"F-forgive me, Ishtar-sama... If only I had been able to stop that man, Haruhime wouldn't have been taken away." Aisha said with a trembling voice.
She was afraid, but also hid her relief that Haruhime was taken away by Eiji.
"Wait, you said you were defeated easily even though you're level 3 and Eiji is supposed to be a god... How can he use his power freely?"
Ishtar originally wanted to scold Aisha and even punish her, but she suddenly realized something was wrong.
Or rather, strange.
"About that... I don't know. That guy named Eiji defeated me with just the release of his aura. I couldn't move and had trouble breathing so I could only watch as he took Haruhime away with him."
Aisha explained in more detail about how Eiji defeated her.
Ishtar was stunned, while she was thinking. One of the women in the room mocked Aisha.
"That guy might not be too strong, but you yourself are too weak, bitch. After all, you're only level 3. If it were me, I would definitely not disappoint Ishtar-sama."
She was the captain of the Ishtar Familia, Phryne Jamil. She had a large build with a frog-like face. She was quite tall, more than two meters tall, and had a wide frame that made her appear very large. She had fat limbs and her chest was as big as her body.
Aisha looked at her with disdain, but since the other party was level 5, and she herself knew how strong she was, she did not refute her words.
"You have the self-awareness not to argue, weak bitch. By the way, is that man handsome?" Phryne was quite satisfied with Aisha's attitude, and started asking about Eiji's appearance.
Aisha immediately felt sorry for Eiji. After all, who in the Ishtar Familia didn't know Phryne's hobbies?
That ugly woman liked to toy with handsome men who caught her interest and throw them away like trash after getting tired of them.
"He..." Aisha hesitated, although just a moment ago was her encounter with Eiji, she didn't want to say how handsome he was to Phryne.
Fortunately at that time Ishtar said, "Phryne, don't interrupt my conversation with Aisha. I'm thinking and your voice is very distracting."
"Sorry Ishtar-sama!"
Phryne immediately apologized and closed her mouth. Putting aside her personality which was as disgusting as her appearance, she was still quite obedient to her goddess.
And Ishtar....
Despite her anger, she had not lost her rationality and was not so impulsive as to ask Phryne or the rest of her familia to bring Haruhime back to her.
She turned her gaze to the vice-captain of her familia, a handsome brown-skinned man, Tammuz Belili. In the original work, a future that should not be far away from now, he would betray her for being mesmerized by Freya's beauty.
Ishtar did not know this.
"Tammuz, I remember I ordered you to get information about Eiji Seiya before this happened."
"Yes, Ishtar-sama. According to the information I got..."
Tammuz began to tell his goddess all the things he knew about Eiji and even his familia. Rumors about his relationship with Asfi, Shakti and Goddess Demeter were no exception.
His victory as the champion in the tournament held by Ganesha Familia was also mentioned by him.
"There's one more thing and this doesn't seem to be just a rumor because this information comes from the guild... Eiji's Familia has unreasonable strength. It is rumored that they have three Level 8 adventurers and one Level 9 adventurer as their main members."
The room was suddenly silent. Ishtar's anger was replaced with shock, and she fell silent.
Level 9? Even Ottar of Freya Familia was only Level 7. If the news was true, Eiji's familia was a monster that could destroy Orario overnight.
His familia was the strongest familia at the moment!
Aisha, Phryne and the other executive members took a breath. They were also surprised of course.
Their familia's position as one of the strongest familias might have shifted to a lower level.
Ishtar tapped the armrest of her throne with her slender finger, she tried to look calm. "Level 8 and even 9...? That's impossible. No one has been able to reach that level since the glory days of Zeus and Hera. Tammuz, are you sure the news about his familia's power came from the Guild?"
Tammuz nodded, "I have confirmed the source of the information, Ishtar-sama."
"Impossible! Impossible!" Ishtar started shouting and biting her nails, "Doesn't that mean the position of the strongest familia in Orario has changed? And put my familia in a lower position!? Eiji Seiya... How could he possibly have such powerful people as members of his familia!?"
She did not want to believe that.
However, Ishtar knew Tammuz was not lying and what he said was most likely true.
That was because the news came from the Guild. In other words, Ouranos recognized the power of Eiji's familia.
"But from how Eiji finished off Level 5 with ease in the tournament the Ganesha Familia held, he also seems to be different from the other gods who can't use their divine power, Ishtar-sama."
Tammuz added.
Ishtar felt anxious, "So... it will be difficult for me to reclaim Haruhime from that man's hands, right? Is that what you're trying to say, Tammuz?"
"With all due respect, yes. Ishtar-sama, we should at least not be in a hurry and should confirm what kind of god Eiji Seiya is."
Hearing this, she clucked her tongue.
She herself thought what the vice-captain of her familia said was right.
"If I send my troops now, it would be tantamount to suicide if the news is true. Then..."
Ishtar held her chin, a sly smile slowly appearing on her beautiful face.
"Tomorrow night is the day the Apollo party starts, right? Eiji should be there. I will meet him in person at the party. I'll use my charm to see if he's really 'dangerous' or if his words to me were just a bluff. If I can seduce him, not only will I get Haruhime back, but I'll also have him and his familia under the soles of my feet!"
"More than that—"
She went out the window, precisely in the direction where the Freya Familia headquarters was located. She narrowed her eyes and more vigorously said, "At that time, I can also trample Freya!"
Just like her rival not long ago, Ishtar was also confident and thought she could make Eiji her dog.
Just because she was the goddess of beauty?
At the Seiya Familia's house.
Eiji laughed, not because he was eavesdropping on Ishtar and her familia members' conversation, but a moment ago—
"Everyone, this is Haruhime. He will be our new family member from now on."
He said 'family', not 'familia'. But the two were not much different because every member except him was female.
They were all his women.
"I'm... I'm Sanjouno Haruhime. Please guide me!"
Hearing what Eiji said, Haruhime introduced herself nervously.
How could she not be?
In front of her stood four women who were each extremely beautiful, their beauty rivaled that of a goddess like Ishtar and left her mesmerized.
Artoria stepped forward, a gentle smile on her face. "Hello Haruhime, welcome to our family. Before you came, Eiji had told us about you (he did it in the familia chat group). Don't be afraid, even if the people of the Ishtar Familia come to take you back, we will protect you."
When the legendary King Arthur said that, her kingly charm lit up the whole room and made Haruhime naturally trust her.
"Thank you, um..."
Realizing that Haruhime didn't know her name yet, Artoria introduced herself. Scáthach, Morgan and Medusa also did the same.
Eiji nodded with satisfaction.
[The harmony in my harem is very good. I don't have to worry about my women fighting because I brought home a new woman.]
[I, Eiji Seiya, am a very lucky man!]
That's right, you're very lucky.
If it was other men, many of them would have died long ago from being stabbed with a knife by one of their women.
For what Eiji said in his inner voice this time...
Many heroines simply said: Approved.
'Ahahaha!'
[Host, why are you laughing in your heart? Have you finally gone crazy? We'd better go to the hospital right away to check if there's something wrong with your head right now!]
Miss System was rude as usual.
She clearly knew her host was fine, but insisted on saying sarcastic words.
'I'm fine, I just suddenly remembered the protagonist from School Days who died from being stabbed by one of the heroines. His head was even taken away by another heroine.'
'That's quite funny.'
[...]
Miss System: Isn't this man worried about the same thing happening to him?
"By the way, although Haruhime has now become part of our family. What about the bond between her and her goddess?" Scáthach asked about something.
Morgan-san replied, "You mean her falna?"
"Ah, this..." Haruhime suddenly remembered that even though she had now escaped from Ishtar's territory, her back still had her falna.
After all, she was still a member of the Ishtar Familia.
She glanced at Eiji anxiously and her face paled. "Eiji-sama, please apologize Haruhime!"
"Why are you apologizing?" Eiji made a confused expression. "Stop that."
"But Eiji-sama, Haruhime probably won't be able to become a member of your familia because she's still part of another familia. And I heard, there's a rule that one can't switch familias unless the previous God or Goddess releases them voluntarily."
"Hm... There is such a rule? We just need to break it."
Eiji wasn't angry or disappointed, he just responded to the matter as if it was a trivial thing.
Scáthach, Artoria and his other two women also didn't really think it was a big deal.
But Haruhime was confused, she still did not know who her husband really was. She didn't even know a proverb that said rules were there to be broken.
In the original work, during the conflict in the entertainment or pleasure district where Bell seemed to attract Ishtar's attention after he took Haruhime away.
Freya ordered Ottar and the rest of her familia to destroy the Ishtar Familia. She killed Ishtar and sent her back to heaven/tenkai just because of her possessiveness.
When Ishtar was "killed" and sent back to heaven, the Falna on Haruhime's back was automatically sealed or became inactive. At that time, Haruhime technically became a "free" person (without familial ties). Hestia then injected her own divine blood into Haruhime's back to override the old Falna and grant a new blessing from the Hestia Familia.
But right now, Ishtar was still alive and Eiji wasn't planning on killing her for now for the sake of his little plan.
"Haruhime, sit down and show me your back."
"Eh? Alright Eiji-sama."
Haruhime did not refuse, she also wanted to know how Eiji dealt with her falna problem.
She sat on one of the luxurious sofas in the living room. Under everyone's gaze, she shyly took off her kimono and showed her white back.
Eiji whistled in his heart, but he frowned slightly when he saw the Falna text that almost covered most of Haruhime's back.
It was an eyesore.
That was why he made his falna different from the usual falna.
"Don't be nervous, you'll just feel a little amused. Oh, you don't have to refrain from moaning later either." Eiji said softly and he took out a dagger from his inventory.
While Haruhime was even more nervous because of what exactly Eiji wanted to do to her that she might moan.
The other women in the room, especially Morgan looked at the dagger in Eiji's hand with twitching lips.
She knew what that dagger was.
"That's Medea's dagger, right? Eiji, you haven't returned it to her yet?"
"Ehem! Morgan, what belongs to Medea belongs to me, and vice versa. We are husband and wife, that's natural."
Eiji shamelessly said.
It had been a long time since the Ruler Breaker he took from Medea was kept in his inventory.
[Medea never even asked me to return the Ruler Breaker to her. She doesn't seem to care much if I continue to keep it and use it.]
[For example right now, I can use it to help her new sister.]
The heroines include Haruhime: ???
Many of them don't know the abilities that Ruler Breaker has, so they don't understand much.
And in Draconic Deus, Medea only snorted when she heard her husband talk about her beloved dagger.
Morgan rolled her eyes.
"Just for your information, Haruhime. This is the Rule Breaker. All contracts, all magic ties, and all laws that bind a person... everything will return to zero when hit by this dagger."
Eiji told the beautiful fox about the Ruler Breaker's ability.
Haruhime turned her head to stare at the dagger in both horror and awe. Eiji approached and asked her to turn back. With a very smooth movement, he touched the tip of the Rule Breaker to Haruhime's back, right where the mark of Falna Ishtar was.
*TING—!*
With Haruhime's back and the tip of the Ruler Breaker as the center, a purple light illuminated the living room.
From a distance, that light could be seen from the window and would make anyone who happened to see it wonder what was going on.
Soon, the falna on Haruhime's skin began to vaporize. Haruhime didn't feel any pain, she only felt an overwhelming sensation, as if the chains that had entangled her soul since becoming a member of the Ishtar Familia were cut.
"!" At her familia headquarters, Ishtar naturally realized the connection between her and Haruhime had been forcibly severed.
She was dumbfounded.
How could that be!?
"It is done. Ishtar is no longer your 'Goddess'. You are no longer her adventurer, and you are no longer hers by law."
"I'll start marking you—I mean Haruhime... Are you ready to become a member of my familia officially?"
Artoria looked at her husband flatly. In this situation, he must have thought of something a little perverted.
Haruhime did not realize it and said, "I'm ready, Eiji-sama. Please make Haruhime your property."
Eiji grinned like a villain whose plan had succeeded.
Scáthach: Do you really need to smile that wide, Eiji?
Morgan: Although you are still very handsome, please stop that, my husband.
Artoria: This man...
Medusa: (She didn't say anything in her heart.)
Ignoring the gazes of the other women, Eiji pricked his finger and dripped his blood onto Haruhime's back. The process of giving his falna was the same as he did before.
"Mnn~ Ahh~ Eiji-sama, I...!"
Of course, Haruhime could not help but moan!
She felt an even more incredible sensation than when her falna was removed, Eiji's falna flowed profusely inside her as if he was possessing her.
Haruhime's cheeks turned red and her gaze out the window became a little blurry. Instead of chains, a delicate thread connected her and Eiji spiritually.
That feeling made her heart beat fast, her fox tail wagging. She did not immediately notice a transparent window appearing before her eyes.
When she realized it, she was again amazed at Eiji because his falna was different from Ishtar's falna.
How should she say it?
Eiji's falna was more advanced! She could see her own status at any time, and update herself if she wanted to.
There were even other features that left her speechless about it.
"Oho? Interesting. Although Haruhime is level 1 and her basic parameters are not very good so she still needs a lot of improvement before leveling up. Her potency is not bad and she has an interesting magic."
Scáthach commented on Haruhime's status window.
Morgan walked up to Haruhime, her gaze fixed on a certain magic, a hint of admiration visible in her cold eyes. "Uchide no Kozuchi. A magic that can temporarily raise another person's level? And now the duration has increased drastically after receiving Falna from you, my husband."
"Huh? Isn't that magic... a level 8 like me can instantly become a level 9 and Scáthach even can become a level 10? That's amazing." Artoria held her chin with a surprised expression.
Haruhime put her clothes back on before turning around and looking at everyone with slight embarrassment.
She was basically receiving praise for her unique magic, right?
Eiji rubbed his nose, "That's not all. There is one new unique Skill that appeared due to the influence of my Voracity energy. Read the one underneath."
[Haruhime's magic, Uchide no Kozuchi, was indeed extraordinary and could be called cheating. That was why Ishtar treated her differently from the rest of her familia.]
[Placing Haruhime in a brothel was her way of hiding her "secret weapon" from the scrutiny of the Guild and other Familias. No one would be suspicious of a Level 1 prostitute placed in such a place.]
[However, Ishtar was also cruel and arrogant. She enjoyed the process of destroying the dignity and spirit of Haruhime-a noble from the Far East—by forcing her to work in a brothel before she was killed. Thanks to Aisha, she often stops customers or manipulates the situation so that Haruhime is not actually touched, as she knows Haruhime is pure and does not deserve such a fate.]
[Ishtar's goal was to sacrifice Haruhime in a ritual using the Killing Stone to strengthen the Ishtar Familia's power. If she succeeds, Haruhime's soul will be sealed in a magical stone.]
[The stone will be crushed into small fragments. Ishtar planned to give the fragments to all of her familia members so that they could all use the power of Level Boost at the same time to defeat the Freya Familia.]
"!!!"
Ishtar's plan was so cruel, many heroines cursed her and called her a very evil bitch.
Haruhime was moved, she just realized that even though Aisha fooled her, she also did it to help her.
She felt grateful to her, and also even more grateful to Eiji because he had basically saved her life.
As for the unique skill he said?
She checked it and was stunned.
"Eternal Feast. This skill allows Haruhime to recover her own magic by 'devouring' the remnants of magic energy from the opponent's attacks that fail to hit her. This is pretty good."
Pretty good?
Isn't this skill absurd!?
Haruhime refrained from saying that because in the eyes of Eiji and the other members of his familia, her new skill still seemed to be normal.