"An acquaintance of mine... Could it be Souma?"
Gilgamesh was slightly puzzled.
However, these attendants had been brought from Uruk and would never dare to jest with him frivolously.
"Let them in, then."
Gilgamesh swirled his wine glass casually as he issued the command.
As the invincible King of Heroes, there was little that could unsettle him anymore.
Click—
The door opened.
A painfully familiar figure appeared, freezing him in place.
"Could it truly be...?"
The visitor smiled with the same gentle warmth as always. "My king, it's been so long!"
"...It has indeed been too long, Siduri."
Gilgamesh's hand trembled slightly as he set the wine glass aside.
Even the indomitable king found himself unable to steady his grip in this moment.
After watching the video, he had anticipated this day might come.
Yet he never imagined it would arrive so swiftly.
"My dearest friend... You've truly given me the greatest surprise."
"My king, please allow me to serve once more as your high priestess, to assist you in governing Uruk."
Tears shimmered in Siduri's eyes.
After watching the video, she grew even more in awe of her king.
Truly a wise king praised by all!
"Hahaha, of course! Siduri, no one is more suited to be my assistant than you!"
Gilgamesh suddenly burst into laughter, even more heartily than before.
He took a large swig of wine and wiped his lips. "But now is entirely the era of humanity. You no longer need to offer sacrifices to the gods!"
Sacrifices—this was humanity's ancient tribute to the gods.
Weak humans needed divine protection.
But after the Farewell War, he and Nameless had joined forces to sever ties with the gods completely. No longer did they need divine shelter!
Hum~
Golden ripples bloomed around Gilgamesh as he retrieved a radiant, multicolored herb from them.
He handed the divine herb over. "Here, this is the Herb of Immortality I obtained back then. I bestow it upon you."
Back then, even with the Herb of Immortality, he had chosen to abandon it without hesitation.
Both his dearest friends had departed, and he had fulfilled his destiny as the Wise King. There was nothing left to cling to.
"My king, there's no need."
Siduri shook her head. "Earlier, the Goddess of the Underworld used the power of creation given to her by Nameless to grant me divinity, bestowing upon me a lifespan akin to that of a Heroic Spirit."
Heroic Spirits existed alongside human history.
As long as humanity endured, Heroic Spirits would remain eternal.
"Nameless again..."
Gilgamesh stored the Herb of Immortality back into the [Gate of Babylon], momentarily at a loss for words.
That bastard—was he deliberately making sure Gilgamesh could never repay his debts?
"My king, have you not found Nameless?" Siduri blinked in surprise.
Nameless was skilled in all manner of delicacies. Every time, he would prepare delicious dishes for Enkidu and invite her to join them.
Yet he always deliberately excluded the king, who would shamelessly find excuses to crash their meals anyway.
Those were the happiest days, when the king's laughter never ceased.
Later.
After Nameless and Enkidu left, the king's smile vanished forever.
He buried himself in endless administrative duties, as if determined to drown in them.
A mighty demigod, yet he worked himself to death...
"Nonsense! If I wish to find someone, how could I fail?"
Gilgamesh snorted coldly.
Let it not be forgotten—among all Heroic Spirits, he was the first to find Nameless.
I, the king, am invincible!
Gilgamesh said calmly, "Remember, don't act recklessly from now on. For dangerous matters, leave them to me and Nameless. You just focus on your work in Uruk!"
"As you command, my king!"
Siduri's smile grew even gentler. "As expected of you, my king. You already know those two goddesses are about to descend as well."
"...What is that Goddess of the Underworld planning now?"
Gilgamesh's composure wavered slightly. "Is she digging my grave under Uruk again, one shovelful at a time with that little spade of hers?"
Three days!
Just three days left!
Even if Tiamat didn't attack, that infuriating goddess would drag all of Uruk into the underworld.
"Eh? How did you guess?"
A figure suddenly appeared at the door.
Though dressed like an ordinary girl, she exuded the lofty aura of a deity.
The newcomer was none other than Ereshkigal, the Queen of the Underworld, possessing Rin's form!
"..."
Siduri fell silent.
Goddess... didn't we just meet? Why have you followed me here?
"..."
Gilgamesh also fell silent.
Two pairs of eyes were fixed on the small shovels in each other's hands.
Ereshkigal tugged at the corner of her clothes, wearing an embarrassed smile: "Hello there, lovely weather today, isn't it?"
"You actually forged a divine shovel?"
Gilgamesh was utterly speechless.
This gloomy goddess of the underworld—was she planning to dig his grave again?
Just imagine: you're reviewing clay tablets, handling government affairs, when suddenly you get dragged into the underworld!
This troublesome goddess of death must be guarded against at all costs!
"Earlier, my sister and I were exiled to the inner side of the world. We had to dig all the way to the surface—it was such hard work!"
Ereshkigal wiped sweat from her forehead that didn't actually exist.
In that moment.
Gilgamesh considered returning to Uruk immediately.
What if this woman secretly started digging his grave again?
Her persistence was terrifying.
After all, this was the same dark goddess who once single-handedly tunneled through all of Uruk in an attempt to bury the entire city!
"Relax, I'm not interested in your Uruk anymore. I just came to watch your reunion scene." Ereshkigal smiled brightly as she left.
A reunion after 4,600 years—such drama was definitely worth sneaking over to witness.
Of course, she was just here to watch. She'd leave after seeing enough.
After her departure.
Gilgamesh casually began recounting past events.
Carried away by nostalgia, he even mentioned how he and Nameless had once tricked Merlin into drinking the Nyannīchan spring water.
Siduri's eyes immediately lit up: "Your Majesty, weren't you worried about how to repay Nameless? Have you considered drinking that potion yourself?"
???
Gilgamesh stared at her in shock.
Good grief—I treat you as my most trusted aide, and you want me to sell out my own body?
"Ahem, it was just a suggestion."
Siduri maintained an elegant yet polite smile.
Her king had once been an extremely cruel and tyrannical ruler. It was only after meeting Nameless that he changed, becoming the wise and beloved king everyone admired.
When you thought about it, the king owed Nameless so much—no wonder he considered him his most important friend!
...
Meanwhile.
At Souma's home.
After watching the video, Qin Shi Huang had already left.
He'd hoped one video would drive away all the Heroic Spirits, but not a single one had budged.
Qin Shi Huang needed some time to cool off.
More importantly, he'd been handling affairs through clones for too long—it was time for his main body to return and take charge.
The United States seemed to be making some big moves again...
After his departure.
Roya stared intensely at another uninvited guest: "So... shouldn't you be leaving now?"
This woman was a formidable rival!
She'd ruthlessly consumed two or three days' worth of food in one sitting.
During the movie-length viewing of Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia, she'd cleared out all the snacks in the house.
Roya couldn't help wondering—what kind of stomach did this woman have?
Was it a dragon's stomach like Kanna's?
"Thank you for the hospitality."
Artoria clasped her hands together gracefully in thanks.
Having won her bet with Qin Shi Huang, she no longer needed to return to Britain.
Then.
Under the little girl's wary gaze, Artoria also stood to leave.
Earlier, after Mordred was taken by Qin Shi Huang to watch the video, she seemed to be searching for Artoria—who was no longer at the hotel.
She needed to hurry back before Mordred noticed anything suspicious.
If Mordred ever learned Nameless's true identity, she'd undoubtedly come running immediately.
Then, the whole world would laugh at Britain.
"Be careful on your way."
Souma waved goodbye.
After seeing off the two heroic spirits, he sat blankly on the sofa.
Wasn't this supposed to be a peaceful retirement? So why had it turned into a daily routine of heroic spirits dropping by?
Damn you, Alaya!
If it weren't for those videos being constantly released, how could this have happened?
Roya walked over and couldn't help but pout in complaint. "Why are more and more people coming lately?"
Usually, hardly anyone visited, but recently, the number of visitors had been increasing.
And they were all complete strangers.
"Probably because my cooking is good."
Souma chuckled and casually pinched the white-stockinged calf she stretched toward him.
Having traversed time and space, condensed gods and monsters, even after escaping the fate of being a Hero of Justice, he still couldn't evade Alaya's betrayal.
Only at times like this could he feel a trace of warmth and happiness.
A simple, ordinary life was the truth—
Yeah, right!
This brat was also a ticking time bomb!
"Well, I have to admit, your cooking is really good. Just look at that girl—she eats like a starving ghost reincarnated!" Roya nodded.
That blonde girl earlier had deliberately arrived right at mealtime and kept eating nonstop!
Roya sighed softly. "Come to think of it, she did resemble King Arthur a bit. Too bad her personality was completely different."
"Indeed..."
Souma looked up at the ceiling.
You little rascal, you actually succeeded in inviting King Arthur over for dinner at our place!
You win, you're truly my destined nemesis!
Souma gazed at the Servant poster the kid had stuck on the wall at some point and asked softly, "By the way, which Servant do you like the most?"
Since the Servants were coming to visit, preparations needed to be made in advance.
He had to give the kid a heads-up.
"Before, I liked the King of Heroes the most because he's super rich... but then he crashed and burned," Roya answered without hesitation.
That guy was practically the god of wealth, yet he kept failing spectacularly.
Even though he somewhat redeemed himself in "Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia," she didn't worship him like before.
"The King of Heroes... that might not work..." Souma felt slightly awkward.
He hadn't even gotten around to pouring the gender-swapping spring water on that guy yet, so it was out of the question.
"I also really liked King Arthur... but she crashed too. Qin Shi Huang was cool too, but I'm worried he might fail as well," Roya said with a helpless expression.
They were all supposed to be perfect top-tier Servants, so why did they keep failing so spectacularly?
She stared solemnly at the newly posted poster of a man in a red cape. "So now, I only like Nameless!"
All the other Servants might have their failures and dark histories, but not Nameless!
He was the true hero who walked in darkness, asking for nothing in return while silently protecting humanity!
"Uh..." Souma was taken aback.
Are you sure you like Nameless?
You like him stabbing you through the heart?
You like him taking you down with him?
You like him binding you with countless chains of heaven?
The more Souma thought about it, the more complicated his feelings became.
Why did he suddenly feel like the kid had potential to become a masochist or yandere?
With Alaya's exposure and the final battle drawing closer, he had to find a way to stabilize the kid.
Despite working day and night to teach and guide her, it still didn't seem to be enough.
Did he really have to find her a mother?
Ding-dong~
Just then, the doorbell rang again.
Roya couldn't help but pout. "Seriously, who's coming over this late?"
When she opened the door, she found someone she genuinely liked.
She looked at the visitor in surprise. "Taiga, what brings you here?"
The visitor was Taiga Fujimura, who was technically Souma's teacher and their legal guardian.
A very easygoing big sister.
Roya hadn't forgotten how Taiga used to buy her all sorts of delicious treats, fun toys, and new clothes when she was little.
"I came to check on you two! I've been cooped up at home since New Year's and haven't visited until now," Taiga said with an embarrassed laugh.
Of course, she couldn't admit she was here to freeload meals and lodging.
"Welcome, welcome!" Roya enthusiastically ushered her inside.
This was one of her favorite people, and the least threatening one.
After all, in Taiga's eyes, both she and Souma were just kids, so there was no risk of her trying to steal Souma away.
She whispered conspiratorially, "Taiga, can you help me do a gacha pull later?"
This carefree big sister's greatest trait was her incredible luck.
Every time she pulled the gacha, she got SSR in a single pull!
"Hmph, no way! Being too lucky will drain my fortune!" Taiga firmly refused.
She wasn't some old-fashioned person—she surfed the internet every day.
Of course, every stroke of extraordinary luck comes at the cost of one's life.
"Fuji-nee's luck..."
Souma trailed off.
It seemed she possessed a unique skill—
[Super Luck]
***
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