Chapter Nine – A King Among Adventurers
The journey continued.
The road wound through vast open fields, past rivers glistening under the morning sun, and into dense forests brimming with life. The air was crisp, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine.
Despite Gilgamesh's presence, their travels remained the same.
They encountered small villages where they resupplied, meeting wandering merchants and weary travelers. They hunted for food, set up camp beneath the vast sky, and walked until their legs ached.
In truth, it was ordinary.
But Gilgamesh found himself enjoying it.
Not as a king.
Not as a ruler of ages past.
But as a wanderer, sharing the road with those whose lifespans were fleeting compared to his own.
Fern, however, had other thoughts.
"Why do you walk with us?" she asked one evening, sitting cross-legged by the fire.
Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow. "Would you prefer I float above you in a golden chariot?"
Fern scowled. "That's not what I meant."
Frieren chuckled, amused.
Fern crossed her arms. "You could travel any way you wanted. You could summon things out of thin air. You have an entire treasury filled with legendary weapons. So why walk? Why live like a normal traveler when you don't have to?"
Gilgamesh stared at her for a moment before turning his gaze to the fire.
"Because I choose to," he said simply.
Fern frowned. "That's not an answer."
Gilgamesh smirked. "It is for me."
She sighed in exasperation. "You're insufferable."
Stark, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. "I think I get it."
Fern blinked. "What?"
Stark rubbed the back of his head. "You said it yourself. He could live however he wants, right? But instead of acting like some god above everyone else, he's just… here."
Gilgamesh chuckled. "A surprisingly wise observation, warrior."
Fern still looked dissatisfied, but she didn't press further.
Frieren, however, watched Gilgamesh with quiet understanding.
She, more than anyone, knew the weight of eternity.
To walk the world rather than command it.
Perhaps that, more than anything, made Gilgamesh more elf-like than even she had expected.
And perhaps…
It made him a little more human, too.