Chapter 58: A Welcome Party for the "King"
The scorching sun, the sweltering air, the shimmering heatwaves... today's sun was particularly merciless. Salarymen walking the streets were drenched in sweat under the rolling heat, each wearing a "mask of pain."
Meanwhile, seated inside a long luxury limousine with the air conditioning blasting, Shirou held a glass misted with cold condensation. Inside the glass was a bubbling liquid: ice-cold cola.
Cola without ice has no soul. In the middle of a blazing summer, taking a sip of ice-cold cola when your throat is parched is pure bliss.
"Speaking of which, [Copper Black Cross] should have a fairly clear understanding of Marquis Voban's personality, right?"
Sitting in the back seat, Shirou looked toward Erica beside him.
"Mm... yes." The girl didn't know what the "King" was thinking and could only answer with a polite smile.
"Then do you think that fellow will start moving as early as tonight?"
Hearing Shirou's question, Erica thought for a moment before gently shaking her head. "Marquis Voban is very shrewd in his dealings. Although he appears to be a wise, elderly gentleman, he actually thirsts for battle and is always proactively searching for 'Gods Heretic.' However, the ritual to summon a 'Heretic God ' requires a period of advance preparation, so he likely won't strike immediately."
"If he won't strike, then I will. When the time comes and the thing he wants is snatched away, the old gentleman won't lose his cool, will he?" Shirou said with a bit of a mischievous chuckle.
Facing an opponent like this, Shirou was playing his cards openly. Marquis Voban had lived for several hundred years, after all; he could easily guess and dismantle simple schemes. Moreover, at the level of a "Campione," no matter how much you calculate, a single Authority is always more effective.
Seeing the ill-intentioned smile on her "King's" face, Erica couldn't help but swallow hard. She knew that the [History Compilation Committee] here was likely in for a rough time. Being caught between two "Kings," a situation where neither side could be offended—just imagining it was enough to know how difficult it would be.
"We have arrived, King."
Prompted by the maid Karen, who was driving, Shirou stepped out of the car. The fierce sun beat down on him, yet he didn't shed a single drop of sweat. He stopped and looked up at the large office building before him. On the surface, it looked like a corporate office, but it was actually the Tokyo branch of the [History Compilation Committee].
Because the maid Karen had informed them in advance that Shirou would arrive today, the doors that were usually closed were wide open. Standing at the entrance were two men in deep blue suits, waiting with utmost deference. Upon seeing Shirou, the two immediately bowed.
"Welcome, King Orihara, who has traveled so far from Italy."
The passing pedestrians seemed curious about the situation. There were no knightly salutes here; instead, it was a traditional formal greeting. They leaned forward, spines straight, faces almost touching the ground—the highest form of etiquette, used by subordinates to superiors or for distinguished guests. Seeing such high-level treatment given to a youth was naturally eye-catching to passersby.
"Isn't your branch head coming out to greet me?" Shirou asked curiously.
"She has assembled the mages of the branch and is waiting for you," Amakasu Touma said with a respectful face, not daring to neglect any protocol.
"Greeting me inside? Fine. I didn't want to be this flashy anyway."
He expected these Japanese mages wouldn't dare harbor any disrespectful thoughts. If they did, the God-slayers who had visited here in the past would have sunk this small island long ago.
The two men in suits bowed again, their nodding and bowing being a local specialty of sorts. Shirou didn't seem to mind.
"Perhaps she didn't know how to greet you properly," Liliana said from beside him.
"As the head of the Tokyo branch, she's a high-ranking figure. How could she not know how to greet a guest?" Erica found it somewhat laughable.
"According to the records, this branch head named Kaoru Sayanomiya is only seventeen years old..." Alice recalled.
"Older than Erica and the others, then," Shirou said as he stepped into the elevator.
Watching the buttons light up and fade, Erica added, "According to the data, Kaoru Sayanomiya's spiritual power isn't as strong as Mariya Yuri's, but she is still a 'Hime-Miko' of the Sayanomiya family, one of the four great families. She is currently sixteen years old, a student in her first year at the private Jounan Academy Senior High."
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.
.
"He's finally here..."
Kaoru Sayanomiya watched the numbers on the elevator display increase steadily and took a nervous, deep breath. She hadn't expected that just after becoming the head of the Tokyo branch this year, she would have to face a "Demon King." Every second of waiting was an ordeal.
"Be prepared, Mariya-san," Kaoru reminded the girl standing behind her, who was wearing a shrine maiden's outfit and looking pale with tension.
"Ah... yes..." Mariya Yuri nodded blankly, already in a state of resignation.
Ding!
As the elevator doors slowly opened, a red-haired youth wearing a pure white tuxedo appeared in Kaoru's sight. The boy's pale gold eyes scanned everyone present before shifting back to Kaoru as if uninterested in the rest.
Following the boy was a white woman with an exquisite appearance and an aura like fine perfume.
Her stunningly slender figure, like a lily blooming in a royal garden, almost made Kaoru feel self-conscious. This blonde girl with impeccable poise and a natural noble air was the former chairwoman of the Witan Cabinet, the "White Princess." Her name was known even in the Japanese magical world.
Even as a fellow woman with a pretty face, Kaoru Sayanomiya couldn't even summon the thought of comparing herself to her. It was an overwhelming beauty.
The only ones who could keep up with the Princess's beauty were the two Knight-Princesses standing at the "King's" side: Erica Blandelli, the "Crimson Devil," and Liliana Kranjcar, the "Sword Fairy."
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