Campione! - Volume 18 - Chapter 9.6

Part 6 

"Actually, I started living in London a few months ago."  "I see."  

The two of them had found random seats at a nearby dingy pub.  

The strange maid introduced herself as Aisha then suddenly started to talk about herself.  

The audience was Luo Cuilian. She had never conversed with another woman on this type of subject. In fact, across her long life, she had never had a female friend.  

"After traveling overseas for a while, I discovered that it was more costly than I imagined... It made me feel a bit poor. Right now, I'm working while saving up."  "I see."  

"Today happens to be my day off, so I went for a stroll in the streets, something I haven't done for quite a while, but ended up getting lost accidentally. You really helped me out just now. I'm so grateful. Now I can get back to the mansion in peace."  

"I see."  

"Fufufufu. Traveling is wonderful. When touring the world, visiting countries never seen before, my mood naturally turns to joy. It makes me feel so very happy."  

"I see."  

"By the way, may I ask what is your name?"  

"I have no reason to tell you."  

Luo Cuilian found this type of inane chatter to be completely worthless.  

Although she had halfheartedly obliged Aisha's request so far, this was her first time to give a serious answer.  

She was not simply someone named Luo Cuilian. At the same time, she was the most exalted warrior and supreme "king."  

A self-introduction could not possibly come so lightly. Hence, she gave a most matter-of-fact answer but Aisha was very surprised.  

"W-Why!? Isn't it a kind of destiny that we met like this!?"  

"Is that so?"  

"It is! So please tell me your name, dear elder sister. Come."  

"There is no reason for me to be called your sister."  

"Ooooooooh, so mean."  

"An oath of sworn siblings is extremely sacred and solemn. That is simply the way things are."  

"Th-Then how should I address you?"  

"Well... How about the following? 'O sacred and sagacious noblewoman, lofty as the stars, hardy as gemstones. O supreme monarch whom none of the gods could reach. I am compelled to pledge unreserved loyalty and reverence to you.'"  

"Th-That's far too long! I knew it, 'dear elder sister' is best."  

Ignoring the girl's nonsense, Luo Cuilian glanced at the pub's counter. The server was not English but Chinese.  

This was one of the gathering places for Chinese immigrants living in London.  

The owner and servers were all Chinese. To put things further in perspective, this was a venue for chivalrous outlaws, thieves and other people involved in underground businesses would exchange information.  

Luo Cuilian initially ignored Aisha, intending to leave quickly. However, Aisha kept hassling her like a child following a mother. Left without a choice, Luo Cuilian brought her here. Naturally, had she the intent, she could have lost Aisha any time.  

Luo Cuilian was a master of qinggong, the art of lightness. Were she to sprint seriously, no one could catch her.  

However, it would be a taint to her pride if the Ruler of the Martial realm had to resort to martial arts against such a commoner. She absolutely refused to do something so unseemly.  

She originally thought that Daoist arts would be sufficient, but for some reason, the concealment spell did not work on Aisha.  

In the end, Luo Cuilian still could not fathom who on earth this girl could be, hence time rolled forward to the present.  

"Th-The tea is served."  

At this moment, the server arrived next to their table.  

He placed a set of tea ware with Chinese tea gently before Luo Cuilian. His hand also kept trembling. The terrifying rumors of Cult Master Luo Hao had filled him with overwhelming fright.  

Apart from those who had had dealings with her in the past, no one knew her name of Cuilian.  

Family name Luo. Given name Cuilian. Style name Hao. She was known more widely as Luo Hao, the leader of the Holy Cult and Ruler of the Martial Realm.  

Luo Cuilian spoke sharply to the quivering server.  

"How is the task proceeding?"  

"...S-So far, no p-p-progress yet..."  

Hearing the server's stammering response, she nodded silently.  

On this occasion, she had issued orders to all Chinese in London with Daoist and martial arts ties.  

Pledge your allegiance to me, the Ruler of the Martial Realm. My mission is to retrieve the divine treasure, the three-pronged vajra—That was what she had commanded.  

Hence, they searched desperately and finally found the divine treasure's whereabouts.  

Reportedly, the divine treasure had fallen into the hands of a man named Marquis Voban. Today, she had just issued an order—Arrange a meeting for me with that man.  

"Oh, excuse me. May I have another cup of tea?"  

Even amidst this sort of tense atmosphere, Aisha still spoke calmly.  

The server's gaze shifted left and right, at a loss what to do. He ought to know what kind of punishment he would be subjected to if he were to ask for Luo Cuilian's instructions on a matter of this sort.  

In fact, if he dared to speak of anything irrelevant to the mission, she intended to pluck out his tongue on the spot.  

Hence, Luo Cuilian felt quite satisfied with the server's excellent upbringing. As the Ruler of the Martial Realm, such fearful reverence from others was only proper.  

...As a side note, a couple decades later, her opinion would develop even further.  

The Ruler of the Martial Realm should not appear before the eyes of mortals.  

However, at this point in time, she was still not too opposed to showing her face.  

Rather, Luo Cuilian had commanded all subordinates across the entire world that carelessly discussing her appearance was a punishable crime.  

In the end, the server simply withdrew silently from the side of the table.  

"It is almost time to decide upon my lodgings for tonight..."  

Luo Cuilian suddenly whispered. A place to stay but not a hotel.  

Ultimately, this sort of city probably did not have anywhere suitable for her. However, if she were to venture out slightly, into the countryside, there was still a vast wilderness surrounding London.  

To spend the night with grass as the mattress and hazy moonlight for company.  

However, there was also the girl who could not comprehend such notions.  

"Goodness... Dear elder sister, so I see you are troubling over where to stay. In that case, please come to my room!"  

"You mentioned you are working at a house somewhere, didn't you?"  

Presumably, someone working in her type of occupation would live in that kind of house.  

This was common sense for London in this era. As expected, Aisha answered "yes." However, she promised with a radiant smile:  

"However, it'll be fine if you sneak in. I have a double room, but no one else is living in it at the moment!"  

"Wouldn't you be admonished if it came to light? Were this to happen at my residence—"  

Luo Cuilian declared coldly.  

"Should anyone dare to act in such a manner, I would immediately have them expelled from the house. Several fingers and toes shall be severed as a reminder of their sins."  

"That's far too cruel, dear elder sister!"  

"Correct yourself. I am not your sister."  

"S-Sorry. Oh... But my master is a kind man, so I'm sure he'll permit you to stay a night, dear elder sister!"  

"Hoh."  

Luo Cuilian murmured with a frown.  

This Indian girl looked extremely gentle and frail, but never showed any inclination in following Luo Cuilian's orders. Furthermore, "dear elder sister" had slipped out of her mouth again.  

No matter which subordinate, no one had ever dared to subject Cult Master Luo Hao to such irreverence.  

Furthermore, all the Chinese in this pub were frozen stiff in fear.  

They all knew very well. They knew that Cult Master Luo Hao was someone who placed great importance on her authority and would never tolerate anyone with the audacity to offend her.  

Even so, Aisha was just a girl encountered by chance. She did not know Luo Cuilian's identity.  

To treat her the same as subordinates of the Holy Cult would ultimately be too merciless.  

Deciding to forgive her for now, Luo Cuilian continued the conversation.  

"Is your master truly that lenient a person?"  

"Yes. He always looks grumpy and gives off terrifying vibes, refusing to let anyone talk to him—That's the impression he gives off."  

"Evidently a rather arrogant man."  

"But he's actually a very kind person. Whenever I keep committing repeated blunders in my job as a maid, he silently forgives me as though saying 'no helping it★'."  

"How half-baked. Tattoos ought to be applied to the face and body as evidence of crimes."  

"He seems to have a tough life. I think that's why he can generously accept even someone like me... Also, sometimes..."  

At this moment, Aisha lowered her voice.  

"He would stare intently at me as though there were words on his mind."  

"Could he be hiding emotions in his heart?"  

"Yes. Master would look so agonized at times like those... Then I realized it yesterday. Master probably sees me as a little sister!"  

While listening casually to her, Luo Cuilian caught the presence of a "visitor."  

She cast her gaze sharply to the pub's entrance. However, Aisha clenched her fist and continued to insist without seeming to notice anything.  

"If that's true, everything makes sense now. Master surely must have a deceased little sister. His sister probably looks just like me."  

"Hoh."  

"There can be no mistake about it. That's why master looks after me so much. He sees me as his sister's substitute!"  

"I see now. By the way, you called yourself Aisha, is that right?"  

"Yes yes. What's the matter, dear elder sister?"  

"I am not your sister. Forget it, is that person over there an acquaintance of yours?"  

Luo Cuilian stared diagonally behind Aisha and asked indifferently.  

"Similar to what you described earlier, he seems to be staring at you with words on his mind."  

"Really? Who could it be—m-master!?"  

"I shall make myself clear first. I do not have any deceased younger sister or brother. Rather, it would be better to say that I have no memories of family at all."  

With a livid expression as though suppressing wrath by sheer force of will, the young man spoke.  

After entering the pub earlier, he had walked to this table directly then stood behind Aisha the whole time.  

Why was this girl in this kind of place? He seemed to be asking and looked quite displeased.  

"Your name is Aisha, right? Looks like you have one or two screws loose in your head."  

The young man threw insults coldly.  

"Dump all the delusions generated from that broken mind of yours into the trash then shut your mouth. Otherwise, I shall regard you as a rag and toss you away like defective goods."  

"E-Ehhhhh!?"  

"My maid has evidently given you offense. Please accept my apologies on her behalf."  

After causing the Indian girl to go stiff with his harsh orders, the young man spoke to Luo Cuilian.  

Twenty or thirty years of age. A respectably dressed gentleman.  

Rather intellectual in demeanor. However, none of this could fool Luo Cuilian.  

This young man was no "gentleman." A wolf. What she could glimpse vaguely behind him was the appearance of a ferocious demonic wolf.  

Her outstanding spirit vision powers as a Daoist priestess had apparently allowed her to see his true nature.  

Luo Cuilian smiled sternly then spoke to the one enveloped in a wolf's aura.  

"No offense taken. I did not even listen to the majority of what this girl said. Neither have I any intention of taking them to heart, hence there is no need for apologies."  

"Hmm. Now that is truly gratifying."  

"Umm, could the two of you use slightly gentler language..."  

"I recall asking you to shut your mouth."  

"You will not be let off lightly should you interrupt our conversation again."  

"Y-Yes!"  

Ignoring the depressed girl Aisha, Luo Cuilian gazed at the young man before her.  

This man might possess the power to oppose me—Such suspicions surged in her heart. In other words, was he one of those after all?  

Luo Cuilian smiled and spoke decisively:  

"Your name is apparently Dejanstahl Voban."  

"Indeed. I came here only because I sent people to seek Cult Master Luo Hao's location... However, I never expected the holder of that name to be a woman."  

Both of them discerned each other's identity at a glance and sneered at the same time.  

Luo Cuilian and Marquis Voban both recognized that they were confronting a peer—A godslayer just like themselves.  

When encountering gods, a godslayer would instinctively understand their identities.  

However, instinct did not always work against their peers, the godslayers. Even so, the Eastern European and Chinese Devil Kings instantly realized each other's identity.  

They both styled themselves as the strong and exhibited the magical power of Devil Kings and the appearance of warriors.  

More than anything, these many factors were the best proof of the indisputable fact that "a godslayer was here."  

Next, Voban gave Aisha a look.  

"I see now. This maid was one of yours to begin with. I originally found her to be a girl with a bizarre personality, but now it finally makes sense. Many things can be explained now that it is known that she is the Kungfu Cult Master's subordinate."  

"What are you talking about?"  

Hearing unexpected words, Luo Cuilian instantly responded.  

"An eccentric girl capable of resisting the Daoist arts of I, Luo Hao... I see now. So she is Marquis Voban's maidservant. Then I can understand now. There is none like her among the believers in my Holy Cult. None like her shall be admitted into the faith either."  

"......"  

"......"  

Just as their mutual gazes were asking "Could it be that she is not one of yours?" Next to Luo Cuilian and Marquis Voban, the person in question spoke up timidly.  

"Excuse me, my identity is what I explained when I was hired."  

"...My error in judgment, huh?"  

"...Looks like I committed a slight blunder."  

The two of them decided to ignore the irrelevant person intruding on a meeting between Devil Kings.  

They gazed at each other again. Naturally, it was not out of love and admiration.  

Instead, this was a mindset of defiance towards "peers," extremely rare in this world. Hostility stimulated their fighting spirit, making them deeply interested in the opponent before their eyes.  

There is no telling what outcome may result if I were to fight him, thought Luo Cuilian.  

Furthermore, she was filled with certainty. He was undoubtedly thinking the same thing.  

"Well then, I came here for no other reason tonight. To resolve the matter of that divine artifact."  

Marquis Voban slowly began to speak.  

"Cult Master Luo Hao, would you care to listen to a suggestion of mine?"  

"Please speak."  

"I would like to invite you to my mansion for a detailed discussion regarding the matter. What are your thoughts? It would be rather hasty to resolve everything here."  

"Fufufufu. In a normal situation, I would never agree to such an invitation."  

Noticing that the wolf king had intentionally glossed over the main point, Luo Cuilian smiled gently.  

Naturally, the intent was not a talk. This was an act akin to the western custom of "throwing down the gauntlet."  

"I, Luo Hao, am not someone so ignorant of courtesy as to refuse a personal invitation from someone of your stature. When shall this take place, may I ask?"  "How about tomorrow? Of course, I don't mind visiting you instead either."  

"Of course not. I shall be the one to pay my respects this time. Upon my honor as 

Ruler of the Martial Realm, I shall keep my promise."  

If you are concerned about setting foot on my home ground, I don't mind visiting instead—  

Of course not. Who could say such spineless words—  

Hidden behind the superficially polite conversation were slightly goading messages.  

Also, Luo Culian suddenly sensed it. A storm was about to arrive. Furthermore, it was a violent storm of epic proportions sufficient to uproot London outright.