DanMachi Universe, Lower World, Orario.
"Am I seeing things?" a Chienthrope woman dressed in gaudy attire asked while wiping her eyes and leaning over the railing of a third-story balcony.
"That's Androctonus, right?" An elf woman dressed in similarly gaudy attire asked from the veranda of another building while pointing at the sight in front of her.
"Lady Ishtar is going to be furious," an exhausted Cat-Person woman said while trembling with fear.
"But who is that woman?" a Hume Bunny woman asked while pointing at the other woman.
Many questions like these were asked from windows and doorways in the area. And the reason was simple.
After leaving Tatsuo and the others, Aislynn, while still dragging Phryne along, made her way through the streets of Orario until she reached the Entertainment District. Although activity in the district was nothing compared to what it was like at night, quite a few women who had not yet gone to sleep were still present in the windows and doorways of the various pleasure houses.
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Yet, before Aislynn even arrived in the Entertainment District's area of influence, the Amazonesses who had accompanied Phryne to Babel Tower had already returned to Belit Babili and were in the process of reporting to Ishtar.
That, however, was intentional on Aislynn's part.
Although she had already beaten Phryne within an inch of her life, she really was not in the mood to destroy a faction today. So, she let the other Amazonesses return ahead of her and report to Ishtar. That way, Ishtar would not do something as dumb as sending her Berbera to attack when she found out that an outsider had invaded her territory.
At the moment, Ishtar was sitting on the throne in her private quarters with a stormy expression on her face. She held a broken tobacco pipe in one hand, while her other hand was clenched into a fist on the armrest of her throne. Phryne's subordinates stood in front of her with their heads lowered, trembling with fear because of their goddess's fury.
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"You worthless whores!" Ishtar shouted. "Because of your incompetence, you might have doomed the Ishtar Familia to destruction! And that damned Phryne! She'd better pray Aislynn killed her. Otherwise, she'll definitely wish that she did!"
In her fury, Ishtar rose from her throne and stomped around the room, breaking whatever she could get her hands on and slapping the Amazonesses in front of her whenever they were within arm's reach.
Having known Aislynn for millennia, she knew just how unreasonable the Dragon God could be when others touched her treasures. She had no illusions that Aislynn would let her off without proper compensation.
But for someone who had everything, what kind of compensation could satisfy her? That question was the reason Ishtar was so angry at the moment.
With most Gods or Goddesses, Ishtar could use her charm to settle most issues. However, Aislynn's power was on a whole other level compared to her own. In fact, if she tried to use her charm on Aislynn, she would probably end up in the Heavens even faster than if she outright insulted her.
Eventually, Ishtar calmed down. After taking a deep breath, she sat back on her throne. However, while surveying the mess in her private quarters, she almost lost her temper again. The things she had smashed in outrage were worth millions of Valis, after all.
"Where is Aislynn right now?" Ishtar asked in an agitated tone.
"When we last saw her, she was just about to reach the entrance to the Entertainment District," one of the Amazonesses replied, trying to ignore the handprint on her face.
"Then, we should have some---" Ishtar began to say.
*Boom!*
However, before she could finish, the entire building started to rattle, accompanied by the sound of a catastrophic impact.
Meanwhile, at the entrance to Belit Babili's main building, Aislynn, while still dragging Phryne along, had just kicked in the magnificent set of double doors.
Shortly after the building shook, the women in Ishtar's room heard rapidly approaching footsteps.
*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*
A moment later, the sound of frantic knocking echoed throughout the room.
"Lady Ishtar, Lady Aislynn has arrived…" a woman said from outside the room in a trembling voice. "And… And… And she's dragging Captain Phryne along with her."
"I am aware," Ishtar replied in an agitated tone. "Relay my orders! No one is to obstruct Aislynn's path. In fact, someone guide her to me."
"Understood," the female voice replied after a moment of hesitation.
Then, the sound of rapidly retreating footsteps could be heard as the woman left to follow Ishtar's orders.
"Damn that Phryne," Ishtar spat through gritted teeth. "I really hope she isn't already dead. That way, I can kill her myself."
Due to her anger, Ishtar's aura began to leak, putting pressure on the Amazonesses in the room. So much pressure, in fact, that they found it difficult to stand, and were on the verge of falling to their knees.
Luckily, it did not take long for Ishtar to regain her bearings.
"All of you, hurry and find replacements for all this broken stuff," Ishtar said, gesturing toward the items she had broken in outrage. "I want all of it replaced before Aislynn gets here. No, wait…"
However, before any of the Amazonesses could start moving, Ishtar stopped them. She then remembered that she was in her private quarters and did not need to receive a guest there. In fact, there was a meeting room just next door meant for the highest-level guests.
"I'll meet her in the meeting room next door," Ishtar said as she stood up from her seat. "You all prepare tea, wine, and snacks."
"Yes, Lady Ishtar," the Amazonesses replied in unison as they quickly left the room.
Ishtar watched the Amazonesses leave, a contemplative expression appearing on her face.
"Damn it, what will that greedy dragon ask for in compensation?" Ishtar asked herself as she, too, walked toward the door. "Because of her [Dream Walker] ability, I have no secrets from her… Surely she wouldn't ask for her, would she?"
As her thoughts reached that point, Ishtar's expression turned hideous.
"Phryne, you fucking toad!" Ishtar exclaimed angrily. "If all of my planning is ruined because of you, I'll make sure you suffer even after death!"
A few minutes later, Ishtar was sitting on a finely crafted leather couch with a glass of wine in hand, as if she were not bothered by what Aislynn's visit meant. Several members of the Ishtar Familia were also standing by the walls, ready to serve if either goddess needed anything.
At the same time, another Amazoness led Aislynn into the room before bowing and taking her leave.
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"Aislynn, you honor me with your presence," Ishtar said with a charming smile, though she did not dare to use her [Charm] ability. "From what I've been told, my captain has caused you and your Familia some problems."
Aislynn did not respond immediately. Instead, she walked forward until she reached the couch closest to Ishtar. Then, she let go of Phryne's leg before sitting on the couch and crossing her legs.
"Oh, I assure you…" Aislynn said with a proud smile. She nudged Phryne's body with the tip of one foot as she continued, "This toad… is nowhere near capable enough to cause me any kind of problem."
Ishtar felt her eyebrows twitch when she heard Aislynn's dismissive tone. Even so, she did not lose her smile. However, when Aislynn leaned forward slightly and narrowed her eyes at her, Ishtar could feel the color draining from her face slightly as Aislynn's draconic aura began to saturate the room.
*Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!*
Naturally, Ishtar was not the only one affected by Aislynn's aura. However, she was the one least affected by it. Phryne, who was already seriously injured, was affected the most. The other members of the Berbera were also greatly affected, as they were forced to their knees under the pressure.
"But she did attack my captain," Aislynn said, her tone much colder than before. "And she actually had the nerve to do so right in front of me. So, the question is… how do you think we should resolve this?"
With every word, Aislynn's pressure increased. However, since she had no intention of killing anyone uninvolved, it began condensing. Now, instead of covering the entire meeting room, it only covered herself, Ishtar, and the unfortunate Phryne.
*Crack!* *Crack!* *Crack!* *Crack!* *Crack!*
Although Ishtar was not heavily affected, thanks to her own divinity, Phryne was awakened from her unconscious state by unbearable pain throughout her body, accompanied by the sound of fracturing bones.
Although Aislynn had surgically broken every bone in Phryne's body during the earlier beating, a healer as prolific as Airmid Teasanare of the Dian Cecht Familia could potentially have her as good as new after a few months or half a year.
But the precise pressure Aislynn was currently putting on Phryne's bones would ensure that the toad of a woman would never be able to exert more strength than someone who had never received a Falna for the rest of her life. And given her massive size, Aislynn doubted she would ever be able to climb out of bed on her own again.
Naturally, Ishtar could tell what Aislynn was doing to her captain, too. Unfortunately, she did not have time to consider any of that right now. Instead, all her mental energy was spent trying to figure out how she could get out of this without being sent back to Heaven or having her entire Familia destroyed by the angry Dragon God in front of her.
"I assume compensation in Valis won't do," Ishtar said through gritted teeth as she put down her wine glass.
"If you had actually suggested that, I would have sent you back to Heaven before you could finish the offer," Aislynn replied in a deadpan.
Ishtar showed no sign of taking offense at Aislynn's words. Instead, she nodded at the expected answer.
"Then, why don't you tell me what you want?" Ishtar said, struggling to push the words out of her mouth. "If I have it, it can be yours. Just say the word. As long as it puts this incident to rest, I'm willing."
"Oh, you're smarter than you look, Ishtar," Aislynn said with a triumphant smile as she reeled in her aura, leaned back into the couch, and crossed her arms under her breasts. "Because if you'd made me take the compensation I wanted, things would not have ended well for you."
*Grind!*
The sound of Ishtar's teeth grinding together was piercing enough that even the guards stationed outside the meeting room could hear it through the closed doors. Even so, she did not lash out at Aislynn. Instead, she gestured for Aislynn to continue, a hint of resignation shining in her eyes.
To calm herself, Ishtar picked up her wine glass and took a sip. When Aislynn saw that, she smiled, thinking it was the perfect time to make her demand.
"The Renard—I want her," Aislynn said nonchalantly. "Her name is Sanjouno Haruhime, correct?"
*Spurt!* *Cough!* *Cough!*
*Shatter!*
As soon as the word "Renard" left Aislynn's lips, Ishtar coughed out the wine she had just drunk. On top of that, her grip on the wine glass tightened so much that it shattered in her hand, cutting her palm and causing gold-tinted blood to drip from the cuts.
Despite already suspecting that Aislynn would ask for Haruhime, Ishtar was still hit hard by the demand. So hard, in fact, that she forgot herself for a moment.
"You!" Ishtar shrieked, tossing away the broken wine glass. "Aislynn, you—"
"Me, what?" Aislynn asked, her tone turning frosty once again. "There's no need to shout. If you don't like that idea, I can think of another way you can compensate me for what your captain tried to do. But I do believe my first request is the least detrimental to your Familia. Because if you force me to choose the second, you won't have a Familia left to worry about benefiting."
As she spoke, Aislynn once again unleashed her aura. However, instead of letting it spread, she focused it, in its entirety, onto Ishtar, causing the Goddess of Beauty to shudder, the sensation bringing her back to herself immediately.
"I… understand…" Ishtar said with great effort. "I'll… have… someone… call… her… now…"
"Good," Aislynn replied with a satisfied smile as she retracted her aura for the second time. "I knew you'd make the right decision."
After saying that, Aislynn picked up the wine glass on the table. Then, she held it out toward one of the Amazonesses positioned by the closest wall, indicating that she should fill it for her.
Too frightened to hesitate, the Amazoness quickly rushed over to the table near Aislynn and picked up the bottle of wine that had been placed there. Then, as carefully as she could, she poured wine into Aislynn's glass until it was three-quarters full before putting the bottle down and bowing. Then, she returned to her place next to the wall.
Meanwhile, Ishtar had instructed a different Amazoness to find Aisha and have her bring Haruhime to the meeting room as quickly as she could.
About half an hour later, after receiving the message from the Amazoness sent to find her, Aisha was standing in the room of another Ishtar Familia member, watching as Haruhime got dressed.
"It looks like you're finally going to get out of this place," Aisha said, looking at the young woman's back as she tidied her clothing in front of a full-length mirror. "You really did not belong here in the first place, Haruhime."
As Aisha had said, the young woman she was talking to was Sanjouno Haruhime, a beautiful thirteen-year-old girl with looks on par with Ais Wallenstein's, long blonde hair with straight-cut bangs, locks that hung down to her chest, green eyes, a pair of fox ears, and a fluffy fox tail. She was the Renard, or Fox Person, whom Aislynn had mentioned earlier.
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In fact, just as Tatsuo had guessed, Haruhime was the same hooded young woman he and Sakura had seen the last time they ran into Aisha in the Dungeon.
If the [Dimensional Chat] had never come to this world, Haruhime would have been rescued from the Entertainment District by the protagonist, Bell Cranel. But now that she had ended up in Aislynn's hands, there was no way she would ever find her way into another Familia.
"But… will things really be better?" Haruhime asked in a timid tone.
"From what I've heard, yes," Aisha replied confidently. "Honestly, I kinda wish Lady Aislynn had asked me to come with you, too. *sigh* But that probably wouldn't work. Having someone so much stronger than the captain she chose isn't really a good idea."
"What is the captain like?" Haruhime asked as she turned away from the mirror.
"I don't know too much about him," Aisha replied, shaking her head. "But he seems nice. He's not someone who can be led around by his dick, anyway."
"Must you use such crass language, Aisha-Onesama?" Haruhime asked, her cheeks flushing bright red.
In response, Aisha only laughed loudly. Then, she pushed off the wall she was leaning against, stepped closer to Haruhime, and started to pat her head.
"Either way, you'll have a much better life with your new Familia than you ever could have had here," Aisha said softly. "On top of that, you definitely won't have the status of a slave anymore. Lady Aislynn is far too good for that, from what I've heard about her."
With that, Aisha cut the conversation short. Then, she took Haruhime by the hand and led her out of the room.
"Anyway, let's go," Aisha said with a somewhat envious smile. "We can't keep your new goddess waiting."