Early the next morning, the group didn't go looking for Aeetes again, but headed straight to the sacred grove of Colchis.
From the outside, the sacred grove appeared as nothing more than an ordinary forest, but as the group ventured inside, they were immediately enveloped in a refreshing, invigorating sensation.
It felt as though the entire forest brimmed with vibrant life force. The heroes who entered found their bodies feeling remarkably at ease, and even the air they breathed seemed sweetly invigorating.
In truth, all of this stemmed from the power of the ley lines.
The sacred grove of Colchis was none other than the "Forbidden Forest" of the Mystra Academy, and the extraordinarily powerful ley lines on Colchis Island were located right nearby.
This was also why the dragon was willing to reside here.
From the beginning, it wasn't that the dragon had specifically stayed to guard the Golden Fleece, rather, the dragon dwelled here, and Aeetes had entrusted it with protecting the fleece.
As they delved deeper into the sacred grove, approaching the heart of the woods, the heroes suddenly noticed that the closer they got to the center, the more the morning breeze carried an eerie pressure and sense of danger.
It was as if a massive, terrifying presence at the forest's core was constantly exerting an oppressive force upon them.
What could this be?
The group quickly realized, it must be the dragon's doing.
Legend had it that dragons, as the pinnacle of phantasmal species, possessed a special ability known as Dragon's Might.
This was a potent intimidating mechanism, a hierarchical suppression from a higher-tier being over lower life forms, somewhat akin to the natural dominance gods held over mortals.
Weaker creatures exposed to Dragon's Might would collapse into utter panic, while even stronger ones would feel their spirits shaken.
Moreover, this ability was extraordinarily effective against other scaled creatures, even the weakest fledgling dragon's aura could send the mightiest sub-dragons fleeing in terror.
As Argonauts, they were indeed affected by the Dragon's Might, but unlike ordinary people, they didn't react with disgraceful panic.
Instead, it stirred their resolve, spurring them to press deeper into the sacred grove, heading toward the direction where the Dragon's Might was strongest.
That must be where the dragon resided.
As the group ventured further into the sacred grove, the oppressive weight of the Dragon's Might grew heavier, signaling they were drawing nearer to the dragon.
Soon, they spotted another clear indicator.
It was a faint golden glow emanating vaguely from the depths of the grove.
That was the legendary treasure obtained from the golden ram, the Golden Fleece, radiating its divine golden light.
Guided by the golden radiance released from the Golden Fleece, they quickly pinpointed the location of the tallest oak tree in the sacred grove. According to Aeetes, that was where the Golden Fleece was hidden.
And beneath the oak tree, a fearsome dragon loomed into view.
The enormous dark green dragon's head alone was nearly as tall as half a person, seeming capable of swallowing someone whole in a single bite.
Currently, it coiled its body on the ground, raising its draconic head, vigilantly scanning the sacred grove with its crimson dragon eyes, ensuring no one entered to steal the Golden Fleece.
On ordinary days, it certainly wasn't like this, even though it remained sleepless in its duty to guard the Golden Fleece, it was still a lazy dragon at heart.
Clearly, its current alertness was due to a prior warning.
As the Argonauts approached, the dragon detected them in an instant, human senses paled in comparison to a dragon's.
It lifted its head to gaze in the Argonauts' direction, then opened its maw in a menacing snapping motion, as if to say that if they dared approach as thieves to steal the Golden Fleece, it could devour them all in one gulp.
Sensing the dragon's hostile intent, treating them as thieves to be wary of, along with the terrifying Dragon's Might emanating from its body, the Argonauts immediately turned and retreated to a distance.
If there were any other way, they absolutely didn't want to engage the dragon in direct combat.
"Isn't your... little sweetheart supposed to hold off the dragon for us today?" Jason turned to Alaric, asking reluctantly, "Well? When is she coming?"
"Soon enough," Alaric nodded with apparent confidence. "Medea is a punctual good girl."
Thus, the heroes settled down on the ground, waiting patiently.
Some began tending to their weapons, others adjusted their armor, and a few reclined with hands behind their heads for a brief nap.
Atalanta, with a light leap, bounded to the treetops like a mother leopard, starting her surveillance of the dragon and scanning the surroundings.
This was originally Lynceus's task, but with Lynceus now dead, Atalanta, the formidable huntress, had taken it upon herself.
Everyone understood clearly: if they wanted to minimize casualties in this final trial, their only option was to trust Alaric and await the assistance from Medea that he had promised.
The Argonauts didn't have to wait long.
After about half an hour, Atalanta's voice came from the treetops.
"Someone's coming."
Everyone instantly snapped to full alert. They scattered to find hiding spots, then, following Atalanta's cues, peered toward the woods near the dragon.
What a beautiful creature it was.
It seemed like the embodiment of all that was good, kind, and pure, its silvery-white skin gleamed like the purest moonlight, dazzling under the morning sun.
It was a magnificent silver-white colt, with soft silver mane flowing down its back.
But unlike ordinary colts, it bore a long, spiraled silver horn on its forehead.
This was one of the rarest among phantasmal species, nature's darling, the representative of all positive and beautiful qualities.
A unicorn.
And atop the unicorn sat a girl.
She wore a beautiful, noble white cinched-waist dress, with long purple hair and pale purple eyes. At that moment, she leaned against the unicorn's body, humming some wondrous tune.
It was none other than Medea.
The pure maiden paired with the pure unicorn, emerging from the woods under the soft morning light, resembled the most perfect painting.
Even the Argonauts were captivated by this enchanting duo, gazing at them in admiration.
Jason's jealousy toward Alaric deepened even further.
He didn't hear Circe, beside Alaric, quietly spit and mutter under her breath.
"Why does she get to ride it... just because she's a pure maiden? Am I not a pure maiden too? What a blind unicorn."
From her words, it seemed as though she was quite familiar with the unicorn.
And in a way, that wasn't wrong.
For that unicorn was the ruler of all magical beasts and phantasmal species in this forest, aside from the dragon, Alaric's beloved steed, the unicorn Lurue from the Harry Potter world.
Now, Lurue had grown into an adult unicorn and had stepped into the legendary tier.
A legendary unicorn was incredibly formidable, not due to its physical strength or wondrous positive energy, but because of nature's profound favor upon it.
Though nature favored every unicorn, only upon reaching the legendary tier could a unicorn wield that favor at will, transforming it into controllable combat prowess.
The Argonauts had no inkling that this beautiful creature before them possessed combat strength nearly on par with the dragon beside it.
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