Chapter 182: Heracles (7)
After moving to the new hotel, all attacks directed at Aresia and Poseidon ceased completely.
This hotel was directly operated by the merfolk pirate crew, so unless someone had truly colossal nerve, infiltrating it was nearly impossible.
“Good. We rested without any trouble, so now it’s time to get to work. You ready, Aresia?”
“Yep. But Master, don’t forget—if you handle that Alcides kid well, you promised to buy me cake.”
“Not ‘handle’—evaluate. And Aresia, you’re making my money disappear like water ever since we got to this hotel. Fine, I get it. Just do a good job. Don’t get too excited and end it in one hit.”
“Okay, don’t worry.”
Neither Poseidon nor Aresia seemed particularly concerned as they left the hotel.
Even if a 9-year-old had reached the main bracket of the coliseum and remained undefeated so far, against Aresia it would still be overwhelmingly one-sided.
Boom! Bang!
“I definitely thought that.”
Yet the scene unfolding before his eyes was utterly baffling.
Aresia had been forced to draw out her mana—just to deal with the fists of a mere 9-year-old.
Moreover, the fact that a child that age was covering for his lacking physique purely through technique left Poseidon speechless in shock.
Bang!
Every time the boy named Alcides deflected Aresia’s punches, chunks of the arena shattered in all directions.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Aresia, seemingly frustrated, unleashed a barrage of punches in rapid succession—but they had little effect. All she was doing was demolishing more of the arena.
“Themis didn’t appear to me in person for nothing.”
At this point, even Poseidon couldn’t help but realize the truth with absolute certainty.
He now knew exactly who this 9-year-old child in front of him really was.
“I wondered because of the name Alcides… but that boy is the one they call ‘Hera’s Glory.’”
BOOM!
Aresia, finally starting to get serious, began to give shape to her mana.
Even when she had drawn out her mana earlier, she had still been holding back—but now, as if unwilling to tolerate any more, her mana flared up like roaring flames, fueled by rising emotion.
Her fighting spirit dominated the arena and spread throughout the entire coliseum. Even the spectators felt their breath catch and grow labored under the overwhelming pressure.
In stark contrast, Alcides calmly adjusted his stance.
His face remained composed and expressionless as his eyes darted around, calmly measuring the distance and level between himself and Aresia.
“There’s real potential there. Even younger than Perseus was, and already at this level… If he keeps growing, there might not be a single human who can match him.”
Poseidon nodded in genuine acknowledgment. This level of talent was exactly what one would expect from the future Heracles.
Of course, there were still many shortcomings, and it was only the first sprout of genius showing itself.
As Poseidon observed how Alcides handled Aresia now that she was fully unleashing her mana, a familiar voice spoke from behind him.
“Exactly. That child is destined to become the greatest hero of Greece, in both name and reality.”
Once again, a woman appeared standing naturally beside him.
Considering that Poseidon was standing at the edge of the arena—right in the center of the circular spectator stands—it should have been impossible for her arrival to go completely unnoticed by anyone.
Yet she existed there so naturally that no one even registered her presence.
“Why are you here again? You’re annoying. I’ve never liked you—you’re too prickly.”
“Oh my. Even you, who gets along so well with the three Fates, would say something so harsh… It really hurts my feelings.”
“Tsk. Compared to you—who arbitrarily punishes fools for breaking the laws of the world—the Fates are far too gentle.”
Poseidon frowned as he looked at Themis, who had approached his side.
Just like before, almost no one who got involved with her ever had an easy life. She was more radical than anyone when it came to order and rules—and he had never particularly liked her.
She was a goddess to be wary of. The only reason most people didn’t know about her was because she rarely showed herself to humans or other races and exerted her influence discreetly.
—That’s right. Themis is an even more difficult goddess than you are. So you really shouldn’t be saying things like that, Themis.
And it wasn’t just Themis who had appeared beside him—Atropos, who had not shown herself for quite some time, now contacted him through transmission.
“The prickly goddesses have all gathered here, huh. That kid Alcides isn’t going to have an easy life either.”
At Poseidon’s lament, neither Themis nor Atropos said anything in reply.
Because it was simply the truth. The life awaiting Alcides would be one long chain of trials and suffering.
Of course, he would overcome every single one of those ordeals with overwhelming physique and talent—but that didn’t necessarily mean happiness.
“So why have all you goddesses suddenly shown up? I can feel Clotho and Lachesis too, not just Atropos.”
—Haha, I knew Poseidon would notice.
—Hehe, long time no see, Poseidon.
Sure enough, all three of the Fates were watching this place.
Well… it was Heracles, after all. There was no way they wouldn’t be watching.
“So, what exactly do the three goddesses—who are famous for rarely showing themselves—want to say about that kid that you’ve all come out in person?”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Before Poseidon’s eyes, Aresia—having apparently forgotten his earlier instruction—was now wildly throwing punches with abandon, while Alcides seemed to have adapted to her attacks and was beginning to counter.
—Hahaha! You’re pretty good, kid!!
—Not really. Auntie’s actually doing quite well.
—Argh! I’m not old enough to be called auntie!
—I see. But doesn’t that big chest get in the way? Must be cumbersome when fighting, right?
—Huh? These? They’re a bit inconvenient… but you know, it’s a woman’s pride. Women with big chests tend to fight better, you see.
—I see.
Somehow the two had already grown oddly close. Watching a 9-year-old being taught strange things by her made Poseidon sigh deeply.
Unlike Poseidon, however, the goddesses seemed to find both Alcides and Aresia simply adorable. They watched the match with smiling faces.
—Honestly… there’s not really anything special to say.
—Right. We just wanted to see that child with our own eyes.
—Ugh… I don’t fully agree with my sisters, but I did come to keep an eye on him.
“Hehe, same here.”
Poseidon found it strange that the goddesses—who had gone so far as to appear in person—claimed there was no particular reason, but he let it go.
Digging deeper would be too much hassle anyway.
Even he himself would want to personally observe a 9-year-old with that kind of talent. How much more fascinating and entertaining must the child be in the eyes of goddesses who see fate and adjust the rules of the world?
Of course, they hadn’t come solely for Alcides.
More precisely—they had come for Poseidon.
[It seems Poseidon has taken an interest.]
[Yeah, he would. After personally training Athena and Cybele, this is probably the first time he’s seen talent like that.]
[However, there is also a fate in which Hera and Poseidon completely break apart, so you must be careful. You think so too, don’t you, Themis?]
[Well… Clotho. If we consider the relationship between Hera and Poseidon as you say, it does seem difficult for them to fight to the point of complete rupture. More than that, I’m watching because I believe the Gigantes will rise again soon.]
[True. With that child, Olympus’s victory seems assured… but Poseidon’s allegiance will always be the problem. He won’t just stand by and watch his own disciple sacrifice their life for Olympus’s choice.]
[We already once blocked his actions because of the Calydon incident.]
***
Regardless of the goddesses watching—
Alcides was finally beginning to be pushed back.
Even for him, defeating a warrior who had reached the Hero rank at just nine years old was too much.
Even if he was destined to become the great hero called Heracles.
That was why everyone who witnessed this match could only be astonished—by the overwhelming talent and the seed of a great hero.
“Ehehehe. Then let’s finish this now. Go drink some more mommy’s milk, little brat.”
“Hmm… I’ve already had more than enough mommy’s milk. If you count the special stuff I drank, maybe even more?”
“Huh? You talk just as incomprehensibly as my master.”
Aresia tilted her head in confusion at Alcides’s words, but decided to let it go.
She sensed something similar in the little brat—something that smelled like herself.
With that thought, just as Aresia was about to draw up her full power to show this likable kid one last spectacular display—
“More importantly, Auntie. I have a question.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Over there—how strong is that auntie’s master behind you?”
“Master?”
At Alcides’s sudden question, Aresia stopped gathering her strength and began to seriously ponder.
It was something she had never once considered before—but now that it was asked, she too became curious.
“Hmm… umm… well… I guess? Is my master strong?”
“You’re his slave and you don’t even know that?”
“Huh? Just because I’m a slave doesn’t mean I know everything!”
“I see. That makes sense, I suppose.”
Before long, Aresia had withdrawn her mana entirely and started seriously speculating about her master Poseidon together with Alcides.
Naturally, to the audience watching, the scene was utterly absurd.
They had been showing such intense, full-power combat just moments ago—and now this?!
—Boooooo! Fight already!!
—Aresia! Are you targeting little kids now?!
—Even if you want to, doing anything to that child is a crime!
—Kill each other right now!
Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!
The shouts grew more and more intense.
[Ahhhh, what is this disgrace from our legend Aresia?! This can’t be happening! What are you doing in this blood-soaked coliseum?! Aresia, snap out of it!]
In the end, even the announcer began pressuring them.
Now everyone was shouting with one voice, shaking the entire arena.
Fight! Kill! Fight! Kill!
An enormous wave of pressure crashed down—enough to make most people shrink back in fear. Yet neither Aresia nor Alcides budged an inch, completely focused on their own curiosity.
“Hmm… I really can’t get a read on him.”
“Every time you tried to scam him, you got hit, right? Doesn’t that mean he’s pretty strong?”
“Shut up, brat. It wasn’t a scam—I just forgot.”
“Honestly, that makes it seem even worse.”
“What?! You little punk—take this!”
Whoosh.
“Sorry, but my eyes are just too good to get hit by a punch like that.”
“You little—!!”
Aresia, irritated by Alcides’s words, swung her fist in frustration—but he easily dodged.
Swish swish swish
While casually evading Aresia’s punches, Alcides asked,
“Auntie. Then how about I fight that big brother instead?”
“Hm? With Master? But why am I ‘auntie’ and he’s ‘big brother’?”
“Well… because Auntie’s just got big boobs and is kinda ugly, but big brother looks strong and handsome?”
“You little brat!!”
***
Somehow ending up standing in front of Alcides, Poseidon glared at Aresia, who was now avoiding his eyes from behind.
He found it utterly infuriating that someone wearing the title of “slave” was causing this much trouble.
As if sensing his mood, Aresia quickly turned her head and pretended to whistle innocently.
“Um…”
Just as Poseidon was seriously considering dragging Aresia off right then and there—tournament be damned—and giving her a proper scolding—
“I’m sorry. I’m the one who used Auntie. I really wanted to see your strength, Mage.”
The polite apology from in front of him made Poseidon calm down and turn to look at the speaker.
“My gut tells me you’re even stronger than Auntie. I really wanted to test myself against you at least once.”
A child so remarkable that goddesses in charge of fate and the laws of the world were paying attention to him.
The great hero whose name would be the first to come to mind when people in Poseidon’s original modern world thought of “hero.”
Commonly called [Hera’s Glory], the future Heracles—looked up at him with eyes far too serious for a child.
And not just with competitive spirit, but with something like admiration and longing shining in those young eyes.
“…Kid. Why are you so eager to fight me? That idiot over there is already an insurmountable wall for you right now.”
Normally, Poseidon would have had no intention of humoring the competitive spirit of a 9-year-old child…
But this was the sprout of a great hero. Even the goddesses watching let out sighs—yet it was a challenge he couldn’t simply refuse outright.
(‘Themis did tell me he strangled snakes to death as an infant…’)
Still—just a very immature sprout at this stage.
Whether he knew what Poseidon was thinking or not, Alcides continued to look up at him with shining eyes.
Then, in a clear and curious voice, he said:
“Because… I feel like I can catch up to Auntie someday. But you—I can’t even see you at all.”
In Alcides’s eyes, Poseidon’s figure was invisible.
Like an ant on the ground being unable to comprehend the shape of an elephant.
Like human eyes being unable to gaze upon the universe beyond the sky.
To him, the mage was an unclimbable mountain.
The first true wall he had encountered in his nine years of life.
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