Within a narrow alley, several Amazons advanced cautiously, as if on a hunt, unwilling to make the slightest sound.
Then the Amazon at the front seemed to notice something. She raised her hand in a signal, warning those behind her to be careful. They had already closed in on their target.
"Move!"
At the leader's command, all of the Amazons drew their weapons and swiftly surrounded the entire alley.
But...
"There's nothing here? How is that possible?"
The scene before them was completely beyond their expectations. The alley was truly empty—there was not even a trace left behind.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"I saw her walk into this alley with my own eyes. How could she just disappear in the blink of an eye?"
Though the Amazon desperately tried to deny it, the facts were right in front of her. She had no choice but to accept them.
"We've let Lady Ishtar down again. We'll definitely be punished when we return..."
"Tch. Even punishment is better than dying, right?"
"Lady Ishtar has become much more magnanimous lately. We probably won't end up like those people from before."
In the past, whenever someone failed in their duties, Ishtar would cripple them directly and toss them into some shop in the Pleasure Quarter to serve as a prostitute. Missing an arm or a leg did not matter—some customers had a taste for that. Ishtar could even collect more valis in a perfectly legitimate manner.
But recently, things had been different. Lady Ishtar no longer treated her subordinates that way. It seemed she was preparing something and needed manpower.
"Since that's the case, then we—"
Just as the leading Amazon was about to tell everyone to retreat, she noticed something strange.
Among Amazons, many enjoyed wearing metal accessories, such as the gold and silver bracers worn by the Amazon sisters of the Loki Familia in the original story.
As a member of the Ishtar Familia, this leader naturally lacked nothing. The silver bracers on her wrists gleamed brightly.
And it was precisely those reflective bracers that revealed the anomaly.
A pair of eyes seemed to be staring at her from within the reflection. And the direction the bracers faced appeared to be directly above them.
"Not good! Enemy attack!"
Years of battle-honed instinct made her tighten her grip on her weapon at once. But in the very next moment, what she saw was a headless corpse.
I... am dead?
That was the final thought in the Amazon leader's mind.
The other Amazons, witnessing this, immediately raised their weapons to counterattack.
But the black-clad assailant gave them no opportunity at all.
"Flash."
A cold voice reached their ears. The assassin before them had already sheathed her blade? What was going on? Was she trying to escape?
Only afterward did they understand. The assassin was not fleeing.
She had already completed her attack. There was simply no need to move anymore.
Slash!
A streak of blade-light swept past. A thin line appeared across the neck of every Amazon present, and blood burst forth from the wounds.
Who would have imagined that so many Amazon warriors could be eliminated by a single person in such a short span of time?
"What a mess..."
The black-haired girl shook her leg in mild irritation. Some of the splattered blood seemed to have stained her foot.
"So this is Orario, huh... heh..."
The next second, a strange smile spread across her face.
"Kidnapping happens as if it's nothing. Truly worthy of being the center of the world."
And what concerned her even more was...
"So-called justice didn't accomplish anything at all, did it? No matter where you are... my family was like that... and even Orario is the same..."
"In that case, I'll just destroy that hypocritical justice instead!"
At that moment, the girl's resolve solidified. No matter what hardships she encountered, she would never put down the blade in her hand. She would eradicate justice itself.
But for now...
"I'm hungry. I should find a place to eat first..."
She had spent the entire day evading those Amazons. With the detestable techniques of the Gojo family, she could easily counter-track them—or even slaughter them all—but the stamina cost was considerable.
"I heard there's a decent place nearby... I'll try it first..."
Even if she had half-heartedly begun searching for a place to die, she could not do so on an empty stomach. Besides, she had not yet truly made up her mind.
...
The black-haired girl in a kimono began carefully observing her surroundings the moment she stepped into the tavern.
There were quite a few strong individuals here—so-called adventurers.
There had barely been any during the day, yet at night so many appeared?
"Is it because they all go into the Dungeon during the day?"
Kaguya paid the adventurers no mind. There was no intersection between them at all. They were merely passing strangers.
She simply found an empty seat and sat down, waiting for a staff member to come take her order.
"Um..."
Not long after, a waitress approached her table, looking somewhat apologetic.
"I'm sorry, miss..."
"This seat has already been reserved..."
As she spoke, the waitress kept glancing at Kaguya's expression, as though afraid of being scolded.
"Hah?"
Kaguya did not disappoint. The instant she turned her head toward the waitress, a faint killing intent flickered across her face, making the girl tremble.
"Tch. Forget it. I'll just get a few dishes to go."
Seeming to realize her own state was off, Kaguya did not make trouble for anyone and instead decided to pack some food to take away.
As for where she would eat, it would probably be beneath a bridge or somewhere similar. Renting a room cost far more valis than buying food.
If she used her valis on lodging, she would likely faint from hunger on the streets tomorrow and be picked up by those Amazons.
At that moment, a voice came from outside the door, drawing Kaguya's attention.
"Lady Astraea... why are we eating out? The captain already made so much delicious food. Wouldn't it be better if we just reheated it ourselves?"
"Alise, good food tastes special precisely because you only have it occasionally. If you ate Elise's cooking every single day, would you still be able to enjoy anything else?"
Two figures entered the tavern. Kaguya focused her gaze—a somewhat foolish-looking red-haired girl, and a goddess with a gentle temperament...
It felt like a mother bringing her silly daughter out for a meal...
"Miss, where is our reserved table number three?"
The moment Alise asked that question, Kaguya understood.
She had taken their seat.
"No choice..."
Kaguya had no interest in causing trouble on her own initiative—especially when the two of them appeared to be genuinely good people.
"Today really couldn't get any worse!"
Not only had she been attacked by Amazons, she had now lost her appetite as well.
She hurriedly stood up to leave, only for a hand to press down on her shoulder.
"Would you like to join us for a meal?"