6 The Enigmas of Life

Early the next morning, Gilgamesh woke up, and after a morning workout to further improve his physical skills, he was ready to visit the knights' training ground.

But before that, he needed suitable clothing, not those supposedly high-quality garments and jewels that had no value in his eyes. As a personal preference, he chose the most advanced and fashionable attire in this world. However, it still didn't quite meet his discerning tastes, so he made some modifications to his outfit and smiled when he was satisfied.

"Among all the clothes they brought, this one is better. What do you think, my lady?" Gilgamesh looked at himself in the mirror, and a servant standing nearby, who happened to be human, trembled a bit at his question.

"That style of clothing befits your great features, Prince." The famale servant replied with a slight bow before stepping aside. The servant's response, of course, satisfied Gilgamesh, who, after wearing a necklace with golden fangs and two matching bracelets on his wrists, looked at himself in the mirror once more.

In addition to that, his ensemble consisted of a white long-sleeved shirt and black pants, accompanied by a matching belt and discreet boots to complete the outfit. The body jewelry complemented his hair and eye color, giving him a truly desirable appearance.

His life since waking up in this world had been very busy. More than once, he had tried to take a break and let things unfold as they may, but that didn't last long. Living without purpose was something he despised in people, and he would not become one of them.

"Hello, Prince Gilgamesh!"

Gilgamesh looked up, greeted Simón in front of him, and smiled.

"Is everything ready?"

"Without any problems, we can set off whenever you wish."

Simón, in his characteristic heavy and bulky armor, walked behind Gilgamesh as they headed toward the carriage. Judging by his appearance, he should be around thirty years old at most. A longsword and a shortsword hung quietly on both sides of his waist, and the sharpness of their edges indicated that they were high-quality blades. From his appearance, he should be among the mid-tier warriors on the knights' power scale.

As Gilgamesh walked towards the carriage, he picked up a small stick from one of the bushes, all the while being observed by Simón.

With Gilgamesh's recent changes, his true personality had clearly been revealed without any restraint. Simón had seen him only a few times, as he always remained locked in his room either reading or training silently, which he had only recently discovered as his routines had become more active.

At first, Simón thought Gilgamesh was a complete useless individual, far removed from all the rumors and mysterious movements surrounding him. But that image disappeared after witnessing the strength and training he went through every time he saw him.

If everything continued without any issues, Simón was certain that Gilgamesh would become one of the strongest in the new generation. That's why he remained steadfast, following every one of his orders, no matter what they entailed. He knew that his future would be influenced by the prince he had chosen to protect, and he would press on regardless of the consequences.

As a powerful knight who had risen to the position of guarding one of the princes of the Asura kingdom, Simón had a unique ability – he could see a person's talent with just a glance. Yet, in all his years of experience, it was rare to witness someone grow so strong in such a short span of time.

Previously, from his past conversations with Gilgamesh, Simón could sense that the young prince wasn't humble or tyrannical. He was arrogantly confident and always carried a trace of humanity in his actions. Simón had heard from Princess Ariel that, although the young prince had never displayed his talents, he had the potential to be as powerful as he set his mind to be. Judging by this, something in Gilgamesh's childhood had affected him in such a way that he didn't stand out much in recent years.

"I've heard that the Water God Style is one of the three main sword schools in the capital." Gilgamesh said with a difficult-to-describe smile.

"That's correct, Prince. The Water God Style is a sword art that specializes in defensive techniques, emphasizing parrying and counterattacking oncoming strikes. As there are only a few attacking forms, there's also the art of provocation to make the opponent take the initiative," Simón immediately responded, based on his own knowledge, as it was a style he had dedicated himself to perfecting.

"Isn't that quite dull?"

Simón's expression tightened slightly, and he didn't respond immediately.

"What do you mean, Prince?"

"I mean, isn't that fighting style just about waiting from the rear and attacking only when you're attacked? In that case, you'll never take the initiative against other fighting styles, so naturally, when you want to defeat your enemy, taking the initiative would severely weaken your skills."

Gilgamesh believed that this fighting style was very inefficient because it was limited to one type of use, and everything depended on who the attackers were.

Simón understood Gilgamesh's point, so he responded promptly, "It's a defensive fighting style, perfect for protecting those we wish to safeguard."

"Well, that doesn't change things. I just hope to find an interesting rival; wasting my time this way would be quite irritating." Gilgamesh said as he boarded the carriage, followed by Simón.

After some time, the carriage stopped at the Water God Style fencing school, where the sons of nobles and aspiring knights trained day and night, hoping to become much stronger. This fighting style united those who believed they were part of a group of outstanding talents, when in reality, they were only wasting their time on daydreams destined to be shattered.

"Prince Gilgamesh, would you like to accompany me to meet the current head of this academy?" Simón looked to Gilgamesh for a response, but he wasn't entirely focused.

"You can go ahead. I'm only here to find a rival who might know at what level I stand." Gilgamesh replied, gazing into the distance at the training grounds and smiling slightly.

"Then I'll come to fetch you when everything's ready." Simón didn't notice anything amiss, so he walked towards the academy's central building, leaving Gilgamesh behind, still holding a branch.

Full of curiosity about the youngsters at this place, Gilgamesh walked towards the training grounds and observed the training of many who were there, but he quickly lost interest.

"I don't know if my expectations were too high or this place is a complete disgrace. No one here is training seriously." Gilgamesh muttered. Just as he was about to leave to find Simón, he was surrounded by a burly guy and several other comrades who had noticed Gilgamesh's presence since he entered the training grounds.

The tallest of the bunch, named Arthur, was the first to speak, "Hey, how did you get lost and end up here? You look familiar; have we ever met?"

Many others who had been keeping their distance knew that trouble was brewing but decided to stay away, as getting involved would only bring them problems.

However, a slender young man in the distance shouted, "Arthur, he's just here to watch the training grounds, so stop bothering him."

Arthur's expression hardened, but he knew he couldn't go around intimidating people he crossed paths with.

But just as they were about to leave, Gilgamesh smiled and said, "Bothering me? Tell me, do you think I'm afraid of you?"

A huge grin spread across Gilgamesh's face as he perfectly understood the intentions of this young man and his group of friends, and he had come to grasp the simple thoughts that this bunch of swine harbored.