I Hope You'll Respect Yourself

The other heroes watched Moran with subtle smiles.

Usually, they saw Moran and Atalanta throwing flash grenades at each other, but today they were witnessing this rare Shuraba.

Well, it had to be said, this was immensely satisfying.

"Still, are women's jealousies all this strong? Could it be that the thing women get every month has appeared in that violent woman Atalanta too? No way..."

Jason was even seriously analyzing it.

Unbeknownst to him, the heroes instinctively distanced themselves from him.

They knew what was about to happen.

"Ja! Son!

Do you think my ears have gone deaf?! If you want to die, I'll grant your wish right now!"

Atalanta was like a lioness whose tail had been stepped on.

Her blue-green hair flew wildly in the magical power spilling from her limbs as she nocked an arrow to the Sky-Piercing Bow and drew it to a full moon.

"Die!"

Her killing intent was cold enough to freeze the air.

Jason's face went pale at once.

Boom—!!

The impact was like a falling star.

The arrow flashed with dazzling light as it shot toward Jason, its tremendous force nearly enough to shatter a mountain.

"De-Death... I'm going to die..."

Jason was shot through the sleeve and pinned to the Argo by the arrow.

That arrow had nearly pierced his head.

If he had not dodged at the very last moment, his journey as a hero might have ended there.

"Th-That, Atalanta..."

"Hm? Moran, did you want to say something?"

Atalanta flaunted her arrow.

You could only swallow your words.

Atalanta was in the middle of a rage right now. You felt that saying anything more would only make her angrier.

The other heroes were signaling the same thing with their eyes.

In this situation, Atalanta probably needed to calm down by herself.

"Hmph!"

Atalanta glared at everyone.

With the flames in her heart having nowhere to vent, she strode away in a direction different from the others.

Even she did not know what was wrong with her.

She did not know why she was so angry.

"Lord Moran... um... Captain Jason... he seems to have fainted... Aren't we going to do anything?"

Medea still had an innocent, airheaded look on her face.

She was exceedingly pure when it came to emotions.

Having studied under Goddess Hecate since childhood, she had spent all her time in a temple, an sheltered princess who knew nothing of the world.

"Leave that idiot to me.

Honestly, he needs to learn when to speak. That moron still couldn't keep his mouth shut in a situation like this.

One day, he'll drop dead on the spot."

Asclepius said venomously.

The man who would one day become the god of medicine.

What he hated most were ordinary illnesses, yet Jason kept creating pointless trouble for him.

"Oh, right, Moran, give me some more blood.

The Gorgon content in your blood is far richer than I expected. I've found the direction for creating the Elixir of Immortality. It's thanks to you, too."

Asclepius thanked him.

The respect he held for Moran, who had provided Gorgon blood, far exceeded what he felt for Jason.

"No problem. Once you get results in the future, just give me a share. Take care of Jason first. He may be a huge idiot, but he's still our captain."

"I'll definitely make the Elixir of Immortality. When the time comes, you'll be the first to use it. As for Jason... hmph, he can come along as an afterthought."

Moran and Asclepius spoke together.

The two of them were both Chiron's disciples.

Asclepius's manner toward others was rather sharp.

His reason for wanting to create the Elixir of Immortality was simple.

His time sailing with everyone aboard the Argo had been happy, and he loved his companions too much to lose them.

For that reason, he did not want any of his friends to die.

He wanted to create the Elixir of Immortality for his closest friends.

You looked in the direction Atalanta had left.

In the end, you still felt you could not simply leave her alone.

You chose to have Medea remain aboard the Argo and wait, while you pursued Atalanta.

Medea gazed in the direction you had gone.

A lonely expression appeared on her face.

Likewise, Medea did not understand why she felt this way. She did not want to remain on the ship; she only wanted to stay by your side.

"Mr. Asclepius, do you know what kind of relationship Miss Atalanta and Lord Moran have?"

"Oh? Curious, are you?"

Asclepius grinned.

When speaking of his fellow disciple, his indifferent face seemed to gain a little warmth.

Medea's little face was full of seriousness:

"Yes! I want to know! I want to know everything related to Lord Moran! Please!"

"How should I put it? I'll be direct.

Atalanta and Moran are partners."

He was remarkably straightforward from the very start.

Asclepius was accustomed to getting straight to the point as a healer, so he never beat around the bush.

"Partners..."

Medea's delicate body trembled slightly.

It was as though something had shattered inside her.

An unfamiliar stabbing pain spread through her chest, accompanied by a deep sense of defeat.

"Although I only have theoretical knowledge when it comes to romance between men and women, even I can understand this situation. Princess of Colchis, you saw how fiercely Atalanta flew into a rage just now, didn't you? Are you not going to give up?"

"How could I! I absolutely won't give up! I-I've already fallen for Lord Moran! Atalanta was scary just now, but I think I can get along well with her!"

Medea said loudly, blushing.

Completely unlike her previous timid weakness, she expressed her determination never to let love slip away.

Even Asclepius was stunned by Medea's change.

"Moran, I'm afraid you'll have to bid peaceful days farewell..."

He then shook his head with a bitter smile.

He could already foresee Moran encountering another Shuraba in the future. When that happened, the battle would surely be even more spectacular than this one.

As both a healer and a close friend.

He would prepare stomach medicine and painkillers for Moran in advance.

I Hope You Can Respect Yourself

You went through quite some trouble before catching up with Atalanta.

Although the process had some twists and turns, Atalanta eventually calmed down after venting her anger.

She noticed that something was wrong with herself.

Yet she lacked the resolve to face it head-on.

The two of you returned to the Argo as you always had. Everyone had gathered here as heroes, and how to deal with the trial Aetes had imposed was the first matter you needed to consider.

Originally, you had been worried about the relationship between Atalanta and Medea.

Yet the two women ended up chatting and laughing happily.

Atalanta did not view Medea with hostility, while Medea was eager to build a good relationship with Atalanta. You were relieved that the Shuraba did not appear aboard the Argo a second time.

In truth, this was not hard to understand.

From beginning to end, Atalanta had only been resentful of Moran's womanizing.

After talking with Medea, she realized that this was hardly a princess of a kingdom. She was simply an adorable little girl who had not grown up yet.

Moreover, Medea herself was still very young and inexperienced.

She had only just turned fourteen.

Atalanta had been abandoned by her parents from the moment she was born, and she had only been able to grow up through the mercy bestowed by the Moon Goddess.

Perhaps it was because of her childhood.

Her tolerance for children was practically limitless.

Since she could not develop any negative feelings toward Medea.

Naturally, she could only blame Moran.

"Well, the two of them are getting along even better than I expected. There's absolutely no room for me to interfere."

Moran had been completely ignored by the two women.

There was a hint of helplessness in his tone.

Still, overall, the situation was not bad.

The heroes decided to set out tomorrow to deal with the trial Aetes had imposed, but you had a different idea.

In the myths, the heroes passed Aetes's deliberately difficult trial, yet he still had no intention of handing over the Golden Fleece. Knowing this, you felt that you could take other actions.

"Huh? Moran, are you sure you're not coming?"

"You can't let me take all the glory. As the captain of the Argo, you're the one who should shine brightest."

"Ha, true.

No matter what, I have to let the world witness the astonishing wisdom and mighty strength of the great Jason! I have to handle this trial myself!"

Moran praised him like an old fox.

Jason had already been flattered to the point of losing his bearings.

Still, he had one concern.

"It's just that the trial really is a little difficult. If something happens to me... It's not that I'm scared! Absolutely not! It's just that, as your leader, I have a responsibility to ensure everyone's safety..."