No mistake about it. It really was her.
Helen, the Spartan princess, an old acquaintance who had once slipped off to the Calydonian Hunt with the twin swords Castor and Pollux.
And according to the crash course in Greek Age of Gods history that Amazon Queen Hippolyta had given him back in the [Land of Nothingness], the Trojan War, the great contest stirred up between the old and new gods, had nothing to do with this so-called most beautiful woman in Greece at all.
Because Helen had always remained devoted to the virgin goddess Artemis, sworn to preserve her chastity. Though famed far and wide for her beauty, she had remained unmarried to this day.
Samael was not especially surprised by this slight divergence in history.
Back in that age, it was either kill or be killed. The Greek city-states fought each other like mad over every bizarre reason imaginable.
Not to mention that Troy stood squarely in the path of Greek expansion, and its wealth and population had the Greeks practically drooling.
Even before the Trojan War fully erupted, veteran marauders like Heracles and Telamon had already turned raiding Troy, fighting, looting, and stealing people, into a classic pastime.
King Priam of Troy had ascended the throne precisely because he had watched his father and brother get cut down with his own eyes, while he himself had only narrowly escaped, leaving him next in line to inherit.
Because of that, the old king had mastered the art of survival. Even as Troy grew stronger with the aid of his son Hector and the gods' protection, he remained committed to maintaining good relations with the Greek states, showing no desire at all to raise an army and avenge his father and brother.
In fact, before the Trojan War even began, the reason Hector had led a fleet to Mycenae and Sparta was because of conflicts of interest. Acting on his father's orders, he had gone to try and negotiate peace terms with Agamemnon.
In the end, the relationship was not repaired. Then Paris, the son the old king had brought home, abducted Helen, the wife of Agamemnon's younger brother Menelaus.
More than that, Paris had also carried off quite a few Greek women, along with King Menelaus's treasure.
And so, with Agamemnon pulling strings behind the scenes, the Trojan War began.
The very fact that Agamemnon had been able to rally such widespread support said everything about how the Greeks already felt about Troy.
In the end, Helen had just been an excuse to start the war.
So even without Helen, two tigers could never share one mountain. The Greeks and Trojans were always going to go to war sooner or later.
And besides, the gods had been scheming and pushing things along from behind the curtain. Those involved had no choice but to serve as pieces on the board, fated to be moved by destiny's wheel.
Unfortunately, that old king of Troy had never seen through that truth. For all his patient temperament, he still could not escape the ruin of his city and the destruction of his house.
Good thing I kept the disguise on.
Feeling a little guilty, Samael raised a hand and touched the cheek that now bore a distinctly West Asian appearance. After running through the whole historical chain of events in his head and confirming that the logic held up perfectly, his brow finally eased.
So this definitely wasn't his fault, right?
His eyes flickered. Looking toward the carriage door and the High Priestess of the Temple of the Moon, renowned throughout Greece, the Ancient Serpent placed his right hand over his chest and gave a slight bow.
"Your Excellency, High Priestess, a pleasure. I'm a traveler who makes his living as a hunter. I happened to be passing by and lent a hand. Of course, judging by the way you're dressed, I'd also be happy to earn a little extra commission while I'm at it."
"Hunting? I've never seen a hunter like you."
The Queen of Sparta remained every bit as wary and sharp as before, still unconvinced about the stranger's origins.
"Of course. Some hunters track magical beasts. I happen to specialize in hunting living people."
The Ancient Serpent replied meaningfully. Then he crouched down and began searching the corpses, stripping the bandits of anything valuable with smooth, practiced efficiency. In the blink of an eye, he had already gone through nearly a hundred bodies.
Tch. Bunch of paupers.
At last, Samael cast a disdainful look over the bandits sprawled all over the ground. Then he weighed the biggest prize of the day, the money pouch Queen Gorgo had thrown out earlier, dusted it off, and contentedly tied it to his belt. The corners of his mouth curled upward, and with a deep, measured tone, he said,
"Allow me to introduce myself. Ezio Auditore da Firenze, from Florence in Rome, of the Brotherhood…"
An Assassin? So that's it…
The Queen of Sparta and Helen exchanged a glance, silently communicating something between them, and gave the faintest nod. Their suspicion eased a little.
"Just the two of you? Looks like you've run into some trouble."
The Ancient Serpent's gaze fell on Queen Gorgo, whose expression remained taut, whose eyes never stopped scanning the area. His brow drew together slightly, and as he asked the question, his vertical pupils glimmered faintly.
"We're not…"
"That's right. We have urgent business and must reach Athens immediately. Could I trouble you to escort us there? As for payment, I can offer thirty times the amount in your hand. And if that's not enough, we can negotiate more on the way!"
Unlike the Queen of Sparta, who still held herself on guard, High Priestess Helen cut Gorgo off and decisively extended an olive branch, like a flower stepping boldly out of a greenhouse.
Athens? Could something have happened in Sparta?
Samael instantly caught that crucial detail. A faint sense of foreboding stirred in his chest. After a brief moment of thought, he nodded seriously.
"No problem. I'll take the job. But the reward… three hundred times."
At the same time, the Ancient Serpent weighed the pouch in his hand, eyes practically glowing.
"Agreed! Please clear away the rocks blocking the road ahead. The situation is urgent. We need to leave at once!"
Hearing that, Helen let out a long breath of relief and immediately agreed. She slipped off a gem-studded gold bracelet, obviously worth a great deal, and handed it to Samael as a deposit.
After so many years apart, that little girl who had once been sheltered beneath her father's and brothers' wings had grown into someone so decisive and efficient.
Samael could not help feeling a little moved. For a moment, he had the strange sense that the seas had dried and the fields had changed, that the world was the same and yet no longer the same. But his hands did not slow in the slightest. Between knocking and shoving, he cleared a narrow passage through the rubble in just a few breaths, enough for one person to pass. A bit more work, and the carriage would be able to get through as well.
While the Ancient Serpent was earnestly playing the part of a bounty hunter and clearing the path, Queen Gorgo could not help pulling Helen into the carriage. Her eyes wavered. Biting her lip, she leaned close and whispered in a low voice,
"Lady Helen, isn't it too risky to hastily bring this foreigner of unknown origin into our company? You know the mission we bear cannot tolerate even the slightest mistake. Otherwise…"
"Rest assured. If he hadn't intervened just now, we would already have been captured and humiliated by those bandits. Whatever his purpose may be, at the very least it proves that, for the moment, he can be trusted."
Helen patted Gorgo's shoulder to calm her, then lifted the curtain over the carriage window and glanced behind them, lowering her voice even further.
"And besides… do we have any other choice?"
At the same time, Samael, who was clearing the road, suddenly sensed something and snapped his head around. At once, he saw the bandits who had scattered in panic earlier now swarming back from behind.
They came back? Seriously? That stubborn? Looking to die?
Samael drew his greatsword, his slit pupils narrowing with a frigid gleam.
But as they drew closer, the Ancient Serpent could see the terror and despair written all over their faces. The shape of the words spilling from their lips was unmistakable.
"Help!"
"Hurry! Those monsters are coming!"
At that moment, Queen Gorgo pushed her way out of the carriage, face pale as she seized the reins and lashed the horses with her whip.
But the sky around them suddenly dimmed. Dark clouds gathered overhead, and the scalp-crawling sound of beating wings drew nearer and nearer.
Screech, screech, screech, screech…
In an instant, black, silver-gray, and pale-gold bats merged into a great streaming mass and plunged down from the dark clouds.
Wherever they passed, the bandits in their path were drained dry in an instant, every last drop of blood ripped from their bodies, leaving only withered husks with skin stretched tight over bone.
Then those shriveled corpses staggered back to their feet, red eyes burning with venomous malice and beastlike bloodlust. Low growls rumbling from their throats, they turned their ravenous gaze toward the carriage trapped beneath the black cloud and began to gather around it.