I Became Artemis’ Boyfriend

After assigning Ark the second of the Twelve Labors, Artemis returned to the Temple without looking back.

The place Artemis headed to wasn’t her personal bedchamber.

After gathering her bow and arrows from the maintenance room, she briskly strode toward the guest room where Athena was resting.

Artemis’s journey to Athena’s guest room was nothing but a pace filled with steely determination and no hesitation.

But as she reached the door and was about to grasp the doorknob, an indescribable emotion urged her: “Don’t go in!”

“Come in.”

“…!”

A familiar female voice came from inside the room.

It was undoubtedly Great Sister Athena’s.

What now? Wasn’t she unconscious after being struck by lightning?

How could she have woken up so quickly?

Thrown by the unexpected turn of events, Artemis hesitated.

Gazing dispassionately at the scratch on her shoulder made by her own fingernails, Artemis then entered the room.

The room was dimly lit.

The only source of light was a small lamp placed on the side table next to the bed.

This tiny lamp, faint and feeble, mirrored Athena’s current state of health.

“Great Sister… You’ve awakened?”

“Yes. … But I might close my eyes again soon.”

Athena’s voice was strained and weak as she struggled to reply.

Lowering the blanket a little and leaning her upper body against the wall, she managed to sit up.

Her complexion was dark, and she was clearly exhausted, finding even the smallest movements exceedingly difficult.

Yet, through the faint beam of light, Athena’s eyes still gleamed with the same vigor and determination characteristic of the goddess of war.

“Close your eyes again? What does that mean? Do you want to sleep?”

“Hah…hah…”

Athena smirked as if questioning why Artemis was asking something she already knew.

That smirk was oddly similar to Ark’s.

And it irritated her.

“Smirk if you will. I’m already in a bad mood. Don’t annoy me.”

“Why? If you get more irritated, will you try to shoot me with your bow?”

“!!”

Realizing her mistake, Artemis quickly hid her bow and arrows behind her back.

But the damage was already done.

Athena couldn’t have missed the meaning behind Artemis bringing her bow.

“Why hide it? Isn’t it to shoot me in my unconscious state?”

“…”

“You plan to assassinate a bedridden patient, Artemis? Do you still think you deserve to preside over the art of archery?”

“…”

“Are you hesitating because I’m awake? …Very well.”

Determined, Athena leaned on the wall and stood up from her bed.

Then, she began to remove her own armor, taking off everything from her shoulder guards to her steel breastplate.

“…”

“Shoot.”

With unsteady steps, Athena, dressed in light clothes, slowly approached Artemis.

“Stay… stay back!!”

With a voice almost akin to a scream, Artemis threatened Athena.

Suddenly, her hidden arms darted forward, and she fitted an arrow onto her bow, aimed at Athena.

This was the sister attempting to shoot her elder.

But Athena paid it no mind, continuing her approach, as natural as it was when she used to splash water playfully on the younger Artemis playing by the stream as a child.

“The arrowhead is shaking. With this, you wouldn’t hit your target no matter how close you are.”

With her fingers, Athena gently pushed the trembling arrow down.

Yet, even as she did this, she began to discern Artemis’s turbulent emotions through the wobbling arrowhead.

“What happened while I was unconscious? Where is Ark?”

“Great Sister, why are you looking for Ark? Ark is my priest! Why do you care?! Why?!?”

The moment those two words “Ark” escaped Athena’s lips, Artemis flared and shouted, pulling back the string of her bow to fill it with her rage.

The force behind it would certainly pierce Athena’s skull and lodge into the wall behind her.

“Artemis…”

“From the start, it was like this! Both you and I are virgin goddesses who have sworn purity! Yet, the other gods all admired Great Sister Athena! I was mocked and isolated for pretending to be too clean and proper!”

“…”

“I tried! I brought cookies and asked to play! But they were only near me when I had cookies! Once those were gone, they left me again!!!”

“…”

“Cookies, I’m not sharing them anymore! Ark is mine! I’ll keep him secretly and feed him only small bits! Who is Great Sister to steal my cookies?!”

“Ark isn’t a cookie, but a person.”

“Shut up!!! Do you understand my heart when you can just possess anyone as you wish?!”

SLAP!

Artemis’ cheek snapped to the side.

So forceful was the strike that Artemis tumbled gracelessly to the floor.

Athena’s gaze upon the fallen Artemis was complex.

There was no trace of the Artemis she knew—clear-eyed and beautiful. In its place was a murky gaze filled with jealousy, envy, hatred, and desire.

Unable to continue looking at such a sight, Athena had struck her younger sister harshly across the face.

Still, the anguish of seeing her younger sister striving to protect her single remaining treasure brought a lump to Athena’s throat, making it impossible to ignore.

Unaware of her sister’s emotions, Artemis pressed her hand against her swollen cheek and glared at Athena.

“Why did you hit me?! Even Father doesn’t hit me! Great Sister… why?! You must all die! Ark too! Athena too!”

Spewing accusations, Artemis retrieved the bow and arrow that she had dropped and once again pointed it at Athena.

BOOM!

At that moment, Athena punched the wall.

A huge hole appeared, and the debris fell, covering Artemis.

“KIAAAA!”

Arms raised over her head to protect it, Artemis screamed.

Athena grabbed her by the collar and pulled her up again.

“Athena, let go!!”

“Speak.”

“What do you want me to say… Yeeek…!”

She tried to push Athena’s hands away, but as if seeing something she wasn’t supposed to, her body froze.

Athena’s eyes were like those of a beast.

In the dark forest at night,

a fierce predator glaring intensely at its prey hiding in the bushes.

Artemis felt like a deer frozen before a lion, unable to move.

“Speak. Who did you meet and what did you hear? Speak, hurry!”

“That…”

It was the first time Artemis had seen Athena so enraged, and she trembled.

Despite her fierce resolve never to divulge it,

her own lips disregarded her will and recounted everything about Afrodite, whom she had met at the Mountain of the Gods.

“Hah! Do you believe that?”

“You brazen Athena! I saw it all with my own eyes! Dirty Athena, filthy Athena!”

“Do you not trust Ark?”

“Filthy! Both of you are filthy, despicable Athena, ugly Athena!”

Artemis blocked her ears and continued to openly criticize Athena.

As Athena raised her hand again, Artemis finally closed her eyes in fear.

“Artemis…”

“Give it back! My cookies. Don’t think you can have them because you’re Athena!”

“Call me Great Sister.”

“Sniff! A, Ath…”

Artemis looked down due to the ingrained respect and fear she had for her older sister from childhood.

Still, Athena continued to gaze seriously at her younger sister.

Though her aggressive behavior had slightly subsided, her eyes still brimmed with unpleasant emotions.

Misunderstandings piled upon misunderstandings had led her to deeply resent Athena and Ark.

It was a wicked and foul interjection by Aphrodite.

Blending truth and lies, Aphrodite toyed with Artemis’s still immature mind.

Realizing that such misunderstandings couldn’t be resolved merely through words, Athena put on her armor again and walked out of the room.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“Follow me.”

Athena judged that the only one who could resolve this misunderstanding was Ark.

Deciding to observe this labor together with Artemis by Ark’s side, she set out.

==

Upon receiving Artemis’s one-sided Labor announcement, I stared blankly at the full moon for about an hour, then descended into the City Luna.

Despite intending to stay overnight at the Temple’s quarters, I fled to a Luna inn the next morning, unsure how to face Artemis.

Though worried about Athena, who still couldn’t open her eyes, I believed the priestesses would take good care of her.

“Headache. Let’s just sleep early.”

Forcing down my uneasy feelings and trying to get some sleep, it wasn’t long before the next morning arrived.

After paying the lodging fee and stepping outside, I reviewed the Labor once more.

[Bring me an Iclina flower from Aphrodite.]

“What on earth is an Iclina flower…?”

I conducted reconnaissance by meeting individual citizens of Luna City, especially those traders traveling between cities and flower shop owners.

But they each shook their heads, stating they’d never heard of such a flower.

Evidently, it must be something that doesn’t grow on the ground.

“Is this why it’s called a labor? Hopefully, it’s not from the Underworld…”

Departing without gathering any information, I started toward Ditesia.

One of Aphrodite’s major cities, Ditesia was her favorite city for its beauty.

The grand temple at the city center, embellished with gold and jewels, was renowned for its luxury.

Exhaling a deep sigh, I made my way to the carriage stand.

“Uncle Jake!”

At the stand, Jake was waiting for customers.

Overjoyed, I called out his name and waved to approach him.

“Ugh… oh, hmm. Ark. Long time no see.”

“Haha, I need another carriage ride.”

I extended my right hand in a greeting of good wishes.

But Jake glanced at my hand and frowned, taking a step back.

He surely understood what the handshake was for.

“I, ah, I’ve cleaned up horse droppings recently. If we shake, it would smell on you.”

“So, what.”

Hadn’t our handshakes been different in the past?

Neither of us minded sweat much back then.

Today, there was an odd distance in Jake’s manner toward me.

After putting my luggage in the passenger compartment and handing the fare to Jake at the carriage driver’s seat, I mentioned the destination.

“Take me to Ditesia, the city of Aphrodite.”

“Understood. Just drop the fare over there.”

Jake nodded toward his co-pilot seat.

Truthfully, it stung.

Jake would usually greet me with a smile, rushing over to engage in playful chatter.

But today, his treatment of me was rather cold.

It was strange enough that Artemis’s resentment toward me had somehow transferred to the citizens of Luna.

“Uncle, did I do something to upset you?”

“It’s just my health being off, that’s all.”

“If that’s the case, rest. I can take another carriage.”

“No, you’re fine until the next rider comes.”

With that, Jake hurried to prepare the carriage’s departure.

He swiftly spurred the horses’ reins and turned the carriage toward the west gate.

“Hey there! Wait a minute!”

A young noblewoman suddenly blocked the carriage and without waiting for permission, burst into the passenger compartment.

Before I could say anything, Jake reacted first.

“What? You there, get out immediately!”

“Come on~ I’m a passenger too. Let’s go together!”

This girl acted exactly like Artemis.

Does she know where I’m going?

Similar to a clumsy girl who mistakenly gets on the wrong bus exclaiming, “Sorry, I thought this was another bus!” before covering her face and quickly exiting.

After helping her place her luggage, I finally spoke while making eye contact with her.

“Do you know our destination?”

“Aphrodite’s major city, Ditesia.”

“Eh? How did you know?”

“Hehehe! The carriage is heading toward the west gate, right? There’s no other major city in the west but Ditesia.”

With a V sign with her fingers, she shrugged her shoulders.

This girl seemed to have exceptional deductive skills.

However, that alone doesn’t explain everything.

“Your decision based on the population movement towards Ditesia is merely a probability. You can’t ignore the other cities, right?”

“Hahahahah… Actually, it was a fifty-fifty chance. But I was sure after seeing your surprised face.”

Quite impressive.

The deductive skill of choosing possibilities based on the carriage direction.

The observational skill that heightened probabilities through facial expressions.

She was certainly a rare talent not often found among common medieval citizens.

Because of this, even I began to enjoy the interaction.

“My name is Ark. What’s yours?”

“I’m Iris. Let’s have fun chatting on the way.”

“Eh, I know Iris is the name of a flower, but, what is its meaning again… I can’t quite recall.”

“Iris means wisdom.”

Iris grinned as she looked at me.

I started to get some real enjoyment out of this interaction.

==

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