Campione! (カンピオーネ!)

Italy, Sardinia

Huh? Train station?

There aren't any train stations around here.

Yeah...

I'll just ask someone.

Someone?

You don't speak Italian. Sure you'll be all right?

It'll work out somehow.

Anyway, I'm going to hang up now.

My grandfather, through his work in ethnography,

has traveled worldwide from a young age.

Because of that,

he often gave me things lying around the house,

like stone tablets and strange jars from across the world.

This tablet is one of those he gave to me.

A woman from this island let him hold on to it.

And since I'm his grandson, he passed it off to me,

and now I'm here to return it.

This is one weird tablet...

Me?

My name is Godou Kusanagi.

Do you not speak Italian?

In that case, I'll say it again in Japanese.

Hand over that grimoire immediately.

Grimoire?

I am a knight of the Copper Black Cross.

Did you think I wouldn't know?

You mean this?

I can't give this to you!

I was asked to give this to someone―

Hurry up.

Is this a mugging?

Mugging?

How rude.

What about you—

What's going on?

It can't be.

What's that roar coming from?

W-What the hell?!

A god...

A rogue god.

A rogue god?

And forty-eight hours from now,

I, Kusanagi Godou, will become the seventh King of the World.

Tale of the Beginning

W-What do you mean it's a god?

You should run.

H-Hey...

Arianna!

Right!

Erica-sama, where are we heading?

It's still in the port.

Take Rome Road south.

Understood.

We need to stop it.

This is good!

Get out of here!

Erica-sama...

Fly, Boots of Hermes!

Lion of Steel...

And he who begets you, the Lionheart...

Heed the oath made by Knight Erica Blandelli!

It appears it's time for a duel.

Cuore di Leone!

I knew it.

This is a divine beast.

The gods wish to start a fight here.

Jeez...

Where did she go?

Huh?

Does this belong to you?

Y-Yeah...

You should get out of here quickly.

There's some kind of monster...

This is funny.

Funny?

Actually, who are you?

Your Japanese is kind of strange...

I am the Victor.

I am the strongest and that which will defeat every enemy.

Victor?

Though I don't think it's necessarily bad to have a taste of defeat.

I tried to revive the king of the ancient gods, in order to fight them,

but I have yet to be defeated.

It's almost feels like I'm talking with my grandfather...

W-Wait!

Did you come here to chase after that witch?

Witch?

No...

I'm here because my grandfather asked me to deliver that.

This?

How nice, how nice...

It seems you're a good kid, a good warrior.

This thief has told me so!

Are you going, warrior?

Yeah, sorry.

Can I have that back?

Very well.

I shall let you hold on to it.

Hold onto it?

This is supposed to be mine...

What's going on?!

What was that?

You okay?

You're...

A tornado...

That's the avatar of a god!

So by "god," you mean a real god?

That's right.

A rogue god that brings disaster to the world.

A rogue god?

A god that has broken out of its mythic plane,

manifesting on Earth.

They create different types of disasters depending on their nature.

The land where a sun god appears might become a scorching inferno.

And if a sea god manifests, a great flood.

If it's a god of war,

it wouldn't be unusual for conflict to break out.

The rogue gods have existed since before recorded history.

But only those who possess magic

are capable of perceiving them.

Normal humans can only perceive them as natural disasters.

You have such a powerful grimoire, but you don't even know that much?

I've been telling you, I'm only here to return this.

To whom?

Uh, let's see...

Lucrezia Zora.

Lucrezia?

The great mage, the Witch of Sardinia?

Why would she give a grimoire like that to a Japanese person?

I don't really know,

but my grandfather got it when he was young...

It sounds like he dated Lucrezia-san a long time ago.

You're grandfather is quite sociable, then.

Why are you looking at me?

You know,

the train sure is taking its time...

That's why I told you I didn't want to take the train.

You didn't say anything!

Actually, why are you coming with me?

As a knight of the Copper Black Cross,

I cannot leave that grimoire be.

Under normal circumstances,

I would have just taken it from you at sword's point.

You should feel lucky to have run into such a proper person as myself.

Didn't you threaten me with a knife for it not that long ago?

What are you talking about?

This girl...

Anyway, hurry up and carry my luggage.

We'll go by car.

Why do I have to carry your luggage?!

Do you need to be a reason to carry a lady's luggage?

Sardinia?

Correct.

So it's begun.

Interesting.

I thought I was gonna die.

Arianna's only faults as a maid are

she's terrible at making stew and she can't drive.

I haven't seen you before.

Who are you?

A cat?

We are here with a delivery from Kusanagi Ichirou,

Lucrezia Zora-sama.

Ichirou...

Sorry...

I shouldn't be lazy just because I can use magic.

S-She's young.

Hmm? What's the matter?

N-No...

It's just, my grandfather said he met you when...

Well, I might be pretty old, compared to a normal human being.

But I'm nowhere near starting to decline...

It won't be much longer before dark.

You want to give this body a try, boy?

Lewd.

S-Shut up.

Don't say that.

Innocent young men are typically overflowing with urges.

I'm not overflowing with anything!

The Secret Book of Prometheus...

That brings back memories.

Prometheus!

Yes.

So what do you plan to do?

I'm not sure...

It would be terrible

if bad people began gathering because this was around.

If possible, I'd like someone to look after it.

Boy...

Did you run into anyone else on your way here?

Not really...

Oh, I ran into this kid.

He had a weird manner of speech.

Hmm, very well. I'll give it to you.

M-Me?

Wait just a second!

He's a beginner at magic!

If you give it to him, he'll just...

Yeah, I came all the way here just to give it back.