Artemis had always wanted to thrust her sharpened blade of vengeance into Apollo the instant he showed a weakness, for it was her brother's provocation that led to Orion's death by his own hand.
However, as of late, something else had angered her even more. The same brother who had forbidden her from consorting with Orion, thus causing his death, was now head over heels for another man—Iskios.
Although Artemis had never laid eyes on Iskios's face, his presence annoyed her. She had lost Orion, so why was her brother calmly lavishing his love on someone else? At the thought, a wave of fury surged through Artemis the moment she saw Iskios in Calydon.
The boar, channeling Artemis's wrath, glared at Iskios with furious eyes, charging headlong to strike him down.
But Iskios leaped back, clearing the boar's charge by barely the thickness of its hide. His body moved with acrobatic speed, and the instant he dodged, he drew his sword and drove it into the boar's shadow.
"W-what is that…!?"
Even though the boar's hide repelled ordinary attacks thanks to its nature, only those wielding divine power—or blessed by it—could pierce it.
As expected, only two among the hunters possessed divine power, or rather, half divine blood: Iskios and Meleagros. Peleus, a grandson of Zeus by blood, still carried stronger human blood, and his spear could not penetrate the hide.
But Iskios was a demigod with Selene's blood coursing through his veins. He could easily cut the boar's flesh, yet he stabbed at the shadow, not the boar itself. The moment his blade struck, the boar thrashed violently, but its movement was bound as if the shadow served as a leash.
"He-hey! Stop right there!!!"
"Oh no..."
"Wait! If you do that—"
The moment the hunters saw Iskios binding the boar's leg, they surged forward in excitement, weapons raised, charging recklessly toward the beast.
Meleagros tried to halt them and was ignored. Theseus foresaw the outcome and paused, Nestor sighed with a hand to his forehead, Jason ground his teeth, and Peleus was rendered speechless. Everyone else simply charged.
But they were far too rash. Though Iskios's technique restrained the boar's leg, its strength was beyond any mortal comprehension.
"Aaaaaaaaah!!!"
"W-what the hell…!?"
"My ears…! My eardrums…!!!"
The boar bared its maw and let out a deafening roar. The sound waves spread, forcing the hunters to clutch their heads in agony and collapse to the ground. The roar did more than that.
"Insane…!"
As the echoing waves swept through, the sword buried in the boar's shadow slipped free. With the blade withdrawn, the boar was unshackled and began rampaging anew.
No sooner had it broken free than it charged at Iskios again. He dove into the shadow of a nearby tree, vanishing from sight.
Startled by Iskios's sudden disappearance, the boar fanned its gaze, searching the area. That instantary confusion created an opening that Atalanta seized.
"Now…!"
The boar, driven by Artemis's wrath to kill Iskios, was thrown into disarray when he vanished, leaving itself vulnerable. Atalanta, ever watchful, loosed an arrow that pierced the boar's eye.
The boar screamed in agony. The moment it cried out, Peleus, Nestor, Jason, and Meleagros encircled the beast.
Jason, Nestor, and Peleus hurled their spears at the boar's head, but the shafts clanged off its hide as if hitting an invisible wall. From behind, Meleagros thrust his spear into the boar's neck. When it hit home, the boar shrieked in unprecedented pain.
"Ugh!?"
Despite the spear in its neck, the boar tried to throw off Meleagros by rearing up, but its wounded body could not lift itself, plunging it into deeper turmoil.
Its legs had been struck by another arrow from Atalanta, sapping its strength and sending it crashing back to the ground.
As the boar thrashed, Meleagros held fast, and from behind him, Jason, Nestor, Peleus, Atalanta, and the reemerged Iskios all thrust their full strength into ensuring Meleagros ended the boar's life.
Six heroes united, driving their spears relentlessly into its throat. At last, the boar faltered, its movements slowing, and it stilled, dead.
"We've got it!!!"
Jason cheered, thrilled by the final blow. Meleagros and Nestor joined in the victory cry. Atalanta exhaled and eyed the carcass, while Iskios slumped to the ground, exhausted.
-They say those who don't work have the most to say…-
The boar's slaughter was done. The Argo spent over a year on its voyage, yet hunting this boar took but a single day, all within daylight hours.
Jason's triumphant shout was met by Meleagros and Nestor's cheers, as if proclaiming "We are the world." Peleus smiled quietly. Though the hunt lasted less than a day, to me it had felt like an eternity.
When the boar charged at me, I, accustomed as I was to end-times Greece, couldn't help but tremble. A golden-coated boar with bristles of black hair—twice the size of a normal beast—rushing at me was terrifying.
In such a hunt, drawing more attention than necessary is unwise. I never intended to kill the boar myself, yet somehow I became its focus…
"Well done, Iskios. Thank you for drawing the boar's attention."
After the hunt, Atalanta approached me, one of the few men beside her, and praised me. Her words surprised me—Atalanta was not one to speak more than necessary.
"Why me?"
"Because you created the opening that brought down the boar."
"Oh…"
The boar's confusion at my dive into the shadows gave Atalanta her shot. Thanks to that, the boar was felled.
While I sat catching my breath, Meleagros and Peleus flayed the hide, and Atalanta turned to question me.
"Iskios."
"Hm? Yes?"
"Word has spread to Arcadia… they say you and Jason teach children together. Is that true?"
Atalanta's question referred to the mandatory education law whispered about in Iolcos.
Since Jason became king, children of a certain age in Iolcos had been brought to the palace to study, and rumors said I was one of their teachers. If even Atalanta knew, then the gossip had truly spread across Greece.
In this end-times Greece, I had no expectations, yet rumors spread with viral speed.
"It's true… but why ask?"
"I'm curious what you teach them—"
"—Morality."
Atalanta tilted her head, puzzled by my answer.
"In simple terms, the study of what it means for a human to live as a human."
"For humans to… live as humans?"
"Yes. No matter how well the children grow, if they lack humanity, they'll become corrupt adults—a chain of misfortune."
Even in this age, I did what I could for those within my reach. In my past life, I helped the downtrodden and volunteered wherever possible.
Until Apollo's tyranny ended, I had no time for such thoughts—but once I regained my freedom, old habits returned. Saving the children from the centaurs, educating Iolcos's youth…
"Compared to the other men, you're remarkable…"
"Remarkable?"
"—Atalanta!!!"
Atalanta's gentle smile and words were cut short when Meleagros called to her, interrupting the moment. In his hands was the hide of the black boar, flayed with Peleus.
"This hide is thanks to your arrow's precision! I wish to present it to you."
"To me?"
Meleagros offered the hide as though presenting a gift, but Atalanta looked uneasy. She turned to me.
"The one who deserves the hide is Iskios. You drew the boar's attention and created the opening. I merely shot the arrow—"
"—I don't need it. As promised, Calydon will deliver whatever the people of Iolcos requested—nothing more."
I cut off the offer of the boar's hide. It was a thing of value, yet I rejected any needless attention.
Atalanta, unable to ignore my refusal, accepted it half–reluctantly. The moment she took the hide…
"—Stop!!!"
Two irredeemable characters, among those displeased by Atalanta receiving the hide, stepped forward.
One was a bald man with tribal-style tattoos on one side of his face; the other, a muscular red–mohawked brute. Rumor had it they were Meleagros's uncles.
They contorted their faces with contempt and glared at Atalanta and the hide in her hands. Weren't they the same Mohicans who tried to steal the final blow from the boar and got routed?
"Have you lost your mind, Meleagros? You just handed over the hide!!!"
"To a woman, no less!!!"
"You cowards who only dare strike at the last moment and cower afterward have no right to—"
Yes… end-times Greece never fails to betray expectations. Their character shines with grotesque purity. Meleagros rebuked his uncles angrily.
While the bald uncle argued with Meleagros, the red–mohawked one reached for the hide in Atalanta's hands, trying to seize it.
"A woman's hands are unworthy of this! Hand it over at once! Women should shut up and keep their heads down!!! Well then, I—"
The moment the red–mohawk made that statement, my restraint snapped. My anger remained undimmed.
What the hell are these bastards on about? Now they're trying to snatch the hide from Atalanta. Before I could think, my body and mouth sprang into action.
I had intended to leave quietly, unnoticed, but that was no longer possible. I grabbed the red–mohawk's collar and lifted him off the ground.
"...You want me to shut up? You worthless miscreants who never lift a finger but think only of stealing what others have worked for. Want me to cut off that—"