A pleasant smile appeared on her face.
At the end, she left you with that beautiful smile, and it seemed to hold feelings that went beyond friendship.
The Argo sailed onward toward Colchis.
Along the way, you encountered all manner of hardships.
You slew the Sirens and shot down the Harpies.
At the Virginia Coast, you encountered the six-armed giant Geryon. With three heads and six arms, they were as massive as mountains.
You took the lead, cleanly and decisively severing the giants' heads.
Orpheus played his lyre, throwing the giants into confusion. Heracles drew his bow and effortlessly pierced through them, while Atalanta shot out every giant's eyes.
Geryon could not stop your advance.
After defeating the Geryon giants, you chose to rest by the shore. The famished heroes all turned their eyes toward you.
Even though these heroic figures feared no hardship—
They did not know how to cook. The superb culinary skills you had developed from caring for the goddess over the years conquered every hero's stomach.
After tasting the food, even the stern Heracles showed you a satisfied smile.
"Whoa! Satisfied! So satisfied! I'm so full I can't eat another bite! Food this delicious must be something only the gods get to enjoy!
Moran! You really are the good brother worthy of someone as handsome as me!"
Jason gave Moran a thumbs-up.
That smug expression seemed to say, "You can enjoy food like this only because of yours truly."
Atalanta shot Jason a disdainful glare.
Peleus turned his head away speechlessly.
Heracles handed his bowl to Moran and asked for another serving.
Clearly, that captain had no standing aboard the Argo. Everyone knew the credit for the delicious food belonged to you.
P.S.: I added Atalanta's picture to the previous chapter. You can go take a look.
Also, I'm begging for your monthly votes and flowers! Please! This author can do anything! Tears!
Sorrow Offered to the Moon Goddess—Please Give Flowers! Please Give Monthly Votes!
"Hey, hey, hey! What kind of looks are those?! I'm the one best at bringing out your strengths! So naturally, yours truly deserves the most credit, right?!"
"Yeah, yeah, we know. You're the best."
"Is that so? As expected of yours truly...!"
Noisy laughter and banter rang out across the deck.
The heroes chatted merrily as usual, while you came alone to the stern, bathed in the sea breeze as you gazed over the water.
Quietly, you noticed someone approaching.
It was Atalanta.
"Honestly, those idiots. Don't they know that if they start arguing with that moron Jason, he'll get so smug he won't know which way is up?"
"Heh, that's just how he is.
Atalanta, not interested in staying with those big guys? Want to come over here with me?"
"Is that not allowed?"
Atalanta moved with the elegance of a cat's gait.
She naturally sat down beside you.
As though she had remembered something, she glanced at you, and a captivating blush surfaced on her cheeks.
When you fought the Sirens, Atalanta and half the heroes had been affected by the Sirens' song and fallen into a daze.
With your powerful Magic Resistance, you had resisted the demonic melody.
When Atalanta opened her eyes, the handsome face she saw was filled with concern. At the time, she had been held in your arms.
Once again, she recalled what had happened that day.
It seemed that everything had changed from that day onward.
As she gazed up at the flawless full moon above the sea, her heart no longer held only admiration for the god she revered.
There were also strange feelings that kept rising within her.
She had no way to understand those feelings.
Nor did she know how to vent the anguish that kept building in her chest.
She could not help suspecting that her chest was about to burst apart.
If she did not press her hands to her face, it felt as though her cheeks would melt from the heat.
And yet, she did not dislike it.
An indescribable radiance filled her entire chest.
It kept flowing upward from her neck to her mind, a fullness like numbness. It was a completely unfamiliar experience.
She was delighted, yet also uneasy and afraid.
"I thought you'd keep avoiding me. Once the idiots on this ship realize we're only pretending to be a couple, you'll get pursued and bothered by a whole crowd again."
Moran spoke in a casual, joking tone.
When he had dealt with the Sirens that day, he too had been surprised that Atalanta was the first person he worried about.
Before his mind had even caught up—
He had already pulled her into his arms to protect her.
He knew they were only pretending to be a couple.
He respected the Vow of Chastity Atalanta had once sworn, while he himself still had The Invisible Island on his mind.
His heart was concerned with so many women.
Was he being a little too greedy?
"Pretending..."
Atalanta's tone seemed to grow a little lower.
Moran did not notice that small detail.
Even she herself did not know.
"You always look out at the sea like this..."
"Well, no matter where I am, the scenery of this sea is almost the same as what I saw on the island where I grew up. Don't laugh at me. Just think of it as me feeling a little homesick..."
"Slaying giants, hunting monsters.
I never expected a peerless hero as brave as you to show such a melancholy, sentimental side."
Atalanta said teasingly.
In truth, she was constantly suppressing the feelings in her heart.
Never stopping, never falling.
You, who crushed every hardship in pursuit of your goal, seemed as straight as an arrow loosed from its bow in her eyes.
She thought that something had to be wrong with her.
That night, after finishing her conversation with you, Atalanta stood alone at the stern with her hands clasped together.
Once more, she offered a prayer to the Moon Goddess.
Since the incident with the Sirens, Atalanta's prayers had become far more frequent, greatly exceeding what an ordinary believer would offer.
"Lady Artemis, please hear my prayer. I beg the great you to guide me and dispel my confusion... What exactly is this strange feeling in my heart...?"
Atalanta clasped her hands together with utmost devotion.
Facing the bright, spotless full moon, she lowered her head.
Not knowing how to face this unknown within her heart, the confused girl could only entrust herself to the god she believed in.
Perhaps it was because her feelings were too profound.
Or perhaps it was merely coincidence.
The Moon Goddess reflected upon the planet's surface sensed it. She noticed this starlike radiance.
Though it was only a faint glimmer—
It appeared exceptionally dazzling in the dark night.
"Hm? Isn't that the child I adopted in Arcadia? Wow! She prays so devoutly every day! Wonderful! Among all my followers, this child is definitely one of the best!"
Artemis said with great satisfaction.
Having sensed the immense energy contained in this prayer, she did not intend to simply brush past it.
She examined it carefully.
Her own child had prayed so earnestly.
As the goddess so adored by her, Artemis had to occasionally display the bearing expected of a god.
However, this prayer was different from ordinary prayers.
It was an unknown that she could not investigate.
"Hm? What, what? This..."
Artemis had assumed it would be similar to an ordinary prayer.
Human prayers were generally requests for her to do something.
And when she took a liking to a believer, she would bestow divine grace upon them.
If they were hunters, she would allow them to hunt rare magical beasts.
For ordinary people, she could grant blessings that would keep them free from illness for their entire lives.
Turning someone into a hero was no difficult task either.
She possessed authority over hunting, nature, war, healing, and more, so naturally she could bestow such blessings.
Yet this time, Artemis could not make a decision.
Even after consulting the data of the Machine Gods—
Listening to the prayer of her follower, wrapped in unknown emotions, remained a blind spot for Artemis.
Curiosity, confusion, worry.
She felt every emotion in Atalanta's heart.
She was surprised by how intense they were.
Even as a god, she could not answer them. Wanting to understand them fully, she would not give up so easily.
The cause of it all was that man.
A peculiar man named Moran, who was a crew member aboard the Argo alongside Atalanta.
"Since that child is confused because of this man, I just need to figure him out~! Mm-hm, the database can't give me the answer, but I'll get to the bottom of this!"
Artemis nodded in satisfaction.
The Moon Goddess had been drawn here by Atalanta's prayer, only for her gaze to ultimately settle on a man.
This bond was so strange that—
Moran himself probably never would have imagined it.
P.S.: Is anyone reading this? Can you make a sound? If it's too quiet, this author gets a little anxious while writing.
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