Chapter 144: The Birth of the Mycenaean Empire (2)
Perseus ran straight to the palace without stopping.
On his way, a few people recognized that Perseus had returned and tried to greet him.
But right now, he wasn’t in any state to receive such greetings.
If… if by some horrible chance… the very thing he had feared had actually happened, then he felt he wouldn’t be able to let even a single person connected to this incident live.
So he arrived at the palace gate.
Perseus walked toward the guards, doing his utmost to pretend to be calm.
“Huh? Who are you? This is where His Majesty the King resides. Step back.”
One of the guards spotted Perseus and tried to stop him, but at that moment Perseus had neither the mood to listen nor the patience to be polite.
Just as he was about to ignore the guard and force his way through, even with violence if necessary—
“Prince! You’ve returned?!”
…Huh?!
***
Exactly at the time when Perseus first set foot on Athenian land after leaving his homeland.
Dictys was sunk deep in thought.
Originally, he had planned to live his entire life far removed from politics and power.
In his youth he had been far more indecisive than he was now, and he had always found greater happiness in simply working as a fisherman, occasionally spending time with the merfolk, fish-people, or the islanders he met.
Then one day he encountered a woman and a child who seemed to have been sent by Poseidon himself.
For a man who had simply lived day by day in quiet simplicity, that woman and child brought him a whole new kind of happiness.
Watching the child grow up and strive to follow in his footsteps felt like divine grace.
“Before I knew it that child has grown into an adult and made his own choices… and here I am, a useless man who can do nothing but wait in this place…”
Dictys blamed himself bitterly.
If only he had risen up against King Polydectes—his own brother.
Or if he had cleanly severed ties and left his homeland.
Or if he had stepped forward as the legitimate successor.
One worry led to another in an endless chain.
Of course, even Dictys himself knew these regrets were pointless.
Still… no matter how little ambition he harbored, no matter how quietly he had cherished them in his heart, there was no parent in the world who could feel at ease after sending a child they loved like their own into such danger.
“If there’s someone who deserves to be torn apart, it’s probably me…”
Just as the troubled Dictys was about to down the cup in front of him in one gulp—
Tap.
A woman’s hand stopped him.
“Good grief. You already decided to send him off, so what are you doing now?”
“Well… it’s just that…”
“And struggling like this while still refusing to drink—how very much like you, Priest.”
Danaë, who had blocked his cup, took it from him instead and emptied it in one go.
Then she smiled and said,
“Priest. No—Dictys. Please don’t torment yourself so much. Everything you’ve done for us up until now has already made you more than enough of a father, a husband, a teacher, and a pillar of support.”
“……”
Dictys remained silent at Danaë’s words.
The choices he had made still felt like thorns lodged in his throat.
As if she could read his heart perfectly, Danaë laid her hand gently over his and spoke in the softest voice.
“That boy is all grown up now. He’s already a full adult. From now on, whether he lives or dies, it’s all his own choice. I know it’s cruel to say, but both you and he carry the blood of kings—you’re not ordinary people.”
“…That’s… true, I suppose. But still, he’s just a child. And… I still can’t forget how, the moment he first learned to speak, he called me ‘Father.’ I swore to myself back then… that I would definitely protect you and the child, Danaë.”
Danaë looked at the still-indecisive yet deeply responsible man before her with eyes full of affection—the same man who had accepted and sheltered her and her son from the very beginning.
“Fufu… If someone heard you they’d really think you were Perseus’s actual father.”
“Ah! No… I mean… I was just… remembering that moment…”
Dictys began to stammer in panic at Danaë’s teasing. It almost sounded like he was confessing something.
“Seriously. Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited? Now that Perseus is all grown up, I can’t hold back anymore.”
“Wha—?! No, that’s not what I meant… I just meant I’d take responsibility…”
“Enough! Just come here!!”
***
Perseus, having overheard the very open conversation between the woman he called mother and the man he considered a father figure, scowled deeply.
He really didn’t want to hear this kind of talk!
Listening to it, it almost sounded like Dictys was the male praying mantis about to be devoured by the female.
He suddenly felt terribly sorry for Priest Dictys.
“Sigh… So why did you become king, Dictys-nim?”
“Hey! You should call him Father!!”
Perseus gave a half-hearted nod when his mother, who was sitting close to Dictys and feeding him fruit, spoke in a stern voice.
“Yeees… So why did Father become king?”
Watching his mother snuggle up to the Priest he respected so much and openly show affection made his stomach churn.
‘Well… at least the Priest looks a little happy? So I guess he wasn’t completely forced into it.’
Whether she knew how Perseus felt or not, Danaë explained on behalf of the still-awkward Dictys.
“So while I was busy ‘taking care of business’ with my new husband here, that idiot showed up again. So I took the chance to talk my new husband into it, we drove Polydectes out, and now he’s the king.”
“……”
Hearing Danaë’s utterly shameless explanation, Perseus couldn’t help but stare at Dictys with narrowed, incredulous eyes.
When I told you, you hesitated so much!
Meeting Perseus’s gaze, Dictys gave an awkward smile and quickly looked away.
“Sigh… Well, since I was about to do the exact same thing Mother did, I suppose it worked out for the best. Even though… it was really, really, really, really hard getting the head of the Gorgon sisters.”
“Hahaha…”
With Dictys’s awkward laugh, everyone’s interest in Polydectes vanished in an instant. No one cared anymore what had happened to him.
“Hey, isn’t that kind of awful?!”
After Perseus brought back the head of Medusa.
The position of Dictys, Danaë, and Perseus had become so unshakably solid that no one could even compare.
Those who had originally followed King Polydectes had grumbled about Dictys’s legitimacy or expressed dissatisfaction, but once Perseus returned with the head of one of the Gorgon sisters—Medusa—they had no choice but to bow their heads in silence.
They had lost completely in terms of raw power, rightful justification, and popular support.
Once the island of Seriphos had stabilized, Danaë made one request of Perseus.
“Perseus, you’re going to go meet the mage who helped you, and the others who aided you?”
“Yes. I came back in such a hurry because I didn’t know what Polydectes might do. Besides, I also want to see more of the wider world beyond this island of Seriphos.”
“Then… here. Take this and go meet your grandfather once. Your mother has pretty much cut ties with him, but you should meet him at least once. And while you’re there, please tell your grandfather on my behalf not to fear the prophecy anymore.”
Perseus accepted the necklace Danaë handed him.
He had never really thought about his grandfather before, but if his mother was asking like this, meeting the man once didn’t seem too difficult.
Danaë looked at Perseus with warm, contented eyes, then turned and bowed her head toward Njord, who was standing nearby.
“Thank you once again for protecting Perseus. I know it’s shameless of me, but as his mother, I can’t help but ask the mage one more time—please take good care of my son.”
“Haha, it’s fine, it’s fine. It was nothing. Besides, watching this kid has been quite entertaining, you know.”
“Then I’m glad. In that case, please take this…”
What Danaë took out was a key made of pure gold—and not just any gold, but the highest quality, the kind offered to the gods themselves.
“I heard from Perseus that Lord Njord has a particular fondness for gold. This is just a small token of appreciation.”
Njord—no, Poseidon—widened his eyes in astonishment as he accepted the golden key.
What Danaë had just handed him was not merely a key crafted from gold.
More precisely, this key served as a map leading to a hidden door—the kind of secret chamber that powerful people conceal from the world.
And from what Poseidon could sense, this key was connected to an underground room… and one that was filled to the brim with gold.
“W-what?! How did you get this much gold?!”
“Hehe, you recognized it right away. Yes, this is the key to an underground treasury full of gold. We discovered Polydectes’s hidden wealth this time, so please—take it without any hesitation.”
Poseidon looked at Danaë after hearing her words.
He had originally approached with no particular thoughts, but today Danaë seemed especially radiant—so dazzling that he could finally understand why Zeus had taken an interest in her.
And when he thought about how the whim in which he had once spared her life had now come full circle and returned to him like this… he suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to shower her with kisses.
“You… you, you… what an incredible woman you are!”
“Of course I am. But falling for me would be troublesome—I already have someone I love.”
Perseus watched Njord practically bouncing with joy and Danaë smiling at him, and could only shake his head in disbelief.
The moment she heard that Lord Njord was extremely fond of gold, she had used it without mercy.
It almost felt like his benefactor, Lord Njord, had become a butterfly caught in a spider’s web. He wondered if he should intervene…
But Perseus ultimately said nothing.
Because his mother was giving him a very clear, subtle look.
‘Don’t. Butt. In.’
‘Yeah… can’t be helped. Besides, Lord Njord really does love gold that much. He’s not exactly losing out.’
Perseus closed his eyes as he watched Njord—who had somehow ended up signing some incomprehensible contract.
***
“Be careful out there. Mom and Dad will always be right here waiting for you.”
“This time, it might be nice to travel more leisurely and take in the sights. I did a lot of wandering around in my younger days, too.”
“Yes. Dictys-nim—no, Father, and Mother—I’ll come back safely.”
—WAAAAAAAAAHHH! Hero Perseus!!
—Lord Perseus, look over here please!
—KYAAAAAAAAA!!!
Receiving heartfelt farewells from his parents and thunderous cheers from the people of his home island, Perseus set out once again.
But this time, things were different.
If the last send-off had been filled with worry and sorrowful well-wishes, this time the cheers were pure, unadulterated blessings for the bright future that lay ahead of him.
“Hey there, big guy. Wait—should I be calling you Prince now?”
And whether by fate or coincidence, he ran into the same ship captain who had been heading toward Athens.
“Feel free to call me whatever’s comfortable. I’m just a priest of Poseidon, after all.”
“Heh heh, is that so? Then I’ll keep it casual. Still… I owe you an apology. Back then I really thought you were just another runaway.”
The captain grinned sheepishly and offered his apology, admitting his judgment had been wrong.
“I don’t mind at all. It wasn’t a big deal, was it?”
“…Hahaha, true! For the guy who proved it with results, it really isn’t a big deal!”
“Yeah. Still, I’ll accept the apology.”
“Uahahaha! Then I’m the one who should be thanking you!”
And so Perseus’s second journey began with everything going smoothly, as if the world itself was signaling that from here on out, his path would be wide open and paved with success.
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