The Infinite Dragon God Cannot Find Silence

Don't worry, you've fulfilled your obligations to them. Regardless of their choices, the final outcome won't change.

"Won't it change...?"

Looking out the window at the whole of Uruk, Orpheus murmured to himself.

"Qi... is there really no other way?"

【…】

"pray?"

[To be honest, I was really shocked just now. I didn't expect you to say something like that... Normally, since your fate is already set, no matter how tragic it is, your will to rebel wouldn't be that strong, right?]

"Perhaps... that's correct."

Orpheus paused, and upon reflection, she realized she didn't know why she had suddenly asked that question.

[Seems a little confused?]

"This is probably the city that Enkidu likes."

Shaking his head, Orpheus finally came to this conclusion.

[Ha... Enkidu again? Honestly, whether it's meeting you or teaching you, I was the first one there... But I can't deny that he really went to great lengths for you... But one thing at a time, is this really because of Enkidu?]

Orpheus fell silent in response to Prayer's question.

"I have no idea……"

In the end, she gave the same answer as before.

Chapter 34 The Priest's Loyalty

Oh, this is quite an unexpected sight.

A large number of fully armed soldiers knelt on one knee in the square in front of the temple.

This is what Orpheus saw the day after his speech, as he stepped out of the palace.

"Your Majesty, these soldiers are all brave warriors who are willing to take up arms and are determined to resist the impending disaster. Each and every one of them has made all the necessary preparations. Please give your instructions, Your Majesty."

"Please give your instructions, Your Majesty!!!"

The priestess Hiduri stood at the front of the procession, bowing and speaking to Orpheus, while the soldiers behind her echoed her words loudly.

Orpheus looked around and saw that the number of people here was a quarter more than the original army. There were fewer veterans, but more unfamiliar faces.

All of them wore resolute expressions, without hesitation or doubt.

Ten thousand men—that's roughly the number of this army.

In this era and region, the size of an army of this number can only be described as terrifying.

These are all people who know it's futile, yet still choose to resist.

Calling them 'warriors' is indeed quite fitting.

But the name 'Fool' also applies to these people.

A fool who, knowing it's pointless, still takes up arms in resistance.

On the very day the Heroic Spirits were summoned, Orpheus witnessed the exact same scene—from that power that could glimpse the future.

Even now, with this scene unfolding right before his eyes, Orpheus still cannot comprehend it.

She might not dare to say how well she understands humanity, but she could at least deduce from her knowledge that ordinary 'humans' would not make such a choice knowing that the end of the world was coming.

If we follow common sense and reason, Uruk would have been in complete chaos by now, wouldn't it?

In fact, since the reality of the future that was seen could not be confirmed, Orpheus made a lot of preparations for it.

But none of these preparations came in handy.

Unbelievable—that's how Orpheus feels right now.

This seemingly impossible thing has actually come true.

Seeing this scene, the question that Orpheus had just had a few days ago resurfaced.

Is that incomprehensible future truly unavoidable?

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"In fact, quite a few women have expressed their willingness to help me, but because women cannot serve in the military, I ultimately only assigned them to logistics work."

The scene shifts to the temple, where the priestess Hiduri performs priestly rituals to Orpheus and begins to report the information she knows.

"There was no large-scale chaos in the city as the king had warned. Although a few people disregarded the rules or were slightly mentally unstable, all the violence and disorderly behavior was spontaneously stopped by the people before the guards arrived."

So, the order hasn't collapsed at all?

Sidduri's report is still ongoing.

"In addition, although it is regrettable, as the king predicted, there were quite a few people who chose to end their lives and throw themselves into the underworld. Although a very small number of them were discovered and successfully rescued, the majority of them lost their lives."

Orpheus nodded, indicating that he understood.

In fact, in Orpheus's opinion, since they didn't want to live, there was no need to force them to be saved—after all, their hearts were already dead, and it wouldn't make much sense for their bodies to still be alive; it was no different from being dead. However, since Hiduri and the others chose to help, she had no reason to object.

"We also observed a small number of people who seemed to have been too traumatized and were living like zombies. Since these people did not cause any trouble for others, we did not take any additional measures against them except to continue to observe them for a period of time."

"...to be centralized and managed in a unified manner."

These people may not cause problems in the short term, but if left unattended for an extended period, they could potentially become disruptive factors and a potential threat.

"Yes, I understand."

Without hesitation, Siddharth wrote down the order.

"Apart from the cases mentioned above, most of the other civilians, even those who did not join the military, expressed their willingness to provide support. It seems that the operation of Uruk as a whole and the logistics of the army can be fully guaranteed, and there will not be any major problems at present."

"Okay... I understand."

Orpheus nodded again, but before she could give any instructions, the priestess suddenly knelt down respectfully.

"Your Majesty, High Priest Hiduri, on behalf of the entire 'Priesthood,' offers his sincerest apologies for any doubts he may have harbored in his heart. We now know that Your Majesty's actions were all decisions made to protect Uruk, and we understand how foolish we were before—though it should be considered an obligation rather than compensation, please allow us, the 'Priesthood,' to come under Your Majesty's command, to obey Your Majesty's orders, and to contribute our efforts in future battles!"

Despite Sidduri's constant respect for Orpheus, in this era before the gods had completely become illusions, the priesthood of 'divine authority' was able to restrain Orpheus of 'royal authority' in many matters.

Now, with the death of the previous high priest, Hiduri, who has taken over the position of high priest in an emergency, has made this declaration, which is tantamount to announcing that the entire priesthood is directly loyal to Orpheus, and that Orpheus will be able to give them direct orders in the future.

Uruk has finally come to a true unity, becoming an era of human kings, and the rule of theocracy has truly come to an end.

“I accept. From now on, the blessing, assistance and healing of the front-line troops will be left to the priesthood.”

Orpheus naturally had no reason not to accept such a thing.

"Yes!"

Siddhartha remained kneeling and bowed respectfully once more.

"You can ask Medea for help with this; she's very good at it."

"Lady Medea? I understand."

These are extraordinary times, and the matter of loyalty cannot be accomplished through a series of cumbersome rituals. After reaching a consensus, both sides ended the topic and devoted themselves to discussing the current situation.

Until a clanging sound came.

The two snapped out of their discussion to find the temple hall already filled with warriors clad in fine armor.

Unlike the previous group, which, despite its large numbers, lacked vitality, the warriors before Orpheus, though numbering only a few hundred, each exuded a certain level of imposing presence.

This is an elite force—everyone who sees this would be certain of that, right?

"Your Majesty! As per your command, the 506 strongest men in the army have been selected. Please issue further instructions!"

The leader stepped forward from the group, bowed, and spoke loudly.

"Please give your instructions, Your Majesty!"

The synchronized, deafening roar shook the temple's main hall.

Chapter 35 Blood Bath

Although the temple in Uruk looks about the same size, it is actually much larger than it appears from the outside due to the special spells applied to the plaza in front and a large part of the rooms inside.

Orpheus is currently in one of the rooms where a spatial spell has been cast.

Behind her stood 506 soldiers in neat rows.

Calling it a 'room' might be too small; looking inside, it's already about a third the size of a sports field.

After Orpheus ordered the selection of elites from the army, she also instructed the magicians of Uruk to renovate the space.

Now, a huge pool is placed in the center of the room, with two other pools of much smaller size next to it.

"The strongest person goes in there."

Orpheus pointed to the pool at the deepest part of the room.

After bowing, the leader immediately plunged into the pool Orpheus had indicated.

"The next five people, go in there."

The five people at the front also bowed and then immersed themselves in the pool.

"Finally, everyone soaks in here."

Five hundred people walked directly into the largest pool.

"Help each other and remove the armor."

Orpheus gave the final command.

Although it was troublesome, it was ultimately the king's order, and all the soldiers obeyed.

"Your Majesty, what is this?"

Siduri watched this scene with some confusion.

Orpheus's instructions were passed on to her first, and then she gave the orders. As far as she knew, although the water in these pools was specially treated and relatively pure because it was used for sacrifices, it was just ordinary water. At most, it might have been contaminated with a very small amount of divine or magical power due to its long-term exposure to the temple, but it would not undergo any qualitative change.

Orpheus shook his head without answering, but simply raised his right palm.