Chapter 757: A Shopping Invitation from Two Goddesses, One Tall and One Small
Things were going surprisingly well for Fujimaru—so well, in fact, that it was almost baffling.
He had expected a fierce battle, or at least some kind of violent confrontation. But when Fujimaru arrived at the scene, all he found was silence.
No sounds, no shouts. The guards had returned to their posts, though they occasionally cast wary glances toward a certain corner. There, a figure sat hunched over, long hair spilling onto the ground, nearly blending into the shadows of the city walls.
It was as if nothing had happened—except for the shattered ground that hadn't yet been repaired, and the battered, hole-riddled walls that looked as though they had been rammed by a stampede of beasts. These were the only silent witnesses to the danger that had unfolded earlier.
"Lord Fujimaru," the guard captain recognized the young man who had rushed over and gave a slight nod, his expression tinged with bitterness. "Though you were the one who personally brought this... person here, causing such a scene has put us in a difficult position."
"My apologies," Fujimaru clasped his hands together, looking genuinely contrite. "I don't think she meant any harm. I'll take responsibility for the damages—no matter how much silver it costs, I'll repay it."
"That won't be necessary. We've all seen the efforts you've made for Uruk," the captain shook his head, offering a lighthearted joke. "We just hope you can take better care of your 'girlfriend.'"
At those words, not only did the figure curled up at the base of the wall twitch slightly, but even one of the cards in Fujimaru's holder flickered as if agitated.
"Please, don't tease me like that," Fujimaru said, oblivious to these reactions. "If I may ask... what exactly happened?"
"The person who came with you... her name is Gogh, right?" the captain said. "Not long ago, she suddenly charged over and demanded we open the city gates. Considering that doing so might attract the attention of the demonic beasts, we refused her request. And then..."
"And then?" Fujimaru blinked, only to notice the guards exchanging uneasy glances, as if struggling to put it into words. Finally, the captain leaned in and whispered into his ear:
"Lord Fujimaru... just what is Miss Gogh?"
"Her?" The question made Fujimaru pause in thought.
Indeed, though they had traveled together for a while, he still didn't really know who Gogh was. All he knew was that she had appeared in a city protected by the Goddess of the Underworld, had been pursued by the Baal Lakmu, and though she had a foul temper, she could also be endearingly clumsy at times...
What was her true identity? A stray Servant summoned by this land? A local deity awakened by the calamity? Or perhaps...
A suppressed suspicion resurfaced in his mind. Combined with the reactions Merlin and the others had shown toward Gogh since arriving in Uruk, Fujimaru's eyes flickered slightly before he smoothly changed the subject:
"Let me guess... all this destruction was caused by her?"
"Exactly!" The captain clapped his hands excitedly. "Her hair suddenly grew longer—whoosh here, boom there—and before we knew it, everything was in this terrible state! I never believed the tall tales from the old-timers on the front lines, but who would've thought that Miss Gorgon, who looks so petite, could slaughter those monsters like they were chickens!"
"But why..." Fujimaru asked, puzzled, "did she suddenly stop?"
"Well, this kid." The captain gestured toward a rather young guard. "Still at that age full of responsibility. While us veterans were hiding, he charged forward alone and started shouting at Miss Gorgon, saying things like, 'Even if you're in a hurry to leave, dragging innocent people into this won't get you what you want!' or something along those lines..."
"And then Gorgon just... stopped?"
"Yeah." The captain's expression mirrored Fujimaru's bewilderment. "So we didn't arrest her. In a way, she's surprisingly obedient..."
Who would've thought a crisis severe enough to trigger doomsday alarms could be resolved with just a verbal outburst?
"Fujimaru, go talk to her," the doctor's voice came through the wristband. "At the very least, find out why she's so desperate to leave Uruk."
Fujimaru had the same thought and asked accordingly. However, the response was Gorgon's icy voice.
"None of your business. Get lost."
An expected reply. Fujimaru smiled wryly but didn't comply, instead sitting down beside Gorgon. "You know, I still don't know who you really are."
"I'm Gorgon."
"Right, that's what I mean—you won't even tell me your real name."
Silence.
The woman shrouded in long hair fell quiet again, but Fujimaru continued undeterred.
"Then let me make some deductions. From our encounters, you knew the residence of the underworld goddess and came specifically to find her, yet your attitude wasn't particularly respectful—clearly, you look down on her, considering yourself her equal or even superior."
"And yet, you're being pursued by Baal Lahmu." Fujimaru raised a finger. "But why now, when the monster war has been raging for so long? If you were a stray Servant from the start, King Gilgamesh wouldn't have missed you. You should've entered Uruk long ago, and even if you refused, I'd have heard about you from Uruk."
"Since you're neither a stray Servant nor one summoned by Gilgamesh, that leaves only one answer, absurd as it may be—" Snake-like strands of hair slithered silently up Fujimaru's pant leg, but he merely smirked. "And setting aside all that, the alias 'Gorgon' wasn't chosen randomly either."
"Gorgon, the snake-haired monster of Greek mythology. But beyond that, you have another, far more infamous name... Shall I go on? Miss Gorgon, the monster goddess of the Three Goddess Alliance?"
The surge of serpentine hair erupted like a geyser, responding to the call. Under the stunned gazes of the guards, the deep purple locks transformed into a waterfall, a storm, lifting stone slabs and piercing railings as they lunged toward the seemingly unarmed young man—like venomous snakes finally baring their fangs!
"Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you, Fujimaru Ritsuka!" Gorgon—no, she should now be called Medusa or Gorgon—lifted her head angrily, her voice hoarse as she demanded, "Since you already know my identity, you should have realized immediately that I don't belong here, that I might even be your enemy—"
Her words abruptly cut off. Above the calm-faced boy, a card spun silently in the air.
It bore a figure so majestic the card could barely contain it—a young man seated high upon a throne, the cycles of creation and destruction unfolding behind him as he cast a disdainful glance downward.
Mooncell·King of the Lunar Spirit.
A monstrous power capable of suppressing even two Baal Lahmu. Dealing with a goddess like her, whose divinity was already damaged, would be as easy as flipping a hand.
Not to mention, the original of this card was somewhere in this very city...
Her overwhelming fury deflated in an instant. Gorgon lowered her head, wrapping her arms around her legs and coiling up like a serpent, her tone resentful. "Do whatever you want. Kill me, torture me—it doesn't matter. I'm just a sinner with nowhere to go..."
So what the hell was going on here? Fujimaru scratched his head, feeling a headache coming on. In the end, he decided to throw caution to the wind.
With a sharp smack, the boy's palm pressed against the goddess's cheek. His muscles tensed as he forcibly lifted Gorgon's face, forcing her to meet his gaze.
"You—?!!" Gorgon jerked back as if electrocuted, her beautiful eyes widening in humiliation and fury. "Let go of me!"
"I'll ask you this," Fujimaru pressed on, undeterred. "What's your real intention right now? Do you still want to harm humans?"
"What do I care about humans living or dying?!" the goddess snapped. "All I want now is a quiet place to wait for death! Stop buzzing around me like a fly!"
Thud! A small figure shot forward like a cannonball, slamming headfirst into Gorgon's chest and knocking the wind out of her.
Both of them instinctively looked down. A purple-haired girl in a cat-eared hood glared up at her other self, lips pressed tightly together in anger.
"If you can see me, then stop talking like you've given up! Are you really going to repeat the same mistakes again?!"
"You—!" Gorgon's pupils shrank. "You're—!"
She suddenly fell silent, staring wide-eyed at Anna. Fujimaru withdrew his hand, watching the two quietly, his gaze lingering on their matching violet hair and crystal-like eyes.
They really did look like sisters.
"Alright, here's the deal." The King of the Lunar Spirit's card dissolved into his arm as Fujimaru stepped forward. Effortlessly, he hauled both of them up by their collars and smiled. "Miss Gorgon, I won't stop you. You can leave first thing tomorrow morning."
"But until then, how about joining us for a little stroll?"
A stroll...? Shopping?
Under the bewildered stares of the two goddesses, Fujimaru remained unfazed, still smiling. "After all, Gorgon, you haven't really had the chance to experience the beauty of this city yet, have you?"
And besides, Sakatsuki...
If it were you, I know you'd do the same...