The campfire danced in the darkness, casting flickering light over everything around it.
Flames devoured the wood with a steady crackle. Sparks occasionally leaped into the air like tiny fireflies, tracing brief arcs across the night.
The aroma of roasting meat mingled with the fresh scent of grass and trees and the cool night air.
The members of the Astraea Familia sat around the fire with skewers of meat in their hands, smiling with the relief of having survived.
Kaguya and Alise were having a drinking contest. Several empty bottles already lay beside them, and their cheeks were as red as ripe apples.
Ryu sat a little farther away with a cup of tea. Her expression was composed, though a faint smile curved her lips.
The others chatted in small groups. Some boasted about their heroics in battle, others discussed what they would eat when they returned, and a few were already planning how to spend the Guild's reward.
Demeter sat beside the fire, holding a cup of hot tea, but her gaze remained fixed on a particular stretch of darkness beyond the camp.
Her expression was calm, though something complicated flickered in her eyes.
She knew Genichi and Artemis had gone to the lake. She also knew why.
Perhaps she should have been worried.
But she trusted Genichi. She trusted him not to hurt Artemis, and she trusted him to handle things.
Sitting beside her, Astraea noticed her thoughtful expression and spoke softly.
"Aren't you worried?"
Demeter shook her head.
"No."
Astraea fell silent for a moment, then smiled.
"You certainly have faith in him."
Demeter looked at her, the corners of her lips lifting.
"He isn't that kind of person."
Astraea nodded and said nothing more.
Of course she knew that. Genichi might be calculating, cunning, and ambitious, but he was no irredeemable villain.
A short distance from the camp lay a small lake.
Its still waters gleamed silver beneath the moon, reflecting the stars and moon like a mirror.
Wildflowers dotted the grassy shore, swaying gently in the night breeze and giving off a faint fragrance.
A few fireflies drifted through the grass, their lights blinking in the dark.
Holding Genichi's hand, Artemis hurried down to the water. Only then did she let go and turn to face him.
Moonlight spilled over her, making her long hair look like strands spun from its glow. Her eyes shone especially brightly in the darkness, like a pair of stars.
Her cheeks were flushed from running, and she was a little out of breath. Anticipation and nervousness mingled on her face, along with a bashfulness she hadn't noticed herself.
Standing before the goddess beneath the moon, Genichi felt something unfamiliar stir within him.
He had seen her disheveled, seen her crying, seen her embarrassed. But he had never seen her like this: an ordinary girl standing in the moonlight before someone she liked, wanting to say something and not knowing where to begin.
"What couldn't you say back there? Did you really have to drag me all the way out here?"
His voice was calm, but a faint smile played at his lips.
Artemis blushed even harder. She pouted and shot him a look, though there was no anger in it, only flustered reproach.
"Can't I just want to talk to you alone?"
There was a hint of complaint in her voice, softened by an almost coaxing sweetness she didn't seem to recognize.
Genichi couldn't help laughing.
"Of course you can. So, Artemis, what did you want to say?"
She opened her mouth, but the moment she met his steady gaze, the words deserted her.
Everything she had rehearsed over and over, every sentence that had circled endlessly through her mind, lodged in her throat.
A sudden, unreasonable irritation rose within her.
Wasn't he curious at all?
Didn't he wonder what she wanted to say?
Why she had brought him to the lake?
How she felt about him?
She bit her lip and lowered her head, staring at her feet.
Her fingers twisted together until her knuckles turned white, betraying how nervous she was.
She didn't even know why she was so anxious. She only wanted to thank him. To tell him how grateful she was that he had saved her. To tell him...
She didn't dare follow that thought any further.
"Artemis."
Genichi's voice was quiet, but she heard it clearly.
She raised her head.
"What?"
She blinked, still struggling to collect herself.
He looked at her, his expression growing serious.
"I want your divine authority. Would you share a portion of it with me? As payment for saving you this time?"
Artemis froze.
Her mind went blank. Only his words remained, echoing through it.
He wanted her authority. A portion of it. As payment.
She had imagined all sorts of things he might say. Perhaps he would ask why she had brought him here, how she felt about him, or whether she liked him.
She had never imagined he would simply ask for her divine authority.
"Huh? Wh-what?"
Her eyes widened and her mouth fell slightly open. She stood there like a startled animal, utterly at a loss.
Genichi sighed inwardly at her reaction.
He knew this was hardly the right moment. He knew he should have let her finish what she wanted to say and responded to her feelings first.
But he didn't want to wait any longer.
He needed her authority. He needed to obtain immunity to charm as soon as possible.
"Even if I agreed, I have no way to give you part of my authority."
Artemis finally found her voice. Her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Authority isn't a physical object. I can't just hand it over..."
"I have a way," Genichi interrupted calmly. "All I need is your agreement."
She looked at him and fell silent.
She didn't know what his method was, how he intended to acquire her authority, or whether it would harm her.
But she trusted him.
She had trusted him ever since he saved her from Antares.
He had saved her, both her true body and her projection.
She owed him her life. She owed him more than she could ever repay.
If he wanted her authority, then she would give it to him.
"All right. I agree."
Her voice was soft, carrying resignation, acceptance, and an anticipation she couldn't quite explain.
She sighed and was about to ask what she needed to do when she realized he was leaning closer.
For a heartbeat, everything seemed to fall silent.
Then he kissed her.
Artemis went rigid with surprise, her thoughts scattering before she could decide how to react.
Heat rushed into her cheeks and spread to the tips of her ears. Her hands clenched at her sides.
She was a virgin goddess, the protector of chaste maidens. She had never shared this kind of intimacy with a man. Until Genichi, she hadn't even held a man's hand.
She had no idea how to respond.
Then a faint sting broke through her daze.
His teeth had caught her lip, drawing a trace of blood.
The pain was slight, little more than a pinprick, but it brought her abruptly back to herself.
She stared at his face, so close to hers, as surprise, embarrassment, and confusion tangled inside her with something she couldn't yet name.
Genichi drew back and took a step away.
A trace of her blood remained on his lips, dark red beneath the moonlight.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"I've got it."
He spoke quietly.
Artemis covered her mouth and stared at him, her eyes filled with flustered disbelief.
"You... you... you..."
She couldn't manage a complete sentence. Her face felt as though it were burning, and her heart pounded hard enough to leap from her chest.
Genichi's smile faded as he looked at her.
"That was my method. I'm sorry I didn't tell you beforehand."
Artemis worried her lower lip, unsure what to say.
She ought to be angry. She ought to call him a scoundrel, slap him, and walk away.
But she did none of those things.
She simply stood there with her hand over her lips, looking at him with a jumble of emotions in her eyes.
Genichi felt a new power take root within him.
Her authority. The power of the goddess of the hunt, granting the ability to strike any target with precision, track any prey, and survive in the wilderness.
He could feel it merging with his soul, becoming part of him.
"Hunting," he murmured.
Closing his eyes, he focused on the new power flowing through him.
Artemis watched, her feelings growing more tangled by the moment.
She had shared her divine authority with him.
Through a kiss.
No ritual. No contract. Just a kiss.
She didn't know whether that counted as sacrilege, or a betrayal, or something else entirely...
She didn't dare finish the thought.
"Artemis."
Genichi opened his eyes and looked at her.
"What?"
Her voice was barely above a whisper and trembled slightly.
"Thank you."
Artemis lowered her head without answering.
Something was quietly taking root in her heart.
It wasn't gratitude or dependence. It was a feeling she still didn't dare acknowledge.
In the distant camp, the fire continued to burn, and laughter still rang through the night.
Demeter looked in the direction of the lake, a faint smile curving her lips.
She knew Genichi had succeeded again.
Another divine authority. Another goddess. Another foundation stone on his path to the throne.
Moonlight washed over the lake, silver ripples glimmering across its surface.
Artemis stood beside Genichi, her cheeks still flushed and her lip still faintly sore.
She stole a glance at him, then quickly lowered her head, her heart fluttering wildly.
(End of Chapter)
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