Chapter 143: The Birth of the Mycenaean Empire (1)
When Perseus and Njord emerged victorious from their battle against the husks of the Gorgon sisters,
The Mimyeong Mercenary Band had also finally succeeded in subduing the Basilisk.
Of course, when looking at the allied mercenary groups as a whole, the casualties had been devastating enough to be considered near annihilation.
The one silver lining was that, thanks to slaying the Basilisk, they could recover from all those losses.
“Captain! Isn’t this an incredible achievement? Among all mercenaries, we’ll probably be the first group to ever take down a Basilisk!”
Alexis, the leader of the Mimyeong Mercenary Band, gave a slightly proud smile at the excited shout of one of his members and nodded.
If the gamble he had thrown out — that the priest and the mage would also succeed in slaying the Gorgon — actually paid off, this could become the perfect opportunity to rise to the top of the continent’s mercenary world.
“Hm… Yes, we’re almost certainly the first. It’s fine to feel a little happy about it. But if the ones who went after the Gorgon fail, every single one of us could die here. Start preparing to run immediately.”
However, Alexis was far too experienced to let himself get swept up in the joy.
That was why he immediately began reining in the members of the allied mercenary groups.
They could celebrate the monumental feat for now, but he knew full well that one wrong move could mean death for them all.
The allied mercenaries, understanding their captain’s mindset, nodded at his words and quickly began preparing to flee.
As he watched his subordinates hurriedly start dismantling the Basilisk’s corpse, Alexis remained on high alert.
Approaching him at that moment was the witch Philomela.
“You can relax a little, Captain.”
“…Philomela, you know as well as I do. The odds of that priest Perseus succeeding are less than one percent.”
“I agree.”
Philomela nodded at Alexis’s assessment.
Even in her eyes, the chances of that young man — barely past boyhood — defeating the Gorgon were vanishingly small.
But…
“The mage is overwhelmingly powerful.”
“The mage?”
“Yes. Mage Njord.”
“Just how strong is he that you’re calling him ‘sir’ and sounding this certain?”
Alexis only grew more puzzled at Philomela’s words.
No matter how great a grand mage he might be, wasn’t he still just a human like them?
And yet Philomela — a witch hybrid closest to the origin of magic itself — was speaking with such conviction?
“Yes. That’s where you’re mistaken, Captain. Mage Njord… might actually be at the level of a Hella (a full civilization). I caught the scent of the Great Master.”
At Philomela’s words, Alexis felt as though he had suddenly locked eyes with the Basilisk’s gaze.
There were very few beings who could be called the Great Master of the witch clans.
And among them, the most famous was none other than Circe — the goddess of witches and goddess of magic herself!
***
Unaware of the conversation taking place between Alexis and Philomela, Perseus and Poseidon moved at high speed.
They still had no confirmation that the mercenaries had defeated the Basilisk.
Moreover, judging from the words and actions of the husks, it was impossible to rule out the possibility of traitors among the mercenaries.
When they arrived at the mercenary camp at last…
A small-scale festival was in full swing, loud and chaotic.
—Ah! You failed, huh? Better luck next time!
—Hahahaha, I bet one drachma on the seventh try!
—Only one drachma? I put ten on the tenth attempt!
—Buy, buy! If you miss this chance, there won’t be another!
—Selling cheap! A potion guaranteed to contain 0.000000000001% mandragora!
—That’s insane, isn’t that just straight-up fraud?
“…Uh… what in the world is going on here?”
Dangling in the air thanks to Njord’s magic, Perseus couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
According to the plan, they were supposed to be ready to flee at any moment…
But looking at the mercenaries now, there wasn’t the slightest hint of betrayal — instead, they were completely letting loose, acting as though they had known victory was certain all along!
Poseidon felt exactly the same stunned disbelief.
Since when had mercenaries become this brazen…? Even he couldn’t have imagined this kind of behavior.
—This is ridiculous. Poseidon, why is it that everyone even remotely connected to you always ends up like this?
Atropos, dumbfounded by the sight of the humans, scolded Poseidon.
Normally he would have grumbled back at her, but right now he couldn’t say a word.
Even to him, this situation looked completely bizarre!
At that moment, Alexis and Philomela — who had spotted Perseus and Njord from afar — hurriedly approached.
“Hahaha! As expected, Lord Perseus succeeded!”
“I knew you would succeed.”
Faced with the two’s calm confidence, Perseus could only shout in even greater disbelief.
“No way! What makes you so certain?!”
Faced with Perseus’s incredulous reaction, Alexis simply responded with an understanding tone.
“That’s understandable. I can see why you’d react that way. But our mercenary band never once doubted you, Lord Priest — and especially Lord Mage. Philomela here was particularly insistent about it.”
“V!”
At Alexis’s words, Philomela thrust her chin forward proudly and flashed a V-sign.
Watching her, Poseidon shook his head as if to say the witch clan’s way of thinking was beyond comprehension.
But Perseus nodded, accepting the explanation.
“Ah! Then that makes sense. I didn’t realize it while I was fighting Medusa so desperately… but yeah, maybe you’re right.”
“Hey!”
Poseidon stared at Perseus in utter disbelief.
This kid who nearly died fighting just one Medusa had the audacity to say that?!
Yet Perseus turned to Njord with complete confidence and continued,
“But Lord Njord took down both Stheno and Euryale, didn’t he? I only handled Medusa — just one. So even if I failed, Lord Njord would’ve found some way to clean up the mess afterward, right?”
“That’s…”
Poseidon fell silent at Perseus’s shameless logic.
When he tried to argue back, he found he had nothing to say.
In truth, Perseus was looking at the entire battle quite objectively.
Even though he had taken Medusa’s head, he genuinely wondered whether Njord might have been able to handle all three on his own.
“……”
Poseidon remained quiet.
It was true — if it came down to it, he could have saved Perseus and gotten him out alive.
Whether he would have actually interfered was another matter entirely.
As Poseidon stayed silent, Perseus — who had by now been gently lowered from the air — began exchanging lavish compliments with the other two.
“That’s why I think you’re truly wise, Lord Alexis.”
“Haha, and you, Perseus — you’re the one who actually severed Medusa’s head. Without even needing Lord Njord’s help, no less.”
“Indeed. That is an incredible feat. Most humans would have died long before reaching that point.”
“Hahaha. Hearing it put that way makes me feel oddly proud again.”
Poseidon felt a dizzying sensation listening to the three of them praise each other.
When had Perseus become this shameless?
From somewhere in the air, Atropos’s voice came, dripping with smug satisfaction.
—Who do you think he learned it from? Surely from the great and magnificent Mage Njord, of course. Hahahaha.
***
The mercenaries’ small festival came to an end quickly.
After all, throwing a celebration like this right after such a major undertaking was nothing more than a brief diversion for mercenaries.
It was a ritual to let go of the stress and old grudges built up from commissions — and to mend any broken camaraderie among those who had fought side by side.
“Hahaha! I knew you’d succeed!”
Perseus widened his eyes in pleasant surprise and greeted the half-human, half-fish captain who welcomed him warmly.
He never expected the captain to still be waiting here — he had assumed the man would have long since left.
“I thought you’d already sailed away. Things were such a mess…”
“Of course I considered it. But once a man gives his word, he doesn’t break it just because of a little commotion.”
Perseus felt deep gratitude at the captain’s reply.
Even though he was out at sea, the battle against the Gorgon husks and the Basilisk must have caused considerable disturbance. Yet the captain had stayed true to his promise until the very end.
Silently vowing to repay this kindness someday, Perseus boarded the ship.
“So, I just need to drop you off at Casablanca as originally planned?”
“Yes! Oh — and the mercenaries who fought alongside me decided to take the same route. I’d appreciate it if you could keep that in mind.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll have a quick word with their navigator.”
Buoooooo!
And so, Perseus, Njord, and the mercenaries finally departed from the Gorgon Garden — a place once filled with horrors and unimaginable treasures.
***
The Gorgon Garden, now devoid of any trace of human presence after Perseus and the mercenaries left.
Into that desolate place stepped a single figure.
“Luck… or fate? In the end, I’ve been done a favor. To think those cunning creatures could slip past even my eyes.”
So saying, the woman swept her hand, effortlessly clearing away the rubble of the collapsed cave.
With a flick of her wrist, she summoned countless tiny water droplets that gathered and formed a massive gate.
Beyond the gate were three enormous cocoons, each wrapped in threads of blue light.
The cocoons pulsed rhythmically, like beating hearts.
At the same time, the remnants of the melted husks were being absorbed into the cocoons.
All of it flowed toward the three massive forms within, slowly and steadily.
“How dare those filthy things plot something so vile against my beloved daughters… and think I wouldn’t notice?”
Deep beneath the garden, in its most profound core, the woman who had descended through the gate gently stroked one of the pulsing cocoons before ascending back to the surface.
Then, fixing her gaze precisely on Perseus—who had already sailed so far that even divine eyes could barely perceive him—she spoke.
“This incident was my mistake, Ceto’s mistake. I never imagined that insolent Prometheus’s prophecy would lead to something like this. Therefore… someday, I will repay this favor.”
Ceto—direct descendant of the Protogenoi before Echidna, mother of countless monsters, and goddess of the sea—murmured those words while staring toward Perseus.
“And that mage beside him… they say he’s Demeter’s lover and Poseidon’s bastard. Then I suppose nothing more is needed.”
Njord’s name had already begun to circulate quietly among the gods as Demeter’s rumored consort.
If he had heard Ceto’s words, he might have rolled on the ground in sheer indignation.
I suffered too, damn it!!!
***
As always, the voyage to Casablanca was perfectly calm.
Along the way, Perseus returned to Athens and greeted everyone who had helped him — and that process, too, went smoothly.
In fact, within Athens now, the name Perseus had become synonymous with hero.
Some were even seriously suggesting the city should be renamed after him.
“Hmm… This feels way too heavy. I didn’t really do much.”
“What do you mean you didn’t do much? Capturing Diogenes, protecting the citizens — all of that is thanks to you, Perseus. And because of me, of course.”
“But… most of it was actually taken care of by Lady Eurytos, Lord Njord, and… that Dionysus person.”
While Perseus had been away hunting the Gorgon sisters,
Athens had recovered far more quickly than expected.
With the future twelfth Olympian, Dionysus, making his appearance, prolonged chaos had been impossible.
Above all, Njord, Eurytos, and Britomartis of Brauron had protected every powerless citizen.
In the end, no matter how powerful a superhuman might be, the most crucial factor was always the support of the people.
Of course, in an age of superhumans, one could crush everything with overwhelming individual force — but those capable of such a thing had already vanished without a trace, either dead or driven mad.
‘Well… there’s going to be a huge gap in combat power for a while. But they’ll figure it out themselves. And they need to at least do this much if they’re going to fully accept Perseus.’
Unaware of Njord’s inner thoughts, Perseus clenched his fist, steeling his resolve.
‘First, I’ll deal with Polydectes. Then I’ll travel around and repay all the kindness I’ve received. A lot of people helped me — even ones I don’t know personally.’
After taking one last tour of Athens and saying his farewells, Perseus finally set foot once more on his homeland.
“Lord Njord, this is my hometown — the island of Seriphos!”
Perseus felt a rush of emotion.
It didn’t seem like long since he had left to claim the Gorgon’s head, yet so much on the island had changed.
Especially the harbor, now filled with buildings he had never seen before — he felt a strange mixture of unfamiliarity and nostalgia as he hurried straight toward Dictys’s house.
He wanted to introduce Njord — who had helped him this entire time — to Dictys, and above all, he wanted to see his mother as soon as possible.
The old house he ran toward still looked neatly maintained from the outside, just as he remembered.
“Lord Njord, that’s the place where I grew up.”
“Hm… Isn’t it a bit too run-down? I thought the person who raised you was a priest of Poseidon?”
“Hehe. Dictys never liked luxury.”
“Still… isn’t this a little extreme…?”
But as they drew closer, it became clear the house was only outwardly tidy — it was no longer a place fit for people to live.
The walls were cracked in places, the surrounding fence worn and weathered, and it felt as though no human warmth had touched the place in a very long time.
“Hm… Maybe Dictys didn’t pay much attention to maintenance while I was gone?”
“How can you be the one wondering about your own house?”
Perseus also found the state of the house strange after Njord pointed it out, but meeting Dictys and his mother came first.
Surely, once he saw them, they would explain everything clearly.
With that thought, he flung open the door.
“Mother! Priest Dictys!! I’m back!!!”
He burst inside energetically — only to be met with a scene that was eerily neat and orderly.
Yet the house carried a cold, lifeless chill, as though no one had lived there in ages.
“…What is this?”
Perseus couldn’t finish his sentence.
All the faint anxieties he had felt since returning to the island and seeing the house now rushed toward him at once.
“No way… it can’t be…”
With a face full of disbelief, Perseus frantically scanned the interior.
Behind him, Njord stepped inside.
As expected, there was no trace of anyone having lived here.
“We should head to the palace first.”
“……”
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