"She agreed... Good."
Gilgamesh visibly relaxed.
After their joking around finally came to an end, Yuto had told him that Illya had agreed to let them visit her world.
Even the arrogant King of Heroes could not stop himself from releasing a quiet breath of relief when he heard the answer.
He had been thinking about the matter throughout the entire day while dealing with his royal duties.
If Illya had refused...
That would genuinely have been difficult for him to accept.
Simply bringing the matter up the previous night had already required Gilgamesh to make a considerable decision.
For someone as overwhelmingly proud as the King of Heroes, admitting that he wanted to visit another version of himself—and allowing others to know that he cared enough to ask—had been an ordeal in its own right.
If he had gone through all of that only to be rejected afterward...
That would have been a double blow.
Gilgamesh suspected that if things had really ended that way, he might not have been able to return to the restaurant naturally for quite some time.
Fortunately, the situation had not developed in that direction.
"You really should thank Illya for agreeing."
Enkidu laughed softly from beside him.
"Gil spent the entire day worrying about it."
Every movement he made was graceful, and even his smile carried the quiet tranquility of a spring flowing through a forest at dawn.
Gilgamesh immediately shot his friend a displeased glare.
He was clearly annoyed that Enkidu had said something completely unnecessary.
Faced with the king's warning look, however, Enkidu remained perfectly calm.
He did not care in the slightest.
"When the time comes, we can all go together."
Yuto smiled.
The expression on the King of Heroes immediately changed again.
The relief on his face stiffened.
"Mm!"
Enkidu nodded without the slightest hesitation.
He was genuinely interested in visiting another world.
More importantly, he was extremely curious to see what the King of Heroes had been like in the past.
"Hey! Don't agree so casually! This king hasn't even said anything yet!"
Gilgamesh immediately turned toward Enkidu with an imposing expression.
His hawklike eyes carried the natural authority of a ruler accustomed to having others obey him.
"Enkidu, you don't need to come. Uruk has been particularly busy lately, and Siduri cannot possibly handle everything alone. As this king's weapon, this is precisely when you should remain behind and make yourself useful!"
Gilgamesh spoke with complete seriousness.
After thinking the matter over carefully, the King of Heroes had already concluded that allowing Enkidu to accompany him was absolutely unacceptable.
For one thing, Enkidu would definitely make fun of him.
That alone was troublesome enough.
But there was another reason.
A certain private thought buried deep inside Gilgamesh's heart that he absolutely did not want anyone else discovering.
That world contained another version of himself.
If Enkidu met that other Gilgamesh...
Would he also call that version of him "Gil" with the same effortless familiarity?
Would he smile at him the same way?
Would he speak to him with the same affectionate ease?
Simply imagining it made Gilgamesh inexplicably irritated.
Enkidu was his!
The only King of Heroes who should be allowed to hear Enkidu call him "Gil" with such intimacy...
Was him.
Even another version of himself did not count!
A king might ordinarily be expected to possess a broad and generous heart.
But even kings had their selfish sides.
"Oh?"
Enkidu's smile changed subtly.
"Trying to leave me behind and go by yourself?"
There was just enough danger hidden within that gentle expression to make Gilgamesh's brows tighten.
"My dear Gil, don't be childish. You're not getting rid of me that easily."
Enkidu narrowed his eyes slightly.
The look he gave Gilgamesh contained equal amounts of scrutiny and amusement, almost as though he were observing a particularly troublesome pet.
The King of Heroes frowned.
Before he could respond, Enkidu continued.
"As for Uruk's affairs, we'll most likely be going to Illya's world at night anyway. If that's the case, we can simply finish our work during the day."
He turned slightly.
"And even if we have to leave during the daytime, I trust Siduri's abilities."
Enkidu looked toward the royal retainer with a smile.
"Siduri, you can manage, can't you?"
Siduri nodded slightly and answered with her usual respectful composure.
"If it is merely a matter of administrative work, I may not be as efficient as His Majesty, but I should still be capable of handling it."
Her answer was extremely modest.
However, confusion quickly appeared across her face.
She looked between Gilgamesh and Enkidu.
"However... may I ask what exactly the two of you are planning to do? It sounds as though you intend to travel somewhere very far away."
"Oh, we're going to another world to meet the old Gil—mmph, mmph...!"
"Hey! Don't casually blurt that out!"
Enkidu had barely begun explaining when the King of Heroes suddenly lunged forward and clamped a hand over his mouth.
Unfortunately...
He was too late.
Siduri had already heard the important part.
Her eyes widened, her entire expression froze.
"Another world?!"
She stared at them in disbelief.
"Is it the world belonging to the Illya you just mentioned, Lord Enkidu? And the king from the past... Wait, what?! There is another version of our king in that world?!"
The royal retainer was completely stunned.
Gilgamesh's expression collapsed.
He had deliberately kept this matter from Siduri because he wanted it to remain secret.
Yet somehow...
Enkidu had casually revealed everything anyway.
"Mmph... mmph..."
Enkidu clearly wanted to confirm Siduri's interpretation, but Gilgamesh still had one hand firmly pressed over his mouth.
The scene completely shattered the dignified and elegant image the two had maintained only moments earlier.
Now they looked far more like children roughhousing in the street.
Siduri's gaze gradually sharpened.
The surprise disappeared from her face, replaced by calm seriousness.
"My king..."
Her voice became noticeably firmer.
"Have you been hiding something extremely important from me?"
The retainer had begun interrogating her king.
Normally, Siduri was unfailingly respectful toward Gilgamesh.
But at certain moments...
Even the most loyal retainer could possess an entirely different kind of authority!
Gilgamesh looked awkward.
His brows tightened as he shot Enkidu another furious warning glance.
Then, reluctantly, he finally released him.
Enkidu merely tilted his head innocently.
The expression on his face practically said, 'What does this have to do with me?'
Gilgamesh cleared his throat twice.
He straightened his posture, regained his composure, and immediately attempted to restore the dignity of the king.
"Siduri, this king is entitled to his privacy."
He faced her with a serious and authoritative expression.
"As a retainer, do you truly intend to pry into your king's personal affairs?"
Under ordinary circumstances, those words would have been more than enough to make Siduri stop asking questions.
But this time...
She met Gilgamesh's gaze without the slightest hesitation.
"A retainer naturally has no right to pry into the king's private matters."
Siduri's voice remained calm.
"However, if those matters concern the safety of Uruk as a whole, then even at the risk of offending Your Majesty, it is my duty to advise you against reckless action."
Every word she spoke was firm and powerful.
"Siduri, you're exaggerating."
Gilgamesh frowned.
"How did this suddenly become a matter concerning all of Uruk?"
"The king is the symbol of Uruk."
Siduri answered immediately.
"If anything happens to the king, then something has happened to Uruk itself."
Her expression became increasingly serious.
"Allowing Your Majesty to travel into an unknown world without proper protection is something I cannot accept."
At that moment, the authority carried by the female retainer almost seemed to surpass even that of the king standing before her.
Siduri had already experienced Gilgamesh disappearing once.
Because of that, she understood far too well how important he was to Uruk.
The memory of those days had never truly left her.
She would never allow her king to recklessly throw himself into an unknown danger again.
Gilgamesh felt helpless.
This was exactly the kind of Siduri he had absolutely no idea how to deal with.
Her position was impossible for him to refute.
Whenever a matter concerned Uruk or Gilgamesh's personal safety, the normally respectful retainer became extraordinarily stubborn.
"Siduri, calm down. This isn't nearly as serious as you're imagining."
Enkidu cheerfully entered the conversation.
Gilgamesh immediately narrowed his eyes at his friend.
He wanted to hear exactly what Enkidu intended to say.
"Lord Enkidu, how can even you say that?"
Siduri looked both frustrated and anxious.
"Don't worry. It really is a very minor matter." Enkidu spoke with complete ease.
"There won't be any danger. Gil and I are simply going to that world to have a little chat with the Gil from the past."
Gilgamesh's glare toward him immediately became even more irritated.
Siduri, however, visibly calmed down after hearing Enkidu's reassurance.
Now she looked conflicted.
On one side was her concern for the king's safety.
On the other were the reassuring words of Lord Enkidu, someone she trusted enormously.
For a moment, the retainer genuinely did not know which side should outweigh the other.
"Nothing will happen."
Enkidu smiled softly.
"I'll be beside Gil the entire time."
He tilted his head.
"Siduri, surely you can trust me?"
That only made the King of Heroes look even more furious.
Siduri carefully considered Enkidu's words.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu held almost equal importance in her heart.
But if the question was purely one of reliability...
Siduri actually trusted the consistently steady Enkidu somewhat more.
With Gilgamesh, on the other hand, she sometimes could not help feeling like an older sister watching over an immature younger brother.
Of course, that was something she could only think privately.
Saying it aloud would be a grave disrespect toward the king.
And honestly, it was not difficult to understand why Siduri felt that way.
The Gilgamesh of the past truly had been an extraordinarily immature ruler.
Willful.
Impulsive.
Doing whatever pleased him without caring about the consequences.
Calling him a tyrant had not been an exaggeration in the slightest.
Even though the present King of Heroes had become wise, capable, and genuinely worthy of Uruk's trust, the memories Siduri had accumulated during those earlier years were not so easily erased.
After thinking for a while, Siduri finally reached a decision.
She bowed respectfully toward Enkidu.
"If Lord Enkidu is accompanying His Majesty..."
There was still some hesitation in her voice.
"Don't worry. Trust me."
Enkidu reassured her once again.
There was something naturally convincing about his calm tone.
Siduri drew in a deep breath.
Then she nodded.
"Hey! This king never said you could come with me!"
Gilgamesh finally lost his patience.
He glared furiously at Enkidu like an enraged lion.
"No."
Siduri spoke before Enkidu even had the chance.
"If Your Majesty refuses to allow Lord Enkidu to accompany you, then please forgive me, but I cannot accept your decision."
Her expression remained perfectly serious.
"I will continue advising against this journey."
This time, Enkidu did not even need to say anything.
He simply stood to the side, smiling as he watched Gilgamesh.
The expression on his face made it painfully obvious that he was thoroughly enjoying the situation.
The King of Heroes drew in several deep breaths.
His expression changed again and again.
He knew there had to be a catch when Enkidu suddenly started helping him earlier.
Now, if he refused to let Enkidu come along... Siduri absolutely would not back down!
Gilgamesh knew her far too well.
Beneath her seemingly gentle and respectful exterior was an incredibly tenacious woman.
Once Siduri latched onto something, escaping from her persistence was almost impossible.
He had no choice but to agree.
Being cornered by such an obvious strategy made the King of Heroes extremely unhappy.
He shot Enkidu a furious glare.
At that moment, he very much wanted to beat his friend up.
But...
For certain reasons...
Namely, the unfortunate fact that he currently could not win...
The King of Heroes chose to endure.
"Hmph! Fine!"
Gilgamesh folded his arms and spoke through obvious irritation.
"Since you insist this much, it would seem rather heartless for this king to refuse."
He turned his head away.
"Do as you please! This king permits Enkidu to accompany me!"
Clap... clap... clap...
Enkidu immediately began applauding.
A bright smile appeared on his face.
"Siduri, you heard Gil. You can relax now, can't you?"
"Yes."
Siduri visibly relaxed.
"Lord Enkidu, please take good care of His Majesty." She spoke with complete sincerity.
Enkidu smiled and nodded.
Beside them, however, the King of Heroes' face had gone completely dark.
Once again...
Enkidu had manipulated him.
Gilgamesh was going to remember every single one of these incidents.
One by one.
Sooner or later...
Sooner or later...
He would restore the dignity of the king!
Yuto had watched the entire scene from the side with an amused smile.
It was always easier for an observer to see things that the people involved could not.
From where he stood, every step of what had just happened had been painfully obvious.
And he could not help feeling a little impressed.
There really was always someone capable of dealing with someone else.
If an ordinary person had treated Gilgamesh this way, the arrogant King of Heroes probably would have crushed them before the conversation had even gone this far.
The fact that Enkidu could tease him, manipulate him, openly expose his embarrassment, and still remain perfectly safe...
Was something probably only Enkidu could manage.
The relationship between the two described in mythology clearly went far beyond anything a few lines of text could ever properly convey.