As these words left Philoxenus’s mouth, the expressions of everyone present shifted. Praising the Archon of another city-state as superior to their own tyrant in public—only Philoxenus dared to do such a thing in Syracuse.

“It is a pity I heard that Davos of Theonia comes from a lowly background. He was once a shepherd,” Masias interjected quickly, referring to Davos herding sheep and horses in Thessaly before becoming a mercenary.

Henipolis could finally bear it no longer and retorted, “Is Lord Dionysius of noble birth then?! I heard that before he became the Strategos Autokrator, he was nothing more than an ordinary scribe in Syracuse. Lord Davos once told me, ‘True heroes do not care about their origins, for they rely on their own ability, not the gifts of their ancestors.'”

“Well said! That is exactly what I admire most about Lord Dionysius!” Philistus praised loudly, deftly covering for Masias’s faux pas. “Everyone here today also relied on their own efforts to achieve their current noble status.”

“Yes! Yes! …” Masias chimed in repeatedly, trying to mask his embarrassment.

“Gentlemen—” Philistus hurriedly stood up, holding his goblet of wine, and looked around the room. “I have been so busy accompanying Lord Dionysius in negotiations with the Carthaginians these past few days that I simply could not find the time, resulting in the neglect of our distinguished guests from Theonia! With my friends here as witnesses, I punish myself with this cup to express my apologies!”

“Good!” Herolis raised his goblet. Leptines, Masias, and Philoxenus followed suit.

Anxitanos did not rise to stop him, for he knew Philistus was speaking on behalf of Dionysius. This wine naturally contained Dionysius’s apology as well.

After Philistus and the others drained their wine, Anxitanos stood up with Henipolis. Raising his cup, he spoke. “I am very grateful for Lord Philistus’s gracious invitation. At the same time, I congratulate Lord Dionysius who, with the assistance of you noble lords, has repeatedly defeated the mighty Carthage. This is a great victory for Syracuse and the most exciting news heard by all Greeks of Magna Graecia! Because Carthage, the greatest enemy of the Greek city-states in the Western Mediterranean, has suffered heavy losses, the people of Sicily and Magna Graecia will enjoy a long period of peace!”

With that, the two Theonians also drained their cups.

“Well said!” Philistus raised his cup again, shouting, “To Lord Dionysius! Victory to Syracuse!”

As the others raised their cups to congratulate, Anxitanos, sitting opposite, noticed that Herolis’s expression was not as earnest or enthusiastic as the two beside him. Philoxenus, far from following blindly, shouted instead, “To peace in Sicily!”

Philistus then made a gesture. Musicians and dancers entered the hall, and the banquet officially began.

Amidst beautiful melodies and the swaying of graceful dancers, the guests exchanged toasts and feasted heartily.

When the music stopped and the dancers retreated, Henipolis, surrounded by the sweet voices of beautiful female slaves, found himself unwittingly full. He saw Masias opposite him already kissing and fondling a slave girl in a most unsightly manner; Leptines was also flirting. Only Herolis continued to eat elegantly and slowly. Philoxenus had even dismissed the slave girls on his left and right.

Turning his head, he saw his teacher Anxitanos eating very little, watching the song and dance with a perpetual smile… Henipolis immediately felt ashamed of his own lack of self-control.

At this moment, Philistus, seated at the head, coughed twice, drawing everyone’s gaze.

“Lord Anxitanos,” he began, “since the establishment of the Theonian League, our two sides have had virtually no formal diplomatic contact. Is Theonia sending you on this mission to Syracuse for the sake of friendship?”

Here it comes!

Anxitanos had been conserving his strength for this very moment. He smiled immediately and replied, “Of course, we come for friendship. Syracuse is a great power in Sicily, and Theonia is likewise a powerful union in Magna Graecia. Previously, one was busy dealing with Carthage, and the other was fully occupied repelling the natives in the mountains. Various reasons prevented two major Greek powers, so close to each other, from establishing friendly contact and communication, leading to regrettable events—”

Anxitanos deliberately paused.

The Syracusans remained silent, but Philoxenus asked curiously, “What regrettable events?”

Anxitanos seized the opening. “Several Senators of the Theonian Senate were accused by the people of crimes such as bribery and embezzlement. While collecting evidence of their illegal activities, a large number of Syracusan ‘tetradrachms’ and some letters were found in their residences. These letters—”

Anxitanos looked at Philistus.

Philistus wore an expression of attentive listening.

“—primarily discussed exchanges with the convicted Theonian Senator Polyexis on ‘how to disrupt the order of the Theonian League, incite civil unrest, and drive Archon Davos from power…’ and other such matters. These letters were signed by—Philistus.”

Anxitanos looked at the host of the banquet again. “The letters also mentioned, ‘I am acting under the orders of Lord Dionysius.’ Polyexis himself admitted, ‘It was only with the support of Syracuse that I dared to so boldly carry out these acts of betrayal against the League.'”

“Such a thing happened?!” Philistus looked utterly bewildered. “I have never written a letter to anyone named Po… Polyexis. This is truly… Lord Anxitanos, did you bring the letters you speak of?”

“I did.” Anxitanos was prepared. He took a letter from the bundle he carried and handed it to a slave girl beside him.

Philistus took the letter impatiently. Unfolding it, he immediately revealed a smile of relief. “Lord Anxitanos, if the handwriting and signature on every letter in your possession are like this, I can tell you with certainty: I did not write these letters!”

“Oh?!” Anxitanos feigned surprise.

“Go to my study and bring a few letters signed by me,” Philistus immediately ordered his personal slave.

“Let me see that letter.” Herolis spoke up from the side. Philistus handed him the letter.

While the slave went to fetch the documents and the banquet fell into a temporary silence, Herolis held the letter and spoke. “…Hmm, Lord Anxitanos, I am quite shocked to hear the news you just shared. However, I wish to speak my judgment from the standpoint of a bystander. Philistus is a literary man who values his status and is rather high-minded. He would disdain to do such despicable things that only base men would do. Nor is it possible for him to correspond with that greedy, filthy Theonian Senator you mentioned, Po… Po…”

“Polyexis,” Leptines reminded him.

“Right, Polyexis. It is impossible for Philistus to have written to him. And as the Strategos Autokrator, Lord Dionysius is very happy to see a Theonian Archon with a status similar to his own. It makes him feel less lonely in this vast Western Mediterranean. Why would he do anything to destroy Lord Davos’s rule?”

“Yes, my brother would never do such a thing!” Leptines emphasized loudly.

“I wonder if it might be like this—” Philistus mused for a moment, then analyzed seriously. “Lord Dionysius single-handedly created the powerful Syracuse of today, uniting the Greek city-states of Sicily. But this has also incurred the hatred of many. I think you all know that a few years ago, when the Carthaginian army was at the gates of Syracuse, some people within the city incited the mob to riot, trying to drive Lord Dionysius from power. Although the situation was eventually quelled, rumors have circulated in Syracuse all these years. Even minor disturbances and assassinations have been endless. Otherwise, the Strategos Autokrator would not live on this island with such strict defenses.

“These people are like venomous snakes hiding in their holes, ignoring the peace and stability of Sicily, seizing any opportunity to attack Lord Dionysius and us, his supporters. The Carthaginians have been defeated, but in Magna Graecia, there is the Theonian League, whose strength is close to Syracuse’s. If war breaks out between Syracuse and Theonia, they would have the opportunity to step out from the shadows again and create chaos in Syracuse to achieve their goals…”

“Are you saying that this matter was done by Lord Dionysius’s opponents, who then framed you, Lord Philistus?” Anxitanos asked with a faint smile that was not quite a smile.

“It is very possible,” Philistus answered earnestly.

“Then how do you explain Hermes, a Syracusan citizen we captured in Thurii? He has fully confessed to being assigned by Lord Dionysius to go to Thurii, bribe Polyexis and others, and engage in sabotage against Theonia,” Anxitanos said, a trace of mockery curling the corner of his mouth.

“Hermes?” Philistus looked somewhat confused and asked the others, “Do we have such a citizen in Syracuse?”

Henipolis couldn’t help but shout again, “Stop pretending! We have investigated in detail. Hermes is a Syracusan citizen living in the merchant district near the Temple of Apollo in the city center. He has two sons, and he was even a scribe for this Lord Herolis. Did I speak falsely?”

“Is this true?!” Philistus looked shocked.

Herolis appeared even more astonished. He turned to look at Philistus. After their eyes met, he hesitated before speaking. “…I did indeed have a scribe named Hermes under my command, but… I went on a mission to Cyrenaica a year ago. When I returned, I heard he had long been punished for embezzlement and lost his position… If the man captured in Thurii is the same person, I truly never expected him to have run off to Thurii. If you don’t believe me, you can check the court records for his criminal record from half a year ago…”

“This is troublesome!” Philistus suddenly shouted, his expression becoming extremely serious.

“What is it?” Leptines asked, puzzled.

“If the Hermes Lord Anxitanos speaks of and Lord Herolis’s former scribe are the same person, it means those opponents may have begun to consciously infiltrate and become public officials of the Syracusan city-state!” Philistus said with a grave expression.