A princess who had spent her whole life following the rules in the shelter of a greenhouse was trying something so rebellious for the first time.
She truly felt the thrill of breaking the rules, as though she had gone bad and become a naughty child.
It was both exciting and nerve-racking.
"Moran, you're not allowed to lead Medea astray."
"I wouldn't call this leading her astray..."
The heroes raced all the way back to the Argo.
You infused the ship with magical power and started it at top speed, then turned back toward Iolcus.
However, Aetes was no fool.
Noticing something unusual about the Argo Heroes, he did not overlook the suspicious details and inspected the treasury.
As a result, he discovered that the national treasure, the Golden Fleece, had vanished.
Combining this with the Argo Heroes' earlier odd behavior, Aetes understood what had happened. The rage nearly made his blood boil over.
Weren't they supposed to be heroes?
Why were they resorting to underhanded tricks? Each one was more shameless and bottomless than the last!
Though he had been the first to act shamelessly, Aetes clearly had no intention of taking this loss lying down. He dispatched half of Colchis's military forces to hunt you down, reclaim the Golden Fleece, and recover Princess Medea.
The Colchian army held the advantage on its own territory, and they quickly caught up to the Argo.
You fought the army to break through the encirclement.
Greek ships were far from primitive.
Every Colchian vessel could be considered a modern warship, all equipped with anti-army cannons charged with magical power.
Eight fully automatic magecraft ballistae were mounted on each side.
This was the true power of Machine God technology.
"Report! The first unit has engaged the Argo."
"Further tighten the encirclement and set up obstacles. Our fleet holds the geographical advantage! Do not let the Argo leave these waters easily. We must never allow them to take our nation's treasure, the Golden Fleece. The princess must be recovered at all costs!"
Aeëtes issued his orders with a cold expression.
He was the commander of this pursuit.
Watching the heroes aboard the Argo block the magical arrows, he saw them as nothing more than a band of plunderers.
They had actually dared to abduct his sister right in front of him!
How utterly shameless!
PS: Ahem, seeing everyone's enthusiastic flower power, the author will offer up a fiery fifth update shortly.
The daily output is steadily around four updates. If you want extra chapters, whip the author with flowers and monthly tickets! Come on, I'm not afraid of pain!
Turning the Tide! Petrifying Magic Eye! Please Bookmark! Please Vote with Monthly Tickets!
The heroes fought fiercely against the attacking army.
However, the Colchian army had come to reclaim their national treasure, and the heroes had no intention of killing them.
Gradually, the battle reached a stalemate.
Thanks to Jason's strategic planning, Colchis's pursuers could not get close to the Argo.
More and more Colchian reinforcements continued to arrive. Rather than launch a direct assault, the pursuers intended to surround and trap you.
You realized that you could not keep dragging this out. You had to find a way to escape these waters, which had been turned into an inescapable net.
Pursuers had already boarded the Argo.
"Seriously! Why does someone who's both strategist and captain have to swing a sword too?! If Heracles hadn't gotten off the ship halfway through, how could these little grunts possibly hold us back?!"
Jason clicked his tongue in annoyance.
The pursuers were sent flying into the sea by the sword energy he unleashed.
At the same time, ten arriving warships charged toward your escape route. They intended to block this sole path of retreat.
You drew your bow and fired, leaving dozens of soldiers unable to move.
Atalanta worked with you to shoot through the warships' light sails.
Although the Argo Heroes possessed the power to defeat a hundred enemies each, Colchis had committed the strength of its entire nation.
More and more warships appeared over the horizon.
"Lord Moran..."
Medea's beautiful eyes were filled with worry.
She wanted to offer him her strength.
She did not want even the slightest possibility of him being harmed, not even for one extra second.
The commander of these pursuers was Aeëtes.
Her straightforward and outstanding younger brother.
If Aeëtes, the core of the army, could be dealt with, the pursuers would surely fall into disarray.
Then Moran could escape with everyone else.
But how exactly should she handle this?
A trace of darkness flashed through Medea's violet-blue eyes as a thought that should never have arisen seemed to surface within her heart.
It was taboo, yet it was also a solution.
It would certainly help Lord Moran.
Her ever-expanding love enveloped Medea's thoughts. At this crucial moment, she thought of nothing else.
For some reason, Moran's warning from that day surfaced in her mind.
"I'm going to help Lord Moran..."
Medea's crimson lips spoke those words.
She made her choice.
No matter what, helping Moran was her highest priority. Nothing could stop her.
The incoming warships were about to surround you.
Seeing the situation, as well as the heroes gradually becoming unable to control their strength, you made a swift decision.
There might be one move that could get you out of this predicament.
You decided to gamble.
Moran's trump card was nothing else.
With high-purity Gorgon blood flowing through his body, he naturally possessed Gorgon's most iconic killing move.
His purple eyes released an ominous glow.
A hair-raising magical power spread from Moran's body, as though even time and space had come to a standstill at that instant.
This was the Petrifying Magic Eye.
Fifteen charging warships entered his sight.
The magical ballistae, as though devoured and swallowed by a beast, petrified along with the ships themselves. Every color was violently transformed into an ash-gray that symbolized despair.
The ships, along with part of the sea's surface, turned to stone.
The petrified ships grew heavier, and the magecraft engraved upon them lost its effect. They lost the power to propel themselves and slowly began sinking into the depths.
"Petrifying Magic Eyes?! Damn it!"
Aeëtes's eyes widened as he cursed.
He knew Moran possessed those Magic Eyes.
But how could he have imagined that Moran could use them across such a vast range, burying fifteen warships in the sea in an instant?
In one moment, the entire battle had been overturned.
Aeëtes finally understood just how unbelievable heroes were.
They were a group who broke the impossible!
"Aeëtes..."
"Big Sister! Did you escape?!"
A light call drifted leisurely from behind him.
Aeëtes froze slightly.
He turned around and saw Medea, who had arrived at some unknown time. Joy immediately appeared on his face.
However, things were somewhat different from what he had imagined.
Medea had not come to return to her homeland. She had used teleportation magecraft to board this ship in order to resolve a problem.
A burning pain suddenly filled his eyes.
It felt as if both eyeballs had been soaked in a pool of sulfuric acid. The agony of overusing the Magic Eyes assaulted his nerves.
"Moran! Are you all right?!"
Atalanta's face filled with panic.
She knew Moran had used his Magic Eyes to stop the warships.
"Don't worry about me! I'll be fine. It's only because this is my first time using my Magic Eyes on such a large scale.
Jason! Get us out of these waters!"
"Give us some warning first! You bastard... That was way too reckless!"
Jason sighed helplessly.
He did not linger in his personal feelings for long and immediately gave orders to everyone as captain.
"Get ready, all of you! Don't get thrown off next! Head thirty degrees south! Full speed ahead!"
In an instant, the Argo unleashed its full power.
The heroes also poured in magical power without reserve, pushing the magically powered furnace to its limits with the additional energy—
Even Moran was showing such courage!
How could they possibly retreat?
Jason issued one command after another to the heroes.
The remaining warships hurriedly gave chase, while Atalanta aimed her bow at the petrified ships.
The ships no longer had defensive magecraft protecting them.
A single arrow reduced one to fragments.
Several other petrified ships were likewise shattered by her arrows. The fifteen petrified vessels became vast fields of rubble, floating over the sea and waiting to be swallowed by the ocean.
The ships racing forward against every second crashed into them.
Though the stone fragments did not puncture their hulls, they still became obstacles that hindered them.
"Damn it, these obstacles won't hold them back for long. They'll catch up again soon..."
Jason had been about to make that conclusion.
Yet he saw the pursuing fleet stop.
It was rather difficult to understand.
Aboard the Argo, you shook off the pursuers.
All the heroes rejoiced at this victory, while they regarded you as the greatest contributor.
Before you continue