Chapter 44: The Witch of Sardinia
Although Erica had never experienced such a thing before, she had, at the very least, learned about it through various means. She had been curious about what it would feel like, but even with that theoretical knowledge, the moment the actual experience arrived, she realized that those theories were completely useless compared to the real thing.
In that single instant, her brain felt as if it had crashed; she couldn't even manage to think.
The young girl's reaction at this moment was almost identical to Princess Alice's, except that Alice was somewhat more mature. After all, the age difference was there; compared to the fourteen-year-old Erica, Princess Alice was undoubtedly more developed, both physically and psychologically.
While Erica possessed physical attributes that were in no way inferior to Alice's, she certainly fell behind when it came to psychological maturity and the acceptance of new experiences.
Gradually, just as the girl began to feel a lack of oxygen, Shirou slowly lifted his head.
"Haah... haah..."
Breathing in the air, Erica was now flushed bright red, and aggrieved tears had pooled in her eyes.
"King... I think I feel a bit dizzy..."
"Then go back and rest."
Seeing the girl's pitiable appearance, Shirou smiled and stroked her head.
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The next morning, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, Shirou left his bedroom to find the two maids already waiting obediently at the door.
"You two wake up earlier than I do."
"It is to better serve the King," they replied.
"Let's go eat first."
Shirou let out a yawn and followed the two maids to the dining room. As the capital of Sardinia, the facilities here were quite luxurious, and the breakfast prepared was incredibly lavish. Just as he arrived, Erica stepped forward to meet him.
"King, the magic association of Southern Europe asked me to hand something over to you."
"What is it?" Shirou looked at her.
Under Shirou's gaze, Erica produced a box. "Inside this is the symbol of the Ancient Serpent, the 'Gorgon Stone'."
Erica continued her explanation.
"Because the 'Gorgon Stone' contains extremely powerful divine energy, ordinary mages would find their breath suppressed by the divine pressure just by looking at it. That is why it is kept in a specially made box."
"The 'Gorgon Stone'..."
Shirou reached out and took the box. Upon opening it, he saw a stone that looked like an obsidian medallion, engraved with the portrait of a snake-haired gorgon.
"Since we have the 'Gorgon Stone,' it won't be long before that Goddess finds me, following the divine power within this stone."
Shirou looked at the stone in his hand and smiled. Then, he sat down at the dining table. While eating, he watched the scene of the girls beside him teasing each other.
"Lili, you were secretly writing romance novels again last night, weren't you?"
"I was not! Erica, don't talk nonsense!"
With the King and Princess Alice present, Liliana felt an overwhelming sense of shame and immediately refused to admit it.
Erica then flashed a cunning smile and began to recite loudly:
"On the day the blue heavens wither, Summer is a needle, piercing the blood that flowed that day into a scar. Unkind, unimportant, wanting to forget, wanting to love. Whenever blood soaks the dry lies, cracks appear one by one. Summer is merely a sharp reality. Carving wounds upon the melting phantoms. Summer is the key that strings together broken memories. Please, amidst the swirling light, String together my love~~~~"
At the end, Erica dragged out the final note in a mischievous lilt, teasing Liliana, whose cheeks had turned a burning crimson.
"AAAAHHH! I'll kill you!"
The two beautiful girls immediately began to scrap with each other. In their play-fighting, they completely forgot everything else, which allowed Shirou to see quite a few interesting things, his eyes lighting up repeatedly.
'Mmm, as expected, though Lili and Erica are equal in appearance, Lili is indeed slightly lacking in certain areas.
Too flat, Lili. You should eat more papaya.'
Liliana and Erica were originally close friends, but because they belonged to the competing magic associations [Bronze Black Cross] and [Copper Black Cross], they rarely had the
chance to spend time together in the past. But now that they both served Shirou, their respective organizations didn't dare stir up any trouble. Moreover, Shirou had casually eliminated the commander of the [Capital of Lilies] right in front of them, which surely left an indelible impression on the hearts of those once-ambitious commanders.
After breakfast, Shirou, the two Knight-maidens, and Princess Alice took a car toward the town of 'Oliena,' where the 'Witch's Mansion' was located.
As the luxury car bumped along the uneven roads, several hours later, a picturesque town appeared before them.
"Oliena... I've really never heard of this place. It's not even a dot on the map." Shirou opened the map in his hand and looked at it blankly.
"King, the place where the witch lives seems to be over there."
Alice, dressed in a light white dress, stayed close by Shirou's side, pointing toward the town ahead. Seeing Alice following the King so closely, Erica and Liliana couldn't help but feel a bit of friction. Though they knew about the scabbard, they were still somewhat unhappy.
"Erica, tell me, what exactly happened between Princess Alice and the King?" Liliana whispered to Erica curiously.
Erica suddenly recalled the incident in the sea yesterday; her cheeks gradually turned red, and steam seemed to rise from her head.
"Eh? Erica, what's wrong with you?" Liliana asked in confusion, looking at Erica's expression.
"N-Nothing!" Erica answered quickly, then lifted her face and determinedly followed the pair in front.
The group searched for the 'Witch's Mansion' in the town. A handsome man accompanied by three beautiful girls appearing in such an ordinary town was like a brilliant landscape, drawing immense attention from passersby.
Although the town had a population of less than ten thousand, it was a case of "the sparrow may be small, but all its organs are present." The houses were all exquisite stone buildings. Whether it was the shops or hotels, they lacked any rural village style and were instead designed according to big-city trends. Perhaps because of this uniqueness, many tourists usually visited, driving the economy and making the development here quite good.
"It's over there!"
As the witch with the strongest spiritual power in Europe, it was naturally simple for Princess Alice to find someone. After walking through the town for a short while, she pointed toward a medieval-style stone building.
Lucretia Zola's home was near the forest on the edge of town. It seemed that rather than a bustling city, this witch preferred a quiet and elegant location.
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