The next day, before dawn, Shiomi, Morgan, and Artoria set out on their journey to Eridu.
Just yesterday, Quetzalcoatl had declared that she would return to Uruk after sunrise to kill a hundred soldiers. But now, instead of staying behind to defend the city, they were heading straight for the enemy's stronghold—something that left Artoria slightly puzzled.
"Master, are we really going straight to Quetzalcoatl's temple in Eridu?" Artoria asked, sitting inside the carriage and holding the railing as she looked toward Shiomi at the reins.
Before Shiomi could respond, Morgan quipped, "A Servant without knowledge from the Holy Grail? That's rare."
"What do you mean?" Artoria frowned, her delicate brows drawn together in confusion and irritation.
"Strike the stronghold to save the front—a classic tactic from ancient warfare," Shiomi explained. "If Quetzalcoatl really is heading to Uruk after sunrise to kill a hundred soldiers, as she claimed, then it means Eridu's defenses will be wide open."
After all, Quetzalcoatl only handled the fighting. The job of recovering the unconscious soldiers—killed and instantly revived—was left to her Jaguar Warriors.
That meant there would be no real fighting force left at the temple. It would be the perfect time to recover the Axe of Marduk or rescue the civilians imprisoned in Eridu with minimal resistance.
"So we're taking advantage of the opening," Artoria said, starting to piece it together. "Destroy her base directly?"
In the battles she had led, this kind of strategy had never been needed. As King Arthur, she always led from the front and won through direct confrontation. Naturally, it wasn't something she could immediately wrap her head around.
"Exactly." Shiomi smiled. "Both you and Morgan have Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasms. Once the civilians are evacuated, you two should have no trouble leveling the temple."
"Destroying the key temple will weaken Quetzalcoatl's power," Morgan added.
After all, the reason Quetzalcoatl could maintain such strength on foreign soil was that she had built up faith in this land—faith centered around the temple dedicated to her.
"But… with all of us away from Uruk, what about the defense there?" Artoria asked, voicing her concern.
The plan sounded solid, but if Uruk fell while they were away, the entire operation would be pointless.
"I've sent part of the northern wall's troops back to Uruk to help Master prepare for the assault," Shiomi said. "Even if Master can't kill Quetzalcoatl—being a god who embodies the pinnacle of 'good'—he can still keep her from slaughtering people as she pleases."
"One last thing. We're traveling openly on this main road to the southern jungle, not even bothering to mask our presence with Magecraft. Aren't we basically announcing our plans?"
Just as she finished speaking, Morgan, sitting beside Shiomi on the front seat, slowly raised her finger and pointed to the sky.
The first light of dawn tore through the darkness. A new day began on the Mesopotamian plain.
A shadow streaked across the sky, then quickly circled back, hovering above their carriage.
Looking up, Artoria immediately recognized the figure riding on the pterosaur's back. Without hesitation, she leapt from the carriage and drew her Holy Sword.
"We want to be seen." Shiomi pulled the reins to stop the carriage. He looked up at Quetzalcoatl with a calm smile. "Anyone with half a brain can figure out we're heading to her temple in Eridu—to cut off her escape route."
Even if Quetzalcoatl chose to engage them here, Shiomi had nothing to lose.
In fact, it would only ease the pressure on Uruk, allowing its forces to regroup and refocus on the Magical Beast front in the north, where the battle against the endless hordes of beasts and Demon Pillars continued.
Once Quetzalcoatl is lured onto the open plain, Scáthach will lead the Servants stationed in Uruk to support us.
That goddess may be benevolent, but her combat strength is overwhelming. We'll need to throw everything we have at her.
Also...
"Even if you're all aligned with good, I'm evil," Morgan said smugly as she glanced at Artoria. "So all you need to do is support my husband and create the opening I need for a fatal strike."
"So we're starting a battle?" Artoria asked, eyeing Quetzalcoatl warily.
She'd seen the goddess's power during yesterday evening's clash—easily as troublesome as Kingu, who held the core of the Holy Grail.
"No. She won't," Shiomi replied, narrowing his eyes.
Quetzalcoatl, riding her pterosaur, looked surprised at first. But the moment she understood their intentions, she gave a dangerous smile, turned her mount, and flew back toward Eridu.
"She's retreating?" Artoria lowered her guard slightly, still confused as to why the enemy didn't attack on the spot.
"Quetzalcoatl—Toltec High Priest and also Kukulkan, the Conqueror King of the Maya," Shiomi said calmly. "South American myths glorify battle. If she's realized our purpose, then rather than start a fight here, she'd definitely prefer a sacred battle in front of her own temple."
Artoria winced. "So… isn't what you're doing now just blatant provocation?"
Their opponent was waiting in her stronghold, fully prepared while they crossed a long distance to reach her. It was clearly a trap laid with every advantage.
This would be a harder battle than any they'd faced before.
"The journey from Uruk to Eridu takes about two days each way for a Mesopotamian," Shiomi said, reaching out to help Artoria back onto the carriage. "We're not in a rush. We'll just take it slow."
"She's a god. Deliberately dragging things out to wear her down probably won't work," Morgan warned.
"Even so, it gives us time to prepare," Shiomi said, steering the carriage toward a nearby grassy slope with a few scattered trees. "We're going to fight her either way—better to do it on our terms."
He finished speaking with a wide yawn.
"The season's right, the weather's nice, and the temperature's perfect," he mumbled, yawning again. "Leaving before sunrise… I barely slept last night."
Morgan gave Artoria a pointed look. "You brought that on yourself—waking the lion with an appetite you couldn't satisfy."
"…Ugh…"
Whenever this kind of talk came up, Artoria always ended up flustered. She couldn't find the words to argue, and the truth left her too embarrassed to respond.
"Well then—" Shiomi grinned, dragging out the words lazily. "We're not planning to arrive today anyway. Let's take it easy. Treat it like a little spring outing."
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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