Until an Arrow Struck My Knee 1/3

In the Greek border region, at the foot of Mount Peyon, in a river valley.

A man with blond hair and green eyes, whose upper body was that of a handsome and gentle human, and whose lower body was that of a long, brown-yellow horse, knelt on the lush green grass on the gentle slope outside the cave.

Thump thump thump...

As the centaur god rhythmically struck the stone hammer in the mortar, the crisp sound of pounding medicine drifted into the spacious and refreshing cave behind him.

Amidst the rustling sounds inside, a black-haired, blood-eyed youth who had been dragged here by centaurs from outside the cave for treatment more than ten days ago removed the leaves covering his face to block out the light, yawned, and climbed up from the stone bed.

"You're awake? Take your medicine first."

Hearing the faint sound from inside the cave, the centaur spirit hoofed its way to the bedside and handed over a bowl of thick, dark green medicine.

"Teacher Ma, I don't need that. I feel much better."

Upon smelling the pungent odor, Samael's face turned green, and he felt nauseous. He quickly forced a dry laugh and declined.

"The divine power within you is chaotic and disordered. The wounds may appear to have healed, but they have left behind many hidden injuries."

"Therefore, you should use medication to repeatedly cleanse and massage your meridians several times, so that you are less likely to leave any sequelae."

The centaur healer offered gentle advice, then paused.

"Furthermore, I am Chiron..."

"Alright then, Teacher Ma..."

Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Samael blinked and muttered something before taking the stone bowl. Resignedly, he pinched his nose and gulped down the bitter, sour soup.

Uh, I... never mind...

Chiron collected the empty bowl, shaking his head helplessly at his newly acquired title. He left behind some sweet and sour wild berries wrapped in leaves to cleanse the patient's mouth of the bitter taste before hoofing away.

Samael leaned against the headboard, holding a rolled-up leaf in his hand, and tossed the fruit inside into his mouth to chew, looking quite content.

After a moment of calm, the ancient snake picked up the remaining unripe fruit, about the size of a jujube, and twirled it between its fingertips, releasing a surge of golden-black energy.

Instantly, the unripe fruit withered and rotted rapidly. After spinning once, it turned into a pile of ashes in the wind and drifted down from between those slender, fair fingers.

Yes, the power of time destruction...

It seems that, in addition to poison and fate, his divine power has gained another troublesome attribute.

Samael clapped his hands and nodded in satisfaction, his gratitude towards the centaur healer outside the door deepening even further.

Chiron the Wise, was a fully-fledged deity conferred by the Titan Gods Cronus and the goddess Philyra of a certain island.

However, because Cronus was in the form of a horse when he had sex with Philyra, Chiron was born as a centaur.

Because Chiron's strange appearance prevented Philothrace from nursing him, she eventually turned into a linden tree.

Even so, the flowers of the Bodhi Tree can be used in medicine, and the bark of the Bodhi tree is used as a divination tablet. It is a tree species that is full of goodwill towards the world.

Despite lacking parental love, Chiron did not wallow in self-pity or rebel against the world. Instead, he grew up and worked hard to become a sage.

As Chiron grew up, he became proficient in all kinds of knowledge. Due to his calm personality and ingenious teaching methods, countless "heroes" came to Greece from Greece through his education.

Heroes such as Heracles, Achilles, Asclepius who later became the god of medicine, and Castor who became the Gemini were all his students.

In addition, Jason, the leader of the Argo and who won over Medea, was also a follower of the same school, and his students were numerous.

Generally speaking, in addition to being excellent hunters who use their horse's lower body in combination with superb archery skills, centaurs also have a savage side, stealing all sorts of items.

Chiron is unique in possessing the mark of a "wise man," a gentle and kind nature that is unparalleled among centaurs.

Therefore, Samael was truly lucky to encounter such a kind and virtuous person in the chaotic Age of Gods.

Over the past ten days, thanks to Chiron's meticulous care, the toxins accumulated in his body have been gradually expelled, and the hidden injuries left by the forced digestion of the immense divine power have mostly healed.

Such a favor is truly indebted to us.

Moreover, not only is his son a good person, but his cheap father, the Titan Gods Cronus, is no less so.

This god of creation and destruction of time and space instigated a divine war, bringing his minions to the Oceanus Sea, packing them up and delivering them as takeout, and giving away weapons for free.

Chiron the Wise who was Samael's son, even took the overeaten Samael to the cave to treat him, thus unknowingly forming a one-stop service.

Even the serpent of original sin, whose moral constraints are becoming increasingly weak, felt a strange sense of guilt and sighed inwardly.

What kind people they are! Their whole family are good people!

Samael secretly marked the centaur sage outside the cave with a golden label, determined to lend him a hand at the crucial moment no matter what.

After all, even the "good guy" card from the peaceful era before the game has lost its meaning; in this chaotic world, good people rarely have a good ending.

As far as he knew, one day, while resolving a conflict among the centaurs, Chiron, this kind-hearted man, would be struck by a poisoned arrow from who-knows-where, and because of his immortality, he would suffer unbearable pain.

Only after the centaur sage, who was at peace with the gods, became Sagittarius, submitted to Olympus, adorned the heavens with divine authority, and returned immortality to the gods, did he finally escape this torment.

The one who shot the poisoned arrow was none other than his most prized disciple, the Great Hero Heracles.

Furthermore, Heracles' conflict with the centaur tribe was merely a dispute over a barrel of wine brewed by Dionysus.

This volatile Great Hero relentlessly pursued and brutally beat the centaurs who had angered him.

But an arrow shot at the centaurs grazed the arm of one of the unfortunate men and unfortunately struck Chiron in the knee.

Besides Heracles and the centaurs, the poison smeared on the arrows in this tragedy came from the Hydra, the Hydra that Hercules had killed.

As Samael pondered, he raised his fingers, rubbed his chin, and gazed wistfully at the centaur sage strolling through the valley gathering herbs, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Education should be inclusive, regardless of who you teach.

Teacher Ma, how about I introduce you to a few learning methods?

Anyway, as long as I can save your life, I guess I've repaid your kindness, right?

The ancient serpent, plotting some wicked scheme, smiled even more broadly.

Stheno, Euryale, and those scourges running rampant, your good days are over!

Samael then gave a slight hum, and a faint gray-black light appeared on his fingers and palms. After confirming his physical condition once again, he nodded in satisfaction.

Indeed, he has reached the peak level of a high-ranking god, and he can already vaguely sense a trace of the profound mystery of the condensation of divine power.

With the blessing of Cronus's Scythe, and the divine power within him containing the triple characteristics of fate, time, and poison, he must have the ability to challenge gods of a higher level.

Speaking of which, the person we should be most grateful to is our old friend Marduk, who sent us the Fate Tablet.

If it weren't for this treasure that conceals the aura of destiny, he would have been torn to pieces long ago for his audacity in snatching food from the jaws of the tiger in the Oceanus Sea.