The City of Debauchery
“Your Majesty, the Crete expeditionary force has departed.”
In the royal palace of the Kingdom of Athens, a group of nobles led by Socrates presented their report to the King. Aegeus, the King of Athens, scanned the list. “So, Heracles did not join after all.”
“That is correct. We failed to reach a compromise.”
“Hmm. The city-state of Crete is a headache. We’ve been sending our heroes there for years now. Yet, it’s difficult to break the treaty.”
“The city-state possesses a formidable navy.”
Although Athens was a great power, its military strength was not particularly impressive. As the first nation to adopt the concepts of democracy and freedom, its military power was relatively weak compared to its national influence. In terms of pure military might in Greece, Sparta was the undisputed leader, and Mycenae, with its monarchy, was also strong. Athens had been compensating for this by attracting large-scale guilds, allowing heroes to naturally congregate there. Their path to becoming a great power through political maneuvering rather than brute force was truly worthy of being called a nation of intellectuals. Consequently, the treaty with Crete, which caused a constant drain of heroes, had been a long-standing nuisance.
“However, this dispatch is different from the previous ones.”
“How so?”
“Sisyphus, that hero is among them.”
“Sisyphus…. You don’t mean Sisyphus, the lord of Corinth?”
“Indeed. With him, we might actually succeed in subjugating the Minotaur King. He is a God-Slayer who even took down the God of Thieves.”
“Oh…! Such a noble person has joined the expedition? A light of hope shines upon Athens.”
King Aegeus nodded. He continued to check the list.
“Hmm…? Theseus? That’s a name I’ve seen before. Where is this hero from?”
“I shall verify. …They say it is Troezen.”
“What did you say? Theseus from Troezen!”
The King jumped up from his seat. “It must be my own child…!”
He had heard that Troezen had been destroyed by divine punishment. He had assumed his only flesh and blood had perished then. To think that his precious daughter had appeared in his Athens as a hero. What kind of fate was this? She had left for a dangerous expedition before he could even meet her.
“Socrates, see to it that the expeditionary force returns safely, by any means necessary…!”
“Hmm…. I will try, but I cannot give you my word.”
“What is this turn of events? My only daughter is heading into the jaws of death.”
Theseus could not have been unaware that he was her father. Was that why she hadn’t come to see him? “God-Slayer Sisyphus.” The King stroked the name. He felt that he was his only remaining hope. “I pray for the success of the Crete expedition. I beg of you. Please return with my daughter…!” The King’s desperation deepened.
Naturally, the King’s desperation did not reach Sisyphus.
“Hoo, hoo, hoo.” The heat radiating from him as he lifted dumbbells over his shoulders was enough to melt even the most robust telepathy. Cassandra walked out into the deck corridor and yawned.
“I’m bored to death of this voyage. Sisyphus, aren’t you bored?”
“It’s always fresh. Always thrilling.”
Thud. He set the dumbbells down. Clea sidled up to him.
“Sisyphus, if you’re done with those, I’ll borrow them.”
“Aren’t they still too heavy for you?”
“No, they’re perfectly fine.” Clea blushed, grinned, and disappeared with the sweat-drenched dumbbells.
“Land is starting to come into view. It’s the island of Crete.”
Land entered Sisyphus’s field of vision as well. ‘That’s not an island?’ It was so massive it could have been called a continent. It had taken a month to travel from Athens to Crete. It was a long distance, but the route had been pioneered, and they had arrived quickly because the currents were favorable. Soon, the sailboat would dock at the port of Heraklion.
“Is this the place?”
“It’s Minos, the capital of Crete. They say it was named after the founding King. Crete is a nation composed of several poleis.”
Sisyphus, having stepped off the boat, frowned without realizing it. “Do you guys not smell that?”
Clea, who had been sticking to Sisyphus’s side, took a deep breath. “It’s fine. It’s just your usual scent.”
“Not that, you idiot. The air, the air is different.” Sisyphus pushed Clea’s head away and looked around. It was certainly different from the atmosphere in Athens. Unlike Athens, which was clean and orderly everywhere, this place gave a strong first impression of being a slum. People were sprawled out on every street. It was full of trash and filth. The buildings were dirty, too.
“I get it. It’s the smell of alcohol.” Cassandra nodded.
It seemed the saying that this was the domain of Dionysus was true. “That would be perfect for you.”
“I don’t drink just any alcohol. Especially cheap booze meant for getting wasted is the worst.”
As expected of an Imperial Princess, she was a connoisseur despite being a heavy drinker. Who would end up living with her? ‘Anyway, it has nothing to do with me.’ As Sisyphus thought this, a group of heroes brushed past them.
“Pardon me, Sisyphus.” Theseus walked haughtily, her long skirt fluttering.
“Oh my, are you cutting in line?”
“If you waste time like that, even that precious, supple skin of yours will turn rough. The Labyrinth doesn’t wait for heroes.”
“The Labyrinth.” Sisyphus recalled the purpose of his visit. The Daedalus Labyrinth in Crete. Subjugate the Minotaur King on the lowest floor to conquer the Labyrinth. If he succeeded in this request, he wouldn’t have to worry about money for a while.
“I got some information from a local hero. They say once a year, the hero who clears the most of the Labyrinth is granted an audience directly by the god Dionysus.”
“Hmm, that’s quite interesting.”
If you clear the Labyrinth, Dionysus comes along with it. A buy-one-get-one-free event. It couldn’t be better. “Let’s compete hard. Of course, don’t go visiting Hades as a corpse before that.”
“Ah, Theseus. Take your blessings.” The healer cast a divine spell. Theseus snapped her fan open and left with a smile.
“It seems the God of Madness really is somewhere around here. No wonder the smell of alcohol is vibrating everywhere.”
“Otherwise, it wouldn’t be worth coming all this way.” Sisyphus stretched his shoulders.
“Heroes from Athens, please register in the ledger.”
There was an immigration check. Cassandra and Clea wrote down their names as ‘Sandra’ and ‘Odysseus’ respectively. Sisyphus also wrote his name.
— Wilson
After finishing the entry process, Sisyphus picked up his luggage and decided to look for the Labyrinth first. “Sisyphus, why did you write your name as Wilson?”
“Do you think the guys on Olympus know about Hermes’s death?”
“I don’t think so yet. If they did, there would be some movement, but no unusual scenes were captured in my prophecies.”
“Given the circumstances, Hermes must have left the war for a moment because he had business elsewhere. He originally had no business in Corinth.”
“Then Olympus doesn’t even know Hermes’s whereabouts or the fact that you’re here?”
Sisyphus nodded. “Dionysus probably doesn’t know me well. But there’s no harm in being careful, as he might be somewhere in this city.”
“True. The name might be passed on.”
“Wouldn’t they just assume it’s someone with the same name? More importantly, who is Wilson? Sisyphus, you seem to cherish him quite a bit.”
It was a name she had never heard before, and Sisyphus cherished him? Clea looked up at Sisyphus, feeling suddenly anxious. “…….”
Clea had watched him for a long time. She could roughly tell what he was thinking. It was an expression she had never seen before. The anxiety that had been merely a groundless fear became reality, and she felt a surge of impatience. The reason she had been somewhat at ease even with a beauty like Cassandra sticking to Sisyphus’s side was partly because Sisyphus hadn’t shown much reaction. But the expression Sisyphus was wearing now as he thought of that ‘Wilson’ entity… it was somehow similar to the expression she wore when she thought of Sisyphus.
“Sisyphus…?”
“Yeah.”
“Um… who is that Wilson…?”
“A friend.”
Sisyphus had a friend she didn’t know about? That couldn’t be… Of course, Sisyphus had returned with other heroes while she was away from Corinth, but she never imagined he would have made a friend other than her. Clea was devastated by the shock. But she wasn’t the only one shocked.
“I didn’t know you had such an important friend. Sisyphus, how about me? Am I a precious friend too?”
“What’s with the nonsense all of a sudden? Go pack your things.” When Sisyphus scolded her, Cassandra pouted her lips.
“Why are you always like that to me! You know how to say kind things to other people. You’re really mean. Always making me do hard exercises, scolding me when I don’t do well. Nagging me when I can’t make a prophecy. Try cherishing me half as much as that Willy or whoever it is!”
“What’s wrong with her all of a sudden?”
“Hee-ing.” Clea, who had been devastated by Cassandra’s sudden outburst, felt something was wrong. Sisyphus thought, ‘The healer from Theseus’s group used a blessing earlier.’
They had used a spell as soon as they entered the city. It was too early to consider it preparation for entering the Labyrinth. “This smell of alcohol doesn’t seem to be just a smell.”
Was it some kind of curse that kept people constantly intoxicated, making them lose their minds? It could be seen as a type of negative status debuff. It was quite possible, considering the city’s atmosphere was hazy as if covered in yellow dust. ‘This city is trash.’ A neighborhood where you get a debuff just by entering. Come to think of it, the shopping district was filled with endless bars rather than shops for heroes. The signs lit up by magic weren’t neon signs, but they gloomily illuminated the hazy streets. What did they call this? Cyberpunk? Greece-punk?
The people sprawled on the streets made sense now. “I have this.” Sisyphus rummaged through his pockets and took something out. Clink. It was three rings. They were amulets with curse-defense effects given by Merope. “Hey, Cassandra. Give me your hand.”
“Huuuuh. Why my hand? You’re going to make me do weird exercises again, aren’t you?”
“Shut up and give it to me.” Sisyphus grabbed Cassandra. Cassandra didn’t exactly dislike his attitude. In fact, if he had ignored her right now, she would have been truly angry. Pop. Before she knew it, a ring was on her pinky finger.
“Oh my. What does this mean?”
“Uh, Sisyphus…?”
Cassandra smiled bashfully. In contrast, the vitality vanished from Clea’s pupils. She was on the verge of collapsing from hyperventilation. ‘W-Wilson was Cassandra…? I was so oblivious…. Have I been a hindrance until now? They were going to go to Athens together, but I barged in without noticing and made them angry…? No, that can’t be… I couldn’t have seen it wrong…. Uh, uh…. This shouldn’t be happening. Sisyphus, do you not need me anymore…?’
Sisyphus grabbed Clea’s hand too. The ring was a bit big for her hand. After trying it on various fingers, he put it on her middle finger.
“…Eh, hee-hee.” Clea blushed and looked at the ring with lovely eyes.
“My goodness, it’s a gold ring, isn’t it? There’s actually a day you give me a gift. Really, you keep playing with me. Anyway, you’re so mean.” Cassandra was soon laughing and hitting Sisyphus’s chest.
“Have your heads cleared up a bit, both of you?”
“Huh? Come to think of it, I feel like I was possessed by something until a moment ago.”
“Is it… an artifact?”
“Don’t take those off while you’re here.”
Only then did Clea and Cassandra realize the nature of the atmosphere permeating the city. When drunk, one type would cry, and the other would dig the ground. A belated sense of shame washed over them. “Are you okay not wearing one, Sisyphus?”
“Yeah. I have no problem.” The reason why such mental-disturbance curses didn’t work on Sisyphus was simple. “This is a completely insane city. No wonder Theseus’s group cast blessings as soon as they arrived.”
“Now I can see the streets properly. There are so many bars and so many courtesans.”
“That’s true. Their clothes are pretty, but what a waste.”
“Aha. I wondered why their clothes were like that, they were courtesans.”
Two women wearing clothes so low-cut their cleavage was visible brushed past the three, sending seductive glances their way. It was truly a city of entertainment and debauchery. “If we stay any longer, our minds will go strange. Sisyphus, let’s go to the Labyrinth quickly.”
“Yeah.” Clea grabbed Sisyphus’s arm with all her might, fearing he might open his eyes to something strange.