Chapter 36: Gilgamesh (5)

Because I could see everything from the moment I was born, I could find no interest in anything.

The history of humanity. The future of the planet. Even the thousands, tens of thousands of different parallel worlds, branching out in various ways.

My clairvoyance showed me everything.

That is why I closed my eyes.

Because a future that merely followed a predetermined course was no fun.

Even if I could never share the same perspective as anyone else, I wanted to find some meaning.

Something that would make my heart pound, something so joyful it felt like I could fly away.

The desire to find that something, which I couldn't even properly grasp the form of, always remained in a corner of my mind.

Even as I continued my wise rule as the king of Uruk, I could not forget that dream.

“Siduri. I am going out for a while.”

“To collect treasures? Understood.”

“...Something like that.”

Siduri was a loyal and wise servant, but she could never be my equal.

She is different from me.

So sometimes, on days when the work of Uruk was light, I would go out.

To find my dream.

“But it's not like I could find it so easily.”

Who in this world could be like me?

Is there anyone born a demigod, destined to become the strongest hero?

My dream grew smaller and smaller.

“I should make this outing the last.”

Just one last time.

I opened the eyes I had kept closed. The entire flow of time and space, and the infinite information within it, flooded my mind.

An ordinary person's brain would have exploded.

“...Because I am not ordinary.”

It's not that I want to live an ordinary life.

I just want someone who can share the same view.

And by a complete coincidence, I found such a destiny.

Even in the forest right before my eyes.

For the first time since I was born, my heart pounded. I had never felt such excitement before.

I leaped across vines and tree roots, heading deeper into the forest.

“A crazed boar is on the loose——!”

“...Found you.”

Ah.

I had found him.

Someone who, with just a little more refinement, could surely share the same perspective as me.

By a complete coincidence, I had found him.

He was trying to face the beast with a sword that was stuck in the ground.

I approached naturally and gently pressed down on the hilt of the sword.

He turned to look at me, startled.

My heart pounded even faster.

But he didn't notice. He just got angry and spat out curses.

“Can't you just get lost?!”

“That might be difficult. I've decided to take this sword, you see.”

I have never been so delighted.

I closed my clairvoyance and opened my own eyes.

I saw thousands of branches. I had already devised hundreds of ways to tame the beast.

I discarded the methods that were too harsh and chose a decent one.

With this, I can do it.

He will be able to bring joy to my life.

I am Gilgamesh. The greatest demigod in the world.

Once I have made something mine, I have no intention of letting it go.

​

​

The war was not difficult.

The fighting is only difficult because this is the Age of Gods, and the individual specs of the people are at an insane level.

The development of strategy and tactics had not yet taken place, so the level of warfare was extremely low.

It was just a matter of everyone rushing in and having a brawl.

Even when we used a simple hammer and anvil tactic, the enemies crumbled like dust.

We fought and fought, without rest.

I won't mince words. The life of staining my hands with blood was certainly enjoyable.

It reminded me of the days when I used to hunt down fairies... anyway, that's that.

“Lord Marduk. The enemy's vanguard has appeared. It seems they have received the news.”

“...Where are we right now?”

“We are at the mouth of the Branun River. The Taurus Mountains will soon appear.”

The Branun River refers to the Euphrates River.

The Taurus Mountains are a mountain range located in the southeast of Turkey, where the Euphrates River ends.

Uruk is located downstream, and the Taurus Mountains are located upstream.

In a straight line, it was about 800km...? Gilgamesh told me, but I don't remember well.

Considering the actual terrain, it would probably be around 900-1000km.

In other words.

We had come too far.

“How is the morale of the soldiers?”

“One hundred percent. They are perfectly prepared and will be able to win easily even without you, Commander.”

We were no different from a giant swarm of locusts.

From Babylon, Baghdad, Ashur, Nineveh, to Mosul.

We had smashed every single city-state that was developing along the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.

To call them city-states was a kindness; compared to the development of Uruk, they were all nothing more than rural villages.

There are countless areas with no walls and a population of less than 1000.

Considering the times, 1000 is a rather large number, but from my perspective, it's an absurdly small one.

Sweeping through such villages, taking prisoners, plundering supplies....

After repeating this dozens of times, the initial excitement had long since vanished.

Now, I was just mechanically killing people. It had no meaning.

“...Upon inspection, the number of enemies is quite large. It will be a bit troublesome. They appear to number around 500.”

“Did they form a coalition? They've brought quite a lot.”

“What will you do? I believe the feint tactic from last time is also a good option.”

A feint tactic.

A tactic where we abandon our supplies and prisoners, hide in the hills or forests, and then strike the enemy from behind while they are busy distributing the spoils.

I had used it once against an overwhelmingly large number of enemies, and my second-in-command had managed to remember it.

So what should I do? Kill them all?

To be honest, in my current state, I could wipe them all out by myself.

But there's no meaning in it.

We've long since left Uruk's sphere of influence.

In the first place, there was no need to come this far.

Even 50km away from Uruk, its influence drops drastically. Considering the era, this is perfectly natural.

It's not like they have carrier pigeons or mounted messengers.

There's nothing.

There was no reason for us to have run 1000km from the start.

When I looked back, I saw a large number of people.

Most of them were prisoners of war.

They were living surprisingly peacefully. 

No one would think of them as prisoners.

“How many are there?”

“About 1000.”

“...I seem to see a few babies here and there. Didn't I say not to take children?”

The second-in-command said with a serious expression.

“No. The prisoners who were captured have given birth to new children.”

“Given birth to children...? Wait a minute. How many years has it been since we left?”

“About five years.”

This is insane. Really, five years?

You mean to tell me I've been swinging a sword and an axe for five years without a single day of rest?

What am I even doing?

I immediately returned to the camp, grabbed a resting prisoner, and asked.

“What is your name? The name of the city you were in?”

“My name is Elias. My city had no name, but I lived upstream of the Branun River.”

“...You're not from this region. You're from the Mediterranean.”

“That is correct.”

I asked him how his life as a prisoner was.

It was a stupid question, come to think of it, but he didn't give a disingenuous answer.

“I think my life is better now than where I used to live. The supplies obtained from plundering are abundant, so I never go hungry, and the housing, called a 'tent', is comfortable.”

“...I see. I understand.”

I went to find my second-in-command.

I couldn't hide my troubled expression.

“Have you made your decision?”

“...I seem to have become the leader of a nomadic tribe without even realizing it.”

“To be honest, I can't even remember Uruk anymore. Haha.”

He said it with a laugh, but it didn't sound like a joke.

I never intended to play the role of a nomadic leader.

I only did it because I felt the need for more efficient unit management while conquering city-states.

I accepted those among the prisoners who wished to be naturalized and had them do menial tasks. Those who wanted to become soldiers were accepted as soldiers.

As the population grew, I felt the need for laws. I established new rules and punished criminals.

I also assigned additional personnel to raise food and plundered animals.

We discussed important matters in a large hut and decided on our next target for conquest.

I'm a regular Khan.

“...What do you think of me?”

“You are the commander. The undefeated hero. The ruler in whom mercy and mercilessness coexist. The strongest of the gods.”

“No. I don't need such titles.”

“Even if you say so, Commander, it is too late. Everyone already thinks of you that way.”

Marduk, the Sage King.

The name Gilgamesh had bestowed upon me.

Human, Beast, and God.

Three incompatible things had become mixed together.

What... am I?

“We who follow the Sage King feel a certain sense of pride.”

“.........”

“But it seems you are starting to want to go back.”

The second-in-command's eyes gleamed.

“Will you lay waste to the lands you once conquered again?”

Their identity had ceased to be that of Uruk's people.

It was an independent nation I had created.

A group of an immense scale of 1000 people.

My head started to ache.

“No. I have to go back to Uruk. You all... do as you please.”

“We will always serve you, Commander... no, Marduk. Until the day you return, we will spread the name of Marduk throughout the world.”

I was about to correct his words, but I didn't even have the heart to.

I left the group, carrying only my sword and axe.

Countless people were bowing to me.

I felt something welling up inside me.

The power given to me by the people who worshiped me. In other words, faith.

“...This isn't it. I never wanted to become such a grand person.”

As I was walking across the fields for some time, a familiar goddess descended before me.

Ishtar. She, whom I hadn't seen in a very long time, was quite flustered.

“Wh-what?! Why aren't you dead! I definitely put a curse on you!”