I was walking, admiring the pretty cityscape, when I encountered an unwelcome visitor.
“Burp! Hey there, Ark, scram already!”
This unwelcome visitor, who was so drunk he was naturally slurring his words, was none other than
Dionysus himself.
I was already preoccupied with the true intentions Artemis spoke of, and to make matters worse, I’ve run into a deity I’d rather avoid—far too soon.
At a loss for what to do, I sent the female priestesses, who were whispering nervously behind me, forward, and approached him alone.
“Lord Dionysus, it’s been a while.”
Anyone could see that I was forcing myself to greet Dionysus, with a casual nod of my head.
An attitude that would undoubtedly have any other deity hopping mad over blasphemy.
Dionysus, however, paid no mind, simply scratching his greasy hair vigorously.
As he did, translucent shell-like flakes started falling from his hair—it was painful to look at, so unclean.
Just how long have you gone without washing?
“Heh heh heh. You know what to do when your scalp itches? Just douse it with some wine and the itch goes away.”
As he said this, he poured from a small bottle directly onto his head, shaking it off like a wet dog afterward.
Last time, he was talking about pirates who consume gunpowder,
and here he is again, behaving in a way completely detached from common sense, without a care in the world.
“I’d wash my hair frequently if I were you. That wine must be expensive—wouldn’t you feel it wasteful to pour it out?”
“Hmm… You got a point there. Anyway, how’ve you been lately?”
“Huh?”
“Just a casual question.”
Was this guy mocking me?
It’s because of you that I’ve been losing hair worrying over how to solve two Labors.
When it seemed like I might end up bald from the stress, I discovered carbonated spring water and barely managed to find a solution.
And because I’ve been doing wild advertising for it as a neutral city, there’s no way this guy hasn’t heard of the soda.
What’s his angle then?
“Thanks to you, I’ve been busy with the Labors.”
“Oh. I heard you made some drink called soda. Hmm, I wanted to try it, but it hasn’t been released yet.”
“It needs testing to ensure it’s safe. Once completed, it will first be supplied to the major cities.”
“Oh? So, judging by the heavy carriage you brought, it finally seems like the soda’s ready in time for today’s celebration event.”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm, that’s good. So, I’ll taste this soda tomorrow at the celebration… but actually, there’s something I’ve been curious about.”
Dionysus gathered his drunkenly tangled hair and squeezed it out, trying to act as though it were nothing, yet his demeanor made me feel uneasy.
I knew well enough that Dionysus had the habit of making trivial things seem grand and glossing over truly important matters as inconsequential.
The main topic was about to come out.
“Please, ask away.”
“Burp! No matter how great this soda is supposed to be, I’m just very curious about how you intend to bring a smile to Lord Hades. Cuhhh… oh my…”
Dionysus let out an exaggerated belch, spraying the remnants of his drink directly onto my face.
The putrid smell from his stomach and intestines, akin to a waste bin, assaulted my nose.
But I didn’t flinch once.
Instead, I inhaled deeply and smiled in response, signaling that I wouldn’t be swayed by his provocation.
This kind of dirty play—trying to rile someone up—exists whether it’s in this world or the modern era.
“Decent move. Anyone who smells that odor would instinctively furrow their brow, even minimally.”
“After repeatedly attending to you passed out drunk at the temple hall till dawn, one becomes naturally desensitized.”
“Hahaha! Your humor matches me well. That’s amusing!”
“You flatter me. You seem curious about how I plan to proceed with my sixth Labor, Lord Dionysus.”
“Of course. After all, adding to the conditions I put forward, you embarrassed me. And it seems you haven’t prepared at all. All you’ve done is shuttle around a woman and a riverside village.”
Dionysus casually referred to the fact that he had been monitoring my every move using familiars.
I was well aware that I’ve always been under the attention of the gods, so this wasn’t particularly surprising.
“That was all preparatory work for the Labor.”
“I doubt you’d know, but Lord Hades doesn’t smile. Even when a child is born, His expression remains unchanged.”
Dionysus, struggling to stand while leaning against the wall, finally managed to rise.
When the light hit his face as he stood up, his nose was visibly red enough to live up to the term “strawberry nose.”
His gaze locked onto me, silently questioning how I intended to solve the sixth Labor.
“Rest assured you’ll get a show tomorrow at the victory commemoration celebration. Something entertaining will surely happen.”
“Burp! …Impressive? What kind of entertainment?”
“Perhaps a thunderous hammer will fall—something that would shock even the drunken deities!”
And thus ended the brief conversation with Dionysus.
Leaving behind the grinning figure who said nothing else but laughed quietly, we headed toward the northern temple of Athena.
Even though it was the day before the memorial ceremony, the front of the temple was packed with priests from other cities,
whose bickering revealed that only a god and one corresponding priest were allowed to stay within the Athena Temple’s premises. The rest had to secure accommodation elsewhere.
Certain priests who had boasted of their superiority squabbled among themselves to decide who got to enter.
During this, Maya quietly withdrew and headed to an inn in the city, accompanied by the priestesses of Artemis.
Thanks to that, Artemis and I were able to enter the steel temple without any resistance.
Even though our temple was much smaller, the steel temple we entered felt like a labyrinth, and it took us about twenty minutes to find our assigned room after wandering through its many corridors.
However, another issue emerged.
“This is ridiculous!”
Artemis, throwing her luggage on the floor, pointed to the nameplate on the door with a look of disbelief.
“What is this nonsense? Is anyone in their right mind? Why should we have to share a room?! Don’t you know the rule of separation after the seventh year of age?!”
She pointed at the nameplate on the door that showed both Artemis and Ark’s names.
It seemed even this grand temple could not provide separate rooms for each priest.
Still, the head priests representing various deities probably couldn’t all be shoved into dormitory-style large rooms.
“There must be a separated space inside. And even if there isn’t, I’ll sleep on the floor, so don’t worry.”
“Hah! That’s such a big statement. If this happened to you, you’d probably reduce the building to dust, right? Yeah, definitely.”
Ignoring her mutterings filled with complaints, I entered the room first.
The room was rather dry, resembling a guesthouse, consisting only of a bedroom and a bathroom.
The rug laid on the floor caught my eye, instinctively marking it as my place to sleep.
Unpacking my bag, I quickly cleaned the place, acting much like a capable butler serving a young lady.
I set cushions on a chair for her to sit on, prepared 73°C black tea knowing her finicky taste, and placed a box of cookies on the table.
As I finished these preparations, Artemis giggled and dived onto the sofa, opening a novel.
The book she was reading was titled The Pirate Who Became a Mountain Bandit.
Last time, she was reading one titled The Funeral Home Six Spice Soup Lupin, and true to form, she seemed to have a thing for bizarre tales, quickly getting absorbed in it.
While she read, I attended to her side until the sun began to set.
When she started to nod off into the warmth of the evening, I approached with a glass of cold water and gently touched her cheek with it.
“Wha… What?!”
Surprised by the sudden coldness, Artemis kicked off the blanket and instantly stood up.
Spotting the glass in my hand, she glowered at me, suspecting me as the culprit.
“What is this?! Are you insane?”
“You’re the one who fell asleep. Did you forget what we need to do tonight?”
“…Oh, that’s right.”
Tonight, there was one task we needed to wrap up.
Our conversation with Hera.
The day Martine obtained the final license for the ondol room with the help of Hestia,
I learned so much from that goddess.
That the difference between confrontation and dialogue is just a matter of one character, but their outcomes differ vastly.
The fleeting satisfaction of educating through confrontation ultimately leads to ruin.
But what about dialogue?
Its conclusion culminates in harmony.
Hestia’s piercing insight into my heart, which had prematurely concluded that it wouldn’t work through dialogue, struck painfully.
Even if dialogue doesn’t solve anything and leads to confrontation, trying it first is the proper process.
And dialogue doesn’t cost anything.
Which is why I’m going to try this rather uncomfortable practice of conversation…
Tonight.
With Athena’s armed priest’s permission, I stood in front of the door to her administrative room.
As I reached to knock on the large wooden door, carved with the form of a human battling a demon,
“Enter, Ark.”
She had already sensed my presence and granted permission.
Carefully opening the door, what greeted my eyes inside this grand administrative room was a scene that might make a timid man’s heart burst.
If only I hadn’t mentally prepared myself, I would have definitely suffered from over-breathing.
Long-lost family reunited, Artemis rushed with open arms toward two goddesses.
“Aunt! Big Sister!”
Hestia and Athena welcomed her eagerly, like receiving their youngest niece.
“Oh, our cute Artemis, it’s the first time we’ve seen you since the ondol room!”
“Remove those boogers first, Artemis.”
“Heh heh heh ha ha!”
That’s right.
Hestia, Athena, Artemis.
The legendary trio of the three greatest maiden goddesses had convened.
