When Roy saw the half-dead Kusanagi Godou brought before him by Erica and Liliana, he couldn't help but find it amusing.
Watching as the two maids dragged the boy forward, Roy noted how they even used magic to prevent his filthy blood from staining the villa's expensive carpets.
"Lord Roy, mission accomplished! These are the items we found on him."
Erica gave a slight bow before stepping forward, carefully handing the stone slab to Roy.
Roy reached out to take the slab, but didn't examine it closely. Instead, he gazed with interest at the stunning Italian maiden before him.
Erica and Liliana had been by Roy's side for three years now. The two girls who were once barely fourteen-year-old lolis had now blossomed into graceful young women. European genetics differed from Asians—both Erica and Liliana were tall, alluring, and curvaceous, lacking the delicate petite charm typical of Asian women.
What's more, both maidens came from noble lineages and had managed European magical associations under Roy's tacit approval for years. Their aristocratic elegance carried an undercurrent of authority.
Position shapes demeanor. Among the billions of women in the world, one might find those matching Erica and Liliana's beauty, but such cultivated grace was truly unique. Not everyone possessed the capability or fortune to develop such noble bearing through high station.
Unaware of Roy's thoughts, Erica felt her jade-like earlobes tremble slightly under his steady gaze, flushing pink. Her slender legs unconsciously straightened further beneath his scrutiny.
Meeting Roy's eyes, she couldn't guess what the King was thinking, only speculating about his next move. Not that Erica minded—but with outsiders present, she couldn't exactly play coy.
She never refused these little games; in fact, she rather enjoyed their playful dynamic.
Seeing the springtime warmth swirling in Erica's azure eyes, Roy knew she'd misinterpreted his gaze. He simply smiled before lowering his head to trace the stone slab with his fingers.
The Prometheus' Grimoire. Roy had some familiarity with the Campione series, though not exhaustive knowledge. Even so, he recognized this slab's monumental significance—it was nothing less than the origin of everything.
Now this artifact rested in Roy's hands. While it held little practical value to him, it would make an excellent collector's item.
His gaze then shifted to the young man being forcibly held kneeling by two maids—Kusanagi Godou.
After leaving Pandora's divine realm, Roy sought out Janaki for some intimate time together. After waiting for several days, he finally received Luo Hao's "summons." With this ancient Campione sister, they engaged in a harmonious union of yin and yang, allowing Roy to obtain ancient Chinese mystical arts.
Subsequently, Roy buried himself in research, ignoring all distractions, and finally completed the ritual he needed, fully preparing himself for the battle against the Last King.
Not long ago, an Italian magical association suddenly sent an urgent report, stating that two Heretic Gods had been seen fighting in the waters off Italy's coast. The two deities wounded each other severely before vanishing. Such a major incident involving Heretic Gods naturally had to be reported to Roy, Europe's de facto ruler.
After receiving the report, Roy used his Clairvoyance to reconstruct the battle between the two gods. It was then that he recalled the story of Campione. Due to Roy's meddling, the original events of this world had barely begun before they were nearly over. One Campione had died, another wouldn't be resurrected anytime soon, and most of the living Heretic Gods had been slaughtered. Even Erica had already begun issuing commands across Europe in Roy's name before the true story could unfold.
Roy actually had no particular feelings toward the original protagonist, Kusanagi Godou. Even if Kusanagi Godou succeeded in slaying a god now, given the current tense situation, Pandora wouldn't initiate the Circle of Usurpation ritual. Even if Kusanagi Godou did become a Campione, to Roy, he would be nothing more than an ant. To prevent his annoying personality from disrupting his plans, Roy would most likely crush him the moment he became a Campione.
The reason Roy had Erica intercept Kusanagi Godou at the airport wasn't out of fear of him becoming a Campione—it was simply because Roy had already marked the Persian God of War as the material for his final "Ascension." He couldn't allow anyone else to steal his prey.
Moreover, Roy had some experiments in mind.
He glanced up at the alluring Erica and chuckled wryly.
That's right—Roy wanted to see whether so-called "destiny" truly existed. He was certain that both Erica and Liliana loved and served him wholeheartedly, without a shred of doubt.
But "fate" was an elusive concept, something even Roy couldn't fully comprehend. Thus, when he sent Erica to the airport to confront Kusanagi Godou, aside from having her seize the stone tablet, he also wanted to recreate the scenario and test whether "destiny" was real.
By normal logic, there was no way Erica would betray him now, nor could she possibly fall for someone else. But if there were some irresistible force akin to "fate," the impossible might just happen.
However, the results showed that Roy had overthought things. The so-called "protagonist" seemed to have no divine favor. Even if he did, the moment Roy crossed into this world, the entire fate had already been thrown into chaos.
The outcome of this experiment was crucial to Roy. At the very least, it meant that if he ever traveled to other worlds in the future, he could act as he pleased without worrying about some vague "resistance of fate."
This is something entirely different from the 'correction force of history.' The 'correction force of history' is a world's self-protection mechanism, while the so-called 'chosen protagonist of destiny' is more like some inscrutable, mystical concept.
Looking back at Kusanagi Godou now, Roy felt he was just an ordinary Japanese high school student after all.
***
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