A Vicious Woman

The king of Colchis, Aeëtes, had long since received word of the Argo. Now, as that warship appeared, a few beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.

"Quick, send scouts to look! See whether Heracles is aboard!"

The king immediately gave his orders, while the general of Colchis stood at the best lookout point, watching the Agor. Colchis had faced enemy attacks more than once and defeated countless fleets, but this ship before them, though a lone vessel under a solitary sail, was ten times more terrifying than any fleet.

"That man draped in a lion, like a god himself... yes, it's Heracles!"

The general cried out in horror, the telescope in his hand already fallen to the ground. He did not even want to take another look to confirm it. There was no mistaking that figure.

"Report to the king at once!"

In the court of Colchis, the king wore a grim expression. The court was empty, and Aeëtes was waiting for someone.

Rhythmic footsteps sounded, and a purple-haired girl walked up to her father.

A pang of pain struck Aeëtes. Sending his daughter against that band of demigods aboard the Argo was simply sending a sheep to attack a pride of lions. Though he already knew Medea had returned after completing her studies under her aunt, in a father's eyes, his daughter would always be that perfectly ordinary girl.

"Medea, your father can only count on you this time. We barbarians, with nothing but brute strength, cannot possibly stand against those demigods. My blades cannot pierce Heracles' lion hide, my shield cannot stop his arrows, and my flesh cannot withstand the Hydra's deadly poison. Daughter, I can only count on your True Magic."

Aeëtes was practically treating Medea as his last lifeline. It was the first time Medea had ever seen her father like this.

For the first time, she felt he had grown old.

Bai Mo walked alone through the Colchian night. Sheepskins hung from the surrounding trees, with skeletal remains wrapped inside them. This was how the men of Colchis were buried.

"As expected of a country that venerates Ares."

Bai Mo took it in, feeling somewhat sorrowful. Even after death, their bones had to be put to use. They called it an honor enjoyed by valiant warriors, but in Bai Mo's eyes, it was merely a means employed by those who centralized power, a tool for controlling people's hearts.

The night was peaceful. Both the Argo and Colchis needed a night to plan carefully. Bai Mo wanted to find someone to ask how to reach Hecate's temple, but people could often only wait for fate to come knocking. Seeking fate out themselves was difficult.

Bai Mo lay on a tree branch. It was late, and there were scarcely any passersby. He had asked quite a few people but still failed to find it.

"Ah, what am I supposed to do?"

A sigh rang out. Medea, too, was awake at this hour. She had had a dream in which the Agor and Colchis fought a great battle.

The soldiers of Colchis bought Medea time with their lives, and she finally constructed a work of True Magic unlike any other in her life. Countless Dragon Tooth Warriors emerged from the earth, a venomous dragon spread its wings, and magic bullets rained down in a sudden downpour.

"I did it, Father! I didn't disappoint you!"

Just as joy filled the girl's dream, a godlike man came charging in. The Dragon Tooth Warriors could not hurt him at all, nor could they even halt his advance. The venomous dragon spewing poisonous flames was slain by a single arrow.

"Oh no!" Medea tried to direct her True Magic to attack, but Heracles' Nine Lives was already before her!

With a wet tearing sound, blood stained Medea's body red. She watched her father cleaved in two by a single stroke of Heracles' blade.

Medea let out an anguished wail, and her accumulated magical energy burst forth in an instant, engulfing Heracles.

Before the smoke of the magical explosion, Medea's father, the king of Colchis, Aeëtes, was dead. Not even his bones remained.

But the next instant, the figure that drove Medea to despair walked out of the smoke.

Seeing Heracles almost completely unharmed, with only his clothes burned away, Medea despaired. "Even after using everything I have, can I still not defeat Heracles?"

"That's right. Whatever schemes you use, whatever means."

Heracles raised Nine Lives high, proclaiming her death.

"The moment you become my enemy, there is only one end for you-death."

Heracles' voice was calm, as though he were describing the most ordinary of facts.

"Ah!"

Medea jolted awake from her dream, then wrapped her arms around herself. The girl's delicate body was already drenched in cold sweat. Heracles-even in a dream, his terrifying pressure left Medea unable to breathe. A sense of despair welled up within her.

The moment you become my enemy, there is only one end for you-death.

The terrifying voice echoed in her mind again. Medea felt she would not be able to sleep tonight no matter what, so she decided to go out alone to clear her head. Then, as though fate were playing a joke, the two met.

"Um, do you know where the Goddess of Fate's temple is?"

Bai Mo addressed Medea, and only then did Medea notice a handsome man up in a tree.

The bright moonlight illuminated Medea's face. The inexperienced girl looked at the person in the tree. His face was somewhat youthful, but his eyes seemed to hold wisdom and world-weariness that did not match his age.

As a priestess of the Goddess of Fate, Medea knew very well that fate could not be found when sought, nor escaped when fled. She then told Bai Mo everything, and after hearing her out, Bai Mo shook his head, somewhat helpless.

"Alas, fate is always so fickle. One day, when you don't want to see her, she'll come knocking instead. Please, just let things take their course."

"Let things take their course? I'm not someone who can sit still. Since her temple is on this island, she can forget about making me leave empty-handed."

"Why insist? If you're pursuing wealth, all you need to do is stay alive. Once the people aboard the Argo crush this country, even scavenging will earn you a considerable fortune."

Medea had seen many people who had heard of the Goddess of Fate's mysterious nature. Most wanted something, but fate often avoided meeting them, so sending these people away was also part of Medea's work.

"You're from Colchis, aren't you? Why do you sound so pessimistic?"

"How could I not be? Those heroes are all children of gods. Fighting them means fighting the powers behind them. But the Golden Fleece is tied to the king's life, so how could he hand it over? War is inevitable, and we are certain to lose."

This woman has some insight. Finding a woman like this in Colchis, a place that favored men over women so heavily, rather surprised Bai Mo.

"Isn't that easy enough to deal with?"

Bai Mo's words were like a rope thrown to a drowning person. Medea had no choice but to cling to it.

Bai Mo dropped from the tree and said to Medea, "First, let's get the conflict straight. Why does Jason want the Gold Fleece?"

Somewhat puzzled, Medea asked, "Isn't it for glory? And because of that curse concerning their ancestors?"

Bai Mo shook his head. "Jason only wants the Gold Fleece for the throne. He's a very straightforward fellow who won't lift a finger without something to gain. If he hadn't been set up, he would never have risked coming for the Golden Fleece. He values his life more than anyone."

After hearing this, Medea scratched her hair in frustration. "So that's how it is. That old bastard really did kill two birds with one stone. What a shame I didn't learn this sooner. Otherwise, I could have simply gone and killed Jason's uncle. Then we wouldn't have all this trouble now."

Bai Mo raised an eyebrow. This girl was young, but she certainly was ruthless. Indeed, the best way to resolve Colchis's trouble would have been to deal with Jason's problem from the start. Jason was now the legitimate heir. Once his uncle died, there would be no such nonsensical trial. Unfortunately, however, the Golden Fleece was the gods' handiwork.

"You're thinking along the right lines, miss, but unfortunately, that would only solve things temporarily. The Golden Fleece affair is the will of those above. Even without Jason, someone else would want it. Ultimately, this is merely an adventure for that band of second-generation gods aboard the Argo, for the sake of..."

Bai Mo did not continue. Knowing too much would do the girl no good.

Medea grew furious. She rose and asked, "Must my country pay the price of destruction just for one adventure of theirs? What in this world couldn't serve to show off their valor? Why don't they challenge those magical beasts instead of coming to bully our country?"

"Perhaps... this is fate."

All of this stemmed from a foolish sacrifice. Bai Mo knew the whole story, but a cause with such endlessly poisonous consequences was something found only in Greek mythology.

Bai Mo gave his reply as though offhandedly, and Medea sank to the ground, looking rather lost.

"You've noticed it too. Your country worships Ares, while Jason received Hera's promise and help before setting out. That's why Ares still hasn't made any move."

For Ares to act, the two sides would first have to break with each other completely, and Colchis would have to offer him a sacrifice. Only then would he have grounds. Otherwise, if he intervened on his own initiative, he would likely have a hard time getting past Hera.

Medea looked at Bai Mo hopefully. "Then what should we do?"

"Give the Golden Fleece to Jason, then take it back."

This flash of inspiration had come from Athena's olive branch. After thinking it over, Bai Mo could see that it was a workable way out of the deadlock. Ultimately, the Golden Fleece was merely a challenge Pelias had set Jason. Once that challenge was overcome, what happened to the Golden Fleece would be up to Jason, who would then be king.

As for sacrificing it to the gods? Hera had not helped much from beginning to end. Rather, with Heracles here now, would Hera still manipulate Medea into betraying her father and country?

Perhaps they could go even further. Even if Pelias obtained the Golden Fleece, he would not willingly hand the throne over to Jason. When the time came, Jason could present the Golden Fleece, and then Pelias could lose it through poor safekeeping, drawing the gods' wrath. How pleasing that sounded.

Pelias had offended Hera, while Medea carried the bloodline of a first-generation sun god. The choice was not difficult.

Bai Mo told Medea his idea, and the clever Medea soon realized the greatest problem with this plan: they needed a competent mole.

Someone who could gain the trust of both the Argo's company and King Aeëtes.

"Then leave it to me!"

Medea suddenly thumped her chest, looking ready to face death without flinching.

Wait, who even are you, asking me to leave it to you? Bai Mo very much wanted to take this seemingly presumptuous girl down a peg, but after thinking about it, there really was no need. If she truly managed to get that far, it would save quite a bit of trouble.

"Oh, and please lend me a hand!"

"I refuse."

"Huh? Why?"

With a slight headache, Bai Mo pinched the area of his trigeminal nerve. He had his own business to attend to; where would he find the time to accompany this girl determined to serve her country on some undercover operation? Bai Mo had already made up his mind. If necessary, he would scour all of Colchis. He refused to believe he could not find the Goddess of Fate's temple.