"Even if someone wanted to descend, it wouldn't be so easy to stir up trouble."
Glancing at the three still being punished, Samael let out a low hum, speaking bluntly.
Then the ancient serpent narrowed his eyes with a cold smile, amusement flickering across his face.
"Besides, Israel may not be so willing to let that King of Kings pull their strings."
Gilgamesh seemed to recall something. His brow furrowed slightly as an image surfaced in his mind—a white-haired youth seated on a throne, arrogant beyond measure.
"You mean…"
Samael's lips curved in a mocking smirk.
"Just like you, King Gilgamesh. Some souls are so proud that even at terrible cost, they'll break free from fate's chains."
"Perhaps Israel will collapse on its own, without us lifting a finger."
Defying divine will always comes at a price.
To resist the three great storms and reject the so-called Mandate of Heaven, the thousand-year legacy of Sumer ultimately declined under Gilgamesh's rule.
Likewise, Israel, blessed by God, reached its height under Saul, David, and Solomon, only to fall swiftly into ruin.
Its rise was sudden, and so was its fall.
The King of Magecraft, blessed with divine wisdom and ruler of the seventy-two Demon Pillars, had never truly controlled humanity, even as he watched them endure the tragedy of mortal life.
In the end, Solomon returned with his own hands the Ten Rings bestowed by God, accepting both his decaying fate and the inevitable decline of Israel after his death.
It was nothing less than a harsh blow struck directly at the back of the King of Kings.
Perhaps that God who scorned the human species would never understand the pride engraved deep in human bones.
Ars Nova—The Time of Parting Has Come, He Is the One who Lets Go of the World…
Samael recited the farewell etched into memory, struck by a wave of emotion.
Unfortunately, he and that King Solomon shared no bond for now.
Still, in a world where gods and Mystery existed, human lifespans and historical timelines could easily shift.
But if the Assyrian empress now ruled, and Assyria was strong among the nations, then by the others' accounts, Solomon's reign should already be reaching its end.
Which meant Israel had become an empty shell, with no one of note left to rise in the future.
"Samael, you mean Israel can be left alone, and nothing will happen? That we don't need to trouble humanity?"
Good. That's good.
Ereshkigal let out a relieved breath, patting her chest.
She was content with her current life, content with the Underworld as it was. If only that King of Kings would behave, this goddess would gladly spend her days tending flowers and grass.
Besides, the hard work was for Gilgamesh and the others to handle.
Samael smiled faintly, flicking a finger through the air toward his master's forehead, and explained.
"Different faiths, different tribes—at the end of the day, the nations of the earth are all part of humanity's own competition."
"If you step in and wipe out one side, never mind whether it provokes Marduk—just doing so is unfair, and it betrays the reason we chose to part from the gods."
"Human wars should be decided by humans."
And besides, for Solomon's sake alone, they had no reason to erase Israel.
After all, Solomon had personally resolved a great burden for the Underworld.
And now, with the King of Kings' focus still fixed squarely on the Jews, his plans were clear enough to follow.
If they startled the snake and forced Marduk to change his strategy, there would be precious few in this world capable of stopping him.
"So we're just going to sit here and wait?"
Ishtar scratched her head, already losing interest.
Samael shot the War Goddess a glare, his frustration plain.
"Idiot! The Jews coming into Mesopotamia to seize land and compete in civilization means they're squeezing out the living space of other tribes."
"And what's the most important thing in competition? Fairness! Fairness! Fairness!"
"Marduk isn't stepping in himself, so why expose yourselves by doing it directly?"
"He's using Israel as his proxy. Can't you do the same to throw a wrench in his plans?"
"Until Mother Goddess and I finish our work, all you need to do is keep that King of Kings distracted!"
It was simple enough—what people would call a "proxy war."
After all, the dominant faith in Mesopotamia was still rooted in the remnants of Sumerian mythology. Polytheism and monotheism were natural enemies. And with Mesopotamia being so small, with limited people and resources, every mouthful Israel took meant one less for the other nations.
This kind of messy balance needed no outside push—the two sides would fight on their own.
All the denizens of the Underworld had to do was keep watch, tweak the "matchmaking system" of Mesopotamia's playing field, and make sure Israel's opponents were at least in the same bracket.
As long as they controlled things without going overboard, avoiding another divine war, humanity could fight its own battles.
Once the "bad one" laid it out like this, everyone suddenly understood, their eyes full of admiration.
But for some reason, Samael couldn't shake the feeling their looks carried something odd.
"Then who should we pick as the proxy?"
This time, a more cautious Ishtar asked sincerely.
"The Queen of Assyria, Semiramis."
The corner of Samael's lips lifted slightly, his expression unreadable.
"She's already called your incarnation, Ishtar, and has just taken the throne while crises loom inside and out. Give her some protection, make sure she stays seated firmly."
"Or pass her some divine blood, teach her a bit of defensive magecraft."
The War Goddess brightened at once, nodding eagerly. It wasn't often she got leave to stir trouble on the surface, so she listened carefully to every word.
After memorizing the essentials, Ishtar gripped a gemstone in one hand and Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven, in the other, looking a little unsure.
"Uh, my specialties are just Gem Magecraft and Summoning. How about those two?"
Samael couldn't help but recall the Assyrian empress who would appear in the future Holy Grail War at Trifas. She had two signature methods.
One was the magical fortress "Hanging Gardens of Babylon - Aerial Garden of Vanity," built with gems and precious magecraft materials. The other was summoning Bašmu, one of the Eleven Offspring of Tiamat…
The ancient serpent's mouth twitched before he reined in his thoughts, giving Ishtar instructions with a strange expression.
"You should have Bašmu's Spirit Origin records. Since she specializes in poison, give her that. Let it be Semiramis's summoning beast."
"And give her the architectural blueprints of the Babylonian defense lines. Use the pretext of building gardens to construct magecraft workshops inside the palace."
"If she runs into any tough assassins, at least she'll have somewhere to retreat and protect herself."
The Underworld's denizens nodded one after another, fully agreeing with Samael's plan.
If the Holy Grail War in the future unfolded as it had before, running into her would surely mean plenty of trouble.
The ancient serpent rolled his eyes up at the stone ceiling, grumbling silently to himself.