The awkwardness and misunderstanding surrounding our situation have somehow already become an event of the past.
Even though it hasn’t been 24 hours yet…
The atmosphere of the Temple—more precisely, the gazes of the Female Priestesses looking at me as I stepped out of the lodging—had turned quite frosty.
“Good morning, hello.”
“Mother! Ah… Yes. Th-the… No, not my body! Hello… to you, too?”
When I approached her warmly to greet her, the Youngest Female Priestess, who had recently joined, was startled.
Then, with a reluctant expression, she greeted me awkwardly,
Though it wasn’t even clear what exactly she was wishing to be calm.
“Yes. Actually, we were planning a welcome party for the youngest Female Priestess, and—”
“Uh… Priest. Can I leave now? I have to do the Queen’s… No, no, the Goddess’s laundry.”
Even though I wasn’t holding her back in any way, the Young Female Priestess fidgeted as if she were forcibly detained, anxiously tapping her feet.
“Ah, of course.”
At my permission, she quickly joined the other priestesses, who then cried out in alarm, claiming she was scary.
While whispering amongst themselves, they occasionally turned their heads to glance furtively at me.
Finally, when one of them couldn’t contain her laughter and burst out, the giggles spread among all of them like an infection.
But as soon as they noticed me watching them, they hastily scattered.
I sighed quietly while gazing blankly at the retreating backs of the priestesses.
“Haa~ It seems all the priestesses here are quite loose-lipped.”
Even the Youngest Female Priestess was reacting like this, so it appears that the rumors about yesterday’s S&M incident have already spread widely.
The citizens of City Luna… it’s pretty obvious without even mentioning it, right?
Perhaps Artemis herself is turning from the Goddess of Purity into the Queen of Purity?
“I… don’t know. Artemis, this is all your own fault?”
Somewhere Artemis isn’t, her image is solidifying,
As the chilly morning breeze continued to blow early in the day, I headed toward her chambers.
Yesterday was a bit too chaotic to properly conclude our conversation.
Although the tattoo from the seventh of the Twelve Labors has disappeared, I still believe that an open discussion with her is essential to resolve things.
I first checked the Administrative Chamber but, finding her absence there, I knocked on the door of her chambers.
The moment I knocked, she shouted for me to come in, as if she’d guessed it was me.
Opening the door, I found Artemis stretched out on the floor with her legs in a single split on the carpet doing some stretching.
Her flexibility was at a level that could rival a yoga instructor.
She was wearing a gray tank top and gray leggings, and the sweat beading on her clearly highlighted her morning allure.
“What’s got you doing such intense stretching this morning?”
“Just… my body feels sluggish, you know.”
“Is it because you’ve gained weight?”
Judging from the slight flinch, it seemed I’d hit a nerve.
Raising herself abruptly, she glared daggers at me.
“…”
“Sorry…”
Compared to outright threats, her silence was even more terrifying, so I sincerely apologized.
If I started talking about hamburgers and fried foods here…
Artemis snorted in mock disgust and turned her attention away from me, leaning back her torso while still in the splits.
When her top nearly slipped and revealed more of her chest due to her sweat-soaked tank top,
My reflexes had me turn my back to her in panic.
“Hey! What is a man doing here in heaven’s name!!”
Though it’s a pleasure to see her acting so candidly in front of me,
From my perspective, I’m still not… how should I put it?
Psychologically prepared, so my heart keeps racing uncontrollably.
“Heheheheheh!! Was it too shocking for you, Arcturus?”
Artemis responded with cheerful laughter at my amateurish bashfulness, then brought her legs back together, finishing her stretching routine before standing up with a spring in her step.
Now seemingly in a better mood, she whistled a tune as she approached from behind.
With a mischievous grin, she playfully nudged my sides.
“Hey, hey. Did you enjoy peeking at the Goddess’s figure?”
“Ah, peeking? I didn’t peek at anything; I openly looked.”
“Hey, Arcturus. What do you think about selling those eyes of yours that ogled my figure? You’d instantly become a rich man—except blind! Hehehehehe!!”
Artemis…
Why are you so talkative today?
You’re in a way too good mood.
Caught off guard by her relentless barrage of remarks,
I realized one thing in the midst of feeling hurt by the insults:
Whenever Artemis uses her charms, I become as powerless as cotton candy in water…
Thinking about it, there are far too many beautiful goddesses here.
However, if we take not only their appearance but also their figures into account…
Hm?
By my standards, Artemis and Athena are both the strongest on the planet-destroying tier.
“Arcturus is such an easy catch. A newly adult man isn’t too difficult to deal with!”
“Right. I’m roasted. Now, O barbecue master, could you attend to the matter at hand?”
“Er, wait a second. I’ve sweated a lot. Let me shower first.”
“Wha—?”
Before I could utter a word, she gave me a one-sided announcement and walked into the bathroom inside her chambers.
Her clothing fluttered through the air as I could see its silhouettes.
I turned back around, transformed into a pillar-like stance once more.
However…
Krik-krik.
The sound of the faucet turning on was followed by,
Shaaaah.
The sound of water cascading from the showerhead.
Even though I blocked my vision, it felt like the aural assault alone was enough to unsettle my mind.
Shaking my head, I began frantically tapping my cheeks.
Snap out of it, Arcturus.
Didn’t I come here early this morning to have an important talk with her?
If my legs turn to jelly right away, what’s the plan?
“But… it’s not unpleasant.”
Thinking that these actions resemble everyday moments from the life of a married couple in a shared room,
I felt shy and content despite myself.
As I waited inside the room where the shower sounds played, I found myself contemplating the future with Artemis.
Ultimately, there’s no denying that I am a romantic novice who’s lost in all sorts of marriage and children-related daydreams.
At that moment, the bathroom door opened, releasing a cloud of steam and Artemis emerged.
Her silhouette seemed soft in the luxurious bathrobe she was wearing.
Seated comfortably on the couch, she filled her wine glass and looked at me.
“Did you have to wait long?”
“Not at all, it’s fine.”
“What if it’s not fine? What are you gonna do about it? Hahaha~!”
“…”
Whatever doping she might have done, she’s undeniably in good spirits.
Moreover, the steam filling the room now seemed to be saturated with her alluring scent, teasing my nose.
I have to stay focused.
Jumping to my feet, I snatched the glass she held, downing the wine in one go.
Artemis watched my actions silently, her body leaning on the edge of the couch.
“You came here with something to say, yet you steal the Goddess’s wine?”
“That’s irrelevant. Artemis, you seem a bit peculiar today.”
“Unusual? This is how I usually am. Arcturus, it’s just that your inexperience with women prevents you from adapting to such scenes.”
“Does that mean I can’t adapt?”
“Exactly. If Apollo were here, he’d probably approach, drying my hair and combing it as well.”
Drying her still-wet hair cautiously with a towel strand by strand, Artemis scolded me.
Yet, I couldn’t help but stand there, dumbfounded, gazing down at her.
What struck me wasn’t whether it was good or bad, but the dissonance of this familiar yet unexpected sight.
“…So, this is who you truly are, so straightforward with men?”
“Yeah. The reason you came is obvious, it’s about the Labors, right?”
“Right. So, what does it matter?”
“Of course it matters! Through this Labor, we’ve already clarified each other’s positions, haven’t we?”
She took back her glass from my hand, refilled it, and sat with her legs crossed, completely unfazed.
While I drained the wine in one shot, she gently dabbed her lips, slowly savoring it.
“Pfft. Why are you looking so perplexed? You saw everything already, didn’t you?”
“The situation in that dream?”
“Yeah. You, the destined great hero endowed by the threads of fate from another dimension. And above all… the rebel who overturns the sibling sun and the moon.”
“…”
“Undoubtedly, the seventh Labor was enacted due to the sincerity you displayed, Arcturus. So, how’s it feel? The Oracle’s prophecy has declared you a rebel.”
“…”
“You may genuinely like and love me, but I… can’t accept it. Where are the mad women who fall in love with their enemies?”
Ah, now I understand.
The reason why she, so far from seductive, behaves so unrealistically…
It’s an act, done deliberately for me to see.
A powerful display of her firm decision to never accept me.
The events afterward, omitted and only the context she chooses to show are discussed,
100 years ago Clotho, if she had not revealed Artemis’s true feelings, I might have fallen for it.
She tried to replicate my history, preparing a compelling buildup quite convincingly.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work on me anymore.
“Hmm…”
At first, I thought of pretending not to notice her words,
But knowing the full truth as I do now…
I have no intention of indulging in Artemis’s game of twenty questions or childish play.
Of course, if she wants to be playmates, I’m always open.
“Artemis.”
“Why? Are you flustered too? Don’t worry. Once you start closing your heart, it gets easier to forget—”
“Actually, I saw another side of you through the first knot of the severed thread from 100 years ago.”
“—What?”
The serene, composed expression that Artemis had maintained until now finally faltered, displaying her first signs of bewilderment.
