After safely returning to Greece, I took my leave of the companions who had joined me on the expedition.
"Jason. So you’re off to become a king now, too."
"Yeah. Just like you."
"...I wonder if the next time we meet, it will be as king to king..."
As I bid farewell to Jason, we spoke as men who hoped to one day meet again as rulers of their own nations.
"...If things truly go south, I might lend you a hand once."
"I appreciate that."
Just as I finished my farewell with Jason and prepared to depart with Medea, my eyes met Atalanta’s.
Atalanta gazed at me in silence.
She was a friend with whom I had fought countless battles throughout the voyage, a comrade to whom I had entrusted my back.
Yet in her eyes now, there was a flicker of emotion—something entirely different from the look she wore on the battlefield.
"...You’re leaving."
It was a short, simple sentence.
I nodded in response.
"Yes. I have things I must attend to."
A brief silence fell between us.
Through strands of hair stirred by the wind, Atalanta’s gaze drifted toward Medea before returning to me.
"...I see."
Then, as if nothing had happened, she spoke again.
Turning her back to me, she said, "Next time we meet... I won’t go easy on you."
I let out a soft chuckle.
"The feeling is mutual, Atalanta."
Atalanta’s steps faltered for a moment.
But she did not look back; she simply continued walking away.
After Jason and the heroes of the Argo set out to seek their own destinies, I returned to my homeland, Eirene, with Medea by my side.
The moment I stepped onto the soil of my kingdom, I was greeted by the familiar scent of the earth and the thunderous cheers of the people who had awaited my return.
However, the path to the throne was not without its obstacles.
During my absence, the kingdom had grown heavy and stagnant under the constant pressure and checks of neighboring states.
Yet, with my safe return, the atmosphere within the kingdom brightened instantly.
As I entered the great temple of the royal palace, the ministers began to whisper, their eyes fixed on Medea, the foreign woman at my side.
Ominous murmurs rippled through the ranks of the retainers: "The Princess of Colchis," "The foreigner who bewitched the king."
I stood before the throne and swept a cold, piercing gaze over every man who had dared to utter those words.
Then, I took Medea’s hand and led her to a seat beside me—the position of Advisor, situated just slightly below that of the Queen.
"This woman is my testament and the living proof of the victory I brought back from Colchis. Her sorcery is as essential as my sword; therefore, anyone who insults her shall be regarded as challenging my own authority."
Following my declaration, the hall fell into a deathly silence, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over the assembly.
Medea looked up at me, her expression no longer clouded by fear, but wearing a firm, confident smile that belonged to her alone.
As time passed, I worked tirelessly to clear the backlog of state affairs, with Medea remaining close by to assist me.
In gratitude for my safe return, I did not forget to perform sacrifices for the gods of Olympus, ensuring that not a single deity was omitted from the offerings.
Later, upon receiving reports from my ministers that trade was stagnating due to the vigilance of neighboring countries, I first gathered the merchants to establish a merchant alliance known as the 'Guild.' To supplement our lacking military strength, I then created an assembly for mercenaries called the 'Adventurer Guild,' establishing its headquarters in the capital.
They were not to be mere vagabonds moving for coin, but an officially recognized military force, protected and managed under the laws of the state.
In exchange for demanding a strict code of conduct and discipline, I promised them state-level rewards and honor.
Whenever the light of my throne glimmered coldly, even those who had voiced complaints eventually knelt before my efficient and absolute order.
By rebuilding the kingdom's foundation and reopening the arteries of commerce, Eirene grew to possess walls far more massive and formidable than those that existed before the expedition.
One day, while I was further elevating the kingdom's authority against external threats,
I stood in the royal council chamber with numerous ministers and knights, all staring at a thick map in the center where red flags were being planted one by one.
Seeing the flags marking the border and the lands beyond, they looked to me and spoke.
"...The confirmed forces alone number thirty thousand."
The minister's voice was calm, but the underlying tension was impossible to hide.
"It is a coalition consisting of Valcion to the west, Nereia to the south, and the smaller city-states to the east."
I looked down at the map in silence.
Three directions.
It was a perfect encirclement.
"...The reason?"
At my brief question, the ministers fell silent for a moment before one finally spoke.
"Your Majesty's... rapid growth."
Another minister added, "They are all wary of the kingdom's expansion. Given the current situation... it would not be surprising if they invaded this very moment..."
The air in the council chamber froze.
I slowly raised my head and looked at the man who had spoken.
He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes filling with dread.
"...Continue."
"...Our growth is being perceived as a threat by the other nations."
At those words, a slow smile spread across my expressionless face.
"Good. Then I shall show them."
I tapped the map lightly with my finger.
"I want them to learn who is truly keeping whom in check. Inform all soldiers: prepare for war."
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