I Became a Slave to a Mythical Shepherd

Episode 68. man from the east (3)

The sound of the marble floor ringing clear with barrel, barrel, clatter.

Above it, dozens of feet step on the floor and pass quickly. In the second of them, the front foot speaks to the front foot.

“The way public opinion is moving is unusual.”

Beside Priam, who hurriedly walks, Anchises whispers. Priam lowered his head for a moment, then sighed.

“I know. Exactly how unusual it is, but briefly.”

“It has been a long time since information about Antandros has been fully released among the citizens. And surprisingly, there is a lot of talk about handing over Antandros to the Hittites.”

“That is nonsense.”

“It makes no sense. But the reality is.”

Various emotions must be entangled in the agitation of the citizens.

The fear of the Hittites, and the reverence that intertwined with them like the two sides of a coin.

The memory of war and destruction just a generation ago,

There are countless thoughts that branch out from there.

‘What should I do if Troy goes to war with the Hittites?’

‘What if the hegemony naturally shifts around Antandros now that Hittite is in decline?’

‘Anyway, since Antandros is a certain distance from Troia, isn’t it okay?’

It all made terrible sense.

It was a remarkably logical argument.

However, Priam could not accept it.

He is the ruler of Troy.

“Tracking down the source of the rumors is pointless any longer. Tell them not to use their forces in this regard. Instead, let’s focus on fostering antipathy against the Hittites.”

“Yes, lord.”

“And, tell Helenos. To those who come to pray at the Temple of Apollo, do something to arouse anti-Hittite sentiment.”

“All right.”

When Priam whispered his orders to the eunuchs, one by one, they followed him, scattered throughout the palace and Troy.

“And, again…”

“Ah, my king. You are here.”

“…what’s going on?”

it’s pita Appearing without warning in the hallway near the palace courtyard.

Fluttering the long hem of his robe, he bows respectfully to the king.

“I want to pray at the Temple of Apollo in four days, so how can you prepare it?”

The Temple of Apollo…

The black scheme was revealed, but there was no justification for refusal.

“I see.”

“I will praise the king of Troy for his generosity and kindness.”

Of course, shortly after Pitana left, reports came pouring in from the surrounding subjects.

“My lord, if you follow Pitana’s request, Prince Helenos will be unable to move for several days!”

“Then let’s move Hector.”

“It is said that Pitana sent invitations to Prince Hector and Prince Paris. All three princes are tied up in preparation for the envoy’s prayer!”

“…This is a ploy to tie our hands and feet together in the first place.”

I knew it.

As expected, Pitana is already successfully communicating with the Loyalists. It is so precise that it moves as if it were one body.

tying up future schedules like this would be part of that.

All available key personnel, property, and troops are devoted to entertaining the envoys.

Priam hastily summons Paris and Hector.

***

Priam is calling us. As we pass the walls, columns and doors of the palace, we see Priam leaning on a chair and Anchises standing crookedly beside him.

Priam grabs my shoulder and says.

“Now you guys will take good care of Pitana until the prayer meeting that will be held in four days.

As the Temple of Apollo is the pride of Troy, we should make sure that the prayer meeting there is also satisfactory to the envoys sent from Hittite.”

Then, take a look around. As if confirming that he had no eyes or ears other than Anchises, Priam continued his words.

“…And be careful.”

Priam’s eyes turn to a slightly calmer light.

“Paris, as you are well aware, public opinion about Antandros is unusual.”

“I know. father.”

…Priams thought we were monitoring, encircling, and controlling the envoys.

After making the connection between the envoy and the Hittite loyalists moderately difficult, it was assumed that once the envoy left, it would be possible to reliably eliminate the loyalists again.

Quite the opposite.

An envoy was leading us around and monitoring us. While envoys are luring us, others have swept Troy’s public opinion.

Besides, the envoy is communicating with Dolon very cleverly.

Even if you catch six out of ten means of communication, it is useless if you miss the other four. Because they assume that they will be exposed to that extent as well.

If you can’t smell defeat here, politics is a disqualification.

“While public opinion about Antandros was going in a strange way, I called you two to the Temple of Apollo.

In particular, Paris, the lord of Antandros, has been summoned to the Temple of Apollo, where everyone’s eyes will be focused.”

“An attack will be made on me.”

“…in any way.”

Priam nodded.

“Be careful.”

“…”

It is an expected attack.

The arguments to give up Antandros or to subjugate it to some extent to the Hittites are a search for me.

I did not comply with Dolon’s trade request.

Dolon didn’t guarantee me the safety of Antandros.

That was all, and that was enough reason for me and Dolon to turn against each other.

“Paris, the idea of handing over Antandros… is nonsense. If so, where will our sovereignty go? What will happen to the descendants of Dardanos?”

I say carefully if Priam misunderstood my silence.

“And that is your territory. You are giving up your rights.”

“I don’t intend to give up, so don’t worry.”

When I said that, Priam put on a slightly relieved expression.

But apart from that, the discussion had to continue. Hector clears his throat and says.

“If it is an event at the Temple of Apollo, if it is an event in which the prince of the topic and the Hittite envoy participate together, a lot of citizens will gather.”

“Yes, Hector. You too take good care of your brother. Surely they will not leave Paris alone.”

It also has great political significance.

No matter what you say, it will be the words you say in front of Apollo, the patron god of Troy.

Again the eyes of Priam, Anchises, and Hector are drawn to me.

“Paris, are you confident?”

My gaze almost wavered a little at the pressure of the three people’s eyes.

but···

“yes.”

I am ready.

***

The schedule in front of the temple was postponed due to circumstances like this, and it was opened around evening. It’s funny. To say that the sacrifice to the sun god is held at sunset.

However, it is also a good time for citizens to return home after a day’s work and to gather at the Temple of Apollo in the center of the city. It’s obvious, but I was aiming for it.

When the time came, Hector and I finished our ablutions and headed to the Temple of Apollo.

After washing our hands on a bronze tray, we climbed the stairs. At the gate, the priests, Pitana, and Dolon were waiting for us first.

A temporary altar was set up on the stairs in front of the temple gate for the citizens to see. The loins of goats and pigs, fresh bread, and various fruits are placed on the altar.

“It is water from a clean spring on the mountaintop. This is honey from the forest to the north.”

One of the priests, wearing the most spectacular cloak, bowed his head to me and held out his cup. A person I’ve seen a few times.

“You can lift this cup high into the sky in front of the altar and sprinkle it on the meat of the pigs and deer placed on the altar, brother.”

The fourth son of Priam, the high priest of Apollo, the prophetess Helenus, who calls me my brother.

I greeted him lightly and, as he said, poured water and honey on the meat to be offered to the god.

The gooey liquid ran down the skin of the pig like the golden blood of the gods.

slowly.

“The future king of Troy, and the prince of Antandros, thank you for coming at the invitation.”

“no. The chief chamberlain of Hattusha will have no choice but to come to offer sacrifices to the guardian deity of the country.”

“As expected, you are wonderful, Hector-sama. And… Miss Paris?”

“Ah, Miss Pitana.”

“It is truly an honor to meet you again here. I’ve heard so many rumors about you.”

“Don’t rely on rumors. Half of it would be nonsense.”

“What about the other half?”

“It’s a scheme of conspirators.”

I looked towards Dolon and smiled. Dolon’s face froze for a moment so that no one would notice.

“So if you listen to the rumors and make your judgment, you will definitely see blood. You will not be able to move according to your own will.”

“Thanks for the advice, Paris. But now more than ever I am full of my own will.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course. As a blacksmith of Antandros, how could I not meet Paris, who is said to have established the iron industry?”

“…I don’t think it’s good for us to chat amongst ourselves in front of the citizens. It took too long.”

“Oh, I see.”

Pretending not to see my hardened face this time, Pitana leisurely turns around and stands in her place.

From nob le mt l. co m

Like a veteran actor standing on the stage of a play, he seems to know his place better than anyone else.

Actually, the stage is right.

Curious about what we just whispered, the citizens looked up at us from the bottom of the stairs to lose their voices.

We are putting on a play to please the citizens and the whole city.

The difference from normal plays is that there are wins and losses in this performance.

“Hey Apollo! Please cherish and love this city unchangingly! May this great city enjoy the autonomy and happiness of its citizens forever!”

And they must have tried to create the most spectacular victory in this place where all the eyes of the citizens gathered.

Amidst Helenus’ cry, we meet each other’s eyes. Dolon with Hector, Hector with Pitana, Pitana with me, and I with Dolon. Like that, a network of checks and surveillance was woven like a net.

The torch flickers. Dolon’s face changes from moment to moment, like a smiling face or a crying face, depending on the flames.

“Lord of Antandros!”

When I turned my head at the sudden sound, Pitana started shouting.

It’s a start.

let’s remember they are divided There are not many that can be written.

“What do you think of the buzz around the world?”

“I am not sure what you are talking about. I do not listen to the words that wander by the roadside…”

“Ha ha… is that so?”

There is a limit to just moving public opinion. Unless that public opinion creates an opportunity to turn into seething anger.

“Those Achaeans are looking for Troy.

And for one reason that the King of Troy maintains a just proclamation that no Achaean ships will enter your domain! Aren’t those wild things threatening this country?

Even that wolf-like Agamemnon of Mycenae… I don’t know how to move.”

Agamemnon.

My eyes tremble at that name.

A few windcatchers around, probably bribed by Dolon and Pitana, shouted, “Right! That’s right!” He raised his voice.

…No, maybe it wasn’t bought. Most of the older citizens of Troy remember Hercules’ invasion.

In any case, they are all set for the stage.

“At times like this, we must gather our strength.”

The envoy’s voice grew in size. The giant Dolon follows him.

Something is slowly coming closer.

The envoy seems to have something more to say.

What is it? Perhaps he wants to openly question the Antandros merger.

For the most spectacular victory, there must be the fiercest competition.

-‘Can you hand over Antandros for the sake of the Hittites?’

You just need to throw a statement that will make the citizens boil. A remark that would be impossible without the city being divided into two in favor and opposition.

If it was not just whispering in the back room, but a dispute in the square, Priam had no choice but to step back.

If the envoys open their mouths here, they will be one step closer to victory.

“if···”

“you’re right. I heard Hittite is difficult.”

Then you have to keep your mouth shut.

I cut off the envoy’s words and clasp both hands. Confused, he tried to withdraw his hand, and I squeezed his hand so hard that it turned red and pulled.

I can’t afford to act according to the scripts written by my enemies.

“that···”

“It has been a long time since exchanges between the two countries continued! We also have common enemies to defeat and common hardships to overcome!”

In order to completely drown out the envoy’s voice, I cry out slightly. The public’s eyes start to move to me because of my sudden action.

“We all know that the great Hattusha is in trouble. The threat of Assyria and the disloyalty of the prefectures must have left scars in the heart of the great king!”

Hittite is a country that can’t even take care of itself.

By mentioning that fact, the fear of the Hittites is subverted.

Realizing that fact, when Pitana tries to refute something, I step on his foot and approach him.

Pitana, who manages not to wrinkle her expression, shouts to tear her throat before she can say anything.

“As the lord of Antandros, I will do all I can for my country!! I will even offer my heart!”

“…Thank you for your words. however···”

“Bring me up!”

I gesture to the attendants waiting at the bottom of the stairs. They carry huge chests with a whimper, and then put them down with a thud.

When the envoy opened the chest, it was filled with iron coins.

“This is a sincere offering from the subjects of Antandros to the country.”

“…”

“Our citizens love our city. And I respect Hattusha just as much. I pray that the gods will continue to have friendship and loyalty between Troia, Antandros, and Hattusha!”

finally.

“Citizens! The time for Apollo ends here, but the time for the citizens begins!!”

“Hey, that’s an iron battle over there!!”

Then, attendants carry other chests and carry them to the middle of the plaza. Citizens are entangled with each other trying to pick up iron coins.

They didn’t see how Pitana’s and Dolon’s expressions were rotting away. I was in the same situation as I was rushing down from the temple.

This is how their stage ended.

My duty to the Hittites… what is that? Why does the contract say ‘A does his best for the benefit of B’? Shouldn’t I write a sentence like that? because it’s pointless

In meaningless words, they finished and ruined the event.

Hand over Antandros?

f*ck you.

***

Among the crowd cheering for Paris’ performance, there were many aristocrats with several escorts. They, too, cheered when they saw the iron coin that Paris had daringly sprayed as they walked.

Everywhere is filled with the sound of chanting the name of Paris.

and,

[Now the war draws near.]

a princess says

[Death and fury…]

The princess was also a cursed prophet. She sings sadly alone in an atmosphere bordering on ecstasy around her.

while shedding tears

“…now, no one can stop it.”

And nobody heard her.

Even if I heard it, I would have ignored it.

She shuddered and was exhausted, and someone wearing a cloak pulled her down to support her.

Surprisingly, the half-conscious princess was supported by a stranger and moved to the back of the Temple of Apollo, but no one cared.

As if some magic had been performed.

[My child.]

When the man supporting the princess moved the princess to the back door of the temple, which was inconspicuous, the high priest of the temple appeared and took the princess.

“Light. ···thank you.”

[no. My high priest.]

The voice that came out of the man’s mouth was pure and holy.

The one carrying the princess, Helenus, knelt down and paid respect to him.

[Just remember. You brother and sister are the ones I cherish the most… among mortals.

Always write it down.]

The man took off his cloak and lightly kissed Helenus on the cheek.

When Helenus looked up,

The man’s face was nowhere to be seen.