The condition Ereshkigal proposed was, in truth, nothing too troublesome.
"Though the Underworld is destined to disappear, I am its goddess. Until the very last moment, let me fulfill this duty."
In other words, she was willing to form a contract, but she would not leave the Underworld for the time being, nor follow Rozen.
Instead, she would remain to guard the Underworld until it vanished.
If Rozen was willing to accept this condition, then Ereshkigal would make the pact.
And before that—
"The surface can only be left in your hands for the time being."
This was a contradiction Ereshkigal had no choice but to face.
She wished to aid the humans above, yet also to guard the Underworld until its end—two desires at odds with one another, leaving her unable to choose.
If Rozen could help her resolve this dilemma, she was willing to form a contract with him.
To this, Ishtar offered the most straightforward thought.
"You really are a troublesome person."
That was probably her most honest feeling.
Wanting to help humanity, yet wanting to stay here—indeed, Ereshkigal's wish was contradictory and troublesome.
For the free-spirited Ishtar, it was especially vexing.
Of course, Ereshkigal was well aware of this herself.
"I know I'm a troublesome goddess. I've always been this way. You could dress it up as persistence or resolve, but put bluntly, it's just indecision. I simply cannot bring myself to abandon the Underworld."
Otherwise, she wouldn't have stayed in the Underworld, worrying over the surface's plight, ultimately going so far as to seize Ishtar's body to aid Rozen, ally with other goddesses, and take direct action to help humanity—contradictory acts born of her inability to let go.
She was a goddess who could not neatly and cleanly give up on too many things—enough to make one's heart ache for her.
"If you think even a troublesome one like me is fine, then I would be happy to make a contract with you."
At this point, Ereshkigal finally spoke with a touch more frankness—though her cheeks were a little flushed.
Still, she did not intend to simply sit idly in the Underworld doing nothing.
"The souls brought to the Underworld by the Garula spirits—I will release them, letting them return to their bodies. I can also lend you the army of the dead, though they can only act at night. By day, they will fall into slumber and cannot be used."
Ereshkigal continued:
"Also, please take this child to Uruk. She fell into the Underworld at the same time as she existed in the present world. She is a neutral Servant and should be of help to you."
The "child" she referred to was Ryougi Shiki.
In other words, though Ereshkigal would remain in the Underworld, Rozen could take Shiki with him.
They could not take away the goddess of death, but instead would bring along the girl with the Mystic Eye of Death Perception—it was hard to say whether this was cause for joy or worry.
Shiki herself, however, was indifferent.
"I don't consider myself some savior, but I've no interest in becoming humanity's enemy either. I also have nowhere else to go. If you're willing to take me in, I'll lend you this strength—as a guest."
With that, Ereshkigal's condition was far from unacceptable.
Thus—
"Let's do it your way."
Rozen smiled at her.
"Thank you."
Only then did Ereshkigal relax, as though a great weight had been lifted.
After that, Rozen indeed fulfilled his promise, forming an absolute contract with Ereshkigal before everyone's eyes, binding their souls together as master and familiar.
Then, Rozen summoned Ereshkigal forth and left her in the Underworld to guard that realm.
Thanks to this, the mana Rozen had seized from Ishtar was nearly exhausted.
After all, summoning a goddess consumed a staggering amount of power.
But the journey into the Underworld had ended perfectly, a conclusion in which all parties could be satisfied.
The souls taken by the Garula spirits were released by Ereshkigal.
The deathly miasma enshrouding Uruk and the other cities was also reclaimed by her.
Along with that, the curse afflicting Ishtar was lifted, restoring her to her original form and letting her reclaim her strength.
Of course, since she had been inside Rozen's clothes at the time, she returned to her original size while still nestled there—pressing against Rozen in ways both appropriate and… not—throwing the scene into some chaos for a moment.
But in any case, the Underworld expedition ended in success.
As Rozen and his companions prepared to depart, Ereshkigal handed something to him.
"What's this?"
Rozen blinked at the item placed before him.
It was a clay tablet—its markings faint even to his eyes, inscribed with unclear script.
It radiated a very unusual magical aura, clearly no ordinary object.
Ereshkigal explained:
"This was brought from the surface by Shiki. Take it back to Uruk."
"Something Miss Shiki brought into the Underworld…?"
Mash looked at Ryougi Shiki with some surprise.
"Don't look at me like that—I don't know what it is either," Shiki replied bluntly. "It fell down here with me when I dropped into the Underworld. Probably something someone tossed in the city of Kutha."
According to Shiki, the magical energy the tablet carried was highly unusual, so she had kept it on her person until meeting Ereshkigal, at which point she entrusted it to her.
Now, Ereshkigal was passing it to Rozen to take back to Uruk.
"Gilgamesh will tell you how to use it," she said, looking at him.
"Also, pass along one more thing for me."
What was it?
"Enkidu's body is missing."
Ereshkigal's message was simple.
"Just tell him that."
Leaving those words behind, Rozen's group took their leave of her.
Ereshkigal remained in the Underworld, and in her place, Ryougi Shiki became Rozen's Servant.
However, unlike the absolute contract with Ereshkigal, Shiki's bond with Rozen was not even a formal contract—merely a temporary one.
"You seem to be fairly competent, but I'll watch you a little longer before deciding," Shiki said casually, and then followed along with Rozen and the others back to the surface.