Fate: I Heard After Death, You Can Ascend to the Throne of Heroes?

(Fate) Chapter 123: First Heroic Painting

Meanwhile, in the mortal realm...

As the Underworld butterflies dispersed, Promise found himself standing in an ancient forest, feeling a bit exasperated.

Then he quickly took out his painting and summoned Pegasus. 

As the winged horse emerged, Promise couldn’t help but complain, “Brother Horse, do you know that Hecate really is a tricky goddess? She’s been avoiding me like I’m some sort of plague! Am I really that scary?”

I mean, who else would dare challenge the gods, crash the wedding of Hades, or hunt Hermes? Surely, that’s not too intimidating, right?

Pegasus didn’t reply; instead, it fixated its gaze on the doll in Promise’s hand.

“Oh, do you want to talk about this?” Promise followed Pegasus’s line of sight and looked at Clotho's doll in his palms as he spoke.“This was supposed to be a gift for Goddess Clotho, but she didn’t take it... No, it's not that she didn't want it, she asked me to keep it first?"

As he spoke, Promise just tilted his head, clearly still puzzled.

“Whatever, it’s not that big deal anyway,” he shrugged, placing the doll in Pegasus’s saddlebag. “Brother Horse, let’s go find Lady Artemis... Or, actually, if we could just find the Golden-Horned Deer, that’d be fine too.”

Promise grinned sheepishly.

Pegasus glanced at Promise and then at the doll inside the bag pack, noticing how Clotho had quietly peeked her tiny head out from the bag while the boy was not paying attention...

Forget it, I’ll just pretend I didn’t see it and just eat grass honestly...... Pegasus decided, pretending not to notice as it took to the skies, carrying Promise above the clouds.

This time, Promise’s luck was exceptional—it was as if he were truly blessed by the goddess of fate herself.

Because this time, instead of meeting Artemis, he encountered Atalanta.

It turned out that Artemis had sent Atalanta away under the pretense of having her take care of the Golden-Horned.

And the location was none other than the sacred grounds of the hunt, Artemis’s sanctuary.

Before long, as dusk fell, Pegasus brought Promise to the sanctuary.

And when he saw Atalanta and greeted the golden-horned deer, the golden-horned deer rubbed against Promise happily and agreed to be carved by the boy. 

As night fell, the crescent moon hung in the sky, and the stars reflected in the clear stream running through the sacred forest.

By the stream’s edge, Promise sat down and painted the silhouette of the golden-horned deer on the canvas of the sky.

Pegasus, Argus the Hundred-Eyed Giant, Cerberus the Hellhound, and now the Golden Horned Hind.

“Gods, creatures... what’s left is a hero...”

Looking at the completed painting before him, Promise muttered to himself and then turned his gaze toward Atalanta, who was chatting with the nymph attendants, who accompanied Goddess Artemis. 

Sensing his gaze, the huntress looked back at Promise as her emerald eyes met his,

Seeing this, the nymph attendants, showing good sense, laughed softly and left the scene.

"Is something wrong?" Atalanta asked as she walked towards the boy, brushing aside the strands of her green hair that had fallen over her shoulder.

"I finished the painting. But wasn't I supposed to paint one for you too?" Promise replied with a smile.

Hearing that the painting was done, the Golden-Horned Hind stood up, let out a soft call, and then ran off to join Pegasus, who was grazing nearby.

"You actually remembered?" Hearing his words, Atalanta shot Promise a sidelong glance.

"I don’t want to get hunted down again," The latter shrugged before raising his brush once more.

Seeing this, Atalanta, who had always regarded this as a trivial matter, suddenly felt a nervous stiffness in her body as she looked at the boy's intent gaze as his green eyes focused on her with complete seriousness.

"What should I do?" Atalanta asked, feeling a bit nervous and somewhat at a loss.

"Do whatever you like," Promise answered nonchalantly. 

Hearing his not-so-serious words, just as Atalanta was about to ready her bow and shoot an arrow at him—

"It doesn't matter; you look beautiful either way, so the painting won't turn out badly."

After a brief moment of silence, Atalanta quietly put her hand down and decided to simply lean against a nearby tree.

The moonlight bathed her in its glow, and the night breeze gently tousled her hair as Promise captured this serene moment on his canvas.

Then, breaking the silence—

"Promise."

"Hmm?"

"Are you still pursuing a deathly finale?" Atalanta asked.

Promise’s brush paused as he lifted his head, surprised at the question.

He hadn’t expected her to ask this, especially since it was the same question Goddess Clotho had posed earlier that day... Two people asked him the same thing within a single day.

It's a bit strange...

However, with Atalanta, Promise didn’t feel the same as he did when facing a goddess.

So he naturally asked, "Why are you asking this?"

"Didn't you descend the mountain to become a hero?" Atalanta asked.

She still vividly remembered the 'legend' she heard from those bandits and figured she would probably never forget it in her lifetime.

"Now that this wish is nearly fulfilled, what's left... is the final act, right?"

Among all the people Promise interacted with after descending the mountain, the one who spent the most time with him and understood him the best was undoubtedly Atalanta.

Unlike Medea, who also saw the paintings and knew what he had been through and what he had faced in his journey to be a hero, Atalanta was featured in many of them. 

She not only saw the scenes but also participated in them.

So if there was anyone who knew Promise best, it was undoubtedly her.

She was also the only one who witnessed the boy's transformation over the past year.

Hearing this, Promise finally understood why Goddess Clotho had suddenly asked him that question.

However, he didn’t respond immediately. 

Instead, his gaze shifted slightly toward his side, where his golden "cheat" appeared—the Servant Class Card.

Promise had tested long ago so he knew that only he could see it.

Since the Underworld incident, it hadn’t surfaced again, and the reason was simple: Promise’s level had only increased slightly.

He had gone from an A- rank Servant to an A rank.

The rank-up occurred after he defeated the Chimera and painted those six images. 

Indeed, despite everything that happened after the Underworld event, recorded in full detail on the Class Card, Promise’s rank had reached a standstill.

The reason was straightforward—he had already reached a five-star Servant level.

Even among the countless stars shining throughout history, Promise had undoubtedly secured his place, and not just any place—a particularly remarkable one.

In this timeline, even without Hercules completing the Twelve Labours, participating in divine battles, aiding the Olympian gods in winning, and eventually becoming one of them, or facing the mighty Typhon, he had already ascended to the pinnacle of all Greek heroes.

In this situation, quantity alone could no longer help; the key now lay in quality.

Just as gods are classified as principal gods, divine kings, and lesser deities, Servants also have different tiers, with the highest known rank being the Grand Servant.

To progress further, ordinary legends were no longer sufficient so, what Promise needed was a truly grand epic.

An event that, even among all legends, would be remarkable—a tale that could influence an entire era or involve feats like slaying gods as a mortal...

That was the journey for the Golden Fleece and the paintings of the Olympian gods!

This was why Athena, the goddess of wisdom, had been rushing the construction of the Argo recently.

Even though she might not know about the Class Card, she was more aware than anyone of what Promise needed.

After all, Athena had made a vow to Promise. 

She would witness and guide him to become a star—no, the brightest star among all constellations.

And at the peak of his brilliance, she would grant him the grandest curtain call, forever capturing him in that moment.

"Yes," Promise withdrew his gaze as the Class Card disappeared in front of him as he smiled, resuming painting, saying, "I’m still pursuing that final act."

"Why?"

Atalanta naturally asked, "You’ve already become a hero with such renown; why do you still seek death?"

"Given your current circumstances, even seeking to become a god from the Gods you revere isn’t out of reach, right?"

This was a statement that could be considered sacrilege.

Under normal circumstances, Atalanta would never utter such words and would think anyone who did was insane.

But knowing everything about the boy, she had already entertained the thought that if Promise weren’t so physically frail and had nothing to do with divine heritage, she would have already assumed he was a god.

Either Hera’s or the goddess of the arts’!

"I have no desire to become a god, nor will I," Promise replied firmly.

"Even so, you could still become a king, enjoying supreme power, endless wealth and glory," Atalanta persisted.

Hearing this, Promise couldn't help but chuckle and speak, "What’s this? You can’t bear the thought of me dying... Wait, wait, let’s talk about this—no need to draw your bow!"

The golden-horned deer took a bite of grass and nodded to the Pegasus beside him.

Indeed, the grass was delicious.

Promise pondered for a moment before saying, "Honestly, it’s not about any grand reason. Wealth, power—those things... aren’t quite stimulating enough for me."

"Stimulating?" Atalanta looked at Promise, a bit puzzled.

"Atalanta, can you imagine yourself, one day, no longer hunting, returning to your homeland to become a graceful princess, eventually marrying some prince and living out your days peacefully?"

"Impossible!" The huntress declared decisively, "I’ve devoted my whole life to the goddess Artemis; this faith will never waver, so I will never—" marry a man... 

Halfway through her sentence, Atalanta suddenly froze as an image flashed through her mind, causing her to stiffen in place.

Pegasus glanced at her, then at the little Clotho doll poking its head out of his luggage.

Girl, you’re quite brave!

Promise didn't mind and continued smiling, saying, "Yes, I'm the same way. I can’t imagine that kind of future... at least not in this lifetime."

"After all, I have indeed climbed one peak after another, each one steeper and more treacherous than the last. Some were difficult to climb, some were nearly impossible to scale, covered in snow and threatening to avalanche at any moment, yet I still walked to the summit.

And with every leap over those cliffs, I would think, the view from the other side is truly beautiful."

Upon hearing this, Atalanta also understood. 

When she hunted extraordinary prey, she would also have the same sense of accomplishment.

"So I won’t stop, especially since I have made so many promises to the goddesses. I haven't avenged everything in my little notebook, so I have to continue.

And when all this is done..."

The young man smiled again, this time with a genuine warmth that lifted the corners of his lips.

"Then, perhaps I would have earned the right to paint the most beautiful picture for myself."

"So, do you think that picture for me would be one of enjoying riches and luxury or a scene of me leaping high above a cliff’s edge?"

As Promise finished these words, he also completed his painting.

The moonlight shone down on the moon goddess Artemis’s sacred grove, illuminating the scene.

The beautiful huntress leaned against a tree, clasping her arms in front of her chest, gazing up at the crescent moon in the sky, her emerald green attire and flowing hair fluttering gently in the night breeze...

This was Promise's first heroic painting, and it depicted Atalanta, the beautiful huntress. 

..........