Damn, I Became a "Holy Man"?

The goddess named Aruru froze when she saw this.

As a deity entrusted by the gods with shaping Enkidu's final form, Aruru naturally possessed the corresponding abilities—she was the Goddess of Creation, one of the "Mother Goddess" seats among the Mesopotamian gods.

She was especially skilled at creating life and granting life a suitable form.

Yet before this, no matter what methods the goddess Aruru used, she had been unable to make the God-made Clay, which had already developed a certain awareness of life, respond.

Otherwise, she would not have remained troubled until now.

But now, something she could not accomplish had been achieved by a human who had appeared out of nowhere.

The clay surged, blocking the goddess's path, while also seeming to fall before Rovi as though it had found a relative.

But after her initial surprise, Aruru looked at Rovi again and instantly understood.

"The Key of Heaven?" she froze.

Hearing Aruru's words, Rovi also understood the cause of this sudden situation.

Gilgamesh was the Chains of Heaven that maintained the connection between the gods and humanity, while Enkidu, who was meant to restrain Gilgamesh and guide him onto the right path, was the Keystone of Heaven.

Originally, there had only been those two.

But as it happened, before Rovi set out, he had received the "Key of Heaven" bestowed by the gods from the High Priest.

A lock and a key naturally shared an extremely close relationship.

At this Present Moment, Enkidu had yet to take form and possessed no intelligence, but it still held an innate instinct for such closeness.

Having understood the reason, Rovi deeply covered his face with one hand. He felt like... he had somehow messed things up again?

With his last shred of hope, Rovi turned his gaze toward the Mother Goddess of Creation, who stood rooted in place.

What he received, however, was an inexplicable smile.

Aruru suddenly understood—

She was also one of the gods. Naturally, she could not possibly be ignorant of what the Key of Heaven was.

The Key of Heaven had been acknowledged by the gods.

How could such a person possibly be disrespectful toward a god?

His earlier gesture had not been directed at her, but at that God-made Clay... His apparent disdain had been deliberately revealed.

His true purpose had merely been to make the God-made Clay react.

And the God-made Clay would certainly react.

Being hated by someone close to it was something the ignorant and immature "Lock of Heaven" would never permit.

To prevent that hatred, the Lock of Heaven would make its form draw closer to the person it felt close to.

It would gradually "become human."

And it would become a "human" perfectly suited to its essence, perfectly capable of bearing its power.

"Someone acknowledged by the gods... It seems I misunderstood you." Aruru revealed a rather gratified expression. "You truly are worthy of praise..."

"???"

What were you talking about?

I understood every word, so why couldn't I understand them when they were put together?

Rovi looked utterly bewildered.

"Then, I'll leave that child to you!"

Aruru swept back her long black hair. Her crimson lips curved upward as she stretched her full, delicate body beneath the warm sunlight. Amid the swaying whiteness, she transformed into a streak of flowing light, shot into the sky, and vanished.

Rovi had no chance to stop her.

He could only watch her figure disappear from the clearing, leaving behind nothing but scorched earth while the surrounding wilderness remained lush and green.

The god had departed, but her divine might remained.

The monsters naturally continued to prostrate themselves on the ground.

Rovi sighed.

He knew that this goddess had definitely misunderstood... She had mistaken his earlier mockery for something done with good intentions.

That was why she had entrusted Enkidu to him.

Why did this kind of development keep happening...? He scratched his head.

Just then, a clear cry caught Rovi's attention.

He looked ahead.

At the black God-made Clay that had just fallen before him.

Just as the goddess Aruru had thought—It was changing.

That fleeting "disdain" from Rovi had stirred intense unwillingness within it.

So at this moment, it sensed what Rovi desired in his heart.

It was moving toward a certain form in his mind...

The black clay instantly solidified, shedding its original color. Beneath the soft gleam reflected by the sunlight, it took on an ivory-like texture.

First came the arms, then the legs, then the head...

Rovi's eyes widened, as though he were witnessing an invisible hand molding a perfect work of art.

"Mm..." A final soft sound slipped from crimson, alluring lips that had only just taken shape.

The "human" formed from clay opened its eyes.

Just like the Enkidu in Rovi's memories.

She possessed beautiful emerald-green hair, lush as this flourishing Monster Forest. Her face, half-hidden beneath those strands, was exquisite and beautiful, while her eyes carried the same life-filled green. Her features were refined, her lips like flowers, and her fair neck was slender and graceful as it descended toward her gently rising chest.

Enkidu spread her arms wide. Her limbs appeared exceptionally slender, though her thighs held a faint fullness. Her legs were slightly pressed together, her hips curved upward, and her waist narrowed like a silver vase.

Everything was just as Rovi had imagined.

The only difference... was probably that she had a few more feminine traits?

Rovi fell into deep thought.

He admitted that, in his mind, Enkidu from the Nasuverse was indeed somewhat closer to a woman...

Even though a Divine Construct fundamentally had no concept of gender at all.

Enkidu, as a Divine Tool with the ability to transform, could take on any appearance.

But because of that thought in his heart, it did not seem strange that Enkidu's initial and most fundamental form had become the figure now standing before him...

"Yaa, yaa, yaa?"

A babbling sound emerged from those crimson, moist lips. Enkidu slightly opened her arms and swayed as she stood on another tree, very close to the branch where Rovi stood. Her exquisite face revealed a yearning for closeness.

A longing to be near him.

At last, Rovi realized where the faintly strange feeling in his heart had come from—

In later ages, the epic recording the King of Heroes Gilgamesh included the story of Enkidu taking form.

She had been born in an ancient, secluded forest.

At first, she was ignorant and without any fixed shape.

Until one day,

A Holy Maiden who had received divine guidance and served the gods entered the forest.

Pure and ignorant by nature, Enkidu was drawn to her and spent seven days and seven nights with her in the forest.

In the end, she came to understand humanity and gained self-awareness.

And from then on, she walked the earth in the beautiful form of that maiden.

But now, Enkidu had taken form.

There was no maiden in the forest.

The only one with a direct connection to the gods... was probably Rovi himself.

In other words—

"I became a Holy Maiden... No. I should be a 'Holy Man'?"

Rovi pondered bitterly, yet found no answer.

He could not understand it.

But at this moment, he was deeply shaken.

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