Gilgamesh Takes Responsibility!

Renji Abarai thought he must have gone mad.

He'd actually let his head get hot and agreed to such an outrageous proposal from Gilgamesh.

He wanted to take it back, but his meager pride wouldn't let him.

There was nothing for it. Renji Abarai could only stubbornly say, "Let me make this clear first. I may have agreed to follow you and become your subject, but if you fail to keep your promise, I'll leave whenever I want."

Gilgamesh smiled. "That's fine."

As they spoke, Gilgamesh felt something beneath his foot. He stopped and looked down.

Rukia, standing beside him, also looked over curiously. Gilgamesh had just moved his foot aside.

Rukia saw a fine gemstone ring lying on the ground, perfectly intact.

An incredulous look appeared on her face as she reflexively picked it up.

Renji Abarai was walking in front and hadn't noticed anything.

After Renji Abarai had gone some distance, he realized Gilgamesh and Rukia hadn't caught up. He couldn't help turning around to look.

When he did, Renji Abarai saw Rukia holding a gemstone ring that looked incredibly valuable.

With astonishment on his face, Renji Abarai walked over and asked, "Rukia, when did you get that gemstone ring?"

Rukia gently shook her head. "It isn't mine. It's..."

"Gil stepped on it by accident just now."

Rukia had originally wanted to say "my king," but even after trying several times, she couldn't get the words out.

Like Renji Abarai, Rukia had agreed to Gilgamesh's proposal in a moment of impulse, becoming one of his first subjects.

So Rukia hadn't truly acknowledged—or accepted—Gilgamesh's status as a king.

Renji Abarai felt the same way. For now, they still called Gilgamesh "Gil."

Gilgamesh didn't mind.

But when Renji Abarai heard Rukia's explanation, he was dumbfounded.

He hadn't imagined that something as outrageous as a windfall from the heavens would happen to the same person twice in such a short time—and that the second time would be even more astonishing.

Renji Abarai had no idea how much the gemstone ring was worth, but it had to be far more than 100,000 Kan.

More importantly, who in this remote, impoverished, and lawless part of South Rukongai, District 78, could own such a priceless gemstone ring?

And who would be careless enough to leave it behind in this sparsely populated wilderness?

If they hadn't heard there was a valuable water source here, they wouldn't have come.

Yet somehow, Gilgamesh had stumbled upon it.

By now, Renji Abarai was starting to believe Gilgamesh's earlier boastful remarks were true.

Perhaps it really was heaven's blessing that had destined him to be surrounded by wealth all his life.

But what kind of person would earn heaven's blessing?

Could it be that he really had once been a king?

As he wondered, Renji Abarai suddenly felt eager to learn about Gilgamesh's past—to hear what he had done as a king.

Gilgamesh spoke up. "Rukia, you can have this gemstone ring."

Rukia froze. She clearly hadn't expected Gilgamesh to give her such an expensive ring.

When she came to her senses, she hurriedly waved her hands. "No, you found it. I can't take it."

Gilgamesh simply replied, "I promised you a lifetime of wealth and splendor. Let this gemstone ring be the beginning."

Then Gilgamesh smiled faintly. "Besides, don't you think it suits you?"

Rukia had still been about to refuse, but for some reason, after hearing those words, she couldn't bring herself to say them.

At first, Rukia had felt drawn to Gilgamesh because of his personal skill, Charisma of the Beautiful Boy (C). As time went on, her feelings had only grown stronger.

In that moment, she thought of the ring's special meaning and connected it with Gilgamesh saying it suited her. Her heart fell into disarray, and a blush gradually spread across her face.

Perhaps Renji Abarai was simply thickheaded, or perhaps it was because of his age.

Not only did Renji Abarai fail to notice Rukia's unusual behavior, he even reached for the gemstone ring and said, "Rukia, if you don't want it, give it to me."

"I think it'd suit me, too."

Seeing this, Rukia immediately slipped the ring onto her finger and guarded it carefully. She eyed Renji Abarai warily. "Don't even think about taking this ring. Gil said it was for me, so it's mine."

Although they had found the gemstone ring,

neither Gilgamesh, Rukia, nor Renji Abarai had considered searching for its owner.

The backdrop of Rukongai was much like Japan's Edo period in the human world—far too backward.

On top of that, their district was extremely chaotic and lawless, with no public safety organizations like police stations in the human world. Finding the owner in a place like this was impossible.

Besides, in a place like this, they couldn't afford to flaunt their wealth. Otherwise, they would certainly invite trouble, and might even be killed.

Renji Abarai was about to say something else.

But before he could speak, a voice dripping with greed rang out. "Hey, you brats over there! Did you steal my gemstone ring?"

Renji Abarai and Rukia turned to look. Three men in ragged clothes, who looked like tramps, were staring greedily at the gemstone ring in Rukia's hand.

Renji Abarai and Rukia, who had lived in Inuzuri for years, instantly turned pale. Without a second thought, they grabbed Gilgamesh's hand and tried to run.

Renji Abarai and Rukia were only eleven or twelve, and they'd often gone hungry for years. They weren't strong, so they had no chance against these three men.

If they didn't run, losing the gemstone ring would be the least of their worries. Something far worse could follow.

After all, in lawless Inuzuri, killing and being killed happened every day.

But when Renji Abarai and Rukia turned to flee, they found two more men who looked like tramps blocking their escape route.

Greed was written all over their faces, too.

Clearly, these two were with the other three.

What was more, the five men seemed well coordinated. They had begun closing in on Gilgamesh and blocked off all other escape routes.

Renji Abarai and Rukia's faces immediately darkened.

If it had been just the two of them, their years of experience surviving in Inuzuri might have given them a chance to escape.

But they couldn't do it with Gilgamesh in tow.

To them, everything Gilgamesh did carried an air of nobility. He was like one of the nobles living in Seireitei.

And in the human world, someone like him would surely have been pampered. How could he have the same wealth of experience escaping danger as they did?

Their only chance was to abandon Gilgamesh...

As if they shared the same thought, Renji Abarai and Rukia exchanged a glance. They saw the same resolve in each other's eyes.

They would never abandon a companion.

That was right: Renji Abarai and Rukia already considered Gilgamesh one of their own.

Renji Abarai gritted his teeth. "Gil, listen."

"Rukia and I will hold off those two men up ahead. Find a chance to run. Don't look back, and don't try to help us."

Rukia added, "Once you've gotten away, find somewhere safe and stay there. Renji and I will come find you."

As soon as they finished speaking, Renji Abarai and Rukia prepared to act.

Just then, Gilgamesh's childish yet innately authoritative voice rang out. "Renji, Rukia, I accept your good intentions."

"But I am a king. How could I let my young and weak subjects stand in front of me?"

"I should bear this burden myself."