“Because I’m sad,” Eutostea answered him, frustrated at him for asking obvious things.
“Why be sad? It’s the family that kicked you out. It was a country where you didn’t have a place to stay.”
“They didn’t kick me out. I went out on my own.”
“Were it a place that embraced you and were they treating you like a human being, would you have had to walk out on your own? Think of it as karma. I think the oracle was right. The country will decline one day. Just like all human beings die one day.”
Dionysus looked at Eutostea’s face with bulging eyes.
“I don’t want to waste your beautiful tears on those insignificant things,” he murmured inwardly.
He took out a clean cloth to wipe her tears as she had wiped his hands before. Eutostea dodged his hand. What he said was wrong from its basis.
“These are the things I love.”
Dionysus’ heart fell at her words.
“Those are things that I want to protect. I prayed to you every day. Wishing for the safety of Thebes and the happiness of my family. Didn’t you hear my prayers?”
“Don’t be silly. Why do you give affection to those who have abandoned you! Why waste your precious heart on those things! To those things that don’t even know how to be thankful!”
Dionysus threw away the cloth resentfully. Eutostea glared at him quietly. Dionysus softened his anger.
“Eutostea.”
He called her as if he were begging.
‘Don’t tell me you’re leaving.’
Despite his earnest wish, she opened her lips and uttered the cruel words to him.
“I have to go back to Thebes.”
***
Eutostea said she was leaving, as if he would let her go if she said it. Dionysus burst out laughing. He’s had a lot of crazy laughs, but this was by far his strangest, especially in this situation. It did not fit the heavy mood. Eutostea looked at him with stunned eyes.
“Why do you laugh?”
She squinted at him with her eyes wide open.
“Are my words ridiculous to you?”
“Yeah, a little funny.” Dionysus coughed and stopped laughing. His face hardened coldly. “Why would you go to Thebes? How do you plan on getting there?”
He mocked. When his smile, which made him look like a clever villain, disappeared, only a cool dignity remained on his face, as if to indicate that he was also a god.
“To personally kill Artemis? Eutostea?”
“…”
“Let’s say we’re lucky enough to go all the way to Thebes without being noticed. What are you going to do on a battlefield stained with slaughter and madness? You’re going to fight with a spear? To protect your country? With that arm that barely lifts a bucket?”
“…”
“Didn’t you become my priest because you didn’t want to die? What’s different about going back to your home country now and trying to kill yourself. Am I not understanding things correctly here?”
“…”
A green glare flashed in the dark. Dionysus is waiting for her answer. Eutostea wrapped her arms around her head and clasped it hard. She felt like she hit an insurmountable wall. She felt nauseous. She got sick and bile rose to her throat. She looked at him with a frown.
“I want to live, Lord Dionysus.”
“Yes. Don’t go.”
Thinking that the conversation was over, Dionysus waved his hand. He thought she’d understood him. Eutostea stood frozen like a statue.
“No, I have to go. I’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
“Eutostea!”
Dionysus called her out in an angry voice. The wind scratched angrily around him. Eutostea stepped back to get away from him.
“You’re not getting out of here! Because I won’t allow it!”
“Because I’m sad,” Eutostea answered him, frustrated at him for asking obvious things.
“Why be sad? It’s the family that kicked you out. It was a country where you didn’t have a place to stay.”
“They didn’t kick me out. I went out on my own.”
“Were it a place that embraced you and were they treating you like a human being, would you have had to walk out on your own? Think of it as karma. I think the oracle was right. The country will decline one day. Just like all human beings die one day.”
Dionysus looked at Eutostea’s face with bulging eyes.
“I don’t want to waste your beautiful tears on those insignificant things,” he murmured inwardly.
He took out a clean cloth to wipe her tears as she had wiped his hands before. Eutostea dodged his hand. What he said was wrong from its basis.
“These are the things I love.”
Dionysus’ heart fell at her words.
“Those are things that I want to protect. I prayed to you every day. Wishing for the safety of Thebes and the happiness of my family. Didn’t you hear my prayers?”
“Don’t be silly. Why do you give affection to those who have abandoned you! Why waste your precious heart on those things! To those things that don’t even know how to be thankful!”
Dionysus threw away the cloth resentfully. Eutostea glared at him quietly. Dionysus softened his anger.
“Eutostea.”
He called her as if he were begging.
‘Don’t tell me you’re leaving.’
Despite his earnest wish, she opened her lips and uttered the cruel words to him.
“I have to go back to Thebes.”
***
Eutostea said she was leaving, as if he would let her go if she said it. Dionysus burst out laughing. He’s had a lot of crazy laughs, but this was by far his strangest, especially in this situation. It did not fit the heavy mood. Eutostea looked at him with stunned eyes.
“Why do you laugh?”
She squinted at him with her eyes wide open.
“Are my words ridiculous to you?”
“Yeah, a little funny.” Dionysus coughed and stopped laughing. His face hardened coldly. “Why would you go to Thebes? How do you plan on getting there?”
He mocked. When his smile, which made him look like a clever villain, disappeared, only a cool dignity remained on his face, as if to indicate that he was also a god.
“To personally kill Artemis? Eutostea?”
“…”
“Let’s say we’re lucky enough to go all the way to Thebes without being noticed. What are you going to do on a battlefield stained with slaughter and madness? You’re going to fight with a spear? To protect your country? With that arm that barely lifts a bucket?”
“…”
“Didn’t you become my priest because you didn’t want to die? What’s different about going back to your home country now and trying to kill yourself. Am I not understanding things correctly here?”
“…”
A green glare flashed in the dark. Dionysus is waiting for her answer. Eutostea wrapped her arms around her head and clasped it hard. She felt like she hit an insurmountable wall. She felt nauseous. She got sick and bile rose to her throat. She looked at him with a frown.
“I want to live, Lord Dionysus.”
“Yes. Don’t go.”
Thinking that the conversation was over, Dionysus waved his hand. He thought she’d understood him. Eutostea stood frozen like a statue.
“No, I have to go. I’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
“Eutostea!”
Dionysus called her out in an angry voice. The wind scratched angrily around him. Eutostea stepped back to get away from him.
“You’re not getting out of here! Because I won’t allow it!”
