Ushiwakamaru
"Yo, Rookie!"
Ushiwakamaru excitedly pushed open the door to Tomoe Gozen's room. "Dinner is ready—"
Before she could finish her sentence, she saw the two sitting together inside.
Tomoe Gozen was holding a comb, gently brushing the hair of the girl who looked like moonlight. Those long silver locks cascaded down like flowing water, and those deep blue pupils still held a hint of haziness...
It was clear at a glance that she hadn't fully woken up yet.
"Hello, I'm Ushiwakamaru!" she said excitedly toward Xia Yu. "You're the newcomer, right?"
"Hello, Miss Ushiwakamaru," Xia Yu rubbed her eyes and gave a reserved greeting. "I am Kiana Kaslana."
"Kiana, is it?" Ushiwakamaru walked over to them with the familiarity of an old friend and reached out to touch that silver hair. "Your hair is so beautiful!"
"Is it? Thank you for the compliment," Xia Yu said, suppressing the urge to yawn. "Ushiwakamaru's hair... haa~~~"
"Is also very pretty."
"Why do you look so listless?" Ushiwakamaru leaned in close to her face, asking with great enthusiasm. "Are you exhausted? I heard about it—you saved Tomoe Gozen at the Northern Wall, didn't you?"
"I heard you flattened an entire patch of land. You're really amazing, Rookie."
"By the way," she said, turning to Tomoe Gozen, "are you alright, Little Tomoe? I heard the situation was quite perilous at the time."
"It was indeed a near-death experience," Tomoe Gozen said with a gentle smile, rubbing her right shoulder. "I was heavily ambushed by a Scorpion Demon; at that moment, I even thought about taking it down with me."
"If it weren't for Miss Kiana stepping in, I would have truly had to fight to the bitter end."
"Actually, you had a chance to trade blows with it," Xia Yu said, yawning once again. "Even though it was one of the Children of Tiamat... it was far from the legitimate Eleven Demonic Beasts that fought against the Babylonian Pantheon in myths and legends."
Speaking of this, she added meaningfully, "It was like a counterfeit."
"That is indeed strange," Ushiwakamaru said, having found a comb from somewhere, and began to help Tomoe Gozen comb Xia Yu's hair. "We had our suspicions, too."
"If the Goddess of Demonic Beasts really is the legendary Tiamat, the creator god of Mesopotamia, then she wouldn't need to be this... restrained if she truly wanted to destroy Uruk."
"Perhaps she is wary of that Quetzalcoatl in the south," Tomoe Gozen added. "That is what we believe. As the supreme god of South America, she must certainly have her own trump cards."
"Of the Three Goddess Alliance, two have such grand origins," Ushiwakamaru said, blinking her eyes. "Only that Goddess of Venus, Ishtar... well, you know."
Her background is the weakest, right?
Haha.
"We believe the Three Goddess Alliance is not of one mind," a gentle female voice suddenly came from the doorway. Xia Yu looked up and saw a lady in priestly vestments standing there.
"Because they are keeping each other in check, Uruk has been able to survive in the cracks."
"Greetings, Miss Kiana. I am a priestess of Uruk; you may call me Siduri," Siduri bowed to her.
"A priestess, huh?" Xia Yu glanced at her and asked seriously, "Then what do you think of Ishtar as a person?"
"As a priestess, I am not in a position to speak rashly of the gods," Siduri said solemnly. "That goes against the tenets of the priesthood. However, as a citizen of Uruk, Lady Ishtar..."
"She is not that kind of person."
"She would probably be very happy if she heard your assessment," Xia Yu smiled slightly. Behind her, Tomoe Gozen tied her hair into a high ponytail. "Mm, let's go. Let's go wash up quickly."
"I am very much looking forward to the food in Uruk!"
After saying this, she let out another long yawn.
Merlin, you little rascal...
Xia Yu sighed helplessly.
Why, with her stats, was she still so prone to sleepiness?
That was, of course, because Merlin, the Incubus, had exerted his power.
Naturally, he didn't confront the stats of the Herrscher of Flamescion head-on. Instead, he opened a gateway to the cradle he had established in the Persian Gulf and invited her in.
Could Xia Yu let that slide?
She had to go in and taste the flavor!
And then she was caught red-handed by Tiamat inside.
Oh, saying she was "caught" wasn't quite accurate. It was more like Tiamat, in her half-asleep state, sensed her presence, and while murmuring 'this child', she pulled her over to sleep together.
Could Xia Yu let that slide?
She had to sleep until the world turned dark!
What? Wake Tiamat?
Don't be silly. Disturbing someone's dreams is a great sin! Besides, that was a goddess who could be my mother!
Moreover, it was not yet time for Tiamat to awaken.
Upon her initial descent, she was locked in dreams by Merlin and unable to wake. Therefore, he had to design a strategy to synchronize Gorgon's consciousness and Authority with Tiamat's.
When the Goddess Gorgon was slain, Tiamat, whose consciousness was synchronized, would be shocked awake from her dream, squeeze the Incubus who had been playing little tricks to death, break the seal, and only then could she continue to execute her mission.
Therefore, Xia Yu had peace of mind as she enjoyed that good dream, which resulted in her constant yawning now that she was awake.
After Xia Yu and Tomoe Gozen washed up, they arrived at the dining hall on the first floor.
"You must be the lady who saved Lord Tomoe Gozen," a monk carrying various weapons said to Xia Yu. "Thanks to your support, otherwise we would have surely suffered heavy losses in this raid."
"I am Musashibo Benkei, an attendant to Lady Ushiwakamaru."
Musashibo Benkei—he had once displayed great prowess alongside Minamoto no Yoshitsune. He was the most famous monk-warrior in the history of Japan.
Right, Minamoto no Yoshitsune was the adult form of Ushiwakamaru.
He was a bold, loyal, and powerful man who fought to the very end alongside Minamoto no Yoshitsune in many battles, the ideal figure of a hero who radiated a magnificent aura until the final moment.
"Hello, I am Kiana Kaslana," Xia Yu nodded politely toward him.
"Come, Kiana, sit next to me," Ushiwakamaru excitedly pulled Xia Yu to sit beside her. "You've just arrived in Uruk, so you don't know the delicacies here yet."
"Here, try this meat chop. It's so fragrant and tender!"
Xia Yu picked up the meat chop and took a bite. It was indeed quite good. Although there wasn't a wide variety of spices due to the era, the quality of the ingredients themselves more than made up for it.
After all, pure Demonic Beast meat was much tastier than ordinary poultry.
Tomoe Gozen also sat on the other side of Xia Yu very naturally.
"My lady, try this bread as well," she brought over a piece of bread. "It has a fresh, sweet taste, and a flavor distinct from steamed rice."
Xia Yu picked up the bread and took a bite. It was indeed quite good. Could it be that the wheat of the Age of Gods was also of higher quality than modern wheat?
"Kiana, come try the wheat beer brewed in Uruk," Ushiwakamaru brought over a jug and a cup. "This flavor is also full of natural notes."
Xia Yu lifted the cup and took a sip.
It was indeed quite good. So, the wheat of the Age of Gods really was of high quality?
Oh, yield was another matter entirely.
"Um, Lady Ushiwakamaru..." Seeing this, Musashibo Benkei hesitated to speak.
Having just heard that a newcomer had arrived and saved Tomoe Gozen, Lady Ushiwakamaru had rushed over excitedly to meet her, meaning she hadn't heard a word of what Siduri had said later.
She probably still thought this was just a slightly stronger newcomer.
But Musashibo Benkei knew that this newcomer was an existence comparable to the Three Goddesses, and had even made remarks about being an 'Enemy of Civilization'... he had to be on guard.
But Lady Ushiwakamaru was being so bold right now... wouldn't she provoke the other party?
"Hm? Is something the matter?" Ushiwakamaru looked at her loyal subordinate, confused.
"No, nothing at all," Merlin hurriedly interrupted Musashibo Benkei. "Miss Ushiwakamaru, by the way, you didn't have any issues dealing with the attacks today, right?"
"No, just that the offensive was a bit larger in scale," Ushiwakamaru scratched her head. "After hearing about the battle situation on various fronts, I think they were specifically targeting Tomoe Gozen."
"They wanted to use an endless stream of Demonic Beasts to tie our hands, then surround and attack Tomoe Gozen with superior numbers. I have to say, Kiana arrived just in time."
"Otherwise, we really would have lost Little Tomoe!"
"It was indeed perilous," Merlin nodded. "Five of the Eleven Demonic Beasts were dispatched... they were determined to succeed."
"Come, Miss Kiana," he raised his cup. "I toast to you, thanking you for the outstanding contribution you have made to Uruk."
"Considering you brought me a good dream, I will drink this cup," Xia Yu smiled at him. "However, Merlin, I am still quite particular about the quality of my sleep."
The implication was: I know what you're trying to do, but in exchange for a good dream, I'll turn a blind eye to it.
"Very well, very well, I understand," Merlin beamed. "I will certainly ensure that no one can disturb your good sleep."
He had his own selfish motives, too.
Let her have direct contact with Tiamat. If she wanted to stir up trouble, he would just detonate the Dreamscape and let her and Tiamat duke it out.
If she behaved herself, it at least proved that she didn't want to touch that seal for the time being, which could buy more time for Uruk.
Merlin was forced into taking such a gamble; an unknown figure of Tiamat's level having descended from the sky would make anyone's head spin.
Uruk's only winning chance was to make the two of them fight each other before the city was destroyed, and then try not to get killed in the aftermath of their clash.
Thankfully, the result was gratifying.
As long as they could drag it out a little longer, everything would be alright once Chaldea's reinforcements arrived.
Of course, since the potential threat had increased, Alaya couldn't keep being stingy, right?
How Merlin wished Alaya would throw another Grand Class servant at Uruk.
After all, looking at the current situation, one Grand Class might really not be enough.
Naturally, it would be the best result if she truly had no malice toward Uruk, but in preparation for the worst, one always had to make some preparations.
Ushiwakamaru still didn't know that not long ago, Uruk had already walked on the edge of a cliff—at least, from their perspective.
She was still enthusiastically introducing the food to Xia Yu.
It was hard to imagine that this young and enthusiastic girl would one day become the famous Minamoto no Yoshitsune in Japanese legends.
In history, she was a legendary Japanese hero, a renowned general at the end of the Heian period. She was a samurai of the Kawachi Genji, a branch of the Seiwa Genji. She was a descendant of Minamoto no Yorinobu, the leader of the Kawachi Genji, and the ninth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, a younger brother of Minamoto no Yoritomo.
After her father, Minamoto no Yoshitomo, was defeated by Taira no Kiyomori in the Heiji Rebellion, Minamoto no Yoshitsune was sent to Kurama-dera in Kyoto at the age of seven and renamed Ushiwakamaru.
Later, she fled to Oshu and received the protection of Fujiwara no Hidehira, the head of the Oshu Fujiwara clan. In the fourth year of Jisho (1180), Minamoto no Yoshitsune raised an army with her half-brother, Minamoto no Yoritomo, to crusade against the Taira clan. She achieved brilliant military exploits in the famous Genpei War and won great fame.
However, she was suspected by Minamoto no Yoritomo due to her meritorious deeds overshadowing her brother's, and the brothers eventually turned against each other. After Minamoto no Yoritomo obtained the cloistered decree from Emperor Go-Shirakawa, he issued a nationwide wanted warrant to hunt down Minamoto no Yoshitsune. With nowhere left to turn, Minamoto no Yoshitsune sought refuge with Fujiwara no Hidehira again. After Hidehira's death, his son, Fujiwara no Yasuhira, began to push Minamoto no Yoshitsune out.
In the fifth year of Bunji (1189), Minamoto no Yoritomo personally led an army to crusade against Hiraizumi. Under pressure from Minamoto no Yoritomo, Fujiwara no Yasuhira turned his spear against Minamoto no Yoshitsune. Minamoto no Yoshitsune finally committed suicide at Koromogawa no Tate.
Minamoto no Yoshitsune was one of the traditional heroes beloved by the Japanese people. Moreover, because her life was full of legends and tragedy, she was described in many stories and dramas, and Minamoto no Yoshitsune was also worshiped in many shrines.
It had to be said that the Japanese loved tragedies; they had their own aesthetics of mono no aware.
Ushiwakamaru was Minamoto no Yoshitsune's youthful period. Although she had already made a name for herself, she was not yet the famous Japanese hero she would become later. She hadn't experienced so many twists and turns of fate, so she was as passionate as fire, like a small sun.
The reason Merlin stopped Musashibo Benkei from reminding her was that he wanted to probe Xia Yu's true nature through the overly familiar Ushiwakamaru.
He wanted to see how she would react to such a scene.
Now, looking at Kiana enjoying the service of two beautiful girls on her left and right with such justified confidence... emmm, the person lives up to her name.
It is well known that Roman mythology was derived from Greek mythology, and everyone knew the moral character of the Greek gods.
Finally, under the service of the two beauties, the meal came to an end.
Xia Yu rubbed her little tummy. Hmm, the food was truly excellent. Even without various seasonings, it could be made to taste like this. If they were to be supplemented... hehe.
I remember I still have a lot of that stuff in my inventory. Let me check... Damn it!
Only then did Xia Yu remember that she had piled all her supplies into the Gate of Babylon, and now she was in Uruk, where the rightful owner of the Gate of Babylon was in that very Ziggurat in the center of Uruk.
If she opened the Gate of Babylon, the other party would sense it immediately.
Why am I so unlucky?
Forget it, there should still be some supplies in Xi's paintings. Xia Yu had stored them separately as a precaution.
A clever rabbit has three burrows, after all. One must always have a contingency plan for what to do if the Gate of Babylon cannot be used.
The types might not be complete, since they were backup supplies, and adding in the chaotic management at the time, heaven only knew what she could produce.
But there shouldn't be a shortage of seasonings.
★ ★ ★
T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me.
★ ★ ★
Shilling time!
Members of my [email protected]/quickinquickout can read advanced chapters on quick-tl(dot)com—and even customize translated terms to match their preferred names and terminology!