Three Days of a Hero

Hermes was in a very good mood right now. In the Nemean Forest, he lay on the branch of a gigantic tree, barefoot and swinging his legs as he watched the Nemean Lion below, which had eaten its fill and fallen asleep.

As expected of the Age of Gods. With such abundant magical energy, not only humans, but other lifeforms and even inanimate objects had been greatly "enhanced." This tree alone was over a hundred meters tall, yet this was merely one corner of the Nemean Forest.

While flying, although Hermes had used divine power to protect Thaumas, he had deliberately let him experience the "thrill" of flight.

Just thinking of Thaumas's nearly tearful expression, and how he had vomited nonstop after "getting off," made Hermes feel refreshed.

Although Athena had told Hermes to restrain himself a little. But if he was only collecting a bit of interest and having an appetizer, it probably was not a big deal, right? Even Thaumas himself had no complaints.

"Hahaha~" Thinking of how the little devotee cherished by Hera, the Queen of Heaven, had been toyed with like this, Hermes could not help laughing out loud.

This magical beast was quite powerful. With Thaumas's small frame, how would he be torn apart by this little lion?

If Hera learned that her loyal little devotee had been torn into several pieces by a magical beast, even as the Queen of Heaven, she would probably be reduced to tears, right?

Anyway, if something happened, Athena would bear the responsibility first. If Thaumas really died, those two goddesses might even have a fierce fight!

That would be even more entertaining~

What? You said a Miracle might happen? Hahaha! Wouldn't that make the gods even more excited?

What could be more thrilling than breaking the impossible? Athena, where had you found such a toy? It was simply too satisfying for a god!

I hadn't shared all my good things with you for nothing!

Hehe, no matter how he thought about it, Hermes was the one profiting! Truly worthy of being called the God of Commerce—how was he so good at business!

Then, little lion, little Thaumas, stay spirited for these three days!

Beneath the tree,

"Roar, roar~" The Nemean Lion suddenly had a terrifying nightmare. Sensing a deep malice, it warily looked around.

After observing its surroundings for quite a while, it found nothing unusual.

So, having eaten and slept its fill, it charged into a sea of flowers and gently played with butterflies, pouncing here and there. It looked very much like a "puppy"? In any case, it was having a great time.

Wearing Hermes's Winged Boots, Thaumas quietly watched the scene from afar.

Hermes had lent him these boots, saying they were a reward for making him feel so good...

Turning back, Thaumas thought seriously.

Knowing oneself and one's enemy gave one the upper hand. He had no detailed information about the Nemean Lion, so to be safe, he decided to observe it first.

Thus, on the first day of the trial, he practically followed the lion through eating, drinking, relieving itself, and sleeping, carefully observing its habits and fighting style.

He was not about to wrestle with a lion that could be considered "impervious to blades and spears" even in the Age of Gods. As for why Heracles could, why do you think he was called Hercules?

Besides, even someone as powerful as Heracles had used wisdom when facing this lion.

If he rashly fought the lion, the outcome would definitely be miserable. He could not place his hopes on some sudden burst of power. Life was not a hot-blooded anime, and neither he nor you were the protagonist.

At night,

Thaumas did not light a campfire, because it would attract the lion.

Under the moonlight, Thaumas held a piece of bark on which he had recorded the results of today's observations.

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Enemy: Magical Beast—Nemean Lion

Traits:

① Tough hide (I cannot break its defense)

② Extremely fast. Its raw speed is slower than mine (while the Winged Boots are equipped), but I cannot match it in close combat.

③ It fought brutally and violently, only knowing how to recklessly charge forward, pin down its enemy, then tear it apart with its claws. A monster that knew only slaughter. (He was probably the same.)

④ Other than being stupid, no obvious physical weaknesses had been found so far. Fortunately, it was a pure "warrior." It could not use magic and possessed no Authority. Good news.

Habits:

It liked playing with small animals, hunted at noon, slept in the afternoon, entertained itself at dusk, and its morning activities were uncertain.

Its prey was usually large magical beasts. It seemed to have no obvious desire to attack the "weak." It liked smelling its own droppings.

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Well, it was not as though he had gained nothing. It could only be said that after watching it for a day—no, half a day—he had imagined many ways he might die while fighting the lion.

This was bad. He definitely could not beat it.

As for kiting it, in close combat, Hermes's Winged Boots might not be able to help him. Besides, he currently could not break its defense.

Mm, then there was only one way! Following the script, he would make the lion kill itself.

Just like which was stronger—the strongest spear or the strongest shield.

Making his decision immediately, Thaumas chose to act overnight.

He arrived at the Nemean Lion's drinking spot. It was a stagnant pool.

However, because magical energy gathered there and droplets of water continuously fell from the rocks into the pool, all of it condensed magical essence, making the water especially clear.

Compared with the nearby rivers, the Nemean Lion seemed to prefer this place. It had drunk here all day today.

Thaumas did not taste it. He did not want to take risks, even though the water looked so "good."

So, he poured out all the water in his waterskin and refilled it.

Not drinking it did not mean he could not keep some, right? What if it proved useful?

"What a pity. I won't be able to drink this later." With that, he stopped concealing his presence and coldly took all the sleeping medicine from his clothes, pouring it into the pool.

This was the work of Hecate, goddess of magic.

He had heard that Teacher Chiron had obtained it when he was young. He did not know what it had been used for, nor did he know whether it had expired...

Back then, Jason had skipped class with him to rummage through Teacher Chiron's collection, and they had dug this out. He had secretly kept it when he saw it.

Later, he had tested it on animals. The medicine was powerful, but there was little of it, so he had been reluctant to use too much for testing. He did not know exactly how strong it was. In any case, those animals had not awakened for months and had eventually rotted away...

When Teacher Chiron found out, he gave Thaumas a vicious beating, but he also told him what it did. As for how powerful it truly was, even Chiron himself had never tested it.

After being diluted in this pool, how much effect would the medicine have left?

Then it was time to prove the worth of the goddess of magic. Though this was merely an auxiliary measure.

The next day,

After a long wait, Thaumas was nearly desperate. Why had the lion not come yet?

Not until nightfall did the exhausted lion finally drag its weary body over.

It was here! Success or failure depended on this!

The Nemean Lion was very happy today, because it had caught something big and could eat until it was full. So, happily stepping forward, it came here, then leaped up and cheerfully jumped into the pool.

?

No, lion, this was your bathwater? You had drunk it so happily yesterday? And this was stagnant water too. Damn, I almost drank it...

So—

Ah—disgusting me like this? Now even if your father Typhon came, he could not save you!

Thinking about it, that made sense. His knowledge had been too limited. First of all, this was a lion. Second, this was the Age of Gods...

The magical energy he considered immense might be nothing special in others' eyes...

"Wahahaha~ I'm dying of laughter." Hermes clutched his stomach, but after a while, he spoke with some regret. "What a pity it didn't drink it. You're so useless, little lion."

Although it had not become an embarrassing stain on its past, it still made him feel grossed out.

Still, the water was actually quite good. It was no big deal.

Mm, lion soup was made by boiling lions anyway, so pool water was about the same. Thinking of it that way, he felt much better.

He glanced at the waterskin at his waist. Mm! Jason would surely love this gift from him.

This was a one-of-a-kind treasure in the world!

Thaumas was trying to convince himself, because he still needed to focus on his work next.

Watching the giant lion drink deeply, Thaumas could not help thinking:

"This dead lion loves drinking its own bathwater so much. Then this game has already been declared over. Sleep well."

Sure enough, before long, the giant lion staggered out of the pool, completely disoriented.

At that moment, Thaumas took the instrument from his back.

This instrument had been personally carved and made by Teacher Chiron in imitation of Hermes's Lyre.

It could already be considered a divine artifact. It simply had no legend connected to it, so Thaumas was unsure whether it could be elevated into a Noble Phantasm.

But after today, he too would be a Heroic Spirit with a complete legend.

After all, the events of the Argo had not ended. That alone was not enough to elevate into a legend passed down through the ages.

The strings were plucked.

Thaumas's fingers danced swiftly across the strings like butterflies spreading their wings to fly, fluttering their lively wings. The clear notes flowed brightly, like the distant sky beyond the frontier, settling into pure, lucid light.

The evening breeze blew against his face, fresh and comfortable.

Accompanied by the waves of music, the night became even quieter and more harmonious.

"I didn't expect his musical skill to be so good. Apollo, you really gave your instrument to the wrong person. You should have given it to little Thaumas." Hermes admired the tranquil night and the moving music.

With the medicine's effects reinforcing it, the Nemean Lion was powerless to resist the melody carrying a measure of magical energy. It seemed the beast had no Magic Resistance.

Sure enough, with such powerful physical offense and defense, it had to give up magical resistance. The lion's stat allocation was a little extreme.

Now that midnight had passed, it was just in time to take your lion head as the third day arrived!

To be safe, he used the sturdiest rope he had and tied it to a tree, making many dead knots and leaving only one paw free to move.

This was to prevent the goddess of magic from proving worthless. If it woke from the pain, the rope could still hold it back for a moment and buy him time to escape.

Where there was life, there was hope. If an accident truly happened and he escaped, he would still have a day left to deal with it.

Thaumas raised the paw he had deliberately left free, cut open the skin on its neck, then viciously brought down his sword and severed its head, declaring the end of the magical beast's life.

After all, Athena's oracle had said, "behead."

Having seen plenty of word games, it was hard for him not to be cautious.

In three days, he had successfully severed the Nemean Lion's head. Moreover, he had deliberately left its body behind, so Heracles could personally skin it.

As always, one had to make sure everything was flawless!

What luck was there? Everything came from being careful and proceeding step by step. It was only that many things looked rather "coincidental."

He had understood this principle long ago.

After all, Teacher Chiron often "trained" him this way. He had even suspected that when he descended the mountain, his teacher had been watching him.

Mm, thinking really was exhausting. The night was still long, and he could finally sleep properly.

Good night, everyone.

P.S.: A little shorter today, eight thousand words.

The original draft for this chapter had involved drinking bathwater, but many readers might not like it once written out. After all, that was merely the author's personal preference...

Sometimes I have ideas that seem unbelievably brilliant, and combined with the author's own strange experiences, it is hard to write according to ideas ordinary people can accept.

When I was young, I knew I might grow up warped, because my dad changed my mom once a year, sometimes with brothers and sisters included. So Author-kun's interpersonal relationships were very complicated. Even then, I knew I was destined to be incompatible with his personality.

Speaking of which, would it be interesting to write myself into the book? Mm... no. How could someone who enjoyed watching the fun make himself into the fun?

I will work hard to become a normal human!