I Became a Slave to a Mythical Shepherd

Episode 43. decision

-smart.

It was still evening.

As the farewell of Anchises and Aeneas was late, neither I nor my brother Theo had to go back to the village, so I stayed at the inn attached to the temple of Hephaestus today.

“Paris, someone is calling you. Theo and you too.”

The only people who know that fact are those who were at the farewell seat where we were discussing where we were going.

So, the person who called me was probably one of the city’s elders or governor, Anoitus.

“Who are you?”

“They tried to hide it enough to make it suspicious. By any chance, did something happen?”

“no. I don’t have anyone in particular to talk to.”

I looked at Theo just in case, but Theo shrugged as if he didn’t know anything.

“Anyway, since guests are coming, I have to go out.”

“You’re not in the mood to step down right before dinner, are you?”

“maybe. If you’re inviting me as a guest at this time, I wonder if they’ll serve you a meal.”

Even at the words of my uncle, I got up from my seat while grumbling.

Coincidentally, today was the day the cow was sacrificed in the temple. How could I not grumble when I missed the opportunity to eat my fill of beef ribs?

My brother Theo got up with me, and Uncle Skleos didn’t move while we put on our coats.

“Didn’t you call Uncle?”

“Ha, it’s not on that level.”

Uncle Skleos spoke in a whisper as if he was careful not to be overheard by a guest outside the door.

“I specifically told you not to come.”

At those words, a murmur escaped my lips. Theo’s eyes also become noticeably sharper.

You asked the landlord to call the person who was entrusted there, and specifically told the landlord not to come?

If it’s to the point of making a remark that could be considered rude… and if the inviter doesn’t want to reveal his or her identity…

Obviously not a normal thing.

I made eye contact with Theo, grabbed a simple weapon like a dagger, and opened the door.

At this level, it would not amount to rudeness, since it was a simple weapon that a mature citizen in a city would have.

Funny enough, neither I nor Theo’s brother are citizens.

When the door is opened, the servant bows his head to the ‘slave, not a citizen’ and says.

“Thank you for listening. Then this way…”

The road whirled around, but it was enough to confuse anyone following. For the two of us, who had a clear view of the city, there was no effect of hiding our destination.

It was clear where we were getting closer.

“So, why did the governor call Paris? Also, me too.”

That’s why, as soon as Theo stabbed him once, the servant didn’t know what to do and kept his mouth shut.

“. That’s all.”

The servant, who had been silent for a long time, lowered his head again after saying just one word.

Soon, on top of the whitewashed walls and pillars, the official residence with all kinds of colorful murals came into our eyes.

Unexpectedly, the servant ushered us through the back door, and wondering what the hell the governor was doing, we followed the guide without talking.

And at the back door, at the end of a remote road.

“Are you here?”

The governor stood.

His face was hardened.

“The sun will be setting soon. Couldn’t you call me a little earlier?”

“sorry. I’m not in a hurry either. This was all in a hurry.”

“For being in a hurry, you’ve been quite cautious.”

“Yes, it was…. Because the matter is the matter.”

At Theo’s light sarcastic remarks, the governor smiles bitterly and takes something out of his pocket.

In case the dagger came out of that bosom, Theo also took a vigilant posture.

Of course it couldn’t be.

What came out of his arms was a small, long piece of cloth like a bandage.

It was a very familiar shape.

“Is it a letter?”

Didn’t Theo report my every move with that when he was in the middle of being a frakchi?

At my words, the governor nodded and handed me a letter.

“Here, this emblem is the emblem of the royal family.”

As expected, the familiar horse head pattern, the same shape drawn on Theo’s brother’s dagger.

“What is this…?”

However, I couldn’t read the contents at all.

It wasn’t the Greek alphabet I knew.

Something… both pointed and blunt, interspersed among the Greek letters…

“Give it to me.”

“Can you decode it?”

“Anyway, it’s the password used by the royal family.”

Theo took the royal letter from me and took a clay ball out of his pocket.

“You, do you know how to speak Luwian language?”

“About the river. Because I had to have a conversation with the nomads who were conscripted as workers.”

“Do you know how to read and write?”

“no.”

“Anthanders is a city founded by settlers from the land of Greece, so Greek is mainly used, but Troia is different.”

As Theo explained to me, he did not slow down his hand carving the deciphered contents into the clay ball.

“The lower classes and some nobles mainly speak Luwi. Much of the text is written in Ruwi.”

As if the decoding was finished quickly, Theo threw a clay ball at me and showed me the contents.

“So, to the hieroglyphs of the Ruwi language, the cuneiform was added, and the language and characters of the Greeks were mixed to create a cipher text. The royal ciphertext is the most complex of all.”

I checked the contents.

“…you’ll have to learn it from now on.”

-‘Summon my second prince Paris ‘immediately’ to the court of Troy.’

“If I go to Troia.”

Theo’s face hardened.

***

“This, what is this…”

“It is literally.”

It looked like I was about to drop the clay ball, but the governor skillfully removed the clay ball from my hand and rubbed the surface to erase the contents.

“Priam, the son of Laomedon, the only ruler of Troy, has summoned the prince.”

“Why? We thought we had treated Anchises properly.”

“As you said, it is difficult to say that Anchises doubted us.

If that were the case, there would be no reason for this letter to come until after Anchises had left. Anchises could have taken the prince.”

The meaning of the words was clear.

“…the subject who suspects us is not ‘something like Anchises’…”

No one disputes the fact that I just referred to the cousin of the current king of Troy and ruler of the mighty city as ‘something like that’.

That alone would indicate the seriousness of the situation.

“It must be the King of Troy himself.”

Continuing my words, Theo salutes me.

Just by mentioning, Theo is someone to pay homage to.

King of Troy.

my biological father

he wanted me

“More than anything else, I take this ‘instant’ and ‘summon’ part.”

Moreover, the Governor-General pointed to one side of the letter and said:

“If you say ‘invitation’, it is possible to not go even at the risk of disrespect. If you say ‘in the near future’, that too can be postponed.”

However, King Priam ‘summoned’ me.

‘immediately’.

“Decisions must be made now. Even King Priam must know exactly when the telegram will reach here.

And how long will it take for the prince who is determined to respond to the summons to arrive, either on foot or by carriage?”

In other words, if it is even a moment later than the deadline King Priam thinks.

“… you may be suspected of treason.”

I wondered if there was any dramatic exaggeration in the governor’s words. And when I turned to Theo, he just nodded at me without saying anything.

option?

does not exist.

If the potentates of Antandros find out before we depart, what confusion may arise.

“…prepare the wagon.”

“All right.”

“I don’t know how long it will take to catch up with Anchises and Aeneas.”

“The two of them are going with a lot of gasoline in the crowd. Both the time it takes for maintenance and the speed of movement will be worth keeping up with.”

The Governor quickly came out and looked over at Theo.

“If the two of you go.”

Then there was no hesitation.

“Brother, should we leave right now?”

“maybe.”

“Then… the Governor, after I leave, settle the chaos in the city.

Instruct Skleos to make sure that the construction of the remaining glass is not disrupted, and to respond appropriately to Anoitus and the other investors asking about my whereabouts.”

“All right.”

As a result of the quick preparations of the servants of the official residence, soon a carriage was waiting for us in front of the main gate of the official residence.

“Let’s get out through the North Gate and ask passers-by where Anchises is.”

“Okay, will your brother pull it?”

“of course.”

Theo said, holding the reins and kicking the horse lightly in the rump.

“I’ll show you how versatile a king’s warrior must be.”

And, it’s scary to say that.

The carriage drove through Antandros with the speed of a car.

***

Apparently Anchises said so. I’m thinking of going to the mountain for my son’s sake.

If it’s for my son as he said, maybe…

“Anchises must have gone toward the forest where the fairies live!”

“I still have to ask passers-by.”

“doesn’t care. It seemed like I was going to stay there for a few days anyway. You won’t miss anything.”

In the middle of the night, two armed men, dressed in fancy clothes, drive a wagon and run hither and thither.

And stop in the middle and knock on the door of your house?

“So, it’s hard to have guests at Schoen’s house because there’s nothing to eat…. There is nothing to treat the high-ranking people…”

Even if I’m scared, I open the door.

“Don’t worry. We are not robbers, and we are not meant to be guests.”

As I speak, Theo flicks the silver coin into the hand of the poor landlord.

The wide-eyed landlord hurriedly wiped the silver coin with his breath and put it in his pocket.

“Have you ever seen a line of travelers passing by? It must have been a thick mixture of Luwian dialect and Trojan accent when they were talking.”

“Ah, are you talking about the people who came from that capital? After the workers drank a few bowls of water from this house, they went over the hill behind them.”

As expected, I turned towards Mt.

“Keep going.”

“good.”

At each fork in the road, there was a private house or inn, so we were able to guess the direction Anchises and Aeneas had passed without difficulty.

“Fa, Miss Paris? For some reason…”

“I heard that an envoy from Troy passed by here. tell me the direction.”

“It is also the eastern fork in the road. I went all the way there and turned left at the mouth of the stream. I…”

“Thank you. Here, a token of sincerity.”

Every street we passed, farmers were able to earn an extra income. We crossed hills and streams, relying on the dim light of lanterns and the full moon.

If you run like that, even if it’s a chariot with four horses, there comes a time when the horses get tired and out of breath and procrastinate every time they speed up. Especially in this era, there are no horseshoes.

Anyway, when I finally couldn’t find Anchises and the others tonight and wondered if we should camp out of time…

right.

“It’s a forest where fairies live, right? Why didn’t I think of Ino?”

“Call me quickly.”

“okay.”

Take a deep breath.

“Ino!!!!”

…

…

…

it’s quiet

“Is nothing going on?”

“Write, it’s strange.”

Originally, if I had come this far, Ino should have already been watching me.

Or, at least one of Ino’s ‘sisters’ would tell Ino that I was looking for him.

“I’ll keep calling for now, brother, try running a wagon.”

“okay.”

“Ino!!! Inooooo!!!!”

What is it, why don’t you come out?

Gradually, beyond doubt, I start to worry. Could a fairy get sick?

[excuse me.]

“Stop the carriage!”

As expected of a king’s warrior, Theo decelerated the carriage while stepping on the brakes perfectly.

I’m sure someone’s voice is calling me.

[Bottom.]

below…?

When I got off the carriage and looked down, a small stream flowed.

And there a fairy was looking at me.

“Hey, fairy, do you know where Ino is?”

[Ino? Ino is over there.]

“That… side?”

[From here, you can reach it by just walking. About 500 steps?]

Are you very close then? Why didn’t you answer the call?

“Isn’t there something wrong with Ino?”

[problem? Well, if you say it’s a problem, there’s a problem.]

···what?

f*ck this.

I started running fast. Theo saw me like that and jumped out of the wagon and followed.

Please, please, just stay safe…

I ran with my eyes closed, and before I knew it, the twigs and twisted bushes of the forest obstructed my path.

“Ino!! Ino!!!”

“Paris!!!”

I hear Ino’s voice.

Up close, urgently!

I opened my eyes, drew my sword, and ran towards Ino’s direction.

Someone is holding Ino.

“Paris! Paris!!”

“Ino!!!”

I swung the blade in the dark at the opponent who grabbed Ino.

It’s not to the point of instant death, but the tendon of the leg is in a position where it can be cut…

-Chaejaejaejaejaejaejaejaejaejaejaejae!!

…blocking this?

With Ino behind my back, I held out my sword to the opponent whose face was hard to see.

“You bastard, what are you? What’s wrong with Ino…”

“Paris?”

“…”

familiar voice.

There’s something so damn good about this forest.

No matter how bright the moon is, it is dark under the dense forest, so visibility is limited.

As my eyes gradually adjust to the darkness,

I was able to face Aeneas, who was wary of raising the blade with skillful posture.