#915 Love Transcends All

“Aha, the scent of romance fills the air. Pray, divulge the particulars.”

Ishtar, the goddess of love and beauty, perks up and tunes into our conversation.

Trouble.

It’s rare to feel pure “trouble” as intensely as this.

This isn’t just a little worry; after all, we did call upon this goddess, so turning her away rudely isn’t an option.

We explain the situation with care and detail.

“Hm, I see. A marriage of political convenience, is that it? The very thing I detest most in this world.”

The goddess nods.

I wonder why... her nodding doesn’t bring any comfort at all.

“Marriage is a sacrament for those in love to undertake together! It cannot be founded upon mere alignment of interests. Mark my words, a kingdom may fall for the sake of love, but it shall not be forsaken for a kingdom’s sake!”

“Thy words carry conviction that pierces the heavens.”

Velasares comments with a tone of astonishment.

Truly, Ishtar, the goddess of love and beauty, wouldn’t bat an eye at destroying a country for love.

In that light, trying to pick a queen with political maneuvering in today’s event is just something to spit at.

Finally, we’re back on track.

As for Ishtar, the unparalleled troublemaker, even Norse mythology’s trickster god pales in comparison. Her next move...

“Pray tell, young lad, art thou today’s protagonist?”

“Pardon?!”

Ritheseus nearly jumps out of his skin when he’s called out.

Especially since he had become completely invisible with the arrival of the goddess Ishtar, he’s now all the more flustered with his presence suddenly revealed.

“Fear not, for I, Ishtar, goddess of love and beauty, shall select the most fitting partner for thee. Endowed with a radar capable of sensing human emotions, it is clear to me who harbors the deepest love for thee.”

“What an inconvenient radar.”

“Worry not, for even if love is absent, my loyal Cupid can make anyone fall in love with thee with a single arrow. Shall we try one?”

“Cease, for his arrows art akin to weapons of mass destruction.”

Velasares, the war god, is putting in an excellent performance as the voice of reason.

He’s standing up to the goddess of love’s overwhelming presence.

“Ah, but upon closer inspection, this one is quite charming. Bearing the visage of a hero, thou art indeed worthy to be my lover. I am far more pleasing than any human woman could be.”

“Indecency Prevention Ordinance!”

“Gyahn!”

Velasares’ intervention halts Ishtar’s lustful advance.

He’s on a roll.

“Um... Your Radiance, if it’s not too much to ask, could you choose someone who truly loves me?”

“Pardon?”

Riteseus makes his sincere appeal.

“I want to make this country better. For that, I need a partner who truly understands me. Someone who seeks to be close to me through power or connections is not suitable. That would just repeat the mistakes of the past...”

“A commendable answer. Love indeed prevails over policy and power. Let us, with divine power, discern the woman who loves thee most right here.”

Really?

She better do this right.

Despite the anxiety, the goddess of love unleashes her divine power...

“Lucky! Love Search!!!”

What’s with the “lucky” part?

As Ishtar releases a pink flash, it envelopes everything around.

“Analysis complete! It is now clear to me... Within this assembly, there dwells a lady whose heart is utterly besotted with affection for this youth, brimming with love! And that lady is... this maiden here!”

“Huh? Me?”

Ishtar points directly at Sensei?!

“Nay! ‘Tis the child standing to thy right, diagonally behind thee!”

Correcting her aim, she identifies a dark-skinned demoness...

It’s Eryngear!!!

“I swear by the goddess of love herself, she is the one who loves him most in this world! Build a happy home together!”

“Waaaaah! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!”

Overwhelmed, Eryngear embraces Ritheseus.

Despite her confidence, she couldn’t shake off a tiny bit of fear. But she overcame her fears of “what if” and grasped happiness.

“Let me, the goddess Ishtar, be the first to bless your thine. Thou understand what that entails, right?”

The goddess’s sharp gaze sweeps over the crowd, sharp as a blood-stained sword.

“Attempt not to sever the bond between two lovers, for such an act is vile beyond measure. The Goddess Ishtar shall show no mercy to those who engage in such deeds. Divine retribution shall befall them.”

“For the sake of love, she would even bring nations to ruin.”

Thank you for the timely explanation, Velasares.

“Let those who trivialize love be tormented by it. Should Cupid’s arrow be loosed to cause one to love another already spoken for, what then might unfold, I wonder. Fufufu...”

“That’s why it is a weapon of mass destruction...!”

A-Anyway, thanks to Ishtar, Ritheseus and Eryngear are united!

Hooraaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

After a worrying start, it turns out that Sensei’s choice of person...or choice of god was right!

“Haa... Regardless of Ishtar, or rather, Aphrodite’s decision, seeking power through marriage is not an attitude I admire,” Velesares speaks solemnly. “Power is something to be built up through one’s own perseverance. Anything less will prove useless when it truly matters. Children of man, freed from the shackles of my father Zeus, cultivate your own strength for thine sake. Elevate this wise and intelligent new leader, and truly build a strong nation.”

What a god-like and solemn message.

...If only the earlier mishaps hadn’t happened.

“I am indeed the deity of war, yet I believe that the mere suggestion of a sword embroiled in conflict carries sufficient import. It is my hope that ye may dwell in peace within this world. ... Come, let us return, Aphrodite... I mean, Ishtar.”

This hasty attempt to wrap up the conversation comes from a desire to take the goddess Ishtar back home as soon as possible.

“Eh? We art departing so soon? I have finally come after such a long while. I wish to stay and observe for a bit longer.”

“Silence! I cannot begin to fathom any good coming from permitting thy stay! Hast thou not heard? Odin of the Norse deems it better to let Loki roam free than to harbor thee in his realm!”

“How rude. Canst thou not perceive the bliss in having such a beautiful goddess within thy sight?”

“Thine presence is a blight to mine eyes!”

“Fret not, for I need not anyone’s permission to reside where I wish. None can impose restrictions upon me. Having taken a newfound interest in this world after so long, I shall spend the next century here, watching over thrilling tales of love! Should none occur, I shall instigate them myself!”

And so, the deities’ reckless games were about to begin again.

Then...

“Strike of Sixty Ailments.”

“Guoh!”

A new god appears and lands a punch right on goddess Ishtar’s face!

Who is this reaper-like figure holding a scythe?

“Pleased to meet you. I am Namtar, a messenger god from the underworld of Kur, sent by Lady Ereshkigal to bring Ishtar back.”

“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, Namtar?! Why art thou in this otherworldly realm?”

It seems Ishtar is acquainted with this grim reaper, and the atmosphere is incredibly tense.

“My mistress, Ereshkigal, who happens to be Ishtar’s elder sister, is constantly troubled by her free-spirited and trouble-prone sibling. Yet, bound by the laws, she cannot leave the underworld herself. Hence, I, her subordinate, am often sent to clean up such messes.”

“None hath asked for such intervention! My unsightly, reclusive sister is merely envious of me, the radiant one! Gah! That hurts! Do not strike my face! It belongs to the goddess of beauty!”

“I shall strike naught but thy face.”

An utterly relentless reaper, unfazed by the charms of a goddess who captivates gods across all realms.

Truly, the embodiment of a reaper.

Despite the harsh treatment, it’s hard to feel sympathy for the goddess Ishtar.

“Curses, I thought crossing the bounds of worlds would prevent thee from following. ...Ah, perhaps it was thee, Velasares...?!”

“Thy fearsomeness is well known to me; hence, precautions have been taken. I have even gone so far as to exchange LINE contacts with thy elder sister!”

The understated hero who saved the world from crisis was the war god Velesares, through a stroke of ingenuity.

The nature of this ingenuity is embarrassingly pitiful as it involved tattling to the problem child’s older sister.

“Nooooooooo! I am the embodiment of freedom! Bound by naught, for I am free love incarnate! Mark my words—I shall return! For all love and beauty, I shall make my return!”

“Enough, be silent and be dragged away. Upon thy return, thou shalt face direct reprimand from Lady Ereshkigal herself.”

Thus, the goddess appeared like a storm and left like one, too.

Although the sequence of events was baffling, thanks to Sensei summoning goddess Ishtar, the marriage discussion between Ritheseus and Eryngear was smoothly resolved.

Surely, no one daring enough to criticize a blessing directly from a god exists.

Congratulations, Ritheseus, congratulations, Eryngear.

May you join hands and build a new Human Kingdom together.

Well, our business here is done. Let’s head back to the farm, shall we, Sensei?

...Sensei?

“Listen up, everyone. No matter how much power you wield within a nation, if the nation itself fails, what’s the point? Instead of seeking power, enriching the nation itself is what those in your position should truly do...”

Before I knew it, Sensei was giving a special lecture to the power-blinded leaders of the Human Kingdom.

Way to go, Sensei!