Chapter 520: Chapter 520: One Who Attempts to Transcend Death
[However, this made Gilgamesh very unhappy.]
[Arrogant as he was, conceited as he was.]
[He believed that he was the one who should pay such a price, that he was the one who should bear the hardship of confronting the gods.]
[It should never have been his older brother, who was born amidst controversy.]
[You have endured enough.]
[He, Gilgamesh, was the King of Humans who would guide humanity.]
[This suffering should have been borne by him.]
[In the end, this suffering was borne by you, his older brother, while the light of victory and the future fell upon him.]
[Only because of the words, "An older brother is meant to protect his younger brother."]
[How could Gilgamesh feel happy?]
[No, as long as he is Gilgamesh, he wouldn't.]
[The glory gained by having his older brother bear the majority of the hardships and suffering was not what Gilgamesh wanted.]
"Well… the price I paid… is lifespan…"
Moran knew he couldn't fool Gilgamesh.
He chuckled and said.
"What…?"
"As demigods, we can live for a long time, right? Me manipulating the planet's system like that was indeed reckless. However, I don't regret it; I just did what I thought a man should do."
Moran said it very lightly.
However, this caused Gilgamesh to fall silent.
This was a price he hadn't expected.
"…How much longer?"
"The same as a mortal's lifespan, I guess… Now, it's really just like Mom said, 'Born as a demigod, live out the brilliance of a human.'
So, it's not really a bad ending, is it?"
"You bastard! This king never told you to do any of this. With your selfish and willful personality, no wonder Ishtar fell in love with you!"
Gilgamesh scolded angrily.
Mentioning Ishtar at this moment made Moran's lips twitch involuntarily.
This was something Moran couldn't refute.
Moreover, Gilgamesh's words hit the nail on the head.
Moran's willfulness and selfishness were very similar to Ishtar's.
The difference was that Moran's willfulness and selfishness were for the people he loved, while Ishtar's were only for herself.
However, the essence was indeed the same. Both were willing to disregard the consequences to achieve their goals.
It could be said that there was a reason why these two could fall in love.
"Idiot, you world-renowned idiot.
To be able to cause such absurd things because of falling in love with a woman, you truly are worthy of being my older brother. Now, you've even gambled away your own lifespan. I'll have to go back and laugh about this for three days and three nights."
Gilgamesh pointed at Moran's nose and directly started scolding.
He had a sense of disappointment that he wasn't made of iron.
But behind this was deep self-reproach; he wished he was the one bearing this pain.
To have his older brother bear these costs.
Leaving him alone to enjoy the glory and beauty of later generations.
Just thinking about it made his heart ache.
Gilgamesh wanted to laugh and celebrate with his family and friends, to be recorded in history, standing at the pinnacle of the world.
"Sorry…"
Letting Gilgamesh continue to spout these insults.
Moran didn't refute him like before.
He knew that Gilgamesh was feeling self-reproach, and saying more at this time would only make him feel more guilty.
A bastard? He didn't deny that he was a bastard.
Was it worth it? Moran thought it was worth it.
He not only protected the woman he loved but also protected his family, and even safeguarded the future of humanity.
Even that willful and tsundere Venus goddess.
He had protected her as well.
The price he had to pay was just a mere lifespan, a fleeting and illusory long life.
Honestly, he thought it was too worth it.
The only thing that made him feel guilty was towards Gilgamesh; he also knew his younger brother's unwillingness and self-reproach.
But there was no way around it.
"Tch, unpleasant… This is really unpleasant for this king… No, or rather, should this be this king's oversight?"
Gilgamesh suddenly frowned.
He didn't seem to be dissatisfied with Moran's matter but was reacting to something else.
"This king has searched through the treasury, thinking that all the treasures in the world were already included within. In the end, I couldn't find any treasure that could extend life or grant immortality."
"Ah, this…"
Moran shook his head.
He didn't expect Gilgamesh to care about this.
However, since he thought of this.
That is to say, in mythology, the final deeds of the Hero King Gilgamesh are about to…
"Hmph, a mere lifespan and ending, this king will also conquer such things… There's no need to fear at all!"
Gilgamesh said with a burning gaze.
He set a new goal.
That was to find a treasure that could grant immortality.
[Seeing even his invincible older brother, who looked down upon the world, suffering from the pain of lifespan, the first thing Gilgamesh felt was fear.]
[Therefore, he was arrogant.]
[He attempted to transcend predetermined death.]
[Not as a king, nor as a hero, but just as an ordinary man.]
[In the near future, Gilgamesh will embark on the only and most lengthy journey.]
[This is the mythical event passed down in later generations.]
[Gilgamesh seeks the herb of immortality.]
[You know what Gilgamesh will face in the future, and you also know the final outcome of this event.]
[But you will not stop him.]
[Because this is Gilgamesh's last stop to achieve himself. He will realize the meaning of being human at the end of this journey and truly become a hero-king who can be praised and sung by the world. This is something he must experience.]
[You don't care about the length of your own lifespan.]
[As someone who has experienced several cycles of life and death, you already have a deep understanding in this regard.]
[You returned to Uruk.]
[You did not announce the defeat of the gods to the citizens.]
[You only said that you had dealt with the recent natural disasters.]
[This is not something worth publicizing.]
[In the Age of Gods, the gods were equivalent to necessary rules. Once the citizens were told that the gods had been defeated, the first thing that would happen would be the collapse of order, and the common sense that countless people had believed in the past would collapse.]
[In this situation, the first thing that would be caused would be disorder and chaos, which would add many unnecessary troubles to Uruk.]
[This is like telling modern people in the modern era:
"From now on, apples will no longer fall downwards but will fly upwards. You must live in such a world."]
[For the people of the Age of Gods, the complete defeat of the gods is just such a thing.]