Chapitre 178: Defiance: Infiltration
Here it is, enjoy.
If you don't... Then we'll have some problems.
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/Fwoosh!/
/Shaaa shaa…/
'Many meters above ground, Silver watched the glimmering red lights on the streets and the people beneath him, his expression solemn.'
"This is truly…"
Baffling.
'He raised his hand, it glowed faintly. The proof Haruhime's Magic was still working.'
'And that right now... Silver wasn't a Limit Level 3, but 4.'
'The gleam wasn't very noticeable, but under the dark night sky, if someone were to look above, Silver would look just like the stars.'
'Although if said person was an adventurer with heightened senses, they might realize something was wrong...'
"..."
Level Boost… The bigger your foundation, the stronger this Spell becomes.
Because it'll always increase your blessing by one Level, regardless of how strong it is.
There are many perverse Magical Abilities recorded over the centuries, be it from the Elves and their traditional magic, or through the fairy tales left behind...
But few can match this one.
There were magical abilities that allowed its caster to raze armies of monsters of a higher level than it...
Magic that would turn someone into a legend... Or even a myth.
And although this isn't offensive magic… It wouldn't be fair to downgrade it merely due to that.
To say Haruhime's magic is the strongest Support Magic in history wouldn't be too far-fetched.
Or perhaps even… The one with the most potential.
If she can already improve someone like this at Level 1, by properly grooming this power, and giving her access to more chanting techniques and Spells, how far can she push it?
Maybe she would one day be able to break the magic down, and improve only certain aspects…
Or even decrease someone's Level…
There are many possibilities.
She may not realize it yet, but considering she lived most of her life in isolation, she is still mentally immature and insecure.
But one day, she'll understand just how incredible she really is.
At that time, I wonder… Will she fear her own powers… Or embrace them fully?
There were people with stronger minds than her that succumbed for less…
Regardless…
"I'll be there."
'With a silent gaze, Silver slowly descended into the entrance of the Ishtar Familia home, the Belit Babili, the second highest Tower in Orario.'
'He didn't have a lot of time, her magic would only last 10 to 15 minutes at most.'
…
'The entrance to Ishtar's home was as grandiose as her ambitions were big.'
'A large entrance covered on both sides by magnificent pillars full of mysterious engravings…'
'Although those just weren't any engravings, those words told a story.'
'It was Ishtar's tale, her history and in a sense, her biography, and those of her servants across time.'
'Although honestly, it wasn't really interesting, as it was mostly consistent with Ishtar's sexual adventures.'
'Still, those words contained history that spanned centuries, it mentioned kingdoms and empires that long fell, perhaps not recorded anywhere else but here.'
'Tales of tens of thousands of years ago.'
(Image?)
'In front of the large and grandiose entrance, two guards stood watch.'
'Albeit they were rather relaxed for guards...'
'Two Amazons equally pretty… At least they were wearing nice clothes.'
'Nevertheless, they looked like dancers straight out of a brothel.'
'Still, they were better clothed than 90% of the girls out there on the streets, whose clothes wouldn't be far from things like swimsuits...'
'Although, by this late in the night, most of the prostitutes on the streets already found a partner to spend the night with.'
'Even those that weren't prostitutes... Like a certain Amazon with long black hair, the very reason Silver had quickened his efforts.'
…
*POV Change*
"How much longer till our shift ends?" The Amazon on the entrance's left side asked, using her spear as a pole to rest her tired body
"Probably half an hour?... 15 more minutes?... You know the drill, the moment the brothel closes its doors for the night, we're gone." The other one replied calmly, still in her position
"Ahhh, it's so damn long… I hate this job…"
Just because I'm Level 2 I'm tasked with this boring ass job?
It's not like I would be out there like the others… I just want to sleep in peace.
Perhaps I should... Nah.
I don't have that kind of money.
"Since we're doing nothing, how about we talk a bit more?" The serious Amazon asked
"Oh?! In that case, how was your night yesterday? I heard you…"
/Stare…/
'The serious Amazon looked at her with a dead heavy gaze.'
"Ah?! Sorry, sorry…"
I forgot she's more reserved than the others and hates talking about her man-hunting achievements…
Although, she's a bit frisky. Did something bad happen last night?...
"Sigh, anything but that okay?"
"Su~re..."
I guess not everything goes smoothly even when you take the initiative huh?
Was it… Too small? Or perhaps… He was too bad?
Or worse… Yuck… He didn't shower… I've heard tales of those...
'Shivering in her own delusions, the Amazon wriggled around like a worm.'
'The other Amazon rolled her eyes as she looked at the younger, smaller girl, focusing her eyes on the road in front of her.'
'The street was very empty and broad, made of smooth white pristine stone, not marble but some sort of rough stone.'
'And depending on the day and the time, the street was built in a way it allowed them to see all the way at the entrance, several hundred meters away.'
(Image?)
/Step step…/
"Hm?"
'They were used to the people far away in the middle of the colorful streets, but right now, they saw a well-built man making his way to them without even a single hint of doubt.'
"Is that what I think it is? Where are we expecting someone?" The younger Amazon asked as she scratched her head
"Let me confirm."
'The older and more serious Amazon grabbed a small ledger on a locker inbuilt onto the wall on the side.'
'She flipped the book, seeking an explanation, but as expected, the last confirmed reservation had long since been done.'
'So she opted for the second most obvious option… It was a drunk man.'
'Every day, they'll at least encounter one such drunk man, someone who had a tad bit too much fun down on the road and ended up straying too far from where he was supposed to be.'
But it can't be that either…
'She wasn't convinced, the man was walking too well for someone that was supposedly drunk, his steps were heavy, orderly, and he didn't tilt at all.'
'His eyes were focused and his clothes were tidy...'
'He was looking at them with a heavy intent… One she had yet to figure out properly what it was.'
"He looks… Strangely familiar… Do you know him?" The younger Amazon asked
Perhaps he's the reason she's silent?
"I… Don't."
"Strange… Well, we'll know once he arrives." She said with a sleek smile, resting her hands on the back of her head
"..."
Take your job more seriously...
'The other guard wasn't as positive as her.'
'She clenched onto her spear… Something that didn't come unnoticed by the younger Amazon.'
"Oi oi…"
Really now?!
'It was then she started to realize a faint possibility…'
'That this guy wasn't here for talk… And that completely blew her mind away.'
'Who would have the guts to come all the way into their territory to cause trouble?'
'Had something like that ever happened? Of course.'
'There were times where conflicts arose, but those were often related to the Amazons themselves…'
'Husbands that were somewhere they shouldn't be only to be found out by their partner, leading to some trouble…'
'And when they can't resolve things on their own, it is very easy to turn their gaze to the people of the Red light district, as if they were the cause their husband came all the way here...'
'But that wasn't only for the men...'
'Many wives, unsatisfied with their relationship... Not only wives but girlfriends as well...'
'And the very common story of men and woman that met someone in Orario, coming to love each other, only to realize their love was far from ideal, as their partner worked here…'
'Those sorts of conflicts were common, so in her mind, she came to a quick conclusion.'
He looks like a man who saw his wife cheat on him!
Someone that abandoned all morals and now the only thing preventing him from going on a rampage is his sanity, hence his cold and emotionless stare…
'She couldn't be more wrong.'
…
/Step step…/
"Stop, from here on out it's private property, turn back." The older Amazon commanded
"..."
'But Silver didn't stop.'
/Thud!/
'The girl slammed the bottom of her spear on the ground, trying to make Silver pay attention to her next words.'
"This was my first warning, leave!"
'Yet again, Silver refused to show any signs of listening to her words.'
'His eyes remained the same, no aversion, no fear, no caution, no mockery, he didn't even flinch.'
"Tsk..."
Is he one of those?
'There were times where guards were mocked for their words'
'When they are only Level 2 in a city where Level 3s are everywhere, it is normal for them to be mocked...'
'They are mostly here to welcome guests and to work as pretty decorations, and that is about the same for other Familias.'
'The stronger they are, the stronger the forces they can set aside for the menial job that is guarding their home gates.'
'The stronger ones would normally do what they should do, dive in the Dungeon or prepare for some other activity.'
'Even for the Ishtar Familia, they can at most set aside 2 to 6 of the Berbera to work as guards, but only in special circumstances will that happen.'
'Otherwise, the Berbera would patrol inside the home, just to make sure nothing out of the norm happened.'
'The same could be said for the Loki Familia and even the Freya Familia.'
'Although in their case, they had enough forces to keep Level 3s as guards, Ishtar on the other hand, preferred to keep Level 2s since in the situation someone did attack them, even if the guards were Level 3, nothing much would change.'
...
"..."
"He completely, like... Not gave a shit to what you said." The younger Amazon said with a shrug
"I can see that."
'The Amazon became a bit tenser.'
/Crack…/
'She cracked her neck and knuckles, her eyes becoming ferocious... The true nature of an Amazon was surfacing!'
"Are you…"
She looks ready to jump!
But... Why do I feel like something's wrong…
"I warned him twice, the third time is…"
'And wrong it was.'
/FWOOSH!/
"?!"
"!!!"
"Its… What?" Silver asked with his arms crossed
'In the blink of an eye, the man who was several meters away vanished, reappearing in front of the older Amazon, gazing straight down at her.'
'They were quite different in terms of height, the older Amazon wasn't even 170 cm tall, and the younger one had it even rougher, she was barely 160 Cm tall...'
/SMACK!/
'Staying true to her blood, she quickly reacted, moving her knee, aiming at his jewels…'
/Thud…/
'But she suddenly fell down onto the ground like a rag.'
/Gasp…/
'The younger Amazon saw it all… Or in better words, saw nothing.'
'Everything she saw was Silver disappearing, and then her friend raising her leg… Next moment she was on the ground.'
'However, she let out a sigh of relief, her friend was okay, breathing normally…'
"You…"
'Silver turned his eyes to the other Amazon, taking a step forward…'
"I surrender!"
"..."
She what?...
"... Ehh…?"
/CLACK!/
'The Amazon was quick to cutely raise her hands, letting her spear fall onto the ground like a broom against the floor… It sounded oddly cartoonish.'
'After seeing her friend, who was stronger and more experienced than her, lose without even a chance to recognize who her enemy was, she understood she had no chance.'
'Because different from her, she had realized who her enemy was…'
I can't tell if that was magic or him being fast…
But I now recognize him!
His Platinum eyes!
'Silver's build wasn't really that impressive, he was tall, yes, but there were many as tall as him.'
'There was even an entire race called Boars whose members tend to be over 1.90Cm tall on Average.'
'He also wasn't incredibly muscular, nor was he thin.'
'His black hair was also pretty ordinary, and his facial features were pretty standard for someone that lived on these parts, different from people that live far in the North where the empire resides…'
'Or the people that came from the far east.'
'Although that didn't decrease his handsomeness, it only meant his features were normal for people that lived near Orario, he was no immigrant from afar.'
'But his Platinum eyes that gimmer slightly… There isn't anything average on that.'
'Upon realizing who he was, she came to an immediate understanding of her enemy… And what she should do.'
'Even if her duty told her to stand her ground and report in whatever way she can…'
'She just couldn't.'
'So she opted for the better choice, between punishment for failing at her job and receiving a possible beating, perhaps something worse, she chooses the easy route…'
'Although that didn't mean she was safe either.'
"Ah… Is… There anything I can…"
"... Do?"
'She looked at Silver, opting to be the first to talk as to relieve a portion of her stiffness.'
"... Yes, there is."
'He also wasn't down for some casual talk, although her actions were a tad out of his expectations, he quickly brushed it aside.'
/Point/
"Up there?"
'The Amazon followed Silver's hand, noticing that he was pointing towards Ishtar's room, located on one of the last floors of the main central tower.'
"I need you to go to your Familia Captain, and tell her that Ishtar is calling her."
"Huh…I?... AH?!"
'At first, she didn't understand, and then, reality came crashing down.'
'The last thing you want to do in this Familia is to bother Phryne, and the other one is wasting Ishtar's time…'
'And she was about to do both at the same time! No, worse, she was about to bother them this late in the night...'
T-They wouldn't accuse me of betrayal and disobedience as well, would they?
'She started to shiver once again at her own imagination…'
/CLAP!/
"?!"
'Silver clapped his hands, forcibly waking the Amazon from her dreams.'
'The air pressure of his clap made her hair fly back, and her ears were now ringing a little…'
'The sound of his clap was louder than a gunshot, so it was obvious some people were now startled... Not like it would change anything at this point.'
"You have about a minute to do what I asked." Silver said as he walked past her
"While you're at it, go and have whatever friends you have move away from the last floor if there are any that is."
I don't expect to be any, considering it's the last floor.
It's kind of Ishtar's private space.
'He didn't say anything anymore, merely vanishing in front of her eyes.'
"Uh… What just happened?"
"!"
'But she then realized something terrible.'
'Within a minute, could she climb to the tower and warn Phryne?!'
'She definitely could, if she started moving now…'
'But that would mean…'
"SORRY!"
'Exclaiming many apologies, she ran, leaving her friend on the ground, unconscious…'
…
/On the last floor…/
/THUD!/
/THUD!/
/THUD!/
"TCHE! What a pain!" Phryne exclaimed as she climbed the stairs of the towers in large strides
'Wearing a pretty nauseating half-transparent night growl, Phyne made her way up.'
'On her face was also a green sleeping mask, making her look even worse… Almost monster-like.'
'Thankfully, there was no one on the way to witness this awful sight, apart from the little Amazon that almost screamed when she saw her emerge from the dark...'
To interrupt my beauty sleep! How dare her!
Who does she think she is? Ishtar that bitch?!
Can't she be satisfied with whoring all night? She already had me work to the bone with the Dungeon, what else could she want from me?
I'll have to show her my opinion this time, can't let this go on… If not…
'She smiled.'
How am I supposed to enjoy my free time?
'She almost licked her lips, but stopped as she remembered she had her special cream there, she didn't want to mess it up.'
/Thud!/
/Thud!/
/Knock knock knock!/
"Ishtar! I'm here! Open it up!" Phryne requested as she smashed her fist on the door leading to Ishtar's room
'As you can imagine, the door was rather big, not because it was made so Phryne could pass, but because some of the furniture inside the room were rather big.'
'Ishtar's ultra-size King bed would never pass through a normal door… Neither would her extravagant quadruple door wardrobe made of Huif Rosewood from the extreme North.'
'Make sure to say F for the poor workers that lifted those things over 30 floors high through numerous flights of stairs just so Ishtar could have a good night and store her clothes…'
'At least they got a good reward later… So perhaps they aren't deserving of pity.'
"Hm?"
Why isn't she responding?
'Phryne thought someone was wrong.'
'There was no way Ishtar would ignore her, much less keep her waiting.'
'So with her quick temper, she assumed the worst.'
"I'm coming in!" She said rudely as she pushed the door open without any ceremony
'And she immediately noticed something weird, the door didn't break.'
The door is unlocked?
Was she really waiting for me?
Why didn't she reply then?!
'Puffing in anger, she took a step inside.'
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Notes
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone