Among the wide variety of beast-humans, there existed one exceptionally unique race, even on a global scale.
They were a rare race, seen only in a few regions, such as the Far East.
Among beast-humans, who were generally poor at using magic, they were the only race that could legitimately call themselves a ’magic race.’
They were the ’Renard.’
Unlike other beast-human races, renards did not possess outstanding physical potential or exceptionally sharp senses and instead were extraordinarily skilled in magic.
The nature of the magic they used was also different from that of spirits and elves, who were recognized as typical magic races.
At times, it was even regarded as a rare ability rather than conventional magic, which was why they were sometimes not referred to as mages, but instead called ’sorcerers’ or ’users of sorcery’ because the magic they wielded was known as ’sorcery.’
While it might not possess the raw power of elven magic, without exception, it always carried remarkably peculiar effects.
And the renard woman Riezel sought was precisely such an existence—someone who had awakened the rarest and strongest sorcery.
It was an ultra-rare magic so exceptional that, if leaked, it would drive various gods into madness and cause adventurers to lose all composure, as proven by how the appearance of this magic had even sent the goddess of the Ishtar Familia into a frenzy of joy to the point that she had regarded it as the familia’s absolute trump card and had kept it strictly secret, never allowing anyone outside the familia to learn of its existence.
If Ais’s magic was considered rule-breaking, then the magic of this renard woman was outright cheating.
Even the gods from Heaven, upon witnessing it, would be unable to resist shouting words like ’foul,’ ’cheat,’ or ’unfair,’ while sparing no effort to obtain it.
"Please come in, sir."
Now, the renard woman who possessed this cheating-level ultra-rare magic respectfully welcomed Riezel into her room.
However, the moment the paper door slid shut behind him, Riezel immediately cast magic on her.
"Charm Species."
Accompanied by a cold chant, the magic Riezel unleashed struck its target without issue.
"Eh?"
In that instant, the renard woman, Haruhime, froze for a moment, and before she could understand what had happened, her consciousness was invaded.
"Ah..."
After a small cry escaped her lips, everything fell silent.
Haruhime, who had just been respectfully welcoming Riezel, now stood there in silence, motionless, the light gone from her eyes.
"..."
Riezel and Haruhime stood face to face, both falling into silence.
"...I’m sorry."
Riezel finally spoke after some time.
"Even if I said I wanted to learn your magic, and even if you agreed, once word got out, the people of the Ishtar Familia would never let you go."
"At the very least, Goddess Ishtar and this familia’s captain would absolutely not spare you."
"And I can’t avoid using this magic in public forever, so this was the only option."
Yes, Riezel planned to use mind-control magic to control Haruhime and have her demonstrate her magic, which held an extremely important position in the original work for him.
Its specific effects and detailed mechanics had already been fully revealed in the original work, and he had memorized them completely. In other words, as long as he witnessed the magic once with his own eyes and confirmed its power, he could easily learn it.
Hence, in order not to leave any future trouble for her, he chose to act this way, so that afterward, even if this incident were exposed, he alone could shoulder all responsibility, without worrying that this renard would be resented by her ruthless goddess.
In this world, a god’s resentment was no small matter.
Even though the gods were omniscient yet powerless in the Lower World, if they truly wanted to cause trouble, it was still quite easy.
And Haruhime definitely could not bear such consequences, so Riezel decided not to involve himself with her any further and to achieve his goal through a simple and brutal method.
"Don’t worry."
Riezel lowered his voice and spoke in front of Haruhime.
"You’ll be freed soon."
"At that time, you’ll meet a true hero who can save you."
"As for now... demonstrate your magic for me."
Hearing this, Haruhime raised her head.
"Yes."
Haruhime replied with hollow eyes, then began chanting magic.
"Grow."
Specks of light gradually rose into the air.
"That power and that vessel. Breadth of wealth and breadth of wishes. Until the bell tolls, bring forth glory and illusion."
All the specks of light turned into mist, drifting around her body.
"Grow."
Haruhime did not deploy a magic circle but instead extended both hands, gathering the luminous mist into her palms.
"Confine divine offerings within this body. This golden light bestowed from above. Into the hammer and into the ground, may it bestow good fortune upon you."
In her palms, the mist transformed into a nebula above her slender hands, spinning and drifting.
"Grow."
Haruhime straightened her arms and aimed them toward Riezel, who stood before her.
"Uchide no Kozuchi."
Just like that, the name of the world’s rarest and strongest sorcery—a magic capable of granting miraculous power to anyone who had received Falna—was cast.
At this moment, the nebula drifted out and gently descended like golden rain, sparkling with starlight as it enveloped Riezel’s body.
Particles of light radiated from his entire body, as though he were covered in a faint layer of golden brilliance, dazzling to behold.
Raising his hands, he loosely clenched his fists and very clearly felt the change within him.
"Good..."
Confirming the power that had manifested within him and sensing the magical energy surging through his limbs, Riezel’s eyes shone brightly—brighter and more piercing than the light particles themselves.
Today, Riezel obtained a magic that would benefit him for the rest of his life.
Its name was ’Uchide no Kozuchi.’
===
Night fell.
Beneath a crescent moon hanging high in the sky, in one corner of the bustling city that symbolized prosperity, the decadent atmosphere of the Entertainment District reached its peak.
Between rows of vividly colored buildings, all manner of obscene sounds could be faintly heard.
Men and women seeking pleasure gathered here.
Shouts of passion and whispered murmurs intertwined, creating blazing nights of indulgence.
Unlike any other part of the city, the Entertainment District was dimly lit, as though isolated from the surrounding roads. Everywhere, an atmosphere prevailed that made one forget this place was a fortress built atop the Dungeon.
At the deepest part of this Entertainment District stood a palace that resembled a castle.
It was resplendent and magnificent, its exterior lavish and towering high, as if it were a queen gazing down upon the entire Entertainment District under the moonlit sky, exuding not only majesty but also a heavy sense of oppression.
Belit Babili was its name.
It was the home of the city’s dominant familia that controlled the Entertainment District—Ishtar Familia.
At the very top of the palace, upon an open-air terrace, an exotic, bronze-skinned goddess of enchanting allure appeared.
Her body was clad in a gold-and-silver circlet, and her earrings, jewelry, chest ornaments, bracelets, and anklets were all crafted from gold and silver.
On her alluring bronze body, the only things that could be called clothing were a belt and a wrap around her waist, along with a few strips of fabric that barely covered her ample curves.
Everything else was completely exposed, including her supple limbs and slender waist, as she lavishly displayed the bronze skin that could make any man fall at first sight.
Naturally, she possessed a face worthy of such a graceful and seductive body, beauty capable of toppling nations.
Not only the opposite sex, but even those of the same sex, or beings not belonging to the human race at all, would be captured by her looks and reduced to her slaves.
She was none other than Ishtar, the goddess of the Ishtar Familia.
Ishtar was a Goddess of Beauty.
Gods were inherently blessed with peerless beauty, and among them, Goddesses of Beauty were especially renowned for being ’beautiful’—an existence capable of intoxicating all things in heaven and earth, whether god or goddess, man or woman.
As a beauty that could even enchant gods themselves, if those of the Lower World were to witness it, they would likely become her slaves at a single glance, falling into obsession beyond escape.
Such was the Goddess of Beauty, the goddess who controlled the concept of ’Beautiful.’
Among the city’s strongest familias was the Freya Familia, whose goddess, Freya, was also a Goddess of Beauty.
And Ishtar, the goddess of the Ishtar Familia, likewise controlled beauty, just as Freya did.
Yet at this very moment, this goddess who could drive all life in the Lower World into madness wore a dark expression.
"When will I finally be able to drag that detestable goddess down from her pedestal?"
As she muttered to herself, Ishtar’s peerlessly beautiful face twisted with hatred.
What was terrifying was that even when her face twisted like that, she was still beautiful.
Proof of this was the young man with the same bronze skin as the goddess, who had just entered to report something, involuntarily stopped in his tracks, standing there in a daze, his eyes filled with infatuation as he looked at Ishtar.
"What is it?"
Noticing the arrival of her attendant, Ishtar did not turn around, asking coldly.
Of course, her icy demeanor was not because she was a cold person.
On the contrary, as a Goddess of Beauty, Ishtar worshiped love, so whether it was love with men or even love between the same sex, she welcomed it all, her heart burning with passion and desire.
However, at the same time, she was a jealous goddess—a very ruthless goddess, a merciless goddess, a terrifying goddess so narrow-minded that if she found another goddess displeasing to the eye, unwilling to admit anyone was more beautiful than herself, she would wish to disfigure them and trample them beneath her feet.
And coincidentally, there was such a goddess in Orario who deeply displeased her.
Both were Goddesses of Beauty, yet the number of people infatuated with that goddess was greater.
Both were Goddesses of Beauty, yet the one who sat at the pinnacle of strength was that goddess.
Both were Goddesses of Beauty, yet that goddess lived higher, stood farther above, and possessed a familia, wealth, and treasures that all surpassed hers.
All those facts drove the jealous goddess nearly mad with hatred.
Whenever Ishtar thought of that goddess and gazed upon the highest point of Babel where she resided, her mood would sour greatly.
At this moment, Ishtar was in her worst mood, which was why she appeared so cold.
Realizing this, the young attendant—one of the rare male members of the Ishtar Familia, and also Ishtar’s servant, lover, and even bedmate—shuddered, the infatuation in his eyes turning into fear.
"Lady Ishtar, the prostitutes have sent word that they spotted a First-Class Adventurer from the Loki Familia on the streets."
As the young attendant respectfully delivered his report, the coldness on Ishtar’s face eased slightly.
"Who?" Ishtar asked, still not turning around. "A child from Loki’s side? Children under her don’t seem like the type who come to my Entertainment District to seek pleasure."
"Yes..." the young attendant replied while lowering his head. "It was the High Novice who used to frequent the area for a period of time, along with that monster rookie who came with him."
"Oh?" Ishtar’s beautiful brows lifted at once, clearly intrigued. "You mean the rumored city’s strongest magic swordsman, Trickster Sword? He actually came here? Is the information reliable?"
"It is. More than one person reported it to me," the young attendant answered with certainty. "It’s said many berberas are very excited and are preparing to rush into the streets to strike up a conversation with that monster rookie."
"Hmph, them?" Ishtar curled her lips disdainfully. "With their level, they won’t be able to reel in a male who possesses the makings of a hero."
As she spoke, Ishtar turned around and looked at the young attendant.
"Tell me, if I were to act personally, could I draw Trickster Sword over to my side?"
Hearing this, the young attendant lowered his head even further, as if trying to hide the wavering and jealousy in his eyes.
"If Lady Ishtar were to make a personal move, it would naturally be effortless," the young attendant said respectfully. "However, that would offend the Loki Familia."
"You’re right..."
Ishtar fell silent for a moment, then let out a soft sigh.
"Loki is not easy to deal with. Offending her at this juncture would likely interfere with my upcoming plans."
"What a pity. I really want that child."
"In just a little over three months, he rose from Level 1 to Level 5. If that child were mine, I wouldn’t need to resort to so many schemes. Even if that woman has King, so what?"
"With that child’s growth speed, as long as nothing unexpected happens and he doesn’t suddenly fall, surpassing King is only a matter of time, isn’t it?"
Ishtar seemed genuinely regretful, shaking her head repeatedly, displaying an unusual melancholy beauty.
But in the very next second, that regret, that sorrow, that melancholy vanished because of the next words spoken by the young attendant.
"Lady Ishtar..." the young attendant said hesitantly before finally continuing. "He seems to have gone to Haruhime’s place..."
At this, Ishtar’s expression changed instantly.
"Haruhime...?" Ishtar’s voice turned cold again. "Has it been discovered?"
"I-I’m not sure..." the young attendant stammered, cold sweat trickling down his forehead. "But the berberas in Yuukaku said they sensed magical energy from inside Haruhime’s room."
Ishtar smiled.
It was a smile that was merciless, beautiful, and twisted.
"Although I don’t know what’s going on, just in case, we can’t ignore this," Ishtar said while taking out a pipe, then drawing a puff of smoke before issuing an order, "Bring Haruhime here. I want to question her thoroughly."
Hearing this, the young attendant bowed his head, then withdrew immediately.
"Riezel Brynhart... is it?" Ishtar muttered, her eyes flickering. "I hope you don’t meddle where you shouldn’t..."
===
[A bonus Chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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