The Tower of Uruk
A few months later...
The tower bearing the name Uruk was completed and located in a less populated area of the city of Ars, the capital of the Asura Kingdom, where Gilgamesh currently resided.
This tall tower, the largest in the kingdom after the Silver Castle, was one of the busiest places due to its excellent combat services. In other words, this beautiful-looking tower housed a battle simulation inside where warriors could test their strength for a considerable sum of money.
There were three levels, and if the challenger died in the test, they had to leave their sword and all their belongings behind. However, if they managed to pass the test for any reason, they would receive a comprehensive evaluation of their power and could take on special jobs offered by the Tower of Uruk, which had rewards many coveted.
But what everyone hoped for someday was to become a member of the Uruk forces because this assured them unimaginable power. It was said that those who became members would soon become Sword Saints, and as long as one was talented, they could aspire to become Sword Kings.
It was true that once you belonged to Uruk, betrayal was considered a death sentence, and no one had escaped that fate. But not all Uruk members became warriors; some were honest workers, and as long as they were members of the tower, no one could touch them because it would trigger a punishment that nobody wanted to receive.
Concerns grew as the days passed because the major trading companies were losing not only authority but also a significant portion of their income in recent days. If this continued, they could lose all the power they had gained within the capital in one to two years.
But what annoyed them the most was that no one knew the owner of Uruk. Many said it was the Purplehorse family, which had recently gained a surge of power and income, causing their business to grow rapidly and unexpectedly within Ars.
"With the factions getting fearful ahead of time, someone will definitely get injured, and that's when we strike. I never thought the king of this kingdom would be so inept, allowing his people to fall into such agony right under his nose. After I had the means to fight back, his moves against me stopped."
Looking at the sunset from the top of the Tower of Uruk within Ars, Gilgamesh had learned many things as his influence grew rapidly and steadily within the kingdom.
Whether it's ruling from a throne or through trade, there are always rules that must be followed no matter what. No power, no matter how strong it is, should forget the people who form a kingdom—everyone, even those who steal, keeps the world running.
For Gilgamesh, a kingdom is ruled by power, considering who governs it. These are standards for men, and they must be respected. If a king is not strong, then he is not a king but an inept sitting on a powerless throne. If a man is strong, he could become the emperor of a vast territory.
However, this kingdom, which was considered the strongest among all, was being ruled by a weak and fearful man as Gilgamesh had observed since he arrived here. Although his victories were admirable because he was a king who managed to take advantage of his devastated territory and rule over more than half of the western part of the central continent.
Even so, he should have taken it all and become an Emperor. And if he didn't do this, it was because he was weak. Even after Gilgamesh had received several assassination attempts, all that king did was send more powerful guards and a letter congratulating him on everything he had achieved so far.
It was for this same reason of disinterest that his prime minister had tried to assassinate his son, in fact, he succeeded, and it was at that moment that Gilgamesh took control. But these were just observations, things that seemed curious to him due to some factors he had considered for the future.
"Listen carefully, Alastor. If I were the king of this kingdom, the first thing I would do is a power purge. After that, I would plan a restructuring of the walls that surround us and certain idiotic laws that govern this place. Once I stabilize the kingdom, what I would do is forcibly take control of the entire central continent and then reform the kingdom."
Alastor, who heard Gilgamesh's words, saw in him a golden shadow, a back he could never surpass, and a man who could become the ruler of the entire central continent. The decline in the strength of the people is something that must be equalized with their rulers; slavery must be erased, and the offspring who would be the bulwarks of human strength in the future must be taken into account.
During the human-demon war, millions of lives were lost, but there was no winning side because the two races live and are even considered by some part of the human religion as equal to humans. That's curious, but Gilgamesh would not interfere in that decision.
It seemed that many did not learn from the war, and after a few years, they remained just as careless, undisciplined, and those nobles believing themselves to be the pinnacle of the Asura Kingdom when they had done nothing to improve the lives of their people.
"I believe you could be a turning point for all humans, someone who can merge with the people and understand what's in their hearts," Alastor said with a deep and calm voice.
"What has been the response of the families to whom you requested my hand?" Gilgamesh asked with his hands behind his back, contemplating the sun setting behind the mountains.
"The Black Crow family accepted your invitation, the Harringtons have not yet responded, and the Ivanov family said they would come. That's already a significant consideration, considering they don't get involved in politics like the others, so this would be your victory."
Within his Royal Guards, Gilgamesh, with the support of his top servants, began aggressively reforming their training after they swore loyalty to him and accepted an unparalleled sword in this world. He started with them, giving them lessons on leadership, group battles, strategies, and the cruelty that must be unleashed against the enemy.
After the initial assessments, these Royal Knights became captains who began training warriors who started following him no matter what the future held, with the sole hope of becoming stronger.
To prepare a group of Royal Knights with potential and a hidden one in the shadows, it could be said that Gilgamesh personally managed the chain of command. Those who would be commanders and captains were decided by him. His intentions were to create a central power group within Ars that worked in Uruk and in their respective businesses that he had been opening over time.
He divided his forces into four very important parts. The first division was led by Alastor, including non-affiliated Royal Knights who were captains and instructors. He also valued Alastor's tranquility and his coldness when making decisions that improved everyone's position.
The new recruits who were recently accepted were classified by Elaine and trained by her until they were worthy of moving to the central part. She was responsible for identifying those with potential in magic, swordsmanship, finance, trade, intermediaries, or servants.
Gilgamesh had his reasons for choosing Elaine. She had a keen eye for managing finances and judging people, so her decisions would be assertive in finding talents who would enhance the status of the Uruk company.
As for the true knights who joined his Royal Guard, they were all led by Simon. This was a group personally selected by Gilgamesh. They were devilishly trained by him, and no one else had the right to order them.
Finally, the last part was those who had not yet joined his ranks; they were all being trained to aspire to some of the positions and be trained under some of the high command. They would be in the future the next form of growth of Gilgamesh's power; they would be his wings that would grow in all regions of the Asura Kingdom.
Everyone had been trained with the special methods created by Gilgamesh, which immediately increased the physical strength of all warriors, and their mastery of the sword took several terrifying leaps.