“Who… is that?”
“Orion.”
Upon hearing the name from Maia’s lips, I dropped the spoon I was holding.
As I bent down to pick it up, my mind turned to the Orion that Maia had mentioned.
Orion.
A name that no one who has ever read Greek or Roman mythology could ever forget.
In my personal opinion, Orion accomplished a far greater feat than the Twelve Labors I am currently undergoing. It was love.
The person Artemis once loved was Orion.
A tragic figure whose life was cut short by Apollo, who was concerned for his sister, before their relationship could develop into something more.
Perhaps Orion is the epitome of jealousy for me and represents a walkthrough guide to a dating simulation game.
But he’s now only a star in the sky, gone.
Why did Maia bring him up?
“Maia, the fate tied to my Labors protects me, so curses or death won’t easily come to me.”
After accepting the Labors, there were occasions when I felt as if my entire body was being pricked by needles, a few times.
I once casually mentioned my symptoms to Apollo while he was staying at our Temple.
His response was both chilling and comforting.
The needle-like pain, he explained, was a reaction to narrowly resisting a curse from a god.
He further added that, since I am only a human and lack the resistance to withstand divine curses, it was the Labors themselves that protected me.
“…”
Maia covered her mouth with her hand and softly laughed before continuing.
“Arc? After you successfully complete the Labors?”
“!!”
The unwavering trust I had in the Labors crumbled like glass.
That’s right.
Why didn’t I think of that before?
Though the Labors protect me now, what happens after they’re over?
What methods of self-protection will I have once Zeus recognizes me as Artemis’ official boyfriend?
Why did I foolishly think that claiming Artemis would be the end of everything?
“Maia, do you mean… that Artemis calculated her actions to this extent?”
“Hmm… Well? I’m not entirely sure about that.”
“But perhaps somewhere deep inside, Artemis is cursed so that she mustn’t fall in love.”
“Cursed…?”
“Perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a wound to the heart. There’s a strong possibility that Artemis took the blame for Orion’s death personally.”
“What? What blame? Why would she feel such re—”
Before I could raise my voice to refute her, Maia’s eyes widened in surprise.
Grabbing an apple from the fruit basket, she held it close to my nose.
“Arc? Your eyes look too frightening right now.”
“Oh…”
Pausing for a moment as if in deep thought, Maia peeled the apple beautifully and offered it to me.
Though I initially declined, her insistence eventually made me accept and quickly swallowed it.
Still, this was the first sweet apple I’d ever tasted.
“Hehehe. You’re just a man, Arc. You got all fired up just talking about Orion.”
“Hmm…”
“You alone could keep the house warm without any need for underfloor heating. Hehehe.”
“If you’re talking about heating, I might turn the house into an inferno.”
“Goodness!”
We continued exchanging light-hearted jokes like this for about ten minutes.
When Maia had eaten all the fruit she brought, she stood up.
“Maia?”
“I’m going now.”
“Huh? But I still have so many questions…”
“You’ll figure the rest out about Artemis on your own. I believe you can find the answer.”
“Huh? What—!”
With that, Maia casually brushed off my final words and turned away.
She left my quarters, leaving me with a difficult riddle.
Alone in the dormitory.
A cool breeze swept through, making the room feel chilly.
“Too difficult a problem to expect from a novice.”
It’s like asking a grade-schooler to solve a college entrance exam.
Perhaps in this moment, I need to cultivate the ability to think through problems like Maia suggested.
But what if I get it wrong?
I want to see the answer first, understand the principles, and then think things through.
In frustration, I scratched the back of my head as my gaze fell on the table.
An empty basket and some leftover salted meat.
I had been chewing on the salty meat when the sweetness of the fruit overwhelmed me.
“Let’s tidy up first.”
As I cleaned the table, I couldn’t stop thinking about Artemis.
Because of Orion’s death, Artemis had bound herself with the belief that she must never love anyone.
If Maia’s intuition is true, it means that even if I complete the Twelve Labors, Artemis could still become my partner without truly loving me.
Am I okay with that?
Hardly.
What’s the point of a hollow relationship?
That’s why, in my own way, I tried to make a good impression to win her heart.
But today, it became clear to me that this isn’t the way.
No matter how impressive I appear, Artemis, bound to the memory of Orion, will always place mental blocks between us.
And the main reason for this block?
Artemis’ brother, Apollo.
Even though Apollo seems to support me now, who knows what the future holds?
He merely promised his support regarding the Metis incident involving Rios.
While he may currently seem to be on my side, the truth is, he feels more loyalty to Artemis.
There’s a strong possibility he could turn against me.
‘Ha ha ha! Arc, have you forgotten? You are the biggest threat to the purity of my little sister! Aren’t you her boyfriend?’
Apollo’s laughter echoed in my ears.
That day, though he seemed casual, I now understood his words were a warning filled with caution.
“So it’s more confusing now? Why does Artemis willingly give up her advantage even though it doesn’t benefit her?”
I know that she values me as an important priest.
But that alone doesn’t explain everything.
Confused by the mismatched puzzle pieces, I shook my head violently.
Then, memories of what Artemis had said to me at Mount Hera’s back slope began to rewind in my mind.
“Why do you, who proudly stood before other gods, submit yourself to her in such a lowly fashion? Why do you offer tribute? What have we done wrong?”
“That’s right… We’ve done nothing wrong. It was a unilateral attack from Dionysus.”
Yes, that day, she had indeed confessed her inner thoughts to me.
I talked back to her words as if responding.
“To begin with, the one who promised to make me a real goddess was you, Arc! Then why am I dragged into this social misfit’s curse?”
“Indeed. Now that I think about it, why did I crumble so easily in front of Dionysus?”
I had placed the lives of the citizens and the goddess’s dignity on opposite sides of the scale, never considering how Artemis would view the situation.
I acknowledged the arrogance I had harbored, thinking that since she entrusted the task to me, I had the freedom to handle everything according to my own judgment.
“But Artemis knows how precious the lives of her loyal citizens are.”
Then why was she angry? Why does she still appear so disappointed with me?
Why did Artemis, who came to my defense because she values me, end up like this?
“…”
I closed my eyes.
Replaying everything in my mind, from the moment I was saved by Artemis in this world and became a priest, until now.
All I can do, as someone who cannot read another person’s heart properly, is remember.
Finally…
Taking Maia’s advice—”If you observe closely, a woman’s heart is not so complicated”—I arrived at the truth.
And that truth is…
Just as much as I want to impress Artemis, she too wishes to rediscover the proud and dependable side of me, so that she can feel at ease.
There’s no doubt about it.
That’s why Artemis approached Dionysus with me, filled with expectation.
What exactly was that expectation?
The expectation that, while safeguarding the citizens of Luna, we would still be able to strike back at Dionysus!
Until now, I’ve faced all challenges with my head held high before Poseidon, Athena, Aphrodite, Eros, Ares, and other outstanding gods.
But I disappointed her by showing undue humility in front of Dionysus.
“So, the only way for me to resolve Artemis’ feelings is one.”
Smacking my knees, I stood up and left the quarters, heading towards the Temple.
With a steady and confident heart, my steps were light and quick.
I nodded casually at the female priestesses I passed in the hallway and arrived at Artemis’ chambers.
Knock, knock, knock.
Though I received no reply, I was 100% sure she was inside.
“Artemis.”
I called her name at the sturdy wooden door.
To my girlfriend, who must be crouching desolately inside, I sincerely apologized.
“I’m sorry. It was my fault.”
“…”
“That comment about sweat smell was over the top. And that selfish thought that if I’m okay, you would be too—won’t happen again.”
“…”
“I hope you’ll accept my apology. I want us to go back to the way we were.”
At the moment I was about to apologize again due to the lack of response, the door opened abruptly.
Artemis appeared in her pajamas.
Her sunken eyes and heavy dark circles suggested that she hadn’t slept well.
“Artemis, I’m sorry…”
“About the Labors?”
“Huh?”
“What are you going to do about Dionysus’ task?”
“I’ll take it on.”
“What?! I clearly told you not to! Why are you… Hic!”
Before she could ignite her volcano again, I gently pressed my finger to her lips.
“Don’t worry. We are not going to play by Dionysus’ rules. We won’t let him manipulate us.”
“What? What are you saying?”
“We’ll save the citizens of Luna and at the same time, we’ll deal a blow to Dionysus.”
“…Um… How?”
At this, a hint of anticipation appeared on Artemis’ face.
“Two tasks. Clearly, they were to create a new drink and make Lord Hades laugh.”
“Yeah. But there’s no way to make Lord Hades laugh. It’s completely impossible.”
“Well… how about impossible meets impossible? I’ll embarrass Dionysus and make Hades laugh at the same time.”
Yes.
This is Arc.
This is how Arc operates.
Dionysus needs some education.
