Chapter 18: The Divine Bull of Heaven

"Ophis, I'm back."

After a while, Enkidu emerged from the woods, landing gracefully beside Ophis, and then looked around in confusion.

The divine presence here... is not only pure but also incredibly strong!

"Eh? Someone else... no, was it a god who came here just now?"

Ophis thought for a moment and then nodded in confirmation.

"Yes."

"Yeah..."

Enkidu gave a rueful smile. It seemed that this god was the type who couldn't capture Ophis's attention. Given her personality, she probably wouldn't even know what the visitor was here for.

Enkidu wasn't pleased about a god showing up uninvited at such a sensitive time, right after the Humbaba incident.

Plus, Ophis had a tendency to ignore people if she thought a response was unnecessary, something a proud god wouldn't easily tolerate.

Enkidu wasn't aware that some gods, despite their divine nature, fulfilled their roles quietly and beneficently, even if they often adorned themselves with claims of order and goodness.

It was miraculous that there had been no sign of conflict here.

"Ishtar."

"Well?"

Enkidu looked at Ophis with surprise when he spoke up.

"She called herself Ishtar… What's wrong, Enkidu?"

Seeing Enkidu's puzzled look, Ophis tilted her head.

"No, I didn't expect Ophis to bring that up on her own."

"Because I'm somewhat concerned..."

Ophis shook her head and replied.

"Ishtar… she resembles the statue in the city square."

The statue in Uruk's square depicted Inanna, the patron goddess of Uruk. This was common knowledge, and even Ophis knew this when dealing with Uruk's affairs.

Ishtar is Inanna, the patron goddess of Uruk… Enkidu knew this.

It was surprising that Ophis would connect and compare the two.

Ophis had good analytical skills, but that didn't mean she frequently analyzed things. Typically, she wouldn't pay much attention even if she saw a statue of a deity.

But this time, she had actually noticed?

This suggested that Ophis was paying attention to Ishtar.

Could it be that Ishtar was someone who could pique Ophis's interest?

Enkidu was aware that Ishtar was very adept at seducing people…

Could Ophis have been seduced!?

"Enkidu, will the guardian of a city endanger the city it protects?"

At this point, Ophis suddenly asked.

Seeing Ophis's serious expression, Enkidu quickly focused on sorting through what he knew.

"Generally speaking… 'harm' is unlikely…"

Enkidu smiled faintly, clearly distressed.

"However, if we substitute 'harm' with terms like 'punishment,' 'warning,' or 'education,' then these are quite common..."

After saying this, Enkidu's expression became sharp.

"Do you think the goddess might attack Uruk?"

"Probably not..."

Shaking her head, Ophis stood up and looked in the direction of Uruk.

"However..."

Ophis's face showed a rare look of distress as she shook her head again.

"I don't understand… but please go back first, Enkidu."

"Understood."

Seeing that Ophis was serious, Enkidu didn't argue. But as Ophis prepared to leave, Enkidu suddenly remembered something and reached out to stop her.

"Wait, Ophis!"

Taking a step back, Ophis turned and looked at Enkidu with a puzzled expression.

"This!"

Enkidu ran over to Ophis and placed a wreath of flowers on her head.

"It's for you~~"

Patting Ophis's head, Enkidu explained.

"I chose purple flowers… Since red and black, which complement your black clothes, might give an ominous impression."

As Enkidu spoke, she conjured a mirror from clay and held it up for Ophis to see.

"How is it? Looks good, right?"

Looking at herself in the mirror, Ophis felt indifferent… It might be inconvenient to fight with this on, right?

But...

Wearing it gave her a strange sense of security, much like Enkidu's smile.

Touching the wreath, Ophis nodded to Enkidu.

Enkidu's smile widened, and she took Ophis's hand.

"Then let's go back together, back to Uruk!"

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"What… is going on?"

Enkidu looked around angrily.

Normally, after Humbaba was defeated, the farmland damaged by her should have started to recover. But that wasn't the case.

Instead, all the new crops had withered completely, and the ground was covered with numerous unnatural cracks.

"What happened?"

Facing this situation, Ophis maintained her usual expressionless demeanor and asked a passerby for information.

However, the passerby could only offer superficial details, like "a drought-like phenomenon started two days ago, and the ground suddenly shook and cracked."

"It's a divine bull that came down from the sky!"

In contrast, the priestess had clearer information.

Back in the palace's main hall, the priestess knelt respectfully before Ophis and reported what she knew.

"Two days ago, I witnessed that majestic being descending from the sky. When it landed, the grass and trees withered, and the earth shook. It became what you see now."

"…In a sense, it's not surprising."

Enkidu sighed; it was possible that Ishtar had caused this.

The Bull of Heaven is a pet of Anu, the king of gods. Anu is known for his particular fondness for his daughter Ishtar, who often causes trouble.

Though "god's pet" may sound unimpressive, Anu is a god-king, and as his pet, the Bull of Heaven's power exceeds that of most gods.

"Yes! The sacred bull's location is never fixed. It roams around Uruk but usually doesn't stray more than five kilometers from the city. If needed, you can ask the priests to divine where it might appear next."

The priestess was also uncertain.

The sacred bull is a revered creature, but it is now causing harm, so whether it should be dealt with or not depends on you.

After listening, Enkidu considered the matter thoughtfully.

"Is that so… Wait, Ophis, where are you going?"

Ophis turned upon hearing her name, looking puzzled.

"To confront the sacred bull… Enkidu doesn't like it either, does he?"

"Wait, wait, wait… Miss Priestess, please step back for a moment..."

Although Ophis found the situation odd, she nodded and asked the priestess to leave. Then, she turned to Enkidu, who looked back at her seriously and placed his hands on Ophis's shoulders.

"Orpheus, listen to me, this is a very important decision."

"Are you planning to defy the gods?"