Faced with Artemis's plea to stay, Alaric firmly declined.
Artemis, for her part, had no idea how to achieve her wish, how to bring this man to her temple.
In the past, she had always rejected men without exception, which left her completely unequipped to interact with the opposite sex in a normal way.
Now, even expressing her feelings was a struggle. All she could do was stubbornly and unreasonably insist that Alaric stay, acting out like a child.
However, her attendant Britomartis had noticed something, turns out her goddess had truly fallen for this man.
Although, at Artemis's command, all her attendants, including the fifty sea nymphs and twenty wood nymphs, were to remain virgins like herself, that didn't mean they were as innocent or naive as Artemis.
In truth, nymphs were generally descendants of gods, perhaps their other parent wasn't divine, or for some other reason, nymphs were born without strong divinity and lacked true divine power.
They were often born in large numbers and assigned to serve the greater gods.
Britomartis herself was a daughter of Zeus, though her mother wasn't of noble birth like Leto, Artemis's mother, Leto was not only Zeus's consort, but also his sister, a direct descendant of the previous generation of main gods.
Perhaps because of her humble origins, or because she had many sisters, Britomartis, though a virgin herself, understood human relationships and the dynamics between men and women far better than Artemis did.
Seeing her goddess fuming in frustration yet helpless, Britomartis stepped forward to help persuade Alaric.
"Excuse me, sir," Britomartis asked respectfully, in the same tone she used for her goddess. "Is there something urgent you must attend to?"
"Exactly," Alaric replied quickly, seeing someone sensible step in to mediate. "It's not that I don't want to stay, there's simply something important I need to take care of."
"Then, may I ask if there's anything we can assist with?" Britomartis offered without hesitation.
"Lady Artemis is one of the Olympian gods, the favorite daughter of the King of Gods, and dearly cherished by him.
I believe there are very few problems under heaven and earth that she cannot solve. So, if it's something urgent, perhaps we can help."
Her words gave Alaric pause.
Seeing this, the moon goddess eagerly joined in, making promises in rapid succession.
"That's right! If it's something about Alaric, no matter what it is, I can help!"
Hearing the goddess say something so forward and doting, Britomartis could only smile bitterly on the inside.
"Come on, Lady Goddess, keep some pride! Even if you feel that way, don't say it out loud! Being this direct just invites trouble."
At this moment, Artemis's attitude left Britomartis with no doubt, this man was going to become the future master of the Moon Temple.
Realizing this, she once again scrutinized Alaric closely and found herself quite satisfied.
Though her goddess normally disdained men, she certainly had discerning taste.
The man before her had not only an excellent appearance and outstanding aura but also a firm and confident heart, he treated the goddess as an equal.
Truly a great hero (forgive Britomartis, "great hero" in ancient Greek means someone with exceptional skills and prowess, not the modern ideal of a hero).
As Artemis's loyal attendant, Britomartis would naturally share in her goddess's fate. When Artemis had vowed chastity, they had all followed suit.
Once, when a nymph serving Artemis secretly lay with Zeus, the goddess didn't just rage at Zeus, she directly killed the offending servant.
So now, if Artemis had finally chosen a partner… perhaps…
Britomartis couldn't help but start to look forward to the future.
The nymph's persuasion worked on Alaric.
He realized there was nothing wrong with her suggestion.
If he wanted to investigate the current state of humanity, to understand this world, what better source of intelligence than the gods themselves?
It was like searching for someone in a crowd, working directly with government agencies and accessing police resources would be far more efficient than relying on a private detective.
Thus, Alaric agreed happily.
Having achieved her goal, Artemis lit up like a child who had just gotten her favorite toy. She immediately summoned her chariot, the Moon Chariot.
True to its divine origin, the entire chariot gleamed with gold, adorned with ornate patterns of the moon and natural motifs.
At the front were four tall, majestic golden stags with long horns, perhaps this should be called a "deer chariot"?
In any case, Artemis gleefully pulled Alaric aboard, insisting they sit together like a child eager to share her favorite toy with a friend.
Britomartis took the reins at the front, smiling like a proud mother sending off her daughter to be wed.
Seated so closely beside Artemis, watching the chariot soar across the sky, Alaric felt a bit uncomfortable and confused.
From the goddess beside him came the fresh scent of laurel.
Her wild and firm thighs pressed snugly against his, and even her arms wrapped tightly around his, filling Alaric with a baffling sense of bliss and anxiety.
Alaric was no fool, he now understood Artemis's intentions.
"So… I've become Orion? Or replaced him? But why?"
If Attila had loved him out of loneliness, what was it with Artemis?
So, he turned to the goddess beside him and asked softly.
"Why do you trust me?" Alaric whispered in her ear.
"I'm just a stranger from another world, someone you've met for the first time.
Why would you believe I'm a good person and bring me back to your temple? What if I were a liar?"
"Alaric would never be a liar." Artemis answered without hesitation, her voice firm. "Alaric came from that place, so he could never be a liar."
"That place?" Alaric blinked in surprise, then instantly understood.
She meant the moon.
Alaric had flown from the moon to Earth, and Artemis, as the goddess of the moon, could it be that connection?
Before he could say more, Artemis added:
"Alaric came down from there to Earth, and the first one he met was me. It was fate."
She paused for a moment, then continued: "Also, Alaric can use… 'magic', that makes him a truly incredible person."
The way she beamed with pride in her man made Alaric smile wryly.
As expected, no matter where he went, he would always end up entangled in deep emotional debts.
But if it was Artemis, well, that would be a blessing beyond measure.
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