From Danmachi to God of Ninja

Chapter 39: Chapter 39

The Pleasure Quarter, Ishtar Familia headquarters.

Inside a room filled with soft, ambiguous pink light, Goddess Ishtar reclined on a sofa in a thin veil, one leg crossed over the other as she listened to her subordinate’s report.

”A Level 2 with combat power no weaker than a Level 4, and capable of defeating the Floor Boss Goliath alone... That boy is becoming more and more interesting.”

Ishtar licked her lips.

Her magnetic, husky voice carried a sweet, almost cloying flavor.

”Has Aisha still not made a move?”

Ishtar frowned, growing impatient.

”Tell her to bring that boy to me already.”

She could hardly wait to make Kiriya kneel beneath her charm, turning him into her loyal dog and her Familia’s top new star!

”When that happens, the look on Freya’s face will be wonderful, won’t it?”

’The man you couldn’t obtain, I obtained.

The man you couldn’t conquer, I conquered.

Let’s see how you still have the nerve to call yourself a Goddess of Beauty in front of me!’

However, her subordinate’s words poured a bucket of cold water over her head.

”Aisha... isn’t confident.”

”What did you say?”

Ishtar shot to her feet in a rage.

”Even if that boy is troublesome, she has so many Level 3s with her, and she’s telling me she isn’t confident?”

The Familia member below shivered under the goddess’s aura and hurriedly said, ”But that boy is currently very close to the Sword Princess, Jormungand, and Crusher. If we make a rash move, the three of them may interfere. If that happens, we’ll only alert him instead.”

”So you mean... we have to use that, don’t we?”

Ishtar clicked her tongue in irritation.

”And of course, Phryne had to take it down to the deep floors at a time like this. A round trip will take at least ten days...”

In the end, Ishtar’s frown eased.

”Fine. Let the boy stay outside a little longer. What belongs to me will be mine in the end.”

As she spoke, Ishtar slowly closed her hand, as though she had already captured Kiriya in her palm.

”Heh... hehehehe...”

The goddess’s smug laughter echoed through the luxurious hall, lingering for a long time!

...

Ten days passed in a flash.

At the Hestia Familia home, Kiriya sat shirtless on the bed while Hestia knelt behind him, updating his Falna.

With a soft hum, sacred text appeared in the air.

The letters shifted and formed his new Falna.

Kiriya

Level 2

Strength: B(702) → A(855)

Endurance: B(734) → A(866)

Dexterity: A(803) → S(908)

Agility: A(817) → S(914)

Magic: A(790) → A(887)

Magic: Forest of All Things, Yang Power: Everflowing Vitality, Blade Storm.

Skills: Wish of the Strong, Demon Slayer.

Development Ability: Mage (I).

”This growth speed is still ridiculous.” Hestia copied the numbers onto a parchment and handed it to Kiriya.

Her voice was flat and cold.

”Hm?” Kiriya took the parchment and looked it over. He was satisfied.

Over the past ten days, he had fought the floor boss Goliath alone.

He had also trained with the Level 5 trio of Ais, Tiona, and Tione, and fought in the deeper parts of the middle floors.

His effort had paid off.

Hestia’s tone sounded strange, so he looked at her in confusion.

”What’s wrong, Hestia? Is something bothering you?”

”Nothing. You just keep going to the Dungeon and living your sweet little married life with that Wallen-whatshit girl, flirting back and forth with those bold, half-naked Amazon sisters. Don’t mind me. I’m just a poor goddess nobody cares about, shut away in this room all alone. Even if my bones turned to ash, nobody would probably notice.”

As she spoke, Hestia hugged her knees tightly, looking exactly like a little puppy abandoned by the world.

Kiriya did not know whether to laugh or cry.

”What kind of act is this now?” Kiriya rubbed his forehead. ”I was just training my ability values in the Dungeon. As for those three... they paid a price and asked me to teach them something, that’s all.”

”Yes, yes. A Level 2 adventurer teaching three Level 5 adventurers. How wonderful.” Hestia stared straight ahead with hollow eyes, reading her lines in a lifeless monotone.

”Was it the sword of mutual affection? The blade of tender feelings? Or maybe the palm strike of burning passion?”

”What the hell are you even talking about? What kind of books have you been reading? How do you have so many lines ready?” Kiriya was genuinely amused by her.

”Then let me ask you this.” Hestia turned toward him with a deadly question. ”You spent all that time with three beautiful young girls. Are you telling me nothing happened? Kiriya, is your innocence still intact?”

”Cough, cough, cough!”

Kiriya nearly choked to death on his own saliva.

”You’re supposed to be a virgin goddess! Watch your damn lines!”

Unable to take it anymore, Kiriya flicked Hestia hard on her smooth forehead.

The little goddess immediately clutched her head and cried out in pain, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

”See? You’re guilty, aren’t you?”

Even then, Hestia refused to give up her accusation.

In the end, she burst into loud wailing. ”Waaah! My Kiriya isn’t pure anymore!”

That piercing cry drilled straight into Kiriya’s ears and made his head ache.

He could only raise both of his hands in surrender.

”All right, all right. You win. I’m scared of you! I won’t go to the Dungeon today. Let’s go shopping instead, okay?”

”Haha! Yay!”

Hestia switched to an excited face in an instant and jumped three feet high on the bed, letting out a victorious cheer.

The gloomy aura of an abandoned wife from earlier was nowhere to be seen.

The interrogation had only been a front.

Her real goal was to go out on a shopping date with Kiriya!

She hopped off the bed in one quick motion, rushed to the wardrobe, and began eagerly choosing clothes for the date.

Since buying them, these outfits had barely had any chance to make an appearance.

Now that she finally had a rare date, she had to let them shine.

”I’ve been stuck at home for ten whole days. I’m practically growing mold,” Hestia muttered.

”Don’t think I don’t know the truth.” Kiriya gave her an annoyed look. ”When you first descended and stayed with Hephaestus, you holed up there for a whole month.”

”That’s different!” Hestia instinctively raised her voice to argue, but her voice quickly softened.

”Back then... there wasn’t anyone I really wanted to go out with.”

”...”

Kiriya froze where he stood, as if something had struck the softest part of his heart.

He walked over and pulled Hestia into his arms and spoke to her in a gentle tone.

”Sorry.... I keep leaving you alone. Today, I’ll stay with you. Let’s go out and enjoy ourselves as much as we want.”

”Oooooh!”

Hestia let out a spirited shout.

And so, one goddess and one human left home together.

That day, their footprints covered the streets and alleys of Orario.

They tasted good food, picked out delicate accessories, watched performances together... and wherever they went, their laughter followed.

As they walked, the distance between them grew smaller and smaller.

Eventually, their hands naturally found each other, fingers interlocking, tightly joined.

”Hey, Kiriya,” Hestia said under the moonlight, looking up at him with bright eyes filled entirely with his reflection.

”I want us to go shopping together again in the future. Can we?”

”Of course.”

Kiriya cupped the goddess’s delicate little face in his hands.

”As many times as you want.”

They were so close that they could feel each other’s warm breath.

Almost without realizing it, they leaned closer and closer.

In the end, beneath the moonlight, their two shadows joined into one, no longer distinguishable from each other.