I Became a Slave to a Mythical Shepherd

Episode 40. envoy

The court of night is silent.

Small oil lamps quietly sprinkle colors like paints spreading in the darkness of the night.

The night court is beautiful.

On the floor of the courtyard bathed in the cool moonlight, colored pebbles glittered with drawings of fish and sea nymphs.

The Court of Night, however,

“Anchises.”

“My king.”

It was full of anguish.

His wrinkled face in his old age trembled weakly as he read the writings across the clay tablets and papyrus.

Anchises was able to read the years and pains engraved on his face.

What was engraved on the old man’s face was a history of tragedy.

Even if the author collects many atrocities and tragedies, it will not be able to make as many people cry as the life history of the old king.

He is the only remaining son of the former king, the youngest son.

“Hasn’t fate been too harsh on me?”

son who became king.

Priam.

Remorse filled his face, which had grown cooler from the moonlight.

“My father destroyed this country once, so I rebuilt it.

But now my son…”

“Isn’t there any confirmation yet?”

“Is there not an oracle, my dear cousin?”

Priam, the noble king of Troy, looked at Anchises and shook his head.

“How can it be that it is not confirmation?”

“Originally, an oracle is an ambiguous thing. Doesn’t anyone know how and when the prince will destroy the country?”

Anchises’ voice was soft and full of consideration and compassion.

Old Priam noticed him, swallowed the pain and smiled softly.

“Cousin, my trusted cousin.”

At the king’s call, the middle-aged Anchises bows his head again to pay homage. Tapping Anchises on the shoulder, Priam says.

“Your warm words have cleared the fog in my head. It made my troubles much lighter.”

“no. Of course I just said what I had to say.”

“You are a man with a warm heart. I am also loyal.”

Anchises, who was lowering his head, did not notice that Priam’s face was gradually hardening.

“Anchises.”

“Yes, my king.”

“Survey the child.”

“…surveillance.”

“Go to Antandros.”

Anchises belatedly raises his head and faces the king.

I saw Priam’s stiff body, as if he had swallowed bitter poisonous weed, and his determined eyes.

“Go and see it with your own eyes. The only person I can trust is you.”

“Haona…”

“And if in doubt.”

Priam mutes his voice and brings his face closer to whisper.

“Kill him.”

Anchises did not understand the meaning of the words for a moment.

“With your own hands.”

Until Priam put a small dagger in his hand.

On that dagger it was written:

-‘She bought us.’

“Remember. She bought our lives, our country.

Keep her will.”

The king turned around, showing his lonely back. A splendid cloak fluttered over those thin shoulders.

Anchises watched the king’s disappearing back in a daze.

Along with the dark shadows cast beneath it.

***

As I said before, Uncle Skleos’ mansion was quite far from the city.

Perhaps because of his status as a body bound by the city, it seemed that he had built the mansion in the farthest possible location from the city.

And, now we

“Damn it!”

He cursed the location.

“At the north gate, the governor and other influential people in this city will already be waiting. We’ll be late, so hurry up.”

“I understand, Master Skleos. Maybe the outfit…”

“Let everyone wear only white cloaks. You will have to show humility.”

First of all, Uncle Skleos, who had changed into a frugal off-white wool cloak, headed for the front gate of the mansion with me and Theo, both dressed in the same outfit.

Of course, a carriage was waiting in front of the front door.

After hurriedly getting into the carriage, my brother Theo and I constantly tried to talk. Uncle Skleos was alone in the front seat, next to the coachman.

I had to whisper so that Uncle Skleos couldn’t hear me.

“···What’s happening?”

“I don’t know the details either. I just heard from Governor Nikis that the atmosphere in the capital is unusual.”

“So what?”

“First of all, don’t do anything suspicious.”

“Shouldn’t we just leave?”

“no. Did you forget what you said to yourself last time? All the influential people said they knew you? But if you don’t show up, what could be more suspicious than that?”

That was right. Whoever the general from Troy is, if he doubts the loyalty of this region, he will carry out various investigations, but I can’t help but mention my name.

“Haa… This is painful.”

“I think we should go and see each other. Think about other things later.”

After wandering around like that, I was at the north gate before I knew it. From the governor, the elders such as Gieth, and the children of famous aristocratic and commoner families gathered.

We jumped out of the wagon and joined the ranks. The coachman hurries back to the mansion far away.

When Uncle Skleos greeted them and joined the ranks, I stood slightly behind him. fit my identity.

and···

“You are coming.”

In the distance, black dots float sparsely on the horizon. The dots gradually increase in size and change into figures of people, mules, horses and carriages.

– Jeobeok, Jeobeok, Jeobuck.

coming closer

– Jeobeok, Jeobeok, Jeobuck.

A group of dozens of people was approaching the north gate.

The soldiers walking in line each had one hand on the sheepskin-covered hilt, chatting about what they were enjoying.

The breastplate, the knee pads, and the helmet were all bronze. Among them, those wearing particularly fancy armor escorted the wagon around.

The others seemed to be servants, constantly carrying information and goods around wagons, horses, mules, and people.

The envoys should have been four or five at most, but more than ten times that number flocked like a cloud to accompany them.

And when they stop

I could see every single one of their faces.

Faces that seemed as tense as us, perhaps even more tense than us.

That’s natural. Most of the ranks on this side are nobles, and on the other side, except for a few envoys, most of them are servants.

As the coachman stopped the carriage in front of us, a handsome man who appeared to be an escort carefully unloaded a boy from the carriage.

Except for the boy, everyone was wearing a frayed cloak and muddy sandals.

It seemed that the boy was probably the only person in the group who could be considered upper-class.

“…Is it just one person?”

“no way. It probably hasn’t arrived yet.”

I hear a whisper next to me.

Of course, Antandros is a small city, but could it be that the little boy, I, is all the envoys from Troy?

In any case, as if sensing this uncomfortable atmosphere, a boy who seemed to be about the same age as me appeared in front of us as the escort guided us with his head bowed shyly.

“…Ah, how are you?”

oh my god.

A small groan is heard from the elders of Antandros.

No matter how childish it is, a nobleman from the royal capital stutters while facing the nobles of the village.

“I-I am… the son of Anchises, the child, who will participate as part of this delegation, yes…”

Even the voice crawled into the rat hole toward the end, so I couldn’t even hear the name.

As if he couldn’t stand it all, Governor Nikis coughed and bowed before coming forward.

“welcome. It is called Nikis, son of Philip, governor of Antandros. Are there any other envoys who have not arrived?”

The boy glanced at the escort standing next to him as if he had lost his temper, then shook his head.

“But, didn’t you just say ‘part of the delegation’?”

“There are other envoys besides me.”

“Then tell me what kind of person you are…”

“I will tell you…”

“The escort should be quiet. Aren’t you having a conversation with your superiors?”

“what? Ha ha ha!”

In an instant, the escort wearing a worn-out woolen cape bursts into laughter.

Wondering what kind of person he is, Nikis looks up at him with an expression filled with absurdity rather than anger.

And, to ask for an explanation of this situation, I turned to the boy from earlier.

The boy’s face is pale.

“There were many mistakes. It must have been hard to tell because I was wearing a traveling cloak.”

The guards laughed heartily and threw off their cloaks.

Beneath it was a red cloak embroidered with golden thread.

It was not something a bodyguard would wear.

“Because I like to walk with my subordinates. It’s warmer and I feel better going south, so I made a mistake.”

Only then did the governor, realizing that he had made a mistake, hurriedly bowed, and of course the elders and us all bowed their heads in unison.

“Oh, well, don’t be so formal. I am not the kind of person who welcomes that.”

The man who was mistaken for a bodyguard smiles, revealing healthy teeth.

Raising my head, I took another look at the man’s face.

A slender body, well-fitted muscles, and deep blue eyes set on the side of a refreshing nose.

The word middle aged seemed to exist for that man.

And the face of the handsome boy standing awkwardly next to him resembled him.

“I am Anchises, lord of Dardanos and son of Capis. And this is my son I guess he wasn’t introduced properly because he was shy.”

Saying so, Anchises lightly pats his son on the back as if to encourage him.

Only then did the boy, encouraged by his father, speak in a loud voice.

“Oh, how are you? I, son of Anchises, who came to An, Antandros as part of a delegation,

This is Aeneas!”

···wait for a sec.

who am i dating?

***

Anchises had a little bad taste.

Right away, it was to surprise the nobles who met like this while wearing shabby clothes.

Of course, I didn’t lie to the governor called Nikis.

Anchises did not want to give up the pleasure of getting off the chariot and walking around like a stroll.

A beautiful coast overlooking the distance, hills with sheep and goats, squirrels and all sorts of small animals roaming among the bushes!

Oh, isn’t it refreshing?

isn’t it beautiful

As his cousin, King Priam, sent him to the south for a disgraceful job, Anchises needed these small pleasures to soothe his gloomy heart.

Well, a slave boy living as a blacksmith’s apprentice? It won’t be hard to find… but wouldn’t you still need some entertainment for that little time?

Patting the back of the still-nervous Aeneas, Anchises listened to the introduction of the city’s powerful men who bowed to him.

“My name is Anoitus from Troy.”

“Ah, as usual, your father told me that he would see you when he went to Antandros. Nice to meet you.”

“My name is Gis, the son of Dotes. One of the elders of this humble city.”

“You can tell a wise old man just by looking at his eyes. It is an honor to meet you.”

As I exchanged greetings with the influential people in the city one by one, I noticed a large man approaching.

A man with a twisted leg.

‘found.’

“Welcome to Antandros.”

The blacksmith approached with his lame body leaning on an ornately decorated staff.

“I am Skleos, the son of Oileus, the blacksmith of this city.”

Skeleos.

He was the prince’s teacher.

I knew we would meet here, but Anchises, who was surprised by the quicker encounter than expected, gave a light bow to Skleos with a theatrical laugh so as not to reveal his intentions.

“Ah, then it must be you who created the famous steel mill in this city.”

“… Rumors always contain exaggerations. At most, it seems that the people of the world have been making a lot of noise with a few small pieces that crudely imitate the Hittite ones.”

“Could it be? My, your fame came from far away in the land of Troy.”

A blacksmith who responds to his compliments or checks with a sophisticated smile as if embarrassed.

However, in it, Anchises reads faint traces of vigilance.

“Aeneas, shouldn’t you also say hello?”

“Ah, hello, Mr. Skleos. ”

“It is an honor to meet the heir of Dardanos.”

After summoning Aeneas, Anchises quickly scans the surroundings of Skleos with his eyes.

There’s nothing particularly suspicious about it… me?

Oh no.

Anchises’ eyes are fixed on a certain point for a moment.

At the same time, the air around him begins to tense up, but Anchises is so focused on that one spot that he is oblivious to the expressions of the others.

“there?”

“yes?”

“Looks like my son and I are the same age. Come and see us.”

Snow as clear as snowflakes, a nose as white as a high mountain range, cheeks as rosy as a bonfire.

he is a perfect handsome man

“Yes, can you tell me what your name is?”

“He made known the name of a mere slave…”

“Okay. tell me.”

The boy hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.

“My name is Paris, the son of Agelaos.”

···oh.