"This is much more interesting than I thought..." Murmured Gilgamesh from the balcony of his room in the silver palace, gazing into the distance with a serene expression on his face.
Who would have told him in the beginning that a God would visit him in his dreams, attempt to assassinate him on two occasions, and that all of this would be led by the decadent circumstances of the environment in which he found himself?
Gilgamesh didn't seek to rule in this realm; his enthusiasm for being the king of a kingdom that didn't deserve him was minimal. At the same time, all he wanted was to live his human life to the fullest, but there was always a trigger that dragged him towards power and eventually greatness.
After all, he was a king of kings; anyone who saw him as anything less was simply blind. However, he found it hard to believe that the gods could walk the earth as they pleased, especially since they didn't adhere to any specific religion.
Hitogami, the human God, was his main target for coming into this world after trying to control him, so he would make sure to kill him, no matter how long it took.
But as he had experience in facing gods, he knew that sooner or later the messengers called apostles, children of gods, envoys, or any other title bestowed upon them in this world would somehow seek to end his life before he could end that of a certain God.
Following that rule, Gilgamesh had chosen to create the orders of heroes. Essentially, like Simon and Alastor, they now possessed Noble Phantasms that he had taken from the messengers of the gods in the war where he was crowned Emperor of humanity.
At the same time, the knights, who were now fifty in number, had truly impressive swords that would at the very least elevate them to the rank of Sword Emperor, something that represented a specific level within this world.
Having a order of knights, heroes who would fight on behalf of true humanity within this world, the attention he should give to the messengers of the human God would be minimal.
The possibility of that God interfering in his life would be minimal, so as long as no one had sworn loyalty to him, the chances of him being an enemy were high.
"Who would have thought that I would ever give my precious treasures to those who would be my swords and warriors, but it is necessary because if the human God interferes with their thoughts, I would have to be vigilant no matter what..." Gilgamesh shook his head, and just as he was about to enter his room, he saw in the distance a convoy of carriages bearing the Purplehorse family's banners.
The knights, who had already prepared themselves in beautiful black armor, awaited the arrival of this noble family in the quarters of the prince Gilgamesh, so they performed a small welcome ceremony.
"They've arrived earlier than expected, but it's better to address this issue as soon as possible." Gilgamesh said as he walked towards his room and waited for the right moment.
...
"What kind of person is Prince Gilgamesh?" A man with an anxious expression murmured this question inside one of the carriages in the Purplehorse family's convoy.
"And why does that matter? He found our little one; that's what reflects a small part of his behavior." Said a woman with blonde hair tied in a very reserved hairstyle.
"If you think so little of Prince Gilgamesh, then he will devour you without even knowing when it happened..." An elder, the current head of the Purplehorse family, looked coldly at his useless son.
This man named Percival Purplehorse led the Purplehorse family of knights, and after the disappearance of his beloved granddaughter, he remained on the sidelines of the internal struggle among the two factions of the elder princes and the only princess who was in the second position of succession.
He was not just any old man, as his power was said to be that of a Sword Saint, and the quality of warriors descended from his family was increasing as they grew. This alone demonstrated that the future importance of his family held promise.
However, Percival had little time left to lead the Purplehorse family, and inevitably, this position would fall to his useless son, Cedric, who couldn't protect his daughter well enough and had her taken from him without immediate knowledge. Such humiliation had cast a somber atmosphere within the family to the point that as long as they knew who had the precious daughter of the Purplehorse family, they would launch a direct attack without regard for the consequences.
But such moves would be too arrogant and might not even occur, as they would likely bury his family in obscurity. However, things had taken a very important turn for the family's future since they had recently received a letter from Prince Gilgamesh stating that their daughter was under his care, safe and sound, and they were invited to meet with their relative.
This would have been perfect for Percival to know who was responsible for kidnapping his granddaughter, but before that, Prince Gilgamesh had killed the Sword King titled the Bone Crusher when he was just ten years old in front of thousands of people. Only those who witnessed that fight could describe how horrifying the death of a prestigious Sword King was.
Everything was deeply interconnected to the point that Percival had pieced together what had happened. It was said that a few weeks ago, Prince Gilgamesh was kidnapped and then reappeared in a tavern with dozens of corpses, and afterward, this same prince killed a Sword King.
Upon learning of this, Percival knew that Prince Gilgamesh had sent a very clear message to all his enemies within the royalty. But after that same day, the mansion of Prince Gilgamesh was attacked, where Princess Ariel was also present.
What happened that very night still shook the kingdom, and that was because the Prime Minister had been brutally murdered with more than a hundred swords plunged into his body. Percival was no fool; he knew that the one who could have his daughter kidnapped was the Prime Minister of the Asura kingdom.
As the Prime Minister was killed by Gilgamesh, he managed to rescue his granddaughter from that swine's mansion. But here is where a problem arises. Is Gilgamesh, known as the Bloody Prince, so good as to save the slaves of the Prime Minister? It shouldn't be that way, but something must have been happening that Percival was overlooking in his speculation.
If, in some way, Prince Gilgamesh saved the slaves from the clutches of the Prime Minister, who mysteriously disappeared from his mansion, that means he learned that his granddaughter belonged to the Purplehorse family.
So, what is Prince Gilgamesh seeking by doing this? It's not simple charity, so what the prince might be seeking is the support of noble families who remain on the sidelines of the struggle for the future throne of the Asura kingdom.
Percival had understood this plan to a certain extent, but knowing they were dealing with a powerful candidate for the throne of the Asura kingdom, if the Purplehorse family supports Prince Gilgamesh, other families might follow suit, and the position for a future king could favor Gilgamesh, the Bloody Prince.
"Do you believe in the rumors, father?" Cedric looked at his father with a serious expression.
Percival smiled, looked at his son, and said, "Prince Gilgamesh is a man who doesn't hesitate to kill. At his young age, he's a powerful Sword King and possibly a genius in magic as well. If someone like him went unnoticed for more than ten years, do you think the rumors about Prince Gilgamesh's talent are unfounded?"
"Certainly, all families would bet on him because he's more than perfect to be a king, but at the same time, they would question supporting him because it's too late," Cedric also understood what others would think in response to their family's visit to the quarters of the prince Gilgamesh.
"We are in the midst of the war; that prince Gilgamesh openly invited us to the factional war for the succession of the current King Asura..." Percival smiled maniacally because from the beginning, they had no chance of avoiding what the other factions thought of the Purplehorse family.
"And should we be afraid?" Cedric frowned, tightened the sword in his hands, and said, "If any of those families interpret ours as weak, they'll be in for a big surprise when they underestimate our strength."
"Haha, it seems that look of yours has returned to your face..." Percival looked at his son and smiled with pride. Now, they only had to see what the behavior of that prince Gilgamesh would be.