Artemis: "How Cute~"

In truth, Promise understood better than anyone else that under normal hunting circumstances, he could not possibly win against Meleager, who had trained him for a while, or the future famed huntress of ancient Greece, Atalanta.

After all, they were among the brightest stars of humanity, destined to leave their mark on this era and be celebrated by future generations.

Thus, from the very beginning, he had no intention of using a bow and arrow to complete this hunt.

With a final day's respite, Promise had thought of a better plan.

That was to make the prey come to him willingly!

"Hunting?"

Hearing Athena say this, Artemis, who was sitting on the golden-horned deer, was momentarily stunned.

Pointing at the boy under the moonlight, who was placing his fingers on the strings of the lyre, feeling the night breeze in the forest with a faint smile on his lips.

Then, with his mouth lightly humming a melodious tune, his fingers gently plucking the lyre, she couldn't help but ask, "You call this hunting?"

"Yes." Athena smiled faintly, her golden eyes reflecting Promise's figure, seeing through everything, and she said, "This is the hunt that child found, one that will bring him victory."

"Artemis, you said he couldn't win the hunt tonight and come before you... do you still think so now?"

The latter didn't immediately respond.

Her sky-blue eyes also reflected the image of Promise... he didn't look like a hunter, and just as Atalanta felt, she naturally felt the same.

Thus, when Promise sat by the small pond bathed in moonlight, in the quiet depths of the forest at night, playing his silver lyre with his eyes closed, even she found this scene not out of place, but rather fitting.

Watching him, Artemis then couldn't help but glance at Meleager, who was gathering the people and tending to the wounded, this was a hero.

"...Of course," she finally answered.

"In that case, how about we make a bet?" Athena smiled, not surprised by her answer.

After all, if it had been three months ago, she would have made the same choice as Artemis.

Promise, who seemed so fragile that a gust of wind could blow him to the underworld, did not appear to have the makings of a hero.

But precisely because of this, the goddess of wisdom couldn't help but stop before him, and even the goddess of justice, Themis, removed her blindfold for him.

Not just because of Promise's pure and fearless desire to become a hero, but also because he had indeed accomplished things that even heroes might not be able to do.

In situations where Athena had no expectations, Promise had stood out on the altar dedicated to Hera.

In the cursed kingdom, within the pure white courtroom, he had completed a trial even the goddess of wisdom hadn't anticipated.

"He is both abandoned by the goddess of fate and beloved by her, so much so that even the goddess of fate cannot arrange a definite future for him."

"The goddess of fate is angry at his choices, feeling he disrespects and humiliates her, but... doesn't fighting against fate and rewriting destiny to create a new one also highlight the greatness of fate?"

Athena's words made Artemis tilt her head in confusion, completely unable to understand.

But she wasn't speaking to Artemis, but rather to Themis, the goddess of justice.

Athena turned to the goddess of justice and said, "Witness this with me, Themis, just as we did in the pure white courtroom... that most beautiful moment."

The goddess of wisdom loves heroes, but more precisely, she loves that moment when a hero, seemingly in a hopeless abyss, takes steps forward, never giving up, finding that glimmer of hope, and finally leaping to the top.

Standing at the highest point, basking in the most beautiful sunlight, in that dazzling instant.

Hearing this, Themis, the goddess of justice with her eyes covered by white cloth, suddenly smiled lightly and then responded softly, "Is that so... but it seems I can't see."

Athena's smile froze instantly.

She glared at the goddess with a mix of exasperation and amusement, then turned her attention back to Artemis, saying, "So, shall we bet?"

"...Bet!" Finally, the moon goddess looked up and gave her answer.

...

...

'I committed an unforgivable mistake.'

'I angered the noble deity and hunted her messenger...'

In Greek mythology, deer are considered the most sacred animals by Goddess Artemis, and the golden-horned deer is her most cherished messenger.

In one of Heracles' Twelve Labors, he was tasked with capturing the golden-horned deer.

When Heracles' arrow pierced the deer's bronze hoof, and he carried its massive body back home, he was met by Goddess Artemis and God Apollo.

Eventually, with Athena's secret intervention, Zeus allowed Heracles to take the golden-horned deer back home, releasing it that very night.

Thus, on that fateful day,

When the excited Actaeon pursued the golden-horned deer to Artemis's sacred ground, seeing Artemis already out of her bath, calming the golden-horned deer,

And looked at him with immense anger.

Initially captivated by the freshly bathed Artemis's beauty, Actaeon, upon coming back to his senses and realizing what he had done, knew he was doomed.

Guessing her identity, the terrified Actaeon wanted to kneel and beg for forgiveness, but Artemis did not give him that chance.

Whether it was his gaze or the harm inflicted on the golden-horned deer, both had pushed Artemis into a rage.

She cursed him, driving him away with arrows.

Actaeon fled for a long time, initially unaware of the changes to his body, feeling lucky to have survived the hands of a goddess.

Until he stopped by a spring, exhausted and thirsty.

As he prepared to drink the sweet spring water, he finally noticed his transformed hooves and the monster reflected in the water.

He was startled, trying to scream, but the sounds that emerged were unfamiliar.

Panicked, he touched his body, eventually realizing he had become a monster and quickly understood that it was the goddess' punishment.

Since that day, Actaeon, too afraid to return to the human world, lived in the ancient forest.

Being an excellent hunter, he was never discovered by those who came to the mountains, until Artemis organized this hunting ritual more than half a month later.

Under normal circumstances, with Actaeon's skills and the hunters thinking it was just a regular hunt, it could have taken an entire night without anyone finding him.

But Actaeon exposed himself intentionally... not knowing what had happened, seeing Meleager, his friend, among the crowd, he couldn't contain his emotions and appeared before him.

He wanted to seek help from Meleager, to tell him what had happened through tears, but could only produce monstrous roars.

Naturally, this led to Meleager' arrow and the hunters' ensuing chase.

In such a situation, he finally heard the truth from the hunters.

Artemis had initiated the hunting ritual, and the prey was him, transformed into a monster!

"Since you like hunting so much, you shall become the hunted and die in the hunt... Without a doubt, this was the punishment Goddess gave to Actaeon.

To ensure he suffered, Artemis deliberately preserved his consciousness.

However, because of this, although many hunters were injured, there were no fatalities.

Actaeon, who had been hiding in a panic because he had turned into a monster and his entire body had been strengthened, still managed to hear Meleager' words and even saw him raising his sword and pointing at the others, preparing to lead them in an attack against him.

At that moment, the hunters relit their torches.

Their flames illuminated the silent night forest, gradually shrinking the space Actaeon could move in.

In the darkness, Actaeon licked his bleeding body.

Watching the flames that represented the driving away of night and beasts getting closer and closer, a deep despair filled his eyes.

He knew he was going to die.

And... he would die at the hands of his friend.

Actaeon didn't want to die, so as he prepared to move deeper into the forest, he suddenly recalled Meleager' recent words.

Promise was also participating in this hunting ritual.

Thinking of him, Actaeon couldn't help but remember Promise's oft-repeated words... that he would eventually die a glorious death on the path to becoming a hero.

'It seems I won't die gloriously on the path to becoming a hero, but rather as a monster hunted by heroes...'

At this moment, Actaeon realized more than ever that he had indeed become a monster.

Looking down at his deer body and bronze hooves, despair finally overwhelmed him, and he lowered his head, giving up resistance.

After some time, a sudden shout of surprise rang out—someone had found him.

Meleager rushed over and saw the massive monster sitting there, eyes closed, seemingly waiting for death and was momentarily stunned.

Then he quickly called for others to tie Actaeon with ropes from a distance, knowing full well from earlier how strong the monster was.

As Actaeon prepared to quietly accept his death, his deer ears twitched slightly, and he opened his eyes, turning his head in curiosity towards the depths of the forest.

He heard a familiar sound of a lyre... the same lyre strings often heard during training with the centaur sage Chiron in the cave on Mount Pelion.

Chiron's lyre strings were gentle and pleasing, Orpheus's were grand and majestic, but only Promise's lyre played ethereal and varied tunes, sometimes like wind chimes, other times like ancient lyre music, soothing and profound, cleansing the soul.

Recognizing Promise's lyre music, Actaeon couldn't help but recall the beautiful memories of their training days.

Naturally, he felt a desire to see him, and at the same time...

'Since I have become a monster, why not let him... become the true hero who slays the monster, under the witness of Goddess Artemis!'

What Promise didn't know was that during his studies under Chiron, he had left a significant impression on his fellow disciples, indirectly influencing them.

After all, in their eyes, Promise, despite his frailty, had always been striving hard, and his dream of becoming a hero was not mere talk—he feared not even death.

With this thought in mind, Actaeon could no longer contain himself and started struggling with all his might.

And the guards, who had begun to relax after catching the monster were caught off guard by his sudden turn of events.

Thus, Actaeon easily broke free from his restraints and once again ran towards the depths of the forest.

This time, Atalanta steadily pursued him.

She kept her word; she would not lose him this time.

She was extremely fast, there were not many people in the ancient Greece who could match her speed, hence the story of Atalanta and the golden apples.

But against the transformed giant stag Actaeon, even Atalanta had to use all her strength just to keep up,

And this, she was unable to draw her bow effectively.

After running at full speed for about ten minutes, Atalanta, who was chasing the monster relentlessly, suddenly heard the sound of the lyre.

Why is there music here?

This thought had just formed in her confused mind when she remembered the lyre she had seen Promise carrying during the hunting ritual.

At that time, Atalanta had thought, if Promise played the lyre, it would surely sound beautiful...

Damn it!

She gritted her teeth, drawing her bow while running, attempting a highly difficult shot at Actaeon with all her strength.

The bow in Atalanta's hands was blessed by the moon goddess Artemis, so it easily pierced the fur of the giant stag.

But despite this, the monster did not stop, which greatly surprised her.

Finally, after several more minutes, Atalanta saw Promise from a distance, sitting on a stone by the small pond, dressed in black, with his eyes closed, playing the lyre and softly humming.

Seeing him, Atalanta, confident in her skill to shoot, did not shout a warning to Promise to run.

It wasn't until she noticed the monster actually heading towards him that she realized the urgency.

'Great goddess Artemis, please bestow your magnificent blessings upon your most loyal follower!'

Atalanta knew she couldn't continue like this.

She stopped, took a deep breath, then raised her bow.

Under the full moon's light, she slowly drew the bow.

Silver magic imbued her arrow, and with a determined gaze, Atalanta put all her effort into this shot.

However, just as she was about to release the arrow,

A beautiful figure appeared in the moonlight behind her, extending a delicate finger to touch the arrow lightly.

The power dissipated instantly.

Atalanta lowered her arrow and turned around, her emerald eyes wide with astonishment at the goddess beside her.

"Goddess Artemis..."

As the stunned Atalanta instinctively started to exclaim, the goddess placed her hand over her mouth, putting a finger to her lips and smiling gently, signaling her to remain silent.

Then she turned, her sky-blue eyes filled with interest as she watched the scene before her.

In her shock, Atalanta followed Artemis's gaze and saw the situation unfold.

She saw the monster, which had been running at full speed, suddenly stop.

It cautiously approached the boy sitting on the stone, seemingly afraid of making any noise that might disturb Promise.

After some time, it finally reached Promise's side.

As Atalanta watched this scene and instinctively moved to act, Artemis held her back once more.

Thus, Atalanta watched as the monster... quietly sat down in front of Promise.

Seeing this scene, the huntress was stunned for a moment, looking at the monster, then at Promise, and finally at the beautiful goddess beside her.

Hesitantly, she lowered her bow.

Her tension eased with the goddess's presence.

And so, the lingering, delicate sound of the lyre once again filled her ears.

In the serene forest, the breeze rustled the trees, as if accompanying Promise's music.

Atalanta looked up at the scene before her, at the boy playing the lyre as if unaware of everything around him.

Seeing his reflection in the clear pond by the light, she had to admit that Promise's music was not only beautiful but also... rather charming!

At least much more pleasing than those who were only rough and brutish!

As time passed, the small animals that had fled in fear due to their sudden arrival began to reappear.

Atalanta, with her sharp eyes, even spotted a few nymphs.

Fireflies emitting a faint glow flew through the air, birds drawn by the music landed on Actaeon, pecking curiously at his body, wondering what he was.

Even the golden-horned deer, which had been hiding in fear of Actaeon, couldn't resist coming out to nuzzle Artemis.

Watching all this, Atalanta suddenly recalled a legend.

It was about the moon goddess Artemis's brother, Apollo, the god of light.

Apollo, the god of light, was also the god of music and the most handsome of all gods.

Legend has it he had a golden seven-string lyre, and whenever he played and sang, all creatures would be drawn to him, stopping all conflicts to listen to his music.

Thinking of this legend, Atalanta looked at Promise again.

After a long while, she shook her head.

'What am I thinking? How could he compare to the great god Apollo!'

Due to her respect for Artemis, she naturally held Apollo in high regard.

She had even received Apollo's blessings.

.

.

At this moment, Promise finally stopped playing.

He slowly opened his eyes.

When Promise raised his head and locked eyes with Atalanta, she instinctively straightened her posture.

At that moment, she felt that his clear emerald eyes were as beautiful as the dazzling stars in the sky.

The bot stood up, not speaking, and bowed to Artemis.

Finally, he lowered his head and looked at the monster sitting quietly, its blood-red eyes and body exuding the stench of blood.

Actaeon had completely relaxed by this point, feeling that hearing this art comparable to divine music in his final moments was a fortune.

Moreover, it could contribute to his friend's heroic feat...

But that guy Meleager, how could he dare to bring Promise along on such a dangerous journey?

Wasn't he afraid of getting beaten by Chiron?

With these thoughts and worried that his blood-red eyes might scare Promise, Actaeon closed his eyes again, waiting quietly for death.

As he heard Promise's footsteps descending from the stone, approaching him, and the sound of rummaging for something.

Finally, under Atalanta's puzzled gaze, Promise took out his little notebook.

Opening it, he said, "Actaeon, I am here."

At that instant, Actaeon's eyes flew open, and he looked up in shock at Promise standing before him.

However, the latter looked at him seriously and said,

"Because you didn't take me down the mountain before, and you tricked me into waiting for you at the foot of the mountain, but instead, I met Chiron. Therefore... I have come to seek revenge!"

As Promise spoke seriously,

Atalanta was completely stunned.

What is this guy talking about?

At the same time...

"Pff... hahaha." Artemis couldn't help but cover her mouth, letting out a melodious laugh.

Actaeon also stared at Promise for a while, and then... tears he could no longer hold back began to flow.

He suddenly grabbed Promise and began to cry loudly on him.

He wanted to express his suffering but could only produce low beastly sounds.

"Hey, hey, don't rub against me, it's dirty, and be gentle, let go of me, let go of me, it hurts, it hurts, I'm going to die, I'm really going to die!"

After a while,

Promise, full of disdain, kicked Actaeon away.

He had almost been strangled to death by this monster!

Although he wanted to die, it shouldn't be this humiliating.

'This guy, I have also written this grudge down. '

After tidying himself up, Promise respectfully approached Artemis.

"Beautiful and kind goddess Artemis, I, Promise, student of the centaur sage Chiron, am honored to meet you."

Seeing this, Atalanta nodded in satisfaction.

'Yes, respect and revere the great goddess Artemis...'

Wait a minute!

Stunned for a moment, Atalanta suddenly turned to look at Artemis.

The goddess Artemis?!

Yes, this was really the goddess Artemis!

In a flash, Atalanta stood beside Promise, showing even more respect and nervousness towards Artemis.

However, in her haste, she didn't expect that she would bump into Promise...well nothing happened to her but the boy fell to the ground.

"You're too delicate!" Seeing this, Atalanta couldn't help but say to Promise, even with the goddess Artemis right in front of her.

Lying on the ground, Promise rolled his eyes at Atalanta.

'I'm obviously normal okay.

Isn't it you, who is too tough.'

Watching this scene, Artemis once again let out a bell-like laugh and, to Atalanta's disbelief, stepped forward, gently helped Promise up, and even patted his head.

Looking at him, she nodded slightly, and with a gentle smile, she said, "Yes, he is indeed a very cute child, just as Athena said!"