Eris and the Empusa
Chiron primarily taught us about gods and heroes in the forest.
Among them, the one discussed as frequently as the gods themselves was Perseus, the son of Zeus, known as the first hero. He was the son of Zeus and the great-great-grandfather of Heracles.
He was cast into the sea in a chest with his mother by a grandfather who had received a prophecy that he would be killed by his grandson. It is said he was rescued by Dictys, a fisherman on this island—called Seriphos in the Greek mainland—and raised here.
Later, he fell into the schemes of Polydectes, the king of Seriphos and brother of Dictys, who coveted his mother, and performed the great feat of beheading Medusa.
In other words, this place, Seriphos, is practically a holy land for Greek heroes. Even though he was a demigod, it is said that in the surrounding waters, Perseus is revered as a god, worshipped even more fervently than anyone except the king of the gods, Zeus.
And, as it happens, there were two people around me who were obsessed with the title of "the first hero."
“First, we must go to the shrine of Perseus and offer sacrifices!”
“Indeed. Let us go quickly and pay our respects!”
Heracles and Iason had rushed off somewhere the moment we landed, only to return in an instant, scrubbed clean and polished, making a scene about dragging me to Perseus’s shrine. Thinking in modern terms, Perseus was like the highest authority in academia and an idol to them, so I suppose their reaction was natural.
In truth, I, too, had been quite excited deep down when the figures I had only thought of as mythological heroes appeared right before my eyes. Though, it was a bit funny to see that once you peeled back the layers, they were just kids of that age.
“We’ll have to postpone the pilgrimage for now.”
“What!? W-what are you saying, Dianes?”
“Huh? What could possibly be more important than a hero of Greece going to pay respects at the holy site of Perseus!?”
They might look rugged on the outside, but Heracles was famous for his piety even in the Forest of Heroes, and Iason, even if he wasn’t born of Zeus, had been favored by Hera. Furthermore, since they were recognized wherever they went, their "hero complex" was at an all-time high. It was quite funny to see them strutting about, speaking in that strange, archaic tone. However, despite the threats from these self-appointed guardians of divine discipline, I had a clear destination in mind, so I tossed the papyrus I was holding to them.
“While you two were busy scrubbing and polishing yourselves, the king of this island invited us. He said there was an oracle from Athena.”
Not only that, but the moment we entered the island, Athena’s divine mark had started acting up again, so it was no wonder I felt a sudden, crushing fatigue.
‘It’s not like this is some RPG game; why are there endless incidents and quests everywhere I go...’
Since I had already "pre-paid" for the effect, I couldn’t just ignore it unless I planned to live in Greece with no ties to Athena whatsoever. And honestly, since I had successfully sabotaged Athens thanks to that one bracelet, it would be best to go and see what was happening.
“What will you do? If you heroes say you’re going to pay respects to Perseus, the king won’t complain. Shall I go ahead?”
“...Of course, paying respects to my great-great-grandfather Perseus is important, but if Lady Athena has shown an oracle and summoned us, that must take priority!”
“Indeed! If the goddess has entrusted us with a duty, how could a descendant of Poseidon be anything but swift!”
“....”
My eyes were starting to ache from their theatrical posturing, but it was still bearable. Just as I was about to drag the two puffed-up youngsters toward the royal castle of Seriphos, it happened.
“Dianes.”
“Eri...na. Where did you go?”
Eris, who had vanished at some point, had reappeared and was tugging at my sleeve. I was used to calling her Eris, so calling her by her alias felt awkward, but since no one else was listening, what did it matter?
More than that, the face of Eris, whom I turned to look at, was the real problem.
Usually, Eris’s face, while beautiful, was characterized by the spiteful, venomous air befitting the goddess of hatred and discord. If she was angry or displeased, she would either throw a tantrum or act as if she were about to breathe fire; she never wore such a miserable, chewed-up expression.
“Hey, um. Can we talk quietly for a moment?”
“...What is it?”
She was the one who would always cling to me with a bright laugh or throw a fit demanding I play the gold, so seeing her suddenly go limp and call me like that was chilling.
“Hey, Dianes? Is something the matter...”
“You two, wait here for a moment. Erina has something to tell me.”
“...Oh, then we shall wait.”
“We must, we certainly must.”
“You two go ahead and meet the king. It’s not me they called for, but the heroes, so it shouldn’t matter.”
Every time Heracles and Iason sensed something amiss and tried to ask me about Erina’s identity, Eris would pressure them with her glowing red eyes. They were high on their hero and martial arts complex, but they were individuals with top-tier intuition and gi-gam (energy sensing), so they probably already had some inkling of who she was. As proof, weren’t they pushing me to go quickly when Erina, the "servant," pulled me away?
‘Is that the level of competence required to play hero in Greece?’
I handed the king’s invitation to them and left the tavern where we had been sitting, following Eris. We walked for a long time before stopping in front of a certain mansion.
“Sigh...”
“Why the sigh? And what is this mansion?”
Eris stood in front of the mansion gate and let out another deep sigh. It was clear she hated her situation—having to do something she didn’t want to do.
“It’s just that...”
“Lady Eris. You have arrived.”
“Welcome. We have been waiting.”
While Eris was hesitating, women who had rushed out from the mansion greeted her. But these twin women... something was off.
“Hmm?”
Setting aside the fact that they were identical twins, they were beautiful women who would captivate any man at first glance. They had long black hair similar to mine, and a cat-like beauty supported by a naturally seductive smile, as if they were trying to lure a man in.
However, the footsteps I felt through the soles of my feet were a mixture of metallic sounds and hoofbeats, and from their hands, covered in long gloves, flowed streams of ominous killing intent and malice.
Above all, the unusual scent of blood stimulated me. They seemed to be trying to hide it, as the smell of heavy perfume grew stronger the closer they got, but the scent of blood emanating from them was too thick to be masked by such expensive fragrance.
“You aren’t human, are you?”
At my words, the twins who had come out of the mansion widened their eyes slightly and nodded.
“As expected, you are the demigod our Mother has been keeping an eye on.”
“Indeed, a hero worthy of Athena’s recommendation.”
“You don’t even seem to have any intention of hiding it.”
As they called Eris—who was already disguised as a human—by her name, and mentioned Athena while the goddess’s bracelet was glowing, a name I had learned in the Forest of Heroes naturally surfaced, connecting the various clues.
“The vampire, Empusa.”
A demonic beast with one leg made of bronze and the other of a donkey. According to Chiron’s lessons, they were masters of transformation, using their beautiful appearances to lure men and drink their blood. I had heard that the goddess who created them was Hecate, the goddess of magic, and that they acted as her daughters or subordinates, making them closer to divine messengers than mere monsters.
‘And what was it? They said if you curse them out thoroughly, they run away?’
Everyone had chuckled, asking what kind of monster that was and saying Hecate must have raised them to be delicate ladies. I never imagined I’d actually meet an Empusa.
However, their tone of voice was starting to irritate me. It wasn’t just that they were being polite; it felt like they were looking down on me.
“Excuse me, but I would appreciate it if you would refrain from using the insult ‘vampire’.”
“As you say. We are Empusa, and we bear the name bestowed upon us by the Mother of Magic, whom even the three great gods revere, and whose glory we enjoy.”
Furthermore, the Empusa seemed displeased with the title of "vampire" I had used, growling at me while letting out a hint of killing intent. Yet, they didn’t correct the fact that blood-drinking was their primary diet.
‘Then you are vampires, aren’t you?’
To think they would show killing intent just because they were offended while following Eris. My patience was truly beginning to wear thin.
“Ah, my apologies. But tell me, in front of whom are you displaying this killing intent?”
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Killing intent for killing intent.
-Swoosh!
As I frowned and slightly released my aura, the air all around us began to sharpen with a sound like wind whistling.
“Ugh?!”
“Gack!?”
The faces of the Empusa, who had been looking down on me while masking their sarcasm with politeness, turned deathly pale in an instant, and the lush garden of the mansion withered and turned yellow as if hit by herbicide.
“When a guest arrives, one should inform the master. How dare servants act so insolently, as if they were the masters themselves.”
“I, I’m sorry...”
“S, save...”
[Shall I show you a real lesson?]
-Kiyaaaaak!
The scream of a sword, followed by the roar of a demon. Just as I was raising my aura, determined to teach them a proper lesson, there was a presence approaching, piercing through my intent.
“Stop~ Calm down. Our girls are just a little excited, that’s all.”
-Snap!
At the same time, the sound of fingers snapping echoed, and the killing intent that had densely filled the surroundings vanished like snow melting.