Chapter 107: She's the One You're After?

On the other side, Riveria had already arrived at the Ishtar Familia.

"The Nine Hell came looking for me?"

With flawless brown skin and a figure that could make anyone blush and their heart race at a glance—that was the Goddess of Beauty, Ishtar.

She had been rudely woken from sleep and was clearly annoyed, but upon hearing who it was, she was instantly full of questions.

She instinctively glanced out the window. The sun was rising as usual.

So why did everything feel so strange today?

Ishtar didn't think she had anything worth discussing with the Nine Hell, which only made her all the more suspicious.

"Did the Nine Hell say what she came for?"

The Amazoness delivering the message looked slightly awkward.

"Ishtar-sama, according to her... she says she came to propose marriage."

That response made Ishtar freeze. For a moment, she wondered if last night's seven-way escapade had scrambled her brain so badly she was hallucinating.

"Did I hear that right? That's really something the Nine Hell would say?"

"I double-checked, Ishtar-sama. She really said it."

Alright then—if it was confirmed, Ishtar's demeanor grew more composed.

Not that she really cared what Loki thought.

Though she didn't know what Loki was after, based on what she knew of that woman—the one who casually called her a "bitch"—it was hard to imagine her seriously proposing a marriage between their Familias. So Ishtar stayed on guard.

"Who is Loki after?"

"Aisha."

"..."

Ishtar thought it over carefully. Honestly, it wasn't that surprising.

Aisha's strength was nothing to scoff at. Aside from that self-important toad, Aisha was arguably her Familia's top fighter.

But could Loki refuse this outright?

Even if Ishtar was looking to go up against Freya, adding Loki as an enemy at the same time would be idiotic.

The Loki Familia was no weakling, and there was no deep grudge between them. Their current status—separate and unbothered—was just fine.

No need to stir trouble with Loki unnecessarily.

Ishtar rose from her bed.

"Tell Aisha to go with the Nine Hell."

"And let her know not to take this proposal too seriously. First, we need to figure out what Loki is really after."

"Yes, right away."

Arms crossed, Ishtar stood there mulling over what Loki could possibly be playing at. She honestly couldn't recall anything that would warrant this.

Shaking her head in resignation, she pushed the thought aside.

After all, it was only Aisha being summoned. Sending her to gather intel was a reasonable move.

More likely, this was a problem within the Loki Familia, not something that involved her side.

The Amazoness immediately went to notify Aisha.

...

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Nine Hell-sama."

Even among top-tier adventurers, a Level 6 still commanded respect.

The gap in strength alone was enough to warrant it.

No one would show blatant disrespect to a Level 6 without reason.

Aisha Belka now stood before the Nine Hell herself. A royal-blooded High Elf, and the highest-ranked mage in all of Orario.

"Mm."

Riveria focused intently on Aisha.

The Amazon girl's outfit fit her identity well enough, but the real point was the aura she gave off.

'For someone at Level 3, she's definitely not weak.'

Once that was confirmed, Riveria didn't waste any more time.

"Miss Aisha, our Familia God requires your assistance."

Aisha looked completely baffled. Much like Ishtar earlier, she couldn't make sense of the situation unfolding in front of her.

"I understand. If there's anything I can do to assist Loki-sama."

Even though Aisha was full of questions, she didn't hesitate to follow the Nine Hell to Loki Familia.

After all, this was an open and legitimate escort. From any angle, it didn't seem like there would be any real problem.

That, at least, was Aisha's naïve assumption—before arriving at Loki Familia.

Once inside, she quickly noticed members of the Familia watching from every corner. And this was definitely not routine patrol.

At one intersection, she spotted Orario's famed Sword Princess. At another, she saw the Level 5 adventurer known as "Vanargand."

'This doesn't look like any normal patrol at all.'

For the first time, anxiety began to creep into Aisha's heart.

With security this tight inside Loki Familia, if a fight broke out, she wouldn't have the slightest chance to escape.

There was a massive gap between Level 5 and Level 4 adventurers. And she herself hadn't even reached Level 4 yet—she was only Level 3.

Trying to escape would be nothing but wishful thinking.

Realizing that, Aisha managed to steady herself a little.

She followed Riveria deeper into the Loki Familia's stronghold.

Knowing there was no getting away now, even if she really had walked into a trap, Aisha wanted to at least understand why someone like her—a mere Level 3 adventurer—had been singled out.

"Don't be too nervous. We really do need your help, not to cause you trouble."

Riveria offered a simple reassurance.

"Right now, it's just a matter of keeping certain information from spreading to outsiders."

"Outsiders... learning more?"

A vague realization dawned on Aisha, and her face immediately fell.

"Your goal... is her?"

Riveria didn't confirm anything, but Aisha already understood.

No wonder Loki Familia had mobilized so many people.

No wonder Loki-sama had called her out specifically.

It was all for Haruhime.

If it was about Haruhime's magic, then the reason made perfect sense.

Aisha hadn't expected the reason to be so solid.

But now that she knew, the worry in her heart was replaced with calm clarity.

'It's definitely not good for that child to be targeted by other Familias—but if it's Loki Familia, at least I don't have to worry about her safety.'

'The real issue now is how to get Haruhime out of the Ishtar Familia.'

Getting into a Familia might be a matter of fate, but leaving one wasn't that simple.

For most adventurers, transferring between Familias wasn't easy.

The crucial hurdle was that switching required permission from the current Familia God.

And as far as Aisha knew, there was no way Ishtar would ever allow Haruhime to leave.

...

(90 Chapters Ahead)

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