The Villain of Ancient Greece

”Alright, that’s enough talk. No need to bring up these old matters anymore.”

As everyone finished their fill of gossip, King Minos came back to his senses and turned his attention to the mysterious sage whom the goddess Athena held in high regard, bringing up the most pressing issue at hand.

”As for the beast tide, do you have any suggestions?”

”Can you predict when they’ll act next?” Lorne countered with a question.

”Although many sea beasts and sea monsters were lost, it’s far from a crippling blow for them.

After all, these creatures are abundant in the Oceanus Sea, and they seem to be gathering continuously near the island of Crete.”

At this point, King Minos’s expression darkened.

”At their current rate of gathering, within three days they’ll have replenished their numbers. By then, they’ll likely launch the second wave of assault.”

Lorne took a sip of the fruit wine in his cup and added in a faint tone.

”Also, after the initial probing, they probably already have a rough idea of Crete’s military strength.

The second wave of the beast tide will likely be far more intense. At that time, more god-blooded descendants might join the battle.”

Suddenly, the atmosphere at the dining table became even more gloomy.

”The battle hasn’t even started yet—these expressions aren’t a good sign, are they?”

Lorne cracked a light joke, slightly easing the tension, before sharing his general view.

”My suggestion is this: while the sea beasts are resting, quickly evacuate the population to preserve the vital force. Build fortresses along the coast, construct tiered lines of defense, and unite the cities of Crete into a whole. Delay them step by step, trading space for time...”

”If we’re only stalling, with the added burden of refugees, the supplies, food, weapons, medicine—might not last through winter.”

King Minos reminded in a low voice, his eyes filled with hesitation.

”Don’t worry, the other side is more anxious than we are.”

Lorne replied thoughtfully, half-smiling as he gestured toward the distant Mount Olympus.

”Crete is a key gateway to and from the Oceanus Sea. To cut it off from the outside world, they’d practically have to blockade half the coastline.

Such a large operation can’t last long—unless these sea beasts are prepared to declare war on all of Greece.

If that’s the case, this is your chance to issue a call to arms. Invite heroes from all the city-states—Delphi, Corinth, Thebes, Sparta...

Don’t forget any of the famous ones. For the future of Greece, everyone must unite and join forces on Crete to resist this natural disaster of the beast tide, and to reopen the sea routes it has blocked.”

Even Hestia could hear the malice hidden beneath that blunt proposal.

Delphi is Apollo’s territory, Corinth follows the sun god Helios, Thebes and Sparta have ties to Ares, the god of war. By involving so many city-states, he’d also indirectly drag the gods into the fray, forcing them to pick sides again.

By then, even Poseidon, lord of the sea, would be on the hot seat.

As for why they couldn’t invite those heroes now—well, it’s simple.

Without direct interests at stake, why would they easily stand with the people of Minos?

It seemed that this beast tide wasn’t entirely unsolvable—so long as they could hold out long enough.

”Don’t get happy too soon...”

But then, a quiet murmur broke the hint of optimism among them. Lorne rubbed his temples, his gaze steady and deep.

”What we can figure out, the enemy probably knows as well.

So the longer this drags on, the more intense the beast tide will become.

If we put all our hopes on passive defense, we might just be sitting ducks, waiting for death.

That’s why we must prepare for a counterattack—wait for the moment they can’t hold back any longer and expose the commanders behind the beast tide.

Then, we strike with our full force, find the opening, and conduct a decapitation operation—kill the target!

That way, once the beast tide loses its leadership, it will naturally retreat to the depths of the Oceanus Sea, and Crete’s crisis will be temporarily resolved...”

Hearing such a well-organized strategy, King Minos suddenly felt enlightened, as if the clouds in his mind had cleared.

Rejuvenated, he couldn’t help but cast an intense gaze toward the sage whom the goddess had spoken so highly of.

”In that case, I’d like to appoint you as legion commander, with full authority over the battle!”

”Nope!”

Lorne waved his hands frantically and refused without hesitation.

”I’m only good at coming up with ideas. I have little to no actual military experience. Entrusting so many lives to me would only get them killed.”

He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.

Lorne had survived this long largely thanks to his self-awareness.

He could stir things up, but he didn’t want to die.

Large-scale military operations aren’t like a game of chess. As a complete outsider, even a small misstep could get countless people killed.

Of course, even that wasn’t the worst-case scenario. If he ruined the whole situation, he’d drag himself down with it.

Besides, his biggest advantage at the moment was remaining in the shadows. If he showed himself too much, and drew the attention of the Olympian gods, the losses would outweigh the gains.

Hearing his firm refusal, King Minos calmed down as well.

His admiration for this young sage deepened, his eyes now filled with intense appreciation.

Few people can remain clear-headed and self-aware in the face of power.

Unfortunately, several of his sons lacked that very trait.

However, King Minos then looked troubled again.

”But without an official identity, your actions may be restricted in many ways.”

”How about this—”

Lorne’s eyes flashed as he rested his head on little Medusa’s and gently patted her, smiling as he offered the pre-prepared backup plan.

”Although Anna is the goddess’s chosen envoy, she doesn’t have an assigned priest. I’ll temporarily serve as her scribe, responsible for recording and delivering messages.”

”Very well, let it be as you say!”

King Minos nodded repeatedly, fully agreeing with this arrangement.

As Lorne and King Minos finalized more details regarding the relocation of the population and the construction of the coastal defense system, the banquet gradually came to an end.

With plates messy and bellies full, the four of them rose one after another.

”There’s still a lot to prepare and deal with today, so I won’t keep you any longer.”

With the crisis looming, King Minos, as host, didn’t stand on ceremony.

He summoned his second daughter, who was responsible for escorting guests, then hurried off toward the royal administrative hall with long, urgent strides.

It wouldn’t be long before the beast tide struck again—he needed to make the best use of every moment to set everything in order.

Watching the elderly man with nearly all-white hair stride into the sunlight, Lorne couldn’t help but feel a faint and inexplicable sense of sorrow, like the mourning of a rabbit at the death of a fox.

They were both sons of gods, but as long as they couldn’t break free from the shackles of fate, they were ultimately nothing more than pawns in the gods’ games.

However, that subtle emotion lasted only for a fleeting moment.

Having long been tempered by various trials, Lorne, with a resilient heart, waved to the two behind him.

”Let’s go. It’s getting late.”

A low-key yet luxurious carriage left the palace, passed through the now quieter streets of Knossos, and came to a steady stop in front of Hestia’s residence.

The three of them stepped off one after another.

Nearing the door, Lorne turned back to the ever-accompanying Princess Ariadne and asked in a serious tone:

”Can the temple provide detailed troop and population data for the island of Crete, as well as maps of the terrain and rivers?”

”Those should be in the archives.” Princess Ariadne nodded and replied directly, ”If you need them, I’ll send someone right away.”

In the early stages of civilization, Western priests not only held divine authority but were often also the keepers and transmitters of culture and knowledge.

For many things, asking them was far more reliable than asking lower-level officials.

Seeing the intelligent princess being so tactful, Lorne nodded in satisfaction.

After waving goodbye, he stepped into the house.

But the moment he casually closed the door behind him, an indignant voice rang loudly through the living room:

”How could Zeus do something like that!”

—End of Chapter 69

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