Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 65: Davos's Farewell

Amid the cheers of the Samnite warriors, Tolek’s face was full of excitement. He knew that the Samnites’ weakness in siege warfare had been compensated by this terrifying new thing, and capturing Poseidonia was now a certainty. Occupying this city would not only give them a better harbor for the Syracusans to ship more food, but also allow his impoverished tribesmen to plunder freely and gain even more loot...

That evening, a family dinner was being held at the magistrate’s residence in Thurii. In attendance were not only Davos’s two wives, his adopted daughter Cynthia, adopted son Adoris, and his son Crotonkatax, but also Asuna, the housekeeper of the inner courtyard, Ribazo, the steward of the outer courtyard, and Aristelas, the intelligence chief.

The main course tonight was boiled beef and mutton, so before each person was a wooden table, a copper pot, and an iron stove. The exception was Crotonkatax, who was still small; Christhoya was uneasy about him eating hotpot alone, but she herself was nine months pregnant and had difficulty moving, so she had no energy to care for him. And little Klo’s other mother, Agnes, was over two months pregnant and experiencing the worst of morning sickness—she couldn’t even bear to look at the meat and had to substitute fruits, mushrooms, seaweed, and other vegetarian dishes. Naturally, she couldn’t look after him either. So little Klo sat with Asuna.

At that moment, Davos, seated at the head, looked at everyone and said seriously, “Tomorrow I will lead the army out of Thurii and head to Potentia, so I won’t be able to look after the household. Cheiristoya and Agnes are both pregnant, so I need the three of you—Asuna, Ribazo, and Aristelas—to take careful care of domestic affairs! Here, I want to thank you in advance!” He raised his wine glass as he spoke.

As he spoke, Cheiristoya and Agnes watched their husband with concern, unable to hide their worry on their beautiful faces.

Asuna and Ribazo hastily stood up. Davos quickly gestured, “Sit down! Sit down! You are all already preparatory citizens of Daonia, and we are one family—don’t act like strangers! Learn from Aristelas!”

A forced smile appeared on Aristelas’s stern face. The reason he hadn’t stood up was because, as a former citizen of Catana, he was unaccustomed to the humility shown by Asuna and the others. He also raised his wine glass and replied earnestly, “My lord, rest assured. I will have my men keep close watch over all of Thurii. If any abnormality arises, I will follow your instructions and immediately go to Capus and Kynogoratas to eliminate the threat!”

“Good! The safety of this household is in your hands!” Davos raised his glass from afar, drained it, and refilled it.

Asuna immediately said, “Master, I will manage the female slaves in the courtyard and take good care of the two ladies! I will also regularly invite Lord Helpus to check on them, and besides, we have the blessings of the gods Hades and Hera in this house…” Asuna glanced at Cheiristoya and Agnes, then added with a smile, “When you return, master, both ladies and the children will be healthy!”

“Good! Asuna, if everything is peaceful, when I come back, I will reward you handsomely! How about I find you a husband that pleases you?” Davos joked cheerfully.

Asuna protested indignantly, “My lord, you are the dignified magistrate of Daonia, but you make fun of me—that’s not fair!”

“My lord, with all your daily business, you might not know that Asuna already has someone in her heart,” Cheiristoya said softly from the side.

“Oh, really?!” Davos perked up and asked, “Who is it? Can you tell me?”

Asuna blushed, glanced at Aristelas at the next table, and lowered her head without speaking.

Davos’s heart stirred, and he didn’t press further. “Come, Asuna, thank you for always taking care of the two ladies and the children. Down this toast!”

Asuna drank it down promptly.

Davos looked at Aristelas, who seemed oblivious to all this, and said to her, “Let me give you some advice: go ask Agnes for guidance. With Hera’s blessing, why fear your wish won’t come true?”

Asuna was greatly moved by this.

But Agnes bluntly reminded, “Lovers’ affection falls under the jurisdiction of the goddess Aphrodite; Hera is only responsible for marriage and family.”

“Love without marriage is all deception,” Davos said half-jokingly, half-seriously. “In Daonia, Hera also oversees love before marriage.”

“My lord, you don’t need to worry about Asuna’s affairs—that’s my responsibility,” Cheiristoya said with a smile, extricating Asuna from her embarrassment. Then she said sternly to Ribazo, “Ribazo, the affairs of the outer courtyard are all in your hands. Don’t let any trivial matters disturb me during this time.”

“My lady, rest assured, I will handle it! That is my duty after all!” Ribazo respectfully finished the wine in his cup.

At that moment, Cynthia said, “Father, I will also take care of mother and the younger brothers.”

Davos beamed with delight: “Good! Good! Our daughter has grown up and can help with household tasks! Come, let me toast with you too!”

“Daddy, Daddy, I want to drink this too! I also want to take care of Mama!” Little Klo began to clamor.

“Alright! Alright! Alright!…” Davos shook his slightly drunk head, overjoyed.

Late at night, in Cheiristoya’s bedroom, her languid voice sounded: “I think you should go comfort Agnes; she needs you more right now…”

“Don’t talk, get some rest,” Davos said softly, lightly patting her shoulder with his left hand that was around her fair neck.

Cheiristoya turned slightly, burrowing her head deeper into Davos’s chest, inhaling his scent, and murmured, “Tell me, if I give birth to a daughter, shall we name her Eunice?”

“Eunice…” Davos murmured the name (meaning ‘happy victory’), a tender smile appearing on his face. “A good name. And if it’s a son?”

“Then we’ll call him Apex (meaning ‘courage’),” Cheiristoya said softly without hesitation, clearly having thought about it beforehand.

“Davos Apex, Davos Crotonkatax… Yes, let it be that name!” Davos gladly agreed.

But for a long time, Cheiristoya made no response. Davos looked down and saw that his wife had already fallen asleep; pregnant women are very drowsy at this stage.

Davos gently adjusted her sleeping position, gave a loving kiss on her plump, smooth face, then wrapped his chiton around himself and walked to the outer room where Asuna was watching.

“Cheiristoya is asleep. And the child?” “Little Klo is also asleep.” “Take good care of them. I’ll go check on Agnes.”

As soon as he stepped into the second wife’s bedroom, he heard Agnes’s soft, expectant voice: “Davos, is that you?”

“Why aren’t you asleep?! This is not good for the child!” Davos gently scolded, then lovingly lifted her from the bedside to put her on the bed, but Agnes wrapped her arms around his neck and murmured worriedly, “I’m a little worried…”

Holding her delicate body, Davos lay down on the bed with her. “Worried about what? There’s nothing to worry about! With Hades’s protection, your husband has never lost on the battlefield! I promise you, I will come back soon!…”

Davos’s confident promise eased some of Agnes’s worry. She held her husband tightly and after a long while asked softly, “Are my… are my parents in danger?”

Davos was taken aback. In truth, with Daonia and Syracuse at war, Rhegium was the most dangerous—cut off by Locri and its allies, far from the center of southern Italy, and most vulnerable to enemy attack. But at this moment, Davos couldn’t tell the truth. He said in a deep voice, “Our South Italian alliance will not allow Syracuse to threaten Rhegium easily! However, for safety’s sake, you’d better urge your family to come to Thurii to take shelter during this time.”

Thurii had Atillikrus’s shipyard, making it easy to contact them. “Mm,” Agnes replied softly.

The next day, all soldiers of the First and Second Army Corps, who had been mobilized early in the morning, assembled at Victory Square in Thurii to take their oath. Then nearly twenty thousand soldiers, along with the baggage camp, marched westward in a mighty procession.

The people of Thurii and Amendolara all came to see them off. In their view, this was the first time the First and Second Army Corps were going to fight in a distant, unfamiliar region. Previously, the army had gone as far as Caulonia, but that was still a Greek city-state with regular trade ties, reachable in a day by ship. This time, they were going to fight in a mountainous region infested with natives, so worries and concerns for their loved ones were naturally heavier.

So the people saw them off again and again, reluctant to leave for a long time.

At the rear of the departing column, Davos was bidding farewell to the senators. “Lord Kynogoratas, Lord Cornelius… honored senators, I entrust the affairs of Daonia to you for the time being!” Davos solemnly saluted the senators who had come to see him off.

“My lord, if anything comes up, we will send someone to consult with you in a timely manner!” Kynogoratas promised. “Win quickly! Come back soon!” Cornelius said expectantly.

Davos nodded, then turned to Vespa: “Rest assured, the Samnites will definitely not break into our Lucanian territory!” “Magistrate, please pay more attention to the Lucanians of Potentia as well!” Hemon requested. “I will do my best!” Davos replied. He looked at Hieronymus and Capus; the two saluted him with a military gesture. Army matters had already been arranged beforehand, so he had no need to say more. His gaze finally fell on Mariji and Pleisinas; the two exchanged an imperceptible nod.