---o---
"If you would, great goddess, please clean these few rooms."
"No problem."
"If you please, Mistress of Heaven, could you brew me a cup of tea?"
"Leave it to me."
"Goddess of Venus, would it be alright if I planted some flowers and herbs in your temple?"
"Please, feel free."
A truly bizarre scene was unfolding within Ishtar's temple.
If one were to ignore the grandiose titles like "Mistress of Heaven," "great goddess," and "Goddess of Venus," the nature of the exchange felt awfully like...
A master and his maid.
Miss Kiana watched the young man, who was acting like he owned the place—creating flower pots and soil out of thin air, then simulating the authority of the Herrscher of Death to plant flowers in them—and the goddess, who now wore a white headband, and fell into a state of profound confusion.
If she remembered correctly, the master of this temple was Ishtar.
And Li Zihan was the intruder.
Moreover, he was the one who had forcefully taken down the original owner to move in.
"So, Boss, what exactly did you do?"
Bronya, equally unable to comprehend why a goddess would suddenly turn into a maid, sipped the tea Ishtar had poured for her and looked at her lover, her voice tinged with bewilderment.
"It was a tribute."
As if hearing Miss Bronya's question, the goddess, who was busy moving pots of beautiful flowers to various spots around the temple, turned her head and answered cheerfully.
"When a goddess receives a tribute from a believer, she must respond with work."
Initially, she hadn't wanted to let him stay in her temple either.
But the tribute that man had offered was simply too dazzling.
Doing menial work here was just part of the deal.
Hearing this explanation, Bronya fell silent.
So this is what he calls recruiting a maid under the guise of "tribute."
Ishtar was essentially a female version of the Gilgamesh from the Fourth Holy Grail War.
Arrogant, conceited, and utterly willful.
However, the Pseudo-Servant Ishtar-Rin, born from the fusion of Ishtar and Rin Tohsaka...
Was a money-grubbing dork.
As long as it didn't touch upon matters of principle, almost any problem could be solved with gems.
Watching the goddess, who had become incredibly enthusiastic after receiving the gems and was now tackling chores with immense vigor, Li Zihan honestly found himself wanting to propose a bit of enjo-kōsai.
Ishtar might be a dork, but she was undeniably a rare beauty, wasn't she?
Ever since obtaining the power of the Herrscher of Reason and the Authority from Lugh—which let him rise again even after three sunsets—the young man had been letting himself go more and more.
As long as I don't die from fooling around, I'll fool around until I drop.
"By the way, Boss, is it really okay for us to just settle down here, so far from Uruk?"
Unaware that a certain scumbag was contemplating compensated dating, Bronya looked at the man who was supposedly trying to resolve the Incineration of the Human Order and asked with all seriousness.
According to him, without the help of the doctor whose true name was Romani Archaman—Solomon—defeating the Beast of Pity, Goetia, in his complete form would be an incredibly difficult task.
And to find this Doctor Romani Archaman, the prerequisite was to find the rest of Chaldea first—namely, Chaldea's temp worker Guda, Guda's bundled accessory, the Lecherous Eggplant Mash, and Mash's accessory, the Merlin-beast Fou.
Under circumstances that seemed rather urgent, Li Zihan was instead practicing his cash-ability, commandeering Ishtar's temple, and planting flowers and herbs as if he planned to live here permanently.
Honestly, Bronya couldn't see any indication that this man was seriously trying to solve the problem.
"Let's just push that side quest back for a bit."
The young man, who hadn't seen any mention of Chaldea's arrival on the timeline provided by the system, stretched lazily.
And then—
The switch on his magical energy was flipped. Crimson magic circuits surfaced on his skin, appearing like ancient totems or streaks of rust.
"My first of two main quests right now is to implant my magic circuits into your body, allowing you to learn time magecraft to protect yourself from Honkai energy erosion."
"So, stay with me tonight. I'll help you implant the magic circuits, and then a branch of my crest."
The young man, who had been searching for a way to strengthen Bronya's resistance to Honkai energy and found time magecraft to be the most suitable solution, spoke to the girl who had confessed to him long ago.
Implanting one's own organs into another's body... that must be very taxing on him.
And even so, he's willing to share his magic circuits with me?
Hearing his suggestion, the girl's bright, pale gray eyes shimmered.
And then—
"If it's you, Boss, you'll definitely start getting handsy after the experiment is done, won't you?"
Those rather crude words escaped Bronya's lips.
"Of course. It's a rare chance to hold a girl who's all mine in my arms. I'd have to be an idiot not to cherish the moment."
Hearing Bronya's blunt remark, the man simply shrugged, casually sat down beside her, and wrapped an arm around her slender waist.
"...Bronya is in her fertile period today, you know."
Feeling the warmth of the arm around her waist, the girl stated matter-of-factly, her expression unchanging.
"Having a child pop up all of a sudden would certainly be a hassle."
"The thought of a little devil suddenly appearing in my life is a bit terrifying."
As if seriously contemplating it, the young man voiced his thoughts.
Boss... doesn't like children? the girl wondered.
"But, if it were your child, Bronya, I'm sure they'd be a little angel who brings joy and energy into our lives."
Like a complete reversal, those words fell into the girl's ears.
A faint blush rose on her normally expressionless face.
"In the end, you're just too lazy to use protection, aren't you, you scumbag Boss."
The girl, her cheeks clearly flushed, turned her head away so her lover couldn't see her face.
So, in the end, did this guy bring me to another world just to make me watch them flirt?
The white-haired girl watched the man and woman sitting together, discussing their future.
To be able to give a part of yourself to protect the one you love...?
I'm a little... envious.
If I had someone like that, maybe I wouldn't be so lonely.
"Right, Boss, you just said you had two main quests."
As if feeling there were too many idle people around, Bronya seemed to remember something and posed a question.
"Ah, you're asking about that."
The young man, whose eyes seemed to hold the brilliance of the sun, heard Bronya's question and turned his gaze to the still-oblivious Kiana.
"I think I've taken a liking to Kiana, and I want to try pursuing her."