Chapter 494: Chapter 494: Ishtar Takes the Initiative
This is not a waste of his expectations.
If Ishtar can continue to develop towards goodness, it would truly be a cause for celebration.
However, Moran knows how difficult this is.
Perhaps even more challenging than defying the gods.
The only comforting thought is that it's not entirely without hope.
[You remain vigilant]
[Guarding against the possible divine punishment from the god-king Enlil, while also taking time to chat with Humbaba]
[Humbaba, who has absorbed your blood]
[Feels a sense of closeness to you and does not reject you. Humbaba knows that you saved her from self-destruction and gave her a chance to live]
[Although you explained it was to avoid falling into the gods' trap, Humbaba is still grateful to you]
[At least, you and Enkidu are the same]
[Both tried to save her, whom few cared about]
[This alone is enough to move Humbaba, as seen by her always wearing the wreath Enkidu gave her]
[Humbaba's nature is like a child's]
[Only hindered by her duties and the gods' designation, she cannot become a god nor a human]
[Now, Humbaba can control her own destiny]
[She thanks you for this]
[Accepting the gratitude of this gentle giant, you smile wryly, only recalling the moment you attacked Humbaba]
[This child does not think of the battle in the cedar forest]
[Perhaps, you simply didn't want to walk into the trap of the gods before, but after interacting with Humbaba like this]
[You also agreed with Enkidu's idea]
[This child's soul is worth saving]
[On the other side, another surprising thing happened, which is that Ishtar stopped disguising herself]
[She no longer used any acting skills]
[But removed her disguise in front of you, and told everyone that the one possessing that vessel is the goddess Ishtar]
[The people offered their love and praise to the goddess]
[In the respect and love of thousands of people]
[You saw the gaze that the Venus goddess cast towards you]
[–A passionate gaze, one that was different from her usual cleverness, but rather a burst of rolling enthusiasm]
[Like fingers entwined with soft silk]
[Beautiful, breathtakingly beautiful]
[You had to admit this, but also had to completely suppress it in your heart]
[Because, you had an ominous feeling in your heart]
[Ishtar had indeed changed, somewhat different from the first time. In her beautiful eyes, there was not only possessiveness, but also more that made you feel complex and familiar]
[The goddess left you with a sweet smile]
[After that, she left]
[You knew that Ishtar only announced it this time, and next time she would come to you herself]
[Not as Ereshkigal]
[But as Ishtar]
[And now, that moment has arrived, you are waiting for her in the moonlit field]
"Hoo…"
Holding your breath, you pulled your consciousness back to reality.
Looking back on the bits and pieces of the past few years spent with Ishtar.
She is different from Ereshkigal.
Because of acting, she had to disguise herself, and Ishtar suppressed the evil side, showing the good.
Tsundere, bossy in caring for others, self-righteous, and overbearing.
Counting them, they are all laughable shortcomings.
But, behind that, there is her gentle side.
Moran could feel these things.
It's just that, without any disguise or restraint, will Ishtar still get along with herself as she has in the past few years?
Or, is she willing to suppress her evil nature for herself?
These questions lingered in Moran's mind.
By the time he came back to his senses, he had already seen the golden figure, and she had come to the opposite side of Moran.
The goddess smiled, and the man was silent.
Accompanied by the stars and moonlight, in this world, only Moran and Ishtar exist.
Under this sun-like, fiery moonlight.
"Good evening, charming Prime Minister. It's been a long time, we haven't seen each other like this in a long time, right?"
The goddess stood not far away.
That was the willful goddess named Ishtar who had played and made trouble with Moran countless times in the past few years.
This is not a so-called mirage.
Although her appearance has not changed, her posture has changed.
Different from that high and mighty goddess, and completely different from the tsundere and gentle behavior in Moran's memory.
It's like the two are superimposed together.
Giving people such an impression.
"Ishtar, are you no longer planning to use Ereshkigal's appearance?"
"Hmm, I don't want to use it anymore. Or, would you prefer me to get along with you in that posture?"
Ishtar smiled happily.
Her movements were unprecedentedly elegant and terrifying.
Among them, there was the lovableness of picking off the petals of a divination flower, and the cruelty of wanting to tear the wings of an insect played in the palm of her hand into thousands of pieces.
[To be honest, you want to be like before]
[To go to her side as usual, and talk to her as before. Having reached this point with her, and having experienced so much. You don't want to go back to the state of being like rivals from the very beginning]
[To the point where you can't even talk to her]
[This is not your intention]
[…But, you can't do it now]
[Intuition is giving a warning]
[You are planning to get along with her in the usual way, but she may not have such an idea. From the moment she descended in the form of a goddess, her thoughts were no longer simple]
[She will only follow the first desire in her heart]
[Although, you have expectations in your heart, your rational side knows that this hope is not very high]
"Why, aren't you planning to pretend anymore?"
"Eh? Is that the question? I thought you would ask me why I helped you speak up… But, it's also quite happy. Instead of paying attention to the problems of the gods and humans, you actually care more about me or something."
Ishtar smiled.
She came here this time with her real body.
Just a slight smile, the power of beauty revealed can easily capture both the earth and the sky.
Of course, this was just unintentionally revealed.
If it were an ordinary person, I'm afraid they would become her slave in an instant.
Ishtar didn't deliberately suppress it.
The reason is that she believes that Moran is not so bad, and isn't it the point of a woman to show her charm in front of the person she likes?
The more charm, the better.