And so, the situation ultimately evolved into what it was now.
Enkidu had not perished.
Instead, he had thoroughly integrated as one of the rulers of the Underworld.
Furthermore, shielded by the conceptual authority of the realm of death, he could not only continue to exist, but could even slip up to the surface from time to time to enjoy a grand drinking session with Gilgamesh and Humbaba.
All of this was credited entirely to the absolute vow Ereshkigal had made to him previously.
The moment he dwelled upon the goddess of death residing deep within the dark Underworld, Gilgamesh couldn’t help but marvel internally once more.
As expected, Ereshkigal’s temperament was thousands, if not tens of thousands of times better than that chaotic brat Ishtar!
He truly owed a massive debt of gratitude to Ereshkigal this time.
Had she not fiercely engaged in diplomatic warfare and argued his case within the celestial pantheon, Gilgamesh felt he would currently be gripping his twin greatswords, actively marching upon the heavens to blow up Ishtar and Anu.
This kindness weighed immensely heavy—so heavy that Gilgamesh genuinely didn’t comprehend what specific metric of gratitude would suffice to balance the ledger.
Thus, harboring such emotions, Gilgamesh stepped once more into the Underworld that very night.
He deeply desired to meet Ereshkigal to deliver his most profound gratitude face-to-face.
However, the exact moment he crossed into the periphery of the realm of death, he unexpectedly crossed paths with a familiar face.
“Yo, Gil.
Good evening.”
Enkidu, who had already transitioned into a grand robe woven with distinct Underworld divine crests, was currently waving at him with a serene smile.
“Enkidu?
You adapted to this environment a bit too fast, didn’t you?” Gilgamesh looked at his dearest brother—who currently radiated the distinct presence of a supreme Underworld judge yet maintained that exact, gentle smile—and couldn’t help but counter.
“Because the operational environment here is unexpectedly magnificent,” Enkidu chuckled softly.
Then, a distinct flash of mischief ignited within his verdant green eyes.
Lowering his voice to an absolute whisper, he spoke with an air of pure mystery:
“However, compared to my fresh employment parameters, the entity you should actively focus your parameters upon right now is the Mistress herself.
Lady Ereshkigal’s emotional data appears to be undergoing exceptionally violent fluctuations today.
Consequently, an ‘event’ exceeding your projections is highly liable to unfold shortly.”
“An event?
What event?” Gilgamesh knit his brows, completely failing to parse the variables.
“Heh, a surprise vocalized beforehand ceases to be a surprise.”
The clay doll—proving himself to be an absolute wolf in sheep’s clothing—unexpectedly withheld the core data at this crucial juncture.
Flashing Gilgamesh a smile brimming with pure amusement, his form instantly dissolved into a cloud of sacred earth, nimbly drifting away and leaving Gilgamesh completely stranded and bewildered in the wind.
“That bastard…
where on earth did he study such a malicious personality trait?”
Gilgamesh massaged his temples, but his underlying anxiety for Ereshkigal rapidly overrode his annoyance.
Quickening his pace, he marched straight toward the sovereign throne resting within the deepest basin of the Underworld.
The exact millisecond Gilgamesh entered the grand hall, he found Ereshkigal seated firmly upon her throne.
Her facial features and posture mirrored exactly what Enkidu had described: they were exceptionally bizarre.
The classic tsundere energy she usually displayed upon his arrival was entirely absent, nor did she bear a fraction of the absolute majesty and unyielding authority she had brandished against the celestial deities this morning.
The current Ereshkigal held her hands tightly interlaced upon her lap.
Her eyes were cast downward, her long eyelashes fluttering with intense anxiety.
Her entire demeanor resembled a frightened rabbit desperately attempting to summon every ounce of its courage.
“Eresh?
Are you alright?”
Gilgamesh stepped forward rapidly, his voice dripping with genuine, profound gratitude:
“Regarding the events of this morning, you have my absolute thanks.
Had you not secured Enkidu’s safety, I genuinely do not know what state this reality would have collapsed into.
No matter what metric of compensation you desire, as long as it rests within my capability, I, Gilgamesh, will never tilt an eyebrow in refusal!”
Listening to Gilgamesh’s heartfelt torrent of gratitude, Ereshkigal raised her head, her ruby-like eyes locking directly onto his gaze.
At this exact microsecond, the goddess who governed death finally reached an unyielding, final consensus within her soul.
“Gilgamesh…”
Ereshkigal’s voice trembled slightly, yet every syllable resonated with absolute clarity:
“Prior to crossing paths with you, I lived under the absolute assumption that death and freezing isolation defined the entire parameter of my existence.”
“But you changed me.”
“Not only did you refuse to harbor dread toward me like the rest of the mortal world, but you journeyed down here every single night to gift me those magnificent stories of the surface, of the sunlight, and of your adventures.
You caused the first flowers to bloom across my dead, silent domain.”
Ereshkigal stood up, stepping down from her high throne one pace at a time until she stood directly before Gilgamesh’s frame.
“I have guarded this heavy, agonizing responsibility through eons of time, never once asking for a single charity for my own sake.
But today, right now, I desire to execute a single act of absolute willful caprice.”
“Based upon the foundation of hearing you share your stories every single day…
I desire to satisfy one more selfish request.”
Gilgamesh went still.
Gazing down at the intensely nervous maiden before him, he spoke softly: “What is it you desire?”
Ereshkigal bit her lip with immense force.
In truth, prior to vocalizing this confession, she had systematically simulated the dialogue within her mind countless times.
Had her primary motivation been to simply subjugate this man, she possessed the absolute political leverage to state: “I rescued your dearest brother from the celestial realms today.
As compensation, I demand that your vessel become my personal property.”
Utilizing a life-saving debt to extort affection was a thoroughly standard baseline operation for a deity.
Yet, Ereshkigal had ruthlessly pulverized that specific calculation within her mind the exact microsecond it formed.
No.
Absolutely not.
She refused to allow her affection to be contaminated by a single grain of transactional debris.
She refused to let this emotion morph into a heavy shackle or a mandatory repayment of a debt.
She desired to present this pure affection strictly as a maiden named Ereshkigal, rather than a high-and-mighty benefactor delivering terms to her hero.
“I desire to claim a single treasure…”
Ereshkigal tilted her head upward slightly.
Tears born from absolute emotional intensity were already welling at the corners of her eyes, yet her sweeping smile shone brighter than the morning sun breaking over Uruk:
“A treasure that I appear to have drawn incredibly close to, yet lacked the basic confidence or courage to touch out of deep self-doubt…
But now, I have finally locked in my resolve to seize it tightly, no matter the cost.”
“Gilgamesh, I love you!”
“I demand zero charity, and I demand zero repayment!
The singular treasure I desire is your unreserved affection!”
Within the dark, overcast Underworld temple, the maiden’s flawlessly pure, crystal-clear confession echoed through the void.
Ereshkigal watched Gilgamesh with immense trepidation, her heart fluttering with the terror of a potential rejection, fearing this reality might simply dissolve into a fleeting dream.
However, upon absorbing this lengthy, unfiltered confession, Gilgamesh experienced a momentary pause.
Then, gazing down at the maiden before him—who valued pure love so immensely that she disdained to utilize a literal life-saving debt as emotional leverage—the corners of his mouth curved upward into an uncontrollable, sweeping grin.
Ultimately, it dissolved into a soft chuckle of absolute release.
Why on earth would he refuse?
They had already shared their lives across such a vast stretch of time.
Through countless days and nights, their profound dialogues regarding adventure and isolation had long since woven their respective spiritual foundations into an inseparable bond.
Throughout those eras of mutual companionship and mutual healing, built upon a rock-solid foundation of absolute trust and affection, what logical parameter existed for him to reject a love this flawlessly pure?
Their two beating hearts had long since merged seamlessly in the shadows of reality without either of them vocalizing the data.
“You truly are a fool who loves driving herself to unnecessary extremes.”
Gilgamesh let out a soft sigh.
Then, opening his arms wide, he violently drew her frame straight into his embrace.
It was an incredibly warm embrace—completely devoid of volatile impulse, saturated entirely with a profound tranquility that signaled a soul finally arriving at its absolute home.
“Then, as a mutual exchange of terms.”
Resting his chin gently atop Ereshkigal’s head, Gilgamesh delivered his response directly into her ear with the most unyielding voice of his existence:
“From this day forward, you, Ereshkigal, are the singular, absolute love of my life.”
“Waaah…
Idiot!
You absolute idiot!”
Hearing this royal decree, Ereshkigal tightly locked her arms around Gilgamesh’s waist, burying her face dead center into his chest as her tears broke past every single barrier, cascading down without restraint.
Meanwhile, directly behind a massive obsidian pillar outside the temple doors, Enkidu popped half his head out, watching the tightly embraced duo with a sweeping, thoroughly amused smile.
The Supreme Judge of the Underworld mentally logged a flawless maximum score for the newlyweds with absolute satisfaction.
Then, deeply concealing his presence and leaving his contributions entirely anonymous, he nimbly departed to resume his chores of digging up soil and planting flowers.
The following morning.
Having just returned from the Underworld, his soul seamlessly reintegrated into his physical vessel, Gilgamesh executed an action that practically triggered a localized global earthquake across the entire city-state.
Without even pausing to consume breakfast, he marched with thunderous, sweeping strides directly into the dead center of the grand royal audience hall.
Gazing down at the gathered ranks of administrative officials and the constantly stressed Siduri, Gilgamesh cleared his throat, unleashing a roaring declaration to echo across the ears of every subject present:
“Listen to me clearly, citizens of Uruk!”
“Your King, Gilgamesh, has entered a romantic relationship!
Furthermore, upon the conclusion of a brief operational window to allow this King to organize the most lavish, magnificent ceremony in history, I shall be entering holy matrimony!”
“And the bride whom this King shall wed is none other than the great sovereign of the dead—Lady Ereshkigal!”