The bloody battle that lasted for seven days and seven nights changed Gilgamesh.
"I shall acknowledge it. You are my equal, or less."
"Didn't you mean 'or more'?"
"Puhaha! There is no one above me. Be grateful that I have acknowledged you as an equal."
She had exhausted nine-tenths of her treasures, and Enkidu had lost nine-tenths of his clay.
But they had gained something far more precious.
"How is it? The feeling of one who holds a gaze different from that of commoners?"
"It's new. I've never felt so exhilarated since I was born."
"That is what you call elation. An emotion only the strong who are victorious in battle can feel."
Lying side by side, the two looked at each other.
"I wasn't victorious. If you had drawn Ea, I would have lost, wouldn't I?"
"And you too did not use your true power. Were you looking down on me?"
"No. It's just... I didn't want this fight to end."
"The same is true for me. It will be difficult to feel such joy ever again."
Gilgamesh sat up abruptly and, of all things,
extended her hand to Enkidu.
Not knowing its meaning, Enkidu just blinked his eyes.
"What are you doing? Take it, quickly."
"What does it mean?"
Gilgamesh burst into laughter, finding the situation too absurd.
It was not a sneer. She was simply amused.
"It means that I shall personally help you up. If you understand, then take it, Enkidu."
"Thank you... Gil."
Gilgamesh's eyes widened slightly.
"Gil? What is the meaning of that?"
"It's a nickname. Don't you like it?"
"A nickname? Hahaha! Enkidu, the more I see of you, the stranger you are. To give me a nickname!"
"If you don't like Gil, I'll call you Gilgamesh."
At Enkidu's words, Gilgamesh abruptly stopped laughing.
"I am not saying I dislike it. Continue to call me that."
"Okay."
Enkidu took Gilgamesh's hand and stood up.
He could already stand on his own two feet, but the two of them remained holding hands.
"Have we become friends?"
"...That's right. Consider it an honor. You are the first to become my friend."
"Really? You're a loner anyway, Gil. You wouldn't have any friends if it weren't for me."
Gilgamesh laughed once more.
Yes. This was the person she had been looking for.
Someone who did not simply bow down to her, but could speak their mind with conviction.
Furthermore, someone who was a mighty warrior like herself, with whom she could share the same gaze and converse as an equal.
Such a being was a first...
"Gil?"
Enkidu's call. Gilgamesh shook off her thoughts.
This was no time to dwell on such things.
It was more important to share her joy with her first friend.
"...It is nothing. Rather, let us return to Uruk. I have left the throne vacant for a long time; the insects are about to swarm."
"Alright. This time, I want to explore Uruk properly. It sounds like it will be fun."
"No entertainment you have ever seen can compare to Uruk. It is worth looking forward to."
Vimana slowly rose, carrying the two to Uruk.
Gilgamesh was certainly in high spirits, but for some reason, she could not shake off a sense of unease.
"This is my friend, Enkidu. He is my equal, so conduct yourselves accordingly."
"...Yes?"
After Enkidu settled in Uruk, Gilgamesh certainly became a better king compared to before.
The days of killing people without reason were gone. This was because Enkidu had stepped in to stop it.
Taxes were reduced, and welfare projects based on Enkidu's advice were also initiated.
Orphanages and homes for the elderly were built, and stipends from the national treasury were given to those who struggled to make a living because they could not work for various reasons.
The idea of modern welfare had been passed from Marduk to Enkidu, and from Enkidu to Gilgamesh.
Uruk prospered once more.
As the population grew, the city walls were extended, and satellite cities also began to increase one by one around it.
However, Gilgamesh's willful nature remained as it was—in fact, it had become even more pronounced after being influenced by Enkidu—so her bizarre antics did not cease.
For example, she would call for Ishtar and, pretending it was a mistake, pour milk on her and laugh her head off...
Or she would suddenly challenge Enkidu to a running race in the streets of Uruk.
Naturally, roads and shops alike were all destroyed.
But the citizens of Uruk, who had already experienced the truly tyrannical Gilgamesh, far from resenting it,
were busy shedding tears of gratitude, saying their king had become kind.
"How amusing. I have never known such joy in my life."
"The same goes for me, Gil."
Uruk's future seemed brighter than ever.
It happened one day.
Enkidu had already settled into Uruk perfectly and was spending his dozenth year there.
He told Gilgamesh that he wanted to go back to his hometown for a visit.
"I want to go see Marduk."
"...Do you say this knowing what that mongrel did to me?"
Gilgamesh's negative reaction was already expected.
Without flinching, Enkidu said yes.
"It's been too long since I left. Marduk will be worried, so I want to tell him I'm doing well."
"I refuse. That mongrel has lost interest in you. If he were worried about you, he would have shown his face long ago."
"But Gil, you cursed him and told him never to set foot on this land again."
"...Even so, I refuse."
Enkidu said he understood and turned back.
He didn't want to do something Gil disliked.
Besides, her words were convincing.
If Marduk had wanted to know how Enkidu was, he would have come to find him long ago. He was more than capable of doing so.
"He must be doing well. Yes."
Enkidu did not worry about him.
And the next day.
Gilgamesh summoned Enkidu.
"What is it, Gil?"
"We have run short on lumber. As a king, I suppose I must occasionally respond to the needs of my people. I intend to go get wood tomorrow."
For Enkidu, who had recently been assisting with Uruk's expansion projects, there was no reason to refuse.
It would be another adventure with Gil.
In fact, Enkidu's heart pounded with excitement.
"Where are you thinking of going? I heard the cedars of Canaan are famous."
"We are not going west. I intend to go east."
The eastern forest.
Enkidu's eyes lit up.
"The sacred grounds, you're planning to go to the Cedar Mountain!"
"Don't make such a fuss. You're like a child."
Gilgamesh grumbled, but Enkidu's lips were full of a smile.
Because Marduk lived in the Cedar Mountain.
Gilgamesh had changed her mind overnight.
"Didn't you say you didn't want to meet Marduk?"
"Hmph. I said we are going to get lumber, not to meet that mongrel. We might happen to run into him by chance."
"Okay. If you say so, Gil, then that's what we'll do."
Gilgamesh threw a treasure. Enkidu defended with his chains.
The shockwave caused the palace to shake violently.
But as if nothing had happened, the two continued their conversation.
"I want to prepare a gift to take. What would be good?"
"Whatever you take would be too good for that mongrel. A broken stone fragment from the palace should suffice."
"Are you going to give him the palace? You're amazing, Gil!"
"You say things that could be misunderstood, Enkidu."
Two treasures fell. Enkidu struck them down with his fists.
The palace shook once more. The screams of handmaidens could be heard from all over.
"How about a flower crown?"
"Flowers for a beast? What a ridiculous sight that would be."
"I'll let you help too, Gil, as a special favor. Let's make it and give it to him together."
"My help is an honor that cannot be obtained even for a king's ransom. However, if it is the earnest request of a friend, I suppose it cannot be helped."
The gift was decided to be a flower crown.
Gilgamesh immediately scattered tens of thousands of different flowers on the floor.
A dizzying fragrance filled the palace.
Every flower in the entire world was gathered in one place.
Enkidu, who had been watching this carefully, chose none of them and shook his head.
"What is it? All of them are of the finest quality."
"Marduk would like something we made ourselves. Let's go pick them together."
Most of the flowers in Gilgamesh's treasury were items presented by her subjects.
Of course, some she might have picked herself, but since growing up, she had not once picked a flower.
According to her, it was a lowly task.
"You mean to say that I should pick flowers like some commoner?"
"Find the flowers with your eyes, Gilgamesh. I'll make the crown."
"Insolent fool. Trying to use me, are you? Let's do it the other way around. You gather the flowers. I shall weave the crown."
"Are you trying to take all the cool parts for yourself, Gil?"
Gilgamesh smiled.
"Why do you ask the obvious?"
"You're so cheap, Gil!"
They spent such a pleasant time.
Combining their opinions, they decided to use the flowers from the Cedar Forest.
This was because the flowers of the sacred grounds never lose their fragrance or wilt their leaves.
Under the assertion that 'I cannot use an inferior breed for something I am making', they headed for the Cedar Mountain.
At the entrance of the Cedar Mountain stood Humbaba.
"...Marduk?"
Enkidu's trembling voice.
It was a bloated monster.
Its legs were thin like a human's, but its upper body was so abnormally swollen that it couldn't even balance properly.
It was prone to falling forwards or backwards, so it propped itself up with its two arms on the ground.
Its face was no longer recognizable. From the thing buried in a great mass of flesh, a pitiful sound emerged.
"■■■———."
"...It can't be."
Enkidu was too shocked to even continue his words.
How could this have happened?
He couldn't even begin to guess.
It was Gilgamesh who brought Enkidu back to his senses.
"Compose yourself, Enkidu. That thing is no longer the one you knew."
"Gilgamesh. But..."
"Stop acting like a child!"
At her sharp rebuke, Enkidu planted his feet on the ground and stood firm again.
Soon after, Humbaba, having spotted the intruders, began to charge towards them.
The sad hunt began.