Chapter 116: Perseus (8)
After the first ambush, the persistent attacks from the assassins vanished once Perseus began climbing Mount Parnassus.
Mount Parnassus was one of the entrances to the Temple of Delphi, a place where no killing of any kind was tolerated.
With many nobles, royals, priests, knights, mages, and others visiting, the rules were strictly enforced.
“Phew… That damn pig. He’s far more thorough than his appearance suggests.”
Clink. Clink.
Having removed the needles and blades embedded in various parts of his body, Perseus sensed the assassins lingering at the entrance without ascending the mountain.
After the failure of the first ambush, the second and third attempts had grown even more relentless.
The first seemed intended to gauge his strength.
From the second onward, they had come prepared with poison, arrows enchanted with penetration magic, and explosive concealed weapons.
Considering that even a standard assassination consumed an unimaginable amount of resources, the series of attacks against him was exceptional.
“That pig must really have it in for me…”
He quietly observed the assassins pacing below, unable to climb higher, but he still couldn’t fathom why the pig was going this far.
“It’s strange. I didn’t do that much to him. Was it because I smashed up his entire ranch? Or because I destroyed his gambling dens? Or maybe because I killed all his lackeys who were extorting money under the guise of a temple donation group?”
Perseus stood still, counting on his fingers the things he had done.
The assassins, hearing his muttering, couldn’t help but twist their faces despite their professional duty.
‘Even a god would lose patience with that much, you monster!’
Unaware of their dumbfounded reactions, Perseus continued listing reasons he might have clashed with Diogenes.
No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t make sense for Diogenes to spend this much gold on him.
“They say there are many incomprehensible people in the world… and this is exactly that.”
“……”
“Whatever. No point thinking about it anymore. Hey, Mr. Assassins down there—I’ll deal with you properly after I visit the temple. Just wait patiently.”
The assassins were flabbergasted by Perseus’s absurd words but couldn’t respond.
The code of assassins forbade speaking with their target.
But if they could, every one of them wanted to shout a single retort.
“That’s our line!!!”
***
At the southwestern edge of Mount Parnassus.
After a long climb, the Temple of Delphi finally came into view before Perseus.
Massive marble columns supporting a triangular pediment roof—it was a quintessential Greek temple.
What made the Temple of Delphi special, however, lay in the columns holding it up and the sculptures on the roof.
The pillars, intricately carved with images of gods, and the roof depicting various realms of the world, clearly did not look like the work of human hands.
“It really is impressive. I’ve never seen architecture like this on the island.”
Perseus thought of the Poseidon temple back home, but there was no comparison.
The Poseidon temple was just a log cabin managed by Priest Dictys.
“If I succeed, I should rebuild the temple, huh?”
Gazing at the Temple of Delphi, Perseus made another resolve and stepped forward.
The Temple of Delphi had no formal entrance.
It was open on all sides, so entering from any direction led to the same central place.
That place was the pronaos.
The pronaos served as the temple’s vestibule, where Delphi’s attendants or priestesses usually greeted visitors.
Normally, attendants would bow in welcome, but…
“Welcome. I am the High Priestess of Delphi, Pythia.”
Perseus was taken aback.
Who wouldn’t be flustered when the highest-ranking priestess of the entire Temple of Delphi personally came to the vestibule to greet them?
“Uh… y-yes.”
“Please do not be too nervous. I am merely here to guide you.”
Perseus forced a smile at Pythia’s words, but inside he thought,
‘No—if you’re out here greeting me, then who on earth is waiting deeper inside?’
He wanted to say it aloud but kept smiling in silence.
He was a wise young man who knew when to speak and when not to.
Whether she knew his thoughts or not, High Priestess Pythia maintained her smile throughout as she guided him.
“The ones Lord Perseus is about to meet are truly extraordinary beings. Many among us Pythiae dream of serving under them for our entire lives after just one glimpse.”
“Y-Yes…”
“Fufu. Lord Perseus may not yet know exactly who awaits here, but imagine it: serving Lord Poseidon for a lifetime. How blissful that would be.”
“……”
The more she spoke, the more Pythia’s expression grew dreamlike, as if intoxicated. Seeing this, Perseus instinctively put a little distance between them.
A sense of crisis washed over him—if he stayed too close, he might end up like her.
‘Was Priest Dictys ever like that? No way. He always said he wanted to live his whole life as a fisherman.’
While Perseus compared the only priest he knew—Dictys—with Delphi’s Pythia,
They had already reached the depths of the temple, stopping at the entrance to a certain chamber.
The voice of Pythia, who had been endlessly praising the ones he was about to meet, finally fell silent.
‘Phew… I can finally stop hearing that.’
Perseus unknowingly smiled in relief at being freed from the seemingly deranged High Priestess.
Seeing his smile, Pythia quietly nodded to herself.
‘As expected of a fellow priest—he deeply empathizes with my words. To be so filled with anticipation rather than fear that he smiles upon meeting Them…’
If Perseus had heard Pythia’s misunderstanding, he would have been utterly speechless. But the High Priestess merely smiled to herself…
The two priests, each lost in completely different thoughts, exchanged final farewells.
“I’d love to have a deeper conversation next time. Lord Perseus, my name is Nelia. Let’s talk more deeply when we meet again.”
“Yes. If we meet again, a deeper conversation would be nice, Pythia Nelia.”
With that greeting, Perseus hurriedly opened the door and stepped inside.
He knew that for the Pythiae—who traditionally inherited the title “Pythia” across generations—to reveal their personal name was their way of expressing a desire for close friendship.
But absolutely, under no circumstances, did he ever want to meet that fanatic Pythia Nelia again in private.
***
The first thing Perseus saw upon rushing through the door was an eternally burning hearth fire and three women seated in a circle around it.
Yet they did not feel as extraordinary as High Priestess Pythia had incessantly claimed.
In fact, the gently yet fiercely blazing hearth in the center of the room felt far more imposing.
All three women wore hooded robes, and to Perseus, they would have simply seemed “pretty ladies” if he had passed them on the street.
“……”
‘Um… what should I say? It’s awkward when people just stare at you like this without speaking.’
Perseus felt increasingly uncomfortable under the women’s unwavering gaze and the soft but wild flames of the hearth.
How many people could remain at ease when meeting exalted beings who did nothing but silently stare?
The three women continued gazing at Perseus. Under their scrutiny, he grew more and more restless—soon cold sweat threatened to break out.
The long standoff was finally broken by the click of an opening door.
“Is this the deepest part of the Temple of Delphi?”
Perseus turned at the sound of a voice accompanying a door that should never have opened.
What he saw was a young mage—about his own age—with blue hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a cloak.
“Uh…?”
Perseus was rendered speechless by the sight of this peer.
Wasn’t this a place humans couldn’t just casually enter…? The High Priestess surely wouldn’t have allowed it—how did he get in?
As Perseus rolled his eyes in utter confusion, wondering ‘What on earth is going on?’,
The woman among the three with long straight hair and the dignified air of a noble lady finally spoke.
“Someone who shouldn’t enter has come in.”
Her voice was clear, pure, and filled with kindness. It loosened the tension in the room like slackening a taut thread.
To Perseus, who had felt mentally strained since entering, her voice was deeply comforting.
“Huh? Is there a place in the Temple of Delphi I’m not allowed? Since when? Even Gaia wouldn’t say that. Hmm…”
If not for the sudden intruder’s brusque words, it would have been perfect.
Perseus was horrified by the mage’s provocative tone.
‘Hey! Where did you leave your sense of awareness?!’
More importantly, though he hadn’t noticed earlier, Perseus now realized it: the gazes fixed on this room.
His keen senses rang alarm bells—the ones watching were gods.
In other words, based on the current situation, this mage was picking fights with both the three exalted women before him and the gods observing from above.
Just what kind of nerve did this mage have?!
As Perseus thought, the woman on the far right—short-haired with an icy, cold impression—reacted sharply.
“Hmph! That rule was set by us gods, not for mages like you. Got a problem with it?!”
However, there was one part that differed from Perseus’s expectations.
Though the short-haired woman snapped sharply, she did nothing more.
Normally, gods would curse an insolent fellow like this to make him suffer without death…
She clearly knew the mage and held back.
It felt almost like scolding a disobedient friend or acquaintance.
“Really now, Atropos, don’t be so sharp. In a way, aren’t we guests here too?”
“Argh! Sister, you always take that guy’s side. That’s exactly why he runs wild like that—messing with fate!!!”
“Heehee, our youngest must really like Njord. She only talks big but ends up cleaning up after him every time.”
“Hmm, she might be right.”
“Lachesis! Clotho, sisters!!!”
After the mage’s arrival, the room became so noisy that the earlier silence and solemnity seemed like a lie.
“Uh, um…”
As Perseus struggled to adjust to the three women who had suddenly turned into chatterboxes,
Someone patted his shoulder.
“Tsk tsk. I understand your reaction. Gods, honestly—when you peel back the layers, they’re all a mess. Including the ones watching from up there.”
Perseus stared at the mage—who clicked his tongue with a look of disdain—and couldn’t help shouting inwardly.
‘You’re the one who showed up and turned everything into this chaos!!!’
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