A week had passed since I delivered Rios’s letter to Apollo.
During that time, Apollo had placed a “Do Not Enter” sign on the door of his private chamber and remained secluded.
The day after he and Rios had a heartfelt conversation in that very room,
Apollo gave a full report of what happened the previous day to Artemis.
But even Artemis, who usually avoided such dizzying conversations with her brother, for some reason or another,
had begun pounding on the door of his quarters every day, troubling Apollo.
It seemed she was worried since Apollo, who usually enjoyed socializing, was now confined to his room.
No matter what, it was clear that the two siblings shared a close bond.
“Ugh, seriously! What is wrong with that human?”
Today as well, Artemis stormed into the temple hall after visiting Apollo’s quarters, muttering irritably.
The umbrella she had brought was left somewhere, as she was completely drenched, looking like a drowned mouse.
“I already told you. Your brother is taking time to bid farewell to a long-time companion.”
As I handed her two dry towels, I gently tried to calm her agitated state.
But it seemed she still couldn’t understand, as she repeatedly stamped her feet on the floor in frustration where she stood.
“What do I know?! That hikikomori!”
“…”
Well, the word “hikikomori” suits Artemis the most, if you ask me…
“It’s making me even more irritated because he looks so despondent!”
“Hmm~? But you’re still worried about your brother, aren’t you?”
“What nonsense? It’s all because of him that it’s raining on a clear day! And this has been going on for a whole week!”
Gripping my sleeve, she dragged me to the front door of the temple and pointed her arm high into the sky.
Indeed, it looked as if a hole had been torn in the otherwise clear sky, with heavy rain showing no signs of stopping.
“At this rate, I can’t go hunting!”
“There’s nothing we can do about that. We just have to wait. I checked Nike, and it seems she was already healed when we went on that dungeon adventure.”
Apollo had said he would heal Nike upon our success, but that was a lie.
He had already healed all of Nike’s wounds before we left.
Because of all the touching moments like this, Apollo always manages to captivate many people.
That’s why I don’t blame Apollo even if he stays in his private quarters alone for over a month.
“Anyway… tsk! Why doesn’t he understand that forming deep ties with humans, who die so quickly, just ends up hurting the gods?”
In Olympus, while there may not be any outright taboos,
there are a few things that aren’t recommended.
One of them is not forming a special friendship with any human.
Humans die within a hundred years, so gods are inevitably left behind.
This is discouraged because if a god becomes depressed and neglects their duties, it affects the human world.
Though this is understandable from a god’s perspective,
Artemis’s words just now made me feel quite disappointed.
“Artemis.”
“What is it?”
I lowered my voice, and sensing something was off, Artemis nervously scanned me up and down.
“I’ll be leaving too in eighty years? No, seventy years.”
“…Wh-What? What are you talking about, you? Why…why would you die?”
“I’m not a god, so my youth will fade soon enough, preparing me for the end.”
“What kind of nonsense is this?! Why would you die!!”
She couldn’t process the sudden information, as if she were a malfunctioning computer program,
repeating the same words over and over like a broken record.
Moreover, the new information seemed quite heavy for her to accept,
so she became extremely irritated, refusing to acknowledge it.
“Ah! I’m so irritated! This temple is full of irritating things! Get lost, all of you, damn it!!!”
Bang!
Artemis smashed the deer statue installed by the main entrance with her fists.
Like a wicked-tempered child, she kicked the shattered debris in her frustration.
Lastly, she glared at me, revealing her sharp fangs before storming off to her own room.
“Ho ho… Anyway, that short temper of hers is something else, isn’t it…”
Watching Artemis’ retreating back reminded me
of the final days of my grandmother.
A summer night with a cool breeze,
in my elementary school years, I had visited the countryside and played all day with her.
That night, we held hands as we lay down to sleep.
My grandmother asked me if I had many friends at school, and I asked her why she even asked that.
“If this old woman dies, I wonder who will play with my grandchild.”
“Grandma, why would you die!? You have to live long! Don’t say things that are scary and mean!”
“Haha… Is that so… Do you have a lot of friends?”
“Of course! They say I’m a superstar at school… Grandma! Can you read a fairy tale to me tomorrow? It’s a promise?”
“Sure, it’s a promise. I’ll read you as many as you want.”
However, my grandmother, who had fallen asleep, did not wake up again.
The doctor in charge of her approached me as I sat crying on the floor, telling me that she had passed away peacefully.
At the time, I argued with him about what good death could be like, but now I understand how blessed it is to pass on peacefully.
If I had known it would be her last day, I would have talked to her all through the night.
Still, I firmly believe that since I told her I had many friends, my grandmother must have passed without regrets.
“Phew… I miss Grandma today.”
My grandmother’s death became a turning point in how quickly I could come to terms with human mortality.
花無十日紅 (A flower does not remain red for ten days.)
Humans will eventually die.
That’s why people can live more passionately in their time.
I hope the day comes when Artemis will understand this too.
“Let me tidy up.”
Just as I was about to bend down to pick up the remains of the shattered deer statue,
the pouring rain suddenly stopped, as if someone had turned off a faucet.
The sky after the rain painted a grand rainbow on a pristine white canvas,
its seven vivid colors catching my dazed eyes.
Then appeared Apollo, eyes puffed and red.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning to you.”
Bowing to him, I noticed his attire was different from usual on such a warm day: a coat and a fully packed bag, ready to leave.
“Are you leaving?”
“Yes. The rites for my friend have ended, so it’s time for me to go back home.”
“Then I’ll call the other goddesses resting in the temple.”
“No no, I intended to leave quietly, but I wanted to talk to you because I have a gift to give you.”
Apollo handed me the serum that Rios had made from his bag.
“Take it. Since you cleared the dungeon, the treasure of that dungeon rightfully belongs to you.”
“No, no! I can’t possibly accept such a valuable thing.”
Serum.
It’s made by extracting the blood of someone who has recovered from a specific poison and turning it into a vaccine.
Paralyzing poison, neurotoxin, hemolytic toxin—these are just some of the eight types of serum Rios had developed.
You could say it’s a masterpiece that Rios spent his whole life crafting.
The moment one receives such valuable serum into their body,
it’s like possessing a body impervious to all poisons, similar to something straight out of a martial arts novel.
I couldn’t keep such a valuable thing for myself.
“Hmm… You do have a little sense of shame?”
“Of course. That serum should be reserved for researching and developing medicine for patients still suffering.”
“But… I’d like to give it to you as a thank you for helping Rios see the truth. Hmm… This would be good.”
Apollo smacked his hands together, as if a good idea had come to him.
Stretching out his right arm with his palm open, the space rippled like a vortex, and a white, smooth bow appeared.
“Take this. It’ll be of help to you, hated by the gods as you are.”
“Is this… what you meant?”
Nice!
Very Nice!!
Even while acting nervous and trembling, I managed to suppress the corners of my mouth from curling up.
Finally… Finally!
Am I getting an SSS-tier powerful weapon now that I’ve come to this world?!
What kind of functions does it have?
Exciting.
Will it fire explosive arrows?
Or is it a fatal technique that shoots thousands of arrows like a rainstorm when aimed into the sky?
“This bow is called Rainbow.”
“Rainbow…”
Though it sounded like a play on words combining ‘rain’ and ‘bow,’ I didn’t pay much attention to it.
“Rainbow originated from a ridiculous idea of father’s children gathering together and asking, ‘Can we create the strongest weapon?'”
“Hephaestus crafted the bow using the ribs of a Hydra, and we each poured our abilities into it. But since all it was given were useless abilities, it was never used.”
Now the bow is yours, and Apollo handed it to me. I knelt down and solemnly accepted it with both hands.
Then, as if recognizing its new master, the Rainbow hummed and emitted seven lights before transforming into glittering dust and wrapping around my left wrist as an elegant bracelet.
“…It’s turned into a bracelet.”
“That’s right. Now it’ll transform back into a bow whenever you wish. But currently, it’s no different from an ordinary bow because all its abilities are dormant.”
“How can I awaken all its abilities?”
“Simple. Meet the gods who bestowed abilities to each corresponding color and ask them to unlock it. Whether they’ll accept your request is another matter, but let me unlock the [red] for you.”
As Apollo snapped his finger with a red glow, my bracelet resonated with it, glowing red before settling down.
Then, as if Artemis’s voice had branded words into my head,
the [red] ability of the Rainbow revealed itself like a lottery scratch card.
What is it? What could it be?
Since it’s from the god of the sun… Fire Arrow?!
[Red (Flare) – The sun is contained in the arrowhead. Upon impact, it bursts with light.]
…
What is this?
This is just like a camera flash that momentarily illuminates the darkness.
Carrying a lamp would be much more convenient.
At the sight of my disappointed expression, Apollo burst into laughter, staring directly at me.
“Hahaha!! That’s why I told you it was given useless abilities. But one day it may be helpful to you.”
“I… see.”
“For reference, one day, one shot.”
One shot per day…?
Great, there’s even a limit on the number of uses.
“Being a light in the darkness is the way to summon gods. The road ahead will be tough. Well, Arc, farewell. Adios!”
Just like when he first came here,
Apollo bid his cheerful farewell and ascended toward the sun shining brightly high in the sky.
Feels like I’ve been saddled with some unnecessary burden.
Still, there’s no guarantee that there won’t be any battles with gods in the future.
It seems like Ares isn’t someone you can resolve issues with through words alone.
Perhaps one day I can rely on this Rainbow’s power to get through those tough situations.
“Alright, let’s give it a try. Count on me.”
I gently tapped the bracelet-form of Rainbow with my other hand, as if patting a child’s back.
Uuuhm… Uuuuhm…
In response, the bracelet hummed in resonance, radiating determination for the upcoming battle.
Good.
So, should I make a move now?
I headed towards Athena, who was checking on Nike.
I had two things to entrust to her.
One, Athena can unlock the [blue] of the Rainbow.
The other is an invitation for the dinner with the maiden goddess as a reward for the third labor.
Currently, there are two maiden goddesses in this temple: Artemis and Athena.
Through these two goddesses,
I planned to invite the original maiden goddess Hestia to the dinner.
