[I can't let it go…]
[Unforgivable...]
[The King's Evil Deeds…]
[The cruelty of that king...]
[The devil who looked at so much sorrow but did nothing, just smiled.]
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Scenes flashed by like a slideshow.
Humanity's stagnation, its tragedies, and its elegies.
No matter the era...
No matter the country...
The world is full of tragedies.
Things that kill their own children, and things that are killed by their own children.
Not understanding love, and giving up on love.
Lamenting betrayal, living with betrayal.
Ignoring family, abandoning family.
Losing wealth, being destroyed by wealth.
Not understanding love, mocking those who do.
Seeking success but hating the path to it.
Protecting faith while hating what it stands for.
Cherishing some, despising others, seeking wisdom, spreading ignorance, fostering resentment, stirring misunderstandings, discrimination, persecution, and showing mercy.
What ugly, pathetic creatures.
But ordinary people can do this.
Humans are not omnipotent. They can only endure pain, conflict, and seek survival.
But a king, with all his power and means, should be different. He has the ability to see through the past and future, to grasp all the tragedies and sorrows of the world, yet he does nothing.
Some kings smile despite knowing everything. If they don't know, it's one thing. But those who know and still smile are unforgivable.
"You know it but you don't feel anything? Don't you want to correct these tragedies?!"
That was how the king responded to my accusation.
"Well... it's okay... you don't think so particularly, right?"
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───This man.
All of us thought so.
───Unforgivable!
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Let us record our resentment here.
Leaving a trail for future continuations.
Build a temple.
Overlap the apertures.
To destroy that, all resources are needed.
It takes all the time to forget that.
───Searching for the path to the final singularity.
There lies the throne of the Magic King.
The name of that universe is Solomon.
The end point, the altar of the vortex of time, will become the hope of reaching the origin───
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"King…King…"
A soft female voice seemed to come from far away.
"King!"
"Hiduri?"
Ophis opened her eyes and saw Siduri looking at her with concern.
"King, are you alright? If necessary, we can arrange for you to rest immediately. Your body is the most important treasure of Uruk and must not be lost."
It seems like I was absent-minded for a long time...
Ophis shook her head slightly.
"No problem, continue reporting."
"Yes... If there are any issues with the king's health, please let us know. This is a complaint report about the brothel, some issues with the East Market, and a dispute about the exchange of items..."
Ophis wanted to ask a question.
Why does she, a royal official, handle the same affairs as the village chief?
Rubbing her brows, Ophis reached out and stopped Siduri.
"Leave it for now. I'll handle it later. What's the situation on the north wall?"
"Thanks to Jeanne-sama's command and the brave efforts of the other lords, the front line is holding. However, we have recently discovered some strange things."
Siduri frowned, looking confused.
"Um?"
"As you know, the North Wall's defense isn't perfect. Magical beasts that can fly or climb sometimes manage to cross it. Although the North Wall has a response mechanism for this, some magical beasts still succeed and attack ordinary people."
"This is an inevitable and normal situation, right?"
Ophis half-closed her eyes, as if she had anticipated Siduri's response.
"These monsters rarely kill their victims on the spot. They often take them away from the North Wall alive. While some monsters might prefer live food, not all of them do. But given the chance, monsters will almost certainly..."
"About that."
Ophis interrupted Siduri before he could finish.
"Siduri, it's better not to investigate further."
"Yes… yes!"
Faced with Ophis's meaningful gaze, Siduri instinctively backed off and bowed.
"Well, there are no other issues. If the king has nothing else, then I'll take my leave."
"Alright."
After dismissing Siduri, Ophis sighed softly in the empty temple.
"Oh, what's wrong? Sighing alone isn't like you."
Or rather, there should have been no one else except herself.
A blonde girl in a black dress and a pink cape walked into the temple hall, which was supposed to be empty.
"Ereshkigal... why are you here?"
Ophis wasn't too surprised by the goddess's appearance but still asked.
"Since you didn't come to our usual meeting place today, I came to find you."
Ereshkigal covered her mouth and chuckled, then casually took a seat nearby.
"I don't have any particular obligation to be in a specific place at a specific time..."
"I know, that's why I came to you."
"…"
Ophis decided not to delve into the goddess's inscrutable thoughts.
"You haven't answered me yet. What happened?"
"No... nothing..."
After thinking it over, Ophis replied.
"It was just a sad dream."
"Yeah?"
Ereshkigal didn't press further and just smiled.
"If it's just a dream, then it's fine."
"Yes..."
Ophis looked out through the temple window at the starry sky.
"If it's just a dream, then it's fine."
"Let's not dwell on this. Tell me about the recent battle situation..."
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"Is that so... a monster that takes away living people..."
Ereshkigal's tone sounded somewhat distant, and her eyes dimmed slightly.
Ophis sighed inwardly.
It started a few months ago. Why did she really tell her everything...
Though her eloquence has improved, her personality suffers when she talks too much...
Still, it's not bad to have someone to talk to.
But there are other pressing issues.
"Ereshkigal."
"…Why does it sound so strange even though it's my own name? Just call me Elle."
"... Then, Elle, regarding the recent unexplained deaths in Uruk..."
As soon as Ophis mentioned this, Ereshkigal's expression became uneasy.
"Ah... no... there are various reasons for this too..."
Finally, under Ophis's intense gaze, Ereshkigal sighed in surrender, her expression serious.
"No matter what, I want you to understand. Although we can talk harmoniously now, my goals and beliefs haven't changed from the past to the present. As I said before, if you want to stop me, you must be prepared to destroy everything I have. Until now, I've spoken with you like this because of my personal interest. Until this interest fades, this won't change. So, if you want to kill me, you can do so at any time."
"Yeah?"
Ophis wasn't surprised and just smiled calmly.
"I remember that."
"Ah, I'm sorry to intrude. Is King Ophis home?"
At this moment, a discordant voice suddenly interrupted.
"Cut..."
Looking at Merlin who had suddenly appeared, Ereshkigal sighed.
"Let's stop here for today. It's almost dawn."
After saying this, Ereshkigal vanished into the shadows.
"Merlin, what's wrong?"
"Well, I saw some interesting things. May I request an outing?"
"... Is that so? I understand."
Without pressing further, Ophis allowed Merlin to leave and looked up at the sky once more.
The stalled gears are about to start moving...