"However, she's really a stubborn and gloomy person. As a king and hero, I will praise (her).
But as a person, I don't intend to praise her behavior.
Because asceticism itself is not worthy of praise. I can't praise such a thing. That would just be cruel to her."
Moran shook his head and said faintly.
If he heard about Ereshkigal's deeds from others, he would most likely only offer praise.
But, he is from an observer's - perspective.
Having watched Ereshkigal's tens of thousands of years of - experience.
As a god, she is undoubtedly perfect.
From the perspective of a king and a god, one can only say that this is a great achievement, but looking at her life from a human perspective.
From Moran's perspective as a man.
This is too sad.
It's like seeing a strong and beautiful delicate flower growing in extremely cold frozen soil, enduring tens of thousands of years of freezing cold destruction.
Beautiful, but also sigh-worthy.
Unlike Tiamat's passively chosen situation, Ereshkigal actively chose this situation.
Clearly, there was an opportunity not to do so.
But, because of her sense of responsibility, she chose to carry it through to the end, single-handedly supporting this desolate underworld for tens of thousands of years.
If this isn't asceticism, what is it?
Walking on the path of pursuing ideals, but not loving oneself, in the end, only the ideal itself can be saved.
[You, as someone who has been there, know this best]
[Once, you did everything you could to save Britain, and in the end, only the ideal was saved]
[Everything about you dissipated and was lost in the process]
[Although, you never regretted this]
[But you never want others to experience this kind of life]
[Although the ideal is realized, in the end, too many regrets will remain. As a life, it's too sad]
[Now, seeing the girl in the pulse memory]
[This mistress of the underworld is even more extreme than you were, completely disregarding herself for the sake of the underworld]
[Making such dazzling achievements]
[Without a single bit of reward]
[To put it bluntly, such behavior is just self-abuse, and it's definitely not a principle that normal people can accept]
"If she continues like this, in the end, I'm afraid she won't be able to accept the end of the age of gods, and she won't approve of humans abandoning the gods…"
Moran looked at the stone bridge not far away.
According to the memory information provided by the ley line, as long as you walk up this stone bridge, you can leave the underworld.
But, will he choose to leave?
"…Since I've seen such a thing, then I have no reason to leave. I'll break any situation where beautiful things are heading towards self-destruction. Beautiful things should have a good ending to match them."
Moran turned his back to the stone bridge and took a step.
He didn't choose to go to the exit of the underworld.
Instead, he walked deeper into the underworld.
—If there is love, love with all your might.
This is Moran's personal creed and principle that he recently recognized.
Faced with such a regrettable and dazzling goddess, it would be too pitiful to let her endure suffering like this.
At least, her efforts must be rewarded.
This is what is truly meaningful.
"What's more, I'm not those bastard gods. They can be indifferent to a woman single-handedly supporting the underworld, but I can't do that."
Moran even cursed the gods.
[That's right, the gods clearly know Ereshkigal's difficulties, but no one offers help]
[Selecting a newly born girl to make her the foundation of the underworld]
[Then, letting her be self-reliant in this wasteland]
[Not a single god has actively come to help her]
[In the tens of thousands of years, gods like Dumuzid and Nergal only chose to submit to the contract after being defeated by Ereshkigal, handing over half of their authority and half of their time]
[Ereshkigal originally wanted the authority of life and the sun, to build the underworld into a warm and peaceful kingdom]
[As a result, what they gave her was the authority of plague and the ability to command snakes and dragons]
[This not only didn't make the underworld better]
[On the contrary, it made Ereshkigal's dark attributes as the goddess of the underworld become deeper and deeper]
[When you saw this memory]
[Seeing the tearful Ereshkigal]
[You were also a bit amused]
[This goddess is not a god who displays personal desires]
[In other words, she is just repressed and tsundere]
[Putting aside the plan to return to the surface]
[You will head to the palace of the underworld as your goal, constantly descending along the layers of stone bridges]
[When encountering the seven gates of the underworld]
[You paused for a moment]
[Unsure whether the same type of authority from different pantheons would apply. You held onto the idea of treating a dead horse as if it were still alive, and used the authority of the god Hades to break through]
[As a result, you managed to figure it out]
[It took some time to break through the first gate, but the subsequent six gates didn't pose much of an obstacle]
[This really surprised you]
"Can Greek authority also apply to Sumerian? Could it be that the origins of these divine authorities are the same?"
Walking on the road, Moran couldn't help but have this guess.
He only has a slight understanding of divine authority, and only the gods themselves can truly analyze it.
However, being able to travel is a good thing.
[You successfully broke through the seven gates]
[After that, through the data displayed by the armor, you noticed that the outside temperature and pressure were constantly decreasing]
[There is no doubt that you are on the right path]
[The Palace is Just Below]
[As you advance, you gradually arrive at an open and spacious area, and you see the full view of the Underworld Palace——]
It's called a palace, but it's still desolate here.
Before your eyes, there is only a flat and smooth foundation of a temple, with only a few unfinished stone pillars standing around.
Stone blocks and rubble of various shapes are piled up like mountains.
This doesn't look like a god's palace; it's more like an unfinished construction site.
No, even calling it a construction site is praise.
The temperature and darkness here are not acceptable to humans; it doesn't even meet the standards of a construction site.
"This is… desolate…"
Moran couldn't help but sigh.
Although he had seen it in the Ley line's memory, he didn't expect the Underworld Palace to still be under construction.
However, as Moran stepped onto the foundation of the temple,
A massive pressure began to coalesce.
The previously dim and empty space was illuminated by rows of ghostly blue flames.
As if a stage curtain was being raised.
The girl who had only existed in the memory of this land,
Her figure appeared before Moran.
She is the queen who commands the Garula spirits, the goddess who controls all matters large and small in the Underworld.
The mistress of the Underworld—Ereshkigal.