Chapter 43: Barbara: All According to Plan!
"Hyacie, Ai-bao, you two take Lefiya to the fountain to rest for a bit. I'm going to buy some things; I'll be back very soon."
The wind behind her was growing stronger, and Barbara knew that if she didn't do something, those people would likely take action immediately.
But then again, the strength of those Amazons didn't seem very high? How did they have the courage to try and kidnap her?
Barbara couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled. After all, their strength had already been demonstrated when they first arrived in Orario, having easily defeated the captain of the Apollo Familia.
Do they think... that Magic was Little Ica's power and not mine, assuming my own Strength is weak?
It wasn't an impossible theory. Regardless, these weak Amazons were indeed here to catch her.
Should she just finish them off?
The moment this thought surfaced, Barbara rejected it herself.
Doing so might solve the problem for a moment, but it wouldn't solve it forever. These Amazons would very likely continue to attack her incessantly.
How could one guard against a thief for a thousand days?
Even with great strength, she couldn't stay awake every single day waiting for an ambush.
She had to settle this once and for all!
Solve everything in one go!
'I must confirm if the faction behind them is indeed the Ishtar Familia from the Pleasure Quarter... I'll just have to go there myself!'
Although the connection between Amazons and the Ishtar Familia was deep, Barbara wanted to confirm her suspicions before jumping to conclusions.
Furthermore, after yesterday's events, Barbara understood that altering the plot and defeating powerful enemies could increase the number of people she saved.
It just so happened that the monsters in the Dungeon were too weak, and even the Corrupted Spirit had been eliminated. Hyacine and Barbara were just worrying about having nothing to do during this period; who would have thought someone would come knocking on their door?
It was simply a godsent opportunity!
"Everything is for the sake of saving everyone! Barbara will work hard!"
—
"Da, dada-da, da, dada-da, da, da↓da↑"
The blonde girl hummed a cheerful tune as she walked toward a sparsely populated alley, intending to see if there were any interesting little shops worth exploring nearby.
However, just as the girl turned a corner to proceed, she accidentally bumped into something soft and was bounced right back onto the ground.
"Ouch!"
The girl let out a cry of pain and then collapsed onto the ground, unable to stand up for a good while.
"I'm sorry, I was walking too fast..."
"You aren't hurt, are you?"
Even though it wasn't the girl's fault, she took it all upon herself and was the first to apologize.
Immediately after, she scrambled up from the ground as fast as possible and looked at the appearance of the person in front of her.
Sure enough, it was an Amazon!
And one with an excellent figure at that!
"Ugh... sorry, I was a bit distracted just now, and now my stomach feels a bit uncomfortable..."
Anyone could hear that such nonsense was a lie, fit only to deceive a child, but a look of worry still appeared on Barbara's face.
"I am truly very sorry! I'll find a way to fix you up!"
The blonde girl's face was written over with guilt, and she immediately bowed deeply to the Amazon in front of her.
The moment the girl lowered her head, a smile full of conspiracy surfaced on the Amazon's face, only to vanish the instant the girl looked up.
"Can you help me over to the side? I want to find a quiet place to sit for a while... someone will come looking for me before long."
"Okay, I'll help you over right now!"
To satisfy the request of the Amazon before her, Barbara moved with extreme caution, fearing she might make the other party uncomfortable.
Thus, the two of them walked from the sparsely populated alley into a completely deserted dead end.
Here, absolutely no one would come.
However, once Barbara helped that "injured" Amazon around the corner, what met her eyes was an even greater number of Amazons.
It was as if she had poked an Amazon's nest!
"Are these... your Familia companions?"
Seeing so many Amazons for the first time, all of whom were looking at her with strange gazes, Barbara shrank her neck a bit in fear, but she still bravely helped the injured person inside.
"I've already helped her with Healing Magic just now; I'm sure she'll recover before long..."
"Then I'll be going now. If your body still feels uncomfortable, you can come find me anytime!"
Although she was some distance away from Hyacine's level of radiance, Barbara still displayed her gentleness, giving others the feeling of a refreshing spring breeze.
However, as that spring breeze blew over the Amazons, they felt no comfort whatsoever. Instead, they all narrowed their eyes and looked at Barbara with ill intent.
"You brat, you think you can just leave like that?"
"Our companion was injured by you. Aren't you going to show some accountability?"
"Please let me explain, just now..."
The sudden roar from behind truly startled Barbara, but she still patiently recounted what had just happened to the Amazons in front of her. However, the other party didn't seem to buy it.
"Are you taking us for fools? We're supposed to believe whatever you say?"
"If you did it, admit it. Don't give us that rubbish!"
"If it wasn't your fault, why would you help her over here?"
Barbara: "..."
This string of words hitting the girl caused Barbara to widen her eyes. She truly hadn't expected that even after transiting to a different world, she could still encounter such a familiar feeling...
Is this the diversity of species?
Even if it wasn't the same world, there was a feeling of being back home. It was exactly the same as that Senior Yang from the Astral Express; she finally understood how Old Yang felt when he saw Acheron.
"Then what do you want to do?"
"How much Valis do I need to pay?"
With so many people being so relentless, Barbara was practically certain the mastermind was the Ishtar Familia. After all, this goddess Ishtar was just that crazy!
"Valis? What we want isn't that kind of low-end stuff!"
"Isn't it just Valis? We have as much of that as we want!"
If one were to ask which Familia in Orario was the wealthiest?
Without a doubt, the Ishtar Familia!
Because the business in the Pleasure Quarter was simply too profitable!
To the point where the entire Ishtar Familia valued other things far more than the currency, Valis...
"Compared to Valis, what we actually want more is you!"
"Not only are you a beautiful girl with an aura unlike ordinary people, you even possess the title of 'Deliverer'!"
"If we have you standing on the street corner of the Pleasure Quarter to solicit guests, our business will surely improve countless times over! Hahaha!"
"Sisters, go! Take her down!"
In an instant, countless Amazons rushed toward Barbara, having no intention of holding back at all. Seeing this, Barbara also showed a look of terror.
"Help, help me!"
But in secret...
Barbara: 'Plan successful!'
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T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me.
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