Doros stood frozen in place, his mind unable to fully process the situation.
This Goddess of Venus, one of the most willful and difficult deities in Mesopotamia, actually just wanted him to be an informant?
“The Goddess means…”
“Exactly what I said.” Ishtar waved her hand, her tone becoming somewhat impatient.
“That bastard Gilgamesh has been hiding in Uruk ever since Enkidu died.
This Goddess tried to find him, only to be blasted out by all sorts of Noble Phantasms three times!
Three times!”
A full three times!
Does she, the dignified Goddess of Venus and Mistress of Heaven, not care about her reputation?
The more she spoke, the angrier she became, and the divine energy fluctuations around her grew unstable.
“When has this Goddess, the dignified Mistress of Heaven, ever suffered such indignity?
So if you find out when he’s leaving Uruk, tell this Goddess in advance.
I want to see just how long he can hide!”
Doros’s mouth twitched.
This…
what kind of condition was this?
But on second thought, this wasn’t a bad thing for Kusha.
At least Ishtar wouldn’t make a move against Kusha and might even speak up for Kusha in front of the gods.
“Rest assured, Goddess.
If there is any news of Gilgamesh, I will definitely inform you immediately.” Doros bowed respectfully.
“That’s more like it.” Ishtar nodded with satisfaction.
“Remember, this Goddess is doing you a huge favor.
If you dare to play tricks…”
She didn’t finish, but the threat was already very clear.
“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare.”
“Then this Goddess will take her leave.” Ishtar turned to go, but after two steps, she looked back.
“By the way, how has that Ereshkigal been lately?”
Alarm bells rang in Iga’s heart, but she remained calm on the surface: “The Goddess is doing well.”
“Oh.” Ishtar glanced at Iga thoughtfully.
“That’s good.
Although my relationship with her isn’t great, we are sisters after all.
Serve her well, and don’t let her get too lonely.”
With that, she mounted Maanna and turned into a streak of golden light, disappearing into the horizon.
Lonely…
Hmph, Ishtar, you at least have some discernment.
I won’t hold your earlier disrespect against you, Iga thought as she withdrew her gaze from the distant light.
In the Temple hall, Doros breathed a sigh of relief.
“Scared me to death…” Doros slumped to the floor.
“She did come to settle accounts,” Iga smiled.
“Except it wasn’t our accounts she was settling, but Gilgamesh’s.”
“This Goddess…
is truly special.”
“More than just special.” Iga sighed.
“She is the most difficult deity to serve in all of Mesopotamia.
Capricious and willful, yet incredibly powerful.
However…”
Ishtar’s parting words echoed in her mind.
She paused.
“However what?”
“However, what she said was right.” Iga looked up at the statue.
“The Goddess is indeed very lonely.
In that place, the Underworld, besides the souls of the dead, there are only the Gugalanna and me.
It has been like this for thousands of years.”
Me?
Doros caught the slip in Iga’s words.
The Underworld didn’t just have Ereshkigal and Gugalanna.
He glanced at Iga; just by looking at this face, she couldn’t possibly be a Gugalanna, let alone possess Iga’s wisdom.
Only one most impossible possibility remained.
Doros froze.
No matter how slow he could be at times, combining Iga’s previous behaviors, her foresight, and her extraordinary knowledge of the Underworld’s Authority, everything now pointed to one…
god.
The Goddess of the Underworld.
Ereshkigal.
What does it mean when the workhorse you hand-picked is actually your direct boss?
Haha…
You’re joking, right?
Thinking of this, Doros asked tentatively.
“So that’s why you came to the surface?”
“Yes.” Iga—or rather, Ereshkigal—seemed still immersed in her reflections on the lonely years in the Underworld and nodded instinctively.
“Consider it a long vacation for myself.
I just didn’t expect…
to encounter so many things and get involved in…”
Her voice stopped abruptly.
Ah, the person involved just blew her own cover.
Doros fell silent.
Iga is Ereshkigal.
When the expected answer didn’t come, Iga turned to look at Doros and found him staring straight at her, his mouth slightly open as if he had something to say.
It was only then that Iga—no, Ereshkigal—realized after the fact that she had just, seemingly, perhaps, inadvertently…
made a shocking revelation.
It seems…
did I just inadvertently admit that I am Ereshkigal?
Flash!
Instantly, her face turned as red as pomegranate seeds.
“Eh~ I-it’s n-not like that…
I…
y-you…
l-listen to my explanation.”
Looking at the Goddess of the Underworld before him, so flustered she couldn’t even speak clearly—a complete departure from her usual calm and steady image—
Doros was first stunned, then a smile he couldn’t suppress slowly crept onto his lips, finally turning into a low chuckle.
[Ishtar’s visit was like a small interlude.]
[You were initially surprised by her small request, but after thinking about the love-hate relationship between her and Gilgamesh, you understood.]
[Your evaluation of this: “That’s very Ishtar.”]
[But what you didn’t expect was that Iga’s true identity would be revealed in such an unexpected way.]
[Initial shock and a bit of anxiety were inevitable; after all, looking back, you had made her handle no small amount of tedious administrative work.
But that embarrassment was soon replaced by a more complex emotion.]
[The Goddess of the Underworld, who gave you strength and provided a protective umbrella, was not far away in the heavens but had been by your side all along, accompanying and guiding Kusha’s growth in a clumsy but sincere way.]
[Although you were a bit embarrassed after Iga’s identity was exposed, you quickly regained your composure.]
[It seems you have a Goddess backing you up right by your side?]
[An indescribable sense of confidence quietly grew, giving you more assurance when facing the future.]
[You even couldn’t help but imagine if Ishtar knew that the person in front of her just now was Ereshkigal herself, would she still have been so “arrogant”?]
[The revelation of her identity didn’t make your relationship distant or awkward.
Ereshkigal was still that serious and responsible “Iga” who would blush over small things, but there was now an unspoken understanding between you.]
[It seems Ishtar’s words among the gods had an effect.]
[The days passed unhurriedly, with no major events occurring.]
[During this time, you also got to know Ereshkigal better.]
[There was no essential difference between her and Iga—or rather, they were actually the same person.
The same seriousness, the same clumsiness in expressing herself, and the same…
longing for companionship.]
Maybe it’s not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”