Chapter 13

When new students joined, the whole forest heated up with a festive atmosphere as usual.

A fire was lit on the grand altar dedicated to the gods in the center of the forest, and centaurs carried dozens of tables and built bonfires around it.

Under the command of the mistress of the forest, Cariclo, the nymphs filled jars with the most fragrant wine from the forest, while the kitchen’s hearth was endlessly busy with white bread, seasoned vegetables, and fish, and numerous pigs and chickens sizzled appetizingly over the bonfires.

Finally, the time unanimously deemed by all Greeks to be the most suitable to hold a party arrived.

As Helios rested his golden chariot and Selene took the reins of her silver chariot in the gentle evening, the heroes gathered in groups at the party venue.

The topic of conversation among the gathered young heroes was undoubtedly one thing.

It was the extraordinary new recruit, Dianes, who had just entered the Forest of Heroes.

“Black wind, the wild rush of madness, countless spears reminiscent of the Hydra heads! This is undoubtedly a battle that should be immortalized in song!”

“Hahaha, Orpheus. It seems like you are completely mesmerized by it.”

The first to speak was a musician with long, flowing white silver hair, slowly tuning his lyre.

It was the dreamy-eyed, delicate-looking boy, Orpheus.

“Isn’t it obvious? The great mentor who inherits the lineage of Kronos, and the beautiful boy who wields the spear alongside him with the wind! Ah… the inspiration, the inspiration is endless!”

“…He’ll probably be in that state for the entire week.”

Looking at the entranced Orpheus, Jason, who was sitting opposite, shook his head slowly.

Next to him, Theseus, already familiar with the scene, let out a small chuckle as he took his seat.

“Come to think of it, Actaeon, what was your initiation ceremony?”

“Me?”

The boy, suddenly singled out by Theseus’s abrupt question, blinked.

Hair as dark green as the forest, a physique reminiscent of a leopard’s sharp impression.

In contrast, the boy had timidly sparkling brown eyes.

Actaeon, one of the top ten hunters in the forest and the owner of fifty hunting dogs, Lyrapus.

He responded while accepting the cup Theseus handed over with his question.

“That… I-I was supposed to catch the monster boar of the eastern forest.”

“That day was quite a feast, wasn’t it? Besides the boar you caught, you brought dozens of hunting dogs as well.”

“Haha, th-thanks.”

As Jason heartily laughed and offered his cup, Actaeon also smiled slightly and clinked cups.

-Dding~

“In my case, it was making more than half of the nymph band, who were taught by the muses, give a standing ovation right before fifty.”

As Orpheus, who was in a state of ecstasy, joined the conversation with the sound of his lyre, Theseus, who was sitting opposite him, snorted and filled his wine glass while laughing.

“Fifty? Your lyre playing made all the women faint and all the men sob at the back.”

“Ah, that day, the whole forest was a sea of tears. Do you remember we had to cook because all the women fainted?”

Recalling Orpheus’s initiation ceremony, which had turned the entire forest upside down, and the memory of carrying the fainted women on stretchers and preparing that evening’s meal themselves, the table burst into laughter.

“Ahahaha! That’s right, that’s right. It was fortunate that we had plenty of meat because there was a hunting festival the day before.”

“Everyone was grilling meat while crying their eyes out, and that roast was the saltiest ever.”

“On top of that, those who went into the kitchen to cook ended up summoning the monster of Tartarus, which made Mother Caricle, who had fainted, spring up.”

“Th-that time, we really got scolded till we cried.”

-Puhahahaha!

It was probably the biggest incident in the history of the Forest of Heroes, and the four laughed so hard they pounded the table.

“Ahahaha! Hoo…. There was that time too. Come to think of it, Jason, you were dealing with the bandits causing trouble in the nearby mountains, right?”

“Oh, that. Honestly, it wasn’t a big deal.”

“I-It wasn’t a big deal…? Weren’t they a fairly large bandit group in the area?”

As Actaeon tilted his head in confusion at Jason’s dismissive remark, Jason chuckled mischievously, waving his finger as he explained.

“Those guys are just big in size—a bunch of ragtag fools gathered together. I sneaked in, tampered with a few ledgers, and stole some wallets, and they fell apart on their own.”

After that, he bribed and incited the bandits who were about to leave the nearby village, making them his crude army.

Since then, he has successively incorporated bandit members into his army, using bandits to subdue bandits.

The bandits, who were inspired by him, were now working as forest guards.

“The more I see you, you are truly…”

“Hahaha, isn’t it amazing? Turning bandits into soldiers.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Despite the subtle compliments from his two friends, Jason laughed out loud and gulped down the wine.

“Puahaha. Since it’s me, this much is natural. Come to think of it, Theseus, you certainly…”

As if it were now his turn, Theseus smirked and responded to Jason’s words.

“Hmm… In my case, it was fifty warriors in continuous combat…”

Shaking his head as if the memory still made him shudder, Theseus continued.

“Oh, I thought fifty would be no big deal, but there were centaurs, spirits, and even a magician. It was horrifying.”

“I-I was there too, but you won every match, didn’t you?”

“That’s right, except for the last opponent being that damn Hercules.”

Ah…

At Theseus’s bitter laugh, everyone gathered at the table sighed in unison.

Ridiculous strength that makes you want to curse and unbelievable speed.

And the way his brain worked during a fight was nothing short of cheating.

“And the initiation ceremony of such a Hercules…”

“A one-on-one duel with Master Chiron, just like today’s new student had to face.”

Chiron, the Mentor of Heroes.

His name carried immense weight.

He was of the same lineage as the three main gods of Olympus, born of Kronos, and was raised by Rhea, the ancient Goddess of Motherhood and Fertility. He studied alongside Apollo and Artemis and was an immortal being.

Throughout history, countless heroes had learned from him, and his martial prowess was acknowledged even by Ares, the God of War.

Even the Chief God, Zeus, respected him as a sage and sought his counsel. No one could dispute his fame and power.

But a one-on-one duel with such a Chiron?

“Um… I myself have no proficiency in martial arts…”

“I would faint if I had to face Master Chiron…”

Orpheus and Actaeon shook their heads in horror.

“Well… if I were given five million elite soldiers, I could last five minutes.”

“If we assume the Master only has a wooden stick, and I’ve prepared everything, I might manage ten minutes.”

Jason and Theseus calculated coldly and presented their results.

In the end, everyone gathered said the same thing.

“In the end, it means that even enduring is difficult, let alone winning…”

“Hey, Acti. Do you think a descendant of Kronos is just some meal? We’re talking about our Master here. If he goes out with a spear right now, all the monsters would be wiped out, you know!”

“From the beginning, he is of a different caliber.”

Jason and Theseus argued in unison that those who weren’t heroes wouldn’t understand.

After all, wasn’t the opponent the oldest and most powerful of the demigods?

To face such a being, only someone like Hercules, among mortals, would stand a chance.

At least, that’s what they thought until today.

“So, should we add Dianes to that list now?”

“……”

At Actaeon’s words, Jason and Theseus turned their heads in silence and clinked their cups.

“….We are also heroes who get quite a bit of attention wherever we go.”

“It’s tough enough dealing with one monster, but now there’s another one… It might be easier to just go home and inherit the throne…”

Watching the two heroes, who suddenly became dispirited, the hunter and the musician silently filled their cups with wine.

Even without Hercules reigning over them and rampaging, the despair of the two young heroes was already chronic. But with someone similar joining as a newcomer, their condition seemed to have worsened.

“Ahem! So, where has Hercules gone?”

“Th-that is right! If it were a place like this, he would have been the first to drink a bottle of wine and have plenty of leftovers.”

“It looked like he followed the new kid in as he went to get his body checked.”

“When similar blood races appear, your blood boils, so maybe he couldn’t endure it.”

To both of them, Hercules was a complex being.

A symbol of despair which, no matter what happens, their era would be entirely colored under the name of Hercules.

A protagonist with such power and charisma that men couldn’t help but admire.

Also, a pitiful being who had no choice but to struggle alone, and thus had to be lonely.

“He couldn’t help but be happy because this was the first guest who would climb the lonely peak like him.”

“Maybe this newcomer will become a good comrade for him.”

With mixed emotions, Theseus and Jason smiled bitterly. Watching them, Orpheus began to play his lyre as if he were impressed.

“Oh, born as a hero who will spread glory and fame. Therefore, a lonely, noble hero.

Such a person has found a companion to walk with him. Ah! Inspiration strikes!”

“…There goes Orpheus again!”

“Let him be, Actaeon. It’s the chronic disease of artists, isn’t it?”

At the sound of Orpheus’s lyre, Actaeon and Jason chuckled and shook their heads.

Orpheus, who would fall into ecstasy whenever inspiration struck, was already a daily occurrence in the forest.

“By the way, when is today’s main character coming? I wanted to have a chat with him.”

“Hmm, right?”

As Theseus said, everyone gathered at the party venue, but only today’s main character, and Asclepius, who went to take care of him, along with Hercules, had yet to appear.

What on earth could they be talking about? It must surely be an incredible myth worthy of future great heroes.

All kinds of speculation were circulating, and the anticipation was gradually growing.