The Way Home
"Have you heard about what happened a day ago right in the middle of the old street?" an old man asked his group while eating in a tavern.
"I heard there was an extremely exciting fight. Who exactly won that battle?" asked another man in his place, looking at the old man.
"Don't believe me, I couldn't get there in time, but when I managed to see the result of the battlefield, there were hundreds of demons and adventurers dead. All of them seemed to have offended one of Gilgamesh's women, so that was the result of those acts."
In a tavern, there was a whole group of adventurers talking about the battle in which Gilgamesh had participated. They were all incredibly excited, recounting the things they had seen that day and the foolish decision those who died had made.
Right in a corner, Rudeus was sitting quietly, listening to everything that was said about Gilgamesh. When he arrived in this town, the rumored massacre had just happened, and he found out that a mage who was a demon woman had been criticized by many demons, and as punishment for that sin, thousands had been killed.
At the same time, throughout his stay in this town, Rudeus discovered that anyone preaching against Gilgamesh was killed the next moment by unknown forces. If he thinks about it, being a prince, it is understandable that he has a background protecting him, but still, the extent is very surprising.
In the following months after the mana disaster, Rudeus learned much more about practical magical combat techniques and group strategies. The ice between him and the companions he made on the way also melted, and he began to socialize more. This was important for his development because he really lacked the social aspect. He never had anyone to talk to beyond Eris and Sylphy. There were two possible conversations he had; either people were far above him in strength, or his status intimidated them.
Wherever he went, he heard about Gilgamesh; his exploits shook the continent every time he appeared in public, and that really left a deep mark on him. After all, he was talking about a semi-God who most likely has no rival in this world.
Although it would be very likely that he is invincible, Rudeus wanted to try to fight and know if at some point in this world, he has the chance to defeat the King of Heroes.
Yes, Gilgamesh is someone very impressive, but in his eyes, they were on the same level. That is, at a young age, he reached King-level magic not far behind Gilgamesh, who became a Sword King at his age. He couldn't compare to him in prestige, but his strength was not far behind.
By striving to the fullest and with the help of the Human God, he would decide whether to face Gilgamesh or not. He was not a fool; in the end, he had come to a deal to try it as long as there was a possibility. He didn't want to die at the hands of Gilgamesh when his life was just beginning; he needed to go as far as possible and see how far he is from that man.
If he thinks about Gilgamesh's weaknesses, it would be that he is a very arrogant man, which doesn't allow him to fight with all his might if the enemy is not worthy. He doesn't know how to use many weapons from the Gate of Babylon properly and has been defeated by rivals much weaker than him.
Rudeus laughed bitterly and murmured, "Even with a legendary armor, Gilgamesh seems to have his most powerful weapons in this world. If that's the case, he could even destroy this entire city if he feels like it..."
He lost consciousness when Gilgamesh launched his powerful Enuma Elish attack; he couldn't hear the attack clearly, but it was definitely much stronger than a Sword Emperor. He could even fly; was there anything that wasn't taken into account?
For this reason, Rudeus needed to make many careful decisions, not show himself until he was completely sure he could defeat Gilgamesh and ask him then, what is his purpose in this world?
"All I have now is a ring that grants me an extra amount of mana, the ability to store powerful spells and cast them whenever I want, but only below the Emperor rank." Rudeus muttered as he looked at the ring on his hand.
He obtained this ring along with some magical books he found in a dark cave where there was a corpse. He learned a lot of high-level magic, and thanks to the Human God, he got this ring.
How did he know it was special? That's easy; the ring released a special aura that anyone with enough strength could feel. He never realized it because... well, he didn't have enough strength to notice it or special eyes to feel it.
Rudeus laughed bitterly, remembering what the Human God said.
"He says that in the future, it might even store powerful magic that could harm Gilgamesh. But what it really is, is just a superior magical item."
There was no one to protect him. If someone killed him, they wouldn't have to worry about the repercussions. He also asked the Human God if the ring could serve for something else, but the only answer he got was a simple, "No!"
"I'm serious; that Gilgamesh fought against the Northern God and humiliated him!" The old man shouted, to which Rudeus stood up nervously!
What?
Gilgamesh is as strong as a God?
"Excuse me, isn't Gilgamesh just a child?" Rudeus asked with some hesitation.
The old man looked at Rudeus, then saw that he had a magic staff and said, "Haha, a child? He's a young adult, at least thirty years old. He wore a great golden armor and was accompanied by four beautiful women and a divine dog; he's definitely a man blessed by the goddess of love."
"Shut up, old man, if you want women, go buy them from a slaver."
"You don't know, right..." A man looked disdainfully at the one who recommended buying slaves.
"What?"
"You can't buy slaves anywhere anymore. The Uruk Towers are buying all the slaves in the world, and even if you're lucky enough to buy one, you'll have two options, either you sell the slaves to them, or they die at their hands."
"Nonsense, is that old news?"
Rudeus felt a chill run down his spine; the Tower of Uruk? That's the name of Gilgamesh's kingdom, so is that mysterious organization part of Gilgamesh's power?
So, why are they buying slaves?