Catching a Thief (1)
The ship docked in Athens. Every hero was weary of the long voyage—Cassandra, of course, as well as Theseus and his party, and even Clea.
"The heroes have returned!"
"Welcome the heroes who conquered the Labyrinth!"
"Sisyphus! Sisyphus!"
"Theseus!"
Entering the harbor, it was chaos. Intellectuals, including Socrates, and ordinary citizens alike had rushed out, waving flags. How had the news traveled so fast?
"We sent a carrier pigeon ahead," a guild official explained to me. He had accompanied the expedition to record the events that unfolded in Crete.
"A carrier pigeon? It’s not a seagull—could it really make that long a distance?"
"We use seagulls for communication between the islands." He showed me a trained seagull. It was real.
"Welcome back, Sisyphus. I have been waiting for your return." As I disembarked, Socrates greeted me first. There was an even more welcome face nearby.
"Brother, congratulations on subjugating the Minotaur King!"
"Perseus. Did you have a good trip home?"
"Yes. Thanks to you, I returned without incident."
"As the rumors suggested, Perseus is a hero of immense skill. He has already successfully completed two high-level quests on his own," Socrates added.
"Haha, I was just keeping myself busy until you returned, brother."
"The full Perseus party is assembled! A glorious moment. Now, let us head to the guild. Many are eager to hear your tales of adventure."
We headed to the guild together.
"Wow, it’s the hero who conquered the Cretan Labyrinth!"
"They say he grabbed the Minotaur and tossed it aside like a toy."
"Look at the size of that Spartan’s hands. Should I ask for a handshake?"
The market was so packed with people that it was hard to walk. It was a relief that the guild took care of moving our luggage. We entered the guild building, and we—along with the four members of Theseus’s party—were led to a VIP room.
"I would love to share a drink with you all night and hear your tales, but you must be exhausted from your journey, so I shall postpone that for now. First, let us settle the accounts."
Socrates began the calculations with the branch manager.
"We intend to provide the 2,000 gold coin subjugation reward, split as 1,000 to each party. Is that acceptable?"
"No objections," Theseus nodded.
I added another 50 gold coins to Theseus’s share.
"I had a debt to repay in Corinth. This includes four months of interest."
"It wasn't even a loan, yet you pay interest? I can't tell if you're overflowing with integrity or what. Your mind is a mystery, Sisyphus." Theseus scoffed and pushed the gold coins back toward me.
"In Crete, I gained a lesson from you that would be hard to experience even if I paid for it. Consider this tuition."
Is this a PT fee? I’m not planning on selling gym memberships, though.
"Aren't these coins meant to include the shares of your other party members?"
"I’ll just take it out of my own share. I’m a party leader in my own right, you know." Theseus smiled brightly. I suppose that meant he would handle his own business. Since it wasn't a small amount, I decided to take it.
"Come to think of it, does the guild not take a commission?"
"Ah, it is standard to take 10% as a commission for quests. However, there was a special clause for this case where Athens covered the commission instead. Do not worry."
"That is not all; many privileges were attached. Sisyphus, Theseus, you will receive permanent discounts on lodging, equipment, and materials in Athens from now on. We will also provide ships for your expeditions."
The terms were too good.
"These were the conditions set by the royal family, so please accept them without concern."
"I suppose this is the price for the Cretan treaty being voided."
"Precisely. Since the Labyrinth is gone, there will be no further need for regular hero dispatches."
"There was also additional compensation received from the Minos royal family—does this need to be reported as well?"
"Sisyphus, why did you say that? I had been keeping my mouth shut about it!" Cassandra slapped my shoulder.
"Haha, if the compensation was not pre-arranged, it does not matter. There is no additional commission, so please do not worry."
I was satisfied. "Cassandra, your share is 200. Clea and I will take 400 each. No complaints?"
"Why is mine so low?"
"Even if you just count the number of monsters subjugated, I’m being generous. And I gave you that, didn't I?" I pointed to Cassandra’s staff. She pouted.
"Fine. But you have to grant me one wish later."
"If it’s something I can do."
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Clea tilted her head beside me.
"My 400 gold coins. Send all of this to Corinth. Tell them to use it for the market restoration project."
"Ah, Sisyphus. Then I’ll send my share, too."
"You should save yours. It’s quite a lot of money."
"It’s fine, I can sell the treasures I received additionally. And anyway... my money is your money..."
"What did you say?"
"No, nothing. Anyway, please use my money too."
"Alright." Clea and I agreed to send 800 coins to Corinth.
"Understood. I will take responsibility and have it delivered to Corinth immediately." The branch manager, true to his professional nature, finished the settlement in an instant without a single error. I have a soft spot for people who are good at math.
"And from here on, this is strictly confidential." Socrates checked once more for eavesdropping before speaking cautiously.
"Congratulations on the subjugation of the God of Madness. You who have liberated Crete are true heroes."
"Is that true? That is amazing, brother!" Perseus, hearing the news, jumped up in surprise.
"Please understand our position—we cannot openly celebrate or provide rewards. It could be considered blasphemy."
"Was Athens also hostile toward the God of Madness?"
"We heard he was a mad god ravaging Crete. We aren't quite at that level, but we are in the same position of having paid taxes to the Goddess Athena for a long time, so is it not a cause for celebration?" Socrates shrugged.
"Do not worry. I will ensure it reaches the ears of the Goddess Athena as late as possible. The royal family has also agreed to watch your backs."
"Then I am grateful."
Socrates straightened his back and clapped his hands. "Then rest well, Sisyphus. I look forward to our next meeting."
We left the guild feeling lighthearted.
Sisyphus, Clea, Cassandra, and Perseus left the guild and headed toward an inn.
"Ohoho, two hundred! My goodness, Sisyphus! Even if I spend one gold coin a day, I can live for ten months!"
"Are you bad at multiplication?"
"It’s just a figure of speech."
"Then how many is it really if you spend it for ten months?"
"Aigoo, why do you have to be like that?"
"You can't do it."
"Blehh, I can't hear you, I can't hear you."
"I don't know how you use magic."
"I will find a place to dispose of the treasures," Perseus said, holding bags full in both hands.
"Still, with 800 coins, we can fix the whole market."
"We can pave the streets with bricks and build a fountain, too. Hmm, I like it."
Sisyphus and Clea thought of Corinth, and their steps grew lighter. Sisyphus’s thoughts trailed off until they reached a certain point.
"It would be nice to have about 100,000 more gold coins."
"100,000? I didn't know you were greedy for money. Why, do you want to call in the top courtesans and have a wild time?"
Clea’s ears perked up at the sudden remark. Sisyphus going to a brothel...? It was a place frequently visited by heroes and nobles. Some heroes even used their life savings to pay the redemption fee for a top-tier courtesan and marry her. But Clea didn't want to see Sisyphus going to such a place.
"What kind of idiot pays money to drink and ruin their muscles?"
Phew, Clea let out a sigh of relief. I don't know what kind of experience he had while away from Corinth, but he certainly grew to love working out.
"It’s so much fun to spend time with *hetairai* rather than those simple entertainment districts. They’re all intellectuals, so they write great poetry, too."
"You sound like you’ve been there often."
"I didn't go there, I just occasionally called them into the imperial palace. You seem to have forgotten who I am. Ah, that girl knew a lot about magical materials. She was cute."
Cultured beauties. Sisyphus was somewhat interested. But he still wanted to avoid drinking parties. It was obvious they would serve excessive food while ignoring nutritional ratios.
"Not interested. The money will be used for Corinth’s revival."
"Corinth? It’s a polis already famous for being wealthy, isn't it?"
"To develop a canal, I need about that much."
"A canal... if large ships can pass through, it would certainly be immense." Clea nodded. The river in Corinth was narrow, allowing only small ships to pass. To get from a large polis like Olympia in central Greece or the peninsula to the Aegean Sea, one had to make a long detour to the south. If a canal were built, a direct route would be created.
"It would be a massive project."
"It’ll be fun."
The profit gained from the Minotaur subjugation was only this much. I looked forward to the future.
'And above all else,' Sisyphus recalled one important piece of history.
'If the Trojan War breaks out, the canal will play a major role.'
The Trojan War. A great war between the coalition of Greek continental poleis and the Trojan Empire. Countless great heroes were born and died in this battle. I didn't know in what form the Trojan War would occur in my world, but in the original, the southern Sparta and Mycenae, which possessed navies, led the Greek forces. However, due to Mycenae’s incompetent leadership, the Greek forces faced hardships and had to rely on Olympus. If a canal were built on the Peloponnese peninsula, allowing other poleis to grow their navies, the war could take a different turn.
'Even if it’s not because of a war that might happen at any time, a canal is necessary for Corinth’s revival.'
Sisyphus made up his mind.
"Then let’s go eat some meat. Perseus, have you been to that shop called 'Pig’s Head' in the inn district?"
"I saw it while passing by. The smell was good."
"The pork skewer kebab there is art. Let’s go."
"Sounds good."
"We’ve only been eating beef jerky on the ship, and you want meat again? Odysseus, let’s go eat cheese salad."
"I want a frappé, too."
"Order three servings each! We have 200 gold coins!"
Sisyphus’s party disappeared into the street, full of cheer.
The party of the S-rank hero Heracles. It is one of the most famous hero parties based in Athens.
"To complete such a quest so easily—a hero with this level of skill must be you, Master." The attendant Hylas praised him. He was a healer who had served Heracles for a long time. This time, Heracles had subjugated the 'Nemean Lion,' one of the most dangerous divine beasts. He looked valiant, wearing the lion’s skin as a cloak. Hylas had respected him for a long time. Even though Heracles’s reputation wasn't good due to his fiery temper and personality, to Hylas, he was undeniably the greatest hero.
They returned to Athens and received their reward at the guild. All the menial work was Hylas’s share. However, the atmosphere was strange.
Even though they had returned from subjugating the Nemean Lion, instead of praising Heracles, the city was talking only about another hero.
"They say the Cretan Minotaur was over 30 feet tall."
"But Sisyphus grabbed that thing and lifted it upside down!"
"Not just lifted it—he jumped so high into the sky that all the beast’s hair fell out!"
Sisyphus—the epic of that hero’s achievements on Crete was echoing everywhere. No one mentioned Heracles. Hylas, feeling offended, looked into Sisyphus.
'What is this guy? He’s just a Delta-rank hero?'
He was dumbfounded. There was no way a D-rank, the lowest of heroes, could have caught the Minotaur King, which no one had been able to subjugate for years.
'Perseus or Theseus must have done the work. He’s obviously a cowardly guy who inflates his own reputation by using the honor of great heroes behind their backs.'
"But didn't the Cretan expedition go to Heracles first?"
"I heard Heracles tucked his tail and ran away."
"Compared to Sisyphus, even Sigma-rank is nothing!"
Hylas, enraged by the guild heroes’ chatter, headed straight to the inn where Sisyphus was staying. Sisyphus was not there. Seeing him stay at a cheap inn, he must be a pathetic guy.
"To insult Master Heracles—this guy needs to be taught a lesson."
Hylas searched his room to play a prank on Sisyphus.
"What is this?"
A handle with stones embedded on both sides appeared. It was too heavy to even lift. He couldn't figure out its purpose. Searching the room further, he discovered a bag.
"Ooh!" It was full of gold and treasures.
"He must have stolen this from the Labyrinth."
If this disappeared, he would surely throw a fit. Taste this. It’s the price for insulting Master Heracles. Just as Hylas was grinning and trying to leave the room with the bag,
—*Flash!*
"Gaaah?!"
Hylas collapsed to the floor as stars swirled before his eyes. Someone was standing at his head.
"I hate people like you. Even if I don't want to, I get a feeling when there's a petty thief around."
A woman with platinum blonde hair looked down at Hylas with contempt.
"Hey, you touched Sisyphus’s stuff, didn't you?"
Hylas felt the killing intent.