Fate: How About a New Savior?

"Wait a second… that reaction…"

Romani suddenly spoke up. He had already recovered from his outburst after seeing his idol and returned to his post.

"What reaction?" Olga Marie asked.

"It's clear the one on the throne isn't Gilgamesh, but the Gilgamesh standing there…" Romani's voice was full of doubt. "Is he a Servant?"

"Obvious enough," Shiomi said, not particularly surprised.

If this were the real Gilgamesh from this era, Shiomi doubted he'd step down from the throne to play the role of a cheerful advisor.

He turned to Meri. "So… this is Uruk after Gilgamesh's reign?"

"No. Strictly speaking, this is still the historical period during which King Gilgamesh ruled," Meri replied with a knowing smile. "Of course, that's assuming we're still within normal human history."

"Could you elaborate?" Shiomi glanced toward the throne.

"For that, I'll let the Moon King and Advisor Gilgamesh explain it themselves," Meri said.

She casually stepped forward and addressed Hakuno Kishinami and the other two, who had just finished their audience.

"Moon King, your court Magus has returned."

Hakuno Kishinami, who had noticed them the moment they entered, gave a small nod

"Thank you for your efforts, Lady Avalon. So—any news on the clay tablet of destiny?"

"Regrettably, it wasn't in the western forest either. Another wasted trip," Meri replied with a pout. "If Gilgamesh could remember where he threw it, I wouldn't have to keep chasing ghosts."

"Hmph, this is your job. Don't try to shirk your responsibilities," Gilgamesh said casually. "Otherwise, there would be no point in summoning you here."

Hakuno smiled wryly from the throne. "In any case, thank you. If it's not in the western forest, it must be somewhere else. I'll ask Gilgamesh later if he remembers any other possible locations."

Though she was called the Moon King and ruled over Uruk from the throne, the girl didn't have the kind of gaze one would expect from a conventional monarch.

"Before that, could I meet your guests?" Hakuno looked toward the group that had arrived with Meri. "Some of them look familiar."

"It's been eleven, maybe twelve years since then. I didn't expect to see the two of you again at this Singularity. Quite the surprise," Shiomi said.

"Huh? It's really been that long?" Hakuno looked genuinely shocked. "It only feels like a year has passed since we last met."

Gilgamesh, standing at the base of the steps, turned to Shiomi. "Different timelines flow at different speeds. You should at least understand that much."

"Ah, I see," Hakuno said, suddenly understanding. "So you're the Chaldea Magus and Servants Gilgamesh mentioned—here in Uruk to resolve the Incineration of Humanity."

"That's correct," Shiomi confirmed.

Still, the strange circumstances surrounding Uruk—and a girl who shouldn't have been on the throne—made Shiomi feel the need to clarify the situation.

"If possible, could you or Gilgamesh explain what's going on here?" he asked. "Chaldea needs to understand the situation before deciding whether to ally with Uruk to face the crisis in Mesopotamia."

"Heh… an alliance, is it…" Gilgamesh burst into laughter. "Hahahahaha! Just like last time—so arrogant! Showing up and immediately talking about whether or not to form an alliance!"

"King Gilgamesh... perhaps it would be wise to hear the Moon King's thoughts first," Siduri interjected gently.

Clearly, even with Gilgamesh away from the throne, Siduri still regarded him as king.

"Hey, don't be so stiff, Siduri. I'm just an advisor now—Hakuno is the one acting as king." Gilgamesh's tone toward Siduri was surprisingly gentle. He turned to Hakuno. "You're the one on the throne now. What you decide is up to you. I'm just offering my opinion."

Hakuno relaxed a bit, leaning against the armrest. "This is something that should've been clarified from the start. A Singularity is a distortion of human history. Me sitting on Uruk's throne is a distortion within a distortion... With the world in crisis, it only makes sense to gain as many allies as we can."

"Then—" Shiomi gestured for her to continue.

Hakuno glanced at Siduri, cleared her throat, and began, "The issue with this Singularity is serious on a different level. Let me start with the root cause. The first distortion... is that Gilgamesh, the one who should have returned and taken his place here, never came back."

"What?" Romani gasped.

Everyone understood the weight of those words.

According to what Meri had said earlier, Enkidu had died, and Gilgamesh, stricken with grief, had set out in search of the Elixir of Immortality. When he returned, he accepted the inevitability of death and became a wise king.

"It seems you've all realized what 'never came back' really means," Siduri spoke up. "That day, the king left Uruk. He entrusted me with managing the city and awaited his return. But…"

"Not only did the Gilgamesh who set out on his journey fail to return," Hakuno continued, "but at some point, Magical Beasts and a group calling itself the Three Goddess Alliance suddenly appeared and launched an invasion of Mesopotamia. City after city across the Tigris and Euphrates fell."

"That's when Gilgamesh and I arrived here," she added.

"Then why didn't Gilgamesh take the place of his original self and sit on the throne?" Morgan asked, eyes fixed on Hakuno.

Gilgamesh swept his gaze over the Chaldeans with scorn. "Figure it out yourselves, you fools."

"…Wait, Gilgamesh's Spirit Origin is highly unstable… This reading…" Romani, noticing the irregularities in the scan, immediately began analyzing the data—but couldn't produce an answer right away.

"That's also why I took the throne in his place," Hakuno said, frowning, visibly unsettled. "I had no choice. This Singularity was born with a concept embedded in it—'the denial of King Gilgamesh.'"

The denial of Gilgamesh's kingship.

Which meant that even as a Servant, Gilgamesh couldn't take the place of his former self.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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