"Compensation?"
"Exactly. Your Familia's leader attacked our deputy leader without cause. If our leader hadn't driven him off, our deputy would likely be dead by his hand!" The Amazon battle courtesan declared. "Our goddess Ishtar has submitted a formal complaint to the Denatus. Your Hestia Familia owes us an explanation."
At the Hestia Familia's doorstep, Altair stared in disbelief at the group of battle courtesans, wondering if he'd misheard. He'd returned from the pleasure district plotting to dismantle the Ishtar Familia, only for them to show up first, accusing him.
Bold move, coming for compensation before I've even planned your downfall, he thought, amused despite himself. One thing was clear: the intruder from last night was from the Ishtar Familia, giving them the audacity to claim he'd injured their deputy.
So, the one caught in his traps was their deputy leader, and when he followed the trail, he ran into their leader. Though he escaped, they'd seized the opportunity to paint him as the aggressor.
This is getting interesting.
"Altair, what's going on?" Hestia asked, eyeing the courtesans warily, her instincts sensing trouble.
Altair leaned in and whispered, "Last night, someone tried to break into our residence but was repelled by my traps. This morning, I tracked them and got ambushed. Now they're here to stir trouble."
"What? They dare pin the blame on us?" Hestia fumed.
"Don't worry. I know what they're after. Leave it to me." Altair reassured, placing a hand on Hestia's shoulder as she bristled, ready to charge. He stepped forward.
"Sorry, but we didn't harm your deputy. As for your leader, I haven't even addressed her unprovoked attack on me in the street." He said calmly.
"Got proof?" The courtesan sneered, chin raised smugly.
"Plenty of people on that street saw it." Altair replied.
"They saw our leader chasing you, not attacking unprovoked. Go ask them if you don't believe me." She retorted.
Altair's brow twitched as he grasped their game. The pleasure district's regulars, either customers or workers, wouldn't dare accuse the Ishtar Familia, a major power with a Level 5 adventurer and a monopoly on the district's trade. If he asked, he'd get vague responses like "I don't know" Or "I'm not sure." Even gods, who could detect lies, would find no fault in such ambiguity. The crowd had seen Phryne chasing him, and while they might guess her motives based on her reputation, if Ishtar insisted it was to repel him, they'd claim ignorance.
They came prepared, he thought.
"And your evidence that I attacked your deputy?" Altair challenged.
"Our deputy's injuries are proof, and she personally identified you!" The courtesan shot back.
"That's flimsy at best." Altair said dryly.
"If you didn't cause her injuries, why would she name you?" She countered, unabashed.
Tch, that's the logic of blaming the person who helps you up after a fall. This is a blatant setup, Altair thought. "By that reasoning, I could say I tripped and claim your deputy attacked me first."
If they wanted to play dirty, he'd match them.
"I knew you'd say that." A voice called from behind the courtesans.
"Ishtar-sama!" The group parted, kneeling as their goddess appeared.
Ishtar, clad in scant fabric that barely covered her, lounged on a wooden chair carried by four Amazon battle courtesans like a palanquin.
"Ishtar!" Hestia stepped forward, hands on hips, chest puffed out, glaring up at the goddess.
"What's your game?" She demanded.
"No game, Hestia. I'm simply seeking justice for my Familia." Ishtar replied, perched imperiously, legs crossed, her hand propping her cheek as she looked down with disdain.
"I considered demanding you hand over your leader, but it's clear you won't comply, and you deny my Familia's claims. There's no point in further discussion."
"Exactly! You're just here to cause trouble!" Hestia snapped.
"Then let the Guild settle it, as Familias do." Ishtar said, pointing toward Babel Tower. "I anticipated this, so I've already submitted a War Game request to the Guild. Hestia, do you dare accept?"
This was Ishtar's true aim: a War Game, a battle where Familias wagered everything. The victor claimed all, the loser lost everything, a method to resolve irreconcilable conflicts in Orario. Ishtar judged Altair, a Level 3, as no match for her forces, especially after he fled from Phryne that morning. A War Game would let her crush the Hestia Familia and claim Altair, uncovering his secrets.
"War…" Hestia hesitated, glancing at Altair.
He hadn't expected the classic transmigrator's showdown to arrive so soon, and against the formidable Ishtar Familia rather than the oft-defeated Apollo. But to him, it made little difference. Meeting Hestia's questioning gaze, Altair nodded confidently.
"Alright!" Hestia declared, one hand on her hip, the other pointing at Ishtar. "If it's war you want, then war it is! Bring it on, Ishtar!"
***
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