Miracle Summoner

After deciding on the next step of the plan, Rozen and the others promptly left the Divine Tower, not lingering any longer.

Gilgamesh had countless affairs to deal with—ranging from war to household matters—all of which he personally managed. He was so busy that he barely had time to sleep. The fact that he was willing to temporarily set everything aside to discuss matters with Rozen and the others was already a monumental blessing.

Seeing the sheer amount of work Gilgamesh handled made even Rozen feel a chill run down his spine.

After all, Rozen had also served as the leader of an organization in other worlds, managing all kinds of affairs. Precisely because of that experience, he understood how much effort and stamina was needed to handle Gilgamesh's workload.

To put it bluntly, this was not something a human could feasibly accomplish. Only someone like Gilgamesh, a half-human, half-divine wise king, could endure such a burden.

And yet, even so, as Rozen was leaving, Gilgamesh still couldn't help but say:

"I am busy. Very busy. You're quite the talent, brat. Once you're done dealing with the matter of the Holy Grail, hurry back. In recognition of the intellect you displayed yesterday, I will make an exception and allow you to become an Assistant Minister, to aid me in managing affairs."

That was an extremely exaggerated promotion.

If Rozen really became an Assistant Minister, he would be on equal footing with Siduri, the High Priestess of the Temple of Ritual. It was easy to imagine just how excessive this promotion was.

That Gilgamesh made such an offer—first, was probably because he truly took interest in Rozen's performance yesterday, and second, he was clearly fed up with the endless stream of tasks.

Thus, Rozen did not hesitate and immediately took his leave.

You've got to be kidding—while he could handle a workload like Gilgamesh, turning himself into that level of exhaustion was absolutely out of the question.

Rozen could already foresee that if he truly became Gilgamesh's Assistant Minister, he'd be buried under mountains of paperwork and issues, with almost no time to rest.

Such a thankless and grueling job? Rozen decided it was best to slip away as fast as possible.

Of course, Mash, Merlin, Anna, and Ishtar all came out with him.

Siduri also came to see them off.

However, Siduri only escorted them as far as the outside of the Divine Tower.

"I still need to return and assist the King with his duties, so I'll stop here," Siduri said solemnly.

"You've all been issued transit permits and now have the right to freely enter and leave Uruk. This journey will likely be quite dangerous. Please, be extremely careful."

Hearing that, everyone turned to look at Siduri.

"Don't worry, Miss Siduri," said Mash, replying gently. "We'll be careful."

"That's right," Merlin added with a laugh. "Direct combat aside, when it comes to trickery and deception, don't be fooled by my appearance—I'm actually quite skilled, you know?"

"That's true," Anna interjected coldly. "Merlin is best at lying. He really should just die."

"Fou! Fou!"

Fou, sitting on Rozen's shoulder, let out a cry in agreement.

"Ahem..." Merlin began to cough.

As for Ishtar, she boasted confidently.

"Since I'm taking part, what's there to worry about, Siduri?"

She said it as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Little did she know, everyone in the group actually felt she was the least reliable one.

(Let's just hope this goddess doesn't mess everything up halfway through.)

Rozen silently thought to himself and looked at Siduri.

With that glance, he noticed something strange—Siduri looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"What is it?" Rozen asked, puzzled at first, but then seeming to understand. "Are you thinking about Kingu?"

Exactly.

Siduri was thinking about Kingu. Rozen had noticed it back in the Divine Tower.

When Kingu was brought up, Siduri had shown a very complicated expression. The fact that she chose to see them off despite her busy schedule likely had to do with Kingu as well.

Sure enough...

"Kingu, huh?" Siduri sighed. "So that's his name... I knew it. There's no way that person could truly be Enkidu."

Her tone was filled with complicated emotions.

"Miss Siduri..." Mash asked hesitantly, "You must've known Enkidu, right?"

"...Yes." Siduri lowered her gaze. "Long ago, as the King's assistant, I frequently came to the Divine Tower. That person, after his battle with the King, became his closest friend, and from then on was a great ally of humanity, contributing immensely to Uruk. To us citizens of Uruk, he was a gentle and irreplaceable hero. If not for him, when Gugalanna caused the great flood that submerged the earth, humanity would've been annihilated."

In other words, to the people of Uruk, Enkidu was a hero, a benefactor, and a familiar companion.

Judging by Siduri's demeanor, her bond with Enkidu ran deep. Her relationship with Gilgamesh also likely extended beyond a simple King–Minister dynamic.

Given her status as High Priestess, it was only natural that she had frequently interacted with both the demi-god Gilgamesh and the divine weapon Enkidu.

That's why, upon hearing matters related to Enkidu, Siduri couldn't help but be deeply concerned.

"That man was not only the King's friend, but also the only hero who could stand as his equal. Back when the King ruled with tyranny, it was always Enkidu who urged him toward mercy. He was the one who could truly share joy with a man doomed to eternal solitude."

Siduri spoke softly, as if reminiscing about the past.

"Even though Enkidu stubbornly insisted that he was merely a tool, a weapon, I always thought of him as a very gentle human. The one threatening Sumer now is undoubtedly a fake, merely borrowing his name. The real Enkidu has long since passed away. The King himself sent him off, and his remains were buried in the Underworld. There's no way he'd now be humanity's enemy."

Even as she spoke, Siduri still looked deeply worried.

The reason was simple.

"Everyone in Uruk believes that. I've told myself that too. But for some reason, I still feel a strange sense of closeness toward this Enkidu who has appeared. Perhaps it's my intuition as a High Priestess, or just a gut feeling... But I can't help but think—whether he's truly Enkidu or not—he must share some kind of inseparable bond with the real Enkidu."

Siduri looked straight at Rozen.

"I know I'm asking a lot, but if you can... Lord Rozen—could you ask that man for me, when the chance comes? Ask him why he hates humanity so much. This is a personal request. Please."

As she spoke, Siduri bowed deeply to Rozen.

Naturally, Rozen couldn't just stand by and watch. He immediately reached out to support Siduri.

And at that moment...

"So she says," Merlin suddenly turned to the side. "As the one who caused Enkidu's death—shouldn't you say something about this, Lady Ishtar?"

With that single sentence, everyone turned to look at Ishtar.

"Wha—What are you staring at me for!?"

Ishtar instantly took a step back, looking both guilty and awkward.

Her eyes darted around, clearly flustered and ashamed.