A man quickly came up behind Hera.
"Lady Hera."
"You're here."
Hera smiled and turned around to look at the man in front of her.
The man looked strong, but his eyes showed that he was not a warrior. His handsome face looked more like a philosopher who was good at studying philosophy. His name was well-known throughout Athens. At the same time, he was now the oracle of Hera, and he would rule Athens together with Hera and integrate the military power of the Greek peninsula.
This man's name was Nicias.
"I have already taken care of the affairs in the city."
"Do people believe it?"
"Of course, the divine power that Lady Hera bestowed upon me has been shown to everyone a little bit, and everyone has come to believe that Athens is now under the protection of Lady Hera. This is at least a good start."
Hear Nicias say this.
Hera nodded in satisfaction.
"very good."
"but……"
"what happened?"
"Although everyone now believes that I am the oracle of Lady Hera, Athens is extremely war-weary right now. It is almost impossible to persuade the Athenians and Spartans to unite. After all, this matter must be approved by the Citizens' Assembly..." Nicias said cautiously, lowering his head, not daring to look directly at Hera, "So, I think it will take some time for Athens to recover from the pain of war, and then it will not be too late to consider this matter."
After hearing this, Hera couldn't help but sneer:
"I think this Hilde won't give you Athens a chance."
"Yes, indeed."
"The situation in Sparta is still unclear."
Hera sighed.
"So, for now, let's wait. If the Spartans are willing to fight against the Byzantine Empire, then Athens will need you. Of course, if you need me to step in, that's not impossible."
"……Yes."
When Nicias heard this, he also became extremely nervous.
He is now an important general in Athens.
Helped Athens and signed the important Peace of Nicias with Sparta.
Now, after Cleon's death, Athens actually lacked people with enough say. Some important Athenians were taken to Byzantium by the Byzantine Kingdom during Cleon's persecution. There is no doubt that these people would never return to Athens at this time. After being chosen by Hera, Nicias knew very well that he had to shoulder this burden.
And what Hera was talking about was the threat from the Byzantine Empire.
This made Nicias a little confused.
Although the Byzantine Empire ruled Ionia.
However, if we look deeper, the main population of the Byzantine Kingdom is still the Ionians and their colonists, and the Athenians are also a branch of the Ionians, and their blood relationship is close to the Byzantine Kingdom. The Byzantine King Hilde is the daughter of Pericles. When she returned to Athens last time, she caused a great sensation, causing the Athenians to be obsessed with this extremely beautiful king.
What's more, the Byzantine Empire was powerful.
It made the Athenians jealous.
And now, if you run out into the streets and tell people.
The next enemy was the Byzantine Empire.
It is estimated that most Athenians would choose to retreat.
This is not a question of whether or not we can win.
The Spartan war lasted for such a long time that Athens was surrounded and almost broken. This battle made the Athenians realize their own deficiencies and the enemy's relentless pressure. Athens was no longer as arrogant as it was during the Pericles period.
So, for Nicias.
Hera's request was indeed a bit excessive.
However, Nicias had no right to bargain.
After all, Hera is a god.
At this time, Hera looked towards the distant Piraeus Port and said to Nicias:
"Remember, we are always willing to protect you. The reason we came back to the human world is because you are now facing an enemy that is more terrifying than the Persian invasion."
"Is the Byzantine Empire more powerful than Persia?"
Tune 3, Section 1: Hercules's Visit
"Not really."
Hera shook her head.
"The most terrifying thing about the Byzantine Kingdom is that it has a king with great personal charisma and is a Greek like you. If the Persians invade, the Greeks will take up arms together to resist the Persians. But if the Byzantine Kingdom invades, it can choose to split your alliance, just like it dismembered the Delian League. Attack Athens first, but make friends with Corinth. After taking Athens, ally with Sparta and then attack Thebes or Argolis. There is no guarantee that this will not happen."
"…Indeed."
Nicias could not refute this.
If it is an invasion by foreign enemies.
Everybody really comes together.
But if it is the Greek army of the Byzantine Empire, it is hard to say.
It is estimated that some small and medium-sized city-states, fed up with the oppression of Athens and Sparta, would even welcome the Byzantine army with food and drink, because in their eyes, the Byzantine Empire was probably a savior and a liberator.
Thinking of this, Nicias shook his head helplessly.
"Now, is the enemy before us so terrible?"
“It’s scary, but not that scary.”
Hera also said with certainty:
"No matter how powerful the Byzantine Kingdom is, its core is still that false oracle, Hilde. As long as the Greek army is at the front and holds back the Byzantine army, and then the oracle we choose, together with our gods, attacks Hilde and her lackeys, then it is obvious... Hilde will definitely lose."
"I see."
Nicias understood Hera's plan.
The core of the Byzantine Empire was Shild.
Well, as long as we defeat Hilde.
The Byzantine Empire would collapse on its own.
Nicias was now confident, because the gods of Mount Olympus were on his side. Hilde was now going to fight against all the gods of Mount Olympus, which was obviously like an egg hitting a stone, and was an act of overestimating one's own capabilities.
Even Nicias didn't know how powerful Hilde was now.
But we can also figure out this relationship.
"Lord Hera, I understand."
"Well, you'll understand."
"In this case, I will mobilize my guests now, and then build momentum in Athens to make everyone afraid of the threat from the Byzantine Empire. After that, if big countries like Sparta and Corinth are willing to join us, then I will have a reason to discuss this matter with the Citizens' Assembly."
After Nicias finished speaking, he bowed deeply.
"Please allow me to leave first."
"Wait a minute."
At this time, Hera suddenly said:
"Special circumstances warrant special treatment. It's not impossible."
"Special treatment?"
"This is about the survival of Athens and the procedures of Athens' democratic system. If it is not necessary, you don't have to go."
After Hera said this, she turned her head and continued to look at the magnificent scenery of Athens, which made Nicias a little confused. He looked at Hera in front of him at a loss, and finally, he lowered his head and left here directly.
Athenian democracy.
It is the thing that Athenians are most proud of.
Even Nicias was like this.
But now, Nicias found that when Athens was facing danger, Athens' democracy seemed to be useless. In fact, democracy was a system that dragged down Athens. Even the gods hoped that Athens would adopt a system similar to tyranny and let Nicias, who had obtained the power of Hera, become the tyrant of Athens. Nicias would definitely not be able to accept such a thing for a while.
He took a deep breath.
Nicias knew.
If I can't handle this matter well.
It will just follow in Creon's footsteps.
Therefore, Nicias had to do this matter very carefully and there must not be any mistakes.
In Athens, Hera had found her own oracle, Nicias, and through Nicias, she had a great influence on the whole of Athens.
On the other hand, things in Sparta were not peaceful either.
After the death of Brasidas, the Spartan commander.
The Spartan army is now also facing tremendous pressure.
However, Sparta's situation was actually better than Athens. Sparta was favored by the gods and had three oracles. Cleopatra, the oracle of Hades, died at the hands of Hildes. Brasidas, the oracle of Ares, the god of war, died together with Cleon of Athens in the Battle of Amphipolis. The only one left was Lysander, the oracle of Hermes, the messenger of the gods.
Lysander was also under great pressure.
Fortunately, the war is over.
Lysander also did not need to inherit Brasidas' army and continue fighting Athens.
But just as the Spartans were still mourning the soldiers who died in the war.
An uninvited guest arrived outside the city of Sparta.
He looked dark-skinned, but his muscles were as hard as rocks, with sharp edges and corners. His sturdy body was so huge that even the biggest bear in the forest could hardly match him. He was nearly two meters tall, and every time he took a step, the ground around him could be felt to tremble slightly.
The Helots working around him fled when they saw him approaching Sparta, thinking they had encountered some terrible monster. However, he did not care about that, and calmly came to the gate of Sparta.
"This, this is?"
The soldiers on the city wall saw this scene.
I was so scared that my legs went weak.
"What kind of monster is this!!!"
"Hurry, hurry and inform His Majesty the King!"
The soldiers immediately came to the city and entered the palace.
At this moment, the Spartan king Archidamus and Pausanias were discussing Sparta's next national policy in the palace, and Lysander was listening on the side without interrupting. At this moment, a soldier stumbled into the palace, and after seeing the king, he immediately said, "Your Majesty, there is a burly, muscular guy standing at the north gate, not moving at all!"
"what?"
Ashidamus was stunned for a moment.
"Is it an enemy?"
"No, I don't know!"
“…Is the other party engaging in hostile behavior?”
"No! We warned them, but they didn't listen. However, they didn't plan to attack, but stood under the city gate, seemingly waiting for something."
"..."
Lysander thought about it.
He took a deep breath, raised his head, and said to Archidamus:
"I'd better go."
"Okay, it's safest for you to go over there."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
It would be too dangerous to let His Majesty the King go through.
