Night had fallen at the embassy.
Ana sat with her head lowered, troubled. The table was filled with dishes, including her favorite butter cake, but none of it stirred her appetite.
"Still can't figure it out?"
Samael removed his apron, wiped the water from his hands, and sat across from the purple-haired girl. He ladled her a bowl of fruit soup, his tone gentle.
"Mm…"
Ana lifted her small face, eyes filled with confusion and unease.
"I don't know what kind of twisted fate you share with the Goddess of Demonic Beasts, but insisting on taking responsibility for her bloodshed… that's your choice—not Uruk's judgment."
Samael set down the wooden spoon and rested a hand on Ana's narrow shoulder, his voice serious.
Seeing that she still seemed lost, his serpent eyes glinted with deep wisdom. He decided to properly guide this girl who had trapped herself in guilt.
"When the Goddess of Demonic Beasts hunted humans, did you want to join her?"
"…"
"Did you help her create the beasts?"
"…"
"Did you give her information about where people were hiding?"
"…"
A few simple questions left the young goddess shaking her head blankly.
"See? No motive, no action, no accomplice connection. Why would Uruk place the blame on a child like you?"
"If Gilgamesh really tried, I bet the people would curse him behind his back!"
"That wouldn't be helping—it would be framing!"
Samael shrugged with a touch of sarcasm.
Ana bit her lip hard. Her face shifted between emotions before she blurted out the secret stuck in her throat.
"But she's my future self! That's the pure evil awakened from the river of destiny!"
"But you're not her yet."
Samael's expression turned firm, his tone steady, then softened.
"I've studied the basics of special summoning in Babylon. If the Goddess of Demonic Beasts was summoned to destroy Uruk and is linked to you…"
"Then she's just one possible version of your future. Not the only one."
"Summoning, at its core, is the use of Magecraft to draw from the infinite possibilities that stretch across time—past and future—to extract the essence of human heroes, gods, and anomalies."
"Then, through mana, that essence is given a form, shaped into a body, and bound with commands to serve a purpose."
"This trick of manifesting the intangible is just that—a tool forged by the will of the summoner."
"If someone is stabbed with a knife, at most you blame the person holding it. You don't prosecute the metal the blade was made from, do you?"
"By that logic, the blacksmith who hammered the steel, the world that led you to such a future—they'd all be guilty!"
"So even if someone has to take the blame, it's not going to be you."
The ancient serpent flicked a finger against Ana's forehead. The purple-haired girl winced, holding her head as the pain snapped her out of her thoughts.
It… kind of made sense.
She mulled over every word, suddenly realizing how misplaced her guilt really was.
Right. It was Gorgon who brought ruin to Uruk—what did that have to do with Ana?
Seeing that he had mostly steered the stubborn girl away from her spiral, Samael leaned in and continued softly.
"Do you know why King Gilgamesh got angry, even though you clearly just wanted to help?"
Ana blinked her large, watery eyes and shook her head in confusion.
"First of all, if the Goddess of Demonic Beasts were that easy to deal with, Gilgamesh would've taken care of her himself. Why would it fall to you?"
"And if you were capable of defeating her, would Merlin—that old trickster—have lured you back to Uruk in the first place?"
"So, let's be honest. Taking down the Goddess of Demonic Beasts isn't something you can do alone. That's a fact you need to accept."
Samael laid out the situation with calm logic—while still taking the opportunity to throw shade at Merlin.
After all, snakes hold grudges.
"Second, if you're taking on something you can't handle by yourself, and you're even declaring you'll eradicate the source of the disaster, how do you expect King Gilgamesh to trust that?"
"Let's say he's willing to listen, even believe you."
"Then what? Dispatch an army to follow you into the Blood Temple and cut down the Goddess of Demonic Beasts?"
"Even if it came to that, with no solid intel, charging blindly into a place that's already devoured much of the northern cities... how confident are you that you'd survive?"
Samael's barrage of pointed questions left the guilt-ridden girl blinking in a daze, her face blank with uncertainty.
Without even realizing it, the ancient serpent found himself momentarily entranced—and his old face flushed with embarrassment.
So shameless! Damn it, lolis are too powerful!
Tiamat be praised!
Samael rubbed his stiff cheeks, silently scolding himself as he reaffirmed his beliefs.
After steadying his emotions, he continued, this time with solemn weight.
"As the King of Uruk, Gilgamesh must first and foremost protect the lives of its people."
"You're an outsider, with no clear identity. What right do you have to ask the people of Uruk to risk everything for you?"
"Even if you do have a connection to the Goddess of Demonic Beasts, he can't gamble the future of the entire Mesopotamian world on one person's guilt."
Ana finally began to understand. She nodded slowly, realization dawning. At the same time, she clenched her teeth in frustration and cursed that old liar who had dragged her to Uruk.
Didn't he promise that once they reached Uruk, they'd find a way to stop the disaster caused by the Goddess of Demonic Beasts?
But in the end, King Gilgamesh wasn't willing to take that kind of risk for her.
So Merlin's promises... were all just empty words?
"Then what should I do?"
The purple-haired girl looked lost again, her eyes wide with uncertainty as she turned to Samael with a pleading gaze.
The ancient snake raised his hand and gently rested it atop Ana's head, rubbing affectionately. His eyes narrowed with satisfaction.
Ah, this must be it—the head-pat of justice! So soft, so fluffy!
Pure bliss! Absolute bliss!
After a long, reluctant moment, Samael withdrew his hand, coughed lightly, and spoke in a serious tone.
"A third great storm is coming to Mesopotamia. This is the Destiny Uruk must face."
"Even without the Goddess of Demonic Beasts, other disasters would have come."
"If you're stepping into a war that will decide Uruk's future just because of some pointless guilt..."
"Then Gilgamesh will reject you—no matter what."
Ana sat upright, listening intently. Remembering how Gilgamesh reacted earlier, she nodded in agreement.
"The fate of Uruk belongs to Uruk!"
"So, make up your mind. Start by becoming a part of this place. Learn what it means to be one of them."
"When that time comes—whether you're fighting for yourself or determined to defend this land—Gilgamesh will have no reason to stop you!"
Samael's gaze was deep, his tone resolute.
That thunderous reminder lit a spark in Ana's eyes. Her small face brightened with determination, and she raised a tiny fist with spirit.
"Yeah!"
"Got it now? Then let's eat. The food's gone cold."
Unable to resist, Samael gave her soft hair another affectionate ruffle, then smiled and gestured toward the table.
With her mind finally cleared, Ana suddenly realized how hungry she was. Her stomach growled loudly, and her mouth began to water.
But before they could start eating, a white-haired Incubus peeked his head through the doorway with a mischievous grin.
"Dinner? Ah, you were waiting for me?"
"Perfect timing. Don't mind if I do."
Merlin strolled in without a care, dropped into the open seat, and immediately began digging in.
The moment his chopsticks moved, two figures jumped up at the same time, brandishing forks and spoons with righteous fury.
"Merlin, die!"