Fate: No One Plays the Villain Like I Do Chapter 81 81: The Oldest Onee-san of All Time

"Yo, looks like you two had a good chat."

rlin, who had co to take over the night watch, leaned casually by the fire with a cheerful smile.

When Samael gave a lukewarm response, the white-haired Incubus tilted his head thoughtfully.

"What's on your mind? Go on, tell —maybe I can help."

The ancient serpent gave him a glance, hesitated for a mont, then slowly spoke.

"How much do you know about Eridu?"

"I don't know why, but the closer we get, the more uneasy I feel. It's like sothing there really doesn't sit right with ."

rlin looked back toward the bushes, smiling faintly.

"You should ask the one who was here just now. Wait—no, I an the dayti Ishtar. Technically, she'd know better than I do."

"Ishtar?"

"Eh, whatever. Since that goddess can't show herself right now, I'll say what I know. Just take it with a grain of salt. Whether it's true or not, don't hold accountable."

As Samael muttered with a frown, rlin tapped his staff lightly, scattering faint starlight, and launched into one of his typical gossip-laced tales.

"Actually, Eridu's patron deity is Ea—also called Enki—one of the Surian triad gods who rules over earth, water, and wisdom.

According to legend, Ishtar once got him drunk and tricked him into handing over a bunch of divine secrets—known as (Divine Decrees)—which represent the essence of civilization and divinity. Ea's job was to guard those treasures.

After sobering up, Ea sent a sea monster nad Abgalu to chase her down the Euphrates. But Ishtar, sailing on the Boat of Heaven Maanna, was long gone.

In a way, that was the original high-speed escape for the oldest of priestesses."

Eridu, the city protected by the earth god Ea?

Samael, who barely knew any Surian mythology and had personally been robbed by Ishtar before, was genuinely surprised. He furrowed his brow, trying to unravel the deeper aning behind it.

From a historical lens, Ishtar's theft symbolized not only a divine trick, but also the cultural shift—the decline of Eridu (Ea's city) and the rise of Uruk (Ishtar's city).

Samael picked up a stick, brushed away so dead leaves, and began to draw in the dirt. A few strokes later, he stopped abruptly and looked up at rlin.

"This axe of Marduk we're searching for—why is it in Eridu?"

"Because the King of Kings, Marduk, is the son of Ea. Eridu is his birthplace."

rlin answered with a slight, nonchalant smile.

So Eridu is deeply tied to the earth god Ea and his son, Marduk, the King of Kings?

Even more interesting—Ea killed the male primordial god Apsu, while Marduk defeated the female Goddess of Beginning, Tiamat.

This father and son were each enemies of a primordial deity. The original divine rivalries of both genders, in a way.

Was the Mother Goddess afraid of the axe that once wounded her? Or... afraid that I might expose sothing?

It just didn't feel that simple...

Samael couldn't make sense of it. No matter how much he thought, he found no satisfying answer.

Left with no choice, he pushed the creeping anxiety to the back of his mind.

In short, Eridu gave off an ominous vibe. They needed to split off Quetzalcoatl quickly, retrieve Marduk's axe, and get out of there.

If they stayed too long, Samael couldn't shake the feeling that sothing bad was bound to happen.

"I solve one of your problems, you answer one of mine. Deal?"

rlin hugged his staff, gazing into the crackling flas. His voice was soft, and the firelight cast over his face seed to wash away so of the usual frivolity.

"What's your opinion on the feathered serpent god, Quetzalcoatl?"

Samael blinked, recalling how—at least in his mories—the Incubus still held suspicions toward that South Arican goddess.

That was why, after Quetzalcoatl defected from the Three Goddess Alliance, rlin used her trust to set her up, causing her divinity to wane.

The ancient serpent mulled it over and replied cautiously, not giving away everything.

"More or less trustworthy... but I still don't understand her reason for answering the Summoning and descending into sopotamia. It just feels... off."

rlin nodded slightly, his expression unusually serious.

"Rare for us to agree."

"Of the Three Goddesses, the other two are easy to read. She's the strongest by far—and the most unpredictable. She's seen both the end and rebirth of the world."

"Honestly, until I know why she really ca to sopotamia, I can't bring myself to trust her."

"After all, gods don't descend without a reason. Most of the ti, their arrival spells disaster."

Samael could understand rlin's doubts—especially considering how much of a liar he was, and how many enemies he had. It was only natural he'd project that onto others.

But if the true threat to sopotamia wasn't the Three Goddesses, but the "Mandate of Heaven", then rlin's distrust could prove dangerous.

After thinking it through, the ancient serpent leaned over and whispered in rlin's ear.

"We're not getting anything out of Quetzalcoatl. That goddess is sharp."

"So maybe... we switch targets. Grab soone whose tongue will spill the truth?"

rlin's eyes sparkled, and he gave a devious grin.

"Great idea!"

After handing off the night watch to rlin, Samael paused before parting and gave him a serious reminder.

"Unless Quetzalcoatl makes a clear move against humanity, I don't want you acting on your own."

'Don't trust soone you suspect, but don't doubt soone you've chosen to trust.'

"What do you an 'acting on my own'? Do I look like the kind of guy who breaks the rules?"

rlin chuckled innocently.

Samael rolled his eyes and headed into the camp behind the bushes.

He'd said what needed to be said. Whether the old fraud actually listened—that was up to fate.

Still, putting suspicions to rest would depend more on tomorrow's interrogation.

So rest well, replenish your strength, and get ready—for a god hunt.

...

Boom!

The next day, deep within the jungle, an explosion thundered through the trees. Snapped branches, dirt, and leaves showered down like rain.

A ridiculous figure in a tiger onesie crashed to the ground, dazed and smoking, limbs bound and suspended in midair by chains.

"Yo, fancy seeing you again, Jaguar Warrior."

"Mind answering a quick question first?"

Samael strolled over with a grin, chewing on a piece of smoked at as he looked up at the captured, demoted goddess dangling in the air.

"I refuse! You people are the worst, ow! Using food to tempt a noble Jaguar Warrior!"

"Four-on-one, setting traps and ambushing ! No honor at all!"

"But... if you humbly offer tribute to the Jaguar and sincerely beg for forgiveness, maybe I'll consider letting it go."

Though she grumbled indignantly, the Jaguar Warrior's nose twitched, head leaning forward, eyes locked on the smoked at in Samael's hand as drool dripped uncontrollably from her mouth.

"Well... guess there's no helping it."

Samael sighed with mock regret, then his expression cooled as he waved behind him.

"Ana!"