Unexpected Good News
The days were busy with Atalanta’s conquest of Elis, the tripartite alliance between Erytheia, Arcadia, and Messenia, and the management of trade related to Greater Erytheia. For the record, Heracles seemed to have had some sort of epiphany in the midst of the Battle of Olympia. I heard he had entered the Temple of Zeus in Olympia to seclude himself for closed-door cultivation.
By the looks of it, my arrangements had worked perfectly; the volatile temper he’d shown in the forest had mellowed significantly, and he had grown enough to lead his own troops. His strength, too, was no longer just mindless rampaging—it had become more fierce and precise, honed by proper martial arts and Heavenly Demon Arts.
'...Wait, is he already having an epiphany with martial arts on the level of the Nine Great Sects or the Five Great Clans?'
Naturally, Antaios and his subordinates, who had received the Pacheon-gwon (Heaven-Breaking Fist) from me, were stimulated by this. As soon as they finished unloading the cargo and exchanging greetings with Atalanta, they left only the trade and diplomatic personnel behind and rushed off to Olympia, where Heracles was staying.
Just as I was sighing to myself, wondering what kind of cheat character he was, another agenda that needed processing was slid in front of me.
"An academy, huh... Queen Atalanta, what do you think?"
"Recruiting students will be easy. Since we’ve announced that anyone, regardless of birth or lineage, can become a general or a sage if they have the ability and passion, volunteers are pouring out from all over Arcadia. The problem is the teachers and the budget..."
"For teachers, we can just bring in the Phesakaines or the demigods."
In this world, the act of education itself is almost an exclusive privilege of the elite. The demigods who had been educated by all sorts of masters in the Hero's Forest were top-tier resources. If I ordered Chiron to bring them along under the guise of social practice for the kids and teaching internships for the budding sages, it would save us a lot of trouble.
As for the budget, Peleus, who was sitting next to me, was already busy working his hands and eyes.
"Peleus. How is it?"
"Y-yes!? Ah, yes! Are you referring to the gifts brought by Antaios and the trade with Erytheia?"
Peleus bowed nervously at my call, but his eyes were flashing not with fear or submission, but with pure awe and joy. He was the head of a merchant guild famous throughout the Peloponnese, and the quick judgment he had shown during the Battle of Tegea was the reason I had Atalanta appoint him to a high position.
"Yes, how is it?"
"...In a word. It is as if a being of immense wealth has bestowed a blessing upon us."
Just by disposing of Antaios's gifts, we wouldn't have to worry about the budget for the items currently on the agenda. Furthermore, the forecast was that if trade and exchange with Erytheia began, we could surpass Athens in both military and national power within five years.
Ereinea and Iason cheered in unison at those words. Here in Greece, Athens held a status that surpassed the United States of the 21st century. It was only natural; located in the heart of the Aegean Sea, it managed all shipping routes, and it was the place where the blessings of Athena, Zeus's eldest daughter, and the descendants of the supreme god Zeus were most concentrated.
To think we could catch up to Athens in just five years if we grew at this rate. It meant that the resources, financial power, and military strength of Erytheia were immense, and it was proof that Arcadia, which could digest all of this, had incredible potential as well.
Naturally, the three of them looked at me with eyes full of respect as they cheered at Peleus's confirmation.
"Ahem!"
It was only natural that Atalanta, sitting next to me, would hold her head high as she slipped her arm through mine. I, too, smiled faintly, told everyone they had worked hard, and dismissed the meeting.
"Hey... Dianes...♥"
While everyone else was leaving the office, relieved to be finally free from work, I couldn't help but chuckle at the firm, bronze-colored arm and the supple chest that gently entwined with mine.
Atalanta, who had returned after conquering Elis and receiving the surrender of Zeus's sanctuary, Olympia, had been throwing suggestive glances and playing mischievous pranks on me even while handling urgent government affairs. She would stroke my thigh while pretending to hand over documents, or rub her chest against my arm while we looked at papers together.
It seemed the hot-blooded young queen had finally run out of patience; in her eyes, which were smiling bashfully, lust flickered like a wildfire.
Late at night.
"Hee, heeee...♥"
Atalanta, who had been dancing violently on top of me, finally succumbed to my spearmanship and collapsed onto me. I savored her firm, sweat-drenched body for a moment. When I carefully laid her down, limp and clinging to my neck, and let her use my arm as a pillow, Atalanta burrowed into my embrace, smiling with satisfaction like a tamed beast.
"Hee-hung... hee-hehehe..."
"Hoo..."
We, not wearing a single scrap of cloth, held each other for a while, savoring the warmth and the sound of our breathing.
Atalanta, whose patience had completely run out, had been holed up in the room with me since early evening, skipping even dinner. It was obvious that my reason had flown out the window the moment she grabbed my neck and buried her lips into mine, without even a moment to exchange light greetings or talk about how we’d been. Before I knew it, it was the deep, deep night.
"Hee-euuu..."
The sight of a queen, who was admired and respected by everyone from the warriors who followed her to the commoners below, lying beneath me with tear-filled eyes and begging, was the ultimate seasoning that stimulated a man's lust to the extreme. In the end, after she had reached the peak countless times until she nearly fainted, I was finally able to catch up with Atalanta, whom I had reunited with after so long.
"Hoo... I'm a bit tired."
If Nesneria in bed was like an endless swamp, Atalanta was like a tamed beast. A giant lioness who purred at my touch, acted cute, and buried her head in my body, begging for hugs. However, a lioness who leads the pride in hunting and flaunts her martial prowess is, no matter how docile she may be, more vigorous and energetic than any divine beast.
Even while she was in my arms, crying and begging, her firm legs and the body that bound me left me completely soul-less.
"Hee-ung... Dia...nes..."
"Sleep well, Atalanta."
After carefully detaching Atalanta, who was giggling in my arms, I kissed her forehead, got up, and stepped outside wearing only a light robe.
Nesneria had ridden the ocean currents to go meet her sisters as soon as we arrived in Greece. The problem was that during the very smooth voyage, Neri, having no entertainment, had relieved her boredom with me, who was right next to her. And I had willingly accepted it. But to face the strongest female warrior in Greek history without a moment's rest right after returning...
"Oh my... I'm strangely tired."
How should I put it? I felt good, but I was incredibly exhausted. I wanted to just hold Atalanta and fall asleep, but I couldn't sleep at all because of the worries that had returned to the place where the pleasure had subsided, so I decided to go out for a walk.
"Hmm... First of all, it's running well for a country made in a rush."
It was great news that Arcadia, which I had ended up using as my main base, was running well on its own even without me. Well, even if the scale was much smaller than the Central Plains, the synergy was infinite when the social devices and academic theories developed to manage the vast lands of the Central Plains were handled by the sages and demigods of the Mythic Era. As Peleus said, the center of Greece might shift from Athens to Arcadia before long.
However, I couldn't help but worry about something else.
"Ugh, I've drawn a bit too much aggro."
The problem was how the gods would view Arcadia, which had now made its name known throughout Greece, not like an awl in a pocket, but like a tiger roaring from a mountain peak.
"For now, all the other gods are fine, but..."
From Athena, Zeus's eldest daughter, to the god Hephaestus, the most dangerous Ares, and Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty. Even Hera, the queen of the gods, and Poseidon, the sea god who rivals Zeus. Even if I just counted the gods who were currently on friendly terms with me, there would be no one in Greece who had ever formed such friendly relationships with the gods.
Even Apollo and Artemis, who were hostile to me, were not even worth worrying about.
Antaios had assured me that the Sun God would need to recover for at least a few years. And the goddess of the pure maiden would kneel before me at a mere gesture, acting like a whore and writhing in pleasure. Whether I corrupted her soul entirely to make her a slave who obeyed my every word, or threatened her with her own lewd behavior to make her submit, Artemis was already mine without her even knowing it, and Apollo would find it difficult to even enter his own temple for the time being.
Truly, I was in a state where I held the best cards to respond to any situation. The only problem was that the existence who could render even those trump cards useless in an instant was the most dangerous source of anxiety.
"Zeus..."
His power was said to be stronger than all the other gods combined, and his lightning bolt could flash all the way to the bottom of the abyss where Chaos slept. Even with such power, judging by his track record, it was like a nuclear bomb being held by a capricious child who didn't know where he would strike next.
"Especially Olympia. Since I conquered the region where Zeus's sanctuary is located, there's no way Zeus wouldn't know."
Perhaps Atalanta and Iason were worried about this too, as they had dragged out the high priest of Olympia and instead installed Heracles as the person in charge of Olympia.
Since it wasn't just anyone, but Zeus's most favored great hero who was stationed at Zeus's sanctuary, the appearance and justification weren't too bad. However, Zeus was a god who could never be fully trusted. My worries only deepened.
"I've made arrangements, but I have no way to verify them..."
It was when I was sighing while looking up at the bright full moon.
"Brotheeeeer!!"
"Hm? Whoa?!"
I had been lost in deep thought, but my cultivation level was still my cultivation level. I was able to easily catch the pink mass that had suddenly flown into my arms along with a shrill voice.
She had been so happy to jump into my arms, but the pink-haired goddess was startled and flipped backward.
"Eris, what are you doing?"
"Hee... y-you scared me. You, just how much are you doing?!"
"That's what I want to ask. What are you doing at this hour?"
"Oh, right. Now is not the time for this, is it?"
Eris was always chaotic, acting one way then another, but today she was particularly so. Usually, that only happened when a war or a fight had broken out...
"It's war! Brother, war! A civil war is about to break out on Olympus!"
"....What?!"
My voice couldn't help but rise at Eris's words, which sparkled with wicked joy.