Campione! Vol 1 Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Calm Before the Storm

In the high school section of Jounan Academy, the boys and girls had gym

Students from the same grade were mixed together but segregated by

Today, the boys' lesson was baseball.

the boys, they used the same field. Hence, it was a rare occasion when

together in the same location.

The ball failed to reach the catcher's glove, but instead flew between the

As the outfielder returned the ball, the batter had already reached third

Lessons within the school were only for beginners. In terms of level, they

was nothing to be proud of.

out all the batters of the opposing team.

was totally amazing despite being a girl without a doubt.

"Godou! I want to pitch an even faster ball, you have to catch it! If it's

"Don't be stupid! We're not even on the same team!"

the pitcher's mound. Godou, whose own match had already ended, sat

Starting a short while ago, Erica's fast balls began to slip from the catcher's

It was to be expected. To demand a beginner catcher to receive that kind

"The girls have one person extra, so may I join the boys? Of course, I won't

The situation was created by Erica's proposal not long after class started.

school.

even the gym teacher, she was placed into the A team of the 5th Class.

When Erica pitched. Strikes were usually called. At best, the batter might

When Erica pitched. The catcher would get hurt because the balls were too

When Erica batted. Singles. Doubles. Triples. Home runs.

long after that, even the girls, who were having a softball match, stopped to

Every time the blonde young lady gave a super performance, all the girls

"That fellow is truly doing as she pleases... She should really hold back a

Rather than surprised, it would be better to say Godou was impressed.

performance was completely unsurprising. Even if her baseball experience

professionals.

Yuri had left the girls' team and came over to greet Godou.

shared lessons with Erica.

must be stopped. To be performing at this level against boys is completely

"I don't think so. Since this is a competition, she is achieving victory entirely

Godou responded with a simple answer to Yuri who was questioning with a

"She is a knight after all, but please don't cheat so much during times of

Usually, Erica would use magic to enhance her abilities when messing

gym class. Personally, Godou would prefer it if she did the opposite.

"Erica's athletic abilities are extraordinary, and would cause one to suspect

imagination."

and catcher of the baseball team.

abilities were. If she actually played baseball, she would be the type to be

"Though it feels like she's going too far, but it should still be within

"I see... Kusanagi-san, you trust Erica-san very much."

"When I saw that kind of performance, the first thing I thought was she

someone due to prior bias."

this level of doing as she pleases."

well as her own catcher, Erica stood on the pitcher's mound with a smile as

heart.

straightforward, so don't worry, it'll be ok."

Yuri relaxed her expression and smiled as she murmured.

"Envious? Mariya?"

"Ah, I see."

Unlike her usual miko outfit, Yuri was currently wearing her sports uniform.

...Furthermore, her excellent figure was also visible.

characteristically feminine curves. Feeling embarrassed, Godou frantically

"Yes. My physical stamina is less than a normal person's. From birth, I

Yuri's countenance seemed a little wistful as she shyly watched Godou

"Actually, that time when I fled from Athena, I felt muscle pain afterwards."

incident.

"I am very sorry about all those different troubles. But last time that

Maybe a distance of two kilometers or so?"

surroundings near Shiba Park.

"To me, that is quite a long distance! Kusanagi-san may be someone who

have physical stamina!"

Of course, Godou did not dare reveal his inner thought. At that time,

"Uh, I'm truly sorry, if something like that ever happens again, please call

Using Verethragna's authorities would allow one to literally "fly" to help

Hence, it shouldn't be a false promise, probably... Godou wondered as he

"Kusanagi-san, did you not warn that the power is a little uncertain and that

keep that in mind carefully."

Part 2

Sitting at the driver's seat and gripping the steering wheel was Amakasu,

Unable to discern his true intentions, Yuri who was sitting on the

"What I want to ask is how is the great Devil King and Yuri-san's personal

deadly crisis together. Does he have some kind of heart racing feeling

developments?"

And didn't state clearly.

She had just been working at the Nanao Shrine and stopped when

"We need to constantly review and adapt our relationship with him from

"Will the personal relationship between Kusanagi-san and I influence the

"Of course, greatly."

Shibuya.

the direction of dawn. This was due to the fact that repairs were still

Athena half a month ago.

Before, he was just a senseless person who was not even [King] but now

have been impossible to even imagine him becoming a monster of some

"Why are you talking like that... Don't use words like 'monster.' He is still a

Without any pretense, Yuri tried to defend Godou.

impossible to deny. Amakasu simply forced a smile and nodded.

we maintain intimacy with him all along there will be room for establishing

such a troublesome plan."

was understandable.

Campiones, and so the magic associations there were experienced with

However, it was still the first time for the Committee to come into contact

"Thus, in case of emergencies, it is necessary to establish a close friendly

that first discovered the importance of Kusanagi Godou."

"Yes. To send as a lover one of their candidates for core leadership, and to

shrewd and excellent strategy."

Finally understanding Amakasu's words, Yuri's eyebrows shot up in anger.

"After all, he is a young man despite being the great Devil King possessing

solution. A classic strategy, wasn't there the story of Samson who was

"Please do not mix the Bible into this discussion!"

The thought of some unknown beauty using her charms on Godou for such

"Kusanagi-san is currently at his limits resisting the seduction of Erica-san!

unacceptable. Imprudent, unhealthy! What kind of woman do you actually

"Aya, we're finally back to the original topic, as for our female candidate..."

Yuri felt her body shake, and felt the coming of some unpleasant words, an

"I think that if Yuri would take on this role, you would be a perfect

Yuri-san is on the same level and certainly not inferior, isn't that great—"

compete with Erica-san!"

and outgoing personality were like the bright Mediterranean sun.

Just the thought of it made Yuri feel like her hair was becoming white.

"No no, it's possible. Though the opponent is strong, but on the other hand,

"...Amakasu-san, please stop with these stupid jokes. Enough."

for some reason.

"Oui, mademoiselle. My apologies, anyway, the plan just discussed was

With an exaggerated motion, Amakasu shrugged his shoulder then

The two of them sat in the domestic car which exited the Shudo

Meguro.

Located in a quiet corner of Aobadai was a certain building.

All unrelated persons were prohibited. Even the residents from the

was.

As a library, its structure was exceedingly simple.

However, there were very few people. The occasional person either

In addition, there were the books being collected.

were either grimoires or books about incantations.

distilled essence of danger and wisdom, forbidden books about magic.

books from the world.

to come here."

please wait for a moment? There are still some issues."

—There was a spacious reading room on the second floor of the library.

Though there was not a single other person, it looked very much like a

strange presence which Yuri's spirit sense picked up.

These books were born from the circulating records of the profound

These grimoires accumulated ancient and profound magic. It was said that

The books collected here felt like masterpieces.

numerous books by hand, and there have even been confirmed reports of

properties.

The titles of these books varied, but most were written in western script.

The activities of the History Compilation Committee only began after the

Committee members played a large role in restricting the spread of

in this library were surely the result of decades of their efforts to collect

"Sorry to have you waiting, but what we wanted you to look at was this.

definitely cause something bad to occur, and no one can predict what may

Amakasu returned, and in his hands was a leather-bound foreign text that

"...Something bad may occur?"

talking to angels that no one else can see, then making sounds like 'ah

"A common person cannot appraise such a dangerous book!"

with an unyielding tone.

powerful grimoire without a doubt! I see no point in further appraisal..."

need to be enchanted with such strong spells of protection? It feels similar

then it should be safe to appraise the book without reading the contents.

Making a harmless expression, Amakasu spoke as he smiled, and placed

[ Homo homini lupus ][1].

From the paper quality and damage to the bindings, it appeared to be an

"If this is authentic, it should be a grimoire privately published in Romania

Ephesian secret cult worshipping the [Dark Virgin Mother of God, Queen of

books would be 'turned into inhuman servants covered with fur.' Inhuman

Amakasu's casual example revealed the depth of his knowledge.

"In terms of changes, what is well known is that people's bodies will

cursed book would be a better description—"

werewolves' curse. Due to this, if it's the real thing it is an extremely rare

"Please don't talk about that in such a happy manner!"

ancient book once again.

Her spirit vision was not a power that could be used at will freely.

and making use of eyes and instinct. This would allow one to see

sometimes found important clues, but they might not be what one was

divination.

There was some truth to Amakasu's words.

and many of the animals respected her—in particular the stronger

powerful points of the ritual. The only ones able to read the book were

common magi.

experience and capability, then one would not be harmed by the hidden

Yuri vaguely felt the properties of the book and muttered.

a test for resisting the curse rather than an intention to transform the

"Ah yes, so to sum up, this is the real thing. As expected of Yuri-san, you

"This is all I know for now. I can't guarantee for the rest, so don't count too

Amakasu agreed with Yuri's deductions. —And then

The library.

enveloped in darkness. She felt like she was standing in the dark

"Is this a hallucination? Due to the grimoire?"

This was a rare occurrence but it does happen occasionally when contact

no feeling of panic at the time—

There was something in the depths of the darkness. Focusing her gaze, it

gradually increasing in body mass. In addition, it changed its posture. This

made such an identification.

a werewolf's posture.

As Yuri puzzled, the werewolf slowly walked in the darkness—from the

serpents could be seen. The werewolf stepped upon and slaughtered them

And then the werewolf reached out with its arms towards the bright sun in

Caught it. The werewolf caught the glowing sphere with its bare hands.

the form of an elderly human. It was the person who Yuri met before.

The ancient Campione ruling over eastern and southern Europe. The

hideously.

As the most intense terror attacked Yuri and she wailed, consciousness

Part 4

residence.

'This voice, is it Godou? It's been a while, how are you, my friend?'

Godou didn't want to hear coming from the receiver.

the receiver and hung up the phone.

Godou who usually did not pray for the misfortune of others, felt like this

Just to be safe, he unplugged the telephone wire from the base of the

this cause.

Godou glanced at the display, the caller's name was "Unknown."

was a huge risk. Perhaps one day he might open the door to his home to

up the phone.' That would be the worst scenario.

'Suddenly hanging up the phone, that's too cruel!'

numbers?"

If this was a face to face conversation, then he'd probably be doing things

Blonde hair, blue eyes, tall and handsome. A bright expression on his

gentleman, but in reality, the strongest warrior possessing a body of

Godou recalled the image of the one who called himself his 'good friend.'

remember ever telling you my phone numbers."

or mailing addresses. Thanks to you, I had to order my subordinates to

describe our relationship. Didn't I say already, that we are great friends?'

word 'friend' one thousand times before you call again."

The twenty-four-year-old Italian, as well as the Sixth Campione.

had defeated four gods. In terms of age and experience, he would count

However, Godou had no intention of using honorifics with this guy.

elders with the appropriate attitude and word choice.

his heart, a certain subtle feeling of opposition prevented it.

shameful for a Japanese.'

'Of course it does. I remember that "write letters to enemies, and predict

Japanese literature I read before."

Godou felt that there must be some mistake in Doni's words. In reality,

was really true, could this guy actually be correct?

fight to the death. —At that time, how many times did our fists pummel

"What blade clashing? I only got stabbed by you... No, I just got sliced by

To Doni's enthusiastic words, Godou simply responded coldly.

romantic, better stay away from him.

me with fierce burning battle spirit—I responded with all my strength.'

magnanimity of an adult."

a worthy rival for eternity. —As fated opponents to battle to the death

"Didn't feel a thing! Not even for an instant!"

Salvatore. How about it, you can even call me by my pet name [Toto].'

argue against, Godou still forced himself to respond in the negative.

'Hoho, you're still such a shy boy. You know you want me, but still treating

"You have seriously misunderstood Japanese culture! If that's all you're

Godou totally felt that he had already wasted too many words with this

'Please wait, my friend. Today I just wanted to give you a warning. Do you

"Just in name only. Isn't it the strange old Devil King who lives near you?"

look at the map, I guess you could say it's close by. That old gramps really

seems like he's no longer there.'

Godou casually imagined the great elder Devil King and how he would

'Oh, that's called classical style. I don't think that kind of life is bad actually,

than gluttony, and doesn't care much about things like land or architecture.'

...Come to think of it, whether Kusanagi Godou or Salvatore Doni, both

idiosyncrasies that were rather unbecoming for a [Devil King], so perhaps it

'Before he became king he lived as a vagabond, and led a tough life

when he defeated either the monstrous wolf Fenrir or Garm.'

'You are correct. In some places he is also known as Garmr.'

Godou gathered his thoughts as he listened and answered briefly, but if he

would force unnecessary knowledge into him.

Templar Knight. Completely opposite to Erica's genius talent in both magic

but his talent in magic was zero. To a Templar Knight who required skill in

'Well, this probability is higher. Though the god he defeated first is

summon several hundred wolves to do his bidding with the power of the

wolf god.'

'Subsequent authorities included transforming people into salt with a stare,

he killed into something like zombies or ghosts to be used as obedient

Truly Campiones are the worst. Godou sighed.

unreasonable special abilities.

'Aya, sorry, I almost forgot. Since this old gramps should now be in Tokyo,

out of his territory...'

Godou yelled loudly, and really felt like scratching his head.

'Hohoho, I can tell you, but there's a condition—if you beg for assistance

then I will immediately...'

After refusing, Godou tried some other questions.

Irish and Norse gods before, right? How many are there in total?"

"No, for each god you've defeated, it means one less for me to fight."

fight the better. Godou spoke as he worried about his own situation.

defeat all the other gods, battle will come when it comes. This kind of

"Why? If you guys kill them all, then they can't fight any more, right?"

exists, and myths perpetuate, killed gods can resurrect. Never forget that.'

Dark battle spirit and joyful feelings were quietly stored in his heart.

with a warrior spirit, living for the sword and dying for battle.

nature are myths. Even if their bodies are destroyed, as long as myths

times. Furthermore, it is impossible to make myths disappear unless all of

"As long as myths exist, no matter how many times they will..."

Verethragna again. That god is rather famous in western Asia, and it won't

This was all there was to the conversation with Salvatore.

won't turn into a battle against the oldest Campione...

Yuri woke up to find herself at Nanao Shrine.

room of the shamusho.[2]

Adjusting her kimono and hair, Yuri walked out of the room.

fridge. Wanting to get a drink, Yuri walked towards the kitchen.

body feeling ok?"

He was in the middle of browsing through dozens of documents laid out on

"Did anything strange happen—what happened to me afterwards?"

suddenly lost consciousness, so I hastily brought you back to the shrine.

Bowing his head, Amakasu seemed to continue with great interest.

something?"

consciousness. Nothing strange happened."

Why would a hallucination of Sasha Dejanstahl occur? This was

years ago. Could it really be due to contact with the grimoire from eastern

there another reason?

Yuri decided to change the subject, and glanced towards the documents

"What are these? ...Resumes?"

such a place. It would be unthinkable for a representative of the History

Having thus decided, Yuri took a look at the pile of documents.

...It looked like all the photos were of teenaged girls, and every one of

adult feel, while others were cute and innocent. There were also some girls

a great variety of them.

to be the lover of Kusanagi Godou. Truly the elite of this nation, they are all

Amakasu talked with quite a joyful appearance.

profiles.

would take a combination of elegance, adolescent adorability, and the

possibility that he prefers other types. This is quite a difficult decision."

motion!"

slightly in response to Yuri's scolding.

suggestion?"

opportunity is created for practical negotiations, he should be able to

"Haha, that's not going to work. He is a teenaged boy after all."

provoke Yuri's anger.

"No matter how honest he claims to be, he cannot refuse if he is begged

that age, dreams or aspirations to higher morals can never compare to the

"Precisely, that is why you cannot ignore the wishes of a girl and force her

What Yuri feared was the History Compilation Committee using its

wizardry family.

Amakasu calmly replied.

selected. They will be carefully chosen from volunteers. Relax."

"After all, the title of the Campione is very effective. Whether personally or

lover of the first Devil King of Japan. Lack of volunteers is simply not a

Amakasu smiled in an extremely satisfied manner.

appearing one after another—

Godou and passionately approached him completely unabashed.

At most it made her feel awkward at times. Though Erica could be very

that relaxed and candid personality.

the sake of Godou.

about the other girls planning on approaching Godou in order to make use

"Still, still not allowed! If he gets close to girls with those kinds of intentions,

have an opportunity to start a new life, what is going to happen!"

"However, there will be a ton of people trying to use him for his powers

keep watch over this young man by his side."

has a good opinion of me."

Though Yuri was a complete stranger to the subtleties of the male heart,

been distancing herself from others in an obvious manner, it was natural to

Shyly, Yuri bowed her head.

persimmon.

"Dislike!? Not at all. Though Kusanagi-san and Erica's actions are

character. He is not arrogant despite possessing that level of power, and

"Hoho, it really is like that. Then please maintain current relations for now.

cute."

Amakasu suddenly took out his cellphone and snapped a picture of Yuri

Yuri could not understand the intentions behind his actions.

at the next meeting. Anyway, the power of Yuri-san's photo will surely blow

"Uh? What do you mean?"

Kusanagi Godou? In that case you must develop good relations with him,

"That's why I said, I am not..."

you our full support, and so, please win over Kusanagi Godou with full

The declaration shocked Yuri like a clap of thunder.

Kusanagi-san!"

to flavor the dish, let's just leave it at that."

"Let's put it this way. We wish to massively increase Yuri-san's influence

Blandelli, or when he is falling into darkness drunk on the power of his

"I can guide that person towards the right path?"

better relationship with him than Erica Blandelli. Do your best. It's a

Amakasu's tone of voice was akin to the serpent who tricked Eve into

oblivious.

leaving him with a bad impression. It's probably fruitless to try to improve

To become even more intimate with him than that Erica, it was completely

Amakasu answered the insecure Yuri with a naughty smile.

the current relationship is distant. Up to now, it only counts as the tsun

boys will definitely fall for you without fail!"

"First why don't you try making a lunchbox personally? Then say 'This is

to go to waste, so here you go' when you hand it over to him. Isn't that the

"Ah!?"

provide some from my personal collection. I'll send them over in a short

"Ah, umm, Amakasu-san? Please don't continue the conversation so

In reality, this event would end up having a great influence in Godou and

Of course, Yuri at that time had no idea at all.

It was a beautiful Japanese garden of a hotel.

grandfather was Croatian, the spacious garden in a former nobleman's

There was plenty of natural scenery in the grounds which covered tens of

Lush green trees were neatly trimmed, while water flowed into pools

in the depths of the waterfall.

companion.

immediately arrived there. As if shaken by the compact style of the garden,

Voban's bedroom was located in a separate building within the hotel's

A tiny traditional Japanese house.

appearance.

quickly get accustomed to. There were also a few Japanese style rooms

"So Kranjcar, is there any news of the miko?"

Voban spoke with perfect Japanese as he downed the cup of sake by

tempura and sashimi.

language.

language learning ability. As a result, it was not surprising that Voban had

Japanese.

Learning an unknown language in such a short time would not have been

would probably fail to match such a feat.

Liliana bowed her head in penance.

Possessing exceptional spirit vision, she was a special religious leader

In reality, this level of information was extremely easy for her organization

Even so, Liliana did not report with honesty.

Amongst all the miko there, Yuri had been the most silent and the one with

and most delicate.

Everyone there had been very frightened, but she was the first to enter.

herself.

if a little bird jumped into a cage? If you tie a rope to it, no matter where it

Voban gloated as he moved his fingers over the cup.

"About what I just said, I wonder who was it that hallucinated the image of

prophetic ability as spirit vision—it's not some kind of powerful wizardry

Of course, whether the person who hallucinated was Yuri or not, Liliana

However, it was said that Campiones possessed extraordinary instincts.

in danger, and have an animal-like instinct to detect the presence of

they could see through spirit vision.

"I don't know if that fellow is the miko we need to find. However, I am

Voban smiled and finished the alcohol as if drinking water.

He ate and drank everything and anything, consuming not for taste but

"You don't seem to be very good at finding things. Then how about we find

witch—Maria Teresa, come here."

In response, a dead woman with deeply sunken eyes appeared out of

"This deceased was once a witch, and shouldn't find it too hard to find the

those skills you possessed when alive!"

disappeared once again.

and deeply sighed.

1. ↑ Homo homini lupus est is a Latin phrase meaning "man is a wolf

2. ↑ Shamusho: The building used as the administrative office of a

3. ↑ L-size: Also known as 3R, or 9 x 13 cm.
 

Chapter end