Illusory Joy

After seeing Jason off, Bai Mo yawned. The battle had taken a lot out of him, both physically and mentally. But just as he was about to go to sleep, someone else knocked on his door.

"It's lively today. Asclepius actually let so many people in... No, wait. Without him, they'd probably have packed my room full."

"Come in. The door's unlocked."

The door opened. It was Atalanta, who walked a little stiffly over to a guest seat.

"What brings you here? You need to be resting and recovering. Is something so urgent?"

Bai Mo was puzzled. The venomous dragon had left large patches of Atalanta's skin festering, and she had been covered in so much blood that she was almost unrecognizable.

But now, in the moonlight, Bai Mo stared. Atalanta's skin showed no sign of injury at all. It was creamy and delicate, practically like a baby's.

"Asclepius has medicine like that?"

Bai Mo asked in confusion.

Atalanta looked at her arm. "It's Medea's potion. It worked even better than I expected. Honestly, I can hardly believe it myself."

Atalanta pinched the skin on her arm. In the moonlight, her delicate skin looked almost like pearl.

"Then I guess that injury turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Sigh, why don't I get that kind of treatment?" Bai Mo said, lying in bed and pretending to be indignant.

Atalanta tapped Bai Mo on the head. "Oh, please. Your skin is pale enough already. There's nothing masculine about it. Any paler and you'll look like a child."

Bai Mo said, "Hmm. Considering I might turn into a big muscular guy someday, being too pale would look a little weird."

Atalanta replied, speechless, "You've stopped growing, haven't you? Even a child of the gods won't grow ten centimeters taller after turning twenty."

"I told you I'm not... Sigh, forget it. Think what you want."

Bai Mo gave up, and for a moment, the atmosphere grew a little strange.

Bai Mo couldn't help grumbling inwardly. Atalanta came all the way here without saying what she wants, and now she's just leaning against the wall with her head down. Who knows what she's thinking? Wait... If you don't need anything, couldn't you go to sleep? You might not be tired, but I am. I did the most work on this trip, didn't I? I'm really sleepy right now.

But Atalanta's heart was fluttering. The night concealed the young woman's shyness, but to Bai Mo, someone had walked into his room when he was exhausted and simply stood there without a word.

"Um... Atalanta, is there something..."

Before Bai Mo could finish, Atalanta jerked like a cat whose tail had been grabbed. Then she looked straight at Bai Mo, as though she had made some momentous decision, and asked, "Bai Ermo, I wanted to ask, what are your plans for the future?"

Do we really have to talk about something that could take all afternoon when I'm about to go to sleep at night? Bai Mo was tempted to give Atalanta a quick answer, but for some reason she had disliked him for a while before. If he sent her away disappointed now, the journey back would be troublesome.

After all, they would be seeing each other all the time, and Bai Mo didn't want things to get too strained between them.

"Hmm, the future? I don't have any plans for now. I suppose I'll try to hone my skills."

"I see... That sounds hard. Have you made any plans?"

What plans could I possibly have? Right now I just want to sleep, then figure out how to get the Thread of Fate from Medea, and finally find a way to get a whole bunch of energy so I can return to modern society. I don't want to live in the same world as those Greek gods! And for some reason, people keep mistaking me for a son of Zeus. God, the more I think about it, the less I want to stay here.

"No, I don't have many thoughts or plans at the moment."

Atalanta suddenly took a great step forward in excitement. "In that case, once all this is over, would you... like to go hunting in the forest with me?"

Bai Mo's expression wasn't particularly good, and Atalanta was filled with regret when she saw it. Why did I have to bring it up now, of all times? Bai Ermo still has the king of the gods' trial to face. He can't even admit who he is right now, so how could he possibly come be with me?

Atalanta, oh, Atalanta, have you gone stupid? Don't you worship the moon goddess? Didn't you swear to remain a virgin forever? What on earth are you doing?

Atalanta already wished she could turn and walk away, but in a corner of her heart, a tiny voice whispered, Give it a try. What if it works?

But the reason for Bai Mo's expression was nowhere near as complicated as Atalanta imagined.

That's all? Couldn't you have said it tomorrow?

Those were the only words in Bai Mo's head. Although he knew the historical myths, he wasn't from this era. If he had put himself in her shoes for even a moment, he would have realized what it meant for someone who had sworn to remain a virgin for life to invite someone of the opposite sex to accompany her.

But Bai Mo didn't. His knowledge of the myths had instead given him a preconceived notion.

Atalanta could never fall in love with someone of her own accord, unless she was struck by the love god's arrow.

So, in Bai Mo's eyes, this was the most ordinary hunting invitation imaginable.

"Sure."

"Sorry for the trouble!" After saying those inexplicable words, Atalanta immediately turned, opened the door, and ran out, looking nothing like someone recovering from an injury. Bai Mo was left staring in bewilderment.

What's with that woman? Forget it. I don't want to think anymore. Time to sleep.

Then he lay back and enjoyed this rare chance to rest.

Meanwhile, Atalanta ran back to her room without looking back. A group of Argo Heroes watched the scene with interest from the stairs.

"Tsk, tsk. From the looks of it, our poor Miss Atalanta is going to be single for the rest of her life."

"Good grief, Bai Ermo is heartless. He even turned down a heroine who swore to remain a virgin forever. Tsk, tsk, tsk. He and his divine father are complete opposites."

"All right, it's settled. Everyone who bet Bai Ermo would accept, pay up."

The group sighed, and gold coins clinked on the deck.

"Sigh, that Bai Mo... Honestly..." Jason scattered a handful of gold coins onto the plate as well. Though Jason usually seemed unwilling to accept Bai Mo, he actually hoped the guy would stop living a life where he could lose his head at any moment.

Once a man had someone he loved, he would have something to hold him back. People with nothing were always willing to risk everything, but bonds restrained a person.

After returning to her room, Atalanta buried her face in her pillow. She herself hadn't been willing to believe Bai Mo would accept, so she had long been prepared for rejection. The moment Bai Mo opened his mouth, she had been convinced that he would turn her down.

So much so that she hadn't even listened carefully to his answer. He had so many important matters to deal with, so how could he go hunting with her? He was supposed to keep climbing higher. How could he be like her?

Atalanta, how stupid can you be?

Atalanta couldn't help berating herself. Then, without meaning to, she began recalling what had happened.

By the time she reached the end, Atalanta suddenly raised her head, like a student who thought she had missed an exam and was about to curse her luck, only to remember that the exam had been postponed.

He... seemed to agree, didn't he?

Atalanta thought back carefully, replaying the memory countless times. Finally, she realized something.

I really don't remember him refusing. It was all in my head.

"Yay!"

Atalanta was suddenly overjoyed, like a gambler who had bet twenty and won thirty million.

She no longer buried her head in the pillow. Instead, she hugged it, her legs kicking up again and again, showing just how happy she was-very happy.

"Wait, why am I so happy? I only invited him to go hunting with me. Right, it's to repay him for saving my life. He doesn't have much experience surviving in the wild. Right, learning from me will help him with his future trials too. Yes, that's right. That's all it is."

Moonlight fell on her face, as though the moon goddess were smiling at her.