Atalanta lingered in Alaric's embrace for quite some time before reluctantly pulling away.
In that moment, she had completely lost the cool aloofness she usually carried before him.
She was like a little wildcat that had finally found its master, soft, docile, and affectionate, as though she'd transformed into a gentle housecat.
Alaric couldn't help but think, If Hime were to take on human form, she and Atalanta would probably end up fighting.
After all, there could never be two tigers, or in this case, two cats, on one mountain, unless one was male and the other female.
Once she calmed her racing heart, Atalanta looked up curiously and asked, "Mr. Ye, may I ask… what is your relationship with the goddess, and with the she-bear in the sacred forest?"
"If you like, you can just call me by my name, if that's easier," Alaric said, waving his hand dismissively.
"In truth, my relationship with the goddess is much closer than you might imagine, but please, don't tell anyone."
When Atalanta nodded earnestly, Alaric went on.
"As for your bear mother… that little bear only became intelligent because I used the Enlightenment Spell on her."
"Enlightenment Spell?" Atalanta tilted her head, puzzled.
"It's a kind of magic that awakens wisdom in beasts that lack it," Alaric explained.
"Otherwise, where do you think all those intelligent animals in Artemis's sacred forest came from?"
"Oh, I see…" Atalanta nodded slowly, though she clearly didn't fully understand. "So Uncle and the goddess are really that close, huh?"
Then, after hesitating a moment, she asked her next question carefully, as if afraid of offending him.
"Then… why didn't I ever see you again after I was old enough to remember?"
Atalanta had been wondering about this for a long time.
Alaric had said he often visited the goddess's forest, yet she couldn't recall ever seeing him after gaining awareness. Had he done it on purpose?
In her heart, Alaric could have easily become a father figure to her, someone warm, protective, and steady.
She'd thought about asking him this many times before, but only now did she finally summon the courage. She didn't want him to think she was accusing him of anything.
Hearing her question, Alaric's expression softened, as if he had expected it.
He sighed, his tone full of apology.
"Honestly, I wanted to visit you often, to help raise you alongside the other animals, like a daughter of sorts. But… someone didn't approve."
"Who?" Atalanta asked urgently.
"…Your Moon Goddess." After a pause, Alaric revealed a name that took Atalanta completely by surprise.
"But… why?" she murmured, confused.
Alaric didn't give her an explanation. He only told her that if she wanted to know, she should ask Artemis herself.
Over the years, Artemis had never stopped pursuing Alaric.
The pure and devoted goddess possessed a persistence that even Alaric found astonishing. To be closer to him, she had nearly left Olympus altogether.
But Alaric had rejected her, and despite their closeness, they had never truly crossed that line.
Her unwavering love was something Alaric both admired and feared.
Though he was the more dominant one in their relationship, and Artemis was generally obedient, Alaric understood that unless he could completely suppress her divine nature, any true intimacy between them might end disastrously.
If they were ever to become lovers, Artemis would cling to him to the point of obsession, so much that she'd probably follow him to Colchis Island, discover Hecate and Aphrodite, and cause an uproar that would turn his life into chaos.
So despite his fondness for the ardent moon goddess, Alaric could only maintain a careful distance, meeting her occasionally to ease her longing but never letting things go too far.
That was why he would visit the sacred forest from time to time.
In the first year after Artemis adopted Atalanta, Alaric had often gone to see the little girl, holding her, caring for her.
He had always remembered the adorable Atalanta from the Typemoon world, and the chance to raise her himself had felt like a wonderful experience.
But when Alaric's attention toward Atalanta grew too tender, Artemis began to feel uneasy.
Normally, the goddess would obey Alaric in everything, but when it came to other women, her sensitivity flared.
Her overflowing affection made her unable to tolerate any female getting too close to Alaric.
That jealousy had begun the moment she noticed even her nymph attendants showing interest in him.
And now, when she sensed what she believed was excessive affection between Alaric and Atalanta, her first instinct had been to separate them.
That was why Alaric had refrained from getting too close to Artemis, and why, in the end, he had left Atalanta with only a gift before departing.
Of course, he couldn't possibly tell Atalanta the real reason.
Otherwise, her idealized image of the goddess might shatter completely.
After understanding Alaric's genuine care for her, Atalanta began treating him like the father she never had.
Her usual coldness toward men vanished; now she followed Alaric around just like Circe did.
Though she still spoke curtly to others, when it came to Alaric, as Circe mockingly put it.
And just like that, Atalanta and Circe became a pair of quarreling rivals.
Despite their similar temperaments, they somehow always ended up fighting, usually over Alaric.
The love triangle aboard the ship hadn't even properly begun, and already it had become a battlefield.
The other heroes could only look on with a mix of admiration and fear.
Admiration for Alaric's ability to manage two such powerful women.
Fear… of the storm that would erupt if those two ever truly clashed.
After all, when a mighty witch like Circe and an extraordinary huntress like Atalanta fought, no ordinary man could possibly step in to stop them.
As for Alaric himself, although he wasn't one to seek friendship with everyone, his vast knowledge and insight soon won him over the entire crew.
In just a few days, every hero aboard had come to revere him as a sage, a strategist and scholar.
During the preparations for the voyage, everyone else had to work, but not Alaric. No one even let him lift a finger.
Circe and Atalanta, being women, were treated with similar care.
Before long, the Argo, humanity's first great seafaring vessel, was fully ready.
And under countless watching eyes, it was finally about to set sail.
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