Gilgamesh

Uruk's temple was an exceedingly complex cluster of buildings.

Unlike the world Rovi had lived in before crossing over, the world and era he now inhabited was a mythical realm where the gods truly existed.

Thus, the people's faith in the gods was not merely born of primitive worship of nature. It was also humanity's expression of loyalty, fear, and dependence toward the gods.

Therefore, every generation of Uruk's kings repaired and expanded the temple upon the foundations laid by their predecessors.

In the common understanding of people in this era, humanity itself existed under the rule and protection of the gods.

Even Gilgamesh, who scorned the gods, could not overturn such a perception. Otherwise, this Festival of All Gods would never have taken place.

The annual collective worship of the gods could be called an exceptionally grand occasion.

Of course, none of that concerned Rovi for the moment. After receiving the message brought by a temple attendant at the High Priest's request, he immediately left his room with his clay tablet in hand. He passed through flights of stairs and long corridors, walking for quite some time before crossing the temple's intricate structure and arriving at the site of the ceremony:

The Pantheon.

The main hall devoted to the gods.

It was built from enormous, intact blocks of natural stone. Its towering columns were like the pillars Gaia had carved from the earth at the dawn of creation to support the world.

Statues of the gods stood on every side of the temple. At its central core stood Anu, the king of the gods and lord of the sky.

Before the statue of the god-king, the elderly man in a linen robe saw Rovi enter through the side door and could not help nodding. "Rovi, you've worked hard."

He repeated himself, clearly pleased by Rovi's prompt arrival.

"This is my duty." Rovi merely smiled and looked around.

The temple priests had already gathered here. Each sat solemnly before the statue of the god they served.

This had always been the seating arrangement for the festival.

The elderly man standing before the god-king's statue was naturally the one who served the god-king. Yet he was also the presider of this annual Festival of All Gods.

Of course, he would not be presiding this year. Rovi—

The successor personally chosen by the old man would lead the ritual instead.

"Everyone, I'll be relying on you next." The old man looked toward the priests and said, "This is Rovi's first time conducting such a grand ceremony. I hope you will help him."

"Rest assured, High Priest. We will fully cooperate with Priest Rovi," the priests replied.

These people, who had spent their entire lives serving the gods, were no longer young. They all bore Rovi goodwill and even envied the High Priest for having such a qualified successor.

But this was not the time for idle conversation, so no one said more.

"The king has arrived!" someone outside suddenly shouted.

The priests immediately fell silent and solemn.

The High Priest slowly stepped aside, yielding the place before the god-king's statue to Rovi.

Light streamed down through the hollowed dome above the temple, like specks of gold reflecting the colorful glow of dawn.

Rovi straightened up.

He had already changed into ceremonial linen robes on the way here. Holding the clay tablet, he stared solemnly at the open doors without moving, seeming somewhat nervous.

To everyone present, that was only natural.

After all, while this was not his first time conducting a ritual, it was his first time leading one on such a large scale. It would be a lie to say he was not nervous.

But Rovi's nervousness was not quite what the others imagined.

What occupied his mind was how to provoke the arriving king, Gilgamesh, into the greatest possible fury and thereby achieve his goal.

At that moment, a sound came from beyond the temple doors.

With a sharp patter.

First, countless prepared servants filed inside. Then soft woolen carpets were unfurled, rare treasures were presented one after another, and exotic flowers were offered before the statues of the gods.

Only then did the true guest enter—Gilgamesh.

"Hmph, so this is the so-called festival of the gods? Such extravagance, wasted on a pack of trash that only dares peek down from the heavens. To squander my treasures like this is truly infuriating!"

A tone deeply familiar to the people of Uruk echoed through the temple.

It seemed that not even an occasion like this could make the king restrain himself in the slightest...

Standing at Rovi's side and considering himself merely an assisting priest, the High Priest sighed inwardly. Still, he placed Uruk's hope of maintaining its bond of faith with the gods upon Rovi.

It had to be said, comparison really was a wonderful thing... Many of Rovi's actions could hardly be called respectful toward the gods.

Yet compared with Gilgamesh, why did he seem so moving?

The old man suddenly understood at last why he valued Rovi so highly.

Rovi himself did not think that much about it. He merely looked past the freshly presented treasures and stared intently outside.

At the tall figure entering the hall amid the crowd of servants.

Just as Rovi had once seen, Gilgamesh possessed short hair like gold and a face as though carved from stone. His crimson eyes held serpent-like pupils. He wore the skirt-like garment common to most men of this era, covering only his lower body, while his upper body remained bare. Muscles like mountain rock flexed beneath skin covered in red circuits, radiant and resplendent like a heavenly god.

Though his brutal nature was already widely known throughout Uruk,

people still had to admit that Gilgamesh possessed the bearing of a king.

He strode forward amid the surrounding crowd, showing not the slightest restraint even before the numerous statues representing the gods.

Instead, he glanced twice more at Rovi, who stood before the statue of the god-king Enlil.

"Has the High Priest been replaced this year? Hmph, good. You're better than that old fossil, at least. I hope you can bring me a somewhat different performance, mongrel!"

The King of Uruk was as arrogant as ever.

Ordinarily, one should have remained silent at a time like this, avoiding the unpredictable moods that the King of Uruk might display at any moment.

That was how most people of Uruk would have reacted.

But unfortunately, Rovi, who was bent on seeking death, was not normal.

Though it was not yet time to hand over the clay tablet in his hand, this was still the best chance for Rovi to provoke the man.

One could not build up towering fury all at once.

So Rovi decided to leave him with a sufficiently negative first impression first.

Now was the perfect opportunity.

"Trust me, you will 'enjoy' it." Rovi replied with a smile, his voice echoing through the temple. It sounded calm on the surface, yet somehow carried a trace of mocking sarcasm.

"Mongrel, did I permit you to speak?" Gilgamesh's crimson pupils narrowed slightly as he suddenly sneered.

The many priests, servants, and guards nearby all froze at once.

No one had expected Rovi to respond to something Gilgamesh had said so casually.

If Gilgamesh were enraged... the consequences would likely be unimaginable!

Yet to everyone's surprise, although the King of Uruk wore a sneer, he did not display the explosive fury they had expected...

This young priest seemed genuinely interesting.

He could hardly wait for something unpleasant to happen during this so-called ritual!