Samael and the Old Man exchanged a nod, then walked side by side toward the building etched in their memories.
After crossing the reed plain, they arrived at the foot of the city. Beneath the blood-red sunset, the entire metropolis was painted in magnificent colors. Carts loaded with goods came and went, while patrolling soldiers moved in steady streams along the broad, well-compacted roads.
The high walls on both sides, built from fired clay bricks, shimmered with the glow of Magecraft incantations and seemed utterly unbreakable.
The outer walls flanking the arched gate were painted blue and yellow, and decorated with sculptures of livestock such as cattle, sheep, horses, and dogs. Their simple lines gave them a plain, ancient charm.
"Samael! Samael! Over here! Over here!"
In front of the city gate, a little purple-haired girl in a black cloak, hood, and headband lifted her small face, still covered in crumbs from wheat cakes, and waved excitedly at the two figures coming from the wilderness.
Beside the little purple-haired girl, a kindly, excited guard uncle who had contributed the wheat cakes gripped his spear and knelt reverently on one knee before the arrivals.
"Welcome back, Your Majesty."
"Yes. I'm finally home."
Samael felt a wave of emotion. He casually helped the guard to his feet, then reached into the cloth bag Ana held up like treasure, took out a wheat cake, and bit into it with a crisp crunch. The familiar fragrance of wheat bloomed in his mouth.
As they walked, one big and one small hamster crunched on their cakes in perfect sync.
The little girl's purple eyes sparkled brightly as she raised her chin and asked proudly, "Uncle's wheat cakes are good, right?"
"Mm, no question. Crispy, fragrant, and sweet. No wonder you kept thinking about them even back in Greece, Ana. I'll ask Uncle for the secret recipe later, and whenever you want some, I'll make them for you!"
The Ancient Serpent narrowed his eyes in enjoyment and praised them sincerely. Then he turned to little Ana, winked slyly with his left eye, and made his promise with a smile.
"Mm!"
The little purple-haired girl blushed and nodded excitedly.
As they passed through the city gate, shouts and cheers boiled up from the eastern barracks. The gathered soldiers had split into two sides. One side beat their shields in a steady rhythm and chanted in a Spartan cadence, while the other bared their arms and roared Babylonian slang.
"Take down that despicable outsider! Boss, I bet everything I own on you!"
"Go, go, go! Show those Uruk bastards what we're made of! General, this is our only chance to win it all back!"
At the center, surrounded so tightly by soldiers that not even water could get through, Tareel, the centurion of Babylon's ruined capital, and Tabbad, the muscular veteran general of Uruk, were crouched before a wooden stump, arm-wrestling. Their joints cracked from time to time.
A familiar feeling rose in Samael's chest, and he could not help smiling.
Avoiding the clamor of the barracks, they walked along the streets. The layout inside the city still vaguely carried traces of the past.
Even though night was approaching, the city was still brightly lit and bustling.
The sounds of daily life filled the air without end: footsteps, trade, conversation, laughter, training, forging.
Fruit and vegetable stalls, pottery workshops, iron forges, observatories, livestock pens, inns, restaurants, and all manner of specialized places were present, making the city seem prosperous and lively.
Among them were several familiar faces.
Old Um, for instance, was in the iron forge teaching his burly son how to enchant weapons. Tim, the one-armed general of the past, was escorting carts of weapons toward the sacrificial grounds.
Everything felt as if it had happened only yesterday.
This was the lowest layer of hell in the Mesopotamian world, Paradise Lost.
The souls of those who had died in Uruk's battle to save the world returned here, received flesh anew, and recreated the glory of those bygone days, living the ideal lives they deserved.
This was the justice of the Divine Spirits, and also their selfishness.
Before they knew it, Samael, Ana, and Old Man Ziusudra had arrived before the gates of the Uruk Embassy.
The sweetness of butter cake, the rich aroma of fresh milk, the spicy heat of lamb chops, and the clear fragrance of ale drifted out through the cracks in the door and filled their noses.
Before the three of them could enter, the door opened on its own, and Head Priestess Siduri came forward with a smile to welcome them.
In the courtyard, the unlucky Jaguar had somehow offended Quetzalcoatl again and was being held down by the head and beaten mercilessly.
"What happened here?"
Out of consideration for the four-legged beast's past contributions, Samael casually asked.
"Nothing much. The food I prepared was stolen and eaten by this one."
Seeing Samael and the others arrive, Kukulkan immediately eased her strength a little, straightened her rumpled clothes, and smiled with helpless good humor.
"How much did she eat?"
"Half a piece..."
"That's not worth getting this angry over."
The Ancient Serpent comforted her, casually trying to speak up for the Jaguar.
"She threw the other half back in..."
"That's because Kuku's beef stew was too tough! It got stuck in my teeth! Even a dog wouldn't eat that stuff!"
The Jaguar seized the chance to break free and loudly defended herself.
"Carry on. I didn't see anything."
Samael's cheek twitched slightly. Without hesitation, he turned away and covered Ana's eyes with his hand while he was at it.
Hiss!
At the same time, the yelling Jaguar felt a sudden chill shoot from her tailbone straight to the crown of her head. Her neck shrank in spite of herself, and she stiffly turned around.
Behind her, a pair of golden-red serpentine slit pupils opened and closed with a smiling gleam. Interlaced fingers flexed and clenched, letting out a string of crisp cracks that made one's teeth ache.
A moment later, just as Samael and the others passed by, a series of agonizing booms sounded behind them, until the courtyard gained a human-shaped flagpole with its head buried in the ground.
Leaving behind the daily love-hate routine of the Maya twin gods, they reached the steps of the main hall. Gilgamesh, dressed casually, and Leonidas, who had taken off his armor, were drinking together.
Inside, the two goddesses of Uruk were busy. Ere was arranging the tables and chairs, carefully placing a bouquet of flowers still wet with dew into the clay vase at the center of the dining table.
Ishtar, meanwhile, had taken over setting out the cups and plates. However, Samael vaguely noticed that a few pieces of golden tableware seemed to have disappeared after passing through her hands.
Enkidu, the Chains of Heaven, the elderly priestess Shamhat, and Head Priestess Siduri, who had come to greet them, were going in and out of the kitchen as they prepared Uruk's signature dishes.
This was their first reunion since that battle to save the world.
Although the old fraud Merlin was absent, an Assyrian Empress had joined them and was responsible for decanting the wine off to the side, which made up for that absence somewhat.
As exquisite and abundant dishes were carried out one after another, their rich aromas spreading everywhere, the men were finally allowed into the room.
"All right, everyone's here. That means only the final dish remains!"
Quetzalcoatl clapped her hands and waved with a bright smile. The women gathered in front of the kitchen door, each wearing a mysterious smile, stepped aside one after another to open a path, presenting the feast's main dish as if offering up the moon among the stars.
Lush green Earth Touch trailed toward the ground along with scattered strands of dark hair. The figure in a white apron, her Star Eyes blinking, slowly opened her arms and gave the Ancient Serpent a calm, gentle smile.
"Samael, welcome back!"
"Mm!"
Samael stood frozen for a long time. Only when everyone's gazes turned teasing did he abruptly come back to himself. He nodded hard, his whole face overflowing with a smile, and let out a deeply satisfied hum.
Back home for a couple of days
My mother summoned me these past two days, so I went back to help out. Yesterday, I packed up the rental place in the city and returned home. I met a whole crowd of relatives, and I was a little tired at night, so I went to bed early.
Updates will continue as normal over the next two days. I expect to finish this volume this month. Sorry, there has been quite a lot going on this month. This is the first time since I started this book that I have missed perfect attendance. I will do my best to make up for it as much as I can. Dropping the book is absolutely not happening.
And thank you to the readers who have been urging me to update and sending tips recently. Thank you. I feel unworthy of it.