Chapter 191: Heracles (16)
Njord, Alcides, and the Aresia sisters returned to the Tanagra mansion.
The plan to build Alcides’s experience had escalated far more than anticipated, and at this point, they judged that Alcides’s family could be in danger.
The groups—or whoever—was targeting them had begun acting more and more openly.
“You’re back safely. I’ve heard the news. Getting involved in noble affairs is a dangerously risky experience, but it’s precisely the kind Alcides needs.”
Alcmene, who had been waiting for their return, greeted the group with a smile rather than worry.
Given the scale of the incident, one might expect her to be angry or sharp-tempered, but curiously, she seemed unchanged.
“…Hmm. This might sound odd, but I’m wondering if you really heard the full story.”
“Hehe, I heard it properly, Lord Njord. Including the fact that you’ve gotten tangled up with the noble alliance around Boeotia.”
Njord looked at Alcmene, who seemed genuinely unfazed, and wondered if he had misjudged this family.
Even if she could invoke the name of Perseus, this level of trouble should still be a heavy burden for her…
Perhaps sensing Njord’s concern, Alcmene sent him an even firmer look of trust.
“I’m not worried. We have you here, Lord Njord.”
“…Hmm. The trust is almost burdensome.”
“Hehe, don’t worry. I simply believe in you completely. More importantly, I’ve organized some things I thought you might need.”
Ignoring Njord’s slightly awkward expression, Alcmene pulled out a stack of documents and handed them to him.
It was quite thick—about 0.65 phus (roughly 20 cm) in height.
“I prepared this because I thought it would be useful. It covers all the noble families currently in the Boeotia alliance, their allied houses, their characteristics, and even their key members.”
Njord skimmed through the documents Alcmene had given him and couldn’t help but marvel. Information this detailed was something one could hardly obtain anywhere.
It was probably the kind of material only the royal family would possess.
“Impressive. With details like this, losing would be impossible even if we tried.”
Alcmene smiled at Njord’s words. She had worried whether it would truly help the being before her, but his reaction showed her concern had been unnecessary.
“Yes. As Alcides’s master, we trust you, Lord Njord. So if there’s anything you need, please tell me anytime.”
(‘And because you were also my grandfather’s master.’)
Njord didn’t know Alcmene’s inner thoughts, but seeing her unwavering belief in him, he couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.
Both Perseus and his granddaughter—this bloodline was uniformly admirable and beautiful.
“Good, good. Since things have come to this, let’s give Iphicles some experience too while we’re at it. We should reinforce the mansion just in case. What’s the current state of the mansion’s defenses? Manpower? Are there knights?”
With that, Njord resolved to do everything he wanted while the opportunity was here.
Not only was this Perseus’s bloodline, but the chance to spend someone else’s money on whatever he pleased didn’t come often.
Above all, he liked the Alcmene before him far more than the Mycenaean royal family, which currently claimed to be Perseus’s legitimate heirs.
He wanted to give them a gift on par with what he had once given Perseus.
***
Large-scale construction began on the grounds of the Amphitryon family in Tanagra. Hundreds of laborers, soldiers, and the family’s mages were mobilized for the work.
Considering that even among Thebes’ houses, carrying out a project of this scale independently was no easy feat, it indirectly showed just how powerful the Amphitryon house truly was.
“Hey, over there—not that side. The opposite, opposite!”
“Yes, Foreman.”
“Aresia, that’s not for the outside—it’s supposed to be engraved on the inner side of the wall!”
“Huh? Oh, got it! Master.”
“Master, the blueprints have been drawn up here.”
“Really? Let me see.”
In truth, if one were precise, this was mostly repairing the walls, maintaining the roads, and reconfiguring the traps.
It would be somewhat laborious, but with enough money, anyone could do it.
In this era, money, manpower, and equipment could be partially substituted with mana anyway.
The real issue was the magic circles.
Especially reconstructing, repairing, and newly applying semi-permanent magic circles—something no amount of money could guarantee success in.
Hiring competent mages was already like plucking stars from the sky, and among them, those who studied magic circles along with group defense and protective spells were even rarer.
Above all, this was a family’s protective magic.
In the case of renowned houses’ protective magic, layers upon layers of various spells were stacked to the limit, making any interference nearly impossible.
Moreover, magic circles—especially defensive ones—were extraordinarily finicky. Unless the spells were of a similar type or form, they could easily cause collapse.
Even in the Calydon incident, Meleager’s protective magic had been laid only with spells bearing the nature of hunting and Artemis’s domain.
Because of this, even among protective magics, some were mutually incompatible, and bypassing those conflicts without side effects or vulnerabilities was the true measure of a mage’s skill.
The problem was that mages with such ability didn’t move merely for money.
To even qualify to design protective magic required at least the Kome (village) level, and to complete it demanded at least Polis (city-state) level.
That was why the current large-scale construction was enough to arouse envy in others.
Moreover, in the process, most of those spying on the Amphitryon family directly learned about Njord.
That he was at least Ethnos (alliance, federation)-grade—a level humans commonly called Grand mage.
“I knew Lord Njord was exceptional, but I never imagined his speed would be this fast. A pleasant miscalculation.”
“Truly. Lady Alcmene, they say dozens of magic circles are already being installed. Setting aside whether it’s truly possible, Lord Njord’s skill far exceeds our expectations. Some within are even speculating he might be at the Hella (civilization) level.”
“Really? Well, looking at the records, it might be possible. My grandfather spent his entire life watching but could never catch up.”
“Yes?”
“Never mind. More importantly, let’s keep watching. Just like Grandfather did back then. It feels like the god of opportunity, Kairos, has burst into our family. Unlike the fools, we must firmly grasp the forelock of the god and never let go.”
***
The bustling rumors about the Amphitryon family soon reached the ears of the noble alliance.
“…….”
“It’s absurd. Not only did our efforts end up fattening someone else’s belly, but that someone is the Amphitryon house of all people.”
“…Just who is that mage? How can someone with that level of skill be acting like this?”
“Who knows. There’s no information at all. It’s as if he’s not even from this world. All we know is that he’s the master of Aresia and Penthesilea, and the teacher of that monstrous kid.”
The nobles trembled with jealousy and now unmistakable fear.
If an ant had to fight an elephant, which ant wouldn’t feel terror?
Rumors were already spreading that dozens of protective magic circles were being engraved on the Amphitryon house.
“According to the scouts, more than a dozen have already been inscribed.”
“…It’s over. We have no power to stop such a monster. We could only touch them because Aresia and Penthesilea were at the Archon level. But if that so-called master is truly an grand mage, we’d need to summon a witch or something at this point.”
The nobles, feeling utter despair, were starting to give up.
Some even began suggesting they send an apology gift and request help from the merfolk pirates in their war.
To nobles who preserved history and records, a mage worthy of being called an grand mage was practically equivalent to a god.
To contend with such a being required at least the military force of an entire nation.
And according to records, even that had failed in subjugation attempts.
If not for the intervention of a foreign race’s grand mage acting on a god’s command, who knows what might have happened…
Just thinking about it was horrifying.
(‘Hmm. Things are getting a little twisted. I never imagined that master would be an grand mage. At this rate, I might need to borrow that person’s power sooner than expected. For now, though, I have to handle these cowards.’)
Teleos, the one who had orchestrated this entire scheme, stroked the tattoo engraved on his body in frustration.
Even in his predictions and information, Njord’s power had been beyond expectations. Moreover, Teleos had no way of knowing the truth: that the being he was trying to capture could not be bound by the mere category of “grand mage,” and that Aresia—whom he obsessed over—was at a level equal to those called grand mages.
This was the real reason for their repeated failures—a truth unknown to Teleos and everyone present.
“So, Lord Teleos. For this matter, we’ll take the initiative in apologizing. Any losses your family suffered from this plan—we’ll compensate for them.”
The nobles, having already decided to reshuffle the board, made a reasonable proposal to the pensive Teleos.
From their records and experience, stubbornly pushing forward would only lead to their downfall—they wouldn’t even preserve their current positions.
What mattered most to them was gauging their opponents and striking accordingly. After all, weren’t they the original instigators behind most of the madness in the black market?
Teleos, snapping out of his thoughts at their rational proposal, gave a brief, mocking smile before quickly composing his expression. He then deliberately revealed the tattoo engraved on his chest.
Originally, he had planned to reveal this mark only after his family swallowed Orchomenos in the future.
But no matter what, he would capture Aresia.
Without quenching this desire, no amount of power, authority, or pleasure would ever satisfy him—he would be plagued by endless thirst.
And with the tattoo on his body, he was certain.
Even if an grand mage—or something equivalent—appeared, he would win.
“Gasp! That tattoo is…!”
“Yes. I thought Chairman Apopolitos would recognize it, given your connection to that person.”
The tattoo revealed on Teleos’s chest resembled a pair of lips. It looked exactly like a lyre crafted from lips.
“…Were you that person’s lover?”
“Yes. I am currently the one closest to that person.”
……
At Teleos’s firm confirmation, those who recognized the mark fell silent. Those who didn’t could roughly sense from the atmosphere that something was terribly wrong.
“Hmm. Those who know, know what this means. So everyone here must follow my lead from now on. I have no intention of giving up just because an grand mage has appeared.”
Teleos became far more brazen. From the beginning, he had planned to sacrifice the families present here to achieve his goal no matter what.
(‘It’s a shame. I wanted to use these greedy fools to weaken both that bitch from the merfolk pirates and Aresia at the same time. The mermaids called it a mutual destruction scenario, didn’t they? No choice—plans have to change.’)
Teleos clicked his tongue regretfully at the nobles, who were now realizing something had gone wrong.
Originally, capturing only Aresia while the rest disappeared would have been mutually beneficial.
He might be that person’s lover, but he couldn’t freely borrow the name.
Still, the appearance of an grand mage was something even he hadn’t foreseen.
Surely that person would understand. After all, they hadn’t yet shared bodies—meaning the obsession toward him was still raw and intense.
(‘Ahh, I was going to present it upon ascending the throne of Orchomenos, but it can’t be helped.’)
Capturing Aresia was far more important than becoming king of Orchomenos.
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