Author's note: I've only just realised that we're already at the twentieth chapter and over 600 follows (at least on the English version). I'm always delighted to see the excitement my little story generates, and I hope you'll all continue to enjoy reading it.
Chapter 20: Life is full of surprising people
Despite the bizarre incident caused by Lefiya, Riveria kept her word and it was thus that Ais was entitled to her biology lesson on the sexual reproduction of humanoid species. Of course, Loki volunteered to give the lesson herself, with practical exercises to back it up. However, a single glare from the former elf princess made her realise that this attempt would certainly cost her an express return to the Tenkai.
So it was the high elf who took charge of this task. However, Riveria confined herself to purely scientific and technical explanations, simply explaining the mating process in its most mechanical form, devoid of any ambiguous connotations.
In short, this course, although very enriching, was not going to answer the questions the blonde swordswoman had been asking herself since Lefiya had made her strange speech. She needed answers... on another subject.
It was then that she remembered what the young elf mage had said about Riveria's private collection. Ais had never found it before, simply because she had never looked for it. But now that she was curious, she had a sudden urge to go through Riveria's things, which she did as soon as Riveria was busy.
It took her a whole hour to find it, but she did, discovering a collection of a few dozen well-hidden books, the titles of which didn't mean much to her. She let her instincts guide her and chose the one whose title made her most curious. A book entitled My Little Brother Can't Be That Cute, which she secretly took back to her room to read later.
Ais Wallenstein didn't know it yet, but she had just stepped into a world from which she would never be able to escape...
Ouka wasn't reassured... but really, not at all. Unlike his two sisters-in-arms, he had had to go to a very special place, a brothel called The Pillar Men, where there were a whole bunch of scantily-clad guys with plenty of muscles. A man who seemed to be the head of the place came up to him.
"Are you Ouka?"
"Y-Yes." The Takemikazuchi captain replied with difficulty.
"We've been expecting you. Welcome to the Pillar Men. Here you will learn the true meaning of the word 'manhood'!"
"Er... all right."
"Even if it's temporary, a new brother joins us!" he shouted to everyone.
""Glory to him!"" the other men in the building replied in chorus.
"Right, brother, here's your work outfit." Said the chief, handing him a very light piece of cloth that could easily be identified as a simple loincloth.
"It's... minimalist."
"A man, a real man, doesn't need such superficial things as clothes, he only needs his muscles and his burning soul!"
Ouka was still too shocked to reply, trying to work out where he had ended up.
"Follow me brother, I'll take you to your first task."
Somewhat worried, Ouka followed the man into the depths of this strange place, towards a room from which strange grunts could be heard.
"Your first task will be... training!" said the man as he showed Ouka a gym. A top quality gym at that. All top-quality equipment and everything you need to build an athletic body. "These muscles don't come without effort! They're the fruit of our hard work and sweat! So lift that iron! Make those muscles glow! More passion gentlemen! More passion!"
Ouka's anxiety hadn't diminished at all. But at least he'd be able to train, and that would always be useful.
The situation was very different for Mikoto and Chigusa. The two young women had found themselves working at the Midnight Sigh. But as Ishtar had promised, it wasn't to receive customers. No, the goddess had entrusted them to the care of Neela, who had recently had part of the establishment renovated.
The brothel now had a lounge bar area. A cosy, pleasant place where customers could get to know the girls before choosing to go off on a quiet retreat. As for the two young women, they had been hired to go behind the counter and act as barmaids for a while. A little quick training and they were let loose on the job.
But even if they didn't receive any customers, it was out of the question for them to work in their usual outfits, so they had to pass through the expert hands of the girls in the house for a complete makeover.
Mikoto was already a very pretty young woman, so there wasn't much to do to make her look beautiful. First of all, she had to get rid of the bands that normally encircled her breasts to give her feminine assets more freedom. Neela then had her put on a magnificent evening dress, with bare arms, just the right amount of cleavage and slits to let her legs show as she moved. Her hair was untied before being cleaned and styled, and a touch of make-up was added to intensify her eyes. The young woman was dressed in a style that perfectly combined sensuality and elegance, demonstrating all the expertise of the pallum and the other girls.
As for Chigusa, Neela had chosen a different style, emphasising her naturally cute side. She too was dressed in a dress that emphasised her curves, but with a few light veils over her arms. What's more, she was obliged to allow her hair to be brushed back to expose her eyes. According to Neela, they were far too pretty to be hidden behind fringes.
So it was that the two ladies found themselves serving cocktails to the customers. Naturally, they were also flirted with and many of the customers seemed prepared to pay good money for a little time in the company of these beauties from the Far East. But they refused and Neela helped them with the most insistent ones.
Mikoto and Chigusa didn't take customers. Unless it was what they wanted, but strangely enough, that was never the case.
Things have been a little strange at Folkvangr recently. Freya had fallen for a young human. So far, it was nothing new, as she frequently changed favourites. The poor boy in question had unwittingly earned the enmity of the entire familia of the goddess, but again, nothing new.
No, the problem was that the boy had ended up in Ishtar's familia and that Ishtar seemed to have changed, which greatly disturbed Freya, who had asked her children to discreetly spy on the young man. The problem was that this work had been strangely unsuccessful.
Allen had failed... three times. And now he seemed traumatised and didn't want to set foot in a certain place again. Hogni had said he'd look into it, but he too had come back with his tail between his legs, traumatised and refusing to go back after just one visit.
Naturally, this led to various taunts, followed by several fights. But as much fun as it was, the job still hadn't been done. So Ottar decided to take matters into his own hands. After all, if you want something done right, do it yourself.
"Watch out Ottar! Watch out for the white-haired elf! She looks sweet, but she's an incarnation of darkness!" snapped Hogni with a terrified look, to which Ottar merely raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I'll be careful with this elf you're talking about. Can you tell me anything else about the other people in this place?"
"Erm... the woman who first received me, the pallum, she looks like an intelligent woman, otherwise, I don't know. I spotted a human, a weretiger..."
Allen, who was standing next to them, suddenly began to tremble as the hairs on his tail and ears suddenly bristled. This did not escape Ottar's notice and he noted that an weretiger was also something to be wary of.
"Well, all that's left for me to do now is to go and sort this out." The colossus said without showing any emotion as he returned to his preparations.
Ouka wasn't quite sure how to deal with this new experience. As much as the training had been good for him, and he'd been able to get a lot of good advice on bodybuilding and physical training in general, the fact that he was walking around in a loincloth still left him a little dubious.
Not to mention that the place was still a brothel, strange as it was. As far as he was concerned, he was content to do chores of all kinds.
"Ouka!" came a big voice from behind him.
"Yes, sir!" he replied instinctively.
"Take these bottles to the Great Pillar's room.
"All right." He replied as he grabbed the bottles of wine, all grands crus.
"And be polite, we have an important guest this evening, a guest of Lady Ishtar herself. Try not to disturb her."
"Yes sir!"
The captain of Takemikazuchi then headed for the place in question, which was no more and no less than the most luxurious suite in the brothel, reserved for special guests. Of course, there was no question of him doing the "service", he just had to do the chores like changing the bottles of alcohol, bringing and returning the dishes, cleaning up, that sort of thing.
When he arrived on the scene, he heard several grunts, typical of his temporary colleagues, showing off their muscles, as well as the laughter of a woman. Ouka discreetly entered the room, trying not to pay attention to what might be going on.
"Ouka!" shouted a female voice that sounded familiar. He turned his head and saw a werewolf with flaming hair.
"What... Miss Rose? What on earth are you doing here?" he asked a little incredulously.
"No, you, what are you doing here?" said the young woman in panic.
Ouka and Rose knew each other a little. For a while, Rose was their familia's advisor, but they didn't seek her help and advice much. Between her aloof manner and her avowed desire to do as little as possible at work, the young woman didn't inspire much confidence. As a result, they quickly stopped asking for her help, but in fact they knew each other all the same.
Suffice to say, each was surprised to find the other here. Especially Rose, wearing a sexy dress, make-up and obviously being pampered by half a dozen large men in loincloths.
"Me? My familia owes a debt to Lady Ishtar, so I was forced to take this job and... but wait, you're Lady Ishtar's important guest?"
It was a legitimate question: how could Rose, a mere Guild employee, have achieved such a status here? Realising what he was probably saying, she leapt to her feet and grabbed him by the loincloth, the only piece of clothing he had.
"You! If you ever tell..."
Fortunately, Ouka could now count on something else... brothers ready to come to his aid. Rose was now surrounded by two big, strong men.
"I'm sorry, Miss, but our new brother can't look after you, he's only here for chores."
"Anyway, he's not yet trained like we are."
"Come with us instead." Said a third lad.
"Yes, come along... and let our powerful muscles keep you company all night." Added a fourth who finished surrounding the werewolf and assaulting her with all his manly presence. Which was more than enough to make Rose forget all about Ouka.
Another man then beckoned him to leave discreetly, which he did, not without a discreet sign of thanks to his new brothers.
Here, Ouka had discovered that nothing could replace a true bro, and all the values of manly friendship.
That evening, Ottar arrived at the entertainment district with the intention of finally accomplishing the mission that their goddess had entrusted to them. A mission that neither Allen nor Hogni had been able to fulfil. Since he knew how recognisable he was, Ottar had brought out a very special magic item for the occasion.
A sort of hooded cloak that made him impossible to identify. In fact, even though he was hooded, his face was not hidden, but the magical effect meant that he simply could not be identified, as if a veil clouded the ability of anyone looking at him to recognise him.
Admittedly, some people could understand that they were under the effect of a magic item, but that only allowed them to make guesses at best. Ottar may have been a muscle-bound colossus, but he was far from the only adventurer with such a build in town.
What's more, in the entertainment district, it was not uncommon for customers to come in concealing their identity for one reason or another. It was all part of the game. So Neela was not surprised when she saw him arrive at the Midnight Sigh.
"Welcome to the Midnight Sigh, dear visitor. Would you like to choose some company for the night? Or would you prefer to relax in our brand new lounge bar and take the time to get to know some new friends."
A bar was interesting for Ottar. After all, a bar was a bit like a classy tavern, always a good place to get some information.
"I'd like to sit down at the bar to begin with.
"With pleasure, dear visitor, this way please."
Ottar followed her lead, observing her as he did so. It was often difficult to estimate the age of a pallum for someone who wasn't used to them, given that they looked like human teenagers until they were very old. However, the boaz had a good eye and quickly realised that he was dealing with a mature and intelligent woman. She had probably realised that he was hiding his identity with a magic item.
So she took him into the lounge bar area and invited him to sit wherever he liked. There were a few women chatting with what must have been other customers, but he didn't notice any white-haired elves or weretigers.
Instead, what caught his eye were two dark-haired humans, one behind the bar, the other with a tray in her hand, serving. There was something different about them; despite their outfits, they didn't seem to belong here at all. Perhaps they were newcomers.
So Ottar decided to listen to his instincts and went straight to the bar where he ordered a cocktail.
Mikoto had quickly assimilated her barmaid training. Despite the circumstances, she found it amusing and it allowed her to forget for a moment what kind of place she was working in or what she was being made to wear. But that didn't stop her from being hit on a lot. Most didn't insist as soon as she said she wasn't taking any customers, others were sometimes more persistent, but Neela always knew how to deal with them. To her great surprise, the owner of the place had not tried to push them to accept customers, proving that Ishtar seemed to keep her word. The other girls sometimes teased them a little, but always with a certain kindness. This brothel was very different from what Mikoto and Chigusa had expected.
She was a little intrigued by this strange customer who came to sit at the bar. The man ordered a cocktail and she made a point of preparing it for him to the best of her ability.
"Here you go, dear guest." she said, sliding the glass in front of him and speaking in the same way as Neela, even if it was unnatural for her.
"Thank you." The boaz replied soberly before speaking again. "You don't seem to belong here."
"That's normal, because I'm not a courtesan, it's just a temporary job while I settle a debt. "
"A debt?"
"Yes." She replied with a sigh. "And we're already lucky that Lady Ishtar is so understanding, it would have ended very badly after our terrible mistake."
Mikoto didn't know why, but this man gave her confidence and made her want to talk. She couldn't recognise his face, but he exuded an uncommon strength and assurance, the mark of an experienced warrior. Something she was more receptive to.
"I have a feeling there's a complex story behind all this."
Ottar had done well to follow his instincts, because he didn't have to insist for long on getting the young woman to confide in him. After everything that had happened, Mikoto needed to get things off her chest with a neutral ear. So she told him everything in outline, how her group had put Bell's team through a pass parade, before turning themselves in to Ishtar and then forming part of a rescue party to go and save him.
"Despite the situation, you chose to make amends and go. Few would have done so, most would have been content to abandon this group to its fate before trying to be forgotten. Was it out of fear of what would happen if Ishtar found out?"
"No, it's just that... I understand the decision Ouka had to make. As captain he has certain responsibilities to us and you can't always make the most moral or honourable decisions, sometimes you have to be pragmatic to survive in the Dungeon. But I couldn't abandon them, otherwise I don't think I'd ever have found sleep again."
"Going into danger for strangers to atone for a fault is what an honourable warrior does. You shouldn't blame yourself so much, in the end you did the right thing."
Ottar was not usually very chatty, but depending on the person, he could sometimes be more talkative.
"Perhaps... in any case, thank you for your words."
"That young man doesn't seem to hold a grudge against you."
"Sir Bell? No, he was kind enough to forgive us and plead our cause with his goddess, for which I am very grateful." Said the beautiful oriental with a big smile.
In the end, Ottar had gained far more information about Bell from this short conversation than Allen and Hogni.
"You seem to like him a lot. Is that boy so special?"
"He's a good and generous young man, I like him a lot indeed... well I mean! I like him, but not in that way!" Mikoto suddenly panicked, afraid that her words would be misinterpreted. By dint of working in a brothel, she had ended up imagining strange innuendos everywhere. This drew one of Ottar's very rare laughs.
"Don't worry, Miss, I understood."
Mikoto began to blush with embarrassment when she realised that she had got a little carried away. It was at this moment that a charming human woman with long Venetian blond hair arrived with a big smile on her face.
"Well, well, what do I see?" Kelsie began with an amused look on her face. "Is our dear Mikoto finally falling for someone? In that case, dear guest, you would be a privileged one, for our beautiful samurai still refuses to take customers."
"Kelsie! You know that's not why I'm here!"
"Roooo! Don't be such a killjoy. He's the first one you've seemed comfortable with. Life's short, are you sure you don't want to indulge yourself? Besides, our dear guest seems to like you."
Ottar had just told Mikoto that he respected her as a warrior for her sense of honour. This young woman had made quite a shortcut.
"Kelsie, for the last time, it's a 'no'. Don't take it the wrong way, sir! It's nothing against you! I mean... you don't lack charm or anything... it's just that..." Mikoto tried in vain, suddenly very embarrassed.
"Don't worry." Ottar replied, rising to his feet. "I understood perfectly."
"Well, too bad for you then. What about you, Chigusa? Would you like to go and have some fun?" she said to the other young woman, who was walking back towards the bar.
"What... me?"
"Yes, you like big and strong too, look at this magnificent colossus, don't tell me you don't fancy him."
"What! But, I... I don't particularly like..." she tried in vain.
"No, you can't fool me, I've already figured out your fantasies perfectly, don't forget I've been doing this job for a while."
By way of reply, poor Chigusa began to blush, not knowing where to put herself. What's more, she couldn't even hide behind her fringes any more.
"Look at those muscles of steel, those perfectly chiselled abs, don't you dare tell me you don't want to stick to them!" continued the human as she gleefully felt Ottar's musculature, which he was allowing himself for the moment. "Here, come and test it yourself, you'll love it!" she said, grabbing Chigusa by the hand and pulling her straight up against Ottar.
Given his build, this obviously didn't make him flinch a muscle, but the poor girl found herself with her face against his muscular torso, which was a most powerful stimulus.
"What's up? Still not tempted to go and have some fun?"
Normally, Chigusa, like Mikoto, would have said no straight away. But this time, a part of her was really tempted... This man seemed rather nice and he had such perfect muscles. Ouka was completely blind, even if she hadn't taken much initiative on the subject. But she was still slightly frustrated. After all, what would be the harm in just having fun for an evening? So much temptation...
"Hoooooooooo... Looks like someone's tempted after all. You should..."
She was suddenly interrupted by a vicious fan strike to the back of the head, vengeful retribution inflicted by Neela.
"That's enough, Kelsie. You can see that poor Chigusa is horribly embarrassed by your behaviour."
The woman concerned was also brought back to reality and suddenly unhooked herself from Ottar, red from head to toe, ashamed of the indecent thoughts that had crossed her mind for a brief moment.
"Dear guest, I am deeply sorry for the inconvenience caused. Our lovely midnight flowers can be a bit of a tease sometimes." She said, bowing politely.
"It's not a problem, don't worry." Ottar replied soberly, much more amused than anything else by this scene, even if he didn't show it.
"Thank you very much. Mikoto and Chigusa are unfortunately not available to take care of you in private. But I can introduce you to other lovely young women who might be able to offer you a delightful night. Or perhaps you would like the company of our delightful and playful Kelsie here?"
"Not at the moment, I haven't finished my drink yet."
It was a convenient excuse, he didn't particularly want to leave or isolate himself at the moment, not when this bar looked more promising for information.
"As you please, feel free to let us know as soon as you change your mind." Concluded the pretty pallum with a gentle smile.
Mikoto and Chigusa went back to work, with a few more blushes after this strange event. And it was around this time that Bell discreetly arrived on the scene. Neela was the first to see him.
"Oh, Bell. It's not often you come to see us during opening hours. Let me guess, you've come to make sure we don't bother your new friends too much, have you?"
By way of reply, Bell began to blush with a nervous chuckle. Neela had guessed perfectly. Bell trusted her, but he couldn't help worrying, it was in his nature.
"Bell! Good timing." Kelsie said as she grabbed him and gave him a big hug, making him blush even more.
"K-Kelsie, what are you..."
"I'm refilling my Bell-energy reserves." She replied, squeezing him a little tighter. But then another, vengeful fan strike hit her head.
"Kelsie! Not in front of the customers."
"Killjoy..." she pouted.
It was then that a man stood up and walked towards Bell and the young woman.
"O my beautiful Kelsie, how my heart aches to see you neglect me so." The man began in a grandiloquent tone. Clearly he had been watching too many plays.
"You'll get over it, my friend." She replied cynically.
"Yet we whisper so many words of love to each other when we are alone."
"Yes, yes, as many words of love as you like if you pay."
The man in question was not very mean, but a little burdensome at times. It wasn't uncommon for a client to end up really infatuated with a courtesan, or sometimes vice versa, but this kind of relationship rarely ended well. Either the courtesan was content to fill an emotional void in a client by telling him what he wanted to hear, simply to get him to come back for more money, or a client would make an unhappy courtesan believe that he was genuinely in love with her and give her hope of a better life, often as a game or to obtain favours. Occasionally, a customer and a courtesan could develop a sincere relationship, but there were so many obstacles in their way, starting with the price of buying out a prostitute's contract. The number of times a client could buy out a prostitute and live a happy life with her could be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Kelsie didn't believe in that kind of romance; for her, a customer was a customer and she was just being professional. She had seen enough not to believe in words of love. This customer was a sweet, deluded pain in the arse, neither dangerous nor violent, just a little intrusive. And he was always making a fuss.
"O my Kelsie, we cannot reduce our relationship to a vulgar commercial exchange."
"Yes, yes, we can, my friend."
Normally Neela would have admonished her for talking so curtly to a customer, but she admitted that this sort of person needed to be put in their place before making more of a fuss.
"Don't be so harsh, my sweet. In that case, why don't you explain to me what this poor boy has that I can't offer you right now." The man said, pointing at Bell.
Kelsie heaved a sigh and let go of Bell before walking over to the capering customer and whispering a few words in his ear.
The man suddenly turned pale and fell to his knees, as if carrying the whole weight of Babel on his shoulders.
"Ah, how cruel fate is! But indeed, it would seem that I am in no condition to compete... So be it! I'll retire with dignity!" he said, rising to his feet with great theatrical gestures.
"Yeah, yeah, come back soon!" said the courtesan with a cynical smile.
As for this unfortunate rejected customer. Let's just say that if this story had taken place in a modern world, he'd probably have gone off and bought himself a big car...
For this, Kelsie could thank Lena, who couldn't resist telling everyone what she had seen during the unfortunate incident at the hot spring on the thirteenth floor. Many people in the entertainment district now knew new things about Bell.
For his part, Ottar had watched the whole thing without a word. He had watched everything carefully. He saw the tenderness in the women's eyes, the way they seemed to care about the boy. He also gained a good insight into Bell's relationship with his familia. Very interesting information.
The boaz put the money on the counter to pay for his cocktail and stood up, which Neela noticed.
"Are you leaving us already, dear guest? I hope this scene hasn't caused you any inconvenience."
"Not at all, in fact it has been... amusing in a way."
"I'm glad you feel that way. None of our lovely flowers find favour in your eyes this evening?"
"No, you tend a garden of beautiful flowers, but I have business tonight."
"I understand, come back any time dear guest, the Midnight Sigh will always be happy to welcome you."
Ottar nodded politely and left. His mission was accomplished, and he was leaving with a wealth of interesting information. Honestly, he couldn't understand how Allen and Hogni could have screwed up so badly - it wasn't that complicated...
Another person was having a very busy night. Curious at first, Ais had finally succumbed to the urge to read the book she had "borrowed" from Riveria. So, once she was alone in her room, the swordswoman set about reading My Little Brother Can't Be That Cute.
She wasn't sure what to expect. Basically, the story was nothing special, about a brother and sister. The sister was the eldest, presented as a strong, determined woman, the brother was the youngest, cute looking and sweet-tempered. A brother and sister haunted by an affection they know to be immoral before discovering that the younger brother is in fact an adopted child and that they had no blood ties, thus triggering a more intimate relationship.
In fact, most of the book was all about their carnal relationship, in great detail. The author had a certain sense of poetry and metaphor, while making everything perfectly explicit, the action being perfectly clear. Not to mention that the book had some lovely illustrations, which also made the action quite clear.
Ais had initially planned to read one chapter just to have a look, but she was quickly caught up in the story and began to read chapter after chapter.
Strangely enough, the hotter the reading got, the more she felt the urge to hide. Halfway through the book, the swordswoman was reading, hidden under her sheet, lit by the faint glow of a magic lamp.
"Whawhawhat... what are they doing there? But... why is he putting that in that place?... W-Why is she taking that in her..."
In short, Ais Wallenstein entered a whole new universe that wouldn't let her get away. The night passed and she continued reading, as if her soul had been sucked into the book. She would probably have been better off asleep. But right now, Ais Wallenstein didn't need sleep, she needed answers.
When she finally finished reading, the first rays of sunlight were streaming through the curtains of her bedroom. Ais was flushed from head to toe, and her body heat had risen so much that you would have thought steam was escaping from her.
She had to get rid of that unholy book! Yes! Quickly!
...And perhaps borrow another... for comparison purposes, of course.
What's more, she wasn't aware of it, but the Mini Ais that lived deep inside her had just begun a slow evolution into a Mini Lewd Ais.
Elsewhere in the entertainment district, daylight was also breaking. In this part of the city, it was the most peaceful time. After working most of the night, most of the residents were asleep. Bell got up early and met Mikoto at the rear exit of the Midnight Sigh.
The young woman had just finished changing and removing her make-up, letting out a jaw-dropping yawn.
"Good morning to you."
"Good morning sir..." the samurai paused long enough to yawn a second time. "...Bell."
"Looks like it's been a long night."
"Indeed, there have been many customers."
"The bar seems to be a success."
"Yes, Lady Neela seems to have had an excellent idea. But then, between that and cleaning up afterwards, we finished less than an hour ago."
The inhabitants of the entertainment district were by nature night owls. Although Mikoto was trained to stay up if necessary, it was still not her natural rhythm of life, so she couldn't wait to get back to her futon.
"Chigusa isn't with you?"
"She was right behind me." The young woman replied, turning around as a timid, frightened voice was heard.
"Help me Mikoto!"
Chigusa did indeed have a small problem. A problem in the form of a weretiger clinging to her who seemed to have a sudden urge to cuddle her.
"Moooooooh! Chigu! Are you going to leave without giving mommy a big hug?"
Bell gave a nervous chuckle when he saw that Dezra seemed to have set her sights on the poor girl. As soon as she found someone she considered cute and adorable, she couldn't help but want to cuddle them. Bell had been the victim more than once.
"Dezra, I think Chigusa really wants to go home and get some sleep, you know. Will you set her free?"
The weretiger put on a slightly pained expression, but complied.
"OK, fine... but in exchange, I get a big hug from you!" she said, throwing herself on top of him to give him a hug.
"Dezra!"
"Well, we'll be on our way, have a nice day."
And without a moment's hesitation, Mikoto and Chigusa gave Bell another pass parade, fleeing while the thicc weretiger's attention was focused on him.
"Dezra, I have things to do today, I have to go."
"I'll only release you if you call me 'Mommy'."
"I have no intention of calling you that!" he protested, although he was still playing along a bit. In fact, with his level 2, he could easily have freed himself from the weretiger's grip, but he was still trying to convince her.
"Really? Too bad... You, of all people, I really would have liked you to call me Mom..."
Bell realised that she clutched his clothes a little tighter and that her voice suddenly seemed to become sadder. He turned round and saw that tears were beginning to appear in the corners of her eyes.
"Dezra? What is it?"
His question seemed to wake her up, because she suddenly released him and realised that her eyes were becoming moist.
"Sorry! It's nothing! It's just that... if he were still alive, he'd be about your age..." she said in a small voice, almost a whisper.
Instinctively, Bell raised his hand to gently caress the weretiger's face, as if suddenly caught up in the deep sadness reflected in her eyes.
"Bell... Would you mind... if I told you a little about myself?"
"Yes... As much as you like, Dezra." He said tenderly. He knew now that most courtesans had had complicated lives, but it was rare for them to open up about their past. So if Dezra was determined to talk to him, he was determined to listen.
"I was born... in a village far from Orario. I lost my parents when I was barely older than you. They died in a stupid war because of the gods and these clashes they call their 'game of kingdoms'. By chance, I met the man who was to become my husband. He was a good and ambitious man, who wanted to become a merchant and dreamt of founding a flourishing company. We ended up settling in Orario. At the time, the city was in its golden age, Zeus and Hera reigned over it, their familia were at the height of their glory and power, and people from all over the world came in search of new opportunities. My husband started his business and I supported him. Everything was going well and I got pregnant. But what should have been the best time of my life became a nightmare..."
Bell continued to listen to her silently, even though part of him really wondered what the city was like back then, when Zeus and Hera were still the undisputed masters.
"The birth went badly... very badly. My son was stillborn and my uterus was badly damaged in the process. At the time, my husband had only just started out, we couldn't afford a good healer who could look after me quickly and my body was left with the after-effects. Not only had I lost our child, but I had also become sterile. My husband, whom I thought would support me, abandoned me. For him, nothing mattered more at the time than the ambition that had consumed him. But his idea of a model of success came with a perfect family, namely a wife capable of giving him an heir to the business dynasty he wanted to create. I barely had time to recover before he threw me out of the house like a piece of trash with nothing on but my clothes. I think he'd already found my replacement."
Again, Bell said nothing. What could he say anyway? All he could do now was listen to Dezra's sad account of her life.
"For a woman on her own, with no family, no support and no special abilities, there weren't many options for the future. After wandering around the city for days, I collapsed not far from here and as fate would have it, Neela found me. With no other choice for survival, I became a courtesan in my own right. Then one day I came across a rather odd client who asked if he could call me 'mommy' in private and that's how I ended up here."
"Dezra, I..."
"Don't worry Bell, there's nothing to tell. Anyway, that's all ancient history now. I just wanted to share it with you, who knows why. Well, I'm talking, I'm talking, but I think you've got things to do. Go on, I'll see you later."
Responding with a nod, Bell started to leave, then turned back after three steps.
"No matter what people say, I know you're a good person... so... see you later... Mom." He said with red cheeks before running off. He could please her for once and call her that.
When she heard Bell's words, Dezra instinctively took a step forward and stretched out her arm towards him, but no sound came out of her mouth as she remained frozen in this position. It was then that Neela emerged from the shadows and stepped forward.
"Are you all right, Dezra?"
"I... for a moment, I thought he was here..."
The pallum didn't say anything, just reached out silently and took the hand of the weretiger, whose eyes were beginning to well up with tears.
"I... I think it's time I went and visited him."
This time, Dezra was talking about her real son who, although stillborn, had still been given a grave. But in fifteen years, she had rarely found the strength to go, consumed by the guilt she felt for not having brought him into the world in good health.
"Yes."
"Neela, can I ask you a favour? Would you... come with me? I don't know if I could do it on my own..." she quipped before falling to her knees and starting to cry, prompting the pallum to take her into her arms for comfort.
"Of course, Dezra. I'll always be here to look after everyone of you."
There was nothing but silence, broken only by the weretiger's sobs. Liberating sobs that lightened the pain in her heart a little.
Inwardly, Neela told herself that she had been right all along. Bell was indeed the one they had been waiting for, the one who would finally save their familia from its own demons...
For the record, karma had finally caught up with Dezra's ex-husband. Eager to set up and develop his own business, he had chosen unsavoury partners and done business with familias linked to the Evilus. Like so many others, he fell victim to the terrible vengeful crusade of Ryuu, the Gale.
And so life went on in the entertainment district, for several days. However, in Belit Babili, in the greatest secrecy, Ishtar was preparing to leave the city with a group of Berberas.
A group that was very busy completing its preparations. An amazoness came up to the goddess.
"Is everything ready?
"Yes, we have confirmation that the goddess Kali is in Melen with an elite troop of her familia, so there's nothing to prevent this meeting."
"Perfect."
Ishtar was going to have to confront the slaughtering brat and settle this issue once and for all. It was risky, but potentially rewarding. Another woman came up to her and whispered a few words in her ear.
"Loki is at Melen? With a group of her familia."
"Yes, my goddess, it's confirmed."
"Do we know what they're doing there?"
"Our information is unclear, apparently they've been inspecting the Leviathan's seal."
Ishtar plunged into thought.
"The Leviathan seal? But why would Loki go... Ah! I see... She must be looking for another entrance to the Dungeon. So she still doesn't know about Knossos at this point. But it's probably only a matter of time now..."
"Goddess? Should we call off the meeting?" One of the berberas dared.
"No, it might even be an excellent opportunity in fact."
None of them really understood why, but it was rarely easy to understand the thoughts of the gods. Then it was Aisha who approached her.
"My goddess, we're leaving Haruhime here?"
"Well, it was you who insisted that we shouldn't depend on her too much, wasn't it?"
"Yes, but..."
"Besides, I don't want to put our precious asset in the presence of that lunatic Kali and her children."
"Very well, my goddess," she said, bowing.
It was then that a metallic sound caught the goddess's attention and she moved towards the source of the noise.
"Phryne? What are you doing?"
The woman in question raised the visor of her helmet.
"I'm trying out my brand new armour, and I think it's the perfect opportunity to test it out if Loki's children are really up for it. That ugly sword princess still owes me revenge." She laughed her sick laugh.
"A full armour? What an excellent idea Phryne."
"I'm glad you like it.
"At least this way we don't have to look at you anymore."
Phryne began to boil with anger, even more so when she heard giggles and other muffled laughter in the vicinity. The monstrous amazoness had every intention of retaliating, but her mind still retained the memory of Ishtar putting them back in their place and that was enough to contain her. It was also the reason why she had remained docile over the last few weeks and not tried anything with Bell.
"Right, let's get going as soon as we're ready."
""Yes my goddess!"" the berberas replied in chorus.
While his goddess was preparing for this decisive meeting, Bell had no idea what was going on and had gone back to her usual routine in the company of Lili and Welf, with a few short trips to the dungeon to get back on track after the recent events. That evening, Welf stayed for dinner with them.
It was after Lili had left to take care of some business of her own that Welf came to find Bell.
"Bell, I need you to do me a favour."
"Sure, what is it?"
"I've got to carry out a bit of an investigation and I could use your help."
"An investigation?
"Yes, in this district, you must know it well by now."
"Indeed, but... Tell me Welf, you're not trying to take advantage of me to get a discount in a brothel, are you?" The young man asked suspiciously. It wasn't that he didn't trust Welf, but living within the Ishtar familia had greatly diminished his naivety about some things.
"What... of course not! I swear to you, Bell, it's not that at all! In fact, it's very important to me." The blacksmith defended himself.
"I believe you, Welf, it was just to make sure."
"All right then, let's get on with it."
A little curious, Bell followed Welf into the entertainment district as it began to come alive. It was difficult for them to get around as Bell was being approached by a lot of people, proof that he was really adored in this area. However, he had to cut them short each time to avoid wasting too much time, so Welf seemed to be following a very specific trail.
"Welf, what exactly are you looking for?"
"Wait... I think... it was this way." He said as he tried to find his way. Bell followed him and they eventually arrived in front of a specific building. "I think this is it. Bell, do you know this place?"
The young man saw the sign and put on a very embarrassed expression. The place was called The Sweet Whisper and somehow Bell knew the place.
"Yes, it's a brothel."
"I thought so Bell. No, what I want to know is what kind of brothel it is."
"It's a gigolo establishment... the kind with my build..."
"Really? That's interesting. Let's check it out!"
"No, wait! Welf! I don't want to go in there!" protested Bell in a desperate voice, but his friend beat him to it and he had no choice but to follow.
Inside, a man approached them. It was Dylan, the manager of the place. He was a human with black hair and blue eyes. Although he was in his thirties, he had a small build and a certain youthfulness about him. Although human, he could easily have been mistaken for a pallum, or at least a half-pallum.
"Welcome... Oh Bell, have you finally decided to come and work with us?"
"Certainly not Dylan. No, my friend seems to be looking for something." He replied, pointing at Welf who seemed very focused.
"Well, he's not exactly our usual clientele and... may I ask what he's up to?"
Without really caring about what was going on around him, Welf started snooping around and suddenly heard something. He rushed to a door and opened it with a bang. The door opened into a small private room. Inside, slumped on a sofa was... Tsubaki!
The half-dwarf wore a half-off outfit, a glass of wine in her hand and had a gigolo on each arm. To her left, a pallum and to her right, a half elf who was barely an adult. And all these people were very busy when Welf entered the room.
"Big sister, would you like some more wine?"
"Big sister, would you like me to massage your shoulders?"
But all this was interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Welf. It took Tsubaki a few seconds to realise what was happening and start panicking.
"What... Welfy! What are you doing here?"
"I KNEW IT!" snapped the blacksmith, pointing at her. It sounded silly, but given the number of times she'd teased him, he felt he finally had something to return the courtesy.
"What? I have the right to have fun and enjoy my free time as I please!" protested the captain of Hephaestus, who had regained her composure.
"Wait till I tell the others about this." Welf told her with a sadistic chuckle. However, Dylan, the owner of the place, soon arrived to stop this mess and ensure that they stopped bothering a customer.
"Certainly not, young man. Bell, I'd appreciate it if you didn't bring in people who make a mess of business."
"Sorry." He replied awkwardly.
"And I think it would be good manners for you to explain to your friend one of the first rules of the entertainment district. Come on, everyone with me!"
It was then that Dylan, the other two gigolos looking after Tsubaki and even Bell all began to recite in chorus.
""This is the entertainment district, we don't judge kinks here!""
Welf was a little taken aback and eventually realised that he had perhaps let himself get a little carried away in all this. Bell managed to get him to leave, but not without apologising to Dylan one last time. Dylan was tempted to negotiate something from Bell in exchange for his silence from Ishtar, but he realised that Aisha and Lena would probably have his neck for that, so they left it at that.
As for Tsubaki, by way of compensation for the inconvenience, she was entitled to two extra gigolos for the night. Since Welf already knew everything, why not have some fun?
If the atmosphere was light in the entertainment district, this was not the case in the port of Melen. There was something of an oppressive atmosphere in town, no doubt due to the sudden arrival of a whole gang of violent and dangerous amazoness. Kali's daughters were particularly lacking in discretion. Add to that the presence of Loki and her children, a not-so-honest Guild official and Njord, who was also hustling on his own, and the whole picture was delightfully explosive.
It was in such a breathtaking atmosphere that Ishtar quietly arrived in town for her planned meeting with Kali. The goddess of beauty met up with the goddess of slaughter at a discreet inn for the meeting.
"Well, it's taken you a long time to answer me." Kali began curtly, seeming to want to avoid being polite.
"Learn to be more patient, Kali, it's a saving grace." Ishtar replied ironically, before starting to light her kiseru and settling down quietly.
Her gaze then fell on Kali and she was surprised to find that, despite the centuries, she still looked as ridiculous as ever. With her childlike build, which gave the impression that an amazoness had been mixed with a pallum, she gave the impression of a dirty little brat who played rough. And yet, this little thing was a goddess governing war, blood and slaughter. Creation knew how to be ironic sometimes.
"Unless you're being as impatient as a child on purpose to echo your appearance." Ishtar swung at her mercilessly, taking everyone by surprise. Even among the amazoness of the goddess of Telkyura, some were shocked, but others held back from laughing.
Kali, for her part, suddenly blushed, not expecting such a salty retort.
"How dare you make fun of me, Ishtar!"
"If you've finished complaining, let's get back to business." Ishtar cut her off curtly, clearly wanting to take control of these negotiations.
"If you want our business to go well, I'd advise you not to play too much of a bitch. I'd remind you that you're the one who needs my daughters, especially the sisters." She said, referring to Bache and Argana, her two co-captains and, secondarily, two powerful level 6.
That was part of the original plan, to sneak in members of the Kali familia, taking advantage of the fact that they were all amazoness, and make them look like berberas in order to significantly increase their strength during the assault on Freya. And two in particular, Kali's formidable captains.
It seemed like a rather simple idea, but in reality, most people weren't really able to tell one amazoness from another, especially in a familia with as many as Ishtar's.
"A little while ago, I wouldn't have contradicted you, but now I think it's time to reconsider this partnership."
Ishtar's statement provoked several cries of astonishment and various reactions of surprise, including among her followers, as no one seemed to be aware of her plans.
"What do you mean by 'reconsider'? You're not going to betray me now, are you Ishtar?"
"Betray you? Yet you're the one who's making a mess of things and putting the whole operation at risk by your actions."
"I don't know what you're..."
"Don't play dumb with me Kali. I'm talking about your shenanigans against Loki." Ishtar cut her off, provoking a startled reaction from the snotty slaughterer. "What? You didn't really think I'd come to this meeting without checking things out first, did you? So yes, I know that you've kidnapped Thousand Elfs, one of Loki's favourite children, and I also know that you're planning to try and get the Hiryute sisters back. And I also suspect that you were planning to drag me into this."
Kali didn't know what to say, for the simple reason that Ishtar had just taken her completely by surprise by revealing all her plans.
"The idea, Kali, was for you to keep quiet until the assault on Freya, and only then would you be able to carry out your own plans and indulge in the kind of merry slaughter you like, but you're sabotaging everything with your thoughtless actions."
"Hey! I didn't plan for Loki to show up here! Was I supposed to give up such a great opportunity?"
"Yes. You were supposed to be discreet, but you stupidly pounced on the opportunity like a hungry dog with a piece of meat in front of him."
"And so you're abandoning me? Just like that?"
"Exactly." The goddess replied soberly as she extinguished her pipe.
"Do you really think you're going to get away with this?" Kali began threateningly, which didn't seem to bother Ishtar in the slightest.
"I think, my poor Kali, that you'll soon have much bigger problems to deal with. You underestimated Loki and you're going to suffer for it."
"Indeed. Speaking of Loki, if I run into her, I can always tell her... a few things."
Kali's threat only made Ishtar laugh.
"Oh, please do. But do you think I was stupid enough to break off this partnership without first making sure that all the evidence linking us directly disappeared? The gods know when mortals lie to them, but we remain incapable of guessing it in our peers."
By way of reply, Kali could only grit her teeth. She had to admit it, when it came to scheming, Ishtar was much better at it than she was.
"Goodbye Kali, I don't think we'll be seeing each other for a while." The goddess of beauty said soberly before putting on her hooded cloak and leaving.
Ishtar and her children left Melen as discreetly as they had come. But among the Berberas who accompanied her, only incomprehension prevailed and Samira dared to approach her goddess to speak to her.
"My goddess, forgive me, but can we really afford to do without Kali? She was a major asset to our plan and a powerful strike force."
"Kali has already sabotaged herself and is only proving how unstable she is. I don't need a hound that could bite us at any moment."
"But, the plan..."
"...Will require adjustments. We're not out of options."
This only reinforced Samira's doubts, even if she didn't yet know that all this was in fact part of a new overall strategy by the goddess to abandon this project for good.
And just as Ishtar had predicted, Kali's plans fell through and she took a nasty beating from Loki, as well as seeing her fierce fighters transformed into young women in love who were nothing like her terrible warriors. However, the little goddess never revealed Ishtar's involvement to the trickster because, rather than taking revenge on Ishtar, it was more important to her not to do Loki any favours.
Ishtar's withdrawal from this matter had another rather peculiar consequence. As her familia had not fought Loki's, Lena Tally was never savagely beaten by Bete Loga and therefore did not fall under his (very relative) charm.