The Fox Who Repaid Kindness with Enmity

Tsk, no wonder he's one of the two gods of Persia.

This mark, strong enough to curse even the gods, remains like a leech, impossible to remove.

After a moment of rest, Samael's slightly flushed face regained some color, but he still showed signs of fatigue as he began to move. The flame-shaped branding, intertwined with his flesh and blood, seemed to have grown stronger.

Furthermore, anyone who harms me will be punished sevenfold.

The ancient serpent glanced at the charred and shattered battlefield around it, closed its eyes to filter the details of the battle, and silently pondered the pursuer's peculiar prayer, its brow gradually furrowing.

If I remember correctly, it was him...

It seems that even the long-dormant Israelites have joined the battlefield in this Iliad War.

After calming himself down a bit, Samael sheathed his greatsword and slowly made his way to the mountaintop.

The situation in Greece seems somewhat complicated. I need to maintain my current identity for a while longer to understand the situation and formulate a strategy. Sending Goguryeo and Helen up the mountain is also a temporary measure to ensure I can act freely.

Although there were quite a few bandits who escaped the bat swarm and fled to the mountain stronghold for refuge, they were mostly ordinary people with limited combat abilities. If a conflict were to break out, the Spartan Queen could handle it on her own.

Besides, the amulets made from the fragments of the World Tree are all in their hands. As long as these two don't do anything reckless, they're definitely safe.

Without much effort, after several leaps and climbs, Samael jumped onto the shabby mountain village built with a fence.

Dozens of terrified bandits squatted on the ground, heads in their hands, facing the patrolling Ge Kuan, not daring to have the slightest thought of resistance.

On the flat open ground, there were seven or eight small boxes piled up, half-closed and half-open, revealing gold and silver artifacts, coins and gems inside.

Beside Helen, who wore a golden laurel wreath and a light veil, several fair-skinned and beautiful women, after confirming that they had been rescued, wept with joy and wailed.

Under the soothing words and simple divine healing of the high priest of the Temple of the Moon Goddess, the victims, whose fathers and brothers had been murdered and who had been abducted and violated on the mountain, finally calmed down.

After a brief exchange, the group unexpectedly learned the identity of the bandit leader.

It turns out that this was an officer who had fled from other fallen city-states. Half a month ago, he stormed the mountain stronghold, killed the leader, and took over as king.

Furthermore, this rather shrewd fellow seems to have already connected with many nobles and similar bandits, genuinely intending to occupy this place, seek opportunities to communicate with the Persians, and wait for the right price to buy his services depending on the war situation.

No wonder he possesses divine blood and his skills are also remarkable.

Ge Kuan seemed lost in thought, but his heart grew even heavier.

The fact that even the core forces of the city-state began planning to side with the Persians after their defeat is enough to prove that they were terrified.

With the internal decay reaching such a state, can the front line really be held?

Moreover, this almost covers the entire territory of Athens. With so many defensive loopholes, what exactly are Mount of Ares and the Council Hall doing?

The more she thought about it, the more hopeless the Spartan Queen felt. An invisible chill seeped into her body and penetrated to her very marrow.

"Your Highness, please look after these people. The carriages down the mountain have been completely destroyed. I'll go check the stables. It's still quite a distance from here to Athens, so hopefully we can find a suitable means of transportation."

At this moment, the bodyguard in the robe who stepped forward interrupted Ge Kuan's thoughts and started working. The two people facing each other seemed to have reached some kind of tacit understanding and nodded to each other.

Before the assassin left, Ju Xun casually pulled Helen, who was comforting the women, along with him.

This... so fast?

The high priest felt a jolt in his heart as he noticed his wrist being pulled tightly, and instinctively looked at Ge Kui.

However, to everyone's surprise, the Spartan Queen nodded seriously and showed no intention of stopping her.

Thinking back to the earth-shaking aftershocks of the battlefield, the high priest of the Temple of the Moon Goddess sighed inwardly.

Indeed, they had no choice; this statement came true ahead of time.

As the two figures moved toward the back mountain and gradually disappeared into the distance, the Spartan Queen recalled the cryptic gesture of the assassin's bodyguard gesturing across her neck. Her gaze, now fixed on the bandits in the open space, flickered with a sinister light.

Indeed, it's best to clean up any troubles before setting off.

Meanwhile, after searching, Samael not only found seven or eight fine horses in the stables behind the mountain, but also found two slightly damaged carriages in a corner.

These were mostly spoils of war looted by mountain bandits; with a little repair, they could be put to good use.

So the ancient snake found a rope from the storeroom, and asked Helen to get some clean water and strips of cloth, and began cleaning the two shovels.

The high priest stared at the velvet cloth in his hand and the carriage that had been wiped halfway, and when he came to his senses, he was stunned.

So, what was she worried about just now?

This method of using it isn't quite what she expected...

"Done!"

After working for more than ten minutes, Samael snapped his fingers with satisfaction, drawing a Runic Glyphs that dried the moisture in the carriage.

Having lived a life of luxury and rarely done physical labor, Helen suddenly felt aches and pains in her back. Just as she was about to experience the fruits of labor, someone led out a brand-new carriage and headed towards the open space ahead, leaving the high priest standing there bewildered in the wind.

Helen's lips twitched, and she subconsciously touched her cheek, feeling a strong sense of doubt about her title as the most beautiful woman in Greece.

Seeing the carriage ahead gradually disappear into the distance, the high priest simply lifted the hem of her skirt and buried her head to chase after it.

When they returned to the front of the mountain stronghold, the dozens of bandits in the open space had all vanished without a trace.

With a rustling sound, led by Ge Kuan, the women, who had previously looked numb, emerged from the woods one after another, their faces glowing with renewed vitality after washing themselves. They were carrying weapons such as daggers and short swords.

Helen glanced at the man in front of her, her sapphire-blue eyes thoughtful.

As for where the bandits went or where the women's weapons came from, don't ask questions you shouldn't ask.

She was just a pampered and protected child, not a fool.

"Of the seven chests of treasure, I will take five and be responsible for sending you to the neighboring city-states. As for the rest, you can use them to seek your own help, find your relatives, or do whatever you want. In short, after the war, figure it out yourselves."

Samael earnestly played the role of a bounty hunter, raising his hand to collect his share of the reward into the Sorcery Array, and beckoning the women into another carriage.

Click...

However, just before setting off, the women's eyes glazed over, their expressions slightly bewildered. They turned to look at the woodshed in the corner from which faint sounds were coming, as if they had remembered something.

"Oh, by the way, we have another sister who was captured and is being punished for resisting. Please take her with you!"

The ancient serpent, whose clothes were being tugged at and pleading, frowned slightly, drew its greatsword, and walked forward alone, casually slicing open the door lock.

The moment Samael stepped into the woodshed, a figure rushed forward, burying its head in the ancient snake's embrace, pleading pitifully with tears streaming down its face, displaying a vulnerability that evoked pity.

"Oh dear, I'm finally saved! Are you my savior? I'll do anything to serve you and repay your kindness!"

What's your name?

"Xiao Yu, our benefactor can call us Xiao Yu..."

The girl immediately raised her pretty face, blinked her bright eyes, and responded with a sorrowful expression.

Slurp...

Samael vaguely heard some suspicious sound. He glanced down at the pink hair, the charming, sharp chin, and the innocently blinking golden eyes. He couldn't help but turn his head away, his lips twitching slightly in the shadows.

You're a little too skilled at this job.

Furthermore, are you sure you're repaying a debt of gratitude, or are you repaying kindness with enmity and simply looking for a meal ticket?