Campione! - Volume 19 - Chapter 1.3

Part 3 

If it was seen from the calendar of the mortal mankind, then it was about ten year before―― 

The new generation godsalyers were beginning to be born one by one. 

First was Alexander Gascoigne. And then John Pluto Smith. A few years later was Salvatore Doni. And recently was Kusanagi Godou. 

Every one of them was all peculiar person who possessed unique personality. But, as expected, the existence who was especially standing out among them was 

「It’s Annie for sure.」 

Goddess Pandora murmured seriously. 

「I have seen all my children the godslayers but, the first child who put on a mask by herself is Annie as expected.」 

Different from heretic god, she who was a true god was a residence of『Domain of Immortality』. 

She was not allowed to interfere with earth as she pleased. By no meant she was also able to converse that frequently with the demon kings who were the illegitimate children of the fool Epimetheus and Pandora. 

The most that she could do was making contact by aiming when they arrived at the『Boundary of Life and Immortality』. 

(The mortal humans called this domain as astral world, realm of the dead, and so on. Rather than material, in that domain it was spirit that had weight, even Pandora could freely intervene there compared to earth.) 

And then―― 

「It is only Annie who always unexpectedly showed up at the interstice of life and immortality, she stayed here as she pleased, and her authority as king of fairy can also be used…… 」 

Annie Charlton had defeated the evil god Tezcatlipoca and became a godslayer. 

She also won against moon goddess Artemis. Against the King Oberon who ruled as the fairy king at the boundary of life and immortality, she also won. 

As the result, Annie obtained『Ruling Power of Fairy King』as authority――. 

Right now she was also using that authority and entered into the boundary of life and immortality. Even though the demon king civil war would start soon. 

「Just what in the world she is scheming about I wonder~?」 Curiosity was throbbing itchingly inside Pandora. 

Among the godslayers, there were people who could come to『

Boundary of Life and Immortality』with their own power. Like Aisha who could open fairy corridor or Luo Hao who could cross over the world with magic. 

However, there was no person who could “world travel” so easily like Annie who was also the fairy king. 

That was why in reality, the adopted child that the goddess Pandora could contact the easiest was Annie Charlton. 

「Perhaps I should call out to her a bit――」 

The authority that was usurped from Oberon, one of the fairy kings. wise man congress named this authority as『The Imperial Crown of Fairy King』. 

This ability enabled Annie to visit the old territory of Oberon that was located in astral world as easy as taking a stroll where she was able to act cocky there as the “new fairy king”. 

Though it was an authority that was relatively hard to find a chance to use. 

「As long I have it, then I will want to use it effectively somehow.」 

For that reason, John Pluto Smith visited the astral world. 

Rather than physical material or flesh body, soul and mind were the most important here――. 

That was the rule of astral world. Things like feet or transportation facilities were unusable when someone traveled around in this place. In exchange, they had to put in their mind the place that they wanted to go to. 

Like that they would be able to teleport instantly to their destination. 

It was a world where hardships of long travel was nonexistence. Even the travel wasn’t making use of physical body but using mind. 

(Although people without grounding in sorcery wouldn’t be able to skillfully image their destination and they would become a lost kid of the underworld). 

However――there also existed “confined land” that couldn’t be directly entered using instant teleportation. 

For that kind of place, they would need to first teleport to a nearby place, and then they could only go there by moving steadily using their legs, or wings, or swimming. 

Smith too right now was in the middle of such travel. 

He was walking silently on white desert while being bathed under the glaring sunlight. 

On top of the white sand where cloud of sand was dancing, a mysterious person with black mask and black clothing was wandering. In a sense that appearance was also similar with the Bedouin people of the desert. 

And then, a yellow butterfly was flying at Smith’s side. 

The insect that was too unsuited for this kind of desert was asking at Smith with a lovely voice. 

「By any chance, are you in the middle of heading toward the evil god castle of Shaitan, Annie?」 

「Haha-ue huh.」(TN: Haha-ue, polite words for mother used in samurai family prior to Meiji period. Also the kanji used here refer to step mother.) 

A butterfly that emitted human language, of course there was no way it was a mere butterfly. 

It was something that was dispatched as the messenger of the goddess that was the step mother of all the Campione. Smith saw through that with a glance and he spoke. 

「It’s exactly as you pointed out. If I have to add, I have already visited the palace of princess Salome previously, after this I plan to head for the wasteland of the north storm king(Boreas). 」 

「My. You are going only to troublesome places aren’t you―」 After the goddess commented with her usual easygoingness, she then asked with interest. 

「What are you planning by walking around the sacred precincts that the fairy king reign over at the boundary of life and immortality? Even you are planning to participate at the earth――at the aforementioned civil war aren’t you, Annie?」 

「This is a simple courtesy call. There is no particular meaning in it.」 

Smith spoke smoothly. 

「Even if it’s me, there is no guarantee that I will be able to come back alive from a civil war between fellow devil kings. In preparation of the unlikely event, it’s not strange for me to give my greeting to my fellow fairy kings isn’t it?」 

Actually, in astral world there were people like『former heretic god that left the earth』,『demi-god who although unable to rise until godhood but their divinity was quite superior』, 『 former human who abandoned their living flesh body and became immortal』, and so on who were hiding and living here. 

In rare occasion such people entered the ruling class of the astral world as fairy king. 

These fairy kings were mostly inside their own private space that was the confined land. 

As a barrier space where entering rudely using instant teleportation was impossible, the door of the sacred precinct was only opened when a visitor that was worthy to be welcomed in arrived. 

「Rather than that Haha-ue. I want you to call me with that name when I am in this appearance.」 

「Aa―. That name eh, okay okay. The current you is not Annie but John right. Really, a child who say this kind of thing, even in my long history this is the first time for me……」 

The goddess Pandora who was always following her own pace murmured with deep feeling. 

She mostly never appeared at the real world, she could only meet her children exclusively at astral world. Interaction between true god and humans were just that difficult. 

Surely it was because of that. 

When other Campiones returned to earth, they completely lost their memory of meeting their stepmother. 

But, it was only John Pluto Smith who was different. Since he earned the authority of fairy king, he remembered most of the exchanges he had with Pandora. 

「The one with the most eccentric personality among the senior children is Aisha, while the one who is the most eccentric among the youth group is as expected John. The authority that you are possessing is also just a little bit special.

」 

The butterfly that contained the will of the goddess Pandora was murmuring happily. 

「Well……even so it cannot be said that it will be John or Aisha who will win because of that or even that you two are in advantage or not, and that’s what is interesting about all of you. Anyway, it doesn’t matter who will be the one who fight prince Rama, it’s only to that guy that losing is absolutely no good! You understand what I’m saying!?」 

Smith was thinking while half listening to his stepmother’s scolding. 

Indeed, it was doubtful whether a trick for touring the astral world like this could become a decisive blow but―― 

This should become an advantage that the other Campiones didn’t have. 

A trump card that only John Pluto Smith possessed. The problem was when to use this card. There would only be one chance…….