Skinning the Cithaeron Lion was not, in truth, an easy task.
Tia did not ask either of the two present for technical assistance. He stripped off the entire hide by brute force alone.
And yet, the hide he peeled away did not smell as bloody or foul as he had expected. Instead, it carried a scent that was hard to describe.
It was not unpleasant, but neither could it exactly be called fragrant.
If anything, when he turned it over, the dark crimson inner surface of the hide seemed to carry the faint aroma of grape wine—likely the result of the beast spending years hidden deep in the forest, steeped in the influence of Dionysus.
"I'll be taking this hide."
Tia pulled the lion's head over his own like a hood. Since it had already been drained of blood beforehand, the seams where it clung together were not especially filthy.
As for the claws and tail, they fit neatly around his waist.
"Mhm. Well, you were the one who hunted this magical beast. I only benefited from your work, and even got to eat—"
Before Castor could finish speaking, Pollux snatched the conversation away from him.
She immediately leaned in, the corner of her mouth still seeming to glisten faintly with grease.
"Thanks for the meal!"
[You smile. When it comes to controlling the heat of roasted meat, you know exactly what you're doing.]
[As for the hide you peeled away, it makes you think of the legends surrounding ascension into a Heroic Spirit after death.]
[The courageous deeds of one's lifetime are recorded into the archives—into what is known as the Record of the Boundary, humanity's record that lies beyond the world.]
[You think that before this simulation ends, you should experience as many major events as possible, enrich your legend as much as you can, and thereby draw out even greater power when the simulation is settled.]
[Then, you suddenly remember the matter of simulation rewards, and so you question the system.]
[As expected, once the simulation ends, you will be able to inherit one hundred percent of the strength you gained within it.]
[That lets you relax a little.]
[But then you remember Irisviel's condition. Somewhere in this vast land of the Age of Gods, you must find a way to solve it for her.]
[After thinking for a while and getting nowhere, you decide to first take the siblings and leave Mount Cithaeron.]
[The return journey is not especially far, and you make it back to the Theban palace before dawn.]
[You bid farewell to Castor and Pollux, then quietly slip back into your room like a child who has done something wrong.]
[This is the first time in your life you have ever spent a night away from home, and also the first time you have ever stayed up until dawn. You cannot help feeling a little guilty.]
[You soon fall into a deep sleep. In your dream, you seem to see the majestic figure of a goddess—Athena in golden armor, holding your hand as she leads you toward Mount Olympus.]
[And waiting for you at the end is—Hera.]
[You suddenly wake up. For some reason, you feel a considerable weight pressing on your body, and it makes you extremely uncomfortable.]
[Your eyes snap open, and you see a woman, barely clothed, lying atop you.]
[Her face is Pollux's.]
"Good morning~"
[She greets you, but you do not seem to have much energy. It is probably the aftereffects of having overdrawn your magical energy last night.]
[Even faced with such an alluring scene, you do not think yourself some spineless coward. It is simply that, right now, you genuinely have no interest in that sort of thing.]
[You tell Pollux to wrap herself in a blanket first. You get out of bed and prepare to begin the day's work.]
[Pollux is a little angry. She thinks it is because her youthful body is not enough to interest you, and she falls into deep despair over her underdeveloped figure.]
[As one of the offspring within the Theban palace, you have many things to attend to. The first is basic physical training.]
[You sweat profusely in the courtyard, while Pollux—wrapped in a blanket—squats sulkily off to the side, staring at you with grievance written all over her face.]
[As sweat runs down your back, the exhaustion left behind by your drained magical energy is slowly repaired by your own constitution.]
[Castor soon arrives. By this point, Pollux has already gotten dressed.]
[After your simple workout, you want to continue yesterday's unfinished swordsmanship lesson, as well as more instruction in boxing.]
[You and Castor engage in an extremely refined sword duel. But because your concentration is lacking and your technique is not yet polished, you ultimately lose.]
[As for your fight with Pollux, it can only be described as practically a battle to the death.]
[No one knows whether she suddenly went mad or what, but her strength is on an entirely different level from yesterday, and nearly all her strikes target your joints.]
[In the end, Sparta's exquisite combat skill forces even you into submission.]
[You are soon defeated. This is the first time you experience complete defeat—though only in terms of technique.]
"Hah—"
Tia panted heavily. The ground of the courtyard was soaked with sweat. Sitting off to one side, he drank deeply from the life-giving spring water of the Ismenus River.
"Even though I've already seen it several times, I still envy that body of yours. It's practically made of steel."
Castor was drinking water as well, his face carrying a mix of bitter amusement and helplessness.
"If it were an ordinary Spartan soldier, even in full heavy armor, after taking her entire set of blows, he'd already have been carried off by the physicians by now... And you? You've only broken a sweat."
Without changing expression, Tia rubbed at his faintly aching shoulder.
Though the force of the blows themselves was still within what he could endure, the sheer number of chained strikes was another matter entirely. So-called modern combat techniques really were not something one could place too much hope in.
He lifted his head and looked toward Pollux in the distance.
The Spartan demigod princess was leaning against a marble pillar in the courtyard, arms folded across her chest.
Though she was doing her best to put on the cold, severe face of a strict instructor, those gray eyes still drifted toward Tia every now and then.
The moment Tia's gaze met hers, Pollux jerked her eyes away as if burned, then grabbed a clean piece of linen from beside her and hurled it irritably at his face.
"Why are you looking at me like that?!"
Tia caught the flying cloth with one hand and used it to wipe the sweat from his face.
"Ahem..." Castor coughed awkwardly, trying to break the strange atmosphere his sister had single-handedly created.
"In any case, your learning ability is terrifying, Heracles. At this rate, in less than half a year, there will be nothing left for us to teach you in martial skill alone."
Tia had just been about to modestly say a few words in reply when hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the courtyard.
A palace attendant from Thebes came rushing in, looking utterly flustered. He was running so fast he nearly stumbled on the courtyard steps.
"Prince Heracles! Lord Castor! Lady Pollux!"
The attendant was gasping for breath, his eyes full of shock and excitement.
"What happened? Why are you in such a panic?"
Tia stood up, slinging the linen over his shoulder. In that moment, the air of one born to command naturally emerged from him—a presence cultivated over many years.
"It's... it's Mount Cithaeron!"
The attendant swallowed hard, his voice trembling.
"This morning, the herdsmen discovered that giant lion occupying the mountain forest... dead in a pool of blood! And... and..."
The attendant looked up.
He stared at Tia as though looking at a monster.
That towering body, in his eyes, radiated a terrifying pressure.
His voice shaking, he continued:
"And... and that giant lion was skinned in an extremely brutal manner. His Majesty the King has already learned of it. The entire palace is in an uproar now."
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