Alone in the guest room, Ana and Susanoo were both silent. While Ana remained seated on one of the beds, she watched the eastern god sitting in a lotus position on the floor, still cleaning his weapon.
Ana felt uncomfortable, not knowing how to start a conversation with her companion, especially since that companion did not seem very interested in holding a chat.
Then the Irish goddess carefully looked at Susanoo’s sword. Although they had been together for several months, she had never examined his weapon closely. She realized that the sword was very similar to the one used by the goddess Anat.
“Could you lend me your weapon for a moment, Susanoo?” the Irish goddess asked timidly.
“Monchiron, Ana-hime,” Susanoo said as he stood, holding his sword with both hands and presenting it to the curious goddess.
Ana then lifted the sword by the hilt and, using her ability to sense the elements of objects as well as her knowledge of metallurgy, understood how the weapon had been created.
“I hope you don’t mind that I read your weapon,” the goddess said.
Susanoo shook his head.
“Its name is Totsuka, and it was forged chiefly from an alloy of kotetsu… steel, and water, which aideth me in strengthening my attacks of that element,” the eastern god replied.
Ana then returned the sword to Susanoo. He accepted it.
“It’s a very curious weapon, and its creation requires a level of metallurgy a little more complicated than what is used in Europe,” the goddess said.
“The forging of swords is a sacred duty in the land of Yamato,” Susanoo replied.
Ana then remained silent for a moment.
“Do you know why a deity from Lel might have a weapon similar to yours?” the Irish goddess asked, confused.
Then Susanoo remained thoughtful for a moment while touching his chin with his left hand.
“It may… be Mikazauki Munechika,” the eastern god said, puzzled.
Then Susanoo continued explaining.
“Not long ago, a god of Yamato commissioned a blacksmith named Munechika to forge him a sword, for that smith’s reputation held that his skills surpassed even those of the gods themselves,” Susanoo explained.
Then the eastern god closed his eyes and shook his head.
“When he went to retrieve that sword, he never returned,” Susanoo continued explaining. “Months later, we found an ofuda that represented his body… He had been murdered.”
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“And the sword disappeared?” Ana asked.
“Hai,” Susanoo nodded. “It is the only case I know of involving a sword from my land disappearing.”
Ana was surprised by that story. What would Anat be doing in a land as distant as Yamato, whose existence the Irish goddess could not even find on a map?
“It’s very possible that was the one,” Ana said. “That sword was very similar to yours, but instead of emanating bluish energy, it emanated reddish energy.”
“Hai,” Susanoo nodded. “That is because it was made with materials from Takama-no-hara. It is a magnetic mineral that alloweth one to strike energy with greater ease, for the sword shall ever travel toward it as though drawn by a magnet.”
Ana then understood how Anat created that shield of power that prevented anyone from touching her.
“It is good that thou tellest me this information, Ana-hime,” Susanoo replied. “Now I shall have another objective in mind besides surpassing Rodrigo-san.”
Ana smiled pessimistically.
“I don’t think it’s going to be that easy to take that sword from Anat,” she thought.
Although the goddess remembered that Menrva had taken the spear Gungnir from Anat. It would not be impossible, but on that occasion, they had been lucky, and Thor had died to achieve such a feat. Lel’s enemies were truly very strong, although they had also become stronger in Tula.
And once again, silence.
Ana could not understand how there could exist a person who did not speak or try to start a topic of conversation. That absence of words, where only the crickets and the singing of owls outside could be heard, made her nervous.
Susanoo, once again, had returned to cleaning his katana, something he did religiously every day.
“I’d really love it if Menrva came back already… or if Rui magically walked through the door,” Ana thought while holding her face with both hands, wearing a nostalgic look.
Likewise, the goddess continued thinking about her teacher Athena. If what Menrva had said was true, it was necessary to invade Olympus to rescue her. Although it was possible Prometheus knew of some weakness in its defense system that they could exploit.
But while the goddess remained submerged in her thoughts, an enormous divine presence began approaching the fief of Tuscania. Ana realized it was neither Menrva nor any presence she knew. At that moment, Susanoo stopped cleaning his sword.
“Someone is approaching,” Ana said as she stood and invoked her totema.
The goddess quickly took an alternate dimension from her pocket, so she could use it in case a conflict broke out.
Susanoo likewise invoked his totema as he stood. But before Ana could release her alternate dimension, another dimension completely surrounded the fief of Tuscania.
Ana made her two swords, Caladcholg and Fragarach, appear and entered a combat stance. Susanoo also held his katana with both hands and wore a serious expression.
“Wait, wait! I have not come with war in mind!” a feminine and quite nervous voice was heard.
“Who are you? How are we supposed to trust that?” Ana asked.
At that moment, through the small window that looked outside the fief, the face of a woman appeared. She was a girl with olive skin and green eyes, and her black hair was gathered into braids in a hairstyle that gave the impression of being a cone held by two golden diadems, one on her forehead and another at the tip of her hair.
“I am Turan, the grigori of this region,” the mysterious goddess said. “I have not come as an enemy. Let me explain.”
“I assume you know who we are,” Ana said.
“I do,” Turan replied. “You are the members of Orniskem, which Princess Menrva recently joined.”
“And we know the Papal States are governed by the Etruscan gods, Lel’s lackeys,” Ana continued explaining.
“Lackeys, yes, but not for much longer,” Turan replied nervously.
Susanoo then sheathed his sword.
“Hast thou considered betraying the kingdom of Lel?” the eastern god asked.
Turan closed her eyes and smiled as she nodded nervously.
“If you allow me to enter, I will explain everything you need to know,” the goddess replied once again.
Ana then made her swords disappear and relaxed her posture.
“Come in, then. But we’ll keep a close eye on you,” Ana replied.