Ancient Greece was covered with dense jungles and vast marshes. Fierce lions, wild boars, and all kinds of malicious beasts roamed everywhere.
Therefore, it was not strange for a hunting lion to appear in these ancient forests. However, this lion was not the invulnerable Nemean Lion born from the giant Typhon and the half-human, half-serpent monster Echidna that Heracles would later slay.
It was a relatively ordinary magical beast.
Even so, it was far beyond what the still-young Atalanta could easily handle, especially since, in her eyes, she was dragging along a complete burden!
Damn it! I chased this guy too far in. This is big trouble now!
Watching the beast not far away sniffing the air and certain to find them soon, Atalanta could not help biting her lip.
While her mind raced for a solution, Jason, who had been caught off guard and restrained, finally broke free from Atalanta's hold.
Yet he did not rashly shout. Instead, he followed Atalanta's gaze and looked outside.
Seeing that Jason did not do anything stupid like yelling, Atalanta let out a quiet breath of relief. She leaned close to his ear and whispered, "When I run out to lure it away, you run in the opposite direction. Don't look back. Got it?"
The faint warmth of her breath tickled Jason's ear. After hearing her, he gave her a strange look for a moment.
After thinking about it, Jason nodded.
Seeing Jason being so obedient and sensible, Atalanta also felt relieved.
Without the burden that was Jason, Atalanta was confident she could escape even if she sustained some injuries!
"One, two… run!"
With that, Atalanta dashed out and sprinted into the distance. The moment the lion saw her, it let out a deafening roar and charged after her.
Watching their figures disappear, Jason turned and chose to leave.
But after running for only ten seconds or so, he came running back with a helpless expression.
"Sigh. After thinking about it carefully, never mind… I'll save her first, then knock her out."
Muttering this, Jason helplessly chased after Atalanta.
Soon, Atalanta, who was circling and trying to figure out how to escape the lion, spotted Jason running back… mainly because his pure white robes were simply too conspicuous!
The moment she saw Jason return, Atalanta's expression changed drastically. She almost exploded with anger as she dodged the beast.
This guy really is an idiot!
At that moment, Atalanta even felt the urge to nock an arrow and put it straight through Jason's head!
At the same time, she saw Jason place his hand on the sword at his waist. His lips moved slightly, as if saying something.
"Great God of Light, Lord Apollo, here Jason prays to you. Please slay the enemy blocking my path!"
The moment Jason's words fell, the golden sword left its sheath. In the darkness of the night, it became a dazzling golden light. It flew out at a speed neither Jason nor Atalanta's eyes could follow, pierced straight through the lion's skull, and returned calmly to its scabbard.
The beast was dead. Naturally, Atalanta stopped running.
But clearly, she did not react immediately. Even after Jason walked right up to her, Atalanta's eyes remained wide as she stared at him in shock before finally coming back to her senses.
She looked at the dead lion lying in a pool of its own blood, then at the golden-haired, emerald-eyed Jason dressed in white robes. She could not help asking, "You… who exactly are you?!"
Jason did not answer her. Instead, he looked at her bleeding arm and frowned slightly. "You're hurt?"
"…It didn't catch me. I got scratched by branches while running." After answering, Atalanta could not resist adding, "Even if you hadn't come back, it would never have caught me. I could have shaken it off easily!"
"Yes, yes, I know, I know."
While giving a perfunctory reply, Jason took some herbs from the pouch Athena had given him, chewed them in his mouth, and applied the paste to her wound.
This was a skill Chiron had taught him, and Jason had studied it seriously, mainly to curry favor with Chiron's other students, his senior brothers.
Atalanta instinctively tried to pull away, but Jason grabbed her arm and ignored her struggling as he applied the medicine.
Once the herbs were on, Jason ignored Atalanta's fierce glare and hesitated inwardly.
Should he wait until her wound healed before knocking her out, or do it now?
While Jason was pondering this, perhaps sensing a gaze upon him, he subconsciously glanced to the side.
In that fleeting glimpse, he saw a silver-haired woman in a long dress sitting beside a large tree that the lion had knocked over.
The silver-haired woman was elegantly seated upon a golden-horned deer. Her beautiful blue eyes were wide as she watched Jason and Atalanta with great interest.
Huh… Did I just see something incredible?
Jason's mind, which had still been weighing whether to knock Atalanta out now or wait a little longer, processed this. He blinked.
A moment later, his entire body stiffened.
He did not dare look in that direction again!
"Hey… hey! I'm talking to you!" Seeing Jason ignore her, Atalanta raised her voice. "Tell me, why did you run away… Are you even listening to me?!"
When Jason still did not respond, Atalanta angrily reached out and pinched his cheeks.
And right at that moment…
"No, no, Atalanta. You mustn't bully this child."
The silver-haired woman sitting on the golden-horned deer approached under the moonlight.
With a gentle smile on her face, she looked at Atalanta, who froze, eyes slowly widening in shock. Then the goddess leapt lightly down from the deer.
She reached out, gently pulled Atalanta's hand away from Jason's face, stroked the head of the now completely rigid Jason, and said softly, "Because this child belongs to Hecate."
"L-L-L-Lady Ar… Artemis!"
Atalanta stared in disbelief at the suddenly appearing Artemis and exclaimed in shock, "Why are you here?!"
After speaking, the shocked Atalanta quickly took two steps back, frantically straightening her clothes with a panicked expression.
The moon goddess Artemis was none other than the one who had saved Atalanta, the deity Atalanta respected most in her heart!
I knew it… I just knew it!
At this moment, the completely stiff Jason looked at Atalanta and silently wept inside.
I knew it. This woman is trouble. Massive trouble!