“Hermes-sama. The messenger god must not neglect his duties.”
I flashed a mischievous grin at Hermes, as if I were a troublemaker with some secret scheming in mind.
In response, Hermes grabbed his numb wrist that I had kicked and blankly stared at the dagger embedded in the ceiling.
Eventually, Hermes glanced at me with an irritated, furrowed brow – an attitude far from the gratitude owed to his savior.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Who would have thought that Hermes, the god renowned for his wit and acknowledged by all gods, would resort to such an extreme measure to save his mother?”
“There’s no other way to calm Lady Hera’s anger.”
As he spoke these unsympathetic words, Hermes infused energy into his outstretched arm.
The dagger embedded in the ceiling wobbled and began to loosen.
Clang!
It was then.
A sudden arrow flew and struck the hilt of the dagger.
Like a nail driven in by a hammer, the dagger, which had been about to come out, was driven deeper by the arrowhead.
Hermes sharply turned his head to glare at the perpetrator of this deed.
Hermes’s gaze was far from his usual playful banter; it was so sharp that it seemed to question whether even his sister would dare interfere with his plan.
Artemis merely shrugged and pointed at me with a dismissive tilt of her chin.
“What would happen to the other mothers if you close your eyes to this?”
“That…”
Doesn’t the price Hermes is paying seem a bit too high for helping Zeus out of a difficult situation in the conference hall?
I couldn’t comprehend his decision to resolve everything on his own.
What about the other gods who will have to bear the consequences of this?
Most importantly, would Hera leave Maia alone after losing Hermes, their sturdy shield?
Hermes has Maia,
Maia has Hermes,
Each has been the other’s strong pillar for thousands of years. Why does he act as if he doesn’t know this?
Isn’t this reasoning too narrow and foolish?
Of course, when you’re backed into a corner, your thoughts and vision naturally narrow, and so there may be those like Hermes who act this way.
But I don’t like such hasty actions.
When I once asked Athena what wisdom was, she said:
“Wisdom is the ability to foresee everything and make the most reasonable judgment for the given situation.”
But I had simply negated Athena’s answer regarding the concept of wisdom.
I will imprint my own definition of justice onto Hermes, who stands before me now.
Because I like happy endings.
“…”
“I asked what would happen to the other mothers.”
To Hermes, who couldn’t lift his head, I urged as a father scolding a non-reflective child.
At a loss for words, he hesitated before reluctantly opening his mouth.
“Lady Hera’s honor must be maintained. For that, someone must shed blood in response to this outcome.”
“Why can’t you think of a way to resolve it without shedding blood?”
At that moment, a flicker of liveliness appeared in Hermes’s yellow eyes.
However, it quickly dimmed, much like the last struggling flame of a candle.
“The result of the fourth labor is already decided. Lady Hera will harm my mother. She might already be heading towards Mount Calineas as we speak.”
“Therefore, you should be wrestling to find some breakthrough, flailing around in the mud as you go, right?”
“Exactly what are you trying to say, Ark? My defeat has already concluded everything.”
“Lord Hermes, the Messenger God. Let us go together to Lady Maia, shall we?”
“What?”
“You’ll deliver the message in person. That I, Ark, defeated you. And you will tell that story every day with your mother.”
Upon comprehending the meaning of my words, Hermes chuckled briefly.
“Ha! Asking the Messenger God to personally declare his defeat… Ark, you’re rather cruel – huh?”
Hermes looked down at an unusual sensation underfoot and saw Artemis and me squatting down, each grabbing one of his feet.
“Whatever is this? Sis, too?”
“Hey! Enough chatter! Let’s go already.”
Artemis, who hated complications, straightforwardly came up with the solution.
However, Hermes, telling us to stop fooling around, tried to shake his legs free.
But we held on tight, using not just our arms but also our legs to cling to his legs.
For someone like Hermes with a negative outlook, we needed such unwavering persistence, didn’t we?
“Exactly…”
“Let’s head to Mount Calineas! Hurry!”
“What? If we go properly, no need to hold my feet, right?”
A reasonable question from Hermes.
Artemis and I exchanged glances, showing our teeth, and answered simultaneously.
“It’s faster to fly!”
“It’s faster to fly!”
That’s right.
Riding in a carriage hurts your bottom too much.
*
Mount Calineas.
Located slightly to the south of the eastern part of the continent lies a very peculiar mountain.
What makes it peculiar?
In short, the scenery.
For an unfathomably long period of time, a storm has continuously enveloped the mountain.
Because of this, people have been reluctant to climb the mountain,
And only wild beasts adapted to the storm live there.
Thus, it is often called the ‘Storm Mountain’.
From Hermes’s perspective, it was probably the perfect place to hide his mother.
Glancing back, Hermes sighed and looked at us clinging tightly to his legs before saying,
“That’s Mount Calineas ahead.”
Pointing with his hand to the mountain ahead,
Our eyes had been continuously shut due to the wind pressure while flying in the sky,
But upon hearing his welcoming announcement, we shielded our eyes from the strong wind with our palms and cautiously opened our eyes to see a single mountain shrouded in a storm.
Dark clouds were concentrated only over Mount Calineas, pouring down rain,
And the clear weather in the surrounding cities formed a strikingly strange harmony in contrast.
A scenery befitting the ‘Storm Mountain’, which proudly rejects the footsteps of others.
“Hey! How are we supposed to break through that? I don’t want to get wet!”
“Don’t worry, there’s a way.”
As Artemis grumbled, Hermes reassured her and accelerated even more.
And then, my shirt, which had been soaked with cold sweat, began to freeze.
“Arrghhh!!! You crazy bastard!! Slow down, it’s too fast!”
Artemis’s scream echoed into the distance.
And simultaneously, the storm of Mount Calineas, upon recognizing its master Hermes, seemed to joyfully welcome him as if opening modern automatic doors,
Dispelling the dark clouds to open a path for us.
Immediately, Hermes headed to the cave midway up the mountain where his mother resided,
And the moment our feet touched the mountain path, we were all shocked at the sight that greeted us.
” Mother!”
As feared by Hermes, in the temple here at Mount Calineas, an unwelcome visitor arrived before us.
It was none other than Hera, the goddess of the household.
Inside the temple, Hera had forcefully dragged out Maia and was relentlessly kicking her,
Leaving her with countless boot marks on her face and body.
Maia reached out her hand to her returned son with a tearful gaze,
But Hera showed no mercy even for such a small gesture and crushed her hand beneath her boots.
“AAAHHH!”
“Stop it, Lady Hera!”
As Hermes intervened, he ran to his mother,
<Stop. Bastard.>
The command from Hera, the goddess of the household, echoed throughout the mountain.
Immediately, Hermes stumbled forward as if his leg muscles had suddenly snapped while running.
Even as his face hit the ground, he struggled fiercely to rise to his knees.
<Prostrate yourself.>
Without mercy, Hera’s command continued, and Hermes obediently knelt on both knees.
But his expression still defiantly showed his intent to resist as he bared his fangs.
“Hmph! This shows that a rootless bastard is hopeless. The way you show such defiance proves that the bastards are nothing but rebels.”
“H… Lady Hera…”
“Foolish bastard. If you had only realized your own mistake in the temple and resolved your own life, I would have spared the life of this concubine. How could you come here and follow the words of that insect?”
“Because… because I don’t want to die. Because I want to live. Because I want to go to the market with my mother… and enjoy the festivals… That’s why.”
He turned his gaze towards me with great effort, acknowledging that Ark had awakened his true thoughts.
His eyes meeting mine were distorted with pain,
And I realized he was straining his body to resist Hera’s command, causing it to slowly tear apart.
“Hermes! Don’t resist! You’ll really be obliterated if you resist a divine command!”
<Be silent, Artemis. No, silence another bastard!>
“Ugh!”
Artemis clutched her throat with both hands and knelt down, gasping for breath as if her words had been forcibly choked off.
Queen of Olympus, Hera.
She truly lives up to her formidable reputation.
As the legitimate wife of Zeus, she oversees everything happening in his household.
Protecting the household and properly educating her children is also within Hera’s power.
This power is immense, giving her the sole and exclusive right to punish concubines and bastards who have broken the household.
Even Zeus dares not to interfere with this.
That’s why during the meeting at the main hall, Hermes could do nothing but watch in silence as Zeus was pummeled.
Because he knows well about Hera’s authority, Hermes never dared to entertain the thought of resisting Hera,
And Artemis always grew uneasy whenever Hera’s name came up.
<You bastards! Come closer!>
“Grghhh…”
Artemis, with a choked throat, was dragged like a dog on a leash by an invisible force and knelt next to Hermes.
Deciding that this wouldn’t do, I stepped forward.
“Lady Hera! You can’t change the outcome of the Fourth Labor through this! The reinstatement of Lady Metis is already a fact. Why don’t we work together to find a way to coexist!”
“Hmph! That insufferable insect is trying to sell another worthless solution.”
“I mean it! ”
“Indeed, eventually, Metis will be reinstated as you say. But this is unrelated to that. Finding and punishing the concubine is my job!”
“But that’s…”
“Hold your tongue! Insect, your turn is next!”
Hera, declaring that she was not retaliating but merely exercising her divine authority as appropriate to her station, smirked as if something amusing had come to mind and stood in front of Artemis and Hermes.
“Have you not been playing the master too long under the honor of the Twelve Gods? Bastard whelp!”
“…”
“…”
As much as they wanted to argue, their mouths were sealed by the command to be silent.
They merely flail their arms around to express the unfairness.
<Do not move!>
<The only words you are permitted to utter are from animals.>
<Hermes, bark like a dog! Artemis, neigh like a horse!>
“Woof! Grrrr, woof! Bark! Bark!”
“Neigh… Nnnneigh…”
The barking of a dog and the neighing of a horse filled with委屈 and anger.
Yet to Hera, it seemed their heart-wrenching cries didn’t reach,
And she mockingly laughed like a noblewoman.
“Ho ho ho! It’s too entertaining! However, let me show you bastards something even more amusing.”
She grabbed a jar placed near the cave entrance, waved it dramatically then slammed it to the ground.
Clash!
The sharp sound resounded as the jar shattered into many pieces scattered across the floor.
And as Hera slowly raised her hand, the shattered ceramic pieces hovered in the air.
Spinning, they aligned their sharp edges all pointing toward one spot,
Where an unfortunate Maia lay.
Surely…?
“Though it’s bothersome, educating bastards is also my duty.”
Hermes, sensing his mother’s impending doom, surprisingly looked up, not at his mother, but at me.
I quaked in fear as the immense power of Hera, which no one could contest, pressed against me.
It’s no surprise witnessing a god who governs all gods.
However, Hermes smiled to assure me it was alright.
This smile carried none of the resentment or blame for interfering that one might expect.
It was simply a faint nod of gratitude that somehow, even in such a small way, I had given him the courage to express his heart to Hera.
Satisfied, Hermes closed his eyes with a peaceful smile.
But Hermes?
I’ve never granted such an ending.
“Behold the ending of a concubine!”
At the moment Hera raised her arm to strike down on Maia,
I stepped forward and threw a pebble to break one of the ceramic shards.
“Stop, Lady Hera.”
“…Insect! What is it now?”
“You cannot kill Lady Maia.”
“Are you defying a deity’s authority?”
I know! If I say it, my head will surely fly off.
“It’s not that. It’s because of Lady Maia’s status.”
“A concubine doesn’t deserve status. She is merely a sinner burdened with sin and karma.”
“That’s not true.”
I confidently stepped between Hera and Maia, shaking my head.
Then, like a dancer at a banquet, I spun around and formally pointed to the fallen Maia.
“I, Ark, ranking 8th-level priest, hereby appoint a 9th-level secretary.”
“W-what?! You… Could he possibly…?!!!”
“I hereby appoint Lady Maia as my 9th-level secretary. Under Clause 21, Item 3 of the Olympus Regulations: A 9th-level official is granted a status comparable to a priest and cannot be punished by any deity other than the deity he or she serves!”
“You… You cursed insufferable insect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Hera, clearly struck down, her face turning red with rage.
Thunder began to rumble in concert with her fury, and the earthquake made it hard to keep my balance.
Still, I must see this through to the end!
“Lady Maia! Would you consent to become my secretary?”
“NO!”
Hera, realizing late that she had not silenced Maia’s mouth, immediately activated her divine command.
<Hold your tongue.>
“Alright. I will…”
By the slimmest of margins.
Maia’s reply came just a fraction before Hera’s command took effect.
The trembling Maia extended her hand, and I quickly knelt down and clasped it.
At that moment, the light of Artemis symbolizing the moon enveloped Maia.
Like a righteous knight standing against injustice, it emitted powerful moonlight in all directions.
“Thank you, Lady Maia.”
Thus, I, who carries the blood of Titans and is the goddess of spring,
officially appointed Maia as my 9th-level secretary.
