Several days later, at the Cilician Marshes.
Two figures moved through the misty haze, surrounded by the constant rustling of unseen creatures. In this damp, shadowy environment, reptilian monsters formed the base of the food chain. Stealth and venom were their defining traits.
"Shh!"
"Pfft!"
A black gleam sliced through the air, followed by a dull tearing sound. Hidden in the shadows, blending with the vines, a human-faced demon spider was impaled through the skull by a spear and pinned to the trunk of a tree.
"Teacher Horse, tonight you're in for a treat. Prepare to taste my personally grilled spider legs."
Samael casually drew his jet-black spear, swiftly slicing off the eight most succulent legs of the human-faced demon spider. Discarding the meager, troublesome torso, he flashed Chiron a grin.
He promptly gathered dry branches, picked a few seasoning plants, and swiftly lit a fire. With practiced ease, he singed the hair off the spider legs and skewered them over the flames to roast.
"Uh, thanks, but no thanks. I'll stick to wild berries."
The centaur sage stared at the hairy, segmented limbs with their intricate patterns and gleaming tips. A wave of nausea welled up in him, and he shook his head in refusal.
"Seriously, grilled spider legs from the Cilician Marshes are legendary. The flavor rivals the Alaskan king crab I used to eat."
"Try one! The shell's crispy, and it tastes like chicken. You won't regret it!"
When the shells turned golden and crunchy, Samael pulled Chiron down by the fire and continued his eager invitation.
Faced with such persistence, the mild-tempered centaur sage could only sigh and give in with a wry smile.
Chiron accepted one spider leg and mimicked Samael's movements. He cracked open the shell, pulled out the snow-white meat within—smooth like cloves of garlic—squeezed lime juice over it, and popped it into his mouth.
With the first chew, his furrowed brow began to ease, his mental resistance slowly fading. Just as his new companion had promised, the meat was indeed delicious, reminiscent of coastal crab but carrying a faint forest fragrance. The lime drizzle gave it a unique, refreshing flavor.
Yet after sampling just one, Chiron shook his head at Samael's offer of more, quietly nibbling on wild berries instead to replenish his ether. He simply couldn't bring himself to fully embrace such an exotic insect feast, and a symbolic taste was enough.
Seeing this difference in taste, Samael didn't press the matter. He casually packed the remaining six legs into his bag, planning to bring them back as a treat for Tina, Athena, and Ana.
Once, the human-faced demon spiders had been mid-tier monsters that thrived in the Cilician Marshes, their numbers plentiful. But ever since someone had discovered their thigh meat was edible and recommended it to the nymphs and Typhon's offspring, the species had been nearly eaten to extinction.
In the days before their departure, Samael had circled the marshes several times and found not a trace of them. To those little ones, the spider legs were now a rare delicacy.
Since Chiron declined the bizarre insect feast, Samael gathered some edible mushrooms from nearby and stewed a pot of mushroom soup. Though the centaur sage appeared calm on the surface, the fact that he drank two bowls in quick succession made his satisfaction clear.
After hosting this educator he had essentially abducted, the ancient serpent lifted his spear, doused the fire, and rose slowly.
This weapon, reforged from the Scythe of Kronos, he had already revealed before Chiron several times. Once he was certain the centaur sage had noticed nothing unusual, he finally grew bold.
"The place you mentioned—we should be getting close, right?"
Facing the damp air of the marsh, Chiron rose, shook the water from his fur, and stepped forward to ask.
"Mhm. Follow this path for another day or two, and you'll meet your students, Teacher Horse."
Samael pointed toward the direction of the Arima Caverns with a faint smile.
"I hope I can truly be of some help to them..."
As they neared their destination, the long-isolated centaur Sage showed none of the calm composure that would later define the "Heroic Expedition." Instead, a flicker of unease crossed his eyes.
"You will. Your wisdom is precisely what they need..."
Samael placed a reassuring hand on his companion's shoulder, his gaze filled with certainty.
Is that so? Let's hope so…
If my arrival and efforts can change the fate of these children, then everything will have been worth it...
Chiron gazed into the thick mist and gave a small nod.
Guiding a group of children—some abandoned by their parents, others toyed with by fate—toward a new future. That was the reason a certain centaur Sage had allowed himself to be coaxed into this journey.
Having been despised by his own parents since birth, Chiron knew all too well the hardships of solitary life and the cruelty the world reserved for the weak. So, when he heard of young ones facing similar fates, his compassion was easily stirred.
Moreover, through his friend's words, Chiron suspected that the future awaiting Typhon's offspring would not be any brighter than his own had been. His parents had merely abandoned him, while Typhon, the Abyssal progenitor of monsters, clearly harbored ambitions to challenge the divine authority of Olympus.
These so-called offspring were likely nothing more than expendable pawns in his plans.
Having witnessed the fall of Mount Othrys, the centaur Sage knew well the power of the Olympian gods. Typhon's rebellion would almost certainly end in failure. Even if by some miracle it succeeded, the offspring of the Cilician Marshes would surely pay a devastating price.
And when Zeus eventually struck back to settle accounts, these children would not escape the backlash—they might even die without ever understanding why.
It was this shared suffering that compelled Chiron to travel so far, following Samael to the Cilician Marshes, ready to teach these young divine creatures and at least grant them the foundation of reason.
The Olympians, while far from spotless, at least maintained some pretense of dignity. They required excuses before acting. So long as Typhon's children could restrain their beastly instincts, they stood a chance of surviving in peace, at least for a while.
Beyond that, months of companionship had revealed to Chiron that his companion was an unexpectedly fascinating and erudite figure. His sayings on education, his ideas of founding schools to impart knowledge, and his vision of benefiting future generations all resonated deeply.
Compared to isolating himself on Mount Pelion, following Samael into the Cilician Marshes for the first steps of building such a school was undeniably more compelling.
And so, a certain centaur Sage was lured by the ancient serpent into the marshes, filled with ambition to contribute to the cause of education.
...
After two days of travel, Samael finally returned with Chiron to the land he had left half a year ago.
As they neared the Arima Cavern, nine dark, glimmering serpent heads emerged from behind the bushes, their deep vertical pupils fixed intently on the pair.
"Well, Little Nine, it's been a while."
Samael smiled warmly in greeting, his expression full of familiarity.
"Hiss!"
But the sharp hiss suddenly rose into a trembling cry. The Hydra's pupils contracted violently, as though recalling some terrible memory, and it bolted into the depths of the lair.
"What's with her?"
"Uh, must be the excitement of seeing us after so long..."
Chiron's expression was odd as he asked, and Samael answered with a dry laugh.
But before the ancient serpent could begin recounting his bond with the children, the branches shuddered and feathers rained down.
A harpy, terrified beyond reason, flapped her wings frantically and shrieked as she fled the thicket.
"Help! We're doomed! The Black Demon is back!"
In an instant, chaos erupted within the Arima Cavern, like the end of days had descended.
Hearing the uproar inside, Samael froze, his face stiffening as it darkened to the shade of charred iron.