74. After all, he must have died early.

After defeating Homeus in Thessaloniki and becoming the champion, he had several more defenses, but the overwhelming difference in skill meant that there were no more challengers at the moment.

“It’s time to leave here too.”

Meogines saw no reason to be in Thessaloniki any longer. He was still hungry and wanted to fight an honorable duel with more powerful people, risking life and death. His next goal was clear.

‘Olympia Wars’

The main stage where you can rise to the top.

With a new goal in sight, Meoginess’s eyes burned.

Just then, Leonidinas approached Meogines.

“Brother, are you leaving after all?”

“Yes, my dear. I don’t think I’ll find my match here anymore. I am going to participate in Olympia to raise my honor.”

Surprise spread in Leonas’ eyes.

“I see… it’s about time for the Olympia War to begin.”

Olympia was one of the festivals dedicated to the god Zeus, and is held once every four years. Only free men from Greece were allowed to participate in this event.

“When are you leaving?”

“I am leaving today.”

“It’s like an older brother to act immediately after making a decision.”

“ha ha ha. My brother knows me too well.”

“Hyung-nim, even though it was a short relationship, I have always respected you and thought of you as an older brother.”

“Me too, Leonas. To me, who has no brothers, you are no different than my real brother.”

The two held hands with eyes that felt warm friendship.

“Brother Meoginess. In fact, I am leaving this place now. I think I will buy an old boat to expand my business and take on the trade.”

“Five! Have you finally been recognized? Great. Leodinas.”

“I gained a lot of courage from seeing my older brother, and my bold work yielded good results. That’s why…”

Leodinas rummaged through her arms and pulled out a silver plaque slightly larger than a coin.

“It is the symbol of our family. There are only two of them for each direct descendant, and the family law has been set so that one can be given to someone who is precious to himself. I want to give this to my brother.”

Meogines’ eyes widened.

“Shouldn’t this be given to someone who helps your business? Giving this to me won’t do you any good?”

“hahahahaha hyung’s existence itself is a great help to me. I can do my own business. Brother, if you just look at this card and don’t forget your brother, that’s enough.”

“Leodinas, are you really… Then wait a minute and see.”

Meogines, who hurriedly went up to his quarters, came holding something in his hand.

“Brother, brother, is this?”

“It is a winning necklace given to the champion of Thessaloniki. I will give this to you.”

“Brother, isn’t this the only one in the world?”

In fact, when the champion was crowned, a pendant necklace engraved with the image of the god that symbolizes him was given as a winning prize.

“It has no meaning to me now. I’m going to Olympia to get a new laurel wreath and necklace. So, please keep the traces of Woohyung’s past.”

Leodinas’s face was thrilled.

“Brother, I will keep this as an heirloom. I promise the next time we meet. Are you going to Ellis in the Peloponnese?”

“It should be. I think it would be better to leave a little early to get to Ellis.”

“I understand, brother. I will always support you, even from afar.”

So, Meogines went on a long journey to Elis to participate in the Great Olympia.

***

The Thessaloniki itinerary, the last destination of ‘No and So Joy’, has begun. They planned to travel with the three elders until the morning, then enjoy their own trips in the afternoon, and join them before dinner.

The impression of Thessaloniki is that there are many tourists, so the overall people seemed bright and happy. In particular, there were many quiet street cafes all over the alley, but when it rained lightly, the taste was added.

Also, since the city is right next to the sea, the scent of the sea was exuded, giving it a more exotic feel. In terms of Korea, it seemed like a mixture of the strengths of Incheon and Busan.

The party first gathered in Aristotle’s Square.

“ruler! I’ll start with Lefkos Pyrgos, which is called the White Tower.”

Following PD Son Jun-ik’s guidance, Kyu-ha and the three senior actors arrived at Thessaloniki’s famous White Tower.

“Is this the famous White Tower? Something… foreign.”

The White Tower is the most famous building in Thessaloniki, with a height of about 30M.

“I didn’t have a building like this before, but suddenly there was one like this. Somehow, I thought the building itself wasn’t the style I like in Thessaloniki.”

“yes? What are you talking about? This building was there 500 years ago.”

When Park Chang-soo, who heard Gyu-ha talking to himself, hurriedly turned around when he asked.

“ah! When I searched before, I didn’t see this place. I must have misread the search.”

“Even Won is bland. Come on, let’s go inside.”

The entrance to the inside was at the back of the tower, but upon entering, many artifacts from the Byzantine era were on display. Kyuha felt a strange sense of incongruity. It’s just a normal tourist building, so why does it feel like this?

I nodded my head while pondering what the identity of this sense of incongruity was.

smell of blood.

The faint smell of blood was everywhere. Of course, it wasn’t that there was a real bloody smell. When a lot of blood accumulates and piles up, a unique energy is formed, and Kyu-ha could feel it well.

A woman who appears to be a guide explained the origins of the White Tower.

“This White Tower is also a place with a painful history. It was used as a prison in the 18th century, and was often referred to as the ‘Bloodstained Tower’ due to frequent massacres. After that, the surface of the tower was painted white, and the name was changed to the White Tower.”

It was only then that Gyu-ha learned the identity of the sense of incongruity. It seemed to be a sense of incongruity that this place, soaked in the blood of countless people, has now become a tourist destination that gives pleasure to many people.

In any case, thinking it was a very interesting building, Kyu-ha also looked around the interior with interest.

“Yeah. I never get tired of seeing this Greek sea every time.”

“Why, brother. Isn’t the sea in Sokcho, Korea, like this?”

“ah. That’s right, but the feeling is different! Anyway, even if I go back to Korea, I will miss this Greek sea.”

When I entered the rooftop, I could see the panoramic view of the sea, and the shining Aegean Sea glittered in the sunlight caught everyone’s eyes.

“Let’s go to the next place. You can go to the Rotunda of st. George, tour only to the Arc de Triomphe of Emperor Galileo together, and then travel freely.”

The ‘Children’s Joy’ team moved to Rotonda, which is not far away.

“Oh, is this a place called Rotonda? It’s exotic.”

“This was originally the tomb of Emperor Galileus, but it was later converted into a church by Constantine I. In particular, if you look at the entrance arch and the dome ceiling, you can see the unique mosaic style of Rotonda.”

“Kyuha-kun studied really hard. Especially regarding Thessaloniki, would you believe it even if you were a local? chuckle.”

“I found out, it was fun. In any case, the mosaics here in Rotonda are recognized as one of the finest masterpieces of early Christian art, along with the mosaics in the churches of St. Demetrius and St. Davids.”

Gyuha pointed at the mosaic with his finger.

“If you look here, it is now damaged and its beauty has faded a lot, but you can feel the original beauty just by looking at the remaining colors, colors and shapes. Also, if you look at the frescoes painted on each wall, you can see the unique Greek cross-shaped structure and the basilica style of 3 or 5 rooms. The artist who created this place is truly a great master.”

It is not an exaggeration to say that it opened the era of Renaissance sculpture, but even for Gyuha, who lived the life of Donatello, the artistic value of this place and the craftsmanship buried everywhere were enormous.

“Anyway, thanks to you, I had a good time. Watching it while listening to Kyuha’s explanation adds to the fun of watching it.”

“That’s what I’m talking about. If I were to go on a trip in the future, I would really like Kyuha-kun to be there.”

“Eh hyung-nim also says all sorts of things. Is there anything to stop the young man’s path? Even if you come, you should come with a pretty wife.”

“I didn’t notice. dragging.”

We arrived at the last course, the Arc de Triomphe of Emperor Galerius.

“Is that the Arc de Triomphe? It’s different from what I thought. It looks more shabby than I thought.”

“Originally, there were palace stadiums or huge buildings attached, but now all of those buildings have disappeared and only the door remains, so it looks shabby. Teachers, come closer. Do you see the pieces here?”

The Emperor’s Arc de Triomphe was covered with marble on bricks, and battle scenes honoring the victory of Emperor Galileus were carved in relief.

“If you look at this sculpture, the left is the Emperor Doclesian and the right is the Emperor Galerius. It is a picture of offering thanks to the god who allowed the victory. Even now, it is an outstanding relief piece.”

“Oh, that’s right. I don’t realize why I need a guide for this trip until I’m in my 80s. chuckle I definitely like traveling because there are people who explain it well.”

“So it is. Ah, even if I had a granddaughter, I would have made her my granddaughter-in-law, which is really unfortunate.”

The schedule of the trip to Thessaloniki was completed in a warm atmosphere, and PD Son Jun-ik announced the next schedule.

“You had a hard time walking around diligently in the morning. In the afternoon, everyone is free to travel. You can enjoy a leisurely tea time at a cafe, or go to a place you want to visit. Enjoy your trip and we will meet again at the accommodation around 7pm.”

And Kyu-ha and the three elder actors started their own free travel.

***

Gyu-ha took a rental car and headed to the outskirts of Thessalokini. It had been too long, so I was almost going to my senses, tracing the memories of Meoginess.

The place he was looking for was near the old inn where he met Leodinas. Meogines, who had a situation, had hidden the silver plaque in a secret place, and since he did not know when he would find this place again if it were not today, he decided to visit it.

“Are you still there…?”

I thought it would disappear after so long, but even though there were traces of the years, the condition of the silver plaque didn’t look too bad.

“Seeing that this is still here, Meogines must… die early.”

Gyu-ha, who took good care of the silver plaque, the trace of his dream, got behind the wheel to head back to downtown Thessaloniki.

As it is a suburb, it was a quiet place with no cars or people on the road.

Suddenly, a luxury car passed by with a roar from behind Kyu-ha’s car, and three black vans were frantically chasing after it.

profit.

The van surrounded the car front to back and forced it to stop.

Kyu-ha stopped the car and tried to figure out what was going on.

The driver of the luxury car collided with a van blocking the front and seemed to be looking for an opportunity to escape somehow, but it seemed to be insufficient. Soon, masked people came out of the van and surrounded the car.

At first glance, it appeared to be a kidnapping attempt on a person in the car.