Creak...
At midnight, with a soft sound, the Argo's constant rocking, which had gone on without pause for three days and nights since leaving Icarus Harbor, came to an abrupt stop.
The Argonauts, startled awake, checked that nothing was wrong, relaxed their guard, and lay back down. But without the familiar nightly creak of the hull to lull them to sleep, they tossed and turned, unable to drift off.
If you're going to do it, then do it. Are we supposed to sleep or not?
The sleepless Argonauts lay there with bloodshot eyes wide open, casting resentful looks toward a corner that had turned into a snake's nest, hearts full of bitterness.
Cool moonlight filtered through the lattice window into the misty room. Several giant purplish-red snakes, tangled and fused from strands of hair, hung down from the bed and sprawled winding across the floor, stretching languidly like creatures soaking in warm water.
On the inner side of the bed, the Serpent Goddess Gorgon, her body swollen as if inflated to a length of three meters and full in figure, lay with relaxed brows and a satisfied smile at the corners of her lips.
The two culprits lay in her arms like dolls, held fast by two extended lotus-white arms.
The two goddesses, both tiny and slight of frame, were curled up like silkworms in cocoons even in sleep. Their brows were tightly drawn, and tears still clung unshed at the corners of their eyes.
At the same time, the two sisters had their fingers pressed together, as if drawing comfort from each other. They had obviously been put through hell.
The outer side of the bed was in no better shape. Three more victims, two adults and one child, still flushed with lingering red, were huddled together in each other's arms.
The fur on catlike tails stood on end, a bird's rainbow wings trembled, pointed elf-like ears were red as blood. Every one of those sensitive features still carried the afterglow of having been thoroughly overrun.
The figure who sat up under the silver light first carefully unwrapped the purplish-red snake tail coiled around his waist, then lifted aside the colorful bird wings covering him, then gently moved away a catlike paw that had left bloody scratch marks across his chest. After tucking the blanket around them, he made his way carefully through the snake hair coiling across the floor, stepping around it like he was dodging thunderbolts, until he reached the door.
A moment later, the dark figure, now dressed, crept out of the room on tiptoe. He cast one lingering look back at the bed full of languid, sprawled bodies, then quietly closed the door and turned toward the deck.
But the moment he reached the corner, the white-haired physician leaning in the shadows wordlessly produced an incubator, his expression full of meaning.
"A battle is coming, and the medical tools you have on hand are far too crude. For the sake of better treatment for the wounded, I've decided to personally design a set of surgical instruments for you. They'll definitely be more practical than what you're using now."
Samael glanced at the limp snakes inside, then immediately slung an arm around the God of Medicine's shoulder and made the suggestion with heartfelt sincerity.
"Deal."
The God of Medicine nodded and raised a hand, passing the incubator over to the Holy King.
Samael took the evidence and promptly tossed it into the deep sea. White spray washed away that particular sin. The two exchanged a subtle look. Everything that needed to be said had been said without words.
"Well now, caught you red-handed at last! Brother, so you really were awake long ago!"
Just as the two were carrying out their secret little deal, Jason popped out from the stairwell with a grin, exposing the truth of their transaction in a single sentence. The glint in his eyes only made him look more certain, and his face was full of teasing delight.
Not bad, that trick. You even skipped the explanation phase and just slept them into submission. Maybe I should try that myself from now on...
...No, forget it. Humans have limits. I can't compare myself to this kind of beast. It'd only wound my pride.
While grumbling inwardly with no small amount of envy at a certain human-shaped pile driver who still looked energetic enough that he obviously had not even gone all out, Jason suddenly straightened his face and let out a chilly snort.
"You two have been caught! This isn't the kind of thing one bottle of mead will settle!"
"Understood. Then two bottles."
Caught by the handle, Samael immediately nodded with grave seriousness and raised the price on the spot.
"Deal."
Jason nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the white-haired physician and subtly rubbed his thumb against his index finger.
Asclepius pondered for a moment, then slowly lifted his head and spoke in an eerie tone.
"Your kidneys are weak..."
"..."
Jason's breath caught. His face flushed red. He opened his mouth, about to defend his honor and prove that after incarnating in the Pure Land of Bliss he had been incredibly virile while fooling around with all those nymphs.
"I have medicine..."
But the white-haired physician's next words instantly silenced the captain. Jason's expression loosened, and he furtively pulled Asclepius aside for a low, hurried whisper.
After a round of teeth-gritted bargaining, Jason finally got what he wanted and, satisfied at last, secretly tucked two suspicious blue pills into his robes.
With the three-party consensus reached, Samael was first dragged to the God of Medicine's clinic, where he searched through the hazy memories of his previous life and sketched out a magically modified set of surgical instruments to settle his end of the bargain. Then Jason hauled him up to the watchtower to continue this thoroughly dirty deal.
"Yours..."
Leaning against one side, Samael reached into a Magecraft array and pulled out two bottles of mead, tossing them over to Jason as hush money.
"Catch!"
To his surprise, the captain immediately tossed one of them back with a grin and raised his bottle in invitation.
Samael smiled in understanding, pulled the cork, clinked bottles with his old friend, and tipped his head back for a long drink.
"Brother, tell me in secret. When exactly did you wake up?"
After several rounds of drink, Jason could not suppress his curiosity any longer. He nudged Samael with his elbow and asked with exaggeratedly suggestive brows.
"Uh, about a day and a half ago..."
Samael clinked bottles with his old friend again and answered frankly. His gaze drifted toward that residence below, deep and far away, while the corners of his lips slowly rose.
His relationship with Big Sis had long since been defined through trials of life and death. There was no need to say anything more.
As for Medea and Circe.
Even the passage of a thousand years had not shaken their attachment to that promise.
Clearly, the feelings buried inside them had already put down deep roots. He himself had been stirring the same way. So taking the opportunity to draw them too into that shared pleasure left the Ancient Serpent with no regret at all.
Besides, he was not exactly a proper snake. At this point he barely counted as a proper human being either.
Right. As long as I don't have human morality, human morality can't bind me.
As a god, strong desire was hardly something shameful.
So rather than awkwardly avoiding it, it was better to follow his nature, boldly go forward, accept one another openly, and give Ana, Atalanta, Medea, and Circe some answer for all these years of waiting.
As for Stheno and Euryale...
Well, the one who actually dragged them into the room had been the enlarged Medusa after their divine natures resonated. That was just an inseparable trait of the three Gorgon sisters.
What goes around comes around. The two troublemakers had accidentally become the butt of the joke themselves, and after being teased by them countless times, Samael naturally saw no need to show any mercy.
After all, educating one's students was a teacher's sacred duty.
Samael gently swirled the bottle in his hand. A thoroughly wicked smile spread across his lips, and a thickly malicious gleam spilled from his dark eyes.
Yes. Gratitude. Surely his two beloved pupils now had nothing in their hearts but gratitude.