Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1267: Archery Competition

A few moments later, once all three arrows had been fired, the spectators grew lively again, eagerly guessing the outcome.

Soon, the target callers presented two round wooden boards to the competitors and the audience. The referee's voice rang out once more: "26 to 26, a tie—one more tiebreaker round!"

After seeing the arrows on the targets and confirming the referee's call, the crowd erupted. "This match is incredible! The two competitors are so evenly matched that they can't decide a winner. The extra rounds make this absolutely worth the ticket price!"

Megakides looked at Strasippus, who met his gaze with a smile that only further roused Megakides's competitive spirit.

As the next round began, the stands fell into a deeper silence, every eye focused on the two competitors.

But the goddess of fate played another joke on them. The competitors tied yet again, though with a slightly lower score: 22 to 22.

The audience boiled over. It was exceptionally lively, and the Daionian spectators who had purchased Tino's Blessing were especially tense, desperately hoping their chosen competitor would win.

Meanwhile, the referee and staff huddled together, discussing something with grave expressions.

Only the two competitors sat quietly on their wooden chairs, resting with their eyes closed to recover their stamina.

It was true; in normal combat, an archer who consecutively fired six arrows would experience sore arms and difficulty drawing the bowstring. Although competitors in an archery match could constantly rest and recover—allowing this match to stretch on for nearly three hours—the fifteen arrows had nearly exhausted both men's stamina, causing their accuracy to steadily drop.

"What if they tie again on the next arrow?!" several spectators shouted.

The referee answered without hesitation: "Then they will shoot another arrow, and keep shooting until a winner is decided!"

A commotion rippled through the stands.

Megakides, who had been sitting for quite a while, stood up expressionlessly and nocked an arrow. As he drew the string, however, sharp bursts of pain radiated from his arm. Gritting his teeth, he barely managed to pull the bowstring to his ear. His left hand, clutching the bow, trembled slightly. Unable to hold his aim for as long as he could at the start of the match, he barely paused to aim before releasing the string.

The moment the arrow flew, it didn't feel right. 'Dammit!' he cursed inwardly.

At that moment, he saw his opponent's arrow fly out just as quickly. With his wealth of experience, a single glance at the power and trajectory of that arrow instantly settled his heart.

Sure enough, when the target callers brought the wooden boards forward, the crowd erupted in an uproar.

Megakides's arrow was lodged at an angle at the very bottom of the round wooden board, barely hitting the mark. But Strasippus's board was completely empty. He had missed the target entirely!

A massive uproar swept through the stands.

Megakides looked at Strasippus, whose expression remained remarkably calm.

The referee then walked up to the competitors and announced loudly, "Based on the results of the match, I declare in the name of the gods that Megakides is the champion of the Theonian Rugby Games archery competition!" With that, he grabbed Megakides's hand and raised it high.

Enthusiastic cheers immediately exploded from the audience, naturally mixed with quite a few sighs of disappointment. Strasippus smiled gracefully and applauded him.

Next came the award ceremony. The staff led Megakides to the very center of the field in front of the stands. Under the gaze of thousands of spectators, the referee solemnly placed a wreath of woven poplar branches on his head and handed him a small cloth pouch woven with gold thread. Inside the pouch were twenty gold coins engraved with the words 'Theonian Rugby Games'. Then came the moment that thrilled the Cretan spectators the most: two staff members unfurled a flag of the Cretan city-states and handed it to the champion. Just like the event champions before him, Megakides held the flag high and slowly completed a lap around the arena, accepting the cheers of spectators from all over the Mediterranean Sea.

The officials of the Cretan Delegation were all in the stands, and every one of them was overwhelmed with excitement. Judging from the previous days' events, the Theonian Rugby Games were filled with formidable opponents and fierce competition. During the individual archery qualifiers, every Cretan competitor except for Megakides had been eliminated. This had led them to the depressing realization that even in archery—the event Crete was most confident in—they had no guarantee of winning the championship. But today, Megakides had ultimately defended Crete's reputation for producing excellent archers. How could they not be ecstatic?

Therefore, as soon as Megakides left the field, they immediately went to meet him, loudly praising his performance while expressing warm concern for his well-being.

Surrounded by these aristocratic Cretan officials, the plebeian-born Megakides felt somewhat at a loss.

Just then, a voice rang in his ear: "Congratulations, Champion Megakides!"

Megakides turned his head and saw his opponent, Strasippus, standing behind him with a smile.

This suddenly made him feel a bit ashamed, and he said somewhat apologetically, "I only managed to beat you by a stroke of luck, relying on my superior stamina."

Strasippus looked at him and said earnestly, "To have such outstanding archery skills at your age—I've met very few people who could compare!"

Strasippus's words thrilled Megakides far more than the praises of the Cretan officials, but then he heard Strasippus add, "Are you interested in joining us in Daionia? An exceptional archer like you is exactly what the Daionian Army desperately needs!"

Megakides was stunned.

Before he could answer, the head of the Cretan Delegation retorted loudly, "Megakides is a citizen of Heraklion! He is the glory of our Crete! He will only remain in Crete, and he will absolutely never join Daionia!"

"Oh?" Strasippus glanced at him and asked with a cold smile, "By staying in Crete, will he obtain large tracts of land? Will he be able to enter the city-state's council like you, hold important positions, and discuss and formulate resolutions? Megakides, I have seen your profile. You are a plebeian. Even as a champion, you will never have a chance to rise in an aristocrat-ruled Crete. But as long as you come to Daionia, you can obtain land, wealth, and status through your talents—"

"Stop lying! Do you think I don't know? Becoming a Daionian Citizen isn't that easy. Rumor has it you have to live here for over ten years before you even have a chance to earn it!" Siritheos shouted from behind, warning Megakides.

Strasippus looked at him but continued speaking earnestly to Megakides: "That is the kingdom's decree for ordinary refugees. For a talented individual like yourself, the Ministry of Military Affairs would undoubtedly value you highly and submit a special application to His Majesty. While they can't make you a Daionian Citizen immediately, they can shorten the required years. As long as you apply, you would quickly be summoned to the military camps by the Ministry of Military Affairs. After a period of training, you should easily become a squad leader or company commander in the light infantry battalion of Daionia's reserve legion. After a two- or three-year term of service, you could become a Daionian Citizen, and you might even transition into an officer in a formal legion, enjoying the respect of the people...

"As a former light infantry battalion commander of the First Legion, I am telling you the truth. Go back and think about it carefully. If you are willing, you can come find me at the Ministry of Military Affairs in Thurii. I hold an idle position as a Military Training Officer there, and I can take you directly to see the Minister of Military Affairs, Oliphus."

After Strasippus finished speaking, he patted Megakides on the shoulder in a gesture of encouragement, then turned and left.

Perhaps the terms 'First Legion' and 'Ministry of Military Affairs in Thurii' had intimidated the head of the Cretan Delegation, for he hadn't dared to interrupt during the conversation. It was only after Strasippus was far away that he waved his fist and shouted, "I am going to protest to the Theonian Rugby Games! You people are..."

Megakides had never considered these matters before. After hearing Strasippus's pitch, his mind was a tangled mess.

Beside him, Siritheos was extremely envious. He never expected that despite trying everything to draw attention to himself on the field these past few days, his beautiful dreams would remain unfulfilled, while this poor plebeian who knew nothing but daily training had gained the recognition of a Daionian military officer.

Seeing the delegation officials surrounding Megakides, painstakingly trying to persuade him with words like, 'Don't listen to Strasippus's lies; you are now the hero of Crete, and the Cretan city-states will absolutely not mistreat you,' and so on, Siritheos subconsciously curled his lip in disdain.

As Megakides and his group left the arena and returned to their quarters, his standard attire as a champion of the Theonian Rugby Games—wearing a laurel wreath on his head and draped in a flag—immediately attracted the attention of the people along the way. They continuously cast respectful greetings his way, enthusiastically asked others about the story of his victory, and proactively made way for him.

Cheers followed him all along the way, and countless envious gazes converged on him.

Megakides, however, appeared preoccupied with heavy thoughts, in no mood to enjoy such glory.

Once they reached the athletes' hotel and the delegation officials separated from Megakides, Siritheos immediately leaned in close and whispered, "Hey, Megakides, what do you think about what that Daionian officer said?"

Megakides, who had been so calm and composed on the field, appeared hesitant and indecisive. "I... I haven't figured it out yet..."

"What is there to think about?! It's such a great opportunity. If you miss it, it's gone!" Siritheos looked utterly exasperated by his lack of ambition. "Think about everything we've enjoyed since we arrived here. This place is practically the Elysian Fields for athletes! And think about this city. The prosperity of Thurii and the wealth of the Daionian Citizens far surpass Athens, which I've visited before. Compared to this place, Heraklion in Crete is practically a remote little village! If I were you, I would go to the Ministry of Military Affairs in Thurii immediately, find that officer, and beg him for help to join Daionia!"