Escape from an Ancient Civilization Ch 120

Chapter 120

The Ensi of Umma, who seemed timid, bowed his head.

“I have come to offer congratulations to the Ensi of Kish.”

Samuagon looked down with a pleased smile at Umma’s delegation.

Umma and Kish—by name alone, each was an equal city-state with its own domain, but the reality differed. Inside Agade, a hierarchy had already formed between the two rulers. It felt as if Umma were a vassal to Kish.

Samuagon spoke heartily.

“For the lord of Umma to come in person—this brings me great joy. Guests who come to Kish must not be sent away empty-handed. Attend me! Prepare a grand banquet to honor our distinguished guests!”

Samuagon stepped down from his seat and strode toward Umma’s party. As he passed along the long carpet, he came abreast of Nataek and stopped dead, fixing both Nataek and the diviner with a curious look.

The diviner(soothsayer), standing behind his lord, stiffened at once. Cold sweat traced Nataek’s temple.

That bastard… Why did he have to act like he knew me!

Samuagon turned his body toward Nataek.

“Messenger of Inanna. It would be well for you to attend the banquet as well. Have Inanna’s hero join and grace the occasion too.”

Nataek bowed and accepted with courtesy. Medeus, at his side, offered a quiet nod.

He isn’t suspicious of me, is he? No way… He’s not about to “banquet” us into some scheme, is he?

Samuagon’s shadow moved forward again. Nataek straightened and looked slowly to Medeus. His face was as composed as ever. Medeus was his danger sensor; such a reaction meant that, at least, there would be no danger in attending the banquet. As Nataek exhaled and loosened up, Medeus looked down at him, steady and intent.

What’s wrong? Are you unwell?

To the question asked by his gaze, Nataek shook his head slightly.

Nothing at all.

He forced an awkward smile.

Nataek turned over the next steps. Lagash, Uruk, Delam, Kish, Umma, Ur—of six cities to be unified, they had reached the stage of binding Lagash, Uruk, Delam, and Kish together. If they succeeded in the bloodless takeover of Umma, only Ur would remain.

If all went according to his plan, Ur would be the final conquest. Difficulty would be higher still, and there was the added misfortune of Gutian occupation. The thought of how hard it would be had him worried already.

“Teresi. Are you truly all right? Don’t tell me… you got hurt while practicing grappling?”

Unaware of Nataek’s inner turmoil, Medeus asked with concern.

“No. Not injured. You weren’t hitting me hard, remember.”

Recalling the ridiculous protective gear, Nataek shrugged.

While the two exchanged quiet words, the attendants who had received orders delivered the afternoon’s plan.

“When preparations are complete, we will come escort you to the banquet hall. Please wait just a moment.”

Nataek left Agade with Medeus, steadying his resolve.

By all means… the accord must be drawn to our advantage. Umma will be taken without bloodshed!

In antiquity, people began their day early regardless of station. Perhaps for that reason, even long after the formal greetings in Agade, the sun stood bright overhead.

Banquet preparations would, it seemed, not finish until late afternoon. Time and care were part of it, but so too was the fact that the guests from Delam, expected today, had not yet arrived.

For the first time, Nataek strolled the front garden with Medeus, savoring a moment of leisure.

“This is the first time I’ve been so relaxed since coming here.”

“And the first time I’ve walked a garden like this with you.”

Dragged in by Samuagon only to administer blessings, go to Umma, train; on top of that, Nataek had been clearing quests—every day had been a scramble. At last, a quiet day had gifted the two of them their first date. Even if there was a reprieve limit—only until the banquet was ready.

“I thought Delam’s gardens would be most beautiful, but Kish holds its own. I never imagined a place like this behind Agade.”

Date palms, flowers, and various grasses grew thick. As they walked slowly, Medeus reached out and brushed the tips of leaves with his fingers—careful, as if stroking a silk curtain.

“Do you like plants?”

Medeus nodded.

“Is there anyone who dislikes grass and flowers?”

More than dislike… I just don’t feel much about them.

The modern man, Nataek, had never felt the need to grow leaves that weren’t for wraps on a plate.

“You don’t seem to like them much,” Medeus replied, reading Nataek’s eyes.

“No. I do like them. Who could dislike grass and flowers?”

“Liar.”

“…”

This guy… Strangely sharp in all the wrong places.

In the end, Nataek confessed.

“To be honest, I don’t really get it. Plants you can’t eat… I don’t see the point in cultivating them. What do you like about them, Medeus?”

At the sincere question, Medeus lifted the corner of his mouth gently.

“They gladly accept my touch. They don’t refuse it, and they don’t talk back. Sometimes, just watching them grow healthier the more care I give is a strength to me.”

In any land he went, a “barbarian” shunned by civilization. Amid that, the only lives that always welcomed him were such as these. The sudden glimpse of Medeus’s loneliness rattled Nataek.

“I… see.”

“I didn’t say it to make you melancholic. Don’t pity me in some odd way.”

“Pity? Why would I pity you.”

Nataek shot him an irritated glance. It wasn’t pity. He simply felt his heart pulled by the thought of a time he hadn’t known—Medeus as he must have been, somewhere in the past. After a pause, he asked,

“What’s your favorite flower, then?”

Maybe he’d buy one later as a birthday gift. He’d never given flowers to a man, but if it was Medeus, he’d likely accept it more joyfully than anyone. Imagining his face—smiling like a happy pup with a bouquet—kept tugging Nataek’s mouth upward.

“Mm… favorite flower…”

Medeus fell into thought. A dog barked in the distance. Far off in a flowerbed, a Saluki—leashed—stood wagging its tail with crisp restraint, sleek black fur shining. Medeus looked from the dog to Nataek, then tilted his head and smiled.

“I like black bellwort.”

“Bellwort?”

Nataek immediately called up his stored herbology notes via the system. Bellwort, also used medicinally, resembled the lily of the valley of the modern era.

Could a bellwort even be made into a bouquet…? Bunched together, the flowers might just fall off.

Already imagining a bellwort bouquet, Nataek grew serious. Medeus’s expression dimmed in tandem.

“What’s wrong. Do you dislike bellwort?”

“No. It’s not that. I was wondering where to find black bellwort.”

“You’d fetch it for me?”

“Eh? Ah…”

Giving a bouquet to a man is… a bit much, right? And to a soldier, no less. Everyone would think it strange.

“Were you truly going to bring it?”

There was something oddly bright in Medeus’s expression as he asked.

“…No. Even if I did, what would you do with it. It’s useless and a hassle to dispose of.”

Medeus stopped short. Not seeing a shadow following him, Nataek turned back.

“…?”

“If it’s from you, then anything has a use.”

There wasn’t a hint of teasing on Medeus’s face. He stepped up and stood before Nataek.

“Nothing you give me could be useless.”

“What does that mean. If I give it, what, it becomes expensive enough to resell?”

“It would gain at least that much value.”

Medeus reached out and smoothed Nataek’s hair. Fine strands, like black bellwort, whispered beneath his fingers. The sound made Nataek’s scalp ticklish; he tipped his head back, and then, a touch abashed, shook his hair free where Medeus’s hand had been and turned away.

“I’m no Midas, you know…”

Still, it wasn’t unpleasant to hear that things he gifted would be deemed special.

After walking in silence for a while, Nataek recalled the plans for the banquet. Who’s coming from Delam? Likely Smenaphis’s team? He hadn’t seen them since the Great Flood. Surely they wouldn’t try to sabotage us… As for Umma, how would the difficulty be tuned… Wait. Is the princess coming too?

He couldn’t hold back a sudden curiosity.

“Medeus.”

“Yes.”

“Among the Delam party coming today… will the princess be with them?”

Medeus’s steps halted at once.

“…Why do you ask?”

Footnotes:

 

 

• “Saluki” is an ancient sighthound breed, historically attested in the Near East; its presence here underscores the setting’s cultural texture. 
• “Bellwort” is rendered as a lily-of-the-valley-like plant in-world; the “black bellwort” preference adds symbolic color to Medeus’s character.