"Then, I'll come by again tomorrow morning. If anything urgent happens, please speak to the soldiers outside. For now, please rest well."
"Alright, thank you very much~"
After bowing politely, Siduri turned and left the small residence temporarily arranged for Chaldea's group.
Only once the door closed did Ritsuka let out a long breath of relief.
"Whew… I don't know why, but it feels like some kind of weight just lifted."
"Agreed. Ever since meeting King Ophis face-to-face, it's felt like being watched by a snake. Even after we left, that pressure lingered until just now."
Mash and Lily both nodded—Lily especially, her instincts sharper than anyone else's.
"Probably. Though I doubt King Ophis herself actually intends to watch you… Or rather, she's probably not that interested. But that Chief Priestess is definitely wrapped in Ophis' magic—something like a divine blessing. And a pretty high-level one at that. It doesn't enhance strength, but it guarantees protection, with a secondary function for surveillance. Honestly, it's surprising. Who knew King Ophis could be that gentle?"
"Nope, I thought she was gentle from the start!"
"Huh?"
Ritsuka tapped her cheek, then raised one finger.
"Not just before—today too, right? She even reminded us to be careful."
"You interpreted that as kindness?!"
"Ah, oops, I used her old nickname again. Oh well, she probably doesn't care."
Ritsuka shrugged lightly, then looked curiously around the modest house.
"This place feels… kind of understatedly fancy, doesn't it?"
She touched the wall, inspecting the smooth surface.
"Indeed… The materials are surprisingly advanced for this era. Not beautiful, but top-grade for defense. Wait—hold on, this is more important than it looks!"
"Heh, Ophi really is gentle after all…"
Sinking lazily into a soft cushion, Ritsuka spoke from the corner.
"Senpai, please take this seriously…"
Mash sighed and turned toward the holographic image floating nearby.
Thanks to the stable mana inside Uruk, even video communication posed no problem.
"Doctor, did you find something unusual?"
"Ah… well, unusual, yes, though maybe 'strange' fits better. This King Ophis—she's not human, nor a Servant. Her existence feels closer to… no, maybe I should say there's nothing human about her at all. She's a lifeform nearly identical to a divine being."
"...A divine being?"
Everyone immediately thought of the same image—Ophis's aura and title together evoked one name.
──The Lion King, Goddess Rhongomyniad.
"This could be bad… though she doesn't seem the same," Ritsuka said with a wry smile, then frowned.
"Right. Just because she resembles a divine being doesn't mean she thinks like one. That strange woman you met before was a goddess too, but she didn't give off that completely inhuman feeling, did she?"
Romani's tone was meant to reassure, but inwardly, he was deeply unsettled.
Ophis gave him the impression of someone almost devoid of humanity.
Ritsuka had called her gentle, but Romani wasn't convinced. It wasn't kindness—it was calculation.
Ophis didn't want Chaldea to die, not because of sentiment, but because they still had value.
If that value vanished, she likely wouldn't care about their lives at all—not enough to warn them, certainly.
In mindset, she was much closer to a god than a human. Yet, paradoxically, she still faced humanity's crisis through entirely human means.
Perhaps that contradiction itself set her apart from the gods.
Romani couldn't yet grasp Ophis's true nature—but one thing was certain:
This Ophis was completely different from the one they had met before… or rather, the one they would meet in the future of this era.
...
"My King, arrangements for the foreign guests are complete. Do you have further orders?"
"They're too weak."
Holding a clay tablet, Ophis answered without looking up.
"Give them more missions."
It would serve as training, lessen the army's load—and most importantly, let her observe what strengths and qualities they truly possessed.
"Understood. Any other instructions, my king?"
"I'll be leaving for a while tonight. If anything urgent happens, I'll return on my own."
"Yes, understood."
Siduri didn't even blink. Ophis disappearing like this every few days had long since become routine. She simply bowed and withdrew quietly.
"Hnn…"
Ophis rose and stretched deeply.
Unfortunately, her already modest figure was hidden entirely by heavy robes, leaving no hint of shape.
"I haven't slept in… 142 years."
She shook her head helplessly. Other dragons spent thousands, even tens of thousands of years in slumber, awakening stronger each time. Only she had worked nonstop since birth, never closing her eyes.
Physically, she felt fine—but surely that wasn't good for growth.
If she rearranged her internal energy, she could alter her body's apparent age somewhat, shifting her mindset along with it.
But honestly, that just sounded like too much trouble.
Thinking idly—something she rarely allowed herself—Ophis soon found herself atop a familiar hill.
The place where she'd made her vow with Enkidu.
And where she'd sent him away.
Normally, she would never revisit a place for sentimental reasons. Yet ever since her battle with the false Enkidu half a year ago, she'd returned here often, spending nights beneath the stars.
The air here brought her a deep calm.
Unlike the Dimensional Gap, this place carried a quiet warmth—almost as if Enkidu were still beside her.
And, as expected, someone was already there.
A golden-haired goddess sat without the slightest composure, knees drawn up and arms wrapped around them.
She smiled softly at Ophis under the moonlight.
---
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