Chapter 87

Even on Passos Island, when I dozed off on the warm sandy beach, Neri’s hair, imbued with the fresh scent of the sea, would tickle my body.

On the surface, she was just a mythically cute and otherworldly beautiful girl with a promising future.

When her white arms wrapped around my back and her soft cheeks touched my chest, I could subtly feel the sea undulating within her.

Warm seawater, perfectly heated by the Mediterranean sun, and the deep waves that coolly tingled my spine when submerged.

Neri brought the sea within her small body and embraced me with it, and during those moments, I would nap leisurely and peacefully as if I were floating in a warm sea with her.

As I slightly woke up and opened my eyes, I could see the dawn sky preparing to rise far away through the gap in the balcony door.

Yesterday was an external practice assignment, so today’s schedule was free time, meaning I didn’t have to rush out busily.

“Hercules and Atalanta… They probably will participate in drilling the kids… Yawn~”

Why are they all living so busily?

They should also have the leisure to enjoy and savor the fleeting moments like a senior in life, sleep in late, and stretch out.

When you get older, you lose your morning sleep, so it’s hard to lie around like this.

Staring blankly at the ceiling with a drowsy feeling, I recalled the sea nymph who was thumping on my chest last night.

“Hmm… Neri?”

Just like in countless myths, the mystical lover would disappear by the time you opened your eyes again, leaving behind an inexplicable emptiness and a mysterious experience that invigorates you once more…

“Mhehehe… rock bed…”

When I lowered my gaze to the weight pressing heavily on my chest, there was only a young nymph snuggled into my chest with a silly smile.

“Sigh…”

Surely, if we consider Neri’s physical age, she would be slightly older than me.

According to her sisters and her own words, she had been granted permission to act independently on the surface after her coming-of-age ceremony, which allowed her to receive the protection of Olympus.

“So what? Her actions are no different from a child’s.”

“Uhihi? Uhihihi…”

Just like a rice cake turned in a microwave, her white cheeks puffed out fully.

When I gently patted her head, she smiled bashfully in her sleep, looking just like a puppy, or rather, a harp seal.

“Oh dear, little nymph. Do you know what it means to enter a man’s bedroom in the middle of the night?”

It was clear her sisters, who had given her a crash course in romance, had likely encouraged her to push forward with this “physical approach.”

Anyway, I couldn’t help but laugh lazily as I buried my head comfortably in the pillow.

For the record, my sleepwear was simply something that covered only my lower half.

In other words, the upper half that Neri was rubbing against was just bare skin.

With all the rolling around with Ares, the practical training with Atalanta, and other non-stop drills, my body was trained to the point that even I was satisfied.

In other words, it was hard and bumpy for a young nymph to use as a bed.

However, Neri clung to me like a cicada on a tree, with no intention of letting go. Enveloped in her warmth and unique ocean scent, which slightly heated my body chilled by the early morning breeze, I carefully embraced Neri and pulled up the blanket.

In the end, I could only get up when the sun was high in the sky, still hugged by Neri.

Moreover, even then, Neri didn’t seem to want to get out of bed until I got up to wash. Feeling sorry to wake her from such a deep sleep, I quietly covered her with the blanket and left.

“Yaaawn~”

-Thud! Thud! Thud!

After getting up and getting ready, I headed to a small clearing near Athena’s training ground.

Hearing the fierce sounds of impacts echoing from afar, I quickened my pace.

Under the clearing where the sun shone brightly, there was a female warrior fiercely swinging her fists and legs against an iron man I had personally ordered Hestosias to create.

“Hyaah!”

-Crack!

Her brown, beautiful leg swung in a blur, striking the iron man’s head and sending it flying far away with a clear footprint engraved on it.

What she was standing on was not solid ground, but a three-foot-long wooden pillar I had carved and erected.

How many effective hits could she land on the iron man without falling off the pillar, which was set up according to the footwork of the Supreme Fighting Demon Technique?

That was the task I had assigned to the practitioner of the Supreme Fighting Demon Technique, and I was observing the results with my own eyes.

-Clap, clap, clap!

“Weight balance, stability, footwork, all perfect.”

“Huh? Dianes!”

As I clapped and gave a passing mark, Atalanta came down with a bright smile and greeted me.

“Really? You mean it?”

“Of course, though I don’t know about other things, you’ve almost perfectly mastered the Supreme Fighting Demon Technique. There are still many gaps, but that…”

“You’re compensating for it with speed, right?”

“Exactly.”

Her ruby-colored eyes sparkled with pride, and her fiery red hair was tied up in a high ponytail. If Neri reminded me of the sea, Atalanta was like a flame, with her wild and intense beauty.

Our first encounter had been hostile—extremely so—and even after that, every time we crossed paths, it had led to some kind of fiery chaos.

She was the loud, boisterous warrior woman who had originally stolen a glimpse of the Supreme Fighting Demon Technique from my mind, and after formally becoming my disciple, she had shed her hunter’s identity and fully embraced the role of a warrior.

“Hmm…”

“What’s wrong? Did you make a mistake earlier?”

“No, it’s just kind of amazing.”

“Amazing?”

Of course, it’s amazing.

She diligently ate the three meals a day prepared by Chariclo, which were packed with various nutrients, even enduring the hellish practice sessions of the Supreme Fighting Demon Technique, reminiscent of the worst hells.

Even if someone were naturally thin, after a month of that training, they’d be as muscular as a bodybuilder. Yet, Atalanta’s body remained soft and smooth.

That didn’t mean she wasn’t reaping the benefits of training, though. Her legs were now so fast she could chase down and capture a deer running through the forest.

And the strength that emanated from her soft limbs was so immense that no one but Hercules or myself could handle it.

“Is it because she absorbed the essence rather than just being taught the Supreme Fighting Demon Technique…?”

Supreme Fighting Demon Technique was an external martial art that, when mastered, naturally covered the body with muscles.

The body would be shaped through the grueling process of being pounded and tempered like iron in a forge—the perfect preparation for a martial artist.

In my past life, the first thing I trained to build my body was the Supreme Fighting Demon Technique, and its effects were outstanding. Atalanta, however, seemed to have learned it differently, as her feminine beauty and curves remained intact while her strength was unmatched by any hero.

If any female martial artists heard about it, they’d likely scream that it was cheating. Atalanta’s body was nothing short of a miraculous warrior’s physique.

“Anyway, it’s a good thing, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmp!”

Atalanta, puffing out her chest and smiling proudly at my words, exuded a wild beauty like a lioness who had successfully hunted.

The beast, boasting strength and beauty that no one else could dare to surpass, was genuinely pleased with my praise, and without realizing it, my hand reached out first.

“What?”

“You’re drenched in sweat.”

As I slowly wiped the sweat droplets hanging from her beautifully tanned neck and chin, like morning dew, a rich and sensual woman’s scent tickled my nose.

“Ah~ That feels refreshing~”

As she purred and leaned her face into my touch, I smiled back and carefully wiped her face with a towel.

With each touch, the warrior girl’s beautiful body slowly drew closer, exuding the fragrance of a woman rather than a girl in that fleeting moment.

Her scent was primal, her moist skin gleamed in the sun, and her red eyes sparkled with vitality and sensuality. Her beauty was enough to drive any man wild, with her exposed skin gleaming under the sunlight and droplets of sweat running down her chest.

Even wearing a rather revealing Greek training outfit, Atalanta’s chest was fully exposed, and the sight of dew drops flowing over the ever-growing fruit of sin was dizzying.

“Hmm… It’s too wet here too… Can you wipe it for me?”

“Huff…”

What made this beautiful beast drive people crazy…

…was that she knew all too well how to use her weapon lethally anytime, anywhere.

The huntress, who once rampaged like a wild beast filled with excessive fighting spirit and rage, had now become a warrior who mastered controlling herself and using her lethally.

“…Where did the huntress who recklessly attacked me at first sight go?”

“Ugh!”

But seeing Atalanta crumble instantly at a single blow I delivered with a smile, it was clear that I was still one step ahead.