Happy 4th of July!
To celebrate the Independence Day of America, here's a chapter of King Gilgamesh!
Wait, something sounds wrong here...
For the second time in as many days, Louise was awoken by the sounds of frantic knocking on her door. She rubbed her bleary eyes and called out in a tired voice, "Yes?"
"Miss Valliere?" the voice of Sir Abel came through the door.
"Yes, what is it?"
"My apologies if I awoke you, but do you know where King Gilgamesh is?"
The question jerked Louise out of her sleepy stupor. "He's not in the castle?" she asked in alarm.
"He had an early breakfast and then disappeared. We were hoping that he would have told you his plans."
"No, he never said anything about his plans for today," Louise replied. Then she thought harder. "Although, he did mention he was looking for entertainment since he found the library disappointing."
"Do you know what he considers entertainment?"
"I wish," Louise muttered under breath. Louder, so Abel could hear her, she responded, "I think he takes an interest in finding people who catch his attention. I'm afraid I don't know any more than that."
"You have no need to apologize," the knight assured her. "We have found no leads, so this will help narrow down our search by quite a bit. Your assistance is most appreciated." Then he added, "Also, the Princess would like you to know that breakfast is ready to be served at your leisure. A maid will be coming by shortly to assist you."
Louise let out a sigh as the sounds of the knight's footsteps faded away. "Honestly, I may have summoned him, but it's not like I understand what's going on in his head," she grumbled. "Narrow down the search? Hah. With that airship he could be halfway across Gallia by now. We'd be lucky if he was still in Tristan, let alone the capital."
Gilgamesh, dressed in the clothes of a typical noble, was strolling through the main street of the capital. The only change he made to his attire from was the addition of a stylish fedora on his head. Normally, the king preferred keeping his hair exposed to show off the radiance of his appearance, but he had to admit, the strange, wide brimmed hat excelled at keeping the sun out of his eyes. The clothes of the era were too heavy and confining for his tastes, but they did have a measure of practicality and style.
He'd consider getting some custom-made clothes later, assuming he could find a proper tailor worthy of serving a king.
Like in most major cities, the main road drew a straight line that directed people to the most important building of the city. In this case, it was the royal castle. And on the route to the castle was prime real estate for nobles who wanted to live near the royal building, and also for business who wanted to acquire the highest traffic of noble customers. Usually, it would be nobles themselves who could afford to buy the space for a business, and they would set a commoner in charge of managing the day to die to day affairs while the Lord or Lady focused on managing their designated territory.
All that to say, the main road of Tristan should have been a prime place to find people of importance. However, not a single person or thing caught Gilgamesh's eye. He wandered into stores, trying to assess if there was anything of value to be found. The sights passed in an uninteresting blur. Sure, there were shops of wands and alchemy that were nigh unheard of on Earth, but just because it was new did not make it worthy of his attention. A new type of bug did not warrant any awe if it was crushed underfoot just the same.
Every product being sold were undeniably average. The clothes were of middling quality, the food tasted bland, and the people were unimpressive. For a world where magic was open and abundant, the humans were pathetically weak. Aside from Louise, Gilgamesh had yet to meet one person who he would consider worthy of his attention.
The foreign king wandered across the entire noble district of the capitol, searching to come across something of value. These "mages", as they called themselves, were little more than the magi of his own world under a more esteemed name. Gilgamesh could sense something fundamental different about their bloodline, a trait that would have made them stand out on Earth. However, the differences did not seem to be worth investigating. Louise, again, was the only exception.
This was a new experience for the King of Heroes. He had no responsibilities or claims to these people or lands. He was an outside observer, exploring for the sake of it. The experience would have been liberating…
Except he was bored out of his mind.
Having concluded that there was nothing of interest in the highbred upper echelon of society, Gilgamesh decided to descend to the lower realms. The main road from the castle eventually led to the merchant district. While this part of the city wasn't exclusive to nobles, it was still an important area that certain nobles frequented. Again, there was nothing of note. The average magical potential of the surrounding people dropped significantly, and no new variables were to be found. He visited multiple stalls to sample their wares, but found their goods were just as unremarkable as their sellers and customers.
With most of the day having gone by, and all the finer areas of the city explored, Gilgamesh resolved himself to delve into the slums. While he despised the filth, there was a lot one could learn about a country by the lifestyle of its lowest class. Every country was able to show off the splendor of the wealthy, but few could hide the despondency of their poor.
As Gilgamesh walked, he attracted quite the number of stares. Few nobles entered the slums, and even fewer walked so confidently through the area without a full escort.
"Go back to your golden castle, ya stupid noble!" a drunk man shouted at him. The people he had been drinking with immediately backed away from him, being sober enough to act in self-preservation.
Gilgamesh did not turn, but instead spoke with overwhelming authority, "Are you referring to me, mongrel?"
Gilgamesh could hear the man gagging, and then a thud of him hitting the ground. Curious, he turned his head to see a small but thick woman pushing the drunkard's face to the ground. She herself was kneeling, her face low. "I beg your lordship's forgiveness on my husband's behalf," she pleaded. "He's not himself when he's drunk. He meant nothing by it, I swear."
"Men's tongues are loosed by liquor. That is when the ugly truth of their hearts slithers out," Gilgamesh responded.
The woman bowed even further, her forehead touching the ground. "Please, your lordship. Have mercy."
Gilgamesh stared at the two of them. The barely conscious drunk man, and his fervently pleading wife. The small crowd of onlookers slowly backed away, fearing that they would incur Gilgamesh's wrath.
Instead, the king said, "What curious mongrels scurry about in the underbelly of this pitiful country." He snapped his armored fingers. "Woman, you and your husband shall live. You have provided me my first taste of entertainment for the day, so your lives should compensate a reward."
"You are most generous, your lordship."
Gilgamesh said nothing as he stalked away. There was nothing impressive about the man or even the woman. He could sense no special abilities or notable bloodlines. And yet, the woman had spoken to the king, pushing through the pressure of his intimidating aura in order to plead for her husband's miserable life. Certainly, there were a few strong-willed individuals in Tristan.
Unfortunately, from what he had seen, they were too few and far between. The country would fall. Not because of its lack of strong leadership, though that certainly was a problem, but because its people lacked the will to push on and resist. Perhaps it was time he met with more prominent individuals? It certainly would beat dredging with the sewer rats. And speaking of those filthy curs…
Gilgamesh paused, turning his head to a shadowed alley. "Do you plan to keep me waiting, mongrels?" he called out.
From within came the cry, "Rush him!"
Four man in raggedy cloaks jumped out from the shadows of the alley.
Four corpses hit the ground, each with a bladed weapon sticking out through their hearts.
Four treasures scattered into golden dust at the snap Gilgamesh's fingers. "Do you wish to try your luck as well?" he called out in question. "Maybe you will prove more entertaining than these mongrels."
From the rooftops, two cloaked figures dropped down to the streets and bowed low. "We have no intention of fighting you, your majesty," said the first, a youthful male voice. A worn, rust-colored hooded cloak was draped across his form.
"Oh?" Gilgamesh asked. "You know who I am?"
"Indeed," said the second person, a female this time. Just like her companion, she wore a hooded cloak, but hers was mustard colored. "We have heard of your appearance, and your power."
"And yet you scurry around like rats?" Gilgamesh questioned. "Is that any way to treat a king?"
"Forgive our rudeness," said the man. He and his companion simultaneously removed their hoods. The young man had golden brown hair and bright amber eyes. The young woman had matching rose colored hair and eyes.
"My name is Lelia," the young woman introduced herself first.
"And I am Matthew."
Gilgamesh gave them a quick glance. Their uniforms and mannerisms were above the common rabble, but that was all. "What business do you have with me?"
"We are merely here to observe," said Leila. "We had no intentions of disrupting your activities."
Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes. "Your presence has been a thorn in my side for the greater part of the day," he said flatly, causing the two to tremble. "However, you had believed yourselves to be undetected, so I will forgive your ignorance."
"We are most grateful, your majesty," said Matthew.
"As you should be," the king declared. "Especially since I will be excusing the presence of spies in the country of my summoner." Seeing the duo's panicked expressions, Gilgamesh scoffed. "Come now, do you think me a fool? Your accents are clearly foreign, and I have yet to see an agent of Tristan capable of anything but strutting like a proud cock. For the Germanian Emperor to have open spies in the belly of Tristan's capital speaks to his forethought."
Gilgamesh wasn't omniscient, but thanks to his Noble Phantasm Sha Naqba Imuru, he possessed a clairvoyance that left very little to mystery. The Noble Phantasm was the reason he had been able to discern the value of anyone and anything he came across, his unmatched tastes notwithstanding.
It was also why he had noticed the duo trailing him not long after he had left the castle. They hadn't shown any sign of bloodlust, so he had ignored them. He had been wondering how far they were willing to go to observe him. The back alleys of the slums were a dangerous place to follow someone. Sightlines were hard to keep, and muggers were always on the lookout for outsiders to target. For them to pursue Gilgamesh this far spoke to their dedication. Revealing themselves when caught instead of running also showed that they were professionals, or at least sensible enough to realize that running was never a feasible option in the first place.
"You do not object to our presence?" Lelia asked cautiously.
"Foreign spies are expected," said Gilgamesh. "In my own country, I took pride in watching them witness the glorious strengths of my kingdom. The tales they would spread would only serve to bring more fame. The thieves, saboteurs, and assassins, however, I spared them no mercy. No one may touch what is mine. Anyone who commits such a crime forfeits their life."
A sneer crossed Gilgamesh's face as he gave the two spies time to let the message sink in. "Now, begone from my presence before I grow weary of you."
They nodded and gave a final bow before disappearing into an alley.
The king smirked. While he hadn't found a new treasure, the day had been entertaining in its own way.
Louise looked up from her book of ancient magic rituals as a large golden circle appeared in front of her. A week ago, the sight would have her jumping in alarm. After several days of dealing with Gilgamesh, however, the novelty was starting to wear off. The young mage put her book down and rose to her feet. As Gilgamesh stepped into the library, she bowed and asked, "Are you well, your majesty?"
"Indeed, my summoner," Gilgamesh responded. "I managed to find a couple of interesting mongrels during my time out. This country is lacking in quality, but there is more beneath the surface that meets the eye."
Louise didn't have anything to say to that. Tristan was the country with highest concentration of nobles and high-class mages. If he was struggling to find interesting people here, in the very capital, then she doubted his curiosity would be satisfied elsewhere.
Instead, she decided to relay some advice to help the overworked guards. "I would encourage your majesty to please inform the guard when you leave the castle," she said. "They were frantically searching for you." And looking to her for answers she did not have.
"I am no ward of theirs or subject of their ruler," Gilgamesh scoffed. "What I do for my leisure is nothing of their concern."
His reaction was exactly what Louise had expected. She sighed softly. "As you say, your majesty."
Gilgamesh is doing Gilgamesh things. Short chapter I know, but this is all I had for Gilgamesh because he only focuses on what matters, and very little matters to him. So without further ado...
Wait.
What's this?
The chapter's only halfway done?
Another Omake? Two chapters in a row? Oh, but this one's canon!
The King Cannot Be Found
A Canon Omake
When Captain Wardes told Sir Cain and Sir Abel to keep an eye on King Gilgamesh, they expected to have to deal with the usual foreign dignitary who tried to shove their authority around everywhere.
Certainly, King Gilgamesh was someone who assumed the submission of everyone around him. He also usually held a look of judgement and contempt, which made most of the staff feel understandably skittish around him. What was unexpected, however, was the degree to which he would do whatever he wanted—including disappearing into thin air—with hardly any warning. The last thing he had said to Cain, who had been watching him, was, "I have no use for you at this time. You are dismissed."
Cain had replied, "Pardon me, your majesty. But my orders are to stay by your side until I am ordered otherwise."
The king had tsked, walked into a golden circle, and disappeared.
A covert search was started immediately, but they were having no success. Just like the previous time, there was no way to trace where the king had gone. The mysterious circle was obviously magic, which any mage could confirm, but there was no indication for where the king ended up. It sent a panic throughout the knights, until news from Miss Valliere revealed that the king was in search of entertainment.
While that would normally limit the search to a few options such as the gardens, the markets, or the red-light district, the eccentricates of King Gilgamesh left untold avenues to search. Sir Able and Sir Cain were among the knights who were sent out into the city to look for clues. The two had learned enough about Gilgamesh's tastes to realize that highest aspects of Tristan society failed to impress him. Thus, they decided to begin their search in the most diverse part of the city, the merchant district.
"Excuse me, ma'am. Have you seen a foreign man with gold hair and red eyes?" Cain asked.
The middle-aged shopkeeper looked up to see the two young men, dressed in their knightly attire. "Why, yes, I did," she replied in a forcibly polite tone.
The knights exchanged a look. Anyone with that reaction definitely had a recent run-in with Gilgamesh.
"Do you know where he went?" Abel asked.
The shopkeeper jerked her finger further down the road. "He was apparently displeased with my goods and went to find something better," she said crossly. "My pastries are personally endorsed by the Marbot and Baux families. My husband works hard to bake these fresh every morning. You can see for yourselves that they are not inferior in any way, let alone fit for dogs!"
"I'm sure they are," Abel assured the seething woman. Sparked with an idea, he took out his coin purse. "In fact, if we could each get one of your croissants, we'd most appreciate it."
Immediately, the shopkeeper's mood made a full one-eighty. "Oh, you're too kind," she said sweetly. "Here, take seconds for the road."
"Much appreciated, ma'am."
"We're on duty," Cain reminded his companion.
Abel's response was to hand him a croissant, which the taller knight accepted with a sigh.
Their search became much easier at that point, with over half of the vendors they asked having seen Gilgamesh.
"Blond hair and red eyes? I saw him not too long ago. Eyes like a hawk, that gentleman had."
"Foreign noble? Aye, that makes sense. I know every noble in this city, and none carry the same presence that man has."
"Yes, a man of that description did check on my wares. He clucked his tongue and called them garments unworthy of even the lowest noble. Even the Duke of Valliere has bought a cloak from my store!"
"It seems that King Gilgamesh has made a strong impression on the populace," Cain remarked.
"At least none of them know he is a king," said Abel. "I can't imagine that going well."
Cain nodded in agreement. "Based on our information he should be not far beyond… here?"
The two knights stared into the dinky alley that Gilgamesh was last seen heading into. Cautiously, they stepped inside, keeping their eyes peeled for their wayward guest or troublesome lurkers. After a few seconds of realizing there wasn't an ambush waiting for them, they proceeded, walking at an even pace.
"Why would a king go to the slums?" Abel asked.
"Who can know what goes through that king's mind?" Cain responded wearily. "I've tried engaging him in conversation, but he rather answers simply or ignores me completely."
"With your conversation skills I can see why," Abel joked.
Cain rolled his eyes. "And how you are you faring with Miss Valliere?" he asked. "No flirting with the captain's fiancé, I hope?"
"I wouldn't dare," Abel swore. "As for our conversations, they have been brief. She's cordial enough, I suppose. Less intimidating than her mother, that's for sure. But I've learned more from watching her than talking with her. Have you seen the way she acts around King Gilgamesh?"
"Respectful, but bold," Cain said with a nod. "I feel suffocated when I stand too close to him, but she seems unaffected."
"So it's not just me," Abel said with relief. "I thought it was crazy for feeling the urge to move away from him to breathe properly. I wonder if its magic?"
"If it were, the duchess's daughter would be the worst effected, since she can't use magic," Cain said.
"I think those rumors are false."
Cain raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"The story goes that Miss Valliere summoned King Gilgamesh with the familiar summoning ritual," said Abel. "How could a girl with no magic summon a king with magic as powerful as his?"
"And yet her own family has not confirmed her magical ability," Cain countered.
"Which makes this all the more mysterious."
"Don't tell me you want to investigate."
"Of course not."
Cain pinched the bridge of his nose, and not entirely due to the smell of the alley. "I know that look. Don't even think about it," he said pointedly. "We're Griffon Knights, not the Inquisition. Leave this matter for the proper authorities."
Abel's response was cut off as a brown blur darted out around a nearby corner and crashed into him. He and Cain were quick to put their hands on their sword handles, but paused when they saw that the supposed assailant. The small, cloaked figure had practically bounced off Abel's chest plate. It was merely a little girl with amethyst hair, who fell back and immediately stated rubbing her forehead.
"Watch where you're going," Cain reprimanded the child.
The girl looked up in surprise, and then terror when she saw exactly who she bumped into. "S-sorry!" she stammered. She tried to backpedal away from them, but her hand caught the edge of her ratty cloak and she ended up falling onto her back.
Abel chuckled and offered a hand to help her up. The girl looked at his hand suspiciously and stood up on her own. "Sorry about running into you," she said before taking a step away.
"Hold there," Cain ordered. The girl froze. "Have you seen a man with blond hair and red eyes go this way?"
Experience allowed Cain to predict the girl's next move when her eyes went as wide as saucers. He dashed forward and grabbed her arm just as she started to bolt. "Oh, no you don't."
"Let me go!"
"Easy there," said Abel placatingly. "We're not going to hurt you, we just need to find out where he went."
The girl's futile struggles didn't stop, so the redhead knight dug into his pockets for a tried and true back up plan. He flipped a large coin up in the air. As expected, the girl stopped squirming as her blue eyes caught the shine of gold.
"Show us where he went, and this is yours," Abel said. He held the coin close enough to make sure she could see it was the real deal, but not close enough for her to snatch it from him. "Do we have a deal?"
The girl didn't trust Abel immediately. Showing coin for a job only to withhold payment afterwards wasn't the rarest trick in the book. She looked into his eyes, looking for a sign of deceit or contempt Seeing none, she slowly nodded. Cain released her arm, and she shot him a glare before turning around. "This way," she said.
Abel stayed close to the girl's back, while Cain stayed further behind in case they were running into an ambush. Few people were foolish enough to attack a knight in full attire—let alone two—but there was always someone stupid or desperate enough to try the unthinkable.
As they approached, their noses caught a sharp iron tang. The knights kept a hand on their swords' hilts, preparing for what they would see. While they certainly expected to find a body, they were surprised not one, but four men laying dead in a heap.
"What happened here?" Cain asked harshly.
"I heard that the gold haired man went down here, so I went looking," the girl replied. The knights didn't have to guess her reason for investigating a noble wandering the slums. "I thought one of your knights killed them."
"No, we didn't," said Abel. "Cain?"
The taller knight stepped over to examine the bodies while Abel kept watch. After a few minutes, Cain concluded, "All died within the hour, roughly at the same time too. Bladed weapons, different designs, each stabbed through the back and pierced their hearts. A professional would be able to determine more, but I think we can assume what happened here. They attacked him from this alley, and he retaliated with his magic."
"It seems the suspicions of his power were correct," Abel noted.
While Gilgamesh had only been seen to summon one item from his circles at a time, no one dared assume that that was the limit to his power. Most of the powerful mages with a signature spell could cast it repeatedly or in tandem with another spell. The circles Gilgamesh summoned were large enough to hold an entire airship and could be used to transport himself and others as well. With the limits, mechanics, and even elements of the spell beyond anyone's ability to guess, it was clear that his magic was not to be underestimated.
Abel held his hand out to the street girl. In it were two large gold coins. "Can I trust you to keep what you found here a secret?" he asked her seriously.
The girl nodded eagerly as she snatched the coins from his hands. "I saw and heard nothing," she promised before sprinting away.
Cain shook his head as he watched the girl disappear around the corner. "It's getting late," he mentioned to Abel. "Do you think he returned to the castle by now?"
"We can hope," said Abel wearily. "Either way, we need to get the city guard to collect these bodies." He sighed heavily. "This is easily the strangest assignment we've ever received."
"You can say that again."
"This is easily—"
"Don't finish that sentence."
I promise, next chapter will be more substantial. Consider this an insight into how everyone else views the events going on around the famed King of Heroes.
I'm blatantly borrowing characters at this point, but that's the joy of fanfiction. If I need a character to fill a roll I can rather create an OC or bring in literally anyone. There's multiple Easter eggs this chapter, try to catch 'em all. And while you do that, remember to review! Reviews are food for a writer's soul!