The night descended quietly upon Uruk.
Guided by Merlin and Siduri, Ritsuka and Mash had wandered through the city for hours, gaining a newfound appreciation for its unique character.
Now, they rested in the inn arranged by Siduri.
At this hour, aside from the soldiers standing watch on the Demonic Front, most of Uruk's residents had slipped into slumber, conserving their strength for the survival struggles of the coming day.
At the summit of the divine tower, under the glow of flickering flames, two figures hunched over a desk, tirelessly working.
Shouts occasionally echoed from the tower's peak.
"King of Ur, haven't you finished calculating the grain allocation for the citizens of both cities?"
"It's almost done. Carving on these clay tablets is quite cumbersome."
"Then hurry up. We still have city defenses and irrigation systems to address."
"Understood…"
Holding a heavy clay tablet inscribed with dense text, Roy's expression grew somber…
If not for his magecraft, which allowed him to swiftly comprehend foreign languages, he wouldn't have understood these tablets sent from Uruk at all.
But wasn't his purpose here to discuss an alliance with Gilgamesh, relocate Ur's citizens, and fortify a joint defense?
So why was he now buried under stacks of tablets several meters high?
How had things come to this?
Patiently handling the tablets' affairs, he propped his elbow on his face, pondering the reason,
Right, it began after Gilgamesh sent Merlin away. Roy had assumed they would discuss the alliance between Uruk and Ur.
Instead, as the conversation was about to start, the golden king abruptly raised a hand to stop him, then hauled out hundreds of tablets inscribed with tasks and set them before him.
At the sight of the towering stacks, Roy's expression had been one of silent bewilderment, unsure of Gilgamesh's intentions.
Then, Gilgamesh spoke as if it were the most natural thing: "Given you returned Enkidu's body to me, and with Merlin and Ur as guarantors, there's no need to test your strength or character further. We can proceed directly to the alliance. I've no patience for scheming with you."
Even so, Roy couldn't fathom what these tablets had to do with an alliance.
Gilgamesh continued, "As the first meeting between kings, I'd have preferred to host a banquet, chatting over wine. But the current situation leaves no room for leisure. Your arrival left many of Uruk's affairs unattended today. So, I've turned the banquet table into a work desk. We'll discuss while handling these tasks."
This bizarre logic left Roy stunned.
A banquet culture turned into a desk culture?
What kind of king involves another city's ruler in their state affairs?
Yet Gilgamesh clearly didn't care.
With Uruk's destruction looming, he had no time for political games with Roy.
Since Roy sought an alliance, Gilgamesh agreed, especially with the pressing need for manpower.
The situation on the Demonic Front was deteriorating steadily.
To maintain this seemingly unbreakable defense, Uruk's people died constantly, yet the number of demonic beasts showed no sign of dwindling, in fact, it only grew.
The collapse of the Demonic Front was only a matter of time. Still, Gilgamesh aimed to buy as much time as possible for humanity, and the addition of Ur's forces was a tremendous boon.
Trusting without suspicion, Gilgamesh saw no need for scheming with the King of Ur. Without even a formal alliance pact, the two kings began tackling the alliance's affairs.
Time passed, how long he wasn't sure…
Roy lifted his head, stacking the completed tablets before the desk.
"Finished. Have you figured out the troop transport routes from Ur, King Gil?"
"King Gil? What's that ridiculous name?"
"Nothing, just a name from my era for an idol, a king. He reminds me of you."
"Silence, mongrel! I don't know who this 'King Gil' is, but it's certainly no compliment."
Sensing the offense, Gilgamesh's crimson eyes narrowed at Roy, who was diligently handling tablets.
"…"
Seeing Roy's focus, Gilgamesh held back his irritation, lowering his head to continue his own work.
Damn it, he's processing them so quickly… faster than me…
"If what you say is true, and one of the Three Goddess Alliance's Divine Spirits stands with Ur, that's excellent news. Plus, you can fill the gap in our high-end combat strength."
"Exactly. Most of Ur's citizens are young, robust soldiers, including over a thousand taken from Uruk by Quetzalcoatl. They're safe, training daily under Quetzalcoatl, maintaining their combat skills and resolve. Once they reach Uruk, they can join the Demonic Front immediately."
Roy placed a few more completed tablets beside the desk, surpassing Gilgamesh's stack.
"!!!"
"Oh, all well-trained warriors? That's promising. Now, the challenge is transporting nearly fifteen thousand people across Mesopotamia to Uruk safely."
Hearing this, Gilgamesh quickened his pace, stacking several finished tablets to match Roy's speed.
As King of Uruk, how could he lose to a foreign ruler in handling his city's affairs?
Such childish competitiveness.
Unlike Gilgamesh, Roy, sustained by the Third Magic, felt no fatigue in body or mind.
His speed wasn't to compete with Gilgamesh but simply to finish and clock out.
"Transportation is indeed tricky. Marching tens of thousands across Mesopotamia risks demonic beast attacks. Even with Servants escorting, losses would be heavy."
Gilgamesh, too, found the logistics daunting.
"Quetzalcoatl has some wyvern familiars. Used wisely, they could enable air transport, but their numbers are limited, only a few dozen. They can't carry everyone."
"Air transport via wyverns is a good idea, but even pushing them to their limits, they'd carry maybe a thousand. The remaining ten thousand are still a problem."
Gilgamesh pondered, then offered a practical suggestion.
"Since we're considering air transport, what about waterways?"
"Waterways? But…"
"I know your concerns, but compared to Mesopotamia's plains, aquatic beasts are far fewer. As a king, you're no fool, you know no route is entirely safe. Losses are inevitable. We can't protect everyone, but this is the best option we have."
"I know a few discreet river routes. With proper timing and two Servants as escorts, ferrying some by boat to Uruk quietly is feasible. In my view, it's a solid plan. What do you think, King of Ur?"
"…"
Roy considered, then nodded slightly.
"You're right. Rather than leaving them isolated in Ur, cut off from Uruk and awaiting doom, this is the best choice."
"Hmph, you're no indecisive fool. That's the mark of a true king, making such decisions. If we'd met sooner, you might've been a worthy rival."
Gilgamesh snorted, his gaze lingering on Roy as he spoke earnestly.
His words were sincere. Though Roy had much to learn, he possessed the qualities of a king, strength, responsibility, vision.
Had they met earlier, he might've been a rival akin to Enkidu.
"With the plan settled, I'll designate an area for Ur's thousands to settle. Non-combatants will go to Uruk's city center, while warriors will join Leonidas in the barracks. Any issues?"
"None. Ur's people aren't here for comfort but to fight. Trained by Quetzalcoatl, they won't fall short of Uruk's soldiers."
"Hmph, confident, are you? Let's see whose soldiers prove superior then."
Gilgamesh laughed heartily at Roy's words.
"The plan's set. Before the beasts react, we'll move simultaneously by land, sea, and air. Five thousand will march with your Divine Spirit across Mesopotamia's plains to Uruk. The rest will take water and air routes, using the land march to distract the beasts. If successful, we'll complete the migration in about two days. What do you think?"
"A sound plan, I've no objections. But aside from the Servants essential to the Demonic Front, I hope you'll send at least two Servants to escort them. Sacrifices are inevitable, but I want to minimize them as much as possible."
"You're right, unnecessary losses should be avoided. Uruk's stretched thin, but for a short time…"
Gilgamesh rubbed his chin, pondering, then thought of two suitable figures and replied to Roy.
"I can spare two Servants. My Assassin and Rider aren't suited for frontal combat, but they're more than capable for this escort duty. Head to the northern defenses tomorrow to meet them."
"Assassin and Rider?"
Roy was surprised, recalling that when Chaldea arrived in Uruk, Gilgamesh's summoned Servants, aside from Merlin, were only three: Ushiwakamaru, Leonidas I, and Musashibo Benkei.
Was an Assassin still alive?
Had the plot changed again?
"What's wrong? Surprised by something?"
Noticing Roy's tone, Gilgamesh questioned.
"No, just curious about these two Servants' identities…"
"Their names? If you want to know, meet them yourself tomorrow."
"Got it."
Their discussion stretched into the late night. With both kings working together, tasks that would've kept Gilgamesh up until dawn were finished early.
"Hm, done already?"
Looking at the two small mountains of stacked tablets, a faint smile curved Gilgamesh's lips.
"Unexpectedly, I've got a few hours free tonight. Siduri, are you still there?"
Standing and stretching, Gilgamesh called toward the tower's entrance.
"I'm here, my king."
Siduri's voice came from outside.
After guiding Ritsuka's group on a brief tour of Uruk, she'd returned to the tower to work.
Since the conversation involved two kings, it would've been improper for her, as head priestess, to intrude, so she'd set起来了 a table by the tower's entrance to handle her tasks.
"Really, at this hour, you should rest, Siduri."
Seeing her enter, a trace of exasperation flashed in Gilgamesh's eyes.
"My king, with all of Uruk and both kings working tirelessly, how can I, as head priestess, slack off?"
"Diligence is admirable, but rest is necessary to maintain your strength."
Pointing to the stacks of completed tablets, Gilgamesh instructed, "Have these tablets moved out, then rest early. Tomorrow, we'll resume our fight for survival…"
With that, Gilgamesh lifted Enkidu's cloth-covered body, beckoned Roy, and walked out of the divine tower.
"As you command, my king."
Siduri bowed gently.
Watching Gilgamesh and another figure stride out of the tower side by side, she felt a fleeting daze.
For a moment, it was as if she saw that familiar figure once again at the king's side.
Enkidu…
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