Bear School Astartes

”The timing is perfect: tides, wind direction, sunlight... everything is just right! The sea waits for neither man nor woman.”

Barnabas stood next to the command seat, sighing in awe.

He was now to serve as Cassandra’s sailing advisor.

The prow of the Adrestia sliced through the waves, and the shattered sea spray erupted into a mist of droplets, making everyone on the deck feel fresh and invigorated under the sunlight of the Aegean Sea.

Barnabas, unlike the day he was rescued, no longer resembled a drowning cat.

His long and thick hair was combed back, his beard neatly trimmed and tidily tied, making him look like a handsome uncle, strong and resolute.

He shouted to his crew, ”Row the oars, lower the sails.”

And so, the crew swiftly climbed up the mast like squirrels, pulling on the ropes. With the distant thunder-like roar growing closer, the white sails of the Adrestia unfurled on the mast, revealing its deep red emblem of a soaring eagle. The sails billowed like a giant’s chest against the strong wind, propelling the ship eastward.

”So, where are we heading?” Barnabas asked amidst his commands, looking at Cassandra, who found everything novel and interesting.

”In this vast and beautiful world, where do the great Cassandra and Lann wish to go?”

Lann originally had his arms crossed in front of his chest and waved them forward, as if trying to shoo away the exaggerated flattery.

Though Barnabas was likely sincere, he still wasn’t quite used to it.

Phoebe, however, seemed very excited about it.

But Cassandra didn’t hesitate in the least: ”Megaliss. We are going to Megaliss.”

”Megaliss... of course, Cassandra. I’ve made a promise to the gods to be loyal to my friends—you and Lann. Even if you ask me to sail to Tartarus, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second. But I have to ask a question...”

He gazed at the front of the ship, at the vast waters of Corinth Bay.

”Why? With the wide world I could take you to, why choose this wretched mud pit?”

”Because there’s a huge bounty for Cassandra there. And it’s also my leverage to find my foes.”

Lann calmly explained from the side.

”But that’s the center of the war, Lann!” Barnabas warned sternly.

”The land of Megaliss is filled with Spartan phalanxes, and the waters are surrounded by the Athenian fleet. The latter won’t be a problem, because although the Adrestia is a weather-beaten little ship, she’s fast and can turn nimbly, and her ramming prow is sharp enough.”

”But even so, our timing for landing is terrible. Rumors that Pericles will lead the Athenian army into Megaliss to attack the Spartan garrison are growing louder. What sort of wealth is worth setting foot on such a war-torn land at a time like this?”

”Wait!” Before Cassandra could respond, Lann suddenly spoke up as if hearing a keyword.

”Did you say ’Pericles’? The Athenian governor is called by that name?”

”Of course, who else could it be!”

Pericles, Father of Democracy, a statesman who implemented democracy in Ancient Greece’s Athens City-State.

Although Lann wasn’t particularly familiar with the history of Ancient Greece, this name was unavoidable in historical studies.

According to Pericles’ life story...

Mentos quickly organized the information from his memory in Lann’s mind and highlighted several words.

Peloponnesian War!

Lann’s eyes squinted slightly. Since his arrival here, he had occasionally heard people talking about ’this war’, ’the brutal war’, and other similar topics.

Initially, he thought it was just a manifestation of early civilization chaos.

Getting into a fight every now and then wasn’t uncommon in B.C.

But it wasn’t until now that he clearly understood what ’this war’ was about.

It was a war between Sparta and Athens, involving two tangled alliances, which lasted for decades and stirred the entire Greek world!

He was in a definite and significantly influential historical period.

This current state of being tossed in the waves of history gave Lann a very peculiar feeling.

”I need to obtain the head of a Spartan General in Megaliss.”

Cassandra looked at the stunned Lann and then answered Barnabas’ question herself.

Nearby crew members gasped in shock.

”My employer wants me to kill the General known as the Spartan ’Blood Wolf’.”

”Sparta’s ’Blood Wolf’?” Barnabas gave a wry smile, ”You’ve undertaken a formidable task indeed. I’ve heard that Sparta’s Nikolaos has iron-like shoulders and even sleeps with a spear in hand and one eye open. His bodyguards are said to be as fierce as demons...”

But Cassandra didn’t hear what Barnabas said next. Her eyes lost their focus upon hearing that name, as if she were caught in some memory or daze.

Lann keenly noticed this, and he lightly walked to Cassandra’s side, holding her shoulder to prevent her from stumbling on the unpredictable deck.

”Are you okay?”

He softly inquired of Cassandra, waving his hand to the puzzled crew around them, signaling not to worry.

Phoebe nearby was also looking concerned.

At that moment, this usually strong and confident woman seemed to have her spirit siphoned off, momentarily leaning into Lann’s arms.

But it was only for a moment.

The next moment, Cassandra regained her strength and poise, patting Lann’s supporting arm and steadying her own feet. There was something sharper and more resolute in her eyes.

”Take me to Megaliss immediately, right now.”

Cassandra’s tone was calm but undeniable.

”But I still don’t understand, with so many places under the Sun God Helios’s light, why do we need to risk our lives going there?”

”Because the Spartan ’Blood Wolf’...” Cassandra said softly, ”He is my father.”

”The father who once threw me off a cliff...”

With that reason, no one could say anything further.

Barnabas began plotting the course, while Lann and Phoebe stood quietly by the side.

The stories of blood relatives killing each other, blood relatives being torn apart, blood relatives entangled and suffering due to unfathomable fate... These have already seeped into the cultural roots of Greece, accompanied by ballads, legends, and myths.

In the hearts of all Greeks, this is a journey that even the gods shouldn’t interfere with.

”Ah, Cephalonia, I remember now.”

Suddenly, Lann spoke softly next to Cassandra.

”Odysseus embarked on a journey to return home after the Trojan War, and his homeland is Cephalonia, with his journey being called ’The Odyssey’.”

”And now, you are setting out from his endpoint, to embark on your own ’Odyssey’, Cassandra.”