To Greece! To Greece!
My initial plan, which was merely to bring along a few smart giants from Erytheia and a handful of demigods, was overturned in an instant.
“Move, move! Faster!”
“Valuables this way! Are the food supplies fully distributed?!”
“What about the drinking water for the Laestrygonian brothers?”
“....Have you already forgotten who our father is?!”
“Oh, right. Our father is Poseidon.”
A massive port that overlooked the harbor of Erytheia at a glance. And in that port, three great ships—built to accommodate the physique of giants—were being busily loaded with cargo by giants and demigods alike.
“With this much, we won’t be looked down upon even when we reach the Greek mainland, will we?”
Antaios boasted with a triumphant face, leaning against the railing as if he were proud, but I could only quietly press my hand to my forehead.
“I told you, we were just going to open a light diplomatic line—a channel for communication...”
“This is modest! After all, it is the son of Poseidon, King of the Great Ocean, and the blood-descendant of Gaia returning to Greece...”
“I’d be truly grateful if you could just shut your mouth. I’ve already memorized that part.”
It had been a month since I started things in Erytheia. Yes, a whole month had already passed.
The original plan was to rest for about three days after the work was done, investigate Erytheia—which had now become my territory—and the residents including Antaios, and then set sail directly for the Greek mainland. But while coordinating opinions, the topic of a diplomatic envoy to serve as a communication channel between Arcadia on the Greek mainland and Erytheia came up. And then there was Antaios’s insistence that as the bloodline of Poseidon and Gaia, we could not show any lack of grandeur upon returning to the Greek mainland after thousands of years.
And thus began the feast of "might as well."
‘Might as well bring jewelry and treasures...’
‘Might as well bring armor befitting the status...’
‘Might as well bring an escort to guard the envoys...’
The "Might As Well Syndrome," which boasts a long and storied history. That terrible disease—where you go looking for a small used compact car only to find yourself driving a one-ton truck—did not discriminate by race or age.
“Five chests of Erytheian specialty pearls, fifty cows and a hundred goats from Geryon’s ranch, thirteen sets of vintage wine brewed by Dionysus, and ten dozen each of spears, shields, and swords from Hephaestus’s forge....”
Erytheian specialties that would be worth their weight in gold if even one of them crossed over to the Greek mainland. Was that all? The giant race, who would be filming a live-action Attack on Titan the moment they stepped onto the Greek mainland, were sweating as they filled a massive ship that rivaled a Greek aircraft carrier. Naturally, the leader of that fleet was Antaios himself.
“Anyone looking at this would think it’s an invading army.”
At first, I tried to stop them, saying it would only make our journey heavier, but now? I don’t know anymore. Let it be.
When I shook my head and turned away, Neri, dressed in a tropical outfit that seemed to scream, "I'm going on vacation!", was busy brushing Orthrus.
-Woof woof!
-Bark bark!
[So excited!]
“Kya-ha-hat! That tickles! You have to stay still! Orth!”
Her dress and straw hat, which she had dressed up in so nicely, were whipped around several times by the giant two-headed dog’s tail, which was reminiscent of a fan. But Neri just giggled and kept busy stroking the two heads of the massive Orthrus.
“Are the Geryons okay? I heard there was a lot of debate over the treatment of Orthrus.”
“Well... they must have gathered their opinions on what Orthrus needs most. It will be fine. However...”
“Pant, pant, pant, pant!”
[Big sister! Big sister! Let's play ball!]
[Me, me, me! I want to play tug-of-war!]
Geryon? What’s that? Watching Orthrus hang off Neri and wag his tail as if he had the energy to do anything, Antaios chuckled.
“They say they’re sad that the guy they raised on their backs for hundreds of years is now clinging to a pretty goddess.”
“Honestly, I’m surprised too.”
Is it because of that bloodline? Or is there another reason? Orthrus, who saw Neri a while ago, was so excited he wouldn’t leave her side, as if he’d met his own sister. Neri also reacted as if she were dying of cuteness because Orthrus followed her around; she said that the pets she’d been gifted so far were things like giant sea snakes, king seahorses, or deep-sea lobsters. With that in mind, it was only natural for Neri to be happy that a large puppy with two—no, four—sparkling eyes was following her around.
“It seems he likes her even more than he likes Geryon, let alone me.”
“Whether it’s a beast, a human, or even a god, being drawn to a beautiful woman is an eternal truth, isn’t it?”
“And it’s a good sight to see, too.”
Under the dim dawn sunlight, a giant dog and a beautiful goddess playing together. It was just a pity I didn’t have a smartphone—or a camera—in my hand right now.
“Alright! Then let’s depart!”
“Good! Now that the preparations are finished!”
[Departure?!]
[Departure!?]
-Awooooooo!!!
With Orthrus’s howling, which rang out loudly through the harbor, as the starting signal, the sons of Poseidon began to leave their long-time home for the first time in thousands of years.
“Kuh-heuk! Berimene! I will surely return safely!”
“Sob sob sob! Torenesis! Please don’t forget me!”
“Stay well! If I don’t return, tell our son to dig under the cornerstone...”
“Don’t say such unlucky things! Just come back safely, come ba... heu-euk!”
The tearful farewells of couples and lovers who would be separated for the first time in hundreds of years continued amidst Tinga’s blessing-filled flower petals, and soon, the large ships with their sails unfurled left the harbor in perfect order.
“Stay healthyyyyy!!”
“I love youuuuu!!!”
With the final lion’s roar from Antaios and Tinga that shook the entire harbor, the giants’ ships headed for the Greek mainland slipped out into the distant sea.
“Hey, my Lord.”
“Why? Did you have a change of heart because you’re leaving your wife behind?”
“No, of course not. I can’t leave until I at least face that guy who’s called Zeus’s great hero. Anyway, with this much, I suppose no one will be able to reach us with anything to say in Erytheia anymore, right?”
“...Right?”
But why are you asking me that? Just as I was wondering, Antaios suddenly turned his body toward the sailors and shouted loudly.
“Lads!! Bring out all the alcohol we’ve stocked up!!”
-Yeah!!!!
...Alcohol? Where did the gloomy atmosphere of the sorrowful farewells go? At the captain’s command, the giants and demigods cheered, pulled out large barrels and cups, and some even jumped into the sea with knives in their mouths to catch snacks.
“Lads, you’ve worked hard coming out this far after decades! There are no wives here to nag us, so let’s eat and drink!”
-Antaios! Antaios! Antaios!
In an instant, the three massive ships became a giant drinking party on the sea.
“Come on, come on! Drink up first! This is Erytheian special mead that even Amphitrite has acknowledged!”
-Chiiiiik!
I just smiled bitterly at the cool, refreshing Greek beer in my hand, accompanied by the scent of malt.
“Whether here or there, when men leave home, it’s all the same—a drinking party.”
In my past life, once the Murim was pacified to some extent, whenever I tried to go on an excursion, the Four Heavenly Kings and the Twelve Bishops—the married ones—would make a fuss about wanting to follow me. Since our sect had so many female experts, their wives were also full of temper and personality, so whenever they wanted to drink, they had no choice but to follow me, their supreme superior, outside.
“Kuhahaha! Tinga would glare at me so much whenever I tried to have a glass of mead. Even if I ran away to Geryon’s island, she’d send a familiar right away to nag me! How about it, Lady Nesneria, would you like a glass?”
“Antaios! What about the ship if you do this!”
The dignified Sea Lord was nowhere to be found; Antaios had become an uncle who came out to drink to avoid his wife’s nagging. Neri protested in disbelief, but I shook my head and lifted her into my arms.
“Let him be, Neri. It’s fine.”
“Dia! But this is the sea! It’s a sea of hardship that Father Oceanus is barely managing to hold together...!”
“Even if it’s a sea of hardship, there’s no way anyone in this vicinity would dare to attack this fleet.”
I took a long drink of the cool ancient beer Antaios had handed me and pointed to the sea over the railing.
-Pru-ru-ru!
A snow-white mollusk rising to the surface with the sound of water and white foam. It was a giant squid Kraken, which became fierce during the spawning season around this time, making even the demigods of Olympia reluctant to go out into the open sea.
“With this much, we won’t have any problems with snacks today!”
“Light the stove! We can’t eat all of this!”
The Kraken, its vital point pierced in an instant without a scratch, was neatly cleaned by the hands of the giants who had come up while diving next to it, distributed to each ship, and began to sizzle as it was grilled.
“The Kraken is...”
Even to the fishermen of the Greek outer sea, whose basic potential was about that of a second-rate martial artist, the Kraken was a disaster that required prayers to Poseidon if one ever encountered it. But these were the people who could slice up such a disaster in an instant...
-Woof woof!
[Meat! Meat!]
[Sea meat!]
“Yes, yes, here you go!”
Orthrus was also getting a large squid leg each from Antaios and tearing into it happily.
“Come to think of it, where’s Carcinus?”
“...He said he was scared because the other giants were drooling while looking at him, so he’s following us by diving.”
Was her pride as a Sea Goddess hurt? Neri had a complex expression as the sea of hardship, where the entire area was compared to the cliffs of Charybdis, turned into a drinking party in an instant.
“Ugh...! I don’t know! Even if they are the sons of my brother-in-law Poseidon, this is a sea of hardship that even Father manages with difficulty! I won’t save them if they fall into the water!”
“Oh my, Neri!”
Pouting her lips, Neri went into the cabin, and I gave a bitter smile to Antaios, who was shrugging and smiling, before hurrying after her into our cabin.
“Neri.”
“Hmph! I don’t know! What kind of sea this is... ugh...”
“No, why are you getting angry over something strange?”
“I don’t know! Tell Antaios! If the ship gets a hole and sinks, I’m only taking Dia and escaping!”
“Haha, alright, alright.”
As I smiled and spread my arms slightly, Neri approached and embraced me, pretending she didn’t know.
“It’s true! No matter how much they’ve become Dia’s subordinates, this is a matter of pride as Oceanus’s daughter!”
“The Goddess is enraged. It can’t be helped. I have no choice but to beg for mercy, right?”
“...How?”
“How, you ask.”
The thin dress Neri was wearing slipped away as soon as I lightly untied the knot at her neck. Then, under the bright sunlight, Nesneria’s body, like a white pearl, sparkled beautifully.
“Like this?”
“....Beast.”
Is it almost a conditioned reflex now?
“Do you hate that beast?”
“Hmph, can’t you tell?”
-Sliiiide!
Now skillfully pulling down my tunic, Nesneria smiled bewitchingly.
“Did you see how I handle Orthrus? I might not know much else, but I was born with the ability to handle beasts.”
“...Woof woof?”
“Hahaha!”
At my cheeky answer, Nesneria’s clear laughter rang out in the cabin. Of course, it didn’t take long for that laughter to turn into breathless moans.
Thus, after a long journey, I finally began my long voyage to Greece, which had now become like my home.
* ＊ ＊
A while later.
-Pooooo!!
-It’s land! I can see Greece!!
“Fueh?! R-really?”
“I told you. There wouldn’t be any problems.”
Except for one of the sailors who had overindulged in alcohol and bumped his head on the mast, our fleet was able to reach the Greek mainland without a single loss.