"You insolent wretch! How dare you speak curses in the King's presence!"
The soldiers in the palace's main hall surged forward, surrounding Shirou and Merlin.
The Magus of Flowers (♂) hurriedly raised both hands. "No, wait! This is all a misunderstanding..."
"Everyone, I understand how deeply you respect and adore the King, but he truly meant no harm. He simply has a habit of speaking harshly without realizing it..."
As Merlin spoke, he shot King Gilgamesh a pleading look.
The blond, red-eyed King merely watched from above with keen interest, a sly smile spreading across his face.
Damn it... This guy enjoys watching trouble unfold too!
At this rate, the reinforcements I went to so much trouble to bring here will be thrown into prison within five seconds of arriving. The reputation of the great Magus Merlin will be ruined forever! Not that I had much of a reputation to begin with!
All right, then. What will you do?
Gilgamesh set down the stone tablet in his hand and watched Shirou Amamiya expectantly.
Although the King's Clairvoyance was nowhere near its prime, a single glance was enough for him to recognize the astonishing power dwelling within the red-haired youth.
But did he truly possess the mettle of the hero who had once defeated this King?
Having been dragged into trouble through no fault of his own, surely he would not simply let the matter pass.
Come, show this King your little performance!
"..."
Shirou swept his gaze across the soldiers in the palace. Every one of them was brimming with hostility, weapons at the ready.
The King on the throne had not even said a word, yet they had rushed forward of their own accord.
They could never have reacted so fiercely unless they truly loved and revered the King they served.
"Hmph."
Shirou did not look particularly surprised. He turned toward Gilgamesh, who was watching from the sidelines.
"King Gilgamesh, is this how Uruk welcomes its guests?"
"Even in times like these, you shouldn't completely neglect the discipline of your subordinates."
"When your men behave like this, it reflects poorly on their King. For example, I'm already beginning to look down on you."
"Damn you! You dare continue insulting our King..."
Shirou's words only enraged the soldiers further, but then...
"Hah."
"?"
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
Gilgamesh slapped his thigh and burst into roaring laughter.
"I see... It appears you truly are no ordinary mongrel... Hahahahaha!"
The soldiers froze at the sight of their King laughing, unable to make sense of his reaction.
At that moment, the young woman who had been standing below the throne spoke.
"Everyone, put away your weapons at once."
The woman wore green ceremonial robes, with half her face concealed beneath a black veil. She was Siduri, the Head Priestess of Uruk and an advisor to King Gilgamesh.
As she approached Shirou, the soldiers parted to let her through.
"Please forgive their rudeness. You must be the honored guest invited here by Magus Merlin."
"Yes, exactly! That's what I've been saying from the very beginning!"
The Magus of Flowers (♂) finally found a chance to interject and hurried over to Shirou's side.
Siduri said, "This happened because Merlin-dono is always behaving as he does. His reputation has unfairly affected this gentleman as well."
"He was mistaken for another suspicious individual who, like you, shows no respect for the King... Please be more mindful of your words and conduct from now on."
"Guh..." Merlin grimaced as though struck by a sudden stomachache.
"Precisely. You brought this entirely upon yourself... So even you have days like this, Merlin! Hahahahaha! Hahahahaha!"
"Your Majesty, how long do you intend to keep laughing?"
"Ahem." Gilgamesh looked faintly embarrassed.
"Please allow me to apologize on everyone's behalf."
Siduri turned toward the red-haired youth and bowed deeply, her expression full of remorse.
Shirou shook his head. "No, it's fine. When you get down to it, this is all Merlin's fault."
"I'm glad you understand," Siduri said with a smile.
"You two reached an agreement and united against a common enemy the moment you met!?"
Merlin went pale, sensing that his future in Uruk had suddenly become very bleak.
"Still, looking at it positively, his mere presence has united the Uruk front. That is surely proof of what an excellent court Magus he is."
"That is probably what Merlin is thinking right now," Shirou said with a perfectly straight face.
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
The King's booming laughter rang out from above. Even Siduri could not help covering her smile with the back of her hand.
"Can you read my mind!?"
Merlin was speechless. Just how well did this Arthur from another world understand his teacher?
At that moment, several new carts loaded with clay tablets containing official records and reports were delivered into the palace.
"Your Majesty, it is already..."
Gilgamesh impatiently waved a hand, cutting off Siduri's reminder. "It is getting late. This King must return to work."
What connection was there between those two statements? Shirou wondered.
Gilgamesh said, "Head Priestess, I leave this fellow entirely in your care. Since he is a mongrel who has caught your interest, take responsibility for him to the very end. Do not neglect your duty."
"As you command." Siduri bowed her head.
Merlin said, "Wait, Your Majesty. You can leave him to me..."
Gilgamesh replied, "Merlin, although you have only just returned and have yet to rest, this King has another task for you."
"I have had a new inspiration concerning the whereabouts of the [Tablet of Destinies]. Go and see whether you can recover it."
What was the [Tablet of Destinies]?
Noticing Shirou's curious expression, Siduri explained.
"It concerns something that happened while the King was returning to Uruk from the Underworld."
"While in a state of meditation, the King witnessed the future and recorded what he saw on a clay tablet he had nearby."
"Because the future was observed during meditation, he has no memory of what happened before or afterward."
"Unless he reads it again, not even the King knows what Mandate of Heaven was recorded there."
"So this guy writes in his diary while asleep, then casually leaves it lying by the roadside...?"
"On occasion."
Gilgamesh snorted, looking as though this were perfectly natural. "The Mandate of Heaven generally refers to something bestowed by the gods, but mine comes through Clairvoyance."
"At times, this King suddenly learns of a 'future' unrelated to himself and records it unconsciously."
"It may be meaningless to this King, but to others, it would be a priceless treasure."
"That said, the Magical Beasts could not possibly understand its value, so it has most likely been left untouched."
"Merlin, the search for the [Tablet of Destinies] is yours."
Afterward, Shirou and Merlin were driven out of the palace.
"Wait, brat... What is your name?"
Gilgamesh called out just before they left.
"Shirou. Shirou Amamiya."
"Never heard of you. I have no memory of you either. Now get lost."
Gilgamesh returned his attention to the clay tablets inscribed with matters of state.
...
Gilgamesh's palace also served as a Divine Tower and stood as the tallest structure in Uruk.
As Shirou descended the long staircase, he caught a glimpse of the city from the Age of Gods spread out below him.
Merlin had already told him that this era was in the midst of an exceptionally brutal war, yet nothing about the bustling city-state suggested such a thing.
What surprised Shirou was not the advanced civilization of the Age of Myths itself, but the sheer vitality of the city.
A city overflowing with life. That was the best way to describe it.
So this was Uruk under Gilgamesh's rule... No wonder those soldiers worshiped him so fervently.
The Gilgamesh he had met today was also completely different from the supremely arrogant Golden Archer he remembered.
Admittedly, those memories were nearly ten years old, but Shirou still felt that Gilgamesh should have been a far more outrageous king...
"Shirou-dono, I will be responsible for providing for you from now on."
The green-robed woman walking beside him interrupted his thoughts.
"I apologize for introducing myself so late. My name is Siduri."
"I am one of the King's advisors, as well as the person responsible for the Sacrificial Grounds."
"I'm Shirou Amamiya. Shirou is fine. It's a pleasure to meet you, Siduri-san."
"The pleasure is mine."
"Well then, I'll leave Shirou in your capable hands, Lady Siduri. Honestly, just thinking about spending hours explaining Uruk's current situation sounds exhausting. You've really saved me!"
"Now I'll have time to relax at the market! After all, Uruk's ale is so delicious it's practically divine!"
"Merlin-dono, please do not forget the mission the King assigned to you."
Siduri watched the cheerful Magus run off and let out a sigh.
"Honestly... I am sure you have already realized this, but as you can see, Merlin is utterly unreliable."
"While you remain in Uruk, I will be the one coordinating matters with you."
"But aren't you already very busy, Siduri-san? You're responsible for the Sacrificial Grounds as well. Will you really be all right?"
Siduri paused in surprise.
Shirou had been in Uruk for less than an hour, yet he had already grasped how the city functioned.
Although Uruk was ruled autocratically by Gilgamesh, its administrative authority was divided among three powers: the royal court, the Sacrificial Grounds, and the Shrine of the Priestesses.
After the war began, Gilgamesh had expanded the authority of the Sacrificial Grounds to keep the Shrine of the Priestesses in check, causing Siduri's workload to multiply.
What was more, Shirou had seen through the exhaustion the King was hiding during their very first meeting...
Though the thought might be disrespectful, Siduri suspected that this young man possessed insight that rivaled the King's.
"I apologize for presenting such an unsightly spectacle. However, since it is the King's command, I am duty-bound as his servant to carry it out with all my strength."
"Even though I'm only a suspicious outsider Merlin brought here?"
Siduri shook her head. "Even from my personal perspective, I do not believe Shirou-dono is a suspicious outsider. I believe you are someone from whom much can be expected."
"Why?"
"Ever since the war began... it has been a very long time since the King laughed the way he did just now."
Siduri smiled as she spoke.
...
Shirou followed Siduri to his lodgings.
There, she briefed him on the current situation.
Mesopotamia, where he now found himself, was a civilization made up of numerous city-states. Among them, Uruk, ruled by King Gilgamesh, was the most prosperous.
Several months ago, a group calling itself the [Three Goddess Alliance] declared war on humanity.
At the same time, vast numbers of Magical Beasts of unknown origin appeared and began invading cities across the land.
These Magical Beasts were neither creatures native to this era nor Phantasmal Species from an earlier age. They belonged to an entirely different ecosystem...
According to King Gilgamesh, they were "beings cast aside by the tide of history."
The Magical Beasts harbored nothing but hatred and murderous intent toward humanity. They did not attack to feed, but for the sole purpose of wiping out the human race.
By now, most of Mesopotamia's nations had fallen in rapid succession. Only Uruk and the surrounding region remained intact.
Northern Mesopotamia had been completely transformed into a kingdom of Magical Beasts, while the south had undergone a mysterious overgrowth, becoming a dense forest from which no one returned.
For those whose homes had been attacked by Magical Beasts and who had barely escaped with their lives, Uruk was the only refuge left.
That was the current state of affairs.
"...The [Three Goddess Alliance]."
Shirou murmured to himself.
Goddesses. Were they beings like the Lion King, Artoria?
Siduri continued, "As the name suggests, the [Three Goddess Alliance] is an alliance formed by three goddesses."
"We still know very little about them, but their objective is perfectly clear."
"What is it?"
"To exterminate humanity. To leave no one alive and erase mankind completely."
Siduri bit her lip.
"'To eradicate here and now the humans who would otherwise carry history forward.' According to the King, that appears to be their goal."
"I think I understand the situation now."
Shirou nodded.
"I was wondering what kind of Magical Beasts even Gilgamesh couldn't deal with. So it's the wrath of goddesses. That explains it."
"The sudden appearance of the [Three Goddess Alliance] dealt a devastating blow to many nations."
"The Magical Beast offensive in the north has been especially fierce. It has become the greatest force threatening humanity's destruction."
"To counter it, the King dismantled the fallen city of Babylon and rapidly constructed a massive fortress known as the Northern Wall of Uruk."
"That is Babylonia's Monster Front. It is only because of that wall that we are able to sit here and speak in safety."
Shirou asked, "Do you know anything more about the [Three Goddess Alliance]?"
Siduri hesitated before answering.
"We know the True Name of only one of the three."
"There is the Goddess of Demonic Beasts in the north, the Goddess of the Dense Forest in the south, and finally, the Goddess of Heaven, who has no fixed stronghold."
"Although the Goddess of Demonic Beasts in the north poses the greatest threat, the Goddess of Heaven also has... certain issues."
"In a different sense from the Goddess of Demonic Beasts, she may be the most troublesome goddess Uruk has to contend with."
"We are still at our wits' end trying to determine how best to handle her."
"The Goddess of Heaven in Mesopotamia... Could she be the goddess Ishtar?" Shirou asked.
"You know Ishtar-sama?" Siduri asked in surprise.
"Yes."
No matter how poor Shirou's knowledge of world history was, even he had heard of the renowned goddess Ishtar.
Greek civilization was considered to have developed from Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilization, and among the deities passed down through that cultural lineage, Ishtar could be called one of the most important and influential.
The Queen of Assyria, [Red] Assassin Semiramis, whom Shirou had once faced during the Great Holy Grail War, was also described by later generations as an incarnation of the goddess Ishtar.
That alone was enough to imagine what sort of goddess she was, one blessed with beauty in equal measure to her malice.
"Ishtar-sama is the city goddess of Uruk."
"Even the King cannot recklessly declare open war against her. More importantly..."
Siduri's expression grew complicated, as though there were something she found difficult to say.
"I see. So she's a woman even Gilgamesh can't do anything about."
Shirou thought for a moment.
"Since Uruk can't act against her, I'll step in as an outsider."
"What?"
"I'll defeat the goddess Ishtar."
With that declaration, the red-haired youth rose to his feet.
The Head Priestess stared at him in astonishment.
"Shirou-dono, where are you going?"
Shirou looked around the room before asking, "Siduri-san... Where is the kitchen in this dormitory?"
...
Beneath the setting sun, two figures, one tall and one short, made their way through the streets of Uruk as the city began to settle down.
"Hm? Benkei, do you smell something delicious? It's coming from the dormitory! Ah, dinner smells wonderful tonight!"
The samurai-clad girl sniffed the air, then excitedly dashed toward the dormitory.
"Please wait, Ushiwakamaru-sama! Please don't use [Dan-no-Ura - Eight-Boat Leap] in the middle of the street! The King will scold me again!"