Kingdom of Iolcus,
Night fell, and flames drove away the darkness, lighting the town as brightly as day.
This magnificent city of the Age of Gods stood tall, a great crystallization of divine technology and human wisdom.
In the legends of Ancient Greek mythology, this fire that brought light should have belonged to the gods.
But so that humanity would not perish from darkness and cold, a wise god named Prometheus stole fire from the gods and scattered it among mankind.
Because of this, the enraged third-generation king of gods, Zeus, chained him to the Caucasus Mountains, where an eagle pecked at his liver day and night. By day, his liver would be eaten away; by night, it would grow back. Exposed to wind and sun, he endured this punishment for his disrespect toward the other gods.
Until the future great hero Heracles came to where Prometheus was bound while undertaking the task of finding the Golden Apple among the Twelve Labors.
Seeing Prometheus's miserable state, Heracles was filled with rage and immediately took action.
He shot the evil eagle, smashed the iron chains, and finally rescued Prometheus.
Incidentally, Prometheus was also the god who created humanity alongside Athena in Ancient Greek mythology.
Yet Iolcus was unusually busy tonight. What should have been a time for rest had instead turned it into a city that never slept.
At this moment, Thaumas and Jason had already entered the city, weaving through the crowds and constantly asking what had happened.
Firelight filled the entire city, illuminating this restless night. The streets were packed with people. Aside from elderly people unable to leave their homes and drowsy children, everyone else was making tense preparations.
After asking around in several places, they finally pieced together what had happened.
It turned out that the great Queen of Heaven, Hera, had delivered an oracle this morning.
She had learned of the crimes King Pelias had committed to ascend the throne, and she deeply detested this kingdom.
Therefore, after consulting with the king, the temple priests made a swift decision to prepare a sacrifice for Queen of Heaven Hera tomorrow, praying for Hera's forgiveness and preventing her from bringing calamity upon the kingdom.
That was why Pelias had mobilized the entire kingdom to prepare overnight for tomorrow's sacrifice.
Yet Jason was not worried in the slightest, strolling down the streets with an excited expression.
Having returned to his long-lost homeland, he could not conceal his joy, while Thaumas was the complete opposite, his brow tightly furrowed as he sank into thought.
It had to be said, there did not seem to be that many idiots around. Pelias had managed to climb into the position of king, after all, even if his methods had not been particularly brilliant.
But being able to mobilize so many people in such a short time showed that he had popular support. Coupled with his ruthlessness and decisiveness, he was a true formidable figure!
In the myths, if not for the gods' help, Jason might have been driven out long ago.
Sure enough, Jason's story taught that sometimes, picking the right side and sucking up to the right person was far more useful than talent.
Looking at it this way, Jason, you really were not the protagonist. You were just a toy of the gods, your life freely manipulated by them.
No wonder Medea's methods in the myths were as cruel as that king's, yet he became king while you two were driven out of the country by its people...
Never mind having no brains—you did not even have an intelligence-sapping aura. You really were small fry.
"My good brother, what's wrong?" Jason threw an arm around the gloomy Thaumas. In high spirits, he excitedly pointed around them and happily said:
"Look, Thaumas! This is my home! The beautiful Kingdom of Iolcus! The great Jason will successfully reclaim this beautiful land!
"I will become the greatest, greatest, greatest king in this kingdom's history! And you will be the chief minister I trust most!"
Looking at the proud Jason, Thaumas did not cruelly interrupt him. Perhaps it would not be so bad to let this foolish child keep dreaming?
"Do you still remember Goddess Athena's oracle?" he finally asked after Jason had gotten excited enough to stop laughing.
"Hm? You mean that... let me think. Oh, right, it said we should help the elderly, the weak, women, and children along the way, right? Yes, that was it." Since they had not encountered any elderly, weak, women, or children asking him for help along the journey, Jason had not paid it much attention. But he still quietly asked:
"Hey, Thaumas. Are you saying you've figured it out already? You promised to help me.
"I gave up so much treasure that could have been mine because of you."
"I've figured it out, but I don't know what will happen next." Thaumas was somewhat worried.
"Then that's fine. Even someone as clever as me, Jason, finds it all foggy and confusing, so there's no way a little small fry like you could figure it out." Jason ignored Thaumas's murderous glare and spoke without a care.
After all, in his view, the Goddess of Wisdom was already helping him. He only needed to follow the goddess's guidance and reclaim the throne.
Why be as melancholy and sentimental as Thaumas? Someone had already paved the road for him, yet he still wanted to blindly charge ahead, overthink everything, and fight himself at every turn. Wasn't that completely unnecessary?
Rather than improve himself, he should improve his companion. He really was a genius.
Although Thaumas was indeed a little outstanding, he was still no match for him. He could not even see something so obvious.
Of course, he would not point that out to Thaumas, because Thaumas would be Jason's employee in the future.
What kind of boss teaches his employees to awaken? If you slack off, who's going to work for me? How am I supposed to slack off then?
Mm! Thaumas, if I slack off, you're not allowed to slack off!
Therefore,
"But Thaumas, you can rest completely assured. The great Jason has already seen through everything, and I will eventually reclaim the throne.
"Still, you need to work hard too. You promised me, didn't you? Whatever you do, see it through to the end!" Jason added.
Thaumas did not reply. He felt a headache coming on. His heart was truly exhausted right now.
He could not exactly tell Jason everything directly.
In truth, he was not worried about that king. Perhaps he was arrogant. After all, as a modern person, the knowledge and perspective accumulated over thousands of years gave him a natural arrogance, even if he had not learned all that much.
Perhaps he actually longed for a failure, because only pain could wake him up.
It was not that he enjoyed suffering. It was simply that it let him feel that he was truly alive. After all, the things that had happened these past few years had been utterly surreal!
So what was he really worried about? Naturally, it was that God of Amusement causing trouble.
Moreover, he did not want to drag others down. The feeling of causing trouble for others made him deeply uncomfortable. Jason was also so stupid—if Athena set her sights on him...
Although Jason was usually a little too proud and arrogant, a little too rude and overbearing, a little too ignorant and clueless; although he ranked dead last yet mocked Thaumas for being second to last; although whenever something happened, he only thought about running away and selling out his teammates to save his own skin, scared out of his wits.
He was wildly reckless whenever things went well, but this guy always seemed able to turn the tables when pushed into a desperate situation—though most of the time, he was the one who had created that desperate situation...
Still, Thaumas understood one fact very clearly: Jason was a hero. There was no doubt about that.
A hero most like an ordinary person.
That was why Thaumas sincerely hoped this friend would not die as he had originally.
Though Thaumas's main goal was still to ascend to the Throne of Heroes. Yet after spending so much time together, he had wavered.
Not many people could easily cast aside such feelings. Not everyone was Great Love Immortal Venerable.
After swearing to help Jason reclaim the throne, he had not lacked the thought of simply giving up and letting things fall apart. But now, he always wanted to do something.
Besides, most importantly, this parting would only mark the end of the Greek era. After ascending to the Throne of Heroes, it was not impossible that they might meet again in the future.
Whether in a Heroic Spirit War centered around the "Holy Grail," at Chaldea that safeguarded the continuation of Human Order, or even in some unknown Singularity or Lostbelt, as long as they remained within the world of the Nasuverse, there would always be a chance to cross paths.
There was no need to give up on Jason. At certain crucial moments, this guy might unleash a different kind of strength.
After all, he truly was a great captain.
Come to think of it, ever since Thaumas had arrived in this world, he had headed straight for Pelion Cave. After a year of crossing mountains and rivers, he had finally become Chiron's student.
But during the following five years, he had remained on the mountain studying and had never found a chance to come down.
This time, Jason had to show him the customs and scenery of the Kingdom of Iolcus properly.
Thus, the two of them wandered through the night market, shopping to their hearts' content.
At least tonight, they could enjoy themselves freely.
After all, their path as heroes might not stop anytime soon.
P.S. Even a hopelessly unpopular author like me has people supporting me every day. I'm so touched that I'm adding an extra chapter specially for you. I haven't submitted this internally, but I've already saved up over 100,000 words, so I'm releasing one chapter. Thank you, readers, for your support.
Come to think of it, I'm really hungry in the middle of the night!
Before you continue