The Myth of the Greek Heavenly Demon - Chapter 45

Chapter 45 – The Taboos Of The Forest

Evening time when everyone gathered.

It wasn’t as luxurious as a freshman welcome banquet, but anyone would be astounded by the sight of the dinner tables set up around the large, blazing Hestia bonfire in the plaza.

From mountains of soft, white bread to dates soaked in honey and olives, salads piled high with vegetables and cheese, yogurt and dill, refreshing tzatziki sauce made with spices, and warm vegetable soup fusillade with steam rising from it.

And if you turned your eyes to the fragrant smell wafting from the bonfire, you would see centaur chefs diligently grilling all sorts of meats imaginable in this era on a large charcoal grill.

With the beautiful scene that made one’s stomach rumble just by standing, their mentor Chiron called the gathered young heroes one by one.

What’s going on? Out of curiosity, everyone gathered around, and a small silver girl, previously hidden by the large centaur, was looking at them with sparkling eyes.

“Oh my! Who is she?!”

“She’s so cute!”

“Wow… who is this? A new member?”

“She’s too young, though?”

“But she’s really pretty…”

While everyone, regardless of gender, was making comments about the strikingly innocent silver girl.
Chiron introduced her to them in a booming voice.

“She is the one who has graced us with her presence this evening, Sister of the Thousand Waves, Nereid nymph. This is Nesneria. Please give her a warm welcome!”

“Hello! I’m Nesneria! I came from the sea!”

-….

The young heroes were shocked.
The muse of the deep sea, daughter of the old man of the sea, Oceanus, the beautiful young goddess protected by Zeus and Poseidon, had come here now?

The young heroes, already well-versed in the tale of Perseus and Andromeda, were half worried that upsetting the little nymph might result in the entire forest being swept away by a tidal wave.
The men were half-preoccupied with thoughts of how they might strike up a conversation with the beautiful nymph.
While the women were half-filled with jealousy towards the cute and beautiful nymph, coupled with a desire to hug her at least once.
The dining hall fell into a momentary silence of astonishment.
However, the surprises did not end there.
As soon as Chiron’s introduction concluded, the beautiful disaster dashed somewhere on tiptoe and flung herself into the arms of a black-haired young hero.

“Hehe, Dia! I did well, didn’t I?”

“…Yeah, yeah, you did well without getting nervous.”

Nesneria, with a bright smile, rubbed her white cheek against Dianes’s face.
The scene resembled that of siblings with a significant age difference, or lovers who had grown up together since childhood.

Currently, Dianne was a highly notable figure in the Forest of Heroes, both in a good and bad sense.
A young hero who had sunk Hercules with a single blow using mysterious magic.
Most people felt refreshed that he had given Hercules, who had reigned as the tyrant of the forest, a solid blow.
Some even blushed at his beautiful appearance, which would make him look like a pretty woman if dressed up nicely.
Among them, there were also those who envied the newcomer who suddenly entered the forest and attracted everyone’s attention like a rolling stone.

The dinner, which had quickly become lively again thanks to Nesneria’s innocent words and actions, regained its vitality.
The women, who couldn’t resist anything cute, led the way as everyone gathered around the new faces, Nesneria and Dianes.
And there were those who couldn’t join in the atmosphere and drifted to the outskirts.

“What do they see in that dandy…?”

“He must have used some cowardly magic to defeat Hercules.”

“Honestly, if we knew how, we could do it too, right?”

“Atalanta boasted about being Artemis’s daughter, yet she’s fawning over some mixed-breed whose lineage is unknown?”

In truth, those who witnessed the battle between Hercules and Dianes earlier couldn’t help but acknowledge Dianes’s prowess, even if they were jealous.
The sight of him flipping the mighty Hercules over, drawing blood, and engaging in bare-handed combat that turned the earth and tore the air with the mere force of his fists, was enough to tell anyone that he, too, had the makings of a great hero.

However, they had snuck away with some wine last night, hidden in a forest cave until dawn, and fell asleep drunk. They only woke up after everything was over and then wandered out sluggishly.

“Snort, leave it. Anyway, soon enough, it will be revealed that all of that is just bravado and deceit.”

“R-right?”

“No matter how much he managed to land a blow on that stupid Hercules, could he really stand a chance against Poseidon’s son, the blue giant?”

The blue-haired giant sat at the head of the table, drinking from a wine jar held in one hand.
Considering his build and muscles, this minor hero, comparable to Hercules, nodded to the flattery of his gang with his blue eyes gleaming menacingly.

His name was Orion.
He was the son of Poseidon and a hunter who possessed the ability to walk on water.
In the field of hunting, he was one of the top experts in the forest, and with his great strength and ability to walk on water, he was once considered a candidate for the next great hero, despite his sinister and violent nature.
However, after Hercules arrived, Orion and his gang faced humiliation, as they were all left half-paralyzed after challenging him for hierarchy.
Following that, with heroes like Theseus, Jason, Atalanta, Asclepius, Orpheus, and others, known as the Golden Generation, gathering in the forest, they were naturally shunned by everyone.

“Hmph, if only I hadn’t been drunk then, or if Lord Zeus hadn’t taken notice of that brute, I would have brought his head to my father.”

-Bang!

The young giant slammed the jar onto the table, seemingly angered by the mere thought.
The gang nodded their heads, pretending not to notice the clear fear in his eyes.

“Y-yeah! Honestly, after hunting all kinds of beasts since you were young, and fighting pirates on the seas of Chios and the Mediterranean, who could stand against you?”

“Those boars might be incredibly strong, but fighting and grappling are different matters!”

“Even after drinking so much the day before, you pushed Hercules that hard. If you fought him properly, not only Hercules but even Theseus or Jason would be nothing!”

“That scammer orphan who doesn’t even know who his parents are—wouldn’t I crush him with a single finger?”

Feeling Orion’s displeasure, the gang did their best to appease him, and Orion’s lips curled into a satisfied smile at their flattery.
Then, he subtly lifted his head, and at the end of his gaze were the beautiful huntress Atalanta and the innocent nymph Nesneria, as pure as white waves.

“Hmm… Indeed, Atalanta should be with a great hunter like me, not with some lowly mixed breed whose lineage is unknown. And a Nereid nymph? Hmph! There’s the son of Poseidon here, and she’s infatuated with that kind of mixed-breed without even greeting the sea’s spirit?”

-Crunch!

Grinding his teeth in displeasure, Orion suddenly stood up as if a good idea had struck him.

“It seems like the newcomer, who has only been in the forest for a few days, doesn’t know proper manners… So we should give him a grand welcome in our own way, shouldn’t we?”

At those words, the group that had been eagerly flattering Orion fell silent.
Yes, Orion was undoubtedly strong.
He was once hailed as the man closest to the glorious title of a great hero, a participant in the war of the gods.
However, despite his efforts to ignore it, there was a fact that everyone knew.
No matter how much he rationalized and blinded himself to it, the difference between him and Hercules was very clear.
Orion’s followers, who had wreaked havoc in the forest relying only on Orion, were shunned by other students, nymphs, and even centaurs.
That’s why they had no choice but to stick with Orion even more, trying hard to please him, but they weren’t stupid either.

Initiation ceremony.
It was a term referring to the violent acts they carried out under the pretext of sorting out the hierarchy whenever freshmen arrived.
Late at night, they would quietly call someone out, and as other gang members surrounded them, Orion would enter like a champion of the Colosseum, flaunting his bulk, and literally educate the newcomer.
Watching this, the gang members would spit or insult, and Orion would literally trample the freshman.
Unable to admit the humiliation of being treated so badly, the victim couldn’t say anything to Chiron, and since there was a gang member skilled in magic, they used tricks so that not even Chiron or the nymphs could find them.
Chiron, too, could only have suspicions but couldn’t reproach them.
Because of that, while Orion reigned over the forest, no one could challenge or oppose him, and he and his gang roamed freely, causing all sorts of havoc and avoiding Chiron’s watchful eyes.

But when it was Hercules’s turn, Orion had his arms broken and was begging for mercy at his feet.
The gang that attacked simultaneously on Orion’s orders also suffered the humiliation of having their limbs broken.

If even half of the power of Dianes, heard on the wind now, was true…
They might once again face the nightmare of Hercules.

“What? What’s with those eyes? Do you have a problem?”

“N-no! Of course not!”

“Ha, but don’t you think today’s not a good day? Everyone’s gathered, and on top of that, Master Chiron is…”

The gang desperately tried to persuade Orion, but their leader had already been ignited for a long time.

“Tsk, you cowards. I’m ashamed that you’re my subordinates.”

“….”

The gang lowered their heads and inwardly gritted their teeth at Orion, who was mocking them arrogantly.

‘He got beaten up by Hercules, too!’

‘He talks big but desperately avoids him…’

-Clang!

“Eek?!”

When Orion suddenly threw the wine jar he was holding, the gang looked up in shock.
Then, with a face flushed red, Orion snarled fiercely and glared at them.

“What is that reaction? Are you seriously doubting me right now?”

“N-no!”

“We’re just… just worried about you!”

The gang desperately shook their heads.
Orion looked around them, smiling contentedly at the fear directed at him on their faces.

“Don’t worry. This time, we’ll move with a solid plan.”

As if guided by Athena, the giant with blue hair shook his head and grinned wickedly at the perfect plan that flashed in his mind.

“No matter how much that brat tries, he’s just an orphan who doesn’t even know what kind of lowly god his parents were.”

The giant’s eyes, as he spoke, were fixed on the white nymph, who was laughing innocently in the center of the bonfire.