At the same time in Greenwich.
Located in southeast London, England, on the south bank of the River Thames, the Greenwich Observatory was established by the Royal Family in 1675, and in 1884 it was decided that the longitude passing through this place was the prime meridian.
Later, the function of the observatory was gradually abandoned and purchased by a group of people from the mystical world, who established the world's largest intelligence agency, Witenagemot.
Witenagemot was originally just a club formed by a group of people with hidden motives, but as time passed and more people joined, the original club evolved into the Witenagemot of today.
This is where intelligence secrets from all over the world are gathered, and the most important ones are undoubtedly related to Campione or Heretic Gods.
An emergency meeting was held here today.
"I gathered all of you here today, and I believe you all already know some of the secrets."
In the conference room, a white-skinned girl with long platinum blonde hair, around twenty years old, sat near the parliamentary round table and spoke to a group of elders below in a soft and slow tone.
Princess Alice, also known as the Sage Princess, was the chairperson of this meeting.
It is said that when facing rampant Campione, she can remain calm both in expression and heart.
"Princess Alice, we already know why you called us."
An elderly man with gray hair sat in a plush chair. Wearing reading glasses, he leaned closer to the document in front of him and observed the words within with his misty eyes.
Besides him, there were many others reading the same document.
After a while, some shook their heads and sighed, while others looked surprised and doubtful due to the news in the report.
"I assume everyone has read the information by now. What do you think?"
Alice raised her head high and spoke with an elegant demeanor.
"..."
For a moment, the room was silent. Then, discussions broke out quickly.
"This is absurd! In the past decade, only one Campione was born. But now, within a day's difference, two appeared at once?!"
"Japan and Italy... Two vastly different places, yet this phenomenon occurred almost simultaneously. Isn't the frequency of Heretic God appearances increasing?"
"And what's even crazier, the eighth Campione is also Japanese!"
"Two Campione from the same country?! That means if they clash over Japan as their territory, the situation could become extremely terrifying."
"No one can stop them if they fight each other."
"The seventh Campione, Rokuhara Ren. The eighth Campione, Kusanagi Godou. According to intelligence reports, Kusanagi Godou killed the Persian God of War: Verethragna, and the Mediterranean King of Gods: Melqart, using the Prometheus Grimoire given by Lucretia Zola. But what's more concerning is Rokuhara Ren. We don't know which Heretic God he killed to become a Campione."
The scholars within Witenagemot discussed the issue, even though they knew little about Rokuhara Ren.
Everyone was extremely cautious in their attitude toward the Devil Kings. Witenagemot has not been protected by any Campione since its establishment.
On one hand, this has to do with the fact that they hide it very deeply, and on the other hand, it's due to the ambiguous relationship between Alice and the Black Prince Alec.
The result of the meeting was that they could only wait until the two Devil Kings interacted. Whether Japan would become a battlefield, only time would tell.
Even if the scholars at Witenagemot wanted to stop it, they were powerless.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
After school.
At the gate of Ohananomitsu High School, a girl stood with a calm expression, occasionally glancing inside the school as if waiting for someone.
The girl had blonde hair partially tied to the side with a blue hairpin. Her eyes were clear blue, her gaze cold yet elegant. She wore the uniform of Shuchi'in Academy—an elite private school that only accepts children from wealthy and noble families.
A long-sleeved black top with a white shirt underneath, a fashionable short skirt, and a brown jacket tied at her waist gave off a relaxed yet classy vibe. Black calf-high socks and white shoes completed her look.
It didn't take long for the students of Ohananomitsu High School to notice her presence.
"Eh, she's not a student here, right?"
"Obviously not! Look at her uniform. That's Shuchi'in Academy's uniform!"
"Seriously? Isn't that the school for rich kids?"
"Yeah, I've heard! Only children of big businessmen and nobles can get in there!"
Some students immediately slowed their steps, glancing at the girl with growing curiosity.
"Damn, if she's from Shuchi'in, she must be from a super-rich family."
"Oh my, she's pretty too... but why is she here?"
"Maybe she has a boyfriend at our school?"
"Huh? Don't joke! There's no way a Shuchi'in Academy student would date an ordinary person!"
The students began whispering, forming various wild speculations.
"Or maybe she's challenging someone? In anime, rich girls like her usually look down on ordinary people."
"You watch too much anime! But if it's true, who is she waiting for?"
Their gazes remained fixed on the girl, waiting for whoever would appear and answer their curiosity.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
When the school bell rang, the students of Ohananomitsu High School hurriedly left their classrooms. However, unlike usual, Ren did not go home immediately.
Originally, he planned to spend time with Masha and do something... fun. However, his plan failed as Masha immediately headed to the student council office to finish her tasks.
With no other choice, Ren decided to go to the library.
Upon entering the quiet room, his eyes were drawn to a group of students sitting at one of the tables. A bespectaced young man seemed busy explaining something to two girls who were quite famous in the school.
Furuhashi Fumino, known as the Sleeping Beauty of the Literary Forest, was a genius in literature and art. However, despite her talent in writing, she aspired to be an astronomer despite her weak math skills.
Next to her sat Ogata Rizu, who had the nickname Clockwork Thumbelina. Since childhood, she was a genius in math and science but wanted to major in psychology despite her difficulty in understanding human emotions.
The bespectacled man teaching them was Yuiga Nariyuki, a student known for his hard work. Unlike the two genius girls, he had no natural talent but managed to reach the top five through sheer effort.
Ren only glanced briefly before shifting his gaze. Furuhashi Fumino and Ogata Rizu were indeed heroines, but they didn't catch his interest.
'What a pity, Fumino's chest is too flat, even though her face is quite pretty and her hair is long. As for Rizu, she has short hair and is expressionless... Nah, they're not worthy of joining my harem.' Ren thought narcissistically.
Ignoring them, Ren picked up some mythology books and began reading.
As a Campione, he felt it was very inappropriate to meet a Heretic God but not know how to insult his opponent.
On the other hand...
At the study group table, Fumino frowned while glancing at a student engrossed in reading a book in the corner of the library.
"What's wrong, Furuhashi?" Asked Nariyuki, noticing the change in his friend's expression.
Fumino sighed softly, still staring at the young man. "I don't know... I feel like I'm being mocked."
Beside her, Rizu, who had been quiet, adjusted her glasses at the bridge of her nose. "I feel the same way. As if someone is judging us... and not in a good way."
"You must be imagining things." Nariyuki said with an awkward smile. "Let's get back to studying."
Fumino and Rizu exchanged glances before nodding, though the strange feeling lingered in their hearts.
Meanwhile, Ren, who overheard their conversation, smiled faintly.
'Heroines' instincts are indeed sharp.'
However, since he had no intention of interacting further with them, Ren returned to focusing on his reading.