The young huntress vigilantly eyed the figure standing below.
At the same moment, Rovi clearly saw her appearance as well, his gaze pausing slightly.
Atalanta—of course he recognized that name. She was one of the most iconic figures passed down from Greece's Age of Heroes.
She was the daughter of Iasus, King of Arcadia, but since her father had desired a son rather than a daughter, she'd been abandoned in the Arcadian mountains. Artemis, the Moon Goddess, had found her, brought her to Paradise, and raised her herself.
For this very reason, having grown up here since childhood, Atalanta saw Paradise as her home.
Naturally, she wouldn't casually let outsiders intrude.
"If you dare take one more step forward, I will shoot an arrow straight through you without hesitation, stranger!" Seeing Rovi remain silent, Atalanta immediately raised her bow, nocking an arrow and aiming straight at him, her threat unmistakable.
"You couldn't pierce me anyway." Rovi casually stepped forward, entirely unbothered—even a bit provocative.
"You—you insolent jerk!" Atalanta bared her teeth, sharp canines showing, anger flooding her face. "If you dare step forward again, I'll really shoot!"
Rovi took another step.
"I warn you—I'll really kill you, and not just kill you—I'll beg Lady Artemis to imprison your soul in purgatory—"
Rovi stepped forward again.
"You filthy—if you dare defile the Moon Goddess's Paradise…"
Rovi still ignored her.
"You—"
"If you're gonna shoot, then fucking shoot already! What's with all the talking?!"
"?"
Who's threatening whom here?
Why is this guy so aggressive!?
Atalanta froze briefly, then truly became furious.
Actually, she hadn't intended to kill; she merely wanted to scare intruders off.
There'd been no shortage of people who'd tried entering Paradise before, drawn by the presence of Artemis, one of the Twelve Olympians. But without exception, Atalanta had always frightened them off.
Atalanta didn't mind killing. After all, she'd lived her whole life as a huntress in Arcadia.
But someone had once told her to hold a trace of kindness towards all living things.
So she'd always avoided unnecessary killing inside Paradise.
But this guy...
"If you die, don't blame me!" Atalanta clenched her teeth, the bowstring trembling.
Having made her decision, she acted without hesitation. In an instant, the sharp tip of her arrow spiraled, blossoming with radiant, dazzling light—the mana surged, divine-granted Mystery manifesting.
The moment Atalanta released her grip, the arrow burst forth like moonlight!
Atalanta was a servant of the Moon Goddess, thus the Mystery she used naturally originated from Artemis.
Shining, bursting, arriving instantly—
Clang.
A metallic collision rang out. Rovi calmly patted down his robe, examining the pale mark left behind.
Atalanta froze again.
"You—" Her delicate brows furrowed slightly.
Then, before she could even react, she felt a gust of wind. Rovi, who'd been standing on the ground, vanished.
His voice sounded directly beside her ear. "Who gave you this bow?"
Appearing instantly by her side, Rovi watched her from the corner of his eye.
The power attached to the bow was indeed from the Moon Goddess.
But the bow itself was not.
Its material was unique, and it carried a power capable of restraining gods.
It was crafted from the material of the Chains of Heaven!
Had he not wanted to confirm this, why would he have bothered provoking Atalanta?
He never expected this girl to actually harm him!
"You—I won't tell you anything!" Atalanta suddenly panicked.
She'd never imagined her attack couldn't even penetrate his clothing. Was this person...a god?
This was also the first time she, as a hunter, had let someone come this close to her. In her panic, she tried hastily to retreat—but misstepped.
Rovi casually reached out and caught Atalanta by the collar.
Without even thinking…
She immediately bit down on him—then felt her teeth crack painfully.
How could the body of the primordial child be bitten by her teeth?
"Wahhh—!" The princess of Paradise wailed in pain. "Damn it!"
Rovi lifted her by the collar, jumped from the branch, and landed neatly on the ground.
Just as Atalanta thought she was about to be killed, Rovi tossed her unceremoniously onto the ground with a thud. Landing squarely on her butt, the sharp pain drew another involuntary whimper.
This was...so humiliating!
Rovi spread his hands. "I don't want to fight you."
But you already fought me!
"I just wanted to ask you one question," Rovi waved the bow he'd snatched from Atalanta. "Where did you get this?"
"I won't tell you! Just kill me—Lady Artemis won't let you off!" Atalanta glared at him fiercely.
"Oh, fine then."
Rovi put away the bow. "Since you won't say, I'll hold onto it temporarily."
"I'm here looking for someone, nothing else. If you're still worried, you can follow me."
After leaving those words, Rovi started walking deeper into Paradise.
Atalanta ground her teeth, struggling back to her feet. Having never lost this badly before, not even against fierce magical beasts she'd hunted, her pride wouldn't allow this humiliation. Coupled with anxiety, she quickly chased after him.
"You're called Atalanta, right?"
Atalanta didn't reply.
"Do you know who I'm looking for?"
Still, she refused to respond.
Ignoring her silence, Rovi spoke to himself, "I'm looking for my closest friend. She has beautiful emerald-green hair, a pristine appearance—pure and eternally untainted…"
"You're looking for Lady Enkidu?!" Atalanta finally couldn't hold back.
Rovi smiled.
Hadn't he been speaking precisely to get this girl talking?
After their brief interaction, he'd already confirmed this girl's personality—she was absolutely terrible at hiding things.
"As expected, it's En," Rovi nodded.
Atalanta fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly. Watching the lush greenery pass by, fragments of sunlight filtering through leaves, she realized hiding it further was pointless.
And besides… it seemed this person really was looking for Lady Enkidu?
"Back then, although Lady Artemis took me in and a mother bear raised me, the one who really accompanied me during my childhood was actually Lady Enkidu," Atalanta recounted softly, her voice reminiscent. "Lady Enkidu was like a mother to me..."
"Are you truly Lady Enkidu's friend?"
Rovi nodded, gaining a deeper understanding of little En's deeds on this land.
"Then… you should also know someone called Rovi, right?"
Rovi subconsciously started to confirm it…
"Lady Enkidu's always searching for that guy, saying he's her beloved and she must find him—"
"That guy must be another one of those heartless, scumbag! Hmph! If I ever catch him, I'll make sure he feels the pain from my arrows!"
"..."
Although he didn't care too much, maybe he'd better wait to introduce himself clearly until after he saw En.
---
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