Afterward, I left the Amazons by ship and heard the full account of what had just happened from Heracles.
According to Heracles, he had followed an Amazon warrior's invitation, only to be threatened there, and the matter had escalated into killing the warrior who had guided him.
"What in the world... where am I even supposed to start with this..."
I let out a short sigh and mulled over Heracles' words.
An Amazon warrior.
Luring.
Ambush.
And misunderstanding.
"...Strange."
When I murmured softly, Heracles, who was standing beside me, turned his head.
"What is?"
"...The warrior who lured you."
I looked at Heracles, who was staring back at me, and continued.
"Did she intend to kill you from the very beginning?"
"...No, I don't think so... probably..."
At my question, Heracles thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"...She didn't seem like it."
"...I see."
At Heracles' answer, I turned my gaze to the sea.
The waves were swaying gently, as though nothing had happened at all.
"...Then that makes it even stranger."
"What does?"
"...It seems someone interfered in the middle."
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After hearing me, Heracles fell silent for a moment before speaking.
"...A god?"
"That seems likely."
At my answer, Heracles clenched his teeth.
"...Then I..."
"You were used."
"..."
At my words, Heracles fell silent, and seeing him like that, I let out a small sigh and spoke to him.
"From here on, be more careful. If a god has begun to interfere, this will not end as a simple matter."
At my words, Heracles looked at me and said, "You are right, Astellon. My karma has reached even you."
"There is no need to apologize. If the gods have decided to move in earnest, how could we humans see through everything at every moment?"
I comforted him by patting his shoulder as I said that, but a heaviness still lingered in one corner of my heart.
My relations with the Amazons had reached the worst possible state, and I was also worried about Hippolyta's safety.
After some time had passed since our departure, a soldier who had been passing near the food storage hold below deck screamed and ran toward me.
"Your Majesty! In the storeroom... there is some intruder hiding there, and I cannot tell whether it is a ghost or a warrior!"
At that, Heracles and I hurried toward the storeroom.
Then, when we lit a torch and shone it into the dark corner, a figure crouched low in Amazon warrior armor came into view.
"Who are you! Reveal yourself!"
At that, Heracles raised his club, and the figure slowly lifted its head.
"...Hippolyta?"
And when Heracles and I confirmed the intruder aboard the ship, we both gasped in shock at the same time.
Hippolyta, who should have remained in the Amazon land to calm the warriors, was hiding aboard our ship.
While we were still reeling from that realization, Hippolyta staggered to her feet and came toward me.
"I am sorry, Astellon. But my sisters have already been tainted by madness. They even branded me, their queen, a traitor... so I followed after you..."
When Heracles and I looked at her, Hippolyta clutched my hem and spoke in a low voice.
"...Let me follow you."
At her plea, I was briefly taken aback, but in the end...
"...This happened because we came here in the first place, so I suppose I must take responsibility."
"Does that mean...?"
"Well... I do not know how things will turn out either, but come with us, Hippolyta."
At my words, Hippolyta's face showed relief.
Seeing that, I looked down at her for a moment before speaking again.
"Come with me."
At those words alone, Hippolyta's eyes trembled 크게.
Then she leaned her body toward me as if seeking support.
Heracles, watching us, muttered in a low voice, "...So this is how it ends."
I brushed his words aside and said to the soldiers, "Hippolyta is our guest. No, she is someone I am responsible for. No one is to treat her carelessly."
At my words, the soldiers exchanged glances for a moment before bowing their heads.
Thus, Hippolyta and I boarded the ship and set out on the road back to Eirene.
"...But wait. Medea said the same thing, and my other wives too—they said they would not sit still if I brought another woman under my wing or took one back..."
By the time we reached Eirene, Medea's warning from before we departed for the Amazons surfaced in my mind, and I looked at Hippolyta beside me.
"...Even if this was an unavoidable situation... will it be all right? Or should I... take the faster route instead..."
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