Chapter 42: Chapter 42: The Strong Should Challenge the Strong!
How could he dismantle the Three Goddess Alliance and secure the greatest benefit for Tiamat, who stood behind him?
Samael tilted his head back, closed his eyes in thought, and tapped his engraving knife rhythmically against the clay tablet.
Time passed—how long, he couldn't say. His snake-like pupils slowly opened, gleaming faintly in the darkness. Then, after the names of various gods and factions, he began to jot down keywords that helped him organize his thoughts:
Unite, bribe, divide, win over, strike...
First, [Unite] naturally referred to the human side.
Siding with Uruk was already inevitable. If he could ensure the continuation of Sumerian civilization, then the goddess Tiamat—who had played a major positive role in this battle—might be able to rebuild her image, gain acceptance from this land, and earn a chance to return.
But the prerequisite was gaining the recognition of that proud king.
This concerned not just Uruk but the entire future of Mesopotamia. Gilgamesh wasn't the kind to trust others easily.
Next, [Bribe] clearly targeted the greed of a certain money-loving goddess, drawing her into the human camp.
She wasn't a member of the Three Goddess Alliance. Like luring a donkey with a carrot, toss her a few Babylonian jewels and she'd come running as a bodyguard. Why not?
Of course, the key was making Gilgamesh foot the bill.
Then came [Divide]—this one aimed at the feathered serpent god, Kukulkan.
This goddess had invented writing, law, opposed human sacrifice, brought corn to humanity, and served as the patron of priests.
Though she had left her homeland due to changes in the Mayan world, at her core, she remained a benevolent deity.
She had always held great affection for humanity—these surface dwellers who had replaced the gods. And this divine turf war, about trampling the weak and seizing land, went against her sense of violent aesthetics.
If you're strong, then fight the strong!
Choose evenly matched, or even stronger opponents. Trade blow for blow! That's what Kukulkan believed a God of War should be.
So sowing discord was clearly a viable tactic.
Hmm, that was something he excelled at.
The ancient serpent grinned, lips curling into a sinister arc.
Next was [Win Over]—a strategy aimed at his master, Ere-sama.
She had always been a pessimist. That's why she followed the prophecy of the Tablet of Destinies, choosing to fulfill her "fate" by destroying Uruk and ravaging Mesopotamia.
But this tsundere goddess hadn't followed the prophecy blindly—she'd played a clever trick.
She only planned to destroy the physical bodies. She intended to gather the souls of humanity and, once the new era began, help them find a path to life.
Unfortunately, in the Mesopotamian world, death was final.
Even as the goddess of the underworld, reviving the Sumerians from death and giving them new life in the next age was nearly impossible.
Besides, wasn't it absurd to first surrender and repent, wait for Mesopotamia to be purged, and then have human souls grovel before the lofty judges to earn the right to continue civilization?
If humanity took that step back now, it would mean forfeiting their right to fight fate.
So the key was to speak clearly, shift Ere-sama's pessimistic outlook, and persuade this merciful goddess of death to return that choice to humanity.
A goddess of the underworld who loved this land so deeply would, naturally, stand with humanity.
However, convincing a tsundere required the right approach.
Without the proper opening, trying to reason with her would only push this underworld goddess into a corner—and then she'd bare her fangs and lash out.
In the end, the target of [Strike] was the Goddess of Demonic Beasts, Gorgon, who harbored a deep grudge against humanity.
Unlike the other three goddesses, her hands were already soaked in human blood. The conflict between them was irreconcilable.
Annihilating humanity, ending the Sumerian civilization, and destroying herself—that was her twisted and deranged form of revenge.
A monster so ruthless she'd even kill herself couldn't be reasoned with—only fought.
Still, even against an enemy, there had to be strategy.
If Gorgon represented the extreme of resentment and animalistic madness, then by Samael's memory, Ana—the one who appeared in the Cedar Forest—was the pure self that Gorgon had expelled.
Which meant that the goddess's younger form was her natural counter.
Just as the ancient serpent was deep in thought, a faint rustle came from next door.
A petite figure crept back through the corridor, blending into the quiet night.
Ana, sensing a subtle gaze, looked up warily and nearly bumped into Samael at the window.
Startled, the girl stiffened, hands clasped behind her back as she stammered out a greeting.
"You... you're still up?"
"You too, huh?"
Samael replied with a slight smile in his eyes.
"I sobered up... couldn't fall back asleep."
Her eyes darted, her speech halting with subtle tonal shifts—clear signs she was lying.
"You got drunk and didn't eat enough, right?"
"Woke up hungry and snuck off to the kitchen for some snacks?"
Samael traced her nightly journey with one sentence, his tone teasing.
Ana's cheeks flushed. After some inner struggle, she finally raised her face to meet his gaze.
"I saw the clay tablet you left in the kitchen…"
"The butter cake you kept warm in the stove's embers… it was really good. Thanks…"
As someone once feared and hated for what she represented, she never expected to receive such warmth in this new world.
Yet even so, her other half had become a source of pain and disaster here.
She glanced toward the trail of destruction left during dinner—marks from when she drunkenly chased Merlin—and her mood visibly dropped.
"I'm sorry about the banquet…"
"You don't need to go out of your way for me. I always bring disaster and trouble..."
Samael placed a firm hand on her slender shoulder, meeting her eyes with serious intent.
"Don't say something so dumb. You saved me twice!"
"If you're trouble, then what's Ishtar, out robbing herders? What about our guardian deity who abandoned us?"
"Besides, the whole banquet was for you! There's no such thing as 'putting up with'!"
"As long as Ana-chan liked it, that means I could do something for you. That's an honor for someone who's been saved."
"If it weren't for that guy butting in, we could've tried more desserts."
"That whole beautiful banquet—he ruined it!"
"It's all Merlin's fault!"
With Samael's gentle coaxing, Ana's gloom slowly faded. That final jab completely shifted her attention and stirred up her righteous indignation.
The purple-haired girl puffed up, eyes brimming with righteous fury as she waved her tiny fists and joined in.
"Yes! It's all Merlin's fault!"
"If he dares ruin things again next time…"
"Smash his stupid face!"
"Smash his stupid face!"
"Merlin, go die!"
"Merlin, go die!"
Two figures, one large and one small, shouted into the night, venting their frustration.
That sense of standing back-to-back, united against a common enemy, drew them closer, softening the atmosphere.
As they parted, Samael watched the girl return to her room. In his hand were two pieces of coarse wheat pastry.
Ana had snuck over just to give him those.
They were all she had—and her most precious offering of kindness.
Creak...
The ancient serpent leaned against the window, took a bite of the coarse pastry, and closed his eyes, savoring the gentle bloom of wheat on his tongue.
After a long moment, he came back to himself and set down his engraving knife on the clay tablet.
"Ana is Ana."
"Gorgon is Gorgon."
"Good and evil are already divided. Punishment should fall where it's due."