Ereshkigal
"This is way too delicious!"
Ishtar bit down hard on a large piece of grilled meat, her eyes narrowing blissfully.
"Now this is the kind of life a goddess should have." She took a bite of meat, then a sip of Divine Wine, her face filled with contentment. "Tsk, just what kind of life have I been living these past few days?"
"You must possess some kind of Divine Authority related to cooking, right?"
A large portion of the mountain of food around them had already been eaten. It was clear that Ishtar truly hadn't had many decent meals.
"You could say that." Xia Yu finished grilling a handful of meat from some unknown Demonic Beast and placed it before Ishtar, then sat across from her. "I wouldn't call it a Divine Authority, but I do possess something similar."
"What should I do? I don't want to let you go back anymore." Ishtar picked up a piece of sliced fruit and placed it in her mouth. "Mm! This sweet-and-sour flavor!"
She had nearly finished an enormous plate of Fruit Medley. Xia Yu had discovered a large quantity of yogurt while checking the storeroom, and the supplies delivered from Uruk happened to include fruit, so she had casually made some.
She hadn't expected Ishtar to love Fruit Medley so much.
"Yes, I'm definitely stealing you away from that gloomy woman!" Ishtar had never been more determined.
Previously, she had only wanted to do it to spite her sister. Now, she genuinely wanted Xia Yu to stay.
"From this moment onward, you are this goddess's attendant!" She willfully raised her head and loudly declared, "Attendant! Go cut up the rest of that fruit and pour your special yogurt over it!"
"You shouldn't eat too much fruit." Xia Yu glanced at the fruit, of which only half remained, then looked at the sky, which was already approaching dusk, and smiled. "It's dinnertime now."
"Come and try my signature grilled meat." She placed a handful of skewers before Ishtar. "This has much more flavor than fruit."
"Really?" Ishtar sounded doubtful, but her hands were already moving.
She picked up a large skewer and began devouring it.
Until Ishtar had finished every morsel of food before her, Xia Yu remained seated across from her, watching with a smile.
Ishtar rubbed her belly. "Hm? Why do I still feel like I'm not full?"
"Attendant, turn all the remaining ingredients into delicacies and please this Goddess of Beauty!"
"Sorry, but no." Xia Yu firmly shook her head. "That food needs to be saved for a late-night snack, so we can't touch it yet."
"Huh? But I'm still hungry." Ishtar frowned at Xia Yu. "Can't I really have one more serving?"
"As a goddess, you don't need to restore your energy through something as inefficient as eating. You only feel unsatisfied because you haven't enjoyed yourself enough."
"Here, why not drink some more wine with the grilled meat?" Xia Yu poured her a cup and persuaded her, "When there's wine tonight, get drunk tonight. Whatever troubles you may have, drinking yourself senseless isn't necessarily a bad way to relieve stress."
"Really?" Ishtar still wanted to argue, but when she saw the amber liquid of Uruk's Divine Wine and smelled its mellow fragrance, her throat involuntarily moved.
Then came one cup, two cups, three cups…
Did it sound good?
If it sounded good, then it was a good head!
Ishtar collapsed drunk in the middle of the Temple.
'She's finally down…'
Seeing this, Xia Yu shook her head and sighed.
She then turned around and began preparing the ingredients for her next round of cooking.
At some point, however, the completely intoxicated Ishtar suddenly lifted her head.
'Is this… the scent of Divine Wine?'
Ereshkigal raised her head and immediately sensed just how much her sister had drunk to intoxicate herself.
Even now, those subtle lingering reactions were interfering with her normally clear thoughts.
She lifted her head groggily. Her surroundings were clearly Ishtar's Temple, but she couldn't quite understand the wide variety of ingredients laid out before her.
Before long, however, she was drawn toward the enticing fragrance coming from behind her.
Then she saw that familiar head of moon-white hair.
Wait, why was she here?
Why was she inside Ishtar's Temple?
For some reason, Ereshkigal suddenly felt aggrieved.
'You clearly said you admired the Mistress of the Underworld, but only a few days later, you've already moved into someone else's Temple?'
"Here, try this new dish." Xia Yu pulled a package of Beggar's Chicken from the kitchen and handed it to Ereshkigal without hesitation.
"Oh? Oh…" Ereshkigal instinctively accepted the perfectly roasted Beggar's Chicken.
"You…" She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to ask.
Should she ask whether Xia Yu had thrown herself into Ishtar's arms?
Should she ask whether Xia Yu had abandoned her admiration for the Mistress of the Underworld?
But in what capacity could she ask such questions?
Ereshkigal didn't know.
So, as usual, she lost her nerve.
She obediently lowered her head and began eating the Beggar's Chicken, intending to leave immediately once everything was over.
"Is it good?" Xia Yu asked as she looked at Ereshkigal, whose appearance was identical to Ishtar's but whose temperament was completely different.
"Mm… Cough, cough." Ereshkigal felt somewhat guilty, but still forced herself to maintain her usual demeanor. "It hasn't brought you any honor either."
As she gnawed on the Beggar's Chicken, an enormous bowl of Fruit Medley was placed beside her.
"Lady Ishtar," Xia Yu said, deliberately adopting a soft and vulnerable manner, "are you truly unwilling to let me leave?"
What?
She wanted to leave?
No! Absolutely not!
The suddenly willful "Ishtar" now found herself caught in a dilemma.
Wait, Sister, do you need to ask anyone's permission to leave?
With your strength, who in Uruk would dare oppose you?
Ereshkigal couldn't understand it at all. Even in the Underworld, she had been forced to let Xia Yu escape alive, yet these people had somehow detained her here.
What had given them the courage to use such underhanded methods against her?
But if Ereshkigal failed to perform convincingly now, everything would truly be over.
Xia Yu knew every embarrassing thing she had done that day…
"Why are you in such a hurry to leave?" Ereshkigal tried her best to imitate Ishtar's mannerisms. "You can remain here forever."
"No, Lady Ishtar." Xia Yu shook her head. "You and I are destined to meet but never be together. I've already told you that I'm an admirer of Lady Ereshkigal."
"Huh? That gloomy— Wait, what did you call her?" Wearing Ishtar's face, Ereshkigal stared at Xia Yu in stunned embarrassment. "What in the world is 'Ereshkigal'?"
"That's my affectionate nickname for her." Xia Yu spread her hands. "I merely shortened the pronunciation a little."
'Wait. Let me sort this out first.'
Ereshkigal fell into deep thought.
They had only met twice, even counting this occasion, so why was Xia Yu addressing her with such intimacy?
"Give up, Goddess Ishtar." With a heroic expression, Xia Yu began condemning the counterfeit Ishtar before her. "Even if you steal my body away, you will never steal my heart!"
"Even if you imprison me inside this Temple, the safest stronghold you possess, I will never go back on my word!"
"Because my heart has belonged to Lady Ereshkigal for a long time!"
"But…" Ereshkigal was nearly reduced to tears.
'Please, don't do this!'
For all those years, she had never left the Underworld because of her responsibilities. Now, thanks to Ishtar's vessel, she could finally come to the surface at night. That alone was already more than enough for her.
During this time that belonged solely to the goddess Ereshkigal, she would touch flowers, gaze at the stars, and measure the land with her own two feet…
She had accomplished many things she had always wanted to do but had never been able to.
Therefore, Ereshkigal treasured this opportunity deeply.
Even if it lasted only a few short hours and required borrowing someone else's body.
Being able to do even this much was already enough to satisfy Ereshkigal.
"Here, have some fruit." Xia Yu naturally sat beside her, pierced a piece of fruit with a fork, and held it out to Ereshkigal.
It could truly be said that birds of a feather flocked together.
Ereshkigal was clearly just as pleased with the Fruit Medley.
The moment she finished it, a chicken leg was brought to her mouth.
Ereshkigal bit into it without hesitation.
"Wait, I think…" She tried to say something, only for her mouth to be stuffed with another delicacy.
These sisters were truly contradictory.
When Ishtar was summoned by Uruk's priests, Ereshkigal manifested alongside her. The two were sisters whose Divine Spirits mirrored one another.
The personality of the girl they possessed had been neatly divided into benevolent and malevolent halves, which were inherited by the two goddesses respectively.
As the guardian deity of Kuta, Ereshkigal had drawn the souls of all Kuta's residents into the Underworld.
It sounded cruel, didn't it?
But at the very least, she had carefully preserved their souls, swearing upon her name as the ruler of the Underworld.
Within the Three Goddess Alliance, Ereshkigal loved the people of Sumer in the manner of a goddess of the Underworld.
"Here, Goddess, drink this…"
"Wait…"
"Here, Goddess, eat this…"
"It tastes wonderful, but…"
"Here, try the new dish I've been developing!"
"It's delicious… Wait, that's not right!"
Dizzy and disoriented, Ereshkigal grabbed Xia Yu's sleeve. "Wait, this body is so…"
"Here, take another bite!"
Before long, the innocent Ereshkigal had been coaxed until her face was bright red.
"Wait!" She finally seized an opportunity and quickly asked, "Aren't you a prisoner?"
"Why would a prisoner receive such excellent treatment?"
"Perhaps it's because I'm the cook." Xia Yu spread her hands. "Without a cook, even you would have nothing to eat."
"But…"
"There's no need to say anything more, Lady Ishtar." Xia Yu waved her hand. "I am Lady Ereshkigal's most loyal follower. I will never enter your service!"
"But…" Ereshkigal felt both relieved and helpless.
She was relieved that she actually had such a wonderful subordinate willing to join her.
Yet she was also helpless because, if this continued, Xia Yu might easily notice the differences between her and Ishtar.
'If she discovers the truth… I could handle anyone else, but how would I face this girl?'
'I boasted so much before… If she finds out…'
'I truly won't have any choice but to die.'
'What? I'm the Mistress of the Underworld, so I can't die?'
'Forget it, forget it.'
Before long, Ereshkigal, who had also been made to drink a great deal of wine, fell asleep.
Xia Yu returned to the bedside.
Once again, she entered that Dreamscape.
Tiamat's long, mournful cries were searching for her presence.
Without hesitation, Xia Yu moved closer.
Night deepened.
The Demonic Beast Forest.
A petite purple figure darted throughout the Jungle, the long scythe in her hand flying outward from time to time.
Yet every person she encountered turned out to be nothing more than an illusion.
Anna truly had nowhere left to run.
She raised her head and looked at the smiling white-haired man before her.
Anna didn't answer. Instead, she immediately attempted to break through along another route.
However, that irritating Magus remained beside her, chattering incessantly.
"Miss Anna, we're truly sincere!" The white-haired con artist put on a gentle smile. "A Servant like you will never survive until the end. Without companions, how will you ever fulfill your obsession?"
"Go away!" Anna thoroughly despised Merlin's presence.
"But what will you do if I leave?" Merlin scratched his head. "Forget it. How about this? Why don't you return to Uruk with me?"
Anna turned a deaf ear to him, determined to remain a solitary wanderer.
In truth, however, she knew that the white-haired man was far stronger than she was.
"Miss…"
Merlin's endless complaining finally caused Anna to stop as though resigning herself to her fate.
"Outside Uruk is genuinely extremely dangerous right now. It isn't suitable for anyone to travel alone, including Servants."
"Why don't you return to Uruk with me for now?"
Anna pressed down on her hood and followed Merlin without further resistance.
She was a wandering Servant without a Master who had manifested in Uruk under the influence of the Holy Grail.
Her Class was Lancer. She was a gentle and honest girl who normally refused to communicate with others.
Her True Name was Medusa.
Yes, that Medusa—the one known as Rider.
This was her childhood form. Rider was her young-adult form, while Gorgon was her final form.
The Goddess of Demonic Beasts was Gorgon from Greek Mythology. She was responsible for the tide of beasts sweeping across all of Mesopotamia.
Of course, she also had Kingu assisting her.
Anna was the trump card sent by the Human Order to oppose the Goddess of Demonic Beasts.
"By the way, Anna, your True Name…"
Before Merlin could finish speaking, a scythe was pointed viciously at his face.
"Fine, fine. I won't ask, all right?" Merlin awkwardly shook his head.
"Let me explain the situation in Babylon." Before long, he found another topic of conversation.
"Lady Tomoe Gozen is a highly traditional warrior…"
"Lady Ushiwakamaru has a lively and unconventional temperament, but she is still a comrade worthy of entrusting your back to."
"Musashibou is a monk loyal to Lady Ushiwakamaru."
"Leonidas is the renowned king of Thermopylae!"
"And, of course, there is me, an insignificant court Magus." At this point, Merlin turned toward Anna.
"There is also one person you absolutely must not provoke!"
"If you encounter a white-haired woman calling herself Kiana, it would be best not to become too involved with her."
"Boring…" Anna pursed her lips.
She was a Heroic Spirit, as well as a specialized Servant sent by the Human Order.
'Using me to kill myself? Hahaha, that's one hell of a joke.'
"I'm serious. You have to believe me," Merlin hurriedly said. "When that woman loses her temper, a tiny city like Uruk is nothing worth mentioning."
"We finally managed to send her away. We absolutely can't let her come back!"
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T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me.
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