The old woman was more thrilled with her returned eyesight than with her healed lungs. Didn’t they say that clear eyes couldn’t be exchanged for all the gold, silver, and treasures of the world? She toured the mysterious temple early in the morning and praised it till she was thirsty, saying, “I’ve never seen a place more beautiful than this before.”
Eutostea was glad someone recognized the value of the temple.
Her son was sweeping the front yard of the temple with a broom made from a plant bush and fell flat in front of her when Eutostea appeared.
“Please accept me as a servant!”
Eutostea looked down at him with a puzzled look on her face. He was sorry that he had nothing to give in return for his mother’s cured illness, but eventually, he was able to come up with the idea he had to offer his services to the temple.
“Don’t accept him. Who needs a servant?” Dionysus muttered disgustedly. He was still invisible to the old woman and her son’s eyes. He lay obliquely on the altar.
“The temple has enough hands. Come on, get up. Mr. Marche.”
Eutostea grabbed the man by the shoulder. Yes, it sure had more than enough. She thought that she’d been serving two male gods, not just one. Still, she thought Apollo was less noisy because he wasn’t here. He’s been quite busy these days, so it’d been hard to see his face. That’s not to say Eutostea was looking forward to seeing his face. Right… let’s just skip this issue.
The old woman kicked her son’s butt, telling him not to trouble the priestess. It really seemed to her that she had recovered all her energy.
It’s a good thing.
The pair of mother and son are visitors to the temple. The mother said that they would leave the temple without further inconveniencing her. Eutostea advised them to eat lunch first then go. Moussa came to set the table. Eutostea sat on the floor and received a plate. They started the conversation by pushing meat in front of them.
“In fact, it hasn’t been long since I became a priest, so I’m ignorant about this neighborhood. All I know is that the river that flows around the temple is called the Pactolus River. Do you know what the name of this place is?”
“It’s the Mallea province. This mountain is the western stem of the Keusdoccian Mountain chain. The name of the village where my mother and I lived is Kenneth. It’s a place where we grow fruit trees and farm sheep,” replied the old woman’s son.
“Is the Mallea province a part of the Ragnas Union of the Voyotia country?”
Eutostea found a strange name while skimming through her background knowledge. When she asked, the expressions of the man and the old woman dimmed.
“Yes? Yes, it was.”
It’s past tense. Why?
“The Ragnas country was destroyed last summer when it was defeated by the Marea country,” Marche said, lowering his gloomy eyes.
“…”
Eutostea was speechless with shock.
The Kingdom of Ragnas was a strong ally to Thebes to the point of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her kingdom. King Aphelius was rallying to marry Askitea or Hersia to his country’s heir. It was a strong country with which had many heroes participate during the Trojan War. Thebes, which lacked troops, also imported mercenaries from the Ragnas Kingdom and learned military training laws and applied them to its actual situation.
Marea is, as far as she knows, a country belonging to the Sargris Union, and it posed no great threat to Thebes. Unless it was a strong city country like Athens or Sparta, small countries in Greece formed a Union for mutual prosperity. The Voyotian Union and the Sergris Union showed aggression but did not confront each other. But if they fought each other, it would mean mutual destruction for both. Unless they had a desire to swallow up the whole of Greece, the unnecessary war was like giving a greater power the chance to trample on them.
“The momentum of the Marean nation is extraordinary. They say that the places where the army passed by were burned like a desert” said the old woman. She was from a generation that had been through war. She broke the devastating news to them while shivering.
Eutostea only picked up a few grapes and felt bloated.
“What about Thebes?” She inquired urgently about her home country. She invited them to lunch with that motive in mind. And right after asking, she regretted it. Fear struck her like a hurricane.
“Oh, that’s a mess right now,” the old woman said with a tearful look. She insisted that Thebes was the place where the Marea kingdom was using all its might to carry on an onslaught. “The palace was taken down and all the officials were taken prisoner. Blocking the road ahead, the citizens were trampled on to death by the horseshoes of their chariots. The ancient vineyards, which had been making fruit ahead of the harvest, were all burned down. Only a small number of troops and citizens are remaining and fighting in the fortress. It’s been months already. It’s such popular news that even this mountain’s climbers know.”
Then the son added from his mother.
“Thebes was the first country to hold out against the Mareans who are protected by God Ares. They fought so tenaciously. I heard that the last standing troops are of the Holy Army of Thebes. They seem to be very brave heroes. They will soon lose their life though, but then again if they die saving their country, they’ll die a glorious death.”
Although he was a farmer, he had respect for the soldiers.
“Priest? Why do you look so sad?”
The old woman groped her hand and touched Eutostea’s face. She blinked her eyelids rapidly. Hot tears dripped down and soaked the old woman’s hands.
“I can’t believe such things happened without my knowing. My heart aches a lot over the tragedy that has happened in my home country.”
The old woman was more thrilled with her returned eyesight than with her healed lungs. Didn’t they say that clear eyes couldn’t be exchanged for all the gold, silver, and treasures of the world? She toured the mysterious temple early in the morning and praised it till she was thirsty, saying, “I’ve never seen a place more beautiful than this before.”
Eutostea was glad someone recognized the value of the temple.
Her son was sweeping the front yard of the temple with a broom made from a plant bush and fell flat in front of her when Eutostea appeared.
“Please accept me as a servant!”
Eutostea looked down at him with a puzzled look on her face. He was sorry that he had nothing to give in return for his mother’s cured illness, but eventually, he was able to come up with the idea he had to offer his services to the temple.
“Don’t accept him. Who needs a servant?” Dionysus muttered disgustedly. He was still invisible to the old woman and her son’s eyes. He lay obliquely on the altar.
“The temple has enough hands. Come on, get up. Mr. Marche.”
Eutostea grabbed the man by the shoulder. Yes, it sure had more than enough. She thought that she’d been serving two male gods, not just one. Still, she thought Apollo was less noisy because he wasn’t here. He’s been quite busy these days, so it’d been hard to see his face. That’s not to say Eutostea was looking forward to seeing his face. Right… let’s just skip this issue.
The old woman kicked her son’s butt, telling him not to trouble the priestess. It really seemed to her that she had recovered all her energy.
It’s a good thing.
The pair of mother and son are visitors to the temple. The mother said that they would leave the temple without further inconveniencing her. Eutostea advised them to eat lunch first then go. Moussa came to set the table. Eutostea sat on the floor and received a plate. They started the conversation by pushing meat in front of them.
“In fact, it hasn’t been long since I became a priest, so I’m ignorant about this neighborhood. All I know is that the river that flows around the temple is called the Pactolus River. Do you know what the name of this place is?”
“It’s the Mallea province. This mountain is the western stem of the Keusdoccian Mountain chain. The name of the village where my mother and I lived is Kenneth. It’s a place where we grow fruit trees and farm sheep,” replied the old woman’s son.
“Is the Mallea province a part of the Ragnas Union of the Voyotia country?”
Eutostea found a strange name while skimming through her background knowledge. When she asked, the expressions of the man and the old woman dimmed.
“Yes? Yes, it was.”
It’s past tense. Why?
“The Ragnas country was destroyed last summer when it was defeated by the Marea country,” Marche said, lowering his gloomy eyes.
“…”
Eutostea was speechless with shock.
The Kingdom of Ragnas was a strong ally to Thebes to the point of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her kingdom. King Aphelius was rallying to marry Askitea or Hersia to his country’s heir. It was a strong country with which had many heroes participate during the Trojan War. Thebes, which lacked troops, also imported mercenaries from the Ragnas Kingdom and learned military training laws and applied them to its actual situation.
Marea is, as far as she knows, a country belonging to the Sargris Union, and it posed no great threat to Thebes. Unless it was a strong city country like Athens or Sparta, small countries in Greece formed a Union for mutual prosperity. The Voyotian Union and the Sergris Union showed aggression but did not confront each other. But if they fought each other, it would mean mutual destruction for both. Unless they had a desire to swallow up the whole of Greece, the unnecessary war was like giving a greater power the chance to trample on them.
“The momentum of the Marean nation is extraordinary. They say that the places where the army passed by were burned like a desert” said the old woman. She was from a generation that had been through war. She broke the devastating news to them while shivering.
Eutostea only picked up a few grapes and felt bloated.
“What about Thebes?” She inquired urgently about her home country. She invited them to lunch with that motive in mind. And right after asking, she regretted it. Fear struck her like a hurricane.
“Oh, that’s a mess right now,” the old woman said with a tearful look. She insisted that Thebes was the place where the Marea kingdom was using all its might to carry on an onslaught. “The palace was taken down and all the officials were taken prisoner. Blocking the road ahead, the citizens were trampled on to death by the horseshoes of their chariots. The ancient vineyards, which had been making fruit ahead of the harvest, were all burned down. Only a small number of troops and citizens are remaining and fighting in the fortress. It’s been months already. It’s such popular news that even this mountain’s climbers know.”
Then the son added from his mother.
“Thebes was the first country to hold out against the Mareans who are protected by God Ares. They fought so tenaciously. I heard that the last standing troops are of the Holy Army of Thebes. They seem to be very brave heroes. They will soon lose their life though, but then again if they die saving their country, they’ll die a glorious death.”
Although he was a farmer, he had respect for the soldiers.
“Priest? Why do you look so sad?”
The old woman groped her hand and touched Eutostea’s face. She blinked her eyelids rapidly. Hot tears dripped down and soaked the old woman’s hands.
“I can’t believe such things happened without my knowing. My heart aches a lot over the tragedy that has happened in my home country.”
