The woman before us introduced herself as the queen of the Amazons and looked at the two of us.
"...I am Heracles."
"I am Astellon, king of Eirene, come at Heracles' request."
At that gaze, Heracles and I gave our names, and Hippolyta's face showed surprise at our words.
"A Greek hero and a king... So you were both big names. Then what brings you to this Amazon?"
"We came to take your girdle."
"My girdle?"
At Heracles' words, saying he had come to obtain her girdle, Hippolyta looked back and forth between Heracles and me.
It seemed she thought her girdle, beyond its beauty, would not be easily surrendered, since it represented the authority of this Amazon tribe... but...
"Very well. I shall give you my girdle."
"Really?"
The queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta, granted it far more easily than Heracles and I had expected.
"However, there is a condition."
"A condition... Then shall I offer you my girdle as well?"
"No."
At Hippolyta's words that there was a condition for handing over the girdle, Heracles hastily moved to unfasten his own girdle, only to be stopped by her reply.
"Then what is the condition...?"
"It is..."
When I asked, Hippolyta fixed me with a direct stare and spoke.
Her red hair flickered in the candlelight, and her eyes were fixed on me alone with relentless intensity.
Even Heracles swallowed hard, caught off guard by the atmosphere, and looked back and forth between the two of us.
"The condition is simple, King Astellon of Eirene."
Then she slowly rose from her seat and came to stand before me.
And in a sweet voice, she whispered into my ear.
"Spend one day and one night with me. I want to see a girl who resembles you."
""...!!""
At those words, Heracles and I both stared at Hippolyta in shock.
"W-what do you mean by that?"
After a moment, I finally gathered my wits and looked at Hippolyta as I spoke.
"Exactly what I said."
"...I already have three wives."
"Three...? I heard you had no wife. When did you marry?"
"Not long ago. So that proposal is... rather difficult for me to accept."
"...If it were other Greek heroes, they would have welcomed this situation very much..."
"I'm a little different from them."
As Hippolyta said, others would indeed have accepted long ago and stayed.
But I had only recently married, and if it came to light that one of my three wives was a goddess, I was deeply afraid of the consequences.
And then there was Atalanta and Medea, who had recently begun to scrutinize my relations with women more closely...
Atalanta I might somehow manage, but Medea was another matter entirely.
Even before coming to the Amazons, she had warned me, "If you bring back another woman from there, neither she nor you will leave unharmed."
"And if my wives were to learn of this, they would not leave me alone."
"I see."
"Yes. In fact, I would like to ask you something. We are clearly meeting for the first time, so why did you make such a proposal to me?"
"As you may know, the women of this Amazon tribe marry foreign men for only one day in order to bear children. If a boy is born, he is killed or sent to another country. If a girl is born, she is raised as a warrior."
"...You mean you want to raise a child born with me as a warrior?"
"Yes. You seem highly capable... and above all, I like your appearance."
The moment I heard that, I recalled the words my friends had once told me—those I had met while studying under Chiron, such as Jason and Heracles.
That my looks were the sort that, if seen by the opposite sex, it would be strange not to feel immediate favor.
That if I set out to seduce a woman, she would fall for me at once.
That if I had been a woman, or if they had been women, they would have confessed immediately.
Ah. Even now, remembering that last one makes my head spin.
...A child, huh.
I had already taken my rightful wives—Hecate, Atalanta, and Medea—but I had not yet had a child with any of them.
If she were to bear my child first... those three would certainly not sit by quietly.
While I was lost in such thoughts, Hippolyta noticed my troubled expression and spoke to me.
"...I-I have never been with a man before... and..."
"W-wait. You don't need to say it like that. I'm just... rather confused."
I met Hippolyta's eyes as we spoke.
"...I have no intention of meeting a woman lightly. So let me ask you this: what is the king you seek?"
My sudden and unexpected question startled Hippolyta for a moment, but she answered me nonetheless.
"...A fence. A wall for gathering and watching over the weak. And... a path to preserve our order."
As she spoke, Hippolyta was more serious than I had ever seen her.
"...Not bad."
Her answer made me think it was similar to my own idea of "protecting."
"Then..."
At my words, Hippolyta slowly approached me, her face slightly flushed.
"Ahem!"
Then Heracles, sensing the strange atmosphere between us, gave a single cough.
"...I'll step outside for a moment."
"Huh?"
Before I could even react, Heracles was already heading for the door.
"The girdle isn't going anywhere."
With that, Heracles gave a faint grin, opened the door, and stepped out.
After Heracles left, the sound of the door closing rang out for a long while.
Then the air in the room grew heavy enough to seem visible.
"...Now it's just the two of us."
Hippolyta's voice was low as she said that.
It was far more subdued than before.
"...Yeah."
I answered, and for a while neither of us moved.
The candle flame trembled.
Its light spilled across her red hair as though flowing over it.
I watched it for a moment, then slowly opened my mouth.
"...I'll ask one last time."
At my words, Hippolyta's gaze lifted at once.
"You can still stop now."
At that, Hippolyta's breath wavered ever so slightly.
"....I don't want to stop."
As she said that, she took one step toward me.
"I don't want to run away."
Another step.
Now we were close enough to feel each other's breath.
"And..."
Then her hand slowly rose and caught my collar.
"I don't want to lose someone like you... just like this."
At those words, I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them.
"...Hah."
Then I raised a hand and lightly took hold of her wrist.
As if startled by my action, Hippolyta's eyes trembled.
"...Are you afraid?"
"...A little."
"...And yet you'll do it?"
"...Yes."
With that, I pulled her toward me.
A short breath escaped her.
The distance collapsed as though balance itself had broken.
Hippolyta's eyes shook wide, but she did not retreat.
"...Too late."
Instead, she murmured that softly and gripped my clothes even tighter.
The moment passed, and there was no longer any reason to hesitate.
I pulled Hippolyta into a tight embrace.
For an instant, her breath caught and stopped.
"...Ah."
A brief exhale.
At a sensation she had never known before, her body stiffened for a moment.
"...Don't let go."
But her hands firmly seized my back.
Awkward, yet unmistakable—her resolve came through clearly.
I slowly looked down at her.
Shaking eyes.
Flushed cheeks.
Ragged breath.
"...You..."
"Don't speak. Right now... I don't want to think."
With those words, she took another step closer first.
So close our chests nearly touched.
Our breaths tangled, and her forehead lightly met my chest.
"...Strange. This is the first time I've ever been this tense."
"...Is that so."
As we spoke, Hippolyta gave a very small laugh.
Then she lifted her head and looked straight at me.
"...Astellon."
My name left her lips.
But I did not answer.
Instead, I slowly lifted her chin.
Our breaths drew even closer.
And that night could no longer be described in words.
The candle flame trembled again and again, shadows overlapped, breaths crossed, and hands gradually lost their hesitation.
Because it was the first time, we were clumsy, and therefore all the more careful.
Even so, neither of us let go.
Time stretched on, and the night did not end easily.
And at some point, Hippolyta called my name again.
"...Astellon..."
This time her voice was far lower and quieter than before.
I closed my eyes and opened them again.
"What is it?"
"...Remember this."
Still holding onto my clothes, Hippolyta spoke softly.
"...Was my first time. Was it so good?"
"....Come here for a moment."
"Huh?"
At my words, Hippolyta hesitated for a moment, then leaned toward me carefully.
Without a word, I took her wrist and slowly drew her closer.
At the shortened distance, her breath trembled again.
"...Again..."
A faint voice slipped out.
I did not answer. Instead, I lightly kissed her forehead.
At my action, Hippolyta's body went rigid.
"Ah..."
Then strength entered her grip.
"This is..."
"...The answer to your question. Isn't that enough?"
"...I never thought you'd express it like this..."
"If I say it outright, it becomes too light."
At my words, Hippolyta said nothing.
She only lowered her head a little and clutched my clothes even tighter.
"You're a coward. You are."
"Perhaps I am..."
"But... I don't dislike it."
At the sight of Hippolyta speaking while still embarrassed, I gave a short laugh.
"That's... a relief."
After that, she quietly leaned against my side.
She came closer far more naturally than before and spoke.
"...Strange."
"What is?"
"This was clearly a condition... but now... it doesn't feel like that anymore."
"...."
I did not answer.
Instead, I placed a hand on her shoulder and slowly drew her in.
Hippolyta did not refuse that action either.
"...Astellon."
"What is it?"
"I'll ask one more thing."
"What is it?"
"...Do you... regret this?"
"...No. I don't regret it. In the end, it was my choice."
"...I see."
At my answer, Hippolyta gave a faint smile.
"You're honest."
As she said that, her eyes softened just a little.
"...Yes. That's enough."
After that, Hippolyta asked me nothing more.
Instead, she quietly closed her eyes beside me.
With the candle nearly burned down... the night was still not fully over.
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