Chapter 228 Unlucky Odysseus
228 Unlucky Odysseus
"Where are the two you wanted me to…" Penthesilea was about to continue when she noticed a man in a white suit with familiar features.
"Lord Hermes? You… survived?" Penthesilea asked, astounded by the presence of Hermes in front of her.
Certainly, Penthesilea had died before the war between humanity and the Olympian Gods, as her death occurred during the Trojan War, which ended two years before the conflict between the Olympian gods and humanity began.
Upon being brought back to life by Daniel in this new world, she not only gained knowledge about living in the modern world through the mysterious power that resurrected her but also sought Maria's assistance in acquiring knowledge about past events and mythology including have a chat with Envy when she was at Daniel base about the event in the past.
The result? She was now well aware of the horrific fate Achilles had subjected her body to after killing her during the Trojan War, which had left her seething with anger. Achilles was at the top of her list of individuals she most wanted to beat up. The second spot belonged to Odysseus, the person who had sent Achilles her way while she was attempting to fend off the soldiers from breaching Troy's defenses.
Also, by chatting with Envy, she knew about the war between Humanity and Olympian God. She also knew some of the key information that some gods decided to stand with the humans to fight against the Olympus tyranny. And Hermes was one such a god.
"Ha ha ha ha, No, of course not. Lord Daniel brought me back, and that's why I'm here," Hermes answered with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood.
"My lord," Penthesilea called out to Daniel before continuing, "Who's the other one?" She asked excitedly.
"Oh… He's Odysseus. He's in the toilet right now. It's been about half an hour since he went in. Seems like he's taking his time," Daniel said. He checked his wristwatch and realized it was nearly 5:30 PM. He needed to return home to spend time with his daughter and work on re-designing the attack satellite since he had recently obtained the God Slayer Cannon Card.
Daniel walked near the toilet and asked loudly, his concern evident, "Mr. Odysseus! Are you okay? I need to go home soon. Do you need any help?"
"Er… My lord! My apologies, it seems that I can't come out anytime soon," Odysseus shouted from the toilet, pretending to have diarrhea or some stomach problem.
Hearing this, Penthesilea walked toward Daniel, stood beside him, and shouted, "Oi, Odysseus! Come out! Don't pretend! If you voluntarily come out, I promise I'll only beat you up half-dead instead of beating you to death!" She exclaimed aggressively.
"....." Odysseus didn't reply, maintaining his silence. This infuriated Penthesilea, who was on the brink of smashing the door open to confront the cunning Odysseus. If it weren't for the fact that she was in her lord's office, she would have already barged in and pummeled that scoundrel within an inch of his life.
It's true that the person she wanted to exact the most brutal revenge upon was Achilles, not merely beating him, but outright killing him for what he had done to her body after her death. However, the individual who came right after Achilles, in the second position on her list of people she most wanted to beat up, was none other than Odysseus.
This was because during the Trojan War, before sending Achilles her way, Odysseus had devised a series of schemes that had nearly pushed her to her limits. He had planned various tactics, including ambushes and traps, to confine her and hinder her from reaching the frontline to support her troops. This had resulted in devastating casualties among the Amazon troops she had brought with her to assist Troy.
She had no knowledge of what had happened to her troops after her death, as there were no records of that insignificant event directly related to the war itself. However, she feared the worst, suspecting that they might have become playthings for the soldiers to vent their lust. The mere thought of this made her contemplate the unspeakable revenge of castrating Odysseus.
While waiting for Odysseus to come out, Daniel checked his wristwatch and realized he was already running late to go home. His daughter was probably getting hungry, and despite trusting Michaela with his life, he couldn't say the same about her cooking skills. He considered Sylvana's amateur fried eggs to be far superior to Michaela's cooking. So, he needed to leave immediately.
Daniel swiftly retrieved his key card and handed it to Hermes instead of Penthesilea. He had noticed that Penthesilea seemed to have a grudge against Odysseus, and he didn't want her to use his key card to activate the security turrets in the toilet, potentially using it to shoot Odysseus. That's why he entrusted his key card to Hermes.
"Mr. Hermes, I really need to go home right now. Otherwise, my daughter might get hungry. This is my key card. If Mr. Odysseus comes out, please use it to lock my office before you leave with Ms. Penthesilea," Daniel said with a wry smile.
Hearing Daniel's words, Hermes' carefree demeanor quickly turned serious. He gazed at the toilet where Odysseus was still holed up, appearing as though he was looking at an annoying piece of garbage. Then, he stood up, walked to the toilet, and placed his hand on the wall. A complex alchemical transmutation circle suddenly appeared on the wall, centered around his hand.
"Odysseus, I'll give you 5 seconds to come out. Otherwise, I'll transmute the poops inside your stomach into stone... 1," Hermes threatened, his expression conveying the seriousness of his words, before he began counting.
The moment Hermes counted to 1 and was about to count to 2, the sound of the door unlocking reached their ears, and Odysseus quickly emerged from the toilet. However, what greeted Odysseus as the door swung open was Penthesilea's fist, fueled by her pent-up anger.
Pow!
Odysseus was sent flying back into the toilet, and Hermes continued counting.
"2..." Odysseus was torn between laughter and despair, observing Penthesilea's anger and sensing some inexplicable frustration in Hermes. Unaware of what Daniel had said, as he was inside the toilet and couldn't hear, Odysseus had unwittingly caused problems for their lord and benefactor.
"That was just a down payment! I'll settle the rest with you later!" Penthesilea exclaimed, pointing at Odysseus while still holding her grudge. One punch was enough for now, and she didn't want to further delay her lord's business.
"Follow me!" she ordered, her tone still seething, and she walked out of Daniel's office. However, as she passed by Daniel, she suppressed her anger, bowed to him as an apology, and then proceeded on her way.
"Lord Hermes, why are you still counting? I just came out!" Odysseus couldn't help but question. He felt somewhat undeserving of this treatment.
He admitted that during the Trojan War, he had been a thorn in Penthesilea's side. But they were at war, after all! What else was he supposed to do? As a mere king of Ithaca and a strategist during the war, he couldn't afford to go easy on her, especially knowing that common weapons wouldn't harm Penthesilea.
So, he had employed various strategies to hold her at bay. He had even devised plans and used persuasion to convince the arrogant warrior, Achilles, to obey his orders in the war and join the fight against Penthesilea. He had no idea that Achilles would commit such terrible acts on her lifeless body. He was a victim, too!
Upon hearing this, Hermes cancelled his transmutation circle, withdrew his hand, and replied casually, "Your feet haven't crossed the toilet door yet."
Odysseus could only sigh at his unfortunate situation before following Hermes out of Daniel's office. He didn't know what lay ahead for him, but he was sure of one thing: his future was not going to be a smooth and easy path.
"Damn... I'm so unlucky," Odysseus muttered to himself as he followed Hermes out.
— London - Hightower - Secret Basement —
In the secret basement of the Hightower, a vast expanse that could rival a soccer field, a magnificent magic circle illuminated the space with a brilliant, golden light. At the center of this intricate magical design, a staggering hoard of more than ten tons of gold bullion gleamed. This gold was none other than the very bullion that Daniel had used to purchase the entire Sector Alpha City island. It lay there in a dazzling, shimmering mound, a testament to the incredible wealth and power concealed within the Hightower's depths.
As the enchanting magic circle continued to radiate its golden light, a mesmerizing transformation began. The massive mound of gold bullion, now bathed in the circle's radiance, gradually began to liquefy. The once-solid gold took on the form of molten rivers, cascading gracefully toward the heart of the magic circle.
As these glistening streams of liquid gold flowed into the center, they were gradually transmuted into pure mana. The magic circle absorbed this newfound energy, causing it to pulse with an even brighter and more vibrant radiance. The entire chamber resonated with the power of this mystical conversion, creating an awe-inspiring spectacle that spoke of ancient and potent magic.