Chapter 28: A Long Talk with the Goddess Under the Moon
"That is why I joined the 'Three Goddess Alliance,' and why I abandoned everything I once held dear... As long as I can return this world to one where humans and gods coexist, I will stop at nothing. I am not an enemy of humanity; I love humanity. I am merely an enemy of the human world. So, please, do not stop me..."
Eresh's words were choked with emotion, and having said all she wished to say, she fell silent. Shirou listened intently and nodded. With his other hand, he stroked her golden hair; Eresh moved her head like a cat, responding to the touch.
"Eresh, the road of humanity's future only has meaning if humans walk it themselves. Gods should not always intervene, nor should they always accompany them. Even if the ultimate end becomes a doomsday, humanity will never regret the path they chose. I think... that is what it means to be human."
"Uu... but..." Eresh had more she wanted to say, but the morning light was already dawning. There was no more time to linger; she had to return to the Underworld.
"It seems there is no time left tonight. Let us meet again tomorrow night..." Eresh looked at Shirou with lingering longing. Having had a long, heartfelt conversation with a man who completely understood her, this night had been the most joyous moment she had ever felt.
"Before you go, since I spent so much time chatting with you, won't you give me some kind of reward?" Shirou joked.
Hearing this, the Goddess of the Underworld blushed and glared at him. As the tips of her flowing golden hair began to dye with black, Eresh suddenly had a thought. A trace of mischief appeared on her face, and she leaned in toward Shirou's face, catching him completely off guard.
At that very instant, the sunrise—symbolizing the start of a new day—finally appeared, and a golden halo emerged on the horizon.
As her hair turned completely black, Ishtar felt her current state was somewhat strange. She suddenly opened her eyes, and at that moment, seeing the man's face right before her, her eyes widened in shock. She shoved Shirou away, scrambled backward several meters in a panic, and pointed at him in disbelief.
"You, you, you...!!!"
"What about me?" Shirou, not having expected Eresh to prank him, didn't feel like he had been tricked—after all, he didn't lose out.
"What did you do to me!?" Ishtar pointed at Shirou, seething with rage, before suddenly recalling that she had lost consciousness the previous night. "No, wait! What did you do to my sister!?"
"You should be asking what your sister did to me," Shirou replied, shrugging innocently.
Shirou watched the stunned Ishtar and suddenly felt like teasing the younger sister. He walked toward her. Seeing him approach, Ishtar was startled and immediately crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing him cautiously.
"Your sister still owes me a reward; she hasn't given it to me yet. Why don't you, as her younger sister, pay it back in her stead?"
"Ha? Then what were you just doing?" After Ishtar finished, she fiercely wiped her lips with her hand.
"Just now? What happened just now?" Shirou acted as if he couldn't remember, which made Ishtar even more furious.
"You really are a bastard!" she cursed.
"Enough nonsense. You dare curse me? Take this!"
Shirou made a move to grab her. Ishtar was so frightened she tried to run, but because her wrists were bound by the chains, she stumbled and fell to the ground after only two steps.
"N-no, don't!"
Perhaps it was the influence of possessing Rin; the girl's personality balanced the goddess's, giving her such rich humanity. Hearing the goddess's plea, Shirou found it quite amusing and reached out to pull her up.
"Alright, there is no reward. I was just teasing you. Go on back."
"You—!!" Ishtar stared at him with wide eyes.
"Are you not going yet?" Shirou raised his hand to scare her, and Ishtar hurriedly sped up, running into the house.
Even gods have emotions and desires. Compared to those Old Ones or Outer Gods that were completely inscrutable, this was far more interesting.
-
-
-
Returning to the camp, Gudako, Mash, and the others were already awake and eating breakfast. Shirou walked into the dining area.
"Eh? That's strange. Where did you go last night, Shirou?" Gudako asked curiously.
"I had some business with a goddess—a long talk under the moon, for example," Shirou replied.
Ishtar, who had been eating in silence, choked on her food and began to cough violently.
"Cough, cough, cough!!!"
Merlin and Mash turned their curious gazes toward them. Ishtar felt her ears burning; she dared not think about what happened at dawn and buried herself in her breakfast. The deliciousness of the mutton only strengthened her resolve to seize Uruk.
After breakfast, Leonidas I brought news of a mission: Demonic Beasts were attacking a neighboring city. The group set out immediately with Ushiwakamaru, Musashibo Benkei, and a squad of soldiers.
"Then, I wish you success in battle," Ushiwakamaru said to Shirou's group before they reached a mountain range infested with Demonic Beasts.
"Yes, we leave our backs to you," Gudako said.
"Rest assured."
The two groups separated. Ushiwakamaru and Benkei led the soldiers to meet the swarms of beasts. After cutting their way through the thorns to the summit, Shirou looked back at the soldiers locked in bitter struggle.
"It seems necessary to give them a little help."
As Shirou spoke, thousands of deep blue rays of magical light lit up the sky. Blades and weapons manifested from the light and plummeted toward the beasts. To avoid harming the soldiers, Shirou did not use "Broken Phantasm," but the sheer sharpness of the Noble Phantasms themselves was enough to pierce the bodies of the beasts, inflicting heavy damage.
Gudako and Mash watched this scene in shock.
"This is...!?"
"It looks just like King Gilgamesh's 'Gate of Babylon'..."
"Let's go. Keep moving," Shirou prompted.
The group headed toward the city. Upon arriving, they were immediately hit by a thick, permeating scent of blood.
"This is..." Gudako and Mash's expressions changed. "Blood!?"
If there was a scent of blood, it was highly likely someone had been harmed. Although there were no citizens in this city, what about the other cities?
Following the trail of blood to the top floor, they saw a green-haired man standing in the center of a circle formed by fresh blood.
"Enkidu!" Gudako stared intently at the man. "Where did you take the residents of the city?!"
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting