Chapter 36 Visit
Watching the boar turn into a pile of gravel as it howled, Hikigaya remained unmoved.
To gods, appearances were like clothing—they could be good or evil, beautiful or ugly—but the emotional reactions humans had toward them ultimately meant little. These forms were simply the ones humans expected, while the gods merely chose the images they were most satisfied with from mythology to manifest themselves in the world.
So scenes like this didn't move him at all, because he knew that the life form of the beast beneath his feet was entirely different from any other creature in this world, even from the spirits from which they originated.
The ancient Egyptians defined gods as beings with names, eternal existence, and beyond mortal comprehension. These three elements formed the early understanding of gods among the Nile Valley's inhabitants. In this world, the more ancient, seemingly immature or even logically chaotic the god theories were, the closer they were to the truth about the gods.
Human logic wasn't suited to understanding gods in the first place. The mere existence of gods trampled all over human common sense.
Since it was impossible to comprehend them using human reasoning, then don't even try—Hikigaya thought things could be kept simple that way.
Under the scorching flames, even the gravel melted, becoming a black, indistinct substance flowing across the ground.
Hikigaya stepped over the pitch-black goop and landed in front of the two girls.
"Yo," he greeted the two with complicated expressions.
He could roughly guess what they were thinking, but hey, this was the classic "original story beginning" moment. How could he not show off a bit? If he missed this chance, he wouldn't get another one! This was the prime time to flex!
As a seasoned pretender, Hikigaya couldn't allow himself to make the rookie mistake of "not acting like a complete show-off at exactly the right time and place."
"Your Majesty, it is an honor to meet you. I, Liliana Kranjcar, shall act according to your command. If possible, please inform me of your wishes—I will arrange everything for you."
Liliana had already put away her magic sword, The Silver Master. With an extremely humble posture, she bowed before Hikigaya.
"King Hikigaya, please forgive my earlier behavior. I didn't know you had personally descended upon this island."
Erica's attitude had also changed completely. Though not exactly reverent, her conduct now left nothing to criticize in terms of etiquette. However…
"Sorry…" Hikigaya said, wearing a look so serious it was nearly comical. "Would you mind speaking a bit more normally? You're Doni's subordinates, right? No need to be so formal with me… I honestly don't understand most of what you're saying."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "Isn't there a really powerful witch on this island?"
If he remembered correctly, in the anime, Kusanagi Godou was supposed to return a tablet to a witch on this island—one that seemed quite formidable.
He was definitely not going back now, since from the moment Kusanagi stepped off the plane, his kissing-boy trip to Italy had ended.
Unless something unexpected happened, the tablet had likely fallen into the hands of a Yomi martial artist, and Kusanagi was already on his way back to Japan—probably unconscious, too.
Hikigaya was inquiring about the witch because he remembered the battle between two gods happening near her residence.
It was now a little past one in the afternoon. The Mediterranean sun beamed down brilliantly, the sky a clear blue without a cloud in sight. In the anime, the god battle took place at night, so there was still plenty of time.
"Then you must be referring to the witch of Sardinia—Lucrezia Zola," Liliana replied, though her expression was somewhat odd. "Although I've never met her in person, that lady is known as 'She Who Knows the Gods,' a witch whose magical power has reached a state of pure perfection."
At this point, she paused, then added, "Of course, she's nothing compared to you."
"There's no need to bring everything back to me…" Hikigaya said helplessly as he looked at the obviously nervous girl. "Then I'll trouble you to take me there."
"You saying that frightens me. Please follow me," Liliana replied, sticking to formal speech despite Hikigaya's objections.
"Can I come too?" Erica looked at the two curiously. "I've long heard of Lady Zola's reputation, but never had the chance to meet her."
"Together, together is fine," Hikigaya nodded repeatedly. He was already tired of delaying—the silver-haired little hamster was seriously way too uptight.
And so the three of them set off on their journey.
With a clear destination and a local guide, Hikigaya didn't need to walk anymore. They rented a bus at a nearby station and hit the road.
Hikigaya once again deeply felt his connection with buses!
It was really weird. No matter where or when, if he had to ride something—it was always a bus!
Lucrezia Zola lived in the center of Sardinia, in a place called Oliena.
Administratively, this location belonged to Nuoro Province. The three first rode a vehicle to Nuoro City, and after several dozen minutes of bumpy bus travel, they finally arrived at Oliena—a very ordinary countryside town surrounded by mountainous and hilly terrain, covered in lush green forests.
By the time they arrived, the sun was already beginning to set—it was twilight.
The three of them walked through the town streets, asking passersby about the witch's residence. In just twenty minutes, they reached their destination—a solitary dwelling near the forest beside the town.
Aside from having no neighbors, the house wasn't bad at all. It had a garden. Though the house was built of stone and clearly quite old, it was obvious the structure was originally very high-end. In Sardinia, full of ancient towns, such a home was considered a mansion.
However, the homeowner was clearly lazy. The yard was overgrown with weeds, and what should've been a fine mansion now looked more like a haunted house…
Hikigaya stepped forward and pressed the doorbell.
Despite everything that had happened, he still maintained some basic manners in daily life. When it didn't matter much, he was perfectly happy to stick to etiquette.
Ding-dong…
No one came out.
But just a few breaths later, with a heavy sound, the front door opened by itself.
Magic really was a convenient thing.
Hikigaya inwardly praised it—but wasn't jealous. It's not like automatic doors didn't exist now.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, he stepped through the door.