Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1152: Surviving Death

"Agesilaus," Leotychides interrupted with a sneer. "Is this how you intend to stop me from leading the army to attack Sparta? It's far too clumsy."

As he spoke, Leotychides stood up and walked toward the kneeling Spartan king.

Agesilaus looked up at his nephew, who strode straight toward him with a face as cold as frost and steps like thunder. Not a trace of panic showed on the king's face; instead, he looked rather delighted. "The Council of Elders will send special envoys to negotiate this war between Daionia and Sparta. The only reason I came here is because I just learned from Dorieus that Daionia's famous general, Prosous, is actually you! This is truly the blessing of Zeus! With all these years of constant war, the men of our family have died in battle one after another. Now, besides me, only Archidamus remains. Alas... the noble bloodline of the Agiad House is on the verge of extinction!

"Furthermore, as you well know, your younger brother has never been steady. He has always been too trusting of others, and even now, he hasn't changed much. He lacks the capability to lead Sparta out of its current plight. But I have carefully studied your achievements in Daionia. Your talents have far surpassed my own. I hope—"

With a sharp ring, Leotychides drew the short sword from his waist and pressed it against Agesilaus's neck.

"You said you were willing to use your life to atone for your sins." Leotychides looked down at him as if looking at a corpse, his tone bone-chilling. "I hope you don't regret it."

The sharp edge of the blade sent a chill straight to his core, its reflected gleam dazzling his eyes. His heart raced on instinct. Agesilaus fought to suppress the creeping dread in his chest, stretched his neck straight, closed his eyes, and said with even greater emphasis, "...I was wrong back then. I want to atone to you and your mother! After I die, I hope you can return to Sparta. Before coming here, I already discussed this with the ephors and the elders: you will inherit the throne that should have belonged to you. I only hope you can treat Archidamus well. He is your only—urgh!"

Accompanied by a muffled grunt through Agesilaus's gritted teeth, the short sword sliced a bloody gash into his shoulder. The sudden violence jolted the silent onlookers awake. The military judge shouted urgently, "Lord Prosous, stop! You cannot kill an envoy!"

Leotychides acted as if he hadn't heard a thing, forcefully pressing the blade directly against Agesilaus's wound.

"Stop!" the military judge bellowed in panic. "If you kill him, you'll violate Military Law! You'll also severely damage the kingdom's reputation! Hurry! All of you, go stop him!"

Just as the generals prepared to rush forward, Leotychides swiftly withdrew the short sword. With a casual flick of his wrist, a string of blood droplets splattered across the ground. He looked down at Agesilaus with contempt. "I thought you truly weren't afraid of death."

Agesilaus slumped to the ground, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

"There is nothing to discuss with Spartans. Throw him out of the camp," Leotychides said indifferently as he walked back to his seat.

Naturally, the men in the tent did not carry out that order to the letter. If this elderly Spartan king were to die on the road, Daionia would likely become the laughingstock of the Mediterranean Sea. Instead, Muklu immediately ordered the guards to carry Agesilaus to the field hospital.

"Lord Prosous, I will report this matter truthfully to His Majesty," the military judge said with a grave expression.

Leotychides nodded calmly, then waved his hand. "The meeting is over. Dismissed."

Though the assembled generals all had their own thoughts after watching such a spectacle, they wisely chose to leave in silence. Only Adoris, a commander in the First Legion, called out loudly, "Lord Prosous, whatever you do, don't fall for the Spartans' temptations! Don't abandon us and run back to Sparta!"

In the past, Leotychides wouldn't have bothered to answer such a foolish statement, even given the speaker's special status. But when he noticed the departing officers suddenly slow their steps and glance his way, he realized he had to make his stance clear. "Rest assured. Until the day I die, I will be a Daionian Citizen!"

Agesilaus's wound was carefully sterilized and bandaged. After keeping him under observation for a while to ensure nothing major was wrong, they finally escorted him back to the pier by the sea.

Aside from the crew, waiting on his ship was Archidamus, who had insisted on accompanying him on this journey. Seeing his father stagger aboard with a bandaged upper body and sluggish spirit, the prince rushed forward to support him and asked furiously, "Father, you're hurt?! Was it the Theonians?!"

Agesilaus glared at him and muttered, "I'm fine. Let's head back immediately!"

Though Agesilaus sounded weak, his word was absolute within their family. Archidamus had no choice but to obey. After helping his father sit down, he glared furiously at the soldiers of Daionia monitoring them from the shore and spat, "Shameless Theonians. I will remember this grudge, and one day I'll pay you back twofold! Set sail!"

Only after the ship left the pier did Agesilaus speak. "The commander of the Theonians is indeed Leotychides... and he was the one who slashed me..."

"So it was that bastard's doing!" Archidamus gnashed his teeth. "I told you before, he hates our family to the bone. There was no way he'd listen to reason!"

"This trip wasn't without its gains." Agesilaus touched the bandages on his shoulder, pondering the earlier encounter. "The sword strike Leotychides gave me wasn't deep. Even if he held back because I'm a Spartan envoy, I feel my words still had some effect on him... Furthermore, when I saw him, the command tent was full of generals of Daionia. Having heard what I said, they'll likely harbor their own doubts about him... Still, we'll have to see how things develop to judge the final result. If Leotychides can recall our past ties... or if a rift forms between him and his subordinates... or if the King of Daonia begins to suspect him... As long as this buys us a little more time, my diplomatic mission today was worth it."

Looking at his father's aged, haggard face, Archidamus felt a wave of shame.

Agesilaus didn't notice his son's reaction. Staring out at the coastline, he sighed deeply. "What I hope most is for the King of Daonia to recall Leotychides. After all, he knows Sparta's situation far too well! And he truly has changed a great deal..."

That emotionless face surfaced in Agesilaus's mind, and he subconsciously touched his shoulder bandages again. "He was so calm throughout; I couldn't guess what he was thinking... No wonder he has won so many victories in the past. Having him as our opponent will be incredibly troublesome!"

"Father," Archidamus immediately protested, dissatisfied. "We won't know who is stronger until we cross swords on the battlefield! Once we recruit enough soldiers, we'll let the Theonians know exactly why Sparta has always been the hegemon of Greece!"

Agesilaus knew perfectly well that his son had always looked down on Leotychides since they were young, constantly keeping the word "bastard" on his lips. Because of this, there were things he kept to himself. Deep down, he genuinely wanted Leotychides to return to Sparta. The current Sparta was sorely lacking in talent, falling far behind Thebes and Athens. If Leotychides—a man who combined the strengths of both Sparta and Daionia—could return, with Agesilaus's support, he might just bring about some positive changes...

However, Leotychides's indifferent expression from start to finish made it impossible to gauge the chances of that wish coming true. Agesilaus collected himself and spoke seriously, "By risking injury this time, I also reaped a small benefit. Out of guilt, the Theonians didn't blindfold me after our meeting, which allowed me to observe some aspects of the Davos Camp...

"I had long heard that the medical expertise of the Kingdom of Daunia is exceptional, but to think they've actually built such sizable clinics right inside their military camps. Not only do they have plenty of doctors, but the environment is clean and fully equipped. My wound was treated very quickly. They used some methods I've never seen before, and now I feel—"

Agesilaus shifted his injured arm. "I don't feel any pain right now; instead, it feels rather cool and soothing. Think about it: with field clinics like this providing support, the number of injured soldiers of Daionia dying from festering wounds or becoming permanently crippled will be drastically reduced. That alone will keep their morale high."

"Which means after we defeat the Daionian Army, we must do everything we can to capture all these doctors of Daionia and use them for ourselves!" Archidamus interjected, his face full of greed. As a Spartan Warrior who had fought for years, he naturally understood the massive advantage of possessing a group of highly skilled physicians.

Agesilaus glanced at him and continued, "I also saw countless soldiers of Daionia digging trenches and erecting earthworks around their camp. They've already built a very long section of earthen wall—"

"The Theonians are fortifying their defenses? They plan to occupy Messenia long-term?!" Archidamus gasped in shock. "That might prove to be a serious obstacle in our efforts to take Messenia back!"

"What's more important is that it isn't just soldiers of Daionia building the camp. There are also many helots. They aren't working under the threat of whips, and they actually seem to be getting along quite well with those Theonians," Agesilaus said, his expression turning grim.

Archidamus's face grew solemn, though he still looked somewhat doubtful. "Father, do you mean the helots of Messenia have already defected to Daionia?! But it's only been a few days!"

"Even those savage native tribes of Italy submitted to the Theonians, let alone these foolish, docile helots," Agesilaus said worriedly. "With the help of the helots, the Daionian Army will have a much tighter grip on Messenia. The difficulties we face fighting them there will only increase. Moreover, these helots will threaten the very stability of Sparta!"