『Answer me... answer me... Faith is its own reward, prayer is an offering... Man seeks no blessing from the gods, but only offers them... a slave for a lifetime...』
"The existence of gods is something that should have perished long ago... but let's stick to the point. I'll refrain from complaints."
『If so, answer—which pure goddess is worthy of receiving such noble labor?』
—I was just wondering, what happens if we choose Ishtar-sama?
(The trial probably gets harder. In a 'don't make me angry' kind of way.)
(Hehe. Ereshkigal is a maiden. Unlike the harlot over there, you should praise her sincerely. —Just don't make it an insult.)
—Praising her could be an insult...?
"A hard worker for a hard worker! Ereshkigal!" Rikka shouted.
"I work hard too!! I just don't do it for free!" Ishtar yelled back.
"Keep dreaming, you spendthrift tramp," Archer Gil muttered.
『H... o... p... e... B... l... e... s... s... i... n... g... s...』
"Kshaa!"
"Hostiles! Snakes!"
"Ngh—" (Both Gilgameshs reacted)
(Expertly striking at Gil's trauma. Let's use that fly over there as bait.)
—N-No! Wait, use your Noble Phantasm—
"Hya!"
—MASTER STOMPED THE SNAKE TO DEATH?!
"Okay, let's go!" Rikka said, dusting off her boots.
"—You know, girls are supposed to be scared of snakes?" Ishtar asked.
(Were these two ever 'maidens'...?)
"Hahaha! I can't even laugh!"
『Our refinement is clearly superior. —Rikka Fujimaru, what exactly are you aiming to become...?』
"?"
Fourth Gate: CLEAR!
"Ngh—another sting... I'm starting to get used to this, and that's terrifying."
(I'm itching... I want to chain her from behind...)
(CHAIN HER?!)
Enkidu directed an innocent mix of murderous intent and curiosity toward the now-tiny Ishtar. Ea had to keep him in check. Losing Ishtar here would be... well, too much.
"Mmm. It was funny at first, but I can't ignore this anymore. Ereshkigal won't be able to use her like this..." the Wise King noted. Archer Gil, however, didn't stop walking. He expected nothing from her anyway. In fact, he found it somewhat admirable that a piece of trash like her was absorbing all the debt on her own.
『Wise King, just how powerful is Ereshkigal? Is she on the same level as the Goddess Ishtar?』 Olga Marie asked.
The King shook his head. "No, she is not like Ishtar. She is an ancient goddess, yes, but she was always humble. Ishtar, as the daughter of Heaven, has always received everything she desired. The gods were soft on her; if she begged, they gave."
"The origin of human imperfection. The gods call humans base, but how could a creation of an imperfect god ever reach omniscience or omnipotence? The gods themselves are proof of a failed upbringing."
This was the core of the Heroic King's philosophy. No matter how powerful, the psyche of a god was no different from a human's.
"And—Enki, the god of the abyss, once had his entire estate swindled away by Ishtar while they were drinking."
—WHAT?!
(Seriously, this woman...)
Fou was speechless, and Ea was shocked. Wasn't Enki a very high-ranking god?!
"It was a pathetic display—a fraud committed by a foolish goddess, and the greatest joke in Mesopotamia."
(Truly.)
The "Mesopotamia Friends" nodded in unison. The Wise King laughed as he told the story.
"Enki got pleasantly drunk and signed over all his divinity to Ishtar. When he woke up, he was penniless. Ishtar was already on Maanna, hauling the loot back to the surface. Enki sent his servants after her, but she fled at an incredible speed!"
"Enki was wailing. He had lost everything—his house, his furniture, he was barely even a god anymore. Ea, be careful with alcohol."
—I'll stick to Oolong tea and barley tea!
"He was clutching his head, screaming, 'The ruler of Heaven and Earth is going to be that idiot girl! Someone help me!' Even the gods and humans who were just watching couldn't help but shout: 'Look at those driving skills! Can a Sky Boat really take corners that fast?! We'll never catch her! That's a legendary course record! The fastest in Uruk has been decided today!'"
To make the King say that! How fast was she?! ...Ishtar-sama is a terrifying goddess!
"It is truly aggravating... but even I thought so. You know her temperament. She's the type to show incredible guts in the most useless situations."
—The Mistress of Heaven is no mere title, then...
"Oh, I don't know what you're talking about. The auto-pilot was just broken that day, so I had to switch to manual," Ishtar said, laughing haughtily. "I did have a nitro boost equipped, though. Ohohoho!"
(Did they even have Mapo in that era?)
(Mapo isn't nitro, Fou!)
"See, Rikka? This is the city goddess of Uruk. Do you understand my pain now?" the Wise King asked.
"Ishtar really is free... (monotone)," Rikka replied.
"Well, in the end, her engine failed and the boat stopped. A disaster was narrowly avoided."
—Oh, so she messed up at the end!
"Stupid woman. Neglecting maintenance is the mark of a second-rate amateur. You should have planned for a pit stop." Archer Gil snorted. Unlike the Wise King, his view of Ishtar was pure mockery.
"And so, while Ishtar grew by taking whatever she wanted, Ereshkigal desired nothing. —When the Underworld was created, she was offered up as its foundation. Someone had to take the post of administrator. That responsibility was forced upon Ereshkigal."
The newborn Ereshkigal was pushed into the Underworld and became the Mistress of the Abyss. For thousands, tens of thousands of years, she managed the ghosts.
Without a single moment spent on the surface or in the Heavens.
—...A life of pure law and discipline. No encounters, no growth...
She never ran from that duty. She fulfilled it perfectly.
One couldn't help but feel a deep sense of respect for her. Just how long had she been down here alone?
"As a reward, Ereshkigal became invincible. Even the gods cannot defy the laws she sets in the Underworld. Just like this tiny-tiny-tiny-tiny-tiny brat here."
"That is why I said we could not use Marduk. Not even Tiamat would be an exception. Outside the Underworld, she's not much of a goddess—mid-tier at best. She wouldn't stand a chance against Quetzalcoatl."
「...Invincible in the Underworld... so 'make a flower of hope bloom in the abyss' means...」 Olga Marie nodded to herself, understanding the cryptic advice.
The Fifth Gate
『Answer me... answer me... Survival is the habit of cutting waste; living is the habit of cultivating it. To feast, to innovate, to find joy in a meal—it is the right of the intelligent. But beware. Limitless gluttony leads to vanity. If you were to entrust your life to one...』
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