"Oh? So Miss Jeanne has met that Enkidu, huh?"
After Jeanne finished recounting their brief encounter, Merlin clapped his hands together, clearly intrigued.
"Yes. Based on the soldiers' reports afterward, the opponent's appearance matches that of 'Enkidu.'"
"Then, Miss Jeanne! Do you believe that Enkidu is the real one?"
"Ah, well, I've never met the original Lady Enkidu, so I can't really say."
Faced with Siduri suddenly leaning in close, Jeanne stepped back awkwardly, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
"Oh, my apologies—that was rude of me."
Realizing her excitement, Siduri retreated several steps and hid behind Ophis.
"Hmmm… this really is a big deal, isn't it? If that's the real one, our dear King Ophis might switch sides on the spot, hmm?"
Siduri opened her mouth to refute Merlin—but then realized…
Damn it, that wasn't just possible. It was very likely.
This was exactly why she hated that careless "whatever happens, happens" look of his.
"My King… you…"
"Don't worry."
Ophis waved a hand dismissively at Siduri's anxious question, then walked over and sat down on the nearby throne.
"Enkidu can meld into the earth to move—"
Rumble────!
Before she could finish, a blue magic cannon tore through the ceiling, blasting down toward everyone present.
"Tch…"
Ophis grit her teeth, her expression darkening. For a split second, her eyes burned with sharp killing intent and restrained fury.
But it vanished as quickly as it appeared. Her face returned to its usual indifferent calm, as though nothing had happened. With a lazy flick of her hand, she deflected the beam aside.
Almost no one noticed that brief flash of emotion—except for a certain mage with very convenient eyes.
"Yo! I came to play again!"
Through the hole in the ceiling, Ishtar could be seen cheerfully waving from atop Maanna.
"Oh~! Could this be the legendary Goddess Ishtar? Truly as radiant as the rumors say!"
Before Ophis could respond, Merlin stepped forward to speak first.
"Huh? Who's this shallow-looking guy I suddenly feel like kicking in the face?"
"Truly merciless, as expected from the Goddess of Venus. You know, words like that could seriously wound the delicate heart of someone you just met."
Ishtar's disgust only deepened.
"For trash like you, it'd be better if your heart just burst full of holes and self-destructed immediately—save my divine eyes the pollution."
"Ishta."
Ophis finally exhaled and spoke.
"What?"
Ishtar turned instinctively at the sound of her name—just in time to see dozens of glowing projectiles streaking toward her.
"Hold on, that's totally unfair—hey, wait! I said wait!"
Ishtar's expression twisted as she dodged frantically.
Every one of those weapons carried anti-divinity properties. Who even fought like this?!
"Ishta, enemy."
"Well yeah, technically true—but you can't just open with something that unfair! On my way here, I actually helped you—no, helped Uruk—clear out a bunch of wyverns trying to sneak in!"
At those words, Ophis halted her attack.
"Haha! Surprised, right? Uruk belongs to me anyway—only I have the right to wreck it. Those two snakes showing up out of nowhere? Totally breaking the rules. Sure, we've got a treaty not to attack each other directly, but they were blocking my shots! Clearing the road doesn't count as breaking the rules, right?"
Ophis fell silent.
Maybe she should offer a moment of silence for Ishtar's teammates.
Also, technically, she herself could qualify as a "flying reptile."
Still, Ophis realized she'd overlooked something. She'd focused too much on the major events she foresaw, neglecting these smaller aerial skirmishes.
Even if she repelled them quickly, there would still be some damage.
Looks like they'd need an aerial surveillance and defense network immediately.
If that was the case, then she actually owed Ishtar a small favor this time—on top of the large one from the harvest blessing earlier.
One big, one small. Debts piling up.
Maybe she should beat her senseless, capture her, and then let her go to balance things out.
But catching someone that fast sounded like too much trouble. Forget it.
A treaty, huh… and the goddess had just let slip quite a bit of intel again.
So the three deities only agreed not to attack each other. They weren't truly allies—their pact went no further than that.
If so… perhaps her plan wasn't completely unfeasible after all.
At this rate, if Ishtar kept dropping by, the entire divine alliance's structure would reveal itself piece by piece.
It might be wiser to just let her come and keep talking.
More importantly…
Ishtar still loved humanity. That much had been clear from her words.
At the very least, more monsters had died under her bombardment than humans.
"I understand. I'll let you off this time."
"Oh, thanks—wait! Why are you talking like you've got me all figured out!?"
"Anyway, Ishta, what did you even come here for?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
Ishtar puffed out her now rather diminished chest proudly.
"Even if it was just on the way, I helped you guys perfectly repel those beasts! Shouldn't I get some kind of reward?"
"…"
Ophis doubted very much that Uruk's buildings had survived that "perfect" repulsion intact.
Also—since when did this goddess stoop to asking mortals for payment?
"Report! Dozens of wyverns preparing to attack Uruk were just shot down by an unidentified flying object. However, the bombardment caused considerable damage to several buildings."
"You bastard, who are you calling an unidentified flying object!? Careful, or I'll curse all your male descendants to only love men, and all your female descendants to only love women!"
"Th-that's… Goddess Ishtar!? My King, please allow me to withdraw—I still want descendants!"
…Pathetic. Besides, the world was ending—what descendants?
Still, Ophis knew that when real battle began, these same soldiers would charge to their deaths without hesitation, even as cannon fodder.
With a helpless wave, she dismissed the man and tossed a jewel to Ishtar.
"Oho! This tribute pleases me greatly. Remember to offer more next time! Anyway, I'll come play again soon~!"
"…"
Ophis had fully expected Ishtar to feel like she was being brushed off like a beggar.
Because that was exactly her intent.
She wondered if, when Ishtar returned to her divine form someday, she'd consider this entire period a dark stain on her history…
Laughing wildly, Ishtar flew off.
A wild laugh whose meaning completely escaped Ophis.
"Siduri, contact the Priestess Court. Set up barriers around all of Uruk. No gaps—land or sky."
Ophis issued the order as if nothing had happened.
Land defenses—specifically to guard against that Enkidu.
"Wait, my King, about that person just now—"
Siduri started to speak, but Merlin stopped her with his staff.
"Hmm, King Ophis. There's something that needs clarification. After all, I'm quite curious myself… Miss Jeanne, given your class, you should be able to tell whether that 'Enkidu' is a Servant, correct?"
Merlin's tone was light, but the question struck directly at the heart of the matter.
"Ah, yes… that one… probably isn't."
Jeanne hesitated for a moment, then steadied her voice.
"Whether through my Ruler-class residual authority, the guidance of my 'Revelation,' or the information that 'Enkidu' provided directly—all of it indicates that this 'Enkidu' is not a Servant. But probably not human either. Compared to that, the current form is more like…"
As Jeanne spoke, her gaze drifted repeatedly toward Ophis, as though weighing her words carefully.
"A weapon."
Ophis cut her off, uttering the words herself.
"Just a weapon. Nothing more."
Yet she left one thought unspoken:
Both now and in the past, Enkidu had always been a weapon.
A weapon that, even as a weapon, had never truly fulfilled its purpose.
─Both then… and now.