The One I Like Is Not Me but My Sister?

The hope that had just risen was extinguished once more, and Ishtar's beautiful face became distorted again.

Anger, annoyance, embarrassment... Emotions that had never existed before churned within her.

It had to be said, this kind of experience was unprecedented for 'Ishtar.'

The gods of Mesopotamia were naturally manifested divine envoys.

They were, in essence, planetary phenomena devoid of joy or sorrow, only gaining superficial intellect through the faith of living beings.

But the surface was still just the surface, a fabricated appearance.

The essence of divine envoys was always tinged with a bit of coldness.

This was also a manifestation of 'Divinity.'

But now, Ishtar was genuinely experiencing a disturbance of her mind and spirit.

This feeling...

It was too shameful!

Looking at the goddess before him, whose expression was about to contort into the famous painting "The Scream" from later generations, Rovi rubbed his forehead.

Then he saw Ishtar suddenly calm down.

"No!" As if she had realized something, the deified goddess struck her left palm with her right fist, looking as if she had suddenly understood. "You were deliberately saying the opposite, weren't you?"

"I've heard that many people do this—the more they care about something, the more they express dislike in a contrary way!"

"Oh ho? I didn't expect you to be... so contrary?"

Ishtar covered her face, revealing a strange smile, and let out a strange laugh of 'Ho ho ho.'

She looked like a bizarre old witch.

Rovi: "..."

He had known from the start that Ishtar, who believed she had grasped 'humanity,' would never admit defeat.

Although he had to admit, finding excuses for her failure in such a roundabout way was, to a certain extent, very much in line with human nature.

This also revealed many lively and adorable aspects of the goddess.

But since she had no intention of killing him, Rovi saw no need to 'play along' with her anymore.

He could only return disappointed...

"Hmph hmph hmph, not talking anymore? Did I guess correctly?" Ishtar on the other side became even more spirited, as if she had grasped victory. "I knew it—after all, I am the Venus Goddess, and I also have a sister, the Goddess of the Underworld who controls the undead. As for inner beauty, it's nothing to this goddess!"

She listed her 'glory.'

Rovi, who had just lifted his foot, suddenly stopped and looked at her sharply.

Ishtar was still smiling.

But being stared at like that, he gradually felt a chill down his spine. His expression stiffened, and the corners of his mouth, which had been smiling, turned into silent twitches.

"You... What are you looking at? You impudent mortal!"

The goddess's face flushed slightly.

"You just said, the Goddess of the Underworld, right?" Rovi asked, his voice low.

"Yes... So what?" Ishtar suppressed the shame that was reappearing, and shouted as if to conceal it, "You were a Priest of the Gods, you don't even know this?"

Rovi did know.

Ishtar was the daughter of Anu, the youngest and most favored among the gods.

But in reality, she had an extremely similar sister, Ereshkigal, who could also be called 'Eresh.'

Of course, while they were called sisters, there was a vast difference between Eresh, who acted recklessly and roamed the heavens and the human world, and Ishtar.

Eresh was the ruler of the Underworld, the place where the souls of all living beings rested after death. She resided in the depths of the earth, where there was only cold and silence, often looking up at the fires of the human world from above, yearning for them, but unable to leave due to her duties as the Goddess of the Underworld.

Yes, normally, Eresh could not reach the human world.

This was the case in ancient times.

According to later mythological records, and even more so according to the records of the gods that Rovi, as a former priest, could observe, the Goddess of the Underworld herself was a forgotten 'main god' of the Underworld.

Even Ishtar, who was the closest in relationship, rarely mentioned her.

And now, perhaps due to the influence of humanity on the body she possessed, this Venus Goddess had blurted it out.

This also reminded Rovi—

He still had a chance.

Ishtar never mentioned Eresh not because she didn't care, nor because she disliked her. On the contrary, Ishtar cared deeply about Eresh. Precisely because of their similar origins but different circumstances, she harbored complex emotions, which was why the goddess always kept silent.

They were sisters, after all.

Goddesses born from the same source, of the same origin.

They cared deeply for each other.

Therefore, she never mentioned her, did not allow others to mention her, and even less so... to offend her!

Rovi smiled.

"What's with that smile? It's a bit... disgusting..." Ishtar made a disgusted face, but the blush on her cheeks deepened.

This guy... could he actually be developing feelings for her?

The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became.

The more she thought about it, the more she looked forward to it.

The more she thought... the more she feared...

"I've finally realized why I've been so concerned about you," Rovi lied, opening his mouth.

Concerned? You insulted me the moment we met, is that what you call concern?

Ishtar's eyes widened.

Then she heard Rovi's voice, which sent shivers down her spine.

"Hahahaha..."

Hey, hey, hey, isn't he imitating Gilgamesh?

Ignoring Ishtar's wildly twisting emotions, Rovi's actions were actually easy to understand.

He was going to declare his 'feelings' to the goddess before him.

Declare that he...

"I hold a greater sense of admiration for your sister, Ereshkigal!"

Crack—

She gritted her teeth, and there was a sound like something shattering.

Ishtar's vermilion eyes widened.

While this was far from expressing love, it was akin to a 'confession'... but not to her, rather to her sister.

Ishtar would be angry, right?

It didn't matter even if she wasn't angry.

As goddesses born from the same source, Ishtar and Ereshkigal shared a certain inexplicable connection.

This connection might have disappeared as the Age of Gods gradually declined.

But if Rovi remembered correctly... earlier, he had combined the power of the Chains of Heaven, Key of Heaven, and Lock of Heaven, and had shaken Heaven, Earth, and Man.

The boundaries between the three realms had been shaken, and this connection had a high probability of being restored.

Telling Ishtar... might allow the Goddess Ereshkigal to hear it, and thus become curious.

After all, for countless years, the Goddess of the Underworld had always been feared and cursed whenever she was mentioned, never praised, let alone admired.

But Ereshkigal normally wouldn't leave the Underworld.

So, the most likely outcome was... she would let him enter the Underworld.

Entering the Underworld meant dying.

It was easy for the Goddess of the Underworld to make a living being die, even the 'Key of Heaven' was no exception.

At that time, if he just stayed in the Underworld, he would naturally ascend to the Throne of Heroes after a long time.

And if Ereshkigal didn't do that—it didn't matter.

It was just an attempt anyway.

Rovi hadn't expected it to succeed.

But if it succeeded... dying after 'confessing' to a goddess.

It would be unprecedented, wouldn't it?

Moreover, in the future, he would have another reason to go to the Underworld.

Killing two birds with one stone, the plan was complete!

Rovi's smile grew even brighter.

He—

"I admire your sister."

Such a voice echoed in the narrow alley where the setting sun cast long shadows and red leaves carpeted the ground, and it resonated even more in Ishtar's ears.

It shocked the Venus Goddess.

And it shocked the Goddess of the Underworld even more.

"What... what is this sound?" In the deepest part of the Underworld, the Goddess Ereshkigal looked up, gazing at a broken trace that had appeared above, at a sliver of light from the Human World falling through.

From that gap, a voice came.

Faint, yet clear.

It stirred her heart.