Chapter 64
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Born Alone, Become God Alone
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There was no law saying he had to just die.
Unlike the way he'd stormed out of the temple in a rage, Apollo was no dull-witted god.
No matter how hot-tempered his sister Artemis was—once she lost her cool, she saw nothing else, and she had a habit of looking down on everyone (especially men)—she was still his foolish little sister.
But a god was a god.
He suspected there had to be some extraordinary secret hidden behind the blood she'd spilled from the Moon Goddess, who had spent eternity hunting.
A true hunter always observed their prey before setting out on the hunt.
And knowing that this opponent was the young believer Poseidon and Ares had bragged about so much, he proceeded with extra caution.
He even considered asking Hermes, but since not only Queen Hera but his father Zeus had been moved by the poem that child had offered and shown favor toward him...
Telling Hermes might lead to unnecessary trouble.
'First things first, I need information. Information.'
To start, he headed straight to the temple at Delphi.
The Delphic temple issued countless oracles and prophecies: from the cold winter to early spring, Dionysus and his priests handled them, while from spring through late autumn, Apollo oversaw it all.
From what he'd heard, this Dianes had wounded his sister just a few days ago. Someone with such extraordinary origins surely would have triggered some oracle, big or small.
Yet as far as he could recall, he'd never issued one about a child named Dianes. So he planned to check if any of Dionysus's oracles might be related.
"...What? Dionysus!?"
"Yes! He left a few days ago, saying you needed to prepare for the banquet as soon as possible!"
But when he arrived at the Delphic temple, racing in his chariot before dawn, it was completely empty.
What could one expect from a god who prophesied under the influence of wine? His priests, tidying up the temple overgrown with grapevines and littered with wine bottles, prostrated themselves in shock at their god's sudden appearance and offered worship.
Apollo could only clutch his head at how things had gone wrong from the very first step.
"This is..."
The unpredictable drunkard traveler had pulled another stunt.
He'd even dragged along all his own followers and temple staff, leaving Delphi deserted.
"If only he didn't drink, he'd be a perfectly fine god."
What could he do? The god of wine and revelry had gone off to fulfill his divine duties.
Apollo shook his head ruefully but had no choice except to hastily depart the temple.
"Tch, things are going off the rails."
No matter that he was the Sun God cloaked in solar radiance.
Violating the sanctuary of Chiron—recognized under the Olympian oath—was impossible.
And Chiron was the teacher who had taught him and his sister archery and hunting; he was a child of Cronus, just like Father Zeus.
Yet this insolent Dianes had become his disciple?
Wasn't he like someone under the protection of the Fates themselves?
"Maybe I should at least get a look at his face."
Dawn was breaking soon.
He ramped up the solar chariot's brilliance to its maximum and raced toward the pinnacle of the high heavens, beginning to slowly illuminate the lands of Greece.
"There he is, down there."
In the forest of Messenia below, tiny figures scurried about.
Whenever his chariot picked up speed, he could always spot the demigod trainees rushing around busily.
But among them, one child stood perfectly still, gazing up at the sun.
"Oh...! What a beautiful child!"
Lustrous black hair shining like silk, eyes as deep and black as obsidian.
His body brimmed with vitality, and the face boldly staring up at the sun was breathtakingly beautiful, reminiscent of Aphrodite's sons.
"So you're Dianes!"
He should have realized it when even his refined sister Artemis had called him pretty.
Look at those eyes, full of longing as they gazed up at the sun with such boldness.
"Ah... what a pity!"
For such a demigod to be the enemy who opposed his sister—and even left her scarred.
Apollo couldn't help sighing at the fate of this young masterpiece, worthy of being called another work of art in the world.
"Fortunately, death won't come for you today. But you will pay dearly for harming my sister, the Moon Goddess, the virgin huntress...
I, the master of Delphi, the prophet who slew Python, so prophesy."
Until then, enjoy that brief life to the fullest.
With those words to the young demigod on the ground below, Apollo resumed driving the sun onward.
No being in the world could escape the sun, after all.
What the hell?
Why did he just leave?
I finished breakfast and headed to class, but I still couldn't wrap my head around it.
The handsome guy racing across the sky with the sun on his back was definitely Apollo.
The Sun God, top-tier even among the hot-tempered gods of Greek myth.
'He definitely saw me...?'
Given the Greek gods' tendency to ignore oaths and everything else once they snapped, I'd expected him to charge in regardless of Chiron's forest or whatever, just because his sister got hurt.
But after glaring at me for a moment and mumbling something, he turned his chariot upward and vanished into higher altitudes.
"Man... it would've been better if he'd just attacked. At least I'd feel resolved."
From his reaction, it was clear he knew who I was.
Just as Hermes said, that moon-crazed girl must have whined to her big brother from somewhere far off.
"But he just left..."
I didn't know if this was good news or bad.
But one thing was certain: the Sun God floating in the sky had definitely seen me.
In other words, orbital strikes could rain down on me at any moment.
'The fact that he just eyeballed me and left, even though he could shoot arrows anytime, means he has no intention of violating Chiron's sanctuary for now. In other words, I still have time.'
But that was just a hypothesis.
If that moon girl clung to her brother whining, a real sunshine steamroller might drop on my head.
I needed to solve Hermes' riddle as quickly as possible.
"Maybe I should pray to the gods and goddesses for now."
I've been feeding(?) them all this time.
Maybe they'd keep me from screaming to death in sunlight without realizing it.
"Ugh, it's so annoying. I need to recover my martial arts soon."
With divine demon energy cloaking my qi and senses always up, any sniper shot coming my way wouldn't harm me.
But if it came as an instant barrage like artillery, even I might get pushed back.
'If only I can get him to come down to the ground...'
"Hey, Dianes!"
"Huh? Oh?"
Lost in grim thought, I was jolted by a booming voice like a steaming locomotive whistle.
"What's with the daze? Did you eat too much and get sleepy?"
I'd stuffed myself full of barley porridge and salad that Karyklo had lovingly prepared with Heracles.
Atalanta, looking resolved about something, had gone off to her hunting party before morning PT.
Nesneria, who'd tried to stick to me during the gap, got dragged away by Karyklo's irresistible aura to attend class.
Naturally, only Heracles and I, whose schedules overlapped, were heading to that bizarre class called amphora studies.
"Something like that. I had a weird dream last night, so I didn't sleep well."
"A dream?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
No way could I say the sun hanging up there was lurking, ready to snipe me anytime.
This trial was mine to bear alone.
Whining to a young punk whose life had already been rough felt beneath the dignity of my years and the mental elder I was.
Seemingly unimpressive, I'd risen from mortal to god, commanding the vast Central Plains martial world several times larger than this Greek landmass, even meeting its emperor one-on-one.
If I couldn't handle a mere sun god's tantrum, what good were those years?
'My strategy, tactics, and even scholarly aptitude were top-notch.'
Muttering to myself about wanting to solve Hermes' riddle fast and enjoy some peaceful academy life, Heracles and I entered the pottery classroom.
Truth be told, I wanted to skip class and scour something like a library for myths.
But as a student with a sense of duty, I dragged my heavy feet onward.
"So what exactly do they teach in pottery class?"
"Haha. You'll see once you attend. You can look forward to it."
"Look forward?"
This guy, who seemed allergic to arts, talking about looking forward?
Was it that special?
He said nothing more, just plopped down at his seat and beckoned me over.
"Plenty to see, at least."
"Right? The pottery teacher made all these."
"All these?"
Storage jars called amphorae, decorated with myths and romances, were of such high quality that even my eye could tell they were top-grade.
And one person made all of them?
"Uuu... so... heavy..."
"Ah! Teacher's here."
A massive amphora floated right in front of our front-row seats.
I thought it was magic at first, but up close, a tiny girl was hugging an amphora as big as herself, heaving it along with grunts.
"Cute, right? The amphora studies teacher, Teterir."
"It's Teterir-sensei! At least call me Teterir-sama! And it's pottery, not amphorae!"
The pottery teacher popped out from behind, fuming at Heracles' nickname.
Despite their comedic banter, I couldn't nitpick.
It was because of the image on the pottery Teterir carried.
"Um, teacher?"
"What is it~? New student?"
"Wh-what story is that image on the pottery?"
"Oh, this one~?"
The image was simple.
A small baby sat atop a huge herd of cattle, playing a lyre, while a familiar handsome man sat before him, listening entranced.
Normally, I'd dismiss it as some common myth.
But the Latin inscription engraved at the top caught my eye.
"Born alone, become a god alone?"
"Oooong! My latest work—do you like it~?"
Teterir carefully placed the pottery on the desk and blew a fanfare from her mouth with a pop.
"Today's new masterpiece: 'The Clever One Who Gains Divine Feats,' the latest in the Hermes series!"
"Haha..."
Wow... there's no law saying I have to just die.
I could only smile bitterly in admiration and disbelief at the riddle's answer appearing in such an unexpected place.