Chapter 20: Water Quality Observation Station!
"Looks like… this is the place."
Floating in the air above the Persian Gulf, Akira came to a halt.
Beneath him stretched a vast bay—rolling white waves, clear seawater, and a wide expanse of sandy shore.
Blended with the surrounding shrubs and trees, the area looked like the perfect place for a quiet retreat.
Not far from there stood a towering cliff. On top of it rose a structure that looked like a giant lighthouse.
That was the observation station.
Akira landed as soon as he reached the stairs leading up to the station.
Everyone stationed here was someone who had given everything for Uruk.
This place stood at the very edge of the Kingdom of Uruk's territory.
And in times like these—when Magical Beasts roamed everywhere and the Three Goddess Alliance had already seized more than half of Mesopotamia—living in a place like this could no longer be described as merely dangerous.
There were no soldiers here. No guards.
Only a group of ordinary people who, for years—day after day—had remained here to monitor water quality.
They weren't warriors.
They couldn't march into battle or earn glory and honor.
Yet they were a group of people worthy of respect.
The sight reminded Akira of the time before he had crossed into this world.
Back in his homeland, there were many border soldiers who guarded the front lines for years on end.
Some were stationed in remote mountain regions, others on isolated islands far from civilization.
"Who are you?"
As soon as he stepped inside, several people busy at work immediately noticed his presence.
After all, this place wasn't large.
The moment an outsider entered, they would be recognized right away.
"I was sent by King Gilgamesh. I'm here to retrieve the water samples and the latest monitoring data."
"Sent by King Gilgamesh?"
"Yes. Magical Beasts have been increasing lately. Uruk has already sent several groups, but all of them failed. So in the end, this task fell to me."
"May we know this sir's name?"
"My name is Shin Akira. I'm currently temporarily assigned to the Northern Wall. Consider this a special mission."
"So you're Shin Akira, the one guarding the Northern Wall. Please forgive our rudeness."
The person in charge immediately apologized to Akira.
In Uruk right now, the status of soldiers was the highest—without exception.
Because they were the ones fighting and protecting the nation.
"There's no need for that. We simply have different duties. The work you're doing here is just as important."
"We're only doing our small part."
The person in charge smiled.
But it was clear that his favorable impression of Akira had risen sharply.
Uruk, under the rule of the Wise King Gilgamesh, now possessed a level of unity that had never existed before.
Every single person in Uruk was united—without exception.
Because almost no one ever came to this place throughout the year, Akira's arrival as a visitor was warmly welcomed.
Some of them brought out clay jars that had long been prepared.
Inside them was the very purpose of Shin Akira's visit this time—water samples from this region.
In addition, there were stacks of clay tablets.
Every piece of data and information was recorded on them in meticulous detail.
In truth, matters like this didn't need to be handled personally by a "King" like Gilgamesh.
It would have been enough to appoint a dedicated official to oversee it.
But Uruk currently lacked talented personnel.
And with Gilgamesh's own personality…
Whether it was major affairs or minor ones, he always handled them personally—including matters like water quality.
With wisdom equal to that of the gods, both Gilgamesh's insight and understanding far surpassed that of humans in his era.
Because of that, there was no one who could truly stand beside him.
In the end, things developed into their current state.
All matters, big or small, had to be handled by him alone.
"Alright, this is all the recorded information from the past ten days. We entrust everything to you, sir."
"Don't worry. I'll deliver everything to King Gilgamesh."
"Thank you very much."
Looking at the people before him, Akira felt his heart stir slightly.
If it could be said that humans of this era once placed their faith in the gods from the very beginning, then now—when Gilgamesh led them in defiance of the gods and severed ties with them—they still followed him faithfully, even to the point of death.
In truth, without anyone realizing it, it wasn't human faith that had disappeared.
Only its object had changed.
From the gods who once stood above all things, it had shifted to the Wise King who devoted himself entirely to his nation and its people.
Shin Akira waved his hand.
A black shadow emerged on the ground, and all the items were absorbed into it.
Those who witnessed the scene looked slightly surprised, but not overly shocked.
After all, this was the Age of Gods.
Even if ordinary people couldn't touch the mysterious, they had seen the gods themselves.
So methods of spatial storage like this were still within their understanding.
"Farewell."
"May your journey be safe."
Looking at them, Akira gave a light nod.
Then, with a single leap, he shot into the sky.
In the blink of an eye, his figure disappeared from sight.
The observation station staff exchanged glances and smiled faintly.
After that, they returned inside and continued their work.
"Hm? This feeling… chaotic and dark. Could it be… this is the sea where Tiamat sleeps?"
Akira, who had originally planned to return straight to Uruk, suddenly felt a chaotic and dark sensation.
This wasn't magical power.
It was more like a vibration from the most fundamental source, as if something was calling to him.
After all, the template Akira had inherited now was Meliodas—the Prince of the Demon Clan.
Even though he had betrayed the Demon King and the Demon Clan, it couldn't be denied that he was the strongest demon beneath the Demon King.
Because of that, he was naturally extremely sensitive to darkness.
From the very beginning, Akira had been curious about this Mother of Creation.
Now, of course, he wouldn't miss this opportunity.
He immediately changed direction and flew toward the source of that "chaos."
Not long after, Akira arrived above the sea.
He crossed the ocean's surface and entered the deep-sea region before finally stopping.
"So this is the place. In that case… let's take a look."
Once he made his decision, he acted immediately.
With Immortality—even if it was only Immortality (Pseudo)—it was still Immortality.
That alone gave him the courage to act recklessly.
He dove straight down from the air and pierced directly into the ocean.
The vast, boundless ocean, which had given birth to countless forms of life, was the origin of all living beings.
If land could be called the mother of all things, then the ocean was the mother of life itself.
With Akira's strength, even the pressure of the deep sea meant nothing to him.
Yet the deeper he dove, the stronger the sense of oppression he felt.
This was pressure coming from the subconscious.
Like the pressure of a superior upon a subordinate.
Like the divine authority of gods over humans.
And that sensation only made Akira more certain.
This was where Tiamat slept.
He hadn't come to the wrong place.
With that thought in mind, Akira continued descending into the depths of the sea.
And as he went deeper and deeper, that oppressive pressure continued to grow without end.
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