Type-Moon at the Start, but an A Certain Magical Index Magician

At that moment, Artemis finally realized what the two of them had been talking about.

"You two were talking about Amphitryon, Alcmene's husband, weren't you? I remember he was the king of Thebes. Hmm, he's already passed away now—the former king."

Now that she knew the other party was Artemis, Medea could not help but show a trace of respect. She cautiously nodded. "Yes. I think it's better not to talk about this sort of thing. After all, Alcmene was actually taken a liking to by that person."

"It's fine. He won't mind being described that way." Artemis smiled. "I can guarantee it!"

It was a guarantee from the moon goddess, but Medea did not dare gamble on it. If Zeus truly lost his temper, none of them would have an easy time.

"Fine, we can ask him what he thinks when we meet him later. Anyway, I don't think he'd get angry over something like this." Mephistopheles looked around as he spoke, then grabbed someone and asked, "Excuse me, where does Heracles live?"

Medea's mouth fell open at his words.

Not only did he not rein himself in, he was actually planning to ask Zeus about it to his face in the future?!

And if they brought it up directly, they might not only anger Zeus, but possibly Hera as well. After all, Zeus had secretly slept with Alcmene and made her bear Heracles. That had been a tremendous blow to Hera's dignity.

He was reckless. Far too reckless!

By then, Mephistopheles had already learned where Heracles lived. He immediately waved at the two girls. "Come on, let's go find Heracles!"

The reason they had come to Thebes to find Heracles was simple. According to Mephistopheles's deduction, the War of the Giants was about to begin. Though the war would be massive, it would have little impact on mortals, because those giants were all headed for Mount Olympus and could not be bothered with humans.

Heracles would be summoned by the gods and brought to participate in the war. Therefore, if they wanted to get involved, the best method was to stay with Heracles for a while. When the time came, they would naturally be able to join in.

"Still, weren't the Gigantes born in mythology when Uranus's genitals were cut off, and the blood that spilled onto the earth gave rise to them through Gaia? But how were they born in this world? Don't tell me they were all made by Machine God Gaia..."

Wondering just how different this history was from what he knew, Mephistopheles pulled the two girls along toward Heracles's home.

Madness

Heracles stood at the entrance of his home, looking at the visitors. His muscular lines were as precise and powerful as a modern sculpture, as though every muscle had been carefully carved into a work of art.

Although news of Heracles's deeds had reached Mephistopheles less than a month ago, due to the relative limitations of human technology and magic being a rare privilege, that less than a month actually referred to things Heracles had done around half a year earlier.

In other words, more than half a year had passed since Heracles got married.

Heracles's wife, Megara, was a beautiful and captivating woman. She was currently pregnant, her belly slightly rounded, and her eyes full of curiosity toward the three unexpected visitors. She stood gracefully to one side, observing these sudden guests.

Looking at Heracles's body, which seemed capable of shaking mountains and rivers, Mephistopheles could not help feeling stunned. Was this even a human? He was practically a living stone monster!

Seeing him in person was far more direct and intense than anything in film or television.

Now I believe Heracles really did take down forty-nine girls in one night and get every one of them pregnant. And forty-nine times in one night wouldn't even tire him out. As expected of Zeus's son.

Mephistopheles muttered inwardly, but outwardly, he maintained a polite smile. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Heracles. Your appearance perfectly matches the legendary image of your valor. It is truly admirable."

Heracles was not a rash man. On the contrary, he was gentle and refined. If not for his powerful physique, people might have mistaken him for a mild-mannered scholar.

Mephistopheles knew very well that many seemingly violent acts came from emotions spiraling out of control. Just as when Heracles accidentally killed his teacher in anger as a child, the root cause had been that old man's endless humiliation and abuse, which provoked Heracles into an excessive reaction.

But compared to being beaten, Heracles throwing out his lyre in resistance was not really all that violent.

If Heracles had done anything wrong, it was simply that he had been far too strong, which led to that old man's death.

Mephistopheles also remembered that the ruling declaring people innocent if they killed someone in self-defense supposedly began with Heracles killing his teacher when he was young.

Heracles examined the three visitors before him, feeling slightly puzzled.

Especially the woman carrying a bow and arrows. He naturally remembered that she had appeared at his wedding and offered her most sincere blessings.

That was his elder sister, the moon goddess Artemis. Yet she was now calling herself "Diana," clearly hiding her true identity among mortals.

She was concealing her identity while following these two people. Had the two of them caught her interest? Or had one of them caught her interest? It really was curious.

Though Heracles was full of questions, he naturally would not deliberately reveal his sister's identity, since she was currently hiding it.

"Welcome, travelers from afar," Heracles invited with his usual gentlemanly manner. "Please come in and rest for a while. I shall prepare food and wine for you."

"Thank you!" Mephistopheles gratefully accepted the invitation, and the three entered the courtyard.

The house was not luxurious, but it was spacious and bright, more than enough for Heracles's enormous body to move around freely.

They sat down casually, and Heracles soon brought out a generous spread: fresh flatbread, colorful fruits and vegetables, fragrant roasted meat, and rich wine.

"May I ask what brings you here?" Heracles asked as he ate, secretly guessing that they might be seeking his help. After all, as a widely renowned hero, he often received such requests.

And as someone pursuing the path of virtue, he was willing to lend those people a helping hand.

These two were probably here for a similar reason. As for his sister Artemis, she had naturally followed along because she found it amusing.

However, Mephistopheles responded with almost sincere politeness. "Heracles, we did not come specifically to seek your help. We were merely passing through this place and were drawn by your legend, so we thought we had to see this famous hero with our own eyes."

Artemis listened to Mephistopheles's words from the side and secretly found them amusing. They had clearly altered their route specifically to come here for Heracles, yet he was now claiming they had merely passed by. Still, her face revealed no flaw whatsoever.

"Just passing through?" Heracles clearly held some doubts about Mephistopheles's words, but his eyes soon returned to their usual gentleness and friendliness. He smiled and shook his head, indicating that he did not care about such details.

Mephistopheles sensed his suspicion and continued, "We really were just passing through. But if you insist that there is something we need the great Heracles to help us with, then does this meal count? We really were hungry, and this meal has helped us immensely!"

Heracles froze, then burst into laughter. He reached out and patted Mephistopheles on the shoulder. It was not hard at all; he was extremely restrained.

When he was not in a furious state, Heracles paid close attention to controlling his strength.

"This meal hardly counts as help. When guests arrive, it is only natural to treat them with good food and wine. That is simply ordinary hospitality!"

Medea's eyes lit up as she listened. She had already noticed the change in Heracles's attitude. If he had been somewhat suspicious at first, he had now completely relaxed and become far more approachable.

Mephistopheles handled that brilliantly. Bringing up the meal dissolved his suspicions perfectly!

"Since you put it that way, then I can only say that I truly have nothing else to ask of you." Mephistopheles nodded heavily, once again confirming that he had only come to have a look.

He really had only come to see Heracles, with the added bonus of joining the War of the Giants, testing his magic, and riding the wave of attention. He did not need Heracles's help at all.

After the meal, Heracles suggested going hunting to enrich their dinner menu. Mephistopheles naturally had no objections. Being able to eat prey hunted by the great hero Heracles would be enough to make plenty of people jealous—at the very least, it would make that girl Illya jealous.

Mephistopheles thought to himself as he watched Heracles sling a quiver and bow over his back before striding out of the house.

However, just as Heracles was about to disappear from sight, Mephistopheles keenly caught a strange glint in his eyes—a complex emotion mixed with savagery and madness. Yet the change vanished in an instant, and Heracles quickly returned to normal.

Watching Heracles head toward the dense forest, Mephistopheles's heart tightened. He found that change deeply unsettling and immediately said, "I'll come with you!"

"I..." Medea was just about to follow when Mephistopheles shook his head. "You two can wait here. With Heracles and me, the hunt will be over quickly."

Without waiting for the girl to object, he immediately quickened his pace and chased after Heracles.

"Hmm, it seems he noticed something. Heracles's condition is a little strange," Artemis said to Medea.

Medea was confused when she heard that. "Noticed something? What did he notice? What is strange about Heracles's condition?"

Artemis did not answer Medea. Instead, she looked toward the mistress of the house. "Megara, does Heracles usually show any unusual behavior?"

Megara looked at Artemis in confusion. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Lady Diana, my husband is usually very good. He takes great care of me and loves me deeply. If I had to mention anything unusual, it would be that sometimes I feel my husband falls into strange dreams."

Artemis frowned in confusion. "Dreams?"

"Yes, dreams. It is clearly daytime, and he is not asleep, but he acts as if he is dreaming. He says strange things and does strange things. For example, he will wave his weapon around in the courtyard and say that he has to kill some monster..."

Megara revealed a worried expression. "It frightens me, but I do not know how to talk to him about it."

"This..." Artemis pondered and thought of one possibility. "A curse?"

But who would curse Heracles now? Hera? Perhaps she would in the future, but at least for now, Hera had not truly made her move. So what was the reason?

Then Artemis thought of another possibility.

"Could it be a mental illness?"

"That sounds like madness. I heard about it from my teacher," Medea said. "When people have an episode, they think they are in some scene from their past and interact with the things in that scene. If their scene contains fine wine and delicious food, they will look as though they are enjoying themselves."

As Medea spoke, she too revealed a worried expression.

"But if that scene is a battle, they will behave as if they are fighting. And because the scene differs from reality, it is extremely dangerous in that situation..."

"W-What should we do?!" Megara collapsed to the ground. She gently touched her belly, terror filling her face. "M-My child is in danger, then?!"

"You do not need to be so afraid. This illness can be cured. I can prepare a potion, and all we need to do is have Heracles drink it." Medea smiled and comforted Megara. "Please rest assured. I swear upon my teacher's name that I will cure him!"

Megara looked at Medea in confusion. She did not know who the other girl's teacher was, so she had no idea how weighty that oath truly was.

Seeing that Megara was still uneasy, Medea said, "My teacher is Hecate, the goddess of magic. I am Hecate's priestess."

With Medea's words, Megara finally relaxed. She looked at the girl before her in astonishment. She had never expected this petite-looking girl to be the priestess of a True God, and even that god's student!

Especially since her teacher was Hecate, the goddess of magic. With that deity teaching her, Heracles's madness should not be a problem. After all, Hecate was not only proficient in magic, but also in potions!

Artemis, standing nearby, saw Medea reveal her identity so casually. She secretly shook her head, yet also felt comforted.

She truly is a kind child. Though she is a little proud and has quite a temper, none of that can conceal her kindness now. If she can keep it up, she will surely be very happy in the future.

Elsewhere.

"Why did you follow me?" Heracles looked at the Mephistopheles who had caught up with him and asked in confusion. "You could have waited at home. I am very familiar with this area, and the hunt will be over soon."

"Because I really want to hunt with Heracles, and I want to see you fight up close. I think it will be a great help to my training!"

Heracles was even more puzzled. "Training? Aren't you a magician? Do you also need to learn close combat?"

"Of course. There are quite a few magicians who learn close combat too, aren't there?"

"There are, but generally speaking, specializing in one discipline lets you reach a higher level faster. Besides, whether it is close combat or magic, both are applications of magical energy. If you are worried about your control over magical energy, simply studying magic would be enough."

After saying that, he thought for a moment before continuing, "That little lover of yours should be a pure magician, right? I can sense the power on her, and there is divine power mixed into it as well. She should be a priestess of some god?"

"She is the priestess of the goddess Hecate. For now, she is my younger sister, I suppose." Mephistopheles smiled.

Heracles shook his head. "I do not think she sees you as an older brother. She definitely likes you. Do not lightly betray a girl's deep affection."

After saying that, Heracles patted Mephistopheles on the back again and laughed loudly. "Even if you cannot marry because of certain reasons, there is no problem with making her your lover!"

It had to be said that Greece was extremely uninhibited when it came to romance. Mephistopheles muttered inwardly, filled with emotion.

Even Heracles was quite the uninhibited sort. After all, among Heracles's lovers were not only those forty-nine girls, but several boys as well!

But that was not why Mephistopheles had come. After Heracles killed a wild boar and slung it over his back, Mephistopheles asked, "Heracles, do you ever experience strange states? Something mental, for example?"

"Mental?"

Drawing on his understanding of Greek mythology, Mephistopheles asked again, "For example, suddenly realizing you have returned to a place from the past where you fought some monster, then fighting it again, only to discover after a while that you have returned to where you originally were?"

Heracles fell silent. He stood there wordlessly for quite some time before asking in a deep voice, "How did you know?"

"So that's it? When I chased after you earlier, I saw that your condition seemed strange, so I wondered whether it was madness. It seems it really is madness." Mephistopheles sighed. In Greek mythology, this madness was only said to have been caused by Hera's curse.

But in the general history of Greece, it was written that Heracles had suffered from madness even before Hera's curse. It was simply that Medea would later cure it.

Now, because of his intervention, it seemed this madness was going to be cured ahead of time.

As for changing history?

The corners of Mephistopheles's mouth lifted.

Who cares whether it changes or not? Why think so much about it!

He looked at Heracles and smiled. "When we get back, let's try treating it. If you are worried, we can find a god to witness it."

Heracles did not answer directly. He only asked, "Why help me?"

This time, Mephistopheles patted Heracles on the shoulder. To reach it, he even had to jump up, making the scene look rather ridiculous.

"Because you are a good person, of course. I do not want too many tragedies to happen later."

Perhaps sensing Mephistopheles's sincerity, Heracles smiled as well. "All right. I believe you."

Joining the War

Following behind Heracles as he carried the prey back, Mephistopheles and Heracles soon returned to Heracles's residence.

Before they even entered, however, Mephistopheles smelled a somewhat unpleasant odor. Just smelling it made his body react with nausea.

Heracles frowned and immediately walked inside, asking as he entered, "What is burning?"

"Heracles, you're back." Megara was delighted to see Heracles enter. She pointed at Medea, who was boiling something in the distance. "Medea said she can make a potion to treat your illness. This is wonderful, Heracles!"

Heracles was stunned at first, then realized she was referring to his strange condition. Though he had long guessed that his wife had noticed his problem as well, seeing how happy she was that there might be a cure for his illness still made Heracles feel happiness from the bottom of his heart.

"It truly is wonderful. I was worried that my condition might bring danger, but now I can rest easy. If you can truly restore me to normal, then I, Heracles, swear to the gods that you will forever be my friends!

"And if there is ever anything you need my help with, come find me. So long as it is within my power, I will never refuse!"

Heracles's promise made Mephistopheles secretly laugh. Though he did not care much about a hero's promise, having such a promise still felt rather impressive.

If he participated in the Holy Grail War in the future, and someone summoned Heracles, who then struck up a conversation with him and even brought up this matter, the others present would surely be utterly shocked.

Mephistopheles thought happily, but as he continued thinking, another question suddenly came to mind.