Chapter 7
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Chiron's Shock
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'Watching me... no, observing me?'
Since when?
Eyes like the pitch-black night where not even the moon showed itself.
Those eyes were so deep that even the old centaur, who had trained countless heroes, felt a chill run down his spine for a moment.
They gleamed with clear displeasure, as if he'd done something pointless, yet burned with the beastly curiosity of wondering just how strong this one was.
'...A mere object is still an object.'
In truth, Chiron had discovered this child called Dianes quite some time ago.
It was before he'd properly entered Pasos; he'd come from the opposite side of the island, planning to rest briefly in the forest, when he sensed an alien energy darting through the woods like it owned the place.
Wondering if some spirit was playing tricks, he rushed out from the cave he'd made his bed and spotted this bold black-haired human boy.
His movements were so nimble that they put even the heroes Chiron had raised to shame, and Chiron himself had nearly lost him without going all out—his eyes went wide in surprise.
Seeing the boy bounding through the forest at will, Chiron realized why he'd come all the way to this remote Pasos.
Judging by the wooden sword on his back, he was probably heading off for training.
Wanting to observe the boy who would soon become his disciple, Chiron borrowed the spirits' power to muffle his presence and footsteps as he followed behind.
But even so, something unexpected happened: a crescent moon arrow forged from moonlight targeted the boy.
Before Chiron could block it, the arrow aimed straight for the boy's head without a hair's breadth of error. Just as Chiron gasped, thinking the boy was done for...
Something even the Twelve Olympians, the Three Fates, and his father Cronus couldn't believe occurred.
The human boy.
With no divine weapon forged by gods, no treasured sword handed down from antiquity.
Blocked the goddess's arrow with a roughly whittled wooden sword made by his own hands.
The unbelievable continued.
Even as his sword shattered and his arm bone cracked, the boy didn't falter; he pulled out the arrow imbued with divine might and absorbed the goddess's divinity.
Not content with that, he used the arrow to deflect the next volley flying his way, taunted Artemis right to her face, blocked her attacks, and even lodged an arrow in the goddess's shoulder.
Chiron had taught countless heroes and mastered myriad martial arts and magics across the vast lands of Greece.
Yet even for him, he'd never seen a throwing technique as stealthy and bizarre as what that boy had just shown.
A throwing art where the arrow changed direction freely in midair, as if possessed by its own will.
Of course, Chiron himself could achieve it with magic and spirit power.
But the problem was that the boy had done it purely with his own abilities, without any external aid.
An attack so exquisite and uncanny that even a god might miss it for an instant.
As a result, a wound from her own arrow marred Artemis's pristine flesh, and in her rage, the boy was truly on the brink of death at her hands.
'...He's different!'
Humans facing an enraged god fall into three categories.
They tremble in terror and beg for mercy, curse the god to the end, or face divine judgment with composure.
But the boy was different.
Artemis was a goddess utterly ruthless toward humans—especially human males.
For instance, a forester who had merely wandered into her hunting grounds by chance was turned into a wild boar and toyed with to death by her hunters.
Yet facing such a goddess's wrath, the boy remained calm.
Or could that fervor in his eyes truly be called calm?
The thrill of encountering an overwhelmingly stronger foe.
The caution in seeking an opening to topple such an opponent.
And above all, the joy of throwing himself into this dire gamble where his life hung by a thread—a joy so intense he could scarcely contain it.
He was a child truly born under the blessings of the God of War.
And the clash that followed between the goddess and the young hero, though it wouldn't be etched in myth, was a majestic and thrilling duel Chiron would never forget as long as he lived.
"..."
"..."
Chiron's eyes met the boy's.
Deep in the boy's gaze flickered the predator's desire to hunt this massive beast, to grow by devouring its blood and flesh.
But the old centaur's wise eyes quelled it.
The boy moved first, smoothly extending his hand just as Chiron tensed in caution.
"The fun's spoiled. Guess we won't meet again. What a drag."
"Hmph! I'll be watching you, you impudent brat."
Artemis gnashed her teeth at the boy's audacity and dissolved into moonlight. In the forest clearing, only the old centaur and the boy remained.
"...She's gone."
"Yep."
The boy looked up again, his eyes still blazing with unquenched fighting spirit and irritation.
"Hoo... Damn, this really doesn't add up."
The boy clicked his tongue, glancing at his broken arm—the aftereffect of blocking the goddess's arrow.
He'd thought the same earlier, but his arrogant tone was beyond presumptuous. Yet it suited the boy so perfectly that even Chiron had no mind to argue.
"Heh heh, facing an enraged goddess head-on—Artemis, no less—and leaving wounds on her body without dying? That's miracle enough."
"You know that's not what I mean. Why pretend otherwise?"
Chiron instantly understood what the boy meant.
Having drawn out the goddess at the cost of such injuries, it was a shame to lose the chance to absorb more of her divinity or test his skills against her properly.
Chiron gave a wry smile and shook his head at the boy's tone.
"Haha, such a bold child. But you can't deny it was dangerous, can you?"
The boy smirked and glared at the centaur.
"What a joke. What can you gain without danger?"
Heavens, Uranus preserve us.
Chiron was at a loss whether to marvel or lament at the words spilling from the boy's mouth.
Such mad hubris.
Dismissing an enraged goddess's wrath as mere danger? Seeing a brush with death as some opportunity?
'Zeus, Zeus. My dear brother, it seems fate has sent us a grand gift.'
Whether it was truly a gift or the start of another calamity remained to be seen.
"First, introductions are in order. I am Chiron. I raise disciples in the Forest of Heroes."
"Dianes. Nothing much to boast about—I'm an orphan entrusted to Zeus's temple on Pasos Island over there."
"An orphan?"
Chiron was surprised again by how readily the boy called himself an orphan.
"Well, in this crazy world, kids without parents aren't exactly rare. No point pretending to be some unknown god's son with a face I don't even know."
"A child of great vessel."
At Chiron's kindly words, the boy who'd named himself Dianes waved it off.
"Not so much that—plenty have parents and still don't thrive. So if they're gone, they're gone. That's how I live."
The boy shrugged and looked up at the old centaur.
"So, what brings the busy teacher of heroes here? The temple's been in an uproar cleaning up just hearing you'd come."
"Oh, I didn't send word ahead—must've gone through another channel."
"No word at all?"
"That's right. Anyway, let's hurry. I need to get back soon myself."
In truth, his forest was lately bustling with unusual visitors.
Princes of Iolcos, Thebes, and Athens; sons of Apollo and Thetis.
Even a prince of Mycenae personally entrusted by Zeus.
Each one already showed the makings of a hero—far from ordinary.
Chiron had sensed that extraordinary events lay ahead.
And today, he'd encountered a boy even more extraordinary than any of those heroes.
"In a dream last night, someone whispered to me: the child I am to guide, like her, would appear suddenly. It seems that child is you."
Chiron knelt slightly, meeting the boy's eyes, and extended his hand.
"What say you? Will you come with me?"
"What happens if I do?"
"It'll probably be quite entertaining for you."
This was a boy who'd dared stoke his battle lust against an enraged goddess.
For him, Chiron's forest teeming with children each displaying heroic promise would be thrilling indeed.
'And who knows... he might even find fitting companions there.'
"Music to my ears, Master."
"Haha, splendid."
As Chiron smiled wryly, recalling the superhumanly strong young hero vivid in his mind, the boy gripped his hand firmly, staring right at him.