Chapter 11: The Wise King Gilgamesh
The next day, the group set out for the city of Uruk. The city was currently in a precarious position; because of the appearance of the Three Goddess Alliance, the Sumerian city-states had suffered devastating blows, and people were fleeing to Uruk for refuge. After all, the presence of the King of Heroes there gave them a sense of security. The Demonic Beasts on the northern front, however, were the greatest threat. If the beasts continued their invasion at this rate, it was only a matter of time before humanity was destroyed.
In truth, it was easy to realize that while the brilliant military achievements of the Babylonia front looked impressive, they were bought with the lives of soldiers. The soldiers were constantly being consumed, but the offensive power and numbers of the beasts never seemed to diminish—as if a queen were endlessly churning them out. Sooner or later, the number of soldiers would dwindle to the point where they could no longer even man the fortifications.
The objective for Gudako and her companions was to discover the whereabouts of the Holy Grail, then defeat the Three Goddess Alliance to save human history. Following Merlin, they arrived at the gates of Uruk. At the gate, soldiers were checking the information of travelers and refugees. Gudako and Mash hid behind a wagon to observe the situation.
"Hey, Merlin, it was Gilgamesh who summoned you, right?" Shirou asked.
"Ah... indeed, that is correct," Merlin nodded. "I am currently the court mage of Uruk."
As they spoke, a soldier holding a spear walked over. "You lot, once you step off the road, you will be beset by the curses of the ritual grounds! Although what is cast around Uruk is merely a ritual to repel Demonic Beasts, it still has some effect on humans."
"Understood, thank you for your warning," Mash said hastily.
"No problem," the spearman smiled. "Are you refugees from Ur?"
"No, they are refugees from Girsu," Merlin said, stepping forward. "As you can see, I have a merchant permit authorized by the ritual grounds." With that, Merlin removed the 'pendant' hanging from his neck. "I would like them to take refuge in Uruk."
Seeing the 'merchant permit,' the spearman spoke with some surprise. "Ah, this is the seal of Lady Siduri. Thank you for your long journey; welcome to Uruk." The soldier stepped aside. "Please, enter."
"Thank you very much!"
Gudako was somewhat nervous. In the past, when they arrived at other Singularities, they were frequently stopped by city guards, which would inevitably lead to arguments and battles. The soldier was preparing to let them into Uruk, but his peripheral vision suddenly caught the hooded girl standing beside Merlin.
"That girl over there..." The soldier walked up to Ana, who had grown tense, and crouched down.
Ana, whose body had become taut and who was ready to run at any moment, was suddenly surprised to see the soldier take out a small cloth bag. He opened it, revealing a few biscuits inside.
"To be able to reach this place with such a small body, you must have suffered a lot, right? These are snacks my daughter made for me as a lunch; would you like to eat them?" A loving expression appeared on the soldier's face as he mentioned his daughter.
This sudden kindness left Ana feeling overwhelmed. She cast a help-seeking look toward Gudako, Merlin, Mash, and Shirou, who were standing to the side.
"Accept the kindness of others, Ana," Gudako encouraged her.
Ana withdrew her gaze and, with a slightly trembling hand, took a biscuit from the soldier's bag.
"Thank you..." Ana whispered to him.
The soldier smiled lovingly, nodded, and stood up to let the group pass.
With permission granted to enter Uruk, the group followed the court mage, Merlin, into the city. The interior of the city was magnificent. In these times, the citizens of Uruk were still able to carry smiles; the men were bare-chested, and the women were dressed in cool, light clothing. The atmosphere everywhere felt surprisingly cheerful. Both Gudako and Mash were stunned by the scene before them. While it was an ancient city, it was in no way inferior to a modern one.
"Heh heh~ It looks like a very nice city, doesn't it? Even though it's wartime, it's quite lively." Merlin chuckled as he began his introduction. "Although the Sumerians only entered the stage of history around 4000 B.C., their civilization is actually extremely delicate, from the introduction of irrigation agriculture and the increase in grain to the formation of city-state groups with populations of tens of thousands."
"With a country of such scale, they naturally invented writing and higher education. The fertile soil also produced high-quality clay, which they used to build all sorts of fortifications. This is the country of mud, clay, wheat, and sheep—Mesopotamia!"
After Merlin finished his proud explanation, he continued: "Before I take you on a tour of the city, let's go to the Ziggurat first."
"Ziggurat?" Gudako looked confused.
"That is the temple of Mesopotamia, also known as the altar," Mash, who was more knowledgeable, explained.
"Hahaha, exactly! You will soon be able to meet King Gilgamesh himself!" Merlin laughed heartily.
.
.
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Inside the palace, the King of Uruk, Gilgamesh, rested his chin on one hand, listening to his subordinates' reports. His jade-like red eyes wandered around the hall as if he were deep in thought.
"That concludes the report," the official said, kneeling on one knee before Gilgamesh after reporting the intelligence from the front lines.
This was Gilgamesh's requirement: a report on the battlefront once a day. But now, as the situation had grown increasingly critical, it had changed to once every two hours.
"The fresher the frontline intelligence, the better. Updates must not be delayed," Gilgamesh ordered.
"Understood! I will immediately change the interval for the secretary's clay tablet production to one hour!" the official replied immediately.
"Very well. Now, the next item." Gilgamesh picked up a clay tablet.
In this era, reports were all made of clay; there were no such things as paper or parchment.
"There is a delay in the transport of supplies from the city of Eridu. Send 20 men from the East Gate barracks to drive away the Demonic Beasts. Leave the field command to Tim; it is his hometown, and he is familiar with the terrain."
"By the way, I heard Tabado's daughter has given birth. Send a priestess to her and deliver some nutritious fruit," Gilgamesh continued.
"Understood, I will make the arrangements immediately," the veiled woman, who appeared to be an aide, bowed and replied.
"Mm. Also, pull Tabado back from the Northern Wall and give him three days of leave. The face of his grandson should make him shine with energy."
At this moment, Gudako and Mash were both astonished by Gilgamesh's wisdom and competence.
Originally, they had both assumed Gilgamesh would be a tyrannical king as portrayed in legend; they never expected him to be such a wise ruler, one capable of attending to such small matters as the birth of a soldier's daughter.
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