Fate/Magus Path

167 Wrestling

The narrow, dark room was suffused with an oppressive atmosphere. The sealed doors and windows, along with the faint, flickering firelight, rendered the space as stifling as an impenetrable prison.

Roy sat on a stone bench, engaging in conversation with the young man before him.

"So, you're saying that the god captured you all, restricted your freedom, and forbade you from continuing to farm or hunt, is that correct?"

"Yes, I was a soldier on the Uruk frontlines. But one day, while returning home, I was captured by that goddess and brought here."

"And now, my freedom is restricted. I can't return to the frontlines of Uruk."

As he spoke, a flicker of sorrow passed over the young man's face.

For him, holding his post on the demon beast frontlines was the most meaningful thing he could do, the work that embodied his greatest value.

His family and his king were still holding the line in Uruk, while he was trapped here, powerless to do anything but wait for death.

For a warrior of Uruk, what greater torment could there be?

"..."

Hearing this, Roy sat silently across from him, his expression turning somber.

He understood this pain. When your loved ones and comrades are still fighting, yet you are powerless to help, forced to simply pray for them... such agony is an unparalleled torment for these passionate young warriors.

"Have you thought about escaping, or organizing the other soldiers to resist?" Roy asked.

"Of course I have..."

The young man sighed, his expression growing even more pained and conflicted, his eyes betraying a deep fear.

"I'm not the only Uruk soldier captured here. Many of us fought side by side on the demon beast frontlines. So, I reached out to them, hoping we could escape together, return to the frontlines, and fight once more for Uruk, for King Gilgamesh."

"But... but... it's impossible!! No matter how many people I gather, that strange jaguar always shows up with a smile, beats us down, and tosses us back into the square like trash."

"And that goddess... she's like a walking natural disaster. She can tear apart a mountain with ease, so killing anyone would be trivial... There's no way, no way we can win against beings like that."

As he spoke, the young man's face revealed deep terror. When mentioning Quetzalcoatl and Jaguar Man, his eyes instinctively darted away.

From his demeanor, it was clear that the actions and overwhelming power of Jaguar Man and Quetzalcoatl had left a lasting shadow on his mortal heart.

"So, you've lost the courage to resist, is that it?"

"Yes... yes... It's better than resisting pointlessly, suffering needlessly, and being thrown back like a corpse. Some of my comrades were even dragged to the Sun Temple to be used as living sacrifices for that goddess. I've had enough of that."

Recalling those tragic experiences, the man raised his hands to cover his head, his eyes filled with deep fear. Those two terrifying goddesses had long since become inescapable nightmares in his heart.

"If resistance is futile, then staying here at least spares us from so much suffering. The city of Ur has plenty of food reserves, enough to last us a long time. Jaguar Man occasionally brings back some game to share with everyone."

"But you must realize, this isn't a sustainable way of life. No matter how much food Ur has, without a steady supply, it won't last forever. No matter how strong Jaguar Man is, if she's the only one hunting, she can't possibly provide for so many people. So, what you've chosen is a slow path to death."