"So this is what they call an airplane...? They say it's the culmination of a thousand years of human ingenuity, but something about its shape and propulsion just doesn't feel quite... 'type' enough."
Staring at the enormous, bloated private jet before her, Melusine couldn't help but show a distinctly unimpressed expression.
"'Type'...?" Erica didn't understand.
She exchanged a glance with Arianna, seeing the same confusion mirrored there, which only deepened her own puzzlement.
Melusine sighed.
"Ah, if we're talking about flight posture, something more compact, or with sharper, cleaner lines would be better, wouldn't it? And if it could be armed on top of that, then you could call it 'super type'."
That sounded like a fighter jet.
"Those types do exist," Erica said.
"The Bronze-Black Cross could provide one if you wish, though... it might take some time. And the comfort during the flight would likely be... significantly worse."
"No, this is fine as is. For mere transportation purposes."
"...Well, as long as it suits your taste..."
Erica couldn't fathom why this goddess had suddenly taken such an interest in airplanes, even displaying an enthusiasm she'd never shown before. But her own mind was already whirring into action.
Looking at it this way, that 'type' might not be 'type' at all, just a homophone.
Its true meaning was probably some divine word expressing the goddess's preference. But... for an ancient goddess to be interested in modern technology like airplanes?
It was hard for Erica to grasp, but that didn't stop her from planning to cater to this newfound interest.
Having silently resolved to start with airplane models as potential gifts, she smoothly escorted Melusine onto the aircraft without a hint of her inner calculations.
The distance from Milan to Sardinia wasn't great. At the speed of the private jet, the three of them arrived on the island of Sardinia before sunset.
The moment they disembarked, spells to avoid drawing attention were cast upon them.
Melusine also immediately began sensing for any massive concentrations of magical power on the island.
Though she hadn't yet encountered a Heretic God, the sheer volume of their curse power would surely stand out like a crane among chickens.
But...
"There's no trace of a Heretic God on this island." Melusine frowned, looking at Erica.
"This..."
Erica didn't possess perception abilities capable of covering the entire island, but she knew Melusine wouldn't lie about such a thing.
After a brief moment of thought, she reached a conclusion.
"Perhaps it's because of the amplification from the magician Ruben's ritual. It allowed the shrine maiden's spirit vision to transcend not only space, but also time."
"What the spirit vision saw might not have been of today."
Well, that's not much different from my own future sight... Oh, right, spirit vision is something one can use at will, isn't it?
After all, future sight was merely the most inconspicuous among the other innate talents of dragon-kind.
It was an unreliable thing, flickering on and off, and even when it worked, it only showed the result, not the process.
It paled in comparison to true clairvoyance that could genuinely see the future.
(A/N: In Melusine's original words, aside from 'we will be together in the end,' everything else—'what kind of time we will spend,' 'what battles we will experience,' 'what challenges we will overcome'—was summarized by intuition. Plus, based on story events, if she knew the process, many things could have been avoided. So I believe she could only see the result; the process was inferred by her.)
"If that's the case, then I, who rushed here all fired up, just got myself worked up for nothing?"
Melusine's expression was complicated.
Erica, on the other hand, felt rather lucky. Even though a battle was inevitable in the end, she still preferred to delay it a little.
But seeing Melusine in low spirits, she said, "Even spirit vision amplified by a magician like Ruben wouldn't see too far into the future."
That was the truth. Erica estimated the Heretic God's appearance was at most two days away—either tomorrow or the day after.
It wasn't impossible it could even be today.
Melusine wasn't truly itching for a fight right this second.
Since the time wasn't right, she wasn't about to go tearing heaven and earth apart to find one.
On the contrary, perhaps influenced by this body, she even felt a strange, pervasive laziness settling over her.
Unaware of this, Erica only felt that her side had bungled things, dousing the goddess's fervor (all that pent-up energy with nowhere to go) with a bucket of cold water at the worst possible moment.
"Though it's unclear why a Heretic God would appear here, there has long been a rather famous great witch living on this island."
Trying to make up for the misstep, Erica suggested, "Perhaps we could learn something about the situation through her."
"Hmm... Alright, we'll do as you suggest." Melusine nodded in agreement.
The influence of the Bronze-Black Cross spread throughout Italy. Though they had no branch here, they did have assets.
After Erica made a phone call, a driver arrived in a sedan before the three of them. In less than half an hour, they were in front of a splendid, standalone villa.
As the three got out of the car, a black cat lying on a stone post by the entrance rose to its feet, its gaze deep and penetrating as it fixed on Melusine's figure.
When Melusine looked back, it immediately averted its eyes, its body trembling slightly.
Sensing her familiar's fear, Lucretia Zola, reclining inside the villa, instantly grew alert. Taking over the familiar's vision, she looked at the trio again.
Lucretia Zola: ...What in the world is a being of such magnitude doing in my humble corner?
Without time to ponder further, Lucretia quickly changed into her most presentable dress, then hurried out from the villa to greet them.
Performing a precise curtsy in Melusine's direction, she spoke respectfully, "Please, come in, Honored Goddess."
The entire process wasn't actually very long, perhaps only a minute—a remarkably swift response for 'uninvited guests.'
Melusine wasn't the type to look down her nose at others, so she didn't mind the informality. She simply nodded and walked into the villa's courtyard.
"So you're saying... a Heretic God will descend here within two days at most, and you're asking if I know anything about it?"
Hearing the purpose of the duo's visit, Lucretia frowned.
"...My apologies, I've received no news regarding such a matter. Neither the magicians nor witches here have shown any unusual activity."
"You mean to say... it's not a man-made summoning?" Erica found that hard to believe.
"But the local ley lines show no signs of agitation. If it's a spontaneous descent, there should at least be some kind of omen, shouldn't there?"
This was precisely what puzzled Lucretia.
Though she was lazy, that didn't mean she, a great witch entrenched in Sardinia for decades, lacked her own information network.
Yet the fact was, she'd heard nothing amiss.
Melusine, however, recalled. This affair was actually orchestrated by Susanoo-no-Mikoto, specifically to pave the way for the protagonist.
Ordinary people might not slip past Lucretia's notice, but arrangements made by a Heretic God like Susanoo were a different matter.
After all, these preparations were likely older than Lucretia herself; she might simply be unable to detect them.
"It's fine. It's only two days. Whether it's a plot or an accident, the truth will come to light when the time comes."
Seeing the two troubled on her account yet hesitant to admit helplessness, Melusine spoke up to relieve the pressure.
She wasn't exactly the King of Impatience, after all.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.