"Good evening, Master~"
Ishtar seemed very happy, floating over to Mo Shuying and sitting on a broken pillar.
"Hm? What's wrong? As a goddess, are you not used to camping? Can't you sleep?"
Mo Shuying could sense something was off with Ishtar. If he wasn't mistaken, this was Ereshkigal.
These two goddesses were twin deities, but Ereshkigal was the goddess of the Underworld and couldn't leave it. However, she could briefly appear in the outside world by using her sister's body, specifically at night.
Ishtar wouldn't be aware of this, like someone sleepwalking. Kutha was destroyed by Ereshkigal in this very way.
"No, it's just that I might have slept too much during the day, so now I can't sleep at night. I wanted to chat with you, Master."
Ereshkigal casually swung her fair, beautiful legs, but her eyes held a hint of panic.
A shut-in, Ereshkigal was a goddess who had been holed up for countless ages. While not entirely by choice, she didn't complain much about her divine duties. Any grumbling was just momentary resentment.
"Ah, okay."
Mo Shuying didn't expose the holes in Ereshkigal's words. In the quiet of the night, who would refuse a beautiful woman accompanying them?
"Um… Master, you're human. Do you dislike goddesses like us?"
After a slight pause, Ereshkigal asked.
Mo Shuying turned to look at Ereshkigal, thinking for a moment.
"Of course, I don't dislike goddesses like you. You are all beautiful and kind beings. How could I possibly dislike you?"
"..."
I'm being praised!
Ereshkigal's face flushed. She hadn't expected Mo Shuying to be so direct with his compliments!
"Ahem, then... then are you still going to fight the Three Goddess Alliance? Isn't it because you dislike them?"
Ereshkigal asked again. After asking, she clenched her hands, mentally preparing herself for a scolding.
But.
"The Three Goddesses... I can't bring myself to dislike them either. They are all deities with their own difficulties, stories, and beliefs. Although they are enemies now, what we are doing is trying to turn them into allies. Tiamat is impossible; it'll probably be a big battle as soon as we meet. As for the other two, they are both kind goddesses, and I'm sure we can convince them."
Mo Shuying had a plan. After returning to Uruk this time, he would go to the rainforest to find Quetzalcoatl.
Who could refuse a big sister who knows how to wrestle? Mo Shuying felt he could try wrestling a god; it would definitely be exciting!
"Kind... really?"
Ereshkigal lowered her head, a strange emotion stirring within her.
She had actually noticed Mo Shuying a long time ago. She heard Mo Shuying call her Ereshkigal, and then he kicked that annoying Gilgamesh off the divine tower. Although he didn't die from the fall, it was truly satisfying.
Unconsciously, Ereshkigal had then focused some of her attention on Mo Shuying, following him all the way here.
Today, she had gathered the courage to use her sister's body to meet Mo Shuying, hoping to find out Mo Shuying's true thoughts.
"Um... so, by what you're saying, you know I- ahem, you know I'm not from the Three Goddess Alliance, right?"
Ereshkigal almost misspoke, quickly correcting herself.
"Of course. The Three Goddess Alliance consists of Gorgon, who is actually Tiamat, Quetzalcoatl, and the goddess of the Underworld, Ereshkigal... That name is really too long. Ereshkigal sounds better."
Mo Shuying murmured to himself. Ereshkigal's ears burned at Mo Shuying's address, and she asked with a slight panic:
"Then! Then what do you think of this goddess of the Underworld? Is... is she very scary? Living in the cold Underworld, accompanied by death and ice, hated and reviled by the world..."
Ereshkigal's voice grew weaker and weaker, almost making herself cry.
"...It's not as bad as you make it sound. In my opinion, this goddess of the Underworld is a beautiful and powerful goddess. And by powerful, I don't mean her strength in battle, but her spirit. To guard the Underworld alone for so many years, how could she persevere without a strong spirit? Oh, by the way, let me tell you a story. It's a story we experienced while saving the world. It's the story of a knight. He was just a mortal, but can you believe it? He, as a mere mortal, kept his soul going for 1,500 years, all for a belief, or perhaps an obsession, in his heart..."
So, Mo Shuying told Ereshkigal the story of Bedivere. Not the version he experienced, where he messed up Bedivere before even leaving the desert, but the true journey of the Silver Arm Knight to Camelot.
And he talked... until dawn.
So, there's no girl who isn't emotional, no girl who doesn't love tender, beautiful stories. Even goddesses are no exception.
That night, Ereshkigal became the best listener, while Mo Shuying turned into a storytelling machine, recounting many tales.
After finishing the stories of the Singularities, he talked about his time in Illya's world. And after that was done...
He started getting wild!
"Waaah! That Irisviel is so annoying! Kiritsugu and Kirei loved each other so much! But she stood in their way, and in the end, they could only love and kill each other! Waaah! Why bother having this world if lovers can't end up together?! Just burn it all down!!"
Ereshkigal was in tears, clearly deeply immersed in the story.
Mo Shuying kept nodding, then turned and casually wiped away some sweat, wailing inwardly!
Madam! I'm truly sorry! I don't know why it turned out this way! This must be the work of the Counter Force!! Yes, it must be!
Muttering to himself, Mo Shuying turned his head and then froze.
Unbeknownst to them, dawn was breaking, and a ray of morning light had already pierced the sky. And Ereshkigal, whether from too much emotion or something else, now had golden hair and had returned to her original form.
Hey, hey, hey! You're blowing my cover! Goddess! It's hard for me to keep acting like this!
Mo Shuying couldn't help but avert his gaze.
Fortunately, Ereshkigal cried for a while, then saw her own golden hair, paused, and looked at Mo Shuying. Seeing that he wasn't looking at her, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She quickly transformed back.
Then.
"Ahem… I… I didn't realize how quickly time passed. Alright, I won't bother you. W-we can talk again next time."
Ereshkigal stood up. She needed to return to Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others' campsite and transform back soon.
"Mhm, definitely next time, Goddess."
Mo Shuying also smiled, seeing Ereshkigal off, thinking that he absolutely had to hurry today and get back to Uruk quickly!
Soon, Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others also started waking up, and Mo Shuying was preparing breakfast.
Ishtar walked out of her tent, frowning, reaching up to rub her shoulder and neck.
I slept all night… so why do I feel like I didn't sleep at all?
Is camping really too strenuous for a goddess?
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