Heroes Shouldn't Be Like This!

"I say, do we really have to be this careful?"

In an unfamiliar mountain forest, Nyx, goddess of the night, had long since emerged from the Underworld, spreading black across the sky.

The black-haired, blue-eyed youth swatted at mosquitoes while cautiously observing his surroundings. Only after confirming that no one was nearby did he step out of the bushes and begin complaining with an unhappy expression.

"Who do you think I'm doing this for? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had to sneak away with you in the middle of the night." Jason glared at Thaumas and snapped back without mercy.

"And you're not allowed to tell Heracles and the others that I was the one who brought you down the mountain."

"If they find out I brought sixteen-year-old you down here, they'll skin me alive!"

"No! This is mainly your problem," Thaumas said.

"Everyone knows I wanted to come down the mountain. I begged everyone, and you were the only one I managed to fool. Even if I get caught, or even dragged back by Teacher Chiron, at most I'll get beaten up and made to stand as punishment for a few extra days. But you? Hmph!"

Hold it, Jason! You have to hold it!

Jason's teeth itched with anger as he looked at the smug Thaumas. His fists clenched tightly. Though he had no way to refute him, damn it, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Thaumas was even more shameless than he was.

"I'm already twenty this year, yet you won't even call me big brother or Lord Jason." Jason raged helplessly.

Thaumas shot him a disdainful look. Clearly, he had no intention of answering that question.

That was right. Jason had ultimately brought him along to skip school.

After Thaumas swore an oath to the Olympian Gods and promised to help him reclaim his throne.

Even with enormous risks ahead, even knowing they might face a beating from a whole group of people, Jason had still chosen to take the risk and come down the mountain with him.

After all, the temptation of a throne was too great.

"So, do you have a plan?"

At last, Jason could not hold it in any longer. He stopped walking and asked uneasily.

He had already prepared himself to be taken for a ride, but he still wanted to face reality.

"Relax, I've already sworn an oath. What else do you want me to do? As for the plan, it's confidential for now. There's definitely a way. Do you not believe in a great god?"

Faced with that shameless reversal, Jason ignored him and simply stared at him.

His smooth, silky black hair and alluring, clear azure eyes truly matched the aesthetic standards of Ancient Greece.

At sixteen, he was already a genuine beautiful youth.

Dressed in white and carrying a lyre, with that alluring fragrance that occasionally wafted from him, he was practically a married woman's killer. Who knew how many people he would ruin in the future?

"Sigh..." In the end, Jason gave up asking. After all, he could only trust Thaumas now.

Thus, the two allies set off once more, heading for Jason's homeland—the Kingdom of Iolcus.

Time passed in the blink of an eye. A week later,

The blazing sun hung high in the sky.

Inside a village.

"Listen up! Standing before you now is the student of the great centaur sage Chiron, an archer who never misses, and a dazzling musician—Thaumas!"

Under the sunlight, Thaumas held a Longbow and spoke proudly to the bandits before him.

Ancient Greece in the Age of Gods was no pleasant place. It was filled with mystery and danger, dense forests, ferocious beasts, and bandits everywhere.

Unfortunately, these bandits had terrible luck. If they ever became Heroic Spirits, their Luck would definitely be E. This time, they had kicked an iron plate.

Even if the two they had encountered were Chiron's bottom-ranked students, they were more than enough to deal with a ragtag mob like this.

And so,

"Go! I choose you, Jason! Defeat them for me!" Thaumas shoved Jason in front of himself, pointing at the bandits as he spoke.

"Huh?! How can a great commander charge into the front lines? You should be the one going!" Jason stared in shock.

"Don't forget, you're dead last, so you have to listen to me. Besides, I'm an archer." Thaumas drew an arrow onto his bow, ready to fire.

That was right. He had set his sights on the Archer and Caster classes.

After all, as the saying went—archers had always been absurdly overpowered.

And with Heracles, the greatest archer hero in all of Ancient Greece, studying under Chiron, how could Thaumas not learn a few tricks from him?

Though in truth, he was not very skilled. Archers were an elite military branch in ancient times, and every one of them was built like a bull.

And even if he could not become an Archer, he at least wanted to become a Caster. That was also why he studied music.

With the musical attainments passed down from Chiron, plus the wholehearted instruction of his senior brother Orpheus, his skill had reached the point of mastery. After all, Orpheus was the son of Apollo, god of music.

"And you still dare say that? If Heracles and the others hadn't protected you, would I have lost to a little brat four years younger than me? Would I have dared to beat you? I..."

The more Jason thought about it, the angrier he became. He grabbed his sword and vented his fury on the bandits, kicking them a few times as he spoke.

And so, the following scene came to pass.

The bandits, beaten black and blue and crying for their fathers and mothers, were tied to trees with ropes while the villagers were gathered around them.

"Everyone, don't worry! The great hero Jason has defeated the bandits! You may cheer as much as you like!" Jason shouted.

"As expected, a great commander is quite suited to the front lines after all."

At his words, the villagers trembled and did not dare say much. After staring blankly for a while, an elderly man finally stepped forward.

"Two great heroes, thank you for defeating these bandits for us. If not for you two, we would not have known what to do." The old man was overflowing with gratitude.

"Of course, of course! Praise me as much as you like!" Jason said proudly.

Next came the time for judgment. Thaumas stepped forward and spoke sternly to the bandits.

"Now, you must swear before the great Olympian Gods that you will never again commit such acts of robbery and plunder. Otherwise, although I won't kill you, but..."

As he spoke, he drew a dagger and casually brushed it across the leader's lower head.

"As for this part, I can't guarantee it'll stay intact~~"

The bandits' faces darkened, and their legs went weak with fright.

Hm? Why did it smell like piss?

Looking down, Thaumas saw that the bandit in front of him had wet his pants, his legs shaking violently.

Jason was stunned as well. He instinctively squeezed his legs together, as though he were seeing Thaumas for the first time.

There was such a method? This brat was far more ruthless than he looked!

Before long, the bandits all cried out together, "Hero, we won't dare again! Hero, we swear before the great Olympian Gods that from now on, we'll behave ourselves and work honestly. Never again..."

Only after they had finished did Thaumas speak again.

"Seeing how obedient you are, I'll let you go this time."

"But there's one more condition."

Upon hearing that, the bandits hurriedly agreed. At this point, they had to follow his wishes.

"You must help the villagers rebuild the houses you destroyed, and work for free for the families of those who died until their children grow up.

"And you must spread word of our heroic deeds!" Thaumas continued.

The bandits looked at one another, all somewhat dumbfounded.

But at that moment, Jason timely smacked a bandit's thigh with the flat of his sword.

They jumped in fright and immediately swore the oath, at least preserving both their lives and their little heads.

"Very good!" Thaumas nodded in satisfaction and cut the ropes binding them with his dagger. Then he added, "Don't forget your oaths. The gods are watching mankind."

Though the gods were usually busy, that did not stop his threat from working.

Afterward, they confiscated the bandits' property and the goods they had plundered. Just as Thaumas was about to return the items to the villagers, Jason stopped him unhappily.

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing? These are our spoils of war."

"Why would we return them?" Jason objected.

"That's right, heroes. These are what you two great heroes deserve. And besides that, please accept these as well."

The old man who had stepped forward earlier spoke again and had the villagers gather some additional things.

Thaumas was confused. He did not quite understand what was happening. Jason might be impulsive, but he was still a reasonable person.

And judging by the villagers' reactions, everything seemed normal? They even seemed to think it was only natural.

After speaking with them for a while, Thaumas confirmed one thing: this was Age of Gods Greece!

The Ancient Greeks had always been a people of cruelty, lust, and prejudice, and their gods were not much better.

After all, in the Nasuverse, Greece's gods were a fleet of alien ships. Perhaps because they had fused with the "humanity" here, they had become just as human.

After understanding this, he spoke seriously to Jason.

"Jason, we can take the bandits' own possessions, but the villagers' things should be returned to them. They don't belong to us!"

"Heroes should not be the same as bandits. The heroes you told me about seem to me like nothing more than powerful bandits. Heroes shouldn't be like this!"

Jason looked at the treasures in his hands, then at the friend before him. He hesitated deeply and weakly opened his mouth. "But..."

"No buts!" Thaumas cut him off. "I can't force you. Whether you return them or not is your freedom; it is your rightful choice. But I will definitely return my share!"

"If you choose to keep them, then after I help you reclaim your throne, I can only choose to end this friendship."

Jason was silent for a long time. He stroked the treasures in his hands as though looking at a lover. After a long while, he finally gritted his teeth.

"Damn it! You bastard! Do you know what I'm giving up for you?!"

Thaumas smiled. Of course he knew. After all, this meant Jason was giving up his future wealth as well.

"If you can't help me reclaim my throne now, I'll definitely kill you!"

Jason said viciously.

That was more like it. The hero who had not existed before now existed!

He had found the first meaning of becoming a hero: at the very least, to bring a little change to this filthy era!

Even if it only changed one Jason!