Chapter 739: Distant Cloud Seas, Cedar Mountains – Born from Dust, Returning to Earth
At this critical juncture, the young man who usually held dominant control suddenly wanted him to take over as the primary consciousness.
Naturally, a certain benevolent clay puppet would not agree to this:
"How can this be? I'm merely a weapon. I cannot abandon my master, and as the master, you shouldn't be so casual about this."
"While that may be true, I was only the one who initially summoned you. Shouldn't the one who truly formed a contract with you be Fujimaru Ritsuka?"
"But this power..."
"If you want employees to work, the boss must pay their wages. Come now, you wouldn't want a glaring 1000-watt spotlight watching over your private time with your 'Gil,' would you? And besides..."
"And besides?"
"Ah, never mind. In any case, I wish you both a smooth journey in advance. Have a pleasant trip! My phone's out of fuel—gotta go!"
With the mental communication cut off, 'Sakatsuki' opened his eyes, emerald flickering in his pupils.
"It's not a phone, nor does it need fuel... but his consciousness has truly gone completely silent."
"Hey, cook! Cook!"
Someone unceremoniously patted his shoulder: "In Uruk, the primary mode of transportation is donkeys. Though the finest donkey cart in all of Uruk has already been taken by Fujimaru, the one this king has selected isn't bad either. Next—"
"Have the donkey pull the cargo, then load the water vessels onto it," the young man smoothly continued the Sage King's words. "Since we're heading south toward the Persian Gulf, we must be going to collect seawater samples, right?"
"You..." Gilgamesh frowned. "This king doesn't recall telling you any of this."
But that doesn't mean I don't know, Gil.
'Sakatsuki' smiled without answering, efficiently completing the preparations for departure.
After a brief moment of confusion and discomfort, a new emotion had taken root in his heart, eventually spreading to every corner of his body.
It made him smile uncontrollably, brimming with joy.
Ah, a long-awaited journey has begun.
"It seems it's begun, Ereshkigal."
"Though I don't quite understand... is this what you wanted to do?"
In a temple illuminated by ghostly blue candlelight, two figures lounged on a large sofa. The wall before them projected scenes from the surface, one of which showed a young man whose face was identical to the 'Sakatsuki' currently traveling with the King above.
Beside him, the goddess of the underworld lazily stretched her limbs, appearing both docile and adorable. Those beautiful eyes seemed uncertain whether they were watching the projection or stealing glances at the person beside her.
A cracked white bone mask hung on the opposite wall, its hollow eye sockets gleaming eerily under the candlelight.
Watching this pair of voyeurs indulging in others' affairs.
"You've recovered quite well after being struck by Marduk's axe, Sakatsuki," Ereshkigal remarked casually, stroking the Gallu spirit in her arms. "To think you'd have the leisure to sit here and spectate."
Hearing this, Sakatsuki withdrew his gaze and smiled, showing the fading patterns on his face to the underworld goddess. "Thanks to Fujimaru, the forced contract from Tiamat has been significantly weakened by Marduk's divine power. At last, a balance has been struck between the Third Magic and the Reverse Spiritrons, so I'm no longer at the mercy of external forces every single day."
At least he wouldn't go causing chaos in Uruk like wreaking havoc in heaven, leaving the damage for dear Ereshkigal to clean up.
"Is that so?" Releasing her grip, the Gallu spirit floated upward like a balloon. Ereshkigal paid it no mind, simply tilting her head to carefully study Sakatsuki's face. "Come, let me take a proper look."
"Thank you for your concern, but I'm really fine..." Sakatsuki's words trailed off abruptly.
Before he knew it, the goddess had drawn uncomfortably close, her golden hair cascading like a waterfall that made the young man hold his breath, his gaze involuntarily wandering away.
But moments later, Ereshkigal straightened her slender waist and casually retreated: "Hmm, the scent of Mother has indeed faded considerably. That's wonderful."
As she nodded with exaggerated seriousness, her long, flawless legs draped over the couch, the golden anklets glinting so brightly they seemed to dazzle the senses.
Noticing Sakatsuki's lingering gaze, Ereshkigal curled her lips like a little fox, cheeks flushed yet pretending nonchalance as she intently watched the screen.
"Look, they've set off."
"Ah, oh..." Sakatsuki responded automatically, forcing his eyes away to look ahead.
Between the blue sky and white clouds, two donkey carts simultaneously departed through the city gates.
The journey had begun.
Skirting past forests teeming with magical beasts, they reached desolate wilderness where few traveled. Though the land stretched monotonously empty, the vault of heaven displayed endless shades of blue, like a crystal-clear mirror.
A refreshing breeze swept past the donkey carts, gently caressing the travelers' cheeks, making both king and commoner wear expressions of contentment.
"The Zagros Mountains are crowned with beautiful clouds. This calls for poetry. [White snow peaks, distant sea of clouds, cedar mountains...] Hmm, this line doesn't seem quite right."
Like a wandering bard, the Sage King enthusiastically polished his inspired verse: "Well then, how about changing it?"
"Coming wind, going mist; born from dust, returning to earth," the young man driving the cart softly responded. "You've already said it well enough, my King."
"Have I?" The Sage King, reclining against the cart's edge, turned with meaningful eyes. "I merely thought the word 'cedar' could be replaced with something more fitting."
"Does that word hold special significance for you?" 'Sakatsuki' asked as if genuinely puzzled.
Silence filled the cart until finally, Gilgamesh spoke slowly.
"There was once someone who would listen to this king's words," he said, gazing at the pristine sky. "Matters unfit for common ears—I could pour them all out to him."
"But what does that have to do with cedar forests?"
"In the end, that man died," the King stated calmly. "Before this king's very eyes, he died in a cedar forest."
"Oh... That's truly," gripping the reins tighter, 'Sakatsuki' quietly processed the stirring in his chest, his tone remaining even, "unfortunate."
"By the way," the young man suddenly turned. "That friend... the one you mentioned—what was his name?"
"Friend?" The Sage King repeated the word as if finding it unbelievable. "I thought you were going to say something important, and you ask about that friend? You seem to have misunderstood something."
"Eh?"
"Even if I had a name, I've long forgotten it... I can't even say it anymore." The white ribbons fluttered as Gilgamesh spoke with evident displeasure, yet not a trace of anger could be detected in his voice.
"I can't say it anymore."
"...I see." In response to the king's words, Sakatsuki simply nodded and accepted it as fact.
Whether Gilgamesh still remembered that friend's name—the answer was already clear from his reply.
Was he disappointed?
That went without saying.
After all—
"My [last wish]... wasn't fulfilled at all..."
No more words were exchanged. The two young men leaned against the ox cart, letting the Mesopotamian wind brush past them as they gazed at the distant, radiant scenery.
Like the youthful days that would never return.
"Ooooh... Perfect, splendid, SUBARASHI!"
Compared to the two who spoke volumes in silence, the peanut gallery in the underworld was far more enthusiastic. Not only was Sakatsuki grinning like a proud aunt, but even Ereshkigal's eyes began to sparkle.
As a sheltered young lady who knew all the gossip about Uruk's dynamic duo but had never personally followed their drama, how could she not be drawn in by the subtle emotions between these two?
How wonderful, this unspoken harmony—
Thinking this, she glanced at the young man beside her, who was thoroughly engrossed, and couldn't help but pout with a hint of quiet resentment.
Compared to them, this guy was either utterly dense or doing it on purpose.
"Beep beep beep!" Suddenly, a Gallu Spirit rushed into the temple, frantically circling in front of her.
"What's wrong?" Ereshkigal blinked, quickly catching on. "You're saying Kingu has connected to the comms? Oh no, Sakatsuki—"
Before she could finish, the sofa vanished. The unprepared goddess landed hard on the cold obsidian floor, wincing in pain.
When she turned to glare at the culprit, she found the young man already cloaked in black robes, a bone mask covering his face. A chilling aura spread like a tide, obscuring even the projected screen.
"W-wow, that was fast..."
By the time Kingu's image appeared, all he saw was the masked 'weapon' in black and a visibly irritated Ereshkigal.
"Kingu, what business do you have contacting me so abruptly?" The moment she saw him, the Underworld Goddess lifted her chin, her disdain and arrogance on full display.
Unfazed, Kingu pressed urgently, "Mother—that is, the goddess Gorgon—is she with you?"
"Huh?" Her deliberately haughty demeanor melted away as Ereshkigal blinked in confusion. "She—you mean, Gorgon is dead?"
"That's not it!" Kingu's face darkened as he hurried to explain. "Yesterday, Mother produced an excessive number of demonic beasts and overexerted herself, so I thought to let her rest. I planned to check on her again by noon today..."
"But when I arrived at the temple, she was already gone!"
The sudden disappearance of the Demon Beast Goddess, who held the authority of the 'Womb of All Beasts,' was disastrous news that even Kingu couldn't handle calmly.
"Damn it, if she's not hiding with you, where else could Mother have gone?!"