I Became Artemis’ Boyfriend

“YAAAAAAAAAAKK!!!!!!!!”

From the crack of dawn, a shrill scream rang out, sharp enough to make my eardrums feel like they were tearing apart.

It was loud enough to reach me here in the priest’s residence where I was resting.

What could our lovely goddess be dissatisfied with this time?

I calmly sipped my tea, anticipating the upcoming cries of the priestesses as I leaned my ear toward the temple.

Sure enough, Artemis would be pestering the priestesses with her usual irritation.

It’s as predictable as a protagonist in a drama discovering a secret about their birth.

“YAAAAAAAAAAKK!!!!!!!!”

A sudden second scream was fired off.

“Hmm? This isn’t like usual?”

What is this? She never screams twice…

She’s not upset with the priestesses, is she?

Could this scream somehow be directed at me instead? That ominous feeling tightened its grip on my throat just as…

The door to my quarters was flung open, as if announcing the correct answer.

Still seated, I poked my head out to glance at the doorway, where Artemis stood silently glaring at me with eyes that seemed to burn like she was facing the reincarnation of her greatest parental enemy.

“Hey there, Artemis. Great Arch—gaaaahhh!!”

Artemis casually ignored my morning greeting as she stomped into the room without even removing her shoes.

She then swiftly pinned me in a headlock like a formidable detective apprehending a suspect, dragging me out forcefully.

“Huh?! Why? Why are you doing this again?”

“Shut up and follow me.”

My question was effortlessly dismissed as she headed toward the temple next to the residence.

We passed through the front gate and down the hall, heading towards the dining room on the opposite side.

At the door, she released her grip on me and shoved the door open with both hands.

The female priestesses, who were in the middle of eating breakfast, gasped in surprise upon recognizing the goddess and dropped their hamburgers.

They immediately stood up, politely folding their hands in front of them and bowing.

Artemis ignored their greetings, spun around, and glared at me.

“Do you not see?”

“Beautiful female priestesses? About four of them—”

Pfft!

Artemis kicked me in the shin saying that she wasn’t in the mood for jokes.

She pointed at the hamburger on the table with her hand stretched out.

“Why are they eating hamburgers that are supposed to be offered to me as an offering!?”

“Ah, is that all? Worrying about nothing.”

“Don’t act like it’s a small matter!”

“Alright, let’s go. Let the priestesses eat in peace.”

As I softly guided her out of the kitchen by pushing her back gently, she was still muttering to herself.

Even until the door closed, she cast a sharp glare, seemingly aware of the nervous priestesses who were left behind.

I feel a bit apologetic for putting them in this awkward situation.

“Explain yourself.”

With her hands planted on her hips, she urged me on with a voice slightly more agitated.

“During the night, any priestess on duty could assist you if requested.”

“Are you an idiot? Just because you say that, should we then divulge the method of preparing divine cuisine?”

Now now,

Calling a hamburger divine cuisine is going a bit far, don’t you think?

I haven’t even managed to replicate the taste of modern brand sauces yet, and it’s making me restless.

Though… I appreciate the excessive praise for my incomplete cooking.

“I can’t be stuck in the kitchen every day.”

After a camping trip, Artemis has been requesting hamburgers at random times, leaving me sleep-deprived and overwhelmed with work.

Rather than tying myself up in the kitchen like this, isn’t it more efficient to share the recipe with the priestesses so they can share the responsibility?

And while we’re at it, letting them taste the hamburger is a two-for-one deal, isn’t it?

When I was thinking about gathering feedback, I noticed the priestesses had sauce smeared all over their mouths. I guess I don’t need their input then.

“Hey…”

Artemis bared her fangs, revealing her wild nature, seemingly genuinely furious at my answer.

What is it?

“Why would humans consume an offering dedicated to the gods?”

Offering.

It refers to tributes made by the people to their superiors.

In short, from her perspective, since she considers hamburgers as divine cuisine, only deities of her status should be allowed to consume them.

What she’s essentially asking is why I indiscriminately shared something intended exclusively for her with human priestesses.

Some might say:

Isn’t it my prerogative since I developed the hamburger using my knowledge?

It’s a reasonable argument.

However, I clearly agreed during our camping trip to offer hamburgers as tributes while sharing the tent.

To be honest,

I completely forgot about it.

“Arc, you broke our agreement to offer tributes.”

“Uh? But it’s the priestesses serving in the temple I was teaching?”

“Granting favors is my responsibility as the goddess! Arc, aren’t you getting too relaxed lately?”

“…”

Point taken.

I overstepped my boundaries as the goddess’s servant.

It’s a mistake made because I haven’t managed to let go of modern thinking yet.

With her rich emotional range, I sometimes even forget she’s a goddess.

Definitely, Artemis is a goddess.

A god.

Someone who claims the best things first, then graciously offers them to humans, believing in the sanctity of such actions.

Using this to elevate their dignity and stature is both their duty and right.

Through this, humans come to acknowledge and require the existence of the gods.

From the human perspective, including mine, the distinction between gods and humans is already apparent just through using “magic”.

Seeing my troubled expression, Artemis smirked, convinced she had the upper hand.

Her fists crunch audibly as she approaches menacingly.

“You must pay the price for overstepping your bounds, Arc?”

“Ahahaha~ Can you give me a pass this time?”

“Why? Why should I do that?”

“I was actually planning to overstep again.”

Her expression darkens at my absurd answer.

“…What?”

“The truth is, I am also considering sharing this hamburger recipe with Poseidon, Athena, and Demeter.”

Only I know the exact recipe and the key sauce formula.

The hamburger has the potential to become one of the best dishes in this medieval era.

Of course, monopolizing crucial information is essential, and I intend to do that too.

However, in the grand picture, sharing the hamburger recipe is a minor secret.

In this case, I plan to offer hamburgers as tributes to Poseidon and Athena to gain their favor after the second labor.

After the second labor, I realized something important:

The more gods on my side, the more advantageous it is for me.

“What? What?! Are you sharing this with everyone?! Sure, it makes sense with Poseidon and Athena, but why Demeter?!”

“Because she’s the Goddess of the Earth, isn’t she? All crops grow under her care, so it’s only appropriate to offer her at least this much, right?”

The Goddess of the Earth, Demeter.

If there’s no previous connection, I intend to create opportunities to interact and form a friendship.

Using the excuse, “These dishes are made possible by Demeter’s grace, and I wish she would try them,” should be enough, right?

“Hrrrg… Hey.”

She growls softly, gritting her teeth as she calls me.

In addition, her clenched fists quiver with anger.

“Why?”

“As the priest of Artemis, could you occasionally reflect on my prestige and status?”

Artemis expressed her hurt feelings not just over sharing the hamburger recipe but also because I had mentioned offering hamburgers as tribute to three other gods.

I completely understand.

I still vividly remember the taste of the first hamburger I ever tried as a child.

From her perspective, she would naturally want to monopolize it.

But she can’t.

Both me and Artemis need to think broader and deeper.

Rational judgment ends here.

Now, it’s time to provide her with some emotional reassurance, as she’s clearly deeply hurt.

“Artemis.”

I called her name affectionately and approached her.

At this, she glanced around the corridor and matched my steps by stepping back.

“What, what is this? That cheesy tone! A-and why are you coming closer?”

“Artemis.”

“Guh.”

With her back against the wall, she has nowhere to escape.

At that moment, I moved closer and extended my hand.

She resisted by shaking her head but eventually gave in as my hand touched her hair.

Slowly, very slowly, she calmed down.

I smiled warmly at her and gently caressed her hair.

“Artemis, don’t be upset.”

“What, why?”

“You have me.”

“!!!!”

Like someone who’s been forced to eat an entire butter stick, her mouth hangs open like a gaping goldfish.

Her cheeks flushed red, confirming she’s a red goldfish.

“Don’t be disappointed. I’ll offer you something better than hamburgers later.”

“R-really?”

“Of course! There’s so much delicious food out there.”

“W-well, as a goddess, I can wait that long.”

Though it seems pointless to act mature now,

I decided against it, knowing I’d only ruin the reconciliation.

Still, I feel satisfied.

Since our camping trip, we’ve grown in understanding each other’s communication far better than before—three times as much.

Does she sense the change too?

Artemis flicked her head sideways about five times,

“Ah… right! I have something for you.”

She clapped her hands, remembering something,

Then she dragged my hand toward the central hall.

At the hall, she pulled a high-quality parchment with a red thread from the wall-mounted container and handed it to me.

“What’s this? Is it the third labor?”

“No, Arc, you’ve been promoted to the 8th rank.”

“Huh!?”

I widened my eyes in surprise at the unexpected news.

Is it true that I, a mere rookie at the 9th rank after only a year of service, have been promoted to the 8th?

I thought it would take at least another two years to be promoted to the 8th rank through regular channels.

Suspicious of the claim, I quickly opened the parchment.

The first thing I checked was the seal at the bottom.

It bore the official seal of Panthegrasia, the supreme council of priests.

And the content was exactly as she said: my special promotion to the 8th rank.

“Wow, it’s true. Why?”

“Are you not happy?”

“I am happy… It’s just hard to understand.”

“Your understanding isn’t important. Junior-ranking promotions only require the nomination of three other gods apart from me.”

“Really? Who nominated me?”

I can guess two of them.

Probably…

“Uncle Poseidon, Big Sister Athena, and um… who else?”

She furrowed her brows, trying to remember the last one.

I also guessed those two!

The key is this last person!

“Uh… the last third nominator is probably…”

“It’s me.”

A voice from outside the building interrupted Artemis’ response.

The main temple doors opened wide, and feathers danced around us in the wind.

We turned our heads to see a tall man with wings standing by the doorway.

There was a bow on his back and quivers holding gold and lead arrows hung from his waist.

“Who are you…?!”

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