Chapter 36: Greece’s best Mesgaki, Aki participated in the war

Achilles walked towards the village near the Sanctuary.

His steps were incredibly light.

The surroundings gradually changed.

First, the familiar uphill road of the capital.

Then, golden wheat fields.

After passing through a lush field─.

Finally.

‘There it is.’

He could see people gathered from all over, having heard the oracles.

The first trial grounds of the gods to appear in Elysium.

The village square was already bustling with countless people.

Warriors with weapons.

Mages organizing scrolls.

Even those strategizing before entering the trial grounds.

“What’s this, what’s this? It’s quite serious, isn’t it?”

It was a scene reminiscent of the Trojan War.

The atmosphere here was definitely more tense than in the Coliseum.

A faint sense of anticipation and excitement was also visible.

Those present here wanted to fight.

‘If so, how strong will they be?’

Pretending to be uninterested,

Achilles’ eyes automatically scanned the warriors.

Indeed,

Even if declining, it was still Elysium.

There were many who seemed like they could make a name for themselves, unlike in the Coliseum.

A man with a single-eyed greatsword.

A sorcerer preparing a magic circle.

A warrior with a large axe on his shoulder.

It was lacking compared to the time of the Trojan War, but the scent of battle was still strong.

“Huuuung?”

Just then.

With a sensation of the ground shaking, someone was walking roughly.

A strong presence.

A huge shadow.

Achilles raised his head.

A giant minotaur was looking down at the child.

“You came too?”

“Nice to see you here? Hello? Mr. Cow~?”

“It’s a bull, not a cow.”

As the Minotaur focused on Achilles, people from the Coliseum began to gather.

“Oh, what?”

“That unlucky brat. You came too?”

“Coming all the way here to give advice… Wait, why are you carrying a sword?”

Achilles shrugged and answered.

“Huh~? Well, it looks fun for a change?”

His tone was light, but the eyes of those looking at her changed subtly.

The child who frequented the Coliseum,

Was carrying a weapon she had never approached.

What a child usually did in the Coliseum was―.

Watching battles with a telescope and giving advice,

Or, after the fight, saying annoying things like “Losers can’t do this. You should have dodged there, loser, loser.”

But now,

She had a sword.

A sword that seemed too heavy to lift with her small frame.

This was strange.

The people in the Coliseum began to whisper.

“Are you really here to fight?”

“Where did you get that sword? Did you pick it up?”

“The kid who was giving advice from home until yesterday suddenly appeared with a sword?”

The Minotaur lightly put his axe on his shoulder and said.

“You always knew how to fight.”

“…I guess I did.”

They had known it subconsciously.

They were annoyed and bothered by the child’s nagging,

But her words had never been wrong.

Without knowledge of combat, she couldn’t give such accurate advice.

Until now, they had dismissed it as ‘she must have learned from watching so often.’

For hundreds of years, or even longer,

The child had watched the battles in the Coliseum and given advice.

But now, she appeared with a weapon.

In the trial grounds of the gods.

This was not a mere whim.

The gazes of those who realized that fact gradually became sharp.

“So.”

The Minotaur tapped his shoulder with the axe and said.

“Are you really going to fight?”

“Well~. Wouldn’t it be boring just to watch after coming all this way?”

Achilles smiled innocently and spun the sword.

It was a light movement,

But it was fast and perfect, without a single tremor.

“…That sword, it looks familiar.”

“Are you sure?”

“Uuuung? If you covet my friend, it’s a problem, you losers.”

The expressions of the people were all contorted.

As if breaking that atmosphere, the Minotaur stepped forward.

“So, did you register?”

“Huh? Is there such a thing?”

“You can do it over there, but it takes a while. I can do it for you and it’ll be done right away.”

As expected, the Minotaur.

One of the famous heroes in Elysium.

“But what name should I put?”

“Well, Aki….”

Achilles stopped.

The name that was about to come out so naturally.

But she couldn’t say the name to the end.

The sudden silence caused the warriors’ gazes to turn to her.

It was the Minotaur who broke the silence.

“A new name again this time. Can I register you as Aki?”

“…Hmm, yeah. Well, please. You loser cow?”

“Bull, I told you.”

The Minotaur sighed and headed to the entrance of the trial grounds.

As he walked away,

Achilles, or rather, Aki, ignored her trembling heart and looked at the trial grounds of the gods.

She fidgeted in the warm blanket.

Warm sunlight seeped through the window, and the sound of birds singing could be heard.

A morning waking up in the village.

Peaceful. So very…

“…Uuung. I wish our castle had a fluffy blanket like this.”

The inside of the castle, decorated by Ria, was…

No, it was too ambiguous to say decorated.

Despite refusing many times, hearts piled up.

Everywhere, on the walls, the floor, and even the ceiling.

She said she didn’t like it, so they drew eyes on the hearts like mascots.

Absolutely─.

It wasn’t that the drawn eyes were cute, or that she gave in.

“Our Toy Bunny is much cuter, anyway…”

She mumbled while twisting on the bed with half-closed eyes.

Come to think of it….

It felt like there was something very important that happened?

She slowly recalled the memories of yesterday.

Surely, a copy of a teddy bear flew away,

And she came back to the village to copy it again.

Even though she had just returned, the villagers welcomed her warmly,

With great hospitality and saying that they were very sad and asking her to stay one more day and…

“Shall we have a whole roasted pig barbecue party tomorrow afternoon?”

“Barbecueee?!”

“If we do the barbecue at night, it will be ready by lunchtime.”

Right.

“I want to eat, I want to eat─!”

She remembered shouting with shining eyes.

“That’s right! Today is Barbecue Day!”

Forgetting she was sleepy, she jumped up from the bed.

As soon as she got up, Eurydice in the living room smiled at her.

“Did you sleep well, Sa-chan?”

“Yes! Barbecue?”

She looked around urgently with shining eyes.

Eurydice laughed, “Huhu,” and put down the teacup.

“The people in the square are busy preparing. You can eat in about an hour or two.”

“Wowwww—!”

She ran to the window as fast as she could and looked outside.

Eurydice’s house was quite far from the square, but that was no problem for her.

“The pig is huge!”

“…Can you see it?”

“Yes! I can see it—!”

A huge barbecue pit was set up in the middle of the wide square,

And a large whole pig was roasting deliciously on top of it.

The beautifully browned appearance.

Crispy-looking skin.

Dripping grease.

The savory smell that wafted slowly.

Just looking at it made her stomach rumble.

“Heehee… I want to eat a lot…”

“Huhu, Sa-chan loves meat so much? Oh, right. The clothes are finished, would you like to try them on?”

“Yes—! But Riaaa?”

“I’m here, Senior♡”

Ria appeared from Eurydice’s workshop.

…With a large blue ribbon on her belly,

And a pink dress with frilly lace at the end of the skirt.

She strongly resisted as soon as she saw it.

“Nooooooooo—!”

“Senior, it will suit you really well♡ Please try it on♡”

“It doesn’t suit meeeee—! It’s not my styleee—!”

“It does♡” It suits you,

That’s true.

But still, I am an adult male.

No matter what, something like that…

Eurydice, who had drunk a sip of tea, added gently.

“Huhu, it was specially prepared, considering Sa-chan’s style.”

“…”

“…Uuuuu.”

“I thought it would suit you really well.” It’s pink.

……But. But….”

At that moment, Ria smiled brightly and approached with the dress in hand.

She shook her head and stepped back.

“Come on, Senior. Come here♡ Shall we try it on quickly?”

“Nooooooooo! I’d rather have my Teddy Bear hoodie!”

She desperately hugged the hoodie.

Then, she heard a pleased laugh from behind.

“Oh my, I’m glad Sa-chan likes that outfit.”

“……”

“Auuuuuu.”

At that moment, she turned her back─.

“Excuse me for a moment♡”

Ria took off the hoodie in a single motion.

At the speed of light, she put the pink dress on her body.

“Hiiiing…”

“Kya, you’re cute♡ Senior♡”

“Pretty.” Pretty,

“……Uung.”

She put on her arms with the enthusiastic support of the two people.

She arrived at the square looking sullen like that.

“Wow, you are so cute!”

“It really suits you. Sa-chan.” It’s pink,

“You’re so pretty, like a princess!”

As soon as she arrived at the square, praise poured in from the villagers.

“……Really?”

“The teddy bear outfit you wore yesterday was cute, but you’re cute today too!”

“Yeah, it’s really like a doll and it suits you well.”

“Hehe.”

Her mouth automatically turned up.

Feeling better, she waved her hands and stood in front of the meat.

“Can I eat a lot?”

“Of course. Sa-chan is the main character of the barbecue party today!”

“Eat as much as you want, Sa-chan.”

“Hehe. Yes!”

A large and beautiful whole pig.

The beautifully browned skin and the dripping juice.

It was truly a meat party of dreams.

Excited, she held the plate and stood in front of the barbecue.

The villagers smiled and gave her meat one by one.

“This is the crispy grilled part.”

“This will be moist!”

“Sa-chan, this is specially brushed with sauce.”

“Everything looks delicious!”

Shining eyes and grabbed a large piece of meat.

“Wooooooow!”

The moment she took a big bite─.

The juice exploding in her mouth and the savory aroma.

The outside was crispy, and the inside melted softly, full of flavor.

‘This is heaven.’

The villagers smiled brightly at her reaction.

Delicious meat.

A completely happy atmosphere.

If it weren’t for the notification window popping up, it would have been a perfect day.

[The Merry-go-round has been conquered.]

If the notification window hadn’t appeared.