When Hikigaya returned to mphis with Haruno, he saw a massive fleet anchored along the Nile.
It was the Egyptian royal fleet.
Ramses' new city had finally been completed.
Although Egyptian warships weren't as large as those of the Minoans, the sheer scale of the Egyptian navy was unmatched.
Ramses and his wife warmly received the just-returned Hikigaya and his female companion, and then ordered the fleet to set sail.
As the fleet proceeded into the canal leading to the new capital, the pharaoh's officials were already eager to catch a glimpse of the new city.
But none tried to flatter the pharaoh at this mont, because they all understood—being overly enthusiastic now might an being assigned to live in the new city.
To them, a city built in such a short period could never compare to mphis. The pharaoh's move was seen as a waste of national resources, and he would surely abandon it sooner or later.
Hikigaya and Haruno quietly observed everything.
"Aren't you going to say sothing to your friend?" Haruno asked, linking arms with Hikigaya.
They stood at the bow of the ship, not far from the spirited royal couple.
Both Haruno and the queen looked radiant—thanks to the high-quality "entertainnt" from the night before.
For Haruno, that activity also served as a kind of mana restoration. Her power, previously depleted across the long stream of ti, had been replenished...
"What is there to say? That city won't even be visible three thousand years from now. Ramses doesn't need anyone cheering him on. He's never doubted his city," Hikigaya said with a yawn—last night had been exhausting.
"Well, what about that Moses guy? Don't tell you don't know who Moses is!"
"That was unexpected. Seems like he really is that person. But isn't his story supposed to be a mosaic of historical fragnts? As far as we know, none of this actually happened in this historical period. The Egyptians weren't particularly cruel to the Hebrews, and they had no reason to migrate."
"Hmph, and you call yourself a godslayer. For people like them, faith is everything. You're not planning to change what's about to happen, are you?"
"No. Rather than disinterest, I'm more curious about where Horus went. If Moses is real, then what about the 'God' who guides and helps him?"
Though they were speaking in modern Japanese, both lowered their voices.
"You think that God is Horus? He's Egypt's chief deity!"
"But don't you think that Horus is kind of... an idiot? If he's an idiot, then any crazy thing he does would make perfect sense, right?"
"What if it really is him?"
"That doesn't matter. Because I must kill him. I have a feeling that only by killing him can we go ho."
Hikigaya looked ahead as the ship turned into the canal. From this angle, they could see how the ancient Nile had shaped its delta. "Besides, I might not be the only one who wants him dead."
"You an...?" Haruno was about to ask more, but Hikigaya signaled her to be quiet. She followed his gaze.
From the cabin erged a fat man walking toward the royal couple at the bow.
"Let's enjoy the show first," Hikigaya patted Haruno's hand and led her toward the scene.
Then Haruno heard the man speak.
"I know this may not be the best ti, but I must report sothing serious."
"So urgent, brother?" said the pharaoh—whom Hikigaya always lazily referred to as "Ra II" in private—with a pompous expression that made Haruno want to laugh.
To her, Ramses' brother was clearly a shady politician—the kind you'd find all over the place in the modern world. The kind that always ruins everything when real crisis hits.
Her real dislike for him, however, ca from the way he looked at her when they first t. Though he masked it well, his eyes were disgusting.
Still, what he was saying now caught her attention.
"If my reports are accurate, the Hittites have already crossed the border agreed upon by our father and entered the northern neutral city-states."
The Hittites?
Haruno was surprised. She looked at Hikigaya. He silently mouthed sothing:
Kadesh.
"Nebchasetnebet, are you certain?" the pharaoh asked—his voice not angry, as if he didn't grasp the gravity of the Hittites' provocation. Yet the fact that he used his brother's na outright suggested he wasn't entirely calm.
Since Seti I had given up Kadesh, what we now call Syria had beco a military buffer zone. These northern lands were once Egypt's allies and even after neutrality, still paid tribute.
If the Hittites were moving in, it ant war.
Everyone in mphis' court knew that Ramses opposed his father's strategy of appeasent. He'd always wanted to teach the highland people a lesson through war.
But in his vision, Egypt would be the one initiating the conflict, not the Hittites.
"I can't confirm it yet, but the Hittites have been crossing the border more frequently lately. I hope this is just another test."
"Then confirm it before reporting it," the pharaoh snorted.
Nebchasetnebet wasn't pleased but had to swallow his frustration.
"You don't trust ?"
"You said yourself it's unconfird. Bring the facts next ti. We have more important things to focus on right now."
The pharaoh pointed ahead, his tone becoming excited.
"Look—my port! My city!"
Nebchasetnebet turned to look and saw a grand city co into view. Around him, officials gasped in disbelief. Truthfully, he was also stunned.
Then he heard a voice next to him.
"This city will stand for over a hundred years."
Nebchasetnebet turned to see a foreign boy and girl.
He rembered seeing the pharaoh and queen receive them with solemn respect at mphis' port. If not for that, he would've demanded the woman as a companion—she seed like a perfect partner for the night.
That alone wouldn't have stopped him. But strangely, when he tried to assert his identity earlier, an unexplainable chill ran through him—a feeling he had never experienced before.
He was Seti I's eldest son. Even the pharaoh had to respect him.
"Are you cursing the pharaoh's city?" he asked self-righteously, already scheming how to frighten this outsider into surrendering the woman.
But the boy's response left him stunned.
"Go play sowhere else, fatass." The boy casually waved his hand—and nearly knocked Nebchasetnebet into the canal.
Yet Nebchasetnebet felt no anger.
Realizing that, he thought of those eerie temple priests—those who gained power by deceiving the gods. They never held real reverence for royalty either.
He was good at dealing with priests—but not with sorcerers.
Anyone who dared defy the gods and lived to tell the tale wasn't just brave... they were terrifying.
So Nebchasetnebet slinked away, grumbling to himself that one day, he'd get back at that brat.
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