Chapter 25 – Back Again
As a time traveler, Hikigaya Hachiman was clearly not a very qualified one.
Despite possessing divine authority—a cheat skill of epic proportions—he hadn't overthrown ancient rulers to become a king himself, nor had he built a grand harem.
He had also completely failed to grasp the true significance of his omnipotence in an age when gods reigned supreme over the human spirit.
Although this was technically his second time traveling through time, the guy behaved as though he'd just taken a stroll through the park outside his house—messing around casually, satisfied just to look at the flowers and trees, in his usual lazy fashion.
Thankfully, someone from the same era had finally reminded him.
Though that reminder was given, only he knew how seriously he took it...
After easily wiping out Minos' pitifully small chariot forces, at least his actions didn't disappoint Haruno too much—he left the way he came.
Altering the very nature of his body once again, he transformed into a hot wind and swept up Haruno and the Egyptian envoys, heading straight for Knossos.
As one of the most advanced cities in the ancient Near East, Knossos wasn't like cities in Asia Minor, surrounded by high walls that protected the entire urban area.
Defensive structures only existed around certain important parts of the city, similar to the style of Egyptian cities.
So when the wind swept up the dust from the ground, forming a gray wall of air pressing down like Mount Tai upon this Aegean center of civilization, many of Knossos' citizens—who had no access to such protection—saw the scene directly and screamed in terror.
Their cries, under some mysterious force, were clearly heard by Haruno and the Egyptian envoys carried along with the wind.
"That idiot Hachiman… what the hell is he trying to do…" Haruno smiled wryly from inside the storm, though deep down she felt a bit of satisfaction. After all, she'd suffered no small amount of exclusion from those arrogant high priests.
In Haruno's eyes now, Knossos looked like an opened-up ant nest.
The city had tens of thousands of people, most of whom lived outside the high walls. Now, they were desperately rushing toward the north—toward Knossos' harbor.
As for the Knossos elites, they took a completely different route. Pouring out from their wall-protected residences, they ran toward the Knossos palace.
As someone who had been a regular there, Haruno knew they were hoping to rely on the palace's protective power, although she doubted that would work against Hachiman.
Especially now that he had suddenly taken on such a menacing posture, Haruno genuinely had no idea what he was thinking...
If he wanted the people of Knossos to see him as a god, shouldn't he adopt a more benevolent image?
Haruno had to admit, someone capable of killing gods didn't exactly think like normal people—probably best not to try guessing.
Just as she thought Hachiman was going to storm right in, the storm dissipated. She and the Egyptian envoys were gently lowered back to the ground, and Hachiman reappeared before them.
They were once again in the city of Knossos.
In the distance, they could see the palace atop a high slope. This was the residential district. Normally, the streets here were bustling, but now it was as quiet as a field stripped bare by locusts—not a single breathing soul in sight.
"What now?" Haruno finally couldn't help but ask. These constant surprises were driving her mad.
"What else? Just gave them a little scare. No need to get so worked up." Hachiman stroked his chin and grinned. "Suddenly occurred to me—they might actually be useful."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't forget about your sister. I suspect she ended up in a different place, just like you. Since the Minoan fleet dominates the Aegean Sea, maybe they can help me find her."
"My sister's here too?!" Haruno was stunned.
She had always believed she was the only one who had ended up in this strange world.
That belief had been a key motivator in helping her survive in solitude.
"I told you, don't get worked up. She's definitely safe—I can guarantee that," Hachiman reassured her before heading toward the palace.
But Haruno's heart was still uneasy. She bit her lip and followed him.
Their path to the palace was completely unobstructed. The Egyptian envoys, in particular, felt the difference.
When they had first arrived, the Minoans had given them all sorts of trouble. This wasn't surprising given the political climate: the current Egyptian kingdom lacked real power, and many small states in the Near East preferred subjugation under the stern Hittites rather than allegiance to Egypt's gold.
The 18th Dynasty's power-based diplomacy had long since become a thing of the past, buried in the dust of history.
These days, Egypt relied on gold diplomacy—and without the gold of Nubia, it would be hard even to maintain the illusion of control over a few petty vassal states.
In the face of divine winds, however, these Egyptian envoys finally felt a taste of the ease and dominance their forebears once enjoyed in the 18th Dynasty.
This made their reverence for Hachiman even stronger.
This was an era where humanity wholeheartedly worshipped gods—divine power was the absolute truth of the world.
When Hachiman reached the palace gates, many of Knossos' elites and their servants were still gathered outside, unable to get in.
At the sight of him, their faces went deathly pale. The braver ones fled in all directions, while the more timid collapsed to the ground and didn't dare move.
Hachiman ignored them, striding toward the palace entrance.
The gates hadn't even been closed—the original guards had fled the moment the wind began. He walked in boldly, as though returning to his own home.
Not long after entering, he turned to Haruno and asked, "Meant to ask you earlier—what's that smell on the first floor?"
"That's the stench of the palace of the dead," Haruno replied helplessly. "Enough fooling around. Let's hurry and find Yukino, okay? That girl can't do anything—being alone in a place like this is dangerous for her!"
"So basically, in your eyes, she's synonymous with being useless, huh..." Hachiman was speechless.
Though he privately shared a similar opinion about Yukino's ability to function in the ancient world, hearing it from her own sister just confirmed it—Yukino was a full-on troublemaker in her family's eyes.
"Don't worry. One of my subordinates should be with her. A native Egyptian. With him around, your sister's antics should be limited," Hachiman said as he pinched his nose. "This smell isn't exactly strong, but it's not weak either. It's annoying. Don't tell me your room has this stink too?"
"No. The high priests all live on the second floor. It doesn't smell like this there."
"Then lead the way. I figure those priestesses should be a bit more rational now."
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