Chapter 478
In human terms, this could be described as "obsession"... cough
Yes, that's it! It must be the influence of the container we're using now!
Because Ereshkigal shares the same body of a girl from the future as Ishtar, she is drawn to the same man as the Goddess of Heaven.
No... that's right! That's exactly it!
Shirou has been detained in the Underworld by the goddess Ereshkigal for more than a month.
What are Miss Siduri and the others doing now?
After Shirou entered the Underworld, he disappeared without a trace, and the Communication Magic he had prepared failed...
Have they returned to Uruk?
No, no matter how worried she is about Shirou's safety, she couldn't possibly abandon Uruk and the Demonic Beast Front and stay in City of Kussa searching for Shirou.
What were their feelings when they completely gave up the search?
Especially Tomoe Gozen.
Is she now regretting that she shouldn't have followed Shirou even when he went to the toilet?
"Waaah..."
Thinking about Tomoe Gozen's changed attitude when he returned to the ground, Shirou felt a chill run down his spine.
Come to think of it, this wasn't the first time he'd gotten separated from his companions.
During their pilgrimage to the Fae Kingdom, Shirou was separated from Morgan and the others for a period of time on several occasions.
It was like being accidentally swallowed by a river with its own will; in reality, it was a strange encounter in Fae Domain that had existed for thousands of years.
Totorot laughed and said that Shirou must be prone to getting into trouble, so let's just leave him there and ignore him.
This guy...
"If I weren't so prone to getting into trouble, I wouldn't have ended up in Britain!" Shirou thought resentfully.
Although I've been involved in unexpected situations many times before, this is the first time I've been trapped in the Underworld like this.
In this world of death, devoid of any resources, Shirou thankfully doesn't need to eat.
The Gallu Spirit, which reaps souls, roams everywhere, but fortunately Her Queen is very gentle.
Goddess Ereshkigal--
The first true god Shirou encountered.
Although she seemed to think she was putting on a very authoritative air, Shirou found her to be very gentle.
Although not as famous as the Epic of Gilgamesh, Shirou learned some rumors about the goddess of the Underworld after arriving in Mesopotamia.
Ereshkigal is the daughter of Anu, the supreme god.
Unlike Ishtar, who was favored by the Father God and ruled the sky in place of the Supreme God, Ereshkigal ruled the Underworld, the world of the dead in the minds of the Mesopotamia.
Her kingdom lies beneath the earth, a place devoid of light, only silence and darkness.
The souls of all the dead will come to her domain to be judged and ruled by her.
In the Underworld, no matter how powerful or Authority one was in life, one can never defy Ereshkigal.
This is one of the oaths (underlying code) from the Mesopotamia divine era.
Thanks to this system, a situation like Sun Wukong's rampage in the Xibalba in "Journey to the West" and his erasure of the Book of Life and Death was prevented.
Even so, in this age of gods, there are still fools who disregard the laws of the Underworld and dare to challenge Ereshkigal...
Let's put the fools aside for now.
The Underworld is so boring, it's beyond words how dull and tedious it is.
To pass the time, Shirou would go to the Plain of Spear Cages where the goddess was located to chat with her during his spare time while building the fortress.
He certainly wanted to return to the ground immediately so that Siduri and the others wouldn't worry too much...
But these things can't be rushed.
Gilgamesh and Merlin, those two...
One person's eyesight has declined due to old age.
The other is a useless Clairvoyance that can only see the surface of the earth.
They seemed completely unaware of Ereshkigal's presence.
Damn it, even though he knew it wasn't their fault, Shirou still decided to punch them both in the left cheek when they got back.
"My Goddess, I've arrived."
Shirou spoke to the Queen sat in the center of a forest formed by countless gun emplacements.
"You... you're here again? You come here every day, don't you ever get tired of it?"
"I don't know what to say, "Ereshkigal said, somewhat bewildered.
At first, she thought Shirou's desire to chat was just a passing fancy.
Surprisingly, this guy actually persisted for over a month.
The goddess looked down at the tiny humans below and asked with a hint of delight, "What shall we talk about today, Shirou?"
"?"
Noticing the strange look in the other person's eyes, Ereshkigal quickly changed his tune.
"I... I mean... what topic will we be discussing today, humanity?"
Majestic, majestic!
Ereshkigal took a deep breath.
Shirou sat cross-legged on the barren, rocky ground, and after a moment's thought, he spoke.
"My goddess, you have a husband, don't you?"
"Uh... why, why are you suddenly asking this? That's so rude, human!"
"Hmm? I want to know more about Ereshkigal."
Shirou's smile made the goddess feel a momentary daze.
It's unbelievable that they could say such embarrassing things without any shame...
Could this guy actually be a womanizer?
"Although I've been spending a month and a half with my goddess, thinking about it carefully, I've mostly been the one doing the talking during this time."
Looking back now, I realize I knew absolutely nothing about Ereshkigal.
"... Hmm."
The spirit of the enormous skeleton let out a mournful sound.
Shirou, of course, wasn't completely unaware of anything.
Even if he didn't understand women's hearts, after a month of getting to know her, he understood more clearly what kind of goddess Ereshkigal was than at the beginning.
Entrusted with the mission of managing the Underworld from the very beginning, it thus gained extraordinary power that was outstanding even among the gods.
Although the Authority is limited to the Underworld, if used properly, it can extend one's influence to the earth.
But--
Ereshkigal had absolutely no intention of invading the earthly world.
Unlike the gods of the Underworld in mythology who covet the surface of the earth, she seems to have no desires of her own.
Shirou only saw her as a diligent, hardworking, cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and responsible goddess.
Ereshkigal had a high sense of self-esteem, but for some reason, he also had a very low opinion of himself.
It was probably precisely because of her diligent attitude as a top student that the world of the dead in Mesopotamia was able to be maintained.
Shirou couldn't help but think that, according to mythology, there should be more than one pillar god in this Underworld.
What about Ereshkigal's husband, another god of the Underworld?
"I-I understand... I'll explain it clearly!"
"Ereshkigal called out, embarrassed."
If Shirou misunderstands...
"It wouldn't be right to think of myself as a married woman," the goddess thought.
"The one you're referring to, you must be referring to Nergal, the god of the Underworld, right?"
Ereshkigal began his explanation.
The idea that one has had neither a partner nor a marriage throughout the long years is a misunderstanding held by people living on earth.
"Nergal appears to be regarded on earth as the king who rules the Underworld with me, but he was originally the god of the sun."
In the resource-scarce world of Sumer, the sun, though a blessing, was also seen as a threat that would drive many humans to their deaths.
In fact, Nergal was indeed a tyrant who was no less powerful than Gilgamesh, and he was arrogant and disdainful of everyone.
This was done to fight against Ishtar, who arbitrarily controlled the sky.
He attempted to seize control of the sky, and for this he turned to his sister goddess, who was the counterpart to Ishtar—
In other words, I initiated the declaration of war.
That guy probably thought I'd cry and show weakness, right?
But I responded to his challenge with dignity and honor.
Ereshkigal repeated the words of the past in an unwavering tone.
"On the earth's surface, nothing truly surpasses the sun's blessings."
"But in my Underworld, the sun's blessings are gone, and even the gods die unexpectedly."
"When you visit the Underworld, all the pain you determine is unnecessary will torment your body."
"To be specific, it means to suffer a million times before you die!"
The voice of the gigantic skeletal spirit was tinged with sadistic pleasure.
Shirou broke out in a cold sweat.
He seemed to understand Nergal a little better now.
I initially thought she was an introverted and withdrawn homebody, which is why I wanted to bully her to vent my anger. But I never expected her to be a brave goddess who was no less courageous than Ishtar.
What happened next?
"Nergal, just like you, has come to this Underworld."
He planned to conquer the Underworld and take Underworld over before he accidentally died.
So he borrowed Fourteen Plague Demons from the god Ea as his protectors—"
"Is that guy an idiot?" Shirou couldn't help but retort.
Ereshkigal thought to himself: You have no right to judge others.
The goddess proudly declared, "However, from the moment he stepped into the Underworld, that guy lost."
It wasn't even a proper fight; I shrunk him to the size of a locust, and he cried and kowtowed, apologizing for his arrogant remarks up to this point.
"Truly worthy of Ereshkigal!" Shirou clapped his hands.
"Hmph... is that right?"
Ereshkigal, hidden in the shadows, felt elated and couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile.
What happened next?
"Later--"
Ereshkigal expressed that he had forgiven the Sun God for his offense and insult.