At the same moment, Samael flashed down beneath the collapsing section of the city wall. Raising a hand, he propped up a protective barrier formed by Medusa's Shield, blocking the crashing bricks and stones.
Once the tremors faded and the dust settled, the Ancient Serpent withdrew the divine shield and turned toward the two freeloaders sprawled on their lounge chairs, frowning.
"Are you two alright?"
"Oh my, brave hero, did you come all this way just to check on your goddess?"
"Being this concerned… won't little Medusa get jealous?"
Stheno and Euryale were still lazily reclining on the vine chairs, with no intention of getting up. They even copied Samael and Medusa from earlier, clasping hands with each other, exchanging exaggerated winks as they laughed and teased.
With their immortality, even if they had taken the hit head-on, it wouldn't have amounted to more than a light tap for them.
"Feeling restless again, are you? Get up and get back to work!"
Samael shot a glance at the now-chaotic worksite. Veins throbbed at his temple as he reached out and dragged one of the slacking goddesses straight off the chair without another word.
Instead of repenting, the two disasters immediately took advantage of the situation. Their slender arms coiled around Samael's elbows, clinging to him from both sides like koalas, rubbing up against him as they went.
"Mm-hm, such a bold invitation, brave hero. I'll take the left side…"
"Then I'll take the right. Sorry, little Medusa, there's no space for you~"
The two troublemaking goddesses wore malicious grins as they openly teased their youngest sister, Medusa, who stood there utterly flustered.
Thump! Thump!
The next instant, righteous fists came down squarely on both Euryale's and Stheno's heads. Each of the scheming goddesses clutched the swelling bumps on their heads, squatting on the ground as they sulked and muttered complaints.
"Unbelievable! I'm a goddess loved by all, you heartless demon! You don't know the first thing about cherishing women!"
"Exactly! Euryale and I are this cute! We're phenomena born to ensnare any hero! Men might survive a brief taste, but once they get close, they'll fall completely under our charm! And this is how you treat two adorable goddesses? Hah! You've got no sense of romance at all. Your heart must be made of stone!"
Samael looked the two "adorable" goddesses up and down with open disdain. His gaze lingered somewhere in particular, eyes full of contempt as he let out a cold laugh.
"Tch. Even if I were desperate, I wouldn't stoop to taking interest in two underdeveloped fried eggs."
Underdeveloped… fried eggs?
Stheno and Euryale stiffened. Both sisters instinctively looked down at their flat chests, then took the full force of the vicious follow-up. Veins bulged like earthworms on their foreheads, their delicate faces filled with furious indignation.
Bastard! Do you even understand what 'cute' means?! Eternal youth is a goddess's standard feature, alright?!
"You two, behave yourselves and get back to work. Keep running your mouths and I'll throw you into the forest behind the city to manage magical beasts with the Mother of Serpents!"
Faced with the threat from a thoroughly unscrupulous instructor, Stheno and Euryale immediately imagined the Mother of Serpents' strict supervision and the filthy, chaotic environment of the beast pens. Swallowing their resentment, they finally lowered their heads and obediently helped carry materials.
After putting the two disasters in their place, Samael continued his inspection. To his surprise, among the Magi and craftsmen repairing the wall, he spotted two familiar figures.
"Theseus-sama!"
The moment she saw Samael, Medea hurried over at a small run. Her shimmering violet eyes fixed themselves to his handsome face, excitement coloring her cheeks with a rosy flush.
Circe instinctively shrank back, only daring to pat her chest in relief after double-checking that the wall was truly fine, before cautiously stepping closer.
As long as this monster hadn't come to scold her, that was already a blessing.
The great witch of Aeaea had long grown used to living in the shadow of a certain serpent, her thoughts reduced to the same quiet humility.
"You've worked hard…"
After learning that the two of them had volunteered to reinforce the city walls and mass-produce automatons, helping ease the pressure on the front lines due to the shortage of craftsmen and defensive Magi, Samael gently patted their heads, his expression filled with approval and satisfaction.
"Not hard at all, not hard at all! Not hard in the slightest! Just being able to help you makes me happy."
Little Medea spoke with pure delight, brimming with enthusiasm.
Once she calmed down a little, the young witch pressed her pearly teeth together, lightly biting her lower lip as she looked up at Samael with hopeful eyes.
"Theseus-sama… may I ask you something?"
"Of course. What do you want to know?"
Faced with such a well-behaved girl, Samael answered with a smile.
"I… I'm already fourteen. When will I be considered grown up?"
Summoning her courage, little Medea asked, her gaze fixed intently on him.
"Ahem… physically speaking, probably at sixteen."
Samael cleared his throat, replying with a helpless, wry smile under her eager stare.
"Sixteen… that's fine. Only two more years. It'll be soon…"
With a definite answer in hand, little Medea excitedly pumped her small fist.
Afraid the girl might say something even more shocking, Samael immediately shifted his attention and turned to a certain noteworthy figure from Crete.
"You're Daedalus?"
"Yes, my lord."
The slightly balding old man stepped forward with a beaming smile and bowed deeply in deference.
Samael narrowed his eyes. The dangerous, predatory aura of a serpent sizing up its prey washed over Daedalus, sending a chill down his spine. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he sat on edge.
"Do your work properly. Don't waste your talent. Otherwise, your nephew is very eager to see you again."
The low, ominous whisper made Daedalus flinch. Fear flashed across his face as he nodded frantically.
The Ancient Serpent withdrew his gaze and waved Daedalus away.
There was no denying that his city-building skills were exceptional. He could construct wonders like the Minotaur's labyrinth, a structure imbued with concepts of deception and confinement. With him involved, the defensive capability of the city walls would increase dramatically. Still, this old man's past was anything but clean.
Originally an Athenian of some renown, his nephew had once studied sculpture under him. At first, Daedalus taught him earnestly, but after several years, the nephew's skill surpassed his own. Gifted with remarkable talent, the boy went on to invent the potter's wheel and the rotating lathe, causing a sensation and rapidly gaining fame.
Consumed by jealousy, Daedalus eventually seized an opportunity and pushed his nephew off the Acropolis.
When the crime was exposed, Daedalus was tried in court and sentenced to death. To escape punishment, he fled to Crete with his son.
Though the situation demanded his skills, it was still necessary to give him a warning, lest the old man sense danger and take off with those wings of his.
After staying behind to resolve some issues with the wall construction and assigning the task of keeping an eye on Daedalus to the foreman, Young Bull, Samael finally felt at ease enough to lead Medusa onward to inspect the next area.
Watching the dark demon recede and disappear from view, Stheno and Euryale immediately dropped their bricks. Instead of returning to their lounge chairs, they sat side by side atop the wall, gazing silently beyond the Magecraft barrier at the waves of grunts crashing forward and the storm-shrouded sea under heavy clouds.
"To have time to stroll around with Medusa at a moment like this…"
"Yeah. He even answered that little girl's question seriously for once…"
"Looks like this time, things are going to be rough…"
"But there's one thing that makes me angrier the more I think about it!"
"Hm?"
"That brat Medea is a fried egg too, isn't she? Why the double standard?! That's just infuriating!"
Stheno, who had been quietly nursing a sense of unease, looked at the indignant, teeth-gritting Euryale beside her. After a moment of serious contemplation, she nodded firmly.
"You're right. There's no logic to it at all. He must be blind."