As we flew wherever we needed to, I was lost in my thoughts. Will I ever go back to my timeline? Am I lost here? It saddened me so much. If this is true, I'll miss every new game and console generation coming up. To say the least, I was expecting to buy the collector's edition of *War of Duty*.
— "I never asked your name, young hero. How can I call you?" asked Leonidas.
— "You can call me Arthur."
Here he goes again with his hero thing—it was a mistake, a mistake!
— "What an odd name for a hero. But I'm glad to know you, Hero Arthur." Leonidas lightly bowed his head.
If only he knew Arthur was the name of one of the greatest kings in history.
— "We're soon arriving at the camp, King Leonidas," reported a soldier with goggles.
— "Right on time. You will escort our friend and show him around the camp."
— "Yes, my king!"
I need to find a way to get out of here. If I stay too long, I'll be sent to battle once again!
—"Ow, ow, ow, my stomach hurts! I think they gave me something bad in jail. I need to use the bathroom!" I tried to lie.
— "Those jerks of monsters! By the name of Ares, we will guide you right away," cursed a soldier.
As we landed, the soldiers led me to the nearest bathroom. I forgot one thing about ancient Greek bathrooms: they are communal.
— "Let me accompany you, Hero Arthur. That way, we will create deeper bonds together." The soldier gave a thumbs-up.
I don't want to deepen my bond in a public bathroom with you!!
— "I- I feel like I suddenly got better. Maybe I just don't handle air travel well, ahaha." I need to avoid the bathroom at all costs from now on.
A few minutes passed before the soldier returned from the public bathroom.
— "Then follow me, we will start by showing you the main plaza. We gather here every morning, and the commander gives us the day's missions and duties for everyone."
So tedious. I hope I'll avoid any chores thanks to my "achievements" in the coming days.
— "Here we have the kitchen and the cafeteria. Luckily for us, the best chef of the army left in time with us."
It's surprisingly good-looking. I thought I'd see old wooden tables and such, but they even built marble columns at the entrance and decorated it with plants.
—"Here in the camp, we put a lot of effort into making everyone feel at ease. I hope the camp suits your taste." The soldier smiled brightly.
— "It sure is pretty, but tell me, what happened again? Why are we at war with the monsters?" I asked.
— "What a good joke, Hero Arthur. Only someone living under a rock wouldn't know what happened," the soldier laughed.
I mean, I didn't live under a rock, but in the future. I guess I'll have to wait to learn more about the events here and how I got dragged into this.
—"Here is the stadium. We recreate our famous sports from before the attack, like headball, crossfoot, and others."
Never heard of anything like that. I guess every popular thing comes to an end someday.
—"Finally, we've arrived at the dorms. Since many soldiers arrive day after day, new tents are built on the day of arrival."
I'm a bit disappointed. With everything I saw earlier, I expected something more grandiose, but I forgot they're at war.
— "We have special tents prepared for heroes like yourself and King Leonidas, so if you would excuse me, yours is not here."
Oh oh, my luck has turned for the better. It's not so bad being a hero, if you ask me.
— "Here we are, Hero Arthur, the special tent for heroes," the soldier said as he opened the curtains.
Sublime. The floor is covered with carpets, there are statues of renowned heroes, and there's even a bath! Don't tell me... I'll have a toilet just for myself?!
— "For the bathrooms, you'll need to go to the nearest public one. From here, it's about four tents ahead. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a report to make." The soldier remained as cheerful as ever.
Curse you, kind soldier, and your public bathroom! Even if it's not your fault they exist… At least I now have a king-size bed all to myself, and with luck on my side, thanks to my hero title, maybe, just maybe, I'll find myself a cute girl, ouhouhouh.
I sat on the bed; it's surprisingly soft for a war bed. Maybe I'll go to the cafeteria first. It's been ages since I've eaten something good.
The soldiers are very cheerful. I eavesdrop every now and then, and they all speak of King Leonidas with great esteem. It's true he was remarkable in the arena—now that's a true hero for you.
Arriving at the doors of the cafeteria, I hear soldiers laughing from outside. It piqued my interest, so I sat and watched the scene from afar.
— "Can I serve you something?" asked a beautiful waitress.
Now, now, it's true—there are women here! Hmm hmm, let's play it cool.
—"Serve me your meatiest meal with your strongest drink," I said in a deep voice.
From afar, a soldier I traveled with aboard the Trojan Horse 3000 recognized me.
— "Hero Arthur! It's nice to see you here. Did you catch a cold or something? Your voice sounds different."
—"Ah, oh, no. Something got caught in my throat," I replied, shamefully.
The waitress went to the kitchen, laughing. Just my luck—I've ridiculed myself in another timeline.
— "Will you join us for a feast? We're celebrating the return of King Leonidas tonight! Without your help, history would have been different, you know!"
And that's how I spent the rest of the night with the other soldiers, singing and receiving even more praises. We drank until I couldn't walk, so they accompanied me to my tent.
—"*hic* My friends, it was a wonderful night. Good night. *hic*" I tried to walk straight into my tent.
Something was off when I turned to go directly to my bed. A mysterious woman covered in black drapes was sitting on my well-tidied bed.
— "Who are you?! *hic*"
— "I am the goddess Athena—or should I say, her manifestation—Hero Arthur, or should I say: Time Traveler Arthur," smiled the goddess in disguise.
How would she know who I am?!