Escape from an Ancient Civilization Ch 126

Chapter 126

 

“The Lion of Inanna, speak.”

“The aftermath of the Uruk campaign has not yet fully subsided. Furthermore, we will need time to properly receive Inanna’s new revelation. Might it not be best to determine the expedition to Ur after that? With the goddess’s protection, the path to Ur shall open more smoothly.”

“You mean the Lion of Inanna will also march in this campaign to Ur?!” Samuagon exclaimed in surprise.

Yes… Because if I don’t go personally, I’ll never see the True Ending. And I definitely cannot send Medeus alone. Like it or not, I have no choice but to go.

Once again, Nataek invoked Inanna’s name to restrain Samuagon’s warlike eagerness. Yet, within Sununki, after countless failed attempts, Ur remained the one city he had never managed to conquer.

Prepare, prepare, then prepare again—it never seemed to be enough. As Nataek curbed Samuagon’s fervor, the Soothsayer swallowed nervously, trying to hide his tension, while Medeus—his expression still seething—refused even to glance at Nataek. One man anxious, another simmering with anger, others all eager to push forward… and Nataek caught in the middle, trying to soothe one, argue with another, and keep peace—all while drenched in cold sweat.

Gods… I just want to throw it all away.

He bit back the words boiling to his throat and forced the discussion to its tenuous conclusion.

When at last the long debate ended and the chamber doors opened, Medeus swept past Nataek without a glance.

“Medeus.”

But he did not turn, striding onward. Until now, Medeus might rage, but he had never ignored him entirely. Something was different this time.

Seriously? I was only trying to save someone’s life with a mouth‑to‑mouth act. It’s not like our lips even touched! It’s not as if I even wanted to do it.

For the first time, irritation stirred in Nataek toward Medeus’s stubborn silence.

“Medeus!” he called again, but Medeus still walked ahead, unyielding. Nataek halted abruptly where he stood.

Fine, let’s see how far you’ll go without me.

He remained still, watching. Surely Medeus wouldn’t leave him entirely?

And indeed, he didn’t. When the sound of pursuit failed to follow, Medeus’s long strides halted too. He didn’t turn back, but neither did he move farther away—keeping exactly the distance of someone sulking, like a dog on a too‑long leash during a walk.

Imagining Medeus with floppy ears and a tail, Nataek’s anger dulled to mere exasperation. Narrowing his eyes, he snapped, “Are you really planning to keep walking on without me like that?”

At last, Medeus turned. Step by step, his long legs carried him swiftly back toward Nataek.

“Who said I left you behind?”

“You didn’t answer me and went off on your own.”

“…You should have followed properly.”

But even now, his eyes avoided Nataek’s, fixed on the air beside him.

Sulking. Definitely sulking. Or is it still outright anger?

Nataek suspected the reason, but still struggled to see why it mattered so much. Yet deep down, he knew the truth: his own acceptance was irrelevant. What mattered was Medeus’s feelings—and finding a way to ease them.

So again, he bent his pride.

“…I was wrong.”

Medeus’s gaze met his.

“Wrong? Wrong about what?”

“About all of it. Everything that made you angry.”

“And what was that, exactly?”

“….”

Silence.

I have to choose my words carefully now. A single misstep, and he’ll explode further. But I don’t know the exact point of his fury either. Should I risk provoking him with a guess—or speak plainly?

At last Nataek decided.

“There is something I think it might be. I don’t know if that’s really a reason to be this angry. But if my suspicion is right, then I swear Medeus will never have reason to feel this way from me again. So please—can we let this go now?”

“…And what exactly do you suspect?”

“About when I tried to feed that Ur noble water. Was that it?”

“…”

So it was.

“Then let me be perfectly clear: that really was nothing but a medical act. A treatment. I had no other intention at all.”

Odd. It sounded like the kind of reassurance one gave a lover. How in the world had it come to this?

“You had no other intent…?” Medeus muttered. “None at all?”

“None. Truly.”

So… the misunderstanding is over?

As Nataek leaned his head gently, trying to read Medeus’s expression—

“…No other intent. Then I had no reason to be angry. Yes. I see. I wasn’t angry. I won’t be. Don’t concern yourself.”

Biting his lip, Medeus whispered the words as though to himself.

Relieved, Nataek exhaled.

“Then—”

But before he could finish, Medeus suddenly spun and strode off, faster than before.

“Medeus?!”

Even as Nataek called out, Medeus gave him not even the chance of a backward glance. Within moments, he vanished completely from sight, leaving Nataek stranded in the middle of the courtyard.

“So… was that forgiveness… or not?”

The answer awaited him back at the residence.

When Nataek returned, Medeus was with the physician, listening intently.

“The treatment is finished, and all the external wounds are cleaned. None were serious—mostly scrapes and bruises from falling. With some herbs brewed and taken, he should likely recover consciousness by tonight or tomorrow. How shall we proceed? Shall I remain to attend him, or bring in a stretcher and move him elsewhere?”

“Keep him here. We’ll use another chamber. Stay with him until he wakes, and guard him closely. I’ll post guards as well—so take no chances.”

“Yes, General.”

Medeus displayed his usual calculated caution.

“That’s a relief. No grave wounds then,” Nataek said.

But yet again, Medeus offered no response.

So he still was not appeased. Even after explaining that it hadn’t been what it looked like…

How do I fix this? Where did I go wrong? Did I misjudge from the very beginning?

Arms folded, Nataek replayed the earlier conversation word for word, frowning deeply. He did not see Medeus glance at him, and the look in his commander’s eyes only darkened further at Nataek’s furrowed brow.

Clenching his lips, Medeus abruptly turned and left the chamber. His trailing lashes reddened—unseen by Nataek.

Bang.

The door shut with a force that made the physician jump. “My—! Must be the wind!” he muttered nervously, hand to his chest.

Nataek only sighed, heavy with frustration.

With nowhere else to go, he remained in the chamber, watching over the noble alongside the physician—but without touching him at all.

Better not give Medeus any reason to misinterpret.

The physician wrung out a wet cloth at the bedside and laid it across the noble’s forehead. Rising, he said, “I’ll fetch fresh water, and brew more herbal medicine. Please watch him until I return.”

“Yes. Don’t worry.”

Switching places, Nataek pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed. But even then, he deliberately kept distance, arms folded tightly over his chest.

No misunderstandings this time.

He stared at the sleeping noble, mind working furiously.

Ur. The last city-state left to conquer…

As he’d already said at Agade, there was no chance of victory through open battle in their present state. Not even with Medeus, Kish, Delam, and Umma’s united might did Nataek feel confident.

And even if they poured everything into conquering Ur, what then? After unification, the next threat would be from the Hittites—armed with iron weapons. To pit his exhausted troops against them would be disastrous. He needed reserves, saved for later.

Was there no other way? Perhaps infiltration again, as they had in Uruk? …Infiltration?

Suddenly, Nataek straightened.

“Yes… If I could slip into Ur and glean their secrets—find their weaknesses—maybe then we could win with only a minimum of forces…”

But it was no ordinary place—it was Guti‑occupied territory. Entering their stronghold would be unimaginably dangerous.

“But is there any alternative…? Hmmm…”

He brooded over it. And then, alongside his murmurs, came another sound.

“Ughh…”

Whipping his head around, Nataek saw the noble on the bed grimacing, eyes struggling half‑open, locking directly onto him.

“W‑where… am I…?”

Footnotes:

 

 

1. Hittites – historical Anatolian people, noted in both history and lore for their early mastery of iron weaponry, posing immense threat in the narrative’s future arc.