Chapter 230
Good news, it's a new loli.
Bad news, this loli is from Greek Mythology, and she has psychological trauma, so she likely isn't easy to approach.
"The fresher the information on the frontline, the better; updates cannot be neglected," Gilgamesh said, sitting on his throne and looking at the clay tablet in his hands. "Immediately change the interval for the secretaries to produce clay tablets to one hour."
"There's a delay in the material transport from the city of Eridu," he said, frowning. "Dispatch twenty men from the East Gate barracks to exterminate the demonic beasts."
"Leave the on-site command to the junior captain, Tim; it's his hometown, and he's familiar with the terrain."
"Come to think of it, Tabal's daughter has given birth, hasn't she? Send a priestess over, and also send some nutritious fruits."
"Also, have Tabal transferred back from the Northern Wall and give him three days off."
"Yes," Siduri said, bowing her head in acknowledgment. "I will go arrange it."
"Hm. A grandchild's face will surely fill him with vigor."
Xia Yu followed Merlin and the others into the interior of the Ziggurat and witnessed this scene of Gilgamesh's diligence.
"As expected of the Wise King, Gilgamesh," she remarked with amazement. "He manages everything from material allocation to women giving birth. It's fortunate that this is Uruk in the city-state era."
"If this were a country in the feudal era, it would be a miracle he didn't work himself to death."
Hearing her voice, Gilgamesh's body shuddered instantly.
'Wait, how is this person here?'
'Why didn't I notice her at all?'
He looked up toward the other side of the grand hall and saw the white-haired young girl holding a small basket filled with fresh vegetables, watching him with great interest.
The moment Siduri heard Kiana's voice, she turned her head immediately, using her eyes to soothe several officials who were about to reprimand the visitor.
After all, Gilgamesh's reputation was well-established here, and everyone respected him deeply; hearing someone say he would work himself to death was bound to be seen as offensive by some.
"Oh, no, looking at it like this, I'm afraid he's already on the verge of working himself to death," Xia Yu continued, oblivious to the atmosphere. "Sigh, such a massive Uruk, and yet there isn't a single person to share some of the administration? They just watch their King work himself to death."
"It's just too pathetic~~~"
"Miss Kiana," Gilgamesh said, grinding his teeth. "You are right. I am indeed about to work myself to death."
"So, for the sake of Uruk, would you be willing to help this poor man who is being worked to death share some of the administration?"
'Meaning: if you aren't going to help, don't nag!'
If the other party didn't have the strength to back it up, he would have made sure they knew the consequences!
Don't assume the Wise King Gilgamesh has a good temper; he simply restrains himself because he has seen through the nature of the world.
"That won't do," Xia Yu shook her head repeatedly. "Have you forgotten, Gilgamesh? I am the goddess Ishtar's captive; there's no logic in having someone else's captive do your work for you."
"If you want me to work, go negotiate with Ishtar."
"I have also never seen a captive who can stroll around so brazenly," Gilgamesh almost crushed the stone tablet in his hand.
"Can't help it, the goddess at home is incompetent," Xia Yu said with a helpless look. "She's idle all day; if I don't go out and get some food, she'd be living on air."
"It's a pity for someone like me who hasn't really cooked much, being forced by life to become a master chef."
"You..." Gilgamesh was left speechless, his face full of frustration.
'I refuse to believe that useless goddess Ishtar can really do anything to you. She probably still hasn't figured out just how strong you really are.'
"Is this King Gilgamesh?" Fujimaru Ritsuka whispered to Mash. "I always felt... in my impression, he should be a very tyrannical king."
Mash, watching Kiana and Gilgamesh undermining each other, whispered back: "I also feel... this isn't the right time to strike up a conversation."
'And this Miss Kiana is truly brave; after all, we are on someone else's turf... But since she can be friends with Firefly, her strength probably isn't weak.'
'That must be why she is so fearless.'
"Well, well, let's leave the catching up for later," Merlin interrupted their sparring.
"King Gilgamesh, your court magus has brought back the guests."
Hearing this, Gilgamesh merely raised his eyes to glance at Fujimaru Ritsuka, then returned to the stone tablet in his hands without saying a word.
"You have returned, Magus Merlin," Siduri said, interjecting to smooth things over. "Thank you for your hard work; the King is very pleased."
'Hm, you can't tell he's pleased at all from Gilgamesh's face; it's all down to Siduri holding the fort.'
"Did you bring back the Tablet of Destinies?"
"No, I came up empty-handed over there as well," Merlin replied, shaking his head. "That thing isn't in the western forest, either."
He looked at Gilgamesh with a resentful expression. "Honestly, King, do you really not remember where you put the tablet?"
"How disrespectful. Please be silent," Siduri said. Although she said it was disrespectful, her tone was clearly joking.
Indeed, the Tablet of Destinies had never been in the western forest; Gilgamesh having Merlin search there was purely to ensure he would bring the Chaldea duo back in time.
"And who are these... they don't look like citizens of Uruk at all," Siduri said, looking at Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others.
"These are friends of my friend," Xia Yu said, reaching out from behind to drape her arms over Fujimaru Ritsuka's and Mash's shoulders. "This is Fujimaru Ritsuka, this is Mash; we only just met."
"Since they are guests of Lady Kiana, they are naturally honored guests of Uruk," Siduri said, nodding at the two from Chaldea. "We will naturally..."
"Withdraw, Siduri," Gilgamesh suddenly spoke up, slowly standing up from his throne.
"King Gilgamesh, you are planning to..." As the person closest to him, Siduri immediately sensed his intent.
Testing the two was fine, but Lady Kiana was standing right beside them!
"It is just as you think," Gilgamesh said, staring at Xia Yu. "I am about to slightly soil this throne. I am very busy and cannot spare the time to sit and talk to you to understand the situation."
Hearing this, Siduri sighed helplessly and slowly retreated.
"So I plan to discern your authenticity through combat," Gilgamesh said, though he was speaking to the Chaldea duo, his eyes were still locked on Xia Yu. "Those not involved, step aside."
"Do you mean me when you say 'those not involved'?" Xia Yu looked at Gilgamesh with a smile.
"That also includes Merlin," Gilgamesh said, pulling a clay tablet book out from the void.
"Sigh, good luck then," Xia Yu patted Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash on the shoulders, then picked up her small basket of vegetables and walked over to Siduri's side.
The battle began with a few magic blasts from Gilgamesh. Fujimaru Ritsuka provided support with Magecraft while directing Mash and Anna to surround Gilgamesh.
"How long do you think they can last?" Xia Yu took a bright wild fruit out of her small basket and handed it to Siduri.
"Thank you," Siduri reached out and accepted it with reserve. "The King's ability is the strongest in Uruk. However, I have not seen these guests fight before, so I dare not speculate."
"I bet no more than ten moves," Xia Yu said, popping a fruit into her mouth.
"How is that raspberry?" Merlin, seeing this, leaned over and peered into the small basket in her arms.
"Quite good," Xia Yu said generously, taking one out and stuffing it into his hand.
"Actually, in Miss Kiana's eyes, a battle like this is basically no different from playing house, isn't it?" Merlin said, watching as Anna's chains were easily deflected by Gilgamesh.
"You really don't know how to talk, do you?" Xia Yu gave him a sidelong glance. "Don't you know the principle of seeing through something without saying it?"
"Boring," Gilgamesh muttered. Listening to others comment while he was fighting was truly tedious, so he impatiently ended the battle in a few moves.
"Go back and retrain," he snorted coldly before returning to his throne.
"King, are these the outsiders you mentioned before?" Siduri stepped forward to ease the awkwardness.
"Since Merlin brought them back, there should be no mistake," Gilgamesh frowned.
"King Gilgamesh, please listen to me," Fujimaru Ritsuka stepped forward. "Chaldea is..."
"There is no need for that," Gilgamesh shook his head. "Remember, since I can accomplish all things, I naturally know all things."
"Even regarding your Chaldea, I have known for a long time."
"If that is the case, you should hear our explanation even more!" Fujimaru Ritsuka argued.
"If we don't recover the Holy Grail of this era, the Human Order will collapse!"
"So we must quickly..."
Before she could finish, Gilgamesh raised his hand, and a golden ripple surged from the void.
"The Holy Grail..."
"What is it? Are you not looking for the Holy Grail?" Gilgamesh picked up the golden Holy Grail he had retrieved from the ripples. "Do you not even recognize the thing you are looking for?"
"That is... but why is the Holy Grail in your hands?" Mash couldn't help but ask.
Previously, almost all the Holy Grails were in the hands of those chosen by the King of Magecraft, but now... had she accidentally wandered into enemy territory?
"That is natural," Gilgamesh said proudly. "All treasures in the world belong to me. I presume the objective of that Three Goddess Alliance is also this Holy Grail."
"Otherwise, they would have no reason to attack Uruk."
Pfft.
At that moment, Xia Yu couldn't hold it back and nearly burst out laughing.
In an instant, everyone's gaze focused on her face.
"What is it, Miss Kiana?" Gilgamesh looked at her with a murderous glare. "Do you have a different opinion?"
"It's just that seeing you con people like this is something I really can't stand to watch," Xia Yu shook her head, looking at Fujimaru Ritsuka with full sympathy. "Do you think everything will be fine just by getting the Holy Grail in his hands?"
"He's conning you!"
"What?" Fujimaru Ritsuka felt awful, looking at the Holy Grail in Gilgamesh's hands again.
But that Holy Grail didn't look fake, did it?
"Come, come, Merlin, you are the knowledgeable great magus," Xia Yu looked at Merlin, teasing, "Why don't you tell them if Gilgamesh is conning them?"
"Ah... this... I..." Merlin felt entirely uncomfortable, laughing sheepishly. "How would I know something like that..."
"As expected of you, Merlin," Xia Yu shook her head.
The legends about Merlin in this world are simply countless.
He is the guide of Arthur in the legend of King Arthur and the great magus of Britain.
In the formal Arthurian legends, there are multiple theories about Merlin's origin, but it is generally believed he was half-human, half-incubus, born with extraordinary wisdom and magical power. He prophesied the birth of Arthur and the red dragon (Wales) defeating the white dragon (Saxon).
He is usually credited with facilitating Arthur's birth by helping Uther sneak into the castle to have an affair with a wife; since Arthur was an illegitimate child and inconvenient to raise at court, Merlin became Arthur's fosterer.
After Arthur came of age, Merlin set up the Sword in the Stone to prove Arthur's qualifications as King, and after Arthur inherited the throne, he became his effective assistant, using his wits and magic many times to help Arthur against his main enemies, such as Morgan. But in the end, Merlin was murdered by his lover and suffered eternal imprisonment.
There are also theories that Merlin guards Arthur's legacy, waiting for King Arthur to return to the human world.
In Type-Moon, he is the son of an incubus and a human, possessing human characteristics and relying on his own dreams to sustain his existence. At the same time, he lacks a human view of good and evil; he thinks he loves humans, but humans don't necessarily think so.
On the advice of the former British King Uther, he helped Uther use conceptual conception to give birth to the red dragon of Britain—Arthur, that is, Artoria.
During Artoria's childhood, he constantly educated her on the way to govern through dreams. Kay, who knew the truth, thought he lacked humanity because Artoria's practice of swordsmanship, housework, and other affairs during the day meant she only had two or three hours of sleep, and Merlin even used those hours to squeeze her dry.
Then he brought the sword of selection and told Artoria the ending he saw through his Clairvoyance before she pulled the sword.
After that, Artoria, Merlin, and Kay went out to cultivate together. The three were always involved in various troubles, and the process was often Artoria getting involved first, Merlin's sharp tongue directly escalating the situation, and finally leaving Kay to clean up the mess for both of them.
In the ten years after King Arthur established the royal capital at Camelot, Merlin served as the King's advisor, although his most famous deeds were still his philandering due to his incubus nature, stepping on countless boats, leading to extremely sinister interpersonal relationships.
At the end of King Arthur's ten years, before King Arthur went on an expedition to the European continent, because he had offended a fairy, he had to hide. Merlin did not appear until the final battle of the King Arthur legend.
In fact, he had already hidden in Avalon, claiming that if he committed suicide, he would definitely be able to ascend to the Throne of Heroes. He was cursed by a woman with whom he once had entanglements, trapping him inside the wilderness of Avalon in a cloistered tower, with only a small window from which he could see the outside world.
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T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me.
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