“Haa~ shit! So annoying.”
A swear word I’ve never heard before enters my ears.
With a creaking sound like a rusted gearwheel, I turn my neck toward the source of the cursing.
That person is none other than Nike, the goddess of victory.
She glares at me with hostility, her lips twisted in anger.
Her once gentle eyes have become fierce, and her welcoming smile has turned into a putrid grimace.
It’s hard to believe that the amiable big sister-like Nike could say such harsh words.
Didn’t she say she would support me?
Her sudden change, like a switch being turned on and off, feels unfamiliar, and I instinctively turn my head toward Artemis.
Artemis, with her arms crossed, looks at Nike with a indifferent expression as if to say “I knew she would do this.”
“Artemis… sama?”
I was so startled that I almost addressed her informally despite there being three people present.
Calm down.
It’s important to respond calmly in situations like this.
“Why are you calling me?”
“Nike sama… a little…”
“It’s just how she is. She pretends to be gentle in front of Athena, but when Athena isn’t around, her fiery temper gets the better of her and she starts complaining. That’s why she has the nickname ‘Double Face.'”
“Double Face… Could it be a split personality? No, no, it’s just pretending, right?”
“Who said it isn’t? Here’s an interesting fact for you: Big sister Athena still doesn’t know about this side of Nike’s personality…”
BANG!
Our conversation cut off abruptly as the table shook violently.
Nike, her face contorted with irritation, stood on the table with both feet and struck it.
“Where did you learn to talk bad about someone in front of them?”
“You, when will you finally drop that act?”
As I gaped like a goldfish, Artemis stepped in to respond.
“Hmph! What act are you talking about?”
“Then why are you annoyed?”
“Huh? Are you really asking this? What did that pumpkin-headed guy do!?”
“Ugh~ I don’t even want to know… What is it?”
“Well, I’ll tell you.”
What???
She’s so angry, yet why is she so polite all of a sudden?
Anyway, I had no idea why she was upset, so this turned out to be good timing.
BANG!
Nike, striking the table with her left hand, stood up and pointed her right hand at my face.
“Arc, that guy is a rebel!”
“What?! What kind of rebel‽ Did I start a rebellion or something?! What in the world…”
Before I could get angry and react to this absurd nonsense, Artemis raised her hand to cover my mouth.
Then she steps in as if she were my defense attorney to face Nike’s anger.
With the two goddesses locked in a heated eye battle, the air around us grew icy.
Their determined refusal to back down sent shivers down my spine.
Me? A rebel?
What did I possibly do wrong?
“Rebel? Tell me. What’s the charge?”
“Even after I’ve said this much, you still don’t know? It’s shocking.”
“Just tell me already.”
“Hmph! Fine. Arc that guy… He received an introduction before I did!”
Nike, accusing me of my crime, raises both hands above her head and starts jumping around.
However, Artemis and I could only raise small question marks above our heads.
An introduction first?
What does that even mean?
“Come on, details please.”
Clutching my aching head, I asked Nike for a detailed explanation.
Whereupon Nike crossed her arms and clicked her tongue in disbelief.
“Tsk! Don’t you know proper introduction etiquette?”
“Introduction etiquette…? Oh!”
Introduction etiquette.
In any society, there are naturally codes of conduct.
Among these, an important one is the etiquette required when introducing two unfamiliar people to each other.
Let’s take an example.
If you’re walking with your parents and you encounter a close friend,
Who would you introduce first?
It’s an order of precedence most people have wondered about at least once.
The answer is simple.
You introduce the junior to the senior first.
There are other criteria as well, though I’m not aware of any official standards.
So now that we understand the cause and answer, it’s easy to see why Nike is so upset.
When I entered the reception room, Athena introduced Nike and me to each other.
According to proper etiquette, Athena should have introduced me to Nike and prompted us to exchange pleasantries.
However, what did Athena do?
The opposite.
She introduced Nike to me instead.
In essence, it was like the goddess lowering her head to greet a human first.
Indeed, the etiquette was improper.
But… Something feels off.
It feels like Nike is acting like a grumpy old-fashioned person.
Who follows such minute etiquette these days unless it’s an official setting?
This is clearly a private gathering.
And with Athena, the superior party, present, it could have been smoothed over easily, yet it feels like she’s looking for small mistakes to scold us for.
And most importantly,
It wasn’t even me who committed the offense.
“So the person who reversed the order of introduction, Lady Athena, is the one primarily at fault―”
“Are you saying that our noble and pure sister is at fault? Huh?!!”
In her low, threatening voice that interrupted me mid-sentence,
I could sense her resolve to twist my body should I answer “Yes.”
“Ah, no, it’s not exactly Lady Athena’s fault…”
“In the first place! If Sister arranged the meeting, you should have naturally taken the initiative to greet me!”
Oh! This goddess of grumpiness, Nike.
It must have felt like talking to a nobleman from the Joseon Dynasty.
If I had done that, she’d probably have said, “Blocking Sister Athena’s introduction? You’re a traitor!” without a doubt.
It just boils down to her disliking me.
Hm…?
It’s true that I’m meeting Nike for the very first time today.
Yet Nike appeared to be ill-disposed toward me from the start?
So there must be some incident from the past causing this…
What if…
I cautiously glance at Artemis.
To which she nods, confirming my suspicion.
“Nike sama, is it because of something that happened between me and Lady Athena?”
“Hmph! So you’ve finally showed your true colors! I knew it.”
“No, actually…”
Ignoring my feeble attempts at justification, Nike waves her arm to dismiss them.
“Don’t think that just because you made Sister cry, you’ve somehow secured a place in her heart? Sister’s heart will always have me ranked first!”
“Ah… Yes.”
“And I’m the only goddess who gets to bathe with Athena Sister! Arc, you’ve never experienced that, have you? Fool! Fool! You idiot!”
…Isn’t that obvious?
This just looks like Nike trying to keep her rival in check by asserting her competitive edge.
Thanks to this, I’ve now fully understood everything.
Nike harbors hostility toward me because she admires Athena.
That’s why she’s consistently stayed by Athena’s side.
Over time, as their moments together accumulated, Nike must have come to believe that she knows Athena better than anyone else.
But then suddenly, I, a priest, popped up and made Athena cry over at the base below the Mountain of the Gods.
It was a form of healing that delved deep into her essence.
Nike must have been unaware of Athena’s inner thoughts until then.
Consequently, upon hearing Athena’s tears, Nike developed disdain for me alongside jealousy.
It’s fortunate that I’ve come to understand Nike’s true feelings now.
“Lady Athena firmly trusts Nike sama.”
“Ho~w could someone like you possibly evaluate our relationship?!”
My clumsy attempt at reassurance fell completely flat.
So, I’ll go straight to the point, my way.
“Well then, what would you like me to do?”
“Why are you asking me?”
“It’s my duty to resolve the dissatisfaction of someone who is supposed to support me.”
“Huh? Why should I support you?”
“Didn’t you clearly say you would support me in front of Lady Athena? Was that a lie?”
“Tsk! Ignorant Arc. Deception meant to fool the enemy is called strategy! Your mistake is failing to distinguish true allies from enemies!”
Indeed, Nike, who follows Athena, knows warfare and tactics well.
Feigning deceit towards the enemy doesn’t seem to bother her conscience at all.
“One more thing.”
Frozen-hearted Nike announces her second attack.
“Sister might have said she’d give your Golden Pen to another god, but I will never forgive that. Do you know what that pen is? And you dare consider giving it to Aphrodite instead of the god who recommended you? How presumptuous!”
“That’s between Lady Athena and me. And it’s already a settled matter, so Lady Nike shouldn’t be making such comments now.”
“Let’s see about that. Would you still say that after hearing this?”
Nike smirks as if to say “Just wait and see.”
She slowly closes her eyes, places her hands together, and begins to sing in a sacred tone, much like a soprano’s beautiful voice.
“I, Nike, Goddess of Victory, hereby declare that if Arc gives this Golden Pen to Aphrodite, I will no longer sing songs of victory for Arc!”
One of Nike’s blessings is…
Hymn of Victory!
Everyone harbors a competitive spirit and receives the result accordingly.
The bitter taste of defeat.
The sweetness of victory.
I could consider achieving the Twelve Labors as a form of victory.
But if she refuses to sing my victory, it means all kinds of great and small tasks will become much harder to accomplish.
It could be considered one of the curses that must absolutely be avoided.
That’s why I should now kneel down, beg on my knees, and apologize for my wrongdoings.
But why is it?
My heart feels as tranquil as a lake reflecting moonlight under the dawn sky.
“Fufu.”
“You’re laughing? You know what my curse entails, right?”
“Yes. And that’s why I’ve been waiting for you to say that.”
I was indeed tricked by Eros once.
But not twice.
Clearly, Eros has once caught me up.
However, I will not be deceived twice.
