Chapter 154: Chiron Academy, The Beginning (1)
Perseus’s deeds sent a tremendous shock through many humans and various races.
Naturally, stories about the mage who had traveled alongside Perseus also spread everywhere across the world.
And that now-famous mage was currently…
Being dragged away by centaurs.
“Chiron, how the hell do you control these idiots?”
“What! We’re not idiots! The one calling others idiots is the idiot! Intruder!”
Poseidon let out a deep sigh as he looked at the centaurs who seemed to live in an incredibly stupid manner.
Seeing these creatures who acted purely on instinct made him seriously regret accepting this request.
“Ahh… If it weren’t for the fact that they’re paying so much gold, I never would have taken a commission like this.”
***
After parting ways with Perseus, Poseidon began a life of mercenary work accompanied by Philomela, who clung to him, along with the witches.
He originally thought traveling alone would be more comfortable and planned to split up at the slightest inconvenience, but the witches who took care of his every need were extraordinary—in many senses of the word.
And so Poseidon and the three witches wandered the world, taking on numerous commissions and completing them brilliantly.
Among them were several requests related to the gods, which they handled without much difficulty.
In truth, considering who he really was, they weren’t particularly difficult tasks anyway.
Of course, thanks to that reputation, he ended up getting dragged into the annoying business of having to meet Chiron—the supposed illegitimate child of Kronos.
“So the mage whose fame rings far and wide has come to me.”
“Yeah. Centaur who is Kronos’s bastard. I judged that you’re necessary to complete my commission.”
Chiron flinched slightly at the words of the mage standing before him.
He couldn’t understand how this human knew about his origin—something known only to a very small number of gods.
It was supposed to be kept strictly secret…
“Huu… I see. Human mage. I’ve heard from some of the gods, but your recklessness exceeds imagination. If you know my origin, you should also know that I keep it hidden.”
With those words, Chiron released a wave of killing intent toward the mage in front of him.
‘I have no intention of killing him, but I do need to knock down this arrogant bastard’s pride a bit.’
***
Chiron, this centaur, was different from ordinary centaurs.
The one called the Sage among centaurs carried the blood of Kronos and could be considered a half-brother to Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.
If that were all, Poseidon wouldn’t have bothered coming to find Chiron himself. Beings of that level of lineage could be found just about anywhere if one looked.
What made Chiron exceptional was that he had overcome the instincts engraved in his blood.
The ferocious temper inherited from his divine lineage and the instinct that was both the greatest strength and weakness of the centaur race created the perfect conditions for him to become stronger than other centaurs in every racial aspect.
Yet instead, he controlled and refined that double-edged trait, transcending the limits of his species and reaching a higher realm.
Thus Chiron possessed a mind capable of rapidly mastering swordsmanship, archery, magic, pharmacology, alchemy, philosophy, mathematics, tactics, politics, administration, and more—combined with instincts and a body that could freely draw upon all of it.
He wasn’t the absolute best in any single field, but he had reached near-omnipotence by mastering everything to a level well above average.
However, up until now he had devoted his strength solely to controlling and educating the centaurs under his command.
‘That’s why even the gods don’t fully realize just how versatile this centaur in front of me is. If it weren’t for this commission, even I wouldn’t have thought of him—he’s been living so quietly.’
But…
The fact that this being was now trying to “tame” him and unleashing killing intent made Poseidon seriously consider whether he should give him a proper lesson.
“Tsk tsk tsk, that’s enough. I didn’t come here to play a dominance game.”
“…You’re even stronger than the rumors say. Not even flinching at this level?”
“Well, I don’t know where those rumors came from, but I’m actually a very gentle person. You shouldn’t treat someone just because they’re a little strong like this. Unless you want to get hit once.”
“…I see. Very well. Unless you plan to turn this place into ashes, I have no choice. Come inside for now. I’ll at least offer you some hospitality as a guest.”
Chiron realized that the rumors that had reached even the depths of the forest where he lived didn’t capture even a fraction of the arrogant mage before him—and gave up.
Of course, his interest in fighting the mage only grew stronger, but he knew that if they clashed now, the home he had painstakingly built would be reduced to rubble.
The fact that the other party didn’t even react to his killing intent meant this mage had already stepped beyond the category of human.
‘Even most gods would tense up at that level… Is this man really human?’
***
“Sorry, but I don’t have much to offer. Just mandragora leaf tea that I ground from the ones I grow.”
“That’s more than enough. How many people can even cultivate mandragora?”
Clink. Tap.
“Anyway, I know it’s rude, but I’d like to get straight to the point. Having a mage like you here isn’t exactly good for us.”
“How cold. Fine, I’ll get straight to it too then. The gods made a request. The coming era will be the Age of Heroes, beginning with Perseus. So they say they need a place and a person capable of producing outstanding heroes.”
Chiron closed his eyes for a moment and nodded at the mage’s words. That much was within his expectations.
The story of the now-famous King Perseus was something no one living in this world could possibly not know.
“So, is that enough reason for you to come find me?”
But what puzzled him was why this mage had deliberately sought him out.
Of course Chiron was well aware of his own abilities. But the mage in front of him was equally aware.
No matter what anyone said, the person who had the greatest influence on Perseus was none other than this mage.
Though he seemed to have magically patched up various parts of himself to avoid people’s attention, he couldn’t hide his true appearance from Chiron’s eyes.
And the mage standing before him had the exact same face as the one he had seen in that painting.
“Ah, don’t look at me with those eyes. I’d rather die than be bound by the gods’ orders.”
“You’re saying… you came all the way here to dump something you yourself don’t want to do… onto me?”
“Exactly. I’d rather die than do it, but the gods are all obsessively stubborn and half-insane in their own ways. So I had no choice but to find someone to take my place.”
Chiron let out a hollow laugh at the mage’s words.
This was the first time he had ever seen a human speak so scathingly about the gods, and also the first time he had seen someone outright refuse a divine request—or rather, command.
What was even more ridiculous was that, whether the mage knew it or not, Chiron himself had already been quietly preparing to start accepting disciples from other races around this very time.
‘Of course, it’s unlikely the mage came here knowing that, but just letting this slide feels a little off.’
Chiron was perfectly aware of his own worth.
A being born of divine blood, capable of educating and controlling those worthless, rowdy centaurs, and possessing above-average mastery in nearly every field—such versatile individuals were exceedingly rare in the world.
‘Above all, this mage is genuinely eager to dump everything onto me. In that case….’
“Fine. I’m curious how you knew about me and came looking, but… I too have reached the point where I want to fulfill my own desires.”
“So…?”
“But! I’m not going to just obediently let you drag me around. So I have conditions of my own.”
Poseidon nodded at Chiron’s demand. After all, he had only come here to half-heartedly fulfill—or rather, dodge—Demeter’s oracle and commission in the first place.
He could afford to accept most reasonable conditions.
“Those conditions are….”
What?!
***
Poseidon grumbled as he trudged forward.
Normally Philomela and the three witches would have prepared everything so he felt no inconvenience at all.
But right now they were all absent, attending a witches’ council.
“Tch. Wait—aren’t half-breeds supposed to be treated as part of the witch race too? Why are they suddenly calling every witch in the world?”
To Poseidon, who was already sighing over Chiron’s bizarre conditions,
Their absence felt surprisingly heavy. When they had first left the Dawn Mercenary Corps to follow him, he had found them burdensome. But now, their absence made him genuinely uncomfortable.
“Ahh. According to Hecate, the witches’ council lasts at least several decades at a time.”
Muttering complaints and laments, Poseidon headed toward the city-state of Calydon in the region of Aetolia.
He had happened to overhear that a child named Meleager there was a genius whose fame was spreading far and wide.
“Sigh… From Chiron’s forest all the way to Calydon, just how far is this….”
Even while grumbling, Poseidon had no choice but to set off to personally evaluate this human named Meleager.
The world was now overflowing with people dreaming of becoming heroes in the wake of Perseus’s legend, yet so far none of them truly stood out.
Rather, while idolizing the image of a hero, what humans envied most was the power and authority that the hero Perseus possessed.
“In short, the world is just filling up with idiots wearing the mask of ‘hero.’ Which means, in order to meet Chiron’s conditions, I have to go judge them myself.”
Ever since the birth of Dike, eyes and ears monitoring both gods and powerful beings had begun appearing all over the world.
The goddess of justice, Dike—who was also the state religion of the currently most powerful Mycenaean Empire—had rapidly expanded her influence and openly proclaimed her concept of justice to all.
The problem was the side effect: now villains had begun wearing masks.
Of course the goddess of justice Dike was not unaware of this…
“Soon enough there’s going to be absolute chaos. Trying to control only actions without changing thoughts and ideology—classic recipe for disaster. Or maybe it was deliberate?”
There were even rumors floating around that Dike and Perseus had conceived a child together.
If that were true, then her focus on controlling only outward behavior made a certain kind of sense.
Or perhaps, knowing her personality, she might be planning to root them all out in one fell swoop anyway.
‘Well, whatever happens, it has nothing to do with me. In the end, it’s always the powerless(?) ones like me who end up doing the suffering….’
***
“So in the end, after walking for a whole month, I’ve finally arrived at Thebes.”
Poseidon didn’t know whether this Thebes was the same as the one from his previous life, but in this land currently teeming with gods, other races, and humans, he had stopped by Thebes on his way to the far edge of Aetolia—Calydon.
There was simply no practical route to Calydon without passing through Thebes.
“Wow… I forgot who founded Thebes, but damn, the location is perfect. Every kind of merchant and trader gathers here.”
Poseidon nodded as he gazed at Thebes, the hegemon of Boeotia.
With its powerful military seizing the very heart of the trade routes, Thebes possessed splendor, development, and military strength that could rival even Athens.
Of course, if war broke out with Athens right now, Athens—protected by Athena—would ultimately win.
“Still, the fact that Thebes could put up a close fight shows just how formidable a state it really is.”
Nodding to himself, Poseidon stepped inside the city.
If any of the other sea gods had known what Poseidon was feeling at that moment, they would have shaken their heads in disbelief.
He seemed completely unaware of just how much he himself had contributed to Thebes reaching this level of prosperity.
Even though Poseidon’s symbols were scattered all over the city.