「 Cough, cough! 」

Back at Chaldea, Romani let out a violent series of coughs.

Thinking back on it, the last Master of humanity did seem to have a knack for attracting the attention of girls. Aside from Mash, there had been plenty of similar signs throughout the previous six Singularities.

In an instant, the staff sitting in the Chaldea control room all wore rather complicated expressions on their faces.

「 Hello, Da Vinci here. Shin Akira, let's get straight to the point—what is it that you want? 」

"It's very simple. I want Ritsuka Fujimaru to stay away from a certain goddess."

「 Which goddess? 」

"The Goddess of Venus, Ishtar."

「 Huh? Ishtar? You mean the goddess from the legends who demanded Gilgamesh's love only to be rejected, and then released Gugalanna, which ultimately led to Enkidu's death? 」

"That's the one."

「」So, Ishtar is a member of the Three Goddess Alliance? 」

"Unfortunately, no. Ishtar is not a member of the Three Goddess Alliance."

「 Huh? 」

Da Vinci, who considered herself the greatest genius of all time, fell silent for a moment. You just brought up the Three Goddess Alliance, then you mention Ishtar, and now you say she isn't even part of the alliance? Are you pulling my leg?

"To obtain the Holy Grail, there are two conditions. First, Ritsuka Fujimaru must not have any involvement with the goddess Ishtar. Second, before you all leave, do not become my enemies."

「 Do not become your enemies? 」

"Yes. In a sense, I could be considered a hidden enemy of yours. However, I personally have no desire to see the Incineration of the Human Order come to pass. Without humanity, this world would lose all meaning."

「 A hidden enemy, huh... 」

On the Chaldea side, Da Vinci and Romani looked at each other and gave a slow, meaningful nod.

It was now certain that this man had sought out Ritsuka Fujimaru with a specific goal in mind. Moreover, since he possessed Clairvoyance, he must have 'seen' a future that was disadvantageous to himself; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so proactive.

"Well? Have you considered it? As long as you agree to these two conditions, I will hand over the Holy Grail with both hands when you leave Mesopotamia."

Ishtar was merely an extra excuse; the second condition was Akira's true objective.

One had to understand that in Mesopotamia at the end of the Age of Gods, the binding power of a contract was terrifying because Mystery had not yet fully faded.

Even a Great God-level entity like Quetzalcoatl would lose half of her Divinity if she broke a contract, even if she had been tricked into it.

If a Great God suffered such a fate, a mere human like Ritsuka Fujimaru would fare much worse.

If this contract were established, and in the future when his mother, Tiamat, was freed from her seal, Ritsuka chose to oppose her, he would undoubtedly face divine punishment. As for what that punishment would be, it depended entirely on his future actions.

"What is your decision, Chaldea?"

A few minutes later, Akira asked for their answer. As for Ritsuka Fujimaru, he currently had no say in the matter and could only follow the Doctor's instructions.

「 Our apologies, Mr. Shin Akira, but we must decline this contract. 」

"Oh? And why is that?"

「 From your words, I can conclude that in the future, we will definitely stand on opposite sides. If we were to sign a contract like this, it would only cause trouble down the road. 」

"Well, though I expected as much, I'm still a bit disappointed."

「 Mr. Shin Akira, regarding the Holy Grail in your possession, we can discuss it further. As long as it doesn't cross our boundaries, we will do our best to fulfill your request. 」

"Heh, Romani, what do you think Chaldea has that I could possibly need?"

「 That depends on what you require. 」

"Too bad, the answer is 'nothing.' I lack for nothing—women, servants, family, power—I have it all. Coming to see you was originally just a way to save myself some trouble."

「 We can still negotiate. 」

"Sorry, since the deal is off, let's leave it at that."

After he finished speaking, Akira stared at Ritsuka Fujimaru. Should he just finish him off here? 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Suddenly, a thick killing intent began to spread. In an instant, Ritsuka Fujimaru felt as if he were standing in the middle of a freezing blizzard; the very blood in his veins seemed to stop flowing.

"Master...!"

Mash immediately raised her massive shield, stepping in front of Ritsuka Fujimaru to protect him. This terrifying bloodlust was truly overwhelming.

However, the killing intent vanished without a trace in the next second.

The reason Akira asked Ritsuka not to approach Ishtar wasn't because he had an interest in Ishtar—though her 'Tohsaka Rin' form was quite nice—but because he actually cared about Ereshkigal.

The Goddess of the Underworld shared the same body as Ishtar. Yet as sisters, the two had completely opposite fates.

Since childhood, Ishtar was the darling of the gods, spoiled by the Sky God Anu. She became the mistress of the heavens, doing whatever she pleased, worshiped and enjoying all the beauties of the world.

Ereshkigal was the polar opposite.

Since birth, she had been tasked with managing the underworld. She knew nothing of the surface or freedom; she was a goddess destined to vanish alongside the end of the Age of Gods.

The Underworld was a place rejected by all gods, a chaotic mess that no one wanted to deal with, yet all of it was thrust upon Ereshkigal. And so, she worked diligently day after day, year after year.

One was the spoiled Goddess of Venus, the other a hardworking and dutiful goddess.

In the eyes of humans, however, they were viewed very differently. Ishtar represented the goddess of the earth, symbolizing human life, while Ereshkigal, who represented death, was seen as a terrifying deity.

In Mesopotamia, there were countless followers and temples for Ishtar. But for Ereshkigal, such things were an impossible luxury. She was even constantly slandered until she became the "God of Death" feared by all.

It reminded Akira of a saying: the child who cries gets the candy, while the sensible child is ignored.

As the ruler of the underworld, Ereshkigal had never truly seen the world outside—not the land, the flowers, birds, fish, or insects. At most, she could only take control of Ishtar's body at night to catch a brief glimpse of the surface.

But that was just looking; her true body would forever remain in the depths of the underworld, never able to leave.

The Underworld was a barren place with no signs of life. For a girl who was like a delicate flower, staying there for millions of years was true suffering.

Ereshkigal herself had sighed more than once. They were both goddesses, sisters even, so why was the difference between them so vast?

One was utterly pampered, while the other was forever neglected and sealed in the deepest pits of the world.

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