Artemis and I descended to Luna to find Dionysus.
As we walked through the plaza, which was now full of miscellaneous items due to the riots, diligent citizens were busy cleaning up. They greeted us repeatedly as they passed by.
Among them, those who had lost their jobs because of the curse approached us barefoot, bowing deeply and expressing their gratitude.
Their eyes, once full of despair, now brimmed with hope, filling me with a profound sense of fulfillment.
Then, some middle-aged elders who had been observing us from a distance like hawks eyeing prey finally approached and began talking to us.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, sir, I’ve been able to buy bread for my family.”
“Oh my! Thanks to you, our priest, our son has regained his strength. On closer inspection, you look just like my son, hahaha.”
“Initially, all of Luna’s growth is thanks to Ark. Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
In the modern world, I used to talk with elderly gentlemen who enjoyed playing Baduk in parks, so I found myself chatting with them for quite a while today.
When I glanced at Artemis seated next to me, she sat cross-legged with arms folded, looking quite uncomfortable in this situation.
Afraid her bad mood might unintentionally upset the innocent elders, I gently requested we move aside.
“Come on! When else would we have a chance to talk to the priest!”
“Indeed, how else? And on top of that, we old folks can’t reach the temple located on the mountain.”
Though Artemis appeared annoyed, the talkative elders continued chatting with me for over ten minutes before finally leaving the square.
As they walked away, Artemis kicked a rock, unleashing her pent-up frustration.
“Ah, it’s so annoying! Why do the old fogeys talk so much?”
“Generally, as one grows older, you lose more people than you meet. They’re probably missing someone.”
“Hmph! Missing nothing! They’re probably dementia patients who can’t even recognize the person they should be grateful to!”
“Exhale…”
Now I understood why Artemis was upset. The elders had only complimented and thanked me, not her.
Truth be told, Artemis hadn’t played a major role in overcoming the economic crisis. But had she not issued an emergency order, we wouldn’t have been able to implement these relief policies. Ordinarily, the funds from the citizens’ pensions are untouchable even by Artemis.
“It’s said that if you understand one thing, you can infer ten others. If the old fogeys are like this, how different would the other citizens be?”
“Even if all the citizens of Luna are thankful only to me, I don’t mind. Because I’m grateful to you.”
“Hmph! Anyway, these old fogeys ruined my morning mood.”
“Artemis, stop calling them ‘fogeys.’ Show respect to the elders.”
“Shut up! Respect is something only I should receive. These old fogeys!”
“…You’re the biggest old fogey.”
“!!!”
At my words, Artemis gasped sharply and opened her eyes wide.
Her short hair floated upward, as if charged with winter static electricity, and the aura of the moon gathered around her.
I felt time pause as the world turned gray, and an unfamiliar sense of genuine dread gripped me.
“Ar-”
The crescent moon shape of her pupils was the last thing I saw before I passed out, unable to even fully call her name.
I woke up twenty minutes later, grabbing my throbbing head as waves of pain hit me.
Looking closely, I noticed bruises all over my body.
“What… is this?”
“Never… call me an old fogey again.”
“…Okay.”
Artemis, who had her back to me, delivered a low warning. Instinctively, I nodded, her unnaturally broad back filling me with an unspoken understanding.
That day, marked by the unusual presence of both the sun and the moon in the morning sky, would later become a subject of significant debate among historians and scientists.
Only I hold the secret that Artemis, who lived for several thousand years, had a trigger-point for ‘old fogeys,’ a detail history and science could never uncover.
*
“Hey, bring the carriage quickly.”
Artemis, sipping on pineapple juice with a straw, ordered me with her legs crossed and her foot swinging.
In normal circumstances, I should have argued, “Just because I learned how to drive a carriage doesn’t mean I should always drive it. Let’s settle this with rock-paper-scissors.” But today, after facing true fear, I silently dashed to the carriage station.
Now proficient at driving, I expertly parked the carriage in front of the goddess as one would an automobile.
Artemis, with her arms crossed, nodded once and promptly climbed into the passenger seat.
“Where’s Lord Dionysus? Didn’t you say you asked Athena?”
Dionysus, the city’s restless god who frequently avoided his temple, was rumored to be at one of two places according to Athena.
“According to Big Sister Athena’s intelligence, he’s residing in a mountain cave.”
Artemis pointed to two locations on the map.
One was the mountain behind Hestia’s big city, Herion.
The other was near Hera’s large city, Heraes.
“Why two places?”
“Big Sister said Dionysus lives in both places.”
“Perfect bifurcation?”
With Luna as the center,
Hestia’s Herion was to the south.
Hera’s Heraes was to the north.
Ultimately, we had to choose. My intuition warned us that failing to find Dionysus today might lead to a long search.
“What’s to think about? The answer’s obvious.”
“Huh? You know the correct answer?”
Artemis, smirking and leaning back, pointed her finger at Herion.
Hestia’s mountain…
“What makes you think that?”
“Do I need to explain? Dionysus is unlike the other children; he still gets persecuted by Hera.”
“What then?”
“What then? Would you want to live near someone who troubles you? He dresses as a woman to avoid Hera! That’s him!”
“Hmm…”
Artemis is right. Considering Dionysus’s story, I sympathized with the pressure Hera must have exerted on him to the point he manifested the god of madness.
It’s unlikely anyone could rationally face a suffocating reality without going mad. At this moment, as he has cursed me, I hold no sympathy, but still…
Therefore, Artemis’s judgment that Dionysus resides near the all-encompassing warmth of Hestia is very logical.
But why then does my internal compass point towards Hera’s north rather than Hestia’s south?
“What’s going on? Let’s go.”
“…”
“Hey, let’s go to Herion.”
Artemis, urging me to move while holding the carriage reins, became increasingly impatient as I continued to hesitate, poking my cheek with her rolled-up map.
“Hey, hey! What’s to think about? It’s the south, right.”
“…North.”
“Huh?”
Artemis squinted in disbelief and countered, perplexed.
“Dionysus is the type who throws a fit at the mere mention of Hera. What makes you think he’d be near Hera?”
“…My feeling says so.”
“Ha! Are you blind to what’s right in front of you? Stop making funny excuses and let’s head to Herion.”
Artemis, one leg on the carriage railing, was determined not to budge.
It seems she’s set her mind on this being the right choice.
But I don’t want to back down either.
Hestia’s brief confession of inner turmoil at the temple kept bothering me.
“Thank you, Ark. In truth, Hera’s current condition is unusual. She seems like she’s about to cause great trouble.”
“From my long observation of Hera, I see the darkness within her. Hence, the conflict must be resolved before it escalates further.”
And then, the riots erupted in Luna, orchestrated by Dionysus’s treachery.
If this precise timing wasn’t coincidence, those two gods should start playing the lottery.
In fact, I have no real evidence for their collaboration, so if someone critiques my stubbornness, I wouldn’t have a good counterargument.
So I have to persuade Artemis emotionally, not rationally.
I shifted half my buttocks toward the passenger seat, closing the gap between us.
Startled, Artemis retreated until she hit the edge of the seat.
“What, what? Why are you getting this close? What’s wrong with you!”
“Artemis.”
“Ugh…”
As I whispered in her ear with a low, sweet voice, she softened slightly like a candle melting from the flame.
The Goddess of Purity still isn’t accustomed to this kind of atmosphere yet.
This is an opportunity.
An opportunity is a chance.
“Bro, do you trust me?”
“That’s nonsense! I’m your elder sister!”
Pffft!
She forcefully slapped both her palms against my approaching face.
Damn.
Either I treat her as an elder sister and get smacked, or get too familiar and also get smacked.
What does she want me to do?
But I need to endure right now.
“To be honest, I don’t have any concrete evidence this time, but I keep getting a strong vibe that heading north will lead us to Dionysus.”
“Che! Look, Ark, we’ve only got three months. If Dionysus notices and hides, our city is doomed.”
“I know that. Still, I want to head north.”
“Sigh, fine. Do whatever you want.”
Artemis, as stubborn as any second child, decided to concede and support my choice.
“Thanks, Artemis. But, let’s talk about something.”
“What?”
“Whenever I smell your sweat, it’s incredibly strong, but when we ride in the carriage, I notice this orange scent. Do you use citrus perfume?”
“Why are you sniffing me!”
Pffft!
This time it’s not her palms but her feet that kick me out of the carriage.
“Ah, it hurts! If you don’t want me to smell it, maybe you should always wear perfume!”
“Don’t sniff sweat, you pervert!”
That way, as usual, teasing and arguing back and forth, we headed toward Hera’s big city.
