167 – Nymph and Greek-Roman Myth #2
Whoooosh.
The airplane landed smoothly on the runway.
Not long ago, the nymphs used to fuss every time they boarded a plane, saying, “Inoi is a wingless nymph but flies in the sky…!”
But these days, they seemed to have grown accustomed to flying, as they slept soundly on the plane.
Of course, now that the plane had landed, it was as if they hadn’t slept at all, as they jumped up and dashed toward the airport.
“Hehe, Greece is the land of mythology, philosophy, and democracy…! I remember when Illinois was spreading democracy in America…!”
They grinned deviously, as if they were very excited about Illinois.
Just as Illinois said, Greece was indeed the birthplace of global civilization, where mythology, philosophy, and the foundations of various 21st-century cultures flourished.
Democracy, the spirit of the 21st century, started in ancient Athens, after all.
“I’m reminded of the time Illinois taught the democracy of ancient Athens to George in Washington…! It’s a long time ago now…!”
“I think many people might have gathered to welcome me…! Because I appeared in a video by a popular YouTuber called Kira…!”
Inoi showed a hint of excitement as they exited the airport corridor.
Inoi was dreaming of becoming the most famous nymph in the world, and it seemed that dream had grown bigger since appearing in Kira’s video not long ago.
“What if too many people gather and it causes a commotion?”
I pondered as I walked through the corridor.
I, Haildo, was a global Awakened being, recently rising to fame through appearances in various non-combat contests, YouTube videos, and the like.
I started to worry about what would happen if a crowd gathered to welcome me, causing such chaos that we couldn’t even move.
But—
Contrary to my thoughts, the airport’s arrival hall was quite dreary, and there was no crowd to welcome us.
I wondered if people had failed to notice my arrival and coughed deliberately.
“Ahem, ahem. Haildo has arrived from Korea.”
Yet, there was no response.
How could this be?
Soon, Inoi also slumped their shoulders in disappointment.
“It’s clear that too much time has passed, and the people of Greece have forgotten about nymphs…! Why is it that no one is welcoming a native nymph back…!”
Inoi’s question held some truth.
Nymphs were originally the natural monument fairies of Greece.
I had thought it would be natural for the Greek people to rejoice at the return of a nymph, but everyone looked busy and seemed somewhat tense, hurrying along.
What’s going on?
The atmosphere felt a bit strange.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but it feels nice that the airport is well air-conditioned…! Greece, as I knew it, didn’t have air conditioning…!”
Coris seemed pleased with the coolness of the airport.
It was indeed cool inside.
Just then, someone waved from a distance.
“Is that you, Ildo? Over here! Here!”
She was a woman clad in a beige toga.
With wavy blonde hair adorned with something like a laurel crown, and holding what looked like a harp, I felt as if I were meeting a mythical woman.
Her attire was traditional, and her appearance elegant.
“Are you A-rank singer Erato? The ‘Bard – Erato’?”
Erato.
She was a member of “Muse,” a prominent A-rank guild in Greece.
While the Korean government manages Awakened beings, I’ve heard that in places like Europe, influential Awakened ones form their own guilds and send people to represent them.
The guild “Muse,” made up of various women, frequently appeared in YouTube videos, and I knew at least their names and faces.
“Welcome to Greece, Ildo! I’m Erato. I’ve parked a car in front, so let’s head that way! Achilles is waiting for you too!”
We got into the car of A-rank bard Erato and headed somewhere.
The nymphs gazed earnestly out of the car windows, their eyes expressing a mix of nostalgia and unfamiliarity.
“This Inoi suggests that Greece is completely different from what I remember…! Back then, there were no buildings like this, no airport, no cars, and no air conditioning…!”
“Now is better…!”
“Of course…! It feels very good! The olden days are over, and the 21st century is ruled by comfortable science and global warming…!”
The nymphs seemed to prefer present-day Greece, with its tall buildings, well-maintained asphalt roads, and abundant air conditioning and ice water dispensers, over the warm ditches filled with water from their past.
Hearing this, Erato let out a peculiar laugh.
“How about we visit some landmarks near Athens International Airport? We have about half a day until our appointment with Achilles.”
Tourism!
That was a great idea.
We headed to the nearby Parthenon.
Soon, Inoi, who was tapping on their phone, said, “The Parthenon is said to be one of the top monuments on Earth…! Ralph Waldo Emerson said that…! It says so on this phone…!”
Who is Ralph Waldo Emerson?
Inoi said they didn’t know either.
What mattered was that we were heading to a temple said to be a top monument.
Arriving at the temple, we found high soaring columns, automatic doors, and air conditioning blasting—a quintessential 21st-century building.
“I thought Greek temples would have crumbling columns left over, but this looks more like a government building than a temple.”
Often, the Greek temples shown on the internet were old ruins worn down by time and war.
However, after the cracks opened, Awakened beings discovered that the temple’s site reacted strongly to magical energy and restored it using cutting-edge technology of the 21st century.
This building was usually used as a request office for Greek Awakened beings and guild activities, I heard.
In fact, this building was reported to be in use by the “Parthenon” guild.
I wondered how the nymphs would respond to seeing this.
Would they feel regret over the loss of tradition and dignity in this portrayal from long ago?
“The owner of this place wants you to see this…! An ice water dispenser advertised by Core Yerim has been installed in the Parthenon…! And the air conditioning is top-notch…!”
“Of course…! This is what a proper temple should be…! The dull and old temple is a thing of the past! Just like the nymphs riding the changes of the times, temples also evolve…!”
I see.
The nymphs seemed to thoroughly enjoy this new-generation temple.
Coris especially liked it.
“Look over here! They’re selling the stones that nymphs threw and played with back in the day as souvenirs…! I want to buy one…!”
Near the brightly lit temple, several merchants were present.
The most impressive was a merchant displaying stones on a mat for sale.
“Hey there! Are you a tourist? These are the stones that nymphs threw and played with in ancient times! The nymphs back then loved throwing stones. Did you know?”
Is that so?
As I felt doubtful, the merchant hurriedly began explaining the stones laid out before him, as if seizing an opportunity.
“Nymph-stone! Buy it as a souvenir for your friends, and they’ll love it! It boosts health, brings luck—If you’re awakened, it boosts magical energy too—.”
A magical stone indeed.
That’s some miraculous description.
However, the one who had taken it upon herself to guide me, Erato, shook her head.
“There have been more merchants like that popping up in recent days. Those stones are fake. That guy is also selling without a permit. Athens has been quite poorly managed in various ways recently.”
Why is it poorly managed?
I didn’t know, but it seemed he was a scammer.
Soon, Illinois, who had been looking at the stones, frowned and got very angry.
“Did you lie to this Illinois…? This is a nymph-hating situation…! Everyone throw stones at this ugly liar…!”
“I also love throwing stones…!”
Illinois and Coris picked up small pebbles and pelted them at the stone merchant.
Thud thud thud thud.
Since they were small stones, they didn’t seem to hurt, but the merchant looked extremely flustered.
“Ahhh—!”
In the end, the merchant couldn’t withstand the barrage of stones and fled.
Watching this, Inoi said, “The nymph sisters have banded together to drive away the nasty scammer…! Let’s all dance the nymph dance of joy…!”
“That’s great…!”
“Of course…! It feels very good…!”
The nymphs placed their hands on their waists and twirled in place.
It was a very peculiar dance.
# # #
After visiting the Parthenon, we wandered around Athens for about half a day.
After roaming around, I found something odd.
“The whole city is quite chaotic, isn’t it?”
There were many people bustling about.
I also saw armed soldiers and a few tanks.
It felt as if a war had broken out.
“The airport was dreary, and even the tourist site, the Parthenon, was rather empty. Is there something going on? This looks like it’s right before a big crack opens up.”
There was a smell of trouble in the air.
Then, Erato, the bard slicing a croissant in a café, let out a deep sigh.
“Actually, that’s correct. Greece may be faced with great danger. Ildo, you are the protector of the nymphs, right? And you’re also raising various creatures from Greece.”
Woof woof…!
Meow…!
Hiss…!
The pets spun around Erato.
Watching this, Erato asked me as if to add more to her words, “I have one thing to ask Ildo. Do you know about the ‘Ancient Species’?”
Ancient Species.
That name reminded me of Ahn Ahn, who had recently hyper-evolved.
Didn’t the hyper-evolved Ahn Ahn exhibit the traits and characteristics of the ancient species “Chimera Ant” and boasted incredibly strong defensive abilities?
“I only know that creatures that lived in ancient times were very powerful. Is the current incident related to the ancient species you mentioned?”
“That’s right. Here’s a picture of an ancient species ant, the ‘Chimera Ant,’ discovered by a fisherman in the waters off Chios. They say it fled after being hit by pesticides, but it’s definitely a serious threat.”
Swish, swish—.
Erato handed me several more photos.
They were blurry and hard to see, but they all seemed to be pictures of animals.
“There have also been reports of other ancient species beasts being found throughout Greece, not just Chimera Ants. These are all photos of them.”
They were peculiar photos.
Upon seeing them, Inoi gasped.
“Ahh, this is…!”
