Drako and the others, led by Suzaku and Seiryuu, left the business district and finally arrived at an office space in a huge building that towered above the rest.
They travelled in limousines, which Suzaku had prepared in advance. As expected, the clans were not particularly poor.
The group went up to the penthouse of the building, which was the location of the meeting. Specifically, the meeting was held in a Japanese-style room.
In this Japanese-style room, Drako and the others were sitting next to Suzaku and Seiryuu. Completely uninterrupted in their posture, Suzaku sitting so meticulously made it clear that the training she received on social norms was of a high standard.
But Drako's attention was not on Suzaku at this time.
A woman in her early twenties had been waiting for the group in the room before they arrived. Drako had not even been able to feel her aura until he was a few feet away from her.
She was a tall girl, some six or seven centimetres taller than Kuroka, and had a slender, well-developed body. She has shoulder-length raven-black hair and striking silver-grey eyes. Without a doubt, she was extremely beautiful. In fact, she was so beautiful that Drako thought such beauty could only pertain to a goddess.
[Inspect Status]
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[Artemis]
Race: Divine Spirit
Status: ???
HP: ???
MP: ???
Strength: ???
Defense: ???
Magic: ???
Agility: ???
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
She was really a goddess...
Drako tensed up. This was the second time he had tried to see someone's stats and all of them were blocked, the first time being Tiamat.
If she wanted to, she could kill everyone in the room easily. Drako was sure of that. Even if he used [Agni Gandiva] to his full potential, his most powerful attack, the rest would die from Drako's own attack.
Even if Agni Gandiva was an attack at the level of a nuclear bomb, he was not sure if it could kill Artemis or not.
"What a beautiful big sister, what's your name?"
Akeno spoke before Drako could say anything.
"I am Artemis, goddess of the hunt."
The goddess introduced herself calmly.
Drako already knew this because she had read his status, but he was still surprised to find one of the Olympians here. What was one of the main goddesses doing here?
Even Seiryuu was surprised. In fact, everyone showed a variety of reactions except Suzaku. It was evident that she was to blame for Artemis' presence.
"Artemis is my guest, she won't intervene in our meeting. She has... her own business to attend to with Drako."
Shit.
How had Drako attracted the attention of Artemis or Olympus?
Perhaps...
Perhaps the gods noticed the use of Phoebus Catastrophe?
But... that was a bit absurd, wasn't it? Phoebus Catastrophe was a power from a completely different universe, there should be no connection to the beings living in this world.
[All universes are connected]
Oh, I haven't heard from you in a while, [Sage].
[You didn't need my assistance. I will only speak when necessary for the host.]
I see...
While Drako had his mental dialogue with [Sage], Suzaku had already started talking.
"To begin with, there's something I need to talk about. The previous issue related to the Utsusemi Agency, everything that happened is the mistake of the five families. For involving you all in that, I wish to formally apologise."
Suzaku bowed her head, surprising everyone present. The most surprised of all was no doubt Drako.
Seiryuu, who sat behind her, also bowed his head. In some respects, however, his expression was sharp.
For someone who had attacked them before, his attitude was...
"I would never have expected anyone from the Five Clans to admit their own mistakes. Apparently, Shuri is not the only servant there who still has manners and respect for others. I suppose we can accept the apologies, for now... and we are only accepting those for the incident involving the Utsusemi Agency. Your Himejima clan... you still owe us."
Drako, as Akatsuki's leader, was in charge of talking to Suzaku. In fact, the two of them were the only ones needed in this place. It was obvious that Seiryuu was nothing more than some sort of subordinate of Suzaku.
"I understand that. I assure you that sooner or later you will have the answers you want. The problem is..."
"You can't do it while old Suou is the head of the family."
"That's right."
Suzaku nodded.
"It's okay, we can work on that later. For now... Seiryuu, let me warn you just once. Any more disrespect and I'll be shooting arrows until you can't make any more of those shields."
Drako summoned Gandiva again and created an arrow. Unlike the previous arrows, this one had Darkness and Holy attributes imbued into it.
Drako did not ignore Artemis' sudden reaction, though she quickly hid it. It seemed she had discovered something.
Suzaku says as she looks at Drako.
"Like the Grigori, our side individually pursues the rest of the Utsusemi Agency, as well as that group of wizards who are cooperating with them. We have confirmed that, while they are evading our search, there is something they are after."
"The remaining Shi Akuma, right?" Drako replies.
"Yes, we heard that two former students from Ryoukou High School had taken refuge in the mountains near a prefectural border, where the remains and the people of Oz are in the process of locating them. According to information from our spies who have been deployed at the site, it has been verified that there have already been skirmishes between them."
Hmm...
This wasn't how Drako knew.
According to Azazel, the rest of the Shi Akuma had already been captured before even Tobio awakened his Sacred Gear. How was it that they were fighting the Wizards of Oz and the Utsusemi Agency?
"Contact with those spies ceased a few days ago. Most likely..."
Suzaku, her eyes serious, looked at Drako.
"I have heard that within Grigori, there was an evil force. A group of people in possession of rare and ferocious Sacred Gears... Those who fell into the abyss: Nephilim Abyss."
For those who just joined the team, Tobio and the rest, this information was disconcerting. They were unaware of the existence of this group.
"Drako, did you know about this?" Natsume asked.
"That's right. When Satanael betrayed Grigori, he brought with him this group of... people. The vast majority of them are people with dangerous skills and unstable minds, so they are dangerous. They were under surveillance by Grigori, but..."
Drako didn't have to finish the sentence. Everyone, more or less, knew what had happened.
"I've heard that the elimination of Sacred Gear holders without the ability to control their power was normal for the Grigori. Why didn't they do the same this time? We could have been spared all this trouble..."
"People change. Even the most ancient beings can change over time." Drako responded.
Even for the fallen angels, who had been living for an unimaginable time, no, precisely because they had been living from eternity, it seemed that each of the leaders had embraced their own motives. Therefore, even a traitor came into existence in that organisation.
"That's a pretty convenient statement." Seiryuu put on a cynical smile.
"Seiryuu."
Suzaku issued a reprimand before Drako killed the boy.
"Good, good."
Seiryuu shrugged. He did not seem particularly afraid of Drako. As the next head of the family, he should have his own aces up his sleeve, his trump cards.
Returning to the topic of conversation, Suzaku continued.
"As for those contacted by the remains of the Agency and the wizards, they are a boy and a girl who possess the remaining Shi Akuma, Tāotiè and Húndún. I imagine you also know the people involved."
In response to Suzaku's statement, Drako...
"Shigune Nanadaru and Koga Hyousuke, correct?"
Those two were the remaining Shi Akuma. Drako had already been informed of all this by Azazel. The only information relevant to Drako was where they were, nothing else.
"Koga, huh. That's certainly going to be problematic."
The one who says after he exhaled like he was sighing was Kouki.
Drako did not know either of these two, but it seemed they were quite famous in school. He had seen their images, and he had to say that while Koga was a normal guy, Shigune was a total beauty. She was more cute than beautiful, but she was still a beauty.
"Koga-kun... because he had brains despite being a delinquent, he was popular with the girls."
So he was similar to Kouki in that respect. Maybe that's why the delinquent in the group found him troublesome.
Well, the Koga boy had two choices. Either join Akatsuki or become exp for Drako.
"Well, I'd like to take this moment to convey my true intentions to arrange all this (apart from seeing Akeno once more)."
Suzaku switched to the main theme as if she were flipping a switch.
After a heartbeat, she said the following.
"Why don't we form a temporary united front?"
Tobio and the others were surprised by this sudden proposal. Still, Drako, Valina and Lavinia did not give any particular reaction.
Suzaku continued.
"We will present our best efforts, the objective being to capture the remains of the Agency. At present, concerning the Shi Akuma and the Wizards of Oz who participated with them, if they become hostile to us, we will take the position of dealing with them."
"In other words, as far as the Shi Akuma are concerned, you're leaving them in our care?" Drako asked.
When Suzaku nodded, Drako began to hesitate.
The offer was tempting... but also suspicious. Drako did not believe that the Five Clans would agree to work alongside Akatsuki, as they seemed to be a subsidiary of Grigori at the moment.
And what is worse. If the Five Clans get involved, Drako will get less experience.
"I refuse."
Drako didn't hesitate. He needed strength, and for that, he had to kill.
A sad glow passed through Suzaku's eyes. She seemed excited about this alliance, but the direct rejection of Drako had been a small blow to her.
"Are you certain of this? A small alliance at this time can serve as a bridge to greater change."
Drako frowned. What Suzaku said was true. If they really wanted to change the inner workings of the five major Clans, this might be a good first step.
Drako looked at Seiryuu, who gave him a cynical smile. Ignoring his asshole face, the boy was the next chief of one of the clans. If he was here... that meant he was in favour of the reform Suzaku wanted to achieve.
"Well, I'm willing to form a small alliance. But, you have to leave most of it to us. You'll take care of not letting anyone escape from the place."
Suzaku thought for a moment and finally nodded.
"Very good. To start with, we need information about Nephilim Abyss, as there is a possibility that our group will meet them. In return, we will give you all the information we have regarding this case."
"Hmm... regarding Nephilim Abyss, we'll deliver everything you need without any problems."
Before Drako's words, Suzaku let out a sigh of relief.
"It's a great comfort to me that the negotiations went well, Drako."
From behind Suzaku, Seiryuu said quietly, "However, I opposed this."
Oh, so he seemed willing to reform the clans, but not to cooperate with Akatsuki or Grigori. Well, in political terms, you could say Suzaku was a progressive liberal while Seiryuu was a conservative liberal.
"What do you think of this?" Drako asked.
As a team leader, it would be ugly not to ask the rest of your teammates. Even though the decision was Drako's later, it was okay to make them feel like they mattered.
Natsume was the first to give her opinion.
"I... I think it's okay. Honestly, there's a lot of things I'd like to say to those guys. However, our goal is to rescue all of our classmates, so I think we have to prioritise that."
Kouki snorted, then said as he looked up at Seiryuu.
"Although I would like to give that smug guy over there a good whack... Well, if we have settled down on this united front, I will accept it. Anyway, nothing would come of me throwing a tantrum over him. In any case, if someone attacks us, it would be nice if he just knocked them down."
That... really suited his thinking.
Valina didn't express anything very different.
"It's like Samejima Kouki said. Whoever it is, if they oppose us, it's okay to beat them. It's really quite simple."
Lavinia put her trust in Drako's judgment and the others by saying, "I'll leave it up to you to decide."
Tobio and Sae exchanged a look, and both nodded.
Everyone agreed, which made it easier for Drako. Now, all that remained was to know the location of the remaining Shi Akuma.
"Well, everyone agrees. Suzaku, could you give us the location information now? We want to act as quickly as possible."
Suzaku nodded with a smile and withdrew a notebook from her jacket pocket.
"This is the location where the presence of the remaining Shi Akuma was confirmed... their coordinates. I agree with you, it would be best to leave immediately. Either because they escape or because they are captured, the more time passes, the more likely they are to get out of there. We're planning on going there before the end of the day."
Seiryuu followed Suzaku's words with a touch of cynicism.
"Well, we can protect them if we get there in time. But... I hope you won't hate us if we're not on time."
This kid's personality... it was a little twisted. However, it was obvious that he had immense power in his body.
"Lavinia Reni-san."
Suzaku called Lavinia.
"Yes."
"Augusta of the Purple Flame... you're familiar with that name, right?"
When that name came out of Suzaku's mouth, the atmosphere in the room dropped by several degrees. Without a doubt, this was the aura Lavinia was emitting.
"Yes. She's one of the wizards I'm chasing. She is the Wicked Witch of the East Augusta."
(AN: WWE Augusta xD)
She had spoken more calmly about Augusta when she was with Drako, perhaps because this attachment to him had given her confidence. But it was clear that the mere mention of the witch was enough to disturb Lavinia's emotions.
Suzaku continued.
"As far as Oz is concerned, I just remembered that I had been informed that you are the disciple of Glenda, who was the Wizard of the South. The West comes here too. Although both East and West are problematic, I wonder, could the North come too?"
"Perhaps, although I think they haven't left their country yet."
"Well, then, the position of the King of the Emerald City of Oz concerning the current situation is...?"
Lavinia lowered her eyes in response to Suzaku's question.
"...I don't know. I have received absolutely nothing about the situation over there."
In response to Lavinia, whose voice sounded forced, Suzaku responded: "Thank you. That's enough."
Lifting her index finger, Suzaku gave Drako a piece of advice.
"Just a tip for Akatsuki. You should not associate too closely with the Grigori. Even at best, they are objects of observation. You are, of course, because of the powers you have gained. However, I have heard that the Vatican has ordered the murder of everyone connected with the Grigori in this country. "If you come across an exorcist who is enthusiastic about his work...
"In that case, I'll just have to hunt them down."
Drako cut off Suzaku. He understood that she was giving them some good faith advice, but it was not her place to mess with whoever Akatsuki related to.
If the exorcists were truly trying to attack them, Drako only had to kill them and take the experience.
Suzaku was surprised by Drako's response, but she only smiled.
"I am sure that is the case. I don't think a few exorcists can really handle you. But, just as I warn you of exorcists, I warn you of the current heads of the Five Clans. I think you know first-hand how they think."
Suzaku stroked Akeno's head. If all the chiefs thought like Suou, then they were going to get in the way of Drako and company sooner or later.
"Are you finished talking?"
The celestial voice of Artemis interrupted the conversation between Drako and Suzaku.
"Yes," Suzaku said as she stood up.
She approached Drako and took his hand.
"Thank you for trusting me. Let's talk openly when things calm down, we'll have a proper banquet so we can thank you properly."
"Of course, I'm sure you won't let me down."
Suzaku nodded as she smiled and left the room, followed by Seiryuu.
Drako gestured to her group, directing them to leave. They all did not hesitate for a second and left the room, leaving the dragon and the goddess alone.
Drako sat across from Artemis.
Although Drako looked like a western boy, and Artemis was a Greek goddess, both were following Japanese customs and sitting on the tatami.
Artemis was an extremely beautiful woman. Although, considering that she was one of the major goddesses of Olympus, it would be reasonable for her to be so beautiful.
Normally, Drako would look at Artemis with lust. However... knowing her history, particularly her "hatred" for men, Drako had refrained from looking at the goddess with lustful eyes, and had even refrained from doing so with Suzaku in case it would make a bad impression on the goddess.
"Your main weapon is a bow."
Artemis broke the silence.
"That's right."
Drako didn't deny it. It was useless to deny it anyway.
"You're a dragon, why do you use a bow as your main weapon?"
Drako could not find any ill-intention in Artemis' words. She was just asking out of curiosity, nothing more.
"Well, I've always thought archery was fascinating, and when I was given the opportunity to use a bow, I didn't miss it. Over time, I've grown more and more fond of my bow."
"I see."
Artemis only nodded. Though Drako could sense that she was no longer so cold to him. As the goddess of the Hunt, Drako must have pleased Artemis simply by being so emotionally connected to his bow.
Artemis extended her hand to Drako.
"Your bow... may I see it?"
Although it was a question, Drako felt it was practically an order. He couldn't refuse Artemis' request. Well, maybe so, but he didn't want to risk the goddess getting angry with him.
With that in mind, Gandiva appeared in Drako's hands. Without hesitation, he handed it over to Artemis.
If she didn't want to return the bow to Drako, he just had to put it back in the system.
Artemis began to mumble as she examined the bow.
"It's similar to Gandiva... but different at the same time. How strange... this bow is... extraordinary. It doesn't have a "true" physical body... it seems to be created by multiple magical circuits on a divine level. This is... fascinating. Used to its fullest extent, it may even be more powerful than the bow those Hindu gods have."
Artemis finished inspecting the bow and looked at Drako. She asked.
"Would you be willing to part with this bow?"
"No."
There was no way Drako would let Gandiva go. This was his trump card, it would be stupid to give it to someone else.
"It's a waste that this bow is in your hands. No matter how much of a dragon you are, you can't bring this weapon to its full potential, others would put it to better use."
Artemis was right, and at the same time not.
It was true that Drako was still a child, compared to other dragons that had lived for millennia, and that he could not exert his weapon to its full potential at this time. That was only temporary, however, and sooner or later he would have the power to use it to its fullest.
"I'm the only one who can use that bow."
Artemis raised an eyebrow. The phrase Drako had uttered was arrogant... but it was heartfelt. But she did not believe the dragon was the only one capable of using this bow.
She aimed the bow and created an arrow with a divine aura, only for a blazing fire to shatter the arrow.
Artemis frowned, and attempted to create another arrow. When the fire appeared, she tried to fight it with her own divine aura.
"I have told you. This bow is of the highest standard, as you have already noticed, but it also has great pride. Actually, I'm surprised, the last time someone took that bow it ended up burning to death. And that person wasn't a nobody, but a High-Class Devil."
"So it is."
Artemis wasted no time in returning Drako's bow. It was a pity she could not obtain this weapon for her faction, but since Drako had refused, she already planned to return the bow to him. The bow was not Artemis' goal for her visit, far from it.
Drako still thought what the reason was for an Olympic goddess to appear in Japan, but the only option that was truly solid was that they must have felt something for using a Noble Phantasm.
"You must be here for something, Lady Artemis? I doubt that someone like you can set foot in other gods' lands without having a valid reason."
Amaterasu, Izanami... who was the ruling Japanese goddess in this world? Well, that wasn't important at the time. In this year, the factions were still "enemies" of each other. There was no way the Japanese gods would let other gods from other factions wander around their country.
"I'll get straight to the point. A few months ago, Apollon and I felt a connection with someone who was in Japan. We don't have many details since the connection was short, but we more or less knew the place where the connection took place. Zeus sent me to investigate, and thanks to the local powers, I discovered that there was only one event related to the supernatural at that time. Of everyone present at that incident, only you use a bow, so I am 95% sure you are the person my brother and I connected with. No, I'm 99% sure, because I can feel the connection very weakly right now."
Drako tensed up internally. How was he going to explain this situation?
It was clear that the connection was caused by Phoebus Catastrophe, that was the only possibility. But why had that connection originated in the first place?
[The concept of the Noble Phantasm: Phoebus Catastrophe is directly linked to the gods Apollon and Artemis, that's why they felt the connection.]
Sage explained the reason briefly.
If that was the reason, wouldn't it draw the attention of the god Agni if Drako used the Noble Phantasm: Agni Gandiva?
Attracting the attention of the Hindu gods did not benefit Drako at this time. They were, after all, the most powerful mythology, only being weaker than Great Red, Ophis and Tri-hexa.
But what worried Drako at this point was the goddess in front of him.
"You... What is your relationship to Atalante?"
"Huh?"
No wonder Drako was surprised. Could Artemis have known that Phoebus Catastrophe came from Atalante?
[That's impossible. There must be another reason.]
"That... connection I felt the other day, I'd felt something similar before. Apollon may not have realized it, but there was no way I could have ignored that feeling. You... are somehow related to the heroine Atalante?"
That made more sense. Using Phoebus Catastrophe, a Noble Phantasm that belonged to Atalante in the first place must have caused a connection similar to the one Artemis felt when Atalante prayed to her or something.
In the myths, Atalanta was said to have sworn an oath of maidenhood to the goddess Artemis, suggesting that she might have been one of the Hunters. However, this was something that Drako was not quite sure if it was true or not.
"I'm sorry, but I have no relationship with her, to my knowledge. I'm a pureblood dragon, that's all I know."
"Is that so...?"
Artemis let out a disappointed sigh. It seemed that she had been waiting for something important for her, and all her hopes had been dashed.
Now that Drako thought better of it, he knew of the existence of heroes' descendants in the world of DxD. Perhaps Artemis was expecting to meet the descendant of Atalante?
Artemis' face took on a neutral tone again in less than a second. She was a goddess, so a disappointment as this was how a simple stone in her path.
"I would like to know a little more about you, dragon. You're not a first-generation dragon, dragons created from huge masses of energy, who are your parents?"
First-generation dragons are the most powerful dragons in this universe. Ddraig, Albion, Ophis, Great Red and Tiamat are some of these dragons.
"I don't know. I was alone when I woke up. My only mother figure could be considered Tiamat, but she didn't raise me, she just took me in."
Artemis reacted involuntarily when she heard the name Tiamat. She was the strongest of all the Great Dragon Kings, so it was normal for a goddess like Artemis to react to the name.
Tiamat used to live in seclusion, but from time to time, she caused chaos on earth. Once in a while it was once every hundred years or so.
"Now, I have formed Akatsuki. Akatsuki is an organization of mercenaries, so we do any work that is not commissioned as long as it is not against our moral principles, and we are paid fairly."
There was no way that Drako would not use this opportunity to make the Akatsuki name more known internationally.
"Akatsuki? I've never heard of it, but I'll keep it in mind."
Drako thought it normal that she had never heard the name Akatsuki, as it had barely been created. Other than Grigori and Grauzauberer, no one else should know that name. Suzaku knew it, but she must have been informed by Grigori that she had contacted them to arrange this meeting.
"I have an offer for you, dragon."
"Go ahead."
Drako was curious, what did Artemis want from him?
"Receive my blessing and join my team of hunters."
Drako was stunned.
Join Artemis' hunting team?
"I'm sorry, but I have to decline your offer."
Drako was clear about that. Receiving Artemis' blessing was tempting, but there were a number of requirements to be met in order to join Artemis' hunting team.
Artemis hunters are maidens who have sworn allegiance to the maiden goddess Artemis/Diana to join her on the Hunt and refuse love for as long as they live.
First point: Drako is not a maiden. In the legends, Artemis has shown the ability to transform a male to female, but Drako doesn't have plans for that.
Second point: Drako was not going to swear loyalty to a goddess he knew for no more than ten minutes.
Third point: Drako was not going to give up everything to go hunting.
Fourth point: Drako wasn't going to turn down love.
In short, Drako was not going to fulfil any of the requirements necessary to receive the blessing of the goddess Artemis.
Artemis frowned when she heard such a quick response from Drako. He had not even hesitated to refuse it.
"Is it because of the requirements? In that case, you do not have to worry about that. The requirements are only for women, not men. You could say you're a hunter, but only in name. You'll get all the benefits of becoming a hunter, and you'll only have to help us hunt once in a while."
Now, that was very tempting.
Receiving the blessing of the goddess of the Hunt and being able to hunt mythological monsters, as well as making her name more famous were all good things for Drako.
In fact, was there something wrong with all this?
He didn't have to swear loyalty to Artemis, or give up everything to go hunting. All the previous requirements were completely void for him.
"I accept."
A small smile formed on Artemis' face.
"Very well, you are now a member, one of my hunters, but I cannot yet give you my blessing. I've seen your archer's skills before, but it's not enough to get my blessing. You need to pass a test first."
"What do I have to do?"
"Nothing special. Your present mission, complete it satisfactorily and without casualties, using only your bow, and you will have my blessing. Since I don't want to involve Olympus with the problems of the fallen angels and those of Oz, I can't keep an eye on you personally. That's why one of my hunters will be supervising you closely, although I'll be waiting not far from you in case any problems occur. Any questions?"
"No"
"Well, I have nothing more to discuss with you. You're free to go."
Drako nodded and left the room, not without saying goodbye to the goddess.
Now, he had to get Artemis' blessing. To do so, he had to finish his mission using only his bow. Drako had no problem with that, for what he could not solve with his bow alone Mordred could.
Why had Drako accepted Artemis' proposal so easily?
Even with the potential benefits Artemis had given him, Drako should have given it some more thought. In fact, he would have done so under normal circumstances. However, he had received a message from the system.
[Artemis' blessing will bring many benefits to the host, I recommend accepting proposal]
This was the first time that [Sage] said anything on his own, so this blessing should be something interesting.
To tell you the truth, Drako was going to leave the DxD world in a year at the most to leave when he was born, so Artemis couldn't summon him if he wasn't there.
When Drako left the building, Suzaku and Seiryuu had already left while the rest were waiting for him.
"Come on, we have work to do."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
After Drako left, Artemis was still sitting on the tatami.
"You may pass," Artemis said.
She seemed to be talking to the air, but that wasn't the case. A few seconds later, a woman entered the room.
She was a tall, graceful, beautiful woman: she had dark brown eyes, a slightly upturned nose, copper-coloured skin, and the silver circle braided into the top of her long, dark hair gave her the impression of a Persian princess. Her look seemed cold, though that was her natural expression.
"Go ahead, you're free to speak your mind," Artemis said calmly.
"Why did you accept a man?" The woman asked.
Artemis did not answer the woman's question, and remained silent about the answer.
Was it because he was related to Tiamat?
No, it wasn't because of that.
Was it because of his great skill with the bow?
Probably, but that was not the real reason either.
"Zoë, you have been with me for thousands of years as my faithful lieutenant. You've always been with me, you know everything I've lived through. From the first generation of hunters, the capture of the Golden Deer, the Giant War, Orion... All those events we lived through together. The life of an immortal is not always happy, you of all people should know that, and I have many regrets."
"Are you saying that...?"
"Yes, even though that boy says he has no connection to Atalante, my guilty conscience forces me to want to help him. Atalante... she was one of my most faithful followers, and I couldn't stop my father from turning her into a lion..."
Artemis sighed. So many thousands of years had passed since Atalante's passing, and she still had not forgotten the tragic "death" of the huntress.
Perhaps if life gave her another chance to find Atalante, only if perhaps...
No, there was no point in thinking about those things. Atalante should be at the Elysium right now, or she could have chosen reincarnation. In either case, Artemis could not see the one who used to be her most devoted follower.
"Sigh... Zoé, I know he's a boy, but he's not the only boy who's joined us in the hunts. Both Hippolytus and... Orion hunted alongside us in the past."
"I don't have a problem with a guy joining us, but..."
"I know, that's why I'm giving this assignment to you. You have to get him accepted by the other hunters. There aren't as many of us as there used to be, and one more addition can be a great help on our hunts."
Zoë nodded. If her goddess commanded it, she would go to fight the Great Red himself with pleasure. It was because she knew her goddess would never give her an impossible mission that she would gladly work for her.
The first generation of Artemis slayers numbered a total of 80, but they had been declining over time. Some fell in love, and others were defeated in combat, losing their immortality.
"Should I get going, my goddess?"
"What are you going to get started for?"
"To supervise the boy, my goddess."
Artemis covered her mouth as she let out a chuckle.
"No, no. You're not going to be the one in charge of that. I have someone else in mind."
------------------------------------------------
Did I just introduced a crossover?
Yes!
Why?
Cause I wanted to!
On the other hand, Artemis is willing to take Drako on her female group of hunters.
Why?
Drako used this quote to explain the reason of Satanael's betrayal.
"People change. Even the most ancient beings can change over time."
As always, support me in P@treon if you want and can. You can read up to chapter 190, and now there is an option where you can pay in your own coin (Euros, dollars, etc...)
https://www.patreon.com/GreatSage_Master1
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