Chapter 157: Chiron Academy, The Beginning (4)
Chloris no longer had the strength to block the incoming arrows.
All she wished for now was that her own life could be traded so her younger sisters might survive.
―Oh? Then how about making a contract with me?
“Huh? Ngh!”
At that moment, a voice echoed in her mind, and Chloris let out a low groan.
But the voice in her head paid no attention and unilaterally pressed her.
―Make a contract with me. Then I’ll grant you anything you desire.
“…….”
Clang!
Chloris did not respond to the voice in her head. She simply focused on deflecting as many arrows as she possibly could.
No matter how desperate the situation was, she hadn’t lost her reason enough to blindly accept such a suspicious offer.
If she were killed by the gods now, she might at least receive judgment before Hades.
But if she accepted this dubious proposal, she—and possibly even her sisters—might end up in a state where they could neither die nor live.
Not just herself, but her sisters too.
‘And if I mess up, I might even bring ruin to Thebes. Just like Diogenes, who tried to destroy Athens.’
―Hey! Can’t you hear me!!
“…….”
―Hey!!
“…….”
―Hey!!!
“…….”
Even in this situation, Poseidon felt both anger and admiration at Chloris’s unwavering resolve—she would rather accept death than waver.
What kind of human was this cold and composed?
―Fine. No helping it then. In that case, I’ll give you a special introductory discount: one spell, no contract required. How about it? At least hear it out and judge for yourself.
“…What is it?”
―Kukuku, finally answering, huh?
“…….”
―Alright, alright, I get it. Now listen carefully. This is a spell that puts a thin glove over your hand.
“…….”
―Yeah, I figured you wouldn’t reply. Listen well. This magic creates a thin glove over your hand, designed to block or tear apart weapons when unarmed. If used properly, ordinary arrows from Apollo or Artemis over there become nothing.
Chloris remained silent to the end, but Poseidon continued explaining the spell.
Just as Hecate had said, this particular magic would be far easier for Chloris than any other.
‘Once she hears this spell and tries casting it, she won’t be able to ignore me anymore. Kwahahaha.’
Unaware of what this unknown being was truly thinking, Chloris found her mind instantly captivated by the magic he described.
―First, start by coating your hand with mana. Imagine draping a very thin cloth over it and repeat that sensation. Then, while doing so, use one of the enhancement magics—replication magic—to endlessly layer the cloth. But considering your level, boldly skip the replication part. Instead, imagine the strongest being you’ve ever seen. You’re the type who handles magic purely on instinct. So reinforce that cloth with the strongest thing you can personally imagine.
She instinctively felt that the magic this being was teaching her was exactly what she needed right now.
Along with that realization, she followed his instructions and sank deeply into imagination. The powerful being she had seen one summer when she was seven, by the sea. No one believed her, but like a midsummer night’s dream, that existence had been etched into her heart.
‘Such magic existed! Really… maybe my family can actually survive. At the very least, this being doesn’t seem to intend harm.’
As Chloris’s belief grew and her imagination became more vivid, a blue light began to shimmer over her hands.
It carried such a powerful presence that even those watching could clearly sense its strength.
“What the hell is that daughter of Niobe doing?”
“…Wait, doesn’t that look awfully familiar??”
Apollo and Artemis felt an intense sense of déjà vu and immediately stopped playing around.
Something that rang alarm bells in the instincts of the gods was manifesting right here.
Along with that, the arrows they now fired carried a clearly different divine power—far more serious than before—and flew straight toward Chloris.
And Poseidon, who had been secretly teaching her magic unlike the siblings…
―This… something’s gone seriously wrong, hasn’t it?
***
The perfectly aimed arrows were swallowed by the waves that had manifested on the ground.
Rather than being destroyed, the waves that appeared on the earth circled protectively around Chloris. They rose sharply toward Artemis and Apollo as if baring their teeth in clear defiance.
And what appeared was a water-colored gauntlet formed over Chloris’s fists—and behind her, the faint silhouette of a woman.
―…Huh? This looks awfully familiar.
Before Poseidon stood someone strikingly familiar, manifesting in the form of a divine spirit upon the land of Thebes.
[Interesting. I never imagined that little kid from back then would grow up to be this bold.]
***
Hecate’s judgment had been accurate.
What even she hadn’t predicted, however, was the sheer magnitude of Chloris’s talent—and the fact that the girl had deeply engraved the memory of one particular being she had seen as a child into her heart.
An unimaginable talent even among the gods, combined with the desperate wish to save her siblings, pulled the trigger.
And as a result, the spell Poseidon had taught her—[Hē Sidērā Cheir tou Basileōs (Ἡ Σιδηρᾶ Χεὶρ τοῦ Βασιλέως) — The Iron Hand of the King]—was twisted in reverse and mutated into a form of spirit summoning.
[I never would have imagined that the one destined to succeed Goddess Hecate would first summon not Hecate, but me… right?]
The woman of hazy outline raised her head and gazed toward a certain point in the sky.
At the same moment, Chloris shared her vision with the hazy woman and was suddenly able to see Artemis and Apollo high above in the heavens.
The divine concealment that no ordinary human power could possibly pierce was torn away in an instant.
Artemis and Apollo’s expressions hardened.
Their arrows had been swallowed by waves, their concealment exposed—but far more serious was the fact that a god had now revealed herself.
Though the form was still hazy and indistinct, something Chloris couldn’t yet fully contain.
“…I never thought I’d see spirit summoning—the kind only Lady Hecate can perform—manifest through Athena’s magic. And the Queen herself was completely outside our expectations.”
“…….”
To Artemis and Apollo, the situation was frankly absurd.
It was like a hunter who had come to catch a rabbit and instead encountered a mythical beast.
[Yes, long time no see. I didn’t expect to come out into the world like this.]
Though she spoke calmly, even Amphitrite felt a touch of bewilderment.
Someone had desperately summoned her through spirit summoning out of pure curiosity, so she had come to see—and found the situation an absolute mess.
Above all, she never imagined the one who summoned her would be that little girl from long ago, nor did she understand how the child had managed to call her specifically.
Still.
[More importantly… wouldn’t you two mind stepping back now? It’s been a while since I came out, and I’m not really in the mood for a fight.]
Since she had answered the spirit summoner’s call in the form of a spirit, Amphitrite intended to do everything in her power to protect Chloris’s family according to the girl’s will.
Moreover, she had no intention of letting the world’s very first true spirit summoner die so soon.
To gods like herself—who rarely left their own domains—a spirit summoner was an exceedingly rare and valuable “item.”
“…….”
“…….”
But for the siblings Artemis and Apollo, that was unacceptable.
Just looking at Niobe, who was still glaring furiously, they could already predict exactly how she would act if they withdrew now.
Above all, retreating at this point would leave them no way to salvage their dignity or avenge the insult their mother Leto had suffered.
As the siblings refused to back down and faced off against Amphitrite,
No one noticed at first—not even themselves—that the bodies of Niobe and her husband Amphion were slowly beginning to petrify into stone.
At the sight, Artemis and Apollo let out low groans.
“This… is troublesome.”
“Damn it—who the hell is interfering?!”
―…….
Chloris screamed.
“Mother! Father!!!”
***
―You can see the situation for yourselves. Niobe. Amphion.
““Lord Poseidon.””
―What will you do? If you offer your lives, I will take responsibility for your children’s survival.
““Take our lives.””
―Very well. I accept your resolve.
Just moments ago, Poseidon had immediately recognized who the woman who descended behind Niobe was.
Along with that, he predicted that things would become far more complicated than expected.
Artemis and Apollo would not be able to back down easily given the circumstances.
That was why he had directly revealed his identity to Niobe and Amphion and urged them to make their choice.
He needed to create a situation in which Apollo and Artemis had no choice but to accept Amphitrite’s persuasion right here and now.
And accordingly, Niobe and Amphion made their decision.
Though arrogant, Niobe had always been a mother who loved her children.
Her descent into greater madness had come from the despair of realizing she could no longer save them.
“Oh… Chloris. Because of this mother’s arrogance and pride, I have placed such a heavy burden and sorrow upon you. I’m sorry. My daughter.”
“I feel the same. I had the duty to stop your mother’s actions, yet I merely stood by and watched. In the end, I inflicted too great a burden and wounds upon you.”
“Even so, this is the last thing parents who have only committed sins can do for you. We love you. Our daughters… and our sons whom we shall meet in the underworld.”
She had been a prideful woman, yes—but one who would sacrifice even her life for her children.
And so, in the very center of Thebes’s palace, two statues were formed: a man and a woman, their faces frozen in stone.
***
Seven daughters weeping over their mother and father who had turned to stone, and those around them bowing their heads deeply in terror.
Though they did not realize it, the ones most frustrated and bewildered in this place were none other than the siblings Artemis and Apollo.
“…Was this really something serious enough for Lord Poseidon to intervene personally?”
“I’m just as confused. I never imagined Lord Poseidon would deliver the punishment himself. Still… we can’t shoot anymore. I still have plenty of arrows left, though.”
“Ugh… We still need to avenge the insult done to our mother. Is this really right?!”
“Then do whatever you want, brother. I’m done here. We’ve already killed all seven sons, and the ones directly responsible have been cursed. Besides… that girl Chloris caught my eye quite a bit, so that’s fortunate, I suppose.”
“…….”
Apollo still looked resentful, but Artemis had firmly decided to withdraw at this point.
She couldn’t understand exactly why Poseidon had personally cast the curse, but she assumed it must be because Lady Amphitrite had appeared.
Above all, no matter how smart that fool thought he was, picking a fight with Poseidon would bring nothing good.
‘Just off the top of my head: Hephaestus will stop making arrowheads for me. Athena will quietly retaliate. And if Aphrodite says even one word, forget about me—Apollo will never get to meet any woman he likes again. It’ll be like plucking stars from the sky.’
With those thoughts, Artemis descended from the sky to the ground.
―Hiiik! It’s Lady Artemis!
―Hide! Hide!!
―No, we can’t just abandon Lady Chloris and her sisters!
―Ah! Damn it—hurry and protect the princesses!!!
A commotion erupted. All because Artemis had simply come down to the surface.
“Tsk tsk tsk. Don’t be so tense. I didn’t come here to harm you lot. Don’t you even know who’s watching this place right now, you idiots?”
[Oh my! Artemis, I didn’t expect that from you. Weren’t you always the most aggressive one? Back then, one of my priestesses got involved with Poseidon’s priest and—]
“Lady Amphitrite!!”
Realizing the situation had ended, Artemis shouted to stop Amphitrite’s teasing.
In a place with so many humans around—how could she say such things!
Artemis hurriedly covered Amphitrite’s mouth to silence her playful words, then approached Chloris, who stood before her petrified parents with her siblings.
“Child. Would you become my priestess? I’ve taken quite a liking to you.”
No one had expected Artemis to offer priesthood. Everyone’s faces filled with bewilderment.
The very goddess who had just killed seven of her blood relatives was now making such an offer?!
“Hyah!!!”
At that moment, a mass of water flew in from somewhere and wedged itself between Chloris and Artemis.
“Hey now. Even if you’re a goddess, there’s an order to things. I already called dibs first, you know.”
And there appeared a mage with dark-blue hair tied in a ponytail, still carrying a boyish charm. His cloak fluttered dramatically as he flashed a bright smile at Artemis.
“If you had any conscience, you wouldn’t do that! You’re the very one who killed her kin. This is exactly why people say the gods don’t understand human hearts.”
At those words from the mage, one single phrase rose in the minds of everyone present.
Crazy bastard!!!
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