At noon the following day, under countless watchful eyes, the fully armed Jason waited until his two companions stepped forward behind him. Only then did he take a deep breath and, with a nervous look, enter the sacred grove, vanishing into the shadows cast by the dense branches.
Using the excuse that he was still not at full strength after the Dragonfang Soldier battle the night before, the boy had insisted on bringing two companions along for the quest to seize the Golden Fleece.
Sensing the strong blessing of Athena lingering on the other two participants, the King of Colchis hesitated for only a moment before agreeing, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.
The true identity of the evil dragon within the sacred grove was known to very few.
It was a child of Typhon, king of monsters, a beast that had once even crossed blows with the god of war himself. Its ferocity had earned the highest praise from Lord Ares.
Let alone three minor bearers of divine favor, even ordinary gods would struggle to withstand its brutal might.
More importantly, the King of Colchis could clearly sense that the ether within these three participants was pitifully scarce. As heroes, they were a particularly low-tier bunch.
As for trying to pull another clever trick… did they really think he was an idiot?
His good-for-nothing sister, the traitor who had supplied the magic potion and leaked the Dragonfang Soldiers' weakness, was being kept under the pretense of hospitality at the Temple of Hecate. There was no chance she could ruin his plans.
Failing once had simply brought him three fresh offerings. Feeding them to the dragon would secure victory this time and make up for his earlier loss.
The King of Colchis sneered coldly, brimming with confidence.
Dozens of breaths later, a heavy roar rolled out from the grove. The forest and the earth shook violently. Nearby insects, ants, and spiders were struck dead in terror, while birds nesting along the outer edge of the grove fell from the sky as the dragon's savage aura spread, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
Yet before the malicious, gloating spectators outside the sacred grove could rejoice, that majestic roar abruptly turned into a suppressed whimper, as though the dragon had encountered some terrifying opponent.
As fierce clashes of metal rang out, a gentle seven-stringed lyre began to play. Its soft melody rippled outward, silencing all other sounds. Even the spectators outside the grove grew drowsy, closing their eyes unconsciously as they listened.
When the music came to an abrupt halt, the crowd snapped out of their daze and stared in disbelief. Jason had already emerged at the entrance of the sacred grove with two companions, holding the Golden Fleece high as he strode forward in triumph.
The King of Colchis's face twisted in shock.
Lost again? How was that possible?
"Guards!"
Seeing the three men, who had once more slipped through his fingers, about to take away the Golden Fleece so closely tied to his own life, Aeetes roared in fury, like a gambler who had lost every last coin.
Before the soldiers could even gather, a towering figure stepped out from the shadows. He pulled back his cloak, and the spreading darkness enveloped the King of Colchis.
The great hero, Heracles.
Aeetes stiffly turned his head. The burly man stood less than three meters away, staring at him coldly. A chill crept up his neck as goosebumps broke out one after another.
At the same time, from both sides of the nearby woods, the cold gleam of arrowheads flickered faintly. Hidden among the crowd were more than a dozen presences carrying the aura of divine blood.
Those bastards had been prepared all along.
If he let them take the Golden Fleece, he had no idea when his own death might come. But if he went back on his word in front of everyone, he would be riddled with arrows or hacked into pulp on the spot.
Worse still, his emotional outburst had exposed his intentions, drawing looks of disdain from the surrounding people of Colchis at such shameless duplicity.
With the Golden Fleece gone and his credibility shattered, his position was suddenly in grave danger.
Just as the King of Colchis found himself trapped between two impossible choices, the man standing beside Jason stepped forward with a smile. He placed the olive branch, symbol of peace, into the king's hand, his lips moving silently.
A moment later, Aeetes, whose face had been dark with storm clouds, glanced toward his sons standing at a distance. His expression shifted. Stepping forward, he warmly and generously patted Jason on the shoulder and burst into carefree laughter.
"Don't worry, warriors from afar. This is the realm of the God of Frenzy, a land that honors fearless heroes like you above all else.
Guards, see these heroes off with the highest honors!"
With a broad wave of the King of Colchis's hand, the atmosphere, which had been on the brink of violence, instantly softened and turned celebratory.
The soldiers beat their shields, struck their spears against the ground, and sent up thunderous shouts, paying tribute to the heroes who had conquered the trials and forged a legend.
The shift was so sudden that Jason and the others were still dazed, as if walking on clouds. They exchanged glances, went along with it, and hurried toward the Argo with stiff smiles.
Whether the king's goodwill was sincere or feigned no longer mattered. Under the witness of the crowd, they had openly claimed the Golden Fleece.
Since that was the case, there was no reason to linger in Colchis. Leaving as soon as possible was safer, in case the other side changed its mind and caused trouble.
True to his word, the King of Colchis smiled as he watched them depart. Behind his back, his fingers tightened around the olive branch they had left behind. From the lush green leaves rose a faint, inexplicable sense of blood-bound connection.
…
Aboard the Argo, figures who had been scattered throughout the city earlier leapt onto the deck one after another.
"Where's Circe?"
Samael looked around, frowning at the missing face.
"Here, here!"
A tightly shut cabin door flew open. The great witch, who had somehow slipped back onto the ship long ago, hurried out, waving awkwardly with an embarrassed grin.
"Good. Everyone's here. Set sail!"
At Samael's suggestion, Jason clutched the Golden Fleece, his face flushed with excitement. Showing rare decisiveness, he swung his sword and cut the mooring ropes, urging the crew to leave the port of Colchis at full speed and begin their journey home.
Only after the Argo had sailed far from the coast and entered the rolling open sea did the captain finally feel his heart ease back down from his throat.
As the ship slowed, Jason let out a long breath. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he leaned toward Samael.
"Hey, what exactly did you say to the King of Colchis? Why did he suddenly become so cooperative?"
The other heroes, curiosity fully ignited, gathered around with grins, pricking up their ears.
"Just three sentences…"
Leaning against the rail and looking back toward the shores of Colchis, Samael answered casually.
"First, would he rather die now for breaking his word and offending the gods, or die later to some misfortune written into his fate?"
"And then? Hurry up, keep going!"
"Second, his sons are quite capable. We've all met them. Even without the glory of the Golden Fleece, they're confident they can shoulder the burden for their old father."
"Pfft…"
Quick-witted companions like Orpheus, Artemis, Orion, and Jason couldn't help but burst out laughing.
So that was why he had sent them into the city earlier to make contact, hand out spoils of the journey, and gather information. It had served another purpose entirely.
This blend of truth and deception was downright vicious.
Indeed, the opposite of wisdom was conspiracy.
After losing the Golden Fleece, the King of Colchis's authority would inevitably take a heavy blow. What he needed to guard against most were not outsiders, but his own sons, young and strong, watching him like wolves.
In a land devoted to the God of Frenzy, Ares, survival of the fittest was law. It wouldn't be surprising if some of his sons were already dreaming of their father stepping aside.
With this schemer fanning the flames, it would have been strange if the King of Colchis hadn't grown suspicious.
If he chose to clash head-on with the Argo, his own ruin would only benefit those wolfish sons lying in wait.
That was why, after the heroes of the Argo displayed their strength and proved they were not to be trifled with, the King of Colchis changed his attitude and hurried to send them away like a plague.
After all, even if he refused to compromise, if these troublemakers stayed in Colchis, they could easily use the Golden Fleece as leverage to support one of his sons in rebellion. At that point, even his own life would be at risk.
Before long, however, the cautious Jason noticed a flaw in this logic.
"Once we take the Golden Fleece, isn't that basically the same as sealing his fate? How could someone that hot-headed and arrogant bow so easily?"
Samael flicked his fingernail and smiled, eyes narrowing.
"Because I left him a way out…"
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on P-@-treon.
[Upto 50 chapters ahead for now]
[email protected]/PinkSnake