How come the Ace of Cups isn't considered the Holy Grail?

As long as this contract exists, she is bound by the contract signed between the three goddesses and cannot attack other goddesses, otherwise she will suffer the backlash of the contract.

Just as she was considering whether to tell Fujimaru Ritsuka the truth and get a disappointed look from him, or to pretend that the contract had been terminated and coax Fujimaru Ritsuka, she suddenly froze on the spot.

The instant Youdu finished speaking, Quetzalcoatl felt the binding force etched on her soul suddenly transform into a blade that severed the contract between her and the other two goddesses.

Seeing that Quetzalcoatl, who seemed to have something to say, suddenly fell silent after standing up, Fujimaru Ritsuka asked with some curiosity.

"What's wrong?"

"The covenant of the Three Goddesses... has been severed..."

Quetzal Koyatl murmured incredulously.

Fujimaru Ritsuka:?

What's wrong with this?

……

Inside the Divine Tower.

For some reason, Ishtar is still here.

He was gathered before the throne with the others who had gained a new companion, listening to Quetzalcoatl explain the covenant between the Three Goddesses.

Gilgamesh, on his throne, was busy with state affairs and didn't bother with her, nor did he intend to participate in the conversation.

"I see... So Miss Ishtar is also bound by this contract and cannot attack other goddesses?"

After listening to the restrictions of the contract signed by the Three Goddesses Alliance, Mashu nodded knowingly, then put her hands together as if she had thought of a good idea and made a suggestion.

"In that case, why don't we have Mr. Yuwatari help Miss Ishtar break off this contract as well?"

In that case, they will have another goddess-level combatant on their side.

Mash, who had also experienced six singularities with Fujimaru Ritsuka and encountered various situations where she was lacking in combat power, thought to herself.

But when she looked at Ishtar, wanting to ask for her opinion, she received a puzzled look from Ishtar.

"Huh? What does the pact between the Three Goddesses Alliance have to do with me?"

Under the astonished gazes of everyone except Yudu and Quetzalcoatl, Ishtar crossed her arms and gave a soft snort:

"Besides, how did you arbitrarily assign me to your side? I never said I wanted to join you!"

However, perhaps because she saw the relationship between Fujimaru Ritsuka and Yuuto, she paused for a moment and then added a sentence.

"Well, if you're willing to join me in teaching that arrogant Gilgamesh a lesson, then it's not impossible for this goddess to join you—"

"Please wait!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka finally couldn't help but interrupt Ishtar, her eyes filled with confusion as she looked at Ishtar.

"Isn't the Three Goddesses Alliance Miss Quetzalcoatl, the Goddess of Beasts, and Ishtar?"

"Huh? I'm not one of them?"

Ishtar, who was initially annoyed that Fujimaru Ritsuka had interrupted her, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

“Ishtar did not join the Three Goddesses Alliance.”

Seeing this, Quetzalcoatl took over the conversation and explained to Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others who also showed surprised expressions:

"The Three Goddess Alliance refers to me, Gorgon, and Ereshkigal, who were summoned by Mother to kill humans, right?"

Mashu: "Mother?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka: "Gorgon?"

Ishtar: "Ereshkigal?!"

Chapter 73 Ishtar: Spicy!

Compared to the puzzled voices of Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashuna, Ishtar's reaction was significantly stronger, immediately drawing their attention to her.

Ishtar was staring at Quetzalcoatl in shock, seemingly finding it hard to believe that she would hear that name from her.

"How did Ereshkigal come back to life too?!"

Ishtar pressed them for answers, but Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't even know who Ereshkigal was, so how could she possibly know the reason for his resurrection?

She had no choice but to turn to others for help. Merlin was about to call on Dr. Roman from Chaldea to answer her question, but Yuudou, who had been watching the commotion for a while, beat her to it.

“I think it’s because you, Ishtar, and Ereshkigal are two sides of the same coin, so when you were summoned, Ereshkigal was also summoned at the same time?”

"I see. Ishtar, the goddess of harvest, can be said to represent the earth mother goddess who embodies human life, while Ereshkigal, who embodies human death, is the mother goddess of fear."

Back at Chaldea, Roman and Leonardo da Vinci, after reviewing the information they had retrieved about the two goddesses after the power was restored, quickly drew a conclusion based on what Yuuto had said.

"These two goddesses are one and the same, possessing the same divinity. Since Ishtar has been summoned, Ereshkigal will also be summoned in a chain reaction!"

"Moreover, since you all possess the same divinity, the calculation results in the situation where 'the Sumerian gods consist of only one pillar'!"

Listening to Dr. Roman's summary, You Du couldn't help but smile to himself.

Chain Summon... Pfft, so you search for and Special Summon Ereshkigal from the deck after Ishtar appears, right?

If these two have the same star rating, just use one card for over-supplied...

"Ah... so that's how it is, no wonder..."

Upon recalling the high priest who had died after summoning himself to possess the girl's body, Ishtar immediately understood the reason for the other's death.

Taking on the pressure of summoning two goddesses at once would obviously lead to instant death...

"Wait, does that mean that guy might be using my body to act?"

Suddenly realizing something, Ishtar hugged her arms tightly and asked with a chill.

The thought that Ereshkigal might be using this body while I was sleeping, and might even be impersonating me, made Ishtar feel extremely uncomfortable.

“That’s possible,” Merlin confirmed her guess. “After all, Ereshkigal can’t leave the Underworld, and the only way he can move around in the outside world is by using your body.”

The ominous premonition finally came true. At this moment, Ishtar even had the thought that she should just let someone take care of her.

"Hahaha, I never thought that you, this useless goddess, would have your body taken over by someone else. Hahaha, this is really funny. I'm laughing so hard my abs are cramping!"

Gilgamesh, sitting on his throne, rarely saw Ishtar looking so ashen-faced. He couldn't help but put down his clay tablet and burst into laughter with delight.

“Siduri, this matter must be recorded in the royal log. Let me think, I’ll write ‘The useless goddess’s body was stolen by someone else, and the king laughed so hard his abs cramped’.”

"You shiny gold thing—"

Ishtar gritted her teeth and glared at Gilgamesh, who was gloating on the throne. The few gems she hadn't thrown out earlier instantly appeared between her fingers and were infused with magic.

"This time I'm going to blow this place to smithereens!"

However, Gilgamesh simply extended a finger, its surface wreathed in golden magic that burned like flames, and shattered the gems between Ishtar's fingers from a distance.

"Hahaha, dream on."

Seeing that Ishtar was so angered by Gilgamesh that she even brought out Maana, Yuuto quickly spoke up to divert her attention.

"However, what we have said can only be considered speculation. We still need to see for ourselves to confirm whether this is the case."

Concerned about her own health, Ishtar could no longer argue with Gilgamesh and hurriedly asked Yudu how to confirm it.

"It's simple, you just need to..."

……

Does this method really work?

After watching Ishtar and the others enter their residence, Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was guarding the door, asked Yuuto about it.

While they did speculate that Ereshkigal would take over Ishtar's body when she was unconscious, it's unlikely that the other party would come out every night.

“It’s alright, if she doesn’t come out today, then she can come out tomorrow. Anyway, Ishtar always needs to rest, we can test her slowly…”

Yu Du didn't care at all. Besides, he didn't think that Ereshkigal, who had been in the monotonous underworld for so many years, would be able to suppress his curiosity about coming out to see the outside world.

“That’s true… but if Ereshkigal really takes over Ishtar’s body later, how will we tell them apart?”

"Don't worry, you'll definitely be able to tell at a glance..."

As he spoke, Yuuto led Fujimaru Ritsuka up to the roof, reminding her along the way not to let anything slip.

Everyone else had already returned to their rooms to rest. Yuuto had originally planned to stay up all night alone to wait for Ereshkigal to come out, but because Fujimaru Ritsuka insisted on coming with him, he had no choice but to bring her along.

Fujimaru Ritsuka and Yuuto sat on the roof, looking at the countless stars that filled the night sky above them—a view that could only be seen in the present age of the gods.

Just when Fujimaru Ritsuka thought the night would pass peacefully, the night wind brought a familiar yet unfamiliar sound of footsteps.

She felt familiar with Ishtar because, among all the people she knew in Uruk, only Ishtar didn't wear shoes; yet she felt unfamiliar because, according to their previously agreed-upon plan, Ishtar shouldn't have been here at this time.

So, if we rule out the possibility that Ishtar suddenly changed her personality and no longer wanted to continue the plan, the identity of the person who came would naturally become obvious.

Yuwatari and Fujimaru Ritsuka turned around and saw Ishtar draped in a blanket.

Fujimaru Ritsuka recognized that blanket; she usually used it as a night blanket.

"Good evening……"

The three exchanged glances, and finally 'Ishtar' was the first to speak and greet them.

"Good evening, Ishtar." Yuwatari nodded, pretending not to notice anything unusual about 'Ishtar'. "Why are you still awake so late? Can't you sleep? Want to come sit with me for a while?"

"Huh? Ah, um... I really couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd come out and see what was going on, and I didn't expect to run into you guys..."

Following Yudou's words, 'Ishtar' stepped forward and sat down with a reserved demeanor, completely opposite to Ishtar's usual carefree manner.

Fujimaru Ritsuka fell silent. At that moment, she instantly understood why Yuuto had said he could tell who Ishtar was at a glance.

This is indeed a very obvious contrast...

Chapter 74 How could someone so young have gone blind?

The mistress of the underworld, the native goddess of Mesopotamia, the ruler of death and the dead, and, along with Ishtar, the earth mother goddess of Mesopotamia, and the guardian deity of the city of Khusa…

Looking at 'Ishtar' sitting to one side, separated from her by a boat, Fujimaru Ritsuka, who already knew her identity, recalled the information about her that she had obtained from others.

Well... she didn't feel like the person in charge of the underworld; rather, she felt more like a well-mannered young lady from a wealthy family.

This surprised Fujimaru Ritsuka. When she first heard that Ereshkigal was the other side of Ishtar, she thought that Ereshkigal's personality would be like Ishtar's, uh... arrogant?

Because of the presence of Ishtar, the goddess of heaven, before meeting Ereshkigal in person, Fujimaru Ritsuka always viewed her through the lens of Ishtar.

She's the kind of woman who's quick to drag people down to the underworld, and when she's in a bad mood, she'll slaughter several cities of humans for fun, always looking down on everyone else with arrogance—a typical villainous woman.

Yu Du was not surprised because he had known Ereshkigal's personality for a long time. He saw Ereshkigal tighten the blanket around himself after sitting down, looking as if he wanted to say something but held back.

Could it be that she stayed home alone in the underworld for too long, and now that she's out, she's developed social anxiety?

Fortunately, Ereshkigal was not the socially awkward person Yuwatari had guessed; she was simply pondering the relationship between Ishtar and the two men.

She already knew that she and Ishtar had been summoned at the same time when she first took over this body, and she also knew that she could only come out at night.

Of course, although she could force Ishtar offline as soon as the sun went down, she usually waited until Ishtar fell asleep before coming online in order to avoid being discovered by that annoying girl.

However, she had woken up in the temple on Mount Elbaf the previous times, but this time she woke up in Uruk, and in a human's room.

This is Ishtar!

That arrogant, foolish, and insatiable Ishtar, who possesses only brute strength like a gorilla and whose mind is filled with nothing but jewels, actually tolerates living in a house with other people in a human dwelling.

Ereshkigal was really curious about what had happened, so he wrapped a blanket around himself to cover his shameless clothes and came out of the room, intending to go to the rooftop to find out which city he was in.

Unexpectedly, they ran right into Yuwatari and Fujimaru Ritsuka, who were acquainted with Ishtar.

Unable to avoid being exposed, she subconsciously chose to pretend to be Ishtar and communicate with the two. But... could the reason Ishtar was willing to live here be because of this human?

"Speaking of which, you're her servant, aren't you?"

Ereshkigal glanced at Fujimaru Ritsuka and, with the eyesight of a goddess, immediately discerned the contractual relationship between the two. She decided to use this as a starting point to probe Ishtar's situation from their words.

"Has the contract between you two been in place for a long time?"

"Hmm...it doesn't seem like it's been that long, right? I only signed the contract with Fujimaru Ritsuka about...one or two days ago?"

If we calculate roughly, it would take 2 days; if we go down to the hour, minute, and second, it would only take a little over 1 day.

While answering Ereshkigal's question, Yuwa looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka, seemingly to confirm the correctness of what he had said.

Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded.

She and Mash arrived at this singularity the day before yesterday, and it was also at dusk on that day that they met Yuwatari and signed a contract with him, becoming each other's Masters.

However, Ereshkigal found it somewhat unbelievable.