What happened today did not stir much of a commotion within Uruk.
Originally, the sudden weakening and death of 113 people should have been enough to alarm the citizens of Uruk.
However, due to the current wartime conditions—with the northern wall and southern gate under constant assault by non-human magical beasts—the people of Uruk were already putting forth all their strength just to cope with the many demands and difficulties of war.
And with the addition of a full one hundred thousand new able-bodied individuals, the matter became a mixed issue—significant, yet easily buried.
Though it caused a brief stir, it soon vanished without a trace.
Life in Uruk continued as usual: blacksmiths forging iron, bronzesmiths refining copper, weapons being crafted, and clay tablets being made.
Agriculture, food services, and animal husbandry also bustled with activity—everyone was utterly absorbed in their work.
The one hundred thousand new arrivals who joined Uruk were also fully assigned to their respective roles.
Those with special skills were sent to relevant professions; former soldiers were dispatched to the southern gate or northern wall to join the war effort.
Even the elderly and women lacking physical strength took on miscellaneous tasks.
It was truly a city in total mobilization—one could imagine the sheer liveliness of it all.
Of course, if there had been any children, Uruk would have ensured their protection rather than forcing them into labor.
As Gilgamesh put it:
"Children are the future of society and the race. They need only play to their hearts' content and cultivate knowledge and wisdom. In doing so, humanity will continue to develop, and ultimately, society and the nation shall progress. That, too, will become my treasure."
Such was the candid declaration of the king who collected within his treasury the very foundations and prototypes of human civilization and technology.
A Wise King who could foresee the future surely understood that this era was the origin and beginning of humankind.
Therefore, cultivating the intelligence of children and fostering humanity's growth was an essential endeavor.
Unfortunately, Gilgamesh's good intentions were rendered useless.
The reason? Simple.
Among these hundreds of thousands of people—there were elderly, there were women—but not a single child.
"Could it be that children who haven't matured are unfit to serve as materials for creating magical beasts?"
Rozen had once been both surprised and contemplative over this, but in the end, found no answer and had to set the matter aside for now.
Thanks to this, not a single one among the hundred thousand rescued individuals was deemed unfit for use.
All found a role to play and successfully integrated into the war-torn city of Uruk.
Meanwhile, good news kept pouring in from both the northern wall and the southern gate.
With the aid of the many familiars deployed by Rozen, the armies of magical beasts and the forest legions were suffering defeat after defeat, and the defenders had gained an unprecedented upper hand.
However, they could not afford to counterattack blindly—they still had to remain vigilant.
After all, what had appeared thus far were merely pawns meant for war. The goddesses themselves had not yet acted; they were likely still observing the battlefield.
Until the true culprits—the goddesses—were dealt with, no matter how favorable the current situation seemed, caution must not be thrown to the wind.
At the very least, no matter how many magical beasts in the north were defeated, the Goddess of Beasts could continuously reproduce them using her divine authority and replenish their numbers at any time.
The winged dragons in the south were likewise summoned by the Goddess of the Jungle, and even the beastfolk appeared alongside the jungle—surely she had her own means of reinforcement.
Against such opponents, no matter how many you slay, it's unlikely you'd inflict any truly decisive or lasting damage.
Fortunately, Uruk now had a similar advantage.
The army of hundreds of thousands of familiars summoned by Rozen using the mana from the Holy Grail were likewise entities that could be resummoned even after being killed.
If injured, they could regenerate with mana alone, rendering them unafraid of their foes.
In light of this, the current state of battle was locked in a stalemate. It was now just a matter of which side would lose patience first and send in a major force.
And so, night gradually fell.
After nightfall, the sounds of forging and shouting in Uruk slowly quieted, until they disappeared altogether.
The citizens of Uruk, having finished a full day's work, treated themselves to a hearty dinner before going to bed early.
In this era, humans rarely held the concept of staying up late.
Early to bed and early to rise was their natural rhythm of life.
To prepare for the demanding work of tomorrow, proper rest was essential—this was something even Gilgamesh emphasized.
Thus, after nightfall, almost all the lights in Uruk went dark, including those at the Chaldea embassy.
However, Rozen and his group had not yet gone to sleep.
At this time, Rozen, Mash, and Anna were wandering through the streets of Uruk.
Beside them, Merlin followed with Fou perched on his shoulder.
"Ha~~~"
Letting out a massive yawn, Merlin walked forward while tears gathered at the corners of his eyes.
"Has the Garula spirit not appeared yet?" he muttered drowsily. "If it doesn't show up soon, big brother Merlin really won't make it. Sleep is serious business for a incubus, after all."
The great Magus of Flowers from Britain said such discouraging words.
"Merlin, please shut up."
Anna sent her greetings in her usual concise manner.
"Truly useless," the members of Chaldea muttered in unison.
"Mr. Merlin…" Mash added hesitantly, "Aren't incubus supposed to create dreams and devour others' dreams? They don't actually need to sleep themselves, right?"
Well then, our dear little eggplant just couldn't help but join in.
Of course, this level of sarcasm was far from enough to faze the great magus Merlin.
"I'm half-human, you know," Merlin replied without an ounce of shame, still yawning. "So, while I'm not as desperate for sleep as ordinary humans, I do still need some rest."
"Besides, I was up all night yesterday working with the priests to set up a flower field at the ritual site. And now I have to come out tonight to hunt ghosts? This is definitely exploitation! The treatment in Camelot was way better!"
He kept on complaining as he walked.
Rozen ignored Merlin, continuing to walk while turning his gaze toward Anna.
"I honestly didn't expect you to come along with us," he said. "Even though Gilgamesh commissioned all of us, and even sent Merlin, I thought your goal was the Goddess of Beasts, so you wouldn't concern yourself with the Goddess of the Underworld."
"...That's a misunderstanding," Anna sighed. "Even if it goes against my original intent, I can't just let what happened last night slide."
Seems like this girl holds grudges quite seriously.