"You have a notorious weakness for gems. I figured it must be a painful time for one as 'elegant' as you. Therefore, for your elegant sake, we have gone out of our way to present this to your elegant self. There was that unfortunate accident, after all; consider this a bit of a bonus."
"Mash! Bring that out from Marduk!"
"Yes!"
"Wha—?!"
Mash brought forward ten carts overflowing with Lapis Lazuli. A mountain of gems, treasures, and riches. A hoard of gold that would make hundreds of billionaires weep.
"Wh— what is all this Lapis Lazuli?! A crown? Don't tell me you have the Crown of Seven Stones too?! This! With this much, I'll never run out of catalyst gems for my magecraft! Wait, you're giving this to me? Are you a god?!"
—He's a King. And this is a Heroic God.
"You're not going to take it back halfway through, right?! And this is tax-free, obviously?! Ahh, my head is spinning! Calm down, me! Calm down, Ishtar!!"
"Yes, the contents of these carts are merely the down payment. They are all yours. Right, Senpai?"
"Exactly! It's a 'down payment,' Ishtar-sama. Do you understand?"
"A down payment…?! (Gulp) You mean… you mean…?!"
『It's almost impressive how shallow she is…』
『…She likes… flashy things…』
"I am saying I wish to hire you. As the slapstick heroine of my magnificent Heroic Epic, feel free to soar through the heavens to your heart's content."
"And as proof, the Heroic King is having a clearance sale!! Fifty percent of the gems in my treasury are yours!!"
"Fif-fif-fifty percent~~~!!?! The wealth of half the global population is mine—?!"
—That is an unprecedented offer! Are you sure, my King?!
"I care not. I have the ultimate treasure in my hand. I feel no regret letting go of nameless riches. Besides, if we do not survive this crisis, I won't even have the chance to spend my wealth. I'll consider it a necessary expense to buy out Gugalanna."
The King patted Ea's head.
"W-w-wait a second! My years of resentment aren't that cheap—"
"Mash, take the carts back."
"Yes, Senpai."
"Wait! Stop! I'll die of sadness! Don't take them away! I… I am the Goddess Ishtar… to accept such shallow conditions…"
[NOW!! It is time for your decision!!]
Rikka instantly transformed into her Evil Dragon form and spat out a chocolate shaped like a cigarette.
[Will you lend us your strength? Or will you not? Let's hear you say it clearly!!!]
『Give it up, Goddess Ishtar. If the world is destroyed, who will be left to pass down the legends of your beauty?』
"Ugh, ughhh… (Glance)… ughhhh…!! (Glance glance)"
（Ea, look at that. That's a 'goddess' for you.）
—She really does love beautiful things…
"Sigh. Must I say it for you to understand, Ishtar?"
The King took a step forward.
"Goldie…"
"Listen well, for I shall say this only once. I…"
He chose his words carefully.
"I want you (and your Gugalanna)."
"——————————..."
—It's a pickup line! That's called a pickup line, right Fou?!
（That was very direct…）
"Pffft! Hahaha!"
Marduk's additional armor began to shake with suppressed laughter.
"...…Fine! If that's how it is, I suppose I'll allow it!"
"Then!"
"It's your win, Rikka. Under those conditions, I'll become your ally. I mean, I just went through a mental conflict equivalent to the world ending seven times over. So, I guess it's fine."
"It's been about two minutes. Is your 'world' a sandbox or something?"
"Shut up, Goldie! You better take responsibility for what you said! I have goosebumps all over!"
"But of course. With this, our worries for the future have vanished."
"Yes! Now the upcoming great war will be fine!"
"We've won! Time for a bath!"
"Ohohoho! Leave it to me! …Wait, were you really expecting that much from me?"
"Obviously. Your Gugalanna is a treasure well worth my riches."
"(Expression like the end of the world)"
—?
"A-ahaha, right. Right? Gugalanna. Gugalanna is strong. Very strong. Ahaha… ahahaha…"
—…?
"Right! The Goddess has been bought out! No need to linger on this mountain. Let's head back! Siduri! How many minutes did that take?"
『Thirty-two minutes, Sire.』
"Excellent! We shall trample every curse. If you maintain that dignity, you might actually be of some use! Hahahaha!! Perfectly prepared! This is my way of war! Hahahaha!!"
（Oh crap, I might actually die…）
—?
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