The Dilemma of Oedipus
Polybus, the King of Corinth, was a ruler who could be considered a wise monarch—if not exactly a legendary one. To his people, he was a generous sovereign; to his wife, Merope, he was a kind and devoted husband; and to his ministers, though perhaps a bit indecisive, he managed the affairs of state with reasonable competence.
Furthermore, Prince Oedipus had been a brilliant talent since childhood, so exceptional that he had once been invited to join the Forest of Heroes. The bright future of Corinth seemed all but guaranteed.
That is, if not for one man: Phrisus, the younger brother of Polybus and the uncle of Oedipus.
Phrisus possessed unmatched intellect and eloquence, yet he had always lurked in the shadows, hungrily eyeing the throne of Corinth. However, because of the bonds of blood and the fact that many had fallen for his silver tongue, Oedipus had tolerated his uncle’s antics, fearing that a confrontation would tear Corinth apart.
Then, during the festival of Demeter, where everyone was busy eating and drinking, Phrisus had publicly exposed the secret of Oedipus’s birth. The usually gentle Polybus had flown into a rage like Ares himself, threatening to take his brother’s head, and it was only through the desperate intervention of the ministers that Phrisus was spared execution and sent into exile instead.
Fortunately, through the oracle of Delphi and the guidance of Dionysus, Oedipus had escaped his cursed fate thanks to the divine vision of Dianes. As if the gods were rewarding him for his suffering, Corinth had flourished with bountiful harvests and catches upon his return, earning him the cheers and blessings of the people.
Then, on a peaceful and leisurely day in Corinth, a sudden, tragic piece of news arrived, leaving both the King and the Prince no choice but to scream.
“...What did you say happened to my uncle?”
“Your Highness, it is...”
“Speak clearly! Phrisus, that fool—what has he done now!?”
Polybus had spared his life and property out of familial affection, limiting his punishment to exile. Yet, unable to abandon his foolish ambition, Phrisus had attached himself to Iasus, the incompetent tyrant of Arcadia, and plotted to sow chaos across the Peloponnese, forcing Polybus to endure the reprimands of envoys from Achaea and Elis. Even then, when Iasus fell and Phrisus returned with nothing but his life, Polybus had welcomed him back with brotherly love.
“Ph-Phrisus-nim, he... he dared to attack Dianes, attempting to capture him! And now, he is at the Temple of Poseidon, confessing his own crimes!”
The King’s brother and the Prince’s uncle had made a spectacle of himself against the most dangerous and cautious demigod in the current political landscape?
Having already witnessed the power of Dianes—who had deceived fate itself and toyed with countless heroes as if they were children—Oedipus felt the blood in his veins turn to ice.
‘This is a disaster...!’
Though Dianes had saved Oedipus from his cursed fate at the guidance of the gods, he was a hero who would resolutely oppose even the will of the gods if it did not align with his own. Even the priestess of Delphi had sent an extraordinary letter confirming that his heavenly curse had been lifted. Knowing that Dianes possessed wisdom that surpassed the prophecies of Apollo and power that could overturn kingdoms with ease, Oedipus had strongly urged his father to form an alliance with Arcadia.
If they, located right next to Arcadia, were to ignore them and take the hand of Athens instead, it was clear they would follow the precedent of the already-destroyed Thespiae and Elis. And if, by any chance, Dianes were to be enraged by Oedipus’s betrayal and decide to wipe out Corinth himself, the name "Corinth" would surely vanish forever beneath that black tidal wave.
“F-Father! We must go at once!”
“Oedipus, calm yourself. Even so, this is Dianes’s tyranny. He should come here himself and hand over Phrisus...”
“This is not the time for that! Let us go! What are the guards doing? Quickly, escort my father and follow me!”
“Eh? Huh?! O-Oedipus! Why are you in such a rush!?”
This was a man who had already overturned the prophecies of Apollo with strange sorcery. Regardless of the laws of Zeus or the protection of Poseidon, what use were the etiquettes of the mortal world against a being who already communicated with the gods and manipulated fate itself!
“Y-Yes, sir! Y-Your Majesty, it would be best to follow the Prince’s words!”
“Prince Oedipus has never been this startled before...!”
“I-Is that so...?”
Seeing Oedipus rush out in such a desperate hurry, the King and his soldiers quickly followed him toward the Temple of Poseidon.
Jie-le (Chicken Ribs).
It is a Chinese idiom that originated from a story during the Three Kingdoms period, where Cao Cao lamented that the land of Hanzhong was difficult to eat but offered little to gain.
From the perspective of myself and Arcadia, Corinth was exactly that—a chicken rib.
‘Perhaps in the future, people will call Corinth a chicken rib instead of Hanzhong.’
Emotionally, Oedipus of Corinth was a prince who had been quite close with the members of the Forest of Heroes. Crucially, he was a hero who had provided the starting point for a major turning point in my life, both mythologically and personally.
Furthermore, the people of Corinth had welcomed Oedipus’s return with such fervor. If I were to wipe out and swallow a kingdom where such a man was to be crowned king, it would not only make stabilizing the conquered territory a nightmare, but it would also be a surefire way to plant a flag of divine curses.
However, geographically, Corinth was a very tempting place for Arcadia. It possessed two ports facing the Aegean Sea, and the presence of the island of Salamis right in front of the harbor made it easy to block external maritime threats. Even better, it was only a three-day journey from Tegea, so for Arcadia, located in the heart of the Peloponnese, taking Corinth would be like gaining wings on both shoulders, along with Erytheia.
But inevitably, to reach the Aegean Sea through this route, one had to pass through the front yard of Athens.
Even if I had the blessing of Poseidon, would the ships of Arcadia really be able to sail through the front yard of Athens, which had already begun to point its poisonous fangs at us? Peleus and Ereinea had calculated that we should expect significant losses and taxes.
But could Theseus, that slippery Athenian, have been unaware of this?
Theseus, who had already contacted Sparta to supply weapons and provided the poison-mist bombs used against me, yet left no physical evidence—only suspicion—could he have been unaware?
‘Nine times out of ten, he knows deep down that he’s no match for me in terms of raw power. He’ll try to point his blade at me from another angle. If so, would he really leave Corinth alone?’
Unlike us, who found it burdensome to swallow Corinth just yet, Theseus, who was desperate to take my head, was highly likely to form an alliance with Corinth, perhaps alongside the Amazons, or in the worst case, forcibly swallow it.
And sure enough.
Phrisus, kneeling on the ground with his head gripped in my hand, stuttered and spilled everything.
“G-Gah... Y-Yes. A-Athens sent an envoy. They said Arcadia is a city of blasphemous sin, like the Amazons, where women reign over men... They said if Corinth joins hands with Arcadia, they will taste the wrath of Athena... They promised me the throne of Corinth if I blocked Dianes and achieved merit... I swear by the Styx, it is the truth...”
Phrisus.
I wondered where I had seen him before; he was the sycophant who had been clinging to Iasus during the Tegea incident last time. They said Phrisus had caused as much terrible harm to Tegea as Iasus himself. Even during the Tegea riots, the name that echoed as loudly as Iasus’s was that of Phrisus.
“H-Huk!? By Poseidon! That madman, not even knowing the grace of Oedipus who took him back in!”
“Phrisus, you wretch!! Do you intend to turn all of Corinth into a sea of fire!”
“Great Hero! Death to that traitor!”
—Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!
However, as with most sycophants, while his brain spun rapidly for his own self-preservation and advancement, his spine was as weak as a scarecrow’s. About five minutes after his pressure points were sealed and he suffered the agony of Fenjin-Chagu (tearing tendons and breaking bones), he had bowed his head and confessed the truth before everyone. Perhaps he was hated even in his own country, or perhaps they were simply terrified of me, but everyone began chanting for the death of Phrisus.
‘As expected, people are worth watching once they succeed.’
It’s amazing how easily the situation falls into my hands when I just provide a reasonable justification and lay it out there. If I had just threatened them with force, the Greek citizens, with their notoriously stubborn temperaments, would have likely charged at me in a "you die, I die" frenzy.
“H-How could this be... To commit such a terrible act in my kingdom, under my very eyes! Your foolishness nearly brought about the destruction of Corinth! Oh! Zeus!”
“Uncle! No matter how much you hate me, not only did you act tyrannically toward my benefactor, but you also sold out the country?!”
This was right in front of the Temple of Poseidon, the most heavily trafficked area in Corinth. The classic showmanship of a criminal confessing his sins before the eyes of the great Sea God was incredibly effective. By calling out the people of Corinth, Oedipus, and the King, and having Phrisus confess everything, I had publicly presented Corinth with a choice.
Arcadia or Athens.
Dianes or Theseus.
A deadly binary choice!
‘By now, Polybus and Oedipus must have splitting headaches.’
The King and Prince must have been racking their brains to find a path that would maximize their gains while protecting the Corinthian royal family, but the man who called himself the King’s brother had run wild, taking sides on his own, and had now grabbed the hottest potato in Greece.
‘Would Theseus really have sent an envoy only to this dim-witted sycophant?’
Probably not.
Theseus, who had as deep a connection to Oedipus as Heracles did, would have surely sent a request for an alliance to the King of Corinth, leveraging that friendship and the prestige of Athens. And in this Greece, Athens was a cutting-edge powerhouse that boasted a name so high it made one hesitate even when faced with a neighboring military state.
“...Benefactor.”
As I let go of Phrisus’s hair and wiped my blood-stained hand, Oedipus, who had rushed over, spoke to me cautiously.
‘Well, this guy is innocent, at least.’
Oedipus, whom I saw again after the Cthulhu-skin was peeled away, was indeed a tall man with impressive, clear eyes. He was the perfect man, the kind who had "I’m a golden boy" written all over his face. I wasn’t some mad demon obsessed with blood, and as an elder, it was a bit regrettable to block the path of a promising young man who had grown up under my influence. But in a time when the whims of the gods could run wild over our heads at any moment, I couldn’t exactly leave a bomb right next to my home, could I?
‘...Should I just wipe them all out?’
For a moment, such a violent thought crossed my mind, tickling my irritation at the critical point. But at a time when Olympus was entering a state of civil war, if I were to fully unleash my demonic energy and run wild, that petty Supreme God might just aim a thunderbolt at me.
‘For now... I’ll just simmer down a little longer.’
My head, which had been boiling with rage and a desire for destruction, instantly cooled, and I switched to the face most appropriate for the current situation, greeting Oedipus and Polybus.
“Yo, Oedipus. You look refreshed. But tell me, is this how Corinth treats its benefactors?”
“...!!”
“H-Hik...!”
With a face that seemed to say he was deeply disappointed and might just erase Corinth out of sheer grief if things went wrong—a face that possessed both the power and the will to do so—the seasoned demon’s threat turned the faces of the mortal King and Prince deathly pale.
What could they do? If they wanted to blame someone, they had to blame the stupid brother who had been tap-dancing in front of a hungry Heavenly Demon, begging to be eaten.