Erica preferred close combat, so Erica received Melqart's divine weapons as well as the power to summon the Dragon King Yam.
Liliana preferred long-range combat, so Liliana received Melqart's Authority over the sky and his Authority over the underworld.
Normally speaking, the Authorities of the sky and the underworld were somewhat higher-tier than divine weapons and the ability to summon the Dragon King.
However, considering that Melqart's nature as a dragonslayer and conqueror far outweighed his nature as a sky god and underworld god, and that the two divine weapons and Dragon King Yam were inseparable from Melqart himself, what Erica and Liliana received was ultimately about equal.
By cooperating to slay Melqart, Erica and Liliana accumulated a considerable amount of "great deeds," and both of them obtained one-fourth of a Campione's fate.
The results of this experiment proved that the "great deeds" gained by slaying a god through one's own effort were indeed greater than the "great deeds" gained by relying on Akuto's weapons to kill a god.
After all, Saint Raphael had slain a god alone, yet the great deeds she received were only about on par with Erica and Liliana, who had done it together.
...
The experiment on Saint Raphael afterward also went very smoothly.
Ever since obtaining the ability "Usurp Fate," Akuto had been eagerly awaiting the chance to put it into practice.
[Conceptual Ability - Usurp Fate (Red): In addition to the original ability to sever fate being upgraded, it can also seize another person's fate and place it onto oneself, or graft that fate onto one's own allies.]
[When usurping and grafting fate, the two parties involved cannot differ too greatly. Other than the host, fate usurpation can almost only be carried out within the same world.]
Previously, Akuto had temporarily allowed Saint Raphael to obtain part of Verethragna's Authority through "fate grafting."
However, because the similarity between Saint Raphael and Verethragna was far too low, maintaining it for even one or two days was already the limit.
This time, though, what Akuto grafted onto her was the King of Swords' Campione fate.
As Tony's master, Saint Raphael was far more compatible with that fate than with Verethragna's Authority. Akuto encountered almost no obstacles and smoothly completed the fate-grafting experiment.
Thus, through Akuto's hand, the first "acquired Campione" in the Campione world was born.
Although an acquired Campione was somewhat weaker than an inborn Campione in terms of fate and battle instinct, there was no question that this was a viable path.
Because at the same time, Akuto had pointed out a road forward for both inborn Campiones and acquired Campiones alike.
In the process of advancing toward the level of a true acquired Campione, an acquired Campione could also surpass an inborn Campione.
...
After finishing the experiment, Akuto finally moved on to the real focus of the day: his date with Erica and Liliana.
Sicily was a world-famous travel destination. Although the island had been drenched in endless rain because of Melqart, its weather underwent a dramatic transformation after Melqart's destruction.
After the defeat of the divine king Melqart, the sun seemed especially fond of Sicily.
It could be said that throughout the entire date, warm golden sunlight remained draped over the three of them.
The solar Authority Akuto had obtained not only dispelled the winter chill of the Mediterranean, but also cast a rosy glow across the fair, snowy skin of the two beautiful girls beside him.
After slaying Melqart, Akuto's group officially began the main event of the day: a date for three.
At this moment, the three of them were strolling through the streets of Rome.
On Akuto's left was Erica Blandelli, dressed in a red formal gown. On his right was Liliana Kranjčar, her silver hair flowing gently in the breeze.
After accomplishing the great deed of godslaying together, Erica and Liliana had already made up their minds. The two of them would cast aside all prior friction and establish a real relationship with Akuto as quickly as possible.
So for today's date in Sicily, both of them could be said to be pulling out all the stops.
More accurately, because Akuto's Authority could carry others with him through space, their date had long ceased to be limited to Sicily alone. They could go anywhere they wished at any moment.
Right now, the three of them were on their way to a café that Erica and Liliana often visited.
Although that café was actually in Rome, that was no issue whatsoever for Akuto.
He was not really here to savor coffee.
He was here to savor two beautiful girls with utterly different charms.
Three long shadows stretched across the cobblestones. Liliana's fingertips brushed unconsciously across the back of Akuto's hand, only to shrink back even faster.
It was clear that Liliana really had begun to change. She was now brave enough to initiate this level of intimate contact with him.
Erica smiled softly, seeing right through Liliana's desire to be proactive despite her lingering shyness.
So Erica smoothly wrapped herself around Akuto's right arm, her full chest pressing directly against it, drawing an immediate glance from Liliana.
Every time Liliana thought she had already become bold enough, Erica always managed to do something even bolder.
But it was precisely because of Erica's move that Liliana's competitive spirit flared up as well. She directly hugged Akuto's other arm from the opposite side.
A sweet fragrance drifted over, and Akuto felt a ripple of delight in his heart. Though Liliana's figure was not as full as Erica's, he was extremely satisfied with the shy, girlish side Liliana was displaying at that moment.
Just like that, with one golden-haired beauty and one silver-haired beauty holding onto his arms, Akuto enjoyed their softness and their scents all the way to their destination.
"My king, the tiramisu at this café was once praised by Napoleon."
Erica pointed toward a yellow building covered in creeping green vines, mischief glimmering in her amber eyes. At that point she deliberately paused, then rose onto her toes and leaned close to Akuto's ear.
"Of course, I would recommend you try their cappuccino even more. The perfect blending of dense milk foam and rich espresso... just like what you once bestowed upon Arianna."
Even now, Erica still could not quite let go of the fact that she had accidentally drunk Akuto's symbiote.
Still, considering that Akuto had done nothing wrong in that matter, and even Arianna had not really done anything wrong either, the only one truly at fault was Erica herself, the master who had stolen Arianna's "nutritional supplement."
So from beginning to end, Erica had never voiced any complaint about it.
Of course, not voicing an opinion did not mean Erica had forgotten.
In fact, afterward, Erica discovered that she rather liked that taste, one that resembled the cappuccino she usually drank.
And as her physical contact with Akuto became more frequent, she found her bodily condition growing increasingly delicate, while her craving for Akuto's symbiote multiplied by the day.
Erica's breath brushed against Akuto's ear. Akuto chuckled and pinched her slim but softly curving waist, earning a sweet little pout from her.
Liliana frowned as she stared at Erica pressed tightly against Akuto's arm, then suddenly stepped half a pace forward.
"My king, tea is the drink that best reflects refinement. First-picked Darjeeling carries the sharpness of mountain mist, yet once it passes the throat, it blooms into floral and fruity sweetness... just like... just like you..."
The quieter Liliana spoke, the redder her ears became.
Because she realized that her description of the taste of tea was sounding awfully similar to the taste of Akuto's symbiote.
After Liliana made her intentions clear, Karen had also shared some of it with her. At the time, Liliana had discovered that the flavor of Akuto's symbiote felt strangely off, in the sense that it was far too attractive to her.
Even though both girls had tasted the same thing, each of them had experienced a different flavor within Akuto's symbiote. And in both cases, it tasted like the drink each one loved most.
A miracle like that probably could only be achieved by a Campione with golden devil blood.
Perhaps because she was in contact with Akuto at this very moment, Liliana's words were also far bolder than usual.
Hearing her, Akuto smiled lightly and naturally took Liliana's slightly cool fingers in his left hand. The silver-haired girl stiffened instantly, yet instead of pulling away, she intertwined her fingers with his.
The outdoor seats of the café were gilded by sunlight.
Erica and Liliana each ordered what they usually drank there: a cappuccino for Erica and a Darjeeling tea for Liliana.
As for Akuto, he simply ordered both.
Erica lifted the white porcelain cup, but instead of drinking from it, she gazed at Akuto with a smile, then at the coffee and tea in front of him.
"Lord Akuto, as your knight, I believe it is my duty to offer you the finest possible way to taste cappuccino."
The moment those words left her lips, Erica took a sip from the cup, then leaned over and pressed a kiss to Akuto's lips.
The warm coffee, mixed with the fragrance of milk, passed into Akuto's mouth. When she pulled away, a trace of foam clung to the corner of his lips, only for Erica to gently kiss it away as well.
"Huh?!" Liliana shot to her feet so suddenly that her chair scraped harshly backward.
No, wait, the finest way to taste tea could not possibly be this kind of mouth-to-mouth feeding, right? Erica was being far too...
Under Erica's openly provocative gaze, Liliana bit her lip lightly, lifted her tea, and closed her eyes as she took a sip of the amber liquid.
Then, slowly, Liliana cupped Akuto's face with trembling hands from the other side and shyly pressed her lips to his. Her kiss was a little clumsy, her lashes fluttering like startled butterfly wings, but both Erica's bold offering and Liliana's bashful one were undeniably sweet.
Clearly, Erica had been right.
The best way to taste tea was to taste a beautiful girl at the same time.
From a certain perspective, Erica and Liliana, who had grown up drinking those beverages, seemed practically steeped in their flavors.
Beyond the taste of the drinks themselves, Akuto really could detect a faint fragrance from each of them that carried the essence of cappuccino and Darjeeling tea respectively.
"My, Lily. For someone who usually hesitates, you really can be decisive when you make up your mind."
Erica was still smiling, because her true goal all along had been to demonstrate through her own actions what it meant to take initiative.
"Since you've already gone this far, then you'll definitely keep up with what I do next too, right, Lily?"
Erica licked her lips, took another sip of cappuccino, and leaned toward Akuto again under Liliana's startled gaze.
(End of Chapter)
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