Even in these extraordinary times, Gilgamesh, as a king, remained extravagant.
Spices, which would be a luxury for common folk, were used lavishly in the food, and the table was laden with ale, fruit wine, and grape wine.
Mash, being kind-hearted since childhood, couldn't help but say to Gilgamesh after Fujimaru Ritsuka had served themselves quite a bit:
"King Gilgamesh, that's enough. If you keep bringing out more dishes, we won't be able to finish them. It would be such a waste, especially since these are special times."
Mash's intentions were good, but Gilgamesh was unfazed.
"Nonsense! Keep drinking, keep eating, keep the music playing, keep the dancing going! I am the King of Uruk. If even a king cannot indulge in luxury, then this nation is not far from ruin."
Gilgamesh spoke words that, at first listen, seemed quite reasonable. The innocent Mash wanted to argue, but couldn't find a suitable reason.
Just then, Siduri came over with a plate of butter cake and, with a keen eye, placed it in front of Anna.
Anna had been largely unnoticed from the start, quietly eating the pastries in front of them. Their eyes would light up when they tasted something sweet, clearly a young girl with a love for desserts.
"As the King said, please eat your fill, everyone. Although these are special times, we can certainly afford to entertain our guests with this much. Lady Anna~ This is butter cake, it's very sweet and fragrant."
After speaking, Siduri retreated behind Gilgamesh. In truth, the butter cake was the last dish, a dessert after the meal, unless someone asked for more.
"I, I don't really like sweets, but, but it's hard to refuse such kindness, so I'll just have a little taste."
Anna's nose twitched, already smelling the sweet aroma of the butter cake, but as someone maintaining a cool persona, they certainly had to act a bit tsundere.
Anna extended a small hand, picked up a piece of cake, and took a small bite.
"Mmm!"
In that instant, Anna's eyes lit up. Light particles and flower effects bloomed around them. Mo Shuying turned to look at Merlin, and sure enough, it was that fellow adding the effects!
"Merlin!"
Mo Shuying said in a low voice. Merlin quickly withdrew their mischievous hand, scratched their hair, and tried to brush it off.
"Hahaha~ Just a whim, just a whim!"
Merlin thought Mo Shuying was going to scold them, but to their surprise, Mo Shuying gave a thumbs up.
"Well done!!"
"...Uh, thank you for the compliment."
Twenty minutes later, the banquet was enjoyed by both hosts and guests.
Siduri led Mash and the others to their resting quarters.
Mo Shuying, however, stayed in the palace, having something to discuss with Gilgamesh.
Mo Shuying stood by the railing, holding a cup of ale, looking out over the view of most of Uruk, and the Euphrates River, like a black ribbon of jade. Uruk was indeed beautiful.
"When I arrived, I saw King Hassan. He must be an ally. He told me that death is spreading through the city and urged me to hurry and find you, so you wouldn't take a day trip to the Underworld."
Mo Shuying spoke calmly. To be honest, the first time he met Gilgamesh in Illya's world, he was still a bit nervous.
But after more contact, and even summoning him later, over time, he truly lost all sense of reverence.
Gilgamesh wasn't angered by Mo Shuying's casualness. He leaned against the railing, looking up at the moon.
"The Underworld, what's the difference from this king's backyard? You say the Old Man of the Mountain came? That's a bit of a surprise. How did he get here? That's no simple matter."
Gilgamesh was also quite concerned about King Hassan. This was a super-powerful being. If he was an ally, that would be for the best. If not, he would have to consider how to guard against a broken sword appearing from behind him.
"For someone who created the Assassin Class, breaking through realms shouldn't be an impossible feat. He's in the city, but I advise you not to try and find him. You know, it's almost impossible for you to find him. Just observe and adapt, lest you anger him."
Mo Shuying knew that while King Hassan helped the protagonist in the storyline, he was also an unpredictable factor, and angering him would bring no good.
"Alright, this king knows what to do about such matters. Let's talk about something else. Now that you've obtained two Holy Grails, yet you can still stay here and freeload a meal from this king, it means the Singularity hasn't been fixed. Which means..."
Gilgamesh looked at Mo Shuying, a smile on his face.
"Unless you defeat the enemy, you won't be able to fix the Singularity."
Mo Shuying turned to Gilgamesh, smiling as well.
"Then who do you think the so-called enemy is? The Three Goddess Alliance? Those are three incredibly powerful goddesses. How can mere mortals like us contend with them? Do you think there's a possibility that we could sell you out, let the Three Goddesses win, and the Singularity might even be quickly restored?"
"..."
Gilgamesh's face darkened. Betraying him right to his face was quite something.
"Haha~ Just kidding! Since they're on the side of [evil], there's no way we'd help them. However, the so-called Three Goddess Alliance isn't actually a solid block. The one truly malicious towards humanity is only Tiamat. As for the other two, if handled properly, they could actually become our allies."
Mo Shuying reminded Gilgamesh that the true enemy was actually only Gorgon.
"Hmm? You mean? You want this king to send people to ally with Ishtar and that Quetzalcoatl?"
Gilgamesh frowned. He hadn't really considered that.
Mo Shuying tilted his head.
"When did Ishtar join the Three Goddess Alliance?"
"Hmm?"
"Hmm?"
Mo Shuying and Gilgamesh stared at each other.
"You still have the Star of Omniscience and Omnipotence, don't you? Couldn't you tell?" Mo Shuying asked.
"The opponent has extremely high Divinity; even my Star of Omniscience and Omnipotence cannot see through them. Besides, isn't it true that the Three Goddess Alliance consists of three goddesses? Tiamat, Quetzalcoatl, and Venus… wait, no! While Ishtar is an idiot, she's not the kind of goddess who wants to destroy Uruk. So, the third goddess must be someone else entirely! Who is it?"
Gilgamesh's eyes gleamed. He turned to look into the distance, then lowered his gaze to the ground.
"The Underworld! Of course, I forgot about that one! The deaths in the city... were those your doing too?! Damn it! You scoundrel! You're nothing but a goddess who consorts with death! Dark! Cold! Disgusting! All you know is to sneak around furtively!"
Gilgamesh was furious. He had recently heard reports of the elderly and weak dying in the city, numbering in the dozens, but he had assumed it was simply due to old age.
But who would have thought their souls had been snatched away by death!
He was enraged! He swore that one day he would invade the Underworld and teach that gloomy goddess a lesson!
However, just as he was fuming with nowhere to vent his anger, Mo Shuying, with a dark expression, stood behind Gilgamesh, and then...
He kicked him!
*Bang!*
"How dare you insult my Ere! Face your punishment!!"
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Read 777+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский at: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Join our Discord: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------