Chapter 9: Priestess Siduri!
Siduri, the priestess who assisted the Wise King in governing Uruk.
She loved Uruk and always remained by the Wise King's side—a woman who was intelligent, graceful in conduct, and possessed a gentle personality.
She was kind and attentive, skilled at taking care of others, and deeply respected by the people of Uruk. Because she was so trusted by the Wise King, she could speak frankly before him without any hesitation.
In the original tale, in order to help ease Gilgamesh's burden, she went alone to evacuate the citizens.
In the end, she was killed by Lahmu and transformed into a new Lahmu.
As an ordinary human without any power, even under the contamination of the Chaos Tide, she still retained her final consciousness.
She helped Kingu, who had lost the Holy Grail, to escape—saving his life. And because of that, she herself perished.
And it was precisely because of that help that Kingu received an overwhelmingly massive shock.
Combined with the anger of being "betrayed by a sibling," along with the sorrow of being "abandoned by a mother," all of it merged together. With Siduri's death, the body known as "Enkidu" triggered the return of memories that had long been sealed away.
The one who had been the mastermind behind everything ultimately chose to stand on humanity's side.
He even staked his own life to break the seal of the power known as the Chains of Heaven, and with his strength alone, he restrained his "mother."
"Have we met somewhere before, Mr. Shin Akira?"
"No, we haven't, Priestess Siduri."
"Just call me Siduri. Still… it's quite strange. Every time I look at you, Mr. Akira, I instinctively feel a strong sense of familiarity. As if we've known each other for a long time."
"Haha, maybe it's because I look adorable."
"Mr. Akira, you must be joking."
At the moment, Akira—who was inheriting the [Meliodas]template—had transformed into the form of a youth standing around one hundred sixty centimeters tall.
His messy black hair had turned blonde, and his eyes had become emerald green.
Although the face was still Akira's, with his appearance reverted to something like his childhood self, being called "adorable" was honestly not an exaggeration.
And deep down, Akira understood that the reason Siduri felt familiar with him most likely came from the power he had inherited from Enkidu.
"By the way, Mr. Akira, tomorrow morning King Gilgamesh would like to meet you."
"The King of Uruk wants to meet me? Of course, I have no objections. As a traveler who has come to this land, if the king here wishes to see me, then it's only proper that I comply."
"In that case, tomorrow morning, when the sun rises over Uruk, I will come to escort you to an audience with my King."
"Alright. Thank you for your help, Siduri."
"It's simply my duty."
Their conversation reached that point, and Siduri's purpose for visiting had been fulfilled.
She did not stay long, as Gilgamesh was still handling governmental affairs, and naturally she needed to return to report everything.
"You're back already, Leonidas."
At that moment, a cheerful voice echoed from afar.
"Ah, so you're back as well."
Seeing who it was, Leonidas immediately smiled.
The one approaching was a girl dressed in extremely light samurai attire, a katana tucked at her waist, and wearing high wooden sandals. At a glance, it was clear she was a Heroic Spirit Servant from ancient Japan.
Ushiwakamaru, the famous tragic general known throughout Japan.
Exceptionally talented and possessing outstanding leadership charisma, yet rejected by her elder brother, Yoritomo. In the end, she was defeated together with her follower, Benkei. Ushiwakamaru was the childhood name of Minamoto no Yoshitsune.
Behind her stood another samurai Servant.
Musashibō Benkei. In history, he was the loyal follower of Minamoto no Yoshitsune. A figure of both wit and courage, becoming a popular theme in kabuki and jōruri, and deeply beloved. He once fought alongside Minamoto no Yoshitsune and was known as one of the most famous warrior monks in Japanese history.
However, on the other hand, in this world, his role was ironically only one—to flee first whenever trouble arose.
Because of that, he earned the nickname "The Coward."
Yet, in this world, before the final battle, Ushiwakamaru—who had been corrupted by the Sea of Chaos—attacked the protagonists' group. In the end, Benkei alone held off Ushiwakamaru.
He dragged his master who had fallen into darkness, and together they perished beneath Quetzalcoatl's Noble Phantasm.
"Hmm? And this gentleman is?"
At that moment, Ushiwakamaru noticed Akira standing beside them.
"Oh, let me introduce him. This is Mr. Shin Akira, a traveler from outside Mesopotamia."
"A traveler from outside Mesopotamia? That's quite extraordinary."
Ushiwakamaru spoke with a surprised tone as she looked at Akira.
"It's nothing special. The two of you are the true great heroes of history. I'm merely a wanderer—not someone who can compare to you."
"Well, that's…"
Even Ushiwakamaru, who was as free-spirited as the wind, felt a little embarrassed hearing those words.
Especially since Yukinoshita Akira now seemed to possess a passive innate ability—Handsome Youth (Pseudo). For a legendary general like Ushiwakamaru, it had a noticeable effect.
"Alright, since everyone's back, let's eat together."
Leonidas spoke up. It was already getting late, and night would soon fall. It was time for a meal.
"Alright."
"With pleasure."
Ushiwakamaru and Akira replied one after another.
Meanwhile, Benkei, standing behind Ushiwakamaru, looked at his master with astonishment.
He had never seen his master show such an expression before. Unexpectedly, he was finally witnessing it now.
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At the same time, at the Northern Wall, an emerald-green shadow appeared.
Seeing that the Northern Wall was no longer under attack by Magical Beasts, Kingu seemed greatly surprised.
Not long ago, Gorgon had mentioned that a large number of Magical Beasts had been slain and asked him to investigate.
Now it seemed this was Gilgamesh's doing.
"Truly worthy of being called the King of Uruk. Even under four months of Magical Beast assaults, he still kept a hidden card. It seems I must pay closer attention to him. After all, Gilgamesh is the 'Wedge of Heaven' in this world. He cannot be underestimated."
Kingu spoke slowly. As for the slain Magical Beasts, he did not care about them at all.
In Kingu's eyes, Magical Beasts were nothing more than cannon fodder. No matter how many died—even if all of them were wiped out—he would not care.
As for his attention toward Gilgamesh as the "Wedge of Heaven," aside from the instinctive impulses of the body he inhabited, it also came from his understanding of his own power, which made him wary of his opponent.
The Wedge of Heaven and the Chains of Heaven—both possessed comparable power.
If he himself, now possessing the body of the "Chains of Heaven," had already reached such a level of strength, then on the other side, Gilgamesh as the "Wedge of Heaven" would surely not be far behind.
Kingu did not know that Gilgamesh at this moment had essentially become a "hollow shell."
Using the "Grail of Uruk" to summon seven Heroic Spirit Servants—even with his own power—he was also maintaining the operation of 360 Dingir. On top of that, there was the heavy workload he handled every single day.
This king, at this moment, was without a doubt in his weakest state.
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