In an unfamiliar place.
"Have you asked for everything?" Eldric looked at those he considered his trustworthy and highly intelligent friends with a furious expression.
"It was Prince Gilgamesh. Even if we had won, we would have felt worse than shit in this situation, Eldric!" Gild said with a distant look. He had personally witnessed that old demon cutting his friend's hand without being able to do anything to stop it.
"You should have anticipated it and resolved things, not let this idiot get his hand cut off." Eldric exclaimed, throwing a wine bottle in consternation.
Crack!
"Now I must inform the different factions about Miss Eris's relationship with Gilgamesh. Something about all this doesn't add up, and at least we'll gain some emotional peace." Eldric thought about it and nodded, even if Gilgamesh is the feared Red Prince, he would definitely avenge his friends.
...
Purplehorse Mansion Training Ground.
Alastor looked down at the training yard from his elevated stage in the middle of the courtyard.
Below him were five hundred soldiers, training with each other for the upcoming competition to choose the captains of the different legions. Alastor, who had personally trained them and taught them the blood ritual, no longer wanted to delay this date.
The main goal of having strong guards was to be able to control crime and direct it towards the organization that Gilgamesh controlled from the shadows. Creating a business was easy, but keeping it safe was complicated. Therefore, the knights who passed the final blood ritual would officially become Templar Knights.
Taking care of Gilgamesh's affairs had to be done with great care.
Of the hundreds of slaves bought every day, only half of them were good with a sword and had the talent to become expert swordsmen capable of ascending to Sword Kings. The rest would be good enough to become Sword Saints, but beyond that, talents that couldn't ascend to that level were better sent to the extra labor company.
The rest, a small minority, were good at magic, but their talent wasn't outstanding. There was no method that Gilgamesh could use to increase a mage's Mana or turn them into powerful mages because it involved a more laborious process.
As for the last group, they were trained to be workers in the businesses that Elaine had set up under Gilgamesh's guidance. She was impressed; the entire list that the prince had left was so impressive that with each of them, an ordinary person could become a millionaire with ease.
"Form up now!" Alastor's voice resonated across all the training grounds, and these five hundred apprentices immediately gathered in front of him.
In less than a minute, two infantry lines were formed in front of Alastor, ready to receive orders. They were all slaves, and Gilgamesh had offered them the opportunity to become stronger, which was something they understood very well.
"All of you will undergo the blood baptism and start receiving a salary. You will be transferred to the Tower of Uruk, where you will receive a name and can move on with your life. However, you still have responsibilities from the day you entered this training camp until the day Lord Gilgamesh decides to set you free. Remember, you have no restrictions when it comes to choosing your life, but make wise decisions."
"Yes, sir!"
Within these training groups, there were swordsmen and archers, among others. Every warrior had their usefulness as long as they desired to become stronger, and a good weapon in their hands could change their future.
"Some of you may not understand it now, but one day you will realize how incredible your luck has been to end up in this place." Alastor said as he sent everyone to rest.
These people were slaves, after all. Many of them had thought their lives would end at the hands of some crazy noble or something similar. They expected to die within a few months of being purchased or to be subjected to ridiculous games simply because their owner demanded it.
But now they were all strong, ate well, and in the future, they could choose their lives according to their desires. Many of them were still confused, while others had set simple goals like buying clothes or getting married.
What surprised Alastor was that many of them chose not to return to their homes. Some elves rejected the offer to return to the forest where they lived, and others were so afraid of going back that they simply said everything was better in this place.
The fear of being taken away again was slowly turning them into formidable warriors, beasts on the battlefield who only knew how to follow orders and kill, individuals willing to eliminate the worst scum in this world by their own choice, not by command.
Alastor felt fear for all these young warriors who would one day step onto a real battlefield. And when that happens, he sincerely believed he would witness a true massacre.
...
Fittoa Region.
Greyrat Castle.
"Where are you, Gil?" Eris searched every corner of her home for Gilgamesh. At first, she was very angry because he hadn't introduced himself properly, but then she realized she was the fool for not figuring it out.
What she wanted to do now was find him and challenge him to a sword duel. She was thrilled that Prince Gilgamesh was in her home. Someone as incredible as him must have a secret training method, and she wanted to learn it.
When she entered the guest room, she saw Gilgamesh sitting by the open window, and the sunlight made his golden hair fall over his cheeks like shimmering strands.
Eris swallowed all the words she was going to say. She not only felt uncomfortable but also worried about being a bother to Gilgamesh. However, she couldn't act like a proper noble lady because if she did, all her movements would be stiff.
"Don't you want to talk to me now?" Gilgamesh asked while still gazing out at the view, but his gaze was fixed on a type of orb with a rather strong energy concentration that grew stronger with each passing second.
"Of course not!" Eris walked towards Gilgamesh and said carefully, "But you should have told me earlier. I need to apologize..."
Long before Eris could continue with her words, Gilgamesh turned around and said, "Friends don't apologize. I understand that if someone is a true friend, even if you hit or insult them, they'll still be your friends. And while we might not be able to have that kind of connection, I'd like us to keep talking without any boring labels."
Gilgamesh couldn't downplay something like an engagement, mentioning that it's something she can reject whenever she wants. If he did something like that, it would mean he wasn't giving it the importance it represented, and it could create a significant communication gap with Eris.
As an adult man, he obviously wasn't interested in someone as young as Eris. However, she had a very unique aura, and if he personally trained her, he could experience something like the companionship of growing up with someone her age.
When he lived in Uruk, no one was on his level, and he had never experienced something like friendship or a peer his age. Although he considered it a waste of time, a small part of him wanted to at least feel a bit of that before leaving this place.
Eris's eyes sparkled when she saw Gilgamesh's smile. She smiled in response and said, "Then let's have a sword duel!"
Of course, things had changed so much that she didn't exactly know what awaited her in the future, but when she had finished her business in this place, she would embark on her beautiful journey across the world.