Athena's Sacred Snake = Saint King?

The friendly forces remained as steady as a mountain, using the Persians to weaken Sparta. So that was what the old bastard had been plotting.

Samael rolled his eyes inwardly. After their frank discussion, he gradually came to understand the sinister calculations lurking in Themistocles's heart.

Honestly, for Athens's enduring prosperity, the historical Themistocles had devoted himself tirelessly and rendered tremendous service.

Internally, he had supported Pericles's reforms, greatly shaking the rigid aristocratic system.

Externally, he had participated in the Battle of Marathon and organized the Battle of Salamis, safeguarding the territorial security of Athens and even Greece through the two Iliad Wars.

To secure a favorable position for Athens in the Greek world, he had led the Athenian navy in collecting tribute from the island states, building up Athens's economic strength.

Afterward, he had also single-handedly advocated for the new balance of power following the Third Iliad War—the Delian League—whose purpose was to contain Sparta's rise and preserve the hegemony of Athens and Mount of the God of War.

But perhaps because Themistocles had been born humble and suffered mockery and exclusion from Mount of the God of War's aristocrats, the old general had developed an extreme and eccentric temperament.

Within Athens, Themistocles had also begun drawing the envy of his countrymen. While Athens's wealthy admired his achievements, they began digging up all manner of embarrassing incidents from his lowly youth: his lack of upbringing, his coarse manners, his extreme personality, and so on. Themistocles, meanwhile, answered every barb in kind and showed no mercy.

Whenever he was on duty, Themistocles always liked to pile matters up until the final day before dealing with them. That made him appear powerful, forcing everyone to come begging to him. While this accumulated authority for him, it also drew more than enough