I was miffed.
I think I was allowed to be, under these circumstances.
Was it so much to ask for just a few hours of nothing happening, just enjoying spending time with Raikou and Scáthach?
"I believe that beast to be Divine in origin, Master." Raikou spoke up.
"It's a bit far away, but the taste in the air is one I remember from Divine Beasts." Scáthach also confirmed. "It's not an inconsequential one at that. This Boar is mighty and would have been a foe I'll happily raise my spear towards."
"Joy." I scowled. "And the fact that people aren't pointing and shouting 'monster' in the direction of the Colosseum means that there's some kind of perception filter targeting mundane people." I let my annoyance drop down, letting it all out in a sigh.
Before we could even move again, the Boar disappeared. Just as quickly as it sprung up on the skyline, it had dispersed like it had never existed. The only evidence was the slowly falling walls of the ancient structure, and the cascading bellow of dirt and dust that blew out in every direction.
"I'm not angry." I said quietly.
"Master?"
"I'm not angry. I'm not angry." I hummed to myself. "I'm a little angry."
Scáthach reached out and pinched my cheek, breaking me from my internal seething. "Do you want to go search for the culprit?"
"….kinda." I admitted.
"Very well." Scáthach accepted it easily enough. "Perhaps we may find a clue to this Lucretia women as well if there are some individuals who are aware of the hidden side of the world."
Good point.
Is it petty that I'm willing to go after the person responsible for this?
Technically, we have an infinite number of alternatives available to peruse and I could simply ignore this. But at the same time…..I wanted to slap whatever dumbass was responsible for doing this.
It's the principal of the matter!
***
Approaching the half-destroyed historical monument wasn't particularly difficult. People were still freaking out over the sudden 'earthquake' that we were able to sneak in without having to resort to any 'other' means.
Though when we got close, we immediately noticed something out of place.
Yeah, there were dozens upon dozens of people running around the area, and they were by no means mundane.
The signs of Magical Energy permeated the air, and spells already enveloped the area.
"Game plan?" I asked.
"Grab one of the people on the outskirts." Raikou spoke up. "Such a position would mean they are low enough that their disappearance for several minutes will not raise suspicion."
"Works for me." I shrugged, noticing a man in a suit walking towards a tree line.
Thankfully, it didn't look like he was going to pee, but rather he took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and was stealthily lighting one up. He seemed utterly relaxed and completely off guard, so may as well do it now.
I muffled my steps and did the my best to erase my 'presence' and the casting of Muffle spell erased the noise. Though, I don't think he's particularly perceptive enough to notice me anyways. "Those things will kill you." I whispered right into his ear.
Seeing his body jerk and his cigarette fall from his mouth made me almost chuckle. "W-who!?" He slid to the side, catching himself. He was about to speak again until both a sword and a spear were placed on his respective shoulders.
"Hello there." I greeted him face to face.
He shakily held his arms up in surrender. "Hello?"
"So, I hope you don't mind if I ask you some questions." I smiled innocently.
His eyes darted towards Raikou and Scáthach, clearly understanding the situation. "….I would be happy to answer any questions."
Well, someone's not an idiot atleast. Not that I had the intention to actually kill him, I'm not a monster. "Good." I clapped my hands. "So, you see, I was taking these two lovely ladies on a little bit of a.... tour, if you will. Never been to the city before, heard great things." I casually paced back and forth. "But you see, I was looking forward to some of the historical monuments. And wouldn't you know it, a giant Boar tramples one in particular I was interested in. So, I believe you can understand my current annoyance."
"W-what do you want from me? I'm just a Squire." He muttered.
"A squire? As in an apprentice to a Knight?" I inquired.
"Yes? My bosses don't tell me anything important and I don't have any connections to move up."
Hmm, some type of organization like the Mages Association? I didn't care too much to delve into the political landscape of this place.
"Shame." I shook my head. "So that means you don't know anything?" I raised an eyebrow.
"N-no!" He quickly shook his own head. "I heard the rumors and some whispers."
"Oh, that's more like it. So, who do I have to thank for this mess?"
"It was the latest Campione. The other Squires mentioned that the higher ups were testing him and he released his Authority and destroyed the whole area, that's all I know!"
I hummed to myself as if considering his words. "As you can see, I'm a foreigner." I gestured to myself. "Would you be so kind as to explain what a 'Campione' is, in your own words, so I better understand the terminology here?" Might as well get some information while I'm at it.
"A Godslayer." He quickly spat out. "A mortal who killed and took the power of a God."
"A Godslayer?" Scáthach spoke up with clear interest. "Boy, elaborate."
He looked at my teacher with confusion, but continued. "I don't know the specifics, only that when a mortal kills a God, they can usurp some part of the God's Authority. They become a Devil King and no one's allowed to disobey them."
"Why can't anyone disobey them?" Besides the obvious reason, I wanted to know any metaphysical implications.
"W-what is a human like us supposed to do against someone who can kill gods!?"
Ah, well, better to have asked. I hummed to myself, letting him stew for a moment. "What organization are you part of?" Call it a mild curiosity, even if I had no desire to dig any deeper.
"The Copper Black Cross." He quickly replied. "I'm just a grunt."
"And what about this 'Campione'?" I asked, deciding to dig for a little bit more information. I'm surprised Zelretch didn't mention anything about these people. I mean, they couldn't have been a new occurrence, right?
….did he think I would go pick fights with them or something?
"I don't know anything except he's Asian, I think Japanese." He shuddered slightly between the two weapons.
"Japanese, huh?" I rubbed my chin. "Convenient I suppose. Do you – " I paused in my words. I shared a look with Raikou and Scáthach, they apparently both noticed just as I did. "Well, you have been very helpful, but I believe our time together has come to an end."
"W-wait, please don't' kill me, I know other things." He trembled.
"Relax, I'm not going to kill you." I patted his shoulder as both Raikou and Scáthach lowered their weapons. "I'll even pay you for your help. But…..going to put you to sleep for a little bit."
He blinked. "Really?"
"Are you upset?" I laughed. Withdrawing some gold coins out of my ring. "This should be a substantial sum for you, right?"
"….more than I make in a year." He said quietly.
"Kid, you deal with magical nonsense, you should not be making less than this a year. Let me give you some advice." I put my arm around his shoulder. "Maybe figure out how to apply these 'skills' you've developed for something mundane without stepping on any toes."
He looked thoughtful for a moment, and I took that as an opportunity to cast Hypnosis on him. He was unprepared as I saw his eyelids start to get heavy and close. I supported his weight, lowering him to the ground.
"Well, that was easy enough." I cracked my fingers. "While I now have more questions, I believe we should address our little voyeur." I snapped my head over to the side.
There was no movement for a moment until a red light blurred out from behind me, bloodlust erupting from its chosen path. It collided with a tree, utterly destroying it. And right as it connected, a shadow literally moved across the ground, coming to a stop infront of us.
Slowly, a figure emerged.
A women – rather a girl. She wore something resembling a school uniform with a strange hat on her head and silver hair underneath. Though her stature, her overall look failed to portray what she actually was.
[Careful.] Ddraig warned from in my soul, something he didn't do often. [That is a Goddess.]
I knew that, but the confirmation was always welcomed. I stood next to enough Divine beings at this point to be able to recognize the feeling of Divinity.
There was a beat of silence before the wind around us whipped up, another red beam shot right by the strange girl's head. She didn't budge, nor even react as Scáthach's spear returned to her hand from whence she had thrown it previously.
No, her eyes were still transfixed on me as if she was trying to pull out some kind of secret from within.
"Who art thou?" The woman – Goddess, spoke.
"Where I come from, it's polite to introduce yourself first." I countered.
"Where this one comes from, mortals prostrate and accept mine questions with reverence." She sounded….annoyed?
"Where I come from, Gods tread carefully in my presence." Scáthach slammed her spear on the ground, making her displeasure known.
Was she getting angry on my behalf? That was oddly heartwarming.
The Goddess slowly turned her heads towards Scáthach, eyes taking in every moment of it. "Thy nature…..mine skin feels as if it shalt be pierced by thy mere existence. It is as if mine Divinity means nothing before thou spear, yet I sense not the dreaded repulsion of mine hated foes." Her eyes glowed, her gaze trying to peer into Scáthach's nature before turning towards Raikou.
"Another strange sight these eyes of mine see." She continued. "Divinity like mine kin, yet a mortal soul. More than the mortals who descend from the weakened remnants of mine fellows. Thou's nature differs from thy woman who perpetuates a constant bloodlust, thou feels of lightning."
Finally she turned back to me. "Thy own nature is one that confuses me. I sense the touch of other Gods and with the taste of draconic power. But mine knowledge is unable to penetrate further."
"Mortals, thou may hear this one's sacred name." She declared. "I am Athena, Goddess of Wisdom. Through the Memories of the Void, there lies no falsehood nor secrets hidden from mine gaze." Her divine power pulsed at the utterance. Her eyes narrowed down at me. "Who art Thou? Why can this one not see through thy self and thine companions?"
***
Just a heads up, I'm taking Tuesday off instead of Wednesday this week. Gotta drop my mom off at the Airport so i'm switching it up.
Anyways, if you want to read 7 chapters ahead or support me, visit my pat.reon.com/astoryforone