Chapter 60: Reverse Scale

Sanjou Haruhime.

A girl from the Sanjou House in the Far East. She grew up in a noble family. With her family, she grew up without any troubles. At times, she 'escaped' from her home to play with orphans. She didn't experience any problems whatsoever.

However, it ended during an incident two years ago.

There, she was pointed out to have eaten the offerings on their god's shrine—Amaterasu.

It is a grave act in her family's eyes. It is a great disrespect toward the god they are serving. It led to her father disowning Haruhime from the Sanjou House.

The guest who pointed her out—a pallum merchant—then offered to take her. By the time her friends from Takemikazuchi Familia knew about it, she left her house.

It didn't end there. Once, they were attacked by monsters. The pallum merchant deserted her in an attempt to save his life.

Fortunately, someone saved her.

Unfortunately, she was later sold to the Ishtar Familia.

She was brought back to Orario due to her good looks. Her fate was to be a courtesan, albeit it was delayed due to her young age. It helped that one of the executives took pity on her.

Ishtar herself wouldn't have agreed to it easily but changed her mind due to Haruhime's status. Her magic and Renard race became a perfect match to attain something that complimented Ishtar's plans.

When she turned thirteen, Haruhime will be sent to a brothel to do dirty work. Now, she turned thirteen. It is currently the time when she would begin as a courtesan.

"So… Miss. Can you tell me why you were chased by those amazons?"

Haruhime was brought back to reality. She looked at the boy who saved her just now. He wore a plain white t-shirt and black pants. It couldn't hide the brilliance possessed by his eyes.

"I… I escaped from them. I am a part of their—Ishtar Familia." She hurriedly added, "I shouldn't implicate you further. I will turn myself in."

"The collar doesn't work anymore. It is dismantled. You don't have to worry about their presence for now."

Haruhime touched her neck. The collar had been with her for two years. Yet, it didn't leave any marks. Nevertheless, it didn't ease her from thinking about the boy who helped her.

"Even so… They would find out sooner."

Her worries aren't unattended. Ishtar Familia is a huge familia. It is only below Loki, Freya, and Ganesha Familia in terms of scale. It also has a large influence being the sole ruler of the entertainment district—in a place where strong men sought the company of courtesans, no less.

In this world, there aren't any entertainment mediums, which limited the options. The red light district had proven itself time and time again, both in Nobu's world and Gekai.

"Ishtar Familia…" Nobu went into deep thought. 'Are we destined to be enemies or whatnot?'

Ishtar Familia is one of the major sources of Evilus' funds. Their progress on Knossos and the creation of cursed weapons are greatly sped up due to their contribution. It is clear they could pull all stops if they could cooperate with Evilus.

Nobu had some plans to eradicate this remaining threat, but his 'casual' act of saving Haruhime pushed them to the front.

"Then so be it. "

"H-huh?!"

"Isn't there a rule in your place? That with sufficient money, your freedom could be bought."

Coincidentally, there is a rule similar to the one in his world; in ancient China. If a customer happened to like one of the courtesans, they could 'buy' them with money. In this case, Nobu wanted to 'buy' and free her.

"M-mister?! T-to waste money on a woman like me—!"

"Wasting money… I'm simply following with what I have done until the end. Since I'd already saved you once, I'm helping you regain freedom."

Just like before, he followed his creed.

*****

One of the things that I hated the most is hypocrisy. My world never lacked such beings. The cult leader of Time Vessel Association is one such person. He killed Amanai Riko which led to the shitshow that occurred ten years later.

Tengen turned into a cursed spirit, thus Kenjaku easily controlled her.

What he experienced in reality would never wipe the clusterfuck he'd caused in those future iterations.

"Before everything else, isn't it apt to introduce ourselves?"

"Y-yes..!" The girl replied. "I am San—Haruhime."

Haruhime..? I never heard her name. It sounds like something from Far East.

"Did you come from the Far East?" I asked.

"Yes…"

"What a coincidence. I am Akasaka Nobu. You can call me whatever you deem fit. Though, there's no need for any formalities."

"..?!"

She looks surprised that I came from 'there'.

"Don't be surprised much. Actually, I never lived on Far East. I left the country when I was young."

"Is that so… Akasaka-san."

Her accent felt much closer to home. I was surprised to see people from Orario speak in Japanese. Although, those from Far East has a more 'native' accent.

Fluff.

The tail behind her back attracted my sight.

'So that's how I was with [Sirius]..?'

"Akasaka-san… It's best not to be involved with me. I am certain Ishtar-sama wouldn't let go of me."

Haruhime-san said some shocking words.

"I… I hold something of great value."

"Hm… I see. You wouldn't be 'sold' by them."

"That's right." She nodded calmly.

From the looks of it, Haruhime-san wants to keep that a secret. It is reasonable when meeting a complete stranger.

"I'll be going, Akasaka-san. I hope to repay you for this time. I will bear my punishment alone."

I saw her going for the doorknob.

"Wait. You will be punished if you return as it is. I have already broken your collar, so I am now involved as well."

I could see her briefly freeze.

"We're now in the same boat, Haruhime-san. You don't have to worry about me helping you."

"..."

I came up with a way to convince her.

Ishtar Familia would be under fire soon, anyways. Hermes Familia will rally Loki Familia and several others tonight. Tomorrow, they will raid Knossos.

"Well then… Have you heard of my other name, 'Sirius'?"

"Sirius..? The adventurer who became level three two months after entering Orario? Akasaka-san… That's you?"

"I am."

The weight that my name, 'Sirius', carried is significant. After all, I set the record for the fastest level ups in the history of Orario. Since 'Bell Cranel' hadn't appeared yet, it was this shocking.

"Akasaka-san… If I could help with something, please mention it."

Haruhime-san accepted my offer.

Truly, she's more innocent than I thought. I won't regret helping such a person.

Suddenly, the ring earring on my right ear activated.

"Goshujin-sama."

"Miku? What is it?"

{Five intruders tried to enter the familia home. There is a casualty. The rest are apprehended.}

Evilus…

I couldn't control my bloodlust. It froze the air inside the room. Signs of frost appeared on the corner of the room.

I could very well understand the meaning behind this attack.

"Akasaka-san..?"

I reined it. I shouldn't stress Haruhime-san out.

"Did something happen? You look… terrible just now."

Instead of being intimidated, she is more concerned about myself. This… I'm not the type to expect pure goodwill like this.

"I'm fine."

Despite saying so, I knew what that signified.

Evilus is onto me. This is fast. It's not even a day when Valletta Grede died. I anticipated it and told Lady Artemis and Lili to be careful. As for Hephaestus-sama, she said that it won't take too long—that she will be walking in a populated street. I was supposed to follow after her when the events with Haruhime happened.

She has the M9 handgun, too.

'Hephaestus-sama left five minutes ago.'

By the time we completed the gun forging, it was already afternoon. We went our separate ways. I went to Dian Cecht Familia several buildings away from here. I would be following her to the northeast forge.

"Haruhime-san. Can you stay here for a while? There's an office here."

"Alright…"

When we left the forge, Glenn-san gleamed at us with interest.

Snap.

"Fragilis Memoria." (Fragile Memories.)

Glenn-san's eyes turned dull. I selected his memories of five minutes ago and 'sealed' it within his subconscious. When the time comes, it'll be regarded as 'vague memories' before being forgotten.

The moment his eyes returned to normal, we are already in front of the desk.

"Sirius-san? This is…"

"My guest. Can you lead her to the office first? I'll be off for something."

"Got it."

With that, I removed the gist that 'we' arrived here earlier. I knew from his eyes that his thoughts turned somewhat troublesome. I don't want false rumors to spread.

I whispered to Haruhime-san before going:

"Take this. It's loaded with magic that will turn everyone unconscious. If people from Ishtar Familia look for you, use this."

I passed a gray-colored dagger to her.

"Let's talk about everything later."

"Good luck, Akasaka-san."

I gave her a nod before leaving. I ran to Hephaestus-sama's usual route to the forges. I traced the steps she took—something I knew from being with her several times.

Bang-!

I heard a loud gunshot from somewhere. I ran over to the place immediately. It wasn't far from the main street, only around two alleys.

As soon as I arrived, I saw a light-armored adventurer dropping to the ground. The other mage tried to lunge at her when Hephaestus-sama avoided her grasp.

I ran over to her.

Tap.

Crack.

I clenched my fist tightly.

Bam-!

I aimed at the Evilus members' face. I didn't hold back and threw that punch the strongest I could.

"Nobu-kun?!"

The Evilus member stepped back.

Bam-!

BAM-!

Two jabs and a roundhouse kick to the head. The female mage fell after that. Still, I never stopped. I kept hounding her.

I sat on top of her chest.

Bam-!

HOW.

Bam-!

DARE.

Bam-!

YOU..!

Bam-!

…

"..bu-kun..! Nobu-kun!"

Someone grabbed my arm.

"You can stop. You will kill him."

"...Hephaestus-sama."

When I heard that the familia home was attacked, I thought of the possibility of Hephaestus-sama being attacked. The possibility that I feared happened.

I saw the worried face of my goddess. It is the first time I saw her like that.

"Are you alright?" I asked her.

"Yes. the handgun from earlier helped. How about you, Nobu-kun?"

"It didn't hurt."

Blood covered my fist, though it's not my blood. I looked at the bloodied face beneath me. It is well-deserved for a fucker like her.

"What happened here–nya?"

Both Hephaestus-sama and I turned over to look at the new arrival. To my surprise, it is someone I know.

"Chloe-san."

"Sirius-nya?"

She is the waitress on Benevolent Mistress. Her light steps are something I remember.

"This is..?"

The two Evilus members are dressed like normal adventurers. This helped in hiding their identities and camouflage in Orario.

"Just some bastards. We will handle this matter ourselves."

"Alright-nya! Since you're both okay, I'll be off-nya!"

"Thanks."

Just with that, this became a familia-exclusive matter. It is an unwritten rule in Orario to mind each other's business. Of course, there could be some exceptions like the one from Loki Familia.

Hephaestus-sama placed the handgun on her back.

"What do you want to do?"

"We'll lock them up in the familia home. Will that be alright?"

"No problem." She replied. "Evilus has gotten bolder. To even try and kidnap a goddess…"

"...It's my fault. I should've gone with you."

"Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault."

Even before the ambush, I anticipated this to some extent. I will be a primary suspect behind Valletta's death since they came to deal with me. I talked with Rethusa-san and asked her to accompany Lady Artemis at all times when they are outside.

As for Lili, I gave her one of the communication earrings. She would've contacted me if something happened. Still, I turned it on.

"Lili."

A few seconds later, a response arrived from the other side.

"Teacher?"

"Did something happen?"

"There's none. Was it the one you talked about earlier?"

"Yes. Be careful when going outside. Also, keep the controller of the magic barriers near you. If intruders appear, apprehend them immediately. Don't give them the time to react. If you did, stay away from them."

"Understood."

I gave her several more reminders before closing the communication line. Then, I asked Hephaestus-sama how everything winded up to this. Turns out, they had indeed abducted her until she turned the tables two alleys later. One shot to the leg and another to the arm, just as what I had heard when I went here.

"Let's return to the northwest shop first. I will pick someone up."

"Someone? Did you save another person today?"

"That's right…"

Hephaestus-sama already knew about my tendency to be thorough when helping others.

I told Haruhime-san's story to her as we left the alley. The two Evilus members were left there for a while. I restrained them using several magic tools—cuffs—and place them inside an invisible tent. I also gave them a sleep spell that would last for half a day.

I will transport them later discreetly to our home. Right now, I'll need Tsubaki-nee to guard Hephaestus-sama. She is currently busy on creating new weapons, but Hephaestus-sama's safety precedes it. I would apologize for the interruption later.

After that, I'll head over to Artemis Familia and Lili. The meeting with the people gathered by Hermes Familia would be next. The Knossos raid was supposed to be in the next few days, but I'll aim to speed it up no matter the cost.

Evilus and Enyo shouldn't stay unhinged any longer.

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