Chapter 112
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Pretext and Desire
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Hah, look at this guy?
Theseus boldly pointing his sword at me and challenging me to a duel.
To me, his dark intentions were crystal clear, but at a glance, he looked like some prince on a white horse come to rescue a tragic heroine.
With all eyes already on us, for him to pull this kind of blatant aggro and challenge me to a fight—it was one of two things.
'Either he's backed into a corner, or he's got something to rely on.'
Or maybe both.
Either way, it was a pretty fresh experience.
Politics? I'd been tangled up in it so much that I was numb to it, so nothing weird there, but for the one pulling the strings to be none other than a mythic hero?
'In the end, people are the same everywhere, huh?'
That pretty-boy schemer from the Zhuge family who stirred up crowds with his Smurf-like cleverness and friendly face.
Trace the origins of any war, and at its root, it was always greed.
Think about it.
Even if his eyes were blinded and he was rampaging blindly right now, Theseus was—along with Jason—one of the top strategists in this forest when it came to wisdom and tactics.
A guy like that would know full well that no ordinary tactics or strategies would work on me, no matter how much he trash-talked or rationalized it.
'Unless he drags in Chiron or Heracles for real. Otherwise, his win rate is zero.'
So what was it?
What was he aiming for by charging at me like this, demanding a fight?
That look in his eyes when he glanced at Atalanta hadn't been normal...
'Nah, no way.'
Still, his nickname was Hero of Wisdom. No way he'd blow things up this big just for her.
Probably, his real goal was to clash with me head-on—win and take the glory, or even if he lost, chip away at the reputation I'd built from yesterday's duel.
He'd scoop up that lost prestige himself, and even if I overwhelmed him, he'd get sympathy votes.
In contrast, even if I won, I'd just be seen as a brute with brute strength, which meant—at worst—a momentary defeat, but Atalanta and the prestige would still fall into his hands. That had to be the shallow calculus behind it.
'Tsk tsk tsk... What a waste of promising talent on cheap tricks.'
It was the textbook case of a jealous powerhouse I'd seen countless times climbing the demonic cult ranks.
Guys with solid personal skills wasting their brains and talents on pointless politicking.
And if a guy like that was speaking with such confidence...?
"I saw it too! He quietly called Atalanta over and unleashed merciless violence on her!"
"He even dropped her from up high!"
"Her arm was broken, she was crying, and he didn't stop—just kept punching..."
Aha, bingo.
Out came the cheerleaders.
A quick sweep with my senses picked up the demigods from Troezen and Athens—the ones who'd been glued to Theseus—whispering away busily.
The problem was, it was working pretty damn well.
Even I had to admit, the Reverse Heaven Magic I'd shown yesterday was pretty ominous.
-Whisper whisper.
-Murmur murmur.
Hmm~
The fragrant scent of jealousy and suspicion.
Three loaves of bread without any yogurt? Piece of cake.
"H-Hey... Theseus, what's with you all of a sudden...?"
At this point, even this clueless wild boar king was startled and tried to hold Theseus back, but instead, I quietly raised a hand to silence Heracles.
If a half-decent, up-and-coming Hero of Wisdom was throwing politics my way, I had to play along.
With quests popping up non-stop every day, and I hadn't even collected all the rewards from the last one, a new one popping up was a bit tiring.
But a clever guy openly baring his pitch-black envy and greed like this? It had been a while, so it was actually pretty amusing.
Alright then.
First, let's flip the board they set up.
"Fine, I accept."
-!!
"What...?"
Neither Theseus nor the crowd had expected me to accept so cleanly—they all gasped in surprise.
But they weren't done being surprised yet.
"You're not seriously suggesting a one-on-one with me, are you...?"
"...Yes, as humiliating as it is. I'm far too weak to rescue her from your hands alone! But my comrades, the righteous host fighting with me—they will face you!"
"Oh...."
I was impressed again.
To declare a gang-up so boldly while still looking so righteous and upright.
Truly, people eat half their meals with their faces.
Anyway, even that much I'd half-expected.
A quick glance around showed about two hundred little heroes glaring at me with grim resolve.
And if he pulled in more with promises and cajoling? Given Theseus's reputation, five hundred would be a breeze.
However, even in those warriors radiating grim determination, fear and terror toward me was rampant. At this rate, the fight was already lost before it began.
But they'd calculated this far too—hoping to push me from an object of admiration to one of fear and envy, like Heracles.
A calculation worthy of the Hero of Wisdom.
But I planned to turn it right back on them.
"As you all know."
Word was, in Athens, the sages held public debates on grand stages for all to see.
A verbal duel of rhetoric and logic to achieve their goals.
I had no idea how confident this future king of Athens, the wise hero, was in his eloquence.
But when it came to playing with human desires, no one could match me.
'You should thank me.'
I'd turn those suicidal support troops dying under his command into berserkers who'd charge into fire if he ordered it.
"My lover, the princess of the sea, the beautiful nymph Nesneria—she is a renowned Nereid, sister by rank to Poseidon's queen, the sea goddess Amphitrite, and the youngest daughter of the great ocean king Oceanus."
What was the heaviest, most absolute, and provocative topic in this Greece?
The gods.
Eternal, immortal, beautiful, and mighty absolutes.
Especially when names of Olympian gods and ancient Titan gods popped up alongside—the murmuring crowd fell silent, and even Theseus, who'd been denouncing me so fiercely, shut his mouth.
The ancient-style agitation vanished in an instant.
"And as you all know, her sisters—the beautiful daughters of a thousand waves—are lonely deep in the ocean, despite their beauty and kind hearts."
Beautiful spirits, kind hearts, lonely.
And their background wasn't some common nymph—it was blood of Titan gods, nearly minor goddesses?
No words could capture the ears of young men in their prime better than that.
In fact, the guys who'd been looking grim like suicide squad members were now lighting up, eyes sparkling wildly.
"When I went to the sea last time, amid all that, my lover's sisters asked me for a favor."
Like their lovely youngest, they wanted beautiful bonds too—but they feared wicked land-dwellers and licentious gods, too scared to come ashore.
So, they wished for bonds like the sturdy hero protecting their precious youngest.
-....!!!
For a moment, I saw it.
The little heroes, gone quiet, twitching at my words—their eyes and shoulders stirring. They all anticipated my next words.
Gazing at me with desperate longing, hoping I'd confirm it.
"Gasp...!"
The atmosphere flipped in an instant with just a few words from me.
Theseus finally realized he'd been outmaneuvered and sucked in a breath, but the momentum had already shifted to me.
"Ooooh... No way?"
'...And what the hell are you gawking at?'
Meanwhile, Heracles staring at me with a dopey grin... just ignore him.
The guy was a straight-up wild boar in every way—worry about him and it'd never end.
"You all know it anyway. In this forest, excluding Heracles, no amount of numbers can match me."
Not arrogance—just fact.
Anyone who'd seen that massive battle yesterday, which even awed me, couldn't dare refute it.
I, the demigod Dianes, was extremely, extremely strong.
No one but Heracles could match me.
"But since ancient times, it hasn't been the strong or the rich who win a beauty's heart."
"Only the courageous have won beauties, gained honor, and been etched in history!"
But even so, what reason would make them throw everything at me?
Not some hollow pretext or shallow justice—but a reason worth risking life and limb as a man?
If I gave them that?
"As one who could not refuse the wish of the beautiful Nereids, daughters of Oceanus, sisters of a thousand waves, I promise."
Those who bravely face me in the war against Theseus, those who leave a strong impression on me—they shall, on the night of Demeter's returning harvest festival,
hear the chorus of beautiful nymphs by the moonlit sea and sing with them.
I trailed off here, letting them stew a bit.
-...!!!
As the men's desires peaked in the silence,
I roared like a lion, igniting their lust.
"What do you say? Any man worth his balls ought to stake his life on it at least once, right?!"
My words turned the quiet campfire into chaos.
-Wooooaaahhhh!!!
-Dianes! Dianes! Dianes! Dianes!
The little heroes chanted my name like fanatic devotees welcoming a god, their battle spirit surging.
It was as fervent and fanatical as a last-stand death squad.
"Kuh...!"
Theseus, bewildered by the 180-degree reversal.
Meeting his eyes, I couldn't hold back my amusement.
With this, every scheme he'd plotted was utterly dismantled.
The war? With them charging in so enthusiastically, it'd go great.
But after the war, what would linger in their minds wouldn't be fighting fiercely under Theseus against the evil demon Dianes.
It would be themselves heading to meet beautiful nymphs after passionate battle, led by Dianes.
What? Lose the war but win the game?
'What kind of boring nonsense is that?'
If you're gonna gamble, go all-in and take everything.
"Grrr..."
"Haha, now the fun's starting."
Right?
Theseus grinding his teeth in frustration, his handsome face twisted—morning sheep milk never tasted sweeter.