"After all that, you still haven't figured out how to disable the 'Protection of the Underworld'—or stop it from counterattacking?"
Samael had no words. Ana and Merlin both glanced at Ishtar, who was rubbing her hands awkwardly with a sheepish expression.
"This thing is sealed with a divine imprint—it's not like I can erase it! How's that my fault?"
Trying to shift the mood, Ishtar quickly deflected, eyes darting around as she defaulted to her usual post-mess routine: blaming everyone else.
"It's the shrine maidens' fault! They were the ones who summoned that underground menace!"
"It's Uruk's fault! If they'd just given me more faith and gems, maybe I could've found a workaround after a few tries!"
"It's that woman's fault! She kept fighting with me and ambushed me like a coward—so shameless!"
"It's Father's fault! Why give her that kind of divine authority? That's totally cheating!"
"It's—"
The moment her eyes landed on Samael, the ancient serpent let out a cold chuckle.
"Me? Seriously? I don't know what kind of drama's going on between you two. All I know is, both hands got marked by you."
"This shepherd-priest nonsense—I didn't want it. You forced it on me. Why don't you take it back?"
Honestly, he had no intention of getting caught in the deadly love-hate spiral between these two goddesses.
He was far too weak. If the two of them decided to fight for real, he'd probably be the first one stomped flat.
Besides, he had a pretty messy track record in the Underworld—and more secrets than he could count.
Too much contact with Ishtar or Ereshkigal, and it'd only be a matter of time before someone noticed something odd.
Samael had no interest in attracting attention and becoming a target.
A snake should remain hidden in the dark, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Out in the open, under the sun, it wasn't fearsome anymore—any random person could crush it with a stick.
Ishtar immediately forced a sweet smile, her tone full of appeasement.
"Of course it's not your fault! Blame them, all of them!"
Having just been roasted both literally and figuratively, the great goddess was no longer all that eager about hoarding and reselling "assets."
Now, it was more about pride and pent-up frustration she couldn't swallow.
Whether for her dignity or simply to vent, the more things didn't go her way, the more determined she became to butt heads with her big sister from the Underworld.
Erase her divine mark and admit defeat? No way in hell.
"Fine, work it out on the road. Let's pick up the pace!"
"Hands! Hands!"
Seeing that devilish claw reaching for her again, Ishtar's expression shifted immediately. She leapt back, only relaxing once she was a good ten meters away, replying with an awkward smile.
"For safety's sake, you guys go ahead. I'll cover the rear."
The other three nodded in helpless agreement and continued ahead, leaving the paranoid goddess to trail behind.
Without a certain goddess's nonstop chatter, Samael found the road strangely dull.
Surrounded by endless vines, swarming poisonous insects, and oppressive humidity, the atmosphere grew stifling.
Because of the delay caused by the Protection of the Underworld, and the thick, ancient rainforest between them and Eridu, they only made it halfway by nightfall.
In this unfamiliar terrain, they found a well-ventilated slope to make camp, deciding to rest and finish the journey the next day.
As night fell, a campfire flickered. Meat simmered in a pot, and everyone gnawed on wheat cakes they'd brought along.
After eating, the forest travelers either slipped into meditation or fell asleep.
Samael, whose turn it was to keep watch, felt a faint warmth on the back of his right hand. He sighed and looked toward the figure emerging from the underbrush.
"Keeping watch alone? Here, have a little something to warm up."
The goddess, now noticeably more composed and reserved, approached gracefully, sat beside the trunk, and offered him a cup of honeyed tea.
"Thanks..."
Samael nodded with a faint smile, lifting the bowl carefully. As he took a sip, his face softened as he gazed into the dark woods.
"That... is a divine mark, isn't it?"
"That woman… cough... did I give you more trouble today?"
Ereshkigal, now conscious again, caught sight of the crown-shaped mark on the back of Samael's left hand. Her brows furrowed, hands clenched at her sides, indignation written all over her face.
Before Samael could gather his thoughts to reply, she gently lifted his right hand, examined it closely, and finally let out a quiet breath.
"Good. With that thing protecting you, I feel better."
"Forget it, let's drop the annoying stuff for now. You're heading to see Kukulkan?"
Samael was more than happy to steer clear of the sisterly drama. He nodded tactfully and began explaining their journey into the jungle to Ereshkigal.
"I see... Even with Uruk in this state, you're still trying to save yourselves."
"Well, I don't dislike people who struggle."
The goddess turned her head slightly, a glimmer of appreciation flickering in her eyes.
Unlike Ana, Merlin, and Ishtar—those outliers—this man truly embodied the will of humanity.
In truth, because of the supreme authority of the Goddess of Beginning, Tiamat, Ereshkigal couldn't perceive the serpent beneath the human exterior.
Not one among the four in this group was human.
If one had to choose the closest, it would be Samael—if only because he possessed a human soul.
"So then, as compensation for earlier, I'll give you a piece of advice."
"Quetzalcoatl is a benevolent god—the pinnacle of goodness—and also holds the seat of a chief deity."
"In other words, nothing good can defeat her."
"That's why, no matter what her intentions are, don't waver. Don't let her sway you. Don't sympathize with or support her actions."
"The moment you lose your hostility and get assimilated by a supreme deity's will, you've already lost!"
Ereshkigal's warning made Samael nod with quiet seriousness. It was clearer than anything he'd remembered before—and it gave him greater confidence in his own strategy.
After her thoughtful reminder, the goddess had originally planned to leave. But for some reason, a few offhand comments from the man beside her stirred a desire to stay and chat.
So she talked—about her lonely life in the underworld temple, the joy of having a snake as a pet, her awe and confusion about fate, and even her envy of that other goddess who could freely bask in sunlight.
All kinds of feelings slipped out without her noticing.
The man seated on the log listened in silence for the most part, occasionally asking something to jog her memory or help the conversation move along.
With such an attentive audience, Ereshkigal ended up talking for three or four hours straight without realizing it.
When she noticed it was already past midnight, she blinked and smiled apologetically, sensing movement behind her.
"Will humanity win?"
"That's for you to decide. Stop depending on the gods so much!"
"Then... do you want humanity to win?"
"What's that got to do with me? Just don't drag me into it, alright?"
Waving dismissively, the goddess stood and disappeared into the night.
The unspoken message behind not causing trouble for the goddess of the underworld, of course, was—don't die.
Seriously... if he still needed to guess at something that obvious, when would she finally learn to be honest with herself?
Master, huh?
The ancient serpent gave a slow shake of his head, quietly resigned to his master's deeply ingrained tsundere streak.
Then Samael drew in his thoughts, his gaze darkening as it settled on the rustling bushes nearby.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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