Something wet and warm pooled around the ankle, carrying a strange and faint sweet fragrance.
Helen, who witnessed the whole thing, did not dare look at the sorry state of this princess.
Or rather, she herself was not doing much better right now.
A bewitching charm that even divine beings struggled to resist, having reached a level of absolute power.
It would be one thing if she could not see.
But as it happened, for certain special reasons, her range of vision was no worse than that of the gods, and even across the vast distance of the battlefield, she could see that face that made people want to commit a crime.
A crushing wave of guilt washed over Helen's heart. "How can I have that kind of thought about someone so sacred and pure and beautiful?"
"This is wrong, Helen. Please calm down, Helen."
Forcing herself to stop looking in that direction, Helen, whose jade-like skin flushed red all over, felt ten thousand waves of admiration rise within her heart for the princess of beauty who could unleash her desire for Night without any restraint.
She felt a tiny bit of longing for that kind of total abandon, that disregard for all propriety, that supreme social fearlessness of the great goddess of beauty.
Of course, not longing to become the same kind of person.
Just longing for that ultimate level of social fearlessness.
Was she not at all afraid of being seen in her current state?
If it were her, she would surely die of shame and humiliation on the spot.
"Get him, get him, possess him, possess him!" Like an addiction once tasted, the wicked thought that rose in the hearts of so many people at this moment, mixed together with a contradictory guilt.
To actually have defiling thoughts toward something this beautiful.
Sinful!
They were truly the worst of the worst.
And yet there was faintly something a little thrilling about it, something transgressive, as though they were about to break away from their own myths, one by one falling into ruin as disobedient gods.
As the gods fixed their gazes on that beautiful figure, that beauty shone all the more brilliantly because of it.
And through it, the gods received comfort and pleasure of the spirit.
A bewitching beauty that even the dignified queen of the underworld Persephone wanted to seek excitement in.
And even now, this was far from the peak of that beauty.
And as the center of all those burning gazes that paid him no heed,
Night felt something like danger.
If it were a group of beautiful women staring at him like this, he would not have minded.
But what was going on with that group of male gazes, equally burning, and in some cases even more so?
So this really was Greece, where men loving men was so widespread.
Outwardly perfectly composed,
Night raised his head and looked up toward Zeus, and he spoke aloud. "I have already dedicated this life to my own god. The faith of hero Griffith has and can only have one, and she is the goddess with hair as beautiful as moonlight, my queen, Artemis.
I ask for your forgiveness, supreme God-King, Your Majesty.
Until death strips away my consciousness and my soul fades along with it. Only then might my flesh bow to another god."
When they heard that final line, the gods were shaken.
Even in the heart of God-King Zeus, a trace of being moved arose.
Until death, and even the soul fades along with it before the flesh would yield?
He never expected Night to be so "devoted" to his own daughter.
Swearing an oath in the name of one's hero title...
In a mythological world like Greece, an oath was not something to be made lightly.
If the oath was broken, it would surely bring the curse of fate down upon the one who broke it at some distant point in the future.
Even a chief god as powerful as any stood incomparably fragile before the great force of fate.
Not to mention that Night swore this oath before the eyes of all the gods.
At this moment, Zeus already understood that even if he allowed Night to worship both himself and his daughter Artemis together, the other party would most likely not agree.
Thinking about it, although he felt incomparably regretful and disappointed, he could only temporarily bury the thoughts in his heart.
Zeus informed Night that the goddess of beauty strongly recommended him to represent the Greek side in the upcoming duel.
He wanted to hear Night's own thoughts on the matter.
Originally he had not yet decided whether or not to choose this hero and wanted to take a look first.
But the instant he saw Griffith, the scales in Zeus's heart began to tip in the other party's favor.
And on the other side, when they heard Zeus's question.
Not only the many heroes of the Greek side but the Trojan side as well were all greatly surprised.
The gods chose "Griffith?"
The Greek side at least had some knowledge of the battle between Night and Diomedes.
But the Trojan side had absolutely nothing on Griffith.
They were surprised by the gods' choice and, at the same time, filled with curiosity toward this man.
Did he also possess great strength to match that beauty?
And Night himself at this moment...
"What is going on?"
He never expected it to be the goddess of beauty stirring up trouble.
Not only did it cause him to expose his bewitching charm, now she also wanted him to go and take part in the duel.
He frowned slightly.
However, Night did not intend to refuse and quickly let go of his hesitation.
Given the image he built up for himself so far, there was no avoiding this battle.
And in a situation where Hector knew him and they could perfectly put on a show together.
What he needed to think about was encountering the other two heroes on the Trojan side and how much effort he needed to put in to defeat them in a way that seemed reasonable without actually killing them.
Or be defeated by them instead...?
No, no.
Since it was a battle, there was absolutely no reason to willingly become the losing side.
He threw the option of holding back and making an early exit straight out of his mind.
Even as a spy, he would never put himself through that kind of indignity.
Since he was going onto the battlefield, he was going to be the most brilliant one out there.
This was also a battle to defend the dignity of his goddess, the hero Griffith, as a follower of the moon goddess, a battle to win glory for his beloved deity.
Therefore, not only did he need to fight, he needed to fight beautifully.
Alright.
This was a fight someone else picked. He was just hitting back.
Then, come on then!
The combative side of the dragon began to awaken.
And so Night raised his voice and gave his answer. "I am willing to fight for Greece, to fight for my goddess, and to reclaim the supreme glory.
Great God-King, even I, whose strength is as humble as dust, have long since been ready at any moment to give my life for my homeland and shed my blood for it.
I offer only myself to my homeland and my god."
Silence.
In that moment when all was still, Night's clear and resounding voice broke through the clouds and reached the ears of everyone present.
People froze.
Not a trace of hesitation, not a trace of wavering in that answer.
Beautiful.
And then, with a collective jolt, they all fixed their gazes hard on that silver-haired and ethereal figure.
A resolve that no one could ignore, the determination held within those eyes, shook the heroes and drew in the gods.
And at this moment Artemis, as Night's chief goddess, fell into a daze, and a joy she could not calm rose up in her heart.
"For me... he is going to fight?"
She completely ignored everything else Night said and only held onto that one line, that he would fight for his beloved goddess.
Artemis suddenly found the schemes of the goddess of beauty not quite so hateful anymore.
Even though she forced Night into participating in the battle.
But as a god herself, she should also trust her own follower.
Trust that incomparably precious burning devotion.
Equally, on the other side, the goddess Athena took in every bit of the joy that overflowed so plainly from Artemis.
And once again confirmed in her heart that the hunting goddess had perhaps truly found a human worth caring about.
And as she looked at the figure of that hero who would step onto the battlefield not as a warrior but as a musician, offering himself for his god.
Athena, who already held a favorable impression of him from his earlier performance, could not help but think...
It was perfectly natural for a goddess to be drawn to a person like this.
After all, from a very, very long time ago, she herself deeply loved this kind of captivating human.
Though what she loved was the vast and great species of humanity as a whole and even more so that innate potential humanity was born with.
"For love, a person can be especially gentle and especially unyielding!"
.
.
.
(End of the Chapter)