The Question

Once Philip left the guest room, the surroundings fell silent. 

Gilgamesh once again realized, now that he had thought about it, that he still cared about the humans affected by his decisions. It's easy to eliminate all the nobles and seize control of the kingdom by force, but that would lead to a collapse of law and order. 

If he were to consider this, humans would suffer the most in that regard. Therefore, that thorn could never be removed even if he wanted to. Though it's different, he's still the same Gilgamesh who died for the humans and was considered their monarch. 

"I can't regret it anymore; I don't usually do..." Gilgamesh reclined on the sofa, and Ghislaine, who was next to him, looked at him in silence. 

Long before she spoke, with his eyes closed, Gilgamesh asked her, "You're a Sword Queen, you protect Eris, so you must have at least the strength of a Sword Emperor... Do you want more power to protect her?" 

Ghislaine, who had her gaze fixed on Gilgamesh, questioned him, "Is it necessary to be so strong when your people already protect her? I don't understand; do you have an enemy you're worried about being harmed by?" 

Gilgamesh carefully pondered this question, and after using his best words, he said, "There are certainly people who want to harm me, but they will never succeed, so the only way to hurt me is by attacking those close to me... I can't see the future, and it's not like I care, but I would at least like to protect those who are close to me." 

"By the way, I will respect Eris's wishes and whatever she decides to do in the future... This is more than a commitment; it's politics, and you know it well. I don't mind marrying Eris, but she must understand my greatness before making that decision..." 

"Then show me; I want to be much stronger to protect my lords and especially Eris-sama." Ghislaine walked towards Gilgamesh and asked him this directly and without any hesitation. 

"I see that your sword is very good, but I have better ones that will enhance your abilities, but you must remember one thing in particular." Gilgamesh opened his eyes and gave the beastwoman in front of him a deep look, then pointed, "This sword should not be aimed at me without reason or cause, otherwise the same sword will end up taking your life. In addition to that, you should only use this sword to protect Eris and anyone else from the Greyrat family related to my fiancée. It won't interfere with your choices, and this is just the first step to becoming stronger." 

After finishing these explanations, a golden and very bright ripple appeared on the side of Gilgamesh, and a sword slowly emerged and flew into the air. "If you accept that, take that sword, and the contract is made. No one can control your mind or threaten your life; with that sword, I will protect your life and pride above my own life." 

Ghislaine didn't dare to be careless and watched as the sword emitted an impressive power. There was both a golden battle aura and a magical sensation surrounding the blade of the sword. Without a doubt, she knew they were in the presence of an unimaginable treasure that could only be wielded by warriors who had reached the rank of a God. 

"Don't you want it?" Gilgamesh noticed how Ghislaine hesitated to take the sword or not. Understanding her difficulties, he said, "Don't worry, you won't betray your current masters; you'll only become stronger to protect them properly." 

"Then I'll take this sword..." Ghislaine finally reached for the sword that was hovering in the air, and a golden flash illuminated her body and the room. 

"This power..." 

"It's partly a blessing from me. You'll gain some enhancements when you use your full abilities. After my people arrive here, you'll participate in a blood ritual to increase your physical abilities and reach the qualities of a Sword Emperor." Gilgamesh reclined again and said, "Leave me be; traveling in a carriage is not something I should endure." 

"I have nothing to repay you for this, but if you ever need a sword, you can ask me for anything." Ghislaine bowed to Gilgamesh and left the room to train Eris. 

"At least this way, no God will try to infiltrate the thoughts of my followers. It would be a damn hassle to deal with betrayals and deceit. All of this will end when I find the human God and eliminate him with my own hands." Gilgamesh, with his eyes closed, decided to sleep as he had been bored during the carriage ride. He would never experience days of carriage travel again. 

... 

"An engagement?" Eris shouted as loudly as her grandfather, but her words were directed at her father, who was sitting next to her mother. 

"Eris, watch your tone!" Eris's mother scolded her with a serious look. 

"I don't want to marry someone weaker than the Red Prince. I heard he killed a Sword King without even a scratch!" Eris adamantly refused, but her voice grew quieter when her grandfather entered with a bottle of wine in his hand. 

"Eris! Isn't your grandfather amazing? I've betrothed you to Prince Gilgamesh, the one you've been talking about so much these past few months. I thought it would be a nice surprise, but my useless son can't seem to find a way to tell you!" Sauros exclaimed as he sat next to his grandson. 

"Prince Gilgamesh wants to marry me?" Eris seemed to receive shocking news; her heart raced from the surprise, and she almost pulled her grandfather's whiskers as she asked, "Why?" 

"Why, Eris?" Her grandfather asked, his voice louder than ever, echoing throughout the castle. 

"Eris, Prince Gilgamesh personally requested this of your father and me. We believe it's a good choice for your future, but both we and the prince will respect your choice when the time comes. You shouldn't feel pressured about something that won't happen yet." Said Eris's mother, Hilda. She believed there was no better man for her daughter than a future King. 

"We'll announce this at your birthday party. In the meantime, Prince Gilgamesh will live in this castle, and if you don't like him, you can beat him up, hahaha!" Sauros shouted as he playfully raised his fist to his daughter. 

"It can't be, me and the Red Prince?" Eris asked, unable to comprehend how things had escalated to this level of madness in her eyes. 

"Why be surprised? You played with him at the gambling den, you even won a fortune alongside him. Unlike other children, it seems you get along with him." Philip chuckled as he looked at his wife, Hilda. After all, their daughter would be an empress, and their family would rise to power immediately. 

"Is Gil, Gilgamesh?" Eris was so embarrassed that steam seemed to be coming out of her head. She remembered how she had wanted to hit Gilgamesh when she first met him, how she had treated him, how she had punched him. She wished she could be ten meters underground for her childish and arrogant behavior in front of him. 

"Eris!!! I told you, you should have been much more observant. How did you not realize you were playing next to the prince?" Sauros shouted so loudly that even Gilgamesh, who was sleeping, opened his eyes in annoyance. That old man yelled more than a war commander. 

"What do you think?" Hilda cared deeply about her daughter's opinion; she needed to support her if she was unsure about this since her family's future depended on it. 

"I, well, I don't mind." Eris said, standing up with an arrogant expression and shouting, "I'm sure Prince Gilgamesh knows there won't be a better woman than me when I grow up!" 

"Hahaha! That's my Eris!" Sauros shouted once again because of the events that had suddenly come into their family's life overnight.