Since there was no way to get what he wanted, Yami saw no reason to linger any longer.
Goddess Ishtar could only watch him leave, powerless to stop him. After all, she had just failed to keep her word. Worse yet, her slightly assertive behavior might have given him some clues. If other Familias in Orario discovered the special nature of Sanjō Haruhime, it would attract a lot of unwanted attention. If that magic were to be exposed, it would spell big trouble!
Both the Loki Familia and Freya Familia would be highly interested in magic that could elevate someone's adventurer level in such a short time. If that happened, the Ishtar Familia would undoubtedly become a prime target.
"Damn it, if only I'd handled it differently!" Ishtar cursed under her breath. "Haruhime must not be exposed—at least not until the plan is completed."
Taking a deep breath, Goddess Ishtar rubbed her hands together, deep in thought. "Aisha, take Haruhime back to the Familia headquarters and keep her under strict surveillance. She must not have any contact with anyone else for the next 20 days, do you understand?"
The severity of Ishtar's words sent a chill down Aisha's spine. The Amazon woman quickly bowed her head in obedience. "Understood, Ishtar-sama. I'll ensure Haruhime is secured."
"You'd better. If anything goes wrong, I'll hold you responsible."
Though Ishtar's tone was calm, the underlying threat made Aisha's scalp tingle. She dared not say another word, quickly lowering her head as she retreated. She hurriedly pulled Haruhime out of the enclosed room and rushed towards the depths of the brothel.
Once they were gone, the brothel fell into an eerie silence. The remaining courtesans all lowered their heads, not daring to make eye contact with Goddess Ishtar. None of them wanted to risk angering her further.
It wasn't until the sound of Ishtar's high heels faded away that the courtesans breathed a collective sigh of relief. But they knew full well that today's events wouldn't end so easily. Orario might be on the verge of another storm.
"Seeing a god's ugly side is a rare experience," Yami mused to himself. "These gods, don't they have any self-awareness? She refused my request, yet she still bent over backward to please me, only to turn hostile in the end. There's really no rhyme or reason to it."
Shaking his head, Yami decided it was time to return to his Familia's residence. Though Happy Street was lively and decadent, it wasn't a place he particularly enjoyed. Besides, he had achieved his goal of alleviating his boredom, so there was no reason to stay any longer.
As for his earlier claim about wanting to take Haruhime with him, that was just a ploy.
——
Hephaestus room.
"Yami, you really are a troublemaker." Goddess Hephaestus remarked with an amused expression after hearing his account. She never expected the man before her to be so mischievous. Teasing a goddess—how bold of him!
"How could this be my fault?" Yami responded with a mock-innocent tone. "I was invited by Goddess Ishtar, so I visited Happy Street. Choosing a courtesan to bring back was her idea. When she went back on her word, of course, I wasn't going to humor her any longer. I don't respect a god who can't keep her promises. Isn't that fair?"
Despite his seemingly righteous words, a faint smile played on Yami's lips, betraying his true feelings. Even he didn't fully believe what he was saying.
"I think you were deliberately causing trouble," Hephaestus said, narrowing her eyes. "The girl you chose must be someone special, right?"
As expected of a goddess who had lived for eons, Hephaestus saw right through Yami's intentions. In fact, she had already inferred Haruhime's unusual significance from Ishtar's odd behavior.
"You guessed it," Yami admitted. "That child is indeed quite special. Although she's just a low-level adventurer, her magic, called 'Treasure Mallet,' can raise a person's strength by one level for fifteen minutes. That's why Goddess Ishtar is so protective of her."
"Is that so? That does explain things," Hephaestus said, a faint surprise appearing on her face. She hadn't expected that children of the lower world could possess such extraordinary powers.
"So Ishtar's planning something again? Her relationship with Freya has never been harmonious, and she's long harbored ambitions to replace her. But even with such a 'trump card,' she's no match for Freya's children, right?"
As old rivals who had lived for millennia, the two goddesses' actions were often predictable, even when not explicitly stated. Freya and Ishtar—one was the queen of Orario, the other the goddess of Happy Street. Both were goddesses of beauty and charm, but the attention they commanded was worlds apart. Their conflict was inevitable.
Freya looked down on Ishtar, but the latter was always scheming to dethrone Freya. With a child who possessed such a unique ability, it was clear that Ishtar wouldn't let her go easily. But the problem was that even a temporary level boost wouldn't close the significant gap between their Familias. It would be like trying to shatter a boulder with an egg.
This is why Hephaestus found Ishtar's plan so puzzling.
"Typically, the Ishtar Familia wouldn't stand a chance," Hephaestus mused. "However, Ishtar entrusted Hermes with sacrificing an item called 'Killing Stone' to Sanjō Haruhime to mass-produce the 'Treasure Mallet' and ultimately destroy the Freya Familia. But in my opinion, her plan is more likely to fail. The gap between levels isn't so easily bridged."
After revealing Ishtar's plan, Hephaestus shook her head in understanding. "That's so typical of Ishtar. To think she'd sacrifice her own child to achieve her goals—it's truly despicable. Ishtar is going too far! Such an exceptional child, if she doesn't cherish her, she should leave her to someone who will."
Yami was visibly startled by Hephaestus's words. As if he had realized something, his expression turned strange. At the same time, he felt a moment of pity for Goddess Ishtar, mourning her fate for a brief three seconds in his mind.