DanMachi: The Epic of the Heroic Spirits of Emiya Shirou

In Orario, the easiest way to make money, besides being an adventurer, is by selling yourself in the Red Mansion. You can also gain wealth and status there—building connections with famous adventurers or members of a Familia can indirectly grant you a certain amount of power.

Many prostitutes who have received financial support live like queens of a small country.

The strong-willed prostitutes who came here all dreamed of rising to prominence. Many others, though without family ties, opened their own shops.

Like the adventurers, making a name for oneself in this labyrinthine city is equivalent to gaining power. Many prostitutes come to Orario with ambition, but girls in situations like Haruhime are far fewer.

High-ranking adventurers like Raul are the most coveted targets of prostitutes. Establishing a stable, intimate relationship with them guarantees at least several years of wealth and comfort. And if one manages to persuade a renowned adventurer to "buy her freedom," she's guaranteed a life of ultimate success.

Therefore, even with the same amount of spending, adventurers with fame and power often receive more attentive, meticulous, and considerate service.

This is one of the reasons why people like Raul become addicted to the red-light district; the attitude of the prostitutes allows them to experience a "status" that is hard to obtain in their own clans.

On the wide streets where prostitutes of various attire come and go, there are clusters of architectural designs that cannot be seen in the vicinity of Orario, such as those from the East or the desert regions. There are open-plan Japanese-style buildings, as well as heavy stone houses that evoke the cold north.

The dress-up culture of the magical superpower and the style of the ocean kingdom of Desala... these modern types of brothels have recently begun to cause adventurers to feel aesthetically fatigued, and they are gradually beginning to miss the mysterious desert atmosphere.

"The clan has already begun preparing for the next expedition. They've been too engrossed in the pleasure quarters lately, spending all their money on that..."

Raul thought to himself that his plan to save money to buy a magic book had clearly failed once again.

"This is the last time. Starting tomorrow, I need to train hard and kill monsters in the dungeon to save up money..."

Raul had made up his mind countless times.

"Isn't this [Superhuman] Raul? Long time no see."

The speaker was a handsome male deity.

"Ah, Lord Hermes."

Standing before me is a male god with orange-yellow hair and eyes.

He was slender and of medium height, his arms and legs stretched out straight beneath his travel clothes. He truly was a god; his appearance was so handsome it left one speechless.

As soon as he took off the wide-brimmed hat with feathers that he had been wearing, his orange-yellow hair flowed out.

Raul: "Long time no see, Lord Hermes. You're back in Orario."

Hermes's retinue is not very strong—at least that's what the guild registration information says—but this god is very popular.

Because the Hermes Familia is one of the few traveling Familias, other Familias in the city often need to entrust them with special tasks. For example, the Hephaestus Familia occasionally needs the Hermes Familia to help purchase materials unique to the Sword City.

The same goes for Loki's Familia. Many elves need Hermes's Familia to help them send messages to the Elven lands every year. Raul is also very familiar with Hermes's Familia, especially this handsome god.

This wasn't the first time the two of them had bumped into each other in such a special place as Fengyue Street. They smiled at each other, their unspoken understanding evident.

"We're planning to go to the pyramids today. Would Hermes like to come along?"

"Oh~ Raul-kun's goal today is the ladies applying gold powder, they are indeed tempting... but I'm sorry, I already have an appointment with the people from [Youkuo]."

The tall, handsome man's eyes curved into crescent shapes as he revealed a charming smile. He put his wide-brimmed hat back on, and the two feathers attached to the hat rustled in the night wind.

"The wind is quite restless tonight; something very interesting seems to be going to happen."

Hermes raised his head and gazed at the vast night sky that covered the entire Fengyue Street, and the gradually filling moon.

Labyrinth City, South District.

Like a majestic temple, even in the heart of a bustling district, it still boasts spacious grounds and courtyards, surrounded by high walls, a sight that speaks of wealth, power, and glory.

This mansion stands in the Fifth District, nestled between the South Avenue and the Southeast Avenue, and is located opposite the "Twilight Mansion," the headquarters of the Loki Familia, situated in the northern part of the city. It is called the "Battlefield."

This is the base of Freya Familia, one of the city's pinnacles.

"Goddess Freya, the Ishtar Familia has made a move."

Deep within this building, also known as the "Silver Mansion" due to its design resembling the bright moon in the sky, Freya sat in the center of a spacious hall, with a young female servant kneeling before her.

The goddess sat in an elegant chair, her gaze shifting from the round table laden with wine and food.

"What are the details?"

“Around the headquarters of the red-light district, the prostitutes seemed unusually busy, running around everywhere.”

"The monitors... are they Allen and the others?"

"Yes, Lord Otto directed the surveillance from Daedalus Road, while Lord Allen and Lord Gulliver infiltrated the Red-light District."

"I see. You may leave now. Thank you, Herren."

Freya comforted the human member who had come to report in place of Ota, who had temporarily left headquarters. She ran her hand through the member's long hair and lovingly stroked her cheek.

The girl froze for a moment, then trembled with overwhelming emotion, her back shaking as she said, "You flatter me," bowing her head in gratitude. She lowered her head to hide her flushed face and hurried away.

Freya stared at the girl's retreating figure for a while, then turned to look at the huge map hanging on one of the walls.

A strategic map that replicates all the landmarks of the labyrinth city of Orario, with numerous markings centered around "Moon Street".

In a tavern directly north of Fengyue Street, Tsubaki, the "One-Eyed Master," carrying the katana Red Rain, is drinking alone.

In a coffee shop to the south, Chloe the Black Cat, Lunova the Black Fist, and Anya the Half-Wheel of the Chariot are eating cake.

On Daedalus Street, adjacent to the red-light district, [The Mighty] Otto is directing and monitoring things from there.

Inside the Fengyue Street, Allen of the Goddess's Chariot and the Gulliver brothers of the Four Flame Warriors have already entered.

As for Youku, Hermes should have arrived by now, according to the schedule. Freya hopes that He can investigate what information Hephaestus, Astrea, and Mia are hiding, as agreed.

Freya was unaware that Haruhime possessed magic like the [Mega Hammer], but even if she had known, she wouldn't have cared too much.

"These adventurers or gods are just supporting characters on the stage, and it is very likely that they will not even appear in person."

Tonight, the real protagonists are only two people.

"Shirou, Ryu... I can't wait to see what kind of brilliance you two will unleash."

The goddess's fragrant tongue gently glided across her delicate lips. She tilted her head, her hands cupping her cheeks like a bouquet of flowers, her eyes seemingly filled with a deep purple mist, her expression dreamy and shimmering.

101

Chapter 101 [The Military Belts of the Twelve Glorious War Gods]

Some guests have already noticed the unusual situation on Fengyue Street today.

The number of Amazonian women has decreased... To be precise, it seems that none of the Ishtar clan's "battle prostitutes" are in the red-light district tonight.

The businesses in the City of Wind and Moon are not only run by the Ishtar Familia. There are many small families or merchants in the labyrinth city who run brothels here, as well as some "entrepreneurs" who have never joined any family.

Anyone who wishes can contribute to the development of the red-light district, provided they follow the rules of the Ishtar clan. However, compared to these small-scale brothels, there is no doubt that the Ishtar clan's establishments and staff are of higher quality and more professional.

Especially among the upgraded battle prostitutes of the Ishtar Familia, even if you are just an un-upgraded Lv.1 lower-level adventurer or an ordinary person who has not received divine favor, as long as you can catch their eye and are rich enough, you will have the opportunity to kiss the beauty of a higher-level adventurer.

Such an opportunity only exists in the labyrinth city, and only in the romantic district of the Ishtar Familia.

However, tonight, all the combat prostitutes of level 2 and above in the red-light district are not on duty, which makes the guests feel deeply disappointed.

No one found it strange, as this is a common occurrence; it's highly likely that the Ishtar clan is preparing for a large-scale expedition.

The true profession of these combat prostitutes is that of adventurers; their work as prostitutes is merely a side job for their own amusement.

In fact, the night of the full moon will begin after today, and the combatants of the Ishtar Familia are preparing and rehearsing the [Killing Stone] ritual.

If nothing unexpected happens, after completing the [Killing Stone] ritual under the moonlight tomorrow, the day they will go to war with the city's strongest Freya Familia will not be far off. Therefore, even now, during rehearsals, the battle prostitutes are extremely nervous.

To wage war against the Freya Familia, a fragment of the Killing Stone, inscribed with the extremely powerful "heretical technique" of the [Mega Hammer], is essential.

In addition, they must launch surprise attacks, relying on magic swords, traps, curses, and other means to weaken the first-tier adventurers of the Freya Familia. Otherwise, even if the entire Ishtar Familia temporarily undergoes a level-up, the Ishtar Familia will have no chance of defeating the Freya Familia.

Besides the Killing Stone, Goddess Ishtar seems to have prepared some unknown trump cards to deal with powerful figures like Ota, who stands at the pinnacle of the city. However, the female warriors are unaware of the specifics.

In fact, there is no consensus within the Ishtar Familia regarding whether or not to go to war with the Freya Familia.

For example, Aisha [Rie] is a staunch opponent. It's not just because she doesn't want Haruhime to sacrifice herself, but also because reason tells her that going to war with the Freya Familia will only result in the complete annihilation of the Ishtar Familia, regardless of whether the [Sesshoseki] exists or not.

Even if everyone temporarily leveled up, the Ishtar Familia only had one Lv.6 and one Lv.5 level 1 adventurer, while the Freya Familia had three Lv.6s, four Lv.5s, and even had the strongest Lv.7 in the city.

The gap was simply too large and too obvious; there were actually quite a few rational individuals like Aisha within the Ishtar Familia. But unfortunately, the Familia's goddess was completely blinded by jealousy, and they couldn't change the mind of the goddess Ishtar.

Unlike the Loki Familia, which is a faction with its leader and officers as the actual leaders, the Ishtar Familia is completely centered on the goddess's wishes, and no member of the family can question or shake the goddess's will.

As a result, Aisha and others in the Ishtar Familia who remained rational and realized they were on the path to destruction were clearly suffering, while those fanatical and foolish madmen who only followed the goddess's cries for battle lived easily.

So even without Emiya, Aisha would likely still have chosen to abandon the Ishtar Familia. It's just that with Emiya around, Aisha is ultimately a little more relaxed, not having to bear the "main responsibility."

Today, the Ishtar Familia is holding a gathering to prepare for the "Killing Stone" ritual. However, Haruhime, who is the main character of the ritual, did not attend. Considering that this may be the last day of her life, the goddess Ishtar generously and considerately gave her a day off.

The goddess hoped that Haruhime would enjoy the nourishment of love in these last moments—Haruhime had fallen in love with her first guest after her marriage, which was not a secret in the Ishtar Familia, but rather a recent topic of conversation among the elders.

For the experienced female adventurers of the Ishtar Familia, this wasn't the first time they'd encountered such a situation. It was true that some naive girls would develop special feelings for guests in such circumstances, and they often grew up because of the disillusionment of these so-called "loves."

Only a very small number of prostitutes are eventually able to "buy their freedom" because of one of their clients. As for the situation where a girl and her first client remain faithful to each other for life, such a case has never occurred since the goddess Ishtar descended to earth; it is a "fairytale" that no one has ever even imagined.

In fact, Emiya wasn't really Haruhime's guest, because he never gave her any money, not even a single fali.

Because he is the one who is actually "hired," the adventurer who accepted the mission.

In the castle tower at the highest point of the pleasure street, Haruhime gently raised her chin, revealing the black choker around her delicate neck.

"This is a magical artifact; it will tell them my location..."

"No matter where I go, I am always under the control of Goddess Ishtar and the others. As soon as I step out of the red-light district, this collar will ring and burn my neck, rendering me unable to move, and pursuers from all sides will come to capture me."

"Even if someone tries to break it, the collar will immediately send out an emergency signal."

As Chunji spoke, she touched the surface of the black ring that emitted a strange glow with her finger.

"Therefore, I cannot go with you, my lord."

The girl lowered her head: "You said you would 'redeem' me before, and I was very happy, but... Goddess Ishtar will not agree."

"It is my honor to serve you, my lord. I can entrust everything to you. Even if I die, I will have no regrets..."

Emiya gently pressed his finger to Haruhime's lips, interrupting her words, while his other hand gripped the side of her collar.

"It's too early to say things like 'I have no regrets about dying' now."

Emiya looked into the girl's eyes: "Haruhime, you don't need to worry. I can persuade the goddess Ishtar, and I will definitely take you away."

[Skill [Knights Don't Die Unarmed] Activated]

He dominated and destroyed the collar.

The tense alarm sounded throughout the entire red-light district.

The castle tower's main gate was kicked open, and Aisha, [Rie], walked in calmly. As Haruhime's "guardian," she did not attend the Ishtar Familia's gathering.

"Sir, do you know what you are doing?"

Aisha asked in a low voice.

Emiya reached out and put his hand on Haruhime's shoulder, saying, "This is what I'm going to do: steal the Amazons' 'Queen's Belt'."

"So you're saying you want to 'steal' right from the start? That's really something else, typical male behavior." Aisha's lips curled up: "You really know us 'Amazons' very well."

Instead of saying those boring platitudes like "I hope you can let her go," "Are you going to sacrifice your families?" or "This kind of war is meaningless," I declared bluntly—I'm going to take that girl away.

That's how it should be: arrogantly declare war, brutally defeat the enemy, and then lustfully take the girl away... From the very beginning, Aisha had been expecting this.

"Even the goddess Ishtar probably couldn't refute such a move."

As Aisha spoke, she raised the black broadsword in her hand, the blade pointing directly at Emiya.

"So, according to your position, you're now going to stop me?"

Emiya asked.

It was Aisha who entrusted him to save Haruhime at the beginning of everything, but now, she is the first one to stand in front of Emiya.

Aisha: "As an older sister, entrusting an adventurer to save her younger sister is a different matter from being an adventurer and fighting off the enemies of her clan."

"And, as an Amazon, I really do want to feel the masculine (male) consciousness from fists and weapons."

Emiya nodded: "That's a reasonable approach."

"Haruhime, use the [Treasure Hammer] for me."

He said.

Then, Aisha watched as Haruhime used the magic [Mega Hammer], completely ignoring her and without a moment's hesitation, directly casting it on Emiya.

"That cunning fox who forgets his friends for the sake of a pretty face..."

Aisha couldn't help but think about it, but the next moment, she didn't even have the mind to complain about the lecherous fox anymore.

"Projection, Start (Trace, On)"