Friends in Need, Steadfast as a Mountain

"I am Themistocles! What, do you think the Divine Blood Aristocrats of Mount of Ares won't sleep soundly unless I leave Athens?!"

"Themistocles?"

"You bastards, I am the general who led you bunch of brats to save Athens twice!"

The old man looked at the young man who was tilting his head, looking somewhat confused, as if he were really thinking. His pride was thwarted, his breath hitched, and his lion-mane-like beard stood on end in anger. He couldn't help but curse and complain.

"Where did those senile old fogies in the council chamber find a greenhorn like you? You haven't even figured out the mission objective, yet you dare to come here and probe my background?"

"Oh, I remember now, you're that unlucky fellow who got banished by the Citizens' Assembly!"

Samael suddenly realized the old man's identity: he was pinned against the wall and had just led the Athenians to agree to Themistocles Battle of Salamis. Only then did his expression soften slightly.

"Wait a minute, aren't people saying you're serving your sentence in the Argos region? Why are you still hiding here?"

The old man's slightly improved mood turned gloomy again after the ancient snake paused for a moment and then asked in surprise. His pent-up resentment couldn't help but lead him to let out a cold snort.

Where I live is my own business! What does it have to do with you, a petty thief who broke into my private home?

"Private residence? I'd like to ask you why you're in my house!"

The two looked at each other, both with surprised expressions, and the atmosphere froze.

"Laugh!"

Just as Samael realized that something seemed wrong, the tightly closed door was shaken open with a hum, and a sharp explosion accompanied by a crimson Aether Tide burst through the air.

Samael instinctively flung aside the old general he was carrying, slid to the side, drew his sword with a backhand and slashed. The scarlet blade collided with the cluster of dark purple thorns, and amidst a clanging of metal, he barely knocked them away.

The force of the recoil caused the ancient snake to stagger back two steps before finally stopping its momentum.

However, as the remaining force of the incoming blade was dissipated, Samael also bent his fingers forward, grasped the scarlet gun barrel, skillfully twirled the gun with his palm, faced the door, and rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Hey old friend, can't we stop making every welcome ceremony so dramatic?"

"I want to test your reaction."

Scathach, carrying a bag of ingredients in one hand, lightly caught the Scarlet Demon Spear thrown by Samael. As she casually responded, she frowned and stepped forward, her gaze lingering for a moment on the ancient serpent's chest, a hint of solemnity and hidden concern appearing in her eyes.

"Your skills have declined considerably. It seems you're quite badly injured. Come to my room first, I..."

"Heave-ho~ Hehehe! Lord Samael! It's Lord Samael here! I caught him first!"

Just as Scathach was about to speak, the lively pink- Valkyrie Hildr excitedly rushed into the courtyard, carrying a basket of bread, and bumped into Samael's arms.

The blonde Thrud, who had rushed to the door, immediately placed the miscellaneous items she was carrying on the table. Her face darkened, and with a flickering, electric hand, she skillfully paralyzed the disrespectful girl, then grabbed her and carried her away, respectfully stepping aside.

As she flipped through the manuscript, empty-handed and slacking off, the black-haired, emotionless Ortlinde couldn't escape the clutches of a certain gentle yet violent older sister.

Thrud, whose mastery of Thor's power had become increasingly refined, pressed her two younger sisters' heads down and bowed to Samael in respect.

Looking at the two Valkyrie hair stood on end and whose delicate bodies trembled like leaves, the ancient serpent couldn't help but chuckle. He casually reached into a fruit basket that was floating by and took out a luscious apple, taking a crisp bite.

"Samael, you bastard, you just arrived and you're already stealing our stuff! You might as well just die out there!"

At this moment, noticing the weight reduction in the fruit basket, Horo, who was quite protective of her food, suddenly had veins bulging on her forehead, her clenched teeth grinding, and she waved her fists, chasing after one of her unscrupulous younger brothers.

"Eat fewer apples, you might get indigestion... Oh... there are pastries too? Kids shouldn't eat so many snacks..."

As the ancient snake maneuvered, it used its snakeskin to steal one prize after another from Horo's treasured basket, enraging her older sister, who jumped onto Samael's back without regard for her image, coiled around his neck, and began to bite him like a mad dog.

After a brief period of commotion, the atmosphere in the courtyard relaxed and became more lively. Samael bared his teeth and pulled Horo off the back of his neck, signaling everyone to close the gate. He then sat down at the stone table and began to get down to business.

At the same time, another person invited was an old general who had been hidden away by this group of outsiders.

After learning a brief overview of the current situation in Athens from Scathach, Samael recounted, in a concise manner, how he escorted the Spartan Queen and the High Priest, and offered his perspective based on the situation in Greece.

Although the Persians seized the opportunity and won a brilliant victory in the early Battle of Samira, their fleet was far from suffering heavy losses. Instead, the Greeks became arrogant and exiled the veteran naval commander Themistocles, and many other officers were also implicated.

In this situation, without a leader, the Athenian navy lost its advantage, and it would be difficult to inflict another heavy blow on the Persian Fleet. Even with the addition of the Viking Fleet, such a victory would be hard to replicate.

However, Scathach intercepted the exiled Themistocles ahead of time and hid the old general in Athens, saving Samael the trouble of re-familiarizing himself with the Athenian naval structure and commanding operations after taking over Mount of Ares.

Now, Thessaly are under attack, and Hot Spring Pass is in dire straits. This last pass guarding the northern gateway to Greece has become the key to determining the course of the entire Iliad War.

As the core of the Pan-Hellenic Alliance, Athens' most appropriate strategy at this moment is to quickly integrate its army and support Hot Spring Pass.

"Hesitantly, at this point, the old general Themistocles's eyes flickered, and he murmured softly."

"I think that instead of betting everything on Hot Spring Pass, we should take control of the situation, evacuate the Athenians to the sea, contact the Egyptians, and engage the Persian Fleet in a decisive battle!"

"What about the allied forces at Hot Spring Pass?"

"Since the Persians have shifted their focus from naval warfare to land warfare, this is divine mandate and oracle. All the risks must be borne by the city-states along the route themselves."

The old man lowered his voice, his expression meaningful.

"The Spartans army is the best in Greece. Letting them suffer a bit might not be a bad thing for Athens. We can also use this time that the Spartan King bought to perfect our plans at sea. In the future, Greece will remember their great deeds and sacrifices."