167 – Nymphs and Greek Mythology # 2
Fwoooong-.
The plane touched down smoothly on the runway.
Until just recently, every time the nymphs boarded a plane, they'd throw a fuss, crying, "Oinoi is a wingless nymph, yet she soars through the sky…!" But these days they seemed to have grown quite accustomed to flying, and they slept soundly in their seats.
Of course, now that the plane had landed, they sprang up as if they'd never slept at all and went dashing—tatatatatata—toward the airport exit.
"Mwheheh, Greece, the land of myth, philosophy, and democracy…! This Illinoi remembers the days when she spread democracy across America, thing-is-dat…!"
Illinoi snickered slyly, brimming with anticipation.
And Illinoi was right—Greece was the very birthplace of world civilization, where myth and philosophy took root, along with the foundations of so much of 21st-century society.
Democracy, the spirit of our age, did begin in the ancient city-state of Athens, after all.
"This Illinoi recalls teaching democracy in ancient Athens to George of Washington, thing-is-dat…! It was a long time ago, thing-is-dat…!"
"I think that many people may have gathered to welcome this Oinoi…! Because this Oinoi has even appeared on a thing called MeTube…!"
As Oinoi made her way through the airport corridor, a subtle flicker of expectation showed on her face.
She dreamed of becoming the most famous nymph in the world, and ever since her recent appearance in a video by the MeTuber Kira, that dream seemed to have only grown bigger.
"What if so many people show up that it causes a commotion?"
I pondered the thought as I walked along the corridor myself.
I, Ha Ildo, was the very image of a global awakener whose stock was rising worldwide these days, what with my appearances on news programs, MeTube videos, and the like.
I started to worry: what if a welcoming crowd gathered like rolling clouds, caused a stir, and made it impossible to take even a single step?
But—.
Contrary to my expectations, the airport arrival hall was distinctly gloomy, and there was no welcoming crowd in sight.
Wondering if people simply hadn't noticed my arrival, I made a show of clearing my throat.
"Ahem, hem. Ha Ildo, here from Korea."
But there was no particular reaction.
How could this be?
Soon, Oinoi too slumped her shoulders in disappointment.
"So much time has passed that the Greek people must have forgotten the nymphs…! I don't understand why no one is welcoming us, when a native nymph has returned…!"
Oinoi had a point.
Nymphs were, after all, Greece's native fairy treasures.
I'd assumed the Greek people would naturally rejoice at a nymph's return, but everyone looked busy and hurried, striding along with an air of tension about them.
What was going on?
The atmosphere was strange.
"This Coris doesn't know what's what, but she thinks it's great that the airport air conditioning is running well…! The Greece this Coris knew had no air conditioning…!"
Coris seemed pleased that the airport was cool.
And it certainly was cool.
Right at that moment, someone waved from far away.
"Is that Mr. Ildo? Over here! Here!"
She was a woman draped in a beige toga.
Wavy blond hair crowned with something like a laurel wreath, and what looked like a harp in her hands—meeting her made me feel as though I'd stepped straight into a myth.
Traditional dress and an elegant appearance, after all.
"You're A-Rank ranker Erato, yes? 'The Bard – Erato'?"
Erato.
She was a member of Muse, a Greek A-Rank hunter guild.
In Korea, the government managed awakeners, but in places like Europe, powerful awakeners each founded their own guilds and dispatched their members, or so I'd heard.
Muse, a guild made up of a variety of women, appeared in MeTube videos fairly often, so I knew at least their names and faces.
"Mr. Ildo, welcome to Greece! I'm Erato. I've parked a car up front, so let's head that way! Mr. Achilles is waiting for you as well!"
We boarded the car of Erato, the A-Rank bard, and headed off somewhere.
The nymphs gazed intently out the car windows, and in their eyes, it seemed, longing and unfamiliarity coexisted.
"This is completely different from the Greece this Oinoi remembers…! In the old days there were none of these buildings, or airports, or cars, or air conditioning…!"
"The present is better…!"
"Of course…! Feeling very good, thing-is-dat…! The stuffy Age of Gods is over, and the 21st century is ruled by comfortable science and global warming, thing-is-dat…!"
More than a Greece filled with nostalgic ditch water, the nymphs seemed to prefer the Greece of today, with its towering buildings, well-paved asphalt roads, blasting air conditioners, and ice water dispensers in abundance.
Hearing this, Erato let out a strange little chuckle—erh-heh.
"Then would you like to do a bit of sightseeing at a ruins site near Athens International Airport? You have about half a day before your appointment with Mr. Achilles."
Sightseeing!
Sounded good to me.
We headed for the nearby Parthenon.
Soon, Oinoi, who had been tapping away at her phone, spoke up.
"It is said that the Parthenon is called the foremost of all monuments on Earth…! A man named Ralph Waldo Emerson said so, this one is told…! That is what is written on this phone…!"
Who was Ralph Waldo Emerson, I wondered?
Oinoi didn't know either, she said.
The important thing was that the temple we were heading to was hailed as the foremost monument.
When we arrived, the temple's pillars towered high, automatic doors were installed, and air conditioning blew full force—in short, it was the very picture of a cutting-edge 21st-century building.
"When I think of Greek temples, I expected a few crumbling pillars at most. This looks less like a temple and more like a government office building."
The Greek temples that typically popped up in internet searches were dilapidated ruins, worn down by the ravages of time and war.
But after the rifts opened, awakeners discovered that mana reacted strongly at the temple sites, and they restored and rebuilt the temples using the most advanced 21st-century technology.
They were usually used as request houses and guild buildings for Greek awakeners, apparently?
In fact, this building was said to be in use by the guild Parthenon.
I was curious how the nymphs would react to the sight.
Would they mourn that tradition and dignity had vanished from it after so long?
"You must look at this, Master…! An ice water dispenser—the kind Kore Yerim advertised on the Parthenon—is installed in the Parthenon temple…! And the air conditioning is blasting…!"
"Of course…! This is what a righteous temple is, thing-is-dat…! Stuffy, outdated temples are a never from now on, thing-is-dat…! Just as nymphs ride the tide of the times, so too must temples evolve, thing-is-dat…!"
I see.
The nymphs seemed absolutely delighted by this new-generation temple.
Coris liked it the most of all.
"Look over here…! They're selling as souvenirs the pebbles that nymphs used to throw and play with long ago…! This Coris wants to buy one…!"
Near the temple, glittering with LED lights, various merchants had set up shop.
The most memorable of them was a merchant displaying pebbles on a mat for sale.
"You there! A tourist, are you? These are the pebbles that nymphs threw and played with long ago! The nymphs of old, you see, loved throwing stones. Did you know that?"
Is that so?
When I looked at him quizzically, the merchant, as if seizing his chance, hurried to explain the stones spread out before him.
"Stones thrown by nymphs! 'Nymph Stones'! Buy them as souvenirs and your friends will love them! They improve health, bring good luck, and if you're an awakener, they even boost your mana—."
A mysterious pebble indeed.
He described it like some cure-all panacea.
But Erato, who had appointed herself our guide, gave a firm shake of her head.
"Merchants like that have been popping up for the past few days. Those pebbles are fakes, and that man is selling without a permit. Athens is just badly managed in a lot of ways right now."
Why would it be badly managed?
I didn't know the details, but it was clear he was a con artist.
Soon, Illinoi, who had been eyeing the pebbles, furrowed her brow and flew into a rage.
"You lied to this Illinoi, thing-is-dat…? This is a nymph-phobic situation, thing-is-dat…! Everyone, throw stones at this ugly liar, thing-is-dat…!"
"This Coris also loves throwing stones…!"
Illinoi and Coris scooped up small pebbles and hurled them at the stone merchant.
Tudatadatadata-.
They were only small stones, so it probably didn't hurt much, but the merchant was thrown into utter confusion.
"Aaaaack~"
In the end, the merchant couldn't endure the pebble baptism and fled.
Watching him go, Oinoi spoke.
"The nymph sisters joined forces and drove away the wicked swindler…! Let us all dance the nymph dance of joy…!"
"A very good idea…!"
"Of course…! Feeling very good, thing-is-dat…!"
Hands on their hips, the nymphs spun round and round in place.
It was a very peculiar dance.
After admiring the Parthenon, we wandered all over downtown Athens.
After about half a day of touring, I noticed something odd.
"The whole city seems terribly chaotic."
Plenty of people bustled about.
I spotted soldiers carrying weapons, and even a few tanks.
The whole place felt like war had broken out.
"The airport was gloomy too, and the Parthenon, a major tourist site, was fairly deserted. Could something be going on? This all feels like the eve of a massive rift opening."
The air smelled of trouble.
At that, Erato the bard, who had been sitting in a café slicing into a croffle, let out a long sigh.
"Actually, you're right. Greece may be facing grave danger. You're the nymphs' guardian, aren't you, Mr. Ildo? And you keep a number of Greek animals as well."
━Bark bark…!
━Zzji…!
━Hiooong…!
The companion beasts circled round and round Erato.
Watching them, Erato added a question, as if it were an afterthought.
"There's something I'd like to ask you, Mr. Ildo. How much do you happen to know about Ancient Species?"
Ancient Species.
At the name, I thought of Ang-ang-i, whom I'd Hyper Evolved not long ago.
Hadn't Hyper Evolved Ang-ang-i manifested the traits and characteristics of the Ancient Species Chimera Ant, becoming an individual boasting tremendously powerful defenses?
"I only know that creatures from ancient times were incredibly powerful. Is the current situation connected to these Ancient Species you mentioned?"
"That's right. Here—these are photos of the Ancient Species ant 'Chimera Ant' taken by a fisherman off the coast of Chios. It fled somewhere after being hit with insecticide, but there's no doubt it's a serious threat."
Swish, swish swish-.
Erato handed me a few more photographs.
They were blurry and hard to make out, but they all seemed to be pictures of animals.
"It's not just the Chimera Ant—there are reports that other Ancient Species magical beasts have been spotted all across Greece. These are all photos of them."
Strange photographs indeed.
At the sight of them, Oinoi froze in shock.
"Aaah, this is…!"