"Well, that's no problem."
Merlin lifted the bucket as he spoke.
"This should be the blood of the Fantasy Species, though it seems a bit unusual in some respects. Is there something strange mixed in?"
"It's just a few drops of 'snake blood' mixed in, to help with the operation when the time comes."
"Snake blood? Never mind. Since it won't affect the magic circle's depiction, it's of no concern to me."
Merlin tucked the slate under his arm and waved his hand, then left without a backward glance.
As Ophis watched Merlin leave, she glanced at the streets of Uruk and noticed many messengers rushing towards the temple.
The corners of Ophis's mouth twitched slightly.
After careful consideration, she realized she had been working non-stop for over ten days.
Although she wasn't physically tired, the constant pressure was mentally taxing.
[In fact, taking breaks occasionally is fine. There's no need to work non-stop.]
"No, it's okay."
Ophis shook her head.
[Even for you, being too tired can lead to errors in judgment.]
"I'll keep an eye on that."
With this, Ophis walked back into the temple, waiting for the messenger to bring her the next task.
For her, rest wasn't strictly necessary. It might help mentally, but it wasn't essential.
[Well… although I have no right to question your behavior, you lack experience. If you don't handle this well, you might fail at a critical moment. What was his name, Lao Ma?]
With no experience and too many tasks, the risk of error was high, even for a dragon's calculation speed.
"...Okay, got it. After I finish the current tasks, I'll shift my focus."
Ophis wasn't one to act on her own whims, so after careful consideration, she decided to compromise.
...The main reason was actually that Ophis felt considerable malice from the term "old horse."
No matter what, as a human being... or a dragon, it's better not to be too reckless.
[Divert your attention... instead of resting? Never mind, it will have some effect... As for those servants, you should also rely on their abilities. Although some may have peculiar ways of thinking, their skills as heroes in human history are unquestionable.]
"Yeah, I understand."
After responding once more, Ophis disappeared into the temple.
Chapter 45: Miko's House
"Regarding the shrine investigation, we can confirm from a distance that there are signs of a ritual being performed. However, without getting closer, we can't be certain about the specifics. Whether to proceed and whether to notify the shrine maiden in advance will be decided by the king."
"Um."
Listening to Siduri's report, Ophis nodded while using her fingers dipped in the blood of the Fantasy Species to arrange runes in the temple.
Uruk was actually a city-state with three branches of governance: the 'king,' who is at the pinnacle of humanity; the 'priest,' who connects humans and gods; and the 'shrine maiden,' who serves the gods.
These three are Orpheus, the king of Uruk; the priest's house; and the witch's house.
Now, Orpheus has combined the powers of both king and priest.
Although the power of the witches' office seems to rival Orpheus's, in reality, they are just a high and mighty hidden sect with no actual control.
Compared to worldly affairs, the shrine maidens are more concerned with their own reverence and faith in the gods, viewing themselves as servants of the divine.
Previously, Orpheus ended the Age of Gods, which made the priestesses in the shrine very dissatisfied.
At the time, this didn't cause much disturbance... Because they lost the support of the gods, their power dwindled, leaving them no leverage to challenge Orpheus.
But now, in these chaotic times, if fanatics are involved...
It wouldn't be surprising if they tried to summon gods during such turmoil.
Even so, the most likely outcome of summoning a god would be destruction of humanity.
"The gods we've confirmed so far are Ishtar and two gods related to snakes."
Ophis said while drawing a magic circle.
"Ishtar is the patron saint of Uruk, which means she was likely summoned by the witches."
"King, if this is confirmed?"
Siduri bowed slightly, with a mix of emotions.
If Ishtar was indeed summoned by the priestesses... the priestesses in the shrine would have no chance of survival.
This isn't about punishment... Her king never seems to care about past actions, but she won't tolerate unstable factors that might turn against her at a critical moment.
Siduri understood this approach and wouldn't oppose it. She only felt a bit sad that a shrine with a history of over a hundred years might vanish like this.
"Don't worry, I'll handle it."
"Yes."
"Any other questions?"
"Yes."
Siduri handed the slate she was holding to a soldier and took another from another soldier.
"Not long ago, we followed the king's order to explore the outskirts of the jungle that suddenly appeared in the south. We deployed magicians skilled in communication magic, but we lost contact with them after half a day of exploration. Two days have passed, and we still haven't heard from them. It's likely they are in danger."
"Explore further and deploy more elite personnel."
"Yes."
After a moment's thought, Ophis continued.
"There should be other city-states within the jungle."
In fact, Ophis was sure of this... she just didn't recall the exact name.
"Yes, before being swallowed by the suddenly appearing jungle, there were cities called Ur and Enkidu in that area."
Enkidu... that name seems easy to remember.
"Where are they located?"
"This... should be considered deep within the jungle. If the king wishes, you can select the best troops to explore."
"No, let's explore carefully first."
Siduri frowned slightly.
"But, concerning the two cities..."
"Considering that just exploring the periphery has caused a capable team to lose contact..."
Before Siduri could finish, Ophis's cold voice interrupted.
"The chances of survival for those people are so low they're almost negligible."
"But I can't be completely sure..."
The kind-hearted Siduri still held out some hope.
"Sending more people before ensuring safety will only lead to their deaths, not to mention rescue."
"Yes... I understand."
Siduri sighed. In fact, she was acting on impulse. If she thought it through, she would realize the difficulties involved.
Not to mention the challenges of exploration itself, even if survivors were found, rescuing them would be extremely difficult.
"Well, go ahead."
Siduri once again exchanged the slate she held with another soldier.
"The cause of death for the people in Kuta City remains uninvestigated. There are no physical injuries, no signs of poisoning or curses. Possible causes include unknown monster abilities, divine power, or very high-level magic. Regarding the last point, Master Merlin has confirmed he can perform similar feats."
"Got it. I'll handle this later. Next."
Siduri nodded and changed the slate again.
"This is... a report from the herdsmen. The goddess Ishtar threatened them, seized their money, and then left laughing."
"...Next."
"King... this subtle silence... and, I hope you can provide a solution."
Ophis sighed slightly.
What is that guy doing?
"... Got it. We'll discuss this later. Next."
"Yes! Regarding the monster's battle line and the monster's nest found on the supply route..."
As night fell, in the mountains not far from Uruk, an ancient temple stood quietly.
The temple wasn't very large and appeared plain overall, but it seemed inexplicably gloomy in the dark night.
This was a sacred place called the Miko's House.
It wasn't located in Uruk, but was built in the suburbs outside Uruk, under the pretext of being away from the world.
Casually kicking open the door of the temple, Ophis walked in with some confusion.
Unlike the modest exterior, the interior of the temple was extravagantly luxurious. Statues were made of the finest gemstones from the Age of Gods.
The shrine had been maintained for over a hundred years, supported by the gods and a significant portion of the kingdom's offerings. Its background was naturally unfathomable.
But...
Ophis activated her perception again with some doubt.
The results were the same.
Initially surprised that this place didn't even have a security guard, Ophis now realized...
There wasn't a single living person in this temple.
Ophis materialized from her energy form and reappeared in the large square in the center of the temple.
Looking at the piles of corpses, Ophis was silent for a moment before bending down to examine one of the witches in her ceremonial attire.
To the naked eye, it appeared as though they were merely sleeping, unaware that they had lost their lives.
Had the souls been drained?
"What do you make of this scene?"
At that moment, a very familiar voice suddenly echoed behind Ophis.