Chapter 18 – First Morning In The Forest Of Heroes


    The next day.


    Despite having eaten and drunk merrily after receiving food and drinks from all sorts of peoplest night, we had to assemble at the colosseum before the sun even rose.


    For some reason, the men were all bare-chested with only their lower bodies roughly covered, and the women also lightly draped themselves in cloth, forming ranks while facing the cold wind.


    ‘…Isn’t this a bit too Greek?’


    I sighed inwardly as I looked down at my bare upper body.


    At least they didn’t shave our heads like in those old movies, thank goodness.


    Anyway, the person standing in front of the lined-up apprentice heroes with a baton was, of course, Chiron.


    The centaur, confirming that everyone had gathered by ttering his hooves, nodded his head.


    “Now, did everyone have fun eating and drinking yesterday?”


    -Yes!!!


    “Nice, fortunately, I heard that there were no casualties at the party. It is great to see everyone develop such self-control.”


    …Self-control?


    Are you saying their self-control had improved because there were no casualties at the partyst night?


    As I was pondering over what self-control they had at the party, the guys standing next to me looked proud of that fact.


    Just how stupid are these people?


    “Anyway, we are going for a morning jog to blow off the alcohol! Atnta!”


    “Yes!”


    The girl standing next to me responded loudly at themand of Chiron.


    She had short auburn hair tied into a ponytail, with a healthy bronzeplexion radiating charm.


    ‘…Ah, I remember.’


    Yesterday, there was a girl who, in a state of inebriation, had challenged Actaeon, cing an apple on top of the heads of Jason and Theseus, and nearly aimed the arrow as if it were about to split the apple.


    Though Actaeon was impressive, the way the arrows nearly turned the apples into hedgehogs was quite remarkable.


    “Since the freshman Dianes doesn’t know the morning jogging route yet, you’ll guide him.”


    “Yes! Leave it to me!”


    Atnta responded with a confident smile, and Chiron nodded, giving everyone time to prepare.


    “Then, we’ll depart in five minutes, along with Helios’s chariot!”


    -Yes!!


    As the students answered loudly, suddenly, nymphs and centaurs rushed towards us.


    “Theseus?! Where’s Theseus?! Here’s your sword!”


    “Here! Parfamon! Hurry, hurry!”


    “Actaeon! Here’s your helmet! Maseni will bring your armor!”


    “Archimedes! Please wear some armor!!”


    “Ah! It is stuffy!”


    The training area began to get crowded, with centaurs and nymphs, each carrying armors, helmets, and swords, looking for the students.


    “Found you! Dianes, right?”


    “Yes?”


    Meanwhile, a nymph and centaur found me and ran to me with shining eyes.


    “Okay! Atnta will exin in detail. Put this on quickly!”


    “Okay, do well!”


    Before I could even ask what was going on, the centaur raised my arm, and the nymph with straight green hair rushed in and armed me in an instant.


    “Oh my, Ptalimon, look at his skin. How can the skin of a boy be this white?”


    “Hmm, his muscles are unusual. What exercises did you use to train your upper body?”


    A bronze helmet adorned with a red crest resembling a rooster’sb, and brass-colored, shimmering scale armor.


    And a skirt-like lower body armor despite being armed.


    Finally, a hefty spear.


    Even while chatting leisurely, it took them only about two minutes to arm me from head to toe.


    “It looks like it isn’t just a normal morning jog.”


    “Hey, freshman!”


    With a rough voice calling me, an attack suddenly targeted my head from behind.


    Without bothering to turn around, I extended the spear backward to block the attack.


    -ng!


    “Huh?”


    “What?”


    The attacker was none other than Atnta, who was going to be my guide.


    Apparently not expecting me to block the attack, Atnta let out a gasp, and then retrieved the sword she had swung, frowning.


    “He, huh! Since I shed swords with Master Chiron, isn’t this much to be expected?”


    “……”


    What is this?


    It’s definitely the first time I’ve seen this person, but why does her personality seem so familiar?


    It feels like encountering such insolent jerks isn’t new for today.


    “Let me ask first, what the heck was that about?”


    It was the most polite thing I could say, despite the deep anger resurfacing.


    Atnta.


    As far as I remember, she was the female hero who told men that if they wanted to marry her, they had to win a race or lose their heads in a deathmatch running game.


    Thanks to that, countless heads of her suitors rolled as they were outrun in races.


    Eventually, she fell for the golden apple trick orchestrated by a suitor, who received Aphrodite’s buff, and they ended up getting married. After that, due to her husband’sck of proper respect for the goddess, they both were turned into lions…


    “Ha, yeah. So, fighting with the Master wasn’t just empty boasting?”


    ….Forget about myths and all, should I just break her legs right here?


    ‘Hold it in, hold it in for now.’


    Although my body was that of a child right now, my mind was much more mature than this extraordinary kid.


    No matter how much her actions remind me of that blood-pressure-raising moon goddess.


    The kid might not know better.


    “For now, I’ll guide you as Master Chiron instructed. Just follow well on your own. The Master must have let you off, but still, you achieved a tie with a hero. You can manage that, right? Oh, by the way, I am pledged to the goddess Artemis. Do note within ten paces of me.”


    What, you think you can follow within ten paces?


    Atnta said her piece and turned towards the entrance where everyone was gathered.


    “…Heh.”


    Are all the followers of Artemis like that?


    While I was contemting whether to kill or spare that ill-mannered wretch, the nymph who had helped me earlier approached and awkwardly smiled.


    “Hahahaha, surprised? Atnta is actually a good kid, but she was abandoned by her father when she was young… So she’s a bit prickly towards boys except for Master Chiron.”


    “To be honest, it’s more than just prickly… I think Brother Chiron assigned you to her to


    perhaps soften her temperament a bit…”


    “Me?”


    Why on earth are they telling me to rehabilitate that junior psychopath?


    As I shook my head in disbelief at the absurdity of the request, a familiar presence approached.


    “Hey! Did you already have a showdown with Atnta?”


    “Ah, Hercules.”


    Hercules, who had clung to me throughoutst night’s party, insisted we have a fight.


    Following him, almost inseparable, were Theseus and Jason, who raised their hands in greeting.


    “You two almost emptied the wine of this forestst night, yet you both look perfectly fine?”


    “We enjoyed ourselves quite modestlyst night. Maybe that’s why we’re okay.”


    Those two were cunning enough to just toast and subtly pour the wine back into the jar when they felt a bit tipsy. They’d do well in social lifeter.


    “Atnta, you know… Don’t take it too personally. Except for Master Chiron and the femalerades, everyone behaves like that.”


    “Honestly, the King of Arcadia was a bit too much. How could he abandon his daughter in the forest just because she wasn’t a son?”


    “What?”


    Abandonment of gender happens here too? What nonsense!


    No, what did the ancient kings think of their blood rtives?


    Now that I think about it, that’s the kind of stuff you find in Greek mythology, where they would often throw their daughters or sons in the forest.


    Just how many kids had they thrown?


    I think it made sense for such kids to grow up crooked.


    “It just happened, so…”


    Even so, what a fucking dick.


    “Anyway, how about the training? Well… she might make you suffer.”


    “Yah, Archimedes, that guy probably won’t have a hard time.”


    “Will he be the same?”


    “Just what is this morning training?”


    I asked them, unable to hold back anymore, but with a subtleugh, they each said it was time to go back to their positions.


    Is the morning training different from what I think it is?


    As I slowly aligned with the others ording to the roaringmands of the centaurs, the sun began to rise brilliantly beyond the dark sky.


    “Hey, freshman, I repeat, just as Chiron said…”


    As I stood in my ce like earlier, Atnta, who was standing next to me, whispered in her usual rude manner.


    But after hearing her tragic story, I felt more pity than anger and kindly told her not to act that way.


    “Dear, if you mutter one more time, I might just m that pretty face of yours into the ground.”


    “…What?”


    Atnta stared at me with a face of disbelief, wondering if she had heard correctly.


    But before anything else, the centaur atop the colosseum blew the horn.


    -Puuuuu!!


    With the resounding sound of a horn, the colossal gates of the colosseum opened with a thunderous noise.


    Standing in front, Chiron shouted at the children, who were about to rush forward.


    “Begin running!! Half of those whoete will miss breakfast!!”


    At Chiron’s shout, I was about to chuckle, thinking, ‘Ah, a familiar method.’


    “Kuhuhuhuhu!! You can’t go!”


    With a bang, Herculesnded in front of the colosseum entrance, stomping the ground.