Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1165: The Arcadian League and the Assassination

Hearing the number Plintors had just provided and watching the endless columns of the Daionian Army marching ahead, the Arcadian councilors felt that even if the figure was inflated, it couldn't be far from the truth.

As a result, the councilors' regard for Daionia rose to a whole new level, and some even temporarily set aside their ulterior motives.

"General Crotokatax, allow me to introduce the councilors of our league," Lycomedes said, breaking the brief silence that had fallen over them.

"Excellent," Crotokatax said with a smiling nod.

"This is Meletus of Mantineia..."

"A pleasure to meet you."

...

With his sincere expression, earnest words, and elegant bearing, Crotokatax made a favorable impression on the councilors, and the atmosphere grew genuinely friendly.

Just then, a minor commotion rippled through the gathered councilors, followed by a sharp complaint. "Hey, stop shoving forward! You two will get your turn to be introduced soon enough."

Suddenly, a loud shout rang in his ears. "Your Highness, watch out!"

He then saw the guards flanking the Daionian commander suddenly lunge forward. At the exact same moment, two councilors beside Lycomedes were violently shoved to the ground, dragging him down with them. A figure vaulted out from behind, landing squarely on Lycomedes's hand. The pain pierced straight to the bone.

Despite the agony, he managed to shout, "Watch out! Assassins!"

The two men who had burst from the crowd brandished gleaming daggers, charging viciously toward Crotokatax.

Two royal guards had already thrown themselves in front of him, drawing their swords to thrust at the attackers.

One assassin was struck down instantly. The second, a heavily built man, twisted slightly to avoid a fatal blow and simply took the thrust. Riding the momentum of his furious charge, he slammed into the guard in his path, knocking him aside.

Just then, Plintors lashed out from the side with a sweeping kick that caught the assassin squarely on the ankle. The man pitched forward. The short sword wedged in his sternum struck the ground and drove straight through his chest. He died instantly, his dagger skittering to a stop at Crotokatax's feet.

Crotokatax had survived several such assassination attempts before, though these attackers were slightly more perilous. Maintaining a calm demeanor, he picked up the dagger to examine it, pushed aside the long shield a guard had raised to cover him, and thanked Plintors and the guards who had intercepted the assassins.

"I came from the Mountain Scout Corps in my younger days," Plintors joked, wanting to lighten the mood. "It's been very rare for me to get a chance to fight an enemy in recent years."

Crotokatax hurried over to help Lycomedes up. Meanwhile, the royal guards from the rear surged forward with swords and shields drawn, completely surrounding the dozens of panicked Arcadian councilors.

Once on his feet, Lycomedes didn't take the time to thank him. Ignoring the pain in his right hand, he rushed toward the two downed assassins, only to be blocked by the guards.

"Let me see them! Quick, let me look at them!" Lycomedes shouted urgently.

Crotokatax nodded his consent.

Lycomedes first examined the assassin pierced through the chest, then moved to inspect the one bleeding profusely from a severed neck wound.

That assassin was on the verge of losing consciousness, constantly murmuring under his breath.

Caring little that the blood was soaking his tunic, Lycomedes leaned in close to listen. "Lord of the gods... Zeus above... great and merciful... Zeus protect... Lord of the gods... Zeus above..."

Since the assassin was taking his last breaths, Lycomedes did not dare question him aloud. Instead, he frowned in deep thought for a moment before turning back to Crotokatax with a solemn expression. "Please believe us! The Arcadian League would never forge an alliance only to assassinate our ally at such a critical juncture!"

Looking at the terrified Arcadian councilors, Crotokatax stepped forward without hesitation and spoke sternly. "I believe you—Daionia's allies! Certain forces must be terrified of seeing us unite, resorting to this despicable method to make our newly formed alliance fall into mutual suspicion!"

With that, he waved his hand. The royal guards immediately sheathed their swords, lowered their shields, and stepped back, though guards still remained vigilant at Crotokatax's sides.

Lycomedes let out a temporary sigh of relief, then looked at the councilors and called out, "Agelus, come here and see if you recognize these two assassins. I listened to their accent just now, and they sound like people from your area in the west."

"That is absolutely impossible!" Agelus stepped out from the crowd, glaring angrily at Lycomedes. Still, he hurried over to carefully identify the two assassins. He leaned close to the ground to listen before standing back up. Looking at Crotokatax with absolute certainty, he declared, "These two assassins are definitely not citizens of Orchomenus! But I can roughly guess where they came from!"

"Where?" Lycomedes asked urgently.

Agelus's expression grew slightly complicated as he replied, "Most likely from around Olympia. The way the people there address the god Zeus is somewhat distinct..."

"Oh, now that you mention it, I remember!" Understanding dawned on Lycomedes. He hesitated for a moment before turning back to Crotokatax. "These two assassins were very likely sent by Pisa, as they are loyal allies of the Spartans. Alternatively, it could be the people of Olympia acting on their own initiative..."

Though Lycomedes trailed off, Crotokatax already understood his implication. Because Daionia revered Hades as the kingdom's protector and elevated him to the position of lord of the gods, this blatantly contradicted the traditional theology of the Greek Mainland. Naturally, the people of Olympia—who boasted the most magnificent temple of Zeus, hosted the grandest games to honor him, and counted themselves among his most devout followers in Greece—undoubtedly hated the faith of the Theonians to the core!

Crotokatax instinctively glanced up toward the temple of Zeus still under construction within the new city of Megalopolis. He originally wanted to use this opportunity to promote the Kingdom of Daunia's policy of treating all faiths and religions equally—he had done exactly that in Rome—but after a second thought, he dropped the idea. Instead, he declared, "Now the matter is clear. Pisa and Olympia sent assassins in a vain attempt to shatter the alliance between Daionia and Arcadia and halt the Daionian Army's reinforcements. We absolutely cannot let their plot succeed! We must drive back the invading Spartans as quickly as possible, and then we will settle our score with Pisa!"

"Exactly! Mantineia is currently under Spartan siege, and they desperately need rescue!" an anxious Mantinean councilor urged.

The other councilors also quickly murmured their agreement, all eager to escape the strange and awkward atmosphere.

"What is the current situation in Mantineia?" Crotokatax turned to Lycomedes. Having spent the previous two days negotiating the alliance treaty with the Mantinean leader, he had been deeply impressed by the man's steadiness and foresight, making him far more willing to trust his words.

Lycomedes looked at his Mantinean colleagues and spoke in a heavy tone. "Having learned from our city being destroyed the last time, the new city we designed and built is exceptionally sturdy. Ordinarily, we would not fear a prolonged enemy siege, but... we never anticipated the Spartans would hire such a massive number of well-equipped soldiers. If the Spartans maintain a ferocious assault, we are very worried that the city of Mantineia will not be able to hold out for long. This scenario is highly likely because the Spartans utterly loathe us Mantineans right now! If Mantineia falls, I am afraid every last citizen in the city will be slaughtered by the Spartans this time!"

Crotokatax nodded sympathetically. He was just about to speak when Plintors interjected to ask, "How many men are in the Spartan army besieging Mantineia?"

"Based on the combined reports of messengers who risked their lives slipping out of the city to bring news, the Spartan army has around twenty thousand soldiers, with no fewer than six thousand heavy infantry. They also have over a thousand cavalry..." Lycomedes replied.

Plintors cross-referenced those figures with the intelligence gathered by the Mountain Scout Corps, and feeling confident in his assessment, he gave Crotokatax a meaningful glance.

By now, Crotokatax had fully composed himself. Feeling slightly guilty that he had nearly made a rash promise out of impulse just moments before, he gestured for Plintors to continue speaking.

Plintors immediately asked, "What sort of response plan does the Arcadian League have for the Spartan invasion?"

"Upon receiving news of the Spartan invasion, our League began a military mobilization across the entire region," Lycomedes said with a grave expression. "However, the Spartan mercenaries are attacking from Arcadia's northeast, and our southeast borders Sparta. Therefore, the citizens of all the eastern city-states must prioritize defending their own cities. I estimate the League will only be able to muster a force of just over three thousand men, and it will take at least four or five days for them to assemble. We will then lead this army to relieve Mantineia. But compared to the Spartan army, our numbers are far too few... so we desperately need your help to drive back the Spartans!"

"It is not just a matter of saving Mantineia. If Sparta's own army attacks from the south, it could directly threaten us here!" Another councilor's words immediately struck a chord with everyone.

Looking at the worried faces of the Arcadian League councilors, Plintors announced loudly, "Daionia's reinforcements are marching east. We expect them to reach the border of the Tegea region—which borders Spartan territory—by this afternoon. We will construct our camp there, building it as far east as possible to completely block the route into Tegea."