I Will Return in a Few Years

After four months, Prince Gilgamesh's faction had gained power far above that of his brothers' factions. Very few people knew this because Gilgamesh had made sure no one would find out. 

It was evident to many that the Uruk towers were associated with Prince Gilgamesh, but most saw it as a whim of a prince uninterested in the throne. None of the four regions of the Asura Kingdom had made contact with the fourth prince, so his actions did not interest them much. 

For obvious reasons, many understood that it was not wise to meddle with Prince Gilgamesh, but at the same time, they believed it was necessary to get rid of him. Not only the nobles of the Asura Kingdom but also many other entities. 

... 

Unknown Location. 

Deep within a forest. 

"Water Goddess, what's troubling you?" asked a bearded man standing in front of a huge beast with its head severed. 

"It's nothing, just that I was lost in thought about many other things." The elderly woman sheathed her sword and headed in the direction where the horses were. "I'll be meditating while you all take care of the rest; don't disturb me unless it's necessary." 

"We understand, Water Goddess." The men around bowed to the elderly woman in a respectful manner. 

Reida Reia, better known as the Sword Goddess of the Water God Style. She was one of the most powerful swordswomen of the era, competing with the strongest in the world currently. She was deep in a forest, her mission being to eliminate a beast that seemed to be behaving strangely, but just as she was about to return, she had discovered that Darius Silva Ganius, her first love, had been killed. 

"Are you telling me that a ten-year-old boy killed several sword kings and wizards capable of casting Holy-level spells?" Reida Reia asked a figure lurking in the shadows. 

"Not only that, the people who follow him are incredibly powerful... It is said that he has two Sword Emperors as mere royal knights. Can you imagine it? Most importantly of all, when Darius's forces tried to seek revenge, they were all killed, and not a single knight of the fourth prince was slain." 

The man in the darkness approached Reida Reia and said respectfully, "My lady, this letter was the last message left by Darius Silva Ganius, and no one knows the contents of the letter." 

"But with this, my services to my late lord have come to an end; I hope I have been of help." 

"Very well, you may go," Reida Reia said, furrowing her brow as she read the letter: "[That's not the fourth prince; someone else has taken over his body. Within him lives an incredibly powerful being who could easily defeat the current gods. I hope you find a way to kill him that doesn't involve direct combat.]" 

"You won't be able to kill him alone; you'll need much more help than you have now!" 

Reida Reia widened her eyes and nodded with a cold expression. "We must gather forces if that being turns out to be who we think. It must be a much more overwhelming force. We need Apostles who can even kill a god. I will take care of all the preparations." 

The Sword Goddess, Reida Reia, was now an Apostle of Hitogami and had received the important mission to kill the fourth prince when the time came. 

... 

In the year 413 of the Armored Dragon, Gilgamesh was about to embark on his journey. 

Asura Kingdom's Capital, Ars. 

Tower of Uruk. 

"You're leaving tomorrow?" Elaine was sitting beside Gilgamesh as they both sipped from a special tea she had obtained within the gates of Babylon. 

Gilgamesh smiled and replied, "Don't worry, I'll be back in about five years. If things get boring out there, I'll return earlier. But I want to see what lies beyond this city. Besides, I can assure you I won't find a wife of the same race as my dear Elaine." 

Elaine looked at Gilgamesh with a hint of disdain in her eyes, hating that behavior in him since she had started to get to know him. However, she averted her gaze with a sense of calm and thought, "If you get a human wife, when she gets old, I'll still be young and beautiful." 

Reading Elaine's surface thoughts, Gilgamesh grinned mischievously and whispered, "Besides, I still have the body of a child. I should remain a virgin until I'm fifteen, although with blood rituals, my body would mature to adulthood. Isn't that disturbing?" 

"What do you mean?" Gilgamesh asked, staring at Elaine's beautiful face. 

"That you intend to marry a woman over a hundred years old, doesn't that bother you?" Elaine asked, her pointed ears twitching. 

Gilgamesh seemed to consider it for a moment and then said, "Well, there was a certain corrupted goddess who wanted to marry me; of course, I turned her down. Age doesn't matter; if I wanted to, I could extend my life with healing magic I could research if I set my mind to it... But simple things work differently for me; after all, I'm the best man you could ever aspire to." 

Elaine, naturally, would never have expected such a unique response from Gilgamesh after asking him that question. As she understood it, human men who have had relationships with elves tend to die first, and that's the tragic part of human lifespans. 

"You must assume, ever since you met me, that I'm not actually a child, but it's not yet time for you to know who I once was. Maybe when I'm old and have many children, I'll tell them, assuming, of course, that I have another wife, but that wouldn't bother you, would it? Well, you just need to know that I've never been married before." 

When Gilgamesh spoke these words, he seemed genuinely proud, but after reflecting on what he had said, he felt a bit uncomfortable. Would Elaine be able to understand his way of thinking? Although she had lived many years, he believed his words might be a bit confusing to her. 

"It doesn't bother me; just stop being like that with other women. I have at least lived for hundreds of years, and I can understand it, but someone smaller than me in terms of experience and age might get upset. You should be careful if you want to win the heart of the daughter of the Greyrat family; they say her character is anything but noble." 

By giving this advice to Gilgamesh, she had heard about his plan to become a king relatively easily and understood that someone as impressive as him would consider having more than one wife. 

To be honest, while it might seem strange to some people, it's not at all unheard of in this world. A king has many wives to have children who can be better than him and take the throne he has been guarding for dozens of years; anyone would see it that way. But the way Gilgamesh says it certainly provokes anger in those who hear it. 

She even got upset because of his arrogance the first time they met; she still hasn't forgotten that great anger. Of course, if she were to marry Gilgamesh in the future, she would somehow make him pay for that anger. 

"Well, my dear future wife, I leave all my riches at your disposal, and you are in charge of all my men. Remember that if there is any trouble, you must break the collar around your neck; that way, I will appear by your side and eliminate any threat. Although you are already very strong, and Alastor will stay to watch over you, you must stay alert." 

Gilgamesh's words brought a faint smile to Elaine's face. After all, she saw this kind of concern as something totally new and unique in someone like Gilgamesh, who seemed to have never done such actions before.