Takemikazuchi Familia.
After finishing breakfast with Ouka and the others, Haruhime returned to her room and began to daze off.
Ten days had passed since the Ishtar Familia was attacked by the Freya Familia.
After Ryuu brought her back to the surface, she was sent directly here to the Takemikazuchi Familia.
Haruhime was very happy at first to be reunited with her childhood companions after such a long time.
However, as time passed, she suddenly found herself with nothing to do.
To earn money, the members of the Takemikazuchi Familia went on expeditions to the Dungeon every day.
And to avoid exposure, she needed to stay hidden within the Takemikazuchi Familia's base at all times.
To some extent, the restrictions she faced now were even greater than before.
Knock, knock, knock-
The sound of knocking echoed.
Haruhime snapped back to her senses, walked over, and opened the room door.
"Mikoto, aren't you going to the Dungeon today?"
Looking at the young girl standing at the door, a look of confusion appeared on Haruhime's face.
Mikoto shook her head: "We were planning to go, but Cain has arrived."
Haruhime: "Cain... Could it be the Mr. Cain who commissioned Miss Ryuu to help rescue me?"
Mikoto: "Yes, it's him. He went to the Dungeon with the Loki Familia a few days ago and only returned last night."
Haruhime understood the reason for the visit.
After arriving at the Takemikazuchi Familia, Haruhime had learned many things.
One point was that Takemikazuchi had not commissioned Ryuu; the person who issued the commission to her was Cain.
Although she didn't know Cain's reason for doing so, it was necessary to meet him since he had returned from the Dungeon.
Getting a response from Mikoto, the two left the room.
Because they had been receiving commissions from Cain, the Takemikazuchi Familia's economic situation was much better than in the original story.
After sending money back home, the Takemikazuchi Familia used the remaining money to rent a new house as their base, which was more than twice the size of their original one.
Walking all the way to the reception room on the second floor, Haruhime finally saw Cain.
He was a youth with short black hair and exuded a gentle aura.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cain."
Haruhime stepped forward to thank him: "I am Sanjono Haruhime. Thank you for your help."
"No need to be so polite," Cain replied. "I rescued you mainly for myself."
Haruhime said thoughtfully: "Is it because of my Magic?"
Cain nodded: "Your Magic is very strong. If used properly, it will be of great use."
"Cough, sorry to interrupt."
Takemikazuchi's voice came from the side.
Having received news of Cain's arrival, Takemikazuchi also came to the reception room.
Sitting on the sofa on the other side, he looked at the man and woman in front of him.
"Regarding the Magic Haruhime possesses, could you reveal a little bit to me?"
"Of course."
Cain nodded.
Takemikazuchi had more or less contributed to the strength he possessed now.
The relationship between the two parties was good, and Cain hadn't intended to hide anything from him from the start.
After some exchange, Takemikazuchi finally understood why Cain valued Haruhime's Magic so much.
Takemikazuchi was surprised: "Raising a level... this is the first time I've heard of such Magic. So Ishtar has been restricting Haruhime's movements because she didn't want this Magic to be exposed?"
Cain: "Pretty much, but Ishtar's true goal is to hold the Killing Stone ceremony. Takemikazuchi-sama, you should know what that is, right?"
"Of course I know."
Takemikazuchi's expression became serious.
As an omniscient deity, he was familiar with something as famous as the Killing Stone.
It was a forbidden Magic item created from Sessho-seki and Toba-no-ishi through multiple procedures.
It seals Magic within, allowing a third party to use the Magic owned by the Renard.
However, as a price, the Renard's soul would be sealed into the Killing Stone as well, which was the main reason it was a forbidden Magic item.
To create a complete Killing Stone, the soul of a Renard must be sacrificed.
Takemikazuchi: "That bastard Ishtar, she wants to sacrifice Haruhime for the sake of a single spell!"
Cain: "To Ishtar, items are more useful than living people. Only with the help of the Killing Stone can she better crush the Freya Familia."
Cain spent a few more minutes explaining Ishtar's hostility towards Freya: "Takemikazuchi-sama, what are your thoughts on this?"
Takemikazuchi replied decisively: "I am naturally opposed to it! I will never support such means of sacrificing others in exchange for power!"
At this point, Takemikazuchi paused and looked at the black-haired youth in front of him.
"Cain, I know your character. Since you sent someone to rescue Haruhime, you must have prepared a plan."
Cain nodded: "Ishtar has made extensive preparations to deal with the Freya Familia; it's impossible to persuade her to give up with just a few words. The best way to save Haruhime is to send Ishtar back to the heavens."
"Eh?!"
Haruhime, standing nearby, let out a cry of surprise.
Sending Ishtar back to the heavens, even she understood how dangerous that was.
Haruhime: "Mr. Cain, I don't think it's necessary to go to such lengths. Hiding here with the Takemikazuchi Familia feels quite good as it is."
"That's only for now." Cain glanced at her: "There's a saying that you can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against a thief for a thousand days."(1)
"Even if you stay in the Takemikazuchi Familia every day, there's still a risk of exposure and discovery."
"At that time, if Ishtar labels them as kidnappers of another Familia's member, do you think the Takemikazuchi Familia will be okay?"
"Or are you planning to give up hiding and return to the Ishtar Familia after hearing all this?"
"If you really think that way, then I'll have to consider whether you're even worth saving."
"This..."
Haruhime hesitated, her words catching in her throat.
If she could be saved, she naturally wanted to live.
But she didn't want Cain and the others to fall into danger because of her affairs.
"Since I've proposed this plan, it means I'm confident I can do it."
Seeing the girl's true thoughts, the aura around Cain suddenly changed.
The originally gentle, sun-like aura vanished, replaced by a terrifying pressure that rushed toward her.
"Haruhime, tell me your true thoughts."
"Do you want to live?"
"I... I want to live."
Haruhime hesitated for a moment before giving her answer.
"Then can you accept the price?"
"In exchange for my intervention, you need to join the Hestia Familia and assist me in becoming stronger."
Cain posed a new question.
Perhaps because she had spoken her heart, Haruhime did not hesitate this time.
"I can accept it. After all, Mr. Cain has gone to such lengths for me, I must repay him."
"Then there's no problem."
Cain stopped wasting words and looked at Takemikazuchi.
"Takemikazuchi-sama, my next plan requires your action. Can you help me?"
In the Lower World, no matter the situation, blasphemy is an unforgivable sin.
As such, to trigger the seal-return mechanism to send Ishtar back to the heavens, the help of another god is required.
And Takemikazuchi was equally aware of this point.
Takemikazuchi: "When do you plan to act?"
Cain: "Tonight."
Takemikazuchi was stunned for a moment.
Although he guessed Cain wouldn't delay for long, he really didn't expect it to be this fast.
Takemikazuchi: "Don't you need to make some more preparations?"
Cain: "No, or rather, now is the best time to act. Any further delay will only make things troublesome."
Before coming to the Takemikazuchi Familia, Cain went to The Hostess of Fertility to meet with Ryuu.
Through that conversation, he learned about the Freya Familia's aggressive move against the Ishtar Familia.
Although this news was somewhat unexpected, it was undoubtedly good news for Cain.
The main force of the Ishtar Familia was injured and is currently lying in the hospital.
In the current Ishtar Familia, high-level adventurers can be counted on two hands.
Contrary to the Ishtar Familia, Cain's strength has further improved after breaking through to LV3.
As long as it's handled properly, it's entirely possible to send Ishtar back to the heavenly realm without exposing his identity.
However, to reach that step, a bait is still needed to lure Ishtar in.
Thinking of this, Cain looked to the side.
Cain: (﹁﹁)
Haruhime: (°ー°〃)
Well, the bait is here.
...
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, night arrived.
Three figures wearing black robes and masks arrived at the Ishtar Familia headquarters.
"Stop!"
At the main entrance, a nearly half-naked Amazon girl raised her hand and blocked these suspicious figures.
Although the Ishtar Familia has a prostitute industry, it doesn't mean anyone can enter the headquarters.
"State your identities, or I'll treat you as people from the Freya Familia."
"Miss Lena, it's me."
Haruhime took off her mask, gave the other person a look, and then quickly put it back on.
Lena was startled: "Eh? Isn't this Haru-"
"Mind the occasion."
A deep voice rang out.
Standing next to Haruhime, Cain deliberately lowered his voice to remind her: "There are many eyes and ears here; it's not suitable to say much."
"Uh, I understand."
Lena also reacted at this moment.
Regarding Haruhime's matter, the fewer people who know, the better.
Opening the headquarters' main gate, Lena led the three of them inside.
As one of the wealthiest Familias in Orario, the Ishtar Familia's headquarters was extremely spacious.
After passing by several stone buildings made of rock or alabaster with strong desert cultural colors, a magnificent palace appeared before Cain.
The design of the palace was very similar to The Tower of Babel, with dozens of floors at a glance, and each floor had scantily clad Amazon Girls embracing male travelers.
"This way."
Lena led the three of them toward the highest floor.
"Good evening, Lena."
Aisha, who had just been discharged from the hospital, happened to be passing by.
After greeting Lena, she looked at the strangely dressed trio and was suddenly stunned.
Despite the black robes and masks, she still recognized the identity of one of them.
Wasn't this Haruhime, who was taken away by the Freya Familia?
T/N- Since y'all said to use Renard, I'll be using that term.
(1)- This specific proverb is a translation of a Chinese saying (贼偷千日, 难防千日贼 — Zéi tōu qiān rì, nán fáng qiān rì zéi) that highlights the difficulty of constant vigilance.
Its core meanings include:
Asymmetry of Defense: A thief only needs to be successful once to "win," whereas a guard or victim must be successful every single day to remain safe.
Exhaustion of Vigilance: Human attention is finite. It is impossible to maintain 100% alertness for an indefinite period (the "thousand days"), making it inevitable that a persistent attacker will eventually find a lapse in security.
Proactive vs. Reactive: It is often used to warn that simply being "on guard" isn't enough; one must address the root cause of a threat or accept that passive defense will eventually fail.