"In that case, you shall become my divine attendant to atone for your crime!"
After thinking for a moment, the simple-minded Ishtar remembered that other gods all had divine attendants. Although her proud nature had never led her to take one before, Ishtar felt that if it was this man who gave her such a high favorability rating, then it should be fine.
Plus, she could take Ryuya to Uruk to show that arrogant jerk that there was a king in this world who could rival him, proving that men weren't all useless!
[Unsure why Ishtar was so interested in you, you unhesitatingly refused her.]
"Divine attendant? Not interested."
Shaking his head, and confirming there were no divine observers around Ishtar, Ryuya recalled Ishtar's willful and unrestrained nature.
Even if it was tempered in this world, her playful and mischievous side would surely give all the gods headaches.
Coupled with Ishtar's own formidable power, the gods naturally tended to leave her to her own devices.
"Not interested? NOT INTERESTED???"
It was as if she had heard something unbelievable. Ishtar's crimson eyes widened enormously.
'That couldn't be right! I distinctly remembered other gods saying many people were willing when they talked about taking attendants. My own temple had many priests who wanted to become the goddess's attendant. Why was it different with this guy?'
"There must be something wrong with the approach here?"
[Not deterred by your refusal, the stubborn Ishtar simply started following you, chattering incessantly about you becoming her attendant.]
[Along the way, unsure of the directions to Mesopotamian cities, you relied on your senses to head towards the area with the strongest human presence. You arrived at the city of Kish.]
[In this city, you saw countless members of the Myriad Races: Orcs drinking ale, Dwarves forging tools, graceful Elves, Vampires walking the night, and so on.]
[Since Ereshkigal had given you some gold before you left, you had funds, so food, clothing, shelter, and transportation weren't concerns.]
[In contrast, Ishtar, upon entering the city, concealed her divinity, at least enough to prevent ordinary people from realizing a goddess had arrived.]
"What... what are you looking at? I am, after all, the goddess these people admire. Of course, I have to consider my worshippers' feelings a little."
"I won't swagger around announcing that I am the Venus Goddess."
"Hmph... It's... it's not like I'm afraid of a certain proud, arrogant jerk! That bastard!!!"
[Listening to Ishtar's reasons and observing her behavior along the way, you confirmed she likely had the personality from the Absolute Demonic Front timeline, or perhaps an even gentler and more refined version.]
"A certain proud, arrogant jerk? You mean Gilgamesh?"
[Your primary goal upon arriving in the human world was naturally the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh. Knowing this was still the era before Enkidu's birth, you felt you had plenty of time and weren't in a hurry.]
"You know Gilgamesh? Well, of course you do, you're human. Everyone knows that arrogant guy."
[She seemed to be gnashing her teeth when mentioning Gilgamesh. The anger on Ishtar's exquisite face was visible to the naked eye.]
"Did Gilgamesh offend you somehow? You seem really angry."
"I thought you might like a king like that?"
[Feeling Ishtar's attitude towards Gilgamesh was a bit strange, you asked further.]
"Like him? Who would like him?! That guy is insolent towards gods, full of himself, and despite having so many treasures, he refuses to offer them to me, your goddess! He's the most detestable guy in the world!"
"And he especially looks down on men! It's ridiculous! Does he think I don't know his secret?"
[While venting her grievances against Gilgamesh and listing his flaws in detail, listening to Ishtar, you wondered if it was really about the treasures?]
"Let me ask... Ishtar, you aren't this angry just because Gilgamesh didn't hand over his treasures to you, are you?"
"Huh? How could that be... I wouldn't get angry over something like that!"
She jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shaking her head frantically. But after a slight pause, she continued in a tone even she didn't seem convinced by, "Hmm... Okay, maybe I do like treasures a little. But the most annoying thing about Gilgamesh is his hypocrisy! He claims to despise men so much, yet he contradicts himself! What I dislike most are people who deny their own nature!"
"Despise men? You mean he dislikes men?"
Raising an eyebrow, Ryuya felt he didn't particularly like men either, given his normal sexual orientation. But 'despise' was a strong word… he didn't hate them, having had many male followers in both Britain and during the Rashomon scenario.
"Huh? No, I mean... Ah, forget it. I won't say."
She stopped mid-sentence, as if Ishtar was hiding some secret.
"Oh? Does Gilgamesh have some secret?"
"He does have one, but I'm not telling you."
A thought seemed to occur to Ishtar, her bright eyes sparkling, "However, if you, Ryuya, agree to become my divine attendant, then I'll tell you what that arrogant jerk's secret is."
"It's definitely something that will surprise you, something you'd never guess, something really interesting!"
Faced with Ishtar's foolish proposition, Ryuya unhesitatingly refused.
While he could have pretended to agree, deceiving a woman wasn't something he wanted to do.
Moreover, Ishtar didn't seem particularly bright, and as everyone knows, scamming someone with intellectual disabilities is, well, questionable!
Besides, Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, was extremely famous in Type-Moon history. Most of his significant aspects were covered in various settings and lore. What kind of secret could Ishtar possibly know about him?
'It couldn't possibly be something like the most ancient King of Heroes being a woman in disguise, right? Hahaha... that would be too funny.'