If Goddess Ishtar saw Hermes' work, she might be so angry she'd vomit blood, ("You're turning the tables on me!")
However, Hermes himself was very satisfied with his painting, and so was Goddess Freya, especially the latter, who obviously didn't consider the mere Ishtar Familia worth her attention.
"Allen, I'm a bit troubled," the goddess said with some concern as she gazed at the exquisite painting.
The [Goddess' Chariot] straightened his expression, his tone cold as he said, "Lady Freya, if you have any wish, please just give the order."
Allen Fromel's attitude was firm. Among the many fervent followers in the Freya Familia, he was one of the most devoted.
The goddess's will was his goal, and the goddess's desire was his direction. If Goddess Freya gave the order to go to war with the Loki Familia today, Allen wouldn't even bat an eye.
Freya: "I was originally a staunch supporter of Shirou and Ryuu as a couple. Though Anya is also quite cute, I always believed that Ryuu-chan was the better match for Shirou… But now, after seeing Haruhime, I'm starting to waver." [T/N: Go Haruhime!!]
Allen: "…"
The goddess's words left him baffled. He understood each word individually, but when strung together, he found them incomprehensible. And why was his foolish little sister's name included in this conversation…?
Allen could only remain silent in response.
"That child's soul… Although it has nothing to do with the word 'purity,' it has undeniable shining qualities. Moreover, her assistance to Shirou might not be any less than Ryuu's," the goddess muttered to herself.
Haruhime's magic, [Uchide no Kozuchi], was something Freya didn't yet know the name of, but she had already roughly deduced its effects. After all, Hermes had witnessed firsthand how a Level 2 Shirou, surrounded by luminous particles, had utterly demolished a group of Level 3 female warriors.
[A strengthening magic so potent that it's equivalent to Level Transcendence… or perhaps it is Level Transcendence itself.]
Freya had already realized this much.
Her tolerance for Goddess Ishtar was actually quite high, but secretly harboring such a superweapon slightly tested her patience.
If Shirou and Ryuu hadn't already taken Haruhime away, letting her live at the [Hostess of Fertility] while breaking the Sesshou-seki, then by now, the [King] would likely have led a team to pay the Ishtar Familia a visit.
'That goddess, blinded by jealousy, actually managed to maintain a degree of divine dignity and grace in the end. She finally showed a glimpse of 'beauty' and let me enjoy a good show. Since that's the case, I'll let her off the hook this time,' Freya thought indulgently.
Besides, Shirou's ruthless trampling had already vented Freya's frustrations—though for Ishtar, that might have been more of a reward.
One could say that the Ishtar Familia had actually benefited from misfortune and temporarily escaped disaster.
'Sigh, it's still Ryuu who's too unassertive. She had the best chance, yet she takes no initiative at all…', Freya pondered for a moment, "Allen, inform Mama Mia to arrange for that fox girl to become Shirou's personal maid…"
"Ryuu needs a little pressure, after all~"
———
"The Astraea Familia makes a powerful return, [Gale] levels up!"
"Another First-Class Adventurer is born in the Dungeon City, and it's her."
"Defeating [Sword Princess] first, then crushing [Man Killer]—can [Gale] become the strongest female swordsman?"
"[Gale] vs. [Elephant God's Staff]—who is stronger?"
Overnight, the name [Gale] became the hottest topic in the Dungeon City.
The battle between Emiya and the battle courtesans had been overshadowed by the Ishtar Familia, with only a few frequent visitors of the Pleasure District noticing something unusual. Lv.3 high-rank battle courtesans had stopped accepting clients. Some had begun high-intensity dungeon adventures, while others were still lying in hospitals.
However, the fight between [Gale] Ryuu Lion and [Man Killer] Phryne Jamil was not something the Ishtar Familia could cover up—even if they wanted to, they couldn't suppress the news.
Emiya and the female warriors had fought in the [Goddess Garden] at the heart of Ishtar's domain, a place already restricted to outsiders. But Ryuu and Phryne's battle had taken place in the commercial district, hardly an isolated location.
Moreover, during the quiet night, the commotion caused by Ryuu's battle, as well as the magical fluctuations of her technique [Agaris Alvesynth], were as striking as a supernova explosion. Some keen magic users, like Riveria, had sensed the surge of magic even from half a city away.
The adventurers of the Dungeon City weren't all law-abiding citizens. Many of the townspeople had the potential to be bloodthirsty spectators.
For them, witnessing a battle between First-Class Adventurers was a rare spectacle. Even if there was a risk of getting caught in the crossfire, just watching was worth it.
Ryuu didn't take long to defeat [Man Killer] and Tammuz, but since she didn't take their lives, she had to keep an eye on the unconscious enemies.
Because of this, many adventurers who came to watch the commotion witnessed [Gale]'s achievements. Including [Sword Princess] Ais, who had been somewhat withdrawn after losing to her.
Ais, who was always straightforward, openly admitted on-site that she had lost to [Gale] as well. This added another valuable victory to [Gale]'s record, further fueling the already intense buzz.
However, as quickly as the news spread, it also died down. By the afternoon, the hype had significantly calmed because the Guild had stepped in.
After all, [Gale] Ryuu Lion was still the Guild's No.1 wanted criminal, at least for now. While both the Guild and Ganesha Familia, responsible for law enforcement, had been turning a blind eye to Ryuu's actions, the Guild still cared about appearances.
However, now that Ryuu had advanced to a First-Class Adventurer, the Guild had to reconsider how to handle her.
Among high-level adventurers, there was a significant difference between Lv.5 and Lv.4. Once an adventurer reached Lv.5, they were classified as First-Class, as their power underwent a qualitative transformation.
Including Ryuu, there were fewer than 40 First-Class Adventurers in the entire Dungeon City, while Lv.4 adventurers numbered in the hundreds. Though Lv.4 adventurers were still considered big shots, it was the Lv.5 ones that even the Guild had to treat seriously, as they were crucial combat forces.
The Guild suppressed the news about [Gale] and began negotiations with Goddess Astraea and Goddess Hephaestus. If nothing unexpected happened, Ryuu's bounty would likely be lifted soon.
Some observant people also noticed the new weapons Ryuu used, but for now, only a handful realized the unique nature of her dual blades.
———
"Shirou, do you want to update your status?"
"Yes, thank you, Goddess Hephaestus."
The day after buying Haruhime's freedom, Emiya went to the Hephaestus Familia's base, the [Etna Volcano], to update his status with the goddess.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
[Emiya Shirou]
[Lv.2]
Strength: I51 → H175
Endurance: I29 → I99
Dexterity: I98 → F397
Agility: I23 → H106
Magic: H194 → G283
(Other stats omitted.)
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
"…Hmm," Goddess Hephaestus looked at Emiya's updated status and pondered briefly, "Aside from Dexterity, the increases in your stats are all between 50 to 100 points. But Dexterity has risen significantly, an increase of over 200 points compared to before."
As expected, he hadn't acquired any new Skills or Magic. Skills weren't easy to obtain. Typically, adventurers only gained them when leveling up. Magic was even rarer, and Emiya didn't even have an extra magic slot.
"This growth… isn't as much as I expected."
If other gods or adventurers heard Hephaestus' words, they'd probably be furious, but she was simply speaking her true thoughts.
In just one week, his stats had increased by over 500 points, with Dexterity alone rising by around 300. For an average adventurer, this rate of growth was unimaginable.
Especially considering that Emiya was already a high-level adventurer. Normally, a Lv.2 adventurer would find it harder to improve compared to when they were Lv.1.
Yet Hephaestus still wasn't satisfied with this growth speed.
But she had a valid reason, "Shirou, you've defeated more than twenty Lv.3 warriors. The growth you've gained shouldn't be this low."
"Logically, a Lv.2 adventurer defeating a Lv.3 should gain extra experience. Even without a skill that boosts growth, you should have gotten a bigger increase in stats."
Emiya thought for a moment and said thoughtfully, "Maybe it's because this wasn't a battle where I was surpassing my level…"
Hephaestus paused briefly, then suddenly understood.
"[Uchide no Kozuchi]…"
With the effect of [Uchide no Kozuchi], Emiya wasn't fighting as a Lv.2 against Lv.3 opponents. He had been upgraded to Lv.3 as well.
Considering his skill that enhanced his abilities, the fight wasn't even a challenge, it was "bullying the weak."
And that was exactly the case. A Lv.3 Emiya defeating same-level Amazon warriors wasn't difficult at all.
The original prediction was that after Ryuu eliminated the vastly outmatched [Man Killer], the only real challenge for Emiya would be Lv.4 Tammuz. However, Tammuz was unexpectedly dealt with by Ryuu as well.
As a result, after this battle, Emiya's stat growth wasn't particularly remarkable. The only significant improvement was in Dexterity, which mainly came from forging Ryuu's two First-Class Weapons.
Hephaestus concluded, "When [Uchide no Kozuchi] boosts your level, the experience gained from battle significantly diminishes… This must be one of the rare drawbacks of [Uchide no Kozuchi]."
Compared to the overwhelming effect of level enhancement, this could barely be considered a drawback.
"By the way, Goddess Hephaestus, there's something that's been on my mind," After putting his clothes back on, Emiya spoke up.
"What is it?", Hephaestus tilted her head.
"Ishtar's attitude," Emiya replied.
"I always thought that, in the end, Goddess Ishtar would be very angry about this matter," Shirou said.
An important executive within the Familia betrayed, a member regarded as a secret weapon was taken away, and all the high-ranking adventurers were completely defeated in the attack...
Logically speaking, after experiencing such things, the goddess's emotions should have been more intense. At the very least, she shouldn't have been as calm as she was at the time.
Shirou couldn't understand Goddess Ishtar's mentality. He vaguely felt something, but he had yet to grasp the key to the matter.
Hephaestus lowered her head and pondered for a moment before saying, "I actually understand Ishtar's thoughts... Let me think about how to explain it to you..."
Soon, Goddess Hephaestus came to a conclusion: "At its core, it is the difference in values between us gods and you children of the lower world."
Shirou: "The difference in values?"
"For gods, 'mood' and 'feelings' are the most important... It may sound a bit willful, but that is the truth. All tangible 'material' things in the lower world do not hold much meaning to us gods."
"What gods care about, instead, are the intangible and untouchable 'emotions'," Hephaestus' voice seemed to carry a light sigh, "Because gods are 'eternal.' From our perspective, all 'material' things are destined to perish. Only 'memories' and 'emotions' are 'eternal,' existing on the same scale as the lifespan of a god."
"Ishtar does not care about Haruhime and Aisha. Ever since the Freya Familia ascended to the top of Orario, all of her emotions have been completely projected onto Freya. Whether it was Haruhime or the other members of the Ishtar Familia, they were merely tools for her to vent her jealousy toward Freya."
"Because there was no emotional attachment, even if she lost them, Ishtar wouldn't really care. If anything, what truly pained Ishtar was that, without Haruhime, her 'revenge' against Freya would have to be significantly delayed..."
Hephaestus crossed her arms and looked at Shirou: "On the contrary, Shirou, your actions and methods actually align well with Ishtar's aesthetics as the 'Goddess of Love'. Love, desire, violence, battle... Stories that revolve around these elements have always been Ishtar's favorites."
"Thus, not only is she not angry, but she might even feel pleased."
"This is simply how the values of gods work," Hephaestus chuckled, "How do you feel about that?"
Shirou: "...It's just like how a child would act—so willful."
"Like a child, acting willfully... Hmm, I like that description," Hephaestus said, "Actually, whether it's me, Astraea, or other gods, we are all the same: when we descend to the lower world, we are pursuing 'memories' and 'emotions'—the difference lies only in the direction we choose."
Most gods choose to establish emotional connections with their Familia members, meaning they love specific individuals. But some gods project their emotions onto abstract concepts.
And this is often the dividing line between 'righteous gods' and 'evil gods.'
"Since we're on this topic, Shirou, you need to be careful," Hephaestus became slightly more serious, "Do not use conventional logic to perceive and understand 'gods,' especially those 'evil gods.' Their actions follow no reasoning whatsoever. Be extra cautious with them."
"And also with Ishtar. This time, her attitude toward you was good. You could even say she admires you. But that does not mean she won't take action against you in the future. Ishtar is a 'Goddess of Beauty,' and all 'Goddesses of Beauty' are extremely willful..."
When discussing the topic of "Goddesses of Beauty," Hephaestus couldn't help but voice her grievances, complaining about divine acquaintances like Aphrodite, Venus, Freya, Ishtar, Konohanasakuya-hime, and others.
In short, Shirou learned quite a bit about the secrets of the upper world and gained a deeper understanding of gods—these transcendent beings.
And a certain question quietly surfaced in Shirou's mind—
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