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

Page 275

"Goddess Ishtar said that as long as the opposing faction (Freya Familia) is eliminated, she will return the soul in the 'Killing Stone' to Haruhime."

"How could a verbal agreement possibly be fulfilled?!"

After hearing Miss Aisha's suggestion, Miss Life Exchange retorted this time.

Engaging in a full-scale war against such a powerful adversary as the Freya Familia makes it impossible to preserve all the fragments of the Killing Stone. Haruhime, whose soul has been shattered, can never be restored to her original state.

Miss Ming and I both rejected her words of comfort.

"You!!...Can you accept this kind of thing?"

Finally, in a trembling voice, I asked Miss Aisha.

"...You don't understand anything."

Miss Haruhime lowered her eyes, and Miss Aisha said in a weary voice:

"Nothing is more troublesome or difficult to deal with than a goddess's jealousy."

“Eh…?”

"The jealousy of a goddess alone is enough to distort the appearance of the mortal world, disrupt human destiny, and ignite war. The jealousy of our chief god is just this kind of thing."

Miss Aisha explained to us that the bewitching goddess's hidden thoughts were like the burning flames of darkness.

His tone was rude, yet his manner of speaking was shockingly realistic.

"No amount of persuasion will change anything; we cannot defy the goddess Ishtar."

Like a martyr who could not disobey the command of God—and unable to hide her frustration—Miss Aisha stared at us.

"Let me tell you a story about a foolish prostitute. There was a fox-girl who always looked gloomy, and that prostitute found her repulsive. No matter how well you took care of her, she always smiled as if she had seen through everything."

"...!"

"That foolish prostitute got annoyed and took it out on a certain 'killing stone' that had been brought into the palace in the past, and smashed it."

Nestled in Miss Aisha's arms, Miss Haruhime, seemingly oblivious, looked up in astonishment.

Miss Ming and I also opened our eyes wide.

Miss Aisha hadn't finished speaking. She spoke out indignantly, as if she were cursing the immaturity of that "foolish whore":

"That whore's good deeds were exposed very quickly. After being beaten up by that damned toad, she was then personally... 'bewitched' by the God of God until she lost her mind."

For the first time, fear surfaced in the depths of Miss Aisha's eyes, which were already filled with rage.

"She was so infatuated that her whole body went limp. Whenever she thought of disobeying the command of the main god, her hands and feet would tremble uncontrollably. The thought of breaking the Killing Stone would make her unable to stand up... That whore could no longer disobey the goddess Ishtar's command."

Miss Aisha's left hand, which was holding the large broadsword, twitched slightly, making a clicking sound. Her right hand, which was gripping Miss Haruhime's shoulder, seemed to defy her will and pulled Miss Haruhime closer to herself.

Miss Ming and I simply stood there, speechless.

A scene flashed through my mind.

The brown goddess, like a necrophiliac, defiled Miss Aisha, who lay in a pool of blood.

She cupped her tear-streaked cheeks in her hands, smiled sadistically, and murmured sweet words that sounded like curses, ignoring the other person's cries and ravaging their injured skin.

Even though we've only met once, I can already imagine the bewitching side of the "Goddess of Beauty."

The fact that the dignity of this resolute female hero had been trampled on made my palms sweat profusely, as if I were ill.

Miss Ming beside him also forgot to breathe.

"Ever since that incident, the battle prostitutes have been united. Some of them hoped for war from the beginning, while others were afraid of the goddess Ishtar. There was no way to stop the war from breaking out."

She said that the thorough humiliation she suffered was tantamount to making an example of someone.

From then on, even some of the war prostitutes who had doubts about the struggle against the opposing faction (the Freya Familia) showed obedience to the goddess, and no one objected to the war founded on the sacrifice of Miss Haruhime.

Everything was as the goddess Ishtar wished.

"You don't understand how terrifying that goddess is."

Miss Aisha asserted this.

She hugged Miss Haruhime tightly, who seemed afraid of something and began to tremble.

"...Besides, I'll be frank: why do you only talk and not act?"

Finally, Miss Aisha narrowed her eyes at us.

"You already know what's going to happen to Haruhime, right? Why aren't you trying to take her away? What are you hesitating for?"

““!!””

Upon hearing her criticism, Miss Ming and I felt a spasm in our shoulders.

Her words reminded me of the advice of Hermes.

Once war breaks out with the Ishtar faction, the Hestia Familia will truly be destroyed.

Once we take action, the gods and our companions will be affected.

Once we take Miss Haruhime away, the fighting prostitute will surely come to punish her.

One of the top combat groups in the city will attack our [Familia].

"That's because..."

My throat was stiff, and I couldn't make a sound, only letting out dry breaths.

Miss Ming and I couldn't take a single step out, our eyes trembling as we looked at Miss Chunji.

Throughout our conversation with Miss Aisha, she kept her head down.

Her bangs covered her eyes, and animal ears were stuck to her head.

She didn't want to see or hear anything, and simply lay with her head down in Miss Aisha's arms.

Her appearance made my chest crack open.

"Prostitutes are a symbol of destruction."

Why? How could this be?

Why now of all times, that phrase comes to mind?

"...It still won't work. I can't hand this girl over to you... I can't hand her over to you, Bell Craney."

Seeing that I was unable to move for a long time, Miss Aisha looked at me sharply and called me by name.

"If you're just looking for sympathy, I suggest you save your breath; it's disgusting to even look at."

"No, no...!?"

"So you're saying you can save this girl? I don't see it. I can't entrust her to you."

In my haste to retort, I was stunned by her gaze.

His gaze was merciless, and his tone was experimental.

"I'm not talking about a simple matter of ability; your awareness is lacking."

"...!!"

"You are not prepared to elope with Chun-hee and die with her."

These words seemed to see right through me, gripping my heart.

"You don't have a masculine face."

Then, she gave me the decisive sentence.

"You just don't have that arrogant, brutal, lustful masculine face."

"He's just a spineless, unambitious, cowardly brat."

"You can't give up everything for this girl."

Miss Aisha finished speaking in one breath, her tone tinged with disappointment.

Her words pierced my heart like arrows, leaving me speechless, as did Miss Ming beside me.

Seeing that we just stood there motionless, Miss Aisha looked at us with even more discouragement.

Miss Haruhime seemed to be just waiting for this time to pass... She hugged herself tightly.

The crimson afterglow of the setting sun, streaming into the wide back alley, enveloped the four people.

"—Found it, it's over here!!"

The Amazonian's loud voice reached our ears, even as we stood face to face.

Miss Ming and Miss Chunji suddenly raised their heads and heard several people shouting in the distance.

Lost and bewildered, I remained locked in eye contact with Miss Aisha, unable to take any action.

"—My Lord, run!!"

The first to take action was Miss Haruhime.

Miss Chunji shook off Miss Aisha's arm and wrapped her whole body around Aisha's left hand, which was holding the large broadsword.

Miss Aisha was taken aback, and Miss Mikoto, urged by Miss Haruhime, grabbed my arm without thinking.

"Lord Bell!"

I stood there dumbfounded, and she pulled me by the arm and ran forward.

Like a puppet, I was dragged along by Miss Fate, letting her lead me around.

The fighting prostitutes gradually gathered, and Miss Aisha stood still, and then...

I fled from them and from Miss Haruhime's side.

"..."

A group of Amazons, shouting "Don't let them get away, chase after them!", passed by them noisily.

As her companions chased after Life and Bell, who had disappeared into a side alley, Aisha relaxed her grip.

"...You can let me go now, you idiot."

Aisha reached out a hand and smacked Haruhime on the head as she cried out and clutched her left hand. "Ooh!" The fox-girl cried out and was immediately pulled away.

There was no way Haruhime, at level 1, could catch her. Aisha sighed at the girl who was squatting on the ground with her head down, and watched the direction Bell and the others had fled.

She squinted, letting the last rays of the setting sun burn her profile.

■

"They should be around here. Let's find them!"

The shrew's rude voice came from behind.

The combat prostitutes issued instructions to include the non-combat prostitutes in the search, and countless footsteps could be heard everywhere.

"Haa, ha...!?"

We escaped the relentless pursuit of the enemy and came to a dark path.

In the gaps between buildings where sunlight couldn't reach, our panting breaths mingled together.

Soon after, Miss Ming released her grip on my aching arm and turned to look at me.

"I...we..."

Unable to respond to Miss Ming's forced words, I shakily braced my hands against the building wall.

I was facing the gray wall, my neck bent downwards, my disordered breathing falling at my feet.