-843- [ The Argonauts ]

"Wha... what?"

The man, originally confident and triumphant, was directly stunned.

And not just stunned, but completely frozen.

Clearly, he hadn't anticipated that, in the current situation, his invitation would be flatly and unanimously rejected.

This left the sweet and princess-like girl at his side smiling wryly.

"It seems to be as expected."

The girl remarked with a hint of resignation.

It appeared that she had known all along that their invitation would be declined.

There was no helping it..

"Your attitude is never going to make others willingly join," the girl casually exposed the truth.

However, the man became furious.

"Do you... do you know who I am!? How dare you refuse my invitation? Can you even be called heroes like this!?"

The man became exasperated.

Having his invitation turned down was something he never expected.

The reason was simple.

"You are the leader of the Argonauts, the prince of Thessaly—Jason."

Rozen spoke up suddenly without any warning.

"Am I right?"

This sudden statement first surprised everyone, followed by expressions of astonishment.

"He... he is the hero Jason?"

Mash looked at him incredulously.

"So, it's him."

Scáthach nodded in realization.

"Jason...?"

Even Rama found it somewhat surprising.

"Argonauts..."

Even Karna, seemingly for the first time, directed his gaze towards the man.

"Huh?"

The cute, princess-like girl was a bit stunned.

"You... you've exposed my true name?"

The man known as Jason was startled by Rozen's sudden revelation.

To this, Rozen just shrugged.

"Well, the hints were too obvious."

Rozen expressed casually.

—The Argonauts.

In Greek mythology, it refers to the collective term for fifty renowned heroes who sought the Golden Fleece in the Argo expedition to Colchis.

Legend has it that the Golden Fleece, symbolizing not only wealth but also adventure, unwavering will, ideals, and the pursuit of happiness, was a rare and precious treasure.

Many heroes embarked on perilous journeys to obtain it, but none succeeded. They perished on the arduous journey without even catching a glimpse of the treasure.

To secure the throne of Thessaly, Prince Jason, at the instigation of his uncle, who also coveted the throne, set out on the quest for the Golden Fleece.

He gathered renowned heroes who, like him, were taught by the centaur master Chiron, including the Greek demigod hero Hercules, the son of the sun god Apollo and the Muse Calliope – Orpheus, the famous Greek huntress Atalanta, and even the father of Achilles, the main commander of the Greek army in the Trojan War.

With the help of the goddess of wisdom Athena, the most outstanding Greek shipbuilder, Argus, crafted a ship for them to sail to Colchis, where the Golden Fleece was located.

Thus, these heroes were called the "Argonauts," forming the most powerful and famous hero group in Greek mythology.

Therefore, knowing that the opponent is a Heroic Spirit from Greek mythology, arriving by ship, how could Rozen not associate it with the most famous hero ship in Greece?

And...

"If I'm not mistaken, you said something just now."

Rozen glanced at the sweet and lovely yet mysteriously enchanting girl and spoke slowly.

"'Since there are four Servants here, my decision to have my Medea locate you was indeed correct'—isn't that what you just said?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was suddenly shaken.

—Medea.

This name is well-known to anyone familiar with Greek mythology.

She is the daughter of the king of Colchis, a true princess of the nation, and a disciple of the goddess of magic, Hecate.

The witch Circe is her aunt, Prince Apsyrtus is her brother, and she is one of the most famous magus in the Age of Gods, being both a priestess and a witch.

In terms of magical attainments and abilities alone, she even surpasses Cú Chulainn, who once manifested as a Caster. Her rank as a mage is undoubtedly the highest, something modern magus can't hope to achieve.

However, this highest-ranked mage was cursed by the goddess Aphrodite, fell in love with Jason, who arrived in Colchis, stole the Golden Fleece together, escaped from Colchis, and never returned to her homeland.

And Jason referred to the girl by his side as Medea, even specifying her as his possession. If Rozen couldn't identify his identity, that would be strange.

"So, she's the witch who betrayed everyone in the legends?"

Scáthach looked at Medea with a mix of astonishment and surprise.

Not only Scáthach, but anyone who knew of Medea's existence would feel astonished.

"The legendary treacherous witch has manifested as a young girl?"

Olga Marie was full of disbelief.

"Is... is she really Medea?"

Roman was also shaken.

"To think she would appear on the Argo alongside Jason..."

Da Vinci muttered in a low voice.

Everyone present looked at Medea, their eyes and faces filled with complexity.

Because everyone knew that the ultimate fate of the girl named Medea was not good, to say the least.

Now, seeing her appearing on the Argo, taking on the appearance of a leader alongside Jason, everyone felt a bit conflicted.

But thanks to Rozen revealing the true names of these two, everyone finally understood two things.

One was why the opponent could command the legion of Dragon Tooth Warriors.

Because the magic used to create Dragon Tooth Warriors came from Colchis, a magic taught to Medea by the king of Colchis himself.

And the second thing was why Jason was so confident in inviting everyone and why he became so agitated after being rejected.

"Even numerous Greek heroes have never refused you, accepted your invitation to board the ship. How could you have imagined that you would actually be rejected?"

Rozen's tone was somewhat ironic and a bit humorous.

Indeed.

Although the current situation is one reason, the main reason why Jason was so confident in inviting everyone, even after being rejected, should come from this, right?

In other words...

"This is a kind of inexplicable overconfidence."

Rozen spoke with a smile.

"Do you agree, Your Highness?"

Rozen's words made Jason's eyes widen slightly.

Soon, the leader of the Argonauts' expression darkened.