Chapter 42 Warning
The northeastern corner of Sardinia is adjacent to mainland Italy, while the southeastern side looks across to Trapani in Sicily. To the south, it faces Tunisia on the African continent across the sea, and to the north, it faces Bonifacio on the French island of Corsica, separated by the Strait of Bonifacio. The ferry ride takes just one hour, and under normal circumstances, the opposite shore is visible.
The vast sea between the boot-shaped Italian Peninsula and Sardinia is called the Tyrrhenian Sea. It not only serves ships traveling from surrounding ports like Genoa, Naples, Palermo, and Cagliari, but also hosts yachts for cruising. Due to its rich marine resources, there are also a significant number of fishing boats.
Before the morning sun rises, fishermen near the coast of Sardinia begin casting their nets. But when some of them hauled up their nets as usual, they discovered something very strange among the catch of blackfin tuna.
It was strange because it looked like a human youth, but it was clear he had been soaking in the sea for quite a while. Yet when he was pulled up with the net, he was still lively and full of energy—so much so that the simple Sardinian fishermen felt that considering this thing a fellow human was almost an insult to their species.
But the youth—who appeared to be human—didn't seem to notice the fishermen's bewilderment at all. He tore open the sturdy fishing net, climbed out, and then asked the dumbfounded fishermen, "Whew, I almost thought I was going to die. Could you tell me which direction the nearest land is?"
The fishermen looked at each other, and finally concluded that this guy really did seem to be human. So maybe giving him directions wasn't a bad idea...
One braver fisherman nervously pointed toward the land.
"Ah, that's wonderful. Then, could I borrow a small boat? Also, where is this place? Oh... Sardinia? That's just perfect. Things are getting more and more interesting."
Not long after, the young man boarded a small boat prepared for him by the reluctant and reverent fishermen and happily sailed toward the land of Sardinia.
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At the same time, in a villa on Sardinia, Hikigaya Hachiman was experiencing one of the most awkward moments of his life.
Because of the unexpected kiss the previous night, the atmosphere between him and Liliana had become subtly strange. And with the addition of an overly excited maid, the awkwardness had only intensified.
However, the presence of the gods helped ease the tension considerably. Before long, even the maid seemed to sense the looming pressure on the island and began preparing in earnest for the imminent meeting with the deity, with no other hidden intentions.
As for Hachiman, he began conserving his energy—by sleeping.
The origin and evolution of Poseidon had been mostly clarified.
Now that he understood what kind of god he was dealing with, all that was left was to rest. The opponent was powerful—he couldn't afford to be careless. He needed to face it in his best condition.
Shortly after falling asleep, Hachiman realized he was in a place he didn't recognize.
A completely gray world. The gray space seemed to stretch on infinitely. This was not a place that could exist on Earth.
Suddenly, Hachiman understood where he was.
The world of life and undeath. The shadow world where he had once met Susanoo, and the mythological realm where the gods existed—places like these all had this kind of feeling.
But this was clearly not any of those previous two worlds. Even compared to the shadow world, this place felt more primal. It was a different sacred domain of life and undeath.
Hachiman sat down in the gray world. He began to wait.
"It's been a long time since I've seen such a clever child."
A young girl appeared—around ten years old, with a well-formed face and a slender figure.
She was a little short, and at first glance would seem like a little girl, yet she radiated a charm more bewitching than any woman.
In an instant, Hachiman knew her identity.
The ones who create godslayers in this world are not humans—but gods.
The undying Epimetheus and his wife Pandora—the witch from mythology who brought disaster to the world.
"You must be Miss Pandora, right?"
"Oh, how formal! You can just call me Mama, if you like."
The witch's tone was very light-hearted, but also filled with a sort of doting affection.
"Most of the children up until now have been quite rough and combative, so seeing a diligent child like you makes Mama very happy and makes me want to shower you with special love."
"I see. Then please make sure I don't forget meeting you. Otherwise, if I wake up and forget everything, there's no point, right?" Hachiman joked.
But he suspected that wasn't very likely...
"Well, in that case, you'll have to keep working hard to raise your level." The witch giggled, and with no trace of divine dignity, sat beside Hachiman, gently holding his arm and even smoothing out his hair. "To remember things experienced in this space, one must purify their soul continuously until reaching a state of complete enlightenment. But people like that don't become godslayers—so it's pretty much impossible."
"I see. So that's the meaning behind 'life and undeath'—it refers to this kind of realm?"
"That's right, that's right." Pandora laughed cheerfully, like an ordinary human girl. "In Greek style, this is the world of thought. In Persian style, it's the world of the soul. Normally, only newly-dead children can easily come here. For you to arrive here, there's another reason."
"Another reason?"
"But I can't tell you. It's part of a bet between me and Him. I can't even tell the child's father."
Damn, now I really want to know. Does the divine realm have its own version of the 'guy next door'?
"Of course, I played my part too—mainly to give you a warning." Pandora released Hachiman and stood up. "From now on, you may only be able to draw power from fertility gods, especially solar deities. So when facing the lords of the underworld and the sea—you must not lose!"
"Mother dearest—let me call you that—if just being told not to lose was enough to guarantee victory, I wouldn't have to work so hard," Hachiman said with a wry smile. "And I don't even understand what you mean by only drawing power from fertility gods."
"Oh, I can't say more. After all, Daddy and Mommy are on the gods' side too. We can't give the children too much specific help—that's a rule we absolutely must follow. Besides, even if I told you, you'd forget everything once you left here."
"Then why bring me here in the first place…" Hachiman was speechless. This witch wasn't just physically like a child—mentally too!
"Hmph. Either way, you have to be careful. Your opponent is really nasty—nobody likes Him. Anyway, don't lose. Beat Him to a pulp!"
The scene before his eyes began to blur, and the witch's voice started to sound like static from a bad radio signal.
Hachiman didn't make any attempt to resist. He let his consciousness leave this space in a very strange, indescribable way—and return to the real world.
Then, he woke up.
Still the same small bedroom, with only a bed and a few simple pieces of furniture.
But standing beside the bed was a familiar girl—the fairy-like, silver-haired knight.
And she was staring at Hachiman with a very serious expression, as if she had something she wanted to say but couldn't.