The King of the Underworld is Tired

Chapter 138: The Argo Expedition – (5)

In the middle of the night, a red dragon suddenly began to rampage, setting the royal palace and the village ablaze.

No one knew why the dragon, who was meant to guard the Golden Fleece, was attacking people. But the soldiers called to stop the beast had no choice but to grit their teeth and raise their spears and swords.

Without Princess Medea, the renowned sorceress, they would have seen Thanatos before them already.

Then, unexpected reinforcements appeared.

"Meleager! Aim your spear at its eyes or mouth! Atalanta, you too!"

"Zetes, let’s fly up and restrain it from above!"

"Is there anyone else who can use magic?"

Heroes, capable of taking on a hundred men each, started fighting the dragon in teams.

Under the command of the man named Jason, who moved with a practiced ease as if he had faced many battles like this, they coordinated their efforts.

Yet the dragon’s body bore no wounds.

Despite the fierce attacks of the mighty heroes, its iron-like hide remained unscathed.

This creature couldn’t be an ordinary monster. Even if it was a dragon, with so many heroes attacking it...

It was as if they were moths rushing into the flame of a deity.

But then, the arrival of one man began to shift the tide.

"Jason! There were many people trapped under debris, so I’m a bit late! Do we just need to kill that dragon?"

With a lion skin draped over his head, wielding a club and a golden sword, his massive frame made even grown men look small.

There were men in Colchis who tried to emulate the hero Heracles... but this man was different.

The dragon, which had previously seemed like it was just playing around, now went into a violent frenzy as it charged.

The formation the soldiers had barely managed to hold broke, and they closed their eyes in despair.

But...

Thud!

"Wh... What?! He stopped it!"

"Who on earth is that man?"

This man was different. He stopped the dragon’s claws head-on with his club, dodged its flames, and counterattacked. He wasn’t merely defending himself; he was actually exchanging blows with the monster!

He wasn’t some fool imitating Heracles. This was the real Heracles, right before their eyes.

Emotions of relief and hope resurfaced, and their vision blurred with tears.

In the view of the panting soldiers, they could see Jason clasping his hands together in prayer.

Heracles, the great hero, was a mortal, not a god.

But in that moment, he was closer to them than any god.

Realizing this, the soldiers began to clasp their hands in prayer, one by one.

"Please... save Colchis from this terrible dragon..."

Oh, god...

* * *

Kraaaaaa—!!!

The dragon spewed flames, and Heracles’ face lit up with exhilaration.

Other humans were far too weak. The same went for fights with other heroes. The monsters were troublesome, but none were truly a match for him.

His sparring match with Lady Megaera was more of a training session, and his duel with Lord Triton was too brief.

But this dragon was different.

Its red scales were nearly as strong as the waters of the River Styx.

Its scorching flames and sharp claws could wound even him.

It was as though he was fighting a god.

This dragon was a worthy opponent!

"Hyahhhh!!!"

Finally, Heracles discarded his broken club, climbed onto the dragon’s wings, and tore them apart.

The dragon thrashed violently, trying to shake off this pest, but Heracles only gripped the annoying wings tighter and ripped one off entirely.

—Splat!

Kraaaaaa!!!

With one wing ripped off, the dragon writhed in agony, screaming. Flames erupted from its massive maw, striking Heracles directly.

Even as the scorching heat burned him, Heracles only laughed maniacally.

"Ha ha ha! Come on! More! More!"

Despite the intense pain, his laughter didn’t waver.

Was this what they meant by a worthy opponent? Was this the kind of monster Theseus had spoken of—a beast that was thrilling to fight?

Like the Chimera that Bellerophon fought, or the Ismenian Dragon that Cadmus killed, this was a monster that had come to him as a true trial.

Now, Heracles began to punch the dragon’s other wing, tearing it off with his bare hands and pummeling it with his fists.

Like when he’d grabbed the Nemean lion by the throat and thrown it around, his primal violence descended upon the dragon.

Wham! Crack!

A human attacking a dragon barehanded—it was a sight that made everyone doubt their eyes.

But even more astonishing was the fact that the dragon was feeling pain and struggling desperately to shake him off.

"What... no way."

"Am I... am I dreaming?"

"Oh, Zeus..."

Everyone was dumbfounded, watching Heracles in awe.

Even Greece’s finest sorcerer, the veteran heroes, and the leader of the Argonauts.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Kraaaaaa—!!!!

A mortal man fighting a dragon, the pinnacle of monsters, with his bare hands.

The name, Hercules.

Brimming with exhilaration. Strength welling up for some reason. The burning pain strangely absent.

He continued to pound at the unyielding scales, ripping the opposite wing, shattering the dragon’s claws with his bare hands…

He fought so fiercely that he could no longer tell whose blood was flowing from his body.

Puuk—!

Finally, he tore off one of the dragon’s sharp horns and plunged it into its neck.

The pinnacle of all creatures took its final breath.

Thud!

"My god... he killed the dragon with his bare hands."

"...Oh heavens."

"Could the great hero Heracles be… a god?"

"Heracles! Are you all right? Asclepius, check on him!"

"He's covered in blood! Wait a moment... why are there no wounds on your body?"

Standing on top of the fallen dragon’s head, Heracles looked briefly at the heroes rushing towards him...

Then, he realized what had happened to him.

Despite fighting and moving so fiercely, he wasn't tired at all.

It felt like his strength was overflowing without end.

His vision changed.

He could see what he could do and what he needed to do.

"Heracles, there's something different about you..."

"Jason."

"Wha... what?"

"Thank you. It's because of you."

He smiled at his friend, who didn’t understand his words, and then raised the dragon’s severed head high with the golden sword he’d received from Chrysaor.

"Yes! We won!"

"Thank you! Olympian gods!"

"Glory to Colchis! We protected our people!"

The dragon that had set the city aflame had been defeated by a newly reborn god.

* * *

The battlefield was quickly cleaned up.

The Golden Fleece, found inside the dragon’s belly, was handed over to the Argonauts.

Part of it was because the people of Colchis, grateful for the heroes’ help, renounced their claim to it...

"My father perished, engulfed in the dragon’s flames. My younger brother holds the right to the throne, but he and I have come to an understanding..."

"My condolences for the passing of King Aeëtes."

"It’s all right. This whole incident was a catastrophe, so there was nothing to be done… sob."

Jason and Medea fell in love through the battle with the dragon.

The union of the beautiful princess of Colchis and the heir of Iolcos was beneficial to both nations.

It stabilized the uncertain position of Colchis’s royalty, shaken by the dragon’s rampage, and matched well with Jason's uncertain situation, with Pelias possibly unwilling to relinquish the throne to him.

Thus, love and political necessity combined, and their union proceeded swiftly.

"Jason, I understand that the princess is beautiful, but could you step back a little?"

"Damn it. I don’t even have a fiancée, and yet he…"

"Ahem. Princess, are you really coming with us to Iolcos?"

"Is love also a kind of sickness?"

"Anyway, we obtained the Golden Fleece, so the expedition was a success!"

Amid the warm welcome of the people of Colchis, Princess Medea boarded the Argo.

With the princess of Colchis joining them, the Argo sailed even faster toward Iolcos.

The sea monsters they encountered along the way all fled when Heracles glared at them...

"I've never seen monsters run away like that."

"Heracles, are you sure about this?"

On the island of Crete, they met Talos, the bronze giant.

Forged by Hephaestus, this giant sank nearby ships and killed those who approached...

"With a single punch... well, it is Heracles after all."

"I was planning to put it to sleep with magic..."

"Well, only the weak need to rely on their brains. Hmph."

Nothing could stand in the way of the Argonauts, not even obstacles that might have hindered lesser heroes.

They even stopped at the island where Heracles’s squire, Hylas, had gone missing.

"Nymphs? Have you seen a handsome young man around here? His name is Hylas."

"Well... about that...!"

"Speak clearly, or I’ll sink this island."

"Eeek...! I'm sorry! The truth is, the elder sisters kidnapped the handsome young man..."

"I’ve never seen nymphs tremble like that."

"Of course... hmm."

He also

 rescued Hylas from the nymphs, who were too afraid to even meet Heracles’s gaze.

As it turned out, the nymphs of the island, infatuated with him, had abducted Hylas.

"Thank you. I truly thought I was going to die."

"Why do you look so exhausted?"

"Your cheeks are sunken... did they wear you out?"

"And why are your legs shaking like that?"

After so many experiences, the expedition finally set foot on solid ground again.

They had returned to Iolcos, the place where they had first set out.