The Myth of the Greek Heavenly Demon

A swordsman recognizes a sword.
A musician recognizes an instrument.
As soon as Marsyas saw the instrument I brought, he couldn’t take his eyes off my flute.
Well, even I could tell it was an unparalleled masterpiece, so I could fully imagine how this obsidian flute would appear to the eyes of this satyr.

“No way… Such a… such a masterpiece exists in this world…?!”

His eyes widened like lanterns, and his trembling hands gradually approached the flute.
Like Gollum discovering the One Ring, Marsyas reached out slowly, entranced, toward my precious.

“Teacher?”

“Gasp?!”

When I casually called him and retrieved the flute, Marsyas snapped back to his senses.
Even so, the passionate look in his eyes towards my precious, nestled dearly in my arms, did not fade.

This person is truly serious about musical instruments…!

“Wh-Where on earth did you get such a divine object?!”

“You recognize it, don’t you?”

Many people went through a lot of trouble to make their own flutes or procure them from outside for today’s assignment, but most probably bought theirs from the same music shop in the commercial district as I did.
Even just this morning, countless students must have been coming and going at the music store.
However, among them, I was the only one who recognized the true value of this flute, and the only other person who recognized it was Marsyas.
In fact, to the casual observer, it might just look like an ordinary, dark flute, and people around were murmuring about why the teacher was making such a fuss.

“May I take a closer look at it?”

“Hmm…”

I wanted to commend his musical insight and his passion for his darling instrument.
Nevertheless, it was true that I felt uneasy about handing over this darling to someone else.
Especially when I saw those almost Gollum-like, glaring eyes, it made me even more reluctant.

“Please, just once… I only want to see it up close just once! If you’re really worried, take this oak Syrinx that my father, Pan, personally crafted for me!”

When I didn’t readily give it, Marsyas, seemingly desperate, thrust the wooden flute he had hanging at his waist into my hand.

-Eek?!

The wooden flute, made of several differently sized wooden pipes bound together, was thrust into my hand.

It was a Greek-style Syrinx, often carried by shepherds or travelers.
Those who saw this couldn’t hide their astonishment, making choking sounds as if they were being strangled.

“M-my goodness, Marsyas just handed over his own Syrinx with his own hands?”

“Didn’t the Zephyrus Twins almost get buried in the real forest last time for swiping that?”

“The divine artifact woven personally by the Shepherd God Pan?”

Various bits of TMI were flying around me, but.
I was too busy examining the wooden flute in my hand to pay attention.

“Th-this is quite something…”

“Oh…? Could it be that you recognize the special nature of this item?”

Marsyas, who had been engrossed in my flute, caught my inadvertent muttering like a hawk and now looked at me with sparkling eyes.

“As expected, a musician with the discernment to find such an item wouldn’t fail to recognize my Syrinx. How about it? Let’s exchange for a moment, just for a moment.”

“Hmm… alright.”

Though it couldn’t compare to my precious one, Marsyas’ Syrinx was no ordinary item either.
I handed the obsidian flute I was holding to Marsyas and, in turn, observed his Syrinx by rotating it around.

“This is also a peculiar item, isn’t it?”

The obsidian flute was a remarkable artifact that could be rightfully called a divine object.
It was a mysterious flute made entirely of obsidian, taking the shape of a flute without any artificial processing.
Moreover, it emitted an inexplicable aura, as if the flute itself were alive, casting a strange light that would naturally captivate anyone who recognized its true value.

And the Syrinx I received from Marsyas in exchange was also a truly peculiar and mysterious item.
If the obsidian flute was a divine object, then this Syrinx was a living thing, literally a living object.
At first glance, it appeared to be a crude flute made by roughly breaking a tree branch, hollowing it out, and binding it with vines.
However, if you hold it in your hand and concentrate slightly, it’s unbelievable, but you could feel the vitality swirling inside this wooden flute.
The rough bark and the small vitality and sap flowing beneath it throbbed, and the vines wrapped around the body grew from each wooden tube and intertwined like roots to firmly support the body.
If you even looked closely, you could see small green shoots sprouting on the body.
However, the true value of this flute was not just that it was alive.
On the surface, it just pretended to be a somewhat peculiar flute, but my senses recognized the tremendous energy sleeping within it.

“Sss…”

A hidden paradise reminiscent of the extreme depths of the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
This flute, which seemed to condense the majestic natural energy of such a paradise, made me salivate instinctively.

The wall I now faced was the pinnacle, known as the despair of first-rate martial artists.

The term “Mythical Era” was not an exaggeration; compared to the martial world, the aura in Greece was hundreds of times denser and purer.

Simply sitting under a tree and meditating in the early dawn, when the aura was at its purest, would yield efficiency akin to consuming a potent elixir.
Yet, despite this, I had not yet surpassed the pinnacle wall because my body was still young, and my bones and muscles were not fully developed.
Advancing too rapidly could cause an imbalance between my aura and body, so I was slowly strengthening my body over time.
If I were to absorb the aura within this flute, it could potentially solve all those physical issues.

‘With this level of aura, I might even aim for a complete transformation.’

Given the density of the natural energy, it seemed possible not only to absorb it into my internal qi but also to artificially induce a complete transformation using the natural qi.
Normally, the qi that couldn’t be absorbed into internal qi would linger in the body and eventually be expelled or slowly absorbed over time, but the innate qi was immense.
Moreover, I, who possessed the Godly Demonic Qi that began with the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts and perfectly replicated all kinds of Qi Arts, Divine Arts, and even the Demonic Arts of the Twelve Divine Demons, made this idea possible.

“Dianes? Dianes!”

“Ah!”

As I was deeply contemplating the living great elixir in my hand, Marsyas was calling me while gesturing.
Both Marsyas and I had been so absorbed in the flutes in our hands that we had forgotten, but we were in the middle of a class.

“Whew, today, my vision feels even clearer. To see such a divine instrument in this world…”

Marsyas handed me the obsidian flute with a look of regret, trying to retrieve the Syrinx he had lent me.
However, this time, I couldn’t readily return the flute to him.
The body and achievements of my past life that I had tasted in a recent dream.
The powerful martial arts that flowed through my entire body and made everything obey with a mere gesture flashed through my mind.
Seeing me hesitate while looking down at his flute, Marsyas nodded with a satisfied smile.

“Oh? You understand, right? This Syrinx was personally crafted by the Shepherd God Pan.
Ignorant people laugh at it as mere twigs and grass, but to those who recognize its true value, it gifts them the ecstasy of gazing upon a lush forest.”

“…Haha.”

Marsyas, who had no idea what I was thinking, continued to boast eagerly, assuming I was moved by his flute. Meanwhile, I was in deep conflict.

This level would truly transcend two or three stages.
I wouldn’t need to worry about things like orbital bombardments or the crescent moon goddess anymore, and I could significantly shorten the time needed to restore my long-lost achievements.
The curse of the gods?
Thinking of Artemis, who recently shot arrows at me, claiming to be one of the Twelve Divine Demons or the Hunter of the Crescent, and ended up bleeding by my hand…
If I could perfectly regain my achievements from my past life and even enhance them with the Godly Demonic Qi, I calculated that I could handle Artemis no matter how wild she got.
Naturally, I had the confidence to easily crush the power of lesser gods.

“At this level, it’s more than enough…”

My mind was slowly leaning towards swallowing this flute, when someone suddenly ran up from behind and hugged my neck.

“Dianes!”

A voice as clear as a refreshing wave.
And in front of my eyes, filled with wave-like white hair, I was startled and turned around.

“Neri?”

Neri, who was smiling brightly, had popped out of nowhere and was resting her chin on my shoulder, grinning.

“I heard you were having a music lesson, so I rushed over~”

Right after the commotion last night, I had tried to send Neri back quickly.
But she absolutely refused, saying she had gotten permission from her older sisters.
So, I was wondering if I should let her stay in my room, when, thankfully, the forest nymphs offered to take care of her.
I thought I would meet her only after today’s schedule was over.
This swift sea nymph suddenly appeared and delved into my thoughts.

“But why did you have such a scaaaary face~?”

“Did I?”

“Yeah, you had a scary face, like you were being chased while looking at that amazing flute.”

At Neri’s words, I snapped back to reality as if doused with cold water.
Being chased?

“…I really enjoyed the flute. Marsyas. It’s truly a wonderful flute.”

“Haha, well. It’s only natural that many birds gather around a beautiful tree. I, too, had a truly splendid sight.”

Marsyas, who had returned the flute, assigned Neri to the seat beside me and then clattered back to the stage.

“Hehe~ Music lesson? Come to think of it, Dia, you played the flute really well, didn’t you?”

“…Yes, I did.”

Neri, sitting next to me, laughed innocently.
And then, Atalanta gently placed her hand on my other hand.

The warmth cleared my clouded eyes, instantly revealing the bustling scenery of the forest.
Hercules grumbling, Jason feeling regretful, students glancing at me, and Marsyas watching with satisfaction.
It was trivial and ordinary, but because of that, I could shake off the lingering confusion in the scene I longed for.

I realized what I almost did.

Even if I regained my martial arts and achieved success, it would have been nothing more than an abnormal shortcut.
And such a peaceful daily life, which I had forgotten in my previous lives, would vanish in an instant.
I almost destroyed the things I wanted to protect by regaining my strength.

“Then, Dianes? Shall we listen to the performance of that beautiful friend you brought?”

“I will accept it with a joyful heart.”

Regaining strength and training in martial arts were also important.
However, if I had to give up all of this daily life that I had regained, there was no reason for me to regain my strength.

It was truly a contradiction.

With a much lighter heart, I stood up and brought my darling to my lips.

Soon, the noisy surroundings became quiet, and only the sound of the flute I played began to flow softly.