The Girl Who Loved the Black Horse
Move aside! Move aside! Move aside! Move aside—ya!
The spear tip spun with a whirring blur from her fingertips, slicing clean through flesh and muscle before she planted her foot and kicked it deep into the enemy’s belly with a satisfying thump.
The spear had no fear.
Nor did her legs, striding alongside the wind.
Now there was nothing to be afraid of.
The ash spear cleansed the impudence of the charging foe and painted the ground red. It held no hesitation. The wounds it left on the enemy were savage, their lust thick as blood, yet none could survive the clean holes it punched through their sides.
“Giiiiiiik!!!!”
PUSH!
The monsters lunged at her were nothing but oversized beasts—too massive to bother naming. After the last pig-like creature shrieked its final death cry, the entire area around Achilles was nothing but bloody corpses. Even in their dying throes, they strained one last time, spilling rivers of blood around their pierced bellies as they spurted their seed like animals.
The number of corpses could not be counted on two fingers. Every single one had a hole drilled neatly through its side and died immediately. The bodies had been sliced clean past skin and muscle, exposing bone and fat in perfect, deliberate wounds. Eventually, the sky-sent scavengers came down to feast on them.
These perfectly slain beasts rolled across the ground without smearing any blood, making them the ultimate prey for the monsters.
“Hahahaha! Ah, it feels so good! If only I’d caught something bigger! Is this all there is around here?!”
Achilles stood with her shoulders squared, ash spear resting casually on one shoulder, right in the middle of the Argos region. There was no one to answer her, yet a voice rang out—clear, pure, and strangely crisp.
These monsters seem rare around here too. I heard from the nymphs who live nearby that the number of outsiders has dropped sharply lately, so my comrades have started to settle.
“Scaredy-cats?”
Yes. Recently they’ve gotten bolder, luring travelers and enjoying themselves. It’s a sign they’ve gained some breathing room.
The voice belonged to the inner lining of the water pouch at Achilles’ waist. She listened to the strangely pleasant tone without thinking anything of it, then scanned the area. The battle heat still burned in her eyes.
“Damn it, I still want to fight one more round!”
Don’t get sloppy when fighting, but be careful in daily life. You never know when the gods might be watching.
“Awww~! Nyah-nyah~! You’re nagging again, damn it.”
Haa… who did you take after to turn out so wild…
Someone sighed from inside the water pouch, but Adanasia Achilles gripped her perfect shield and kept walking through the thicket, ash spear resting on her shoulder. The forest itself seemed to sway in blessing after she slew the beasts, as if the air had lost its toxicity and was now fully drained of strength.
I heard there are no more monsters around here. The dryads want to thank you and asked me to guide you.
“Then tell me if there’s a place with water nearby.”
Why water? Weren’t we heading toward Argos?
“My spear is getting sticky with fat and grease. The blood on it is gross, and if I leave it like this I won’t be able to clean it properly later.”
That’s true…
Shortly after the pouch fell silent, the grass and branches parted to open a path for her. It looked as though someone had deliberately cleared the way. Passing through the fresh trail, the path behind her had already regrown into thick undergrowth. The dryads had been watching over her the entire time.
As she kept walking the trail they had cleared, she found a small lake surrounded by thickets and trees—perfectly positioned to block outsiders. The lake was genuinely suitable for drinking. The water was so crystal-clear and pure that even a modern person would feel safe sipping it.
Don’t trouble the nymphs living here. Fill your water pouch from the outside and rinse off the blood.
“Sure.”
In this age, there was much to be careful about.
You could receive a curse from a place you least expected.
[With the name of my ancestor Achilles, I forgive you for taking this water and cleaning the blood of the battlefield.]
At that moment, Adanasia Achilles also behaved with perfect politeness. She used the wooden basin someone had left behind, scooped the lake water, and rinsed her spear. She sat on a pile of stones with her back to the lake, carefully wiped herself with the wool she had torn from her own clothing, then placed it back into the bundle tied to her shield’s handle and took out another water pouch from her belt to refill her drinking supply.
“Ah… I feel a little sweaty…”
After refilling her pouch, her gaze naturally drifted to the one at her waist.
Since you have permission, feel free to wash.
“Hehe.”
She stripped off her black chiton and tossed it onto the shield. The water pouch at her waist was placed on the shield with proper care. The moment Achilles’ foot dipped into the water, bubbles erupted with a loud bloop-bloop-bloop.
“Eh? Is it okay to show them?”
Yet Achilles showed not the slightest surprise. She boldly spread her chest and asked the naked beauties emerging from the foam. Their noses were straight and their eyes sparkling—true nymph beauty. They happily clung to her, pressing their skin against hers, then finally spoke.
“You fought for us and did not spill blood in our lake.”
“A woman’s body… how beautiful.”
“You look just like the Amazons in the stories.”
The nymphs laughed as they praised Achilles. If she had had a cock, they would have pounced on her right away. Since she was female, their reactions were almost nonexistent. The heat in her body cooled, and she accepted their teasing with a calm smile and a carefree chuckle.
“It’s my bloodline, of course. I’m the true successor of ancestor Achilles.”
“Oh! Really?”
“Of course! The children of heroes are in their prime right now!”
“Hey, which one are you?”
“That’s…”
There are so many successors to that child that it’s hard to distinguish them like others. However, among the surviving bloodlines of Achilles, I chose the one with the thickest blood to name her, so there is no doubt about her spear’s skill.
“Ah, Tetis!”
“You’ve been watching over this bloodline all this time!”
Ripple ripple ripple!
“Yes.”
The woman who stepped out from the water pouch in greeting, startling the nymphs, was a beautiful nude figure radiating a strong maternal warmth. The nymphs of the lake had dense dark hair like fallen leaves, while Tetis—sea nymph—had a soft light-green hue that suited her like seaweed from the sea.
“You’re my mother?”
“Tetis is famous among the nymphs because she was once worshipped as a goddess!”
Though they had never met, they were of the same kind, so Tetis greeted the lake nymphs just as warmly. She let the nude beauty of the lake cling to her, running her fingers through the beautiful light-green hair, and even checked that there was no dirt on her body.
“The gods were worried about your whereabouts. Have you been taking care of this child?”
“Yes. My ancestor was so tragic that I kept watching over her. As time passed and the age of her descendants arrived…”
“You loved your son that much? Then why did you give Achilles’ name to a girl?”
“The age changed and the descendants of the heroes ran wild. There was no Achilles’ name among them, so I was dissatisfied. I searched for a child who could become a hero’s vessel and set out. Among the men, the son with the thickest blood of Achilles was too lewd and did not become a hero’s vessel.”
“So?”
“I gave birth to her myself! Like my ancestor Achilles!”
“What?!”
“Wait—! Pelias died, right? He was human.”
“Yes. Although his blood was thick, I killed that lecherous man, took his blood and flesh, and placed them in my womb to conceive. I thought that would produce a child with the thickest blood of Achilles more than anyone else.”
“Whoa?!”
Ancestor Achilles was the son of the human Pelias and the nymph Tetis. But since Pelias died, the blood was replaced with that of a man whose blood was thick like Achilles’, absorbed into Tetis’ womb, and given birth to—nothing less than Achilles reborn.
“I thought the rumors were exaggerated, but it really is true.”
“Did the myth in the story become fact…?”
The nymphs’ gazes turned toward her, wondering if she would treat the newly created Achilles cruelly, but the woman who was nothing more than a fierce warrior dipped her head into the lake water, shook it with a “puff,” and splashed herself refreshingly. The sight was so foolish that it made the nymphs doubt whether she was truly a woman.
“Even after death, that child’s name spreads far and wide. What a wonderful thing.”
“You still love your son even in death.”
“Yes.”
“Wait, but you love this child enough, right?”
“Don’t call me a madwoman! I expected a boy, but I was born a girl and I have no regrets. I wanted to give her beautiful clothes and teach her music, but when I came to my senses, I was holding a spear. Yet her skill was so splendid that she kept the name of my ancestor from being lost and led me to set out on this journey.”
“That wild personality is just the way it is, huh.”
“Yes. It’s a bit troublesome for me too.”
Even as she told her story, Achilles shook the water off her body, swept her hair back, and laughed ferociously. Her beautiful black hair and black eyes were perfectly uniform with no mixed tones, and her large breasts were so full they floated lightly on the water. Her thick thighs and pear-shaped hips—enough to make many Greek men lust after her—made the nymphs feel a little of that same heat as well.
“It’s so beautiful, but it’s a shame! If you were more reserved, the gods might notice you and fall in love… but you insist on walking the dangerous path…”
“I don’t want any of that at all! You people are all the same, making my ears ache! The last time, a guy who was saying the same thing suddenly pounced to cover me, so I punched a hole through his side! Ha! Are all men like they have heat in their pants?! How can the same person try to cover two people?!”
“You really are that beautiful.”
“I’ve heard enough flattery! Tell me a story!”
“What story?”
“The strongest monster around here! I want to fight someone like that!”
“I’ll tell you, but why do you want to fight so badly? What made you so angry?”
“My ancestor Achilles had superb skill yet left no good reputation for later generations! Born in the age of gods, he had no records of fighting monsters, and the man-loving types who called themselves heroes’ bloodlines dismissed them greatly! But now the age of monsters has returned! I’ll clear my ancestor’s name! With this very spear and shield!!”
She struck a dramatic pose, but since her clothes and gear lay outside the lake, the pose itself was impressive. Tetis watched her daughter with a pleased smile, while the nymphs looked troubled yet concerned for the Achilles who had slain the monsters for them.
“Can I tell her?”
“Isn’t it dangerous?”
“But the only monster around here that can satisfy her is…”
“But the 12 Gods’ eyes…”
Whispers whispered whispers whispered whispers.
Even though they were at the same lake, the nymphs guarded their mouths in case the words reached their ears. Eventually, one nymph stepped forward as the representative and explained.
“If you want to fight a monster that strong, how about fighting the Epitropos of this forest?”
“——?! The Epitropos of the forest! It already sounds incredibly strong!”
Without hesitation, Achilles rushed toward the nymphs who tried to stop her, asking details about the monster.
“That’s a monster that dives from the sky when a veil covers the heavens.”
“In the center of this forest is a meadow perfect for landing from the sky. There, one girl is always taken there.”
“The monster walks or hunts small animals with the girl for fun, then flies away into the sky.”
Tetis looked puzzled.
“Is it a bad monster?”
She was worried it might be connected to the gods since it took the girl. But the nymphs ignored Tetis’ words, treating her like someone trying to seduce Achilles, and emphasized the monster’s strengths.
“That monster has a body twice as large as a normal horse.”
“It has eagle wings and flies through the sky.”
“The dryads say it has a bull’s horn.”
“It’s so skilled that you get completely captivated the moment you see it.”
Hearing that, Achilles imagined the monster and drooled. She was not eating anything, yet she imagined her opponent and let her mouth go slack—pure fighting spirit.
“Oh! I’ll go hunt it right away!”
“Hey! Achilles?! Wait! You have to hear the story to the end—?!”
Even as her mother Tetis tried to stop her, Achilles dove out of the lake in a flash and, faster than anyone, rinsed herself, armed herself, and charged into the forest. By the time she remembered the monster only appeared at dusk, she had already lost her way through the woods. Fortunately, thanks to Tetis she quickly found her way back to the lake.
*
*1) Achilles’ mother, a sea nymph. The famous legend is that she dipped Achilles (Rhadamanthus) in the Styx River to grant him immortality.
*2) See: Pseudo-Hesiod, Aegimius Fragment 2 (from Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius 4.816) (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or 7th B.C.)
As one might expect, there is also a legend that she dipped her son in fire to grant him immortality. The result was a mad nymph who killed her own child several times over. Naturally, the story has been heavily sanitized in children’s cartoons.
*3) Guardian, steward, ruler, overseer, etc. In this case, the ruler or guardian of the forest.