"...Enkidu?"
When those three words came slowly, clearly, from Seiji's mouth...
Every expression on the beautiful, almost androgynous face of that green-haired priest named "Kingu" froze solid in an instant!
His pupils contracted violently, as if the most powerful searchlight had been thrown onto the deepest, most untouchable dark corner of his heart!
A vast divinity, full of the breath of nature yet edged with a trace of madness and distortion, flickered out of his body for an uncontrolled instant!
It lasted only a moment, but the sheer intensity of that power sent a jolt of palpitations through every priest and noble present!
"You... what are you babbling about?"
For the first time, Kingu's voice carried a faint, suppressed tremor that was hard to detect. He stared hard at Seiji upon the throne, his eyes full of shock, wariness, and a trace of utter killing intent at having his disguise exposed!
Enkidu.
That was the name of the great King of Heroes' one and only, forever friend.
The legendary "god-made weapon" that had long since faded from this land!
And he, Kingu, was nothing more than a brand-new "son," molded by the creation mother goddess Tiamat from her own divine blood, who had inherited Enkidu's body!
His core was "Kingu."
The meaning of his existence was to serve as Tiamat's "commander," to destroy this wrong age of man that the gods had abandoned.
"Enkidu" was merely a "skin" he used to disguise himself, to slip into Uruk, to draw close to that King of Heroes!
This secret, apart from himself and his "mother," could not possibly be known by a single other person!
This man before him...
This eerie "false god" of unknown origin...
How on earth did he know?!
"Babbling, am I?"
Seeing the other's blustering, hollow front, Seiji's smile turned all the more amused.
He didn't even bother using the system to analyze the man's inner workings.
Because that expression, which spelled out "I've been read, I'm panicking," was far too obvious, far too entertaining.
"This body of yours may be perfect god-made clay, but your soul is full of dissonance. Like a clumsy actor who's put on an ill-fitting, overly gaudy costume."
Seiji's voice echoed leisurely through the hall, every word like a small hammer striking Kingu's taut nerves.
"You carry both the primal aura of a Beast, from that sea of life, and the lingering, deep Bonds this body once held toward that king."
"These two utterly different scents, mixed together, make your existence like a cup of... poison laced with honey, full of contradiction and... cheapness."
"So, my dear Mr. Kingu, do you still wish to keep up the performance?"
"..."
Kingu fell silent.
A fine layer of cold sweat had already beaded across his forehead.
He found that before this man, he was like a naked child stripped of his clothes.
Every disguise, every secret of his, had been peeled away layer by layer, mercilessly, in a relaxed, effortless manner that came near to "humiliation."
The feeling filled him with unprecedented terror and... rage!
"Shut up!"
He could no longer maintain that elegant disguise, and let out a suppressed, killing-intent-laden growl at Seiji!
"You... you insect who knows nothing but petty cleverness!"
But just before the divinity within him was about to erupt.
A far vaster, far more scorching "sun goddess majesty" enveloped the entire hall in an instant!
Quetzalcoatl stepped forward, planting herself in front of Seiji, those golden eyes fixed on Kingu without the slightest emotion.
"Show a little respect in front of my Master, brat."
Her voice was full of warning.
"Otherwise, I won't mind crushing you, you little mudfish, into pieces first."
Feeling the undisguised, tangible threat from Quetzalcoatl, Kingu's body went stiff.
The killing intent in his eyes, as if doused with cold water, swiftly guttered out.
He knew full well that, at his current strength, he was no match for this chief South American deity.
What was more...
His gaze swept over the pitch-black King of Knights standing statue-like nearby, radiating an ominous aura, and over the black-haired man who had smiled the whole time, yet made his skin crawl.
He knew that if he dared make a move here today.
His only fate would be to be "decomposed" on the spot and turned into new "building material" for this eerie temple.
"...Hmph."
In the end, all he could squeeze out through his teeth was a resentful cold snort, forcibly suppressing the killing intent that nearly went berserk.
Beside him, Siduri and those Uruk nobles were utterly dumbfounded.
They couldn't quite follow that riddle-filled exchange between Seiji and Kingu.
But they had clearly seen Lord Kingu's expression lose composure, brimming with killing intent!
Throughout all of Uruk, save for the great King Gilgamesh, Lord Kingu was gentle, refined, and unhurried toward everyone.
And today, he had actually...
He had actually been driven nearly to the brink of going berserk by that black-haired man, in just a few words?!
This man... just what sort of being was he?!
Watching this "show of force," which had fully achieved his intended effect, Seiji once again wore that benign, merchant-like smile.
He descended slowly from the throne and walked up to the Uruk nobles and merchants, who had fallen silent as cicadas in the cold.
"All right, all right, just a small misunderstanding. There's no need for anyone to be tense."
His voice was full of warmth, as if that aggressive demon who'd torn open another's scars a moment ago had never existed at all.
"I'm deeply honored that all of you would grace my humble little temple today."
"To show my sincerity, and to give our future cooperation a pleasant start."
"I've decided to hold, this very day, right here, a little Divine Auction."
"An auction?"
Everyone was stunned.
The leap in topic was simply too vast, and for a moment their minds couldn't quite make the turn.
"That's right. An auction."
Seiji snapped his fingers.
Behind him, Medea understood at once.
With a light wave of her hand, several crystal-clear display stands made of magic appeared out of thin air at the center of the hall.
And on each display stand sat a "commodity," radiating light of various colors and full of a mysterious aura.
"First, our first lot."
Seiji walked to one display stand and picked up a small crystal vial holding an emerald-green liquid.
"This is called the Life Potion, Improved Edition."
"No matter how severe the external injury, even a lost arm or leg, so long as there's a breath left in you, drink it and you'll be instantly healed within ten seconds."
"For all of you here, nobles and warriors who must often deal with magical beasts, I imagine this counts as... a second life, wouldn't you say?"
"The starting bid..."
He paused, and gave a tempting smile.
"...is just one of your finest, flawless rubies, here in Uruk."
"Or the equivalent in gold."
"Now, the auction begins."
...
...
The instant Seiji declared the auction open, the entire temple hall fell into an eerie silence in which a dropped pin could be heard.
Every gaze was fixed on that small vial of "Life Potion," giving off its soft green glow.
Their faces were written over with disbelief and... the utmost greed!
Instantly healing severed limbs?!
What kind of concept was that?!
This was already beyond the reach of any mortal herb or any priest's prayer!
This was... a miracle! A true miracle, one that could be held in the hand!
If this thing was real...
Then it was no longer as simple as a mere "second life"!
It meant that in battle against magical beasts, one could adopt bolder, more aggressive tactics!
It meant that a family's elite warrior need never again be reduced to a cripple by one chance grievous wound!
It meant power, status, and... survival!
"I... I bid two! Two top-grade rubies!"
After the brief silence, a fat noble who looked every inch the great merchant was the first to react, all but hopping in place as he shouted frantically in a hoarse voice!
His son had lost an arm in a magical beast subjugation campaign a year ago, and had been broken ever since.
If he had this vial of potion...
"Two? Kota, are you insulting the gods?!" Another tall noble with a soldier's air about him retorted with scorn at once. "I bid five! Plus fifty kilograms of gold!"
"I bid ten! Ten rubies! That's everything I own!"
"I bid twelve!"
The sound of bidding swept through the entire hall in an instant, like wildfire set alight!
Every single person present had bloodshot eyes!
Their earlier wariness and scorn had been smashed to pieces before naked self-interest of the kind that could change their families' fates!
Now they had only one thought.
To get this vial of "divine medicine" into their hands at any cost!
Watching the crowd of nobles and merchants below carry on like madmen, Seiji wore a satisfied smile.
Siduri, beside him, watched with her heart in her throat.
She could feel that the man was seizing the hearts of everyone present with effortless ease, in a way she couldn't understand yet that was incredibly efficient!
He didn't even need to display divine power.
He had merely cast out a "bait" they could not refuse.
In the end, this small vial of "Life Potion" was claimed at a price that could only be called astronomical, thirty top-grade rubies plus three hundred kilograms of gold, by an old noble of great prestige and standing in Uruk.
On the spot, he had his guard draw a blade and cut a gash deep enough to show bone into his own arm.
Then, under everyone's breathless, suffocated gaze, he trembled and drank down the potion.
The next second.
A miracle happened.
That horrific wound writhed and knit shut at a speed visible to the naked eye!
In the span of just a few breaths.
That arm was restored as good as new, without leaving so much as a scar!
"Ohhh! A miracle! This truly is a miracle!"
"Good heavens! It's actually real!"
"Am I... am I not dreaming?"
Having witnessed with their own eyes this scene that overturned common sense, the entire hall boiled over completely!
If before they had felt only "greed."
Then now, their eyes held a near-"fanatical" worship of Seiji!
"All right, all right, everyone, please quiet down."
Seiji smiled and pressed down with his hand, signaling for silence.
"The miracles have only just begun."
He walked to the second display stand and picked up a "commodity" of peculiar design.
It was a ring forged from some unknown metal, full of a sense of technology.
"The second lot is called the Storage Ring."
"As the name suggests, this small ring contains a space measuring ten meters in length, width, and height."
"It can store anything without life. Grain, weapons, gold... even your most beloved fine wine."
"Imagine, when your armies go on campaign, no longer needing those long and cumbersome supply trains. Every soldier could carry on his person enough food and water to last him a full month."
"By how much would this war's odds of victory rise?"
Seiji's words struck the hearts of everyone present like a bolt of lightning once again!
Especially the nobles and generals in charge of military affairs!
Their breathing instantly grew countless times heavier than before!
Spatial equipment!
This... this was nothing less than a legendary "divine artifact" capable of transforming the entire shape of warfare!
"The starting bid..."
"...fifty top-grade rubies."
"I bid one hundred!"
This time, before Seiji could even finish, that tall general was already roaring out, like a beast, a price that made everyone turn to stare!
The auction that followed turned into an outright "carnival."
"Alchemical fertilizer" that could double crop yields.
A "design blueprint for a mana-sensing tower" that could give early warning of incoming magical beasts.
And even a reusable "prototype concept armament," forged by Medea's own hands, that could release the C-rank spell "fireball"!
Every lot struck precisely at a "pain point" of Uruk's civilization!
Every commodity let them glimpse a future full of Hope!
And all these things were provided by that man, that "false god" with the benign smile forever fixed on his face!
By the end, nearly every noble and merchant present had emptied out their entire fortunes.
Yet their faces showed not the slightest heartache, but rather brimmed with excitement and fervor!
The way they looked at Seiji was no longer the way one looks at a "god."
It was the way one looks at a "savior" who could lead them to glory!
And through it all.
That green-haired priest named "Kingu" merely stood off to the side, coldly watching everything.
His expression grew darker and darker.
He could feel that the man was using a "slowly boiling the frog" method to dismantle King Gilgamesh's rule over this city from every angle: economy, technology, military, the people's hearts.
No!
He absolutely could not let him go on like this!
He had to... he had to find a way to stop him!
At that moment, the auction was also drawing to a close.
Seiji's gaze passed over everyone and landed on that beautiful goddess of Venus, who had stood in the corner all this while.
From the moment the auction began, she'd had stars in her eyes, staring fixedly at the rubies and gold being traded, all but drooling...
"All right, everyone."
Seiji's voice rang out again, full of temptation.
"To celebrate the perfect success of our first cooperation."
"I've decided to give all of you a little bonus feature."
"A small... secret, about Ishtar, the great guardian goddess of our Uruk."
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