Shiniki no Campiones Volume 1 Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – The Gate of the World of Myth

.

1

「Do your excellency know about the folk tale of Emperor Jinmu’s eastern expedition?」

Toba Riona said as soon as she sat opposite of the governor of Hyogo Prefectural.

「When the legendary founding Emperor of Japan, Emperor Jinmu went in an expedition to the eastern country……he was guided by a bird called 《Yatagarasu》 that was sent by heaven. It’s the episode when the emperor passed through the enemy territory. And then Yatagarasu is also a sacred bird that is deeply related with the most renowned onmyouji in Japan’s history, Abe no Seimei──it’s a holy bird.」

Her way of talking was ladylike. Her face and figure were also appropriate for that.

Yes. Toba Riona who was smiling in front of the prefectural governor of Hyogo was an owner of outstanding good look and refinement. Her hair with its gentle waviness was also beautiful. It was long and overflowing with grace. The blazer she was wearing was also the uniform of a girl’s school that was considered to be the most or second most prestigious even in Kansai.

However, the governor looked baffled.

Surely he had heard about Riona’s occupation, which was semi government official.

「Miss……Councilor Toba. That’s an interesting story. But right now let me confirm regarding the matter of disaster relief operation request from Hyogo Prefecture.」

「No, that’s no good.」

Riona easily refused the request and chuckled.

「Are you intending to silence this me and grasp the initiative of this conversation? Even though you are his excellency the prefectural governor, that’s impolite.」

A seventeen years old little girl was saying that to an adult in the first half of his fifty. However, the governor was only scowling. He was completely unable to take effective countermeasure against the great disaster that was currently happening within Kobe. That situation forced him to be patient.

They were in the governor room of the prefectural office. She was facing the owner of the room with a stately wooden table between them.

Riona sat down on the leather sofa while entering the main topic.

「Please don’t worry. I’ve heard the news. ──At the early dawn of the day before yesterday, a space distortion appeared at Port Island, an artificial island within Kobe City at Hyogo Prefecture. The diameter is approximately 100 meter. There is still no sign of the space distortion vanishing……. Your excellency, you made a misjudgment by overlooking our organization and requested for disaster relief operation from the ministry of defense.」

「What do you mean?」

「Most likely your excellency ordering a drone to scout out the inside of the space distortion was the cause for the appearance of the flying type creature at Port Island. I believe that those harpuia were chasing after the drone that was returning from “that side” and arrived in Kobe.」

「Ha, harpu──what? Besides “that side” you said?」

「It’s the reading in Greek language for harpy, a bird monster. With your excellency’s age, have you ever encountered an RPG before? I often used them as material in demon combination. Also, what I mean by that side is」

Riona frankly spoke as a “councilor”.

「Spreading out at the other side of the space distortion──the so called another world.」

「Another wo──!?」

「That thing that is well known in manga, anime, and light novel. The half-human half-bird creature harpuia came out, so “that side” this time must be the world of mythology that is based on Greek mythology as expected.」

「…………」

「My? When I looked up in the internet using your excellency’s name, the article of an interview with the title 『Approval For the Bill Regulating Manga Presentation』 came out. For mythological monster to appear right at the territory of such person and then acted with extreme violence……. Fate too is really sarcastic isn’t it.」

「You! There is a limit even if you’re fooling around!」

It must be because Riona was browsing internet using her smartphone. The governor finally yelled angrily.

However Riona didn’t pay any attention. Her slender fingers continued dancing across the touch panel──.

「I’m not fooling around. At the site of the incident those harpuia are continuing their 『human hunting』 even now. Your excellency’s resolve and devotion will be necessary in order to deal with them. ……Ah, I’m glad. Your excellency the governor’s──favorite motto is 『all-out effort』 isn’t it. 『No matter what kind of difficulty it is I will never lose heart, I won’t run away, I will clash with the problem head-on and cut open the path without fail. All-out effort, that is my belief』, it said here.」

Riona smiled at the sentencelip-service that would set the teeth of anyone on edge.

It was the governor’s declaration of belief that was posted in Hyogo Prefecture’s official site.

「Splendid. It will be fine if it’s like this. Your excellency, you are designated as the 『master』 of this me──the councilor of 《Institute of Divinities》 Toba Riona. Let’s set out to the frontline together. A leader who will liberate all my power is necessary.」

「Wa, wait a second. I made contact with you all due to the advice from JSDF you know?」

Several hours ago. Responding to the request of the prefectural governor, a unit was dispatched from the maritime self-defense force’s Hanshin base. It seemed someone said it during that time. ‘If we are facing a 《foreign space disaster》, then there is a limit at what we can do. Request for the specialist to be dispatched’, that someone said──.

「They told me to ask you Institute of Divinities to send in the equipment called shikigami or shikiouji that you have. Though I completely don’t understand what is that about.」

「In onmyodo they are called shikigami and shikiouji. In Shugendo they are called gohoudouji. If it’s in Harry Potter than they are called magical creature. In short──it refers to handy familiar. Demon exorcism, house cleaning, civil engineering and construction, they can be used for various things. And now, you’re really fortunate your excellency the governor. Your request for disaster relief operation is accepted without trouble.」

Riona smiled with a faked cheerfulness.

「The one sent here is one that surpassed every kind of familiar──the queen of all shikigami.」

「Fo, fortunate? Besides what do you mean by queen……?」

「I’m referring to me, this Toba Riona. Although I have this appearance, I am an existence that was sent to this world by god. So to speak I’m similar to angel. If I attain enlightenment than perhaps even becoming like Jesus Christ won’t be a farfetched dream.」

「That’s absurd……」

「That’s a foolish reply there. Have you forgotten my story just now? Yatagarasu who guided Emperor Jinmu. Actually I am the reincarnation of that Yatagarasu, this Toba Riona……. Please remember that from now on.」

「No, but. Yo, you are……not a bird right?」

「Fufufufu. Your excellency didn’t study the classic enough. Yatagarasu is the representation of sun, in other words it is the spirit of sun, the god Kamo Taketsunumi. That is written in the ancient document Engi-Shiki you know?」

「Ka, Kamo Taketsu……?」

「He was a god──who incarnated to be Yatagarasu in order to protect Emperor Jinmu by the order of the sun goddess Amaterasu. He was also the ancestor of Kamo family name that produced Kamono Tadayuki, the master of Abe no Seimei. It seems that I was somehow this god in my previous life. But, I’m not allowed to freely wield that excessively powerful strength……」

Riona whispered with diabolically bewitching voice.

「That’s why a 『master』 is necessary. A master who will give the order 『Make use of all your spiritual power, in order to send me to the destination』 just like when Yatagarasu guided Emperor Jinmu. Now. Quickly give me the order. Say 『Carry out mine order with most haste, in accordance with the ancient legal codes』. I will carry out that order by putting my body and life on the line.」

Kyu-Kyu Nyo Ritsu RyoWith most haste, in accordance with the law. It was one of the incantations that was especially powerful in onmyoudo.

After speaking about the meaning of that incantation, Riona informed the governor coolly.

「But in the end Yatagarasu is just a guide. It will mow down the enemy standing in the way and cut open a path……only when guiding its master. I will have you come along too with me. Your excellency the governor, please accompany me until the frontline, putting that body and life on the line.」

Toba Riona was the incarnation of the sacred bird Yatagarasu, she was the most prominent onmyouji in Japan. (TN: Onmyoudo translated to English is Tao, I think. While onmyouji is Taoist, I think. Haha, anyway I’ll keep using onmyouji and onmyoudo from now on.)

Even without using any spell, her eyes and words possessed the mystique to beguile ordinary person. The governor had lost his senses without him noticing it and he muttered in a daze.

「I……command you. Carry out my command with urgentness……」

「As you wish, master. I will guide you to the hunting ground where blood and smoke dances rampant.」

At this moment, Riona’s both eyes shined blue.

The eyeball’s white part and pupil part were all shining deep blue. That was the proof──that the seal binding the golden sacred bird was loosened.

If it was her right now, then she would be able to compete with Abe no Seimei equally.

Yes. Now she was the equal of that great figure who rivaled the reigning champion of Japan’s figure skating, the great onmyouji who was unmistakably the most famous in the world, that renowned 『legendary great onmyouji』. (TN: Is that figure skater champion really that legendary in Japan equaling Abe no Seimei? Never heard of him until I researched him in internet just now)

Riona chuckled after she finally obtained freedom.

.

And then two hours later.

After borrowing an anti-tank helicopter from the JSDF, Riona and the governor finally “arrived on the location”.

「Your excellency. That vortex that looks like M78 nebula, that is the space distortion.」

Countless lights converged and formed a 『vortex』.

It had a diameter around 100 meter. The shape was similar with a nebula. But, the place the vortex sprang forth wasn’t at space. It was at the north public park, located at the northern edge of Kobe’s Port Island.

It was a place of relaxation that was equipped with lawn and promenade. It was facing Osaka Bay──.

「Co, Councilor Toba」

「What is it your excellency? I will accept two of your questions.」

「Stop joking at this kind of time. Ho, how is this helicopter moving!?」

There were two seats for crew. The seats were lined up vertically.

Riona sat on the pilot seat at the front, while the governor sat at the back seat. However, Riona wasn’t holding the control stick. In exchange, there was a “talisman” pasted on the control stick.

The talisman had a sketch that looked like pattern along with the kanji of 『demon』 and 『moon』 drawn on it.

「As you can see, this is the miracle of the charm I stuck here. The art of onmyoudo to control shinigami can also be used in this way. Well, based on my limited information……there is no onmyouji other than this me who can do this in Japan.」

The control stick that had a charm put on it was swaying slowly by itself.

Riona wasn’t controlling it. It was autopilot. The anti-tank helicopter (plus charm) was deciding the direction it was transporting its two passengers automatically.

「I, I understand. I don’t want to understand but, I understand.」

「My. You’re repeating yourself too much, your excellency.」

「Rather than that Councilor Toba-. You should know already too right!? The JSDF’s equipment──is completely effective against those creatures!」

*KIiiiAAAAAaaaaaaa-!*

A shrieking voice that tore the ear could be heard. It was shrill. It sounded like a woman’s scream, but it was also similar with the cry of a monstrous bird. Huge bird shaped organisms were approaching from a few hundred meters ahead. Their number was nine. They were screaming without pause while flapping their wings.

Riona muttered「Harpuia」.

Those nine birds were──half human half bird.

Their face and upper body looked like human woman. From their shoulders there was no arm, but bird wing in exchange. Their lower body had strange shape like bird itself. Their feathers were jet black like crow.

「Toba-kun. Before you arrived, I saw they got showered──by JSDF’s bombardment. But, not even a single one could be shot down──!」

「So it come to this.」

The instant Riona muttered, shells flew at the nine harpuia.

*GUAANN! GUAANN! GUAANN! GUAANN!*

It must be the JSDF’s ground force. They lined up things like lightly armored cars armed with self-propelling howitzer and multiple mortars in addition for the bombardment preparation.

The bombardment repeatedly──landed on the nine harpuia. And yet.

Right after the impact, all the shells would vanish with *Hyuh!* sound like magic trick. The whole body of the bird monsters only faintly shined ominously. They were completely unharmed!

「It’s useless using that. If you attack these things that are not of this world without first having the attack follow the required steps of sorcery, the attack will become “inexistent”.」

Riona began taking action in front of the shaking governor.

「Grow big, become heaven. Heaven doesn’t stop in place, virtue work for one’s own advantage──」

It was the spell of country’s defense and triumph. The anti-tank helicopter spouted fire *GAGAGAGAGAGA-!*. The large caliber autocannon installed on its nose was starting to fire rapidly.

「Oo!」 The governor looked with shining eyes.

It was because the swarm of harpuia was wounded under the rain of bullets. The 20mm bullets gouged and pulverized the flesh of the bird monsters. Fresh blood scattered everywhere. Rapid-fire. Rapid-fire. Pieces of meat and feathers, blood and bones were scattered in the air. The demons who couldn’t speak human language were screaming the scream of monstrous bird.

*KUEEEEE-! KUEEEEE-! KUEEEEE-!*

Seven harpuia were soaked in blood and changed into lump of meat. They were crashing to the ground noisily.

「So this is, your ability!?」

「I am the queen of《those who fly》. I can turn everything that travel in the sky to be my shikigami. That’s why I can simply just insert a《formula》 into the helicopter’s equipment. I cannot understand those people who can’t let go of the past and like to use magic sword of demon slaying, but machine gun of demon exorcism is not bad.」

「It’s just as you say!」

However──. The rapid-fire of the machine gun suddenly cut off.

On top of that, the remaining two harpuia that survived tackled the anti-tank helicopter with their body. They grabbed on the helicopter frame and struck *gan, gan!* with their wings.

The harpuia had large body. They were three times higher than human. Their large mouth──the mouth that had the same shape and construction like human was biting at the frame of the anti-tank helicopter!

*Gishi-, gishi-, gishi-!*

Using the terrific strength of their jaw and the toughness of their teeth, the helicopter was creaking. It was creaking.

Furthermore the anti-tank helicopter was rapidly dropping in altitude. It was falling. The two harpuia were amused by that and they began to flap their wings to speed up the fall.

They happily fell together toward the ground while making the helicopter accompanied them. They planned to crash the helicopter to the ground!

「Wh, why isn’t the helicopter moving, Toba-kun!?」

「The time’s up. The time limit of the order that I received from your excellency before this has arrived. If you require the continuation of my ability, then command me to continue fighting in the same way like before──」

「A, anyway just do it! I permit it!」

「By your will. I have received your command, master.」

*ZUGAAAAAAAAAAN-!*

The anti-tank helicopter finally crashed on the ground. However, Riona was chanting her spell just before it happened.

「O auspicious star, come all. Disperse the ominous star.」

It was the words of power to make a shikigami safeguarded them. Thanks to that, although the anti-tank helicopter crashed on the ground──on asphalt, they were only shaken by the impact.

Tragedy like the engine exploding or the gasoline caught fire didn’t occur.

Well, the governor at the backseat screamed「UWAAAAAAH!?」 though. Although he wore the seatbelt tightly and also wore a helmet. He got away with only injury to the degree of “a bit of traffic accident”. On the other hand, Riona was──kicking the door of the pilot seat during the impact.

The frame that was turned into shinigami received its master will and automatically blew away its door with *bon-!* sound.

Riona jumped outside. She didn’t wear seatbelt or anything so she could get out fast. In her case it was more dangerous to have her body restrained by such thing. And then, she threw her body to the ground while pulling the trigger of a handgun.

The handgun was hidden under her skirt inside a leg holster on her thigh.

「Now──fly. Kyu-Kyu Nyo Ritsu Ryo!」

Although she chanted her spell, she wasn’t aiming her gun or anything. There was no need of that.

The bullets were also Toba Riona’s servant, her shikigami. They flew automatically toward the prey. Even the recoil from shooting was absorbed.

She kept lying down on the ground while firing ten shots with one hand as though shooting with air gun.

The 9mm parabellum bullets that were turned into shikigami pierced the two surviving harpuia, five bullets for each of them. They displayed the miraculous effect of conquering devil and crushing evil.

The bird monsters that weren’t of this world instantly exploded.

Blood and pieces of flesh were scattered while they easily died.

「Sple, splendid Toba-kun-. No, now help me out from here──!」

「There is no time. I will perform reconnaissance while your excellency’s order is still valid.」

「What did you say!?」

「Normally, space distortion will start to shrink after 48 hours. But, the distortion point in Kobe here is still not showing such sign. A forced entry reconnaissance is urgently needed.」

Even when her 『Goshujin-sama』 was pleading at her from inside the crushed helicopter, Riona didn’t even glance back.

In exchange she chanted 「transform」 shortly and shapeshifted into a blue swallow. A 160 cm girl quickly changed into a bird with a wing span of 30 cm. The bird quickly flapped its wings and flew away swiftly, into the vortex of light that appeared in the northern edge of this Port Island.

She headed toward what the authorized people called space distortion──the entrance into another world.

.

2

After she transformed into a swallow and entered the vortex of light.

A dazzling light danced boisterously within Riona’s field of vision. Light. Light. Light. Light. Light. It was like entering inside kaleidoscope. But, she endured and continued to advance straight ahead──

Suddenly, she passed through the territory of chaotic light.

「Sea!」

An ocean was stretching out. There were also several small islands. However, she couldn’t find any large land at all direction. And above all else the sea was blue. It was marine blue that looked so excessively vivid. It was obviously not the scenery of Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture.

「Is that ship……?」

Several sailing ships were advancing on the ocean below Riona.

The frame of the ships had streamline shape, they were made from wood with length that reached ten meter. It looked like they were created using ancient technology, before mankind invented galley ship.

「If this world is based on Greek mythology, it can be concluded that the technology and culture are around the level of Mycenaean civilization……」

The sky at the opposite direction of the group of ship was heading to──was pitch black.

The sky was filled with thick rain cloud. Riona fully spread out her swallow wings and rode on the wind. She charged forward toward the direction where rain cloud was hanging over. She steadily advanced through the strong wind.

「There is a person in that kind of place!?」

Under the rain cloud, there was a conspicuous island that was made from rock. At its center there was a mountain rising up precipitously.

At the mountain summit──a man at the prime of his life was standing imposingly.

He was wearing white garment that looked like toga. He had curly hair and beard that grew abundantly.

And then what was most conspicuous was the divine aura. White radiance that was filled with solemnity was emitted from that body. It was giving off majesty──that made one wanted to prostrate.

「There is no way he is human! Don’t tell me that’s……!?」

The white light that the bearded man emitted. It suddenly swelled up and became a pillar of light, connecting the summit of the solitary island and the rain cloud.

The bearded man suddenly yelled sonorously with language that Riona didn’t know.

「 X X X X X X , X X X X X X X X X X ! X X X X X X , X X X X X X X ! 」

Even the voice was divine. It was filled with magnificent profoundness.

Riona immediately sharpened her soul. She “sympathized” the unknown language with her sense of language to learn the language in short time──she used the 《translation spell》.

「Indo-European language……Greece’s protolanguage? As I thought!」

Fortunately it was really similar with an ancient language that she knew. Thanks to that she became unable to understand the language at once. The bearded man was saying this.

「Know of mine…..Eos’s annoyance, o skyUranus. You child of Chronos who makes the thunder resound, the caller of cloud, the stormy one, is none other than me. Come oh north windBoreas, hasten here from the land of extreme north. South windNotos carrying the storm, swiftly run to participate. West windZephyrus and east windEurus too, don’t you dare to be late!」

Strong rain suddenly came down in big drops.

Snow also fell down in great intensity. The wind also increased further in strength. The body of Riona that was nothing more than a small swallow was easily blown away.

It was the beginning of a storm. There was no doubt that it was caused by the bearded man.

「The king of gods desire the caprice of the gales here for a momentary diversion from boredom!」

The bearded man──no. There was no doubt. Riona was convinced.

This man was nobody else but the highest existence in Greek mythology. The god of storm. The root of this god’s name was derived from the word 『dyeus』 in Proto-Indo-European language which meant the sky.

「The king of gods Zeus……!」

She couldn’t oppose the storm with the wings of a swallow. She was hurled toward the distance helplessly.

Even so Riona heightened her mystical force with everything she had in order to recover her freedom of movement. Even if it was impossible with the body of a small swallow, her trump card would──

『Surface dweller. Let me stop you there.』

A voice resounded through the sky like thunder. It was the voice of a girl, and yet it was a voice that was terribly awe-inspiring. The next moment, Riona’s consciousness easily blacked out…….

.

Drip. Drip. Feeling raindrops on her cheek, Riona woke up.

Her transformation into swallow was dispelled and she was lying face down on the concrete ground in human form. She immediately got up. In front of her was the sea. This place was the harbor.

「This is Kobe Harbor──」

An 『island』 was floating on the sea slightly ahead. It was the artificial island of Kobe City, Port Island.

There was also a vortex of light that looked like a nebula there. It was the space distortion that she entered just now. She checked the wristwatch on her left wrist. Not thirty minutes had passed since she broke into the other world.

「To think that I would encounter that god of all things……」

Riona shuddered the moment she muttered that. It was because she felt a mighty aura.

The palm tree that was planted on the seashore──an owl was perched on its treetop.

Although it was dark due to the rain cloud hanging over the sky, it wasn’t even three o’clock in the afternoon yet. The time was too early for a nocturnal bird of prey to be active.

Furthermore, this owl spoke human language.

「You were ill-mannered, surface dweller. Trespassing into our 《sanctuary》 like that without any permission.」

A girl’s voice. The voice was the same with the voice she heard just a moment before she lost consciousness at “the other side”.

A hunch welled up. There was no doubt that this owl and the god of storm just now──were the same kind. In other words──god.

Riona swallowed her saliva. But, she resolved herself and replied.

「Then if I can obtain permission……it would be fine for me to visit there?」

「It would be a pointless journey anyway. Let it go. After all it’s the fate of that sanctuary to meet destruction eventually……. There isn’t any need to plunge into the maelstrom by your own will.」

The owl spoke a sinister prediction with a girl’s voice.

「And then, that destruction……will reach until this surface of yours too. It will become the key that cause an unprecedented disaster. See, just like this.」

Struck on the cheek by a raindrop, Riona got taken aback and looked up.

The raining that was starting to come finally strengthened in intensity, showering the ground wetly.

Strong wind was also blowing. Thunder was also reverberating. Heavy rain, strong wind, and thunder suddenly danced rampantly.

The storm arrived.

The sea surface of Osaka Bay before her eyes was shaken by furious waves. It was a great storm.

Riona recalled even while getting soaked wet. The same time was occurring in the world of mythology!

「This storm, is it the same──with the storm caused by Zeus at the other side!?」

「You are sharp, girl of the surface.」

The owl generously confirmed it.

「Indeed. The spirits of wind and rain that the great god, the king of sky called……those spirits also arrived to this side crossing over time and space. But you can feel relieved. This is nothing more than a god’s playfulness, not anger. It won’t continue for long. ……Not yet right now.」

The owl that gave a sinister prediction stared fixedly at her.

Just with that Riona’s whole body became cold. No, not just cold, her body from her waist below was turning into stone!

Not just her body, but even the fabric of her clothes and her leather shoes!

「Wha, what are you doing……?」

「Oo? Pardon me, girl. It looks like your body is tormented without me noticing. The power of my eyes become stronger in this form, it can’t be helped.」

The petrification attacking Riona moved from her waist to above, the area affected was spreading further.

Right now she was turning into cold stone until right below her neck. At this rate she would only end up into a stone statue. When Riona was about to resolve herself,

「You two, wait a second.」

A third party suddenly cut in between the owl and Riona.

It was a youth who was still young, who appeared to be a university student. He covered Riona who almost turned into stone behind him and stared straight at the owl.

「I’m surprised seeing a talking owl. But no matter what is the situation, I cannot just overlook anyone doing terrible thing to a girl.」

The young man’s hair was dyed with bright color. He seemed to be good mannered, his speech and attitude were also friendly. In other words he was gaudy. However, he had handsome and well-ordered look that made such word unsuited for him. The way he talked also contained refinement.

The young man gently appealed at the owl that apparently was god.

「I am Rokuhara Ren. If you don’t mind, how about you have a bit of talk with me.」

「Why is that, young man of the surface?」

「Perhaps we can become friend by doing that.」

What a stupid suggestion……. The instant she felt that exasperation, Riona’s consciousness was fading.

Although she somehow endured it, the right shoulder of the young man looked hazy. As though something spiritual was haunting that spot. Perhaps it was a hallucination from her almost turning into stone statue.

And then, the owl stared for a while at the happy-go-lucky young man before──

「…………fuh」

The owl let out a snigger and flew away with the flaps of its wings.

It was flying up toward the stormy sky without even minding the heavy wind and rain at the slightest.

Right after that, Riona’s petrification was also dispelled. Her body and clothes that were becoming stone returned to normal. She was overlooked. And yet,

「Ooii! Keep me company for a bit more!」

The young man chased after the owl and ran until right beside the sea that was still stormy.

But, a large raging wave descended at that instant.

「UWAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?」

The young man was dragged and swallowed into the sea by the backwash of the wave. Riona definitely saw that happened.

.

3

A morning with clear weather──. The stormy night had passed.

A news was broadcasted from the street screen at Sannomiya in Kobe City.

「……The space disaster warning that was official announced within Kobe City still hadn’t been retracted──」

「The damage in Kansai region due to the localized heavy rain last night──has already reached 172 casualty in death……」

「The direction for evacuation is still continuing in the affected area……」

「Currently within Hyogo Prefecture──there are villages in isolated condition……」

Everywhere throughout the city was wet, objects that were blown away by the storm were also scattered everywhere.

Leaves, branches, paper, signboard, etc. Furthermore there were also roadside trees that were uprooted or cars that got overturned.

Riona walked in the city alone while frowning. She looked sour.

「I wonder what happened to the incomprehensible busybody yesterday……?」

Riona checked her smartphone and shrugged.

「There are two cases of male around the age of twenty died from drowning. One of them might be that meddler……」

Bluntly speaking, that young man was idiot and lacking in tension.

However, it was also the truth that she narrowly escaped death thanks to him. And above all else, danger shouldn’t reach him if he didn’t think of trying to save Riona──.

The awareness of that and the feeling of guilt made Riona to get into bad mood.

「Instruction to evacuate had been announced in that area, so there should not be any civilian there, and yet!」

Was that person a seriously reckless onlooker?

Riona grumbled while passing under a large shrine archway. There was a large shrine along with a forest in walking distance from the downtown Sannomiya.

.

「This is──everything that I witnessed at the other side, your excellency.」

「Ri, right. It’s great that you returned safely from there. Though my condition is just as you can see.」

「I heard that your excellency’s bone is fractured. That’s great. If it’s only an injury of that degree then your excellency can still force yourself. Let us do our best together with the resolve of working until we turn into dust♪」

「N, no. But the doctor recommended me to be hospitalized urgently-」

Riona was sitting in seiza posture inside a spacious Japanese-style room that was the shrine office.

In front of her was the flustered prefectural governor sitting cross-legged. His head and right arm were bandaged. Especially his arm was in a sling.

There were more than ten photos between them. The photos described the divine god of storm, the ancient ships, the flying away owl, etc. The data was prepared using spirit photography spell──it transcribed a frame of what the caster witnessed or their memory into photo film or the like.

By the way, at slight distance away from Riona and the governor,

Riona’s coworker, the members of the Institute of Divinities were talking. Some were Shinto priest or shrine maiden wearing white kimono and hakama, while some others were people wearing business suit or priest garb. Everyone were looking at the same photos.

「The god that was witnessed over there by the young head of Toba main family……」

「As expected, all his features matched with “Zeus”.」

「Is there no other space distortion that connected with Greek Mythology somewhere other than in Kobe……?」

The governor frowned from hearing the conversation of the coworkers.

「I think I heard the name Zeus mentioned there……」

「I think, that it’s unmistakably the same Zeus that your excellency is thinking. It’s that well-known person in Greek mythology and in the freebie sticker of that chocolate snack.」

「……Hou」

「And then, the space distortion within Kobe is still going strong. It’s being connected with the world where “the most famous god of storm in the world Zeus” is residing so──each time he run wild, it’s also possible that a large storm like yesterday will arrive.」

「…………」

「By the way Zeus’s big brother is the sea god who caused tsunami and earthquake Poseidon. They are brothers who are like the natural enemy of the disaster response team. Now that we have confirmed the little brother’s presence, we should also consider where his big brother might be……」

「Rather that’s over-thinking it. Don’t you think that consideration is a bit pessimistic?」

「I’m suggesting this as a councilor. I and your excellency the governor should infiltrate into the world of mythology once more and investigate inside. We have to search for a way to erase the space distortion.」

「I, I’m injured! Someone else should go at my place!」

「Then can you call someone at the class of a minister of defense? Someone with rank around disaster prevention section chief of a prefecture won’t be fit to be my goshujin-sama.」

「The, there is no way I can do something like that-!」

If it wasn’t a person who shouldered a “status” that was like a destiny or some kind of great duty, it would be impossible for them to become Yatagarasu’s master. That was the rule for──liberating Riona’s power.

When the argument entered a stalemate, there was an incoming call into Riona’s smartphone.

「……Yes. Eh? A new master has been secured? Association Campiones? Aah, that southern Europe’s veteran……a member of that association──a Japanese who returned from Europe!?」

That was a contact from the top brass of the Institution of Divinities.

.

4

In the morning of fine weather after the stormy night cleared out.

Rokuhara Ren stared at Osaka Bay from Kobe Harbor while feeling at a loss.

「This is troubling. The road is closed as usual, and the train also doesn’t operate. There is no way at all to cross to Port Island. I also don’t know what happened to the girl yesterday……」

Ren was also wandering aimlessly around this area yesterday. He caught sight of 『a girl who almost got turned into a stone by the power of an overly suspicious owl』 by chance and so he helped her, but in the end he fell into stormy sea.

Even so he swam until the land with his own strength and returned back to a cheap hotel at the outskirt of Kobe City in a wet state like drowned rat.

His vitality and tenacity that let him survived like this made him felt amazed for himself.

「If it’s like this, let’s just put my hope that Julio’s connection will come through.」

In that case, he would need to make his regular call.

Since he started his part-time job at the 『Southern Europe’s secret society!』 due to a strange fate, any smartphone type tool that he owned would meet the tragedy of getting submerged or destroyed. In that case it would be better to not have any from the start──with such thinking he stopped carrying any such tool on his body.

When it was necessary he would borrow it from someone.

However, there was nobody here except himself. It must be the effect of the evacuation order that was broadcasted in the vicinity of Port Island. That was why Ren talked to empty air.

「Stella. Stella. Can you lend me the smartphone Julio left to you?」

「Ren, stop calling me so familiarly like that.」

From the ground in front of him──a girl’s displeased voice echoed.

「The great disgrace from the embarrassing blunder that you committed in front of that owl woman──I saw it all. Good grief, there is a limit even in being an embarrassment. I don’t want to be called by such man.」

「Could it be that the owl yesterday was your acquaintance?」

「To speak in the words of the lowlife, it’s an undesirable but inseparable relationship that we have. Please don’t question it further. More importantly Ren, how about you jump into the sea there one more time if you want to waste your life? If you do that then I’ll be liberated from this vulgar affair where I have to babysit you……」

Like always, there was only the voice of the girl he was talking to. Ren immediately apologized.

「It looks like I made you worried. Sorry, Stella.」

「……I wonder how can you arrive at that conclusion from my words just now? Are you an idiot?」

「About that, you know. I felt your true feeling with my sixth sense, something like that. I hit the bull’s eye right?」

「Do, don’t decide that as you pleased-. Well, that’s, even though you are a lowly servant that is like an animal, we have quite the destiny that is connecting us together, I’m not that reluctant to feel concerned for you……」

「And, about what I said just now. Can you lend me the smartphone?」

「Do you think I will take care of such tool that is stained with worldly desire with great care?」

「Of course. There’s no way Stella will throw away something that I needed.」

「……Sheesh. What a really troublesome man!」

A waterproofed smartphone suddenly appeared near Ren’s foot.

No matter what she said, his partner was soft toward Rokuhara Ren. Ren picked up the smartphone with a grateful feeling and started up the communication app.

The face of his “boss” that was displayed on the LED screen was graceful as usual.

A black haired Latino handsome man who looked like a young noble. He was no one else than the commander-in-chief of the association Campiones.

「Yo Julio. How’s it going with the free pass request?」

「No problem. I had exerted my influence on the Imperial Household Agency and the Institution of Divinities with the intermediation of the old house of Japan who has connection with my family, and everything went well as the result.」

「Err, what did you say? The other one other than the Imperial Household Agency.」

「It’s the religious agency that secretly regulate the magic, divine matter, and religious ritual in Japan──but you won’t get it even if I told you that. Just think of it as the magician guild in Japan.」

「Roger. So there is also magician like Julio and others in Japan.」

「You should know that Japan is one of the “center” of occult. And then fortunately the ace of the Institute of Divinities is already working on solving the situation. This ace is the descendant from the family name of Kamo──the lineage of the master of the great onmyouji Abe no Seimei. Through the negotiation I also succeeded in securing the girl as your guide.」

「I have been thinking this from some time ago but, Julio is more knowledgeable about Japan’s culture than me aren’t you?」

「I guess. Most likely you don’t know but, the girl is the avatar of the sacred bird Yatagarasu, she is also its reincarnation. To make it easier to understand, she is a “phoenix”.」

「It looks like she is a really amazing person huh……. By the way I also have something to report.」

Ren suddenly changed the topic.

「I blundered a bit yesterday and Stella got angry. She won’t show herself to me.」

「Do something about it. Well, we’re talking about her who is soft on you. When the times come she might lend you a hand as though nothing happened……」

「I wish you’re right. Without Stella I’m just a useless person.」

Ren took out a notebook. It was his favorite item that had been submerged together with him many times during these several months.

The papers already became starchy since a long time ago. But thanks to the water-resistant ink, the memo written inside could be read. The sentence 『The gods who’ll answer to some degree and their tendency!』 was written in one of the pages. It was what he reported to Julio yesterday.

「Which remind me Julio. What kind of place the world this time is?」

「It’s the ancient Greece like described by the poet Homerus……the stage is his epic poem Illias and Odyssey. Ask the Japan’s onmyouji to guide you until the city of Troy that is the center of it.」

The call was over. The LED screen of the smartphone that turned dark was reflecting Ren’s face.

His face had slender line and often described by woman as 『Like a prince!』.

Because a friend of his who was a beautician apprentice used him to practice bleaching and hair care, his hair color was really bright.

And then, he was an agent of the magic society Campiones that was based in southern Europe.

That was the title of Rokuhara Ren, the Japanese who was in the middle of studying abroad in Spain.

.

Two hours later, Ren visited the meeting place.

A familiar girl was waiting for him on the ground of a large shrine located in Sannomiya within Kobe City.

Although she was a high school girl wearing the blazer of a high school for high class young lady, she possessed dignity and strength──that would make other wanted to call her as 『queen』 instead.

「Aa. So you are the guide that Julio mentioned.」

「Yo──you’re!」

「So we meet again. I’m Rokuhara Ren. Please take care of me from now on.」

It was the moment of reunion of the young expert of onmyoudo, Toba Riona and Rokuhara Ren.

.

5

Even though they were able to have destined reunion by the guidance of the strange string of fate,

Toba Riona frowned in a bad mood and spoke coldly.

「Then Rokuhara-san. There is something that we have to talk first.」

「You can call me Ren. After all I’m calling you Riona.」

「……Suddenly calling me without honorific like that, as expected from a magician who returned from Europe, you have been dyed by the style there.」

Ren noticed Riona’s misunderstanding and spoke smilingly.

「No, no, that’s not it. Certainly I just came back from Spain, but I’ve been like this even before going there.」

「You’re saying you’ve been this casual with manner since the beginning?」

「Yep. Also, I completely cannot use something like magic.」

「……Certainly Rokuhara-san completely give the impression of an amateur.」

「I’m telling you it’s fine to call me without honorific. Well, anyway it’s just as Riona said, I’m really an amateur in any kind of thing related to magic. If I’m asked what’s my specialty, I’m a bit faster at running away than normal people, that’s all. I have confidence in my stamina and legs.」

「I find it hard to understand why someone like that is sent into this dangerous mission.」

「It’s because ”a certain person” takes a liking to me. But I made that person angry yesterday, so right now I might be a bit unqualified……」

「……Very well. I understand everything.」

Riona suddenly smiled gracefully. Her hair with its gentle wave was also lustrous, giving off an elegance that made her looked like a high class young lady from somewhere. And yet, her eyes were giving off an aura like 『a hawk hunting a mouse』…….

「From the beginning I planned to forcefully bring the total amateur governor with me. Even if the new goshujin-sama is an incompetent happy-go-lucky like this, it’s nothing to be worried about. If you’re an envoy that is dispatched from an association at the level of Campiones, then you’re qualified enough to become a master of this me.」

「Say Riona. You mentioned master and goshujin-sama, what do you mean by that?」

「I will teach you later. To think that you’re an amateur who doesn’t even know that, it feels refreshing instead……ah, that was me talking sarcastically.」

「Hahahaha, you are someone who will call yourself as sarcastic eh, Riona.」

「Besides, even I’ve been feeling respect for quite some time now toward the activity of your association.」

This time Riona completely changed and talked with a serious tone.

「After all regarding the space distortions that appeared everywhere in the world in the recent years and……the world of mythology that has existed earlier than that, it is the association Campiones that is researching them the most passionately. The information that your association published in the internet has been very useful for reference for us too this time.」

「Ah. You mean the database with membership system that we are doing.」

「Then Rokuhara-san. Let me get to the point, which world of mythology the space distortion that appeared here in Kobe is connected to?」

「Sanctuary Troia. Our Julio said that.」

As soon as Ren answered, Riona nodded right away.

「……I read the report of your group. The world of mythology with three confirmed space distortions connected to it at present. If you pass through the space distortions that appeared at Italia’s Sicily Island, Cyprus Island in Turkey, and the one in Indonesia, all of them will connect to the world of Trojan War──」

Riona seemed to be satisfied and made a completely fearless smile.

.

Thus, Rokuhara Ren finally stepped into Kobe’s Port Island.

At the north public park at the northern edge of this artificial island. In front of the vortex of light, the space distortion that was a gate to another world, he asked his companion in this journey.

「By the way Riona. This world of Troia, could it be that it’s related to that Trojan Horse?」

「I will tell you about that too later, goshujin-sama. From now on, please absolutely follow my instruction without fail. Take care to not do anything unnecessary at all. Do you understand?」

Although she was calling him master, the way she spoke showed that she obviously didn’t mean it at all.

Ren immediately answered smilingly at Riona who couldn’t be dealt with by ordinary means.

「I cannot promise that. My strength is really meager, and I almost know nothing. But perhaps……there’ll be a time when my strength and judgment can be useful, don’t you think so?」

「My, what a skillful goshujin-sama. I don’t know that you can sleep-talking even while awake.」

Rokuhara Ren and Toba Riona, through turns and twists, the two of them ended up into a hurriedly formed relationship of master and servant (?).

It was finally time to depart. Riona said.

「Now Rokuhara-san. Give the command to this me──the avatar of Yatagarasu. Give me the command to guide you until the center of Sanctuary Troia, with the spell of Kyu-Kyu Nyo Ritsu Ryo.」

「Roger. Then, I’ll leave the various matter regarding this to you Riona!」

「Leave it to me. Then──here we go.」

Riona’s eyes instantly let out blue radiance.

Ren was surprised by the mysteriousness of that light. Then his right wrist──was suddenly grasped by Riona.

Right after that, the two of them were enveloped by blue light and they flew. Toward the mass of light standing before them, into the space distortion that resembled a nebula!

「Waaah!?」

「It’s flight magic. It’s better to transform into bird because it’s less tiring, but this time Rokuhara-san is also coming along, so I’m using this way.」

Light. Light. Light. Ren’s vision was occupied by the profusely dancing light that was like kaleidoscope.

They cut across this territory in one go──

「Ah, amazing. It’s like we arrived at Mediterranean Sea!」

Ren was in admiration. Below there was the beautiful sea with marine blue color. The sky they were flying through right now was also wonderfully blue. It was the sky and sea of another world that were different from earth.

By the way, Riona who grabbed Ren’s wrist just now──had vanished from view.

The girl became a lump of blue light that flew in high speed while carrying Ren.

『I can see land and──harbor over there. Let’s go look.』

Riona’s whispering voice entered his ear. They accelerated even faster. Riona’s light was flying straight toward a certain direction. However, Ren wasn’t tormented by the high altitude’s wind pressure and coldness.

And then, a harbor city finally came into view.

There were several hundred houses which were built using material that seemed to be sun-dried brick there.

It was a coast city. Several dozen wooden ships were anchored at the harbor. The scale of the place wasn’t suitable at all to be called a port from the view of modern Japan.

However there was only one sailing ship that was horribly big anchored near the city.

『It looks like a battle is going on.』

「Battle……even so, it looks really one-sided.」

At the ground below, people who seemed to be the residents were massacred one after another.

However, the side doing the killing wasn’t human. But more than ten “human shaped monsters”.

All of them had huge body with height around two and a half meter until three meter. They were heartily swinging around axe and club with that huge body──chopping down and flattening the people atrociously!

The fierce and cruel giants all had the head of a bull. Furthermore it was the head of fighting bull. Their face the face of ferocious and brutal wild beast. And then they weren’t armor or helmet.

They were only wearing cloth around their waist, exposing burly naked figure and muscle──.

『A monster with bull head, minotaur. They are also monster of Greek mythology.』

.

6

Ren and Riona who returned back into human landed on a house roof.

It was a single-storied house with simple shape. The material it was made with seemed to be sun-dried brick as expected. It seemed this material was used a lot at region with few wood or rock.

Slaughter was being carried out throughout the city by the bull headed giants.

The fierce minotaurs were scattered all over. They were hunting for their prey as they pleased, going around killing the humans of the city as though mowing weed.

They split open the skull of weak human with their heavy club using their stupidly powerful strength.

They tore open the stomach of human with brute force using an axe that didn’t look sharp.

They literally kicked around two or three humans altogether with simple violent kick.

The minotaurs that numbered more than ten were all monstrously strong without exception, on top of that they also possessed the physical body that boasted the agility and flexibility of wild beast. They were brutally and wildly getting drunk with the bloodbath──.

Violence. Blood. Slaughter. Blood. Slaughter.

Ren looked down at the atrocious sight from above the roof and muttered.

「If this is in Japan, it’s like a rampaging pack of bears appearing in a city that don’t have gun……」

「Even so if human don’t oppose them, the beasts that are hungering for blood will gradually getting even more elated.」

Riona also muttered. Yes. The humans below weren’t just staying idle in any way.

There were also men who were desperately risking their life to stand against the minotaurs. They must be the men of the city. Those men who seemed to be fisherman and farmer looked tanned and burly.

Their clothing was just simple civilian clothes, but everyone was carrying weapon or something that could be used as replacement.

Sword, spear, bow and arrow, hoe, spade, harpoon, etc──. However, although they could injure the minotaurs with those, they weren’t really able to go as far as bringing them down.

The difference in strength was too great. Exactly like comparing an angry bear with a weak human.

「Uh. Those guys, what in the world they’re doing?」

「It was said that even the minotaur that was imprisoned in the labyrinth by King Minos……was given young man and young girl as food after all……」

There was a minotaur that slaughtered powerless woman and children.

It seemed it was attracted by the softness of the prey it brought down. It quickly bit into the limbs, tore off the flesh, and gnawed on the bone. And then it swallowed what it put inside its mouth──

Looking closer, the number of bull headed giant doing similar thing wasn’t few.

Riona looked around the city that was turned into a site of tragedy──and said with a sour look.

「……And what will you do, goshujin-sama? If you have the intention to avoid danger, then we should depart soon from here.」

「……You’re right. Then, we should both act on our own discretion from here.」

Ren said so to the girl whose role was to guard and guide him.

「Riona. You──want to do something, that’s why you came down here right? Because if that’s not the case you can just pass through above this city without stopping after all.」

「Rokuhara-san, you are unexpectedly sharp.」

「Could it be, that you want to save them?」

「We’re more or less fellow human after all. Also, how much Rokuhara-san will get disturbed by the bloody frontline──I was thinking to check it out. This is a quick way to confirm just how big your guts is.」

Riona informed indifferently.

「Knowing that will make it easier to plan in the future after all.」

「Ah. So that’s your intention.」

When Ren smiled wryly, a wild breathing 「Fuuuuh!」 entered their ear. A single minotaur was climbing onto the rooftop they were standing at!]

Riona immediately pulled out the handgun from under her skirt.

「Raiten Taisou, bring forth righteousness!」

*Gang an-!* Words of power and formula were inserted into the two bullets and Riona exploded the giant body of the minotaur almost instantly.

「Rokuhara-san, please don’t move from this place and wait for my return. I’ll take care of the rampaging bulls all at──Rokuhara-san?」

Riona made a bombastic talk. However, Ren didn’t listen to her until the end.

Actually he had jumped down from the roof the instant he felt the presence of the minotaur.

「Sorry, sorry. I know that I don’t need to worry for Riona, so I unconsciously jumped.」

Ren called out to his brilliantly skilled companion on the rooftop from the ground.

「I’ll only become a burden here, so I’ll just wander around randomly. Just do a good job taking care the monsters!」

.

「……Manifest.」

The instant she became alone, Riona chanted a simple word of power.

She began transforming. Not into something like a small swallow, this time she turned into a golden phoenix──.

She spread her wings widely and danced up toward the sky once more.

The span of her wings surpassed twenty meter. Her feathers brightly shined golden, containing the divinity that made her ought to be called as golden feathered bird. Her whole body was slender with a silhouette that was similar to a peacock. Her long-slitted eyes were tinged with seductiveness that couldn’t be matched by any human woman no matter how much of a beauty they were…….

She had three legs. That was exactly the form of the sacred bird Yatagarasu.

It was a form that was nearer to god rather than human, the “true nature” of Toba Riona.

The sky of Sanctuary Troia in the territory of Greek mythology was refreshingly blue, in exchange the ground was a scene of massacre.

Riona transformed into Yatagarasu and chanted the words of power of the holy fire.

「Shinka Seimei──」

Honestly speaking, it would be faster to burn the minotaurs along with the city and harbor into ash.

However, even for an envoy of god that was just too tyrannical. In that case.

「This lowly self wish to reverently state in the presence of Sume-Mikami……by the means of malediction, the blazing fire and this self beg thee to exorcist, beg thee to purify──」

Riona leisurely glided at the sky with the figure of golden feathered bird while chanting further.

Along with the progressing chant──”the judgment of heaven” descended to the ground. Particles of fire were smoothly falling down from the golden wings that Riona spread wide open.

The sea and port city, the people of the city, their corpses, and then the bull headed monsters were showered by the fire sparks.

When the flame sparks fell on top of something, they would ephemerally vanish like powdered snow. However, only the minotaurs──instantly burst into flame.

The huge body of the bull headed and human bodied creature became fire pillar and several spots throughout the city started burning!

「Receive the fire bird’s──divine punishment!」

Riona danced in the sky as the avatar of Yatagarasu while solemnly announcing.

According to Jingi-Shiki and Engi-Shiki, Yatagarasu was the representation of sun. Which meant it was the spirit of sun. It was an existence that freely manipulated flame and light.

Burning only the “target” that Riona designated was nothing more than a child play for her.

And then, the flame sparks──also descended on the sailing ship anchored at the coast.

The minotaurs should be coming until this port city by boarding that ship. Just like pirate. And then the sailing ship naturally also immediately burned.

「With this the monsters are annihilated……or not, it seems.」

Riona cruelly laughed in the form of Yatagarasu.

Because a minotaur ran outside from inside the flame of the blazing sailing ship.

Furthermore, this minotaur used its own strength──to erase the flame of heaven. It shook off the blazing flame by sprinting in full speed like a fighting bull!

「mmmWoooooooooooh!」

It roared like a fighting bull. Right after that, the minotaur that came out from the ship turned gigantic.

At first it had a large body that was higher than three meter. And then it suddenly bloated up into a gigantic body that was ten times bigger.

「My. Its size become like in Ultraman or kaiju movie!」

Even without releasing her seal, Riona was an exceedingly preeminent sorcerer.

However, as expected the permission of the master was necessary for her to use magic in the level of most esoteric like transforming into Yatagarasu for example.

Riona was burning with fighting spirit in celebration of her freedom after so long.

The beak of the sacred bird Yatagarasu slightly opened. It was an act of smiling in her bird form.

「I wonder if that giant bull-san is a general that is dispatched from Crete Island after all? In order to attack and destroy the city of Troia──」

「mmmWoooooooooooh!」

The giant minotaur howled at Yatagarasu that was elegantly smiling in the sky.

The ground shook just from that. The bricks that were forming the port city were crumbling apart in pieces. This roar shook the air and caused a localized quake. Furthermore.

Above Riona=Yatagarasu, a heavy pressure weighed her down.

Even though she was leisurely gliding in the sky until now, her wings suddenly became heavy.

Fall. Fall. Her altitude was rapidly falling. At this rate she would crash on the ground!

「How dare you act impudent!」

Riona who transformed into Yatagarasu heightened the mystical power inside her body.

It was in order to clear away the sorcery that was applied on her. Just like how Yatagarasu controlled fire, the giant minotaur must also be controlling spirit of earth. The enemy was launching curse to the sacred bird flying in the sky.

‘Thy should fall toward our great mother the earth’, it chanted──.

「mmmWoooooooooooooooh!」

「Secret word of fire and sun, purify and cleanse the myriad of sinful impurity!」

The words of power of earth, and the words of power of fire.

It was the contest of strength between the minotaur general and the bird of the sun Yatagarasu.

Riona desperately opposed the mystical force trying to make her fall to the ground. She would overcome this and launched a counterattack without fail──was her intention. However.

「Rokuhara-san……?」

She found the figure of her master using her “bird’s eye” that overlooked the ground from high in the sky.

Her master for convenience Rokuhara Ren had arrived at the wharf of the harbor without her noticing.

「Of all place to be, he is wandering into the most dangerous place!」

Unfortunately, Riona’s anger didn’t reach him.

.

「mmmWoooooooooooooooh!」

The giant minotaur was howling. In respond to that, the ground was trembling. It was like an earthquake. The surviving people of the port city were all lying down on the ground and prayed.

However, Rokuhara Ren was a Japanese person who was used to earthquake.

「This earthquake is around 3 Richter I think……」

He muttered while running until the wharf, in order to get near the giant minotaur.

The bull headed monster amazingly reached the height of around 30 meter. It was standing imposingly on a shoal while roaring toward the large golden bird flying in the sky.

「           mmmWoooooooooooooooh!           mmmWoooooooooooooooh!                   mmmWoooooooooooooooh!」

「Stella. Stella. It’ll be a great help if you’ll stop sulking anytime now.」

There was no one nearby. Ren called out toward an empty air.

「I really──need your help.」

「Hmph. I’m amazed that you can say such laudable things even after you were trying to curry favor at that strange bird girl. Well, certainly it’s wise to rely on this me rather than that kind of witch though.」

It seemed that her sense of rivalry was provoked with the entrance of Toba Riona.

Unexpectedly easily──his partner showed herself.

A girl sprang out from the ground in front of him like foam. She must be twelve, or thirteen years old. Although she had childish features, she had a beautiful face that was worthy to be called peerless or country-toppling. She was unmistakably Rokuhara Ren’s partner, Stella.

However──

Her height was around 30 cm. It was a size that was like a doll.

「Then Stella. I’m counting on you for the you-know-what again.」

「Someone with the social standing of lowborn like you shouldn’t casually tell me what to do-」

Stella was only dressed in white fabric wrapped around her body. Her appearance was similar with goddess statue in art museum. Her proportion that was swelling out in various spots could be easily seen. It could be said that she was really developed despite her young look.

Ren lifted up that small, lovely body and placed her on his right shoulder.

Then the white belt that was wrapped around her waist──started shining in rose color.

「Hurry up Ren. Chant the true name……of the princess that you humans called the 《Star of the SeaMaris Stella》. And then, let the miracle be brought to the world.」

「Roger. Then……」

Ren put his breathing in order with a deep breath and then he suddenly chanted.

「Goddess Aphrodite. Use your 『friendship circle』 for my sake. In order to save me, and that girl, and the people of this town.」

「It’s not friendship circle but the 《Girdle of Friendship and Love》, one of the noble garments of a goddess!」

Stella’s whole body emitted rose colored radiance even while she was hurling abuse.

It was the proof that the power of god──an authority was activated. Stella angrily complained.

「How dare you called the divine tool of Aphrodite with that kind of nickname, you’re really a shallow man. To think that I can’t use my authority without the permission of this kind of dunce──!」

The “goddess of beauty and love” in Greek mythology, Aphrodite.

Her name in English language, Venus was also called as 『Maris Stella』. Ren was exposed to the anger of the beautiful goddess while casually laughing.

「I think friendship circle is better though. After all it’s an item to call your friend.」

「Geez-. ──Come here god of sun Apollo, o arrow shooting god. Swiftly hasten here if you haven’t forgotten your friendship with the goddess of love, and bestow me with a momentary assistance!」

The sun was shining brilliantly in the sky. That brilliance was suddenly strengthened intensely. Before anyone noticed, a tall handsome man was standing beside Ren and Stella.

Dazzling golden hair, sidelong glance that was tinged with seductiveness, mischievously smiling lips.

Everything was beautiful and bewitching. Furthermore, his body was the very definition of muscular. He was carrying a silver long bow in one hand, and an arrow with golden arrowhead nocked there──

「O queen of Cyprus, the princess born from the foam. I visited in respond to your invitation but……let me take care of the boorish nuisance first.」

The beautiful sun of god Apollo fired.

The golden arrow that was fired from the silver bow flew lightly.

It splendidly stabbed the chest of the giant minotaur standing imposingly slightly ahead. The bull headed monster shined with golden flash and became annihilated──. It was the moment of victory for Ren and others.

In the sky, the golden sacred bird=Toba Riona was starting to glide in the air once more.

The mystical force binding her was also gone and she was freed.

The golden bird gracefully glided through the sky──.

However, the sacred bird’s eyes were looking down on the ground with great suspicion.

Previous   Table of Content   Next