Type-Moon, there are too many myths that defy the heavens!

"I know." Demeter nodded and said, "Ash, you have always been a reassuring child. Since you want to be a hero and even asked Persephone to hold the Eleusinian Mysteries for you, it shows that you are fully prepared to become a hero."

"Now that you've grown up, I won't stop you," Demeter continued, "but... do you have a weapon that's suitable for you?"

"Persephone is more than capable of crafting equipment, but she's a bit lacking in weaponry," Demeter asked with concern. "If you're short of weapons, I can ask Hephaestus and Athena for help."

"Lord Hades prepared the 'Sword of the Undying' as a weapon for me, and the 'Cloak of Concealment' to help me escape from battle." Ash smiled and declined, "Lady Demeter, there is no need to worry about me."

"What? The 'Sword that Slays the Undying' and the 'Cloak that Conceals the Body'?"

"Hades actually gave you his most precious equipment?" Demeter's eyes suddenly became sharp. "Has that beast relapsed into his old ways, planning something bad to you?"

Wow, Demeter, you're so accurate!

Hades is really a beast, he is so evil!

Just as Ash silently praised Demeter's scolding, Hades's humanoid form emerged from his cloak and joked, "Demeter, you are still as straightforward as ever."

"You are... a clone of Hades? How did you become like this?"

Demeter looked at the palm-sized Hades clone and suddenly understood the other party's situation. She couldn't help but curse, "You beast, your old habits have relapsed. You want to attack Ash!"

"You can't say that, Demeter." Hades said with a smile, "I just became like this according to Ash's wishes, I don't mean anything else."

"You can fool others, but you can't fool me!" Demeter grabbed Hades' clone and swung it around, cursing, "If you hadn't deliberately misled Ash, how could you have ended up like this?"

"It's not enough that you stole Persephone from me, you're also planning to attack Ash?" Demeter clenched her fists and cursed, "You deserve to have no followers!"

"Hades smiled and spread his hands. "Look, I can leave the divine realm at any time, and I don't have to worry about my image. Isn't that quite interesting?"

"Hades, if you keep talking nonsense, I won't want you anymore!" Ash quickly snatched Hades's clone and blocked her mouth, then apologized to Demeter, "I'm sorry, Lady Demeter, I let you see something noisy."

Following Ash's apology, Hades' clone stopped talking and acted like a well-behaved puppet.

"Ash..." Demeter looked at Hades's well-behaved appearance and Ash's casual appearance, as if he were the head of the family, and showed a surprised expression again, "You...could you be the prince of the underworld already?"

Prince of the Underworld?

That's really... so euphemistic.

"Lady Demeter, please rest assured." Ash said with a smile, "Lady Hades and Lady Persephone were just being particularly caring towards me. They didn't cross the line."

But you look no different from the Prince of the Underworld, no, the Lord of the Underworld!

Whether it's his appearance or his character... this kid Ash is really great!

Looking at Ash's face, the Earth Mother Goddess, who cares for children, couldn't help but sigh in her heart.

"Since you understand your situation, my child, I don't need to nag you any further," Demeter said. "I believe you are ready for adventure. Where will you go next?"

"I want to go to Lady Artemis first to see if there's anything I can do to help."

"You really should go to Artemis and tell her you're safe." Demeter smiled and patted Ash's head, saying with satisfaction, "Good boy, you made the right choice. I think she will be very happy."

"In that case, why don't you strike while the iron is hot and go directly to see Artemis. I think she must be eager to meet you as soon as possible."

"What about you?" Ash asked, "Don't you need help?"

"Silly child, as a mother, what need do I have for help?" Demeter said with a smile. "The best thing for me is that you and Persephone are happy."

Faced with Demeter's words, Ash couldn't help but look stunned, and his eyes became moist.

Ash suddenly remembered a saying, "The antonym of adventure is family."

Although he didn't know the specific source of this sentence, he had to admit that it was very true.

Indeed, Demeter is more like my mother.

Ash couldn't help but sigh in his heart and said to Demeter, "Then... shall I go see Lady Artemis first?"

"Go, go," Demeter continued. "When Persephone comes up in the spring, just remember to come back."

"Thank you, Lady Demeter." Ash said gratefully, "I will come to see you again after the spring."

After bidding farewell to Demeter solemnly, Ash put on his invisibility cloak again, left Eleusis with the clones of Hades and Persephone, and headed along the Aegean Sea to Ephesus on the coast.

In Ephesus, Ash finally saw the world-famous Temple of Artemis, and there met Artemis, the goddess of the moon and hunting.

After recognizing each other with Artemis, the beautiful goddess immediately asked Ash to stay with her for a longer time to make up for Artemis' regret of not being able to raise him.

Ash had no reason to refuse Artemis's request, so he had no choice but to stay and spend some time with Artemis to make up for her regrets.

It is worth mentioning that in the process of getting along with Artemis, Ash actually met Atalanta, the legendary Artemis's solo supporter. This devout Artemis's solo supporter did not have any extra reaction when seeing her god's close contact with him. Instead, she watched her goddess's interaction with others quietly, as if nothing had happened.

As a result, when he asked this question to Atalanta, the other party's answer was also very strange -

"I don't know who you are, but I'm sure that with such a beautiful face and powerful divine power, you must be a god who has descended to earth."

"I am merely one of Artemis-sama's many adopted daughters. I have no right to interfere with your communication with Artemis-sama."

Atalanta's thoughtless statement made people sigh at the abstract viewpoint and argument. Ash was really a little amused, but he couldn't refute it.

After all, he couldn't tell the huntress Atalanta that he had recognized the wrong person, and mistook him for a god even though he possessed the "God Core of the Goddess of Spring" and the "Reverberation of the Goddess of Love" and all kinds of divine treasures, right?

Even if this was the pure truth, Ash felt that if he were an outsider, he probably wouldn't believe it at all.

In short, after living peacefully in the Temple of Artemis for a period of time, Ash finally faced his own test.

"Ash, what kind of hero do you want to be?"

"It doesn't matter if you don't know the answer," Artemis said with a smile. "Just tell me what you want to do, and I can find the answer for you."

Faced with the goddess's question, Ash, who had traveled through time for many years, thought a lot.

He thought of the Greek stories he knew well, of the connections between gods, heroes, and mortals as illustrated by Hades, and of the universal tragedy and suffering of heroes.

Finally, he found his own answer.

It was an innocent and childish answer, but one that made him yearn for and want to accomplish.

“I hate tragedy.”

"I hate those tragedies where the characters in the story are clearly innocent, but still lose everything due to fate's tricks and end up in despair."

"I hate the origin of heroes' tragedies. It's people's praise and pursuit of tragedy."

"Some heroes deserve a better ending, so..." Ash said, "I want to be a hero who protects heroes."

Chapter 25: Goo, kill me!

"Why not change the tragedy and become a hero who protects heroes?" Artemis repeated Ash's words and asked incredulously, "Why did you make this choice?"

"Because the tragedy of heroes stems from the fate woven together by gods and mortals," Ash said seriously. "I don't seek to change such a huge fate, I only hope that the heroes who help all living beings can have a better life."

"...It's only been a short time, but you've become so mature, Ash."

"You've become a true hero now." Artemis was stunned for a moment, a multitude of emotions flowing through her pale blue eyes. She sighed, "If you keep going like this, I'll just become a footnote in your life."

"There is no such thing."

"I'll never forget that when I was still a baby, having to face the lonely world, you walked into my world under the moonlight and brought me warmth." Ash smiled and took Artemis' hand, placing it on his cheek, and said affectionately, "From then on, I regarded you as the most important family member."

"Family?" Artemis blushed and asked impatiently, "What family?"

"Sister." Ash said with a smile, "You have always been the best sister to me."

Facing Ash's answer, Artemis' face turned gloomy, and she said a little aggrievedly: "So it's my sister..."

Faced with Artemis's reaction, a big question mark hung on Ash's head.

If I don't recognize you as my sister, then why should I recognize you as a family member?

Haven't you always protected and taken care of me as my sister?

It's no wonder Ash was confused.

Not to mention that Artemis is a goddess who swore chastity in mythology. As the goddess of hunting, her favorite are hunters who are also chaste and good at hunting.

He had not sworn chastity to Artemis, was not a good hunter, and did not have the sturdy, wild beauty of Heracles and Orion.

No matter how you look at it, Ash doesn't feel that he is within Artemis's defense range, so it's natural for him to treat this goddess who is so kind to him as a sister.

However, Ash is not a blockhead.

That's not right. Shouldn't Artemis like muscular men?

Why does she look so lost, like she's been dumped?

Wouldn't she...

Faced with Artemis' rather abnormal reaction, Ash, who thought of a possibility, broke out in a cold sweat.

No, no, I'm being targeted by three Greek goddesses. Don't tell me you have that kind of idea too, right?

I have no interest in having a spiritual love affair with Artemis, who has a brother who is obsessed with his sister, the Apollo!

Thinking of this, Ash couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Why are there so many weird goddesses in Greece? Can't there be more gentle and virtuous mother goddesses like Demeter?

"If Artemis is your sister, then what about me?"

Just when Ash didn't know how to face Artemis and prevent her from going down the path of gravity, a majestic female voice came from behind him and solved his dilemma.

Ash turned his head and saw a goddess with bright eyes, as beautiful as a girl, yet with the heroic aura of a warrior. She was looking at him with a smile and playfully asked her own question: "Who am I to you in your eyes?"

"Lady Athena..." Ash asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"

"You haven't answered my question yet." Athena said with a smile, "In your opinion, what am I to you?"

"Of course you are also my sister," Ash replied immediately, "I have never forgotten the teachings you gave me when you came to visit me in the Underworld."

"Hmm...that's a perfect answer." Athena smiled and continued, "So, do you think I'm the eldest sister or the second sister?"

How do I answer this?

How do I know whether you want to be the eldest daughter or the youngest daughter?

Facing Athena's question, Ash really couldn't think of an answer. Fortunately, Athena didn't blame him for it. She just smiled and said, "So, are you stumped by my question?"

"Yeah," Ash nodded and admitted, "I can't answer your difficult question."

Seeing the embarrassed expressions of their children who had grown up under their care, the two goddesses smiled at the same time, ending the topic with joy.

"If you want to be a hero who protects heroes, you'll often be battling against the very fate that weaves tragedy for them," Athena lamented. "Ash, you don't know how many times you'll encounter a dilemma like the one I posed."

"Yes, this is a thorny road." Artemis also advised, "Are you really prepared?"

Just as the two goddesses said, once he chooses this path, his future will inevitably conflict with the tragedy borne by the heroes, and even with the human world that craves tragedy and the gods who weave tragedy.

No matter from which angle you look at it, this is an extremely difficult road to walk, and the cost outweighs the gains.

What's more, being loved by the gods, he has no obligation to become a hero and can even enjoy a happy life without doing anything.

but.

"But I have the power to help others."

"If I can't do anything, I'm willing to blindly face the tragedy." Ash said, "I can't stand having power but sitting back and watching the tragedy happen."

Facing Ash's answer, Artemis and Athena looked at each other in confusion, and finally smiled at each other.

"I was right. You truly possess the potential to be a hero," Athena said with a smile. "Even if you lack the bravery and skills of Hercules, you can still accomplish the same great deeds as him."

Artemis also smiled and said, "If it were you, you would surely be able to change the lives of many heroes."

"Of course." Even Persephone, who worked in the underworld, expressed her immense pride through the Ring of Spring. "He is my favorite child!"

Hearing Persephone's boasting, the smiles of her two sisters and best friends, the virgin goddesses, froze.

"Ash is clearly the child I found." Artemis said dissatisfiedly, "Persephone, you are going too far!"

"Indeed." Athena couldn't help but sneer, "Raising a child as a lover, Persephone, you should be ashamed."

"Hehehe~?" Persephone was not hurt at all, but hummed a song happily, "As long as Ash likes me, it doesn't matter what others think of me~"

“Tsk.”

Artemis and Athena's faces immediately fell when they saw their best friend's unrestrained and even more exaggerated show-off behavior.

Obviously, the two chaste goddesses felt extremely resentful towards their best friend Persephone's inhumane seal behavior.

Oh my god, it’s okay that Hades got angry at Demeter, but why did Persephone get angry at him too?