After safely returning to Greece, I took my leave of the people who had joined me on the expedition.
"Jason. So you're going to become a king now, too."
"Yeah. Just like you."
"...Next time I see you, will it be as king to king, I wonder..."
As I bid farewell to Jason, we spoke as men who hoped one day to meet again as rulers of their own countries.
"...If things truly go wrong, I'll help you once."
"Yes. Thank you."
After finishing my farewell with Jason, I was about to return with Medea when my eyes met Atalanta's.
Atalanta said nothing as she looked at me.
A friend with whom I had fought countless battles throughout the voyage, a comrade to whom I had entrusted my back.
Yet in her eyes now, there was some feeling that had not been there on the battlefield.
"...You're going back."
It was a brief line.
At that, I nodded.
"Yes. I have things I must do."
Silence passed between us.
Through hair stirred by the wind, Atalanta's gaze drifted to Medea, then returned to me.
"...I see."
Then, as though nothing had happened, she spoke again.
Simply turning her back, she said, "Next time we meet... I won't go easy on you."
At that, I let out a faint laugh.
"Same here, Atalanta."
Atalanta's steps halted for a moment.
But in the end, she did not look back, and simply walked away.
After Jason and the heroes of the Argo set out to seek their own destinies, I returned to my country, Eirene, together with Medea.
The moment I set foot on the land of my kingdom, the familiar scent of earth and the cheers of the people who had awaited me poured forth.
But the road to the throne was not entirely smooth.
While I had been away, the surrounding nations had kept my kingdom under heavy pressure.
Yet with my safe return, the atmosphere within the kingdom became brighter than ever.
And when I entered the great temple of the royal palace, the ministers began whispering as they looked at Medea, the foreign woman standing at my side.
Unsettling murmurs spread among the retainers: "the princess of Colchis," "the foreign woman who bewitched the king."
I stood before the throne and swept my cold gaze over each of those who had spoken such words.
Then I took Medea's hand, drew her beside me, and seated her in the position of advisor, slightly below the queen's seat.
"What this woman means to me is proof of my victory, and the evidence I brought back from Colchis. Her sorcery is like my sword; anyone who insults her shall be regarded as challenging my authority."
After my declaration, the corridor fell silent as though cold water had been poured over it.
Medea looked up at me, and on her face there was no longer fear, only a firm smile that belonged to her alone.
After that, time passed, and I dealt with the work that had piled up in my absence. Medea stayed close at my side and helped me through those days.
And in gratitude for my safe return, I did not forget to offer sacrifices to the gods of Olympus, making sure not to omit a single one.
Afterward, when my retainers reported that trade and other affairs were not functioning properly because of the vigilance of neighboring countries, I first gathered the merchants and formed a merchant alliance called the Guild, then created an assembly of mercenaries called the Adventurer Guild to make up for our 부족한 military strength, placing its headquarters in the capital.
Not merely vagabonds who moved only for coin, but an officially recognized armed force protected and managed under the order of the state.
Instead of demanding only a certain standard of decorum and discipline from them, I promised state-level rewards and honor.
Each time the light beneath my throne glimmered coldly, even those who had voiced complaints eventually bowed before my efficient and perfect order.
Thus, after rebuilding the foundation of the kingdom and clearing the arteries of commerce, Eirene came to possess walls greater and more formidable than before the expedition.
Then, one day while I was elevating the kingdom's authority against external threats,
in the royal council chamber, numerous retainers and knights stared at the thick map spread across the center, where red flags had been planted one after another.
Seeing flags planted along the border and beyond it as well, they looked to me and said, "...The confirmed force alone numbers thirty thousand."
The minister's voice was calm, but he could not hide the tension within it.
"It is an alliance of Valcion to the west, Nereia to the south, and the smaller states to the east as well."
I looked down at the map without a word.
Three directions.
It was a perfect encirclement.
"...The reason."
When I asked briefly, the retainers fell silent for a moment before someone finally spoke.
"Your Majesty's... rapid growth."
Another minister added, "All of them are wary of the kingdom's expansion. Given the current situation... it would not be strange if they invaded this very moment..."
At that, the air in the council chamber froze.
I slowly raised my head and looked at the one who had spoken.
They stopped talking and wore frightened expressions.
"...Continue."
"...Our growth is being perceived as a threat by other nations."
At those words, I slowly let a smile form on my otherwise expressionless face.
"Good. Then I shall show them."
I tapped the map lightly with my finger.
"Let them know who is truly keeping whom in check. Tell every soldier to prepare for war."
Elsewhere, far from the royal chamber, the first stirrings of that coming conflict had already begun to gather like storm clouds over the horizon.