Chapter 20: The King's Slacking Day
After returning from their expedition, the three of them had a hearty meal at their lodging. Even for Shirou, who had tasted many delicacies, the mutton of Uruk was exceptionally delicious.
"What a pity; if there were better cooking methods, it would surely be even more delicious."
Shirou mused about whether he should change his reward and squeeze a "little bit" more mutton out of Gilgamesh. He wasn't short on gold and treasures, so he'd rather bring back some high-quality ingredients.
The next morning, the group was eating breakfast at their lodging. "This is delicious~!" Gudako exclaimed while eating the mutton.
Suddenly, footsteps approached the door.
"Huh? Who is—" The second Gudako turned her face, she was so shocked that her mouth hung open at the person who appeared at the doorway. "King Gilgamesh!?"
"Hey, keep it down! What will you do if you attract Siduri here!" Gilgamesh gestured for her to be quiet immediately.
"I... I'm sorry..." Gudako scratched her head.
"If I may ask, why have you suddenly come here?" Mash asked.
"Did something happen?" Gudako immediately thought of something. Linking it to the events of yesterday—solving the situation in Ur—she assumed that the god known as Quetzalcoatl had come knocking, and her expression turned panicked.
"Nothing, I just occasionally want a change of pace," Gilgamesh replied with a smile.
"What do you mean?" Gudako asked, puzzled.
"This time, I have come to assign work personally. Accept it with joy, you mongrels," Gilgamesh said, holding his head high with triumph.
"..." Everyone was stunned.
The group followed Gilgamesh, riding a donkey cart to a city near Uruk. Although the number of people here wasn't as great as in Uruk, the marketplace was peaceful and lively.
"In Uruk, the main means of transportation is the donkey. Just have the donkey pull the cargo cart, and then move the water bottles onto the cart. This is work I specifically arranged," Gilgamesh said confidently as he walked in front. "This shows how high the efficiency of this King is and how meticulous my planning is! To think you would make this King personally handle everything; you really are a troublesome bunch."
"Um... then, thank you...?" Mash said, somewhat uncertainly.
"Heh heh~ You're welcome!" Gilgamesh replied, tilting his head back slightly.
At this moment, Gilgamesh, who was walking ahead, suddenly saw a few children squatting together and walked over with curiosity.
"What are you doing?" "Ah, it's the King!" several children shouted with excitement.
"Pay me no mind. What are you playing?" Gilgamesh waved his hand and asked.
"It's a game that recently became popular."
"Oh? That looks interesting." Gilgamesh pondered while looking down, then reached out his hand. "Swap this here with this, then move the upper layer... is that it?"
"Wow, the King is amazing!" Several children who looked quite bright immediately praised him.
"Hahahahaha!!!!" Gilgamesh stood with his hands on his hips and let out a hearty laugh. "As an introduction to all things, this design is excellent! Continue to play and study hard. This will become the property of this country, and the property of this country is equivalent to the property of this King!"
The children immediately answered, "Yes!"
"Humph, alright you lot, hurry up and follow this King; don't fall behind," Gilgamesh waved his hand at Shirou and the others.
Soon, the four of them boarded the donkey cart filled with goods and began the journey back to Uruk.
"Speaking of which, King Gilgamesh, you should explain to us the reason for suddenly coming along with us, right?" Gudako asked.
"Well~ this King occasionally just wants to see the sea; that is all," Gilgamesh answered while looking at the scenery outside.
"See the sea?" Mash paused. "In other words, you are taking a day off today?"
"No, the King does not take days off; otherwise, I wouldn't need to use this method to sneak out," Gilgamesh answered.
Hearing this answer, Gudako and Mash tilted their heads.
"Then that means... Miss Siduri is currently..."
"Humph~ escaping from under Siduri's nose is no simple task," the Wise King said with quite a bit of pride.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Siduri arrived at the top of the Ziggurat as usual, but she did not see Gilgamesh on the throne as usual. The veiled woman walked up to the throne and looked at the mountain of clay tablets, sighing helplessly.
"Honestly..."
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"Move this down, and it's done." Gudako wiped the sweat from her face; strands of hair had become stuck to her skin at some point.
"Orihara-senpai, could you help me tie my hair?" The girl handed a hair tie to Shirou.
"Sure."
Shirou nodded, took the tie from her hand, and skillfully tied it into a single ponytail. Having tied hair for both Saber and Sakura before, he was quite practiced at this.
Seeing this, Gilgamesh suddenly asked with curiosity: "Are you her husband?"
"Huh?" Shirou was taken aback by the sudden question.
Gudako instantly turned bright red. "Hus-husband... it's nothing like that!"
"Oh? Is that so? It seems I guessed wrong, my apologies," Gilgamesh said with an "I see" expression. "But you really look like it. If I hadn't asked about your relationship, I would have truly thought you were siblings."
After finishing their work there, the group arrived at the seashore.
As the sun set, the sky looked as if it had been brushed with a layer of orange-red dye. Half the sky was orange-red, like a beautiful and soft ribbon. Large patches of clouds burned in the sky, from deep orange to light orange, and then from light orange to purple—dreamlike and ethereal.
Shirou stood on the beach, watching the majority of the sunset sink below the horizon, reflecting off the sea in an orange-red glow, like a scroll. He couldn't help but feel emotional.
"As expected of the Age of Gods; even the scenery is this beautiful."
"Yes, moments like these always make one feel relaxed." Mash also narrowed her eyes, quietly enjoying the sea breeze that rushed toward them. The blowing wind stirred her pink hair, causing it to sway.
"I have some fruit juice here. Would you like some?" Gudako said, holding a cup.
Just then, Fou trotted on his small limbs around Mash, crying out. Mash's body instantly tensed up.
"Doctor, please investigate the nine o'clock direction immediately! Something is flying straight toward us!"
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