“PUH HAH HAH!! Do you really think I don’t understand your heart?! …Did I not say so? That because of That One’s existence, you shall endure eternal suffering!!!”
A thin crescent smile painted on Clotho’s face, shadowed by encroaching darkness.
Artemis, who had once dreamt and nurtured hopes for a plan spanning not just a thousand, but ten thousand years, now clenched her lips tightly in despair.
Showing the contrasting expressions of these two goddesses in turn,
the story signaled its end as the flow of time in the world halted.
Only then did my original self, who had once merged with the world and observed all things as Ark, separate once more into a spiritual form.
“……What in the world did I just witness? Is this even possible? Not exactly a third-person novel, is it…?”
My mind spun with the overwhelming influx of incredulous truths all at once.
“Hey! HEY!”
Though I shook the motionless shoulders of Clotho and Artemis as if they were mannequins, trying to wake them up,
their bodies, rigid like stone, began to crack and crumbled into ash in an instant.
In a chain reaction, Clotho’s cottage shattered, and the ceiling collapsed.
Stepping outside by force, I watched as cracks spread like a spider web across the very fabric of this world.
Paralyzed at the sight of this sudden apocalypse,
[a word from me: Please don’t be alarmed, Savior.]
The initial thread of the Threads of Fate, which had resided within me, began to emerge from my body.
“C-Clotho! So, this… is it real? The truth?”
[Yes. It’s time for you to return to the original world, Savior. Artemis’ interference in the dream world can no longer be restrained.]
Regret lingered in her voice, though unseen.
As I struggled to think of appropriate words in response to her, my body, existing purely as a consciousness, began to disperse like a wisp of fog.
[This farewell shall be eternal.]
“Clotho! I…!”
[Though it’s regrettable, I am truly glad to have met you, Savior. Your presence was the most precious recompense for my hundred-year-long wait.]
Her voice, heavy with regret and sorrow, echoed through the sky as I extended my hand toward it.
In that moment, my arm dissipated like a dandelion seed, vanishing into smoke.
As my body gradually disappeared, and the smoke dispersed below my neck, I realized this was truly the end.
Was Clotho shedding farewell tears within the collapsing dream world as rain began to fall?
Facing Clotho, whose waiting in dreams had lasted a hundred years, I opened my mouth and promised the heavens.
“I will fix your eyes! I will find a way and fix them, for sure!”
[Your words alone are deeply appreciated. Farewell…]
With her parting words, my body vanished entirely, my consciousness breaking apart into fragments that scattered in every direction.
After experiencing what felt like the end—akin to death—my blurry vision sharpened once more, only to find myself staring at the familiar ceiling of Artemis’ bedroom.
I had returned.
“This is the seventh Labor…”
I whispered, lying there without the strength to even sit up, gazing up at the stark white ceiling.
This seventh Labor wasn’t the usual grueling trial or a conflict-filled showdown with a god,
but felt strangely like having watched a suspenseful, twisted romantic movie unfold.
Though it was undeniably one of the easiest Labors, it was the most difficult Labor for the being known as Ark.
What can I say?
It was as if I’d discovered my true identity.
Pressing my forehead with my right hand, I listed the facts I’d uncovered through this Labor:
1. The reason I transferred to this otherworld.
I was called here due to the divine conflict surrounding the Threads of Fate, chosen for the destiny of a great hero.
2. The dual hidden feelings that Artemis had revealed and the direction they pointed toward.
The destiny of a hero greater than Heracles that I must fulfill by completing the Twelve Labors.
And the fact that my being called here indicates that Artemis feels some sort of guilt about what this entails.
Finally…
3. The inevitable truth that I, who transferred here, will one day return to my original world.
The things I most wanted to know were 1 and 2,
but once I learned the truth behind number 3, the others somehow felt much less significant now.
So it goes.
The essential point is number 3.
Through Clotho’s revelation of Artemis’ inner conflicts, I saw a goddess who had come to become aware of me.
Yet Artemis, refusing to acknowledge it, kept being adversarial toward me, until she, troubled by the ominous premonition that one cannot defy Fate, went to Clotho.
For unknown reasons, Clotho told Artemis everything she had foreseen.
The truth that I am not her enemy.
And…
The cruel truth that I would eventually leave, crushing the small affection that had begun to bud in her heart.
This explained why Artemis, who had up till now exhibited tsundere-like behavior, had treated me with such ambivalence.
Though she couldn’t say she disliked me, she also refused to admit she liked me…
…but in moments of dire peril, she always chose me over her own life.
It was difficult to interpret her actions as mere “fishing for affection,” making it extremely hard to fathom her true feelings.
But now, everything made sense.
As sure as the answers to a textbook’s problems.
Wiping off the dust from a spectacled lens, everything became clear, sharp and distinct.
“So, is love a math problem? Once you know how to solve it, it’s manageable…”
Artemis’ feelings for me were capped like a stock at a 30% upper limit, unable to climb higher.
On further reflection, this made her behavior both frustrating and understandable.
Why do I say so?
Let’s illustrate this with a modern-day example.
Imagine you’ve got a girl you really like.
After meeting often and exchanging conversations, you both realize there is mutual attraction—admittedly, this scenario having about a one-in-a-lottery chance.
But she tells you she’ll be immigrating overseas in three years.
You, on the other hand, have little money and are either a college student or an average worker.
In this situation, could you genuinely commit to loving her, knowing full well you might not reciprocate her feelings?
Could you endure a long-distance relationship that might not lead to reciprocation?
Even if you promise yourself that your feelings won’t change, can you be absolutely sure hers won’t while she’s far away?
It’s impossible for me.
There’s a reason people say distance can strain the heart as much as the body.
“Hmm… But wait, what if I think about it the other way…”
If what Clotho said is true, it must not be a lie.
Even so, if I could assure Artemis that I won’t leave, wouldn’t that give her some confidence?
Then perhaps the tiny seed of affection hidden deep within her could sprout?
And if that happens…
Might I actually end up in a couple’s relationship with the Goddess of Chastity, Artemis?
“Wow, I have more reasons to meet Clotho.”
“Jeez! What’s with the creepy grin while lying there so lazily?”
Immersed in my own thoughts and imaginings, I was interrupted by an irritated voice from Artemis questioning me.
Right.
I was still in Artemis’ bedroom.
Turning my head while lying down, I noticed Artemis lounging on the sofa like a blob of slime—but her condition seemed unusual.
She was drenched in sweat, as if she’d just come from a sauna.
“Artemis? What’s wrong with you? Did you exercise or something?”
“Exercise?!” she snapped. “That’s why I exerted myself a bit when you wouldn’t wake up. Oh, and by the way, put some clothes on already. What’s there to show off while lying around like that?! Tch!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Seriously? Haven’t you even noticed your own condition before cracking those smiles?”
As I raised myself up, trying to make sense of her words, I almost fell, taken by surprise.
My shirt had vanished, leaving my upper body completely exposed.
What the… how did this happen?
I quickly crossed my arms to cover my chest as I looked around.
My shirt was carelessly tossed on the floor.
Artemis was sweating profusely.
More critically, it was clear that I had fallen asleep thanks to her intervention and now I had awakened.
“Artemis…”
“What is it?”
“What exactly did you do while I was asleep?”
“Huh? What ‘exactly did you do’? …AHHH!”
As I tried to cover myself with my arms and kept edging back, it finally clicked for her, and she began to panic, her voice high and squeaky.
And as the realization dawned on her, she couldn’t even properly form excuses anymore, trembling her jaw.
Abruptly rising from the sofa, she kicked a deer plushie toward me.
“Mi-Mi-Mi-Mi, ARE YOU SERIOUS?! You can’t possibly think that, while you were asleep, I took off your shirt and enthusiastically mauled your chest, right?!”
“Your overly detailed explanation just makes me more suspicious…”
“SHUT UP! Why would I touch YOUR body?!”
“But then why am I unclothed and why are you sweating?”
Furious, Artemis marched over to me,
and in response, I quickly grabbed the shirt off the floor to cover myself.
“What do you mean?! I tried interfering with your dream to wake you up, but something blocked me!”
“Huh? How does that relate to my condition…?”
“In order to interfere more forcefully with your dream, I had no choice but to press on your heart! You could’ve been stuck asleep forever, got it?!”
“…Seems like you’re trying to deflect blame. Some kind of perverted goddess excuse, right…?”
“Wh-What gall have you got to insult me, a goddess like that!!”
“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
As she turned bright red with humiliation and anger, grabbing the riding crop hung on the wall and charging at me,
I instinctively curled up and emitted a dolphin-like scream, shielding my body.
The moment my high-pitched cry rang out,
three priestesses burst into the room without knocking, faster than any fire brigade could ever respond.
“What is the matter, Lady Artemis!!!?”
“Was the scream… Wait…?”
Unfortunately, the image the priestesses walked in on was highly awkward: Artemis, drenched in sweat, raising a riding crop toward me, a half-naked male god.
“…Apologies, Lady Artemis. We shall excuse ourselves.”
“Please, have a pleasant… er…”
“No! No! It’s a misunderstanding! Don’t go, you guys!!”
…
