"Nergal, will you accept my love?"
And then, she watched as the expression on her self-appointed lover's face became incredibly complex.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
The goddess, seemingly unaware that she had just uttered a rather significant name, raised a delicate eyebrow at the man she had decided was her lover.
Nergal was the local sun god of Kutha, the tyrant of summer and the master of winter. As myths evolved, this sun god—much like Helios became Hades—was depicted in hymns and stories as a god of war and pestilence, his primary domains becoming plague and the underworld.
In Sumerian mythology, his story with Ereshkigal is quite famous.
The gods held a banquet, but the queen of the underworld, Ereshkigal, could not attend in person. She dispatched her messenger, Namtar, to the heavens to collect her share. All the Anunnaki (a collective term for a class of gods) knelt humbly before Namtar—all except Nergal.
Nergal's insolent act was an affront to the queen's dignity and honor, and she demanded that the arrogant god come to the underworld personally to apologize.
From there, the legend splits into two versions.
The first is that Nergal, through brute force and with the help of the god Ea, coerced Ereshkigal into marrying him.
The second version tells of him conquering Ereshkigal with his charm alone.
Regardless of the path taken, in standard mythology, Nergal is Ereshkigal's husband.
Of course, as is well known, the mythologies of Earth and the Type-Moon universe are entirely different concepts. In the world of Type-Moon, none of this happened. In fact, because Ereshkigal was created by Kinoko Nasu to be a "heroine," Nergal—who does not have the protagonist (Guda) script—was marginalized to the point of nearly having his Type-Moon citizenship revoked.
His only appearance related to her story was during a Christmas event. He appeared as a "shadow of a god" under the name "Nergal," attempting to trick Ereshkigal into committing suicide so he could usurp the underworld.
And then…
Ereshkigal, awakened by Guda, proceeded to smash his face in.
---o---
"By the way, are you dissatisfied with the name I gave you?" the goddess asked, a little puzzled, feeling that he had been acting strangely ever since hearing the name "Nergal."
"I just feel that this name is a bit… subtle," the youth, who had just been abruptly christened "Nergal," murmured. "It reminds me of a certain promise."
He was recalling his response to Ereshkigal after she had said, "Even if Ereshkigal is a good girl, after being corrupted by the underworld, she will become an ugly, rotten monster." His reply had been: "Then let's exchange our divinities. I will use the brilliance of the sun to restore her beauty, and I will become the sun of the underworld."
It had been an off-the-cuff remark at the time, but now, paired with the divine name "Nergal" gifted to him by Ishtar, the situation felt incredibly profound.
In the evolution of Earth's mythology, Nergal was precisely the god who had gradually lost his solar divinity and became the master of the underworld.
"I suppose there is some overlap. When I was thinking of the name, I did reference that idiot 'Nergal'," the goddess, who had simply borrowed the name of another sun god, said with a careless blink. "If you think having two gods with such similar names is a problem, we can just make that idiot 'Nergal' change his."
Was this the Heavenly Tyrant showing her true colors? Even after being softened by Type-Moon's lore and fused with Rin's soul, she still couldn't help but reveal her wantonly arbitrary nature.
"This will be fine," the youth said with a nod, feeling that the name "Nergal" was actually quite fitting.
"As long as you don't dislike it."
"But speaking of which, what was that promise you mentioned earlier?" Ishtar asked, suddenly becoming alert, sensing that his reaction was still not quite right.
"It's nothing."
The youth, who had previously spouted nonsense about fate, claiming he had followed its call to find Ereshkigal, now felt a genuine sense of shock in his voice.
I asked the goddess of fate where I could find a girl who was kind, beautiful, and willing to be with me. Fate guided me to Uruk and told me that the girl who fit my heart's desire was in the underworld.
That was what Li Zihan had told Ereshkigal during their nightly talks.
Now, he truly felt a sense of destiny.
The youth who had been given the name "Nergal" laughed aloud, but inwardly, he couldn't help but wonder if he should make a trip to the underworld ahead of schedule.
To cast aside the brilliance of the sun and become a god of the underworld… It's not a bad prospect, actually.
The Three-God-Garment required the divinity of Creation, not the divinity of the Sun. Giving away his solar divinity didn't seem to be a problem. Even if he lost it, he could always use "Fire-Thief" and "Plundering Circle" to steal a new one from another god.
It's decided. I'll go reenact the myth.
The youth thought to himself, not wanting Miss Ereshkigal to remain in that god-forsaken place forever.
"How suspicious."
Ishtar narrowed her eyes, feeling that he seemed somewhat distracted.
"Am I?"
The man, who had been completely engrossed in thoughts of Ereshkigal, began to play dumb like Theresa.
"Tch—"
Ishtar made a small sound of annoyance. She clearly felt something was off, but she couldn't be bothered to pursue it. Right now, she had more important matters to resolve.
"What is your answer?"
The goddess of Venus took a step forward, her brilliant red eyes locking onto the youth she had named "Nergal," and asked.
In truth, her heart was pounding. It was only natural. While the Useless Goddess possessed the memories of the Heavenly Tyrant Inanna, having memories and being able to skillfully apply them in practice were two entirely different things. Dr. Romani also remembered how to use Jacob's Limbs, but without the corresponding physical hardware, he couldn't even beat the goose that ran out of Chaldea's kitchen.
What if he rejects me? As the goddess of love and beauty, theoretically, no man should be able to refuse me, except for that gay Gilgamesh. But what if he does? What should I do?
Only after her confession was over did the goddess consider the possibility of rejection, and she began to feel agitated.
Aaaaargh!! Whatever! I've already confessed. I'll just wait for the result. If I fail, I'll just summon the Bull of Heaven and blow him to bits!
"I like you very much, Ishtar."
Words that lifted the Useless Goddess's spirits floated through the air, bringing a faint smile to her lips.
She had been worrying for nothing. In this world, what man could possibly resist the charm of the one who was the prototype for Freya and Aphrodite?
Then, in the next instant, the smile on her face froze.
"However, as things stand, I cannot accept your declaration of love."
Author's Note:
The shenanigans begin.