"The reason we—the Three-Goddess Alliance—formed and attacked Uruk is simple enough. There's not much to explain: to rule the land that comes after."
True to her word, Ereshkigal spoke without hesitation, showing no hint of remorse.
"Of course, there are small differences between us. My goal is dominion over humanity itself. The goddess in the north seeks control of the land. As for the one in the south—her origins are too different. I honestly can't figure out what she's after."
"So the real 'Three Goddesses' don't actually include Ishtar?"
Ophis interrupted to confirm.
"Ha! That stupid sister of mine doesn't even grasp the situation properly. Wandering around on her flying boat all day is about the most advanced thing she's capable of."
When she mentioned her sister, Ereshkigal couldn't hide a sharp sneer.
"Though it seems she deliberately misled—or maybe teased—you on that point, it's true that she isn't one of us."
Ophis nodded slightly.
Thinking back, it did make sense. Ishtar might have made plenty of excuses, but her actions had always ended up helping to repel demonic beasts.
Which meant she'd been aware of what she was doing all along—even when she'd "accidentally" leaked information.
…Probably on purpose, then.
"But leaving her aside," Ereshkigal continued, "even though we call ourselves an 'alliance,' we're actually competing with each other under our own set of rules."
"Rules?"
"Exactly. The first goddess who conquers Uruk and claims the Holy Grail you're hiding, wins the right to this land. The other two can either withdraw or serve under her command. That's the entire premise of the Three-Goddess Alliance. Simple, isn't it?"
"The Holy Grail, huh?"
Ophis tilted her head slightly.
To her, the Holy Grail was hardly impressive. Its magical energy might seem limitless—but "near-infinite" was still not true infinity.
After all, it was only an incomplete product of the Third Magic, at best a medium meant to complete it.
Though it carried the legend of granting wishes, in truth, it was omnipotent—but not omniscient.
Given enough knowledge, Ophis herself could achieve far more than that vessel ever could.
Still, for others, it remained an object of immeasurable worth.
Even if the goddesses didn't need it for its power, using such a divine relic to decide the victor's claim was enough to make it worthwhile.
So troublesome…
Ophis sighed inwardly.
If destroying it wouldn't risk destabilizing human history, she would have gladly thrown it away—or handed it to someone else at random.
"After meeting you," Ereshkigal went on, "I realized how ridiculous it is that the other two—and I as well—have been scheming endlessly to claim the Grail."
Her lips twisted into a faintly crooked smile as she looked at Ophis.
Mana transfer was an exchange of essence, and though they hadn't used the most infamous method, Ereshkigal had glimpsed part of Ophis's core nature during that exchange.
That so-called Infinity—even a fragment of it—was true infinity. No broken cup could ever compare.
"Then about the northern and southern goddesses—who are they exactly?" Ophis asked.
"Ah, that's something I can't say."
The answer came instantly, firm and final.
"Among us, it's forbidden to attack each other directly—or to interfere in any way. That includes revealing one another's True Names."
So that was why.
"Oh right, you also asked why we appeared here," Ereshkigal added. "In my case, as you guessed, I was summoned by those priestesses as my sister's other aspect. But I killed them immediately and left. Only my foolish sister would actually believe all those deaths came from magical exhaustion."
"And the other two?"
"Those two were drawn by the Holy Grail. Whether someone else was behind it all—a certain Mage-King, perhaps—I wouldn't know."
Ophis nodded silently and closed her eyes for a few moments.
Then she spoke again.
"You lied."
"Huh!? Wait, what? I didn't lie! And what kind of reasoning is that supposed to be?"
"Intuition."
"That answer makes you sound just like my stupid sister!"
Ereshkigal twisted irritably in midair, glaring down at her captor.
"And if you're accusing me of lying, at least tell me where!"
"Who knows."
Ophis waved a hand dismissively.
Ever since… well, she wasn't sure when, but her intuition had grown far sharper.
Most of what Ereshkigal said was true. Ophis could tell that much.
But there was one part—a faint inconsistency—that felt off.
"Your true objective," Ophis said quietly. "You haven't spoken the truth about that."
It wasn't exactly a lie—but Ereshkigal had definitely hidden something. Ophis's instincts were certain of it.
"Hah? That—no, wait—"
Ereshkigal suddenly looked flustered, stumbling over her words.
Ophis watched her silently.
"Don't talk nonsense! Establishing a kingdom of death, ruling over all human souls—that's my goal! I hate the living and toy with the dead! I'm exactly that kind of evil existence!"
Ignoring her flustered declaration, Ophis flicked her hand. The Chains of Heaven dissolved into motes of light, releasing their captive.
Ereshkigal dropped unceremoniously to the ground.
"You—"
"Killing that body would be pointless."
Ophis's tone was matter-of-fact.
"Ishtar isn't part of the alliance, so there's no need to kill her. As for you, I have no means of reaching across the boundary to the Underworld. So, I'll let you go this time."
"…Hmph. Don't think I'll thank you."
Ereshkigal stood, her expression complicated.
"In any case, I won't give up on my purpose. Someday, I'll take even you into my Underworld—so just wait patiently for your soul to be purified!"
Delivering that dramatic line, she leapt onto Ishtar's flying boat and departed, her presence fading into the night.
Ophis watched her go in silence, her mind quietly sorting through the new information.
"In other words," she murmured at last, "her true goal isn't evil at all, is it?"
Considering her words and actions together, Ophis could only conclude—
Interpreting the opposite of whatever she says is probably about right.
---
...
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