In response to his companions' attempts to dissuade him, Jason merely smiled.
"Thank you for the reminders, and thank you for trying to talk me out of it. But I must say this: I'm neither drunk nor spouting nonsense.
I have my reasons for these suspicions, and next, I'll explain them one by one, though you won't sell me out to the goddess afterward, will you?"
The final sentence was spoken in a half-joking tone.
Naturally, his companions shook their heads repeatedly.
"Of course not, Jason. How could we possibly betray you?"
"Don't worry, Captain."
Jason trusted his crew.
After all, although there were heroes among the Argonauts who had not known each other well before, along the journey they had lived and died together, experienced so much side by side.
Such bonds forged in battle naturally gave rise to profound trust.
Thus, Jason continued, "Thinking back on it now, perhaps the gods had already begun plotting against me from that moment onward.
"After that came the 'Golden Fleece' trial proposed by Pelias, and with it, the seeds of the Argo's voyage were planted.
"Then the goddess Athena assisted us in building the Argo, a great ship unlike any seen before.
Companions joined the expedition one after another, and only then did we see the unprecedented sight of fifty of Greece's greatest heroes gathered together.
"But if you think carefully, we heroes who embarked on this expedition with dreams of glory and achievement, perhaps from the very beginning, we were nothing more than puppets of the gods.
"At the time, I was indeed hot-blooded and failed to see this. That is what I regret most.
But after what we encountered on the island of Colchis, after piecing together the information I obtained from the dragon and from those magi, it only took a little reflection for me to discover the abnormalities permeating this entire affair.
"At the very least, from the very start, there was something deeply wrong with the moment when the goddess Hera disguised herself as an old woman."
"We all know that as the exalted Queen of the Gods, Hera is not like the great god Zeus.
Though she is famously jealous, she is also a faithful goddess, never sowing her seed across the land as Zeus does.
"Her divine authority is also unlike that of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, or Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, she has no need to frequently descend to the mortal world.
"She is even less like Artemis, the goddess of the moon, who delights in hunting across the land, or Dionysus, the god of wine, who revels among mortals.
"Then tell me, why would a goddess like her choose to incarnate as an old woman and act among mortals?"
To this question, his companions were naturally left speechless.
Some wanted to argue that perhaps Hera simply wished to stroll among mortals, or that some coincidence had brought her there.
But upon careful thought, no such explanation held up. Any reason felt far too forced.
Seeing that no one could refute him, Jason nodded and continued.
"Furthermore, I believe that the very proposal of the 'Golden Fleece' as a condition was problematic in itself.
"My uncle Pelias seized my father's throne of Thessaly through schemes and conspiracies, but I know him well.
He is not a man of vast knowledge, nor does he enjoy any particularly close relationship with the gods.
As for the origins of the Golden Fleece, he could not possibly have known anything about it, so how could he have named it as the goal of the trial without reason?
"Additionally, why was Athena so enthusiastic about helping us build the Argo?
It's true that the goddess greatly enjoys aiding heroes and warriors, serving as their greatest patron, but this time, her involvement in a mortal adventure went far beyond reason.
In the past, she would at most offer guidance or divine artifacts, yet this time she personally took part in the ship's design and personally bestowed her blessings.
Such devotion is truly unprecedented.
"There's also another point. Among you are many powerful heroes, sons of gods.
Though I am a student of Master Chiron, and many of you are my fellow disciples, I don't believe I wield such influence that so many heroes would willingly take part in the Argonaut expedition.
Even though we are as close as brothers now, I must admit that quite a few of you did not originally join this journey of your own volition, am I wrong?"
Among the assembled Argonauts, about half of them nodded.
They had indeed realized that, to one degree or another, their decision to join the expedition had been influenced by the gods.
"So when you think about it carefully, our entire journey was wrong from the very beginning.
You've all felt the strangeness surrounding this affair, haven't you? That's why I now firmly believe the words of the Colchian dragon."
After carefully pondering Jason's words, weighing the doubts and evidence he had presented, everyone had to admit that his suspicions were not unfounded…
And then, to the shock and disbelief of all present, Jason spoke words that could almost be considered blasphemy.
"Yes. I deeply suspect that our entire journey was nothing more than a conspiracy of the gods.
The so-called glory of heroes, the so-called restoration of my throne, these were merely bait they cast before us.
Their goal was to have us steal the Golden Fleece, to strike at their enemies, the Magical Gods and the Old Gods, and to drive a wedge between them.
They used us as cannon fodder, sending us to our deaths. They are the true culprits behind the deaths of our companions!"
The final sentence was practically shouted.
To most of those present, his words were utterly heretical.
The gods were so lofty, so great. Some among them were even the biological fathers of the heroes present.
How could such gods be so despicable, casting them into the abyss of death?
And yet, recalling Jason's analysis, they could not deny that he might be right.
All evidence pointed toward this truth.
Whether it was the deliberate machinations of the gods or the intelligence leaked by the Magical Gods' faction, everything indicated the same conclusion: the gods had betrayed them.
The so-called glory of the Argonauts was nothing more than a pretext.
In their hearts, the grandeur of the gods collapsed.
Jason, once a devout believer and staunch supporter of the Olympian gods, had become their doubter, perhaps even their hater.
And so had his crew.
In the past, they would never have thought this way. Even if the gods demanded their lives, they would have accepted it gladly.
But now, things were different.
Those who had died were not themselves, but their companions, the brothers who had lived and died alongside them throughout the journey.
The deaths of around forty Argonauts filled them with deep resentment toward the true culprits behind all this.
Even as mortals who dared not voice their fury openly, that resentment took root deep within their hearts.
And that was precisely what Alaric wanted to see.
Watching the heroes before him begin to voice grievances against the gods, Alaric finally smiled in satisfaction.
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