IBHJ Chapter 912

The three watched Ishtar's retreating figure, each lost in their own thoughts.

Enkidu sighed. "Lady Ishtar is still as shameless as ever, so fond of her little self-delusions. How remarkable."

Shirou: "..."

Enkidu, is that praise or an insult?

Mordred tugged on his clothes, pointing at Ishtar's diminishing form. "Mom, is that what a goddess is like?"

He nodded slowly.

"I don't think I'll ever look at goddesses the same way again..." she mumbled.

"Don't lose faith in all goddesses, Mordred. Lady Ishtar isn't a normal goddess, nor a particularly special one. She's just... a unique goddess," Enkidu said diplomatically.

Shirou realized that Enkidu, like Gilgamesh, had a peculiar fondness for critiquing Ishtar. But unlike Gilgamesh's arrogant, biting remarks, Enkidu preferred to deliver her criticisms with a gentle, cheerful smile. No wonder the two were best friends.

"By the way, where's that reckless 'My Daughter is Super Cute'?" he asked, changing the subject.

"She was probably buried in the dirt by those angels in the hidden map, becoming fertilizer for the flowers. May her soul return to heaven, may she rest in peace, amen." Mordred flashed a bright, sunny smile.

This kid... he sighed inwardly.

Due to the unexpected detour into the hidden map, the leveling session at Thunder Mountain Cave had to be put on hold.

They returned to the inn.

"Welcome back, Miss Evil Flower."

"Did your mission go well, Miss Evil Flower?"

The adventurers greeted Shirou warmly, their previous hostility completely vanished. Of course, this was only natural. Once he was willing to share the God's Brain, their conflict of interest dissolved.

Humans were strange creatures. They talked about valuing emotions and friendships, but as long as there was a clash of interests, even close friends could become mortal enemies. Yet, if their interests aligned, even sworn enemies could become the best of friends. In fact, when he left, these adventurers were worried he might run off with the prize. But seeing the God's Brain, and Illya—Evil Flower's teammate—diligently making tickets put them at ease.

"Master, here. These are the tickets I made for drawing me." Aqua, the God's Brain, handed him the prepared tickets and box with a blank stare.

"Oh. Good."

He took the tickets and looked at the girl's blank face. A strange feeling washed over him. It felt odd having Aqua make tickets for the lottery. It was as if he were making her sell herself and then asking her to count the money. The feeling was so bizarre that he began to question his own morals.

While he examined the tickets, Enkidu relayed the events within the hidden map to Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh listened intently, a frown creasing his brow. "Venus's map is outside Zaun City?"

Enkidu nodded. "That's right."

"Hidden maps are supposed to be within the Sanctuary. Why is Venus's the only one in Zaun? What are those idiotic mongrels playing at?"

Even Gilgamesh, with all his knowledge and experience, was perplexed. This discovery contradicted everything he, and everyone else, understood about the game.

"It must be connected to the main storyline quest, but only Evil Flower accepted that quest. We'll only know what those planners are up to after she clears Venus's hidden map," Enkidu reasoned.

"Wait for that newbie to clear Venus's map? Hmph. The main storyline is the most reliable way to clear this Connection Point, but you know, Enkidu, even with our full support, there's not enough time for Evil Flower to level up. Our only option now is to gather all the fragments ourselves," Gilgamesh declared.

"Indeed..."

Enkidu nodded in agreement. She knew Gilgamesh's judgment was sound. Progressing through the main storyline was the most reliable path, but Shirou was the only one who had triggered it. Unfortunately, they simply couldn't afford to wait for him to reach Lv9.

"Although I don't know what those mongrels are up to, this works out well. Not only do we get the God's Brain, but we also found out the location of Venus's hidden map. This will significantly speed up the clearing process," Gilgamesh mused.

"Mm." Enkidu nodded.

After a pause, Gilgamesh turned to Enkidu with a question. "How many times did you die in the hidden map?"

"Three times."

"Hmph. Foolish mongrel, dying three times in such a low-level map, it's truly pathetic."

"Are you worried about the revival chances I wasted, Gil?" Enkidu teased.

"Worried? Don't be ridiculous, I'm mocking you! Mocking! Do you understand? It's mockery!"

"Mm. I understand, of course."

"You... sometimes you really get on my nerves!" Gilgamesh huffed, folding his arms and turning away with a virtual table flip emoji.

...

While Enkidu and Gilgamesh bickered, Shirou followed Enkidu's advice and contacted Sweet Little Girl.

"Eh? You're Artoria?" Sweet Little Girl looked at him with a shocked expression.

He nodded. "It's me, Sister Morgan le Fay."

"I'm not Morgan le Fay!" she angrily threw down her Switch, then looked around at her empty surroundings before continuing to type. "You claim to be the King of Knights, Artoria Pendragon? Do you have any proof?"

"Why do you ask? Do we need proof for this?"

"Hmph. Everything needs proof. And as far as I know, with Artoria's intelligence, it's impossible for her to have solved that hellish newbie quest," she retorted.

While that might be true, aren't you underestimating Artie a bit too much? He thought, speechless.

"Do you have any way to prove yourself?" she pressed.

"Of course I do," he replied confidently.

"Let's hear it."

He sighed, shaking his head. "Look, I hate to say this, but my sister's a total perv. She's always trying to drug her brother."

She choked, spitting out a mouthful of tea.

"One night," he continued, "she showed up in a see-through dress, swaying her hips in front of her hardworking brother. She said shameless things like, 'You look tired. I thought you might want some company.'"

"Enough!" she cried, crumpling to the ground. "I believe you! You're definitely Artoria!"

Morgan's mind raced. How could anyone else know about that? She clutched her head, thoughts swirling.

Did Shirou rat me out? No way. He's not the type. That unromantic bastard would keep it to himself, saving it as leverage for when he needs a favor.

He never wastes an opportunity. No chance he'd give up such perfect blackmail material for free.

So... does that mean Artoria saw everything I did over 1,500 years ago?

Wait. Were there others watching too?

Morgan's face went pale. She tried to reassure herself. That wasn't me, it was Morgan le Fay.

Hehe...

But a nagging thought persisted: Is Evil Flower really Artoria?

If so, we've been chasing the wrong person this whole time!

Tch!

She clicked her tongue in frustration. Since Evil Flower was Artoria, she knew she had no choice but to abandon her item hunt.

He asked, "Sister, is Shirou with you? Can you put him on? I need to talk to him."

Morgan glanced around her empty surroundings, then stared down at Evil Flower on her screen, causing her to fall into an unusual silence. Unconsciously, a nameless fire simmered in her chest. A thousand years of jealousy bubbled to the surface, her breath hitching in her throat.

Pat, pat.

Morgan slapped her cheeks a few times, shaking off the resentment. She couldn't let jealousy get the best of her.

With a pout, she typed a simple "Okay" and hit send.

Everything was going according to plan.

Just then, he received a message from Altera.

-Come to the notice board in front of the castle, Artoria Pendragon.-

He furrowed his brow. Why was Altera contacting him now? He set aside his current plan and headed towards the notice board in front of Zaun Castle.

When he arrived, there was no sign of Altera.

Another message appeared: "Come behind the notice board."

He hesitated for a moment before doing as he was told.

The notice board was empty, save for a few quest postings. No one was hiding behind it either.

Suddenly, he felt a warm body press against his back.

"Altera?" he started to turn around.

"Don't turn around, Artoria Pendragon!"

He stopped mid-turn. "What's wrong, Altera?"

"After much thought, I've come to the conclusion that we can only be enemies, Artoria Pendragon."

"What?" he was confused.

"Goodbye."

With a gentle yet heavy farewell, the warmth at his back vanished. When he turned around, Altera was gone, leaving behind a small bundle.

He opened it to find a pile of blurry flesh, a requirement for his class advancement.

"This girl...she says we're enemies, but doesn't this seem like something a friend would do?" he mused. "What trouble has she gotten herself into now?"