Fantasy Library, Ch 336-340

Chapter 336: What Did You See Again?

When the sun rose from the east and sunlight scattered from the horizon, shining upon the earth, the forest surrounding the Shichio Shrine had already begun to show signs of life’s revival.

Flocks of birds chirped and frolicked among the trees, various small animals darted between trunks, and dewdrops rolled along green leaves on each tree. The vibrant scene was the kind that instantly soothed the soul.

If it were a normal day, during the time she stepped into the shrine grounds, Mariya Yuri would occasionally stop and admire this beautiful scenery.

Even though she had seen this view many times—so many that she could say she saw it every day—Mariya Yuri never grew tired of it.

But today, Mariya Yuri was not in the mood for that.

"…I wonder if that person has woken up."

Not wearing her miko outfit but instead a student uniform, Mariya Yuri held a package in her arms and sighed softly.

At this moment, she was slowly walking toward the administrative office behind the Shichio Shrine.

That was the place she usually used for rest.

Although the room had a bathroom and all necessary facilities, making it fully livable, Mariya Yuri didn’t normally reside there.

Her main home was in Saitama Prefecture, and her current residence was a high-end apartment in Toranomon. For the sake of convenience in work and school, the Mariya family had settled there.

Usually, Mariya Yuri lived with her parents and younger sister. The administrative office was only used when necessary, so the Shichio Shrine was not her home—just her workplace.

Of course, because of her high status as a Hime-Miko, the administrative office was basically for her use only, with others prohibited from entering.

However, starting last night, her private space had been forcibly invaded by someone else.

And that person was a male, only a few years older than her.

If this matter got exposed, it would surely cause an uproar, wouldn’t it?

Especially in Private Jonan Academy, those male students who viewed Mariya Yuri as an unattainable flower, and the female students who idolized her, would be shocked—some even heartbroken.

But what could Mariya Yuri do?

Let alone the administrative office, even she herself had already become that person’s possession.

"Haah..."

Sighing heavily, Mariya Yuri arrived at the administrative office, her face full of worry.

She skillfully opened the main door, stepped inside as if it were second nature, and walked straight to the room where she usually took naps.

"Hoo..."

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Mariya Yuri stood outside the door for a full five minutes before cautiously knocking.

"King, have you woken up?"

She didn’t dare to call out loudly, only whispering softly.

"Come in."

A voice came from inside, somewhat muffled, as if freshly woken.

"Sorry for the intrusion..."

Mariya Yuri looked nervous and awkward.

She had no choice. This was her first time entering the room of a male close to her in age.

Although, strictly speaking, this was supposed to be her own room—even the bedding was what she normally used—just the thought of a male her age living here, lying in her bed, made her feel an inexplicable sense of shame.

Thinking carefully, letting a man use the room she rested in, even sleeping on her usual bedding—wasn’t that already a major problem?

Anyway, until now, Mariya Yuri had never dared imagine such a thing would happen.

But still, as said before, what could she do?

Ultimately...

"You're already my possession now, why are you acting so cautious?"

Kaiser, just emerging from under the covers, was still wearing his sleepwear. His hair was a mess, and as he looked at Mariya Yuri entering the room, he yawned and spoke with a half-smile.

"I thought you were going to stand outside for half an hour before calling me."

Hearing this, Mariya Yuri’s expression instantly turned into one of silent indignation.

"How would I dare disturb the King’s rest?"

Her tone was laced with sarcasm.

"Should I take that as you being pouty?" Kaiser finished yawning, sat down at the small low table, and looked at the uniformed Mariya Yuri. "Heading to school?"

"Of course." Mariya Yuri nodded. "Today isn’t a holiday, and at my current age, I can’t drop out of school."

Besides being a Hime-Miko, Mariya Yuri had always considered herself a student obligated to learn.

So she had always taken school seriously, studied hard, and her grades were consistently in the top five of the entire grade.

She even participated in a club. Although it was just the tea ceremony club, she still earnestly engaged in club activities.

This serious attitude made her the object of admiration for many males and even females.

"Relax, I wouldn’t go so far as to order you to drop out." Kaiser poured himself a glass of water and said with ease, "As long as it’s not necessary, I won’t interfere in your private life."

Hearing this, Mariya Yuri didn’t feel any reassurance.

Thinking of how he barged in yesterday without warning, causing her such a huge loss, Mariya Yuri felt both angry and resentful.

If you don’t want to interfere with my private life, then don’t just break into my personal space...

In the end, Mariya Yuri didn’t say those words, instead sitting down in front of Kaiser and unwrapping the package she had been holding.

"This is a bento. It’s not very well made, but please make do."

Saying this, she opened a bento box filled with beautifully prepared food.

Eggs, sausages, meatballs, green peppers, dried small fish... the contents were quite rich. Though the presentation was simple and couldn’t compare to the gourmet meals made by the professional chefs of the Copper Black Cross at luxury hotels, it had a faint feeling of warmth.

Mariya Yuri also brought a thermos. Instead of water, it contained miso soup.

"You made this for me?" Kaiser was a little surprised and smiled. "I thought you hated me, didn’t expect you to still make me a bento."

Mariya Yuri didn’t want to talk, seemingly at a loss for words with Kaiser.

She did harbor some resentment toward him, for using such forceful methods to subdue her, but it didn’t reach the level of hatred—just some dissatisfaction.

Kind-hearted as she was, even toward someone she disliked, she wouldn’t go too far. So even after being subdued through force, she still worried whether he’d have something to eat in the morning.

Thus, after much internal struggle, Mariya Yuri made this bento.

As for the chaos this caused at home, how surprised her parents were, how astonished her sister was—none of this did Mariya Yuri mention.

"I just made an extra portion while preparing my own lunch."

The Hime-Miko of Musashino said this with a straight face. If her words had been slightly more tsundere, it would’ve been classic.

"That’s thoughtful of you."

Kaiser smiled, picked up the neatly placed chopsticks, and began to eat.

"Aren’t you eating?"

"I’ve already eaten."

"You can still have a little more."

"No need, I’m not hungry."

"But me eating alone feels a bit awkward."

"But you’re eating so happily—it doesn’t look awkward at all."

"You saw through me. That’s embarrassing."

"Hmph..."

Their conversation flowed naturally. At the very least, Mariya Yuri no longer seemed as flustered as before.

Though far from warm, this atmosphere of interaction didn’t make it seem like there was a status gap between them—instead, it looked just like an exchange between two people of the same age.

At this moment, Mariya Yuri didn’t seem like a nation-worrying Hime-Miko, and Kaiser didn’t look like a lawless Demon Lord.

When Kaiser was nearly finished with his meal, Mariya Yuri asked a concerned question.

"Do you have any plans today? Anything you’re intending to do?"

As she said this, Mariya Yuri seemed to return to her usual self—once again the nation-worrying Hime-Miko.

"Today… I don’t really have any special plans." Kaiser sipped the miso soup and looked at Mariya Yuri. Suddenly, he smiled. "Or did you see something again?"

"...No." Mariya Yuri immediately shook her head and whispered, "I wouldn’t dare use Spirit Vision on you again."

"It’s fine. If you want to use it, go ahead." Kaiser said casually, "After all, you’re mine now. If you want to see where I am or what I’m doing, I’ll let you."

"Spirit Vision isn’t that convenient. It doesn’t let me see you whenever I want." Mariya Yuri replied with a serious face. "Unless… you’re planning to do something outrageous again."

"That ‘again’ really hits the mark—it clearly shows what you truly think of me." Kaiser downed the rest of the miso soup in one go, then looked at Mariya Yuri with a smile. "If you're that worried about me wandering around alone, how about I accompany you to school?"

"What?" Mariya Yuri froze, shocked. "You… you want to go to school with me?"

"Is that not allowed?" Kaiser narrowed his eyes. "Or are you afraid I’ll cause trouble at school?"

"It’s not that..." Mariya Yuri stammered. "I just… why would you be interested in my school?"

Her expression clearly showed she suspected Kaiser was planning something.

"Please just stay here!"

At the thought of a god-slaying Demon Lord going to her school, Mariya Yuri panicked and hurried to stop him.

But Kaiser ignored her and stood up.

"Let’s go. I want to see where you attend school every day."

Saying that, Kaiser walked out.

"No! King!"

Mariya Yuri cried out and quickly chased after him.

The two continued to squabble like this as they left the administrative office.

Chapter 337: So the Person in the Story Was Real

Private Jonan Academy.

This was a school with a free-spirited atmosphere, no distinct features, basically the kind of academy that could be seen anywhere.

If there was any characteristic worth mentioning, it would be that it wasn’t just a high school, but also had a middle school division, so some students would attend here for a full six years. For some people, that was already quite a long period.

At this moment, with spring break just ended, students wearing suit-style academy uniforms were gathering in groups at the school gate, chatting and laughing, greeting acquaintances around them as they entered the campus together.

At a time like this, if Mariya Yuri appeared here, she would undoubtedly become the center of attention.

As the undisputed campus belle of Private Jonan Academy, in the past, whenever Mariya Yuri appeared at the school gate, everyone present—regardless of gender—would immediately cast admiring glances at her and begin whispering discussions centered around her.

“It’s great, we can see Mariya-san again.”

“Mariya-san seems to have gotten even prettier.”

“It’s probably not just prettier, right?”

“Y-Yeah, even her figure seems better…”

This would probably be what the boys talked about.

“Ahh, Mariya-senpai really is beautiful.”

“As expected of a member of the Tea Ceremony Club, that gentle and elegant aura is truly captivating.”

“I really want to ask Mariya-senpai for her beauty maintenance tips.”

“That won’t work, I heard she doesn’t really do anything for maintenance. She was just born that beautiful.”

“Really?”

“So envious…”

That would be the kind of topic the girls discussed.

At least, that’s how it used to be, and it rarely changed.

Mariya Yuri actually had little awareness of this herself, because she had never thought her appearance was better than others’, nor had she ever felt she deserved more attention than others.

But there was one thing Mariya Yuri was clearly aware of.

That was—if she brought a male only a few years older than her into school with her, it would definitely cause a huge stir.

Thus, all along the way, Mariya Yuri kept pleading.

“My King, Private Jonan Academy prohibits unrelated individuals from entering without permission. Please consider this carefully and refrain from disrupting the students’ normal lives, alright?”

Mariya Yuri truly seemed afraid that Kaiser would cause trouble inside the academy, and her attempts to dissuade him were more forceful than ever before.

“If you are a benevolent king, then you should consider whether your words and actions might affect those around you. Because you are far too great, even the most trivial of gestures, to ordinary people, can be life-changing.”

“So please, speak and act with care, and show the world the thoughtful side of yourself.”

“That is what a worthy king should do.”

Mariya Yuri even resorted to moral coercion, which showed just how desperate she was now.

But what she said did make sense. If Kaiser the God-Slayer were to do anything inside the academy—even if it seemed trivial to him—it could become something significant and life-altering for ordinary people.

This was what Mariya Yuri feared most. She was very worried that her classmates might suffer because of it.

To this, Kaiser simply kept walking toward Private Jonan Academy, not even turning his head as he threw out a line with supreme confidence.

“Are you teaching me how to act?”

Kaiser completely ignored Mariya Yuri’s pleas.

“No, not at all, please consider this a desperate remonstration.” Mariya Yuri kept pleading, saying, “It’s just an ordinary academy, there’s nothing that warrants Your Majesty’s special attention or personal visit.”

“Didn’t you also attend a normal school in the past?”

“There’s really nothing worth your curiosity!”

Mariya Yuri did her utmost to persuade him.

Unfortunately, the more she acted like this, the more Kaiser wanted to tease her.

“No matter how ordinary it is, since it’s the school you attend, I should at least get to know it a little, right?” Kaiser said with feigned seriousness, “After all, you are my only close aide. This is a place you spend nearly half your time at. As your King, shouldn’t I understand it well?”

“…I’m really grateful for your attention.” Mariya Yuri was on the verge of tears, repeatedly saying, “But I truly think…”

Before she could finish, she was interrupted once again by Kaiser’s unyielding dominance.

“I don’t want your opinion. I want my opinion.”

Saying that, Kaiser had already arrived at the entrance to Private Jonan Academy.

“B-But you can’t even get through the school gate!”

Mariya Yuri looked at the familiar campus so close at hand, as if she could already see it accidentally reduced to ruins, and made one last desperate attempt.

As everyone knows, formal school gates are guarded by doormen, sometimes even security guards. Unrelated persons without a legitimate reason are definitely stopped from entering.

Of course, they couldn’t possibly stop a God-Slayer. But if a confrontation were to occur because of that—even just a verbal one—it could potentially trigger a disaster.

“My King…”

Hundreds of tragic images flashed through Mariya Yuri’s mind in an instant. She had decided to truly make one last desperate appeal.

But Kaiser had already reached the outer wall of the academy.

“Since you’re so unwelcoming, I’ll just go in and take a look myself.” Kaiser suddenly turned around, showing Mariya Yuri a terrifying smile, and then said, “Let’s meet back at the gate after school.”

Leaving behind those words, Kaiser suddenly leapt over the academy wall and entered the school.

“My King!”

Mariya Yuri cried out in alarm, panicking.

She couldn’t allow Kaiser into her school, but even more so, she couldn’t allow him to act freely and cause chaos in her school while out of her sight.

Seeing Kaiser disappear without a trace, Mariya Yuri stomped her foot anxiously and hurried toward the school gate.

Pitifully, though she was a Hime-Miko, with Spirit Vision and intuition maxed out, in other aspects she was no different from an ordinary person.

That is to say, she couldn’t climb over walls…

……

On the other side, Kaiser had truly left Mariya Yuri behind and was walking alone through the campus of Private Jonan Academy.

“Hmm… it really is just an ordinary school.”

Looking at the students passing by him, Kaiser sighed.

One must know, the worlds he had visited in the past weren’t without schools, but those schools had absolutely nothing to do with the word “ordinary.”

In the Asterisk World, Seidoukan Academy only enrolled Genestella, and though it provided education, it was essentially a facility for training Festa competitors. It couldn’t be called ordinary at all.

In the High School DxD World, Kuoh Academy was indeed a school attended by ordinary people, but it had more than just one demon lurking within. In fact, there were even beings beyond demons. Its financial backing came from the Gremory House, making it a complete cover—essentially, the base of a demon faction in Kuoh Town.

As for the Shinō Spiritual Arts Academy in the Soul Society, that goes without saying—a school for training Soul Reapers attended by souls. How could that be ordinary?

Only Private Jonan Academy, aside from the Hime-Miko Mariya Yuri, truly seemed to consist of nothing but ordinary people.

At the very least, as Kaiser walked along, he didn’t sense even a trace of Magical Power.

“Well, that makes it easier to move around.”

Kaiser walked into the school building.

He came to Private Jonan Academy not only out of curiosity about the school Mariya Yuri attended, but also for a purpose of his own.

“If I’m not mistaken, the original protagonist should’ve just entered high school, just like Mariya.”

Yes, the original protagonist, like Mariya Yuri, was enrolled in Private Jonan Academy.

If he remembered correctly, before spring break ended, the original protagonist was still a third-year student at a public middle school. After taking the entrance exams, he applied to a nearby school and, having passed, began attending Private Jonan Academy’s high school division after the break, becoming a first-year high school student.

During that time, the protagonist had gone to Sardinia to deliver an item, where he encountered Verethragna and triggered his God-Slaying event.

Now, with the Sardinia incident concluded and spring break over, since Mariya Yuri had already started school at Private Jonan Academy, the protagonist should’ve enrolled here as well.

Kaiser wanted to see, now that Verethragna had been slain and the Sardinia incident ended by him, what had become of this protagonist.

Very soon, Kaiser arrived at his destination.

“First Year, Class 5…”

Looking at the classroom before him, Kaiser’s gaze passed through the hallway window and into the room.

He immediately locked onto someone.

It was a black-haired boy whose appearance wasn’t particularly outstanding—at least not enough to draw attention at first glance.

“Hmm?”

The boy sat there listlessly, looking bored. Then, as if sensing something, he suddenly turned his head and looked in Kaiser’s direction.

“Noticed me, huh?” Kaiser smiled inwardly and thought, “Quite perceptive—no wonder he could slay a god in the original story.”

However, that was in the original story.

Now, the boy was just an ordinary high school student. That much was evident from the complete lack of any Magical Power around him.

After a moment’s thought, Kaiser stepped into the classroom.

“Eh?”

“Who is he?”

“He’s not wearing the uniform…”

“Isn’t he a student?”

“He can’t be a teacher, right?”

The students in the classroom were immediately drawn to Kaiser’s entrance.

But soon, they all looked away from him.

Because—

Crack!

A sound like shattering glass rang out from around Kaiser.

In that moment, everyone present had their senses completely dominated by Kaiser.

Chapter 338: The Ordinary Life as Wished

One had to admit, that black-haired boy seemed to have quite keen senses.

When the sound of shattering glass emerged from Kaiser’s body, he was clearly stunned for a moment.

“What was that sound?” The boy said in surprise and some confusion. “Where did that person go?”

The man who had just been walking into the classroom without wearing a uniform had somehow vanished without a trace.

The other students noticed this too. First they froze, and then they saw that person outside the classroom, walking toward the other side of the hallway, as if he had never entered at all.

“What’s going on?”

This question didn’t just surface in the hearts of the crowd; it also appeared in the black-haired boy’s muttering.

However, the boy quickly stopped caring.

Because an acquaintance sitting in front of him had begun to talk to him.

“By the way, Godou, what did you do during spring break?”

It was a middle school classmate who had passed the entrance exam and enrolled in this private school with him.

So, upon hearing the question, the boy let go of the earlier matter and began sighing as if recalling something terrible.

“Don’t even bring it up. I almost couldn’t make it back.”

The boy began to complain.

“My grandpa had something he needed to return to an old friend, so I went to help him with that.”

“You’d never guess—his friend lives in Italy, and not just anywhere in Italy, but on the southern island of Sardinia. Just flying there took half a day.”

“And that’s not even the worst of it. When I arrived, there was all sorts of weird weather—strong winds one moment, heavy rain the next, then earthquakes, then explosions. The city was almost destroyed.”

“I…”

The boy kept on complaining, basically saying he had suffered terribly there. He frequently encountered abnormal natural disasters, was almost caught in catastrophes, narrowly escaped death, and only after managing to return the item to his grandpa’s friend, there came a super storm and an enormous blizzard, forcing him to evacuate along with the citizens.

By the time the evacuation ended, all the tourist activities in Sardinia had been suspended, and many flights were canceled, delaying his schedule so much that he only managed to catch a flight back yesterday.

If not for that, he might have missed the first day of high school classes.

“Speaking of which, you probably won’t believe it, but I think I saw a gigantic wild boar in Cagliari…”

After talking about natural disasters, the boy started talking about supernatural phenomena.

However, he had no idea that his friend wasn’t actually talking to him anymore and had gone to another seat to chat with someone else.

Sitting in front of him wasn’t his middle school buddy, but Kaiser, who had just walked into the classroom.

Kaiser didn’t say a word. He simply sat there, quietly listening, and the boy just kept talking as if chatting with an invisible person, naturally launching into one topic after another.

“So that’s how it was. You didn’t get involved in the incident after all…”

After learning about the boy’s experience, Kaiser muttered.

According to the original trajectory, this boy should have encountered Verethragna, who had lost most of his incarnations and memories, shortly after arriving in Sardinia. After forming some connections with him, due to the appearance of Erica and the “Boar,” he would’ve been dragged into the incident on Sardinia.

The item he was supposed to return to his grandpa’s friend was actually a divine instrument with rather strict usage conditions—the Prometheus Grimoire.

It was a divine tool capable of stealing Authorities and wielding the powers of gods.

As long as the user had prolonged contact and regular communication with the target, the divine tool could be used to steal the target’s Authority.

Once the Authority was stolen, it would be stored directly in the divine tool. Upon release, it would disappear, thus it could be used as a one-time Authority.

The original owner of this divine tool was a witch from Sardinia. In her youth, she had studied abroad in Japan. At that time, she encountered a Heretic God wreaking havoc in the human world. She used cunning and words to converse with the god for an entire night, then used this divine tool to steal his power, turning him into a hollow shell and sealing him away.

Later, the witch enshrined the divine tool there to guard against the god’s possible resurrection. But eventually that place became abandoned, and no one there knew what to do with the divine tool. So they contacted the witch’s friend from her study-abroad days—namely the protagonist’s grandfather—and entrusted the divine tool to him, asking him to return it to the witch.

That was why the boy—Kusanagi Godou—had gone to Sardinia, encountered Verethragna, became entangled with the war god, and ultimately walked the path of God-Slaying.

The Prometheus Grimoire’s power also became the key to Kusanagi Godou slaying a god. Without it, he absolutely could not have succeeded.

Incidentally, this divine tool not only had strict usage requirements, but also inflicted severe side effects when releasing the stored Authority.

It was power far too great for a human to bear. Once used, it would cause one’s brain and entire bloodstream to boil, leading to a very painful death.

In the original story, had Kusanagi Godou not succeeded in God-Slaying and reincarnated as a Campione, he would have died long ago.

Now, because Kaiser had encountered Verethragna first, Kusanagi Godou lost the chance to become connected to the war god, and did not meet Erica. In the end, he was merely swept up in the incident caused by the “Boar” and managed to deliver the divine tool to the Sardinian witch, returning it to its rightful owner.

As for the subsequent series of supernatural phenomena on Sardinia, Kusanagi Godou experienced them like a normal person—encountering them, evacuating, and nearly being unable to return due to flight cancellations.

As of now, he was nothing more than an ordinary person, with absolutely no relation to gods or Campiones.

“Well, then.”

Watching him still chattering away, Kaiser couldn’t help but smile.

“Congratulations on getting your wish—staying far away from the mystical side of the world and returning to a normal life.”

That was what he had always longed for in the original story.

Now, that wish had come true.

Of course, from this moment on, the original protagonist would essentially cease to exist.

The rest of this world’s story was fated to have nothing to do with him.

Kaiser stood up, left the classroom, and deactivated Kyōka Suigetsu’s complete hypnosis.

Normally, to activate Kyōka Suigetsu’s ability, one had to let others see its Shikai. But Kaiser could directly borrow part of his exclusive weapon’s power. Just like how he could use the abilities of Hyōrinmaru and Ryūjin Jakka without drawing his Zanpakutō, he could execute the hypnosis procedure even without presenting Kyōka Suigetsu.

That sound of shattering glass earlier had actually been equivalent to Kyōka Suigetsu’s Shikai.

Therefore, those who had been looking at Kaiser at the time were effectively witnessing Kyōka Suigetsu’s Shikai.

And having seen it, they naturally became prisoners of Kyōka Suigetsu, falling under Kaiser’s complete hypnosis.

The intensity of the hypnosis wasn’t high, since Kaiser had only borrowed part of Kyōka Suigetsu’s power. But against ordinary people, it was more than sufficient.

After leaving the classroom of High School Year 1 Class 5, Kaiser was just thinking of strolling elsewhere when he ran into the class beauty from the neighboring class.

“You—you really are here!”

Mariya Yuri shouted as she ran over, panting heavily, and grabbed hold of Kaiser.

“You found me this fast?” Kaiser was a bit surprised, but then he realized and smacked his forehead, saying, “I almost forgot—your intuition is ridiculously strong. You’d probably be able to roughly sense where I was just from instinct.”

Mariya Yuri didn’t respond to Kaiser—or rather, she had no energy to.

She seemed to have truly run very hard, now gasping for breath, cheeks flushed, drenched in sweat, looking like she might faint at any moment.

“W-what are you doing here? You didn’t do anything excessive, did you?”

Finally catching her breath, Mariya Yuri immediately launched into a barrage of questions.

“I—I saw you come out of the classroom next door. What were you doing there?”

“There was an unusual aura flowing through that classroom. Did you use some sort of power?”

“Please answer me honestly!”

Maybe because she was too anxious and too angry, Mariya Yuri had dropped all honorifics, replacing them with blunt accusations.

The way she looked was like a strict student council member catching a delinquent, exuding a kind of unspoken authority.

“So you can get angry too, huh?” Kaiser said with a rare grin. “I thought you’d always be the timid type.”

Unfortunately, Mariya Yuri didn’t take the bait.

“Talk!”

The girl really seemed furious and wouldn’t let it go, insisting on knowing what Kaiser had just done.

But as always, the more serious she got, the more Kaiser wanted to tease her.

So, Kaiser pointed around them.

“Before that, you might want to take a look around. Everyone’s pretty curious about the relationship between you and me right now.”

At those words, Mariya Yuri suddenly came to her senses and looked around.

At some point, the area had become crowded with people. Even the nearby classrooms’ windows and doorways were filled with students peeking out, murmuring and gossiping.

“That’s Mariya-san, right?”

“Mariya-san… why is she grabbing a guy and not letting go?”

“What’s her relationship with that guy?”

“Don’t tell me…”

All sorts of stunned, curious, bewildered, and even incredulous stares came flooding in, as if they couldn’t believe that Mariya Yuri would act so intimately with a strange boy.

Her flushed cheeks, teary eyes, and hands tightly clutching Kaiser made it all too easy for people to get the wrong idea.

Mariya Yuri’s face turned even redder.

This time from embarrassment.

“Come with me!”

She dragged Kaiser off toward the other end of the hallway.

However, rumors about her and Kaiser spread at an astonishing speed, to the point that Mariya Yuri’s high school life for the next three years would never know peace again.

Chapter 339: [Hime-Miko of the Long Sword]

A day of school life ended before the sun had even set.

With the ringing of the dismissal bell, students began leaving the classrooms one after another, some even leaving Private Jonan Academy and heading home. Only those who still needed to participate in club activities remained at the academy, keeping the campus bustling.

Originally, as a member of the tea ceremony club, Mariya Yuri was also supposed to attend after-school club activities. However, she simply didn’t have the leisure or mood today, so she requested leave from the club president early on and, just like the students who went straight home, set out for home as well.

“…I probably won’t forget the look the president gave me when I asked for leave.”

On the road leading to Shichio Shrine, Mariya Yuri, hugging her school bag, wore a dejected expression, as if she were tired, or perhaps struck by something.

“You still haven’t explained things clearly?”

In contrast, Kaiser, who had been wandering around this unrelated school all day, showed no sign of boredom at all. His breezy, carefree demeanor made Mariya Yuri feel an urge to bite someone for the first time in her life.

“I’ve already explained it, and I’ve explained it many times.” Mariya Yuri said, nearly in tears. “But no one believes that the relationship between you and me is extremely pure.”

“…The moment you say something like that, it’s already not pure anymore.” Kaiser was speechless. “Why don’t you just tell them straightforwardly? Just say you already belong to me!”

“H-how could I possibly say that out loud?!” Mariya Yuri shouted with an over-the-top reaction. “Saying something like that would just make people misunderstand even more!”

“But it’s the truth.” Kaiser said nonchalantly, “Just tell them you’ve already decided to offer everything to me. Wouldn’t that settle it?”

“…My king.” Mariya Yuri’s eyes suddenly lost their light, and the way she looked at Kaiser seemed unfocused and hollow. “Could it be that you’re saying all this and doing all this just for fun?”

The corners of Kaiser’s mouth twitched slightly, and his back involuntarily grew a little cold.

Looking at Mariya Yuri’s lifeless appearance, Kaiser suddenly became a bit worried—was he about to break this woman?

At that moment, Kaiser coughed and straightened up.

“Didn’t I already say it? I didn’t do anything!”

All day today, Mariya Yuri had been interrogating him about this matter, as if determined to get to the bottom of it.

As a result, Kaiser had spent the whole day playing hide-and-seek with Mariya Yuri around Private Jonan Academy, and only when school ended did they regroup at the school gate.

Naturally, that scene was witnessed by countless people, shocking countless girls and shattering the dreams of countless boys on the spot.

It was foreseeable that tonight, many people would cry into their pillows and be unable to sleep.

In short, the relationship between Kaiser and Mariya Yuri had been completely misunderstood by everyone at Private Jonan Academy.

From now on, the news that Mariya Yuri’s heart was already taken would be the hottest of hot topics throughout the academy.

Mariya Yuri would likely be questioned by her classmates constantly, and Kaiser would probably have to undergo a household investigation.

Unfortunately, this should be both Kaiser’s first and last visit to Jonan Academy. From now on, he wouldn’t be coming back.

“Really?” Mariya Yuri looked at Kaiser suspiciously. “Please look me in the eyes and tell me—I didn’t do anything bad, right?”

Upon hearing that, Kaiser immediately stopped walking, turned around, and stared directly into Mariya Yuri’s eyes.

“You sure about that?”

He had no intention of avoiding her gaze. His eyes, fixed on Mariya Yuri, were straightforward and filled with amusement.

Those bright, piercing eyes so close to her made the pure-hearted Mariya Yuri blush without surprise.

“O-on second thought, never mind. Please don’t look at me like that.” Mariya Yuri instinctively raised her school bag to cover her face and muttered like a mosquito, “I believe you didn’t do anything bad.”

The corners of Kaiser’s mouth lifted slightly. He turned around and continued walking.

Mariya Yuri heard the sound of footsteps and then lowered her school bag, her cheeks glowing as she shyly followed behind Kaiser.

On the road that followed, neither of them spoke.

In this silence, they climbed the stone steps of Shichio Shrine together, entered the shrine grounds, and walked toward the shrine office.

However, as they passed the front hall of the shrine, Kaiser suddenly stopped.

“Yah!”

Not noticing in time, Mariya Yuri bumped straight into Kaiser’s back and let out a surprised cry.

“W-what’s the matter?”

Holding her aching chest, Mariya Yuri’s face turned even redder.

But Kaiser’s next words made all the shyness in Mariya Yuri’s heart vanish in an instant.

“There’s a guest.”

Gazing at the front hall, Kaiser smiled meaningfully and spoke.

“And she’s brought something interesting with her. Is she someone you know?”

Those words, filled with implication, made Mariya Yuri jump in surprise.

She also turned her eyes toward the front hall of the shrine, and a faint glow emerged in her pupils.

“This divine aura… could it be?”

As if recalling someone, Mariya Yuri quickly ran over and opened the doors to the front hall.

The next moment, Mariya Yuri saw a person.

A person she hadn’t seen in a long time.

“You’re back, Yuri!”

A clear and cheerful voice echoed into Mariya Yuri’s ears.

In the center of the shrine’s front hall, a girl sat upright on the floor, like the master of the place, welcoming Mariya Yuri’s arrival.

She had sleek, glossy black hair and looked every bit the classic Yamato Nadeshiko beauty. She wore a school uniform from some unknown academy, and next to her rested a long, narrow cloth bag.

“Ena!”

Mariya Yuri called out her name in shock.

“That’s me. Long time no see, Yuri.”

The girl still looked cheerfully composed, but her sitting posture was exceptionally proper. Despite behaving like a carefree and innocent beauty, her manner and bearing were as refined as that of a noble lady raised in a secluded manor.

Kaiser walked out from behind Mariya Yuri and looked at the girl sitting in the front hall. His eyes glanced at the long, narrow cloth bag beside her.

From that bag, Kaiser not only sensed extraordinary Magical Power, but also a sharp divine aura.

As Kaiser observed the cloth bag, the girl sitting upright had already turned her gaze to him, a faint light in her eyes.

“Nice to meet you. Please forgive Ena’s uninvited visit, O great king.”

The girl bowed deeply to Kaiser with impeccable formality.

“My name is Seishuin Ena, a companion of Yuri’s. Please just call me Ena.”

The girl gave a brilliant smile, beautiful as a blossoming flower, filled with natural charm, making it impossible for anyone to dislike her.

“Seishuin…”

Kaiser turned his gaze toward her and narrowed his eyes.

“One of the Four Great Families like Sayanomiya, right?”

As previously mentioned, in this country, there were four ancient family lineages that had served the emperors with their own Magical Power since antiquity.

Seishuuin, Kuhoutsuka, Renjou, Sayanomiya… The Four Great Families held an extremely important position in this country, with considerable influence, and were still active in the world of magic today.

Among them, the Sayanomiya family was the core think tank of the History Compilation Committee, while the Seishuuin family was the noblest of noble families, with ancestors dating back to feudal lords of the Sengoku period. They held political power and were especially skilled in martial prowess.

Seishuin Ena—this name already indicated that she came from this ancient family.

“Yes, Ena is the heir of the Seishuuin family, one of the Four Great Families. Just like Yuri, she’s a Hime-Miko who protects Musashino.”

Seishuin Ena introduced herself without any reservation, her open and confident manner once again evoking an inexplicable sense of goodwill.

Of course, if that were all, others might just assume that Seishuin Ena was a noble-born Hime-Miko.

In reality, the identity of the girl before them was far more than that.

“Although Ena is also a Hime-Miko like me, among all the Hime-Miko, she can be considered the highest-ranked and strongest.”

Mariya Yuri quickly explained to Kaiser.

“Although Ena is the only daughter of the current generation of the Seishuuin family, she has long been training in the deep mountains. She is the number one Hime-Miko of this generation—[Hime-Miko of the Long Sword].”

—[Hime-Miko of the Long Sword].

This was both Seishuin Ena’s title and her symbol.

Kaiser once again looked toward that long, narrow cloth bag and spoke calmly.

“A Hime-Miko who carries a divine blade? That fits quite well.”

At those words, Mariya Yuri’s reaction aside, Seishuin Ena was somewhat surprised.

“The king knows Ena’s partner?”

Seishuin Ena reached out and touched the long, narrow cloth bag beside her.

“Rather than that, it’s more like it’s eager for me to notice it, isn’t it?” Kaiser said with a half-smile. “Ever since I appeared, the thing inside has been growing more and more restless, releasing divine aura and sharpness stronger and stronger, like it’s afraid I’ll ignore it.”

“Looks like it really wants to challenge me.”

Kaiser’s words made Seishuin Ena show an expression of admiration and delight.

“That’s right! Ever since Ena arrived here, Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi has been quite unsettled, eager to come out and greet the king.”

“The king even knows that?”

“Amazing as expected of the king!”

It seemed that Seishuin Ena misunderstood, thinking that all Campione could perceive the emotions of her partner just like Kaiser.

Of course, that wasn’t the case.

The only Campione who could sense the emotions of what lay in that cloth bag was likely Kaiser alone.

Because, aside from being a Campione, he was also the king of all weapons.

Chapter 340: “Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi”

“Swish!”

Within the solemn shrine, Seishuin Ena, who was seated formally on the floor, suddenly untied the long cloth bag and drew out a long weapon from within.

It was a tachi stored in a jet-black scabbard.

The blade was three shaku, three sun, and five bu in length. Judging from its appearance, it seemed to be a straight, single-edged long blade with no curvature.

Seishuin Ena gripped the hilt and slowly drew the sword, causing the blade to reflect a brilliance similar to sunlight.

Astonishing Magical Power surged upon it.

Terrifying sharpness rippled across it.

The same atmosphere as when a Heretic God descended emanated from that sword, causing divine energy to fill the entire shrine.

“Ame no Murakumo…”

Affected by this divine energy, Mariya Yuri felt a wave of dizziness, and involuntarily began to mutter.

“One of the Three Sacred Treasures passed down since the Age of the Gods, a divine sword said to have been taken from the tail of the Yamata no Orochi when it was slain by Susanoo…”

“Its name is Kusanagi, its name is Ame no Murakumo…”

“It is a god of the sword, a god of steel, a god of battle…”

Without a doubt, this was Spirit Vision.

Stimulated by the divine energy emanating from that divine sword, Mariya Yuri's unparalleled Spirit Vision was immediately triggered, allowing her to speak of the origin of the sword.

Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi, also known as the Kusanagi Sword, is a legendary divine blade and a divine artifact wielded by Susanoo no Mikoto, one of the Three Noble Children of Japanese mythology.

This legendary divine artifact was now being carried on Seishuin Ena’s person.

Therefore, she was the “Hime-Miko of the Long Sword.”

“As expected of Yuri, your Spirit Vision has become even more refined than before.”

Seishuin Ena generously praised her friend.

“And then?”

In contrast to Mariya Yuri, Kaiser was completely unaffected by the divine energy that, to humans, was absolutely impossible to ignore. Instead, he looked at it with an expression as if he were watching a sulking child, appearing overly calm.

“This thing is your partner, and now that it’s showing such a strong fighting intent toward me, should I take it as you two specifically came here to provoke me?”

Faced with Kaiser’s words, Seishuin Ena revealed a somewhat troubled expression.

“Mm, Ena really would like to know how powerful and great the legendary King is, but even Ena understands that the King’s dignity must not be challenged. So this time, Ena really didn’t come here to fight the King.”

However, the divine sword in Seishuin Ena’s hand clearly had other intentions.

“Ena didn’t expect Ame no Murakumo to have such a strong reaction toward the King. It seems to be very interested in you,” Seishuin Ena tilted her head and said, “It seems to want to witness your capabilities, to understand your potential, to issue you a trial.”

Upon hearing this, Kaiser immediately laughed.

“A mere divine sword actually wants to test me?” Kaiser spoke as if he had heard the world’s greatest joke, “As expected of a divine artifact with the attribute of steel. This sword itself could be considered a subordinate god, a god of steel, right?”

In this world, there exists a certain class of gods that are extremely unique.

They are born for battle—their very existence is akin to that of a living sword. They are gods who possess a terrifying will to fight and to conquer.

Because they are usually extraordinarily connected to “steel” and “swords,” people call them gods of steel, gods of swords. Even if mixed with other Divinities, they still tend toward battle. Pure-blooded “steel” would not even show attachment to anything but combat—they are born for battle and die for battle.

This type of god typically possesses the trait of seizing the Authorities and powers of those they defeat and subdue, turning them into their own. In various mythologies, there are tales of them taking weapons from the enemies they have defeated.

They are in constant conflict with the earth mother goddesses who preside over earth, life, and death. In many mythologies, there are stories of them slaying dragons and serpents—incarnations of the cornered earth goddesses—thus gaining their power. Some even depict them taking the goddess, transformed into a maiden, as a lover, or accepting her as a supporter.

Thus, most “steel” possess the nature of extracting power from the earth—this is the hallmark of gods of steel.

The Circle of Usurpation, the divine artifact used to create Campione, is precisely a tool used to reenact the attributes of gods of swords and gods of steel. Therefore, it possesses the ability to seize the Authorities and powers of dead gods.

Susanoo no Mikoto once obtained the weapon known as Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi from the dragon-serpent Yamata no Orochi, and there is even a legend of him marrying Kushinada-hime because of it. Thus, Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi, born from the body of Yamata no Orochi, a dragon-serpent incarnation of a fallen earth mother goddess, is a god of steel, and even a pure-blooded steel.

Possessing the Divinity of a conquering god just like its master, and also being a subordinate god to Susanoo no Mikoto, this is the divine sword known as Ame no Murakumo.

Though Kaiser had not activated any Authority, perhaps it had not yet recognized the true nature of Kaiser. But as a god of swords and steel, it must have sensed something extraordinary from Kaiser, thus arousing its will to battle and displaying burning fighting spirit.

Seishuin Ena said it was testing Kaiser—that might very well be true.

It wanted to use its own method to confirm the essence of this man before it, who gave it a special feeling—to know what kind of power this God-Slayer possessed.

This was both a challenge and a test.

To achieve this goal, it even began injecting its divine energy into its wielder—Seishuin Ena.

Poor Seishuin Ena hadn’t even noticed this yet—quite negligent, honestly.

“Boom—”

Outside the shrine, the sky suddenly turned dark and oppressive for some unknown reason, and thunder and lightning began to stir.

A storm started brewing, and rain began to gather, causing Mariya Yuri, already somewhat dazed, to have a gleam of ghostly light in her eyes.

“Susanoo no Mikoto, also known as Susa-no-O, Kuzu-matou-nushi, Susa-ō-no-Mikoto, Susanoo-no-Mikoto, Susanoo-no-Mikoto, Kamususanoo-no-Mikoto, Susanoowo-no-Mikoto, Gozu Tennou… is one of the Three Noble Children born from Izanagi. The other two are the Sun Goddess Amaterasu and the Moon God Tsukuyomi…”

“Susanoo-no-Mikoto is the sea god of the vast oceans, a destructive god whose temperament is fickle—at times ferocious, at times heroic…”

“As the land god of Izumo, he combined with many other gods repeatedly and acquired many myths. Thus, based on his Divinity of controlling storms, he is the snake-slaying one, a culture hero god who excels in trickery…”

Hearing this, both Kaiser and Seishuin Ena turned their eyes toward the outside of the shrine.

“This really is a provocation, isn’t it?”

Kaiser spoke expressionlessly.

“Grandfather?”

Seishuin Ena was also somewhat surprised.

“King! This is…”

Mariya Yuri finally came out of her Spirit Vision state. As if realizing something, her expression changed dramatically and she urgently tried to say something to Kaiser.

Kaiser raised his head, stopping Mariya Yuri from speaking.

“I know.”

As he replied with these words, Kaiser looked toward Seishuin Ena.

“I wasn’t really planning on fussing over this, but since even the old geezer hiding in the Netherworld can’t help but jump out, then if I don’t give you all some sort of response, I’ll seem too temperless.”

As he spoke, Kaiser extended his hand and silently summoned a pair of ancient cudgels.

“Since you’re an acquaintance of Mariya’s, I’ll hold back a little.”

“Though you are innocent, just a medium being used, I still have to tell you…”

“Don’t die, alright?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the cudgels around Kaiser vanished.

“——!”

In that instant, Seishuin Ena’s heart tightened. Without hesitation, she leaped backward.

“Bang!”

The ancient cudgels instantly appeared in front of Seishuin Ena as if through teleportation and slammed into the divine sword she hastily raised, knocking it away.

The Hime-Miko of the Long Sword let out a muffled grunt and was sent flying, smashing through the shrine wall and into the outside.

“Ena!”

Mariya Yuri cried out in alarm.

Kaiser stepped forward, using Shunpo to instantly exit the front hall of the shrine and appear outside.

“Boom——”

A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, illuminating the pitch-black world.

The brewing rain finally began to fall, mixed with fierce winds, forming a storm that engulfed the entire Shichio Shrine.

“O Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi—”

The girl’s clear and pleasant Kotodama echoed in the storm.

“With my body as sacrifice, I beseech the pacification of the raging soul!”

“Chiba Break · Divine Igaki · Transcend · Now in My Name · Regret Not!”

“To vanquish the savage, bestow your power upon me!”

The Hime-Miko of the Long Sword, emerging from the storm, raised the divine sword high.

At the effect of the Kotodama, the divine sword’s appearance began to change.

It changed from a straight blade to a curved one. Its blade, which had emitted a holy white light, turned into a black sword seemingly engulfed in pitch-black flames.

At the same time, the Magical Power on Seishuin Ena’s body disappeared, replaced by explosively surging divine power.

“Possession Rite!”

Mariya Yuri, who had run out from the front hall, saw this scene and couldn’t help but shout.

The Possession Rite, as the name implies, is a technique in which the practitioner acts as a medium to invite another’s spirit to descend into themselves and thus use their power.

As the chief Hime-Miko and the top Hime-Miko of the present day, Seishuin Ena possessed the qualification to become a Possession Rite practitioner.

Those with this qualification are even rarer than those with Spirit Vision. And among them, Seishuin Ena was the highest-level Possession Rite practitioner.

Because she summoned the Divine Spirit of a god.

At this moment, a part of the Divinity of the god she worshipped—Susanoo no Mikoto—was dwelling within Seishuin Ena’s body.

With a human body, she accepted the power of a god. At this moment, Seishuin Ena was the god’s representative on Earth.

Thanks to this, the divine sword, which humans should not be able to wield freely, had now truly become Seishuin Ena’s weapon.

“Even though it feels like Grandpa tricked me, it’s too late to complain now!”

A smile full of fighting spirit appeared on Seishuin Ena’s face.

“Here I come!”