As Gilgamesh reacted, countless golden vortices swirled into existence behind him, densely packed and glowing. One by one, swords, spears, and halberds pushed forth, their icy gleams casting a brutal, oppressive aura across the entire hall.
The bone-chilling air instantly triggered Ana's instincts. She tightened her grip on the divine weapon Harpe and shifted into an offensive stance. The surge of purple-red Mana blew back her hood, revealing vertical pupils narrowed to pinpricks. Their eerie beauty was mesmerizing, enough to dazzle and bewitch at a glance.
"Looks like I'll have to sully this throne a bit!"
"King Gilgamesh, please withdraw your test. This child meant no offense."
Just as the tension was about to erupt into violence, a figure stepped in front of Ana, speaking in a calm tone.
A test? The purple-haired girl froze. Her hostility began to wane. As she looked at the figure's back, her expression grew uncertain.
It felt... just like the warmth of her sisters who always stood beside her.
Samael turned and gave the stunned Ana a soft smile of reassurance, then faced the Hero King, who stood with arms crossed and a stony expression, waiting for an explanation.
"Your Majesty, surely you can see—this child only wished to help."
Gilgamesh sneered, his eyes flashing with pride.
"Help? Then she'd better know her limits!"
"Uruk hasn't fallen so low that it needs to rely on the meddling of a little girl. If that's what it takes, then the men still alive should slit their own throats!"
"This is the fate of Sumer. If you want to stand above others and speak of salvation, you have neither the reason nor the right to fight for Mesopotamia!"
Ana bit her lip hard, stepping out from beside Samael.
"But... the Goddess of Demonic Beasts... her appearance is my responsibility…"
Gilgamesh cut off her guilty confession with a scornful snort.
"Enough! Are you deaf, you fool?!"
"I don't care what connection you have with that thing from the Blood Fort Andromeda!"
"You are you. She is her."
"If you want revenge, if you want to patch up that pathetic ego of yours, then show some resolve—fight for yourself!"
"Keep clinging to guilt and compassion, and all you'll do is shame me!"
Ana, stuck in her spiraling thoughts, tried to speak again but was pulled back by Samael.
"If Your Majesty has no further commands, we'll take our leave."
"Get lost! Don't come back until you've figured things out."
"I'm a busy man—don't waste my time with this nonsense!"
The Hero King turned away, waving them off impatiently.
Only after watching Samael and Ana retreat into the distance did he signal to the nearby Head Priestess.
"Siduri, prepare supplies for two. Send them to the embassy."
"If they need anything, decide as you see fit and provide it."
"Uruk isn't so poor that it would mistreat two newcomers who've pledged their allegiance."
Siduri bowed slightly, a smile flickering beneath her veil, then turned to carry out the order.
With his trusted aide gone, the once-bustling palace suddenly fell into a rare moment of quiet.
Seated once again on his throne, Gilgamesh glanced toward the white haired Incubus lingering in the corner of the hall.
"Merlin! Enjoying the show? How long are you planning to pretend to sleep?!"
"Hmm? It's all settled already? Your Majesty really is lightning-fast when it comes to state affairs!"
Merlin blinked innocently, offering a half-hearted compliment.
Gilgamesh twitched at the shameless reply from the sly old fox, then leaned back into his throne with a cold snort.
"Cut the nonsense! What do you think of those two?"
"Ana may be the innocent self cast out by the Goddess of Demonic Beasts, but she's not inherently bad—she just desperately wants to make things right."
"For the King to overlook her crimes and guide her instead—what magnanimity and wisdom!"
Merlin smiled faintly, nodded in admiration, then launched into a smooth string of compliments, thoroughly embodying a sycophant.
Gilgamesh's expression darkened. He took a deep breath, barely keeping the fury in check to maintain his kingly composure.
"And the other one?"
"Very ordinary. Just a soldier-hero who escaped from the ruined city of Babylon..."
"That's it?"
"If I had to say, there's something about him I just can't quite see through..."
"Even you feel that way? So it's not just my imagination..."
Gilgamesh finally managed to squeeze a few honest words out of that old trickster. He frowned deeply, leaning back into the throne in thought.
Ever since that blank Tablet of Destinies had appeared, the once-clear threads of the future had become an impenetrable tangle of chaotic mist.
In this war that would decide the survival of Sumerian civilization, both his and Merlin's Clairvoyance seemed to have lost their clarity.
Without the advantage of foresight, every step had to be taken with extreme caution.
Gilgamesh sank into deep contemplation, the light in his eyes flickering slightly.
Just as the King of Heroes' brow furrowed further in doubt, a lazy chuckle echoed through the hall.
"I heard he crossed Mount Ebih and performed a grand sacrifice to the Goddess of War to avenge his comrades."
"This lingering uncertainty—could it be... a God's Blessing?"
Gilgamesh's expression gradually eased. The corner of his mouth curled into a satisfied smirk.
"Oh? That does sound like something that greedy goddess would do. That explains it."
"Don't you agree, Merlin?"
The white-haired Incubus smiled subtly and bowed slightly.
"All choices are made by the King, permitted by the King, and borne by the King."
"Leaving such decisions to a half-baked Magus like me is far too cruel."
"Still, how could Uruk, the torchbearer of Sumer, reject a hero who risked his life to deliver a battle report?"
"A good man... someone who guided that child."
As Merlin's voice lowered, Gilgamesh's expression shifted subtly.
"A good man? I didn't expect you, old fox, to plead for him."
"Your Majesty, you misunderstand. Good men don't live long in this world."
A glint of mischief flashed in the white-haired Incubus's eyes.
"It's heartbreaking, really—someone's stolen my role as the wise older brother."
Gilgamesh waved him off casually, clearly unmoved by Merlin's little performance.
"Get out! Bring in the soldier waiting for orders outside!"
"That woman, Siduri, is getting more and more audacious!"
The white-haired Incubus nodded and withdrew. Just before stepping out the grand door, he paused briefly and murmured,
"Your Majesty, Siduri is worried about your condition. If needed... please rest."
Gilgamesh, who had just picked up another clay tablet to review, raised a brow slightly.
But before he could lash out, that slippery old trickster had already fled—leaving Gilgamesh with no one to scold and a twitch tugging at the corner of his mouth.
If it weren't wartime, a cunning snake like that would've been beheaded!