Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

At this moment, below the edge of the city wall.

Sitting on the grass, leaning against a tree trunk, with a handful of gooseberries and a jar of wine in hand, he leisurely drinks and sips his wine, his posture exuding an indescribable laziness and ease.

Soon, a snow-white owl swooped in, folded its wings, and landed on its owner's shoulder, its sharp eyes gleaming in the darkness.

At the same time, cheerful laughter echoed in Samael's mind.

"Hehe, teacher, you seem to be even naughtier than before."

How dare you slander someone's innocence out of thin air!

"See, I haven't even told you what you've done yet, and you've already confessed, haven't you?"

"What can someone as kind and fair as me do?"

"Stop pretending. Meleager's two uncles were chopped into mincemeat by those heroes. Wasn't that your doing?"

"As the goddess of wisdom, you cannot speak carelessly; you must provide evidence!"

"Tch, I'm not your old flame Themis. The other side of wisdom, in a negative sense, is being good at scheming. Who says you have to follow the rules? Keep pretending, believe me, I'll send Caenis an oracle and have her go to Queen Calydon and expose you. Let's see how you play then."

On Mount Ares, Athena threatens to overturn the table, exposing someone's ugly face.

Faced with his unpredictable adopted daughter, Samael rolled his eyes, nonchalantly admitted his crime, and maintained his usual indifferent expression.

Everyone saw it. The other side came to rob the prey first, and even used weapons to kill people. How can we tolerate this?

Besides, it was a dark and stormy night, and there were many people and things were complicated. Every single one of the heroes present was an accomplice, and they were acting in self-defense.

The deceased was a descendant of a demigod family and the queen's younger brother. The Calydonian royal family wanted to get to the bottom of this.

Haha, what are the king's brothers-in-law compared to this? These Greek heroes who dare to come and fight the demon boar, aren't they all of divine blood?

To name just a few examples, Theseus was the prince of Troy and Athens, Atalanta was the princess of Arcadia, the twin swordsmen and the beautiful Helen were the children of the King of Sparta, Circe was the sister of King Colchis, and even Jason was a prince of Thessaly…

Basically, those who attended were either connected to the royal families of various large and small states, or were descendants of demigod families.

If the queen were to pursue the matter relentlessly, it would be tantamount to upsetting half of Greece.

Moreover, this requires another group of hunters who are not involved to remain neutral.

The problem is that heroes often band together.

Moreover, after receiving Kaludon's plea for help, they rushed over to assist in the battle against the monster. Not only did the other side not thank them, but they also sent two idiots into the fray, humiliating so many of their relatives and friends.

What? Do you really think these heroes who fight and kill every day, and who would slaughter your whole family at the slightest disagreement, are pushovers?

At worst, offending Artemis will only cause Calydon to suffer.

Offending so many heroes could lead to the downfall of Calydon!

Unless the prince and king are fools, they should know how to handle the situation.

Haven't you seen the royal family of Calydon, who haven't said a word yet?

Therefore, Her Majesty the Queen's two younger brothers died in vain.

"Tsk, to destroy someone, you must first drive them mad. Isn't living good enough? Why do you have to seek death?"

Samael glanced at the brightly lit venue, lightly shook the wine jar in his hand, and gave a mocking sneer.

"I heard from Katniss that you seem to have sold those two unfortunate guys out again?"

Inside the temple, Athena stroked her smooth chin, asking with a playful expression, a slight smile playing on her lips.

In short, it suggested that Prince Meleagerus list his two uncles as martyrs who died fighting the Boar, thus preserving the dignity of the demigod family.

In exchange, the royal family of Caludon turned a blind eye to the crime that enraged the public and reimbursed the service fee as agreed.

"So you see, isn't it great that everyone's happy?"

Samael shrugged, a pleased smile on his face.

Thanks to the sacrifices of those two, he was able to develop a good relationship with another group of heroes.

Sharing a classroom is one of the four ironclad bonds in life.

Iron bars on prison windows are still windows, and they have an extremely high iron content.

Just as Samael was once again indulging in the pleasure of manipulating order, Athena in the temple whispered a mocking murmur.

"Oh, I've finished asking. Aunt Themis, what's the sentence for instigating a crime?"

Chapter 156 The Weaving of Destiny (2/2)

It's all a trick! A complete trick!

A few dozen breaths later, Samael's face darkened. While ranting and rave, he maliciously picked up the owl and searched the ground for suitable skewers and firewood, preparing to roast the dead bird.

Unexpectedly, after all these years, Athena has teamed up with Themis to trick him and illegally gather evidence against him.

Unfortunately, his original sin serpent was still a cut above the rest.

After citing arguments such as "illegal evidence collection is invalid," "presumption of innocence," and "the victim's family is emotionally stable," Themis, constrained by procedural justice, ultimately succumbed and reluctantly announced that a certain instigator was acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

However, focusing too much on procedural justice can be restrictive, making it easy for criminals to escape justice.

Sigh, Themis is just too honest, that's why she's so easy to bully, and she always makes me worry.

So, next time, let's explore some general concepts of "upholding procedural justice and striving for substantive justice"?

Well, it’s such a happy decision.

Everything, for justice!

Samael pictured a pair of large, white "justices" in his mind, and nodded solemnly, exuding an aura of authority.

At this moment, the owl in his palm took advantage of the ancient snake's momentary daze, slipped out of its cage, flapped its wings, and fled out of the city.

It's true, the meat that was almost in my mouth has escaped.

Samael glanced sadly at the owl that had left him and sighed helplessly.

So let's just eat a proper meal!

At this moment, the bright moonlight seemed to be drawn towards a certain dense forest, and after casting its rays, it gradually dispersed.

As the ancient serpent murmured, it turned its head to look at the source land outside the city. Its heart was filled with excitement, and it leaped over the high wall, sneaking away stealthily.

That woman still owes him one more chance to pet a cat.

Samael was lingering here because Atalanta needed to complete her sacrifice to Artemis and inform Calydon of the results of the hunt.

He knew the forest goddess from the past, and it would be awkward if he were recognized, so it was best to avoid her.

Now that the ceremony seems to be over, nothing can stop him from petting the cat.

Moreover, if he remembered correctly, after this sacrifice, the goddess of the hunt would craft the hide of the Calydon boar into a "fur of the divine beast" and present it to Atalanta, allowing her follower to further digest and absorb the wild power of nature emanating from it.

Additionally, the skin of the Caludon wild boar appears to have breast-enhancing effects.

Congratulations! Isn't that wonderful?

Feeling like it had made a fortune, the ancient snake hummed a little tune and stepped into the night.

Meanwhile, in Calydon, the feast continued. The heroes who had killed the two royal relatives did not consider it a burden at all, and ate and drank heartily, enjoying the glorious moment they had earned with their lives.

However, there were always some less sociable individuals who left the venue early and wandered off elsewhere.

On the city wall, a towering figure, as majestic as a giant, walked along the tower while drinking. After hearing the flapping of wings, he looked up at a pure white owl swooping down from above, and a beautiful color emerged from the depths of its dark eyes.

The palace was empty and deserted because most of the people had gone to participate in the revelry and there were no guards or attendants.

Prince Meleager, who had been traveling at a brisk pace, slowed his steps as he entered a corridor and quietly pushed open the door to his bedchamber.

"Father, how is Mother?"

"She just fell asleep, but she kept calling out her two brothers' names and yours in her dreams."

King Calydon gently lowered his wife's arm and responded to his son's question in a low voice.

"calls me?"

"Yes, it's probably because the death of your uncle and the others was a huge blow to your mother. Now, you are the only one she can rely on."

The old king nodded slightly, and as he pondered, he seemed to recall his wife's strange ramblings about their son in her dreams, and his brow furrowed slightly.

For some reason, his wife's cries gave him the feeling that her feelings for her son were not simply a desire to rely on him, but also a sense of guilt, regret, and resentment.

"Father, please rest. Let me stay with Mother for a while."

Prince Meleager gently helped the old king to his feet, then sat down by the bedside, took his mother's slightly pale arm, and patted it gently to comfort her.

Resentment? How could that be? I must have misheard.

The old king, standing behind his son, watched this heartwarming scene and gently shook his head.

After dealing with the Kaludon boar, he felt a sense of relief, but the fatigue and weariness that followed the relief also came with it.

The old king got up and took a few steps, his breathing becoming more rapid. He couldn't help but look down at his protruding belly and gave a helpless, bitter smile.

It seems I'm really getting old; I should hand the country over to this kid to govern as soon as possible.

He has resolved the nation's calamities, won the people's support, and is now qualified to be king. He will surely do even better than I, his father, in the future.

In the empty palace, the shadows of a family of three were elongated by the flickering lamplight, intertwining and connecting at the top, with no gap between them.

Boom!

A thunderclap exploded in the night sky, and an arc of light, stretching like tree branches, instantly extended for hundreds of miles.

The majestic outline of Olympus is mostly reflected in the rugged mountainside.

At the same time, inside the temple, the figure who had been resting on the throne with his chin propped up was suddenly awakened.

A vague unease stirred within him, and he immediately followed his intuition, lighting a torch from the sacred fire, knocking on the hidden door of the main hall, and heading deep into the mountainside.

The dark rocks here resemble a dome, and the shimmering crystals are like lit stars, creating a beautiful scene that flickers between light and shadow.

From afar, these intricate and shimmering stars, like flying spindles, intertwine and weave the rays of light drawn from the celestial bodies into a faintly visible net.

Each thread connects to a name, and each star map corresponds to a different stage and script.

Zeus, standing in the empty core, raised his torch, gazed at an unusually thick and bright thread, reached out and touched it. As information flooded into his mind, the king of the gods' pupils contracted sharply.

This...how is this possible!

He clearly remembered that this name should have died on earth by now and returned to heaven!

Meleagerus…Meleagerus…

What exactly allowed you to escape the fate of being cut off?

What is it that makes you destroy the pattern woven by fate?

Zeus muttered to himself with a gloomy expression, then frowned and shook his head.

My plan will not go wrong, nor should it!

What's wrong?

The wise god-king looked up at the starry sky, at the fabric of destiny that connected the future of all Greece and the gods, and repeatedly touched and sensed it, but still had no clue.

No, there's not much time left. I need to get to the bottom of this!

Zeus's eyes flashed, his face darkened, and he immediately transformed into a bolt of lightning, sweeping across the sky above Olympus and heading straight for the Caucasus Mountains.

Chapter 157 Can't Afford A (1/4)

"Snapped!"

The next morning, a crisp sound echoed through the dense forest, startling large flocks of birds from their nests, which flapped their wings and scattered in all directions.

More than ten minutes later, Circe reluctantly got out of bed, yawning, opened the door, and the moment she looked up, the Great Witch couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"How did you get those marks on your face?"

"Can't we just crash into a tree?"

Samael subconsciously touched his left cheek, his lips twitching slightly, and gave a cold snort of annoyance.

Circe glanced at it, then raised his chin with a rare display of pride: "Tch, don't think I'm so easily fooled. Those are just handprints; you were clearly slapped."

Samael's head drew closer, his expression sinister, his snake-like vertical pupils opening and closing erratically: "You want to know?"