I Became a Slave to a Mythical Shepherd

Episode 77. Hated (1)

“Paris?”

“Ino, you will be very busy today. I will be back.”

“Then I’ll be playing in the northern forest… The older sisters here are a bit stiff.”

“If it seems dangerous, go with the ladies-in-waiting or escort. Understand?”

“okay. If you go to a forest or something and run into an animal, do you call me by name?”

“I’ll be sure to call.”

I grabbed Ino’s hands and let go. When I turned around, Hector was pretending to look the other way.

“older brother? We can leave.”

“Then, let’s go to the palace first. We have to meet the envoy together there.”

As I spoke as I walked briskly, Hector nodded quietly. The attendants put a cloak on my shoulders as I hurriedly walked out.

“If it’s the envoys from Ithaca…”

An incident like this would not have happened in mythology…

‘Theseus has become the king of Annete!’ Even though the same thing is said, ‘Theseus reformed the tax system and increased the naval power in Athens!’ It won’t come out the same.

It was Hector who satisfied my curiosity.

“Probably because of the embargo. They will beg you to open a market to sell tin.”

Saying that, Hector lightly closed and opened his eyes. It seemed that Hector hadn’t been awake for a long time either.

“But I won’t expect too much from them either.”

“Why?”

“Did you talk? Asking for the lifting of the embargo in Achaia is an annual event, so originally each region was supposed to send envoys in turn.”

After walking a few steps, the palace gate comes out immediately. As the soldiers opened the door for us, the greased hinges moved gently with a sound like waves.

“It is part of that. This time, I was only in charge of it in Ithaca. Maybe the smugglers who followed the envoys will buy and sell things here and there, but it’s better to expect that.”

…Well, this is similar to what Joseon did in China, so it’s easy to understand.

“Well, then, should we just treat it as if a formal envoy arrives?”

“no.”

Suddenly, Hector hardens his expression.

“Then never.”

While I am puzzled, the solid wooden door opens, revealing the faces of Priam and Hecuba seated in the throne room.

On either side of it are the elders, influential people, wealthy merchants, and men of merit in the past political battles, and, of course, Anchises is in the seat closest to Priam.

“Paris? You are here.”

When Priam opens his arms and calls to me, I bow lightly. Those lined up on either side also bowed to me in unison.

Hector and I went to the seats opposite Anchises and stood there, asking Priam. Beside me, other princes and princesses glanced at me.

“I heard that this is a regular envoy. They said they came from Ithaca to ask for the embargo to be lifted.”

“yes.”

At my question, Priam sighs and brushes his beard.

And look at the eyes of the crowd on the left and right. As soon as the king utters a word, the murmur stops and all eyes are drawn.

“…This time, the king’s heir has come in person, so we’ll have to do everything we can to treat him well.”

“Did you say you were the king’s heir?”

Minor explanations are not the role of the king. Hector answered my questions in whispers instead.

“Considering the age of Laertes, the current king of Ithaca, he is a man who is not lacking even when he becomes king.”

I instantly memorized the contents of the Iliad and the Odyssey in my head.

During the Trojan War, if the king of Ithaca…

“The first prince of Ithaca enters!!”

Hecuba and Priam lightly correct their posture.

Everyone on either side of me tensed up and straightened their bodies.

And, I realize

Now in Ithaca, there is only one person who is about to become king.

“Priams! Its reputation has come from far west, but it’s a pleasure to see you in person. Troia, too, is as beautiful as rumors.”

A cheerful voice echoed through the hall. A young and confident young man, about 8 to 10 years older than me, a young man who is entering his mid-to-late 20s.

If it’s the king of Ithaca, I can’t be unaware of his identity. You don’t even have to think about the Ilias.

“I am Odysseus, son of Laertes and prince of Ithaca.”

Because in front of me, ‘that bastard’ of Odyssey was standing.

My body… trembles.

That guy is him.

Without much thought, ‘Let’s let the suitors deal with the guy who tries to break up Helen’s marriage!’ An idiot who said the same thing and then ruined his life for 20 years.

And we meet eyes with him.

Unbeknownst to me, there is compassion in my eyes.

That’s right, although he’s the number one contributor to destroying Troia…

The thought that if you tried to enter the castle on a wooden horse, you could just burn the wooden horse, surprisingly, the mental burden was less.

“Uh…uh huh?”

Odysseus stands blankly with one eye raised as if he is puzzled by my expression, then turns his head quickly and continues to greet Priam.

“Uh… keuhum, these are the tokens of friendship we brought. Please accept it with a happy heart.”

As Odysseus steps aside, muscular sailors walk into the throne room, reeking of sweat.

For a few days, I almost frowned at the body odor of someone who hadn’t washed.

Is that the smell of those who have wandered the sea for only two weeks?

Then, what kind of a beggar has that bastard been wandering around for 10 years?

Anyway, the people brought by Odysseus put down the wooden boxes they brought on their backs one by one and leave the throne room again.

“It’s nothing. They are just small, humble things.”

Of course, humble words in such a place are far from reality.

As two of the sailors, who seemed to have washed themselves hastily, moved the chests close to Priam, he inspected Odysseus’ presents from close by and let out a light sigh.

“… that’s great.”

It was as it was said.

Blue colored pottery, ornately crafted jewels, gold earrings and bracelets, etc…

It took a lot of work.

It was too much to simply perform a formal visit.

And when Priam finally picked up an object, his admiration reached its peak.

It was the handle of a sword.

The thickly gilded handle was wrapped in reptilian leather, and flame-like carvings were engraved on the pommel and nose.

When exposed to sunlight, it flickers like a living flame.

and···

“There are no days.”

Priam’s expression changes at some point and he faces straight at Odysseus.

In contrast, Odysseus’ face still maintains a smile.

“Yes, King of Troy. There are no days. Unfortunately, our artisans’ skills are worse than those of Troy, so we’ve only made handles. Please forgive me.”

“…”

oh.

it’s quite

We already know that we have steel.

***

“What is it, that boy…?”

“Did something happen?”

When his cousin, Sinon, spoke to him, Odysseus shook his head quietly.

It is a cabin that shakes again after a voyage of more than 15 days.

They wanted to leave the disgusting ship and finally set foot on land, but since the king’s eldest son had come directly to Troy without saying anything, it seemed that there was also a setback in preparing guests there.

That means I will have to stay in this stinking cabin for at least one day today. The thought alone made Odysseus frown. How the hell do these guys who have been living with this fishy smell for dozens of years live?

Odysseus thought he was very fortunate that that did not happen to him.

“No, it’s nothing. Just now, a little boy I’ve never seen at court looked at me as if he knew something very, very well.”

“hmm? Ahh… the handsome boy standing next to King Priam? Come to think of it, I looked at you and delayed for a while.”

“No… Something, it was a look that made me feel strange.”

“Perhaps he admired you. Aren’t you a child? That’s because they have been living a humble life for a long time.”

“It didn’t feel like that… but it was like looking at a poor puppy wandering on the street…

But what do you mean by living a lowly life?”

Sinon blinks at Odysseus’ question.

“I did not know? Isn’t that ‘that Paris’?”

“···what? is he

Wasn’t there such a rumor that he was just a rambunctious village and killed a mermaid with his bare hands?”

“I do not know. Anyway, since the people around her say Paris-sama, Paris-sama, she must be Paris.”

When Sinon shrugged and said this, Odysseus nodded with a somewhat uneasy feeling.

“Good. Isn’t it just that the prince, who is being talked about as important these days, has goodwill toward you? Why don’t you try talking to me?”

“Is that so…?”

“You have nothing to lose, right? Please tell me what kind of person the rumored prince is later.”

“I have goodwill….”

Odysseus couldn’t shake off a strange feeling, and eventually decided to forget it.

What… When did that boy meet me?

I guess it’s just that you’re interested.

***

“Ithaca is the western end of Achaia. So, the fact that the Prince of Ithaca knows that steel grows from us…”

“I guess that means everyone who might know from Achaia already knows.”

It was to be expected. A situation that could not help but spread rumors happened in Antandros, so it could be said that it was a great deal to have dragged on for several years.

that’s it…

“Then it explains why they came with such high expectations. Besides, the Hittite envoys arrived much later than when they arrived.”

Anchises’ eyes shine.

“I guessed that there would be a feud between us and the Hittites. Even if you may not know how much you are preparing for a war.”

If steel is produced in the homeland, that alone poses a threat to Hattusha’s regional hegemony. Hattusha has no choice but to put pressure on Troia.

Then, Troy would have obtained steel as well. The Hittites are less and less inclined to notice, and an envoy from Ithaca visits at this point?

It is a story that the embargo imposed by the Hittites may be lifted.

“Isn’t it attached to the Adriatic Sea, especially if it is Ithaca? It must have been all the more sweet since it was close to Sicily, the tin-producing region.”

When the Hittites lost their copper mines to Assyria, they imposed an embargo on Troy and other western countries to prevent the transfer of strategic resources to the enemy.

Naturally, the Achaeans, who made money by exporting tin to the East, protested, but Achaia across the sea was not a matter of concern to the Hittites.

The Hittites occupied Cyprus, another major source of tin, and with it tried to control trade in the eastern Mediterranean, preventing Assyria from obtaining tin, the main source of bronze.

The situation of … is now a story of the past.

Troia and the other counties kept their embargo on, and moderately turned a blind eye to the envoys’ ‘smuggling trade’, and the return gifts that Hittites gave to appease the counties who maintained the embargo now became like counter-tribute.

Still… the ban is bound to be irritating at any time. The risk of trade is high and the scale is limited, and we have to take the diplomatic risk of being caught at any time for smuggling trade.

That’s why Odysseus, the crown prince of Ithaca, must have visited us personally and brought us a bag of presents.

“…should I refuse?”

“of course.”

“Otherwise, it would not be worthwhile to ‘entertain’ even the Hittite envoy…”

So far, we have to keep an eye on the Hittites. Lifting the embargo right now would give the Hittites suspicion and a justification for starting a war.

Of course, the citizens of Hattusha will soon know that we are making steel… but we don’t know the exact situation yet. Dolon might be able to pull the time off somehow.

As much as we worked hard, we couldn’t give up even for a single day.

After making our decision, we headed to the restaurant.

The spatial composition of ancient palaces was not so colorful. Excluding the rooms for guests, servants, and members of the royal family, there are only warehouses, dining rooms, and audience rooms.

And, at least in a restaurant, there are only chairs and tables for each person to sit in a wide space.

Servants bring the dishes there. In the relaxed atmosphere, a few nobles clap their hands and rejoice, and people start chatting.

And Odysseus sat right next to Priam as the guest of honor. And Hector and Anchises each sat down, and I sat near him…

“The palace is really beautiful, and the scenery over there is also beautiful.”

“I, too, want to roam freely like you and see the sunset in Ithaca. But the body is already old…”

“But the wisdom must have added with the years.”

I ended up sitting at a subtle angle facing Odysseus.

The feeling… is amazing.

It really is that Odysseus. He is the main culprit of the Trojan War, and the first-class contributor to ending the war by devising the Trojan Horse.

The madman who escaped the man-eating Cyclops, Polyphemos, and shouted ‘I am Odysseus!’

Because of this, he was cursed by Poseidon, the father of Polyphemus, and could not return home for 20 years.

···Is he such a madman that he set up such an army? Well, anyway, playing around with a wooden horse won’t work this time.

Thinking of that, I must have stared at Odysseus without even realizing it.

Realizing that it meant rejecting the gaze, I moved my eyes to the bowl.

Meanwhile, Priam, as master, cut the meat with a large knife and gave it to Odysseus.

Odysseus accepted and ate it, saying that it was well cooked and that the seasoning was excellent.

So, it means that we had a conversation about the kind of content that people who have nothing to say to each other usually do.

There I just passed the time devouring goose and grilled eels.

“Ah, so this is the famous Hector? I have heard many times that there are two godlike princes in Troy.”

“Nice to meet you. I too have heard that a wise prince shines in Ithaca.”

“I just received a little love from the gods. You are exaggerating.

Oh, come to think of it… I haven’t heard the name of the man next to Hector.”

What is to come has come.

I politely accept and eat the pork neck cut by Priam.

“My name is Paris. He is the second prince of Troy.”

good. Without realizing it, I didn’t even say anything strange.

Reassuring myself, I faced Odysseus.

“It is an honor to meet you, Paris.”

“no. It seems that I am known in another way among the world.”

“then. Sure.”

Odysseus wonders if he has a funny idea.

“He is a warrior who killed dozens of mermaids alone. I heard that he is a big, monstrous man.”

“…at least, I’m glad the former is true.”

“Did you say the former was true? no, really? It’s too much of a waste to just talk about it here.”

Odysseus looks at me and his eyes light up.

“I want to talk a little bit more.”