Author's Note: Yo. Chapter 3 here.

To the guest Reviewer called 'Guest N': I will put up a list when all the restrictions have been revealed, not before.

I'm not sure but I think Alec is a bit OOC in this, so let me know how I've done.

Read, Review and check out my other stories!

Disclaimer: I do not own Campione!

"Godō" - Regular Speech

'My Everyday life!' - Thoughts

"God Slayer!" - Heretic God/Powered Up Campione speech

"Fire!" - Magic/Authority Use

Chapter 3: Alec, The Black Prince

Eilean Annraidh, Iona

Jean came to slowly, as if she had been asleep for some time. Her eyes flicked open and she remembered…Poseidon…using the Grimoire…dying…Mother Pandora…

She was a Campione.

"Jean?" Rebecca said as she leaned over her, a look of relief on her face, "Thank Hera. How do you feel?"

"Different." Jean temporised, "What happened after Poseidon exploded? I died then, I think."

"You did." Rebecca nodded, "I blacked out for a minute as well. I awoke just in time to see Poseidon's Authorities enter you and start to heal your body. You've been out of it for over an hour."

"Felt like a lot longer." Jean remarked as she sat up, "Huh…I was expecting my body to feel sore or something after what I put it through."

"Divine Healing is apparently far better than any kind of mage healing." the Hearth Witch said, "Now, I'm sorry for my impertinence, my King, but could you get us off this rock and back to Iona? I'm freezing here!"

"Eh? Oh…sorry." Jean apologised before she asked, "Why are you calling me a King? I'm female."

"All Campione are referred to as Kings, regardless of gender." Rebecca shrugged, "It doesn't help that eight tenths of Campione have been male."

"I'm not sure whether to be angry at the gender inequality, or pleased that it doesn't matter if you are male or female." Jean said bemusedly, "Anyway, I'll have to have a look at the Authorities I have. Which ones did I get?"

"All of them." Rebecca said.

"But…but you said that the rule was generally one Authority per Heretic God!" Jean said in disbelief.

"The Goddess Pandora is the one who decides such things." Rebecca said with a shrug, "It looks like she took Poseidon's last declaration to heart and gifted you with all that was Poseidon."

"Mother Pandora…" Jean smiled, "Looks like she was happier than I thought. Right. I need to think for a moment."

She closed her eyes and focussed within herself. She felt…five pieces of power. Five separate Authorities. Rebecca was right; Poseidon had given all that he was to her.

She pictured herself turned to the first Authority, a shining golden trident. The need to name the Authority came over her, which puzzled her. It already had a name, [Tríaina].

With that, the odd feeling left her. Mentally shrugging, she turned her attention to what looked like a massive mural of a wave. She got a deluge of feelings from it. Changeable tides, mastery of water and those who dwell in it, breathing underwater and creation of water from nothing.

"[Master of the Oceans]" she decided.

The next mural was of a rearing horse. This time she got the impression of a steed charging across the battlefield, a Pegasus flying through the air and obedience to the one who created them.

"[Lord of Horses] seems appropriate here." Jean muttered.

The third mural was of a large crack in the earth. She saw images of trembling land, crumbling buildings and widespread ruin.

"Yikes…not going to use this one if I can avoid it… [Earthshaker] it is." Jean said with a trembling sigh.

As she turned to the final mural, she felt the turbulent tumult of the gathered clouds, raging seas and shrieking winds that drive ships aground on rocks.

"[Stormbreaker]." Jean decided. She opened her eyes and beckoned Rebecca to follow her to the edge of the small island.

"Did you figure out your Authorities?" Rebecca asked.

"Yeah." Jean replied with a frown, "In order to actively use my Authorities of storm, earthquake, ocean or horse, I have to first have my [Tríaina] Authority out. That's the first restriction that all four share."

The newest Campione held out her hand and intoned, "Oh Golden Trident, come forth and serve your Master, in the name of the Oceans!"

The familiar golden trident appeared in her outstretched hand, this time sized to fit her perfectly, rather than for a man the size of Poseidon's smallest form.

"Wow…" Rebecca looked at Jean with a bit of surprise, "Normally, it takes a Campione a while to be able to reliably call upon their powers."

"That's because they all deny their relationship with Mother Pandora." Jean replied, "I, on the other hand, have accepted who and what I am fully, so I do not have to fight my powers for control."

She dipped the tip of the golden trident into the water in front of her and said, "By my will, let the waters part!"

With a roar, the water between Iona and Eilean Annraidh parted fully, leaving a wide passage for the two girls to walk to Iona.

"…OK, so I do need to work on my control." Jean admitted, "But reaching for my powers isn't an issue."

"Clearly." Rebecca drawled dryly.

They crossed the expanse of previously water-covered ground, keeping to the rocks so they didn't have to wade through the muddy sand/mud/slime that coated the bottom of the sea. Once they were across, Jean commanded, "Let the water return!", which prompted the seawater to rush back in.

With a smile, Jean dismissed her [Tríaina] and looked on in satisfaction as the water was restored to its previous level.

"Hell, yeah." she smirked before she turned around and started walking.

"Great. We have to walk across the entire damn island to get to a warm bath." Rebecca grumbled, "Just peachy."

One Cold Walk Later…

Jean's House

"Brrr…I hate the cold." Rebecca grumbled as she entered the house, followed by a rather amused Jean.

"You English people are surprisingly fragile." she observed, "Unusual Deity-created storms aside, this is a fairly normal day in Scotland."

"Normal?!" Rebecca shuddered before she paused. "Didn't we turn the lights off when we left?"

Jean's eyes narrowed. "Yes we did."

"If you two will just come in, we can dispense with the suspicions." a male voice called from the living room.

Rebecca went white. "L…Lord Alec?!"

"Great, the thief." Jean grumbled as she made her way into her living room, to find a black-haired young man lounging indolently on her sofa. He had the appearance of a sixteen-year-old boy with an almost feminine look about him as he regarded Jean with a speculative gaze.

"So, you are the new Campione." he mused, "Dare I hope that you are not a barbarian like the rest?"

"You are hardly one to talk about other people being barbarians when you break into other people's homes, brother." Jean replied with an ironic tone to her voice. Rebecca stood docilely next to her, her head bowed as the two Campione began to talk.

"'Brother'? Why do you refer to me as such?" Alec cocked an eyebrow at Jean inquisitively.

"We are both Campione; thus we are adopted children of Mother Pandora." Jean replied bluntly, "Thus we are adoptive siblings by extension."

"Oh. Her." Alec sighed, "Such a tiresome woman. Constantly trying to get me to call her 'Mama'."

"You have bad empathy with women, don't you?" Jean observed as she sat on her father's seat, "Well, that's hardly the point. Why are you here and why did you force entry into my property?"

"I am a Campione; I go where I please and fulfil my desires when I am working on behalf my organisation, Royal Arsenal." Alec replied, "As to the purpose of my visit…I am curious as to how long you intend to remain in Britain."

"Scotland is my home." Jean replied with steel in her voice, "And a man with the nickname that sounds like one a Gigolo would have will not dictate where I may or may not reside."

"I beg your pardon?!" Alec looked taken aback.

"'Black Prince Alec'." Jean quoted, "It sounds like a nickname one would give to a Gigolo."

"It is a name given to me because of one of my Authorities, I'll have you know." Alec replied coolly, "The point I am trying to make here is that Campione try to keep as much distance between one another as possible. The two who live closest together are that fool Salvatore Doni and the old wolf Marquis Voban. Doni lives in Italy most of the time and Voban keeps to the Balkans mostly."

"I see." Jean said neutrally, "And you wouldn't happen to be trying to force me out because you do not wish to have competition for Britain, I'm sure."

"I have been the Campione of Britain for fourteen years." Alec said firmly, "I like this island because it means few Heretic Gods descend here and thus very few Campione visit it. I would therefore very much appreciate it if you would vacate Britain."

"As it so happens, Mother Pandora has given me a task to accomplish and I will be leaving Britain for a while once I have readied this place for habitation." Jean replied coldly, "Once that task is complete, I will return to finish my education and I will brook no interference from you or your little band of stage magicians. Should you prove obdurate, I shall respond with the appropriate amount of force."

Jeans dislike for Alec was fairly high at this moment due to his arrogant assumption that he could order her around as he liked. Granted, he must have more than a couple of Divine Authorities after fourteen years as a Campione and had experience with deadly fights to the death, but he was rubbing her in almost the exactly wrong way and she was reacting instinctively.

"Oh?" Alec drawled slowly, "And what has that woman asked you to do?"

"That would be…exactly none of your business." Jean replied firmly, "Now, you are not welcome in my house any longer, so kindly take yourself out before I call the local police."

The disbelief on Alec's face was priceless. She would guess that no one had dared use such a mundane threat on him, ever. In fact, she was betting that Alec hadn't had to deal with someone he couldn't intimidate or outwit in some way or other in quite some time.

"…I see you are cut from the same cloth as the others." Alec sighed.

"No, you are merely deluding yourself as to your own self." Jean corrected him, "You are a Campione, and therefore you are a tyrant. It really is as simple as that and no amount of self-deceit will change that fact."

Alec looked at her before sighing and standing up. "Honestly. Well, I'll be on my way. Do you want me to take the Witenagemot Witch back to London for you?"

He gestured at Rebecca, who squeaked at being singled out by Alec.

"No. She said she would assist me in restoring my home." Jean said firmly, "I'll be escorting her back to the Presidium myself once I have finished my business here."

"As you like it." Alec shrugged as he waltzed out the door. Jean waited until she heard the front door close before sighing in relief.

Rebecca collapsed to her knees. That was scary. The amount of magic that the two of them had been putting out subconsciously had been off the charts; far more than she had ever dreamed of possibly being exposed to.

"That…was the scariest experience I have ever had, with the exception of confronting that Heretic God." the Hearth Witch gasped.

"Sorry." Jean apologised, "He really rubbed me the wrong way."

"Not surprising." Rebecca replied with a shaky laugh, "He was attacking the personality trait you possess that governs the theme of your Authorities."

"Huh?"

"Each Campione has a dominant trait that determines how the Authorities they gain will change when they receive them." Rebecca explained, "Lord Alec's trait is that of a thief, thus all of his traits are those to do with infiltration, trapping, and high-speed escape."

"Oh…" Jean was intrigued by this titbit of information, "What would you say mine would be?"

"Control." Rebecca replied immediately, "You despise having control wrested from you. Rules that try and bind you make you rebel against them. All the Authorities you gain will have an aspect that grants you as much control over them as possible."

Jean thought about it. What Rebecca said was quite true. [Master of the Oceans] granted her hydrokinetic powers and dominion over sea creatures. [Lord of Horses] allowed her to command anything that took the shape of an equine. [Earthshaker] gave her the power to create and, to a limited degree, control earthquakes within a limited area. [Stormbreaker] allowed her to create and control storms, with the restriction that they had to be on or about the ocean. All of those required her to use her [Tríaina] Authority to be active in order to be used, which also granted her speed, strength and the knowledge of how to fight with a trident.

Oh, she also had some lesser powers from her Authorities that didn't require the [Tríaina] in order to be used. She could breath water thanks to [Master of the Oceans], communicate with horses thanks to [Lord of Horses] and detect the weather at sea accurately thanks to [Stormbreaker], but the combat powers all required the golden trident in order to be used first.

"That makes sense." Jean agreed after considering everything, "Well, thanks for the information. What do you plan to do now?"

"Eh?" was Rebecca's reaction.

"You have completed your objective in investigating mysterious magical emanations." Jean pointed out, "This means you are free to return to London whenever you wish. I just said that you were to help me to get rid of the thief."

"So…if I wanted to ship out on the ferry tomorrow, you'd let me?" Rebecca prodded.

"Sure." Jean said with a shrug.

"I gave my word I'd help you with this house if you helped me." the witch said, "And I am true to my word. Though I think starting tomorrow would be preferable. I'm tired."

"Agreed." Jean yawned, "I'll get the guestroom ready; you go and draw yourself a bath."

"With pleasure." Rebecca said with feeling.

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The Next Day, 12:00pm

Jean's Garden…

"I call upon Demeter, Goddess of Agriculture, and Persephone, Goddess of Vegetation, the Karpophoroi. Restore this garden to its former glory!" Rebecca incanted.

In a burst of golden-brown light, the tangled, overgrown grass shortened, becoming neat and tidy as if it had been freshly mown. The dead flowers sprouted and the weeds shrivelled up as if they had been sprayed with weed killer.

In a matter of moments, the front garden of the cottage was looking as good as new. Jean shook her head in amazement. She had seen her new friend use magic all morning, but no matter how many times she saw it, she was still amazed at how useful magic was.

"I so need to learn some magic." the newest Campione remarked.

"You can do so easily; a Campione has vastly superior magical reserves that can be used for regular magic as well as your Authorities, although most Campione don't bother." Rebecca replied.

"Why?" Jean asked curiously.

"Two main reasons." Rebecca held up two fingers before dropping one, "First, their Authorities are vastly more powerful than any spell created by the hands of mortals, so learning combat magic would be pointless."

Jean nodded to show she was following.

"Second reason." the witch dropped the last finger, "Sheer laziness. Almost all Campione have Mage Associations that see to their day-to-day needs, so why bother learning household magic if you have people to do it for you?"

"The first one makes sense. The second is plain stupid." Jean frowned, "Even with the first reason, I can see a logical flaw in the argument. If we don't have to resort to using our Authorities automatically, the more flexible we become in combat."

"True enough, but the main opponents of Campione are Heretic Gods and Divine Beasts, which are immune to mortal magic." Rebecca replied thoughtfully, "So it does kind of make sense if you think about it like that."

"And for things like the Tritons?" Jean pointed out, "Or even regular Knights or mages that might attack their organisations? Using Authorities on them is a serious case of overkill."

"True enough." Rebecca acknowledged, "But it would be a very foolish collection of mages who would assault a Mage Association led by a Campione. Suicidal even."

"I'm still going to learn some magic." Jean vowed, "I dislike the idea of having servants; this is the twenty-first century for crying out loud."

"I can teach you a little if you would like." Rebecca offered, "We don't even have to worry about getting a focus for you because the entirety of a Campione's body is a conduit for magic."

"Sounds good." Jean nodded, "I'll have to head to France soon, so the lessons will have to be short."

"France? Why France?" Rebecca asked.

"Mother Pandora told me that another heretic God is due to appear in Sothern France that I am apparently the best person to oppose." Jean replied, "She requested that I take care of it."

"You…you actually REMEMBER your time in the Netherworld?!" Rebecca gaped at Jean in disbelief, "No Campione ever remembers more than a fraction of what is said there!"

"Again, it's because they continually deny their relationship with Mother Pandora." Jean said with a shrug, "She is our link to the Netherworld. The stronger our relationship with her, the more we will remember. I call her my mother and I acknowledge that I am her adopted daughter, so currently my relationship is the best out of my fellow Campione, if Thief Boy is anything to go by."

Rebecca shook her head at such a casual dismissal of the Black Prince. "I wouldn't talk about him like that if I were you." she warned Jean, "Especially in London. His Royal Arsenal has mages and associates from all walks of life and if they don't realise you're a Campione, they'll attack first and ask questions later."

"So…bully boys who are conceited because their leader is a Campione?" Jean snorted in disgust.

"Not always." Rebecca admitted, "I'm…more than slightly biased against the Royal Arsenal, because the Witenagemot has a sort of standing rivalry with Lord Alec's organisation. We are mostly what one might call a mutual help society rather than a proper Mage Association. We are noble families, wealthy Alchemists, Royal descendants, those who know of magic but cannot use it…a wide variety of people. Our primary purpose is to monitor Campione and try to decipher and record their Authorities."

"In case they go nuts, I take it?" Jean probed, "So you can steer another Campione into defeating that one and give them enough information to be able to beat the mad one."

"It has never been recorded that a Campione can go insane." Rebecca replied, "Pandora controls the Authority bestowment, so I doubt she would let someone gain Authorities who was mentally unstable. Anyway, you said a Heretic God is going to descend there?"

"In Southern France, yes." Jean nodded, "Precisely where in southern France I do not know. For all I know, it could be on Corsica."

"If you are the best person to face it, the God in question is probably another Sea God." Rebecca speculated, "Alternatively, it could be a Fire God, which your Authorities would be useful against."

"If it's a Sea God, the Southern Coast or Corsica is the most likely candidates." Jean remarked, "That means the French Provinces of Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, as well as the isle of Corsica."

"Knowing your luck, it's probably on Corsica." Rebecca sighed, "Well, I'll book the plane tickets when we get to London. I'll have to contact the French Mage Association in Southern France as well."

"How many Mage Associations are there?" Jean asked curiously.

"Usually at least one per Country, except for the smaller ones like Andorra and Luxembourg, which rarely have more than a couple of Mages in total." Rebecca replied, "France has two. One in the northern area, La Fraternité de la Nuit Noire, and one in the southern area, L'Ordre de Épées Croisées."

"The Brotherhood of the Night Sky and the Order of Crossed Swords." Jean translated, "Will there be any problems with them?"

"I honestly couldn't say." Rebecca admitted, "The only Campione they have had contact with is Salvatore Doni, the King of Swords. He is…a true Child of Epimetheus, an utter idiot who does as he pleases and causes more destruction than most Campione. Why, not long ago in Italy, he destroyed a Grimoire called the Heranion and caused the descent of not only a Divine Beast in the shape of a Dragon, but the Heretic God Perseus. It took the newest Campione, Kusanagi, quite a while to beat him."

"Why?" Jean asked.

"Perseus was an amalgamation of several gods, including one that negated most of Kusanagi's ten Authorities." Rebecca replied.

"TEN!?" Jean yelped, "Ten Authorities?!"

"Actually, it is debated as to whether they are ten separate Authorities or a single Authority that can take ten different forms." the Witenagemot witch added with a grin, "Anyway, Doni was the one who eventually slew a weakened Perseus, thus gaining no Authorities, as Pandora dislikes dishonourable conduct like that. The point is that the Order of Crossed Swords will have very little reason not to believe that all Campione are like Doni."

"Great." Jean sighed, and then remembered something Rebecca had said earlier, "Wait, did you say tickets?"

"Don't you want me to come along?" Rebecca asked.

"…I thought you wanted to return to your Hearth?" Jean asked after a moment.

"Oh, I do." Rebecca replied, "But you need someone to help you navigate the politics of the Mage Associations and the like. Besides, I want to make sure you don't terrorise people unnecessarily like Doni or Voban."

"And Voban is who now?" Jean asked, "I gather he is a Campione, but who is he?"

"Marquis Voban, the King of the Balkans." Rebecca said with a shudder, "The oldest Campione alive today, at over three-hundred. His dominating trait is that of Tyrant and Hunter. He is…ruthless. No one crosses him due to his ability to enslave the knights he slays with his Authority [Death Ring]."

"Brrr…" the newest Campione shivered at that, "Right. Stay out of the Balkans if at all possible. Noted. Right."

"A wise decision, my King." Rebecca bowed, "Might I suggest that avoiding other Campione in general would be a wise decision until you gain experience with doing battle with your Authorities?"

"Sounds good. And stop calling me King." Jean said with a frown, "Just call me Jean already."

"As you wish." Rebecca smirked at the irritation in Jean's body language, "Seriously though, you will have to act the part of a King. People will call you a king and act deferentially towards you; at least once it becomes known you are a Campione."

"Groupies, toadies and brownnosers." Jean grumbled, "Great. Well, we've just about gotten everything sorted out here. All that needs to be done is to trim the hedge a bit and then hire someone to do the gardening every once in a while and we're done here…now, where did Dad keep those pruning shears…?"

After finding the shears (and having to oil the damn things up), Jean started snipping away at the hedge while Rebecca took a break from using her magic. She had used the {Hestia's Blessing} spell on every room in the house, followed by the {Rebirth of the Karpophoroi} spell.

It really was fortunate that her mother had insisted on teaching her some basic gardening spells during her apprenticeship. She hadn't believed her mother when she had been told that a Hearth was also the outside of the house, as well as what was within, but, as always, her mother had been proven right in the end.

"Rebecca, won't the Witenagemot demand that you tell them what all of my Authorities are?" Jean asked suddenly after about half an hour of steady clipping.

"They will dearly like to do so, I would guess." Rebecca said with a smirk, "However if you were to 'requisition' me, they can't ask me at all, can they?"

"You're a person, not a photocopier." Jean objected.

"True, but Campione rarely care about such things." the Hearth Witch replied with a shrug, "The Witenagemot is used to Lord Alec stealing our books and the like if they interest him, so you saying that you're taking me because you need a guide or advisor when it comes to the Mage Associations, it won't be that much of a surprise…especially with Princess Alice on their side."

"Who now?" Jean asked as she finished the hedge and turned to face Rebecca.

"Princess Alice is the witch who stands at the top of Heaven-based Witchcraft." Rebecca replied, "100% Accurate Precognition, Clairvoyance, Astral Projection…there is little of that ilk that she cannot do. She is also the person who sent me here."

"Huh." Jean considered that, "Why would she send you though Rebecca? Not that I'm not grateful for your help, but wouldn't an actual combat mage be more appropriate if she knew that we'd be facing a Heretic God?"

"There are no Knights within the Witenagemot." the witch shrugged, "We're almost exclusively a research organisation. As for the Royal Arsenal,…we are rivals, but a greater point is that Princess Alice and Lord Alec cordially despise one another; their bickering is something of a legend among our two organisations.

As to why me…I honestly have no clue. It could be because I'm one of the few Librarian Hearth Witches that learned Self-Defence spells or for some reason I don't know about."

"Damn." Jean shook her head, "Well, I'm going to go visit a friend of my mother who lives near the Village Post Office to see if she'd be willing to potter about in the garden here for a while until the place gets sold. If she says yes, we can catch the ferry to Mull whenever we're ready."

"I'll have my bags packed." Rebecca drawled as she headed inside.

5:47

Oban Ferry Terminal

The journey to and from Iona was tiring, not just because of the ferry ride, but because one had to catch the bus from Fionnphort to get to Craignure on the other side of the island in order to catch the Ferry to Oban, which was called, rather unimaginatively, the Isle of Mull.

"I hate travelling by boat." the witch groused as the two girls walked towards the small Oban Train Station from the rather impressively built Ferry Terminal.

"Quite ironic considering I'm a Campione with Authorities to do with the Sea." Jean remarked quietly as she checked her watch, "The train to Edinburgh doesn't leave until ten past six, so we should buy the tickets, grab a bite to eat, then board. I'll let my lawyer know about the house being ready for sale when we get to Glasgow."

"Where would you recommend we eat?" Rebecca asked uncertainly.

"Something quick." Jean said firmly, "We only have twenty minutes. Ah, right. I'll grab the tickets, you grab the grub from that wee shop and we can eat on the train. Nothing with tomatoes in it for me."

"Right." Rebecca tottered off to the small shop that sold sandwiches, chocolate and drinks for people coming off and on the train. Jean approached the window and purchased two tickets for Edinburgh Waverly. The price was high, but that wasn't anything new; prices had been going through the roof for a while now. Stupid inflation.

The two barely made it onto the train before the conductor began closing all the doors because Rebecca had run to Waterstones to buy a book, earning her an eye roll from Jean.

The two settled in for the almost three-hour journey to Edinburgh, chatting in hushed tones about what to do once they arrive in London.

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Same Time

Master Bedroom, Princess Alice's Residence, London.

"Alice." Alec said calmly, "Why, in the name of sanity, did you send a Hearth Witch to do battle with a Heretic God?"

The Black Prince had, as he always did, barged through the powerful magic Barriers designed to keep others out and Princess Alice's Ectoplasmal Projection ability contained. He had then breezed past the witch's protesting guardian and entered her master bedroom, forcing her to wake up.

Princess Alice had an incredibly weak body as a result of her incredibly powerful Heaven-based magic, to the point that walking across the room was a major exercise for her. She got to all her appointments by manifesting an avatar of herself using Ectoplasm, but her guardian, Miss Ericson, was far too domineering for the Speaker of the Witenagemot as she constantly put that barrier up when Alice didn't have an appointment, in order to force her to do paperwork, schoolwork or something of that ilk.

Alice, a frail looking woman of twenty-four with pale platinum-blond hair and dark turquoise eyes, heaved herself up from her bed with a grunt to regard the Campione tiredly

"Must you constantly intrude in a lady's private quarters uninvited, Alec?" she asked. She looked more pale than normal as a result of helping Kusanagi Godō in his battle with The Great Sage Equalling Heaven and his brothers not a week ago.

"Answer the question." Alec said impatiently.

"Who should I have sent, then?" Alice asked wearily, "Your Royal Arsenal would have ignored me, you were busy gallivanting around Circe's island…I really had no other choice. Besides, I Saw that she would do fine against the Heretic God."

"Who was the Heretic God?" Alec asked. The irritating self-confidence of the newborn Campione still rankled him greatly. She hadn't seemed even slightly intimidated by the fact she was talking to an experienced and blooded Campione. On the contrary, he had seemed to amuse her greatly.

Alec hated women.

"I do not know." Alice replied, "All I foresaw was a victory if Rebecca Piper went, and disaster if she did not. You and two of the other Campione would have fallen had she not defeated that Heretic God."

Personally, Alec doubted that. He hated having to fight Heretic Gods, but he was good at it. His Authorities from the Fallen Angel Ramiel, the Three Furies, Minos, Melusine and the Behemoth were all ones he was well acquainted with and could use well, given enough time for preparation.

"You're hiding something." Alec observed. He was very familiar with Alice, despite their mutual dislike and could see through her…most of the time.

"I cannot tell you and why do you wish to know in the first place?" Alice said.

"The new Campione has no intentions of moving from Britain." Alec said impatiently, "She quite blatantly threatened me if I or the Royal Arsenal interfered in her education once she completed a mission for Pandora."

"She can remember her experiences from the Netherworld?!" Alice's eyes shot up in interest.

"Evidently so. She even refers to the Goddess as 'Mother Pandora' and me as her adopted sibling." Alec snorted in distaste.

"I see." Alice said slowly, a smile crossing her face, "I See indeed."

"You aren't going to tell me what you mean by that, are you?" Alec said in exasperation.

"Just because I can look into the future, it doesn't mean that I should act on everything I see." Alice told him, "Sometimes, the future is fine as it is, and this is one of those times."

The Black Prince huffed. "I hope then, for all our sakes, that you are right. Guinevere is on the move and she will not rest until the King Who Manifests at the World's End is revived."

Alice nodded. "I trust my visions, Alec. They have never steered me wrong yet. Jean Campbell, the Eighth Campione, is a force that will be of use against both Guinevere and the King Who Manifests at the World's End if and when he revives."

"Women and their intuition." Alec shook his head in mild disgust.

"Misogynist!" Alice shot back.

"Grrr…!" the two growled at each other before launching into one of their frequent spats that happened whenever they got close to each other.

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Next Chapter: The Greenwich Witenagemot

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