Mount Ebih, the mountain peak.
"Mountain Spirit Grandpa, are you gone too?"
Standing on the land where she had once shattered the mountain's core, Ishtar's mind was filled with memories of the Mountain Spirit teaching her in the past.
Since her birth, she had never experienced the warmth of family. Once upon a time, what she yearned for was being on Mount Ebih, listening to that ancient being, one of the firstborn, tell one interesting story after another.
But now...
The scenery remained the same, but the patiently instructive old man was missing. Experiencing unimaginable loneliness, Ishtar suddenly found she didn't know what to do now.
Clearly, in the past, there were many things to keep her busy, many things that were super fun to do. But now...
"Ryuya, it's all your fault."
Initially, she had always been alone and never felt particularly lonely. But now, she only felt lost and confused. Was it ultimately because she had lost someone?
Plucking a blade of green foxtail grass randomly, cursing Ryuya while fuming, Ishtar suddenly sensed a trace of the Underworld's aura.
"Why is there a scent of the Underworld here?"
She knew her foolish sister, Ereshkigal, was the Goddess of the Underworld. But unlike herself, Ereshkigal had been sent to the endless abyss as the heir to the Underworld from birth, never able to leave it for a moment. Even when Ishtar went to see her, Ereshkigal acted like a proud older sister.
Although Ishtar wanted to see Ereshkigal, she had her own pride to maintain!
Not knowing why there was an Underworld's aura at the peak of Mount Ebih, Ishtar followed the scent and found a deep, dark tunnel.
Walking along the tunnel, Ishtar thought to herself, 'How long has this tunnel been here? When did Ereshkigal dig such a passage?'
Normally, one had to pass through the first to the seventh layers to reach Ereshkigal. Having mentally prepared herself, Ishtar found she had directly arrived at the deepest part of the Underworld, the place where Ereshkigal lived.
"Ereshkigal, come out and greet this lady~!"
In her memory, the Underworld was all gloomy, silent land of death. Everything she saw on the way was the same as before.
However, upon reaching the front of Ereshkigal's temple, she noticed something different. Ishtar saw plants protected by countless spells, and even many decorations.
"The Underworld has flowers now?"
Sensing terrifying skill in these spells, but more so a familiar feeling, Ishtar suddenly thought of a certain person.
Feeling the sadness of something uniquely hers being taken away, she found the entire temple empty and naturally shouted out.
"Ishtar? You actually found your way here?"
"What do you mean, 'I actually found my way here'? Ereshkigal, you're the one! When did you turn the Underworld into... Mountain Spirit Grandpa?!"
The pain of destroying Mount Ebih was a past Ishtar could never forget. Seeing the Mount Ebih's spirit appear behind Ereshkigal, she didn't understand what was happening.
But the Underworld's surprises didn't end there, because...
"So you are Ishtar? Ereshkigal's sister."
A magnificent, sacred, indescribable figure emerged from the depths of the temple.
Her breath caught instantly. She had never seen this being, never directly witnessed that radiant divinity. But with just one glance, the existence within her bloodline told Ishtar who stood before her.
"Mother Goddess... Tiamat?"
"Damn Ryuya! That bastard Ryuya! How many things has he hidden from me?"
Hearing from Ereshkigal and the Mountain Spirit about the gods' purpose in transitioning the ages, and finally understanding the truth behind Tiamat's disappearance and the transition from the Diamond Age to the Golden Age...
She had thought she was the darling favored by the gods, but it turned out she was just the third-generation king for the transition from the Golden Age to the Silver Age. Feeling like everything about her was designed by the gods, Ishtar was furious, extremely furious.
She wasn't angry about being used as a tool by the gods, after all, her relationship with them wasn't that great.
Thinking back now, it was all about benefit transfer. What she was truly angry about was Ryuya.
'Why didn't that bastard tell me the truth? Did he think I wouldn't make the right choice? Or did he not trust me?'
'Really! And I considered him her only good friend, even gave him my dowry! And then...'
"Ahhhhh... I'm so mad!"
"Eresh, give it to her. Stop teasing your cute little sister."
"Understood, Mother Goddess."
Seeing Ishtar's conflicted, almost crazed expression, Tiamat shook her head helplessly and looked at the happily smiling Ereshkigal beside her.
'Sigh… can't these two sisters behave a little more peacefully?'
"Here, Ishtar."
"What do you mean by this, Ereshkigal?"
"This was left for you by Ryu. He said if you truly found Mount Ebih and then came to the Underworld, to give this to you."
"Ryuya? Hmph!"
Just mentioning Ryuya made her angry, but Ishtar still took out the letter the man had left.
[Ishtar, by the time you read this letter, you should have already reached the Underworld and met Tia and Eresh, right?]
Sure enough, the familiar address and familiar tone. The way it seemed to predict her actions from the start was infuriating.
'Compared to that arrogant Gilgamesh, you are even more detestable.'
Thinking this, Ishtar continued reading.
[I'm sorry, Ishtar. I didn't explain the matters about the gods in detail to you. But I hope you understand, it's not that I don't trust you, and I absolutely have no doubts about your choices. Regarding the matter of Ishtar helping Ryuya, I am more determined than anyone else.]
"Just know how to say nice things. If you trust me, why didn't you tell me the truth?"
[The reason I didn't tell you the truth immediately is because I wanted you to understand that if one day I am gone, you could reach the other side of the river by yourself. You would no longer be the goddess deceived by the gods, nor the tool destined to become the third-generation God King.]
"Hmph, whether you're here or not, this lady would have figured out the gods' intentions sooner or later. They can't fool me!"
Though she insisted verbally, Ishtar still felt quite happy inside.
'He never doubted my choice, never doubted my decision. He just wanted me to grow... Hmm, I should be happy, so why do I suddenly feel so angry?'
Still struggling to get over this hurdle herself, Ishtar thought, 'Couldn't he have said these things face to face? Why write a letter?'
[Ishtar, I originally intended to tell you this in person, but since I didn't know when you would come to the Underworld, I didn't seek you out.]
[However, I hope you understand that no matter what choice the goddess named Ishtar makes, whether she stands with the gods or by Ryuya's side, we are friends for life.]
[After all, this girl's dowry is in my hands now. You can never take it back in this lifetime.]
With a blush, her heartbeat quickens.
Looking at the domineering declaration of ownership at the end of the letter, Ishtar silently complained, 'He doesn't even give me a little freedom.'
But, she felt she actually liked this kind of overbearing attitude.