I Became Artemis’ Boyfriend

It has been four days since the completion of the second labor.

After resting comfortably at the Artemis Temple and regaining her strength, Athena departed early yesterday morning for her own temple, accompanied by her attendants.

Becoming closer to Athena through this event, Artemis whined, asking her to stay and play a bit longer.

However, Athena declined, citing the aftermath of the Battle of the Mountain of the Gods and her lengthy absence from her city.

As Athena left in her chariot, she kept turning her head to glance back at us.

It seemed that despite not explicitly saying anything, she couldn’t entirely shake off the regret of parting from us.

But I didn’t feel any regret at all.

Because…

I was certain that we would meet again very soon.

Of course, there might also be a reason for me to visit her first, due to the issues regarding the Mountain of the Gods.

Nothing changed with Athena’s departure.

Of course, the pile of petitions on my desk remained the same.

“Alright… That’s all for today!”

Thud.

Having finished writing today’s work log, I closed the book.

Though two petitions remained, they were issues that couldn’t be resolved immediately, so I postponed them to next week.

Taking a rare moment to enjoy some peace in my private office, I stretched when—

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

As I gave permission to enter, a male postal courier walked in, carrying a gift basket in his hands.

That basket was undoubtedly the one I had sent three days ago to Aphrodite.

The courier placed the basket on the table and handed me a postal receipt marked “recipient absent.”

“Ark Priest, this has been returned due to the recipient’s absence.”

“So, she wasn’t around?”

“Yes. However, according to rumors circulating among the citizens of Ditesia, Aphrodite has dismissed all her priests and has secluded herself in her temple.”

“I see. Thank you for your hard work.”

After the courier bowed and left, I placed the unopened gift basket in the storage compartment.

Aphrodite, secluded in her temple.

The reason was obvious.

It must be because of me.

She must have felt immense shame and her pride must have been deeply hurt.

So, I had sent the gift, hoping her feelings might soften a little.

But since it ended up returning to me, my efforts proved fruitless.

“YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!!”

The volcano that had been quiet for four days began to erupt again.

Following that, I heard the heartrending “We’re sorry” from the female priests.

It seemed that Artemis was once again troubling her followers as if she were toying with mice.

“Please don’t overdo it, Lady Goddess~”

I muttered to myself about the invisible situation outside the temple and sat back down, picking up my quill.

Right now, organizing the situation I was in was more urgent and necessary than worrying about what was happening outside.

It seemed unlikely that I would have any leisure time in the future.

On a new sheet of parchment, I began to write down the names of the gods one by one.

1. Poseidon (Expectation, Curiosity)

2. Athena (Trust, Hope)

3. Zeus (Enmity)

4. Leto (Caution)

5. Aphrodite (Anger, Love-Hate)

Since the beginning of the labors, I have met a total of five Olympian gods.

The feelings listed in parentheses were my own assessments of how each of them perceived me.

“Hmm… Roughly accurate? We’ve met quite a few in such a short time.”

As I muttered to myself, I tapped the quill on each name like a woodpecker pecking a tree.

Poseidon was someone I met during the first labor.

He seems to be observing how I resolve various events and problems.

He may help me if I hit a major obstacle.

However, if I ask for help when I’m in trouble, I’m sure he’ll lose interest in me and stop caring.

Next,

Athena and I first met through the wartime mobilization order.

Through various events, we’ve come to understand each other’s hearts.

I even made a vow to rescue her mother Metis.

Unlike Poseidon, Athena will help me as much as she can if I ask.

“The next ones are Zeus and Leto…”

I met these two gods through mediating Artemis’s wish to have me as her boyfriend.

Until now, Zeus didn’t feel anything different for me compared to the other citizens.

However, when I declared that I would rescue Metis to Athena, Zeus tried to kill me.

In rescuing Athena, I lost Zeus.

“Uh… Leto is still a mystery. But that coffee was quite memorable.”

I recalled the moment when Leto kindly brought me a cup of coffee with a gentle smile.

That coffee made by dropping the coffee beans into cold water.

“Taking me, who wanted to take her daughter she loves like the pupil of her eye, as a bad guy—let’s go with that.”

And finally,

The goddess Aphrodite, whom I recently met.

Even now, when I think of her, I’m surprised.

She confessed her love to me the moment we met, and even proposed marriage.

She claimed she had been watching me in some way unknown to humans.

Of course, I can understand the feelings that Aphrodite has, having been a fan of celebrities and idols in TV shows who I admire.

But whether such admiration can evolve into love that considers marriage is something I still don’t fully understand.

It’s hard to dismiss Aphrodite’s confession as a joke, knowing she governs the realm of love.

“So, I marked it as love-hate, but thinking about it, it might be better to consider her as having anger and enmity like Zeus.”

I wrote ‘allies’ and ‘enemies’ in the blank spaces of the parchment and listed them again.

Allies – Athena, Poseidon.

Enemies – Zeus, Aphrodite.

Neutral – Leto.

“In the world… I’ve earned the disapproval of two of the Twelve Great Gods with strong voices?”

Though I already knew this, seeing it written down in front of me brought reality closer.

I’m scared and fearful, and to be honest, my future seems bleak.

But I have one thing, a three-letter name that gives me strength above all else,

[Athena]

She stands steadfast as my loyal ally.

There’s probably no better support than her.

“Phew~ It feels like walking on thin ice.”

I reclined in my chair and looked up at the ceiling.

The wallpaper on the ceiling depicted a battle between a black moon and a white moon, intertwined.

Isn’t this exactly like my current situation?

Since accomplishing the second labor, I’ve realized something.

The moment I accepted the labors, it became inevitable that I would get entangled with the gods of Olympus.

The problem is that certain points of conflict arise between the gods and me in the process.

And these points of conflict will likely turn into enmity, leading to a clash someday, which I sense as a dark premonition.

It happens like Möbius strip—no matter how hard I try to dodge, I eventually meet the same end.

If I continue like this, I’ll undoubtedly become a priest hated by many gods.

Then, what stance should I take?

I must speak my thoughts and not concede to things I disagree with.

Can I stay neutral like King Kwanghae, who practiced a neutral policy between Ming and the Later Jin dynasty without taking sides?

No, I can’t.

Then,

“If having enemies is inevitable, I might as well try to gain more allies.”

It’s very simple.

It’s like children fighting in the playground.

Just call a stronger older sibling.

Both are strong?

Whoever brings more older siblings wins.

The conclusion is clear.

Then, let’s move quickly.

“First, let’s make a list of the gods Artemis is close to.”

As I was about to write down the names of the Twelve Great Gods and other famous deities on a new parchment,

The door to my office burst open with a bang.

There’s only one type of person—or should I say, goddess—who enters the priest’s office without knocking.

“Artemis, good timing. Tell me who you know among the gods, and we’ll write— Ow!!!”

As I approached her with the parchment, Artemis suddenly lifted her wet tunic right in front of my face.

Why are you bringing laundry that’s not even dry?

“Listen! Listen! Those idiots ruined my laundry!”

“Huh? But… just rewash it.”

“Idiot! They claim they scrubbed it too hard and it’s ripped!!! Ugh, it’s so aggravating!!!”

Artemis stomped her feet while throwing a tantrum, violently shaking her laundry around.

She spun around like a Catherine wheel before finally throwing it to the ground in a fit of rage.

Thanks to her, the office was flooded with water, soaking the walls and my clothes.

As I wiped the splashed water off my face with my hands, I picked up her tunic from the floor.

“You should consider the fabric. That’s why I’ve repeatedly said to keep clothes like this separate so I can wash them properly. Why didn’t you listen?”

“Because I don’t want to. Who knows what you’ll do with my clothes?”

“Well, I’d just wash them… Wait, what do you mean by that?”

“Hmph! Why do you want to take my sweat-soaked clothes anyway? Pervert!”

“Wow! Really! Are you the Goddess of Purity?”

I once heard something similar.

That people who look innocent have minds more corrupt than others.

I didn’t believe it since there was no real basis, but now it’s something I can’t ignore.

“Hmph! Anyway, no way!”

“Alright, alright. Was that all? Now it’s my turn?”

“Huh? Yeah, but…”

Artemis, with her wild nature, sensed danger and went on the defensive.

She’s got an incredible sense of smell.

“Artemis, didn’t you forget what you promised as my reward for the second labor? A blank wish… chuckle”

“…Who are you? Why are you bringing that up now?”

Artemis stepped back a little, covering her chest and belly with both hands.

As she looked around, she realized that there were only the two of us in this office and her eyes widened in surprise.

The moment she was about to run away like a frightened mouse,

I firmly grabbed her arm.

“Kyaa! Let go! Pervert!”

“Artemis!”

“What!”

“Let’s go camping!”

—

(The story continues…)

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