Gudako's attempt to become the new stepmom ended in failure, and she got a smackdown from Ishtar for her trouble.
Luckily, Ishtar didn't use her full strength. Combined with the fact that she was in Rin's petite body and Mash was there to protect her, the red-haired girl, Fujimaru Ritsuka, escaped with nothing more than a bump on her head.
"So, you're from an organization called Chaldea from the future, and you're here to resolve this world's Singularity?"
After dealing with the Demonic Beasts and the fool who tried to poach her man right in front of her, Ishtar learned their story.
"Mhm! King Gilgamesh can vouch for us. We were originally on a mission from him to subjugate the Demonic Beasts in this area, but we never expected to run into you and this lord!"
Gudako answered Ishtar's questions obediently, but she kept sneaking glances at Su Mo. It was clear she hadn't given up on the unprecedentedly handsome man.
So, after introducing herself, she immediately asked curiously.
"By the way, since you're Ishtar, the guardian goddess of Uruk, doesn't that make this handsome man... I mean, your father... the legendary King of Gods?"
Even Fujimaru Ritsuka, whose knowledge of mythology was weak, knew what the title "Mistress of Heaven" implied. If Ishtar was the Mistress of Heaven, then wouldn't Su Mo be the legendary sky god and King of Gods—Anu?
"Of course!" Ishtar nodded proudly, then shot a warning glance at Fujimaru Ritsuka. "So don't even think about getting any ideas about Father God. The only one worthy of him is a goddess of equal stature. That's right—a cute and powerful goddess like me!"
"Huh? But aren't you Lord Su Mo's daughter?"
Gudako was floored. This goddess's words were a little too wild.
"Senpai, in ancient mythology, it's actually not uncommon for father gods and daughter goddesses to become husband and wife..." Mash whispered cautiously from the side.
Societal ethics and morals were a product of human civilization reaching a certain stage of development. Not to mention distant history, even the Arthurian legends, which would only emerge thousands of years later, contained many instances of incestuous marriage. In fact, even in the modern era, intermarriage among European royal bloodlines was considered fashionable.
"No wonder Lady Ishtar reacted so strongly..." Fujimaru Ritsuka suddenly understood. "So you have improper designs on Lord Su Mo too—"
"Shut up! Do not be disrespectful to Father God!" the goddess cut her off, flustered and angry.
Seeing Ishtar's beet-red face as she reprimanded them, while also cautiously stealing glances at Su Mo's reaction, Gudako and Mash exchanged a look, confirming their suspicion.
This goddess had a total father complex!
Unexpectedly having her thoughts exposed by two mortals, the thin-skinned Ishtar immediately retreated, allowing Rin Tohsaka's consciousness to regain control of her body.
After her pupils returned to their black color, Rin muttered, "Silly daddy-con goddess," under her breath before turning a curious gaze to the city gates before them.
"Miss Fujimaru, Miss Mash, is this Uruk?"
After dealing with the Demonic Beasts, they had returned to the city.
"Eh? Why so polite all of a sudden?"
Gudako and Mash glanced at each other, finding the change strange, but they answered nonetheless. "That's right! Now that the mission is complete, we have to report back. It's also a good chance to tell King Gilgamesh the good news of your arrival!"
Although they were part of an organization dedicated to saving the world and had already traversed several Singularities, both girls knew their place and understood the immense power of gods. If they had two deities on their side, the difficulty of this Singularity would surely be reduced significantly.
"Gilgamesh?"
Hearing their words, Su Mo shook his head slightly.
"There's no need to tell him."
"What?"
Gudako blinked, a hint of confusion in her eyes. Was Su Mo planning to hide his identity from Gilgamesh? If so, she'd have to keep this good news to herself for now.
Just as she was pondering this, Su Mo added, "Because he's already here."
The instant his voice fell, a grand procession emerged from the royal palace at the far end of the wide-open city gates, advancing with unparalleled solemnity.
Music dedicated to the gods resounded throughout the city, and upon hearing it, every citizen of Uruk dropped to their knees. In this era, such solemn music was part of a sacrificial ritual reserved only for the gods. Though they didn't know why it was being played now, everyone knew to kneel in pious reverence to show their awe.
Among the kneeling citizens, the standing group of Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash was naturally very conspicuous.
"Senpai, should we be kneeling too?" Mash asked nervously, looking at the others.
"Of course not!" Gudako gulped, but seeing the calm expression on Su Mo's face beside her gave her an unexpected surge of courage. "We came back with Lord Su Mo! You have to respect the master for the dog's sake. We can't show weakness to a mere king when we're in the presence of a god... Besides, we're standing next to Lord Su Mo! We can't embarrass him... Mash, stand tall! Don't lose face!"
"Yes, Senpai!" Mash immediately stood at attention obediently.
By now, the procession had arrived before them. To people of later eras, the ceremony might seem crude, but for this time period, it was the highest form of etiquette.
"Even Siduri is here... Wait, King Gilgamesh came too? Lord Su Mo's status really is something else!"
Seeing two familiar faces, Fujimaru Ritsuka was slightly surprised. The King and the Head Priestess—these were arguably the most esteemed individuals in all of Uruk. When Gilgamesh had learned that their Chaldea was there to help, he had acted every bit the king, ordering them around like common servants. To think that he would put aside his busy duties to personally welcome Su Mo and Ishtar—this was an incredible honor. Gilgamesh was, after all, the type of man so arrogant he wouldn't even deign to look at most gods.
Just as the two were reeling from the level of respect being shown to Su Mo, Ishtar came back online and curled her lip in disdain.
"Siduri is my priestess, so of course she should be here. As for that goldie, how dare he act so arrogantly in Father God's presence? He must have a death wish!"
"Huh? You call this arrogant?"
The goddess's assessment confused the two girls. Given Gilgamesh's inherent pride as a king, wasn't this display already the height of reverence?
Just as they were thinking this...
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
The entire procession, upon reaching the city gates, knelt as one. Not only did Siduri kneel, but even the impossibly proud Gilgamesh reverently bowed his head, showing his submission in Su Mo's direction.
"We respectfully welcome the arrival of His Majesty, the God-King!"
The King of Heroes and Siduri spoke first, and then the entire procession, followed by the bewildered citizens of the whole city, roared in unison.
"We respectfully welcome the arrival of His Majesty, the God-King!"
"We respectfully welcome the arrival of His Majesty, the God-King!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash looked at each other and sucked in a sharp breath.
Even the King of Heroes was kneeling? Was this really the same incredibly proud Gilgamesh? And wasn't it said that kings in the Age of Gods held a status equal to deities? Why was there still such a massive gap? The respect they had shown when meeting Gilgamesh paled in comparison to the pious deference Gilgamesh was showing now.
What they found even more unbelievable was that, even in the face of such reverence, Ishtar still found it lacking.
"Hmph. You think you can get away with a crude ceremony like this?" Ishtar said with a hand on her hip, her tone still dismissive. "You have Clairvoyance, don't you? If you'd foreseen Father God's arrival, you should have given your all, preparing at least ten years' worth of the national treasury to welcome him, not just throw something together at the last minute."
Although Gilgamesh had already arranged the grandest ceremony possible on short notice, in Ishtar's eyes, it was far too shabby—a clear sign of insufficient faith. While not deserving of a death sentence, it was a suspended sentence at the very least.
Faced with Ishtar's accusation, Gilgamesh, who was usually at odds with her, didn't refute her at all. Instead, he simply kept his head lowered and explained, "The fault is mine. My meager Clairvoyance cannot foresee anything related to Lord Su Mo. It was only a moment ago that I received a divine revelation, which is why I was unable to make better preparations."
Even a Clairvoyance that could see into the future had its limits. At the very least, the ability was completely ineffective on Su Mo. If Su Mo hadn't deliberately alerted him, he would not only have been unable to see Su Mo's future but also the futures of Ishtar, Gudako, and Mash.