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Pelias lowered his head to read the report his subordinate had delivered. It had come from Aeëtes, king of distant Colchis, demanding Medea's return.

Even the king of the gods could not stop a father from reclaiming his daughter. Zeus was not yet willing to drop all pretense, and he was happy to see Aeëtes's demand fulfilled. If the offering of the Golden Fleece succeeded, Hera would gain the support of countless believers, something the king of the gods had no desire to see.

But if the legend of the Argo ended with Medea being abandoned to appease Aeëtes's wrath, Hera would lose a great deal. For a goddess who governed childbirth and protected women, if offering the Golden Fleece required sacrificing Medea, the offering itself might lose its meaning.

And Pelias was even happier to see that happen.

Some time later, an attendant arrived at Jason's residence with a letter.

"A decree from Pelias? Ha, has that old bastard finally thought of a way to deal with my beloved?"

Medea looked at the parchment in her hand and gave a scornful smile. Beside her, the attendant grew furious at the letter that had vanished from his possession. He pointed at Medea and barked, "How dare you snatch the king's decree like that! Medea, what have you done? Why hasn't Jason come out to kneel and receive it? Does he already think himself king?"

Naturally, the attendant had been carefully selected to put Jason in his place. But Jason had gone to Athena's temple first thing that morning, so Medea was the one who received him.

And speaking to Medea that way was a very unwise choice.

Medea snapped her fingers, and the attendant could no longer open his mouth. Then he dropped to his knees, unable to control himself.

"Kneel and receive his decree? That old bastard left us waiting all this time, and he still has the nerve to demand that my beloved kneel to receive his decree? If my beloved weren't merciful, you would all have died ten thousand times over. You were ordered to come here and treat us with contempt, weren't you?"

The attendant could not answer, nor did Medea need him to.

"Hehe, perfect. A certain someone might have sunk to the bottom of who knows which sea by now, and I happen to need an assistant. You should feel honored."

Medea seized his head, and countless magic circles appeared beneath her feet. The next instant, the attendant's eyes nearly rolled back into his head. After a bout of violent convulsions, he knelt on the ground as though his soul had left him. A moment later, he prostrated himself at Medea's feet in utter humiliation.

"At your service, my master," the attendant answered in a voice full of emotion. Medea waved her hand, and he went back to "report."

Medea casually tossed the parchment into the fire, and the flames quickly consumed it.

Medea looked into the distance and could not help sighing. "Father, why must you always force me to do things that hurt you? Do you know... just how much Jason means to me?"

Medea gently stroked her cheek, then her fingers touched the wrinkles at the corner of her eye.

"Tch!"

Medea swept away in fury, heading for her workshop.

Athena's temple-

"Wise Athena, with your help, I successfully retrieved the Golden Fleece, yet I find this honor hard to accept. My dear friend stayed behind to cover our retreat, and now his fate is unknown. Great Athena, please help me find him."

Jason knelt on one knee, seeking an answer from Athena. Then a familiar voice rang out.

"Jason, Bai Ermo is in no danger, but you no longer need to have any involvement with him. Jason, Bai Ermo's future is filled with hardship. He will face trials even harsher than those of Heracles."

Hearing Athena's words, Jason breathed a sigh of relief, but he still had questions. "Why? Bai Ermo is a hero of little renown. Before we took the Golden Fleece, he was unknown. Heracles bears the sin of killing his wife and daughters and must atone for it, but Bai Ermo has neither troubles weighing on him nor Furies pursuing him. Why must he endure all this?"

Athena answered mildly, her voice calm and steady, as though speaking of something insignificant. "Because a more glorious future requires more suffering as its foundation. He is strong now, but still far from strong enough. Jason, these are not matters you should concern yourself with. You should be thinking about your throne and your beloved."

Jason looked as though he had heard a joke. Then he shook his head and left.

Beloved? Indeed, Jason still needed Medea, but it was for his own interests. He needed her fighting strength. As for love... Medea might not even compare to the queen of Lemnos. At least that relationship had not been arranged by the gods, and she was safe and harmless.

On the road, Jason encountered a wandering bard. He played an instrument and sang softly, "The Argo Heroes overcame every obstacle, and the great captain Jason led the heroes home in triumph. Heracles remained undefeated, Medea's love burned fierce, and that rising hero, Bai Ermo-his name shall be sung throughout Greece~"

The tune was off-key, yet quite a few people had gathered around him to listen to the newly composed song. Jason casually tossed a gold coin into the bard's hat, drawing everyone's attention. The wandering bard began using every ounce of his talent to sing of Jason's achievements and wisdom, and countless people cried out in admiration of the hero.

For the first time, Jason felt the joy of being a hero. He laughed happily along with the crowd.

Everyone longed for the pleasure of being the center of attention, and Jason all the more so. Glory-what a wonderful thing.

While Jason laughed, Medea fretted.

She looked at herself in the mirror. There were more and more wrinkles. She was deeply anxious. Her youth was already gone, and she felt like a woman nearing thirty.

"It's all right, Medea. As long as that man loves me, that's enough. I don't need anyone else to praise my beauty anyway. Yes... as long as he loves me."

Medea consoled herself. On one side were the orders from Colchis and her father's pursuit; on the other were Pelias's schemes. Yet she had taken no action. No, I'm being far too passive. This cannot go on.

Much later, after Jason had grown bored, he returned home and found Medea standing at the entrance.

Jason instinctively retreated behind a corner, peeking out at Medea with one eye.

After a while, Jason belatedly realized, Damn, she's completely devoted to me now. What am I afraid of?

He then walked openly up to the entrance. The moment Medea saw him approach, she flew into his arms like a young swallow returning to its nest. Jason opened his arms to embrace her and asked what was wrong.

Medea said softly, "My beloved, my father is still pressing me relentlessly. There is only one way left now. Please marry me. Even a father cannot take a wife away from her husband. Jason, let us marry tomorrow."

Alarm bells rang in Jason's mind. This is bad. She's starting to make demands of me. Jason had kept putting off raising the matter. For one thing, doing so would make an implacable enemy of Colchis. He no longer had top-tier fighters like Heracles and Bai Mo, and relying on Medea alone would be far too difficult. For another, he could use this as a pretext to keep controlling Medea. Once they married, he would have to take responsibility.

Medea produced a sheet of parchment bearing Pelias's handwriting. The letter was, of course, a fake, but forging one was child's play for Medea. It stated that, because of Colchis, the king could not possibly hand over the throne while the country faced such a situation. The implication was that Jason would have to resolve the enormous problem of Colchis before he could inherit the throne.

"That old bastard has got to be joking!"

Jason clutched the parchment, utterly furious.

"My beloved, don't worry. Once we hold our wedding, my father will have no reason to keep pursuing me. You can resolve this problem and obtain the throne as well. Let us do it tomorrow. Tomorrow, during the ceremony to make offerings to Hera, queen of the gods, we will announce our marriage at the same time. Then every problem will be easily resolved."

Jason had no reason left to refuse. After obtaining his promise, Medea happily went to choose her wedding clothes.

On Olympus, Athena watched Bai Mo flying through the air. The strange feeling within her grew ever stronger. Her intuition told her that she had definitely overlooked something important.

Several game pieces sat on Athena's desk: a blade-shaped piece, an infant piece, a flag piece, and a king piece.

Athena picked up the blade-shaped piece and said mildly, "This is his power. His power unquestionably comes from Zeus, and among us siblings, he is the only child to have inherited authority over lightning."

She picked up the king piece next. "This is his background. Why did Zeus hide Bai Mo? With a card like this, why reveal it now? And why put it in my hands?"

Athena took up the infant piece. "This is his birth, still a mystery to this day. In this world, only Zeus could conceal someone so powerful without leaving a trace."

Then she grasped the final piece, the flag. "This is his goal, yet I still cannot discern what he is after. But since Bai Ermo has now accepted my blessing, his goal is within my grasp."

Then the four pieces began to glow. The next instant, with a bang, three of them shattered into powder.

Athena was deeply shocked. This meant that her three corresponding conclusions were completely wrong. Unable to remain seated any longer, she put down the final piece in her hand and sank into thought.

Crack. Athena raised her head and stared at the final piece in disbelief. A jagged crack had appeared across it, as though carved by a blade.