I Became a Slave to a Mythical Shepherd

Episode 61. hometown (3)

“Paris?”

The sound of Ino calling.

“Paris? I was surprised to be back after such a long time! I thought he was gone forever.”

“Ah, I don’t think I’ll ever go back. You can live here.”

“okay? I’ll be less bored from now on! thank god! Didn’t it happen? Have you met your real parents? Should I call you prince now?”

“Too many questions.”

Ino giggled at my answer, wondering why she was so happy. Then he came to my side and sat lightly on the grass.

“Did something go wrong?”

“Yeah, it was fine.”

“Didn’t Aeneas come with…?”

“Ah… what, right?”

“I didn’t expect to see him again when he grew up! Something, very awkward and uncomfortable!!”

It was fortunate that Aeneas did not come all the way to Antandros.

“Theo or something, the man who always bothered you is gone!”

“Theo is the king’s warrior, so he’s probably escorting my real father.”

“I’m glad! Without the two of us, there will be a lot more time to play!”

If Theo had come, he would have punched me in the head when no one was looking,

“Anyway, why are you so short of time… making the fairy wait!”

“I am a prince now. You will be very busy in the future.”

“Once upon a time, I was busy because I was a blacksmith, and before that, I was busy because I was a shepherd. Without you, who am I playing with? Do you know what I do when I play with my sisters? It’s like picking and eating the coin that came as a sacrifice…”

Ino’s face became sullen. I laughed without even realizing it.

“Do you have anything else to do but play?”

“What is the fairy to do? Are you making fun of people who come into the mountain?”

The answer clears my head.

“Yeah, you always had nothing to do.”

always.

The worry that the relationship might become awkward washes away.

Just because I became a prince, Ino didn’t use respect for nothing. no need to write

Whether I’m a shepherd, a blacksmith, a prince, or a monarch, all I have to do with Ino is this.

Meeting, looking at the stars, and playing.

“Even though it’s only been a few months, I was very bored… understand? Don’t go far.”

“If you become a monarch, there must be a lot of things you have to do far away, right?”

“···what?”

At my words, Ino opened her eyes wide this time.

“Are you the king now? Oh my god, did you kill your biological father? buried deep? How can I hide it?”

“No… the ruler of this city.”

“Anyway, don’t waste your time and play with me. You went to the blacksmith shop every day, and then went to get beaten up by some unlucky guy like Theo or something… Now you’re going to play the role of a king, right?”

Ino frowned slightly and looked at me.

“Is suffering your hobby?”

“No way.”

“Then do something fun. do what you want to do Who would enjoy throwing pine cones and playing with them rather than hahahaha at boring jokes with tall people?”

“Yes, then.”

“Understand? Should I come back soon?”

“yea, I got it.”

“It’s a promise, so you’re keeping it properly, right?”

I said yes.

Hittite loyalists, not even mentioned in the Iliad, are on the move.

The reason is probably because of the appearance of the young and inexperienced Prince Faris and the rumors about Antandros.

After Aeneas killed the mermaid, he returned to Dardanos as if he had made a big promise.

Perhaps the conflict between Aeneas and Priam as described in the Iliad will not occur.

Antandros was at best a city known as the starting point of Aeneas’ journey from Troy, by the time he set out on his voyage. but now? could move the world.

And regardless of all those changes.

We can play together at the foot of Mount Ida.

Throwing pine cones at each other, connecting stars randomly to create constellations that no one would recognize, such as ‘Big Dog’ or ‘Stupid Theo’.

Whether it’s when you’re 9 or 16, always giggling like that.

Ino was happy that he could play with me.

I was happy too.

Why am I happy?

“Then, what shall we play today? Since Theo doesn’t say anything strange, shall we go all the way to your village?”

“No, it’s a little too much to go back to the village today…”

“Then running?”

“That’s… nice.”

Ino laughs.

Only then did I know why I was happy.

Because Ino is happy…

···uh?

After running for a while, I got up from lying down. Ino from the side looks at me curiously.

“what’s the matter?”

For some reason, it’s hard to look at Ino’s face. When I touched my face, I couldn’t feel the coolness of the night air.

Somehow, Ino’s face seemed to be in that state as well.

“Now, wait a minute, it’s late today, so I need to go back.”

“huh? leave me like this?”

“I’ll be back tomorrow too. Let’s run twice as much tomorrow. I’ll show you the royal scepter.”

“What are you doing watching the flashing sticks? Just… just you, come quickly.”

Seriously, I couldn’t face Ino right now.

“···huh.”

From nob le mt l. co m

Leaving Ino like that, I returned to Antandros through the cold night air.

run back

oh my god.

After being hit by the cold wind for a while, my face cooled. I just feel like I’ve come to my senses.

The floating mind is hit by the cold and sinks into reality.

By the time I crossed the wall, fortunately I was able to walk like a monarch without any awkwardness.

At the official residence, only a few workers and Hector were awake waiting for me.

“Paris? I sent a letter to my father, so you should get a reply tomorrow or the day after tomorrow at the latest.”

“Thank you, brother. I had a lot of things to take care of, so I didn’t pay attention to them because I was walking around. It’s hard to be a monarch.”

“no. but···.”

Hector bit his lip lightly. It’s a sharp impression somehow.

“The prosperity of this city is beyond what my father and I thought. We have already exceeded the limits we could have imagined in our heads. Wonderful.”

“Thank you, brother.”

“…it’s not a greeting.”

Hector led me to his room at the governor’s residence.

“I didn’t know it would be like this. When I said that I was more than Hattusha, I understood that I caught up with Hattusha to the tip of my chin.”

Slaughter, political bluffing, or simply inflating achievements out of vanity is the norm in this day and age.

As you think, subtracting one zero from the military scale in the Nihon Shoki as a basic. The 500-year-old man in Chinese legend must have been roughly 50 years old.

“But it wasn’t.”

“No.”

“You know that. Hattusha was destroyed several times and rebuilt on or near it. Do you know what is the most important legacy you have lost?”

“… is it metallurgy?”

“okay. Of course I wasn’t completely lost. But it has definitely gotten worse.”

It was all thanks to Hattusha’s iron-making skills that a huge empire that swept over West Asia could emerge from the less productive Anatolian interior.

In fact, since the development of the Iron Age civilization, there has never been a single hegemonic power in the region.

“By the way, what will an empire in crisis think when it sees this? It’s not just about catching up to Hattusha, it’s metallurgy to the level of overwhelming.”

I didn’t know. I wasn’t aware of the seriousness of it.

“Won’t you be still…?”

“Aren’t you still?”

Hector shook his head. I feel a pull in the back of my neck.

“It’s not just that. Until I saw Antandros with my own eyes, I simply thought of the possibility that the Hittites were threatening us, or that they were trying to coax us…”

Hector gritted his teeth, then strained again.

“What I’m thinking about right now is war.”

War.

War over Antandros.

“If you have this much wealth, even if the Hittites attack right away, it won’t be enough.

No, no. Hittites are not alone. Everyone will covet it. All the kings of all countries!”

For example, although they are close to us, will Phrygia and Misia stay still? And what if that greedy Agamemnon of Mycenae hears of this?

“Are you talking about Agamemnon?”

“okay. I heard that he covets the Spartan princess.”

“First of all, the nearby cities have strictly prohibited the trading of iron ingots through ships.”

“It’s no use. How long have you been producing steel?”

“…Three or four years have passed.”

“The fact that news has started to spread to Troia means that the rumors you tied up are now out of control.”

News travels from merchant to merchant, from city to city.

Already with my princely accreditation, the news of Antandros spreads throughout Troy.

The speed at which rumors spread will accelerate exponentially.

To our allies, and to the Hittites and Achaeans…

Unbeknownst to me, the middle of my forehead is getting stronger.

“Then, what will happen?”

“I don’t even know right now. but···”

Hector looked around and whispered quietly.

“…maybe your father will call you back to the royal capital.”

After saying that, Hector led me out of the room. I slowly circled the corridors of the Governor’s Residence.

···War?

“Ha… f*ck.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s okay, don’t support me.”

I slowly made my way to the garden in the middle of the governor’s residence, avoiding the attendants passing through the corridors.

while whistling.

Hector’s story was clear.

War will come. I don’t have time to be in Antandros.

Members of the royal family gathered in Troy to prepare for the coming disaster.

I can’t fall into it Because he is the ruler of Antandros and the origin of this situation.

Actually, it’s not that I haven’t thought about it. At this time, there was a consideration that if Troy mass-produced steel, hegemony in the region would change.

However, I didn’t know much about Hittites. No, I didn’t know about the ancient world.

Even late at night, Goro in the distance continues to emit smoke. The black stems slowly ascend into the sky, untouched by human hands.

Because of me, Antandros is being targeted.

There are rocks that are good to sit on in moderation in the garden. I sit there Inhale the moderately bitter air of Antandros into your lungs.

“after···.”

I have to take responsibility.

But how?

No matter how fast you run, what can a person in a position that takes more than five days to do for the city?

Perhaps Hector spoke with that fact in mind. As long as there are no phones in this day and age, I had to be prepared. How can this city roll without me?

I… answered quickly.

“hey.”

“Yes, Paris.”

“Take me to the room of Skleus, son of Oileus.”

He caught an attendant passing by and gave him directions. Skleos must have been invited by the governor because of Hector’s hospitality.

As expected, the attendant immediately turned his head to guide me as soon as he understood my words. It didn’t take long to arrive.

“mister?”

“Paris? Well, no, Mr. Paris. sorry.”

“···Do not.”

I gasped at the man who was at a loss as to what to call him. I said as I entered the uncle’s room.

“There is no one around.”

“Can it be comfortable when no one is around from now on?”

“The prince sounds gross. I’m more comfortable being a shepherd’s son.”

“Good thing. You don’t know how much troubled me and Anoitos-nim. What if you, the king, drink water and change?”

“Did you think I would change?”

“no.”

Short and definitive answer.

Smiling lightly, Skleos quietly sat down next to me.

“I tried to talk about it because I had a lot of worries.

It was time, so I couldn’t go into your room and was hanging around, but it turned out well.”

“Are you worried?”

I’m in my room, so no one is around. Skleos looked around a few times and whispered in my ear.

“…After seeing the forge, Hector-sama’s expression was very bad.”

“ah.

That’s why I know.”

A bitter laugh emerges. Is there anyone out there struggling with the same problem?

I slowly explained the situation.

Skleos, who knew the Hittites only to those who had fallen a long time ago, also hardened his face.

“I have to go back to the capital. I will come here from time to time, but I cannot continue to rule.”

“That would be so.”

“I have to prepare for a war that will blow upon the entire kingdom in the capital, and Antandros is only a part of it.

But to me, Antandros isn’t ‘some’. you know?”

“know.”

Skleos’ expression changes.

A sense of guilt for causing the steel industry to plunge the city into crisis.

Anxiety about an impending war.

And anger.

“Because we have to protect what we have achieved.”

responsibility.

It was good to come here too.

“mister.”

“Why?”

“I need someone I can trust.

Someone who will be dedicated to the city no matter what, someone who will protect it while I’m gone.”

“Perhaps. Among the elders, for example…”

“It would be better if it was a person of moderately high status who could run the city without conflict with the elders of the city, and someone who had already established forces throughout the city.

There is no one like that among the elders.”

A look of bewilderment spreads across Skreos’ face, as if he realized that the list of candidates is getting narrower.

“Paris, what am I doing with my mouth…

Are you talking about me?”

“yes.”

There is a knock on the door outside.

Dawn comes sooner or later. The servants of the mansion wake up first and prepare the face wash for the owner and guests.

Perhaps realizing this fact, Skleos’ attitude also changes to that of his lord.

“Paris-sama, if I take over as chancellor, there might be a backlash without knowing or not knowing.”

“What good is such a backlash? And lower your voice. Even if others have heard of it, they are all from this town.”

And, for me to judge.

“…And well, to put it grandiosely, something like that. I’m just asking you to take care of me while I’m gone.

Do you remember what the old man said to me before? You said this city is ours now, it’s ours. Who would say anything to us?”

Now, that statement has become a reality.

“please.”

“Then… there must be a lot of work ahead.”

The old man blinks his eyes excessively. It seems a bit unrealistic.

“Starting with enlisting the elders, no, it will be important for you to give me authority first. This is about getting official power that no one can say anything about.”

“I’ll be officially crowned tomorrow, so I’ll be the first to declare my uncle’s status then.”

“Yes, yes, very good. It is also nailed that you entrust all authority to me when you are absent…”

For the first time in a long time, we whispered as if we were scheming.

It’s like when you first teach me how to hit a hammer, when we build our first waterwheel together.

A few days later, a flock of pigeons flew in again from the north.

-‘I order the return of Prince Paris.’

Well, that’s how it was decided.