Greek Demon Myth

9 – Forest of Heroes

The forest of Chiron we are heading to now is Messenia, the exact opposite of Pasos.

It is said that we arrived at Attica by boat and moved by land.

“Who are the people in the forest now relying on?”

“Oh, you finally ask about your classmates.

The current forest can be said to be the brightest period.”

And the old centaur began to introduce the students with a proud smile.

“First there is the shining sun, Asclepius, the son of Apollo, the god of medicine.

Perhaps everyone lives in the woods and is the most benevolent child”

He saved even the dead. The ancestor of doctors who died after being struck by lightning and then came back to life, later becoming the god of medicine.

“The descendant of Zeus and the prince of Troizen. Wise Theseus.

That resourcefulness is so true that even Athena admired it.”

Theseus is famous for the legend of defeating the Minotaur. From what I hear, I remember him as the prince of Athens, but I think it was before I found my father.

“Actaeon, the glorious prince of Thebes, son of the dragon, and guardian of the hounds.

I worship Artemis, the goddess who loves hunting and had a conflict with you, and raises 50 hounds equal to the number of her hunters.”

That… Even in Greek mythology, where humans die when they are full, taking a tower is definitely bad luck.

The one who is cursed by the hysterical goddess to transform into her stag and be torn to pieces by the proud hounds?

“Orpheus, son of Apollo, muse of muses. You should definitely listen to his lyre playing.

The performance makes even wooden stones dance and even the goddess of vengeance shed tears.”

A musician who went all the way to the underworld to save his wife and became a Buddha?

“Jason, the Prince of Tecilia, who seeks vengeance for honor. That inaction is truly admirable.”

Jason… Ah, the golden fleece raid boss? Who is this friend who had an affair with a witch who was said to be Medea?

Since then, this and that hero has flowed, and Chiron soon brought up a name with his happy face as if he had saved it.

“Lastly, one of the most outstanding heroes I’ve seen in a long time.

I dare say, the child who will become the strongest man in the world. Archimedes strangling the snake.

There is a child whose other name is Hercules”

“Yes?”

“Hercules, he calls himself the son of Alcmede, saying that name gives him trouble.

Seeing as you know, the name is so famous that everyone calls it that.”

I couldn’t help but admire the name of the king who came out of nowhere.

Greek and Roman mythology in which not even a bone was left after eating, eating, and eating.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the hero of that epic myth suddenly appeared.

“How is it? Doesn’t your heart beat?”

“Ha ha… Ha ha ha ha!”

In the 21st century, starting with the original comic book that was famous as Maxim for elementary school students, I came across all kinds of web novels, games, plays, and even papers.

Even in Murim, Jungwon, the stories that have been handed down are intermittently engraved on pottery and cotton fabric called amphora, which are said to be the biographies of masters across the sea.

The main characters of those stories, even the great hero Hercules, who by far ranks first in terms of search terms and word-of-mouth.

Being able to see such aspects in person made this old heart beat with excitement for the first time in a long time.

I am still a demon who has been taught the Dokmun Demonic Art by twelve masters in the gap between the underworld and the present world.

In the past, he was an absolute being who came to the world by rising to the same level as swordsman Yeo Dong-bin, Dharma master, and the first heavenly horse.

I still have good memories.

Breaking down hypocrites called teenage masters on the Cheonghae front line at once.

The first thing he did was to climb the main temple of Kunlun and compete with a swordsman who was secluded on the top of the mountain.

He hit the spear with the Haenampa’s Haeryongsinchang, who was aiming for the side on a boat.

Sorry for the twisted relationship at the end of Haru’s argument with the old master of Shaolin, he competed for power instead of alcohol.

The masters of Moorim who disappointed me, entertained me, and even made me awe and respect.

I thought that maybe no matter what happened, it wouldn’t make my blood boil more than a confrontation with them.

But suddenly, I couldn’t help laughing when I heard the news that the mythical heroes of the whole world were waiting.

“Very, very good news”

“I’m glad you said that hahahahaha!”

Did you say it was a statue dream?

With the laughter of a half-man, half-horse that I could not even dream of knowing what I knew, the ship carrying me and him rode the wind under the blessing of Zephyrus.

Slid quickly down the sea.

*　＊ *

One week later.

“Arrive! This is the Forest of Heroes. It is the place where you will live.”

“…Yes?”

What is it?

For some reason, as soon as I got off the dock, I was standing in front of a huge forest.

Are you sure the destination wasn’t Athens?

The birthplace of Greek civilization, the cradle of mythology!

It is said that you will see for yourself the old civilization that was only seen through stories, the Internet, imagination, and games.

I really expected to see the city of gods and heroes in person?

As soon as we reached the port of Athens, Chiron suddenly asked me to get on his back.

I passed the walls of Athens, which I expected, and ran straight into the forest.

In between, they crossed a spring, jumped over a river, and even ran through a small sea at a speed that surprised even Jesus.

He dropped me at the entrance of a forest and proudly introduced me.

“…This is Messeris?”

“Yes, the sacred forest near Messeris. It is also my wife’s forest.”

I looked up at the old half-man, half-horse with inexpressible eyes, but Chiron was just a bird of prey,

No, he was just genuinely happy with the joy of having a student.

“No, I’ve been stepping on land for the first time in a very long time… Skipping this so quickly?”

How can I express this feeling in words?

With the feeling of a traveler who traveled in a time machine after being reincarnated, it was one of my few hobbies to see the majestic history built up by humans come alive.

While conquering Murim as a heavenly horse, even if it is the main base of the old school, the buildings are preserved as much as possible and relics are also careful not to be touched.

Wasn’t that what it was for?

This time, leaving Pasos and coming to Athens, what I expected was such a vivid historical tour…

I thought I would skip straight to the destination.

“Ha ha ha, let’s go in. Everyone will be waiting for you.”

“….Yeah”

Whoops, let’s be patient.

Greece tourism.

And above all, the ultimate king of historical tourism.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that this forest, which is said to be filled with countless heroes in mythology, is a place where all the mythical eras before such history are gathered.

With new expectations, I slowly followed the old half-man, half-horse into the woods.

“Oops, I forgot to tell you”

“…What did you forget?”

Why are you making such a disturbing noise?

In spite of my scolding eyes, Chiron only burst into her wild laughter.

“No big deal, you have to take a test to enter our forest.”

“A test?”

“Yes, nothing else. It’s just sparring with me in front of other students.”

“Oh…?”

She couldn’t match her skills with the hysterical virgin god.

The half-man, half-horse in front of you is the son of Cronus, the king of the Telegraph Age.

If it’s a chicken instead of a pheasant, wouldn’t it be fun to deal with?

“As soon as you enter?”

“…As soon as the children gather”

Chiron was taken aback, as if it wasn’t the reaction she expected, but I took the lead in the forest.

* *　＊

The Forest of Chiron.

The so-called Forest of Heroes is the site of heroes hidden in the forest by the magic of Chiron and his wife, the nymph Cyclope.

A place where students here wait for their graduation day while learning from teachers in various fields according to their aptitude.

The Forest of Heroes encompasses all of the qualities required to become a hero, such as music, medicine, oratory, sculpture, hunting, and exploration, but the field that students are most passionate about is by far the combat class.

The shortcut to fame and glory, the surest proof of approaching the prestige of a hero.

Wouldn’t it be to calm down the fierce battleground where blood and sweat splatter or punish the monsters that harass the people?

Thanks to that, in a corner of the Forest of Heroes, a huge training ground was built like a coliseum, and the medical center was cramped with trainees brought in from the coliseum every day.

Especially on a day like today when there is a large-scale combat practice, it was added.

A treatment center where countless boys and girls lay in bandages one by one, groaning.

In the meantime, centaurs, nymphs and human healers busily carrying patients ran frantically.

“Hey, hands! Are you okay?”

“No… Don’t talk to me, Tessie. Because I’m going to die.”

The name of the handsome boy with eyes that sparkle like morning stars and hair the color of the sun is neatly tied is Theseus.

And the name of the boy next to him with a pleasant expression and light brown hair cut short was Jason.

Both of them were the sons of the notable heroes in the Forest of Heroes, and were the princes of Troizen and Iolkos, respectively.

Now it’s just the defeated generals 1 and 2.

Both of them were one of the best equipment without any lack of resourcefulness, but now the monster reigning over them in this forest.

“Whoa… Honestly, that’s a real scam. In addition to the giant catching tactics, he even set up a giant snake trap all night, and he pierced it head-on.”

“I didn’t expect to pull out and throw the whole trap that was dug almost to the entrance of Tartarus”

“It’s a tactic and it’s already meaningless, that’s…”

Young heroes who are gifted with resourcefulness and troop command enough to be called theseus of resourcefulness and Jason of conductor, respectively.

They were expected to become kings who would go down in Greek history if they returned after completing their classes in the forest of Chiron.

Yes, king. Not as a hero, but as a king.

Why do you dream of becoming a king and not a hero in the Forest of Heroes?

The reason was the tyrant that now hangs over this forest.

“hahahahaha! Were you there, losers!”

Boom!

A door that falls out with a roar.

Beyond the door, wild laughter rang relentlessly in their ears.