Escape from an Ancient Civilization Ch 102

Chapter 102

“Because….”

Because I’m in turmoil.

Perhaps the fundamental cause lies in the distance between the two of them. Since Medeus was the only person in this ancient civilization with whom Nataek frequently made contact, all the emotions he experienced in building human relationships—joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure—might have been concentrated solely on Medeus. If not that… was it because he hadn’t dated anyone in so long?

After pondering for a long moment, Nataek shook his head inwardly. Even in his early twenties, when desires ran high, he had never experienced anything like this before. He had never been swept up in emotions, nor had he ever been unable to find the cause of his body’s reactions. And especially not because of another man.

He couldn’t allow this state to continue.

“Right now, you are the commander of Kish, and I am, real or fake, in the position of a priest who serves as a divine messenger. Since I’m still adapting to Kish, I thought it would be better to maintain decorum and restrain myself. Just like how the vice commander at Umma behaved—you never know when someone might suddenly show up.”

Medeus continued the treatment in silence. The longer the silence dragged on, the drier Nataek’s lips became.

“Medeus-nim…?”

“Is that what you want? You want us to do that?” Medeus asked calmly. But his gaze remained fixed on Nataek’s hand.

“Yes. I’d prefer it that way. At least for the time being.”

“Fine. Then let’s do that.”

The pressure tightening around his finger made Nataek’s eyes scrunch up. Looking down, he saw flax bandages wrapped tightly around his finger. The tied ends of the knot were still pulled taut in Medeus’s grip.

“Could you wrap it just a bit more gently?”

At his words, Medeus loosened the knot with his short nails. Once the treatment was finished, Medeus immediately stood up.

“I’ll step out for a bit, so rest here.”

As the sound of the door closing faded, silence followed. Thinking back on how readily Medeus had agreed, Nataek scratched his chin.

What the heck… I got all tense for nothing.

Almost three weeks after they’d received the letter, an uproarious guest arrived at the mansion in Kish.

“Hey! Hey, how long has it been!”

The soothsayer, who had promised to arrive in about ten days, only came after twenty. As he cheerfully grabbed Nataek’s arm, Nataek lightly brushed him off.

“What’s with that? You said you’d be here in ten days. I almost thought something happened and was about to leave. We nearly missed each other.”

“I was worried about that too. I thought about sending another letter ahead, but then I kept thinking, ‘I’ll get there tomorrow, tomorrow,’ and somehow ten more days passed.”

“What were you putting off?”

“Are we really going to have this conversation out here?”

The two of them were standing at the entrance of Nataek’s quarters. Though the wall shielded them somewhat, any passing attendants could easily see them—or overhear their conversation.

“Come in. Let’s talk inside.”

Nataek led the way into the room.

“Whoa… what’s with that hedgehog-like thing? It’s covered in arrows! Medeus’s work?”

“No. Mine.”

Nataek set the bow he’d been holding down on the table.

“You did that?”

“Yes. We agreed that I’d improve my archery skills and accompany him to Uruk.”

“With who?”

“Who else? Medeus. I’ve only got fruit drinks, is that fine?”

“No need. I brought my own.”

The soothsayer pulled a water flask from his robes and grinned. With the clumsy pretense of hospitality concluded, Nataek and the soothsayer sat facing each other at the table.

“What other news do you have?”

“You know that gap on the eastern side?”

The weak spot in Uruk’s walls—the place where Nataek and Medeus had first bathed together.

“Hak said there’s enough space for him to slip through easily. But for a grown man, it might be tight. He said they’d need some tools to break part of the wall.”

Outside the vast walls of Uruk flowed a tributary from a major river. Which meant they’d have to swim to the breached section of the wall.

“We’ll need tools that can break the wall underwater. And clothes to change into right after we get inside…”

“Don’t worry. I’ve taken care of that too.”

“How?”

“Hak’s going to steal some military uniforms and stash them. He’ll put them in tar-coated leather bags and hide them underwater. You can change there. By the way, do you think you can slip inside unnoticed?”

“They haven’t increased their guard numbers, right? Then it should be fine.”

Even though Uruk’s leader had changed to Agadis, he was still one of the soldiers Medeus had trained. Matters concerning Uruk’s defense could be left entirely to Medeus.

“And the people living in the east?”

“They’re being relocated gradually. Can’t make it obvious. Some volunteered to leave aboard trade ships, others moved south and west. I told them over and over not to relocate everyone at once. Just like you said, the last group will evacuate on the first day of Nisannu.”

The first day of Nisannu—the longest night of the plan. As soon as the eastern Uruk citizens completed their evacuation, Nataek and Medeus would begin their infiltration.

“And get this! There’s going to be a big trade agreement around that time. Looks like Agadis himself will be away for it. Makes things easier.”

“Great timing.”

Agadis being absent from Uruk was a stroke of luck. As Nataek mulled over the plan, the soothsayer pulled a clay tablet from his robe and handed it over.

“Here. Wrote it down in case you forget. I even used my hidden skill to double-check, just to make sure I didn’t miss anything. That’s what delayed me an extra day.”

Nataek stared down at the tablet in surprise.

This guy… used his hidden skill just to get information?

The tablet was packed with details about the Uruk operation in the soothsayer’s messy handwriting. It wasn’t easy to speed-read, but it was still invaluable.

This soothsayer… he’s dead serious about getting home, huh…

“Thanks.”

Nataek grasped the tablet. With this level of commitment, he felt he could entrust the Umma ruler strategy to the soothsayer.

“What about the ruler of Umma?”

“Oh, that’s going well too! Part of the delay was buttering him up!”

Nataek nodded. In that case, the only tasks left were proving his archery skills and successfully infiltrating Uruk.

As Nataek carefully read over the contents of the tablet, the soothsayer hummed a little tune. Once Nataek had deciphered every crooked letter, he tucked the tablet away.

“Alright, let me summarize. Medeus and I will infiltrate Uruk first. We’ll open the gates and let a few allies inside. Once they get our signal, they’ll throw the gates wide open. Luhalzaggesi… if our plan works, he’ll be surrounded just like in the divine execution quest.”

Whether the quest mechanics would actually apply remained uncertain. But for now, they could only plan under that assumption. If it failed, their only option would be a direct assault—a method Nataek desperately wanted to avoid.

“Once Luhalzaggesi is surrounded, the Third Army will advance in earnest. My goal is to force Agadis to surrender at this stage.”

“Will he, though…? He’s still the commander of Uruk.”

“If he understands it’s the only way to save his family and people, he will.”

Their conversation in Uruk suggested what Agadis valued most.

“If he refuses… the First and Second Armies will charge in afterward.”

“And during that, I just keep shaking Umma’s ruler with my prophecies, right?”

“Yes. Our next goal is to conquer Umma without bloodshed.”

“Alright. Let’s do this!”

As soon as the soothsayer answered, the table glowed faintly.

You have completed the ‘Plan with the Soothsayer.’

Quest [Covert Operation] 90% complete.

The notification had barely faded when the soothsayer clapped loudly.

“Whoa! We did it!”

“What did we do?”

“The quest completion popped up! Covert Operation!”

Nataek glanced at the vanishing letters in the air. Quest 90% complete. Even if they were working on the same quest, progress speed and steps seemed to differ.

The remaining 10%… the final decisive step before Nataek departed for Uruk was to prove his archery skills.

“Since we’re talking about it, let’s just finish it today.”

“Finish what?”

Nataek stood, pulling a potion from the drawer and shaking it.

“Finishing the Covert Operation.”

After sending the soothsayer off, Nataek downed the potion just as Medeus was expected to return. But—

“Damn it…”

The one opening the door wasn’t Medeus but a servant. And the potion, which he had calculated to last six hours, only lasted three. Luckily, he still had three hours left. Unluckily, Medeus was still nowhere to be seen, even long past his expected return time. The brief joy of confirming the potion worked vanished quickly.

“Why’s he so late today of all days?”

He had two more potions, but those were reserved for the Uruk infiltration.

Afraid of missing Medeus if he went wandering, Nataek stayed put, pacing anxiously around the quarters.

The effect of ‘Archer’s Potion’ is fading.

“This is driving me nuts.”

Unable to wait any longer, Nataek dashed out of his quarters.

It was late at night, but the only place Medeus could possibly be was the training grounds. How far had he run when he finally spotted Medeus coming his way?

There he is!

“Medeus-nim!”

Nataek shouted loudly. There was no time to consider that Medeus was talking to the infantry captain or that there were soldiers behind him staring in surprise.

“What are you doing here?”

Medeus’s pale brows rose. At his signal, the infantry captain and soldiers bowed and walked ahead.

Nataek grabbed Medeus’s arm.

“I need to tell you something.”

Medeus flinched the moment Nataek’s cold hand touched his arm. Looking down at where Nataek’s palm rested, he spoke quietly.

“…Didn’t you say we should maintain decorum?”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

Realizing his mistake, Nataek quickly let go.

“What’s so urgent? Tell me.”

Even after letting go, Nataek leaned closer, his urgency pushing him toward Medeus.

“Can we move somewhere else?”

“I’ve got a military meeting soon. Tell me afterward.”

The meeting had to be about the impending Uruk expedition—critical, no doubt. But Nataek had his own situation. Desperation made him want to cling to Medeus, but the word decorum flashed in his mind. He lowered the half-raised hand and clenched his fist tightly.

“Then at least confirm something on your way there.”

“Is it really that urgent? What is it?”

“Archery. You promised to allow me if I proved my skill. Please watch me.”

“…Now?”

“Yes. Now.”

Medeus tilted his head, his brows drawing together.

“There’s still some time before the meeting. But shooting in the dark like this… wouldn’t it be better to do it tomorrow morning?”

“Please… just watch me now.”

Medeus studied Nataek for a long moment before murmuring,

“And if I say no?”

The effect of ‘Archer’s Potion’ is weakening.

Ugh… there goes a precious potion. Can’t even make more of it…

Nataek’s brows drooped into a pitiful curve. His usually sharp eyes sank low. His voice softened as his gaze fell.

“Can’t you please?”

At the sight of Nataek’s dejected expression, Medeus’s brows shot upward sharply. After a brief hesitation, a short sigh slipped through his red lips.

“Lead the way. Where do we go?”

Nataek’s head shot up.

“Thank you! It’ll only take a moment. We can go to the quarters.”

The path from the training grounds to the council hall passed by their quarters anyway. Nataek sped ahead, and Medeus followed. Nataek took two steps for every one of Medeus’s, but Medeus, oblivious to his impatience, kept falling behind. Finally, unable to bear it, Nataek doubled back and grabbed Medeus’s wrist.

“I’m really sorry for grabbing you, but I’m in a rush. Please, just this once.”

Without waiting for permission, Nataek pulled the broad arm forward. Medeus then matched his pace without protest. Not a single word of complaint left his mouth.

Medeus quietly followed, his gaze fixed on the small back ahead of him. He thought back—when had Nataek ever been this insistent before?

When he begged to be taken to Delam, perhaps. When the flood struck Delam. When they fled Uruk. And now, again.

Nataek claimed his relentless archery practice was for the sake of staying by Medeus’s side. That he wanted to be with him. It was strange, and yet gratifying, that this stubbornness appeared only in moments involving Medeus. Sometimes, just watching Nataek’s determined back made his heart swell. Yet just as that fullness reached its peak, seeing Nataek pull away again tore at his chest.

What am I to you?