Since beginning my forced companionship with the clay, I was able to find out quite a few things.
First, this thing could change into anything.
Trees, weapons, beasts, and so on….
As long as it was an object with a form, it could transform without restriction.
“Clay. Turn into an axe.”
With a single word, it would change into an axe that fit perfectly in my hand.
If I wanted a saw, it became a saw.
I used the clay to build a house. Mostly, I used it for cutting down trees.
I wondered if it was okay to carelessly cut down the trees in the sanctuary, but no one came to stop me.
Since I decided to settle in the forest, I did manage it by replanting as many trees as I cut down.
As befitting a sanctuary, the trees grew back quickly. It wasn't even noticeable that I had cut a few down to build my house.
“…It looks pretty decent.”
Another thing I found out was that this thing is quite smart.
Living alone in the forest was lonely, so I once made a chessboard.
I played about three games by myself before giving up, but the next day, I saw the clay playing chess on its own.
I thought, 'How good could a squishy lump of clay be at chess?' but it played far better than I did.
I suffered five consecutive losses, and just before the tenth, I flipped the board.
It seemed it was no exaggeration that the gods made it; given the right trigger, the clay would be able to grow explosively.
But I'm not exactly a great teacher. Nor did I have any intention of becoming one.
The clay was nothing more than something that followed me around.
An occasional partner to respond to my monologues, perhaps?
“…I'm bored.”
Squish, squish. The clay's body folded in half and then straightened. It was a sign of affirmation.
The clay expressed itself in that way.
To summarize, the clay can transform freely, has excellent learning abilities, and also understands speech.
“But it's still clay.”
A thing that slithers around the house.
It was impossible to consider the clay a person.
After all, if it were a person, shouldn't it be able to speak?
As I stared at it, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
“…If I taught it how to speak, would it learn?”
I immediately put the idea into action.
I picked up the wriggling thing and placed it on the table.
And then I kneaded it to my heart's content. I made a face, a body, to make it look like a person….
At the end of a three-hour creative session, what I learned was that I have no talent for art.
The clay's form couldn't be called human, not even as an empty compliment.
“The limits of talent, I suppose….”
I didn't have any great attachment to the idea. 'It would be nice if it worked.' That was about the extent of my feelings.
“Time to sleep.”
Several months passed like that.
A new wind of change blew into my dry, tasteless life.
“A priestess. My name is Shamhat.”
“…Seeing the Uruk-shaped embroidery, I assume Gilgamesh sent you.”
“That is correct.”
Shamhat. She was a priestess of Uruk who served Ishtar.
The reason she came to see me was this:
Gilgamesh had already noticed that a weapon meant to punish her had been created.
However, she had found out that its form and strength were utterly pathetic.
To think that what the gods had pooled their power to create was merely a lump of clay!
Gilgamesh's pride was wounded.
She believed that if something was to punish her, it should at least be on the same level as Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven.
“Therefore, King Gilgamesh has sent me to make the weapon grow.”
“Grow? How, specifically?”
“Like this.”
Shamhat crouched down and placed her hand on the clay that was rolling around at her feet.
Then she began to smear the clay on her lower abdomen.
“Ngh…♡”
Not only that, but her arms and legs, lips and breasts.
She even smeared the clay on that place too embarrassing to mention.
In effect, she had covered her entire body with the clay.
It was truly incomprehensible, but up to this point, I could still understand it if I tried hard enough.
“Hah… hah….”
But why was she moaning?
It was so incomprehensible that it deserved three question marks.
It was so embarrassing that even I, the onlooker, felt ashamed.
Shamhat's flushed expression was that of a woman engaged in the act of love.
Her breathing was ragged, and her hand moved down towards her private parts.
The absurd thing was, the clay was also reacting, twitching.
It didn't just stick to Shamhat's body; it gradually began to change its form.
The thing that had been like a gooey slime soon began to take on a human form.
“Aahn… Hhng…♡”
I think I'm going to lose my mind.
No matter how sexually open Sumeria is, is it really okay to just start having intercourse right in front of the homeowner?
This isn't just about manners… isn't this something a social animal shouldn't do?
The two of them paid me no mind and explored each other's bodies.
The pair, who had been making love while gradually shifting their position, soon ended up on my bed.
“No… this is insane.”
I gave up and went outside.
I don't know why I had to leave my own house as if I were being kicked out, but I left anyway.
And then I walked. To forget the shocking scene, I plunged my head into the lake.
Gurgle. Bubbles obscured my vision.
For a long while, I kept my head submerged in the water like that.
How much time had passed? I was forcibly pulled out of the water.
“S-suicide is not the answer!”
“Ereshkigal? What are you doing here?”
That characteristic gloomy voice. It was Ereshkigal.
“I don't know what happened, but no matter how hard things are, you can't die!”
“No. I wasn't particularly trying to die.”
“They say lovers should embrace at times like this, right?… Here! Come into my arms! Your negative thoughts will fly away! Probably…!”
I think Ereshkigal said something strange about being lovers….
I don't know. Thinking has become a bother now.
I felt like I was going crazy because of those lunatics having sex in someone else's house in broad daylight.
I leaned my body towards Ereshkigal's open arms.
“Then, just for a little while….”
“Okay!”
Ereshkigal was smiling brightly.
“I-I'm so lucky. I snuck out, and I ran right into Marduk. Hehe….”
Are you happy? Right. Being happy is a good thing.
Feeling the gentleness of Ereshkigal as she stroked my head, I closed my eyes.
This is all a dream, right…?
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