Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Serena POV.
"There's no need to pretend you're still asleep," I said as I turned the page of my book. I could see Aisha's body twitch almost imperceptibly, flashing red. She remained still for several long seconds before sitting up.
"You... broke Ishtar's spell." Aisha said directly while studying herself.
"I did." I said simply, closed my book, and put it in my inventory. Aisha watched my book disappear for a few seconds before looking directly at me.
"What do you want?" Aisha said directly, and I raised an amused eyebrow in her direction.
"Is that all you want to ask?" I asked playfully. Aisha snorted as she settled in, not even bothering to cover herself despite still being completely naked.
"If I were to ask, 'How?' Would you answer? " Aisha snorted dryly.
"Of course not," I said playfully. Aisha shrugged.
"As any sensible person with the ability to break something like a goddess's charm would keep that hidden and guarded, I won't even bother to find out."
"So I'll just ask, why? Why did you set me free? And not just with me, what do you want with Haruhime? There were other ways to meet with me alone if you only wanted to free me from Ishtar's spell, and even if that were the case, it wouldn't make sense to wait here with Haruhime. So, what do you want from us? " Aisha asked sharply.
"Well done, and several other things," I hummed. "But first, it's best if that cute Renard next to you wakes up for the conversation; it's better not to repeat myself." I said easily, casting a light Renervate on her without Aisha seeing. Haruhime groaned softly as she sleepily sat up.
Haruhime sat down on the futon, stared at me with half-asleep eyes, before turning her head to look at Aisha. Then she looked down and saw Aisha's naked body and froze completely, then turned to look at me once more.
I could see her face explode in blush and panic.
"I-I'm so sorry, honorable client! I didn't mean to faint! " Haruhime squealed in a panic. I snorted and let out an amused laugh; Aisha's body relaxed as I smiled discreetly.
"Don't worry, Haruhime, she's not that kind of customer. She's looking for something else," Aisha said curtly. Haruhime froze and looked at her, confused. She frowned and tilted her head.
"A man?" Haruhime asked, confused. I burst out laughing. Aisha looked away, suppressing a laugh, and failed miserably.
"I assure you, Haruhime, I only like women." I said playfully. Haruhime blushed deeply and looked down. "I want you to use Uchide no Kozuchi." I said without hesitation, smiling.
I saw both girls freeze immediately. Both looked at me. Haruhime paled considerably and tried to back away in fear. Aisha had an ashen, solemn face, yet she moved immediately. She stood in front of Haruhime without any weapon in her hands, yet still ready to defend her.
"How did you know about that?" Aisha asked solemnly.
"Here and there, it's my duty to know things," I said playfully. Aisha just stared at me. "Don't worry, I have no ill intentions toward either of you. After all, I wouldn't have broken Ishtar's spell if I did," I said easily. Aisha frowned.
"The... Charm of Ishtar?" Haruhime asked, confused.
"Aisha was severely punished and controlled with Ishtar's Charm after destroying a Killing Stone that they were going to use on you to save you," I said directly. Aisha seemed surprised that I knew this information, while Haruhime gasped in horror. Not so much because of the Killing Stone, I noticed, but because of Aisha's punishment. I see, I suppose even now she already knew what awaited her.
"Aisha-" Haruhime tried to say worriedly, but Aisha just raised her hand.
"Later, we have more important things to do," Aisha said, still looking at me. Haruhime continued to stare at her worriedly for a few seconds before nodding and looking at me intently. "What do you want Haruhime's magic for?" Aisha asked. I repositioned the High Elf constellation, and I could see the pair's eyes widen slightly as they looked at my ears.
"I'm a scholar, I like to study different kinds of magic. I was passing through Orario, and I came across some information about a Renard with magic capable of increasing an adventurer's level, so... I wanted to see it with my own eyes."
"I don't want you to use it on me; you can use it on Aisha, I don't care, I just want to see her in action." I said easily, Aisha snorted dryly.
"And after confirming that this magic is real, what then? Will you kidnap her, elf? " Aisha asked dryly. I rolled my eyes. Welf said the exact same thing. Were people easily kidnapped here for secret abilities? Or was I the only problem? Did it seem too suspicious?
Well, I mean… if a woman appears out of nowhere and asks you to use magic that's supposed to be really secret and very rare… yeah, it's best not to follow that line of thought.
"Of course I won't kidnap her," I said dryly. "I really enjoy seeing different kinds of magic. I'll even give Haruhime a free grimoire. Like all Renard, she has high magical potential; it should be easy for her to acquire other magic. The only payment I want is for her to use it in front of me," I said as I pulled a grimoire from my inventory and threw it at Haruhime. I was seriously about to use Confundus to make her accept the damn deal.
Especially for Haruhime to use the grimoire. While Uchide no Kozuki was my priority, the magic Haruhime obtained from a future grimoire was also really interesting.
If she could regain her Kokonoe magic, that would be wonderful; that magic was capable of replicating another of her spells up to nine times. In that way, Haruhime could cast Uchide multiple times simultaneously without any repercussions and without the cooldown between each use.
A truly terrifying combination. I don't know if it would be of any use to me; I could easily cast most of my spells multiple times, especially any spell within my Reality Marble. Being able to summon it hundreds of times with ease was perfectly normal.
But since he was standing in front of Haruhime, he certainly wouldn't pass up the opportunity to get more magic, whether it was useless or not.
"You're crazy," Aisha said incredulously, staring at the grimoire that landed in front of her. "Really, knowledge-hungry elves really are crazy," Aisha said, shaking her head. "Even so, that's still no guarantee it'll keep us safe," Aisha said with a grimace. I hummed.
"What if... we make a deal? You let Haruhime study the grimoire, show me her magic, and I'll free you both from Ishtar." I said easily. Aisha froze.
"Free ourselves... from Ishtar?" Aisha asked incredulously. "Impossible. Even if we could escape, the Falnas on our backs are chains. Sooner or later, she will find us," Aisha said bitterly.
"...and I... I have a collar, it tells... it tells her where I am at all times, and I can't leave the Entertainment District," Haruhime added shyly. I just smiled.
"What if I could break the collar and the Falna on their backs without any repercussions? Or better yet, what if I go and kill Ishtar? " I asked with a wide smile.
"Are you going to kill a goddess?" Aisha asked, horrified. I just smiled.
"Yes, she gets in my way, of course I will. I saw what she does in this 'Entertainment District.' Many girls are not at all happy in their current jobs, and Ishtar brainwashed them with her charm."
"I have no sympathy for her whatsoever. I would even go and kill her for free." I said dryly, Aisha trembled slightly at my words.
"Crazy, completely crazy, and it only makes you more dangerous if you have the confidence to kill a goddess surrounded by other adventurers," Aisha said solemnly.
"I suppose so," I said with a broad smile. "But, do you have another option?" I asked playfully. "Ishtar will only need to look at you to know you're not under her spell; she'll break you again and cast it back even stronger. If anything remains of you after that, it will be a miracle."
"And let's not even talk about Haruhime. You know what will happen when Ishtar gets another Killing Stone." I said easily. Aisha gritted her teeth but said nothing. She knew I was right; there was nothing she could do. " And besides, once you're free of Ishtar, I can convince Loki to accept you into her family, if you want."
"You'll need some kind of defense even if Ishtar dies. I don't think the other members of the Ishtar family will remain silent about Haruhime's magic. With Loki behind you, you'll be able to stay completely safe," I told them honestly. Aisha gritted her teeth at my entirely true words.
"Can you do all that?" Aisha asked tremulously.
"Of course, easily enough. I can go and kill Ishtar right now, send her back to heaven, and I have a close relationship with Loki; she'll accept you both, especially when she finds out about Uchide."
"I'll make sure she doesn't use Haruhime if it's something Haruhime herself doesn't want, Loki... she owes me some favors." I said honestly. In reality, Loki didn't owe me any favors, but I was sure that taking away her visits to Pentagram City to visit the Succubi, or doubling them, would easily do the trick.
"I—" Aisha tried to say, biting her lip, then looked at Haruhime. "She decides," Aisha said with a tired sigh. Haruhime seemed to squeal at Aisha.
"Me?!" Haruhime squealed in surprise. Aisha just nodded. It took Haruhime a few seconds to calm down, and she remained silent for several long seconds before looking at me.
"Thank you for the offer, Honorable Client, but I must decline your help. I... I am not someone who deserves to be saved," Haruhime said, bowing her head. I snorted.
"Did I ask you if you deserved it?" I said curtly. Haruhime jumped and looked at me, confused. "Let me guess, you don't think you're worthy of being saved because you're a prostitute, right? Do you think you are like the depraved Babylon of hero stories? That prostitutes are the downfall of heroes, and you, as one, don't deserve to be among them, am I right? " I asked easily. Haruhime looked at me in shock.
"W-how-" Haruhime stammered in surprise, I just moved my hand boredly.
"No matter how, it's written all over your face. But I must correct you severely. First, I'm not some hero you can ruin, second, there's nothing wrong with prostitutes, it's a job like any other, bad people exist no matter what job they have, being a prostitute doesn't make you some kind of symbol of ruin or whatever you want to think, and third, you're a prostitute, but you're still a virgin." I said dryly. Haruhime froze stiffly.
"Me... a virgin?" Haruhime repeated, and I stared at her.
"Do you really think you lost your virginity when you faint at the mere sight of something lewd? Aisha and the others have been replacing you with every client," I said mockingly. Haruhime looked at me in shock, then turned her gaze to Aisha. She didn't look at her, just sighed wearily and stared at me.
"Are you really going to reveal all my secrets?" Aisha asked wearily.
"I'm a virgin!?" Haruhime squealed while blushing deeply.
"Yes, you are." Aisha confirmed with a grimace. "It's not like I was going to tell you, the elf is right, you have that mentality written all over your face... that prostitutes are something bad, I wanted you to be able to move on even with that, to accept yourself as you are." Aisha said gently.
I almost rolled my eyes. Really, as I said, I have nothing against prostitutes, but I never understood why no one decided to tell Haruhime she was still a virgin when it was something that obviously bothered her. Yes, she comes to terms with her past later on and all, but it was still something she should have known.
I can understand Aisha's perspective; she just explained her reasons. Besides, she was a prostitute and an Amazon herself, so the value of virginity wasn't the same for her as it was for others. But then Aisha tells Bell, and Bell decides to keep it a secret? I'll never understand his decision.
"Now, once again, do you want to be free? I'm not asking you as a prostitute, or anything else; I'm asking you, Haruhime, do you want to be free? " I asked, staring at her. Haruhime bit her lip as she looked down.
"I—" Haruhime said before looking intently at me. "Yes… I want to be free." Haruhime said tremulously. I smiled slightly.
"That's all I needed to know. Now, magic, then killing a goddess!" I said cheerfully. Both girls shuddered slightly. Aisha sighed wearily.
"Fine, do... whatever you want. I just hope that if this ends badly, we get killed quickly." Aisha said with a sigh. Aisha took the grimoire in front of her and handed it to Haruhime. "Go to the next room and start reading it. You need to be alone." Aisha said. Haruhime gripped the grimoire tightly and nodded.
"Y-yes!" Haruhime said as she stood up.
"It's not necessary," I interrupted. "You can read it here. I'll make sure neither of us interferes with the grimoire's magic," I assured her. After all, I really wanted to see how the grimoire worked in real life. Haruhime stopped stiffly and looked at Aisha for guidance; she just sighed.
"Okay, just... do it." Aisha said wearily. Haruhime nodded, sat back down in seiza, and opened the grimoire. Aisha approached me, eyeing me cautiously as she moved as far away from Haruhime as possible so as not to interfere with the grimoire's magic.
"Are you really... capable of killing Ishtar-sama?" Aisha asked solemnly. I nodded without taking my eyes off Haruhime.
"Of course, it's not really difficult; without their Arcanum, any god is no stronger than a normal human," I said easily.
"Even so, she'll be surrounded by her children. Even if you're lucky and don't run into our level 5 captain, Phryne, Ishtar-sama always keeps Tammuz close by at all times; he's a level 4 adventurer," Aisha said solemnly. "And it only got worse with the explosion of light that happened yesterday. All the gods are on high alert, Ishtar-sama included, keeping several of her members close to Belit Babili."
My eyes opened slightly—a…explosion of light. I'd forgotten about that. I frowned, trying to remember if I'd noticed anything different in Orario while walking through the streets with Lucy. Even Hephaestus and Loki hadn't shown any concern about it, so I'd completely ignored it.
So I couldn't remember anything defining, perhaps because it was my first time in Orario, I wouldn't have any other frame of reference to compare it to.
Without hesitation, I entered Bella's mind and began to compare them. I could easily notice. They were acting completely normally, but I could see the adventurers were agitated, moving rapidly from one side to the other. I could see many guild members running around.
That was strange. I got Riveria's answer about Loki; apparently, she mentioned that I was the one who caused it, that I'd had some kind of breakthrough, like I'd leveled up. Loki quickly dismissed it and ignored it completely.
Hephaestus… I had no idea about that, but I could only assume that she was more worried about Welf than about Light's explosion.
"Interesting... can you tell me more about that... explosion of light? I felt it this morning when it enveloped all of Orario, but I don't know much more," I said while lying. Aisha frowned.
"Honestly, I have no idea what it was. No civilians were able to sense it, and most level 1 adventurers and some level 2 adventurers didn't either."
"But everyone else and the gods? They definitely felt it. I felt it. It was... it was like... life itself completely enveloped me. For the few seconds that lasted, I could feel stronger, healthier, I could almost break the Charm by myself, but it disappeared so quickly that I couldn't take advantage of the opportunity." Asiha said with a sigh.
"Ishtar panicked, saying that this was not the work of any god she knew. Some of us went to the guild to try to find out what happened, but they don't know anything either. In fact, all the members went into a kind of alert."
"From what the rumors say, even Uranus-sama doesn't know anything about what happened. They don't know whether it was something hostile or not, so they're desperately searching for answers. Most of the gods kept their children out of the dungeon for the time being, and Ishtar-sama was no exception," Aisha said with a frown.
"That... sounds worrying. Was there any reaction from the dungeon? " I asked curiously. We had gone to the dungeon after Light's explosion, and now I could see Bella and Rebecca killing hundreds of monsters one after another, but on neither occasion had I noticed anything strange, especially now. Although the girls didn't notice anything different, mainly because they didn't even look, they simply threw themselves headlong into the nearest group of monsters and began massacring everything in sight.
"Not that we know of, thank goodness," Aisha sighed. "Even so, the guild recommends limiting visits to the dungeon for a few days. It won't work, though; there are many familias who depend on the dungeon's earnings to survive, so sooner or later the adventurers will return." Aisha wrinkled her nose.
"Let's hope it was nothing serious, or at least nothing dangerous." I said noncommittally, and Aisha nodded.
"I hope so." Asisha said with a smile before falling silent. We both watched Haruhime as she read the grimoire. Just then, it began to glow. I could see the grimoire's magic activate and firmly bind itself to Haruhime before she fainted to one side.
Okay, let's see how that works.