I sit in the garden, having just returned from Shiro's forge, reviewing his progress.
The great sword and armor set he crafted exceeded my expectations—so much so that I decided not to sell them to Hephaestus.
Instead, I'll keep them for Igris.
The sheer strength and durability of the gear boosted a Level 2 adventurer's defense to Level 6 standards.
That's far too overpowered to sell outright.
"Make another one," I told Shiro.
"Tone it down significantly."
His expression stiffened—his pride as a blacksmith taking a hit.
To ease the blow, I suggested using less rare materials but maintaining the same level of craftsmanship.
That seemed to reignite his passion, and I was less worried about flooding Orario with absurdly overpowered weapons.
After reaching the garden, I summon Gara, sending him into the dungeon in his shadow form.
His task?
Farm crystals that I can sell to the Guild until my business with Hephaestus is up and running.
As I sit, I begin thinking through my approach for recruiting Haruhime and Aisha.
Aisha will be easy.
She's there against her will, and once she knows I'm helping Haruhime, she'll be more than willing to defect.
Haruhime, however—she's the problem.
And for that, we need a history lesson.
Haruhime was once a dignified noblewoman in the Far East, living a sheltered, caged life with no friends.
Eventually, children from Takemikazuchi's Familia, including Yamato Mikoto, began sneaking her outside to play.
However, tragedy struck.
She was framed for eating an offering, enraging her pathetic excuse of a father.
In his blind fury, he disowned her.
A Pallum merchant—an opportunistic parasite—offered to take her away.
While traveling, they were attacked by monsters—and the cowardly Pallum fled, leaving her behind.
She barely survived but was soon captured by bandits and sold to a brothel in Orario.
While on her way there, she caught the attention of Ishtar, who bought her outright.
From that moment on, she was forced into a life of prostitution.
Later, her magic Uchide no Kozuchi—a level-boosting spell—became the reason for her death sentence.
Ishtar intended to sacrifice her, using her ability to artificially boost the levels of Familia members.
Aisha, who was Vice-Captain at the time, viewed this as a moral atrocity.
She destroyed the first Killing Stone, saving Haruhime.
However, this act of defiance angered Ishtar—who then charmed Aisha, rendering her incapable of disobeying the Goddess, even when it conflicted with her convictions.
That's why—when Bell came to save Haruhime in the anime—Aisha had to manipulate Bell into rescuing her, since she couldn't act against Ishtar directly.
Unlike Aisha, Haruhime was different.
She was gentle, timid, well-mannered, and extraordinarily kind.
But as time passed, she convinced herself that she wasn't worthy of being saved.
She believed that because she was a prostitute, she was unfit for rescue.
And that's where my problem begins.
If you want to be saved, then you have to be willing to take the hand that's offered.
I came to save her—but now, she expects me to convince her that she deserves salvation?
"I don't tolerate this kind of conviction."
If you want your life, and if you want others to stand for you—then first, you must stand for yourself.
You must want to fight for your future.
I will not beg someone to believe they deserve survival.
And for that reason—convincing her will be Aisha's task.
Aisha will handle her.
And once Aisha joins me, Haruhime will follow.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I notice Subzero kneeling behind me.
He senses my gaze and speaks.
"My Lord, we have found the targets."
"Aisha is in the Familia Palace, located in the Belit Babili."
"Haruhime is at the brothel."
"Okay. Leave Haruhime for now."
"When Aisha leaves the palace—capture her and bring her to me."
"Use this—" I hand him a magic rune, "it'll put her to sleep, so you can bring her quietly."
"Take Hanzo with you—she's an Amazoness, and she won't come quietly."
"I don't want a scene at the Familia."
"By your command, my Lord."
Subzero vanishes into the shadows.
Some may ask—why not go meet her directly?
Truthfully?
I don't know.
Ever since I awakened my bloodline, ever since I became the Shadow Emperor—I've felt this deep-rooted supremacy over others.
It's not that I underestimate them or look down on them.
It's just that the idea of me personally handling matters like this feels... wrong.
Like it harms my pride.
It feels beneath me.
Like my position among the world demands a higher standard.
"I hope this doesn't become a problem."