Chapter 30: Anxious Moses
Nebchasetnebet's less-than-impressive exit didn't affect his little brother's mood in the slightest.
This architectural maniac, once disembarked, could no longer restrain his urge to show off.
He didn't even bring his wife along—he drove his gold-inlaid chariot alone down the grand avenue of the new city, heading toward the Temple of Amun.
His lion, named "Killer," walked ahead of the two horses, who were already well-accustomed to such ostentation.
His head of golden hair blew in the wind, with the intense aura of a cheesy hair commercial. Witnessing this, the ancient Egyptians—seriously lacking in show-off culture—were stunned by the pharaoh's overwhelming charisma.
After a long silence, a wave of thunderous cheering erupted:
"Son of Light! Ramesses!"
Hundreds, even thousands of voices echoed along the avenue into the sky, the atmosphere reaching a fever pitch.
Nobles, craftsmen, and farmers were all equal at this moment.
All the girls donned their colorful robes, horses were decorated with ribbons and copper ornaments, even donkeys had flower garlands around their necks.
The Hebrews were even more ecstatic—especially their leader, Moses, who was embraced publicly by the pharaoh upon arrival at the Temple of Amun.
They believed they had received the highest respect from the Egyptian royal family.
The great wonder they had helped build would be celebrated for centuries, standing alongside the Egyptian kingdom. Their reverence for Moses only deepened.
At this moment, Moses did not resemble a prophet in the slightest; he was tearfully overwhelmed with joy.
After releasing Moses, Ramesses first turned his gaze to the statue.
This giant stone figure had been sculpted to sit on a throne, gazing upon the city.
On closer inspection, however, one might notice the statue seemed cross-eyed, its gaze also appearing to look skyward.
Atop the statue's head was the combined white and red crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, with a serpent crest on the forehead—a spitting cobra, representing the power of Seth. Its venom would blind the pharaoh's enemies.
Seeing the cobra, the pharaoh instinctively glanced back at Hikigaya. When he saw Hikigaya watching calmly without displeasure, he relaxed.
At that moment, Ramesses wore the double crown, donned a wide-sleeved linen robe, a golden waistband tied with a silver belt, and a golden necklace around his chest. To modern eyes, it would have screamed "tacky," but at that time, it was undeniably regal.
So this modern "tacky" pharaoh of ancient "grandeur" walked to the statue and, under the expectant eyes of his people, declared:
"You embody my governance and the guardian spirit of this city. I open your mouth, eyes, and ears—henceforth, you are a living being. Those who dare attack you will be sentenced to death."
It was high noon. Sunlight beamed down on both statue and pharaoh. He turned to his people and shouted:
"Ramesses City is born! From now on, this is the center of the world!"
In that moment, he truly was the supreme Pharaoh of Egypt.
At the same time, thousands of voices roared in unison with religious frenzy.
Only two voices sighed in unison: "What a terrible cliché…"
But amidst the sea of screaming, no one heard them—not even those beside them.
Then came the celebrations.
The pharaoh and his queen toured every corner of the city, treating everyone equally, listening to their impressions and feedback.
The greatest surprise for the royal couple was the palace.
It had glazed tile floors, refreshing pools, lush gardens, blooming lotus ponds with swimming fish—everywhere exuded gentle hues praising the beauty of creation.
Moses played the role of Ramesses' most trusted ally—which he rightfully earned.
He and his people had made enormous contributions to the city. In high spirits and surrounded by cheers, Ramesses announced that Moses would become a court minister, one of the most powerful people in the kingdom.
Nebchasetnebet was furious. He felt tricked by that sorcerer.
Look at Moses—so overwhelmed with excitement! How could that guy possibly be a rebel? If Moses were the kind of guy to rebel, Nebchasetnebet would eat shit live on air!
Undoubtedly, as long as Moses had no mental issues, he'd become a wealthy and loyal high official.
There was no reason to rebel over some foolish religious debate—not when he owed all this to the king.
The faces of his people in the street were filled with happiness—again, no reason to rebel. With that, Nebchasetnebet's only remaining ally was the Hittites.
Even the officials who once sided with him now praised Ramesses and dreamed of owning villas in Ramesses City. Traitorous bastards, the lot of them.
But Nebchasetnebet didn't stay hopeless for long.
He noticed that the more the pharaoh praised Moses—promising him more rewards and higher status—the more tense and uneasy Moses became.
Maybe… things weren't as bad as they seemed.
Hikigaya, too, had been observing everything—especially Moses and Ramesses.
Though he wasn't a god-slayer who could directly read human thoughts, he could tell: this Hebrew man had a secret.
So much so, that under the pharaoh's praise, he was growing increasingly anxious.
Hikigaya leaned against a pillar—alone. (Don't ask where Haruno was. She was currently drinking people under the table.)
He could tell Haruno wanted to vent all her frustration from the time-travel ordeal. If she had dice, she'd probably be gambling the entire hall into submission…
He thought for a moment and decided to go talk to Moses.
Because he wanted to know: Had Moses already met his "God"?
But someone blocked his way.
It was Nefertari, Ramesses' queen. She seemed to have had quite a bit to drink—her face was flushed.
"You don't seem to be enjoying yourself. Is it because you dislike crowds?" Her tone was gentle.
"It's fine," Hikigaya smiled, then pointed at Moses. "That man. Do you know him well?"
"You mean Moses? He's a loyal friend. Although not Egyptian, he has more wisdom than most Egyptians."
That was high praise.
Nationalism may be a modern concept, but that didn't mean ancient people lacked similar distinctions.
For example, in medieval times, sects were used to divide humans from animals.
As for ancient Egyptians, metaphorically, they believed non-Egyptians were snot scraped out by the god Atum.
So clearly, in Nefertari's eyes, Moses was not snot. He was fully human.
"You look tired," she said. Though her face was red, her eyes were bright and clear.
The way she looked at Hikigaya seemed oddly familiar, like he'd seen that gaze somewhere before.
"Yeah, it's getting late—ideal for sleeping. But I figure Ramesses and Moses still have more to discuss later." Hikigaya casually replied.
After all, this was a "patient" he had treated. He figured he ought to be a little nicer to his own client.
If it had been that fat guy instead? He would've shipped him off to go wrestle with crocodiles.
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