Episode 21. prelude (2)
“Quaaagh!”
“Oh, my God, gods.”
In every alley, the soldiers who had been closing the encirclement are looking at me and the men surrounding me with a shocked look on their faces.
It wasn’t that the merchant killed the soldiers with a hand gesture. There was only a slight breeze blowing.
A breeze light enough to blow off the hems of the men’s cloaks that were dragging me along.
“Heh, heh, heh…”
I didn’t scream like the soldiers. I couldn’t stop it anyway because the piece of cloth was in my mouth like a gag. I just breathed and looked up at the faces that the hem of the cloak was hiding.
The man holding my left leg still had Theo’s arrow stuck in his arm, but he didn’t care and drew his knife.
His left leg was left with only bones and blood vessels in tatters. The flesh below the mid-thigh had been neatly cut away, and the muscles wriggled in the cross section.
Some had half their faces blown off, while others had only empty darkness where their eyeballs should be.
They quickly bound my limbs and carefully laid me on the floor.
Then they whispered among themselves.
“Don’t make a fuss in the city.”
“Just hit it down with the back of a knife. If not, just a light blunt weapon.”
“How much injury will you inflict on opponents who get in your way?”
“Minor wounds, just fainting. No more.”
The sound of ‘they’ whispering among themselves was as fast as if the video was spun at 1.5x speed, and the tone was low and solemn, like the ringing of a very heavy bronze bell.
And when their meeting was over, they each took a knife or blunt weapon and prepared themselves for an attack.
As soon as they realized that the direction of the attack was themselves standing in front of them, the soldiers panicked and raised their shields and thrust out their spears.
“No, no, stop!!”
Virtually, there was a commander who was courageous even in this situation. A shield wall formed under his command blocked the uphill path.
and···
“Let’s drill.”
“Pierce.”
“Don’t kill me.”
“Only pressure. It must not be killed.”
Soldiers of bone and flesh charge at the wall.
-bang!!!
-Kwakwang!!!!
-Kwaaang!!!!
I imagined
No matter how skilled a soldier may be, would he be able to withstand it if the ridiculous enemies in front of him were glaring at him while beating their shields as if they were about to break them?
“hhhhh!!!”
It can’t be.
One by one, the soldiers backing away in fear or running away leave a hole in the shield wall. And the kidnappers put their arms into the gap and wield weapons to break the ranks.
“Hu, retreat… retreat!!”
“no! It’s the king’s name! You must never let that boy be taken away!!”
However, the shock and fear of the soldiers had already exceeded the level that the commander could calm them down by shouting.
The number of soldiers escaping from the ranks increases little by little, while others pass out while being hit in vital places with knives, fists, and kicks. None of the fallen soldiers sustained any trauma.
As the road gradually clears, a corpse-like man carries me again and walks toward the temple of Zeus. The rest, without lowering their weapons, surround me and the man carrying me, guarding all sides.
Only then did I have time to look back, and with my limbs tied up, I looked up and looked at the place where the merchant and my brother Theo were.
The Merchant was rushing here, and half-corpse soldiers stood blocking Anoitus and the servants of the mansion, and Theo and the soldiers he had summoned.
Theo brother tried to break through the ranks somehow, but the enemy soldiers who neither felt pain nor died did not give way.
“You really made a fuss. sorry.”
A merchant who came to my side whispers. When he pulled the piece of cloth out of my mouth, I couldn’t help but ask myself this question.
“Da, what are you?”
“I am nothing.”
The merchant puts the tattered skin back on his neck to cover the void that sucked in the arrow earlier.
“I am just a servant.”
“I mean, whose…”
“My master represents the will of the greatest gods. He is the one who crosses the worlds of death and life and delivers the commands of the King of Heaven to the people on earth. All vagrants pray for blessings under his name.”
The merchant, who had been pouring out words without breathing, stopped talking for a moment and looked straight at me.
“Those who wander between this world and the next, like us, breathe under His blessing. Is that enough of an answer?”
There was an aura in his voice that was hot as hell and cool as a graveyard. When I didn’t dare to answer, he put his hand on my forehead and continued.
“You are blessed, and you are also cursed. Aren’t you glad that Hephaestus cares for you so much?”
“What is that…”
“Because Hephaestus protects you, our task was extremely difficult. But now…”
The merchant snaps his fingers.
“Now it’s your turn to face your destiny.”
Temple of Zeus close by. The worshipers there see the clash of the spear-knives and run away in fright. Among them, the unlucky ones couldn’t get away and fainted when they saw the hideous faces of those who kidnapped me.
“This is sacred land! No one can do anything carelessly!!”
A priest who seemed to have all the authority of this temple of Zeus came out and scolded us. Of course, that was all I could say. There was no force to support his words, and there were bizarre-looking soldiers who came out with swords without saying a word.
He shuddered as he stood in front of the temple gate.
The merchant smiled bitterly at the sight, then came forward and declared.
“As you can see, God bless us too. As such, if you are a priest, quietly getting out of the way is not the way to avoid seeing the wrath of the gods?”
“What nonsense!”
“Do you really think so? If so, pray to Zeus and ask him to stop us.”
“…”
The other priests were trying to escape through the passage in the corner. The priest who was blocking us had no choice but to take a backward step while grinding his teeth.
The soldiers defending the temple had already lost their morale and were unable to do anything, holding only the spearhead.
Corpse-like soldiers open the gates of the bronze temple. An embossed picture of Zeus ascending the throne after driving out the tyrant Cronus is split in half.
And inside there was only solemn silence.
A space that is aloof and far from all the noise of the outside world.
When the merchant says something, his servants set fire to the perches inside the temple in perfect order. Then, the cloth covering the top of the cart was removed and the boxes stacked on it were removed one by one.
Then a large box at the bottom is revealed. The merchant unbinds my limbs and drags me aside.
The merchant opened the box.
A large amount of dead bodies are seen.
“The condition of the burnt offering is fine.”
“What are you trying to do?”
At my question, the merchant turns his head without showing any expression.
I look up at the statue of Zeus placed in the middle of the temple.
The huge stone statue carved out of marble was about three heads taller than Hephaestus’s.
The splendid cloak and tunic covered with gold leaf on top of it glistened in the light of the torch, and the ruby-studded eyes seemed to glow like firearms even though they were inanimate objects. The face part was a more splendid white color, perhaps because it was specially covered with ivory.
The merchant gazed at the stone statue as if possessed, and murmured.
“I want to take you to your destiny.”
As I was about to ask what that meant, I heard a familiar voice behind me.
“#$$!!!! There you go!!!!”
Theo came running with his wounded body. Corpse soldiers followed and grabbed the limbs, but Theo quickly shook off his grip and came closer.
“You are a brave warrior.”
The merchant… No, something that I don’t know what it is now begins to mutter something softly after briefly commenting on Theo.
One of the corpse soldiers slings the corpse of the sheep over its shoulder and brings it to the foundation. As if the mission had been completed, the soldiers let go of their guard and gather near the merchant. Theo shot an arrow again, but it didn’t reach the merchant because the soldiers were blocked by the body barrier.
“…answer the call, son of Maia. Although I do not have the proper manners and hold a ceremony in your father’s temple in such a hurry, please only consider the loyalty and faith of your servants.”
“Pa@#$, you have to get out of there!! no!!!”
Theo crosses the doorway of the temple and comes inside.
“brother! be careful!!”
As he swings his sword, the corpse soldiers grab hold of his swinging arm. Theo screams and shakes his limbs, trying to get them off.
“Oh, no. stop! This is the rightful domain of the King of Ps#$$#s, the son of Ra#%$$#don! No matter what god you serve, Zeus also protects the authority of this land ruled by the descendants of Tros!!!”
“It’s the territory of Pri$#s, the son of La#$Medon… that’s funny. All the lands of Gaia belong to Zeus.”
Theo struggles.
At some point, the ceiling of the temple starts to shine with a white light that is purer than sunlight.
The merchant gives orders to the soldiers who are restraining Theo, expressionlessly, and turns his sad eyes to me and Theo.
But in the midst of the chaos, I couldn’t do anything.
because I started hearing it.
“As a soldier of this kingdom, as a warrior of King Fria@#s, I order you! leave immediately! Get out of this land immediately!!”
“I can’t.”
“Pa#$s, are you okay? Where did you get hurt… Damn it. Free the child! Zeus, the god of kingship, will not forgive you!!”
“Don’t you know whose temple we are in? Is the punishment coming down on us now? Heavenly powers always precede earthly powers.”
Suddenly, the light from the ceiling becomes stronger. Beyond that, a certain landscape shimmers like a haze.
Theo is calling me.
hear my name
I hear the name of this land, the name of the king.
As if the earplugs that had been worn for a long time had been pulled out.
“Fa@#s!! Par@##$s!!!”
I am a shepherd’s son
I live in a land ruled by the descendants of Ilos I. This land is also called Ilios because it is ruled by the descendants of Ilos, and it is also called Ilios because it is ruled by the descendants of Tros, the grandson of Ilos I…
“Hey.”
Also called Troia. Troy in English.
I am a Trojan shepherd.
Only a generation or two had passed since Hercules died.
The current king of Troy is Priam.
and my name is…
“Meet your destiny. Even if only dishonor and ruin awaited him. I and my master will sympathize with you.”
The merchant’s eyes looking down at me as if he couldn’t overcome his pity.
The soldiers gathered too quickly to save a mere slave boy.
Theo who always walked around me and protected me as if he was hiding something.
The light from the ceiling slowly envelops me.
The top of my head and my shoulders are slowly sinking into the warmth.
The illusion, which had been faintly distorted like a haze, gradually materialized. Pillars and ceilings shining in pure white, the interior of a beautiful court.
And in it…
someone comes down
[You are the most beautiful boy. All the gods admired your face.]
The voice is a little young, and has a light, languid atmosphere.
[It took me so long to find you. I can only hope that you have the proper aesthetic sense as much as I have reached you through such a messy process.]
The merchant kneels. The other soldiers also stopped blocking Theo and bowed prostrate in their standing position. Theo was stunned by the sight in front of him.
“My master.”
[Good job, remember your loyalty. Do you have anything to ask for?]
The merchant raises his bowed head and faces the ‘owner’. I do too.
Winged shoes, a staff entwined with snakes.
“doesn’t exist. Master, please take the poor child with you.”
[…]
The silence of the ‘master’ was heavy.
It just returned a heavy gaze to the servant.
[The boy will be safe.]
And he turned and looked at me.
[Let’s go.]
The light that came down from the ceiling of the temple brightened in an instant.
From nob le mt l. co m
Like a spotlight on a stage, it focuses on me.
[To Olympus.]
My whole body is sucked up by the light.
I couldn’t say anything. No movement could be seen.
I just look out at my body floundering in the air, trying not to lose consciousness.
And bright light pours into my face. Unknowingly, I squinted my eyes… and when I opened them again.
[You’re here.]
[It takes so much effort to bring a mere human.]
[Didn’t you say you couldn’t help it?]
[Hephaestus, why did you cover that boy so much?]
The scenery of the temple had disappeared.
Something more… vast, great.
The courts of heaven open before me.