I Died and Became a Noble's Heir

Chapter 503: If You Live Long Enough

The figure in the distance moved, and suddenly the forest erupted with a wave of mana as woodland creatures scattered.

A hundred arrows materialized in the air, their silver tips gleaming as they arced through impossible trajectories.

The attack was meticulously coordinated from multiple angles, whether through the presence of multiple archers or a single entity exhibiting extraordinary speed.

The arrows descended like metallic rain, each one humming with divine power that made the air itself vibrate.

Jack’s enhanced reflexes responded with mechanical precision.

His hands moved in patterns too fast for mortal eyes to track, deflecting arrow after arrow without breaking a sweat.

The projectiles diverted from their paths, embedding themselves in ancient tree trunks or spiraling off into the undergrowth.

The final arrow fell, its silver tip catching sunlight before Jack’s hand batted it aside.

Silence returned to the forest, broken only by the gentle rustling of leaves and the distant calls of woodland creatures.

Jack remained perfectly still, his golden eyes scanning the distance where the figure had stood.

The archer had vanished as if they’d never existed, leaving only scattered arrows as evidence of the assault.

He waited, his enhanced perception tracking the forest for any sign of movement or threat.

Then he heard it. A voice speaking directly into his ear, so close he could feel phantom breath against his skin despite seeing no one nearby.

"Your Chosen One is remarkable," the voice said, feminine and carrying the kind of natural authority that came from millennia of divine existence. "Much stronger than the last one."

Jack’s posture relaxed fractionally, recognizing that immediate danger had passed. "Artemis."

"Indeed," the goddess confirmed, her voice still seeming to come from directly beside him despite the continued absence of any visible form. "You recognized me quickly. Most mortals need more time to process divine presence."

"I drank God’s Blood knowing I’d meet a goddess," Jack replied, his tone carrying the same businesslike quality he used when negotiating with nobles or gods. "And the arrows were a fairly obvious indication."

Laughter echoed through the forest, genuine amusement that made flowers bloom more vibrantly and caused nearby deer to lift their heads with curiosity rather than fear.

Reality adjusted to accommodate her presence, as if she’d always been standing there and Jack had merely failed to notice.

Artemis stood twenty feet away, her appearance exactly what Jack would have expected from the goddess of the hunt.

She looked young, in her early twenties at most, with blonde hair that fell past her shoulders in waves that caught sunlight like captured gold.

Her eyes, a verdant hue reminiscent of ancient forests, conveyed a profound wisdom that belied her youthful appearance.

She wore a short chiton that ended at her knees, the practical tunic allowing freedom of movement through forests and across mountains.

Her frame was lean and muscular, reflecting centuries of running, hunting, and existing as the virgin goddess who valued independence above all else.

A bow rested in her left hand, the weapon seemingly carved from moonlight itself, and a quiver of silver arrows hung at her hip.

"Why test me?" Jack asked, his golden eyes meeting her divine gaze without flinching. "A hundred arrows seem excessive for a greeting."

Artemis’s smile widened, showing teeth that were slightly too perfect to be entirely mortal. "I was curious about my leader’s choice. Draven selected you as his Chosen One, and I wanted to see if his judgment was sound."

Jack’s mind caught on specific wording. "Your leader?"

"Yes," Artemis confirmed, tilting her head slightly as if surprised by the question. "Draven is the leader of the Old Gods. He who commands thunder and lightning, who sits at the head of our pantheon. Did you not know this?"

"I did know," Jack admitted. "Draven never mentioned who else was in his pantheon."

"He wouldn’t," Artemis replied, her tone carrying amusement. "My leader prefers to let mortals discover truths on their own rather than simply telling them. Says it builds character or some such nonsense."

She moved closer, her steps making no sound on the forest floor despite the undergrowth.

Birds landed on nearby branches to watch her pass, and a wolf emerged from the shadows to pace alongside her before fading back into the trees.

"But that doesn’t answer my question," Jack pressed. "Why bring me here instead of meeting with Lyra? She’s your Chosen One. She made the pilgrimage specifically to connect with you."

Artemis stopped ten feet away, close enough that Jack could see the way her divine presence made the air shimmer slightly, like heat rising from sun-warmed stone.

"I wanted to meet the man who helped my Chosen One," she said. "Lyra has suffered under Aurelius’s control for years. Treated as a tool rather than a person, denied the freedom that should be every hunter’s birthright. And then you appeared, offering her this journey, giving her weeks of peace she hasn’t experienced since childhood."

Her green eyes studied Jack with intensity that felt like being examined at a cellular level. "I wanted to know who you are. What kind of person offers freedom without demanding payment? What motivates someone who already carries such power to extend kindness to those beneath their station?"

"And?" Jack asked. "What did you determine?"

"That you’re interesting," Artemis replied, her smile returning. "More interesting than most mortals who stumble into divine politics. And that in a time of need, I will help you."

She paused, her expression becoming more serious despite the smile remaining. "If you live that long."

The words hung in the air like a blade suspended by a thread.

Jack’s eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, if I live that long?"

Artemis’s gaze held his, ancient knowledge swimming in the depths.

She saw far more than the present moment. "You’re going to die soon in the future if you’re not careful. The path you walk leads to confrontation with forces that have ended gods, let alone mortals playing at divinity."

"Erebus is hunting me," Jack said, his tone matter-of-fact despite the weight of the statement. "By the Council. By who knows what else that views soul magic as something to be eradicated rather than understood."

He stepped closer, closing the distance between himself and the goddess without hesitation. His golden eyes locked onto hers with such intensity that it would frighten weaker creatures.

"I’ll kill them all."

The declaration carried no bravado.

Artemis’s smile widened, genuine pleasure crossing her features as if Jack had just said something that delighted her on a fundamental level. "Good. That’s the kind of answer I was hoping for."

She turned away, moving back toward the forest’s depths with graceful steps. ’His confidence reminds me of someone. Sarin. Before you went crazy, you were magnificent.’

"Artemis," Jack called out before she could disappear entirely. "I need to visit the Hall of Eternals. To see Zephyros."

The goddess’s laughter echoed through the forest. "What do you want with that Playboy?"

Her cheeks flushed slightly pink, the color rising despite her divine nature. "He’s insufferable. All charm and no substance, more interested in pleasure than purpose."

Jack’s mind connected dots with. The blush. The specific phrasing. The way she’d called Zephyros a Playboy with personal knowledge rather than distant observation.

’Zephyros slept with Artemis,’ Jack concluded. ’The virgin goddess of the hunt, who values independence above all else, somehow ended up with the god of fertility. That’s... actually impressive in a disturbing way.’

"I won a bet," Jack explained, keeping his tone neutral despite the revelation. "He has to answer any one question of my choosing."