Chapter 39 Legendary Heroes
His voice grew louder and higher with each passing moment.
The sound echoed across the temple square, almost drowning out the revelers...
Those still intoxicated, those intimate with women, and even the poets reciting ballads were all disturbed by these rough and loud shouts—
"Yara Messiah!"
"We have returned from the conquest of the Nemea Demon Lion!"
Thousands of citizens gathered in the square.
Silence had fallen...
They stared at the crowd with curiosity, shock, or disbelief...
Three people walked by.
Wherever they went.
People made way for them.
They made their way smoothly to the foot of the temple.
At this moment, the colossal bronze tower standing on the hill behind the temple reflects the cool moonlight.
Mysterious and gloomy.
Several priests dressed in sacred ceremonial robes followed the high priest and King Argos in the temple.
They stood outside the temple...
They could already hear the shouts echoing throughout the night from inside the temple...
The steps leading up to the temple are very high, numbering in the hundreds...
Yara and the other two stood at the bottom of the steps.
He looked up and stared at the King of Argos, whose face was half covered by a golden mask.
Behind him was a colossal bronze tower and the moonlight.
Behind Yara stood the people and the bonfire.
They saw King Argos emerge.
A surge of anger rose within Yara...
He gritted his teeth.
He once again raised the golden lion king's head high in his hands.
The sound was like a roar, like the howling of a lion.
This time, the sound was much louder and clearer than before!
So much so that those nearby felt a deafening roar—
"I!"
"Yara!"
"God's anointed one..."
"The First Messiah!"
"Today."
"Conquer the Nemeria Demon Lion—"
"Return!"
The sound echoed endlessly.
It was clearly transmitted to everyone's ears.
And the next moment.
Yara stepped onto the stairs.
His figure climbed step by step in the moonlight.
The lion-skin cloak, like a golden cape, swayed in the wind...
Until you reach the summit...
He stood facing the King of Argos.
The wind swirled around the two of them.
The cloak billowed.
One gold, one red...
One is young, the other is old...
One will eventually achieve glory.
It will eventually be destroyed...
A lament that resembles a couplet.
The moonlight cast long shadows of the two of them.
It spread across the steps.
The poets in the crowd were deeply moved by this scene...
It was as if they themselves had stumbled into a fabricated story and history.
We've stumbled upon the very beginnings of those songs and epics...
The Muses seemed to have sprinkled inspiration into the minds of the bards...
Those arias, poems, and long sentences.
Words gathered in their mouths, eventually overflowing along with tears—
"The Messiah returns like a king—"
"Step onto the long staircase of the night..."
...
...
"You actually did it."
King Argos looked at Yara indifferently.
But you...didn't do it!
Yara gritted her teeth, staring at King Argos with bloodshot eyes.
King Argos was slightly taken aback, but quickly understood what Yara meant.
He snorted coldly and said:
"I didn't hurt your wife..."
Instead, they took good care of it.
"Your wife is pregnant..."
"And in my temple, there are priests skilled in midwifery, and the most complete supply of herbs..."
Yara was taken aback. Hearing that his wife was alright, his anger subsided considerably. However, he still stared intently into King Argos's eyes and growled:
"I need to see her..."
"You know yourself that your words are not credible!"
King Argos snorted coldly and did not answer Yara's question.
He leaned on his scepter and stepped further over Yara.
He stood before the temple, above all people.
It seems he had this plan in mind all along...
Therefore, when he said these words, he did so with almost no hesitation.
Addressing the still-silent people, King Argos proclaimed in a loud voice—
"To honor the strongest warrior, Yara Messiah, for his feat of slaying the Nemean Lion!"
"From this day forward, I establish a new glory beyond warriors—"
"[hero]!"
"From this day forward, Argos will classify its warriors as follows:"
"[Bronze Warriors], [Silver Warriors], [Gold Warriors], and [Heroes]..."
"Yara Messiah, for her great feat of slaying the Nemean Lion, surpassed the limits that all warriors could reach..."
"It will be the Kingdom of Argos, all of Middle-earth, and indeed the entire world..."
"The first one—"
"Legendary hero!"
King Argos glanced at Ara beside him, then addressed the people:
"People of the kingdom!"
"Let's cheer for the hero Messiah!"
The square was brightly lit by bonfires, and thousands of people hesitated for a moment before...
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause.
Those who were harmed by the Nemean Lion...
They even shed tears as they praised the hero's name.
It was like worshipping a deity.
We go to worship that heroic messiah...
Seeing all this, Yara was at a loss.
He had considered that this trip into the city might be a fierce battle...
Perhaps the army of the King of Argos will surround him...
He even considered that the masters of the Nemean Lion, the Olympian gods, would turn against him...
But he never expected it to end like this—
His achievements were passed down by word of mouth among thousands...
His heroic name will be forever remembered...
Although the King of Argos captured his wife, he did not mistreat her...
Everything seems different from what I imagined...
He looked at King Argos.
King Argos snorted coldly and said:
"I just ordered your wife to be brought to the temple."
"You can go see her now."
Yara opened her mouth:
"you..."
But he found himself unable to say anything.
He then glanced at Pan and Old Tyr behind him.
Both of them shook their heads.
Yara took a deep breath and said:
"Walk."
...
Inside the temple.
Sure enough, Sarah was there; Yara's wife was being helped to sit at a table.
His wife looked radiant; she appeared to be receiving excellent care...
The clothes were made of soft, warm velvet, making her look just like a well-maintained noblewoman.
"Ya...Yara...it really is you!"
Upon seeing Yara, his wife burst into tears.
She had forgotten how long it had been since she had seen her husband...
Her longing surged like the tide, and every night she entrusted it to the moonlight.
I hope the moonlight can convey my love.
Yara rushed forward.
He comforted his pregnant wife.
He embraced his wife, gently kissed her forehead, and felt a great sense of relief.
"I'm so glad you're alright... I'm so glad you're alright..."
We hadn't even exchanged two sentences yet.
Yara and his wife were then separated by the guards.
Yara frowned and looked at King Argos beside her.
To be honest, he couldn't quite see through this shrewd old fox...
The King of Argos stared at him with desolate eyes, and spoke in an aged voice:
"I will grant you the land of Canaan... ceding it to you, almost as if it were a cession, as you wish..."
"I will have all people worship you and commemorate you... In the square, I will erect a bronze statue in your honor to remember your achievements..."
"I will also have the most skilled priestess deliver your wife's baby... and treat your wife and offspring with the utmost respect..."
"However much money you want, I'll give you that much money..."
"Even if you want an army, as long as you pledge allegiance to me, you will be the commander-in-chief of ten thousand armies..."
Yara felt an overwhelming sense of unreality and absurdity...like she was dreaming?
The king before me is known for his tyranny and murder.
Yet they treated him like this...almost like a compliment?
The cheers and glory of the people made Yara feel a little elated...
He patted his head.
His innate caution made him uneasy.
He always felt something was off...
But no matter what, I can't figure out where the problem is.
At that moment, the long-dormant eyes of the King of Argos suddenly flashed with a bloodthirsty killing intent:
"As long as you..."
"Completed, the last item of our vow—"
"Kill..."
"Son of Zeus!"
...