DanMachi Universe, Lower World, Orario.
While Tatsuo and Momo were having a late lunch at the Hostess of Fertility, another goddess had taken interest in the Aislynn Familia.
"Has Ottar made another visit to the Dragon's Nest since last time?" An extremely beautiful and well-endowed woman with brown skin, long dark purple hair, and amethyst-colored eyes asked from atop a golden throne while holding a long smoking pipe.
"No, Lady Ishtar." An Amazoness replied while kneeling on one knee with her head lowered. "Since that day, the King has not made another appearance at the Dragon's Nest."
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*Tap!* *Tap!* *Tap!*
"Hmm…" The beautiful woman on the throne hummed with an annoyed expression on her face. "What could that woman be planning? Surely, she doesn't intend to cross that dragon, does she?"
After the woman reached that point, Ishtar fell silent. Meanwhile, the kneeling Amazoness remained silent, as well, not daring to interrupt her goddess's thought process.
This woman was another one of Orario's Goddesses of Beauty, Ishtar. As previously mentioned, that Ishtar was the Goddess behind the Entertainment District. Or rather, its pleasure quarter. And nearly all the members of her Familia were considered battle prostitutes. And that included the Amazoness kneeling in front of her.
*Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!*
However, it did not take long for the room's silence to be broken by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching from the hallway. Before long, the door to the room was pushed open, and a huge woman standing 6'9" with a frog-like face stepped into the room, causing Ishtar to shift her gaze with annoyance.
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"Phryne, what are you doing here?" Ishtar asked sharply.
Instead of responding, the enormous woman, Phryne Jamil, walked over to the kneeling Amazoness. Then, in one motion, she snatched the report out of her hand and backhanded her away mercilessly, causing the Amazoness to spit a mouthful of blood as she flew away, slamming into a wall a moment later.
"I don't know why you're wasting your time like this." Phryne said with an air of self-importance. "If you want to know what's going on between that dragon and the slut in Folkvangr, I'll just drag one of that dragon's puppets back here and we can take our time questioning them. And I think I know just the one to take. From what I hear the captain of that little Familia is quite to my taste."
As soon as she finished speaking, Phryne licked her lips with the desire to possess and break Tatsuo swirling in the depths of her eyes.
At the same time, Ishtar's expression morphed from one filled with annoyance to one filled with anger and fear.
*Bang!*
"Phryne!" Ishtar shouted while slamming her free hand onto the armrest of her throne. "I already told you not to have any thoughts like that about Aislynn or her Familia. Are you ignoring my orders?"
"Hmph!" Phryne snorted while looking at Ishtar with disdain. "What are you yelling at? I never said I would do anything violent. Instead, I'll just charm that boy with my peerless beauty that makes even goddesses of beauty like you feel inferior. And once that boy falls to my charm, I'll just bring him back and get all the information we need about Freya during the pillow talk."
Phryne's arrogant words made Ishtar's expression turn even more disdainful than Phryne's. Yet, she did not explode in anger. Over the years, Ishtar had gotten used to her captain's undeserved arrogance about her own appearance. Still, that did not stop her from feeling disdain at the large, frog-like woman's lack of self-awareness.
Even worse than that, however, Ishtar was well-aware of what happened to the men Phryne dragged back to her quarters. If they were not killed outright, every man who ever left alive was completely broken. And were that to happen to one of Aislynn's children, Ishtar could only imagine the hell not only she, but the entirety of the Entertainment District, would have to pay.
*Thud!*
"No, you will do no such thing." Ishtar said sternly as she let her Divine Aura engulf the entire room, putting enough pressure on Phryne to force the enormous Amazoness to her knees, and nearly killing the already injured Amazoness Phryne slapped away a moment ago. "And if I find you harboring any more thoughts like that, I will expel you from my Familia without hesitation."
Despite the fact that Phryne was a Level 5 Adventurer specializing in Strength and Endurance, she was forced to her knees under Ishtar's pressure, an angry and unwilling expression on her face.
"I… Understand…" Phryne said after enduring the pressure for a few moments.
Though the look in her eyes made it clear that Phryne had not given up her plan to "entice" Tatsuo. Even so, Ishtar did not intend to do anything about it right now. So, she lifted the pressure from her Divine Aura, allowing Phryne to stand once again, and just barely allowing the other Amazoness to live.
"I hope you do." Ishtar said while waving dismissively. "Now, get out of my sight. And take the other one with you. I have a lot to think about."
Grunting in displeasure, Phryne walked over to the injured Amazoness. Then, she reached down and grabbed her by one leg before dragging her out of the room without paying attention to whether she slammed into any of the furniture or not.
"Hmph!" Ishtar snorted once Phryne was gone. "That fool of a woman is starting to overstep more often ever since Aislynn descended. Perhaps I really should get rid of her."
A moment later, however, hesitation showed up on Ishtar's face.
"But if I lose Phryne, I'll lose a great deal of my authority." Ishtar muttered. "Raising another Level 5 will be no small feat. *Sigh* Even raising someone to Level 4 has been quite difficult. If only Aisha could rise to Level 4, I wouldn't have to put up with that self-unaware toad any longer."
Shaking her head, Ishtar decided that thinking about what ifs was useless. A moment later, she looked in a certain direction, and her eyes lit up.
"But as long as I have that girl, a one-Level difference can be made up for without issue." Ishtar said as a cunning smile appeared on her face. Then, she raised her voice, calling out to the two Amazonesses standing guard outside her door. "Someone! Inform Aisha that her duties in the Entertainment District will be temporarily put on hold. For now, I want her to focus on rising to Level 4."
"Yes, Lady Ishtar." X 2
Both Amazonesses outside the door answered in unison. A moment later, the sound of footsteps could be heard running off, presumably to relay Ishtar's order to Aisha, the Amazoness who tried to seduce Tatsuo in the Dungeon almost a week ago.
"Now, the only thing to worry about is what that woman, Freya is up to." Ishtar said before taking a pull from her smoking pipe and looking toward the top floor of Babel Tower with envy.
Meanwhile, the woman Ishtar was worrying about, Freya, was standing in her chamber on the top floor of Babel Tower while fuming at a group of seamstresses.
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"Useless!" Freya shouted angrily. "Why? Why can none of you create something with the level of elegance I require? What have you been doing all your lives?"
The seamstresses on the floor did not respond. Instead, they only lowered their heads while trying not to tremble too obviously. Because although they were afraid, it was not for the reason one might think. Rather than being afraid of being punished for failing Freya's expectations, they were more afraid of losing Freya's favor, as like every member of the Freya Familia, they had been thoroughly charmed by the goddess in front of them. Meanwhile, Ottar, who was almost always present by Freya's side, only stared at the group of seamstresses with his usual stony expression.
"My Lady, might I make a suggestion?" Ottar said after watching the seamstresses tremble for a few moments.
"Speak." Freya replied without a change in her expression.
"Perhaps we should look further than just those seamstresses in your employ." Ottar said. "Although they are among the best Orario has to offer. There's always a chance that we've overlooked some of the city's talents."
"Hmm…" Freya hummed as she finally looked away from the seamstresses. "Are you suggesting I open this matter to all the seamstresses of the city? Or maybe even beyond Orario?"
"I am." Ottar replied with a nod.
"That's not such a bad idea." Freya muttered while cupping her chin in contemplation. "Very well, do as you said, Ottar. Put up a request at the Guild and spread the word around Orario. I don't believe there is no one in Orario who can satisfy me."
"Understood." Ottar replied before turning around and leaving the room.
"You all can leave, too." Freya said while waving off the seamstresses. "You may return once I've made a decision about the dress I will wear. Hopefully, you will gain enlightenment once you see it."
"Yes, my Lady." The several seamstresses said in unison. "We will strive to improve our skills as to never let you down again."
"See that you do." Freya said with another wave as she took a seat next to the window and looked in the direction of the Dragon's Nest.
With that, the seamstresses left Freya's private chamber, Freya not even sparing them a glance. A moment later, Freya caught the sight of four brilliant souls converging at the area she was observing.
"*Gasp* They're here!" Freya exclaimed breathlessly as she jumped out of her chair and knelt down while pressing herself against the glass. "Oh, how I cannot wait until I can see you with my own eyes."
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Although Tatsuo and Momo ran into Syr at the Hostess of Fertility, that was not Freya. Rather, that was her body double, the Level 2 Adventurer, Horn, from the Freya Familia. She was also the young woman who made a deal with Freya to give up her identity so that Freya could experience life as a normal mortal.
At the same time, down in Babel Plaza, Tatsuo and Momo, having finished their meal at the Hostess of Fertility, were returning to the Dragon's Nest.
"So, have you figured out what I needed all those materials for?" Tatsuo asked with a smile.
"Huh?" Momo, while walking arm-in-arm with Tatsuo, exclaimed in surprise. "Oh… Um… Actually, I decided to stop thinking about it. I figured just enjoying the surprise when it came would be better."
Hearing that, Tatsuo's smile widened. Then, he unhooked his arm from Momo's grasp, causing her to show a hint of apprehension in her expression. However, before the apprehension could set in, Tatsuo wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her even closer and causing her to blush furiously.
"Oh, look at the two of you. You two look adorable together."
That familiar voice caused Momo to blush even brighter. At the same time, Tatsuo turned his head in the voice's direction. When he did, he saw Alfonzo and Elicia walking towards them with Alfonzo's arm similarly wrapped around Elicia's waist.
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"Hey, how was your date?" Tatsuo asked while glancing down at Momo's embarrassed blush for a moment.
"Shouldn't we be asking you that?" Alfonzo asked, his smile just as wide as Elicia's. "Didn't expect to see the two of you on a date when we left the house today."
"What can I say?" Tatsuo asked with a shrug. "After I finished my forging, I needed to go out and buy a few things. And since I needed to go out, I thought this would be a perfect time to ask Momo-Chan out."
Momo's blush intensified after hearing Tatsuo's response. Alfonzo and Elicia, on the other hand, smiled at Momo playfully. A moment later, however, the married couple looked at Tatsuo curiously.
"So, what did you go out to buy today?" Elicia asked with a hint of confusion. "I don't see any bags."
"Oh, it's being delivered." Tatsuo replied with another shrug. "There was too much to carry, after all."
"Then, what did you buy?" Alfonzo asked with a raised eyebrow.
Tatsuo responded by reciting the same list of materials he gave Momo earlier. And just like Momo, neither Alfonzo nor Elicia could immediately figure out what Tatsuo planned to make with that list of materials. Instead, they both looked forward to seeing what he would make once they got back home.
"*Sigh* I guess we'll have to wait until next week to see what you're gonna make with those materials." Elicia said in a slightly disappointed tone. "If you can build it in one day, that is"
"Usually, I wouldn't be able to." Tatsuo replied with a shrug. "But this time, I plan on using [Transmutation]. I really don't wanna wait that long this time."
"I thought you didn't want to use [Transmutation] for crafting in this world." Momo said curiously. "Wouldn't that lower your chance of getting the Blacksmith Development Ability?"
"If I were using it for blacksmithing, it would." Tatsuo replied. "But this has very little blacksmithing involved. On top of that, making all the components necessary would be a real hassle without the specialized tools from the modern era."
"Damn… Now I really wanna know what you're gonna make." Alfonzo said with a grin. "When we were in Momo's world, I always knew exactly what you were making based on the materials. But this time, I can't figure it out."
"It will be obvious in hindsight." Tatsuo said with a third shrug. "Anyway, let's get going. Hopefully, the delivery has already been made. Plus, I can feel that sticky gaze again."
The other three nodded in response. Then, as a group of four, they all headed back toward the Dragon's Nest. And when they arrived, they were all pleasantly surprised, as there was a pile of materials in the villa's main hall while the other members of the Familia sat nearby. And while Akatsuki, Sakura, and Zelretch were as curious as Alfonzo, Elicia, and Momo to know what Tatsuo would make with these materials, James, Violet, Aletia, and Aislynn were already certain they knew what he would make.
Though, James, Violet's, and Aletia's reasons were different than Aislynn's, who saw what Tatsuo was planning in his dreams. James, Violet, and Aletia had already seen Tatsuo gather similar materials to build something back in Aletia's world.
"He's finally back." James said with a smile. "Hurry and start building. These three can't wait. "
"If you'd just tell us, we wouldn't be so anxious." Akatsuki said while rolling her eyes.
"You're not one for surprises, are you, Young Akatsuki?" Zelretch asked.
"Not when they come from Tatsuo-Kun." Akatsuki replied while rolling her eyes again. "He's too unpredictable."
"Tatsuo-Kun won't do anything to hurt any of us, though." Sakura said quietly.
"Oh, I don't doubt that." Akatsuki replied. "But there's a good chance it could be super-annoying."
As much as she wanted to, Sakura could not deny that. So, she just decided to wait quietly. Meanwhile, Aletia, seeing Tatsuo walking with his arm around Momo's waist, was showing intense jealousy in her expression.
'Looks like I'm gonna have to have that conversation with Aletia sooner than I expected.' Tatsuo thought to himself as he unwrapped his arm from around Momo's waist. 'I just hope she doesn't take it too hard.'
"Alright, Alfonzo, Lici, and Momo-Chan are curious to know what I'm gonna make, too." Tatsuo said while pushing the thought of his upcoming conversation with Aletia to the back of his mind. "So, I'll get started right away."