Chapter 129: Perseus (21)
The transformation and downfall of Diogenes occurred in Athens’s largest mansion, so the entire city witnessed it.
Amusingly, though it began as a dispute between Diogenes and Perseus, it had now escalated beyond what Diogenes’s fall alone could resolve.
Superhumans clashed throughout the city, while those of middling power seized the chance to steal jewels or stir minor chaos.
Above all, figures like Diogenes—who influenced the entire Attica region—saw this as an opportunity to become king of Athens.
Until now, the system had been maintained by Diogenes’s mediation—his faction large and active.
But this uproar collapsed everything.
To Poseidon’s eyes, current Athens was no different from the Warring States period before his reincarnation.
“Good grief. Attica is large, but do they really need to go this far?”
Amid the chaos, in a strangely peaceful spot,
Mage Njord and Euryte—high priestess of Cybele and owner of <Mermaid’s Tear>—were monitoring Athens and Attica.
Njord—who had claimed the largest district, Kerameikos, and was endlessly rescuing citizens with magic—spoke as if fed up.
Euryte, assisting him, gave an awkward smile.
Dozens of people around her were trapped in ice, rolling only their eyes.
From notorious figures everyone in Athens knew to insignificant ones—all of them…
‘I knew he was strong, but this much… Maybe we should worry about the Gorgon sisters more than Perseus…’
Freezing to death was easy—she could do it herself. The issue was trapping magic-users alive in ice.
This was a feat impossible without overwhelming them in every aspect.
—Grr… Release me.
—Hey, newbie. Don’t waste strength. Can’t you see the seniors here couldn’t escape?
—I must’ve been crazy. I should’ve backed off the moment they said great mage.
—Kikiki. Everyone here already regretted that.
Even now, the trapped ones casually conversed while channeling magic.
Normally, even against a strong opponent, dozens combining power should drain stamina or overwhelm—but…
‘The mage before me is unfazed.’
As waves of attackers were turned into ice statues by Njord and neatly stacked by Euryte’s subordinates and Britomartis’s men,
“Hm? Is it over?”
“Oh my. Diogenes must really be finished. Lord Perseus accomplished something incredible. To think he truly captured Diogenes and all those subordinates…”
Euryte couldn’t hide her astonishment.
For the still-young Perseus to defeat Diogenes in his prime.
And those subordinates were no pushovers…
When Njord said he left Perseus alone, she had thought him mad.
‘But… his eye for people is incredible too.’
Unaware of Euryte’s thoughts, Poseidon shook his head.
Still far from enough.
Of course, Poseidon had thought Perseus had a 90% chance of dying. Overcoming that was impressive, but…
‘Perseus’s goal is the Gorgons.’
Diogenes himself wasn’t strong, and the power gained from offerings to Hydra was half-baked—he couldn’t use it properly.
“It should’ve ended much sooner. Wasting time on a nobody like that. What can you achieve this way? Kids these days.”
“……”
Poseidon acknowledged Perseus’s great feat while hoping for more growth.
Everyone Perseus would face ahead was no joke.
‘With today’s enlightenment, win rate against the Gorgons is about 15%…’
Unaware of Poseidon’s thoughts, others were shocked at the mage’s grumbling.
‘As expected, you shouldn’t associate with high-realm mages…’
***
Unlike Poseidon’s worried grumbling, Perseus was indeed growing unusually fast—even compared to all races in the world, not just humans.
Those who handled magic generally lived 3–4 times longer than ordinary people.
In short, to them, Perseus was like a freshly feathered chick.
Of course, Poseidon wouldn’t acknowledge human standards.
“That’s why conversing with mortals is impossible. They cage heroes with their own measures.”
“Yes… Indeed.”
“Yes. Humans, anyway.”
‘He’s human too.’
“Hm? You just had a strange thought.”
“What?! No. I just thought by Njord’s standards, it could be true.”
Euryte diligently humored the grumbling Njord while praying Perseus would arrive soon.
The only way to shut this dissatisfied old-man-like person was Perseus’s quick return.
‘And I hope he gives him a scolding when he comes. This mad mage seems a bit weak to the priest.’
As if her earnest wish worked, Perseus appeared in the distance.
“Ah! Lord Perseus is coming.”
“Hmm… He’s got wounds here and there. Still far to go. Very far.”
Euryte ignored Poseidon’s resuming complaints and waved enthusiastically.
Perseus was here—no need to listen anymore.
“Uh… You just ignored me…”
“WAAAA!!! Lord Perseus, congratulations on your victory!”
WAAAAAAA!!!
Everyone shouted in unison.
Not only those trapped in ice but everyone assisting Njord.
Amid everyone’s cheers, Perseus returned like a hero.
Thanks to Poseidon (?)…
“This is right?!”
***
Perseus expressed gratitude to Euryte and the cheering people.
“I didn’t expect such cheers.”
Led by Euryte, everyone looked at Perseus with warm eyes.
Though some impure (?) intentions were mixed in, what he had accomplished could never be belittled.
Moreover, all of Athens had seen it—what kind of being Diogenes had contracted with.
“Of course. Everyone here vividly watched Lord Perseus fight Diogenes. Those who’ve lived a while know. They know what that ugly pig contracted with and used for power.”
Perseus smiled briefly at Euryte’s praise but soon couldn’t help darkening his expression.
—Ugh…
—Please wait a moment. Priests of Lady Demeter will arrive soon.
—Sigh… Isn’t this mess because that priest of Poseidon poked the hornet’s nest?
—Hey, don’t say that. How many has he helped?
—Right, right. And aren’t we alive now thanks to his subordinates’ help?
—True, Athens was bound to explode anyway.
—Mommy, I’m hungry.
—Yes, just a little longer. They say Lady Demeter’s priests are coming soon.
The aftermath of what he had caused was vividly visible.
Though the citizens of Athens didn’t blame him, those who suffered most from the battle between him and Diogenes were the powerless.
“…In the end, the ones suffering most are right here before my eyes.”
Seeing Perseus’s darkened face, Euryte didn’t know what to do.
She too had once been weak and had resented the powerful…
Smack!
At that moment, someone struck the back of Perseus’s head as he sadly watched the injured and groaning.
“Ouch!”
“Tsk tsk, a young guy already wearing an ‘the world is over’ face.”
“Njord…”
“Good grief. Seeing you gloom over unnecessary things, that pig must’ve been nothing much?”
“It’s not that… I was just wondering if there was a way to reduce the damage.”
Poseidon nodded at Perseus’s words.
Certainly, if Perseus had overwhelming power, there might have been no damage.
If people thought Perseus was a monster or god they all feared, small fry like Diogenes might resist a bit,
But others in Athens would have kept quiet.
“That’s true. If I had just a bit more power…”
Perseus deeply empathized with Njord’s thought. Indeed, things might have been different with greater power.
‘If I had power to overwhelm anyone…’
As Perseus tried to gain another kind of enlightenment from the conversation with Njord,
Euryte—who had overheard everything—unwittingly panicked and jumped in.
“Wait! What kind of talk is this? Lord Perseus, you mustn’t take Njord’s words too seriously!!”
Though she regretted interrupting, Euryte was certain of one thing.
The moment Perseus deeply accepted that absurd logic, someone infamous might appear in the world.
As someone who had lived long, she wanted a good person like Perseus to become a respected hero.
In her long life, those like him had always ended up as notorious tyrants.
“I won’t give platitudes like ‘humans must live together.’”
“You already did.”
“…Njord, be quiet!”
“……”
“Lord Perseus, what matters is perspective. Just as the world nobles with money see differs from beggars on the street. What’s important is whether Lord Perseus can see the world through the eyes of those weaker than yourself.”
Euryte earnestly appealed, fearing Perseus might become obsessed with power from this incident.
Especially someone like Perseus—with looks, strength, and lineage (Poseidon’s priest)—everything tended to pursue power easily.
—She’s right. Power has no end, but empathy can be shared. If you try to suppress everything with power, you’d need to surpass at least the three chief gods ruling the world now.
Seeing Euryte’s earnestness, Atropos—who had been silent—added her support.
As a goddess of fate, she too wanted Perseus to grow upright as a hero who would etch his name in history.
At the two women’s appeals,
“……”
Perseus wore an awkward expression.
“Uh… um… I wasn’t really thinking I have to do everything with power. I was just wondering if killing Diogenes faster might have helped. That’s all…”
Huh? Huh?
—…Then why did you empathize so deeply with Posei—no, Njord’s words?
“Uh… this might sound bad, but when I deeply agree with Njord, he often throws me good techniques or items. So… without realizing, I just…”
At Perseus’s words, Euryte and Atropos unwittingly covered their faces with their hands.
They hadn’t felt this embarrassed in a long time.
Perseus wasn’t naïve as they thought. Rather, he was deeply rooted and cunning.
And the most shocked among them was
“Huh? That’s what it was?!”
The blue-haired youth in disguise—an old man.
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