Chapter 484
He's not the kind of man who'd lose his life in the mere Underworld or abyss; didn't I already know that?
"My lord! You're alive!" "Shirou!"
Two of the Servant rushed forward and embraced the boy on either side.
Tomoe Gozen clung tightly to Shirou's arm, as if afraid he would disappear again, while Ushiwakamaru jumped into the boy's arms like a puppy.
The King of Heroes breathed a sigh of relief, sank into his jade throne, and rubbed his nose, saying, "Too slow... You're just a guy who makes people anxious."
Volume 7: Chapter 313 The Last Member of the Shirou Family, Medusa the Professional Food Thief
"Hahaha! I never expected that the goddess Ereshkigal is still alive!"
"That's right, hahaha! I never imagined she was actually a pillar of the 'Three Goddess Alliance,' the mastermind behind the destruction of City of Kussa!"
"Hahahaha! As expected of my proud disciple, possessing the same tenacious vitality as me!"
"Hahahaha! Shirou, you've had a tough time on this trip to the Underworld! Men, take his coffin away! Take it away now!"
The awkward laughter of the two who claimed to possess the highest level of Clairvoyance —the Sage and the Wise King Gilgamesh —echoed within the divine tower. There was a hint of deliberateness in their laughter, as if they were trying to use it to cover up their inner embarrassment.
After clearing up the misunderstanding, Shirou recounted his experiences of being imprisoned in the Underworld for the past two and a half months.
The goddess who has returned to Mesopotamia.
She is one of the pillars of the "Three Goddess Alliance," Ereshkigal, the mistress of the Underworld.
She declared war on Uruk, vowing to make all the souls of mankind her possession.
"My lord, you've encountered the enemy's leader in the Underworld...!?"
Upon hearing this, Tomoe Gozen turned pale, her eyes filled with lingering fear and worry.
"King Gilgamesh, why have I never heard you mention this before?"
... Goddess Ereshkigal, we've never heard of such a thing before!
If we had known the goddess was waiting for us at our destination, we wouldn't have accepted that request in the first place!
"..."
Faced with the female warrior's aggressive questioning, Gilgamesh's forehead was covered in cold sweat.
He only just found out about this...
So, the unease I've been feeling all this time was actually because of Ereshkigal!?
"Hmph! Don't make a fuss over nothing!"
This situation, of course, is also seen by my all-seeing eyes—
"It's just that since I already knew Shirou wouldn't be in any trouble, I immediately forgot about it after seeing the future."
"... real?"
"Of course it's true. You agree, right, Merlin... Hey! Come back here! Merlin!"
Gilgamesh grabbed the back of the Flower Magus's robe by the collar, restraining Merlin who was trying to escape when he sensed something was wrong.
Ushiwakamaru sighed, "Those two are completely unreliable, elder brother."
Shirou nodded. "Yes, that's right... By the way, who is my elder brother?"
While it's satisfying to see Gilgamesh and Merlin get their comeuppance, it would be troublesome if this continued and affected the unity of the faction and the prestige of the higher-ups.
Shirou decides to help them out of their predicament.
"Gilgamesh, I have something else to report."
"Oh... oh! What is it? Tell me."
"Enkidu's remains have disappeared; as you suspected, they are not in the cemetery."
Upon hearing the boy's report, a subtle, complex emotion flickered in Gilgamesh's eyes.
"So, that means Enkidu the real Enkidu?"
In the two months since Shirou left Uruk, Enkidu has been more active than ever before.
Ushiwakamaru, Musashibō Benkei, and Leonidas I —they had all already met that guy.
A neutral, natural beauty; divine magic; the Authority to command the earth.
Since Enkidu, which were kept in the Underworld, have disappeared, it can be confirmed that he is the original Enkidu, right?
"..."
Gilgamesh remained silent.
He did not intend to draw any conclusions until he had seen Enkidu with his own eyes.
However, this greatly narrows down the scope of the truth.
Or, it could be that Enkidu has been resurrected.
Or perhaps it was born from Enkidu's remains.
"But... how did the goddess Ereshkigal awaken?"
The high priest Siduri, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up and asked the question that had been bothering her.
The goddess Ishtar was secretly summoned by the Miko of Uruk while Gilgamesh was busy building the Demonic Beast Front.
In order to allow the goddess of the heavens to rule this land once again, the Miko went to great lengths, even sacrificing the life of the Miko.
Could it be that the Miko of City of Kussa, having heard of Ishtar, also performed a similar summoning ritual?
The destruction of City of Kussa occurred shortly after the goddess Ishtar was summoned; the timing was perfect.
"Wait a minute, the goddess Ereshkigal wasn't summoned in City of Kussa."
"What?" Siduri exclaimed in surprise.
Aside from Kussa, who reveres her as an urban deity, what other city would be willing to summon the terrifying Queen of the Underworld?
"What is wrong, my lord?"
Tomoe Gozen noticed that Shirou looked unhappy.
The boy said, "This awful feeling... Merlin! Gilgamesh! You two should already know the truth, right?"
Gilgamesh and Merlin nodded.
Having learned what happened and being knowledgeable about Magecraft and the Age of Gods, they had already realized the truth.
The Flower Magus spoke up, "The goddess Ereshkigal awakened either somewhere else, right here in City of Uruk."
"Huh?" Siduri was dumbfounded.
Gilgamesh chimed in, "Hmph... that's exactly how it is."
When Ishtar was summoned, Ereshkigal was also summoned—a phenomenon known as "chain summoning."
The sage and the Wise King Gilgamesh, each taking turns delivering a line of banter, have begun.
Merlin: "I've been wondering why the Miko who successfully completed the summoning ritual died."
She was probably murdered by Ereshkigal to silence her.
To conceal the truth—that the goddess summoned by the Miko was not one pillar, but two.
Gilgamesh: "The girl in this body must have a very pleasant personality."
Her good and evil were perfectly separated; one became the Goddess of the Sky, and the other became the Queen of the Underworld.
Merlin: "Ishtar, as the goddess of harvest, can be said to be the earth mother goddess representing human life."
In contrast, Ereshkigal, who represents human death, is the mother goddess of fear.
These two pillars are one entity, and may even have originated from the same divinity.
The goddess who gave birth to life eventually became the goddess who symbolized death; this is the Izanami in Japan mythology.
Gilgamesh: "So whenever Ishtar is summoned, Ereshkigal will be summoned in a chain reaction."
Two goddesses possessing the same divinity share the same physical body.
And since Ereshkigal is the god of the Underworld, he can sustain himself without a physical body.
That fellow hid underground, which is why he escaped my all -Clairvoyance!
"Finally, they admitted they had overlooked Ereshkigal," everyone thought.
"But Your Majesty, this creates a new problem."
That's right--
Ereshkigal declared that he had joined the "Three Goddess Alliance".
This means the "Three Goddess Alliance" now has four goddesses. How does that work?
"..."
Shirou had a vague idea about this.
The inspiration comes from Gilgamesh's earlier statement that Ishtar and Ereshkigal share a single body, in other words...
After leaving the Divine Tower and returning to the Heroic Spirit Dormitory, the group held a grand welcome banquet for Shirou.
This is the first piece of good news in nearly two months.
The Servant, who had accumulated too much fatigue during the week, were able to enjoy the food and wine to their heart's content tonight, and the banquet continued until the early hours of the morning.
After settling the completely drunk Ushiwakamaru and Leonidas I, Shirou took Tomoe Gozen, who was still lying in his bed, back to her room, and then climbed onto the roof to sober up in the night breeze.
The rooftop terrace of the Heroic Spirit Dormitory is a great viewpoint that Shirou discovered.
While not as towering and majestic as the Divine Tower, it offers a close-up view of Uruk's bustling nightscape.
Because Magical Beast automatically retreat north to rest at night, Uruk remains very busy late at night, with caravans carrying weapons visible as they leave the city.
Shirou thought he could enjoy a short time alone, but a voice soon broke the silence.
"Hey, Shirou."
It was the voice of the noisiest man in Uruk.
Merlin came to Shirou's side and together they gazed at the night view of the ancient fortress city.
"King Gilgamesh gave you a few days off?"
He said I could rest as long as I wanted, and my salary would still be paid according to the original standard... Well, anyway, I'll rest for a week first.
Merlin gazed at the armory emitting white smoke and said, "I see... This is a rare opportunity. Come with me out of the city tomorrow."
Shirou frowned. "Are you even listening to me?"
"If anything, it's all your fault Shirou. I was so inspired and moved by your return from the Underworld that I decided to start working seriously from tomorrow!"
"Don't shift the blame onto others!" Shirou said indignantly.
Merlin abruptly changed the subject. "Shirou, do you know Chaldea?"
What is that?
"From the 21st century you live in— the Clock Tower of the Mage's Association, an organization founded by the Lord of the Department of Astromancy. Does that make sense now?"
"The Department of Astromancy... does it refer to Animsphere?"
Olga Marie's face appeared in Shirou's mind.
"That's right."
Merlin nodded with a serious expression.
I think you've probably already vaguely sensed it, haven't you?
This era (Mesopotamia) is not the world we live in, but Parallel World with slightly different Human Order.
Shirou broke out in a cold sweat.
"... Oh right, I noticed."
Merlin continued, "To this world, you and I are truly strangers."