The Game of Heroes and Kings

Happy times are always fleeting, as precious as the crown of the Queen of Heaven.

People always loathe painful times, yet they flock toward moments of pleasure.

No one likes pain, unless that pain brings them pleasure.

This night passed in a blink. Helios, the Sun God, urged Nyx, the Goddess of Night, to depart with impatience, eager to raise the sun as if anticipating a grand spectacle. The remaining veil of darkness at the horizon seemed to say, "Let's squeeze in, shift a little, and watch together."

Just then, in the city-state of the Kingdom of Iolcus, under the gaze of many subjects, Pelias emerged slowly from the palace, wearing a magnificent jeweled crown and robes of embroidered silk, holding the scepter that symbolized the king's authority.

After he appeared, the guards diligently maintained order to prevent any trouble on this great day, while simultaneously carving out a wide path through the surging crowd for the king.

Escorted by several priests, he walked step by step toward the temple of Hera.

They had constructed a massive altar here using the finest wood in the kingdom. The area was already heavily guarded, packed so tightly not even water could trickle through.

The sacrificial tables were laden with every variety of fruit found within the Kingdom of Iolcus, while attendants nearby held precious treasures of the mortal realm—all offerings for the Queen of Heaven.

Led by Pelias, everyone knelt in the direction of the temple of Hera, followed by a long period of sacrifice and prayer.

So many precious gifts and such a grand ritual of worship served as proof of the king's respect for Hera and his heart of "repentance."

After all, this was the Queen of Heaven.

Under normal circumstances, seeing such a grand ceremony, Hera would surely have been moved and chosen to forgive the king's act of disrespect.

But this time, it was not certain, for she had a newly favored child. Unfortunately, this oblivious king was about to cross the child she cherished.

As for Thaumas, the two of them successfully blended into the sacrificial throng.

Thaumas watched Pelias quietly; he indeed bore a resemblance to Jason, so he was undoubtedly his uncle.

When he turned to look at Jason, however, he was surprised to find that Jason was acting out of character, appearing extremely calm.

He had expected Jason to wail or charge onto the platform in a rage, shouting things like, "You traitor!" or "I, Lord Jason, will surely..."

Feeling the gaze of Thaumas, Jason smiled faintly: "What is it?"

This is bad! Why the sudden change in temperament? This is the calm before the storm, a terrifying omen.

"Aren't you angry? Don't you want to say something?"

Hearing the question from Thaumas, Jason looked at his uncle Pelias, who was basking in glory, and said coldly: "Do you know? Before others betray me, I will betray them first. Likewise, I will take back what I have lost twofold!"

Hiss~ I never expected Jason to have such a side. Why does it feel so terrifying, yet a bit edgy?

Could it be that little Jason actually possesses the "Avenger" class of a Heroic Spirit? Does a darkened Jason become stronger?

"Even the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, stands on my side. A mere traitor like Pelias is someone I, Lord Jason, can easily defeat!" The familiar Jason was back. This authentic tone made Thaumas breathe a rare sigh of relief.

However, just then, a commotion seemed to break out on the altar.

Noticing the anomaly, Thaumas and Jason rushed over immediately to investigate.

"Shameless Pelias! Do you truly think you can win the forgiveness of the Queen of Heaven!" At this moment, an elderly woman with white hair emerged from beneath the altar, leaning on her cane, pointing a finger at Pelias with hateful eyes.

"You ignored the existence of Hera, the Queen of Heaven, and dared to murder your brother Aeson right beside her temple, under the gaze of her statue!"

"With those sinful hands, you splattered blood all over the temple of Hera. Stains of filth cover her statue; you have already caused her to suffer a grave insult. Those bloodstains have yet to be washed away even now!"

"You, Pelias, the current King of the Kingdom of Iolcus, are you truly qualified to wear that crown symbolizing the throne and hold that scepter representing authority!"

"Driven by your own selfish desires, you greedily murdered your brother Aeson and his wife, and exiled your nephew Jason!"

"You are a sinner! Lay down your crown and scepter, and return the glory to your nephew!"

The old woman's words caused the crowd to look at one another, whispering and pointing at the altar.

The power of rumors lies in the fact that they require very little cost to achieve unexpected results.

One only needs to wag their tongue at the right moment to leave others unable to defend themselves, and often, the victim requires an unimaginable cost to dispel the influence.

But Pelias was dumbfounded. He had killed Aeson, yes, but when did he kill him in front of Hera's temple? Yet, when he turned to look at the statue in the temple, No, wait, it's perfectly clear—it's actually there!

He could see the clear, dried bloodstains, and naturally, others could see them too.

When did these treacherous rebels pull this stunt?

He prided himself on having a good memory; it clearly wasn't there just a moment ago...

Of course, he did not know this was the handiwork of a god.

But the truth was unimportant; what mattered was that he was now unable to defend himself.

However, his high-level composure allowed him to react quickly. He immediately straightened his posture, cleared his words, and said sternly: "Where did this mad hag come from! How dare you disrupt the sacrificial ceremony of the Queen of Heaven!"

"If the respected Goddess Hera were to know of this, even if you are a frail old woman, you would surely not escape the judgment of the gods!"

"If the Queen of Heaven truly blames me, I will bear it myself!" The old woman retorted with unexpected vigor and resonance:

"And now, your nephew, Jason, the child of the former King Aeson, is right here. If you have nothing to hide, do you dare to confront him face to face?!"

The words rang out like a bell—the dagger was finally revealed!

Thus, facing Pelias's murderous gaze and under the old woman's pointing finger, a grim-faced Thaumas and an excited Jason stepped onto the altar, swearing to debate Pelias right then and there!

Thaumas had already recognized Hera, but seeing how much she was enjoying her performance, he didn't dare expose her.

Yet, this was precisely a part of Hera's plan!

As long as she guided them step by step, these two children would surely be denounced by the crowd. At that moment, she would reveal her identity as the Queen of Heaven, easily helping Jason seize the throne. In this way, Having helped him fulfill his oath with Jason, that child Thaumas would surely be filled with gratitude and then throw himself firmly into her, Hera's, embrace!

The Queen of Heaven was incredibly confident; this was a scheme she had lowered herself to ask Athena to perfect! Although her initial plan hadn't been this complete, she had to admit that the Goddess of Wisdom's wisdom was quite useful.

"So now, which one of you is my foolish nephew?" Pelias said coldly. He was, naturally, showing no mercy to these two people who wanted to snatch his throne!

Jason showed a rare display of manliness, standing out without fear and pointing at Pelias's nose to curse him:

"I am Jason! The legitimate heir to the Kingdom of Iolcus! You despicable Pelias, I feel immense shame for having an uncle like you!

I followed the guidance of the gods and returned to the homeland I have missed day and night. Now, you should return what belongs to its rightful owner!"

Pelias smiled with contempt: "I don't know which political rival sent you, but you clearly underestimate me!"

And so, this schemer who would stop at nothing walked to the front of the stage. On this altar of Hera, he faced the thousands of people of the Kingdom of Iolcus and said:

"My people! Do you see this! These two base outsiders intend to impersonate the child of my unfortunately deceased brother, my beloved Aeson!

My people! Since I took up the mantle in times of peril and was crowned, our Kingdom of Iolcus has been growing stronger step by step! Our past achievements are enough to move even the gods!

And they, they don't even respect the great Goddess Hera!

So! Let us hold compassion in our hearts and expel these two blasphemous outsiders! Sparing their lives will be a tribute to the Queen of Heaven's mercy. Let us protect our beautiful Kingdom of Iolcus together!"

With just a few words, the roles of attacker and defender had shifted! This unadulterated politician, who would use any means necessary, was riding the momentum of the masses, pressing down with overwhelming force! His entire being radiated the oppressive aura of a ruler.

A king who disrespected the gods and murdered his own brother and sister-in-law had perfectly captured the hearts of the people!

This was a brilliant tactic: always standing on the side of "righteousness."

The surrounding crowd was completely ignited, shouting "Execute them!" one after another, filled with righteous indignation. For them, this was a battle of "justice"!

Therefore, most of the masses are ignorant; one only needs to add a little seasoning to easily incite public opinion capable of shaking the heavens!

No one is a fool, especially not a truly cold-blooded, ruthless king!

The old woman smiled. In this way, they would fall into the abyss known as "despair." Child, I will fill your body and mind with love! Prepare to accept this favor from the Queen of Heaven! You must accept it all!

Just as the Queen of Heaven was about to reveal her true form to fill her little cutie with love, she saw Thaumas step out calmly.

She thought for a moment and decided to see what her dear child wanted to do first; after all, she was quite curious.

Thaumas stood there, completely unafraid of the powerful pressure coming from Pelias.

After all, he had already met the gods; no matter how much a schemer calculated, it was unlikely they could deal with a god.

He pulled up Jason, whose legs were already trembling, and patted his shoulder comfortingly, signaling him not to worry.

Mind you—if Jason's legs hadn't gone soft, he might have actually run away; after all, this silly roe deer was cowardly without bottom!

However, that wasn't certain either. Since he was with Jason now, to Jason, he was a source of reliance, which was why he hadn't stepped out to face the situation alone.

"I am a follower of the great Goddess Hera, Queen of Heaven! I am a child of the Goddess!" Thaumas's single sentence stunned everyone.

In his words, the first confrontation between the two of them had already begun!

The first part was irrelevant; what mattered was that he had said "child" with particular ambiguity. After all, humans could be called children of the gods, but one's own biological or adopted children could also be called children. Thus, the crowd hesitated; they dared not commit a taboo, nor would they gamble recklessly.

After all, the name of the gods carried great weight in Ancient Greece.

Only by making them prick up their ears and listen would it be useful! Once the crowd quieted down, Thaumas was willing to speak:

"Pelias, King of the Kingdom of Iolcus, I swear to the great gods that Jason is the son of Aeson!" He struck his first true blow!

First, this statement acknowledged Pelias's political status, which counted as a concession, because given his and Jason's current situation, it would be unwise to remain stubborn! Although it had a significant impact on Jason, the situation was urgent, and he could only let him suffer a little.

Surely he would understand! (Chen Gong face—extremely serious)

(Chen Gong is famous in the game FGO for his Noble Phantasm that sacrifices teammates to gain powerful abilities; when he kills them, he says, "This is a necessary sacrifice, you understand, right?")

After all, this was the wisdom known as political compromise.

And swearing to the gods was a strike that sealed the throat! This meant that Pelias could never again doubt Jason's legitimacy! He was forcing him into a corner! Didn't you, Pelias, say you respected your brother? Then, you must surely take care of his biological son!

After all, this was the persona you built. Let's see how you handle this ruthless move; did you think he read all those books for nothing!

To give is to gain, a small sacrifice for a small gain, A great sacrifice for a great gain, no sacrifice, no gain!

So, next, let our game of chess begin, Pelias! You scheming king, how will you refute me?

Use everything you have and please me to your heart's content! Pelias! How will you make your move? It is truly something to look forward to.

Hmm... wait, ah?

No, how could he think like that? He must have been infected by some God of Amusement; he was definitely not that kind of person!

This is not good; he is definitely not a troll! And certainly not a tax evader!

However, he looks so conflicted; is he going to turn into a conflicted hero?

After all, in Ancient Greek mythology, even the most casual, offhand remarks often come to pass. That is precisely why he kept chanting it day after day: let the whole world come and beat up Jason!

Hmm... now that he thought about it, that actually didn't seem so bad, did it?

PS: With two chapters today, that's 7,500 words. Including the bonus chapter from yesterday, it would have been exactly 10,000, but since those are already out, I'll stick to the usual three chapters today. Looking at it now, I'm nearly at the 10,000 mark. By the way, is it hard to get a contract? Can you get signed on Qidian with a daily output of 7,000 to 8,000 words?

I originally planned to do 10,000 a day, but a friend told me that if I do 10,000 before the book goes live, it'll be hard to add more later—they said if I do 10,000 now, I'd have to do 15,000 after launch... So, I've decided to slow down a bit. If the word count ends up higher on some days, so be it.

7,000 to 8,000 is already pretty good.