In the end, the Argonauts still left Colchis, departing with the bodies of their fallen companions.
Although only a few dozen Argonauts remained, and operating the Argo was somewhat difficult, it was still just barely manageable.
Fortunately, the Argo was a galley with both oars and sails.
While rowing was difficult with insufficient manpower, with the sails raised, the ship could still rely on the sea wind to move forward even when power was lacking.
Among those who boarded the Argo for the return voyage to Greece were naturally Alaric and Circe, the two undercover participants, after all, if you were acting, you had to see it through to the end.
In addition to them, Medea also appeared aboard the ship.
Originally, the relationship between Medea and Alaric had already been somewhat ambiguous. Under Aphrodite's "encouragement," that ambiguous feeling had been forcibly pushed to an even higher level.
As a result, Medea now wished to stay with Alaric every single day, unwilling to be apart from him even for a moment.
Even when Alaric left the island of Colchis, she followed him without hesitation.
Thus, aboard the Argo, Alaric found himself plunged into a brand-new battlefield of romantic turmoil.
As aunt and niece, Medea and Circe were already quite familiar with each other.
Now that a new layer of relationship had been added between them, things naturally became lively.
As for Atalanta, her personality was surprisingly compatible with Circe's.
They were like close frenemies, able to chat with each other, and also to argue fiercely over matters of taste.
However, when it came to the soft and gentle Medea, Atalanta was always at a loss. The main clashes were still between Circe and Medea.
Alaric was trapped in blissful troubles on his side, but someone else was still immersed in sorrow.
That person was Jason.
The unfortunate captain shut himself inside his cabin and refused to see anyone.
This situation lasted for a full three days.
The Argonauts were all deeply worried about him.
On the morning of the fourth day, the tightly closed door of the captain's cabin finally burst open.
The crew saw Jason emerge, his eyes bloodshot.
"How are you, Captain? Are you okay?"
"Captain, don't be too sad, your health is what matters."
"Jason, pull yourself together. Even though we lost so many companions, those of us who remain still need you to lead us back to Greece."
Seeing Jason step out, everyone naturally went forward to comfort him.
Faced with his companions' concern, Jason forced a smile.
"Thank you all for your concern," he said. "I'm fine now. Sorry for making you worry these past few days. I will pull myself together."
"As long as you're okay, that's good."
Although they were only half convinced, the mere fact that Jason had left his cabin put everyone at ease.
At the very least, they no longer had to worry about him bottling things up.
"Ahem," Jason cleared his throat twice, drawing everyone's attention, then spoke.
"I'm deeply moved that you're all so worried about me. Now, there are some things I need to say to you."
Everyone focused their attention on him.
After sweeping his gaze across the few remaining companions on the Argo, Jason's expression grew somewhat downcast.
"After sacrificing so many companions and yet failing to obtain the Golden Fleece, this matter dealt me a tremendous blow," Jason said in a heavy tone.
"These past few days, locked alone in my room, I've thought about many things.
I have to admit that the ultimate goal of this journey, seizing the Golden Fleece, was unrealistic from the very beginning.
The appearance of that terrifying Five-Emperor Dragon made this clear enough.
Against such an existence, even if Heracles were present, he still wouldn't have been a match."
Admitting one's own weakness was difficult, but everyone nodded after hearing his words.
"Then, since this was an expedition destined to fail, why did we join it in the first place?
Or rather, why was this journey, one that could almost be called a suicide mission, ever set in motion?"
Jason's words sounded like both a question and self-reproach.
Everyone present knew who had initiated the journey.
"Captain, we don't blame you!"
"Captain, we all joined of our own free will!"
"This isn't your fault, Jason!"
Immediately, the Argonauts spoke up to comfort him.
But Jason shook his head.
"No. I must admit that the one who initiated this suicidal journey was me.
It was I who personally dragged all of you into this gloryless expedition, I who personally pushed so many companions toward death.
I must bear the majority of the responsibility."
Jason's tone was extremely dejected.
"I fully acknowledge my responsibility, but even so, I still have to say that besides me, there is someone else who must be held accountable."
His sudden turn of words drew everyone's attention, and all fell silent as they waited for him to continue.
"Do you remember? Do you remember what we heard from the mouth of the Colchis dragon when we were fighting over the Golden Fleece, those secrets about the gods?
After hearing its words, I finally understood everything."
"I recalled the very beginning of it all. I was twenty years old then, and I believed I could no longer learn anything more from my mentor, Chiron.
So I set out to return to Iolcus, intending to reclaim the throne that was rightfully mine.
"At that time, following the instructions of a divine messenger from Olympus, I disguised myself as a man from Magnesia, wore a leopard skin cloak, and carried two spears on my journey.
"On the way, when I passed the River Anaurus, I encountered an old woman who begged me to help her cross the river.
"Only later did I learn that the old woman was none other than Hera, Mother of the Gods, disguised in the mortal world.
"While carrying Hera across the muddy river, I lost one of my sandals.
After crossing, Hera revealed her true form, expressed her satisfaction with me, and promised to protect me. She even vowed to help me reclaim my throne.
"Only after that did my uncle Pelias have no choice but to propose the 'Golden Fleece' as the trial for me to obtain the throne.
"Now that I think about it, if I had not had the support of the goddess Hera, if there had been no divine threat looming over him, that king who had seized the throne would never have been willing to hand it over so easily.
In a way, I should even thank fate for allowing me to gain the favor of the goddess Hera, thank her for generously securing me the chance to reclaim my throne, but is that really the case? Was this truly the kindness of the gods?"
Jason questioned loudly. His doubt toward the gods immediately stunned his companions.
"Jason! Watch your words!"
"Captain, stop talking, what if the goddess hears you!"
"Captain, are you talking nonsense? Have you had too much to drink?"
In Greece, reverence for the gods was a quality shared by all. Very few people dared to doubt the gods without cause, because those who did always paid a price.
Now Jason had done exactly that, and the one he doubted was the goddess Hera who had always supported him.
Naturally, no one could believe it, nor did they wish for him to continue, divine retribution was not something anyone wanted to endure.
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