A Quiet Farewell

"I am in my original form now, and it will hurt a lot if I get hit, so please don't."

Merlin, without any remorse, uttered an extremely irritating remark. "Besides, isn't there another me who works overtime? I was so bored that I sneaked out while Gilgamesh was in the bathroom. But it was truly wonderful and lively, just like a tea party in a dream."

"So that's how it is--"

Upon hearing this, Rovey smiled and then punched Merlin, making him Venus.

Wow!

"What are you going to do now? Why did you suddenly hit me!"

Seemingly completely unprepared for Rovey's behavior in this situation, Merlin rubbed his cheek in a daze after being punched.

Does it hurt?

"Of course it hurts!"

"That's right, I just wanted to check if this was a dream."

Why don't you test yourself?!

"Idiot, of course it hurts..."

Ignoring Merlin's complaints, Rovey walked ahead nonchalantly, then pointed to the brightly lit palace ahead. He could sense that many people were waiting for them inside; it was time to say goodbye.

Just then, Rovey suddenly felt that his body had become somewhat heavy and his reactions had become much slower.

This means that time is running out.

"It seems the Singularity has almost fully repaired itself. Is it now going to exclude us outsiders?"

He immediately quickened his pace.

Merlin, who was standing beside him, also noticed this and couldn't help but sigh.

"Once the Singularity is repaired, those of us who don't belong to this era will naturally disappear. However, this Singularity is far too massive, so the pace of our disappearance will be delayed. But it seems it's time to say goodbye, so—hurry up, use the last moments to say goodbye to everyone, and then begin a new adventure. This time, I'm sticking with you. After all, I've experienced a truly unique story while I'm with you."

Merlin said with a smile.

"Then you'd better be prepared to work overtime until you're exhausted."

Rovey returned the smile, which sent a chill down Merlin's spine, giving him a strange sense of foreboding.

It would be a waste not to use such a readily available source of labor, so he's now planning to bring Merlin back to work overtime.

Chapter 317 A Soft Farewell

When Rovey entered the Uruk Palace, the surroundings were very familiar.

However, compared to the bustling crowds of the past, this place is now much quieter. This is obviously because the officials and priests of Uruk are busy with post-war reconstruction or attending victory celebrations outside. In addition, Gilgamesh's clearing of the area has left only a few important and familiar people here.

"Tap tap tap, come in, everyone, look who I brought back."

Merlin, carrying his wand, swaggered in, raising his hands in a gesture of invitation as he went, looking exactly like a lackey.

Rovey, who had been walking behind him, also slowly walked in.

He looked around at the scenery that remained unchanged. Although Uruk had faced destruction not long ago, not a single blade of grass, tree, or brick had been damaged, making him feel as if everything he had experienced before was just a dream.

However, after seeing the figure standing not far away, he immediately dismissed this irresponsible idea.

Bright moonlight and firelight streamed through the window into the Uruk palace, right in front of him. A head of long, sky-blue hair shone brilliantly in the moonlight and starlight.

"Aaaaa..."

Tiamat, whom he had gone through countless hardships and risked everything to save, stood before him, smiling at Rovey.

This is the real reality, because Tiamat is right here right now.

The courage to relinquish divinity, the body, obsessions, and hatred enabled the near-impossible miracle of Genesis.

Although the description looks very grand, it is actually very easy to understand.

It's merely a description of a mother yearning for love, giving up everything for her children to start a new life. Through this experience, he truly made his own choices and changed, relinquishing what he possessed and his destiny, taking Solomon's place, returning everything that wasn't his to God, and gaining true freedom. From then on, he was no longer fixated on the power of Christianity, nor did he have the same strong attachment to that heavy position. Now, he only wanted to be himself; even without becoming a demon god, he was still an extremely excellent Magus and Master.

However, although Rovey thought that Tiamat would return the divinity of the Sumerian civilization to gain freedom, while he himself would give up everything as a saint and a holy son, thereby gaining freedom from the ritual of ascension to godhood, and that everyone would have their own choices and bright future, Jeanne's words not long ago gave him a shock. It seemed that the higher-ups did not want to let him off so easily, and even asked him to find time to go to Heaven.

That's practically a joke.

Let's not even mention that I'm about to pack up and run away myself.

Even just figuring out what Heaven is and how he gets Heaven are questions.

This was tantamount to telling him to commit suicide and then report it. After all, Heaven wasn't in the Starry Sky. Even if he managed to enter the Inner World, it wouldn't matter. Did he really think he could use the Joestar Family bloodline, along with the right location and gravity, to get to Heaven using a secret code?

Is time about to accelerate?

In short, Rovey really didn't want to continue.

Perhaps he truly had the chance to complete the rituals and trials to become the sole god of the Christianity, and through this foundation, to become a complete demon god. But when he thought about the complexities involved and the potential constraints he might face, he suddenly felt no interest whatsoever. After all, what he needed was never some kind of Genesis; what he truly desired was probably an interesting life, living with the people he loved, and a peaceful world...

And those things, at this very moment, he has already—

"You've got it!"

Rovey reached out to gently stroke Tiamat's long hair, but she suddenly grabbed his outstretched right hand, stood on tiptoe, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her head against her chest.

"Aaaaaa."

Knock knock knock...?

"Huh? Ah, what are you doing!?"

Rovey, who was preoccupied with her own thoughts and pondering her current situation, was completely jolted awake by Tiamat's sudden act of intimacy and the warmth of her audible, throbbing heartbeat.

"Aaaa?"

Tiamat looked at Rovey, whose expression and behavior were strange, with some confusion and asked her question.

"What do you mean (isn't pressing your head against your chest a common way for humans to express gratitude?) You're just trying to make me relax this way? Who taught you this theory? How can there be such a strange way to relax?"

"Aaa?"

When questioned, Tiamat casually named someone, which confirmed Rovey's guess. He patted Tiamat's head with a smile, indicating that there was no problem and he wasn't angry at all, but in his heart, he had already sentenced a certain guy to death.

And it was at this moment--

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't run away because I hate working overtime. I just went to find our hero."

The frivolous and superficial words rang in his ears once again. Merlin, who had just returned, was unsurprisingly interrogated by Merry and Gilgamesh. He hurriedly waved his hand and pointed at Rovey, using him as a shield.

Only then did Rovey understand why this guy had insisted on coming back with him from the very beginning; it turned out he had this in mind.

Before Rovey could even get angry, the people who had appeared in the room came up with their respective gifts, and he was soon surrounded by many bouquets of flowers in the center.

"Congratulations on the return of our great hero!!"

Many people are hiding here, most of them former Heroic Spirit comrades, as well as the Demon God Pillars that have been howling and wailing but have not come looking for them. At this moment, everyone has gathered here and is throwing the flowers in their hands to Rovey.

Rafe, the Lev, led the Demon God Pillars in raising their arms and shouting, "Celebrate! Cheer for the great Magic King!"

"--"

Rovey was speechless, and even found it hard to watch.

"Hahaha, how about it? Surprised? Unexpected, right? Hahaha--! This was specially arranged by me. Although the banquets outside are tempting, it's always better to be with the most familiar people at the final farewell, isn't it? Don't worry, these flowers were produced by me and another version of myself. They are completely non-toxic, harmless, and biodegradable. This was also arranged for you by your big brother. Aren't you touched?"

Merlin suddenly turned around, smiling as he walked towards Rovey, seemingly wanting a hug.

"So that's how it is—you were the one causing all this trouble."

Rovey smiled kindly, then delivered a straight punch to Merlin's stomach when he wasn't looking.

"Ugh!"

Merlin clutched his stomach and lay on the ground, "Why did you suddenly hit me again...?"

This time, there was truly no reaction. Merlin even reviewed everything he had done so far, but couldn't find anything that could have offended Rovey recently. So, he could only clutch his stomach, foaming at the mouth, his eyes filled with confusion.

"You still have the nerve to ask me? Did you instill in Tiamat the weird idea that she should show her chest when apologizing and expressing gratitude?"

"Ahahaha... Is that so? I completely forgot! Oh, never mind then, I won't bother you anymore, I'll be going now."

Upon hearing Rovey's words, Merlin paused as if he had suddenly remembered something. He hurriedly wiped the sweat from his face, turned around, and tried to jump out of the window to escape. However, he was suddenly bound by golden chains that appeared from the ground and fell straight to the ground.

"As expected, you pervert are the greatest enemy of Mother--!"

Kingu walked toward Merlin's body with a grim face, dragging him toward Quetzalcoatl on the other side by pulling on the chains.

"It's up to you, Quetzalcoatl."

"Alright, just what I was looking for someone to practice my cool KO pose in wrestling. Merlin's arrival couldn't be more timely!"

"Huh? What does that have to do with me? I'm just a Magus, I don't have that kind of power!"

"Oh, aren't you the Sword Saint of Avalon? In any case, let's begin a heart-to-heart exchange!"

"Waaaaah, I didn't! I didn't! Sister Yu, please don't!!"

Amidst screams of agony, Merlin was carried by Quetzalcoatl to a corner where no detector could find him.

"..."

Rovey smiled helplessly at the scene, but in the end, he could only conclude that the other party had brought it upon themselves.

Afterwards, Gilgamesh also stepped down from the throne, but Rameses II, who had been drinking with him, was nowhere to be seen. It seemed that because they were newcomers, they had now been eliminated from the world.

He didn't speak, but calmly watched the still lively scene in the palace. Gilgamesh knew that this was probably the last commotion. He only needed to quietly watch everything happen, and let the king record everything himself.

With that in mind, he took out a clay tablet and began to carve what he had seen and heard.

Although these records may not survive due to historical revisions, this clay tablet will serve as a testament to everything.

These heroes cannot be allowed to be buried by history. If no one remembers them, then the king shall bear the burden of it all.

Just then, Siduri, who had just finished dealing with everything, walked up to Rovey, bowed deeply, and said with utmost sincerity, "Unlike everyone else, I am not Heroic Spirit. As an ordinary person, I will probably never meet you again, Lord Rovey, in this life. But the light you radiated in Uruk will forever be etched in our hearts. This gratitude will never be forgotten. Wherever you are, please believe that this place will always remain a home for you."

"I understand. The future of Uruk is in your hands."

Rovey smiled and nodded, then watched Siduri turn and leave.

As the high priestess, she didn't have much free time. Gilgamesh had entrusted the people of Uruk to her, so she had to work even harder from now on.

"Well then, like the last batch of Heroic Spirit who arrived, we should also leave. Benkei, after all, compared to us rough martial artists, there are still more intimate people in the room who want to catch up with Brother Rovey. Let's be sensible and leave, hahaha--!!"

Ushiwakamaru stood up, laughing loudly, and waved to Rovey. Then he pulled Benkei aside and joked with him.

"Although I would love to spar with you, after experiencing so much, I've come to see things very clearly. Your path isn't martial arts, but a very special one. I, a mere mortal, may not be able to help you in any way. However, I believe that as long as you maintain your unwavering determination, you will surely reach the other shore."

"Am I right, Benkei?"

"Yes, Lord Yoshitsune is right. I have also received your help this time. As a monk, I am truly sorry that I cannot chant sutras or offer prayers for you. However, I have felt your will, so I wish you good fortune in battle."

"Now that we've said goodbye, let's go, Benkei."

Ushiwakamaru and Benkei laughed loudly and then willingly accepted the world's rejection, their figures disappearing from the room together, making the once lively room suddenly become much quieter.

"The exciting battle and the fierce defense reminded me of the Battle of Thermopylae. The soldiers' will here also moved me deeply; they are all outstanding! If needed, please call upon me again next time; the 300 Sparta will be at your service."

After everything was over, Leonidas bid farewell and left without hesitation.

Meanwhile, Ibaraki-dōji, who had been constantly bullied by Lev, suffered from PTSD after seeing Lev, the cuckold, and didn't even attend the final farewell before leaving this world, shouting as he went—

"I will absolutely never come back again! Never again, you hateful humans!!"

Seeing this initial batch of Servant leave, what's next...?

It's me.

A familiar voice came from behind, and a green figure stepped out. Everyone was more or less surprised to see that she had also come to say goodbye.

"Don't misunderstand, foolish humans. Whether it was helping you fight off Lahmu or fighting alongside you, it was all for Mother's sake. And you, you piece of trash, although you successfully saved Mother, that doesn't mean I'll accept you as my... Huh? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Noticing that everyone's gaze had shifted to concern for the spoiled child, Kingu's expression turned somewhat surprised.

"Aaaaa~"

Before she could get angry out of her haughty demeanor, Tiamat put her arm around her neck and started being affectionate with her, even whispering something to her, which made Kingu blush.

"What! What? No, no... Mother, please reconsider! How can such a thing be treated so lightly?"

Then she pulled Tiamat aside to talk about some strange topics.

The others were curious, but dared not ask, for fear that they would be pierced by Kingu if they did.

"Well, I feel like I've heard something even more exciting than saving Tiamat. But I do have some exciting good news to share."

On the other end of the communicator, Roman scratched his head. "Well then, I now announce that the Seventh Singularity, the Humanity Incineration repair is complete, the Grand Order is over, Ritsuka and Mash should prepare to transfer back."