Confession (2)
That afternoon, Clea received an unexpected proposal.
After the defense of Corinth concluded, Theseus, the hero of the Beta rank, approached Clea with a haughty air.
A proposal to act as the hero she had always dreamed of becoming. It was even a Beta-rank party—the most famous one on the peninsula, no less. A bright future surely awaited them as they headed toward Athens. Yet, for some reason, Clea didn't find the offer particularly welcome.
Why? The path to becoming the hero she had so desperately craved was finally opening. There were no shackles holding her back. She was free. And yet... she hated that freedom. The confusion of not knowing what to do filled her heart with a hollow, empty breath.
After agonizing for a long time, the sun set and the stars appeared. The sounds of the people filling the mansion faded, and she could hear the movements of them returning to their rooms one by one. She heard footsteps from Sisyphus’s room as well. Only then did she finish her deliberation and head toward him without delay.
"Sisyphus, are you busy for a moment?"
"Clea."
She entered the room and faced him. ...Her head felt dizzy again. Whenever she stood in front of Sisyphus, her emotions surged, making it difficult to choose her words. No, I have to pull myself together. I have something important to say.
"I wanted to ask you something."
"Yeah?"
"What... what are we to each other?"
Clea thought it was a somewhat cowardly question. There was an answer she wanted to hear, but at the same time, she was terrified that it wouldn't be the one she received. She had left the definition of their relationship entirely up to Sisyphus.
"Hmm." Sisyphus pondered it seriously.
"I suppose we're former fiancés now."
Her heart sank. She had known it in her head. Their relationship had been tied together by a marriage of convenience. Since Hermes, who presided over the contract, was gone, there were no more constraints. Clea had no family left to return to. In effect, the engagement was broken. There was no reason for Sisyphus to marry her. Still, hearing it from his own lips brought a wave of loss. That wasn't the answer she had wanted to hear.
"Is that... all?"
Sisyphus crossed his arms and remained silent. Clea bowed her head without realizing it. Her thin, platinum-blonde hair flowed down over her shoulders.
"We, at least before that..." We were friends, weren't we? She couldn't bring herself to say the word, swallowing it instead.
Step. He was already standing right in front of her.
"Congratulations on your hero debut." His large hand lightly patted her shoulder. She flinched at the unfamiliar sensation.
"Ah, yeah... Thank you."
"You'll need to register with the guild, too. They say the registration fee or whatever is free if you do it now."
"Yeah."
"It's full of idiots over there, more than you'd think. You saw Perseus. There's no one faster than you."
His casual chatter eased her tension. Her lips curled upward involuntarily. ...That's right.
Since Sisyphus had returned, Clea had become certain of one fact. The reason she had run so hard since she was young was, of course, because she wanted to escape her family. And while she had wanted to become a hero someday, she realized now that it was because she wanted to be praised by Sisyphus—just like this. She hadn't just wanted to be fast; she wanted to be fast in front of Sisyphus. She hadn't just wanted to be a hero; she wanted to be a hero in front of Sisyphus.
Therefore, she was certain that achieving her dreams while having no relationship with him at all would be meaningless.
"You know, Sisyphus," Clea said, clenching her fists tightly.
"If you're going to Athens, I want to go with you."
"What are you going to do in Athens?"
"What are you going to do there?"
"Gather information, hunt down magical beasts, search for gods."
"That's just what heroes do anyway. I want to do that with you."
"Why, specifically?"
Clea looked him straight in the eye and said, "Because I'm your friend."
That's right. They weren't fiancés anymore. But she couldn't say they were nothing to each other, either. They had just returned to how things were. If she kept running away, she would never achieve anything. If she did that, she would only end up losing Sisyphus again. Clea gathered her courage and took a step forward.
"Heh. Suit yourself." Sisyphus replied with a light snort. He didn't deny it. That fact alone made her happy. At the same time, she felt pathetic for being so easily overjoyed by such a small thing. But for now, she was happy because of it.
"I'll show you, Sisyphus. I'll show you what kind of honorable hero I'll grow into."
"I'm looking forward to it. 'Odysseus'—the hero name alone has a good ring to it."
"Really? I was worried people might pick a fight over it... I'm glad you like it. Yes, then, I swear it." Clea placed a hand over her heart and said, "Someday, I will become a hero so great that my name will spread across all of Greece. And... when I can be proud of myself, I will keep my promise."
You might not remember it. The promise I made to the meteor shower of the Pleiades when I was young. Without regard for family circumstances, the fate determined by the gods, or pathetic pity—I will win my place by your side with my own strength alone.
"Sure. Do your best."
"Yeah. You better not lose me, keep up."
Thus, Clea made a new vow to her former fiancé.
"Then... I'll get going."
"Yeah. Sleep well."
Clea turned to leave. Perhaps because she wasn't used to her new shoes, or perhaps because her steps had become lighter, she stumbled.
"Eek!"
She tripped and fell. Fortunately, she wasn't hurt, thanks to Sisyphus's bed being right where she fell.
"...Ah."
For a brief moment, she felt a strange sensation. A night leaking with moonlight, herself lying on the bed first, and Sisyphus looking down at her. She noticed that her clothes had become disheveled as she fell, but for some reason, she didn't feel the urge to fix them immediately. Perhaps this scene... is this what I would be seeing right now if I had accepted my fate?
"...Hup."
Her head grew even dizzier as the scent of Sisyphus, soaked deep into the bedding, brushed against her nose. Perhaps this, in its own way, wasn't so bad...
"Clea?"
"Ah, s-sorry! I tripped by mistake. My shoes don't fit quite right yet... and, well, my feet feel lighter than before..."
She scrambled to her feet, making excuses as she straightened her clothes. In the process, her shoe fell off. But for some reason, she still didn't feel the will to get up from the bed.
"...Sisyphus, we used to sleep together sometimes when we were little, didn't we?"
"How long ago was that?"
"Pfft, that's true. How long ago was that."
Lying on the bed, watching him blankly, Clea whispered as if to herself.
"If we did that again... it would be fun."
"Big bro-ther, where are you going agai-n?"
"I'll buy you some snacks, so listen to your sister."
"Snacks! Do the windmill spin for me again."
A few days passed, and it was the day to leave for Athens. Since the youngest, Canace, was clinging to me, I spun her around a few times to soothe her.
"Blegh."
"I might have been too rough."
"Do it again, do it again!"
Did I instill a strange habit in her? While I was training, Canace would often hold clay and imitate me from the side. I look forward to her becoming a sturdy gym-rat in the future.
"Brother, take care of yourself. This is a supplement made by grinding meat. Make sure to take it."
"Here are the dumbbells. I also made anti-slip gloves for you to use when working out. Have a safe trip."
"Don't worry about Corinth and leave it to us, my son."
My family packed so many things for me that I ended up with a mountain of luggage. I'm quite happy about it.
"If anything happens, send a carrier pigeon immediately. Brother, don't get dragged off somewhere this time, okay?"
"I'll try."
"Oh, honestly. And don't go picking up more women along the way."
"What are you talking about?"
"Sisyphus, it's a month-long journey, what are you wearing? People will think you're a bandit. When we get to Athens, we'll have to buy you some clothes first."
Cassandra appeared and adjusted my collar. Pop. The knot couldn't withstand my pectorals and came undone.
"What do you mean, 'what am I talking about,' ugh." Alcyone shook her head.
"Hey, Cassandra. What about your luggage?"
"I left it with the porters."
"You spend money like that, no wonder you're broke."
"They agreed to take it for just ten silver coins. It's a steal, isn't it? And they're strong, too."
In the direction Cassandra pointed, Theseus's party was waiting. They bowed to us.
"Then, Brother, we shall see you later in Athens."
"Be careful on the sea route."
"Yes. The people back home will enjoy many nights of stories once I tell them about our adventure, Brother."
Perseus, who was originally on his way home, decided to part ways with us for a while. He was going to head straight into the Aegean Sea on the ship we had arrived on. My memory of the original myths is quite hazy. In the first place, this world doesn't seem to follow the original history, so I wonder if it even matters. The fact that Perseus and Theseus, figures from different time periods, are in the same place is proof enough of that. No, wait—that's all the more reason why giving them advice wouldn't hurt, right?
"Hey, Perseus. Where did you say your home was?"
"Yes, Brother. It's a small island called Seriphos."
"The lord there gave you a ship to the peninsula, telling you to try being a hero?"
"That is correct. He is my uncle."
"Hmm. Watch out for that guy when you get back."
Saying that, I tossed a stone to Perseus. It was a fragment of petrification.
"Brother, what do you mean by that?"
"I have a feeling, a feeling. Old men obsessed with petty power are always jealous of talented young men."
"Hmm... It is true that my uncle opposed me when I said I was going to go hero-ing. But to think my uncle would intentionally send me to my death..."
"There's always a 'what if' in this world."
"Haha, Brother, you are overly suspicious. I understand, given your bad blood with the god Hermes. I will take your advice to heart. Thank you."
Perseus is such a pure, blank-slate kind of guy. In the original myth, it was indeed true that the lord sent Perseus to slay Medusa in hopes that he would die. Perseus, who only realized the conspiracy after returning home, escaped the magical beast thanks to Medusa's petrification. It doesn't hurt to be careful.
"I'll see you again soon, Brother!"
Perseus sailed away from Corinth with a bright smile.
"He left his shield behind, the idiot."
While organizing the luggage, a washbasin came out. It looked decent enough to block the sunlight, so I decided to wear it on my head.
"Brother, do I have to write you love letters every day?"
"If it's a lucky letter, I'll write one for you."
Seeing off Alcyone, I decided to leave Corinth behind as well. I had officially appointed her as the acting head of the house, and I had taught her enough that Corinth should be fine. I could move on with a light heart.
We crossed the border of Corinth and crossed the river. After about half a day, the road ended and we entered the wild mountains. It was the route to Athens. I wonder how merchants manage to walk these paths. Since there are few maintained roads, a ship is definitely better.
"I shall lead the way. I'll accompany you to Athens."
Theseus's party walked past us and headed far ahead.
"Oh my, now that I think about it, Perseus has left. My goodness. Sisyphus, what should we do?"
As I was walking, Cassandra started with her usual nonsense.
"What."
"Now that it's just the two of us, we're in trouble. Even if we assume you were holding back until now, how do I know you won't turn into a beast at night?"
"You haven't seen how a bear tears a person apart, have you? Want me to show you once?"
"So you're admitting you're a bear now? I am curious, though."
Just as she was about to run her fingers along my side, Thwack. Another hand intervened, swatting her hand away.
"Don't touch him so carelessly."
Cassandra froze at the cold voice that suddenly rang out. Clea's platinum-blonde hair fluttered as she brushed past us.
"Sisyphus. Now that I think of it, I've seen that girl around, who is she?"
"Don't people often tell you that you're oblivious in the Empire?"
"How did you know? Anyway, who is she?"
"Former fiancé."
"......What?" Cassandra's pupils dilated as if she had heard something she shouldn't have. "Sisyphus, you had a fiancé? You never told me that!"
"You never asked."
"That's ridiculous! This is betrayal. It's fraud!"
"I'm begging you, please don't make me develop a prejudice against Troy."
"Ha... Wait? But 'former' means it's not the case now, right? What exactly is your relationship? Tell me more."
"I just developed one more prejudice."
My ears were starting to hurt, so I left Cassandra behind and strode forward.
"Sisyphus, the road is too rough! Walk with me!"
I could hear Cassandra's tearful voice from behind me.