Chapter 330: The King with Golden Hair and Red Eyes
The black peaks were a hazy grey until they suddenly emitted a faint shimmer. The sky began to shift in intervals of a minute, then two.
The golden sun rose slowly, dyeing the river a reddish-gold. This was the mother river of a civilization, sustaining countless lives for millions of years. In the last five or six millennia, it had witnessed the rise and fall of one human tribe after another.
A golden veil draped over the tops of the dense forest; the snowy white mist quietly dispersed, and dewdrops on the leaves trickled onto the long, thin blades of grass below.
By the time the sun had risen halfway—roughly six o'clock by modern standards—Shirou woke up naturally. The morning stream continued its gurgling flow, emitting a slight chill. A gust of wind brushed his face, feeling quite brisk, and he felt completely alert.
The little lion lying on the down bed, losing the windbreak of Shirou's body, felt the cold air as well. She curled up, scooted closer to Shirou, and clung to him tightly.
"Alright, I need to get up and prepare breakfast," Shirou said to the cub.
"Awoo." Hearing the word for food, Lion Saber instantly opened her eyes and moved aside. She even flicked her curved tail back and forth against the boy's back, as if urging him to hurry up.
'What is with this attitude... how is this a lion? She acts exactly like the 'masters' of cat-slaves in the future' Shirou grumbled internally, though he still crawled out from the down blanket.
Since he had encountered a rooster yesterday, there were no eggs, but the boiled chicken bone soup with wild herbs was still very fragrant.
On a global scale, the chicken is arguably humanity's most successfully domesticated animal. America has its beef, China its pork, and the steppes their mutton—but each of those has groups that refuse to eat them. For instance, the white cow is a sacred beast in Hinduism, and the Miao people hold the ox as a totem, so they avoid beef. In Islam, the pig is considered unclean. Not everyone likes the gaminess of mutton. Yet, the chicken is welcomed by almost all these cultures alike.
Chicken is the universal meat—steamed, stewed, grilled, or fried; it suits any cooking method and, remarkably, remains delicious regardless. In Guangdong alone, there are hundreds of medicinal and soup recipes using chicken. It is so ubiquitous that people use "Chicken Soup for the Soul" as a metaphor for verbal or written comfort. Beyond its health benefits, the chicken is inherently delicious; every part can be eaten, even the tongue. Modern bouillon cubes and chicken essence prove this quality.
Shirou prepared chicken patties made from minced, skinless meat. Because the giant wild chicken was so substantial, he had specifically saved a wing's worth of meat the night before to make smoked jerky. Although it lacked the proper air-drying process, it would serve as dry rations for the next two or three days.
Lying on the down blanket, the little lion watched this strange, somewhat familiar human with curiosity, wondering what new delicacy he was making. However, she soon realized she couldn't understand his methods. Getting bored, she rolled around on the blanket, let out a massive yawn that brought tears to her eyes, squinted toward the sky, and went back to sleep.
Seeing Lion Saber expose her belly to him so trustingly, Shirou let out a helpless laugh.
"Really... just one meal and she's like this. Should I be happy or worried?"
After breakfast was ready, Shirou and Lion Saber ate together. Though there was no rice or bread, everything was pure and natural. He made the best of what he had, letting the beautiful natural scenery serve as his "salt."
These issues weren't a problem for the little lion, who was a pure carnivore with a naturally light palate; she had found yesterday's meal delicious as well.
After eating, Shirou found a straight branch, shaved off the burrs, and fashioned a walking stick for support and path-finding. He then bundled the down blanket, leaving an opening for folding, and compressed it as much as possible to serve as a makeshift pack for supplies. He used vines cut from trees as rope to bind it tightly, slinging it over his back like a 60L hiking pack.
"Awoo?" the cub barked in confusion at his actions.
"I'm going that way, so let's part ways here. Thanks for the company, little lion," Shirou said with a light smile. While it was a shame to lose his companion, he understood that the little lion was, after all, a lion. She wasn't Artoria, and he couldn't treat her as a replacement. Moreover, she belonged in her own ecosystem. He would eventually leave this world; taking her to a strange, unsuitable environment would only harm her.
"Awoo!" Lion Saber clearly understood his meaning. She shook her head vigorously, hugged Shirou's trouser leg, and pointed her paw in the same direction he was going.
"Are you saying you want to come with me?" Shirou asked.
"Awoo!" She nodded repeatedly. Having tasted Shirou's cooking, how could she ever go back to her previous life of simple hunting?
Shirou thought it over and finally nodded. In an environment filled with giant monsters, it was actually a good choice for them to watch each other's backs. Even if she didn't adapt well to a new environment, he could take responsibility for hunting and providing for her.
"I understand! I promise to take care of you on the way, but if you can't adapt, you have to go home."
"Awoo! Awoo!" The cub jumped up happily, tackling Shirou and licking his mouth.
"Don't do that! Haha, alright! Alright." Shirou set off toward the location where the golden meteor had fallen last night.
As a large, social predator, lions only perform mouth-licking on their kin. In Lion Saber's mind, licking Shirou meant: "From now on, you are my person! You just handle the food, and leave the fighting to me. I will definitely protect you!"
"Awoo!" The cub ran ahead excitedly to lead the way, occasionally drooling at passing prey or jumping to chase butterflies, but she never went far, staying close to Shirou's side.
By noon, when Shirou prepared to eat, the cub ran back and sat quietly, waiting for her meal. After eating, she flopped onto Shirou's lap and fell fast asleep. Truly a maned lion—she was incredibly lazy. Shirou smiled, picked up the sleeping Lion Saber, and continued his trek.
He walked toward the source of last night's starlight. When he crested a hill, he saw a vast forest—an endless expanse of green. A hundred steps in, the forest swallowed him. To the left was forest; to the right was more forest.
A strong wind blew, and the thick leaves rustled like a river of green. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a "Sea of Trees." Once you entered, you couldn't avoid this green ocean unless you turned back.
Shirou felt the majesty of nature once more. He realized this was land untouched by human development. New York, Paris, London, Beijing, Shanghai—those jungles of steel and concrete did not exist. Everything was covered in green mountains. The rulers here weren't humans, perhaps not even ape-men, but the various beasts occupying the peaks.
While marvelling at the vastness, Shirou pressed on. To oppose the White God, his first priority was to break the Witch's curse, restore his body to its prime, and leave this world.
When he finally reached the edge of the forest, he saw a path that was distinctly different. In a place overgrown with weeds, there was a dirt path where the grass had been flattened, forming a straight road into the depths. He wasn't sure if it was from frequent use by large beasts like wild boars or something else.
As he walked in and rounded a corner, Shirou stopped. He saw a figure standing on a large rock.
It was a golden-haired, red-eyed boy who looked strikingly similar to a certain annoying King—the one who claimed to be two-thirds god and one-third man.
"Hello," the golden-haired, red-eyed boy said, offering a cute, friendly smile.
"Hello," Shirou replied, stunned by the familiar face. Feeling that getting involved with him would be nothing but trouble, Shirou chose to keep his head down and walk away quickly.
"You're carrying a very rare beast!" the boy said, stepping down and looking with great interest at the Lion Saber in Shirou's arms.
"Yeah. Well, goodbye," Shirou answered, circling around the boy to continue on.
"Wait, don't be in such a hurry. I'm Gil. What's your name?"
"Shirou. I have urgent business, so I'm leaving." Shirou quickened his pace.
But little Gil followed with his hands behind his back, smiling as he trailed behind Shirou. "So, what's this little lion's name?"
"Sa... No, she doesn't have an official name yet." Shirou had almost blurted out "Saber-lion" or "Seber," but felt that was too on-the-nose, so he corrected himself.
"Eh, no name? Then you haven't been with this beast-girl for very long, have you?" Gil peered over, his eyes darting around curiously.
"Regardless, that has nothing to do with you, right?" Shirou said.
"In that case, why don't you give her to me! I won't let you lose out, of course. How about we exchange her for this ruby necklace!" Gil said, taking off a gem necklace from his neck and showing it to Shirou.
"No!" Shirou rejected him instantly, without a moment's thought. The reaction was instinctive the second Gil made the offer.
Gil drew out his words with a huff. "Hmph. I thought you were just some country bumpkin, but it seems you know the value of a rare beast-girl. I get it. Come back to Uruk with me, and I'll pay you a price that satisfies you. How about that?"
"No! It's not about money. I would never sell a companion. Leave!" Shirou said decisively. In fact, if the trade involved "Goldie," he would refuse no matter what it was.
"Brat! Don't be so ungrateful! Do you know who I am?" The golden-haired boy puffed out his cheeks in anger and sprinted in front of Shirou, blocking his path. Dropping the "good child" act, he revealed his naturally overbearing nature.
"Wait! Don't even think about leaving! You really don't know how the world works. I said I'd trade treasure for her, and you still won't accept? Fine. There's only one way to solve this—the rough way. According to the rule that the strong rule all, I challenge you to a duel! Hand over that beast-girl, or don't expect to leave here standing!"
"Sigh... It seems you really are the 'Goldie' King I know. You're plenty annoying even as an adult. I didn't expect that even as a child—despite the polite act at first—your nature would be exactly the same. Enough... Hey, do you want to go with that kid over there?" Shirou sighed, asking the cub in his arms.
"Awoo?" Lion Saber, perched on Shirou's shoulder, looked back at little Gil and then shook her head vigorously at Shirou.
"See? She doesn't want to go either. Give it up. I have a journey to finish. Goodbye!" Shirou waved his hand and tried to walk past Gil.
Then, the boy grabbed Shirou's shoulder.
"I don't care about that. An ignorant beast just needs a little discipline to understand who her master is! A true powerhouse is one who can rule everything in the world. Don't run—duel me!" Gil pointed a finger at Shirou, speaking in a tone of command.
"Awoo!" Lion Saber glared angrily at the golden-haired boy.
"Are you sure? You really want to duel me?" Shirou turned back, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes! You shorty, bring it on!" Gil said, crossing his arms and acting high and mighty.
"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S SHORTER!!!" Shirou shouted, his temper flaring. He stepped forward until they were head-to-head. Sure enough! Even now, he was half a head taller than Gil!
Gil stared back with his red eyes, refusing to back down. He sneered, "Hmph. That's just an illusion. I'll have you under my heel in no time anyway!"
-
-
-
A few minutes later, the little golden-haired, red-eyed boy was splayed out face-down on the ground. Shirou was sitting on his back, pinning him down so he couldn't move.
Combat had proven that this little Gil was not a Heroic Spirit in a different Saint Graph. During the fight, the Gate of Babylon—the symbol of the King of Heroes—never appeared. The current little Gil was a living human. Though the world had changed, this was likely Gilgamesh in his childhood; he hadn't fully mastered combat techniques yet and hadn't met Enkidu. In short, he was very easy to bully.
'Bullying a child is wrong, but when it's him, I feel zero guilt' Shirou thought as he sat on Gil's back.
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting