As night fell, everyone attended to their own affairs, leaving Ophis alone to patrol the northern wall with nothing to do.
The commander had wanted to send an escort for her, but Ophis had naturally declined. In her view, it was a complete waste of manpower.
Stopping, Ophis tilted her head and floated gently to the nearby city wall.
There stood a girl in pure white.
The white veil flowing in the night wind looked like long hair. It might be odd to describe it as pure white. The girl's only garment was a small amount of white clothing, her brown skin blending almost seamlessly into the night. Ophis had to have keen eyesight to see her clearly.
Yet, 'pure white' was still Ophis's first impression when she saw the girl.
Maybe it was the contrast between the night and the skin color, or perhaps there was some deeper reason Ophis couldn't discern.
"Altira."
Ophis called out the girl's name.
As someone with a strong sense of purpose, Ophis rarely initiated conversations for trivial reasons. But her interest in Altira was genuine, something unusual for her.
Previously, the only time she had shown interest was when Enkidu displayed some fighting or even murderous intentions toward her.
Now, Ophis found herself intrigued by this girl.
The white girl in front of her could pose a threat to Ophis. This threat didn't come from the fact that Altira was now a Servant, but something more fundamental.
Moreover, the Warcraft army, severely damaged by Merlin in the last wave of attacks before retreating to the city wall, seemed to be regrouping and all had retreated to their stronghold in the north. This meant there was a rare temporary truce. Yet, this girl hadn't rested; instead, she had come to this place to enjoy the view.
All this piqued Ophis's curiosity.
Whether Altira was so lost in thought that she ignored Ophis's call or simply chose not to respond, she continued to gaze into the distance with indifference.
Ophis followed her gaze.
There was nothing out there except piles of monster corpses and a few monsters flying in the sky, scavenging the remains.
"What are you looking at?"
Ophis couldn't help but ask.
Still, no response came.
Is this an awkward conversation?
It seemed they couldn't even have a chat.
But perhaps because she was accustomed to being ignored, Ophis didn't feel bothered. She simply stood alongside Altira, observing the empty scenery.
"Those ones..."
Ophis, having lost track of time, was unsure how long had passed. About a third of the night had gone by when Altira suddenly spoke.
"These are all traces of my destruction."
Ophis tilted her head, puzzled.
The statement seemed incoherent, and she had no idea what it meant.
Despite the environmental damage being severe—evident from the land being plowed over and over again—it was still not as catastrophic as Arjuna's nuclear attack.
Altira appeared momentarily stunned, as if unsure why she had said these words... and then fell silent.
So, this is really an awkward conversation, right?
"Altira, why did you respond to the call?"
After some thought, Ophis finally found a question to ask.
Although she already had an idea, Ophis still wanted to confirm it.
"...I have no idea."
After a moment of silence, Altira finally decided not to ignore Ophis this time.
"When I came to my senses, I was summoned, and I had the necessary knowledge about this time in my head."
"…"
From this perspective, Ophis's earlier assumption seemed close to the truth.
"But even with this information, I don't know what to do."
To Ophis's surprise, Altira continued, stretching her hands toward the sky in a somewhat absent-minded manner.
"These hands don't know how to protect; they only know how to destroy. So, I don't know what to do."
Ophis was silent.
She could sense Altira's indifference toward the concept of destruction.
Destruction was not seen as a necessity or a pleasure for her.
God's Whip, King of Destruction Altira.
Why would someone like her destroy things?
"For you, destruction is an instinct. No, it shouldn't even be considered an instinct, right?"
After a long pause, Ophis finally spoke.
Even instincts like sexual desire bring a sense of liberation after being expressed. But, based on Ophis's observation, Altira didn't seem to have such feelings about destruction.
So...
"Just do what you were born to do."
Finally, Ophis asserted.
She had seen a similar situation before.
Enkidu.
Both were fated to carry out their roles—one as a destroyer, the other as a king.
Similarly, neither had doubts about their obligations.
However, while Altira embraced her nature and destroyed directly, Ophis had other goals and was initially reluctant. It wasn't until Enkidu appeared that she began to change.
In terms of execution, the two were similar.
They were both confused about the concept of "execution."
This was true for both Altira and Ophis.
───All of the above is from the Prayer Book? Half a minute ago.
"If you are confused, if you feel empty..."
Ophis paused and finally turned around.
"Then try to give it meaning."
After all, she had done the same...
Perhaps the only difference was that it was not herself who gave the king this responsibility, that's all.
After concluding this brief conversation, which probably lasted no more than ten sentences, Ophis lightly jumped off the city wall, leaving Altira alone, lost in thought.
───────────────────────────────
Siduri let out a tired breath and handed the last slate in her hand to the soldier beside her.
Establishing a living area on the front line of such a war was no easy task. Managing the enemy situation, setting up an alarm network, planning for civilian evacuation, and creating efficient pathways for the army—all required careful planning.
They also needed to find a few brave businessmen and civilians to come here and test living in this area first.
All of this... was thrown onto Siduri's shoulders by Ophis.
So... what's the point of building a living area on the front line like this?!
"King Ophis has her reasons."
Siduri was accustomed to Merlin's elusive nature, so when he suddenly appeared behind her, she was only startled for a moment.
"After all, a defense line of this scale must be maintained for a long time without building a city."
"I understand that too."
Siduri sighed.
"Soldiers, priests, and kings, everyone has done their best."
Looking up at the sky, Siduri spoke calmly.
"Everyone united, and the entire country put in all its efforts. But in the end, this persistence only slightly delayed the destruction... I just think it's a bit unfair."
Fairness is unattainable in later generations and is a complete joke in this era of clear class divisions and supreme strength. Even a wise king's rule cannot achieve true fairness. Siduri expressed her thoughts anyway.
After all, even if it's unfair, shouldn't we try not to be so desperate?
"That's true, but I don't fully understand this feeling. Although I appreciate the patterns created by humans, I don't have any feelings for the humans themselves."
Unexpectedly, Merlin did not respond with his usual relaxed smile but with a hint of indifference.
"But I still believe that as long as you create with care, even if you can't make a perfect product, you will certainly leave something for the next artist. And even if the ending crafted by the characters in the book is not perfect, it doesn't mean that someone from another story can't weave a more exciting conclusion. That's why fan fiction exists. Anyway, do your best."
Merlin left these words that left Siduri feeling intimidated and disappeared again.