Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1810, Section 1782: Distrust

"The fate of humanity rests in your hands." Pythagoras looked earnestly at the falconer opposite him. "This is the responsibility you must now bear, Cassandra!"

With Pythagoras making concessions, the atmosphere began to ease considerably.

The falconer straightened herself up, looked at Pythagoras who seemed tired yet relieved and regretful for a moment, and nodded heavily.

"I see."

After he finished speaking, the falconer placed his hand on the scepter entwined with two snakes.

But at that moment, Pythagoras pulled the scepter closer, and in doing so, pulled Kassandra closer as well.

“Cassandra,” Pythagoras said solemnly, staring into the eyes of his own daughter who was so close to him, “from now on…be wise!”

His solemn demeanor made it seem less like he was offering advice or reminders and more like he was speaking his last words and admonitions to his descendants in the final stages of his life, when there was no longer any chance for him to do so.

that's the truth.

After giving Kassandra his final words of advice, Pythagoras released the staff of Hermes Trismogitis from his grasp.

This scepter doesn't look light at all; the design of two snakes coiling around a flying eagle at the top gives it a very solid appearance. Its thickness and length are also suitable for the role of a spear.

However, when held in someone's hand, it moves with incredible lightness.

After Pythagoras let go, Cassandra felt as if she were holding a wisp of air.

The power of the artifact goes without saying; Cassandra could feel it as soon as she got her hands on it.

However, Pythagoras's body changed immediately after he released his scepter.

The orange-gold light that the Isu artifacts emitted when operating at high power was now radiating outwards from Pythagoras's seven orifices!

It was as if this person's body was already filled with the power of the Isu artifacts!
Not only does it emit a unique golden light, but also some luminous particles are scattered out during this process.

When he was speaking, Pythagoras was an old man with age spots on his face and bare chest.

But looking like that, he's probably only in his sixties or seventies.

He even had the outline of muscles on his body, and apart from the bald top of his head, the hair around his head was quite thick, and it could only be described as half black and half white.

But the instant the scepter left his hand, Pythagoras's hair, beard, and even body hair and skin—all the biological tissues on his body turned a deathly gray.

The vitality that represents life seemed to be abruptly drained from his body the moment he let go.

Before he could say anything more, Pythagoras fell straight to the ground.

Cassandra, who was closest to him, only had time to throw down her scepter in the sudden turn of events, step forward to support his body, and let him land safely.

Lann and Alexios had been standing further away, so they took a couple more steps to reach Pythagoras's body.

“Too fast.” Lann said, squatting down next to Cassandra who was kneeling on one knee. “The moment the scepter left his hand, all his physiological functions stopped. Even beheading wasn’t this quick.”

As he spoke, he turned to look at the Staff of Hermes that Cassandra had just thrown away.

"It seems that this is the artifact that Althea mentioned that allowed Pythagoras to 'extend his life'. Wearing it will keep him from dying, but the damage and consumption that exceeds his physical limits will erupt immediately after the artifact is removed from his hand."

“So it seems,” Alexios said, his expression turning serious as he looked at the old man’s body on the ground, while also glancing at his sister, “that he was genuinely convinced by you just now. He helped you rediscover your true self.”

Earlier, at the most tense moment, Pythagoras suddenly took a step back, indicating that he was giving up.

At the time, Alexios thought that the mathematician was afraid of the three warriors present and thus gave in due to a combination of reason and cowardice.

But now it seems that handing over the Staff of Hermes was tantamount to suicide!

How could someone whose life is already tied to the Staff of Hermes be afraid of death when someone else tries to take the staff away?
Pythagoras was not a coward who bowed down when forced by circumstances, but a warrior who could face his own death.

After completing this cognitive shift, Alexios and Kassandra began to respect the mathematician.

The Spartans despised the weak, but Pythagoras was a warrior!
Cassandra's expression grew even more complicated as she looked at Pythagoras's corpse.

Heartbroken? Not at all.

After all, although he is his biological father, they have only met twice, for a total of less than two hours.

Furthermore, Pythagoras had previously treated her more like a disciple or subordinate than a daughter.

Even so, in the confrontation just now, Pythagoras would still give up the artifact he relied on for survival and choose death because of her advice.

This undoubtedly made Cassandra feel a sense of responsibility being entrusted to her, as well as an inevitable sense of loss.

“He dedicated his life to Atlantis,” the falconer said, adjusting his composure as he placed Pythagoras’s body upright in the hall. “Let the ruins of the forerunner be his resting place.”

Then, Cassandra picked up the Staff of Hermes that she had thrown down in her haste.

"The knowledge within Atlantis is too dangerous; even Pythagoras could not withstand it. I must seal it away!"

It seemed that from that brief interaction, Cassandra had already received some of the leaked knowledge through the scepter. Therefore, she spoke with certainty and confidence, without any confusion, knowing exactly what to do. But just as she was about to pick up the scepter…

"Snapped."

Cassandra turned around, puzzled, and saw Lann's hand tugging at her arm.

“Pythagoras just passed away,” Lann explained his actions. “Your mood and mental state are unstable. We should go outside and calm down.”

“No, I’m fine,” Cassandra explained. “Besides, it’s not difficult at all. I know the process, trust me.”

She thought Lan En was worried that her condition wasn't good enough to complete the seal.

An ordinary woman would feel joy, even sweetness, at Lann's concern. But Cassandra only felt annoyed.

This made her feel that she was a weak woman in Lan En's eyes.

As she spoke, Cassandra bent down again to pick up the scepter from the ground.

But Lan En suddenly tightened his grip on her arm.

"Listen to me," the Witcher said seriously. "This is a crucial moment, don't be reckless."

Cassandra was a little confused at this point, but when she looked into Lann's eyes, she seemed to understand something and nodded hesitantly.

"Then... let's go outside for some fresh air."

Alexios, facing Pythagoras's corpse, clenched his right fist and tapped his chest. He spoke after hearing their conversation.

"You can go out without worry, I can keep watch here."

As a result, he was also patted on the shoulder by Lan En and half-pushed, half-led as he walked outside.

"This Yishu ruin has existed for tens of thousands of years. Could it be that just because no one's around for a short while, thieves could have gotten in? Let's go outside for a while. Staying under the water and lava is too oppressive."

The sounds of human speech echoed in this hall, which served as the gateway to Atlantis, growing fainter and more distant.

Beneath the blue light that blocked the energy barrier from the seawater, only Pythagoras's silent remains and the Hermes Staff, which could grant immortality and whose value surpassed almost all divine artifacts, remained.

It didn't take long to get back out the way we came.

After emerging, Alexios did indeed subconsciously let out a long breath; the ruins deep underground were truly oppressive.

The gloomy sky over Thera Island had cleared up considerably by then, and sunlight was beginning to shine through.

Make the native Aegean people feel comfortable.

Just as Alexios raised his face to enjoy the sunshine...

"What did you find, Lann?"

Cassandra asked the Witcher, puzzled.

Alexios, who was sunbathing, suddenly turned around and stared at his sister in astonishment.

Isn't it because you're in a bad mood and need to get some fresh air?

Alexios, having been focused on paying homage to Pythagoras's remains, was now out of his mind.

But when Lann looked at Cassandra, the falconer was now clear-headed.

“Then I’ll be blunt,” the Witcher said, glancing back at the closed entrance to the ruins. “I think… the voice in those ruins, the Isu who calls herself Althea, is untrustworthy.”

"what?"

"Malaka!"

Cassandra and Alexios, the two siblings, both expressed their surprise and uncertainty in their own ways.

They both stared at Lan En in astonishment.

Just now in the hall of ruins, every time a magical metal sphere was placed, Althea simultaneously released a recording of herself.

Although the siblings were mostly confused by what they heard, the parts they did understand were enough to make them feel favorably towards and trust the Isu woman named Althea.

This was partly due to the friendly attitude revealed in those recordings, and partly because the group referred to by the names Isu, the forerunners, the first civilization, etc., was undoubtedly equated with the gods in the social environment of ancient Greece at that time.

Given the prevailing societal foundations of the time, it was inevitable that Cassandra and Alexios would be influenced.

However, Lann possesses a modern perspective and does not worship the Greek gods.

So he repeated bluntly to the siblings in front of him, "I don't trust Althea."

(End of this chapter)