Gorgon and Kingu retreated. After handling the aftermath, everyone gathered at the Ziggurat to begin a meeting. I had intended to stay behind and review what I had studied earlier, but Ritsuka and Mash each hooked an arm around one of mine and forcibly dragged me along.
So the Three Goddess Alliance consisted of Gorgon, Quetzalcoatl, and Ereshkigal. As Ritsuka had declared, our objective was to dismantle the Three Goddess Alliance. Which meant my target was among them, right?
We had to do it within ten days, so apparently the plan was to buy Ishtar off by offering her twenty-five percent of the jewels in the king's treasury. At first, I laughed. She was still a goddess. Would she really be swayed by something like that?
...She really was bought off?
"In the end, I was right, wasn't I, Saber? Puhahahahaha! Seeing that dumbfounded look on your face is incredibly satisfying!"
"Why are you looking at me? Don't look at me! I knew I shouldn't have come here...!"
...My opinion of goddesses in this world had changed considerably. Was that only true of her? Mari was crazy about gold too, but not to this extent.
"I earned it through my own efforts. All that gold is what I've made so far, you know? So how about adding a bit of gold to your armor? I'll put in just a little."
...So she says.
I could not go along to buy Ishtar off because she ran away. I was happy enough to have some time to review my lessons. Of course, they did not let me rest; I was immediately put to work building the city walls. That damned king was definitely getting revenge for the time I shut myself in my room for dozens of days to train.
"Come to think of it, why don't Command Spells work on you? Aren't they absolute orders for Servants?"
Even if I wanted to explain that, I could not.
Using the Japanese Mari had taught me before, I painstakingly wrote the explanation on the ground. Good job, me! I wanted to learn the magecraft that lets you write in midair too, but it was harder than I expected. I still had not even learned Glintstone Pebble...
"So your Noble Phantasm lets you ignore any order? Is that why even my Command Spell failed? And the way you teleported here was because you flew here using some sort of power."
"But there are two more clauses. 'Forbid speech,' and 'Remember my memories.' So that's why you can't speak. And 'remember my memories' somehow sounds... romantic."
...
"..."
"In any case, what about promises or requests rather than orders? Those should work, right?"
"That's a good idea. Those would not be affected by his Noble Phantasm."
If it was a promise between friends, then...
In a way, was a contract a kind of promise too?
"Not obeying any order is amazing in its own way. So that's why Gorgon's Mystic Eyes of Petrification did not work. They register as an order saying, 'Turn to stone!' Then curses, magecraft effects, and similar spells probably would not work on him either. I'd like to run some tests once we return to Chaldea. And if he cannot obey any order, then after the order forbidding him from speaking..."
"And what does this 'remember me' mean..."
A shrill male voice and a woman's voice enthusiastically debated my Noble Phantasm. While they were at it, I quietly slipped away and resumed meditating.
After that, we headed toward Quetzalcoatl. On the way, we were about to fight a Divine Spirit called Jaguar Man, but Ritsuka persuaded her to join our side instead. That girl is more eloquent than 'Neck.' If she had been there, I feel like she could have talked Hoarah Loux into crawling at her feet.
But Jaguar Man kept stealing glances at me. Mostly at my chest. Come to think of it, Ritsuka told me Jaguar Man liked hearts. Would she not rather eat Merlin's than mine? She had the same look the Pale Ones gave their prey, and now and then I could even hear her swallow.
This Singularity... Let's finish the objective quickly and go home...
At this rate, there will be nothing left of my body.
"I told you, goddesses are naturally drawn to you. Try indulging her a little."
What are you talking about?
Look at that pitiable goddess who is obsessed with jewels.
She's still afraid of me.
"...I feel like you're having blasphemous thoughts about me."
"Wouldn't it be stranger if she weren't afraid after seeing you back then? According to Alaya's records, countless gods fought that giant and were demoted from true gods to Divine Spirits. You held that giant down all by yourself, so her reaction is only natural."
I pushed away the face of that pitiable goddess, which had come right up to mine, and followed the group to our destination.
******
Hmm. So we came to retrieve some huge axe, got lost in the jungle, and ended up running into Quetzalcoatl standing in front of us? Is this because of my luck? They say her Divinity is similar to that snake goddess's. What should I do about this?
"Now then, the battle begins. Let's all enjoy ourselves! You understand too, don't you?"
"No, I don't understand! Fighting isn't fun!"
"? Then why do you fight, Ritsuka? If you do not enjoy it, what do you fight for?"
"Fighting is secondary to me. Fighting is not the goal. It's something I have to overcome to reach the happiness that comes after!"
Ha. That is exactly the answer I would expect from my friend and Master!
But why are you smiling?
That smile is even scarier!
Our original goal had been to recover the large axe. But now that we had encountered Quetzalcoatl, the plan was to destroy the [Sun Stone], the Noble Phantasm maintaining her Divinity, weaken her, and defeat her. Mash, Ana, Jaguar Man, and I readied our weapons, while Ishtar took to the sky to provide support.
"By the way, it is difficult for good people to hurt me. In other words, good children will have a hard time defeating me! You were on the good side too, weren't you?"
"Of course he is! He took such good care of the children, and the children love him too. He could never be a bad person. My junior is a good junior!"
Stop!
My face is burning!
I'm embarrassed when you praise me so directly.
The small talk ended quickly. As Ishtar began her barrage, Ritsuka gave the signal to destroy the Sun Stone, and Mash, Ana, and I charged in.
Mash and Ana make a good team.
No, Mash is the one supporting Ana, I suppose.
But that goddess... Her physical strength is incredible.
She somehow reminds me of Hoarah Loux.
At that moment, Jaguar Man appeared and launched a surprise attack. Quetzalcoatl caught her spear, pulled her in, struck her with a heel kick that broke her stance, then kicked her in the stomach and sent her flying. She grabbed Jaguar Man out of the air, pinned her head downward between her legs, and slammed her into the ground.
She really is a goddess version of Hoarah Loux...
Her grappling moves are just as flashy too.
I tried to channel the lightning spear running through my body into my Bastard Sword, but I failed, perhaps because my training was still lacking. What a shame. I think it could have dealt a fatal blow. My lightning spear carried a concept capable of dealing fatal damage to an Outer God, so if I had succeeded, we might not have needed to destroy the Sun Stone.
The instant Jaguar Man was slammed into the ground, Mash and Ana thrust their weapons from either side. Quetzalcoatl crossed her arms, caught both weapons, and held them in place. She kicked Ana away, then swung her entire arm at Mash through her shield. I rushed in and struck her elbow with a back kick, knocking the blow off course.
Hey, don't smile like that.
It's scary!
Quetzalcoatl bared her sharp teeth in a smile as we continued our brief exchange. We could only leave shallow wounds with our weapons when—
Quetzalcoatl threw a punch. I met it with my own fist, casting [Determination of the Capital Knight] and [Iron Wall Shield] over my arm while concentrating my lightning spear. My feet skidded backward, but I at least managed not to be blown away.
I cannot win a contest of strength.
I need to pull back and regroup for a moment.
"Junior!"
At that moment, she crouched low and lunged to grab me. I jumped, rolled with my back against hers, landed behind her, and thrust my sword. But she caught my arm, turned with her back to me, and tried to throw me. I barely stopped her by shoving at her waist. I almost got torn apart. Though my chest has been torn open several times across the worlds already.
Ishtar provided support now and then, but perhaps Quetzalcoatl found it annoying. She simply hurled me at Mash with brute force, then rushed toward Ishtar. Mash caught me with one arm and raised her shield to block Quetzalcoatl.
But Quetzalcoatl used the shield as a foothold, leaped toward Ishtar, and tried to grab her. I fired several storm-wreathed blades and shot her down in midair, stopping her. This is... too difficult. Then Ishtar flew down, snatched up Ritsuka, and dropped her from the sky.
What is this?
Aren't we destroying the Sun Stone?
I was about to run to her, but Mash grabbed me. Quetzalcoatl caught Ritsuka and descended to the ground. I knew it was a test, but apparently we had passed in this way.
In the end, it all concluded in a friendly atmosphere. Apparently, Quetzalcoatl was a god who loved humanity dearly, especially humans who worked hard to uphold order and justice. So, Ritsuka. Huh? Don't smile at me while looking my way! I still cannot forget that smile from earlier!
Jaguar Man said she did not want to carry Marduk's Axe, but after Quetzalcoatl persuaded her, she agreed to transport it. As she headed back with Quetzalcoatl, we went to the Ziggurat to tell Gilgamesh that, after accomplishing this much, I wanted some time off to train.
"The king died from overwork."
?
"What?"
Come on, King. You need to work in moderation.
Even Mari has never died from overwork.
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