Ishtar? A New Opportunity Has Arrived!

Among the gods of the Mesopotamian Plains, Ishtar held a particularly unique position.

She presided over beauty, harvests, and war. She was the youngest among the gods, and also the goddess most doted upon by them.

For that very reason, compared to the other deities, Ishtar was far more willful and reckless. It could be said that she was one of the most troublesome gods of all.

Especially for Gilgamesh—

He held all other gods in contempt, but that goddess was the one he did not even want to see.

There was no other reason: Ishtar had once pretended to court him.

The goddess of beauty favored beautiful things, and Gilgamesh perfectly met that standard—but the young king of Uruk understood the nature of the gods well. He knew even better that Ishtar's so-called fondness was not human affection, but merely a desire to toy with him.

In earlier years, when the gods could still descend in their true forms, Gilgamesh had already suffered greatly from her harassment.

And now that he had heard she might appear once more, of course his expression changed.

It was rare for the king to reveal such an expression.

The royal palace's officer held close the clay tablets delivered from all across Uruk, each inscribed with reports of various kinds. With her eyes lowered, she remained silent.

Then she heard Gilgamesh mutter in a low voice, "That woman... No, the Age of Gods has reached its final decline. Those foolish, decaying gods cannot descend in their true forms."

Gilgamesh's crimson eyes narrowed like a serpent's, cold light flashing as though a snake were flicking its tongue.

The officer knew that he had activated the Thousand Mile Eye, a Mystic Eye that was not particularly rare among magi, but which, in the king's hands, had reached the highest rank—enough to see through all things.

With it, he gazed into the future, seeking within that future the answer to the "present world."

"I see... Divine Possession?" The light faded, and Gilgamesh understood.

The gods could not manifest in their true forms, but beings whose essence stood above the present world still possessed all manner of methods to interfere with reality.

For example, descending in consciousness and possessing someone of the present world.

Gilgamesh shook his head and looked down at the officer below. "Hmph. In the end, they are merely a pack of old things, rotten as stinkbugs buried in the mud, yet they still dare point fingers at this king, who stands at the very center of the heavens like the sun..."

"Siduri." He waved a hand and rose.

"I am here, my king." The officer bowed in response.

"I hear the Treasury of Babylon is nearing completion. This king will go inspect it." Gilgamesh's voice abruptly turned icy. "If that woman comes, stop her. Do not let her disturb this foolish king."

"Yes."

The officer nodded but said nothing more.

Gilgamesh did not want to see Ishtar—he knew perfectly well that once the goddess descended, she would certainly come looking for him. And if their words failed to agree, she would very likely resort to violence.

Ishtar appearing in a Possession State might not be Gilgamesh's match.

But Gilgamesh could not guarantee that he would not simply kill her.

Still, though Gilgamesh now hated the gods, he had not yet reached the point of outright hatred.

So he did not wish to truly fall out with them.

Self-centered though he was, as king, he still had his own considerations.

"I will not put you in a difficult position."

The officer spoke with utmost diligence and devotion.

"Very good." Gilgamesh turned to walk deeper into the palace. Yet the instant he took a step, he suddenly paused and said with a faint smile, "Oh, right. This king has found you an interesting colleague. He should arrive shortly. Get along well with that trash... with that fellow."

"He will add a little amusement to your mediocre, tedious life!"

"Hahahaha—"

His wild laughter rang out as his figure departed into the distance.

The officer stood where she was, clay tablets in her arms, smiling to herself.

Just then, a guard's voice came from outside the palace gates. "Priest Rovi, the king has said you may enter directly. No announcement is needed."

"I understand." A rather young voice answered.

He had arrived just as they spoke of him—the officer raised her eyes toward the doorway and immediately saw a figure in linen Priest's Robes step across the threshold, slowly walking toward the throne.

He was a rather young man, or perhaps he could be called a youth. Tall and slender, with jet-black hair and eyes, his features were quite handsome, and his whole person carried an air of calm.

The newcomer was undoubtedly Rovi.

After comforting the priests at the temple, he had immediately rushed over.

Such eagerness naturally earned the priests' praise and further convinced them that Rovi had indeed spoken those earlier words in order to set Gilgamesh onto the right path.

But Rovi merely wanted to get in front of Gilgamesh sooner so he could die.

Thus, he had hurried here without even changing out of his Priest's Robes, his feet treading across the smooth floor of the royal palace hall as he walked toward the towering throne.

The royal palace hall was enormous and lofty, its pillars coiling upward. Brilliant sunlight reflected off its square, level walls and floors like mirrors, making it even grander than the Pantheon.

But unlike the Pantheon, such a hall had not been built and renovated by generations of Uruk's former kings. It had been brought about by Gilgamesh himself.

Forced into existence through his brutal, high-pressure rule.

Is he trying to show that royal authority will not be suppressed by Divine Authority...?

As Rovi thought this, he soon met the figure standing atop the steps and looking down at him.

"Priest Rovi—no, from now on, I should call you Officer Rovi."

The female officer spoke, her voice crisp and pleasant.

"Greetings, Officer Siduri," Rovi replied. He had always been polite to people who could not cause his unnatural death.

After all, angering them would serve no purpose. Life needed a little less hostility.

"Where is the king?"

Rovi climbed the steps, approached her, and glanced at the empty throne.

"The king... well, the king has gone to attend to some matters." The officer named Siduri replied, "However, before he left, the king assigned you and me a task."

"A task? What task? Is it important?" Rovi froze for a moment, instinctively wondering whether failure could get him killed.

But Siduri had clearly misunderstood. "There is no need to be nervous. It is not some major task... We merely need to brush it off a little."

"That goddess will not make things difficult for ordinary mortals like us."

A goddess?

Could it be...

"Gilgamesh!" A clear shout suddenly rang out from beyond the royal palace. "Come out at once and welcome the beautiful Mistress of Heaven, Ishtar!"

It really was Ishtar.

Siduri shook her head. "I did not expect this goddess to arrive so quickly..."

But Rovi's eyes lit up.

Even setting aside everything he had seen and heard before transmigrating, simply based on this body's experiences as a priest, there was no way Rovi could be unfamiliar with that goddess.

So he knew how unrestrained, willful, and domineering she was.

He had just been thinking about how to get himself killed.

It was a little regrettable that he could not once again offer Gilgamesh a death remonstrance in person, but now, had a new opportunity to court death not arrived?