"What's this all about? Showing up out of the blue and throwing curses around."
"Ugh… what is this divinity. Don't you dare act so high and mighty in front of a *real* goddess, you fake-real god!"
"I have done no such thing."
What in the world is a fake-real god?
Is she referring to the divinity that was bestowed upon me when Gilgamesh gave me the name Marduk?
A god who is both fake and real. Come to think of it, she wasn't wrong.
"Grrr! Die! Just die already!"
Ishtar, throwing a tantrum.
When I thought about why she was like this, the answer came quickly.
We had made a covenant that she would kill me if her marriage to Gilgamesh failed.
But that was supposed to be in forty years. There were still thirty-five years left.
"Like I care! Gilgamesh called for me for the first time, so I came running, and she just flat-out declared that there would be no marriage! So you have to die!"
"...When did this happen?"
"Just now!"
So she came to find and kill me the moment she got rejected?
This is truly a remarkable goddess.
"But it seems you're not having much luck."
"That's right! Because of that pathetic... well, slightly higher than I thought, divinity of yours!"
The covenant I made. The faith born from my increased followers. My heightened divinity.
Enough power to survive the curse of a real goddess…?
"Please be quiet for a moment."
"Are you ordering me? All you have is that measly bit of divinity!"
"I need to think about Gilgamesh."
I had just abandoned a group of about a thousand people.
And yet, by a 'complete' coincidence, Gilgamesh had just now called Ishtar to break the covenant.
This was no coincidence.
Fate? No.
A plan. I'm just a player in her pre-written script.
"...I need to see Gilgamesh. That thing, was it called Ma-anna? Let's ride together."
"Hmph! Absolutely not. I wouldn't let you on even if I died!"
A sigh escaped me. It was no longer a difficult task to sweet-talk this childlike god, but it was tiring.
"Think about it. Can't you see that this is all what Gilgamesh wanted?"
"I don't know!"
How carefree she is.
"I will go and reason with her. This is the great Gilgamesh we're talking about, is it not? She must have a reason."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes. I will go and persuade her."
Of course, this persuasion is not for you, Ishtar.
I'm going to interrogate Gilgamesh.
To ask her just how far her plans extend.
To ask her just how far she intends to play with me.
After a few moments of (pretending to) deliberate, Ishtar gave a big nod and let me on.
"Fine... just this once!"
"I am honored."
"Hold on tight."
We arrived in Uruk in the blink of an eye.
We landed right in front of the city gate.
The reason was that Gilgamesh had placed a barrier, so even a goddess like Ishtar could not enter carelessly.
Magecraft that could repel even a goddess. How much stronger had Gilgamesh become?
Worry outweighed my anticipation.
I had a strong intuition that something would happen the moment I returned to Uruk.
"Follow me."
"Hmph."
With a huff, Ishtar flew away.
It must be difficult to meet again right after being rejected. I didn't bother to stop her.
In fact, having her around would be a hindrance.
"...Halt! Identify yourself."
"They have armor... and their weapons are made of iron."
When had they developed this much?
The walls of Uruk were also incomparably larger than before.
It seems they built a new wall as the population grew, and even renovated it to be much thicker and larger.
"Looks like Gilgamesh has done a good job."
"If you do not identify yourself...!"
"Hey, you fool! That's a god!"
Golden hair and red eyes. The common appearance of the gods.
The slow-witted guard, only now noticing, hurriedly opened the gate.
Creeak. The gate, emblazoned with the crest of Uruk, slowly opened.
'What if Gilgamesh is right there….'
My prediction was not wrong.
Gilgamesh was standing there.
The crowd parted to the left and right. The golden-haired girl, standing in the very center of the entrance with her arms spread wide, had now matured enough to be called a woman.
Though she was fifteen, she looked twenty. This was probably Gilgamesh in her prime.
Just as Ishtar's appearance never changed, Gilgamesh would likely maintain this form for as long as she lived.
As a demigod who consumed lifespan, that period would be quite long.
Gilgamesh, flaunting her brilliant golden hair, slowly walked toward me.
The sound of a band's music could be heard.
Flower petals fluttered as if welcoming a triumphant general.
"I have been waiting, Marduk."
"Gilgamesh."
"What do you think? Of the Uruk I have built during your absence?"
The giant ziggurat and the densely packed buildings.
The streets full of citizens and the smell of abundant food.
Uruk was enjoying an unprecedented golden age.
The faces of the people were filled with pride, and their bodies were full of vigor.
They didn't know me, but it seemed they were welcoming me on the king's orders.
But their smiles were not false. They were happy.
Seeing the shining city of Uruk, I.
"...It's impressive."
Felt surprisingly nothing at all.
It was worse than looking at a pebble on the side of the road.
Truly, I felt no emotion whatsoever.
"Follow me. This should be enough of a ceremony."
Gilgamesh was about to take my hand.
The moment her soft fingers touched my rough hand, I unknowingly took a step back.
Gilgamesh, having grabbed at empty air, froze for a moment.
Then she shot a glance at me.
"You seem weary. You're even limping."
"...I suppose so."
"......Follow me."
Her back, which had turned cold, was a picture in itself.
The citizens, whistling and enjoying themselves, must have been completely smitten with her.
But I felt nothing.
Gilgamesh felt more and more distant.
I silently followed behind her.
The streets of Uruk were vibrant. Crowds gathered to welcome me and Gilgamesh.
But first, they saw the king's expression,
and then, seeing my own, their faces hardened.
Gilgamesh's lips remained in a static, straight line. As did mine.
Those who had approached us warmly soon began to focus on their own business.
"The market is no fun. Shall we go to the palace?"
"Alright."
We headed to the royal palace.
The hundreds of stairs held the soul of a sculptor.
The stairs, carved to a uniform size without even a 1cm margin of error, seemed to show off the prosperity of Uruk.
The interior of the palace was even more spectacular.
Though I had seen many things while wandering the world for five years, they were nothing but desert dust compared to Gilgamesh's Uruk.
A hall that overwhelmed people. A ceiling decorated with silk.
Even the small rooms were furnished with carpets full of embroidery and sofas as soft as wool.
The throne room was the most breathtaking of all.
Not just the size of the room, but every single pillar was carved with intricate sculptures. The beautiful decorations, utilizing various dyes, boasted an exquisite harmony.
Light streamed in directly from the wall that was cut open in a straight line behind the throne.
If one were to kneel before the king, they would be greeted not by his face, but by the powerful sunlight.
An architecture that equated the king with the sun. The gods were not likely to approve.
"I made it with you in mind."
"Me?"
"You are the god of warriors and the god of the sun. This much is only natural."
Looking closely, I saw that there wasn't one throne, but two.
The throne Gilgamesh sat on was incredibly large and ornate.
But the chair next to it was small and plain.
It was a chair from my memory.
"It's the chair we used when we worked together. I keep mine stored in my treasury."
"...Why is my chair next to the throne?"
"Are you asking because you do not know?"
Her bewitching red eyes scanned me.
My body trembled slightly at her sticky gaze.
"It is for you."
Soon after, the doors opened. Four sturdy men were carrying in a throne identical to the one Gilgamesh was sitting on.
"All preparations are complete. Only the final step remains. It was painful to be apart from you for five years, but that is over now."
Gilgamesh sat me down on her throne and caressed my hand.
"Now, help me. By my side. For me."
"You're not someone who needs help."
I pointed out the window.
Just as Gilgamesh had once done to me.
"Look beyond. Uruk is more prosperous than ever, and foreign enemies who have seen your mighty walls are kneeling before you. The faces of the people are never without a smile. This is all your achievement."
"The foreign enemies were defeated by you, Marduk. I merely solidified our domestic affairs."
It was as if honey were dripping from Gilgamesh's eyes.
Gilgamesh loves me.
That is what she believes, and anyone you ask would give the same answer.
But do I love her?
"You don't need my help. And, I didn't come back to Uruk to become a king."
The men who had moved the throne then approached to remove my old chair.
I waved them away.
After hesitating, they left at a glare from Gilgamesh.
"I came to ask. About your... plan."
"Ask whatever you wish."
"Then I will ask without reservation."
I was tired.
I was tired of being played by her stratagems.
"Did you have fun taming me?"
"......Stop. Do not speak."
The wise Gilgamesh knows me well.
So well that she has been executing a plan she devised from the moment we met for years.
I am a toy on the palm of her hand.
A toy that crumbles when she closes her hand, and heals when she applies ointment.
"The covenant is over. My responsibility is fulfilled. I have defeated the enemies of Uruk and endured the curse of Ishtar."
"I told you to stop talking."
"I have no reason to remain in Uruk any longer."
Gilgamesh, who had been on the verge of collapsing from sorrow, seemed to have completely snapped, and she pushed back her bangs and shouted.
"I am ordering you! Close that mouth at once!"
"I am not a pet dog who craves his master's love."
Hundreds of golden ripples appeared behind Gilgamesh.
The weapons peeking out from them radiated a vicious aura.
"And I have no intention of becoming one. You act as if you know everything about me, but you are wrong."
"What am I wrong about? I bound your legs by lending you my sword, and I made you attached to Uruk by giving you work."
Gilgamesh shouted fiercely. Her irritable demeanor was not unfamiliar.
"I inflicted Ishtar's curse according to plan, and I gave you divinity by bestowing upon you the name of Marduk. I am the one who made you a demigod."
"I was grateful then, but now that I know it was all your plan, I am not."
"I started a war to satisfy the beastly desires you possess. Are you going to tell me you were bored?"
That's not true. I certainly swung my sword like a madman.
The gods who feared me showed no will to protect their own cities.
Except for fools like Ishtar.
"I taught you how to lead people by creating a group. And now, in this moment, when you are tired of slaughter, at this perfect time, I have summoned you to Uruk."
She was like a child throwing a tantrum in a department store.
A child who craves the toy that is me.
But I was not the toy Gilgamesh thought I was.
"I am the one who made you. I am the one who will complete you. You... you are mine!"
"I belong to those who love me."
"You cur! I will not permit your next utterance! This is not a warning!"
A silence fell.
The weapons shimmering in the ripples did not disappear.
The wrath of Gilgamesh, fiercer than ever before, pressed down on my shoulders.
"You don't love me, you just want me as a trophy."
In that moment,
a rain of treasures poured down.