The Quetzalcoatlus landed on an open area outside Uruk.
Several enormous pterosaurs folded their wings and emitted deep roars.
Behind the pterosaur, two other pterosaurs were dragging a giant object— the Marduk's Hand Axe —that was tightly bound with ropes, slowly landing in the open area outside the city walls.
The giant axe, over forty meters long, lay horizontally on the ground, its blade reflecting the afterglow of the setting sun, looking like a small mountain from a distance.
When the soldiers guarding Uruk saw this, their jaws nearly dropped to the ground.
"What is that...?"
"Weapons? Those are weapons?"
"Are you kidding me? That thing is taller than a city wall!"
Ignoring the soldiers' shock, the group who jumped off the pterosaur's back walked straight toward the temple.
Temple hall.
Gilgamesh sat on his throne and remained silent for several seconds after listening to Ritsuka Fujimaru's report.
So...
"This time, not only did you all return unharmed."
"They also rescued Ishtar and Amakusa Shirou Tokisada."
" The Marduk's Hand Axe has also been brought back."
"And Quetzalcoatl promised not to attack Uruk again."
"Right!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru nodded vigorously.
Gilgamesh leaned back on his throne and tapped his fingers twice on the armrest.
"Snort."
"Well done this time."
His lips curled up slightly for a moment, then he returned to his aloof demeanor.
"As a reward, I will host a banquet tonight to celebrate your victory."
Everyone must be present.
"Yes!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru saluted.
"Um... Your Majesty, 'everyone' refers to..."
"All Servant of Uruk."
Gilgamesh glanced at her.
"Including that red-haired Berserker."
"Ah..."
Ritsuka Fujimaru's expression froze for a moment.
"Um... Miss Kotori might not be coming..."
Whether she comes or not is her business.
Gilgamesh waved his hand.
"I am only responsible for the invitation."
Evening, the large square in front of the Uruk Royal Palace.
Gilgamesh kept his word and immediately arranged a banquet of royal caliber.
A huge long table was placed in the center of the square, enough to seat thirty people.
Thick wooden pillars stood on either side of the long table, with bonfires burning atop them, illuminating the entire square as if it were daytime.
The long table was piled high with food.
Roasted whole lamb, lamb chops, lamb leg, and various spice-marinated lamb dishes filled the entire table.
In Uruk, mutton is the most luxurious thing.
Ordinary people could only afford to eat it a few times a year; generally, only royalty and members of temples were entitled to enjoy it.
Tonight's banquet features five whole roasted lambs.
Besides mutton, there are also plenty of fruits and pastries.
Dates, figs, pomegranates, grapes, and a variety of desserts made with honey and flour.
In this era, this is already the highest level of banquet.
Almost everyone who was supposed to attend the banquet was present.
Gilgamesh sat in the main seat, holding a glass of red wine.
Siduri sat next to him, refilling his wine every now and then.
Merlin and the Jaguar Man sat together, chatting about something, occasionally bursting into laughter.
Leonidas and Ushiwakamaru were having a drinking contest, while Benkei tried to break them up.
Ana sat in the corner, a large plate of desserts in front of her, eating them in small bites.
Amakusa Shirou sat opposite her, a gentle smile on his face.
Ishtar was wolfing down a roasted lamb leg, showing no trace of her previous disheveled state.
Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash sat together, both of their glasses filled with juice.
"Senior, this juice is delicious."
"Right? I don't know what kind of fruit it's made from, it's incredibly sweet!"
Fou lay on Mash's lap and sniffed the pastries on the table.
" Fou ~"
"No, Fou, this is too sweet. You'll feel unwell if you eat it."
Mash pressed Fou's protruding head back in.
Fou let out a pitiful cry, then its gaze drifted to the other end of the table.
Quetzal Koyatl was sitting at the other end.
Tonight, Quetzalcoatl changed into a more formal South America -style dress, her long golden hair cascading over her shoulders, looking exceptionally dazzling in the firelight.
Her cup was also filled with juice.
"Sister Quetzal, why aren't you drinking?"
Ritsuka Fujimaru asked curiously.
Quetzal paused for a moment, his hand holding the juice paused.
"..."
"Um?"
Her expression subtly shifted for a few seconds.
Finally, she put down her cup and gave Ritsuka Fujimaru a smile.
"Me? I drank it once before."
"And then I never wanted to drink it again."
"Why?"
"Because..."
Quetzal's gaze drifted into the distance for a moment.
"People are more likely to do things they'll regret after drinking."
"For example?"
"For example, having a relationship with someone you shouldn't have."
"..."
Ritsuka Fujimaru was stunned.
"Huh??"
"Nothing."
Quetzal picked up his glass, took a sip of juice, and remained expressionless.
In short, I don't drink alcohol now.
"Neither of you are underage, so you shouldn't drink it; it's bad for your health."
"Okay, okay..."
Ritsuka Fujimaru felt that Quetzal's words just now contained a lot of information.
But she didn't dare ask.
Merlin, who had been eavesdropping nearby, laughed so hard his shoulders shook.
"Even Quetzalcoatl had such a past..."
"Plum Blossom True Magic, what are you trying to say?"
Quetzal glanced at him.
"It's nothing, it's nothing~"
Merlin immediately raised his glass.
Come on, let's drink!
I don't drink alcohol.
"Then let's use tea instead of wine!"
The atmosphere at the banquet grew increasingly lively.
But amidst the excitement, there is a void.
At the end of the long table, next to Tomoe Gozen, there was an empty chair.
Kotori Itsuka did not come.
"Miss Kotori didn't come..."
Ritsuka Fujimaru glanced at the empty chair.
"Yes, Kotori said she didn't want to come to a place with so many people."
"I'll just take the food back to her."
As she spoke, she began putting food onto a plate.
Roasted lamb leg, fruit, pastries—one by one, they were added.
"Miss Tomoe Gozen is so kind to Miss Kotori."
Ritsuka Fujimaru sighed with emotion.
"Hmm... Kotori doesn't usually take good care of herself."
Tomoe Gozen wore a gentle smile.
"Although she doesn't say it much, she actually cares a lot about others."
"Really? Kotori- san seems really impressive."
"She's amazing."
Tomoe Gozen nodded.
"It's just... I'm not very good at expressing myself."
Meanwhile, in the small house where Kotori and Tomoe Gozen lived.
I could faintly hear laughter and music coming from the square outside the window.
She glanced in that direction.
Then she looked away and continued eating her dinner.
"Fine, I won't go. What's so exciting about it?"
"It's noisy and crowded."
"It's better to eat quietly here."
She muttered to herself.
"That Tomoe Gozen guy..."
"Going to so many crowded places..."
"Is he drunk?"
"I wonder how good that guy's alcohol tolerance is..."
She put down the food and glanced out the window one last time.
"..."
"Forget it, never mind."
And so it went, amidst the cheers and laughter of Uruk.
Far, far away from Uruk, in a mountain range shrouded in purple miasma.
A temple built against the mountainside stands on the mountainside.
Ancient Greece -style stone columns, broken pediments, and cracked stone steps.
This is Gorgon's temple, and also her main base for producing magical beasts.
Deep within the temple, Gorgon lay weakly on the cold ground.
Her upper body was still human-shaped, but the part below her waist had completely disappeared, leaving only charred scars at the cut-off point.
The red- Servant's flames seemed to carry some kind of governing force, preventing her wounds from healing.
Even though she forcibly used magic to repair it, the burning pain remained in the original wound location.
It was as if those flames were still burning in her wounds.