Chapter 23
The sun was sinking, and the appointed time had come.
Adanasia Achilles, who had been guided here every single day lately by the epitropos, stood ready for battle at any moment, clutching the water bottle containing her mother Tethys.
“Haa…”
At first, Achilles had been thrilled at the prospect of fighting a strong enemy. But gradually her expression turned sour. Her daughter, who had been happily passing the boring time just moments ago, suddenly let out a sigh, and Tethys asked in surprise.
“Why are you sighing like that?”
“Sniff it and see. What kind of performance did you pull this time? It smells like shit mixed with piss—absolutely disgusting.”
“It smells like something coming from that hole over there. What was going on?”
“I caught a glimpse earlier. They just piled up the garbage right there, then covered it with grass. What kind of twisted thinking went into doing something like this?”
Near the center of the forest where the epitropos was said to descend, there was a pile of filth that looked like a dung pit. Achilles, feeling it unpleasant, had hidden as far away as possible. Yet the stench clung stubbornly to her nose, and the disgust remained as strong as ever. Thanks to that, her patience—which had seemed so steady while waiting—was finally reaching its limit. She thought that if it didn’t show up soon, she’d just leave.
Whoosh…
Even with the grass piled on the dung pit, the thick stench still wafted on the wind, impossible to ignore. The moon hung high in the sky, and the weather was clear. Why wasn’t the epitropos appearing? She tapped the window in frustration, her nerves on edge. Then suddenly she realized the moon had been blocked.
“…Artemis-nim?”
“No.”
Tethys had suspected it was the Moon Goddess who had appeared. But Achilles was different. Looking up at the sky, a large black horse with beautiful, radiant wings was coming down, blotting out the moon.
“Gueo-oooo-ooo-ooong-!!!!!”
The voice that echoed from the sky was a bizarre mix of cow and horse. Hearing it, the entire forest shook. Some nymphs vanished into hiding, while dryads peeked out to watch with awe.
“That’s the epitropos of this forest…”
“Oh~! It looks really strong~!”
Ssslap!
The massive black horse landed lightly despite its enormous body. It folded its huge eagle-like wings, red eyes flashing. As the nymphs had said, it proudly shook its great bull horns. Thankfully, it hadn’t noticed Achilles. It laid out the golden-haired girl carried on its back and the jars strapped to the saddle, set them near the dung pit, and began working separately.
“What is that?”
“The monster is digging the ground, and the girl is pouring the contents of the jars into the pit.”
I didn’t see it earlier, but now that I look closely, the monster’s mouth was digging a deep pit. It was probably deep enough for a person to fit in comfortably. But soon the giant body disappeared below ground, so the pit must have been even deeper than I or Tethys had imagined.
After a while, the epitropos disappeared into the pit, and I turned my gaze to the two watching the golden-haired girl. She poured something into the dung pit, set the jar aside in a corner, picked up her bow and arrows, and laughed playfully like a child while running around. She had an appearance that looked like a beauty if she grew just a little more. I had no idea why a girl like that was with the epitropos.
“What do you think we should do? The nymphs’ story sounds weird. I recommend we just go back.”
“I don’t want to hurt the girl, but I do want to fight that thing.”
“Achilles?”
Tethys was about to scold me again for my daughter’s wildness when the epitropos’s shape finally reappeared from the pit.
“───. ────. ─────.”
The monster, as the nymphs had said, was speaking human words and happily chatting with the dryads that approached it. The dryads kept thanking the golden-haired girl and the epitropos, then suddenly pointed at the place where Achilles was hiding. It seemed they had told on the hidden Achilles.
“If we’ve been discovered, there’s nothing we can do!”
“Achilles?!”
Whoosh!
She jumped out high from the bushes where she’d been hiding. Along with her, the dryads hurriedly vanished. Only now could Achilles and the epitropos face each other.
“The girl you were talking about must be you.”
“You speak well, better than I thought? Hahaha!”
Clang!
Achilles gripped the ash spear and prepared her stance. The golden-haired girl looked startled and ducked behind the epitropos’s legs. The smart monster shook its head, red eyes flashing.
“I heard the nymphs got blown away by a gale. How about putting the spear away? They’re not bad-hearted, but they’re the kind who steal travelers’ breath with just one prank. If you believe them blindly, you’ll end up with a big nose someday.”
“You really have a sharp tongue! If I eat you with that tongue of mine, maybe my speech will get prettier too?!”
“Ugh~!”
Clang!
The epitropos’s bull horns clashed with Achilles’s spear tip. The golden-haired girl, startled, stepped back while still holding her bow. The towering horns made it impossible for Achilles to look at the girl; she was sweating in her heart.
‘This guy?! I aimed for the eyes, and it wrapped the spear in its horns!’
Unlike the monsters I’d fought before, this one had skill. I felt excited to have met a worthy rival. The sweat dried quickly. I was already itching to fight it right away. Just then, a twang echoed in my ears.
“Achilles!!! Don’t just stand there, idiot!!!!”
“Eh?!”
Ping!
The arrow from the string shot cleanly toward Achilles at the same time as Tethys’s shout. I dodged it with lightning-fast legs. The girl, startled by my attack, shot her arrow bravely despite her young age. But bad luck—it hit the water bottle.
Slosh!
“Kyaaak!”
“Ooh?! Mother! Uuuu! Y-you little—?!”
The water bottle fell to the ground and turned into Tethys, rolling on the floor. Seeing her own mother hurt sent my eyes spinning. The ash spear became her fangs and aimed at the girl.
“Die—aaat!”
“Kyaa?!”
Whoosh!
“Stop it!”
Even though I thrust the thick spear, the clean wind cut the air. My spear’s skill was so high that even the epitropos, hurriedly raising its horns, couldn’t block it. It pushed the golden-haired girl back hard.
Clang!
“Huh? ──Clang?”
Deguru-ruru~
“Hwa-haaak?! Hic! Hyaak!”
What the hell?
“Hiiuk, hic, hiii-uuuuk!!!”
“What?!”
It had clearly clanged! But the girl only fell backward and didn’t pierce me. Even though it rolled until it hit the bushes from how hard I’d stabbed, it still didn’t connect. I’d needed to realize in that short time that the clang wasn’t coming from a human body.
‘It feels like poking a rock… that kind of sensation…?’
“Hiiit! Hiiuk!”
Hodadok! Hodadadak!
“──Aah! Where are you going! Come here, you damn brat! You dare run away after shooting our mother?!”
While I was thinking for that short moment, the golden-haired girl fled. I chased after her.
Bwoong!
“Ku-huk?!”
I dodged to the side, body twisting from the huge sound of wind cutting through it. The attacker was… me. Achilles and the epitropos finally turned their hostility toward each other.
“You! You finally decided to fight, huh?! Eh?!”
“Decided to fight or not, you point the spear tip at a child and say that? You’re shameless, woman.”
“Wha? Are you a monster’s child? Your body is super hard.”
“I have no reason to tell you.”
Furu-ru-lung—
It let out a sound like a horse and scratched the ground. It looked like a bull, but its wide wings suited a prince of the sky. The epitropos, showing aggression, had grown even bigger and more impressive than before. Its majesty rivaled the monsters in myth.
“Su-uuu… Haa…”
Achilles, descendant of a hero, prepared to dash with her large, thick thighs bulging with muscle despite being a woman’s body. She looked like a heroine of the age, almost worthy of the name.
“Suddenly charging and stabbing the girl. I’ll punish you properly under the name of your ancestors. Learn your sins with your own body.”
“You’re breeding a monster wearing human skin! Learn the punishment for rolling our mother on the dirt!”
The moment the words ended, two shadows charged at once.
Tuku-wung!
“Wok?!”
“Ku-huuu?!”
The ground shook, and the bushes swayed like waves. Horns and shield collided, sending both bodies flying. The epitropos hit its head on the shield and staggered. Achilles, unable to withstand the monster’s power, rolled backward twice.
“You’re not an ordinary person!”
“Of course I’m not, you idiot!!!”
Even after falling, Achilles immediately stood and charged again with shield raised. This time, the epitropos looked dumbfounded.
Clang!
Embarrassed that it had been pushed over, Achilles’s voice rang louder than necessary as she charged and slammed the shield into the monster’s jaw with tremendous force. Even a monster couldn’t turn its head from that.
“Huh! Eat this!”
“Muuu?! Ouch! Ouch!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
I judged that hitting with the shield was effective. Achilles’s shield strikes came like a storm, and the epitropos’s short yelps repeated. The sound of clang clang clang was so refreshing it blew away stress, as if hammering iron. But while I was enjoying it, I didn’t prepare for the next attack.
“Is this… nonstop nonstop…?!”
Bwoong!
“Hot?! ──Uwaaak!!!”
Of course, the epitropos rolled its head after taking the hit and tossed me away like a giraffe. I rolled on the ground again. This time I rolled three times, covering my body in dirt. With that, the heat finally rose to my head.
“Hiii!”
She, Achilles, spat dirt and shouted.
“You~! I’ll kill you and use you as my trophy! I’ll skin you like a lion from Nemea and make clothes from your hide! Happy to give up your life!”
The epitropos, without holding back, replied.
“You bark well! If you win, I’ll show off in front of the goddess Artemis! Wait for it, you shameless girl!”
When the hatred each sent to the other reached its peak, we collided again.
Tuku-uuu-uuuung!!!!!
One clash exploded the ground and turned the surroundings into a storm. Dirt and gravel flew everywhere, and anyone could see how fierce the fight was. After it began, many dryads and nymphs carried the fallen Tethys and screamed. Even in the middle of the night, there was no sign of peace returning here.