King of Underworld

Chapter 169: A Strange Trojan War (3)

“Are you mocking me right now, Hector?”

King Menelaus was convinced this was a trap set by Troy.

The commander of Troy, who was nowhere to be seen when they invaded nearby allies, now suddenly appears to return Helen?

And that trash Paris comes out along with her?

Before being a husband who lost his wife, Menelaus was the King of Sparta.

Naturally, he remained wary of traps and deceit.

Menelaus glared at Paris and Hector with fiery eyes.

“Do you think showing me my stolen wife and that trash would make me lose my mind and charge at you? Or did the Apollo you worship tell you this through prophecy? What trick are you trying to pull?”

“It’s no trick. The Pluto we recently began to serve values justice.”

“What?”

“As proof, we will return the woman my foolish brother took.”

At Hector’s signal, soldiers pushed Helen forward.

With her head bowed low, she walked slowly toward Menelaus.

Step by step.

Menelaus’ expression was peculiar as he watched her—an overwhelming mix of anger, love, regret, and sorrow.

In the end, the King of Sparta said nothing until Helen stood beside him.

“Do you think this will make me withdraw the allied forces and return home?”

“Of course, we’ve also prepared compensation and reparations. As for Paris… He may be my brother and a prince of Troy, but I’ve given him a harsh punishment.”

“……?”

Unarmed servants emerged from among the Trojan soldiers, carrying vast amounts of gold and treasures.

A dazzling display of wealth entered Menelaus’ sight.

Beside him stood Helen, and next to Hector on horseback was Paris, who couldn’t even lift his head to look at them.

Paris’ swollen face, beaten black and blue, his lips puffy, was imprinted in Menelaus’ vision.

Indeed, even as a prince, he had caused this war, so it was no surprise he’d suffered such a beating.

“That Paris caused all of us to cross the seas and come here.”

“I’m not asking you to withdraw entirely.”

After exchanging a few words with Hector, Menelaus shot a sharp glare at Paris and returned to the Greek camp.

Of course, Helen and the servants carrying the compensation followed him.

The Greek soldiers watched them approach with puzzled expressions.

“Hey. Isn’t that Helen? Did Troy send her back?”

“They’re returning her so easily? If they were going to do this, they should’ve done it from the start…”

“Wait. What happens to the war now? The King of Sparta got his wife back. Are we returning to Greece?”

“I thought we’d gain fame through this war. Is it all for nothing now?”

“There’s no way. The higher-ups won’t back down without any real gains, will they?”

On the first day of the war, the Greek alliance and Troy did not clash.

* * *

The next day, in the Greek camp.

Many generals gathered in Agamemnon’s tent and began voicing their thoughts one by one.

“They returned Helen so willingly. They must be afraid of our alliance’s might!”

“Hah. They must’ve panicked at the sight of our troops and had a change of heart.”

“Pluto? Why did Hector mention Pluto’s name?”

“Were they trying to intimidate us by invoking a god’s name?”

“Does this mean we’re supposed to return to Greece now?”

Everyone’s eyes turned toward the one who brought up the last point.

They had retrieved Helen, but none of them wanted to return to Greece without achieving more.

Considering the costs, resources, and hardships endured to get here… at the very least, they needed to destroy Troy, sack its city, and claim spoils.

“That is absolutely out of the question!”

“We suffered so much to come this far. Returning empty-handed is unacceptable!”

“At least we should behead that Paris, shouldn’t we?”

“Hmph. While I’ve regained my wife, I have no intention of retreating either.”

Though Menelaus wore a slightly dissatisfied expression, he soon nodded slightly.

He understood why the other suitors had joined to help him.

And he, too, wanted to kill Paris.

“This doesn’t feel quite right. What kind of glory is there in a war between mere mortals without any monsters?”

“Are you saying the same, Nestor?”

Nestor and Polydoros, however, were hesitant about the war.

Both had undergone training at Pluto’s shrine in Thebes and had crossed to the underworld for their trials.

The fact that the god of the underworld was on Troy’s side also weighed heavily on their minds.

Fighting humans instead of monsters didn’t feel worthy of their legendary prowess.

“Troy worships both Apollo and now Pluto. You know this, don’t you? Back in the day…”

“The Theban training grounds? Hmm. Well, yes. This is just the opening act… Let’s observe the situation a bit more.”

Even Achilles, the finest hero of the current generation in Greece…

In the eyes of true heroes who had fought mythical monsters, he seemed rather unimpressive.

Sssss—

As the heroes exchanged opinions, a mist of five dazzling colors rose before their eyes.

The unmistakable sign of a god’s intervention changed their expressions.

Which god could this be? Could it be an oracle?

“Why do you hesitate to advance?”

An immense pressure emanated from her.

Her armor, spear, shield, and beauty far surpassing any mortal woman’s left no doubt.

There was only one deity who matched all these traits—Athena, the goddess of war!

“Glory in war lies just ahead. Show me that the heroes of Greece are no cowards!”

With those final words, the goddess Athena vanished as swiftly as she had appeared.

The generals, exhilarated from having seen a god firsthand, drew their swords, and Agamemnon leaped to his feet.

“The goddess Athena is on our side! I will destroy Troy and dedicate it to her!”

Goddess of war, grant us your protection.

Meanwhile, inside Troy’s walls.

A messenger from the Greek camp delivered the alliance’s terms to Troy.

“…They’ll withdraw if we hand over Paris’ head?”

Troy’s commander, Hector, held his head in one hand.

It seems returning Helen wasn’t enough.

They were clearly after Troy all along.

The massive Greek army seemed overwhelming.

Meanwhile, Troy’s allies had mostly been subdued, leaving his country lacking sufficient forces.

No matter how skilled Hector was, Troy’s best warrior… Could he handle this alone?

As he pondered, staring down at a map to devise a strategy, a woman entered his chambers.

It was Cassandra, his sister, the princess of Troy, and a favored prophetess of Apollo.

“Brother.”

“Hm? What is it, Cassandra?”

“It’s Apollo’s oracle.”

Fwoosh—

As Cassandra spoke, her body began to emit a brilliant light.

A gentle warmth and overwhelming authority filled the room.

Phoebus Apollo descended through his priestess into the mortal realm!

“Hector, blood of Cassandra whom I love.”

“Lord Apollo!”

“Take courage. Remember, you are Troy’s commander and greatest warrior.”

The radiant energy of the sun god enveloped the kneeling Hector, filling him with strength.

The direct blessing of a god—one of the Twelve Olympians no less—settled upon Hector.

“Thank you, Lord Apollo!”

“This great war will be arduous for mortals. But do not worry excessively.”

As the sun god’s presence slowly left Cassandra’s body, his final words echoed in Hector’s ears.

With his head bowed, Hector received the divine message as a revelation.

“Not only I, but countless gods of Olympus… will protect Troy.”

O gods, protect Troy.

* * *

On the plains outside Troy’s walls.

The Trojan army, having left the city, faced the Greek alliance forming ranks outside their camp.

However, some stood apart from the heated scene—namely Nestor and Polydoros.

“Ahem. They’re so young. So young. Back in my day, we fought monsters…”

“Haha! Let the youngsters handle it. We can take a step back.”

“That’s my thought too, Nestor. We’ve already retrieved Helen, and there are no monsters to fight here.”

The withdrawal of these senior Greek heroes, who once slaughtered monsters, was welcomed by both sides.

The Trojans worried about their departure weakening their forces, while the Greeks saw it as an opportunity for their younger warriors to shine.

Meanwhile, the commanders in both camps spurred on their soldiers from their chariots.

Among them, Queen Penthesilea of the Amazons, daughter of Ares, and Aeneas, son of the goddess Aphrodite, rallied Troy’s forces.

On the Greek side, Diomedes, regarded as the second greatest warrior of this generation after Achilles, and the towering Ajax roused their troops.

Clang, clang. Shing.

“Raise your spears and shields high! The foes before you are sacrifices for the Olympian gods!”

“Drive them out and reclaim our peace, brave warriors of Troy!”

“Paris! Where is the vile man who broke the custom of hospitality and stole my wife?”

“They return Helen, yet their filthy greed keeps them here. Those wretches stand before us…”

While commanders from both sides encouraged their soldiers and prepared for battle,

Agamemnon, leader of the Greek alliance, and Hector, Troy’s commander, locked eyes.

The moment before the clash, the tension was palpable.

Above, the gods of Olympus busily moved to aid their chosen mortals.

“Apollo, surely you have a grudge against Troy. Is Cassandra’s beauty so extraordinary?”

“…Uncle Poseidon, forgive me, but I cannot back down this time.”

“What? Do you trust Hades, who sides with Troy?”

“Athena! Now you repay me for the grudge I hold from working to exhaustion during the Great Flood!”

“Hmph. That’s why you always lose to me.”

The gods themselves engaged in a war of nerves above the clouds.

As Zephyrus’ warm breeze blew, the commanders of both armies gave their orders.

“Charge!”

“For honor and glory! Advance!”

The Trojan War began.