Across the vast grasslands, the spirit horse Euphie darted through the swirling air currents.
Sheltered by the wind, the spacious carriage behind her remained completely smooth, without a single jolt.
"To have an intermediate Spirit come to help—Orion, she really likes you," Artemis remarked with a soft laugh.
"Maybe it's because of something that happened before," Bell replied, uncertain of the exact reason.
Since the founding of Sword Smithing City Solingen, this was Euphie's second time offering her assistance.
Normally, to build a relationship with the Spirits, one had to pass a trial disguised as play, but which was essentially a battle.
Could there be some connection between the Violas and the Spirits that explained why Euphie was so fond of him?
Artemis's words brought Bell back to the present.
"You truly are my Orion," she said, leaning casually against Bell.
Hestia, seated across from them, twitched with every intimate gesture between the two.
"Hm… this is definitely strange! Artemis, why are you sitting next to Bell?! And… you keep leaning in and touching him… It's so weird!" Hestia complained.
"You've said that many times already. How about having some candy to cheer up, Hestia?" Hermes, sitting beside her, offered sweets and snacks.
"Ugh… don't treat me like a child."
Hestia could tell Hermes was supporting Artemis. Every time she tried to interrupt them, Hermes would intervene.
Moreover, whenever Hestia lunged at them, Artemis would mercilessly press her head down.
From every angle, it was extremely suspicious.
Bell had certainly picked up on it as well.
During a break, he seized the opportunity to ask Artemis, "Why are you—"
"Orion, just call me by my name. I don't want you to be so formal. Please treat me like an ordinary girl," Artemis said, smoothing her blue hair and closing her eyes as she rested her head on Bell's shoulder.
The beautiful lake scene stretched before them like a painting, but it paled in comparison to Artemis's beauty.
After a brief moment of thought, Bell changed his address.
"Artemis, why would you do something like this?"
Soft moonlight fell, as light and sweet as the goddess herself.
"What's wrong? Do you dislike this?"
Artemis maintained her leaning posture, drawing her body even closer.
"No, I actually like it very much. That's why I'm so curious," Bell replied honestly.
Hestia's words weren't lies—rumors he'd heard in the past confirmed this. The Goddess Artemis, should be the very embodiment of chastity.
Not only did she uphold her own purity, but if any member of her familia became involved in love or impure relationships, Artemis would have no hesitation in expelling them. Her familia was made up exclusively of women. Artemis's current behavior, however, clearly contradicted her usual principles.
"If I told you that I fell for you because I felt the pull of destiny, Orion, would you believe me?"
Artemis spoke softly.
"Given that premise, it seems you're not very good at lying."
Bell saw right through the illusion.
"..."
Artemis fell silent for a moment, then smiled gently.
"Just as Hermes said, you really are clever, Orion. Let me tell you a story."
Her silvery voice blended with the night air. She nestled closer to the young man, her presence ethereal and beautiful, like a mirage. Moonlight danced across the lake's surface, stirring up countless thoughts.
Even in Heaven, Artemis had remained unchanged. As one of the three virgin goddesses, she was not like Hestia, who saw love through childlike innocence and lived carefree. Both Artemis and Athena knew what love was, yet actively chose to reject it. If any frivolous male god came to bother them, Artemis would simply shoot an arrow to send him away. If a female goddess came to harass her with harsh words, Artemis would respond with force.
"I have always believed that love is a deadly poison. Once accepted—no, even if I merely expected its existence—I would stop being myself."
The gods do not change. Artemis instinctively resisted love, maintaining her chaste and righteous self. That purity had lasted all the way to her descent into the Lower World.
"I only allow women into my familia, and I strictly enforce that none of them can become involved in romance. If anyone even thinks of doing so, they must leave."
At first, everything had gone smoothly. Artemis's familia maintained justice across the world—taking on quests, hunting monsters, and helping those in need. Before anyone realized, her familia had grown to twenty members. The members were sensible and reserved—everything was as it should be.
"That was my belief, until a certain Goddess of Beauty became unrelentingly persistent."
..
Perhaps the gods had compared the two goddesses, hurting Aphrodite's pride. Or perhaps she simply pitied Artemis, seeing her as someone who clung to her chastity without ever knowing love. The Goddess of Beauty repeatedly criticized Artemis's ways.
"Artemis, if you believe chastity is something unshakable, then what does love matter?"
"Merely holding hands, kissing, or even a love that has no physical contact—love that exists purely on a spiritual level—is still real."
"Do you deny even that?"
"What is purity? What is love?"
"You know nothing."
"Artemis, you're just hiding behind the banner of chastity to avoid the unknown."
..
"Her words did indeed leave a trace in my heart."
Gods are drawn to the unknown, and Artemis was no exception. When she realized the affection she had shunned might be the budding of the unknown, a flicker of doubt stirred within the goddess. If the one who made her heart race truly existed... How would things unfold? In what form would the unknown reveal itself?
While Artemis was lost in these unbidden musings, her Familia members faced a shift. Unlike the unchanging gods, mortals of the lower world were prone to inner change. The Familia member's affectionate feelings had finally taken root. To be precise, it was only because no boundaries had been crossed that they remained hidden. Without warning, within the mundane routines of daily life, those budding affections blossomed into deeply rooted flowers of love.
"Those children told me this back then."
Love is a wondrous thing.
Some spoke of their hearts racing, cheeks burning, unable to meet the other's gaze. Some longed to draw closer, finding the beloved in every closed-eye vision. Others described it as bittersweet, an intoxicating pull they couldn't resist.
Beginning with one confidante's confession, all the Familia members poured out their hearts. As an omniscient god, Artemis understood love's meaning perfectly. Yet she remained its most distant observer. Unrequited rejection. Unilateral refusal.
Amidst the maidens' words, Artemis recognized a truth. She yearned for love herself. She craved a love that would soak into her soul, endless and boundless. Artemis gazed at the lake, the moon reflected in its surface rippling with the water's motion.
"Why me?" Bell asked softly.
"Orion, that spear chose you. In this world, you are the purest soul closest to me." Artemis explained slowly. The spear's power would shift based on their relationship. Only through complete openness could the spear unleash its full might.
"This is too unfair to you," Bell immediately countered. For the spear to force the goddess of chastity to act against her true nature was cruel beyond measure. It felt like she was sacrificing her very purity. Bell could not condone such an act, but just as he opened his mouth to speak further, a slender finger pressed against his lips. Artemis smiled softly.
"Orion, I'm glad you feel this way. Truthfully, I watched your War Game." Brilliant combat, heroic stature. What impressed Artemis most were those maidens in that so-called "Harem".
Harem—a term utterly foreign to her. Like the vast gulf between moon and earth.
Yet Artemis' gaze, like moonlight, bridged that distant divide. The maidens danced with swords and hammers, offering their love songs. That was the unknown Artemis yearned for. Not a trace of disgust, not a shred of rejection. The sight of maidens throwing themselves recklessly into love deeply moved the goddess's heart. When the War Game ended, what lingered was an extraordinary thrill and exhilaration.
Love is a wondrous thing. Artemis recalled her Familia member's words once more.
"Truthfully, before I saw Orion, I was still afraid." Artemis did not know whom the spear would choose. Someone like herself? A human, a dwarf, an elf, or perhaps a demi-human? What sort of character would they possess? Steadfast and kind, or perhaps utterly ordinary? Or maybe a noble young maiden?
Amidst the swirling thoughts, the image of a boy flashed through Artemis' mind.
But that child already has a partner?! How could such a thought even arise? Filthy, impure, foolish!
Her righteous self in Tenkai seemed to draw her bowstring taut, condemning this delusion.
Yet the more she agonized, the clearer the boy's outline became in her mind. What if. What if it really was that child? His battle technique, refined through countless trials, his resolve as unwavering as a hero's. If it were Bell Cranel, he could surely fulfill his wish.
"Fate sounds too vague, but one thing is certain: long before we met, I was already deeply drawn to you."
Bell is Hestia's Familia member.
Even as a close friend, Artemis cared deeply for the boy.
Hestia's acceptance of the harem left her utterly stunned. Yet, upon reflection, it seemed entirely reasonable. Just as Artemis had never expelled a Familia member who harbored budding affection.
An invisible thread bound the youth and Hestia together.
When Artemis realized this, she felt a faint pang of envy.
She had always believed that someone like Hestia embodied true innocence and purity. Meanwhile, she herself lacked any feminine grace and spent her days in constant combat.
Under this self-doubt, that envy twisted into a hint of jealousy and resentment. If only it were that boy.
Artemis sincerely wished that the spear would choose the boy she longed for so deeply.
After all, this was the "last" chance. A little fantasy shouldn't hurt, right?
For the sake of "redemption", her former chaste self would surely forgive her. If it were that boy.
What should she say when they met?
How could she bridge the distance between their hearts?
Would she become like the other girls?
Since he was building a harem, a little flirting should be fine, right?
But how far would she have to go?
War Game-style hugging and kissing?
Or even...
No... That was just too much to accept!
She longed to see him soon...
Unnoticed, Artemis's fantasies solidified into certainty. And the goddess's face, like that of a lovesick maiden, bore a faint blush.
Artemis only told Bell part of the truth. The shameful details of that "Sad Vow" remained locked within her heart.
"Orion, you needn't worry. I've never forced myself."
Artemis whispered her true feelings.
When they first met, she had simply followed the fluttering of her heart and embraced the youth.
Her once-wild fantasy had become reality.
Artemis's heart felt utterly fulfilled. Each physical touch irrigated the parched fields of her soul.
Rather than reluctance, Artemis was undergoing a transformation. From the moment she saw the boy—or perhaps even earlier—the bud of affection had quietly taken root within the goddess's heart.
It was something Artemis had never experienced before. Thus, she had failed to notice it.
After coming into contact with the boy, this tender sprout began to grow at an astonishing pace.
Gods are drawn to the [unknown]. The pure-hearted accelerate their transformation through [affection].
Driven by both forces, Artemis underwent a profound metamorphosis. Leaning, nestling—each touch stirred the goddess's heart.
Hermes, aware of the spear's secret, seized every opportunity to bring them together. Even the resourceful god likely hadn't foreseen this.
Artemis had become a young woman aflutter with springtime longing.
During a moment of respite, the goddess took the youth's hand and led him to the lakeside.
"Orion, just this once, let me be selfish."
Artemis craved this unfamiliar warmth.
Bell gazed at the cold moon and voiced his question:
"Artemis, where are your Familia members?"
It was indeed strange that the goddess had come alone to Orario seeking aid.
"For some reason, they've all lost their powers. They're no different from ordinary people now, so I left them far from the monsters."
Artemis replied softly, "Those children... must be reluctant to part..."
The goddess's whisper settled deep within the boy's heart.
Just then, several figures approached from behind.
"Found them!"
Hestia's cry interrupted their conversation.
"Oh, we've been discovered."
Artemis rose to her feet, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Bell gazed at that ethereal, fragile smile, swallowing the words of his confession.
The night was deep, and the answers to their journey remained unclear.