Chapter 86: Shirou – "Compared to a hideous freak like you, even a pig looks elegant!"
Ishtar was eventually persuaded by Shirou and permitted him to conduct an investigation within the Ishtar Familia in search of the missing Heith Velvet. Of course, although she verbally agreed to Shirou's actions, she didn't actually believe he'd find any leads. She was convinced that the entire affair was staged by Freya — Heith had never gone missing to begin with, and thus, no clues could possibly exist.
However, Shirou remained firm. His instincts told him the situation wasn't so simple — there was likely a deeper conspiracy at play.
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"We're back, Lady Ishtar—" A group of Berbera returned through the door after Shirou's discussion with Ishtar. They were clearly the same women Shirou had run into earlier on the street — the elite of the Ishtar Familia.
Among them was the black-haired Aisha, seemingly the leader of the group.
These women patrolled the brothel district at night and returned to rest in the early morning. Like the "City of Night" nickname for the pleasure district, their lives were completely inverted — day became night.
"Who's this...?"
As soon as the Berbera returned, they saw their goddess Ishtar standing next to Shirou.
Their faces all showed surprise — then instinctive tension.
Shirou's fame preceded him. Having defeated two gods in a row, he was seen throughout Orario as a god-slayer.
Seeing him next to their goddess, it was natural for them to assume he'd come to hunt Ishtar too. They immediately bristled with hostility.
But Ishtar quickly intervened to stop her followers' aggression and said plainly:
"This man is Emiya Shirou, temporarily joining our Familia. He will work with you all to help maintain order in the pleasure district."
"What?!"
All the Berbera were stunned. No one expected Ishtar to allow an outsider into their security forces — let alone a man.
As the Ishtar Familia was made up entirely of women (and prostitutes at that), Shirou's inclusion was shocking.
Ishtar gave no further explanation.
Instead, she glanced provocatively at Shirou as if saying, "The stage is yours — do as you please." Then she turned and returned to her bedroom, leaving Shirou alone with the Berbera.
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Shirou was clearly caught off guard by Ishtar's move — he hadn't expected to be accepted into the Familia, even temporarily.
But he quickly realized this was a great opportunity to probe deeper into the inner workings of the Familia and uncover the truth.
His only real problem was… his complete incompatibility with women. Surrounded by so many aggressive women giving him predatory stares, Shirou was on edge.
He'd rather be battling a dungeon monster than caught up with these women.
Just then, a voice rang out:
"Alright, alright! This guy was invited by Lady Ishtar herself. You all better not treat him like prey."
Aisha, whom Shirou had met earlier, stepped forward. She reminded the others not to harass Shirou and then came up to him:
"I didn't expect you to be connected to Lady Ishtar."
"I didn't expect it either," Shirou replied.
He had originally planned just to gather clues around the pleasure district. Who would've thought he'd end up in the very heart of the Ishtar Familia, welcomed by the goddess herself?
Thanks to Aisha's help, the others finally backed off and went about their own business.
Aisha led Shirou to his resting quarters and said:
"I don't know why Lady Ishtar brought you into the security team, but now that you're part of it, you're under my command. You follow my orders."
"You're in charge of the security team?" Shirou asked.
"Yep. I may not look it, but I've recently reached Level 4. I'm one of the top adventurers in the Familia."
She proudly patted her chest.
Shirou wasn't surprised. He'd already noticed Aisha's unusual movements — not something a low-level adventurer could pull off. Given the Ishtar Familia's elite status in Orario, with some members reaching Level 5, it made sense the security leader would be at least Level 4.
Aisha then gave Shirou a tour of the palace-like Familia base.
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"Alright, that's the general layout of our Familia." Aisha led Shirou back to the resting room.
"So, what now? Gonna take a nap? Or enjoy a pleasant night with me?"
Aisha hugged Shirou without restraint. The softness of her body was unmistakable — but Shirou wasn't having it.
Before he could react, others began bursting into the room.
"Hey, Aisha! You sneaky little...!"
"Pretending it's official business when you just wanted to taste him yourself!"
"Damn it, I want a taste of the god-slayer too!"
It was clear these women had been lurking outside for a while. Now they stormed in, crowding around Shirou, some already putting hands on him.
Shirou was clearly speechless. He couldn't understand why these women were so obsessed with him.
With no choice, he prepared to use force to escape what was fast becoming a chastity crisis.
But just then — heavy footsteps thundered toward them. The women's faces turned pale.
"Oh no, Aisha! Phryne's coming!!"
A panicked girl flung the door open, warning the others.
Everyone — even Aisha — looked terrified.
"Phryne?" Shirou was puzzled.
Aisha warned him to stay put while she and the others blocked the entrance.
"I smell a young man~."
And then Phryne appeared.
How could Shirou describe the shock of seeing her? It was like witnessing a dungeon monster in human skin — toad-like, grotesque, obese, over two meters tall. The mismatched proportions and hideous face looked straight out of a horror film.
Seeing her, no one would think "human." She resembled some twisted mimicry of one.
"Phryne! What are you doing here?!" Aisha snapped.
"Keh keh keh keh~ I heard a man was here!"
Phryne croaked with a frog-like laugh and pushed past the crowd, eyes locked on Shirou.
"So this is the god-slayer from the Hestia Familia. Not bad. I like it!!"
"Are you crazy, Phryne? He's here under Lady Ishtar's invitation!"
"Sure, but she only said he could join temporarily. She didn't say we couldn't touch him. In fact, weren't you all just about to?"
The women went silent. Phryne's grotesque grin twisted further.
She licked her lips and looked at Shirou with hungry eyes.
"I want to push you down... then wreck that pretty face of yours. Mmm... just imagining it is making me wet!"
Now Shirou understood why everyone feared Phryne. To these seductive prostitutes, she was an outright abomination. But more than that — she was powerful. Even Aisha didn't dare act rashly. That meant Phryne had to be at least Level 5.
The others stood frozen under Phryne's oppressive presence, and Shirou realized he couldn't just sit back.
Whether for his own safety or Aisha's group, something had to be done.
"You're Phryne, right?" Shirou suddenly stepped forward, "Looks like you've misunderstood something."
"Oh? Got something to say, sweet little snack?"
Her eyes gleamed with lust as if she were already devouring him.
Shirou felt sick, as though a toad had licked him. He forced himself to endure the revulsion and said coldly:
"These women were here with my permission."
"So you allowed them to treat you this way? Such generosity~" she smirked.
"Yes. I let them come here. But I didn't invite you."
Shirou's tone chilled.
"Phryne, I'm here as a guest of Goddess Ishtar — not a full member of this Familia. If anything happens to me here, Ishtar won't be pleased, don't you think?"
Phryne's face darkened. She clearly wanted to act, but she couldn't go against Shirou without disobeying her goddess.
Reluctantly, she stepped back, though her expression remained vicious.
"Fine, fine... maybe I got ahead of myself." She attempted a seductive look. "Compared to these jealous ugly hags, my beauty is on another level. Even Lady Ishtar can't compare to me!"
Shirou went completely silent.
He turned to Aisha and the others as if to say, "Is she always like this?"
They nodded wearily. Clearly, this narcissism was nothing new.
"So, compared to these jealous, ugly women who can't defy me, I'll make you feel heaven, Shirou~!"
Phryne leaned closer.
Shirou had had enough.
He took a deep breath and declared:
"Phryne, was it...? I'm sorry, but you're the ugliest, most delusional freak I've ever seen. Compared to you, a pig looks refined. Do yourself a favor — go look in a mirror."
Normally, Shirou avoided insults. But even the kindest people had limits.
Phryne's face twisted. No one had ever insulted her appearance before — likely because of her strength.
The pressure she emitted now was crushing — Shirou instantly sensed she was indeed Level 5.
But just as he prepared for battle, her aura suddenly vanished. Her rage didn't disappear, but she suppressed her killing intent.
"Heh... Emiya Shirou, was it?" she snarled. "You're Lady Ishtar's guest. I won't act in public. But get ready — I will make you regret this. Can't wait to see your face once you're my slave... hehehehehe."
With that, she left, leaving behind a dreadful presence.
Shirou wasn't shaken. He calmly rested his chin on his hand, analyzing Phryne's behavior, wondering whether she was tied to the Dark Faction.
After all, he hadn't insulted her just for spite — he had done it deliberately, to provoke her and see her reaction.
Ishtar claimed little connection to the Dark Faction herself, but that didn't mean her followers were clean.
To find Heith, Shirou had to dig up every secret hidden within the Ishtar Familia — no matter how deep.
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