“What is it, you? How did you get in here?”
Hera, startled by my presence.
However, that sudden burst of emotion lasted only a moment.
She, who had just brusquely struck Hermes on the head, now turned her ferocious anger toward me.
Following the rounded shape of the conference table, Hera approached with quick strides.
“I’ll ask you again. How did a worthless bug like you get in here?”
“It was a certain goddess who desires victory who helped me.”
“Wordplay!”
Bang!
Lifting her right foot slightly, Hera stomped it on the ground again.
The entire hall shook as if an earthquake had struck.
Thanks to that, I ended up sitting awkwardly on my bottom despite my grand entrance.
The sight of my ridiculous posture pleased Hera, and she let out another haughty laugh, like a noble young lady.
“Ho ho ho hoo!! So, a bug like you must crawl on the floor. Standing upright is a privilege granted only to the primates.”
Hmph…
Is this lady crossing the line?
Since the Twelve Great Gods are also present, I was trying to have a dignified conversation…
But it’s impossible.
I can’t take it any longer.
I raised my upper body, which had fallen forward, with both arms and sat cross-legged right there, as if I had come to collect unpaid debts.
Seeing my action, Hera furrowed her brows and moved her gaze anxiously, not knowing what it meant.
When I shrugged and pouted, Hera made a disgusted face, scowled, and eventually gave up observing me.
“Miss Hera? I agree with you—standing upright is a privilege granted only to primates.”
“What are you trying to say?”
As befitting the queen of the gods, she made it clear that my words were meaningless rubbish.
And then, tapping her folded fan at me, she demanded I get to the point.
“But sitting cross-legged like this to rest sore legs is also a privilege granted only to primates, isn’t it? Ha ha ha ha!”
“You… this insolent creature!”
After knocking me down, Hera disdainfully declared, “Ark, you are not human; you’re just a bug.”
Because only humans stand on two legs.
But isn’t sitting cross-legged also something only humans can do?
Through action, not words, I had shown her that I wasn’t a bug but a human.
“Bug. How much do you think your nonsense will hold up?”
Hera, surrounded by a red glow.
That red energy slowly gathered in her right arm, then transformed into a circular shape at the tips of her outstretched claw-like fingers.
What would happen if I were hit by this red energy?
Would it pierce me and k*ll me instantly?
Or would I turn into a wild animal?
Or worse, maybe I’d really become a bug?
Hera lifted her right arm above her head.
And just as she extended her arm toward me with a sneer,
“Are you alright?”
A calm question like tossing a pebble into still water.
My sudden and inexplicable remark, in the face of impending d*ath, rippled across the entire hall.
Hera was no exception. Momentarily halting her outstretched arm, she stared intensely at me.
“Bug, what do you mean by ‘are you alright’?”
In response, I pointed up at the ceiling with a single claw-like finger, just like her.
[Hermes’ Three Trials to Solve.]
The theme Hera herself had inscribed remained densely written across the ceiling.
“You’re flailing to survive, aren’t you, bug? What is that up there?”
“The gods have already decided on the fate of Metis’ lottery. If you k*ll me here, it would seem as though you, Miss Hera, twisted the gods’ shared decision to make this trial official.”
“Hmph! Your d*ath is an inevitable conclusion anyway. The timing is of no importance to me.”
“Would you, Miss Hera, personally negate the sanctity of the trials, which began with Hercules’ Twelve Labors?”
“…”
The penitential Hercules.
He alone was a transcendental figure who ascended through sanctification.
The Twelve Labors of Hercules are also Hera’s Twelve Labors.
Because she indirectly subjected him to trials.
Thus, the origin of these trials can rightly be traced back to Hera, dating back thousands of years.
Now, this institution, where glory is awarded to those who overcome the twelve trials, has become one of Hera’s greatest boasts.
Indeed, Hera might shatter the shield of fate, which not even Zeus could break, and k*ll me.
But will Hera herself destroy the order of the trials?
Will she dismantle thousands of years of glory with her own hands?
Hmm?
It’s not just difficult.
It’s impossible.
Hera, who had shown no concern for others while beating Hermes, began to look around at last, thanks to my words.
Those worried looks at Hera, those who supported her, those who disagreed with her yet considered her a colleague—they all briefly nodded in unanimity.
Only then did Hera realize that everyone’s gaze had been on her all along.
Her eyes finally stopped at Hermes, whose neck was still in a sling.
Then Hera looked down at me again.
“…”
Controlling some complex emotions, she raised her head, then lowered it again.
“Fine. I won’t k*ll you this time. Let’s see how this fourth trial unfolds.”
“Thank you, Miss Hera.”
Untangling my legs, I knelt and bowed down low.
Hera, who had snorted and found this place insufferable, made her red dress swirl.
Then, like a magician disappearing behind a curtain, she vanished from the great hall.
Thus, my perilous first climb to Olympus ended with my life intact,
and connected to the fourth trial.
*
Once the Olympus conference ended, we immediately returned to the Temple of Artemis.
Three days have passed since then.
Our daily lives haven’t changed much, except for one irritating detail:
The spy demons watching us outside the temple have doubled.
There were spies before, but now they follow every move I make, watching what I do.
It’s incredibly annoying.
This way, every single one of our strategies will be completely exposed.
Meanwhile, the world-ignorant nuisance goddess continues to eat her meals peacefully.
“Hey, cchompp… Ark.”
Artemis, her cheeks bulging with hamburger, chewed loudly and indelicately.
Her voice, deeply absorbed in the sweet taste with closed eyes, seemed tinged with irritation, making me feel a little uneasy.
“What now? Anyway, finish swallowing your food before talking.”
“…Ummmm.”
She ignored my comment as if she meant to and began devouring the last of her hamburger.
After shoving all the food in her mouth down to her stomach, Artemis turned her eyes on me.
Her demeanor radiated clear dissatisfaction.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Hey, Ark.”
“Yeah?”
“Last night, I finally went to check the temple’s treasury, and why has my fortune diminished so much? I can see the bottom of the chest because the gold coins are almost gone. What happened?”
“I was about to bring this up. Our city’s income is predictable. But our food expenses keep increasing. At this rate, all our savings will be depleted within ten years.”
I glanced at the now-empty large plate, which had been full of hamburgers, as I spoke.
Artemis growled protectively, like a mother bear guarding her cub, and hid the empty plate behind her back.
“Why are you blaming the hamburger? It’s innocent! Unless… you’ve been embezzling the gold coins, Ark?!”
Embezzlement? That’s your accusation, you nuisance goddess.
Originally, the temple relied on Artemis hunting deer and wild boars to provide meat.
But ever since Artemis acquired a taste for hamburgers, those tough wild meats no longer satisfied her palate.
Especially now that she only eats expensive cuts like filet mignon, it’s become a significant headache.
And she’s sharing it with priestesses too…
“From now on, cut down on how much you eat. No more than six hamburgers a day.”
“Are you telling me to gnaw on hunger?! Never!”
“…”
Just reduce the expensive ingredients, Miss.
You can eat something else, right?
Six hamburgers a day should be plenty as a full day’s meal.
How many are you eating in a day, you food fiend?
Bang!
Judging from the dangerous look in my eyes, Artemis slammed her palm on the table.
“For heaven’s sake! Is this place some kind of resort?!”
“What do you mean?”
“From Athena Onee-san to Nike, even that moron Apollo came here to relax!”
Is she saying that my treasury has been emptied because we had patients and the doctors treating them?
It’s true that treating them did cost quite a bit.
But…
“Didn’t I hear that Athena sent support after she returned to the city?”
“…”
“What does your silence mean?”
“Tsk! What am I supposed to do with such a measly amount of support?!”
Looks like she wasted the money on something frivolous again.
Unfortunately, she received that support while I was away on a trip.
With fish placed in front of a cat, the result was predictable.
“Hmph! Ark, you’re in no position to talk, are you?”
“Why me?”
“You brought them here!”
Confused by what she meant, I tilted my head. She pointed behind me with a chin gesture.
There, through the open door, Hermes, with a cast on his neck, was leaning casually against the frame.
“Phew~ I thought I was done for, but being able to breathe fresh air again is truly amazing. Time sure does heal all wounds, huh?”
Hermes, back to his usual cheerful self, greeted us with some antics.
I was about to rush over and greet him, but he signaled me, indicating I didn’t need to bother, and continued speaking.
“Alright, shall we start the fourth trial?”
