Heroine sat on the cold stone floor with her arms around her knees and her eyes wary of everything around her. Nothing of note had happened since the puppet had thrown her into this cell. In fact, nothing had happened at all.

  In the silence of the dark dungeon, Heroine found her thoughts drifting from one concern to another, as they often did.

  “...What is Gilgamesh doing now? How much has he gained without me? Maybe he gained a lot. Does he need me anymore, then? Is he waiting for me? What if he tricked me…?”

  Heroine sank into deeper concern.

  “He broke his promise before. He could break it again. But he gave me a mace. I wouldn’t have won 10 fights in the Arena without it… And he helped in the Labyrinth. He didn’t have to do that. Is he different now? He’s been different in this Trial. But what if that’s just a trick? What if he changes again…?”

  Heroine’s grip around her legs tightened.

  “Did he deceive me again? Did I make the wrong choice...?”

  The cell door opened, and Heroine suddenly found herself back in the Lounge. She lingered for a moment, then walked straight to where Gilgamesh said he would be.

  “Will he really be there? What if he’s not? What do I do then…?”

  In the midst of her worries, Heroine spotted a Nobleman standing next to a Servant with one hand resting on a table, and relief soothed her until she glanced up at his Prestige.

  [ 100,000 Prestige ]

  “A Duke?!” This exceeded even her estimation of him. “How?”

  Then, Heroine caught nothing of something else, the Noblewoman with almost 20,000 Prestige who stood close by his side.

  “...who is that?”

  “I told you I was the right choice.” Gilgamesh was the first to speak.

  Heroine did not respond right away, clearly bothered by Sereth’s presence. “Who is she…?”

  “Our third Ally.” Gilgamesh answered, though it was not what she wanted to hear.

  “...how do you know she’s the right one? Maybe she’s incompetent and disloyal…” Heroine said somewhat indirectly.

  “Don’t mind me too much. I’m just another loyal pawn~” Sereth teased as she leaned in and grabbed her hand.

  [ Gained 8,123 Prestige. ]

  [ 10,000 Prestige. ]

  Heroine pulled herself away as Sereth transferred just enough Prestige to elevate her to a Marquis.

  “Gilgamesh’s orders~” Sereth explained.

  Gilgamesh extended his hand in the brief silence. “Trade me your Ring.”

  Heroine hesitated for a moment, then did as he asked, and got back a Crown in return.

  “A lot has happened while you were away.” Gilgamesh told her. “Our Faction has around 2,000 Vassals now.”

  Heroine was shocked.

  “But that’s not enough.” Gilgamesh continued. “It’s the Age of War now. We need much more than that. Fortunately, we can expand as recklessly as we want, thanks to Sereth.”

  Heroine was not pleased by the comment. She was even more displeased when Sereth leaned a little closer to Gilgamesh as if to taunt her. Her mask even felt like it smiled a little wider than normal.

  “...But Duke is the highest title. Doesn’t that mean you’re done?” Heroine asked.

  “What are you talking about?” Gilgamesh’s presence grew deeper and bolder. “I will end this Trial a King.”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “He’s different again…” Heroine withdrew into herself under his intensity. “What happened. No… That doesn’t matter. I’ll become a King, too.”

  ---

  Gilgamesh stood back in the Ballroom with Sereth and Heroine close by his side. Seven Stewards stood around them exactly five paces away, and around them were three rings of Guard Walls.

  The Outer Wall comprised of roughly 650 Vassals, arranged in three tightly packed rows. A close rank formation of Guards was the most effective at slowing down attacks and increasing the rate of arrests needed to break through.

  The Middle Wall consisted of one row of 100 Vassals in total, who were mainly to act as reserves to crowd any spots in the Outer Wall should enemies break through. And lastly, the Inner Guard Wall comprised of 50 Vassals, most of whom were armed with Daggers to eliminate any enemies that managed to make it past.

  A rather dangerous strategy, were it any other Faction. All of the Inner Guards and the newest four Stewards were chosen with the help of Sereth’s mindreading.

  As for the trio themselves, each of them held a different Regalia. Sereth a Scepter, Heroine a Crown, and Gilgamesh a Ring. Defense was a mere footnote now. If an Assassin with a Dagger aimed for their lives, they could levy an accusation with perfect accuracy. For fake Assassins, they need only use whichever of them holds the advantage to force the enemy into a state of Truce, and command one of their Inner Guards to assassinate the fool.

  Everything was so much easier now that Gilgamesh could know the thoughts of his Vassals. Too easy, almost.

  Gilgamesh grazed his eyes over the horizon again. Most of the Lieges were Marquises now, and he was hardly the only Duke. True to his claim in the Lounge, the period of chaotic brawls was almost over, and the age of war and diplomacy had just begun.

  Gilgamesh glanced over in the distance at the targets all of his army was gradually whittling away, a Marquis Liege halfway to becoming a Duke.

  For this battle, he opted for a safe strategy of steadily siphoning away Prestige through persistent hunting. The Prestige itself was a target, of course, but his primary goal was to train his Soldiers into becoming more skilled at the game and faster at responding to changes in strategies.

  Among his many improvements was a restructuring of his army. Soldiers were now grouped together in units of 3 and given a set of central strategies to follow. Then those units were organized into ‘Legions’ of 300, all under the control of someone he had deemed competent enough to be given the position of Commander.

  There were four Legions in total, the Commanders of each given the moniker of a cardinal direction. This not only allowed his army to be more dynamic in their tactics, but it made his army harder to read as a whole. Commanders were greatly incentivized to excel on the battlefield and remain loyal, as the reward was to eventually become a Duke, along with a very rare reward that few besides Gilgamesh could offer.

  “...why are you so sure they’ll keep being loyal?” Heroine asked, wary of their own Guards.

  “Because this isn’t the last Trial.” Gilgamesh answered bluntly. “It’s only going to get more dangerous as the competition grows stronger. Even the slightest advantage can mean the difference between success and meeting a pitiful end. Such as… having a golem.”

  Gilgamesh glanced over at her with a smile. “Each of them has a unique password, so that when I encounter them in the next Trial, I will craft a Low Grade golem of their choice.”

  “You’re going to craft one for everyone…?” Heroine looked around with suspicion.

  “I do have thousands of gemstones.”

  “Oh.” Heroine replied. A pause ensued until she realized something. “You bought some of them with my money.”

  “I’ll make a golem for you, too.” Gilgamesh teased.

  Heroine lingered on him for a while, then looked away. “...I don’t need one.”

  [ North: The Liege ran away. We’re recruiting his Vassals now. Looks like half will stay. ]

  [ South: Liege got away. Herding the sheep now. ]

  [ East: Done. ]

  [ West: We won. Wrapping up now. ]

  Gilgamesh read the messages from his Commanders and watched the Marquis in question scurry back to the Hallway with the bulk of his Guards. He also watched the Commanders persuade many of the Soldiers to defect and return with the spoils.

  [ King: Divide the Soldiers among yourselves. ]

  Gilgamesh messaged all four of his Commanders.

  “The Soldiers seem sufficiently trained.” Sereth commented.

  “Are we gonna attack the big Factions now?” Heroine asked.

  “Something else needs to happen first.” Gilgamesh replied, though he did not explain what.

  He waited patiently for his Commanders to return with their legions. The Legions waited on the outskirts as the Commanders were let in through the Guard Walls to personally hand their Prestige to the Stewards.

  “Well done.” Gilgamesh praised. “Continue to serve.”

  But as they finished, two of them made a sudden rush past the Stewards, straight for the trio. Heroine panicked immediately, worsened by the fact that she had no means to escape or fight back, but neither Gilgamesh nor Sereth seemed concerned.

  Sereth accused the East Commander of treason and got him killed via execution, while the North Commander stepped into range and challenged Gilgamesh. But in place of the Ring he expected, Gilgamesh’s Crown shattered his Scepter.

  The Commander was so shocked that he failed to react, and that delay was all the time a Guard needed to stab him in the back. Gilgamesh waited calmly as that same Guard walked over and obediently handed him the Prestige he had just plundered then walked back to his place in the Wall.

  “Those who follow me will rise! Those who oppose me will be destroyed!” Gilgamesh boldly proclaimed. “Carve these words into your minds! I will be King.”

  Patreon is 20 chapters ahead.