing that Madame Aisha wouldprobably remove her wet clothing to dry by the fire if he gave her someprivacy.G.o.dou made his move in consideration of that. After all, this would dry theirclothes faster and prevent catching a cold from wearing wet clothes.G.o.dou"s pants were also completely wet, but that could not be helped.As a side note, by the time the fire was started, the sun had already setand night had fallen.His skin growing cold, G.o.dou was thankful that the current season wasspring. Ignoring his shivering body, G.o.dou endured while wandering alongthe riverside.Although this area was gra.s.sland, there were many flowering plants aboveknee-height.This provided cover resulting in poor visibility. The area illuminated by thefire should probably be out of view."Huhyaaaaaah!?"Madame Aisha"s scream was heard. Did someone do something? G.o.doufrantically ran back to the fire. At the same time, the Madame also rantowards him."What happened!?""I-I-I-I feel something strange on my back!?"When G.o.dou reached her, Madame Aisha threw herself into his chest.Back? Puzzled, G.o.dou looked at her — And was rendered speechless.Taking another good look,First of all, Madame Aisha was essentially nude, in a completely undressedstate.The rosy tips of her sensational and bulging b.r.e.a.s.t.s were exposed. Ofcourse, her lower body was covered by nothing but a piece of thin clothwith only sandals worn on her feet.Also, presumably intending to put it on immediately...She had G.o.dou"s shirt on her shoulder, the one that he had hung on abranch to dry.In this beautifully salacious manner, with her rushing and throwing herselfat him, G.o.dou not only felt the sensation of her soft but very supple bosombut also her smooth, pristine and olive skin pressing tightly against hisupper body (that was nude as well).G.o.dou felt himself taking a ma.s.sive gulp, trying to mobilize the entirety ofhis rational thought.Grabbing the Madame"s smooth shoulders, he pushed the olive-skinnedand naked body away from him and tried to ask in as calm a voice aspossible."Is something sticking on your back?""Please, h-h-h-hurry and get it off me!"Aisha pleaded tearfully, so G.o.dou peered at her back in head-tiltedpuzzlement. Due to G.o.dou"s shirt on hanging on her shoulder, he could notsee what was under the white fabric."A-A-A-A weird squirming sensation, s-s-s-so terrifying, please hurry andget rid of it!""E-Easy for you to say..."Face red, G.o.dou wanted to refuse but Madame Aisha looked up tearfullyat him in a pleading manner, making it truly impossible to refuse.G.o.dou had no choice but to brush aside the shirt on the Madame"sshoulder and discovered a gecko on her shoulder blade.Picking it up casually and throwing it away, the ridiculous affair finallyconcluded."Umm... It"s fine now.""Th-Thank you very much."Thinking about it after the fact, this gecko incident really was a tempest in ateapot.Before G.o.dou"s eyes was Madame Aisha"s naked body, wearing nothingexcept sandals, meaning he was staring straight ahead at her.Furthermore, there was not a single cloud in the night sky with a clearmoon shining brightly above.Bathed beneath the moonlight, the Madame"s body was in no way inferiorto a G.o.ddess".A sight of fantasy. In addition, the perfectly unblemished olive skin wasgradually turning red, as though finally feeling a sense of embarra.s.sment..."Kyaaaaaaaah!"She screamed at last. Then the Madame began to yell in awkwardembarra.s.sment."Honestly, Kusanagi-san, you"re discarding your usual serious-mindedfront to ogle me with this male gaze...! 1-1 knew it, you"re so captivated byme that you can"t help yourself, right!?""Please stop talking incomprehensibly. Hurry up and put on some clothes!"Part 4After taking turns to watch over the fire throughout the night, G.o.dou andMadame Aisha were greeted by the arrival of morning.Without extra clothing to use as blankets, they lasted through the night,relying on nothing but the fire. Not catching a cold was probably thanks toluck or the resilience of Campiones.As soon as it grew light, the two of them went along the Rhine andreturned to the road.After walking several hours downstream, they reached a small village.There, they bought things like food and travel equipment. Inquiring fromthe villagers, they learned that Colonia Agrippina was two and half days"journey away."The city where we caught up to you, Aisha-san... That was Mogontiac.u.m,wasn"t it? I remember that it takes a week to get to Colonia Aggripina fromthere, right?""Well, because we drifted here, it ended up being a shortcut!"Indeed, a blessing in disguise.The protection of fortune conferred by Madame Aisha"s authority wasdefinitely quite useful in terms of possible benefits. However, getting sweptup in the disasters caused by misfortune was a bit much...After the Madame bought a new overcoat at the village, the two of themresumed their journey.Whether in ancient or modern times, horses for riding were expensivelivestock. Furthermore, this village did not have horses for sale. In the end,the two Campiones decided to move on foot.G.o.dou prided in his athleticism and did not find walking hard at all.Despite her delicate and graceful appearance, Madame Aisha turned outto be surprisingly adept at walking long distances. Although the two ofthem got along well enough as they advanced along their journey, therewere minor disputes on occasion.At sunset, Madame Aisha spoke up uncomfortably:"E-Excuse me, boys and girls should not share beds after the age ofseven. Let"s sleep in separate rooms when we find shelter for tonight!""You"re very right. I understand."Naturally, G.o.dou agreed readily to this perfectly reasonable request.For some reason, Madame Aisha was shocked by his response, staringinto G.o.dou"s face."K-Kusanagi-san is fine with that!?""Of course. No problem.""U-Umm. Like when traveling together as a pair, finding an opportunity tomake a suitable excuse to sleep in the same room... Are you sure you"renot harboring those kinds of indecent intentions, Kusanagi-san!?""Of course not. Please rest without worry."G.o.dou replied indifferently in response to Madame Aisha"s strangeworries. Did having her naked body seen last night put these redundantfears into her mind?"Umm, I think that last night"s incident was the result of carelessness onour part. Proportionately speaking, I think you"re 60% responsible,Aisha-san...""Ooh... Well, even though I can"t deny that I was screaming quite loudly..."However, they only realized after walking further. This area did not seem tohave any homes for them to seek shelter. Hence, the pair campedoutdoors again.Still, things went a lot smoother than the previous night.Not only did they have newly bought travel equipment to replace what theyhad lost, but also delicious and portable food. Of course, the risk of banditsstill existed but given Madame Aisha"s authorities, human traps could beeasily escaped, by and large. Hence, that night...In a clearing far away from the road, the two of them started to camp.Facing G.o.dou who was sitting beside the fire, Madame Aisha murmureduneasily:"U-Umm, Kusanagi-san, since there"s no wall to separate us, you"re notgoing to do anything indecent, are you?""Of course not.""Because I"m a girl after all. If you were to embrace me pa.s.sionately,Kusanagi-san, whispering sweet nothings into my ear in your habitualmanner, intending to steal my lips, although I might end up a little excited,that"s completely unacceptable, got that!?""I never had a habit of doing any of that in the first place.""Really, despite spending your honeymoon-like days with Erica-san andEna-san?""That"s not what our relationships are like!"Finding the odds quite stacked against him in this conversation, G.o.douchanged the subject."Besides, aren"t you over a hundred and fifty years older than me,Aisha-san? Normally, whispering sweet nothings to someone like that isn"tpossible, right?""Y- You"re supposed to say "love knows no boundaries in age" in a situation like this, Kusanagi-san!""No... I think there"ll be a generation gap.""Seriously! Making me out to be an old hag or something... Allow me tomake myself clear. Let alone a century and a half, I haven"t even reachedhalf that age yet!"Madame Aisha indignantly raised unexpected objections."When returning to the present age, there were many occasions when Iskipped over decades.""...Skipped over?""One time, after spending three months in the past, I returned to thepresent using the corridor to find that roughly thirty years had elapsedalready.""!?""Conversely, there was one time when not even two days went by in thepresent despite spending two years in the past."Urashima Tarou, Rip Van Winkle, that Chinese parable of a transientdream. .}*Madame Aisha"s journeys through time were as unbelievable as the placesvisited in those stories. Then G.o.dou was shocked. What if a century hadpa.s.sed when he returned to the modern world, then he would be having asurreal experience like Urashima Tarou"s...Concluded lifespans of everyone he knew, all pa.s.sed away...Nevertheless, Madame Aisha simply said to G.o.dou:"Well, so long as a large amount of magic power is injected into thecorridor during the return, it"s possible to control the pa.s.sage of time to"several decades" or "a few days" later, to a certain extent."Hearing that, G.o.dou breathed a sigh of relief."...If it"s possible to adjust, why did you return to thirty years later?""B-Because if I didn"t do that, I"d end up with the actual age of an old ladydespite being thirty years old in official records!""Deliberately becoming Urashima Tarou by your own free will..."That would be like a time traveler setting off in the year 1999 thenintentionally "returning" ten years later in 2009 to prevent other people fromcalling him prematurely aged. What kind of epic science fiction story wasthis...?Furthermore, Madame Aisha was a Campione.Given that superhuman const.i.tution, her body was most likely very youthfulindeed. Apparently, the bodies of female magi aged much slower than thatof male magi.Even more so for Campiones. The sworn elder sister, Luo Cuilian, was aprime example."If that"s the case, I"m curious about something.""What is it?""If you had to say it, Aisha-san, how old are you? Not your age accordingto official records, but the actual time you"ve lived."This was a slightly impolite question, so G.o.dou tried asking without muchexpectation."Umm, I"ve never tried calculating it properly...""An estimate is fine. Are you roughly forty or fifty?""Oh, of course, I won"t force you to answer.""...Seventeen.""Eh?""My physical and mental age is seventeen years old.""Hold on a sec, that"s an impossible number no matter what.""Knowing nothing of my life, Kusanagi-san, you are in no position to rejectit. If I say I"m seventeen years old, then that"s final!""Then that would make you my contemporary...""A-Any objections to that!?"In any case, there was no other pastime during their journey apart fromchatting. Before they knew it, the two of them were deeply engaged inconversation. But then they suddenly stopped talking at the same time. Adistinctive and unusual stench was drifting over, carried by the nightbreeze. Compared to the foul odors of animals in zoos, this was even moreintense."Is there a ranch nearby? Raising pigs or cattle.""Maybe, I guess..."Madame Aisha"s response was very simple.But in fact, even G.o.dou did not believe his own speculation. Althoughthere was no evidence, if anything, all he had was a feeling that thisunusual stench was a ominous sign of something inauspicious to come.For some reason, that was what he thought.G.o.dou stood up silently and went upwind.Madame Aisha followed quietly as well.They had been sitting in a gra.s.sy plain. Climbing a small hill in front ofthem, G.o.dou and Madame Aisha were rendered speechless. On the otherside of the hill, sixty bears were moving.All the bears were moving in one direction.Like sheep following a shepherd, the bears were coming to G.o.dou andAisha"s campsite as though riding upon the wind.There was also something else surprising. Without exception, every bearwas ma.s.sive, roughly two meters in body length.Occasionally, there were even larger bears, four to five meters long and asbig as small hills."Aisha-san, umm, these aren"t normal bears in this era, right?""I doubt it, no matter how you look at it..."All the bears seem quite excited and displaying vicious eyes. Nevertheless,not a single bear got into a fight with any of their surrounding kin.They were like gangsters heading off to a group fight.A human contingent appeared in front of the bears" advance, roughlynumbering eighty. All members were armed with swords, spears, axes andshields or the like, all fired up and ready to kill."Oh dear, who could these people be?""The way I see it, they look like gangsters before starting a fight."After muttering that, G.o.dou realized that his impression was correct.The armed men suddenly drew their weapons, started charging at the beararmy with a great battle cry."Ehhh!?"Too reckless. G.o.dou was shocked.The human side consisted of Caucasians with big and tall physiques. Theirequipment rattled. They all had light-colored hair and almost everyone hadstrange hairstyles. On the top of their heads, their hair was tied into"topknots.""They"re probably the Franks.""Really!?""Yes, that hairstyle should be part of Frankish customs."Madame Aisha pointed to the armed group that was beginning a battle onthe hill.First of all, they threw hand axes at nearby bears. Then when the beastsdodged, they used weapons like spears and swords to attack. Many of theFrankish warriors first threw axes then switched to close quarters combat.Their customs were probably just as strange as their hairstyles.Overall, rather than reckless, the Frankish warriors were better describedas courageous.Confronted with an army of bears that surpa.s.sed them in strength andsize, they still fought valiantly.Some of the bears stood on their hind legs and used their front limbs topummel the Frankish warriors. Using sharp claws to tear enemies apart,other bears swatted nearby Franks away and easily bit them.Suffering from the savage beasts" attacks, the battlefield was soon filledwith blood and screams.However, there were quite a few Franks who managed to dodge attacksand use their shields to defend fellow warriors who were going on offense.Using battle axes and swords to cut through the bear army, the survivorsstarted to counterattack. Also, there were others who pierced bears withspears and shot arrows from a distance.When the battle first started, G.o.dou had expected the Franks to losemiserably.But unexpectedly, the tide had shifted to a battle on equal footing.Although the Franks did not have martial arts experts like Erica or Ena,these ancient warriors wielded ancient weapons superbly to engage thevicious beasts in battle."Speaking of which, Roman amphitheaters did have gladiators defeatingferocious beasts..."G.o.dou recalled what he had heard from Erica.Martial artists fighting bears unarmed would probably be suicidal, but givenspears, shields, throwing nets and other equipment, humans had prettygood odds even against lions as opponents. Ancient gladiators stood asevidence for that.But in this case, the bear army included ma.s.sive giants beyond normalparameters.These were the four to five-meter-long bears that were as big as smallhills, a total of six. As expected, the Franks were unable to hold theirground against these beasts. As the battle grew desperate, more and morecasualties resulted. G.o.dou frowned. Whether saving human lives orprotecting animals, he could not actively commit to either."Kusanagi-san, I will go stop this battle!""Then I"ll come as well — "Just as he nodded in response to Aisha, G.o.dou saw it.Among the Franks, there were several men who were guardinghorse-drawn carts in the back instead of taking part in battle. One of themen was walking leisurely towards the most intense spot in the battle.Along the way, he was attacked by a number of giant bears.Every time, he sliced off the giant bears" attacking claws and teeth thencontinued advancing. Like the gentle descent of flower petals, his agilebody made simple movements to evade the ferocious beasts. Just bylooking, these were clearly motions that were not possible withoutadvanced mastery of martial arts.There was an especially enormous bear at the place he was headingtowards.The vigorously fighting Franks retreated as soon as they noticed his arrival.They probably intended to stay out of the [King]"s battle.Casually drawing the longsword at his waist, the man approached one ofthe bigger bears.It was a giant bear with a body length of four to five meters. If it stood on itshind legs, the bear would be one story high. Taking leisurely footsteps, theman walked up to this ferocious beast.Indeed, he was walking as naturally as if he were visiting a friend"s house.Then came a flash of the sword.Even G.o.dou"s dynamic vision combined with a G.o.dslayer"s focus could notcapture the swing of his sword clearly. On the other hand, that one swingof the sword ended up chopping the bear"s giant body into two.Sliced from head to rump in a vertical line, the bear was definitely split inhalf by a single strike.As a side note, the ma.s.sive bear did not shed a single drop of blood.Presumably not a creature of this world, it was a being more akin to adivine beast. Next, the young man used the same technique to make fiveswings of his sword.The remaining giant bears were all split into halves, instantly annihilated... — ,9..By G.o.dou"s side, Madame Aisha gasped.She must have felt shocked by the scene and realized the man"s trueident.i.ty."That guy Doni"s over there. Let me go over to have a look first."Saying that, G.o.dou went down the hill. Although he knew that MadameAisha was following behind him, he did not take his gaze off the man at all.The one displaying such swordsmanship and the essence of the magicsword was a blond young man.Salvatore Doni, of course. He had arrived in this ancient era a couplemonths ago. His attire also belonged to this era. Wearing clothing similar toa t-shirt, his simple attire included a belt and narrow pants on the bottomwith a brown overcoat on top.Only his boots were still the leather shoes he liked wearing in the present.As one would expect, this manner of dress facilitated movement best. Alongsword hung at his waist.Swords in ancient Gaul were mostly one-handed with short hilts. However,Doni"s sword had a long hilt and looked like it could be wielded either withone hand or two. This was probably an item he had brought along from thepresent.Noticing G.o.dou approaching, Doni smiled cheerfully."Ah, it"s you, G.o.dou. I feel like it"s been a while.""Of course, you"ve been here three months already, right?"Sighing, G.o.dou answered.Moreover, although the giant bears were all eliminated, dozens of normalbears still remained.However, these bears suddenly stopped fighting the Franks and quieteddown. They looked like they had lost interest and hostility towards humans,as though demonic possession had been dispelled.Walking away independently, the bears casually dispersed.It was as though they were moving back to the forest having finished theirtask. Seeing the enemies retreat, the surviving Frankish warriors cheeredvictoriously.OHHHHHHHHHHH! OHHHHHHHHHHH! OHHHHHHHHHHH!Under the night sky, the plain resounded with the warrior"s manly voices."I"ve heard quite a lot about you. Becoming the chieftain of the Franks andchallenging that Uldin of the Huns to a future fight and all that.""Oh, so you"ve also met this era"s G.o.dslayer.""Not only that, I"ve even met someone from our era..."Madame Aisha was not near Doni and G.o.dou. Instead, she was shuttlingaround between the wounded Franks who were lying on the ground. Inorder to heal them, she was rushing about all over the place.Apart from imminent death, all injuries could be healed rapidly no matterhow severe. This was the effect of the Madame"s authority.Watching this scene, Doni went "I see" and smiled. He was quite sharp inthese matters."As expected of my dear friend, my G.o.dou. When did you find MadameAisha? She really is quite strong, right?""Totally not strong in the sense you"re talking about. Also, stop addingthose descriptions on top of my name."Things would go out of hand if Doni"s appet.i.te for battle were to be fired up.Hence, G.o.dou refuted him firmly.Nevertheless, G.o.dou did not consider the Madame "weak." MadameAisha"s scariness was probably on a completely different dimensioncompared to fighting with swords.Did Doni realize what G.o.dou was thinking? In a rare display, he wasstaring at this woman with eyes filled with curiosity.But he suddenly laughed and turned towards G.o.dou."Right, G.o.dou, although there"s much I want to talk about, could you firstaccompany me to do some trivial ch.o.r.es?"Then Doni shifted his gaze towards the hill, the place where G.o.dou wasjust now.G.o.dou looked in that direction and was met with surprise. Without himnoticing, new opponents had gathered on the hill. Like the ones Donima.s.sacred earlier, there was an army of giant bears as big as houses.This time, there were thirty or so of them.These animals were arranged in a row on the hill, moving this way — Moreaccurately, they were viciously gazing down at Salvatore Doni.However, standing behind the ma.s.sive bears was an even bigger monster.Roughly thirty meters in full length, resembling an owl — But with thick f