The Mesopotamian plains stretched endlessly under a sky unmarred by a single cloud, a vast canvas of serene beauty on this radiant day.
The heavens above shimmered in a pristine cerulean blue, dotted with wisps of white clouds that drifted lazily across the firmament.
The sun blazed with a golden brilliance, its molten rays cascading over the fertile lands between the two rivers.
A new day had dawned, and with it, the people who eked out their existence on this ancient soil braced themselves for yet another round in their ceaseless struggle against fate.
Far in the distance, within the hallowed halls of Uruk's royal palace, a flurry of activity stirred the air.
Crowds bustled to and fro, embarking on the day's reports and duties with practiced urgency.
High atop the divine tower, seated upon a throne of celestial grandeur, a mysterious figure stirred. His eyes fluttered open, revealing irises of vivid scarlet... eyes that bore the mark of a god's lineage.
"My king, you've awakened?"
The chief priestess, standing vigil beneath the throne, could scarcely contain her delight at seeing Gilgamesh rouse from his slumber. She stepped forward, eager to deliver the day's agenda, only to pause as the newly awakened king raised a hand to halt her.
He turned his piercing gaze upon her and asked, "How long was I asleep, Siduri?"
"My king," she replied with deference, "you've rested for three hours, from yesterday until now."
Three hours… A rare respite indeed, he mused.
"Very well," Gilgamesh said, a faint weariness etching his features as he nodded toward Siduri.
"Then, my king, today's matters in Uruk... " Siduri began, only to falter as Gilgamesh shook his head, cutting her off with a firm command.
"Put the work aside for now, Siduri. Tell those useless fools to wait outside a little longer. This king has other matters to attend to."
"As you wish…" Siduri bowed her head in compliance.
With that, Gilgamesh's attention shifted downward to a certain white-haired magus who stood below, a figure whose reliability was questionable at best.
His voice rumbled with authority as he demanded, "Merlin, where is this powerful ally you spoke of? Why hasn't he arrived in Uruk after all this time?"
"Are you mocking me, your king?!"
"Ah, well…" Merlin scratched his head, visibly puzzled by Gilgamesh's accusation. "It's been quite a while. By all accounts, he should have emerged by now. What could have gone wrong?"
Merlin's confusion was genuine, though the fault was his own. In his negligence, he had failed to warn Roy not to teleport directly to Uruk's inner coordinates. The moment Roy had arrived, he'd been flung back by the grand defensive barrier Gilgamesh had erected around the city.
Worse still, he'd been hurled straight into the lair of a beastly chieftain.
By the time Merlin's clairvoyance had spotted him, it was too late to intervene. Even at his swiftest, Merlin couldn't hope to dash from Uruk to the rainforests of Ur in a single breath.
Yet when he saw Roy dispatch the monstrous beasts with ease and refrain from clashing head-on with the golden adversary, opting instead to flee into the rainforest, Merlin had breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
That counterfeit Enkidu wielded the full might of the authentic Chains of Heaven, augmented by a formidable magical core... the Holy Grail itself. Paired with the relentless harassment of the beasts, a direct confrontation with the golden foe in such a place would have left Roy with little chance of timely reinforcements from Uruk.
But the rainforest was no sanctuary either. It harbored a mighty deity of its own.
Due to that god's presence, even the combined clairvoyance of Merlin and Gilgamesh couldn't pierce the veil shrouding the region.
Still, reports from Assassin and Saber's prior reconnaissance offered some insight.
The deity reigning there was formidable, yet distinct from the beastly chieftains. It held dominion over Ur, imprisoning its human inhabitants within the city's walls, but refrained from wholesale slaughter or sacrificial rites.
Given Roy's current strength, even if he couldn't triumph over such a foe, escape should have posed no great challenge. So why, after entering the rainforest, had he vanished without a trace? Why hadn't he emerged?
Surely he hadn't been captured by that goddess… No, that couldn't be possible… could it?
Though reluctant to entertain the notion, it now loomed as the most plausible explanation.
Weighing the situation, Merlin's thoughts veered toward the worst possibility before he resolved to act.
"King Gilgamesh," he said, stepping forward, "My friend has ventured into Ur's territory and may be in grave danger as we speak. Please permit me to go to his aid."
"Oh?" Gilgamesh's scarlet eyes glinted with surprise. "Since when do you volunteer for extra work, Merlin?"
He knew Merlin's character all too well.
Though undeniably skilled, the magus was a notorious slacker at heart, prone to shirking duties whenever he could. His EX-rank clairvoyance, while exceptional, was limited to the present moment... a flaw that constrained its utility.
Since summoning Merlin to this era, Gilgamesh had entrusted him with tasks the fool had yet to complete. Months had passed, and the Tablets of Destiny remained lost. What use was he to the king?
Were it not for Merlin's passable strength and the pressing need for capable hands, Gilgamesh would have long since punished him for dereliction under Uruk's royal decree.
Yet now, this idler dared to request a mission abroad? It was an unexpected turn indeed.
It seemed Merlin truly valued this so-called friend. Very well then…
A spark of amusement flickered in Gilgamesh's mind.
He fixed Merlin with a stern glare and barked, "Fool! You've yet to finish your assigned duties. What time do you have to gallivant off to a backwater like Ur?"
"Stay here and complete the task I gave you. Find the Tablets of Destiny, understood?"
"Ah…?" Merlin faltered. "I know I've been remiss in locating the tablets, and I'll own that lapse. But my friend... if I don't go to him…"
Before he could muster a defense, Gilgamesh seized a clay tablet from his side and flung it at him with unyielding resolve.
"No need to dwell on that, If you recommended this ally, he must possess some notable talent. Naturally, I'll see to it. But the Tablets of Destiny? No one in Uruk save you, with your clairvoyance, is suited to retrieve them. With the beastly assaults waning of late, and Archer and Lancer commanding the frontlines with skill, the tide will hold without issue."
"So, I'll send Assassin and Rider in your stead to investigate Ur."
After a moment's deliberation, the king arrived at a decision he deemed satisfactory.
"Unlike you, whose sight can't pierce the rainforest, Assassin has infiltrated Ur once before and is better suited for this task. With Rider's mobility as support, there should be no complications."
"Eh?" Merlin blinked, caught off guard by the arrangement.
To dispatch two Servants to rescue Roy... such extravagance seemed excessive, no matter how he looked at it.
"Hmph. No need to look so baffled, Merlin," Gilgamesh said, tapping a finger against his crimson eyes. "Don't forget, I too possess a fine pair of eyes."
"Though I'm not the me from that same timeline, I can still glimpse fragments of that fascinating war. Assassin, you see, still blames himself for Saber's death on their return from Ur after their last mission together. He's eager to redeem himself. I'll grant him this chance... he won't refuse."
At the mention of Assassin and Saber, Merlin tilted his head. "Oh? Is that warrior still haunted by his failure to protect that Christian boy?"
"Indeed," Gilgamesh replied with a faint sigh. "The mission was a success, yet since returning, he's been clamoring to face that jaguar in a duel to the death. Were it not for Archer and Rider holding him back, he'd have stormed off alone by now."
"These warriors... every one of them a magnet for trouble."
"True enough," Merlin mused. "That region houses a genuine deity who's turned Ur into a divine kingdom on earth. For him to escape a god's grasp and return with vital intelligence... that alone is astonishing."
"Precisely why I trust him with this task," Gilgamesh said. "But if he goes again, Merlin, and his impulses get the better of him, could it not spell chaos?"
Merlin's concern was valid. Should Assassin's recklessness derail the plan, Roy wouldn't be the only one at risk... they could all perish in Ur.
"Hmph. Rest easy," Gilgamesh retorted. "Assassin has sworn to me he'll keep his composure. I trust his honor and his word. Besides, that eccentric Rider hails from the same land as he does. With Rider to rein him in, he'll know what's at stake."
"I see…" Merlin nodded, conceding the point.
When it came to reading people and wielding authority, he couldn't rival Gilgamesh. The king ruled; he merely advised. In such matters, Merlin deferred to the wisdom of the ancient sovereign.
"Good. If that's settled, you've no more excuses, Merlin," Gilgamesh said, his tone brooking no dissent. "Get out of Uruk and resume your search for the Tablets of Destiny. Leave the rest to me. Any objections?"
"Ahaha, none at all," Merlin replied with a sheepish laugh, his scheme to slack off under the guise of aiding Roy thoroughly foiled. He offered no protest.
Best not to stoke Gilgamesh's wrath now. With a wry smile, he accepted the mission, though inwardly he bristled at the king's penchant for trouble.
The Tablets of Destiny… Lost to a place beyond even his sight.
Mesopotamia sprawled vast and untamed... how was he to find something his clairvoyance couldn't locate? What a vexing king indeed…
Yet there was no turning back. The search must go on.
---
Dejected, Merlin trudged out of Uruk's palace, brushing past the throngs milling at its gates.
At the temple's edge, he lifted his gaze to the blistering sun overhead, his expression tinged with gloom.
Gilgamesh's orders were clear: arrange for Assassin and Rider to head to Ur, then leave Uruk at once to scour the world for the tablets... with the added decree that he not return without them.
What a relentless taskmaster.
Compared to this, he suddenly found himself longing for his days as a court magus in Britain. Artoria had been a handful, but at least the toil wasn't this relentless.
And Roy…
He stared toward the distant rainforest, exhaling a heavy sigh.
Where are you, old friend? With your help, surely I wouldn't be drowning in overtime like this…
He couldn't help but wonder.
___
If you're interested in reading more, feel free to visit my pat reon,
https , // www .pat reon. com /XElenea