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When the sun that reigned over the sky finally sank below the horizon, the heavens grew dim.
The not-quite-full moon gradually ascended into the night sky.
A transparent, grey cloud faintly veiled the moonlight, making the sacred peak seem as if it were shrouded in a light mist, billowing gently, as if one had fallen into a dream.
After the evening clouds drifted past, the temple built upon the sacred peak was clear of mist, and a watery, pure light washed over the gentle night.
At a time like this, the Mistress of Heaven, who should have long been asleep, opened her eyes.
And then—
It was as if some strange transformation was occurring.
Her black hair turned a brilliant, golden color.
Her humble clothes, which looked like a synthesis of a swimsuit and erotic lingerie, were replaced with a long, black robe trimmed with gold.
Her eyes, too, had imperceptibly changed to a magnificent, gem-like red.
If any FGO player were present, they would surely recognize who this girl, with a face identical to Ishtar's, was.
The answer was Ereshkigal.
Ereshkigal was the goddess of the underworld in Sumerian mythology, and the older sister of the Mistress of Heaven, Ishtar.
From the moment of her birth, she was tasked with managing the underworld. A goddess who disappeared along with the Age of Gods without ever knowing the surface world or freedom.
Because her own divinity shared the same origin as her younger sister Ishtar's, merely manifesting differently, she was chain-summoned when Ishtar was called forth by a priestess.
The Mistress of the Netherworld had once again manifested in the mortal realm.
As a proper goddess of the underworld, Ereshkigal possessed the common virtues of her pantheon—she was highly intelligent and prideful, and she was utterly devoted to her duty as the ruler of the underworld.
To prevent the people of Sumer from being massacred by the other goddesses, the netherworld goddess decided to kill all humans herself and bring their souls back to the underworld for safekeeping, thus becoming one of the pillars of the Traitor Alliance—the Three Goddess Alliance.
However, duty was duty, but even the most dedicated person would occasionally want to slack off.
In the world of the God-Slayers, Greece's number one overworked god, Helios-Hades, had once donned the guise of a renegade god to show off when a great dragon appeared in the world.
Miss Ereshkigal was no exception.
However, her hobbies were not as wild as those of Helios-Hades. For her, being able to come out for a stroll using her sister's body to see the mortal world was a rather nice pastime.
"Phew~~, I can finally come out."
The girl, whose tone of voice seemed several degrees gentler than the daytime Ishtar's, sat on the edge of the bed, muttering to herself.
Then, she walked over to Ishtar's dressing table, which was rarely used, and examined the person in the mirror.
"As expected, it's better to use Ishtar's appearance in the mortal world."
The girl with a face identical to Ishtar's mumbled.
And then—
As if time were flowing in reverse, the girl's long hair, eye color, and clothes all reverted to Ishtar's style.
Miss Ereshkigal usually used her own appearance at night.
After all, there was no one around Ishtar, so she wouldn't be discovered even if she used her own form.
Besides, she was just coming out to look at the flowers, not to do anything sordid. There was no need to hide.
However, a mysterious guest had recently moved into Ishtar's temple.
A sun god who was very skilled at growing flowers and plants.
Ereshkigal loved flowers, for they were precious treasures that could never grow in the barren underworld.
If even a single flower seed could take root and sprout in the underworld, she would be willing to wait hundreds or thousands of years for it to bloom.
Unfortunately, the underworld had only rocks, soil, and ghosts.
Therefore, she often borrowed Ishtar's body to go out and look for flowers and plants in the mortal world.
But—
Since the arrival of that guest, she no longer needed to go out.
That unknown sun god, who called himself "Li Zihan," had planted a vast number of unbelievably beautiful flowers in Ishtar's temple.
"With the right methods, even the underworld can grow the most beautiful flowers in the world."
Those were the words he had spoken to her when she woke up in the middle of the night, was mistaken for Ishtar, and was invited to drink tea and eat pastries with him.
Growing the most beautiful flowers in the underworld?
Without a doubt, Miss Ereshkigal was captivated by the youth's words.
With almost no hesitation, Miss Ereshkigal asked him for the method to grow flowers in the underworld.
The youth didn't hide anything and told her a great deal about flowers.
Unfortunately, dawn came too quickly.
She wasn't able to hear everything he had to teach her.
But fortunately, the youth seemed to have noticed this and told her that he was quite free at night, and if she had any questions, she could find him in the living room.
The person that idiot Ishtar befriended is surprisingly a good person.
The goddess, who had a very good impression of a certain someone, hummed a song as she pushed open the door and headed towards the living room that he would likely have temporarily created.
Naturally, she saw a very handsome youth there.
"Good evening, Zihan."
Having heard the youth say that Ishtar always called him by the intimate name "Zihan," the goddess of the underworld followed Ishtar's example and greeted him.
"Good evening, Ishtar."
The youth, who had just rushed over from Kiana's room, looked at the goddess whose tone was far more adorable than Ishtar's and poured her a cup of flower tea.
His manners were polite and graceful, easily capable of winning the favor of a young girl experiencing her first crush.
However, Miss Ereshkigal, who had always been very observant, noticed a slightly unusual expression on the handsome youth's face.
Having absolutely no friends, the goddess was quite concerned about the one youth she could talk to. She grew a little worried, sat down in front of him, held her teacup, and asked.
"Did you run into some trouble?"
If her friend had encountered a difficult problem, Miss Ereshkigal wouldn't mind helping.
"I have indeed run into something that I need your help with, Ishtar."
The youth didn't refuse, speaking very directly.
"Do you remember what I mentioned to you before?"
What was it?
Although she was once again acting as Ishtar, the goddess had no idea what kind of agreement her friend had with her sister, and she was a bit lost.
She wasn't sure how to answer his question.
But Miss Ereshkigal was, after all, an intelligent goddess of the underworld, and she quickly thought of a way to respond.
"You mean... that business?"
Extremely ambiguous words came from Miss Ereshkigal's mouth.
"Yes, exactly that."
The youth, who seemed to truly have some kind of agreement with Ishtar, listened to her words and a pleading expression appeared on his face.
"Once it's done, I will offer half of my fortune as a reward."
That expression made Ereshkigal a little apprehensive.
What kind of matter would require a lofty sun god to lower himself and plead with someone else?
And then, she froze.
"I plan to propose to your older sister. I'm counting on you to be the matchmaker!!"