"Who knows? Perhaps she's wearing a hundred layers of 'cat' and got compressed?"
"Gross! Adorable?! Coming from you, that makes my skin crawl."
(Mmm... I want to stab him...) (Enkidu)
(Stay, stay! Enkidu, stay!) (Ea)
—E-Everyone! Let's save the Uruk-talk for later! Look...!
『Answer... answer my question...』
—The Gate is sulking...
"Ah, right. I forgot. I forgive you, Third Gate. What is your judgment?"
『...Which is more worthy... of comrades who fight together... of trust, of affection, and of victory...?』
"That's an easy one!"
—A question that doesn't even need asking!
"Hmph. Then... shout it to the heavens!"
"GILGAMESH!!" (Everyone yelled in unison)
—Naturally! For he is the King who grasps all!
『W... e... l... l... f... i... n... e...』
—Enemy... enemy?
"Kyuu."
—A gazelle?
"Is it a pet? Let's take it home."
"Fuhahahaha!! The ruler of the mountain country Aratta is no match for Uruk! Go home and try again!"
—He's really enjoying this, isn't he?
『Of course! The 'Princess' appeared exactly as I planned! I'm in an incredible mood!』
"What a simpleton. We've received the emergency rations. Let's get our exit permit and get out of here."
Third Gate: CLEAR!
The party moved forward, triumphant. But even though they had found the Wise King, a soul invited to the Underworld cannot leave without Ereshkigal's permission. They had to reach her.
"Ugh... to think I've shrunk this much... My father will be so disappointed when he sees me like this..."
As a debt for passing the gate, Ishtar had lost a total of three-sevenths of her divinity. She was tiny now. Seeing her—
"FUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Rikka! Doctor! Record this! Is there nothing to record her with?! One of those 'click-click' things! A camera!"
The Wise King was doubling over with laughter. Even in death, his sense of humor was intact.
"Enkidu, take the shot. This is your moment as a cameraman."
(Rapid fire... rapid fire...)
Enkidu secretly took dozens of photos of Ishtar's humiliation.
—We shall display these forever as the portrait of Ishtar-sama bravely challenging the Underworld!
"I TOLD YOU TO BE SAD FOR ME!!"
In her rage, Ishtar charged at the Wise King with the maximum power of her shrunken vessel. He was caught off guard and nearly blown off the path into the abyss—
—WISE KING!!
"King Gilgamesh!"
Ea momentarily seized control of the body, and along with Mash, grabbed the King's hands.
"Hnnngh!!"
Rikka braced them, and they managed to pull him back. Wiping away cold sweat, the King climbed back up and unleashed his own fury.
"What are you doing, you fool?! That was a ridiculous amount of momentum! If it weren't for the fine play of Mash, Rikka, and... my own foolish self, I would have fallen into the abyss!"
(A large cat charging with the impact energy of a dump truck... yeah, you're gonna fall.)
—Are you alright, Wise King?!
『Mmm. No harm done. You're quite attentive, Ea. I'll give you a special candy later.』
"Honestly. Don't let all our hard work go to waste. Don't make Ea worry so much."
I know, I know, the Wise King signaled with a glance. He then forgave Ea for moving the body on her own as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Wise King, what exactly is the abyss?" Rikka asked.
The King nodded. "The Mesopotamian world is connected: the Heavens, the Earth, the Underworld below, and deeper still, the Abyss. —The Abyss is a sea of nothingness. From that dark sea, the gods Apsu and Tiamat emerged to create the world."
"They call it a sea, but it is 'nothing' in the truest sense. No life, no landscape. A primordial darkness—the Black Mud of Dawn—that dissolves anything with form. If you touch it, you cannot remain yourself."
—Gulp.
(Really? Might feel pretty good.)
(Ea, from the perspective of Mapo Tofu, never trust Enkidu's values!)
(That's mean, Fou-kun!)
"Now that Enki, the god who managed the abyss, has vanished, if you fall in, you won't be coming back."
—The place where the Heroic King sought the herb of immortality...
(By the way, I have a connection to the Underworld too. Ereshkigal and I are close friends, you know?)
The charm rattled as Enkidu spoke.
"...That story is part of my humiliation. But... fine. It's not as if I can discard my shame at this point."
(Gil had developed a new invention and was throwing a banquet for three days and nights. The noise annoyed Ereshkigal, so she opened the gates of the Underworld just a crack.)
"...I was so drunk that I accidentally dropped my musical instrument into the opening. I was utterly distraught. 'Oh, tragedy! To think my supreme invention has fallen into the Underworld! I can never make another like it! The pain! The agony!' I wept into my pillow and writhed in despair."
—It must have been a true masterpiece...
(I couldn't stand to see him so miserable. I told him I'd go get it. I paid my respects to Ereshkigal and brought the instrument back safely.)
『To be fair, Ea! It all started because Ishtar begged me to help her with a snake in a Halub tree! If I hadn't had to cut that tree down, none of this would have happened!』
(She was also the one who took in my body after I died. That's why I show her the utmost respect. She's a hard worker.)
—I am constantly amazed by the fact that all of your friends are world-class legends...
(Hehe, your social circle is quite impressive too, Ea.)
As the "Uruk-talk" continued to bloom, they approached the next gate.
The Fourth Gate
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"