I Became a Slave to a Mythical Shepherd

Episode 49.

danger?

Birds are chirping outside. Leisurely, not caring about how the world is going.

Hector and Priam looked out the window for a moment, then laughed bitterly when they realized that the other also envied the birds.

Hector whispered to his father in a low voice in the audience room where few people were left.

“…how far did the rumors about the oracle spread?”

“Only a few well-eared people know.”

Priam answered quietly.

Of course that would be true.

If it had become an open secret, there would have been no way it would not have gone into Hector’s ears already.

However, Hector couldn’t be relieved by that alone.

“Are all those bright ears friendly to us?”

The answer from Priam was, of course, of course.

“no.”

Rumors in the capital do not move, covering people.

People who should know as well as people who shouldn’t know know about the second prince who is said to have been cursed and abandoned.

Some strongly believe that he was murdered as a child, buried in the backyard of the palace.

Rumors circulate that the ghost is crawling around the inside of the palace, unable to reach the kingdom of Hades.

Others think he is being bred like a beast in a dark cellar beneath the palace with his eyes gouged out.

It is said that if you put your ear to the middle of the streets of Troia every night, you will hear the resentful screams of the abused prince.

Someone who is very imaginative already thinks that the second prince has tricked them all and gone to the East to establish a huge kingdom.

The vengeful prince will obtain power from foreign gods and prepare to conquer Troy.

But no matter how absurd the end of the reasoning, they all know the gist.

“They know about oracles.”

Priam was dry and told only the truth.

“If Paris, as my son, returns to this land, surely…”

“…surely, a great uproar is inevitable.”

This is the first reason why Paris should not settle down in Troia.

The fact that the prince of ominous rumors will return to the capital may stir up everyone’s anxiety.

The first reason was so trivial and insignificant.

The reason it’s such a minor disaster is because rumors are just rumors.

Those who insulted Paris under the pretext of dubious ‘rumours’ had to do whatever it took to keep them alive the next day.

If they put in enough effort, they could have executed him.

Apart from many political losses, it was possible.

But… there was a catch.

“Did Hephaestus say he gave Paris a hammer?”

“okay.”

“Why?”

Only then did Priam call out to the man standing between the pillars like a shadow.

“Theo.”

“My king.”

He was a man who could be the only witness here.

Theo couldn’t bear to look directly at the king’s face and knelt down.

Priam beckoned, and he agreed with himself by looking up at Priam’s neck instead of the floor.

“I apologize. I am a man who no longer deserves to live in Troia. Zeus, the guardian of kingship, punished me…”

“Theo of Podarkeia.”

“Yes, lord.”

“You are mine until death comes.”

Priam lifted Theo’s chin with his hand and made him look at him.

“Your life, your loyalty, and your course of action, don’t decide anything on your own. He is not for you to decide.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Then tell me. Why did Paris enjoy such blessed favor with Hephaestus, the ruler of the volcano?”

“that···”

“Is it difficult to say?”

“no. That’s because it’s a bit of a long story. But, I heard that Anchises-nim spies on Antandros in advance.”

“Does the lord of Dardanos, who has been together for only a few days, know the prince better? Or… a mediocre warrior who knows how to call a prince ‘you’ would know better?”

Theo closed his mouth at the king’s words.

But Priam did not allow Theo to be silent.

“Tell me everything you know.”

At Priam’s words, Theo hesitated for a moment with a hard face, then took something out of the pocket tied to his belt.

“If you have a long journey, you may have to mend clothes or armor, and it is also a good thing to use as a weapon in case of emergency.”

The object Theo held out was strange.

An object with two blades interlocking and a round ring attached to the handle-like part at the end.

It looks like two dagger blades facing each other and fixed with nails.

“It is called wee.”

Theo squinted his eyes for a moment. It was to recall something buried deep in oblivion.

It was a very long story from here.

And, the story could go on for a really, really long time.

Scissors, Olympus, Steel.

After Theo finished, the faces of Hector and Priam hardened even more.

“It is clear now.”

Hector said with a face and voice that showed only a slight trembling, but his composure was not overturned.

That equanimity was really just barely holding on.

“He built a blacksmith’s shop. Comparable to the Hittite?”

“Paris must be evacuated immediately.”

As such, Hector’s words become unnaturally fast.

Surely, it would be a false rumor to say that steel that is superior to that of the Hittites was mass-produced and iron balls were rolling around on the road… but it contradicts Anchises’ report.

“You have to keep ‘them’ out of the way. Paris must be notified immediately.”

***

“Good luck, son of the great Priam! You are safe, and my trust has not been betrayed!”

“Hey… what did Aphrodite say?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Anchises continued talking while wiping the steel dagger I had just gifted him with oil.

“Hera, who rules the holy fables, could drive me crazy, or Athena, who gave victory to those I care about, could turn me into an ant.

. . Even so, did I say to protect you? Well, whatever.”

Ah-oh···.

“Could that be trivial news?”

“Then, it’s nothing. Even the great gods know honor and morality. You won’t treat me carelessly because I became the property of another god.”

No way. If he knew honor and morals, how could Zeus name the child he gave birth to after cheating on him?

…Heracles. It’s a name that could turn Hera’s insides and outs just by hearing it.

“hahahaha, even if such a curse falls, wouldn’t it be a fearful thing to lose one’s life for the ‘most beautiful goddess’ in the world?

If I become an ant, I will probably be reborn as the happiest ant in the world, so don’t worry!”

“Please be quiet!”

“I can’t understand that you are getting ‘special attention’ from Olympus to this extent. Don’t worry.”

Anyway, there are more important things now than this small talk.

“No matter how things go, your princely status will be recognized. Now that I have notified the queen and Hector, how can I get back to you? It’s fortunate.”

Saying that, Anchises put an apple in his mouth and chewed it.

I agreed with Anchises’ words with a sigh.

At least here the death of a traitor is gone.

Sooner or later, all the citizens of Troy will know my true identity. Priam’s second son, Paris.

and then?

It is a new life, a new start as the prince of Troia.

“For Paris, Prince of Troy, favored by the gods, son of Priam!”

. . . not the son of Agelaus the shepherd.

After shouting, Anchises emptied the contents of the cup by himself.

I belatedly raised my glass and drank something that was neither alcohol nor fruit juice.

– Knock. Knock.

Soon there is a knock at the door.

I walked over and opened the door myself.

Anchises was taken aback by the sight, and one of the eunuchs on the other side of my door also seemed surprised to see me.

“···ah. Excuse me.”

“Hey, this is surprisingly clumsy.”

Anchises happily teases as if he has caught the case.

That’s natural. Because I haven’t enjoyed a rich and comfortable life like everyone else.

The feudal lord who picks out poor people like this will come to his senses only when bamboo spears grow on his stomach.

Court etiquette, which has just come to mind, is unfamiliar to a 21st century lecture planner or a B.C. shepherd.

Instead, the familiar behavior of a slave was as comfortable as the skin.

I hurriedly sat down next to Anchises as if nothing had happened. Anchises giggled beside him, but he didn’t care.

The eunuch lowered his head and spoke.

“The King of Troy calls you and Anchises.”

the waiting sea.

If my real father, Priam, had talked with the three of them, leaving only Hector and Theo, it was clear that the treatment of me would have been decided on the spot.

Didn’t Anchises also expect him, visit the temple of Aphrodite, and then return as a guest in my room?

We thought we were heading to the throne room for the third time today, but the eunuch led us to a different route this time.

The room at the end of the hallway was a small, unoccupied room nearby.

Of course, that didn’t make it shabby. The golden tiles with horse head patterns embedded in the wall were dazzling in the sunlight.

Priam, Hector, and Theo were waiting for us there.

“…Paris, your treatment has been decided.”

“I see, Father.”

“You will be recognized as a prince. The monarchs of the world will know that Paris, the son of Priam, has returned proudly as a prince.”

So far, it was within the expected range.

…But, my shoulders trembled as if I had relaxed a bit.

From the moment I found out my identity, this is the moment I have always been thinking about and drawing.

Will he regain his status as a prince, will he be able to continue his life as a shepherd, or will he die seeing the faces of his real parents and siblings?

In the end, somehow things worked out. Overcoming countless negative possibilities, I ran towards the best.

I got down on one knee and bowed my head.

“Thank you, I will give my allegiance to Troy. I will cherish this place as my new home. also···”

“sorry. There are many more stories to tell.”

Priam picks me up and puts me in a chair.

The king of Troy and his first son, plus Anchises, a direct descendant of Dardanos, the progenitor of the royal family.

Three of the most powerful men in the realm surround me and sit down.

“If it’s a story that needs to be told…”

“Are you talking about those guys?”

My words are interrupted by the voice of Anchises.

Turning to Anchises, the voice was uncharacteristically serious.

Priam also looked at Anchises and nodded quietly.

“Paris, there are facts I want to confirm with you.”

“Yes, Father.”

“…Is it true that you stole the Hittite steel production method?”

“yes.”

Well, if you copied something you saw in a history book, it must have been stolen.

I answered without hesitation.

Priam’s face hardened at my words.

“oh my god···”

“Theo was right. Disruption is bound to happen.”

Priam and Hector begin to talk. Soon, as if they had reached an agreement again, the two sat down again and looked at me at the same time.

“Paris.”

“Yes, Father.”

“You thought you were a threat to the royal family because you were both hated and loved by the gods. Is that right?”

“you’re right.”

I couldn’t talk about Helen or the war with the Achaeans here, so I finished my answer to that extent.

This knowledge of the future is a prophecy and it is not.

In this world, since I caused this or that butterfly effect, it’s just one possibility.

If I dare to tease my mouth and a disaster strikes Troy in a way different from what I knew, I will only lose the trust of the King of Troy and his family.

The mythical knowledge I possess must first of all be a weapon loaded only in my head.

After Priam spoke up, this time Hector opened his mouth to me.

“Then, do you know that Troy is a Hittite tributary?”

“I know.”

“As for the trade agreement between Troy and the Hittites, and the embargo that Troy is taking on Achaia because of it?”

“Uh… yes?”

“You don’t know. If so, you’re saying that you don’t know the current situation of the Hittites or what kind of person Supiluliumas, the great King of the Hittites, is?”

···My, my knowledge is beyond the realm of mythology, is it a gem? How long has it been since ancient Near Eastern history books were translated into Korean?

When I am unable to answer Hector’s words with a blank look on my face, the expressions on my father’s and Hector’s faces become even more serious.

Priam thought for a moment and then put his hand on my shoulder.

“… son.”

“yes.”

“You are much more than you think…”

Priam seemed to be searching for words in his head.

It’s like a high school senior homeroom teacher thinking about how to talk to a child so he doesn’t get hurt.

why? Do you think it will all fall off? Even if you go to the regular time, do you have no answers for the mock test scores?

Of course it wasn’t all.

“…brought a great tribulation to Troy.”

It was much worse than them.

“···yes?”

“The Hittites within the kingdom, or the Hittite loyalists, may be targeting you.”

Priam’s eyes shine coldly.

“If you stay in Troy, you and the royal family are in danger.”

in other words,

“We must leave this royal capital.”

***

dark room.

Two people.

“Father and son met.”

Two people whispering with their foreheads facing each other.

“Yes, Troy will perish.”

The man speaks dryly.

“Can’t we get through fate?”

“People cannot change. Because the threads are already spun.”

“How can we not?”

“doesn’t exist.

…But, the threads of fate are more blurry than before. The truth about the second older brother…”

“… it’s not strange. It trembles and gets tangled up.”

The woman’s eyes, which only have white, vibrate in ecstasy. The man’s eyes also lost their focus somewhat, but there was still a little light of intelligence in them.

The blinded eyes of the two people, instead of being unable to see an inch ahead, allow them to see things that no one else can see.

said the woman with dry lips.

“I see destiny.”

“that’s right. hazy.”

“Clearly.”

“Because of the damn snake’s head…”

“It is the power given by Phoibos Apollo, who rules the light…”

The siblings’ bodies trembled as if they had a fever.

My hands are tight, and beads of sweat rise from them and fall on the stone floor.

and,

The two close and open their eyes at the same time.

We could immediately see each other’s sweaty faces and dry, white lips. Vision is slowly recovering.

The two slowly lift their foreheads from each other and look into each other’s eyes.

The woman frowned in displeasure as she felt the water draining from her body and gulped down the water she had poured into her bowl. Cold water brings the mind back.

“It wasn’t what I wanted, but I definitely told my dad.

Helenus, tragedy is coming. To our poor second brother, to our poorer father, and to all of us.”

“Still, I have to remain silent. Because that’s Apollo’s will.”

“Is it that important?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

The man points out to his dear sister the gold-threaded cloak he wears.

“I am the high priest of Apollo. you could have been too You were the one who refused your duty.”

“but···”

“Don’t forget, Apollon won’t forget the grudge. There’s no way you’ll ever be forgiven.”

“…”

The woman did not feel the need to answer the words of the man, Helenus.

It’s been years since we’ve been arguing on this subject. After that, it was certain that it would lead to the same resentment, the same apathy, and the same conclusion.

Instead of uttering unnecessary words, she bit her lip hard to contain her anger. Emotional anguish was converted into physical pain.

“If fate has no choice but to roll like this, I will… still stand for my new brother. That would be the way for Troia.”

“It should be. I’ll help too. As long as you don’t betray the will of Apollo.”

“···thank you.”

“No, Cassandra.”

The sons and daughters of the prophets of Priam left a light kiss on each other’s cheeks, then extinguished the remaining incense in the room and left.

The acrid reverberation lingered in the room for a long time.

The bugs that were crawling on the walls were killed by the poisonous smell, and only silence and darkness settled in the room.

This dark and lonely room was occupied only by Cassandra and Helenus.

No one but them could see anything in this darkness.

Only they could see a pitch-dark future.