Became the Weapon Monopolist of the Gods-Chapter 62: Apollo, the god of the sun (1)

“Meet Artemis!”

As soon as Artemis appeared, Iolaus put down the cards he was playing poker with and knelt on the floor.

Kuung─!

As the large man knelt on the ground, the store shook as if there was an earthquake.

“Seojun, who is that person?”

“Artemis, the goddess of the moon.”

“A god?”

“Yes.”

“So gods really exist.”

Vanessa and Jeanne also looked at Artemis with surprised eyes.

Hermes had only seen me and Hercules, so this was their first time seeing a ‘god.’

On the other hand, I was also secretly surprised by Artemis’ appearance.

‘How did you get in?’

My store was not an ordinary place.

The Manmulsan where only those I permitted could cross the ‘door’ was strictly speaking a heterogeneous place that did not belong to ‘Greek mythology’.

A space where the rules of a completely different world were in place.

Artemis appeared in such a Manmulsan without any warning.

Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked Artemis.

“How did you appear?”

“As long as there is moonlight, I exist everywhere.”

Artemis pointed to the back of my hand.

There, the crescent moon, Artemis’ seal, was shining.

It was said that she had manifested through me, who had made a contract.

It was unexpected that such manifestations would also work in the Manmulsan.

I asked just in case.

“Can Artemis appear even if the world changes?”

“You are telling an interesting story.”

Artemis raised the corners of her mouth.

She seemed lost in thought for a moment before answering.

“Traveling between worlds would require a great deal of sacrifice on my part.”

“It is possible, then.”

“It should be possible. If my children want it, I can manifest for a short while.”

Artemis nodded.

“It would be easier if I had an ‘incarnation body.’”

An ‘incarnation body’ refers to a vessel that can contain the goddess Artemis, or in other words, a ‘body.’

Even without an incarnation body, Artemis could manifest in another world if she made many sacrifices.

However, according to Artemis, that was only possible within a limited time frame.

Since a ‘god’ was a cogwheel that made up that world, or an ‘axis,’ she could not completely empty the world.

As expected, the restrictions were too strict because she was a god.

It was a heavy condition that Artemis herself had to bear.

Of course, Artemis, who loved her children, seemed willing to make sacrifices.

How did she interpret my thoughts?

Artemis smiled mischievously.

“Are you worried that you might not be able to meet me?”

“Well, that’s something too.”

‘Sacred Hunting’ is an awakening ability granted by Artemis.

There was also a possibility that she would be granted other abilities in the future.

If I were to part with Artemis, all of those possibilities would disappear.

But... ... .

“Then don’t worry. I will be able to meet you often in my ‘garden’.”

“Even if the world changes?”

“Don’t you have my moonlight?”

Artemis pointed to the moonlight on the back of my hand.

“As long as you have that moonlight, you will be able to meet me no matter where you are.”

[Mark of Moonlight]

─ Moonlight does not disappear even in the darkness.

The moonlight on the back of my hand was both a sign of my status as Artemis’ contractor and an admission ticket to her garden.

“I wonder what kind of scenery this other world has.”

“Can I look out?”

“Sometimes. If you have my permission.”

‘That’s why.’

The reason Artemis granted me her power, knowing that I was a stranger.

No matter where the contractor was, {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} if there was moonlight, Artemis could share the sights beyond through the back of my hand.

One of Artemis’ goals was to view this other world through me.

For a god who lives in eternity, there would be no more fun pastime than viewing this other world.

Of course, that didn’t mean I was at a loss.

‘It’s actually a gain.’

In return for showing Artemis around the other world, I could use her power.

As I was talking to Artemis about this and that, Hercules interrupted.

“Artemis, what brings you here?”

Just as I felt when dealing with Hermes, Hercules was not polite to the gods.

He was the son of Zeus and a demigod himself.

If you think about it, you could say that he and Artemis were half-siblings.

Perhaps that’s why Artemis was also not polite to Hercules.

“There’s no need to be cautious, Hercules. I just came to see my deer.”

When Artemis looked at Taygete, Hercules stopped asking questions.

As the goddess of the moon, Artemis was also the protector of the forest.

Meanwhile, Artemis had not appeared alone. There was another deer beside her.

It was an ordinary, ordinary deer.

Artemis approached Taygete with the deer that followed her.

“You’ve had a hard time.”

Artemis caressed Taygete.

Taygete rubbed her head against Artemis’s.

As if she was being rewarded for her hardships.

Then, a green light flowed out from Artemis and covered Taygete and the deer.

Then something amazing happened.

─────.

Golden horns slowly grew on the forehead of the ordinary deer, and soon it became exactly the same shape as Taygete.

It was impossible to tell the difference with the naked eye.

“Oh my, Seojun. The deer has transformed.”

“It’s different from awakening abilities. I should call this a ‘miracle.’”

Jeanne and Vanessa were surprised by the miracle of the god they had witnessed before their eyes.

In my opinion, the two of them were just as irregular as the gods.

Of course, anyone would be surprised to see an ordinary deer transform into a golden-horned deer.

“See you later.”

Artemis disappeared with the transformed golden-horned deer, receiving surprised looks.

Leaving a message to see you later.

“Later” probably meant when she would come to get Taygete.

If she showed Taygete to the king of Mycenae and confirmed that she had passed the task, Artemis would come to get her. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

“Let’s go to Mycenae.”

As Artemis disappeared, Heracles prepared to leave.

“I will take you.”

Iolaus, who had been kneeling, also stood up.

The chariot drawn by the usual monster horses was waiting outside the store.

“I’ll see you both in Mycenae.”

“Seojun, be careful.”

“Eungong, if anything comes up, call me.”

I canceled the summons while being seen off by Jeanne and Vanessa.

There weren’t enough seats in the chariot.

I didn’t want to let them experience riding the chariot.

Iolaos’ chariot was so uncomfortable that I couldn’t even say it was good.

It felt like twice as bad as Disco Pang Pang.

It was still much better than hanging on to Hercules’ back.

“Seojun, get on.”

“Understood.”

I got on the chariot while being considerate of Iolaos, who even kindly opened the door and waited for me.

It was a short ride to the Mycenae royal palace after riding Iolaos’ chariot.

My butt, not used to the shock, was still sore.

That evening, Hercules went into the royal palace to announce the passing of the labor.

─Sat, passing!

This time again, Eurystheus shouted “pass” without even looking at the deer in the bronze jar.

Eurystheus, who had taken away the throne that Hercules should have sat on by force─Hera’s trick─worried every day that he would be killed by Hercules.

“Didn’t you say you would have the deer?”

─... It’s okay. Take it.

Eurystheus, who had said he would have the golden deer, lost his will after being threatened by Artemis.

“What’s the fourth labor?”

─Hunting the boar of Mount Erymanthus.

“Erymanthus?”

Hera Cleus asked back.

That must be the case, Erymanthus was very famous.

“Do you know that it is the hunting ground of Artemis?”

It was the hunting ground of the moon goddess, ‘Artemis.’

The boar was a guardian animal that she had released to protect her hunting ground from being damaged. Of course, it was not an ordinary boar, but a ‘divine beast’ of a fantastic species.

That was why Hercules asked back... ... .

─I know. That is the fourth task.

“Hmm, I understand.”

It was a difficult task, but Hercules escaped the palace with Taygete.

When he entered the assigned quarters in the palace, Artemis appeared again.

This time, it was through the moonlight shining through the window.

Hercules spoke to her who had come to receive Taygete.

“Artemis, you must catch the boar.”

“No.”

Artemis refused.

“I cannot allow it.”

The boar of Erymanthus was the animal she protected.

Above all else.

“Hercules. Are you thinking of invading my hunting grounds?”

“If that is the task.”

Artemis’ eyes froze coldly.

Hercules, as always, stood silently in the face of the goddess’s cold anger.

However, there was a glimpse of ‘red madness’ in his eyes.

This standoff was exactly what the goddess ‘Hera’ wanted.

That was why she had included Artemis’ animals in the 12 labors.

For the sake of her children, Artemis was a goddess who would not back down, no matter who her opponent was.

Of course, Hercules knew that fact.

If it had been Hercules in his original state, he would have come up with a satisfactory solution here.

However, Hercules, who had not completely resolved ‘Hera’s madness’, could not do so.

Otherwise, it would not have even led to a standoff.

“Let’s capture him alive.”

The two men’s gazes turned to me, who had opened his mouth.

“Capture him alive?”

“Yes.”

I nodded to Artemis’ question.

“I will capture him alive and bring him back, just like I did with the deer.”

“Hercules, are you going to do as I say?”

“Okay, let’s do that. I will capture your boar without harming it.”

Hercules looked displeased, but he did not oppose my opinion.

That was better than confronting Artemis.

“Okay. But I won’t help you this time.”

The blue eyes were on me, not Hercules.

Because capturing Taygete was accomplished purely with the power she gave me.

“Understood.”

I nodded.

Unlike Taygete, who was hiding, the wild boar, the guardian of the mountain, was easy to find.

I received Artemis’ permission, but an unexpected problem occurred the next day.

“You can’t get rid of Hercules’ madness?”

“I’m sorry. I thought it could be cured, but it came back when I purified it.”

“Jeanne shouldn’t apologize. It was Hera who did it.”

Jeanne looked genuinely sorry, but it wasn’t something she should apologize for.

After all, it was Hera who did it.

According to Jeanne, when you purify madness, someone seems to instill madness again.

The one who instilled that madness was probably the goddess ‘Hera.’

Right now, Hercules’ madness won’t rise above a certain level because Jeanne is here... ... .

‘I guess I have to solve it.’

According to the myth, Hercules purified his madness through an oracle at the Delphi temple and received the 12 labors from Zeus.

However, that part was wrong, and the Hercules of this world did not receive the madness purified.

The Delphi priestess rejected Hercules’ ‘oracle’.

In the myth, the Delphi priestess Pythia also rejected Hercules’ oracle. However, at that time, Hercules’ madness was at its peak.

Hercules, who was rejected by the oracle, became angry and tried to steal the ‘omphalos’, a stone symbolizing the center of the world, which was Apollo’s ‘sacred object’ in the Delphi temple.

The god of Delphi, the sun god Apollo, could not just sit back and watch.

The sun god Apollo, who appeared on earth like that, clashed with Hercules... ... .

‘Zeus descends.’

Zeus, the king of gods and god of thunder, descends to mediate the fight between gods and humans.

The current Hercules had not experienced such a situation.

However, that did not mean that I could leave Hercules alone.

‘I don’t know when his madness will explode.’

Even now, Hercules’ eyes occasionally show hints of madness.

Even though Jeanne is somehow holding it back, it was not a situation where I could guarantee that Hercules’ madness would not explode.

They say that the madness continues to rise due to Hera’s curse.

If the madness explodes, it’s over.

There was no way that Hercules’ madness, who killed his family with his own hands, could not turn against me.

And Hercules becoming an enemy was the worst situation I could have imagined.

Hercules was a monster who even picked a fight with a god.

Hercules became a berserker. It was horrible to even imagine.

I thought for a moment and then said to Hercules.

“Let’s go to the temple of Delphi.”

The purification of madness was the priority.

Even if it meant seeing the descent of Zeus.