Crossing the undulating terrain of Mount Ebih, one could spot the silhouette of another fad Surian city in the distance—Kutha.
Back in the Age of Gods, before the Common Era, human-built cities rising from the plains were a striking sight. But this place had long since fallen into ruin. Its forr glory was gone, and even the few Magical Beasts that had bypassed the Babylonia defense line dared not draw near.
Half a year ago, after the ergence of the Three Goddess Alliance, Kutha was suddenly ravaged by a plague that severed all contact with other fortified cities. When reinforcents from Uruk arrived, they found the city eerily silent. The streets and houses were filled with "sleeping" residents.
There were no traces of blood or signs of struggle. Yet the entire city reeked of death, as if a cursed plague had silently slaughtered everyone overnight.
Since then, Kutha had been deed a cursed land and completely abandoned by the remaining survivors in the surrounding regions.
As soone well-versed in history, Samael knew exactly what had happened. Just seeing the city's dark outline made his insides twist in pain.
That period happened to coincide with the ti his master, Ereshkigal, had been working overti forging Spear Cages. A sudden flood of souls had poured into the Underworld—nearly all of them from Kutha.
Having just learned how to forge Spear Cages himself, Samael had been drafted into the workload. Day after day of frantic, endless labor—it truly was working himself to death.
Thinking back on it now, the mory alone was enough to give him lasting trauma. He practically wanted to throw up at the sight of raw ore.
Of course, Ereshkigal wasn't so deranged as to destroy her own guardian city outright. She had simply used her authority over the Underworld to preserve the souls of Kutha's people. Physical bodies weren't her strength to manage, so she kept the souls safe instead.
That way, even if their bodies were destroyed, the people of Kutha could still survive in the Underworld in spirit form. And if they were lucky, once the disaster passed and a new era began, perhaps they'd have the chance to return to the surface world soday.
Moreover, Samael suspected his master's actions back then might've also been an indirect pledge of loyalty to the Three Goddess Alliance.
Joining the winning side wasn't a concept exclusive to humans.
But the will of gods was far harder to decipher. To outsiders unfamiliar with the truth, Ereshkigal's actions appeared extre, even evil.
Haunted by the past, the ancient snake chose to avoid the cursed, death-laden ruins altogether. Instead, he set up a fire in the wilderness to rest and recover.
The orange flas flickered as the crackling of burning branches echoed in the stillness. Sitting before the fire, Samael wore a pensive frown. He beca the very divide between light and shadow—half his face lit by fire, the other lost to the dark.
"Samael, I still think... you got the short end of that deal."
The small ghost lantern was unhooked from his waist as Shamhat materialized, unable to hold back her grumbling over that transaction.
With her many years of divine service in Uruk, she could easily see through the goddess's empty promises. Paying the full amount before securing any binding contract? That was basically tossing at to a dog. Ishtar had a long history of backing out of deals. Without a contract, she'd never feel bound to act.
"That's because you only saw the surface..."
Samael returned from his thoughts, poked at the fire with a dead branch, and let a vague smile stretch across the half of his face still hidden in the shadows.
"First, that bag of gems was always ant to be a bribe—for the goddess Ishtar."
"Besides, night was falling. If I wanted to get away from the scene quickly, I had to be willing to pay."
From what he knew, Ishtar and Ereshkigal were twin sisters, two halves of a duality, and they were currently sharing the sa vessel for descent. Once night fell, his forr master could resurface at any mont and reclaim control of that body.
Though he had escaped the Underworld with a new identity, the circumstances of his appearance were too suspicious. Not to ntion, he still had the highly conspicuous Shamhat dangling at his waist.
To be safe, Samael had wanted to leave the area as fast as possible to avoid running into Ereshkigal again.
If he were exposed and dragged back... he might end up as snake stew, or worse—skinned, stuffed with cotton, and turned into a snake-shaped body pillow.
So that bag of gems handed to Ishtar? It was both protection money—and his life insurance.
Hearing the ancient serpent's cryptic explanation, Shamhat was stunned.
She had never expected that Ishtar and Ereshkigal were now two souls in one body. And that Samael had staged a heartfelt performance with Ishtar at Mount Ebih just to stall for ti? That was sheer madness.
"Then why didn't you run after paying? We almost ended up stalling till nightfall!"
Fortunately, the sacred prostitute still had no idea about soone's bold stunt of talking legal loopholes with Gilgash in order to escape punishnt. If she had, her jaw might've hit the floor on the spot.
At that mont, Samael paused. His serpent-like pupils glinted faintly in the firelight, deep and unreadable.
"So, that was the second purpose behind the bag of gems: I needed a plausible identity in this world..."
"An identity that could withstand scrutiny from all directions…"
Shamhat replayed the scene of his back-and-forth with Ishtar on Mount Ebih. A look of stunned realization flickered in her eyes.
Who was Samael?
He was the valiant soldier who had braved the Magical Beast tide in the ruins of Babylon, carrying critical intelligence on a perilous journey to warn Uruk!
The physical evidence?
The clay tablet left behind by Centurion Ghost Tareel.
Witnesses?
The great goddess Ishtar herself!
And his other comrades?
Well… they either perished under the claws of Bašmu, the blue dragon, or vanished without a trace. Don't believe it? Go dig up another witness yourself.
Besides, this man had risked everything to enter Mount Ebih, offering a sacrifice to the goddess of war, Ishtar, begging her to slay Bašmu and avenge his fallen brothers.
Who would question the integrity and loyalty of such a brave soldier?
By now, Samael's identity, the timing of his appearance on Mount Ebih, and his motives had all been neatly and logically accounted for. Whether or not Ishtar actually intended to kill Bašmu no longer mattered. What mattered was the identity she had now solidified in her mind.
With the chain of evidence fully established, even Marduk—the King of the Gods—would have an almost impossible ti piecing together Samael's true origins from such faint traces.
Besides, it wasn't even his real na.
And even if the King of Kings, holder of the Tablet of Destinies, sensed sothing off and began to suspect him—would his judgnt hold up?
This brave soldier nad Samael had, in a righteous fury, reclaid the gem from the temple and offered it to Ishtar as a sacrifice to the goddess of war. Any suspicion from Marduk would reek of personal vendetta.
If he retaliated against a survivor from ruined Babylon over this, it would be beneath the dignity of a king of kings.
And as for Ishtar—she'd taken that bag of gems. Whether or not she acted on it, she was already implicated.
After mulling it over and finally connecting all the dots, the sacred prostitute turned a dry gaze toward the ancient snake sitting in the flickering firelight.
"You thought through every step?"
"You even planned ahead to scam the gods? You really are a piece of work."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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