Another hero saying that might not have convinced him.
But the suggestion came from the man who proposed the plan in the first place.
After hesitating for a moment, Ajax thought about how little ground he was gaining against Odysseus and Diomedes, gritted his teeth, and quietly withdrew from the competition.
The other heroes were surprised to see even Ajax, the great, step down, and several of them felt their own odds shrink further with him out of it.
Most of the remaining fighters started to accept they were probably not getting it either.
A few more conceded and dropped out.
But the final choice of the armor still hadn't been made.
The remaining heroes still refused to yield to one another.
After the meeting ended and everyone else filtered out, Ajax and Night stayed behind.
Before Ajax could say anything, Night spoke first. "This isn't a good place to talk. Come with me."
Ajax followed without hesitation.
Night brought him to his own tent and confirmed the area was clear; no mortal could eavesdrop even if certain divine voyeurs couldn't be ruled out, and then he spoke.
"Great Ajax. You must be wondering why I stopped you from competing for Achilles's armor."
Hearing his words, Ajax's brow furrowed and he asked directly.
"Why did you say getting Achilles' armor would not be good for me?"
"Please don't take offense, my friend.
Let me explain.
Great Ajax, you and Achilles share blood as cousins.
You probably understand better than anyone how powerful Achilles is and how powerful his opponents are.
Am I right?"
Although Ajax didn't understand what Night was talking about, he nodded as the other party continued.
"If you understand how powerful Achilles's enemies are, then what clouded your judgment into thinking that wearing his armor and using his weapons would let you deal with opponents that even Achilles finds difficult?"
When he put it that way,
Ajax snapped awake, and cold sweat broke out down his back.
The shock hit him hard.
He understood exactly what Griffith was warning him about now.
If we were to name Achilles's formidable enemy, it would undoubtedly be Hector, the strongest Trojan warrior who, according to rumors, had joined forces with a certain unknown hero to defeat Achilles.
That's right.
An enemy, Achilles himself, wasn't confident he could finish.
Wearing that armor wouldn't just bring Achilles's glory. It would bring the enemy's strongest fighter straight to him.
If Ajax still had his holy shield in hand, even Hector and the unknown enemy would not frighten him.
But if he were to wear Achilles's full set, while Achilles's shield was a quality piece, it was absolutely not going to stop Hector's terrifying throwing technique.
....
"Do you see it now, Great Ajax?
Your holy shield is not inferior to anyone's equipment.
Why go to the trouble of seeking something far away, abandoning your own advantages, and using equipment you're not good at?
Besides, it was just a loan, and it would have to be returned to Achilles sooner or later.
You are his brother.
If you put on that armor, you take on the responsibility of returning it to your brother without a scratch."
....
Night kept his tone gentle.
But Ajax heard every layer of it.
Because he heard it, he felt both incredibly scared and deeply moved at that moment.
Borrowed things must go back.
The way Night put emphasis on "brother" made him realize everything completely.
While most heroes would be prepared to keep the artifact and never return it, shamelessly keeping it for themselves, he wouldn't do that.
He was Achilles's cousin.
If his father, uncle, and aunt ever found out about it, he would come home to a beating from three directions at once.
The heroic families that could hang out with Heracles and produce heroes like Achilles and Ajax the Great with decent character must have had excellent family values.
There were no ugly scenes of brothers fighting over divine weapons or fathers turning on sons.
That wasn't how they did things.
All of that risk, for equipment he could only wear for maybe ten days before returning it, equipment he wasn't even suited for, while giving up the shield he was built around and drawing the full attention of the enemy's top fighter?
Damn it!
The thought of that wonderful scene sent chills down Ajax's spine.
He thanked Night with complete sincerity. "Thank you, Griffith. You are a hero of real character.
If not for your warning, I almost let greed blind me and pull me into something dishonorable.
If I had gone through with it, and acquired Achilles' armour, I would have been the one shaming my father."
Because of this incident, Ajax the Great's fondness for the Night skyrocketed.
And it gave the latter an opening to start working on turning him.
Unlike Achilles, whose conflict with Agamemnon was already open and raw, Night didn't yet know how deep Ajax's loyalty to the Greek side ran.
Laying out his real intentions too early might do the opposite of what he wanted.
Through deliberate steering, the two of them talked for a while longer.
The conversation went well, and Ajax started to see Night as a friend.
It was at this point that Night, as if it came up by chance, asked what Ajax thought about the situation between Agamemnon and Achilles.
Ajax didn't question it.
He just said how much it hurt him to see things the way they were.
He said if it were up to him, he would go to Agamemnon himself and ask for Briseis to be returned.
His political position made it difficult to raise a weapon against Agamemnon.
But his words leaned clearly toward Achilles's side, and he didn't hide it.
There was something to work with here.
Although he was really delighted, Night kept the excitement deep in his heart and didn't rush to offer anything direct. No olive branch yet.
From a short conversation, he got a rough read on where Ajax stood and what kind of person he was.
His initial read was that Ajax had strong dissatisfaction with Agamemnon, which was true of almost everyone in the alliance.
But because of the Achilles situation, Ajax's relationship with Agamemnon was probably worse than most.
That created the conditions for turning him.
Later that night, he deliberately steered the conversation toward Ajax the Great's mother and discovered that Ajax greatly respected and loved her.
He didn't look down on her at all despite the circumstances of how she came to be part of his family.
Then Night asked the question that cut to the core.
"King Priam of Troy is technically your maternal uncle.
If the day comes when the Greek alliance breaks through Troy and they are going to execute your uncle and aunt and your cousins,
What would you choose, Great Ajax? "
...
Hearing his words, Ajax's whole body stiffened. Then he said steadily:
"I would speak for them. Ask King Agamemnon for mercy.
What they want is Helen. As long as Helen is returned."
....
But as he said it, Ajax paused instinctively, and Night smiled with quiet contempt. "Once a war starts and so many lives are spent on both sides, after everything that's been sacrificed, the whole thing ends because of one woman.
Ajax. Do you actually believe that?"
.
.
.
(End of the Chapter)