Chapter 59: Someone Lodged a Complaint Against Hikigaya Hachiman
Not long ago, Liliana Kranjcar had been commissioned by the world's seventh Campione, Hikigaya Hachiman, to begin a secret investigation into whether his biological mother was truly that current lady. To be honest, this had cost her a great deal of time and energy; it had been a long time since she had experienced such a fulfilling state of work.
She didn't even have time to write her novels!
Finally, she had found a lead and learned that Hikigaya Hachiman had come to Italy at the invitation of the King of Swords. But when she rushed back in high spirits, intending to book a small room and have a good chat with Hikigaya, she was informed by her childhood rival, Erica—that he had disappeared.
'You're trying to trick me again, aren't you?' This was Liliana's instinctive first thought.
There are many witches in Europe, but not many can truly achieve greatness. Liliana was the latter. Both she and Erica were at the pinnacle among witches of the same generation; at only their mid-teens, both had already been evaluated as attaining the rank of Great Knight. Although there was a clear gap between them and the established Great Knights, considering their age, it was truly remarkable.
But unlike Erica, who was still a free agent, Liliana now had a "master." Originally dispatched by her organization to serve Europe's oldest current Campione, her "ownership" had been transferred to Hikigaya Hachiman's hands while in that island nation of the East. Since then, what was originally a temporary assignment had become a fixed, long-term mission.
Hikigaya Hachiman had many flaws; aside from being a modern person, he wasn't actually much better than Voban. But perhaps because Europeans—especially Italians—had lived under the shadows of Old Man Voban and Doni for so long, the sudden appearance of someone who seemed somewhat normal felt incredibly refreshing to everyone.
Liliana felt this deeply because after the organization learned of the change in her "ownership," everyone was as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood. To be fair, Hikigaya Hachiman had never demanded Liliana's loyalty; this arrangement was entirely something Liliana's organization had pushed for themselves. Liliana felt this was a good thing because since then, there were far fewer troublesome matters around her, allowing her to be more focused.
Well... focused not just on writing novels.
In any case, after spending a significant amount of time together, Liliana had gained a certain degree of understanding regarding Hikigaya. Accepting an invitation but then leaving without a word was not Hikigaya's style; that was something Doni did frequently.
"I see. So it was to help track down that personage, and then he accidentally fell into the 'hole' left by the Madame..." In the ancient castle, within the room where Hikigaya had stayed before
his disappearance, Liliana, brought there by Erica, accepted the explanation provided by the prominent figures before her.
That made sense. Especially since among these prominent figures was a guest who, like her, had just arrived.
The famous Princess Alice, the eldest daughter of a Duke who had exhausted the study of celestial-system witchcraft, and the former speaker of the Witan. This noble lady, who held the dual identities of Europe's top female magus and highest-ranking witch, stated that to solve this problem, she would go to meet a certain important person. Since Liliana was Hikigaya Hachiman's direct subordinate and his representative in European magic society, she could accompany her.
Liliana readily agreed. she also wanted to know who could find several Campiones who had gone to different space-times without organizing a large number of magi. But when she was ready, she found that Princess Alice had no intention of going out.
The Princess led her up the spiral staircase to the observation room on the fifth floor, the uppermost level. One wall was fitted with large panes of glass, offering a panoramic view of the landscape outside the castle. As far as the eye could see was a vast forest; the trees were covered with the white snow that had fallen over the past few days. The crescent moon in the sky shone upon the deep green and silver of the ground.
"By the way, Liliana, you are considered my kouhai, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am still in training." Beneath the moonlight streaming into the room, Liliana answered the Princess's question concisely.
Communication between witches does not emphasize red tape; they often call those of their kind who are stronger than them "Grandmother" or "Sister." However, Liliana felt that neither of those titles was quite appropriate for the person before her.
Then she saw Alice reveal a sly smile. "I heard that your relationship with King Hikigaya is extremely close, and there's a secret mission lately. Would it be convenient to tell me?"
"I am sorry, I cannot answer that question. I suggest that you do not investigate it either," Liliana suggested sincerely.
Princess Alice then smoothly switched to an "understood" expression. "Great. Then you can't casually tell others about the following matters either, okay?" She pressed her index finger to her lips—symbolizing that this matter was to be kept secret from the outside world.
The highest-ranking witch who had exhausted the study of the celestial rank wore a smile that was dangerously full of playfulness. "Within Witenagemot, only a few grandfathers know. In addition, there is the top Fairy Doctor in North America; he assists that mysterious Devil King in Los Angeles."
Having said that, Alice used summoning magic, and a small perfume bottle appeared in her right hand. She picked up the perfume and sprayed it on Liliana; there was a faint floral scent.
"Skylark, please carry me to the other side of the clouds, lead me as I rise slowly, to listen to your song that echoes through the heavens and the white clouds..."
Alice began to chant the words of power and activated the magic. The moonlight streaming into the observation room became even brighter, and in an instant, Liliana's vision was filled with pure white light...
After the white light faded, Liliana found herself on a cliff. The sea was not far away, and below the cliff were waves violently crashing against the reefs. The sky was purple. Princess Alice was also beside her.
"Princess, you used the art of crossing over to the Astral Realm, didn't you?"
"That's right. we all call this world the Astral Plane."
A realm of non-reality, the Astral Plane—Japanese sorcerers call it the Yu-no-yo, while Heretic Gods call it the "Boundary between Life and Immortality." The perfume Princess Alice had sprayed just now was a secret medicine to help the human body adapt to the air of the Astral Plane. The Princess herself did not need to use such a potion. Being physically frail and sickly, she usually went out as a spirit body; this time was no exception, a double purely similar to a ghost, able to easily adapt to the environment of the Astral Plane.
"Is the important person you are going to meet a resident of the Astral Realm?"
"It's probably a bit different from what you're thinking. You'll see once you actually see them. Let's head to the agreed meeting place." After answering the question, Princess Alice closed her eyes, and the surrounding scenery suddenly changed.
It was a place very much like a grotto temple, with many Buddha statues lined up inside the cave. "Regrettably, we cannot go directly to the meeting place. That secret location can only be reached by transferring according to a prescribed route, so we have to stop at every station."
Next, the scenery continued to change and fly by. There was a white palace by a lakeside, an oasis surrounded entirely by desert, a wilderness carved with giant bird-shaped drawings, a dense forest filled with terrifying insectivorous flowers, and also modern towns.
Finally, they arrived at the foot of a barren mountain range. Rectangular marble columns stood tall with a roof covering them—it was an ancient Greek-style temple.
"We agreed to meet here. It seems the other party is not present." There was not a single soul around; the Princess, acting as the guide, frowned. "Hmm, being late even at a time like this, I really can't stand that person..."
"Princess, I just arrived as well. At most I'm a minute or two late, that hardly counts as being late, does it?" The sound of boots pacing on the stone steps echoed around the temple.
When the newcomer revealed his form, even though Liliana had been prepared and had an inkling, she still gasped in surprise. "The person we were waiting for is actually you!?"
"Haha, to be able to move the most composed and calm subordinate in Hachiman's mouth, I truly feel honored."
The newcomer was dressed in an elegant blue suit and a black cape, wearing a mask styled like the compound eyes of an insect, with iron-reinforced leather boots on his feet. The person was none other than the Campione known as the Guardian Saint of Los Angeles, John Pluto Smith.
"The Hachiman I know is a man who clearly distinguishes between favors and grudges, so I do not intend to interfere with his actions." The high-pitched voice beneath the mask possessed the intensity of a stage actor. "The reason his whereabouts are unknown this time was caused by an Authority used by a certain Madame as a passport. An old friend of mine came to me crying and complaining, begging me to find a way to solve the problem."
"The other party went to the trouble of bothering the esteemed Lord Smith, who is a Campione...?"
"Of course. Only a Campione or a God can oppose a Campione; that is common sense." Smith shrugged and answered Liliana's question. "However, I had planned to agree to that old friend's request, but he really is too pitiful. So I asked the Princess to invite you here, hoping you could provide assistance."
Smith's compound-eye mask was aimed at Liliana. By this time, Liliana had recovered from her shock.
"That is truly... then what kind of person is that old friend who entreated you?"
To Liliana's question, Smith pointed toward the interior of the temple.
"Him... to put it bluntly, he is a person with a very terrible personality. Every time Madame Aisha causes a commotion, he is the one who suffers most as the victim. But this time, it seems your master has driven him to wit's end."
"Suffers most as a victim?" Liliana frowned. "Then, what is the relationship between the person living here and Lord Smith? And you seem very familiar with Hachiman."
"A very appropriate question, Liliana Kranjcar." John Pluto Smith turned and walked toward the interior of the temple. "As for that, let's talk as we walk. Besides, my old friend is better at answering questions than I am."
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