Chapter 7 - It's Clearly the Moon's Fault
The golden-haired beauty sang with such a stunning melody that the constellations in the sky began to dance. Even the lifeless pebbles rolled around him, tumbling back and forth as if in rhythm. And the fire we had ignited from Apollo himself transformed into rainbow hues, answering his music like a miracle worthy of myth.
Orpheus, meanwhile, played with the same single-minded focus as if lost in his own tune, sweat dripping down his handsome face. His tiny lyre produced such an immense sound that it turned the entire festival upside down.
Even Artemis was moved by his music, and the wild Achilles settled down to listen with a grin. His sister shed tears. Since I had joined the Argos expedition, I was already familiar with his songs and showed no special reaction. The other adventurers felt the same, and he knew it.
“The darkened sky is now shining bright!”
“Whoa?”
“H-actually?!”
“Look up!”
From the citizens’ chatter, everyone lifted their eyes to the sky. A tear-streaked little sun descended, bathing the dark heavens in light. Everyone recoiled from its heat, but Orpheus and I stood unmoved in the center of the agora as it approached, never pausing our lyre playing.
“Is it Apollo, my lord?!”
With that shout, the sun’s heat vanished and it took human form. The radiant golden youth was unmistakably Apollo himself. His splendor was even more dazzling than Orpheus’s, and the sun god’s eyes looked straight at us both, smiling warmly. Tears had formed at the corners of his eyes because he was so pleased with our music. The plan had clearly worked perfectly.
“Orpheus.”
“Hmm?”
At my signal, we stopped playing and, like festival representatives, dropped to one knee. Apollo’s smile grew even brighter as he gazed at the beautiful young man. He placed a hand on our shoulders, radiating joy.
“Orpheus and Perseus~! For two heroes I especially love to gather here and praise me, the sun god nearly flew into the sky in delight! Since this festival has been watched from the heavens, I needn’t explain everything! Just enjoy it beautifully and vibrantly!”
PA-PAAAAAANG!!!!
Apollo spread his arms wide as if embracing us. Warm flames shot high into the dark night, illuminating all of Argos like day. In response, every living thing opened its mouths and sang softly, the tune as quiet as the wind. Unless you listened closely, you might miss it. But hearing that song echo across the entire city was already strange enough.
“Apollo has granted us his blessing! Everyone! Long live Apollo!”
『Long live!』
『Long live Apollo!』
“Bless the sun god who lights up this world!”
『Blessings! Blessings from Apollo!』
I shouted to stir the atmosphere, and the people responded. Of course, I had prepared the whistle-blowers in advance, so no one could get carried away. Everyone raised their temple wine high and cheered. Even the new arrivals who had joined us with the whistles lifted their cups and joined in. By now, the cries of blessing toward Apollo spread on their own without my pushing.
“Eleven years old already… ugh… so cruel…”
Only I could hear that tiny murmur. Artemis knew I had prepared the whistle-blowers. I had tried so hard to make people happy, yet she was muttering under her breath. Whoa.
“Hahahahahaha!!! You all are so magnificent! Praising me like this, how could I not look adorable?! Hahahahahahahaha!!!!”
Meanwhile, Apollo looked blissfully unaware, lost in pure happiness. Back in this era, such lavish festivals honoring the gods were almost unheard of. I had expected the joy to make him tremble. The plan was going so perfectly that I worried it might backfire later.
‘I’ll let him enjoy himself for a while.’
Apollo seemed more interested in Orpheus than in me, so he chatted with him while still playing his lyre. As the beautiful music doubled in frequency, the atmosphere heated up even more. The fire we had kindled from Apollo took the form of a beast, running wild around us.
The citizens had tasted several miracles from the god’s descent. They had regained their health thanks to Demeter’s wine, and even the elderly now looked vital. While the two of them kept playing their lyres together, I sat enjoying the thanks from the recovered elders. Once that ended, I slipped into a corner of the festival and watched the situation unfold before heading to Artemis.
“How was it?”
“It was so flashy it made me jealous. My own goddess of the hunt can’t even dream of such a spectacle.”
~!
Her lips pouted out in clear discomfort. She had to rely on her twin brother Apollo for help, and yet such a lavish festival had been held in his name while everyone praised him. She was clearly on the verge of exploding with jealousy.
“So jealous of this? You suddenly look adorable in the strangest places.”
“Mmm…”
She turned her head away, avoiding my gaze. I stepped closer, now acting like an adult, and did exactly what I had prepared to soothe her.
“Excuse me.”
“Eh? W-what? Suddenly—?”
She looked stunned when I suddenly became an adult, and before she could react, I took her hand and flattened her palm. She was at a complete loss. She seemed worried I might have some bad intentions, but the moment she saw the wooden carving that had appeared on her palm, her expression changed.
“What is this?”
“Before the festival, we gathered the children and had them carve the sun.”
“That thing with added symbolic meaning just to flatter Apollo?”
“Yes. While helping, one child remembered his twin goddess Artemis. He said he wanted to praise both gods and tried carving the moon. How smart it was! We gave him plenty of gold for one.”
Here, here, look at the fingerprints. The child made it himself, but he really did well, right? Hahahaha.
“U-um, uh… yeah… well made indeed…”
She shot me a suspicious glare, wondering what I wanted to say next. She must have suspected I was up to something because I was so good at flattery.
“Don’t worry. It really was a child who carved it. I never commanded them, nor did I direct them.”
“Hmph… really…?”
“Yes. So you don’t need to be so sullen. Even a child remembered to carve Artemis in Apollo’s festival. The goddess’s position is incredibly secure. No matter what anyone says, the moon goddess can only be you. This is both proof and the true feelings of me and the citizens of Argos.”
I handed her the moon carving the child had made and let go of her hand. Artemis, who adored children, would never throw away something she had made for herself.
“…………”
Surprisingly, she stared at the carving she had never been told to make, lost in deep thought. Her expression was serious, but the corners of her lips kept twitching upward, clearly trying to hide her joy.
“Just as everyone accepts the sun rising as natural, so too do we accept the moon rising at night as natural. Just like that, no one doubts that the sun and moon stand side by side. Even us humans think that way. I hope the moon goddess herself doesn’t doubt her own position.”
“T-there’s never been any… I was just jealous, that’s all…”
“Jealous of your half-sibling. That’s doubting your own position.”
“Uuuuh~! Uh…”
Artemis tried to speak, but finally fell silent. She looked up at me, defeated.
“If you ever return, I’ll hold a festival in Artemis’s honor then.”
“……Really?”
“Today was rushed, but next time I’ll prepare properly. It will be an even grander festival. And wouldn’t you want to return quickly with something like this?”
“Umm… that might… maybe…?”
“It might feel unpleasant to bow your head and beg Apollo, but if anything bothersome comes up, I’ll supplement it from the side. So for now, smile. Once the goddess of the moon returns, let her come down to the festival you’ll open for yourself and smile whenever you want.”
“Ugh… you really…”
I could tell she sensed the flattery, but I grinned cheekily anyway. Now might be the perfect time to cross a line. I leaned in, pressed my lips to the back of her hand where I held the object.
Smack.
“Hah?!”
She jerked back in shock. The goddess who hunted beasts had suddenly become a rabbit fleeing from me.
“It wasn’t even that big a deal, yet you reacted like an innocent virgin. Did I make you uncomfortable?”
“That was super rude~! Virgin? I’m a virgin goddess! H-hmph~!”
“That’s right.”
She had been distracted, so I flicked her head lightly with the ordinary bow I used for hunting and glared at me. But the intimacy was far from the level of someone who had truly been angered. I felt we were getting along quite well.
“Hngh… hmph, hmph. If you’re really a girl, you can’t stop yourself~?! Not even Orion!”
“Unfortunately, I do have a partner.”
“You say that while clearly having other women pregnant, right?”
“I can’t deny that.”
“At least deny it with words! I’m a virgin goddess!”
“But I’m just an ordinary girl now.”
“You~! Cocky jerk~! Hmph!”
She flicked my head again with the bow. I caught it and we spent the time like that. It seemed like it would take Apollo a long time to snap out of his fun with Orpheus, and we used that time to narrow the gap between us. Fortunately, Artemis became surprisingly tolerant once she was close with someone. No matter what prank I tried, she accepted it with delight. Time slipped away unnoticed.