The Villain of Ancient Greece

The battle settled, the bronze chariot carried the three of them out of the dense forest and gradually drove away into the distance.

A long while later.

Rustle rustle.

The dry leaves on the ground and the wild grass all around made faint rubbing sounds in the wind as streams of red-black mudflow surged out from light-shaped cracks, wrapping around the centaur corpses lying scattered throughout the dense forest.

In an instant, the bloodstains, body parts, and weapons on the ground vanished without a trace, replaced by a red-black mud cocoon with interwoven patterns.

Crack!

A crisp shattering sound came from within as a fair and slender arm tore through the red-black membrane wrapped around it.

A graceful and tall figure walked out from within, black-purple hair cascading like a waterfall behind her, amber eyes simultaneously holding innocence and seductiveness, like a union of the sacred and the profane, her temperament both contradictory and unified.

”Another God arrived?

This place really is getting lively.”

Within a laugh like silver bells, the seductive girl stretched languidly, raised her head to look toward the direction the bronze chariot disappeared, her curling pink tongue lightly licking her moist cherry lips, her beautiful eyes flickering with quiet light.

’Looks like the difficulty of this game needs to be increased a little...’

”Snap!”

Accompanied by a crisp finger snap, the seductive girl’s shadow seemed to dissolve into a pool of red-black mud spreading outward in all directions.

One after another, centaurs holding spears, shields and giant axes, their bodies black as ink, floated up from the mud, their eyes filled with brutal crimson, their bodies covered in red-black patterns.

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The speeding bronze chariot traveled over a stretch of rugged mountain road, jolting up and down.

Caenis in the carriage let out a groan, pressed her faintly aching head and struggled to sit up, opening her eyes to look at the man and woman before her.

”Were you the ones who saved me?”

”Mm.” Lorne gave a nod and casually took out a potion from his magical formation diagram, handing it to her who was forcefully pressing her head. ”You look a bit off. Here, take a calming draught.”

”A calming draught? Only weaklings drink that stuff!” Caenis dismissively swatted away the calming and pain-relieving potion, pointed at the wine flask hanging at Lorne’s waist, and could not help swallowing.

”Got any wine? Give me a sip!”

Lorne unhooked the wine flask and passed it over, not forgetting to give a well-meaning reminder. ”Your injuries are not healed yet. Try not to drink too much.”

But before he finished speaking, she impatiently snatched the wine flask, pulled out the cork stopper, first took a deep breath at the mouth of the bottle, then her eyes lit up.

”Top-grade divine nectar wine.

Good stuff.”

The female warrior tipped her head back and drank deeply, then set down the wine flask with deep satisfaction and let out a hearty cheer.

”Refreshing!”

Lorne looked at the now completely empty wine flask in his hand, his face darkening slightly.

”One sip?”

”Of course that was one sip!”

Caenis answered as a matter of course, then hooked one arm around her savior’s shoulder, used the other to slap her chest forcefully, and laughed heartily with a guarantee.

”Oh come on, do not be so stingy. Once we get into the city, whatever you want to drink, whatever you want to eat, I am covering it all!”

Looking at the two bouncing wheat-colored assets before him, Lorne understood this was a woman with a broad and casual personality and simply used the journey to indirectly inquire about Thessaly’s current situation.

And Caenis was indeed exactly as he expected, straightforwardly disclosing everything she knew.

Thessaly had indeed been unsettled lately, repeatedly suffering raids from the Gigantes clan with livestock and people frequently going missing.

When the city defense forces and patrol teams found those who went missing, they were usually left as nothing but a pile of dry bones, and at the scene were items resembling ritual tools for worshipping old Gods.

The Thessalian residents who heard this news were in a panic, and production, daily life and even worship of the Gods were all severely affected.

For this reason, King Admetus summoned the God-blooded heroes within his borders, wanting to discuss countermeasures and together root out those rats in the tunnels.

Caenis was among the first batch of God-blooded heroes to join the punitive expedition.

Although her looks were quite outstanding in Thessaly, even holding the title of Thessaly’s greatest beauty, and she had been pursued by quite a few men, because her personality and temper were both quite fierce, this female warrior had always preferred going it alone.

And so, upon hearing news of kidnapping cases appearing in nearby villages, she went off single-handedly, thinking she could catch the Gigantes clan’s tail.

Instead she found a group of centaurs taking advantage of the chaos to abduct women.

Lorne looked Caenis up and down with a suspicious expression.

”So you just fought them alone?

And almost got crushed to death?”

The Iliad mentioned she was a divine descendant of the War God Ares lineage.

The Metamorphoses even said she was the daughter of Atlas the sky-bearing Titan.

These two divine bloodlines overlapping not only shaped her fierce personality but also gave her a body nearly impervious to weapons and considerable combat ability.

She was at least a God-blooded hero Thessaly could field.

How did she almost get wiped by a few dozen centaurs?

”That is because they cheated!”

Caenis protested with indignant injustice, then opened her mouth to argue her case.

”We had already agreed I would take them all on alone. Then they secretly cast a spell on me behind my back, making me unable to stand up.

That is just completely without honor!”

Lorne heard this and furrowed his brows slightly.

Centaurs excelled at mounted archery and ambush attacks.

Their attainment in magic and curses was poor, and there was almost no such thing as a mage in the centaur clan.

A God-blooded person generally had a natural degree of magical resistance from birth.

Setting aside the centaur clan with their meager magical understanding, even a professional witch like Medea breaking through Caenis’s magical resistance would not be an easy matter.

’In that forest... there was a hidden expert?’

Just as Lorne was frowning in thought, Caenis gave a dry cough and changed the subject.

”By the way. What about you two?

Why did you come to Thessaly at this time?”

”We are from the Athens Academy, entrusted by the new Queen of Arcadia to come assist Thessaly in suppressing the disaster.”

Lorne put on his reliable cover identity and introduced himself and Medea to Caenis.

”So you are allies?” Caenis’s heart stirred and she gave a dry cough, rubbing her hands together.

”Could I ask a small favor?”

”What is it?”

”That business in the forest just now...”

Caenis looked embarrassed, seeming somewhat ashamed to bring it up.

Lorne blinked with a completely blank expression.

”What business in the forest? Did we not just happen to meet you on the road while clearing out centaurs?”

”Now that is what I call brotherhood! From this day forward, you are my brother from another mother and father!”

Hearing his words, the girl paused for a moment, then broke into a beaming smile, immediately raised her hand to hook around her savior’s shoulder, enthusiastically pulled him into her embrace, and pointed at the city outline appearing ahead, laughing heartily.

”Come, follow me into the city.

My treat!”

”Mmph...”

A certain head sandwiched between two wheat-colored assets let out a muffled groan.

This ally from Arcadia had not even entered the city yet and already felt the warmth of the Thessalian people.

’What is so great about those?

They will sag eventually!’

Medea behind them looked down at her own unremarkable flat expanse, then looked up at her senior apprentice brother being dragged away by Caenis, and jogged to catch up with indignant resentment.

All along the way, Lorne wanted to part with Caenis and go report to the Thessalian royal palace first to link up with the twin brothers as quickly as possible.

However, he really could not overcome Caenis’s determination to treat him as thanks, and could only let this legendary Thessaly’s greatest beauty drag him toward the most famous restaurant in the royal city.

The moment they entered the door, two men and one woman came walking toward them.

Because the corridor was somewhat narrow, the tall girl with red hair and golden eyes whose features and figure both radiated a certain beauty glanced at the man and woman walking shoulder to shoulder ahead, a flash of disdain passing through her eyes.

Then she walked straight into Caenis and pushed past her toward the door outside.

The caught-off-guard Caenis stumbled, turned her head and let out a cold hum.

”What is that about? Are you walking blind?!”

The beautiful red-haired golden-eyed girl stopped in her tracks, turned to look at the two of them, and spoke with a smile.

”Ah, sorry. Two monkeys were getting frisky in the street and I accidentally got distracted.”

”Then next time you...”

Caenis was just about to open her mouth to show some magnanimity when she caught the teasing glint in the other party’s eyes and immediately understood the implication, erupting in sudden fury.

”Who are you calling that?!”

Having her sarcasm called out to her face, the red-haired girl’s smile actually grew even more radiant.

”Oh my. The monkey can actually talk?”

”Say that again!”

The furious Caenis could no longer suppress her temper and swung a fist straight at the red-haired girl’s face.

”BANG!”

Accompanied by a trembling metallic ring, Caenis looked at the brown-haired man who took her punch head-on with his chest and did not budge a single inch, her expression shifting slightly.

”I apologize. My companion said something offensive and insulted you both. Please forgive us.”

The young man among the three who appeared refined and cultured stepped forward with a wry smile and apologized, then turned to look behind him.

”Venus, come over here and apologize to these two.”

”Apologize? Why should I?”

The red-haired girl let out a cold laugh, her face full of disdain.

The young man heard this and his azure eyes gradually deepened as he raised his hand and turned the bronze ring on his right ring finger.

For some unknown reason, the red-haired girl with her terrible personality showed a change of expression, a flash of wariness crossing her eyes.

In the end, seeming pressured by something, she reluctantly stepped forward a few paces and let out a languid hum.

”I am terribly sorry. I accidentally bumped into you...”

Hearing that sarcastic and resentful tone, Caenis could not help clenching her fist again.

’This woman was truly infuriating.

She had never seen someone so deserving of a beating!’

”I am hungry. Why not go in and eat first?”

The question that reached her ear made Caenis immediately push down her anger and look back at her savior.

”Alright. Let me order a few of Thessaly’s best local dishes for you!”

With that she stopped paying any attention to the three people at the scene and brought Lorne upstairs, preparing to give her full attention to entertaining her savior.

The young man let out a sigh of relief and shot a goodwill glance toward the young man who had opened his mouth to defuse the conflict, then turned to the man and woman at his side and gave an order.

”Venus. Mars. We still have things to do today. Let us go.”

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Upstairs, Lorne sat at the table, watching the three departing figures as his eyes narrowed slightly.

’Goddess of Love and Beauty, Venus. God of War, Mars...’

Were these not alternative names for the twelve chief Gods of Olympus?

Using future divine names as aliases. Just who exactly were these people?

”Stop spacing out. Eat, eat, eat!

Once we finish eating I will take you to see King Admetus!”

The Caenis beside him snapped Lorne out of his thoughts and called out enthusiastically.

The hospitality was too sincere to refuse.

Lorne had no choice but to set aside distracting thoughts together with Medea and begin enjoying this lavish meal.

After eating for a full two-plus hours, everyone was stuffed to satisfaction.

Only then did Caenis contentedly settle the bill and bring the two of them into the royal palace.

With Caenis this local God-blooded hero accompanying them, the two moved without obstruction all the way and successfully met King Admetus of Thessaly in the royal palace.

Now, this ruler had entered middle age.

His black long hair fell to his shoulders.

His bearing was gentle yet full of dignity, his gaze holding the depth and wisdom that accumulated over years.

And beside this king sat a rugged man with a weathered face full of a thick beard, large-knuckled hands and a powerful build.

The javelin and shield beside him were both noticeably larger than those of anyone else.

If not for the sharpness that occasionally leaked from his eyes, to an outsider he looked more like an old farmer than a warrior.

Lorne initially did not know this ”old farmer’s” identity.

However, when Caenis called out the other party’s name, a few notes of unusual color rose in his eyes.

Telamon.

Father of the demigod hero Great Ajax from the Trojan War.

At the same time, he was also the close friend of the great hero Heracles.

Do not be fooled by this ”old farmer’s” unimpressive appearance.

He had inherited humanity’s finest qualities, rationality and wisdom.

From what Lorne knew,

Telamon was a typical case of great wisdom appearing foolish.

In one campaign against the city of Troy, this guy took the lead in breaking through the gates and charging first into the city, winning the highest honor, leaving even Heracles behind.

The great divine hero, under Hera’s madness curse and experiencing another hero surpass him in battle for the first time in his life, became both angry and anxious, burning with jealousy.

Losing his reason, he drew his sword, and wanted to cut down Telamon who walked ahead of him.

However, the latter happened to look back, guessed Heracles’s intention, and immediately bent down, gathered the nearby bricks and stones into a pile, and gathered his companions.

When others asked what he was doing, he answered.

”I am building an altar here for the victor Heracles!”

These words brought the great hero back to his senses and made him feel deeply ashamed.

Heracles immediately bowed his head to apologize to Telamon and rejoined the group to fight together.

Afterward, the great divine hero drew his bow and shot the then-king of Troy Laomedon and several of his sons dead.

In the end only one prince survived, and the Trojans completely lost their will to fight.

To thank Telamon, Heracles transferred Troy’s princess to this great hero, allowing him to win the beauty.

Actually, from this one glimpse one could already see how outstanding this ”old farmer” before him was in responding with wisdom.

Otherwise, forget the beauty.

He could not even keep his head.

After all, the number of heroes who died directly or indirectly at the hands of the cursed son Heracles was beyond counting.

Compared to the heroes of the same era, Telamon was not the most powerful.

But he preserved himself for a very long time through wisdom.

Of course, what truly made Lorne take notice of this hero was not his achievements but his bloodline.

Peleus, who once died at Lorne’s hands, was Telamon’s own brother.

’Running into a member of the enemy’s family in a place like this?

Hopefully this demigod hero had more sense than his brother.’

Lorne shook his head and muttered privately, then looked toward the three familiar figures who appeared in the royal palace and his brow furrowed.

’The three people from this morning were actually here too!’

(End of Chapter)

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