Chapter 47
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Don't Worry, Sit Down
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"Don't worry. Sit down."
Heracles, unexpectedly or predictably, was the type to grill the meat himself.
He couldn't stand watching the centaurs burn the meat, so he hauled over an entire grill and set it right next to our table.
With his own hands, he pounded a massive hunk of lamb into tenderloin, then tore it apart bare-handed and slapped the pieces straight onto the grill.
"These sheep have run around so much that you have to tenderize them like this to make them edible."
"But did you have to do it right in front of everyone?"
The great hero's brutal meat-tenderizing show—floating a man-sized chunk of meat in the air and delivering ten strikes in a flash—had turned away anyone who might have approached to chat with Neri and me, their faces pale as ghosts.
The Nereid nymphs were overprotected whether on land or sea, and Neri was the baby of the family, monopolizing her sisters' love. Until she met me, she had hardly any outside contact beyond her sisters and family.
Even then, it was only after the forest nymphs of Pasos Island spread the word that I was the one who had pacified Pasos's woods and shores that her sisters allowed her external activities—as long as I was with her.
But this was the Heroes' Forest.
A top-tier academy where sons and daughters of gods, princes and princesses from every corner, studied under centaur sages and various masters. In Korean terms, it was like Daechi-dong or Cheongnam-dong on steroids.
I figured this was a decent place for Neri to make friends, so since we were here anyway, I thought I'd help her befriend some folks while getting to know the crowd myself. That's why we sat down together.
But then came this barbaric, extreme dinner show of pounding and ripping apart a hunk of meat the size of an adult with his bare hands. Back to square one, reciting Amitabha Buddha under my breath.
I started questioning if bringing Neri here was a good idea, but then I saw the little white nymph sparkling with excitement beside Heracles, who was diligently sprinkling salt and pepper as he flipped the meat.
She's loving it, so how can it be bad?
"Whoa! Such a huge piece of meat! Sizzle sizzle! It looks delicious!"
"Check this out. I thought a sea princess like you might not like land meat, but you've got a great eye for it."
Heracles chuckled fondly at Neri, who was bouncing around the grill drooling, and handed her the spice salt he was holding.
"Here! Princess, when I flip it, you sprinkle it on!"
"Like this?"
-Whoosh!
No sooner had Neri taken the bowl than she swung it over the meat like she was threshing grain.
Everyone froze in horror at the innocent disaster, but Heracles just grinned.
"Hya!"
With a hearty shout, he swung the massive hunk of meat.
It was a feat that happened in the blink of an eye.
Thanks to that, the people at the table avoided a pepper bomb catastrophe.
And the dinner party didn't turn into an impromptu chemical warfare drill from the spice smoke.
"Whoa! The seasoning soaked into every corner of the meat!"
"Right? Sea princess, you've got a talent for grilling."
"Really?"
"You bet!"
Ehhhahaha!
Ehehehe!
I couldn't help but smirk at the giant and the fairy, who seemed to share a mental age, laughing together at the top of their lungs.
Well, if the great Greek hero's second friend after me is her... it should be fine, right?
"Hey, you piglet! Warn us next time! I almost got hit by that meat!"
"A hunk of meat my size grazing past my nose isn't good for the nerves!"
"Huh? Did you get hurt?"
Just then, Jason and Theseus, who had been hauling over a whole dressed lamb, nearly got flattened by the meat and shot Heracles dirty looks. But they quickly wilted under Neri's innocent gaze, sensing the pressure.
"N-no, it's nothing. This is..."
"Ahem, we're among the top in this forest. We dodge without even looking."
The two forced smiles onto their faces, pretending it was no big deal.
Heracles snickered behind Neri, making veins bulge on their foreheads.
But since VIP guests were present, they quickly composed themselves and started grilling fish and veggies on the hot plate.
"Durgubz... mizdaz..."
"Keehihihi, durg burn wizt grintz?"
Heracles, who couldn't beat them in words or wits despite his strength, used Neri the VIP as a shield to roast them verbally.
It was skillful how he growled just low enough that only they could hear, not Neri.
Word had it no one in the forest could match Heracles in raw power anymore, and Jason and Theseus were the only ones keeping up with him through strategy and tactics. Heracles seemed to respect them for it, as he was unusually friendly with those two.
-Ting!
"What a fitting pair they make."
Meaning more like same-age friends than a romantic couple.
Orpheus, who had brought his lyre even to dinner and was plucking it cheerfully, added his two cents.
I nodded at the words from the guy who struck me as a total space cadet from the first meeting.
Fortunately, Atalanta—who had been eyeing Neri with complicated feelings and nearly crushing my hand during dinner—had stepped away on Artemis huntress business.
At Jason and Theseus's invitation, I was sitting with Neri among the so-called Golden Generation in the Heroes' Forest.
"It's been ages since I've seen Neri this excited. You did well bringing her."
"Of course. How stifling must it have been for such a beautiful soul, cooped up in the sea under the guise of protection."
"Is there a more brilliant, beautiful light than that which a child emits while exploring the world?"
Orpheus gazed warmly at Heracles and Nesneria playing with the meat, then turned those eyes to me.
"And Alkmene's son—or Heracles. You wouldn't know how much that friend has longed for friends like you or Nesneria."
"What do you mean by that?"
-Ting!
Orpheus plucked his lyre again and smiled meaningfully, as enigmatic as his words.
"Well... Others might not get it, but surely you know what I mean without me saying."
"...If it's a riddle, please stop. My head's already pounding from the messenger god—or thief god's—puzzle."
A busy day of neighborhood tours, followed by the sudden reunion with Neri.
My head was spinning so much I hadn't even thought about solving the riddle.
I needed to figure it out fast—who knew when a solar beam orbit strike might drop at dawn...
"Ugh..."
"Hmm, a riddle. Come to think of it, Hermes visited the clinic with Master Chiron."
"Master Chiron came out holding the lady hunter and the boar in his arms."
"The witty Olympian messenger gave you a test of wisdom."
"Yeah, and the prize is my life."
I crunched on a celery-like stalk dipped in yogurt sauce. The crisp texture and tangy sauce delighted my mouth.
It was so good that it even brought back my appetite, chased away by the resurfacing headache of the riddle.
"...This is tasty."
"Demeter's daughters tend it with care. Even the forest beasts get drunk on it and howl under the moonlit frost at night."
Orpheus drizzled olive oil over his salad bowl and hummed in agreement like it was a song.
But his intrigued eyes weren't on my food review—they had no interest in mere likes.
"So, what's the riddle?"
"...Hmm."
A child born without a midwife, the process by which the child obtains his third divine deed.
Since it mentioned "divine deed," it was almost certainly about gods—and their births.
Maybe this bard, who sang of myths and history, knew the answer?
Just as I decided to spill the riddle to Orpheus with that in mind...
"...No."
"Hmm? Why not?"
Upon second thought, I remembered why I had to solve this riddle.
Resurrect the dead, or moonbeam blast.
The father who ignored his daughter threatening with sword—no, arrow—and breaking divine law: thunderbolt blast.
His own father too scared to confront him, so instead solar beam blast on the innocent Cyclopes who forged the thunderbolts.
Facing that family's outlandish personalities—or divinities—beyond human logic or reason...
It wouldn't be weird if solving the riddle and helping one get dirt on another led to one of the three headshotting this spacey bard.
"Hey, bro. Haven't started yet?"
"Oh, Asclepius, my dear brother. Hard work tending to so many today."
"Take this cup from me."
And the sickly pretty boy who had just sat down was Asclepius, who nearly became collateral for moonbeam and thunderbolt blasts.
"Oh, Dianes. Heard you were busy today. You look tired."
"Eh, just the usual."
He seemed to really like the acupuncture basics and Blue Orchid Manual intro I slaved over all night to gift him.
Asclepius nodded at me with a crooked smile.
"By the way, I heard a Nereid nymph came. Where is she?"
"Where else? Over there grilling with the boar..."
I turned to look at Neri mastering advanced grilling with the hero trio, but...
The little white nymph who had been bouncing in front of the grill was nowhere to be seen.
"Huh? Hey! Heracles! Where'd she go?"
"Huh? Oh, I said grilling fresh mushrooms from the woods is a delicacy. She ran off saying she'd get some right away."
"Oh, okay?"
She'll be back soon, then.
If she picks any poisonous or inedible ones, Asclepius will handle it.
I nodded and turned back to my salad, but Asclepius was watching me with a uneasy look.
"Hm... You should go check."
"Huh? Why?"
"Well, when I got to the fire earlier..."
According to Asclepius, some shady types known as bad news in the forest had been whispering about me and the nymph while leering at Neri.
"That thug Orion and his gang? This is bad. They wouldn't understand divine oaths or blessings. Hurry!"
Orpheus grabbed his lyre and jumped up, while Asclepius bolted toward the forest on a bad hunch.
"Don't worry. Sit down."
I shook my head and popped the last of the celery into my mouth.
Mm, produce really is best organic.