I Became a Slave to a Mythical Shepherd

Episode 101. allies

Everyone says that Priam is the lord of revival.

It is said that he is a great rebuilder who revived the crumbling Troy, and that he is also a virtuous king who earned deep trust from his allies around him.

However, in fact, Priam is actually a founder rather than a monarch or a rebuilder of restoration.

He is a founder of a collapsed country, a city that has become a mess, and a city that has rebuilt and gathered citizens who have become homeless and scattered. Except for the walls and some temples and cornerstones, little remains of Troy’s past.

Second, Priam is not just a virtuous and good king. The country has collapsed, but there is a reason why the people around them did not come to eat the whole of this strategic point.

Not only did Priam, who quickly came to his senses in the chaos, quickly assemble the refugees of Troy, but he also incurred many political debts while drawing support and cooperation from neighboring countries. And to this extent, debt is also an asset.

The kings and chieftains of the allies who favored Priam were content that Priam, whom they could control, had stabilized Troy, and were relieved that Priam was grateful to them.

Of course, it was thanks to his diplomatic sense that Priam was able to remain as the proud king of a country without kneeling down to countless creditors who looked like that.

That ability cannot simply be reduced to ‘having virtue’.

The deep trust Priam had earned from his allies was the political work of decades.

“…the King is very concerned about the recent situation in Antandros.”

It was also strong enough to not collapse even if steel was poured out in Korea and a large-scale weapon was ordered with it.

Doesn’t the envoy sent by the king of Mysia say the same? “I have a lot of worries,” he said. That’s all.

Of course, there must be doubts and anxieties that are deeper than simple worries, but they are at a level that does not openly argue about them.

“About the situation in Troy.”

Mysia’s envoy was the prophet Ennomos, whom I know, who later participated in the war as an ally of Troy.

He continued talking while carefully watching the shape of a flying bird as if solving a difficult math problem.

“The two countries have maintained a friendly relationship and maintained peace for a long time.

But suddenly, countless steel is pouring out of Antandros, and Trojan soldiers are armed with iron armor, so the citizens are uneasy.”

I really didn’t see it myself.

“That’s right. For a long time, the brave King Telephus of Mysia and the virtuous King Priam of Troy have built up a thick friendship, so the citizens are also relieved saying that ‘Priam, the son of Laomedon, does not have to worry about loyalty’.

However, we do not know anything about your second son and have no friendship, so we cannot easily calm our anxiety.”

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Likewise, Chromios, brother of Ennomos, who is on the side of Troia and participates in the war, continues the conversation.

The two envoys uttered the words, “Even if you believe, how can you believe your son, who doesn’t know where he came from?” in a very sophisticated way.

This has already happened several times in the past.

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Last time Thrace across the sea, before that Phrygia, Caria, Lydia…

It would be understandable if all the countries located on the western coast of Turkey in the 21st century sent us signs of protest.

“Friends from allied countries, I share your concerns. But we did not monopolize our wealth alone.

My son, Paris, laid roads to the surrounding cities and distributed their wealth, and Thebes, which is out of my rule (Υποπλακίη Θήβη, is a different city with the same name as Thebes in mainland Greece, founded by Cadmus. Present-day Turkey. It existed in the west, in the vicinity of Troy, which today scholars commonly call and distinguish as Cilician Thebes.

“Haona…”

“Your country, as it must have suffered just a short while ago, had a vicious invasion by the Amazons. We also suffered serious damage in places like Dardanos, and this preparedness was a big help at that time. Please think of it as a measure for the sake of the country and its citizens from the pirates.”

In any case, Priam also responds in a polite language appropriate to him. Priam’s explanation continued for a long time after that.

The gist was this.

I hold on tight to Prince Paris. The collar and muzzle are also well filled.

Paris is not such a child. Our Paris is docile and doesn’t bite other cities.

Chromios, among Misia’s envoys, couldn’t hide his embarrassed expression at the answer he couldn’t understand.

But the Prophet Ennomos bowed his head contentedly and said:

“I hunted a deer on my way here. The horn I offered earlier came from him.”

“Thank you for the gift.”

“no. In any case, I am a fortuneteller by profession, so when I catch an animal, I always do fortune-telling with its intestines.

.

“…”

Priam silently watched Ennomos mouth.

“I will tell you to wait for the time to return to your country.”

After that, the envoys from Mysia left the audience room. Except for one person, he couldn’t hide his expression of disapproval.

Only after the sound of their footsteps had completely faded did I speak to Priam.

“Father, I am sorry.”

“···no. Preparing for the war against Hattusha is an important matter for the country, so shouldn’t we have entrusted you with the supply of armor?”

Priam puts on a polite and benevolent smile, but still does not erase his regretful expression.

“But wouldn’t that be too much? If the allies around you become uneasy, it may come back to bad things in the future.”

“Couldn’t it be okay if my father mentioned the danger of war with Hattusha?

Anyway, aren’t Phrygia, where the god of death came a few days ago, and Mysia, who had an audience with his father this time, both on the way from Hattusha to Troia? Ask for help and we will be able to help.”

“no.”

It was a proposal that he came up with quite a bit of thought, but Priam rejected it with a single knife.

“As in all things, in war, cause is important.

I don’t know if Hattusha is still preparing for war, but if our side first prepares for war on a large scale and even tries to coax neighboring allies, that’s treason.”

“ah···.”

Of course, I know that Hattusha will invade someday, but so far it’s officially just a ‘guess’.

“Anyway, if Hattusha decides to send an army to conquer the west, they are allies that will attach themselves to us even for the sake of their own safety. You don’t have to show your weaknesses so quickly.”

Priam then rises from his throne and leaves the throne room with Hecuba.

As Hecuba pushed the door of the throne room, she looked back as if she had remembered something, and met her eyes at me.

“Paris?”

“Yes, mother.”

“Be careful.”

“All right.”

“But within the bounds of caution… do your best. I want you to do whatever you want.”

“yes?”

“We will protect you.”

Hecuba hesitated a little before speaking the last word.

“…the years I couldn’t protect you were too long.”

And the door to the audience room closes.

I, too, put the cloak that I had draped over my chair back on my shoulders and prepare to go out.

The situation of Antandros, the situation of Antandros…

okay. It’s been a while since I haven’t checked.

I have work to do.

Outside the audience room door, everywhere is busy.

Attendants gathered drink and food, guests and priests for the upcoming event, while others decorated the palace inside and out with colored cloths.

In many ways, it’s a cluttered atmosphere, but there’s something exciting about it.

With a big event coming up, it was only natural.

“Brother?”

“Ah, Creusa!”

In the past few days, we’ve gotten pretty fast… to say that we’ve become close, or to say that we’ve become friends, but in any case, Creusa, with a familiar face, leads the ladies-in-waiting to me, and Odo also runs.

He was apparently overseeing the arrangement of decorations in the court, and in his hand were hemp cloths dyed in various colors and embroidered with the images of the gods.

Creusa spins once in front of me and speaks to me.

“how is it? This is what I will wear on my wedding day, is it okay?”

Of course, white dresses do not exist in this era. Instead, a red-colored tunic and cape embroidered with splendid gold threads sway in the wind.

There, with veils, garlands, necklaces, and all sorts of ornaments, I will march and feast with Aeneas, who is also dressed in splendid clothes.

Aeneas getting married is as unimaginable as Poxro drinking at a bar and lamenting about life.

“It fits really well. Aeneas would say, um, ‘Uh, uh, uh, that’s very nice.’”

“Thank you so much. Thanks to that, things went smoothly without me being beheaded for being a traitor. I especially want to have my brother next to me at the wedding banquet, is that okay?”

“Uh… no. That sounds like a bad idea.”

“why?”

“If you sit next to me, Oinone won’t sit with you.”

“···ah.”

It is not okay to have your husband’s first love sit nearby at a wedding.

Therefore, there is one more reason to leave Troia for a while.

Soon after, I found a ship and offered sacrifices to Poseidon and the god of the river Scamandros.

Then, together with Ino, they set sail for Antandros.

***

Friction with neighboring countries was always expected.

It was for this reason that it extended to the outside of Troy’s territory through land transportation.

It delays the time when the wealth of Antandros flows to Achaia through the sea route, and instead puts honey into the mouths of the surrounding cities and tribes to silence them.

-Kang! kang! kang!

“Paris! About 300 sets of armor were completed! Can you tell the guards about it?”

But… was this unreasonable?

“No. It’s more important not to make a mess by telling someone to give first and someone to give later than to give quickly. We will complete and distribute 500 suits according to the number of people.”

“All right! Did you all hear! If you make 200 more by the end of this month, I will pay you twice as much!!”

no. What did I do in Antandros?

At best, it was enough to gather the vagrants and carry out simple civil defense training with steel agricultural tools (scythe, hoe, etc., capable of killing).

After holding a large-scale athletic event to suck in talent from the surrounding cities, create a 100-strong guard and prepare to fully arm yourself with iron armor.

He bribed the elders of nearby cities and tribes to control them behind his back.

…

…Certainly, if it had not been for Priam, something would have happened.

If you compare Paris now and Grand Army Suyang right before the rebellion, the latter probably looks more like a loyalist.

But I have no intention of quitting, and even if I wanted to, I couldn’t.

There is no going back as long as a large-scale smithy has already been built to mass-produce steel and the Royal Guard has been launched with the promise of lifetime employment. Unless you’re prepared for a riot that will turn the city upside down.

The war with Hattusha that will surely come is near, and we must also prepare for the ‘Trojan War’ with Achaia, although we do not know when it will happen.

I can’t let go of all this here.

There is only one way for me to choose.

“Anoitos?”

“Yes, lord.”

“Increase the amount of tribute to Troy. Increase the number of armaments by half to one-third. Offer burnt offerings to the gods in the name of Priam, the son of Laomedon.”

“All right.”

“In addition, I want you to tell Theo to hurry up the training of the Royal Guard. I want to show my father the appearance of the newly created Antandros Guard.”

To alleviate suspicion of treason.

The kingdoms out there believe in Priam’s faithfulness. Of course, that may be limited to some extent, but at least I know that Priam will not make enemies everywhere through reckless and foolish things.

It’s me they don’t believe in.

A mysterious figure who hadn’t even known existed until now, who suddenly pops out and claims himself as a prince.

The second son of Priam, who accumulated enormous wealth at some point, raised his own armed forces, and finally rose to become the ruler of a city.

Even if you believe in Priam, if Priam loses his life at the hands of Paris and Antandros burns Troia, your faith and trust will be reduced to ashes along with Priam’s ashes.

It would be the only way to continue the current business while relieving their anxiety.

The way I am going now is to walk as it is.

After all, when the time comes, they will all fight by our side. The name of the envoy from Mysia who came to Troy was also Ennomos.

killed by Achilles.

“Paris? Theo is calling Paris. Training will begin soon, so it would be a good idea to attend to give the instructor authority and boost morale.”

Anoitus calls me.

“Shouldn’t it be better to call Skleos as well? If you see how the weapon you made is used, it might be useful later.”

“That sounds like a good idea. I will send a message to Skleos-sama to come to the amphitheater once.”

okay.

You just have to go like this.