Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

The woman cuddled with the men who came to her door, letting them indulge in a one-night-only erotic dream.

That's what a prostitute is all about.

This beautiful woman with a pure and innocent demeanor has done *that* with many men...?

Forced to confront her reality, not allowed to turn away and escape it, I felt suffocated.

A nauseatingly intense emotion assaulted my chest.

"Such a lowly and despicable body... how could a hero possibly come to its rescue?"

Bathed in the pale light of the vast moonlit night, Miss Haruhime maintained her smile throughout.

Just like when I first saw her in that photograph, she was beautiful and ethereal.

We were face to face, but even though we were only a short distance apart, it felt so far away.

"For a hero, a prostitute is a symbol of destruction."

You probably already know that.

Miss Chunji said to me as if offering some guidance.

"Ever since I became aware of how filthy I am, I have no right to look at those beautiful stories, nor can I harbor any longing."

"..."

"I am nothing but a prostitute."

She didn't lament; instead, she smiled and calmly accepted everything.

So what about her, gazing longingly at the outside world from her cage?

Having been imprisoned in a jail called "prostitute's cell," has Miss Haruhime completely given up hope?

The black choker around her delicate neck gleamed with a dull, shackle-like light.

"...The time has come."

Before me, feeling utterly helpless and at a loss, Miss Haruhime gently turned her head and looked out the window.

The pleasure quarters have gradually become deserted, the lights have dimmed, and the bustling noise of the brothels is now a thing of the past.

Miss Haruhime told me that the appointed time had arrived, and then she stood up.

"I've been very happy during this time... Thank you."

When I saw her thank me, I still couldn't say a word.

I put on the items provided in the dormitory—the thick headscarf she had given me—and quietly, with Miss Chunji walking silently beside me, I left the room. She led me away from the brothel in no time.

We walked out of the building through the back door, through the corridor, and into a back alley that seemed to have been forgotten.

The lantern-shaped magic stone lamp held by Miss Haruhime swayed in the dark, narrow passage.

"The road ahead connects to Daedalus Road. Don't go back to the main road. If you take this road, Miss Aisha and the others shouldn't find you."

Miss Chunji stopped in her tracks. Under the illumination of her magic stone lamp, she could see the landscape of the complex alleyway ahead.

Two months ago, during the Monster Festival, I accidentally wandered into this labyrinthine street with a deity. It seems that "Daedalus Road," which is also located in the third district like the Pleasure Quarter, is adjacent to the Pleasure Quarter.

Do you recognize the road signs?

"I know, I know..."

"Follow the signs, and you'll soon be out of Daedalus Road."

After saying that, Miss Haruhime handed me the magic stone lamp.

I took the lamp but remained standing there. "Alright, let's go," she urged me, and I walked into the entrance of the maze street.

I walked a few steps silently, then slowly stopped and looked back.

Miss Chunji stood there without leaving, smiling and bowing to me.

It was as if there was a boundary between us; she refused to come with me.

"..."

Watched by the young prostitutes, I escaped the red-light district alone.

■

That room was located on a high floor of the palace, where one could see the moonlit night.

The interior features luxurious painted tapestries and beautiful carpets resembling large floral patterns. Two velvet sofas are placed across a table, giving the spacious room the feel of a reception room, while a canopy bed is also provided in a corner. The air is filled with the fragrance of musk.

The magic stone lamp hanging from the ceiling shone brightly, and the goddess, sitting on the sofa, puffed out smoke through a pipe.

"Hi, Ishtar, I'm here."

With a click, the door to the room opened, and Hermes, the god with a handsome smile, walked into the room.

Seeing her idol being led over by his young attendant, the goddess Ishtar smiled.

"You've kept me waiting for ages."

"Something interesting happened outside, and I was so engrossed in watching it that I was delayed. Sorry about that."

Even after Ishtar made a sarcastic remark, Hermes remained nonchalant.

Ishtar thought to herself, "So be it," and brushed it off with a smile.

The guest she had invited that evening sat on the opposite sofa, his handbag placed beside him. As if sensing the opportune moment, the young attendant locked the door.

In one of Ishtar's many rooms in the vast palace, the secret meeting between the gods began.

"Are you still in the mood for a casual chat?"

"I've already told you, don't keep me waiting, get on with the important business."

"How terrifying! Well then—according to the contract, I'll deliver it for you."

What he took out from his bag was a sealed ebony box.

Hermes placed the box on the table for Ishtar, who accepted it with satisfaction.

"I think you should understand that you are not allowed to say a word about this."

"I've accepted the commission, I understand that, and I won't let you down."

Hermes is commissioned by Ishtar to act as a "deliveryman".

To transport a certain item, he traveled between various countries and cities for a while, eventually bringing it to Orario. Because of their neutral stance and their ability to move quickly and travel to other cities, they (the Hermes Familia) frequently received such requests.

The god (Hermes) delivered it personally, purely to keep his word, and the client (Ishtar) specifically instructed that it be "confidential".

Bringing guards might seem too extravagant and arouse suspicion, so he pretended to be a customer of a brothel.

"But I don't think that thing is very good."

Hermes, his back sunken into the back of the sofa, pointed to the package.

Even with the young attendant waiting right behind Ishtar, he fearlessly pointed out:

"That's the 'Killing Stone,' right?"

The handsome god revealed the name of the item he had sent.

The young follower's gaze sharpened, while Ishtar remained calmly holding her pipe.

"You saw it, even the delivery workers have no professional ethics."

"I just saw it by accident."

Hermes responded shamelessly to Ishtar's disdainful gaze.

Soon, his eyes, which had been curved into crescent shapes, returned to their original shape and narrowed.

"What are you up to?"

Ishtar laughed boldly and fearlessly.

"You'll see something interesting soon enough."

Then, the amethyst-like eyes contained a dim firelight.

"Let me show you how that goddess (woman) who calls herself queen crawls on the ground."

Hermes shrugged when she hinted at the fall of a certain "goddess of beauty".

It means: Women's jealousy is truly terrifying.

"Hermes, don't you have any information that can please me? Like that goddess (woman)'s...weakness, or something like that."

Ishtar questioned, her feelings towards Freya no longer being hostility, but hatred.

She planned to drive the goddess, who was known as the most beautiful among all women, out of the city, hoping to push her into the abyss of despair.

He looked down at the miserable and ugly appearance of Freya who was defeated and laughed out loud.

The goddess of beauty (Ishtar), hoping to witness this scene, wants to extract useful new information from the information-gathering god.

"I can't lie to the 'Goddess of Beauty.' You've mesmerized me; I would have already blurted it out if I could have."

Hermes' gaze fell on Ishtar's slender waist and full breasts, and his cheeks flushed.

Upon seeing this, Ishtar's eyes narrowed into a smile.

She stood up and began to undress in front of the lecherous, handsome man who seemed to be trying to play the "clown" and gloss over the matter.

"...Huh?"

A headband, a breast ornament, bracelets and anklets, a belt and loincloth, and finally clothing to cover the chest.

Hermes was dumbfounded when he saw Ishtar remove all her clothes, revealing her alluring brown naked body.

The "Goddess of Beauty" looked down at him from above, as if to say: You are not allowed to hide anything from me.

"Be happy, I'm here to serve you well—until I drain you dry of everything you've got inside."

Hermes's previously nonchalant expression lost its composure for the first time.

He gave a stiff smile, and Ishtar stood in front of him, her red lips forming an arc.

"I-Ishtar! Please wait a minute—!?"

As the young man's attendant silently picked up the clothes that had fallen to the ground, the dark figure lunged at Hermes without warning.

Ah——!? Screams echoed everywhere.

"Waaaaah..."

Somehow, Hermes was exhausted in bed, and somehow, he was sobbing and crying, his upper body naked.

Ishtar, sitting naked on a velvet sofa, was enjoying the sensation of the pipe.

"The child Freya's been obsessed with lately, isn't that it...?"

Ishtar flirtatiously crossed her slender legs, her brown skin glistening with sweat, and gave a seductive smirk.

"Bell Crane..."

The goddess of beauty who used harsh methods to extract all the information from Hermes.

Thinking of the white-haired human I saw in the palace tonight, I realized: it was that little brat I saw today.

"How could she be infatuated with that little brat... I wonder what that goddess (woman) is thinking."

She scoffed as smoke blew from her lips.

Then—a ferocious smile appeared.

"Okay, I'll sleep with that brat."

Volume 7, Chapter 3: The Fox and Rabbit's Melancholy

"So? Could you please explain that clearly?"

I was forced to kneel on the ground.

Before me stood a deity with his arms crossed and legs spread apart.

This is the new headquarters of the Hestia Familia, "Kamakura," a spacious living room on the first floor.

Some things happened after I left Fengyue Street, and it was already morning when I returned to headquarters.

I returned trembling with fear and was immediately caught, being interrogated like this by the gods.