Although Artemis had never truly met Rovi before, she had long held an image of him in her heart.
That image had been gradually pieced together from Lady Enkidu's words.
In a sense, Rovi was also the factor that had shifted Artemis from a mechanical god toward one bearing humanity.
Just as Rovi had already discovered, after being severely damaged by the Alien God's star invaders, the mechanical bodies of the Greek gods in this world had gradually lost control and vanished into the Imaginary Sea.
All this had occurred over the past two or three thousand years. When Lady Enkidu first met Artemis, the goddess had just lost her mechanical body, existing solely as a humanoid terminal.
Her mechanical nature still lingered, and her divinity remained potent, but maintaining her human form required understanding humanity.
At that time, each god made their own choices.
Ares drew from the Spartan thirst for war; Athena sought wisdom from scholars and sages; Apollo embodied those who pursued justice and light.
Artemis was different. She chose Lady Enkidu, who had just arrived in Greece and was hailed as a "Saint," as her teacher.
A pure and spotless figure who'd crossed the seas—
She surely knew humanity intimately.
"To be honest, I don't quite understand humanity myself," the beautiful girl had told her during their first encounter, "but I know once humans have someone to long for, they'll always move forward."
Thus, Artemis took her words to heart and planted a seed of longing.
She gradually constructed a shadow born of that longing—
And so, in this moment, facing Rovi, Artemis herself felt inexplicably moved.
"Wonderful, it truly is you, Lord Rovi!"
Pressing herself fully against Rovi, the Moon Goddess's face shone with delight, pale white arms encircling his chest tightly, her ample figure warmly pressing against him.
Rovi cast her a sideways glance. Using the blessing given by Athena, he'd grasped the whole sequence of events—and he honestly felt a bit helpless.
Even En likely hadn't expected things to turn out this way.
Atalanta, meanwhile, was completely stunned.
Wasn't this person...a sage? Wasn't he Lady Enkidu's beloved friend?
Why was Lady Artemis suddenly hugging him?
Why…
What a mess… Her head was spinning.
"Excuse me, goddess, please step away," Rovi finally spoke. "We're really not that close—"
His voice faded as his figure vanished simultaneously, reappearing a short distance away.
Artemis's embrace was instantly empty.
"How cruel." Artemis crossed her arms, gently squeezing her full curves. She tilted her head and stared at Rovi. "I am Artemis—"
"I'm aware you're the Moon Goddess," Rovi replied earnestly. "After all, I recently beat up Ares, the God of War—oh, that's your younger brother, right?"
"What, want to try it yourself?"
"You're far too cruel!" Artemis wore a wounded expression.
"Compared to you, I'm extremely reasonable, Lady Moon Goddess," Rovi smiled slightly.
Of course, he wouldn't casually beat up Artemis; he just needed an excuse to disengage—
If he was looking for death, this wasn't how he planned to do it.
Provoking a god and provoking a god like that were two entirely different concepts.
Besides, Rovi had faced countless setbacks already, and his mindset had shifted slightly.
Blindly rushing toward death probably wouldn't work.
Better to be selective about it.
That way, even upon ascending to the Throne, he'd preserve the beauty of memory and bonds.
"You're really hurting me, Lord Rovi," Artemis said plaintively. "Is it because of Lady Enkidu that you reject my feelings? Lady Enkidu herself wouldn't mind…"
Enkidu indeed wouldn't mind.
But Rovi minded.
Just then, the air rippled gently, like snowflakes gathering. Light and shadow intertwined, and a figure emerged.
"Artemis!"
With a flowing white dress fluttering softly, Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, had arrived from Athens with a darkened expression.
Athena had clearly seen Artemis's actions.
They were both virgin goddesses…
Yet this woman…how could she be so shameless?!
Athena had approached Rovi first. Even if she'd failed, her pride as the Goddess of Victory wouldn't allow anyone else to poach afterward!
It wasn't about love—it was purely about dignity.
Athena appeared.
Rovi breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed this ally still had some uses.
He'd deliberately activated the Wisdom Goddess's blessing—not only to uncover Artemis's reasoning but also to summon Athena's help.
He'd trusted the Goddess of Wisdom would come.
With her intervention, Rovi could smoothly withdraw.
After all, En was at a crucial moment. Better to avoid fighting here if he could.
He didn't want to disturb her.
"Oh—it's Athena?" The Moon Goddess turned her gaze toward Athena.
Her eyes instantly grew crystal-clear, utterly calm, yet holding a subtle hint of…mockery?
"Why so agitated?" Artemis feigned innocence. "Could it be…oh, my apologies. I hadn't noticed."
"…"
Athena swiftly calmed herself, realizing she'd stepped into a trap.
Yet quickly, Athena smiled again.
"Whatever you're implying has nothing to do with me, but—" She clapped lightly, smiling sharply, "But Artemis, my dear friend, what exactly are you trying to do to the one under my protection?"
Artemis tilted her head, a perfectly blank expression clearly asking, "What are you talking about? I don't understand."
Both were goddesses; after knowing each other this long, Athena easily understood Artemis's intent—Artemis was deliberately misinterpreting her relationship with Rovi.
A virgin goddess had to remain pure.
After all, this was a vow they had made before Zeus, the king of gods.
Therefore, Athena had to clarify.
Artemis, however, would use her words to further drive a wedge between Athena and Rovi.
As goddesses—and former mechanical gods at that—they excelled at calculations.
Even if Artemis always appeared naturally innocent.
Yet the Goddess of Wisdom wouldn't fall for it.
She wouldn't even point out that the Moon Goddess had guessed something or what thoughts lurked beneath Artemis's innocent expression.
Any dirty or suggestive thoughts were Artemis's own invention—not hers.
"Lord Rovi, come with me—" Athena no longer bothered with Artemis, turning seriously toward Rovi.
At this moment, the Wisdom Goddess seemed heroic and resolute. Her silver hair and ruby eyes glowed fiercely as she reached out and grabbed Rovi's hand.
She made to leave immediately.
Atalanta was now entirely dumbfounded. Two goddesses openly fighting over a mortal…this was the first time she'd seen something like this.
Hm… Rovi glanced at Athena, who was firmly gripping his hand, and felt somehow uneasy…
"That won't do, Athena. This is my sacred land on Earth. I can't let you leave just like that."
"And besides, you said Lord Rovi was your representative?" Artemis swiftly blocked Athena's path.
"Naturally, Artemis. Lord Rovi bears the blessing I bestowed—"
Athena suddenly halted mid-sentence, for a ray of moonlight gently fell upon Rovi.
The Moon Goddess smiled beautifully, declaring softly:
"By the name of Artemis—"
"O beloved one I've longed for…"
"From now onward, the moon shall serve as your eyes and hands, illuminating and supporting your every step."
With that, Artemis turned to Athena and playfully winked, "Oh, sorry about that. He now has my blessing too."
Athena: "…"
Even for gods, wasn't giving blessings like this…way too casual?
---
T/N: catfiiiiiight
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