Just then, a strange song suddenly drifted in from all around them.

“—Come, our heroes, glorious Greeks! Stop and listen to our song!”

The song was so sweet and enchanting, like honey flowing into their ears and sinking their minds into a blissful haze. The archers and heavy infantry aboard the ship began to look dazed. Strange smiles appeared on their faces, and every gaze turned toward the ship’s port side. Hilde, however, wasn’t affected by the song. She knew that a siren’s song only worked on men; it had no effect on women.

“No ship can pass beautiful Siren Isle unless its helmsman listens to our lovely song.”

“Our beautiful song brings you joy and wisdom, and guides you safely on your voyage.”

Enchanted by the beguiling song, the soldiers began moving toward the ship’s port side. Just then, a beautiful young woman stood aboard the ship, holding a lyre. She didn’t pluck its strings. Her voice alone had more than enough deadly allure. The soldiers walking toward her were destined to become her next meal. Hilde hadn’t expected that, when she set out to deal with these soldiers herself, she’d run into the Sirens.

She really couldn’t tell if her luck was good or bad.

Hilde couldn’t help sighing.

“The Sirens knew full well how the gods on the plains of Troy made both sides’ heroes suffer the hardships of life.”

“Our wisdom shines like the sun and moon over all the world. We know of every war and love that unfolds among humankind…”

The soldiers still couldn’t stop themselves from walking toward the singing girl. Diomedes, who’d been about to attack Hilde, had already reached her. Hilde didn’t stop him. She was quite interested in the Sirens. Until now, she’d only heard of them in legends, and she hadn’t expected to see one with her own eyes. Of course, the Siren hadn’t noticed the curious eyes watching her. She was simply hungry, and a ship had happened to pass through her territory.

The Sirens didn’t look as hideous as the legends made them out to be. At least for now, they appeared to be nothing more than beautiful young women, around sixteen or seventeen by human standards. They had long, jet-black hair, like black pearls from the depths of the sea. Their figures were as sinuous and graceful as sea serpents, living up to their title of Siren nymphs. The only unusual thing about them was their eyes: sharp as a snake’s, their gaze held a sinister beauty.

“So that’s how it is…” Hilde couldn’t help remarking.

By now, the muscular soldier had reached the Siren.

She licked her lips, ready to enjoy her meal.

“Master! What happened?”

Just then, Sophia rushed out of the cabin. She’d felt the ship lurch violently a moment ago, and seemed to have hit something in the rocking. The skin on her forehead was broken, and a little blood trickled down. The Siren, who’d been about to eat, suddenly spotted her. In an instant, the Siren vanished from where she stood. By the time Hilde reacted, she’d already darted over to Sophia and grabbed her.

“So there’s a woman on this ship.”

The Siren stuck out her long, thin tongue and dragged it across Sophia’s cheek.

“Ah… You smell Carthaginian.”

“W-Who are you?”

Caught so suddenly, Sophia was understandably terrified.

The Siren grinned savagely. “I haven’t eaten a woman in ages, let alone a Carthaginian woman. Don’t worry… It’ll be over soon.”

As she spoke, the skin on either side of the Siren’s mouth suddenly split open, revealing two rows of gleaming teeth. They looked as sharp as a shark’s teeth. Sophia was terrified. She could feel something cold slowly approaching her neck. In the next moment, it would bite into her throat and tear her body apart.

“Master—!!!”

Sophia squeezed her eyes shut and let out a desperate scream.

“Were you calling me?”

“Master… Ah… Huh? I-I’m not dead?”

When Sophia opened her eyes, she found herself in Hilde’s arms.

At that moment, Hilde was looking at her tenderly, a terrifying red glow in her eyes. At the same time, a pair of sharp horns slowly grew from her head. They were curved and jet-black, with ashen-gray patterns that sent a chill through anyone who saw them. The horns hugged her head, their pointed tips pressed close to her skin, like those of the wild sheep found in Greece.

At the same time, a pair of huge, batlike wings appeared on Hilde’s back. They wrapped around her and Sophia, their blackness blotting out the sunlight—and Hilde’s gleaming fangs.

Only then did the Siren realize something was wrong.

“W-Who are you?”

She stared at the beautiful girl with horns growing from her head, panic taking hold.

Hilde spread her wings. The huge black wings were as tall as two people, and the horns atop her head radiated an oppressive force that filled the Siren with despair. The Sirens were children of the gods, daughters of the river god Achelous, and divine blood flowed through their veins. Ordinary mortals couldn’t put any pressure on them at all. But when the Siren looked at Hilde, a fear that came from deep within made her want to run. Just then, Hilde shielded Sophia behind her and said with a cold laugh:

“Actually, you can eat any of the men on this ship except the slaves rowing it. Go ahead, eat your fill. But you just had to go after someone you shouldn’t have touched. That’s playing with fire.” Hilde shrugged and gave a bitter smile. “Look at us now—we’ve gone and made this impossible to undo. What was the point? I don’t want to drink blood this fishy a second time. Ugh, ugh, it tastes awful.”

“You…”

The Siren reached up and touched her neck.

Only then did she realize there were two puncture wounds there.

“Y-You’re an Empusa—!”

“No, no. How could I be some lowly monster like that?”

Hilde denied it.

Empusa was a goddess of night and the Underworld, and a handmaiden of Hecate. In legend, she was half-donkey and half-human, though she could also take the form of a prostitute to lure people close and drink their blood. She was a notorious creature. The only thing Hilde had in common with Empusa was that both were famous beauties in human form—and Hilde’s beauty was probably even more striking.