When Eris stepped out of the carriage, she raised her hands and said, "Welcome to my home. First, I'll have to talk to my father and let him know about your invitation to stay since you don't have a secure place to sleep."
"I am very grateful for your invitation, Miss Eris. I'll patiently await your return." Gilgamesh said with a formal greeting.
"Very well, wait here." Eris nodded and hurriedly entered the front building. She seemed happy to have found a rather interesting friend who shared some similarities with her.
Ghislaine, who stayed by Gilgamesh's side, asked in a serious tone, "Is there a specific reason you kept your identity a secret from Eris?"
"In truth, yes. I need to be sure if her attitude is to my liking; otherwise, I won't be interested. Although my goal in coming here is to establish a commitment with much larger objectives, if my fiancée doesn't suit my taste, there won't be a commitment. I am quite selective about who might be by my side until my skin wrinkles. I don't usually get involved in these matters, but I am ready to experience new sensations."
"So, what do you think?" Ghislaine asked. Regarding Gilgamesh's arrogant words, she couldn't say much since Eris was similar in some respects. If she criticizes or judges the prince, she would be a hypocrite because she doesn't really care about Eris's attitude.
"Well..." Gilgamesh was about to speak when a figure appeared in front of him and knelt down.
"Oh, you're here!"
The withered old man nodded and said, "This is your payment. Take the left hand because I was trying to be merciful, but that man you pointed at with your filthy fingers was left-handed..."
"Haha! What bad luck, but it doesn't matter. Give that hand to my cat; he must be hungry after the journey." Gilgamesh waved his right hand because he abhorred seeing a severed limb, but it was a debt that had to be paid, so he respected that those he had wagered with upheld their end of the deal.
"I understand; your orders have been heard!" The old man looked at Ghislaine, smiled, and then disappeared at inhuman speed.
"You must be very curious about my intentions. All I can share with you is that I will never harm Eris... I am not so ruthless with people. Would you believe me if I told you that my dream is to live peacefully for the rest of my life? Nevertheless, those who died by my hand continue to seek their revenge."
Ghislaine looked at Gilgamesh and couldn't detect any falsehood in his words, so she said, "I must thank you for your consideration, and also, please don't judge Miss Eris's behavior too harshly. She tends to be like this with everyone because she tries to imitate her grandfather's behavior."
"So, there's the answer. I came to this place with a much larger purpose than a simple innocent commitment." Gilgamesh looked at this beastwoman and said, "I've come to save the Greyrat family, especially this branch... As for those outside of Fittoa, they will all eventually be eliminated for belonging to a faction that tried to eliminate me..."
"Did the Greyrats try to kill you?" Ghislaine suddenly reacted in an agitated manner. This information was extremely critical and sensitive. If Prince Gilgamesh decided to seek revenge now, with so many Sword King-level swordsmen, she wouldn't be able to do anything but flee.
"It seems I expressed myself a bit poorly, but in a way, it's true. Well, I'll discuss that with Eris's father, and both of us will decide the future of this family within the Asura Kingdom." Gilgamesh extended his hand for Ghislaine to lead the way.
"Yes, please, follow me." Ghislaine said, feeling a chill as she saw the true behavior of Gilgamesh, and she walked directly to where Eris's father was.
To avoid completely wiping out the Notos Greyrat family, Gilgamesh came to this place to make a commitment with Eris Notos Greyrat. This way, his brother Grabell's faction would be divided, and its power would eventually fall into a pitiful state.
Of course, if the Greyrat family in this place couldn't discern between survival and being staunch protectors of their family, Gilgamesh would have no choice but to use force. However, he had done his research well and knew that this outcome was unlikely.
Gilgamesh intended to start by seizing the Fittoa region from the Asura Kingdom, establishing it as his starting point, and completely reforming this rural city by taking advantage of its flat lands to develop his own fortresses.
The businesses he was forming were also crucial; with them, he was amassing a truly vast fortune, and once he gained complete control over the kingdom's economy, the rest would be mere desires for further advancement.
Before he knew it, Gilgamesh entered a room that seemed to be a special reception area for guests. The butler in this place extended his hand toward some chairs and said, "Please, have a seat, Prince Gilgamesh..."
Ghislaine walked to a corner of the room and silently leaned against the wall, seemingly doing nothing but monitoring the room with her ears, alert for any potential eavesdroppers.
"The young master will be here shortly; please wait."
The butler was about to pour a glass of wine when suddenly a deep, loud voice echoed through the halls. "He's here?!"
Boom!
The door swung open with force, and a burly, robust man stormed into the room.
Gilgamesh merely smiled and regarded this man in his fifties with equanimity. His dark brown hair seemed to have traces of gray, but overall, as a strong man who wielded a sword, he remained in good shape.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Gilgamesh Asura, prince of this kingdom." Gilgamesh didn't stand up to introduce himself; in the same brusque manner that the old man entered, he treated him as such.
"I heard you've already met my granddaughter. When do you want them to get married?" Sauros looked Gilgamesh up and down and nodded. "You're very strong, and you must be here for many things other than just a marriage proposal. However, you should know that if you propose marriage, you must marry as soon as possible."
"What?"