"Wahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Well done making it back, Shirou!"
The King's booming laughter echoed through the great hall of the Divine Tower.
Gilgamesh and the Chaldea representatives, who had gone to the Persian Gulf to investigate the water quality, had returned roughly half a day before Shirou reached Uruk.
"Welcome back, Shirou-san."
Ritsuka and Mash greeted him politely while casting curious glances at "that person" beside him.
"Mash, weren't Shirou-san's missions supposed to be 'Find the Tablet of Destinies' and 'Investigate the losses at the pasture'?"
"That's right. Just as expected of Shirou-san, he went above and beyond again... He even brought the goddess Ishtar back as a mission item."
"You two over there! Stop whispering! Who are you calling a mission item?!"
Ishtar crossed her arms over her chest with an angry huff.
In the end, she had squandered every chance to escape and allowed Shirou to bring her back.
"Well, well! If it isn't the goddess who shamelessly ran away from home, only to come crawling back! Go on, tell this king exactly how you feel right now!"
The goddess's face instantly flushed red at Gilgamesh's words.
"Sh-shut up! If it weren't for Shirou, who would ever want to come back to a place like this?!
I... That's right! Exactly! This time, I took time out of my extremely busy schedule to return to Uruk at Shirou's invitation!
As the most exalted War Goddess, occasionally answering the call of a true warrior like Shirou is an act of divine Compassion."
"Hmm? What I heard was that you attacked Shirou without warning, only to be defeated by him instead..."
"Th-that only happened because I let my guard down... Wait! You've lost to Shirou too! What gives you the right to laugh at me?!"
Their elementary school level argument continued inside the Divine Tower until Siduri, standing beside the throne, cleared her throat.
"Please, both of you, that is enough.
Whatever the circumstances may have been, there can be no greater honor for me as High Priestess than having our City God descend before us.
We will overlook the matter of the 'Ranch Owners' Loss Reports.' Let us celebrate the return of the goddess Ishtar."
Gilgamesh snorted and raised an eyebrow. "Well, there you have it, Ishtar. Those are the High Priestess's words."
"Ugh... Since Siduri is the one saying it, I suppose I can't complain..."
Ishtar fidgeted awkwardly. "She is the most devout priestess in Uruk, after all. You could even call her a model priestess..."
Not only the supremely arrogant Gilgamesh, but even the overbearing goddess Ishtar could not act high and mighty in front of Siduri.
"All right, Ishtar. Now tell us everything you know."
"Hmph. I knew this was coming. What do you want to ask?"
Mash spoke on Gilgamesh's behalf.
"Our questions are simple.
Why did the goddesses attack Uruk? What are the True Names of the other goddesses? And who summoned all of you?
Would you please answer those questions?"
"Actually, regarding Ishtar..."
Merlin's inability to understand the human heart aside, Gilgamesh also seemed unaware that "Ishtar had no intention of destroying humanity."
Perhaps the goddess's many misdeeds in the past had left the King of Heroes with a fixed impression of her.
Shirou knew, however, that after merging with Rin Tohsaka, Ishtar had become a goddess who genuinely cared about humanity. Just as he was about to explain that to everyone, Ishtar kicked him in the heel.
...What was that for?
Don't say anything unnecessary!
Ishtar shot him a meaningful look, then addressed the others.
"First, the reason we of the 'Three Goddess Alliance' attacked Uruk.
It should go without saying. We intend to rule the land from this point onward.
There are some differences in the details, of course. I intend to rule humanity, while the Northern Goddess intends to rule the land.
As for the Southern Goddess... How should I put this?
Our cultures are so different that I simply can't make any sense of her.
In any case, we are competing according to our own rules.
We are racing to see who can destroy Uruk first and claim the Holy Grail hidden away in King Gilgamesh's private collection.
The first goddess to obtain Uruk's Holy Grail may claim this land as her own.
The other two must either leave or remain as subordinate deities.
That is the purpose of our 'Three Goddess Alliance.' Simple, isn't it?"
"That is strange," Gilgamesh said with a frown.
Ishtar frowned back. "What's strange about it?"
Observing her reaction, Shirou realized that Ishtar knew nothing about Ereshkigal's existence.
Since Ishtar refused to admit that she was not actually a member of the "Three Goddess Alliance," Shirou decided to keep everything he knew about Ereshkigal hidden from her as well.
For now, he needed to stop Gilgamesh from revealing that the "Three Goddesses" actually numbered four.
"Ishtar... I'd like you to tell us the True Name of the Goddess of Demonic Beasts."
"Eh?! Sh-Shirou, you want to know?"
"Yeah."
Ishtar bit her lip, looking deeply troubled.
"I... can't tell you."
"Because of the rules?"
"Yeah." Ishtar nodded.
A taboo within the "Three Goddess Alliance" prohibited its members from attacking one another.
They could neither violate nor interfere with one another. Revealing the True Names of the other two Pillars would break that taboo.
"I understand. Since Ishtar doesn't want to tell us, we shouldn't force her, right?"
Shirou looked to Gilgamesh for agreement. The King turned his head away in displeasure.
"Shirou, you're so considerate~~~ I love it♡"
Ishtar clasped her hands together and gazed at Shirou with dreamy, lovestruck eyes.
The final question concerned who had summoned the Three Goddesses.
"I was summoned by the Priestesses of Uruk, but the Northern Goddess and Southern Goddess are different from me. Those two were drawn here by the Holy Grail."
Ishtar swept aside her luxuriant black hair and continued nonchalantly, "As for whether that man called the King of Magecraft was behind it somehow, that's beyond my knowledge."
Merlin stroked his chin and murmured, "Hmm. That more or less matches our theory."
"Well, the interrogation is over, isn't it? Unless you have anything else, I'm leaving," Ishtar said.
"Ishtar-san, where are you going?" Mash asked in confusion.
"Back to my bedchamber, Inanna, of course. I can't stand staying in a place like this for another second."
Inanna was the temple of the goddess Ishtar, located at the very heart of Uruk.
The temple had previously been sealed off, but in exchange for Ishtar's willingness to provide information, it had now been reopened to her.
"The only help I'll provide is information. Don't expect me to fight beside you.
Well, that's that... Oh, right."
With a beautiful smile, the Goddess of Venus naturally wrapped herself around the red haired boy's arm.
"Shirou doesn't have to stay in that old, rundown dormitory anymore. Why don't you move into my bedchamber, Inanna, with me?"
"Wha...?!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru and Ana turned toward Gilgamesh.
"H-how can this be...? My King! Can something like this really be allowed?"
Ritsuka Fujimaru bit down on her handkerchief and watched helplessly as Ishtar took Shirou away.
Merlin then spoke up. "By the way, what are we going to do with the 'Tablet of Destinies'? Deciphering it should be important too, shouldn't it?"
"Fujimaru will decipher it," Gilgamesh replied.
"Me? But I can't read it."
"You do not need to read it. Simply place your hand on the tablet and recite these words."
"There once was a city, there once was a city.
Where heaven and earth meet, ■■ lies an empty plain."
The moment the girl placed her hand upon the clay tablet, a scene of desolation appeared within her mind.
Inside a pale temple, a man lamented the ugliness of humanity.
"I cannot stand idly by. I cannot simply stand by and do nothing."
"I cannot permit that king's evil deeds. I cannot permit that king's cruelty..."
"......"
Sen...
Senpai...
"Senpai! Are you all right? You look terrible!"
Supported by Mash, Ritsuka Fujimaru clutched her head as dizziness overwhelmed her.
Gilgamesh silently watched the girl.
"...Judging by your expression, it was not a clear answer.
That clay tablet is a record of the vision I unconsciously 'saw' after returning from the Abyss.
It contains a clue concerning the Incineration of Humanity.
Sooner or later, you will understand what the scene you just glimpsed means.
Until then, keep it tucked away in a corner of your mind.
After all, the day will come when you encounter it, whether you wish to or not."
Gilgamesh changed the subject.
"Now then, I have a new mission for all of you."
...
Two days later, Ritsuka and Mash accepted King Gilgamesh's commission and left Uruk for the front lines.
When Siduri, the person responsible for the girls, heard the news, she wept tears of joy and murmured, "The King has finally acknowledged all of you from the bottom of his heart."
Before Ritsuka and Mash arrived in Uruk, Siduri had apparently been responsible for Shirou.
However, Shirou was so capable that there had been almost nothing she could do to help him.
That was why she felt such joy now that Ritsuka and Mash were gradually producing results.
Compared to a genius, an ordinary but hardworking child brought a far greater sense of satisfaction when they finally succeeded.
After traveling for a full day and night, the group finally reached the Magical Beast Front, which they had previously only seen from afar.
"A-amazing...! Look, Senpai! This place is every bit as lively as Uruk!
Even though it's a fortress, there are so many people working here besides the soldiers!"
Mash looked around excitedly.
Merlin smiled. "Of course. Defenses on this scale have been maintained for half a year, you know.
To sustain them, they naturally had no choice but to build an entire city on the spot."
This mission was no minor assignment like their previous ones. The lives of hundreds of people depended directly upon its success.
Nippur was a city located beyond Uruk's Northern Wall, on the far side of the Magical Beast Front in Babylonia.
For several months, it had been completely surrounded by Magical Beasts. By defending the city to the bitter end, however, its people had managed to hold out until now.
Nippur's reserves were almost exhausted, and continuing to defend the city was no longer possible.
Ritsuka and the others had come to escort the remaining citizens of Nippur to safety behind the Northern Wall.
Those taking part included Ritsuka, Mash, Merlin, Ana, and the four Heroic Spirits summoned by Gilgamesh. It was their largest operation to date.
The group gathered in a circle atop the walls of the Magical Beast Front to discuss the rescue operation planned for the following day.
"People have already begun starving to death inside Nippur. The rescue cannot be delayed any longer," Leonidas explained.
"That is why we intend to use a diversion.
The forces commanded by Ushiwakamaru-dono and Benkei-dono will advance toward Nippur from the east.
The Magical Beasts will undoubtedly attack you.
While their attention is focused there, Fujimaru-dono, Mash-san, Merlin-dono, and Ana-dono will enter Nippur from the west.
You must open the city gates, protect the surviving citizens, and guide them safely back to the Northern Wall."
No one objected to Leonidas I's plan.
In fact, he was the only Heroic Spirit present with experience commanding an army in battle.
The operation was scheduled for the following morning. Once the details had been confirmed, everyone returned to their rooms and went to bed early.
...
Shirou did not take part in the rescue of Nippur. Instead, he remained behind in Uruk alone.
The reason was simple. He now spent nearly every day beside the goddess Ishtar.
That was his current assignment.
He was to remain in the bedchamber, Inanna, and keep the rampaging goddess Ishtar under supervision.
Shirou was unquestionably an indispensable fighting force for Uruk.
However, merely granting him leave was enough to pacify one member of the "Three Goddess Alliance" and reduce the damage around Uruk by eighty percent. No matter how one looked at it, the arrangement was an excellent bargain.
Incidentally, when the citizens learned the truth behind the recent peace, they were overcome with grief.
"Shirou-sama... To think he would sacrifice his own beauty for the sake of peace in Uruk..."
"I saw the two of them walking through the market yesterday like newlyweds. Shirou-sama must be suffering terribly inside..."
"Shirou-sama... Is Ishtar-sama ravaging him night after night...? Sniff... The poor man..."
Shirou Amamiya's spirit of self sacrifice had surpassed that of every sacred prostitute in the history of Mesopotamia's Age of Gods.
Should the war end successfully, the citizens of Uruk would probably erect a statue of him of their own accord.
While Ritsuka and the others earnestly discussed the next morning's battle plan, Shirou had just finished buying ingredients for dinner and was preparing to return to the temple of Ianna.
When he noticed several citizens gathered in a corner, curiosity drew him closer.
"...Who's that old man? He's not from around here, is he?"
"Ugh, he's begging... And look at his leg... It's not as though he's a wounded soldier..."
Apparently, an old man was begging by the roadside.
"Don't get involved. The caretakers will deal with it, won't they? The Priestesses even have funds set aside for situations like this."
"I know... But that man's been sitting there without moving for ages... He hasn't eaten a thing in two whole days, has he?"
"......"
Shirou took the bread he had just bought from his paper bag, placed it in front of the old man, then turned and slipped back through the crowd.
He needed to hurry home. If he kept Ishtar waiting too long, she would start making a fuss again.
Before Shirou had gone far, however, a voice called out behind him.
"Halt."
Shirou stopped without turning around.
"Was one loaf of bread not enough? Sorry, but I'm rather short on money myself."
A deep, aged voice answered from behind him, sounding as though it had risen from the very bottom of the Abyss.
"Since you have already recognized me, why have you said nothing?"
Shirou glanced over his shoulder at the black robed old man holding the bread.
"I'm not the person you're waiting for, am I, old man?
I can tell that much. I'm not so tactless that I'd interfere."
"......Hmm."
Even the old man, who had lived through countless ages and whose wisdom had reached the depths of the Abyss, had not expected that answer.
"Just as you say, the one I await is a Magus from a foreign land.
Still, there is no harm in speaking with the King of a foreign land."
"Hmm? What do you want to talk about?"
Shirou turned around, intrigued.
The black robed old man before him was exceptionally tall, yet his presence was exceedingly faint.
The citizens of Uruk had mistaken him for a beggar, but Shirou alone sensed that something was amiss.
No matter how thoroughly the old man concealed himself, Shirou could still detect something unusual within that faint presence.
"My name is Ziusudra."
He spoke slowly.
"An old man such as I, who may not live to see another day, no longer possesses the strength to do anything for Uruk, however much I may wish to.
You are different. You are young, and you possess power."
The old man paused.
"Go to the Northern Wall.
A storm is coming. Your power is needed there now."
The moment he finished speaking, the old man vanished as though he had never been there.
"Hah... You certainly know how to order people around, old man. I'm definitely complaining about this later."
Shirou sighed and stepped forward.
He drew the ancient black greatsword the old man had left behind, embedded in the ground.