Inside the military camp, Adekate had been left there alone for the time being, leaving him somewhat at a loss.
The camp was still completely empty. Annanu seemed to have gone off to handle something else.
Adekate found a spot he was familiar with and sat down, beginning to think.
There was only one thing worth thinking about—why had he agreed to Annanu's request to become a commander?
He clearly hadn't wanted to pick up that spear again.
And training without interruption throughout the year, fighting off the Demonic Beasts around Uruk—was that what it meant to become a "professional" soldier?
To be honest, Adekate found it rather absurd.
Before this, even he would occasionally return to his own fields to farm. Professional soldiers... what were they supposed to live on?
Military merits?
But if they did not go to war with other city-states, where would those merits come from?
Adekate had not realized that, after the Humbaba incident, the number of wild beasts around Uruk had already begun to surge.
After waiting a while longer, Adekate finally saw Annanu.
And a group of young men following behind Annanu.
Adekate counted them roughly. No more, no less—twenty people including himself.
His expression darkened of its own accord. That number stirred up some unpleasant memories.
"I know what you're worried about." Annanu seemed to notice Adekate's poor mood and patted him on the shoulder. "But this is what Gilgamesh told me."
"If we're really going to form a team like this, there absolutely can't be too many people at the start."
"I called all these people over from the streets. A few of them should have been soldiers before, right?"
Annanu blinked, looking utterly innocent.
Still, he really had found them one by one based on what he remembered from this