Do the Right Thing

Medea's plan was to start by pretending she had been taken captive by the Agor. Her younger brother, who had always adored her, would never suspect a thing. Then the people aboard the Agor would offer to exchange her for supplies.

After that, Bai Mo would have to play the villain and take Medea's brother hostage. Word was bound to get out, and Aeëtes would surely come after them with his fleet. After that...

Surely Father would not stand by and let his child be cruelly murdered and thrown into the sea.

The plan went just as Medea had expected. Her poor brother had not the slightest suspicion of her.

Bai Mo looked speechlessly at the man before him, whose eyes betrayed his stupidity. He spoke to Bai Mo in nervous whispers, like a child playing at being a spy.

Absyrtus was a descendant of the first sun god, the prince of Colchis, and Medea's younger brother. He could scarcely believe it when he learned that his sister had betrayed their country, and the message Medea sent him gave him a "truth" he was willing to believe.

People were always willing to believe what they already believed. Not everyone could set emotion aside entirely.

Absyrtus whispered to Bai Mo, "Bai Ermo, are you sure you can keep my sister safe during the exchange?"

Bai Mo sighed. "I'm sure. Your sister will be fine."

You're the one who's about to be in trouble, silly boy.

When the time came for the exchange, Bai Mo stood behind Medea. Absyrtus first shot Jason a vicious glare, then looked at his sister. Naturally, he could not let this gang of robbers leave just like that, especially when the Golden Fleece, which concerned Aeëtes, was aboard their ship.

In fact, even if Absyrtus cooperated fully, Aeëtes would still catch up with them in the end. There was no way Aeëtes had not planted his own men among those around Absyrtus. Aeëtes had already received word when the Agor first made contact with Absyrtus.

By now, a chill had pierced Aeëtes to the core, and cold sweat soaked his clothes. He was racing toward them at full speed, heedless of his soldiers' exhaustion. Meanwhile, Absyrtus could not gather so much grain on short notice.

That was why Medea needed Absyrtus, her own younger brother, whom their father doted on.

Several days later, Absyrtus handed over the grain and water, and Medea slowly walked to his side.

"Ha ha ha! You bunch of robbers, I'll bring you to justice soon enough!"

Even Jason found the fellow a little endearing now. It was hard to imagine how the boy could be so stupid. Medea and their commander were right in front of them. If they decided to kill their hostages, could he stop Heracles?

Jason thought he understood where Medea's confidence came from.

Was it really all right to make someone this "innocent" the crown prince?

Just as Medea reached Absyrtus, a pale purple mist rose around them. Absyrtus did not even notice it before his limbs went limp and he collapsed.

"Bai Ermo, come give me a hand."

Medea's merciless words rang out. No matter how stupid the men accompanying Absyrtus were, they now understood what was happening. They immediately grabbed their weapons, but a massive blade blank blocked their path.

The blade blank fell from the sky and landed in front of them, its terrifying weight seeming to press down on every heart. Bai Mo raised it as if it were a twig, his gaze cold.

"Don't do anything beyond your abilities. Stay alive and make yourselves useful."

Bai Mo spoke calmly, his voice weighing on every heart. But Absyrtus's guards steeled themselves, ready to fight him to the death.

"Phew, he's right. Stand down." Absyrtus fought against the mist, but with his limbs powerless, every sentence drained a tremendous amount of his strength. Every word felt like having loved once, and speaking so much had already left him drenched in sweat.

Absyrtus obeyed Bai Mo because he knew full well that his men had no ability to rescue him. In the end, he could only look at his sister in pain, but Medea never spared him a glance.

It was as if the two of them were strangers passing in the street.

Bai Mo did glance at Absyrtus. When the attendants heard Absyrtus's words, their hair bristled with rage. With a great shout, they seized their weapons and prepared to fight the Agor's party to the death. Yet almost none of the Agor Heroes raised a weapon; only Medea looked as though she were facing a formidable enemy.

"I said, all of you, go back! Are you trying to get me killed?"

Absyrtus shouted again, then lost consciousness. The guards released their weapons. Their master's life hung on a single thought from the enemy, and they had no choice.

Bai Mo hoisted Absyrtus onto his shoulder and turned to leave. Medea looked displeased, but she still ordered the others to take all the supplies.

Some time later.

Absyrtus opened his eyes and saw the man sitting in front of him. Looking more closely, he realized he had not even been tied up.

What a great chance, Absyrtus thought. He tiptoed toward the door, but after only a few steps, an electric current shot through him, making his legs spasm.

"Ah!" Absyrtus cried out in pain and fell to the floor.

"Stop yelling. You're making a racket."

"Ah, were you pretending to sleep? You really are a crafty fellow."

"To deal with you, would I need to pretend? What were you planning to do? Walk right out the front door?"

Absyrtus endured the pain and got to his feet. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Of course not. I was going to take your captain hostage and return in triumph!"

Sometimes people really did laugh when they were utterly speechless.

Bai Mo could not help laughing. "Ha ha ha!" He pressed a hand to his forehead as he looked at the fellow before him.

"Hey, what are you laughing at?"

Bai Mo did not answer. He grabbed Absyrtus and pressed his head against the window. Absyrtus could clearly see countless ships behind the Agor, and he knew their flags all too well.

"Ha! My father has come to save me! Hey, robber, if you know what's good for you, let me go!"

Bai Mo leaned close to his ear and said calmly, "Kid, if you want to live, don't say or do anything in a moment."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

The next moment, the door opened, and Medea looked coldly at the scene in the room. She was deeply anxious. It was time to use this final trump card.

"Bai Ermo, you didn't even tie him up? Never mind. Bring him outside, quickly, and break his arms and legs."

Absyrtus could scarcely believe his ears. The next moment, agonizing pain shot through his limbs.

"Ah!" Absyrtus screamed in agony as Bai Mo made a bony cracking sound come from each of his limbs.

But Absyrtus, who was skilled in martial arts, realized something was wrong. Bai Mo had been very rough, but he had not broken his bones, only dislocated his limbs. Medea, however, studied only magic and could not tell the difference.

Seeing this, Medea's tightly furrowed brow relaxed. She had originally planned to use the Thread of Fate to restrain Bai Mo, but now it seemed unnecessary. Bai Mo brought Absyrtus to the stern, while Medea held a dagger. A terrible premonition rose in Absyrtus's heart.

"Stop pursuing us! Otherwise, I'll cut the prince of Colchis, Absyrtus, to pieces right here!"

Medea's voice reached the ears of every hero aboard the Agor. Everyone stared at the scene in shock. King Aeëtes could scarcely believe it. He wanted to say something, but no words would come.

When the people of Colchis saw Absyrtus taken hostage, their anger flared again. They once more strained to gain speed. They were less than a hundred meters away now, and the archers had nocked their arrows and drawn their bows.

Medea's gaze was icy. Absyrtus had never seen his sister look so cold.

He did not understand. Why? Why had the gentle, kind Medea become like this? He did not know what had happened to the world. In just a few short days, his family had been destroyed, his country invaded, his sister had betrayed them, and his own life was like a candle flickering in the wind.

"Sister, why?"

Why? There were too many questions. Absyrtus felt he could no longer understand the world. He did not know why it had become so strange and complicated.

Medea raised the dagger and brought it down. Aeëtes let out a heart-rending howl. Some of the gods in the heavens laughed with delight, while others sighed in anguish.

The people aboard the Agor nearly bulged their eyes out of their heads! But no one stepped forward, for they were the ones who would benefit.

There was no sound of a dagger piercing flesh. Absyrtus had closed his eyes, resigned to his fate, but felt no pain. He opened them again.

"Bai Ermo? What are you doing?"

Medea could scarcely believe it. Bai Mo had caught her wrist in one hand and squeezed. She cried out in pain and dropped the dagger. The next moment, Bai Mo flung her at Heracles.

Heracles immediately restrained her, then nodded to Bai Mo.

The mist cleared, as if the gods had turned their gaze upon them. Sunlight fell on Bai Mo, making him look like a god. None of the Argo Heroes spoke. On the contrary, quite a few even had smiles on their faces.

"Kid, come here." Bai Mo grabbed Absyrtus, stepped onto the stern, and leaped with all his strength. The force sent the Agor shooting a considerable distance away, while Bai Mo flew toward the people of Colchis like an arrow loosed from a bow.

King Aeëtes's heart nearly burst with joy! He watched his child escape danger and return to his side.

Bang! The deck planks shattered underfoot as Bai Mo landed with Absyrtus. A group of guards immediately surrounded them, and Aeëtes shouted, "Show some respect! Put away your weapons! If anyone dares act out of line, I'll cut him down and feed him to the fish!"

Aeëtes jumped straight down. He cared nothing for a king's dignity at that moment; he was only a father longing to embrace his son.

With a few movements, Bai Mo put Absyrtus's dislocated limbs back in place, then patted the back of the foolish boy, who had yet to recover. Absyrtus could scarcely imagine all that had happened. After he had ventured into the tiger's den, and even his own sister had tried to kill him, it was this enemy who had saved his life.