As Atalanta had said, the location of the Golden Fleece was none other than Medea's homeland.
A prince from a foreign land was warmly welcomed by King Aeëtes of Colchis—Medea's father.
This prince slaughtered the golden ram he had brought with him, offering it as a sacrifice to King Zeus in gratitude for saving him from disaster.
He then gifted the Golden Fleece to Aeëtes.
The king, in turn, presented the precious fleece as an offering to the war god Ares, nailing it in a sacred grove dedicated to him.
An oracle had foretold that if the Golden Fleece were ever lost, the king would perish as well!
Thus, he stationed a fearsome and monstrous dragon to guard it.
This was the origin of the Golden Fleece—and the very task the crew of the Argo would soon face.
Medea stared confidently at the massive wooden ship on the screen. "Come on, then. Watch my performance—I guarantee it'll be infinitely better than yours!"
She was, after all, the infamous witch of Greek mythology.
Her lineage was noble—she was the granddaughter of Helios, the second-generation Sun God, and the Oceanid Perse.
A true demigod, her status was no less than that of the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, who was also a demigod.
Her talent in magecraft was extraordinary, earning her the tutelage of Hecate, the goddess of magic and crossroads.
This mentor was a second-generation Titan, wielding dominion over [Opportunity] and [Magic]—powers capable of altering fate itself.
Her status was so exceptional that even King Zeus had to show her respect.
"Oh? Then let's see."
Atalanta's gaze sharpened.
In the video, she had indeed acted somewhat embarrassingly—completely unlike her usual fierce and decisive hunter persona.
Since she had faltered, she needed to see the other woman falter even more.
Just then, a group of children cautiously approached, staring at the two with wide eyes.
Atalanta smiled. "These are some of the more talented children—likely your future students. Let them witness your brilliance too."
"Of course!"
Medea agreed without hesitation.
As a world-renowned and formidable witch, she had decided to become a teacher—and she intended to thoroughly impress her students.
The children gazed at her with reverence, their eyes filled with admiration and anticipation.
It suddenly dawned on Medea why her mentor had taken her as a student.
This feeling of being utterly idolized by her pupils—it was exhilarating!
Once they saw her performance in the Age of Gods video, their admiration would only grow stronger.
The mere thought filled her with immense satisfaction!
On the screen, a dashing hero warily observed the sudden arrival of the group.
He asked solemnly, "I am Jason, captain of the Argo. Are you joining this voyage as well?"
"Yes," Nameless nodded.
"Good, then we shall be companions from now on, journeying together to the legendary island of Colchis!"
Jason nodded in return.
He had been adopted by the centaur Chiron, who taught him formidable skills.
Originally intending to reclaim the throne usurped by his uncle, Jason was instead demanded to bring back the Golden Fleece as ransom.
To this end, Jason gathered adventurers from across Greece and built an unprecedented ship—
The Argo!
Initially uneasy, Jason finally gained some confidence after seeing the mighty crew members one by one.
Standing at the bow, he declared loudly, "Friends, let us conquer these seas together, find the Golden Fleece, and return victorious with fine wine! Set sail!"
Heracles strode forward, his bulging muscles straining as he single-handedly pushed the massive ship from the shore into the sea.
His unparalleled might instantly drew cheers from everyone onshore.
Seeing this fellow disciple who had also trained under Chiron, Jason felt assured of their voyage's success!
"Set sail!"
The heroes shouted spirited slogans, waving farewell to the onlookers as they departed.
However.
Not long after setting sail.
The group had already begun drinking wildly.
Mash leaned toward Nameless, whispering, "Senpai, won't this delay our mission?"
"You'll get used to it."
Nameless's lips twitched slightly.
He firmly declined when Heracles, holding a barrel of wine, tried to toast him in gratitude.
Modern-day Greece.
Not far from Atalanta and Medea.
The heroic spirit Jason, manifested in reality, gazed with a smile at the countless people below.
Now revered as Greece's guardian heroic spirit, he enjoyed the adoration of the entire nation.
After the release of the Olympus Video, he promptly arranged for the public to witness his glorious exploits.
The crowd buzzed with excitement.
-[I can't wait to see Lord Jason's heroic deeds!]
-[I wonder who was stronger back then—Lord Jason or Heracles!]
-[Once the video ends, we should showcase Lord Jason's achievements for the people!]
…
When [Alaya]'s video premiered, there was no option to take it offline, censor it, or blur anything—
Not even fast-forwarding was possible!
The entire world had to watch it simultaneously, making it the most conscientious uploader imaginable.
Seeing himself and the other heroes feasting and drinking heartily, Jason smiled faintly. "That era demanded such boldness from heroes."
Surviving in an age teeming with gods required indulging in food and drink, after all.
They, the Greeks, were the true warrior race!
The video continued.
Scene after scene flashed by, plunging Jason into silence.
Why did this suddenly feel like a public execution?
Because in the following footage.
The legendary Argonauts began enthusiastically "helping" the threatened villagers along the coast.
They effortlessly drove off bandits and robbers, beheading them all as trophies.
Then, they became the bandits themselves!
Forcing villagers to "voluntarily" offer their wealth and women!
Modern viewers watching the video were utterly astonished—
-[These so-called heroes are nothing but a bunch of bandits!]
-[Damn, the dragon slayers have become the dragons!]
-[Pretty normal. Just think of heroes as underworld bosses collecting protection money!]
-[Speaking of which, doesn't this feel exactly like us Fourth Calamity players?]
-[Holy shit, now that you mention it! In games, after helping NPCs, I'd ransack every chest and leave nothing behind!]
...
"Tch, these heroes are just robbers, no different from Fourth Calamity players!" Roya couldn't help but exclaim.
As an avid gamer, she knew all too well about those role-playing games where players proudly proclaimed—
[Fourth Calamity!]
[Show us a health bar, and we'll slay even a god!]
Behind those grand slogans lay deeds no better than common bandits. Every time they entered an NPC's home, they'd rummage through every chest and destroy every breakable table or barrel!
"Well, it was the ancient times after all. Pretty normal behavior." Cú Chulainn rubbed his nose. In his era, so-called heroes weren't much better. Even he, the Child of Light, had committed his share of misdeeds.
"Britain..." Artoria began to protest, but stopped. In her time too, there had been plenty who called themselves knights while acting like brigands. Had Nameless not appeared when he did, she might have been killed by such men!
Artoria could only murmur softly, "Nameless is the perfect heroic knight, embodying the ideals of heroism and chivalry better than any other!"
"Indeed..." Souma felt slightly awkward. While he'd received many compliments, hearing them directly was still embarrassing.
"Right! Among all these bandit-like heroes, Nameless remains untainted by the mud!" Roya clicked her tongue in admiration. "Faced with such a perfect hero, no wonder even Atalanta—who swore never to love a man—found herself moved."
On screen, the huntress leaned casually against Nameless's left side, casting a glance at Mash on his right.
Atalanta sniffed lightly. "You really are different from these people."
"Perhaps it's just a difference in upbringing." Nameless sighed softly as he watched the returning heroes laden with loot. "What people need is a king who can lead them to a happy future, not heroes."
"Do you wish to be that king?" Atalanta's eyes gleamed faintly.
"Heavy is the head that wears the crown. I am but a nameless passerby." Nameless shook his head gently.
He was merely carrying the mission to restore human order—fame and glory meant nothing to him.
Joining the Argo was only to complete Athena's trial and gain the assistance of the Olympian gods.
"You really are different..."
Atalanta gazed up at the moonlight and murmured softly.
Those so-called heroes combined couldn't compare to the man beside her.
During the voyage—
The sea suddenly churned violently as a small island emerged from the waters.
Upon it stood a breathtakingly beautiful maiden.
She looked at the ship full of heroes and declared loudly, "Heroes, may I have a moment of your time? I wish to tell you about our god!"
"Prepare for battle!"
Jason gave the order without hesitation.
Even before setting sail, he knew terrifying monsters would lurk in these waters.
"It seems you are unworthy of becoming believers of our god. Then, die!" The maiden's lips split apart, revealing rows of jagged fangs.
Then, the island beneath her feet began extending dozens of meters of monstrous tentacles.
The so-called beautiful maiden was merely a disguise for this abomination.
The battle erupted instantly.
Most of the heroes, lacking ranged attacks, could only fight desperately against the tentacles from the ship.
Nameless and Atalanta, however, relentlessly fired arrows, bombarding the monster.
But—
Even when the tentacles were blasted apart, they regenerated instantly, completely unharmed.
"Someone needs to go and cut off the monster's head!"
Nameless said gravely, looking at the captain.
"Eh, how do we get there?"
Jason gulped.
The monster was in the sea, its tentacles more than capable of slaughtering heroes with ease.
Moreover, the monster fiercely protected its maiden head, shielding it with a powerful magical barrier that effortlessly deflected arrows.
"That's where our resident strongman comes in."
Nameless glanced at the future Hercules.
"No problem!"
Heracles nodded without hesitation.
Then, he grabbed Jason and, standing at the ship's bow, began spinning rapidly.
"W-Wait, put me down!"
Jason couldn't help but scream.
But it was futile—under Heracles' peerless strength, he was hurled straight at the monster like a projectile—
[Spinning Thrust Swordsman!]
Whoosh!
Jason transformed into an arrow, piercing through the countless tentacles—
His blade struck the maiden's head, cleaving it clean off!
The flailing tentacles froze mid-motion.
The monster was slain!
After scrambling back onto the ship, Jason fumed, "What if I had been in danger?!"
"But we solved the problem."
Nameless patted his shoulder with a smile. "In the future, the tales will sing of how you heroically slew this monster. You'll be a legend!"
The onlookers burst into laughter—
-[Damn, Nameless literally used Jason as a Noble Phantasm!]
-[Arash: You're a 'great hero' too? But how come you can come back after being launched just once?]
-[Congratulations, Jason, on earning the title 'Spinning Thrust Yellow Swordsman'!]
-[I wonder how the real Jason would react to this. Can't wait to see!]
***
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