Next, Gilgamesh came.
She appeared by tearing through the barrier with a sword.
Judging by her slight grumbling, it seemed to be a barrier set up by Morgan.
After having freshened up her hair and attire, she…
“Have you returned?”
…finally revealed herself before me.
Gilgamesh didn't come as close as Morgan had. She kept a person's-width distance, looking down at me with her arms crossed.
“…
“You have nothing to say.”
“What could I possibly say to someone who conspired with Morgan to backstab me.”
I said it as if talking to myself.
Naturally, it was intended to provoke Gilgamesh, but surprisingly, she only twitched an eyebrow and showed no major reaction.
“Do you know why we have come?”
“I don‘t. So could you please leave.”
It's a bit funny.
To think that I, who trembled before the ever-so-kind Johanna, could speak so easily to the far more terrifying Gilgamesh and Morgan.
Is it a case of being strong against the strong and weak against the weak? Or is it because of the confidence that I am definitively superior?
Even this is likely a false emotion created by the hypnosis formal wear.
The only thought that comes to mind is that it's too late to judge now.
The same must be true for Gilgamesh.
“Is there any reason to come see me now? It wouldn‘t matter if you came to me after annihilating the other Servants with Morgan and deciding the final winner of the Holy Grail War.”
“It does matter. Are we not concerned for you?”
“Concerned for me? Right. I guess you were.”
“………It is the truth.”
She‘s even tolerating this.
Today, Gilgamesh seems to be the most patient person I've ever seen.
“Meeting Morgan was bitter. When she was young, Tonelico was so small I could hold her in my arms, and she was truly adorable… but now, I know nothing.”
“Is that so. So the witch too had such a time.”
“You too… no. You never had a time like that.”
Gilgamesh was Gilgamesh from the very beginning.
If I had to find a difference, it would only be that she was kind in her childhood.
“You were always arrogant.”
“That is precisely what it means to be the King of Heroes. If one is not arrogant, there is no meaning.”
“There is meaning in people. Just by existing… there is meaning in that.”
The child Johanna gave birth to was truly like that.
Just being alive was enough to be thankful for. It was a happiness that brought tears to my eyes.
I thought I could die for this child…
But now, I've become a deadbeat parent who has passed on the qualification of a Beast and given up on everything.
“…Thinking about it this way, maybe I don't have the right to criticize you all.”
“We do not know what you are speaking of.”
“Really? Morgan seemed to know everything.”
“That is because the witch uses her witch‘s tricks. And today, we have come to meet you not as the King of Heroes, but as Gilgamesh.”
Then what was all that talk about arrogance and whatnot?
Gilgamesh noticed my suspicious gaze and let out a sigh.
“…Alright. There are things that are difficult for us as well. Not impossible, but we will acknowledge the difficulty.”
“That‘s surprising.”
“We were a king from birth. A leader of humans, destined to sever the link with the gods. Do you think that with such a perspective, we could understand ordinary humans?”
Of course, that would be impossible.
Gilgamesh nodded.
“Of course, it is impossible. But do not misunderstand. We have never once considered ourselves to be unhappy.”
Then what is she trying to say?
Did she come here to say, ’I am a great person‘?
Even though she said she came to talk as the individual Gilgamesh.
What on earth does she want?
“…Hmph. However… we will admit it. That there are things that are difficult for us as well.”
“What is it?”
“It is the matter of allowing someone in.”
She‘s speaking in riddles again.
“To us, you were the very first friend. The one named Marduk was in no way lacking to be called our companion.”
“Didn‘t you try to make me your husband?”
“Did we not fail? At the time, we did not know the reason, but we believe we have come to understand it now.”
Gilgamesh took out a chain.
Not from her treasury, but from within my body.
“…? What is this.”
“That witch. Pulling such pathetic tricks. She said she would deliver a message for sure… tsk!”
The chains kept coming out. It was like watching a magic trick where cards are pulled endlessly from one‘s mouth.
Fortunately, the chains weren't infinite. But the chains that came out of my body were enough to fill a decent-sized refrigerator and then some.
“…This feels strangely familiar. Don‘t tell me this is.”
“Enkidu. Do not misunderstand. It is not Enkidu itself. It is a chain imbued with a bit of its power.”
“Still, the fact that you named it after Enkidu must mean it‘s a Noble Phantasm you‘re quite fond of.”
“There is no need to even state it.”
What is this. Why am I having a comfortable conversation with Gilgamesh right now?
“The other half is in my vault. This is yours. It has been made to recognize its master, so from now on, you will be able to use it whenever you wish.”
I don't want to do that. I don't want to have a comfortable conversation.
I don't want to forgive them. I have to.
Because I shouldn't…
I shouldn't enjoy the time I spend talking with traitors.
I brainwashed myself and shut my mouth.
Even seeing me suddenly clam up, Gilgamesh wasn‘t flustered. She merely regarded it as ’the inevitable has come.‘
“…Do you love her?”
The first word Gilgamesh uttered after a long silence was love.
“What?”
Instead of being sarcastic, I asked her intention.
Gilgamesh stammered like a young girl in the throes of her first love.
“That woman who professes to be a servant of God.”
“Johanna?”
“Indeed.”
Why is it? I should be answering ’I love her,‘ but my mouth felt as heavy as a thousand pounds of lead.
“………Why are you curious about that?”
In the end, I dodged the question.
My intention was obvious, but Gilgamesh didn‘t point it out.
It was unfamiliar.
“If you do not wish to answer, you do not have to.”
“…You‘ve suddenly become kind, Gilgamesh.”
Gilgamesh looked up at the sky.
Her blonde hair fluttered elegantly.
The brilliant starlight seemed to be shining for her.
After finishing her thought, she opened her mouth.
“We perceived you as one of our treasures. Naturally, you were ours, and therefore, we believed you had no right to refuse.”
“You did.”
“But we said we loved you. It was a lie. You saw through our lie, and unable to bear the shame, we placed a curse upon you.”
The memory of being thoroughly beaten in the streets of Uruk came to mind.
Is even this a memory now?
“We believed love to be a flawed emotion. We believed that the supreme being that is us did not need it, but…”
Gilgamesh approached me.
I was still lying on the grass.
Because Gilgamesh was positioned at my head, her face was upside down from my perspective.
Still, she was ridiculously beautiful.
“We are in love with you.”
Her beautiful blonde hair fell upon my face like a waterfall.
The surrounding scenery was hidden by her blonde hair.
All I could see were Gilgamesh‘s features.
“When Enkidu died, we thought of you.”
Enkidu. A fellow who followed me well.
There were times when he was scary, but he was pure nonetheless.
I never got to see Enkidu's death. Because when he died, I had been born into a different world.
“We stayed by the side of Enkidu, who had dried up and died, becoming ordinary clay that is scattered everywhere, for seven days and nights.”
Gilgamesh‘s hand caressed my face.
“And yet, we could not protect him. There was something that even we could not do.”
“It's like that for everyone.”
“…Even if we could not save Enkidu, we were able to share our last words. We were able to declare him our one and only friend.”
However…
“What about you? What words did we leave for you, who remains deep within our heart?”
“The only words I remember are those of a curse.”
Water fell from Gilgamesh‘s eyes.
It couldn't be called tears. Gilgamesh wore the face of a king.
The water trickling down her steadfast face was abnormal.
“We wanted to tell you. We wanted to say that we love you, that you are precious, and ask you to stay by our side. We only realized the importance of speaking honestly after you died, and even Enkidu had died.”
Is that so.
I raised my hand and wiped Gilgamesh‘s eyes.
Gilgamesh‘s characteristic red pupils shone even more vividly today.
“You are precious. But we do not know how to cherish what is precious.”
She cherishes her treasures, but she doesn't know how to handle people.
That‘s what Gilgamesh was saying.
After stopping the trickling tears, Gilgamesh straightened her bent back.
Looking up at the sky again, she looked like someone holding back something other than tears.
Finally composing herself, Gilgamesh met my gaze again.
I too sat up and faced her directly.
Gilgamesh carefully approached me, who was sitting, and kissed me.
Her lips, especially moist from the tears, erased the lingering traces of Morgan and painted over them with her own scent.
“…This is not as refreshing as we thought. Rather, only lingering feelings remain, which will hinder the decisive battle to come.”
“I don‘t wish for anyone‘s victory. Don‘t think I‘ll be cheering for you.”
“Indeed. You have no reason to cheer for us. No, rather, you may curse us to your heart's content.”
Gilgamesh stretched her hand into the air. The sword made of three red pillars, the Sword of Rupture - Ea - was in her hand.
Likewise, golden armor that she had manifested covered her flesh.
“We must commend that witch for this service at least. For she has surrounded us with a barrier that no one can see, hiding our shame.”
It seems the barrier Morgan had put up was one that blocked clairvoyance.
“Those from the observatory plan to collude with Saber to defeat us, but we will not be careless. It would be better not to dream of a fluke. That is, if you do not wish to die.”
“…Are you telling me in advance that you might harm Johanna now?”
Gilgamesh whipped her head away.
…Is this for real?
As I blinked in disbelief, Gilgamesh urged me on with a slightly angry voice.
“…Stay hidden inside the clinic, Marduk. There may come a time when neither the witch nor us can pay attention to you.”
Gilgamesh fled outside the barrier as if escaping.
“No, perhaps that might be your opportunity.”
The words Gilgamesh left behind hinted at an important opportunity.
But I lay down on the grassy field again.
I just wanted to fall asleep without a single thought.
But my stray thoughts wouldn't go away easily, and I had to toss and turn several times.
In the end, I gave up on sleeping and went back to watching the night sky.
“…How nice would it be if the world were only made up of bad people and good people.”
There is no complete villain, and no perfect saint.
Why did that obvious fact feel so hateful today?
I didn‘t know.