Gilgamesh led them down the Hallway in search of a third Ally, but no one he saw was suitable. All were too ordinary, too predictable in the degree of their waning usefulness towards his goals.

  “...why do we even need another person. It’s too risky…” Heroine asked. “We can just get Vassals and work them like dogs…”

  “We need three.” Gilgamesh stated plainly. “It won’t work with anything less.”

  As Gilgamesh travelled further down the Hallway than he ever had, he came across his other goal. A new entrance within the walls that led into a vast room filled with ambling and resting Nobles across its many chairs, couches, and tables.

  The furnishings and interior were designed for leisure and presented a more modest affluence than the boisterous grandeur of the Ballroom. And perhaps more notably, the puppets within were dressed as Maids and Manservants.

  Gilgamesh eyed one for a moment, then walked up to it with his Crown in tow. “What are the rules of this room?”

  The Puppet Maid bowed its head and a message appeared before Gilgamesh.

  [ Lounge ]

  ‘Clashes are prevented in the Lounge.’

  ‘Killing is prevented in the Lounge.’

  ‘Accusations are prevented in the Lounge.’

  “A refuge…” Gilgamesh surmised. “How exactly does one kill in the palace?”

  Violence beyond petty scuffles was impossible as far as he had seen. But if killing was an aspect of it, then there must be a method. However, the Puppet Maid did not respond.

  Gilgamesh thought for a moment. “Turn around.”

  The Puppet Maid did as told.

  “Go to the other side of the room and wait.”

  The Puppet Maid did as told again.

  “To what severity will they follow orders? And to what extent? Can I order more than one at a time?” Gilgamesh wondered. Rings and Scepters possessed useful abilities, but a Crown seemed far more pertinent to the larger game.

  Gilgamesh turned his attention more closely to the people within. Some were in the midst of petty schemes while others quietly formed alliances with renewed motivation. But most seemed to have accepted their limitations and their place within the palace.

  Gilgamesh only looked for a few moments before he returned to the Hallway. “The people here are all too scheming or have already given up. Even if I persuade one, they will without a doubt stab me in the back too soon.”

  Gilgamesh looked through the Hallway again for those who had confronted their limits but had not yet given up. What he needed was someone whose fear and gratitude would outweigh their greed, if only for just long enough.

  One sat down on the floor, grasping his head in distress. Another glanced around much too desperately. None were suitable. But then, he saw a Nobleman leaning against the wall with his head lowered in thought.

  “He hasn’t given up, but the walls of realization are closing in…” Gilgamesh assessed. “A suitable level of desperation.”

  “What is your name?” Gilgamesh suddenly asked.

  “Huh… oh, uh, Micah.” The Nobleman answered without much thought.

  “Naturally compliant.” Gilgamesh assessed.

  “What Regalia do you have?” He asked.

  Micah’s body language became a bit more guarded. “...why do you want to know?”

  “We’re looking for a new ally.” Gilgamesh declared bluntly.

  Hope graced Micah for a moment, but it was quickly replaced with suspicion. “Why me…?”

  “Is there some reason it shouldn’t be?” Gilgamesh’s blunt question caught Micah off guard, and he struggled to respond. “What is your Regalia?”

  “...Scepter.”

  Gilgamesh paused a moment, then offered a challenge. “I will give you half of my Prestige, then you can join us.”

  Micah was hesitant at the challenge, wracked with more questions than certainties, but Gilgamesh did not make the decision any easier. He simply waited in silence. Eventually, Micah accepted. Gilgamesh’s Crown emerged and defeated his Scepter.

  [ Gained 2 Prestige ]

  [ 421 Prestige ]

  “Good. You’re trustworthy.”

  Before the startled Micah could react, Gilgamesh held out his hand. Micah hesitated again but took it all the same, and Gilgamesh gave him 200 Prestige and an offer of Alliance.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Give me 100.” Gilgamesh held out his hand to Heroine next, who was far more reluctant to surrender her precious Prestige points. But Gilgamesh did not ask again. He simply waited in silence until she did as he told.

  [ Gained 100 Prestige. ]

  [ 321 Prestige ]

  “Um… Thank you…” Relief coated Micah’s tone as he still processed what had just occurred.

  “We don’t have time to wait around. Listen closely to our strategy.” Gilgamesh spoke to them both.

  “The two most common pairs of Regalia will still be Ring-Scepter and Double Scepter. Which means a Ring-Double Crown trio is most optimal. We will avoid Rings, but not many small groups will have more than one. Most won’t be that smart or bold.”

  “...shouldn’t we have two Crowns and a Scepter then? You know… So we can beat them all?” Micah asked.

  “We need a Ring to choose the right targets.” Gilgamesh explained. “Every Clash adds more risk to us, so we’re only going to focus on big game. Groups of two or three. We’ll do several clashes at most, then we return to the Hallway to lose anyone that might be following us. And then we do it all over again.”

  “Trade your Scepter with me.” He told Micah, who did so without objection. “We shake hands after each clash. Palm back means we don’t switch. Palm forward means we do. Remember this system.”

  Micah nodded.

  “I’ll pick our targets and tell you when to act. Until then, maintain perfectly neutral reactions to everything you see. We don’t need to prevent others from figuring out what we have for long, just long enough to find our targets.”

  “Now…” Gilgamesh led them off in search of a new trade partner. “Let’s get more Prestige.”

  ---

  Armed with a new Ring, Gilgamesh led the new trio alliance into the Ballroom for their first hunt. Little else occupied his mind but the search for Scepters and all the intricacies that entailed.

  Gilgamesh saw a pair who moved boldly, but gave not the slightest reaction to a high Prestige target they crossed by.

  “Challenge them.” Gilgamesh sent both Heroine and Micah over, and both won against the Double Scepter pair. All three shook hands and departed immediately.

  Next, Gilgamesh saw a pair that moved as though they were a Ring-Scepter but their approach was too passive.

  “Crown-Scepter.” Gilgamesh judged. “Heroine, come with me.”

  Gilgamesh challenged alongside her and emerged victorious again.

  [ Gained 105 Prestige. ]

  [ 426 Prestige ]

  Gilgamesh glanced at a large faction to the side and veered away from it. Then he saw a group of three. The front man with over 200 Prestige led the group as he boldly and obviously assessed everyone around him, as the other two stoically followed behind. Both neared an impressive 500.

  “A Crown pretending to be a Ring?” Gilgamesh wondered. “But the two behind have much more Prestige… He’s not the leader, but the scout. Which means the two behind must be Scepters.”

  “Challenge the two behind.” Gilgamesh told Heroine and Micah, as he himself challenged the man in front.

  His Ring drew with the person he challenged, while both Heroine and Micah won against the two Scepters, who all quickly fled. Gilgamesh, too, led his group back to the Hallway to dispel any attention they had amassed.

  “We can’t lose!” Micah almost laughed in celebration as he turned to Heroine. “How much do you have now?”

  “I don’t know.” She lied.

  “Huh…?”

  “We’re heading back. Same strategy.” Gilgamesh interrupted their pointless ramblings and led them back into the Ballroom.

  [ Gained 79 Prestige. ]

  [ 502 Prestige ]

  Gilgamesh hunted a Crown-Scepter duo with Micah, and quickly found another one for himself and Heroine this time. But the Crown he challenged turned out to be a Scepter, and the Scepter Heroine challenged turned out to be a Ring. Both of them lost and both of the costs were shared among them all.

  [ Lost 84 Prestige. ]

  [ Lost 112 Prestige. ]

  [ 306 Prestige ]

  Gilgamesh had been outwitted this time, but he did not slow down nor even linger in the loss. He simply led the trio to win two more times and regained what they had lost.

  Gilgamesh - [ 493 Prestige ]

  Heroine - [ 515 Prestige ]

  Micah - [ 672 Prestige ]

  After the latest clash, Gilgamesh caught note of the leering eyes towards them. Though many were not roaming hunters like them, but stationary factions growing ever larger. Immediately, he brought the trio back to the Hallway.

  “Haha! This is easy! We’ll hit the next rank in no time.” Micah boasted.

  “...He’s growing bolder too quickly.” Gilgamesh noted of his overconfident pawn. “Petty factions will soon take over the Ballroom. We have to move fast to reap what we can now.”

  “We should just get Vassals of our own.” Micah proposed with more assertiveness than a pawn should possess. “We could be doing even better than we are now.”

  “It’s too early.” Gilgamesh flatly rejected. “This is still the initial stage. Anarchy. Any faction that rises now will become the main target of all those around. Not to mention… Those at the bottom haven’t had enough time to shed their ambition. I need to wait until they are truly broken down and desperate.”

  Micah laughed. “What’s the hold up? We could dominate th-”

  “There are people in this Trial far more cunning than you can even imagine. Do not get careless.” Gilgamesh spoke with a cold harshness that made Micah fall into an awkward quiet.

  Gilgamesh did nothing to remedy the discomforting tension that simmered beneath the surface. A rebellious pawn must be made to know its place. If he would not bend, then Gilgamesh would ensure that he broke and find another to replace him.

  He did not feel frustration or resentment towards Micah. It was all part of the game after all. Every failure and setback made him more capable. Every mistake corrected a misunderstanding he possessed.

  It was as though this Trial were a forge that tempered and sharpened those intangible weapons in his mind. Wins and losses were merely temporary. All that mattered was that he emerge victorious at the end of this thrilling game.

  “...that has to be the test this time, right?” Discomfort with the awkwardness spurred Micah to speak up. “Cunning?”

  “Most likely.” Gilgamesh replied.

  “That’s good… This is much better than the other Trials.” Micah said.

  Gilgamesh eyed him from behind his mask. “Did you have a hard time before?”

  “Yeah…” Traces of shame and resentment laced Micah’s tone. “Especially the Third Trial. Remember how soldiers got placed under a Charioteer. I had a real bastard for mine. Get this. He promised that we would all pass then just abandoned us in a big battle. He treated us like pawns. Honestly, what did we expect from a freak covered in bandages?”

  As Micah rambled more boldly with each word, Gilgamesh concealed his realization.

  [ Some gods are amused. ]

  [ Three-Headed Snake ] snickers.

  [ Loathsome Stag ] is interested to see how you will handle this situation.

  “Oh, yeah. Remember Kubera? The one who was the top rank for the Bazaar Trial. It was against her.”

  “That is quite something.” Gilgamesh said with a neutral, unassuming tone.

  “Yeah… How about you? Oh, uh… I don’t know your name.” Micah said.

  Gilgamesh looked back with unwavering demeanor and told a lie within the truth. “Izdubar.”