Fate/Magus Path

MP 198: The Ur Migration Plan

The night descended quietly upon Uruk.

Guided by Merlin and Siduri, Ritsuka and Mash had wandered through the city for hours, gaining a newfound appreciation for its unique character.

Now, they rested in the inn arranged by Siduri.

At this hour, aside from the soldiers standing watch on the Demonic Front, most of Uruk's residents had slipped into slumber, conserving their strength for the survival struggles of the coming day.

At the summit of the divine tower, under the glow of flickering flames, two figures hunched over a desk, tirelessly working.

Shouts occasionally echoed from the tower's peak.

"King of Ur, haven't you finished calculating the grain allocation for the citizens of both cities?"

"It's almost done. Carving on these clay tablets is quite cumbersome."

"Then hurry up. We still have city defenses and irrigation systems to address."

"Understood..."

Holding a heavy clay tablet inscribed with dense text, Roy's expression grew somber...

If not for his magecraft, which allowed him to swiftly comprehend foreign languages, he wouldn't have understood these tablets sent from Uruk at all.

But wasn't his purpose here to discuss an alliance with Gilgamesh, relocate Ur's citizens, and fortify a joint defense?

So why was he now buried under stacks of tablets several meters high?

How had things come to this?

Patiently handling the tablets' affairs, he propped his elbow on his face, pondering the reason,

Right, it began after Gilgamesh sent Merlin away. Roy had assumed they would discuss the alliance between Uruk and Ur.

Instead, as the conversation was about to start, the golden king abruptly raised a hand to stop him, then hauled out hundreds of tablets inscribed with tasks and set them before him.

At the sight of the towering stacks, Roy's expression had been one of silent bewilderment, unsure of Gilgamesh's intentions.

Then, Gilgamesh spoke as if it were the most natural thing: "Given you returned Enkidu's body to me, and with Merlin and Ur as guarantors, there's no need to test your strength or character further. We can proceed directly to the alliance. I've no patience for scheming with you."

Even so, Roy couldn't fathom what these tablets had to do with an alliance.

Gilgamesh continued, "As the first meeting between kings, I'd have preferred to host a banquet, chatting over wine. But the current situation leaves no room for leisure. Your arrival left many of Uruk's affairs unattended today. So, I've turned the banquet table into a work desk. We'll discuss while handling these tasks."

This bizarre logic left Roy stunned.

A banquet culture turned into a desk culture?

What kind of king involves another city's ruler in their state affairs?

Yet Gilgamesh clearly didn't care.

With Uruk's destruction looming, he had no time for political games with Roy.

Since Roy sought an alliance, Gilgamesh agreed, especially with the pressing need for manpower.

The situation on the Demonic Front was deteriorating steadily.

To maintain this seemingly unbreakable defense, Uruk's people died constantly, yet the number of demonic beasts showed no sign of dwindling, in fact, it only grew.