I Became a Slave to a Mythical Shepherd

Episode 96. Whispers of the Court (1)

A place not too far from Antandros, its open plains.

For several days, it seemed that people were busily moving around and preparing tents and everything, but today the fairies around them finally learned the purpose.

As soon as morning comes, hundreds of people rush out of the city and begin to take their seats in each chair. Even those from towns and villages a day or two outside Antandros stand out.

Clowns who come out to earn pennies pass through the crowd, telling funny jokes and getting pennies in return. It’s not an army, it’s only natural that there’s a lot of noise when there are hundreds of uncontrolled people gathering.

“Citizens! My brothers and my countrymen! Please listen to me!!”

However, as the voice of a man with a good voice resounds, the chattering voices gradually subside.

Citizens sitting or standing on simple wooden chairs, or sitting on the ground recklessly, turn their heads to the sound of drums and trumpets following the man’s voice.

“Paris, son of Priam, our lord, says! Keep quiet!!”

“Be quiet!”

“Everyone stay quiet!”

Hundreds of eyes are completely focused on one side at the words of the windcatchers who walk around and make cones with their hands and shout.

A chair overlaid with gold and ivory on the handle rests on a high platform.

On it sits Paris, Lord of Antandros.

Soon, he rises from his seat, waving his purple cloak and calling out to the citizens.

“Brothers and sisters! Today’s event was sponsored by Cassius’ son, Anoitus! I want everyone to thank him!”

cry. Anoitos, who was sitting at the bottom, got up and bowed his head to the cheers of the citizens.

And when the shouts died down, the lord of Antandros raised his right hand…

“Start now!!”

get off

The chariots start running, raising clouds of dust.

Cheers resound to shake Antandros.

***

Chariot competitions, wrestling competitions, spearmanship competitions, hunting competitions…

At the competition, participants gather and winners come out.

They show off their dragon power to the fullest in front of the monarch and try to earn honor and jingling iron battles. I only provide them with the means to gain fame and fortune.

in the name of the Standing Army.

There are Amazon slaves. Since they lived on fighting and plundering, they might be able to become instructors. Of course, you can ask Theo for advice.

This is what the court of Troy does. In order to select dozens or dozens of people who will serve as the king’s limbs and escort. Here, it is only enlarged to about 500 people.

Having seen how Penthesilea fights, I don’t expect too much from those 500 people.

However, they don’t have to run away in fear when they face the hero.

If Diomedes of the Achaean allied forces would wipe out the soldiers, maintaining their formation, and holding back Patroclus’ ankles even if 100 of them died, that alone would be a great achievement.

Now that I know that if I can earn just one more moment and kill just one or two people, that alone will be the key to turning the tide of the war.

After hanging a ‘medal’ on the winner of the wrestling competition by hand and taking him to a banquet to make him feel good, I was exhausted and lay down on the bed for a while. Didn’t get a good night’s sleep last night

live so busy

I was about to take a nap, but this time the attendant woke me up with a small clap of his hands. Looking at the sun, it is already evening.

“What else? I went to the blacksmith the day before yesterday… Did Anoitus sang this time? Or the elders?”

When I wake up rubbing my eyes, the attendant glances around and whispers in my ear as if telling me something secret.

“This is a call from Troia. The king has sent a message.”

The eyes are wide open.

suddenly? I’m sure the date I said I’d return to Troia is approaching, but there’s no reason to even call?

The attendant hesitantly opened his mouth again when I showed a flustered reaction.

“Come as soon as you are ready. With the fastest transportation, he told me to keep only trustworthy people around.”

Saying so, the letter presented by the maid of honor was clearly stamped with the seal of the royal family. The handwriting is also that of Priam.

“···i get it. My business at Antandros is almost over, so I’ll go back right away. Pack your things and tell Ino to change into travel clothes as soon as he gets there.”

Things are going badly.

***

Until recently, Priam had a feeling that everything was going well.

The plundering of the Amazons was originally supposed to be much longer and more terrifying than this.

Penthesileia, having had some fun in Troy, would have gone south and thoroughly razed the western and southern coasts of Troy and returned with a thick money bag.

However, this invasion was stopped at Troy.

It was thanks to Paris’ struggle. The tank corps testified that they benefited from stronger axles than before, and other citizens also benefited from the stronger armor and weapons.

Theo hadn’t been able to use the strange spear he had received yet, but he seemed to be learning how to use the ‘halberd’ while slowly training other elite soldiers.

Priams was also able to guess the use of the mysterious spear, which provides more diverse tactics and options to the user, while training closely.

The only worry is, of course, the Hittite invasion.

However, judging by contacting other allies in the east that might have been invaded by the Amazon, there was no sign of the Hittites moving yet.

In addition, aren’t the kings of each country also excited about the rebellion in the Hittite sphere of influence, and secretly releasing their dissatisfaction with Hattusha?

Due to the nature of the expeditionary force, the troops sent from Hattusha will not be able to function properly. Besides, it seems difficult to find an ally.

Above all, if you look at the achievements of the Trojan army in the last battle, you will be able to crush the Hittite’s ambitions without difficulty.

Paris herself is full of anguish, saying that she is hated by Athena and Hera, but Paris is also favored by the gods to that extent…

As Priam, I wasn’t too worried. Paris’ worries were probably unfounded. Troia is thriving. I don’t see any stumbling blocks.

I thought so.

“Princess Creus’ movements are unusual.”

Until recently.

The eunuch hands a small note to Priam with a dark expression.

“I caught a messenger bird that flew away without permission from the court. The maid who sent the messenger was also a servant of Creusa.

. . . The heralds were flying eastward.”

Priam wrapped his head around the words.

“Couldn’t it be simply a message to a friend?”

“The contents of the note are the same as I showed you last time.”

When Priamus unfolds the rolled-up note, he sees lines written in small places.

Priam could not read a single line of him.

“It was written in a code.”

The eunuch pauses for a moment when his master noticeably falters in breathing, then resumes cautiously.

“Not only that. The princess sometimes sneaks out of the palace at night with the help of the ladies-in-waiting.”

“…”

“You must be secretly hooking up with someone.”

Priam sighed deeply at the eunuch’s repeated insistence.

It seemed that he was psychologically driven.

The old king rubbed his temples and raised his head, as if to drive the headache, or the anxiety itself, out of his head.

“If you entrust the investigation to Hector, he will definitely sympathize with Creusa. Since he was a guy who cared for each and every one of his younger siblings since he was little, his warmth will surely get in the way of the opposite s*x.

Deiphobos isn’t that close with Creusa… but he lacks sensitivity. Although you may have the courage as a warrior and the courage of a leader, you are too honest and stiff to be entrusted with such a task.

From nob le mt l. co m

Lastly, I thought about Helenus, but it didn’t seem like it either. Now he has become a full-fledged high priest of the temple of Apollo, and although he is a child with a calm and meticulous side, he also seemed to lack the dignity to entrust this kind of work.”

After a lengthy explanation, King Priam looked up at his second son.

“All the other princes and princesses were either too young or too close to Creusa. Among the grown-up children, I looked for someone to entrust this task to, and found that you were the only one.

You haven’t gotten to know many of the other kids yet except for Hector. And because he’s determined, careful, and competent enough to push through these things.”

Pausing for a moment, Priam observes Paris’ reaction. It seems that he knows the emotion behind that delicate expression.

“So I entrust this task to you. Do some research. No matter what you do in the court, I will take care of you.

Take a look to see where Creusa is colluding with.”

***

After receiving Priam’s proposal, I was at a loss for words.

Hagisa, it’s best to leave this kind of work to an outsider with an insider’s personality.

I rarely interacted with other princes and princesses besides Hector, and the only princess I can remember is Cassandra, the sly maker who occasionally bursts into tongues at family meals.

Considering the seriousness of this matter, it is reason enough to call me.

A member of the royal family is secretly communicating with the outside world.

. . Is this described in the Iliad?

For a moment, I thought of Homer’s verses and searched for the name Creusa in my head.

And, after thinking about it for a while, the result was simple.

I don’t know.

Even if you look at other traditions, there is absolutely no content that the princess is intriguing or betraying.

At least it’s close… What about Polyxene falling in love with Achilles?

After all, it was Polyxene who tricked Achilles. Depending on the tradition, there are those who say that they truly loved each other, and those who say they do not, but the conclusion is the same.

When Polyxene lures Achilles off guard, Paris shoots and kills the Greek human butcher. To avenge Hector’s enemies.

Yes. There is no record of a princess named Creusa betraying her or anything.

In addition, no matter where I look in the Iliad or Odyssey, a princess named Creusa does not appear.

For some reason, the name Creusa is familiar, but it is definitely not an important person.

After that analysis, I went straight to the investigation.

Creusa lives in the palace like other princes and princesses.

There are daughters of powerful men in the city whom he trusts and is close to, and his main leisure activity is to appoint them as maids-in-waiting and hang out together.

And one of those close ladies-in-waiting…

“…it’s you.”

“Yes, yes, but I am not sure what the prince called me for.

···ah.”

The lady-in-waiting looks up at me with a nervous face, then turns her head with a whimper.

I wondered why, but when I thought about it, I called the lady-in-waiting to a space where the two of us were alone.

With the face of ‘Paris’.

Upon closer inspection, the lady-in-waiting’s face seemed to be slightly red, so I quickly added something to prevent the conversation from leaking out.

“Isn’t Princess Creusa, whom you serve… showing signs of something strange?”

“I do not know. When I take care of her, Creusa always has a similar daily life.”

The spirit of lies rises.

“Although I am a villager from Antandros, I made connections with many great families while staying in Troia. I’ve met your father several times on the hunting grounds.”

I shook my head.

“I don’t want to pretend to be with your family, so I’ll answer quickly. What was it about?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“This correspondence.”

I quietly unfolded the piece of cloth written on the note and showed it to her. The color faded slightly from her face.

“Do you know the contents?”

“Mo, I don’t know.”

“Didn’t my sister hand you this letter?”

“…”

“You may not know. There is no law that the person delivering will always have an idea of what he or she is conveying.

So, do you know where to send it?”

“I do not know.”

“That is a lie.”

As I lowered my head slightly, the guards nearby seated the lady-in-waiting ‘politely’ on a chair.

I lowered my eyes towards her. In Antandros and in Seoul, I learned a lot about the postures and facial expressions that make people feel intimidated by people.

As expected, the maid averted her eyes.

“The Herald Bird is not a cheap toy. It’s not a convenient tool to flap your wings in that direction knowing that it whispers a destination in your ear. You have to train it to point to a specific point for a long time.”

“…”

“Didn’t you tie the letter to the leg of a well-tamed pigeon and send it away? But you don’t know where you’re going?”

“I do not know.”

“really?”

“…”

“I told you earlier. I have no heart to fight with your family. However, Eumedes’s son, Dolon, also came out and pretended.

Do you know where Dolon is now? I mean, I don’t know.”

“…”

“Someone said they were looking at the Scamandros Riverbed over there. Of course, I don’t believe in such nonsense, but don’t rumors always contain at least a pinch of truth?”

“…”

The handmaid’s face gradually changed to a color similar to that of soil.

I smiled at the lady-in-waiting, thanking Dolon for leaving for Hattusha without saying anything.

A smile that seemed as kind as possible, a smile that seemed to make me want to reveal something…

“Really, is silence the answer?

really?”