Chapter 83: The Authority Of Love And Sexuality
I looked at Ish, my jaw tightening slightly as I calmly chewed my mouthful of roasted corn.
I wasn’t particularly shocked that she knew I was a Sovereign. The moment I pulled out Cyrus’s matte-black obsidian credit card at the food stalls earlier, half the market was practically in panic because it was a Sovereign Credit Card.
A Sovereign Card, especially one with an unlimited executive pass, was ridiculously rare, so anyone with a decent supernatural background in Uruk would connect the dots instantly.
I swallowed my food smoothly, offering her a dry, unbothered smirk. "Is that a trick question, or did you just trace my credit card?"
Ish leaned back against the stone bench, her dark eyes glittering with an alluring, dangerous light as she crossed her long, silky legs. "Oh, please. Tracing a credit card is child’s play, darling. I felt the aura of your Sovereign Deck the exact second you stepped into that market. It’s... peculiar. Unbound, dense, and radiating a flavor I’ve never felt from any human before."
Seeing no real point in making up excuses, I gave a casual shrug. "I bonded with it earlier today."
Ish froze.
The seductive, playful smirk resting on her lips completely vanished. Her wide dark eyes locked onto mine, her mouth slightly parting as an expression of genuine shock washed across her face, probably the first time I had seen her drop her confident mask.
"Today...?" Ish whispered, her voice losing its flirtatious purr as genuine bewilderment replaced it. "You... you bonded with a Sovereign Deck today?"
"Yeah," I nodded, taking another bite of my corn. "Is there something wrong with that?"
I geniunely could not understand this woman. It wasn’t like I had gathered a team already. No, it was just the bonding.
Before I could process her reaction better, Ish suddenly reached out, her slender hands grabbing my wrist with surprising force. She leaned in so close that our noses were inches apart, her sweet lotus scent washing over my face as her dark eyes searched mine with intense scrutiny.
"Are you telling me the truth, Seth?" she demanded softly, her eyes narrowing.
Without waiting for me to answer, she let go of my wrist and began pacing rapidly in front of the bench. Her manicured fingers tapped against her chin as she mumbled rapidly under her breath-her words so quiet, fast, and layered in ancient, forgotten dialects that I could barely catch a single syllable.
"...an unbound Origin... a sudden spatial surge in the High Council chamber...could it really be...?"
She abruptly stopped mid-step, snapping her head back toward me. She took two quick strides, leaning into my personal space, her sharp gaze locking directly onto mine.
"Is your full name... Seth Fernando?" she asked, her voice carrying a sharp, commanding weight.
I blinked, slightly surprised by how quickly she pulled that name out of thin air, but I kept my posture relaxed. "Yeah. Seth Fernando. Why?"
The second the confirmation left my lips, a look of profound realization swept across Ish’s breathtaking face. She slowly straightened, letting out a long, incredulous breath as she shook her head, a soft, breathless laugh escaping her lips.
"No wonder..." Ish murmured, a mixture of awe and intense fascination shining in her eyes. "No wonder you unsealed all fifty-four cards on your very first day. If there was anyone in this generation capable of pulling off such an absurd feat... it would naturally be the one who holds Origin."
My entire body went rigid.
My relaxed demeanor vanished in a split second, my eyes narrowing sharply as I stared at the woman before me. Razor-sharp tension filled the air around us. The only people who knew about my Astral Soul and my 54-card unsealing were my immediate family and the Seven Seats of the High Council.
"Who the hell are you?" I demanded, my voice dropping into a cold, firm register.
As if she had been eagerly waiting for me to ask that exact question, the woman tossed her dark hair back over her shoulder, stepping into the golden twilight with a brilliant, triumphant smile.
"I am Ishtar," she declared proudly, her voice carrying a subtle, godlike resonance that made the golden air hum. "Goddess of Love, Beauty, War, and Political Power... and the true divine ruler of this ancient city of Uruk."
I stared at her.
My mind went completely, utterly blank for three solid seconds.
’Wait... WHAT?!’ I screamed internally, my brain completely short-circuiting as I stared at the gorgeous, narcissistic woman standing before me in revealing silk robes. ’I’ve been wandering around the city eating roasted corn with the actual Goddess Ishtar?!’
Thinking back on everything that had happened over the last two hours, her absurd knowledge of Uruk’s secret paths, her effortless charm aura, the way the ancient city seemed to bend to her presence, and her complete, shameless pride in her own beauty, everything suddenly clicked into place.
’Paige!’ I yelled in my mind, my mental voice practically bursting with exhaustion. ’Did you know she was Ishtar this whole time?!’
[Fufufu~] Paige’s voice chimed inside my head, giggling with absolute, shameless amusement. [Host, I can know everything, but I don’t constantly monitor every single deity’s movements unless you ask me to! Though... to be completely honest, I recognized her divine authority the second she grabbed your wrist in the alley!]
’And you didn’t think to warn me?!’ I demanded mentally.
[Hey! Why would I ruin your date?!] Paige huffed playfully. [I wanted you to enjoy strolling around Uruk with a top-tier divine goddess without getting all stiff and formal! Besides, look at her physical stats! She’s an absolute 10/10 waifu!]
I let out a long, heavy sigh, rubbing my hand over my face. ’I am going to lose my mind with you two.’
[Hehe~] Paige giggled softly before her tone shifted into a more informative rhythm. [To be fair to her, Seth, Ishtar passively radiates her divine authorities, Love, Sexuality, Fertility, War, and Dominance. Wherever she goes, her mere presence naturally distorts the thoughts of ordinary men, driving them wild with desire even if she isn’t actively trying to seduce them.]