“Ha!?
Even without this guy’s help, I could have easily escaped those two reckless Centaurs!
In the end, I just didn’t want to kill them!
If they really provoked me, I could have killed them all.” Atalanta flared up like a bristling kitten, seeing the way she hissed at Pollux.
The others shook their heads helplessly; this was just how things were between young girls, and it was normal for them to bicker when they didn’t see eye to eye.
“How can you be so ungrateful?!” Pollux’s sword was already drawn, and Atalanta had likewise raised her bow.
The tense atmosphere was truly unsettling.
Peleus walked over to Asterios’s side and gently tugged on his sleeve.
Asterios glanced back at him, and seeing his Eldest Senior Brother’s expression, Peleus said no more.
Clearly, this minor matter meant nothing to him.
Rather, it was Chiron’s disciples who had their eyes opened today; Asterios’s ultimate technique from just now was enough for them to savor for a long time.
Considering that things might truly get heated if this continued, Asterios reached out and placed his hand on Pollux’s sword, signaling her to sheathe it and calm down.
Pollux naturally wouldn’t go against her Eldest Senior Brother, so she obediently sheathed her sword.
Seeing her docile and gentle appearance, Asterios gave her a small smile before turning to look at Atalanta.
“Atalanta of Arcadia, it was indeed my fault just now for acting too hastily.
But please believe me, I had no intention of involving you in my technique.
If you don’t believe me, please look at where those two Centaurs were standing; I believe even the ground was not affected in the slightest by my move.” The group followed Asterios’s words and looked at the ground.
Sure enough, there were at most the footprints of the two Centaurs from before; everything else was completely undamaged.
[To think he can control his power to such an extent, this guy is actually this powerful?!
When I saw him in the woods before, I thought he was just good at hunting.] Atalanta was naturally shocked.
She had never expected that this guy she occasionally saw in the surrounding woods would possess such power, and even be able to control it to this degree.
Was he even human?
Could this guy be the illegitimate son of some god?
Those blue eyes were very similar to the blue eyes of the legendary God King Zeus.
Could he be Zeus’s illegitimate son?
But since Asterios had explained the nature of the matter so politely, Atalanta’s attitude could no longer be as aggressive as before.
She turned her head away, avoiding Asterios’s face, and spoke to him in a voice different from her usual heroic and dashing tone.
“Tha…
Thank you.
Actually, I was also very annoyed by being chased by those two.
I originally came out today to practice my stamina and see how fast I could run.
Then those two suddenly pestered me.
You all likely saw their intentions.
Thank you for your help.” Her current shyness made Asterios’s eyes widen.
If the previous Atalanta was as dashing as a handsome man in a woman’s eyes, then the current Atalanta was like a true beauty in a man’s eyes.
Suddenly, Asterios recalled his conversation with The Awakened One from years ago.
Was this love?
Or was it just him, Asterios, being attracted by her beauty?
Asterios fell into a brief silence because of these thoughts, but because his silence meant he didn’t respond to Atalanta’s words in time, she turned her head back in dissatisfaction and said, “What is it?!
Is what I said wrong?
Or does my gratitude mean nothing to a guy like you?!
Is it just boring words that brush past like a light breeze?!” Atalanta’s reactive words made Asterios snap out of it.
He immediately began to apologize to her, saying, “Sorry, in that moment, I suddenly understood why those two Centaurs would take an interest in you.
This, sigh…
ah, I…” Seeing Asterios like this, combined with his words, Atalanta immediately understood his meaning.
Her face instantly flushed red.
Now both embarrassed and annoyed, she stomped her foot and ran off.
She felt that she truly couldn’t talk to this dull-witted guy anymore.
It was better to hide far away immediately and never see him again.
Watching Atalanta’s receding figure, Asterios reached out his hand but then lowered it.
He could only shake his head helplessly.
He really…
what on earth did he just say…
But she really ran fast.
Even Asterios couldn’t help but marvel.
He suspected that on their side, besides himself, no one else’s foot speed was as fast as Atalanta’s.
Asterios could only shake his head and sigh helplessly; it seemed the thoughts in his heart weren’t important.
So Asterios turned back and said to his junior brothers, “Let’s go, let’s head back.” But he was met only with the loud laughter of his junior brothers.
The continuous, cheerful laughter made Asterios feel a bit embarrassed and annoyed.
He could only fake a couple of coughs to clear his throat and tell everyone to be quiet.
After all, they had finished their business here and had to go to the next village to continue working.
“So even Senior Brother can’t maintain that steady composure in front of the one he likes~ Oh my, oh my, this really is too interesting~” The artistic Orpheus took the lead in teasing the Eldest Senior Brother they usually respected.
Unlike Asclepius, who was also a son of Apollo but had a gloomy personality, Orpheus was a standard cheerful young man.
Now that Orpheus had opened the floodgates, the others naturally began to crack jokes as well.
This left Asterios not knowing what to say.
He could only endure it; after all, they were his junior brothers, and he was the one who had misspoken.
What else could he do but take it?!
In truth, Atalanta had already run to the riverside.
She didn’t know what was wrong with her.
She, who had always disliked men of her age, would actually show such a shy side to a guy like that, and her face would turn red because of his words.
Was this still her usual self?
“He’s just a stranger I’ve seen a few times.
How does he dare shamelessly say those things to me.
Really…
Sigh, actually, he is a handsome person, isn’t he?
It’s just that both he and I aren’t mature yet…
My handling of it just now wasn’t appropriate either; I didn’t even ask what that guy’s name was.” As Atalanta spoke, she walked to the riverbank and looked down at her reflection in the water.
The flush on her face still hadn’t faded.
Atalanta really couldn’t hold it in anymore.
She reached out both hands and slapped her face to make her head cooler.
It seemed that Asterios wasn’t the only one whose heart was disturbed~