The God of Fairness, Hades (2)
A stern gaze looking down upon her.
The majesty emanating from the King of the Underworld, ruler of the dead.
Kneeling before Hades, the King of the Underworld, Dike thought:
The only one truly worthy of the divinity of justice was the god before her.
After all, in her eyes, which could distinguish good from evil, few gods were deserving of such a title. Regardless of their rank, most gods were self-centered and impulsive in their thinking.
There were frequent cases where a god might show rcy one day and, on the next, beco enraged over a perceived slight to their divinity. Gods were largely born with personalities that did not change over ti, and because of that, mortals were destined to suffer endlessly.
It went without saying that even among the gods, the unfairness born from power dynamics was rampant.
Only a few gods, like Hestia, consistently bestowed rcy.
In contrast...
Among the many capricious divinities, akin to natural disasters, there was one who stood out with his character, or rather, his divine character. Not only did he refrain from tornting mortals, but he also reprimanded gods and upheld justice, embodying the role of a chief deity.
Mortals sang praises to his rcy, for his hands touched not only the dead but also the living.
On Earth, his rcy was so widely known that he received faith comparable to Zeus himself.
Surely, if Hades were to accept her, the spread of justice across the world would be far greater.
"I, Dike, the goddess of justice, humbly ask to follow in the footsteps of the Lord of the Underworld and the God of Fairness."
I could not answer easily.
First, because I felt the weight and responsibility contained in Dike's words.
As the goddess of justice, she had chosen to borrow my power to set the world in order.
Indeed, if Dike beca one of my subordinate deities, the high-ranking gods of Olympus might restrain themselves in my presence.
As the goddess of justice, Dike also governed the concept of fairness. Yet, she wished to cede that concept to and beco a subordinate deity.
It was not as though I was making a mortal into a god. Accepting one more subordinate concept was not a burden for , especially as I was already one of the three chief deities.
The reasoning was sound, and I agreed with it.
Supporting the goddess of justice was not a bad decision.
But...
"Do you believe I am qualified to be the god of fairness?"
"Yes? Of course—"
"When mortals began calling the god of rcy, I remained silent. It only ant that the gods were cruel to them."
The small amount of rcy I showed must have been deeply felt by them.
However, I think the divinity of fairness is sowhat different.
"I am not perfect enough to oversee fairness as a concept. Do you know how many mistakes and wrong judgnts I have made in my role as judge of souls? I always regret and ponder over them. The god of fairness you envision surely isn’t like ."
"But, Lord Hades, do you not always strive to deliver just judgnts?"
"......"
"A perfectly fair god cannot exist, but you, Lord Hades, are the one who strives for the most just judgnt for mortals, are you not?"
Indeed. I seem to recall having a similar conversation with Lady Lethe.
Though only Dike and I were present in the audience chamber, I felt as if I could hear Lady Lethe speaking to , reminding of my efforts to render the fairest judgnt.
Isn’t it natural that Hades is not the primordial god, Chaos?
I felt a little heavy-hearted. Of course, she might have ulterior motives for seeking my protection, but as the goddess of justice, she must have judged that I was capable of fulfilling the responsibility of fairness.
Godhood cos with the duty to maintain balance in the world and fulfill one's responsibilities.
Not just in the realm of the Underworld, wealth, or rcy... Could I also govern fairness well?
I closed my eyes and fell into deep thought.
As I focused on nothing else, I could hear the voices of mortals calling out to from the living world.
Though I could choose not to listen to their prayers, I allowed myself to hear them.
The most voices ca from Thebes, followed by Argos, Ethiopia, and perhaps the kingdom where Psyche resided...
"Oh, great god Pluto! I seek your rcy!"
"I pray that my son, who died on the battlefield, may find happiness in the underworld."
"Thanks to your grace, I have amassed this wealth. I offer twenty oxen as a sacrifice!"
"With the mint sent from the rcy of Pluto... "
"Pluto, please protect ..."
"Oh god... I am wronged. Please release my grievance."
"I swear to Pluto, I did not commit this cri!"
Mortals praying to for various reasons. While so called upon as the god of wealth, recently, more sought for my rcy.
It made sense... In this world of mythological monsters, absolute monarchy, and gods with human-like hearts, the only place for powerless mortals to turn was to the gods—and only to those gods who were at least sowhat favorable toward humanity.
How pitiable. How sorrowful.
After so ti passed, I opened my eyes again and looked at the goddess of justice.
"I still believe I am not suited for the divinity of fairness."
"Ah..."
Dike’s shoulders slumped with disappointnt and sadness.
But I was not finished speaking.
"However..."
"...?"
"I believe in your judgnt, which seeks to uphold justice in this world to the very end."
"Your... words an?!"
"I will accept the divinity of fairness, as you propose."
Her face brightened again. Hmm. She looked so joyful, but would she still feel that way after working in the Underworld for a few days?
As I accepted the divinity of fairness, I could feel new powers and authorities flowing into . Unlike the godhood of rcy that mortals had naturally attributed to , this was more like a formal transfer of divine authority.
"Thank you! Lord Hades! As expected, such a fair and just decision...! Please, command in anything from now on."
"In that case, take this first. Any god who serves in the Underworld should handle at least this much."
"...?"
Thud.
I handed her the pile of scrolls stacked next to .
Was this too little work for such a competent goddess of justice? Perhaps I should add more...
"Lord Hades...? What is all this?"
"Hm? Can’t you tell by looking? The scroll at the top is a report on the finances of the Underworld and an inventory of the offerings sent by the worshipers..."
"No, I an... There’s much more work than I expected..."
"More work? That's only your afternoon assignnt. Including what’s already been processed by the lesser gods before being reported to , it’s much more."
"......"
Clang—
The sword and scales, symbols of the goddess of justice, fell from her hands. She had no hands left to hold them while carrying the stack of scrolls. She could have just levitated them in the air...
"Oh, and when you’re done with that, stop by the Styx to receive your next assignnt from Lady Styx."
"......"
The once-expressionless face of the goddess of justice, who had always maintained composure in the face of injustice, darkened.
At the temple of Hades in Thebes, high-ranking priests could be seen scurrying about from early morning.
"A divine oracle has been received by the High Priest from Lord Hades?!"
"What did he say this ti...?"
"Could it be another plant like mint from last ti?"
They rushed into the High Priest's chamber, heard the oracle, and quickly left the temple to take action. The reason was...
"Lord Hades has declared that the goddess of justice, Dike, now belongs to the Underworld!"
"What?! The goddess of justice in the Underworld?!"
"In any case, we need to create a new statue of the goddess imdiately! Summon the sculptors and bring the finest marble..."
So priests went to explain the changes to the theologians and the royal palace.
The rumors spread swiftly across Thebes...
And the discussions before the temple of Hades about the lady of the Underworld turned into debates about divine authority.
"The goddess of justice in the Underworld?! What does that even an?"
"We should accept the oracle as it is."
"So, does that an justice now belongs to the domain of Lord Pluto?"
"It’s not strange, given that Lord Pluto is the god of rcy."
"But how can justice be subordinate to rcy? Sothing seems off. The divine authority of Pluto... it’s..."
"Could it be judgnt and fairness?"
"If the god of Pluto includes justice, wouldn't he also govern law?"
After much debate, they reached a new conclusion.
There had been cases where monsters were elevated to godhood after death, after all.
"Wait, everyone knows the story of dusa, don’t they?"
"Of course, the tale where dusa, wronged and turned into a monster, was made into a goddess by Lord Pluto?"
"When mortals die and enter the Underworld, they are punished for their sins, but if they led good lives or died unjustly, they are rewarded, are they not?"
The people of Thebes gathered and thought.
A god who judges mortals fairly, ting out proper punishnt and reward, and who rcifully looks after them...
"Does that an Lord Pluto is the god of justice, judgnt, and fairness?"
"...Perhaps we should consider the Underworld as embodying all these concepts?"
"A fair judgnt awaits at the end of a mortal's life... That does sound right."
"The wicked are cast into Tartarus, which is judgnt, while dusa's elevation to godhood exemplifies fairness and rcy, does it not?"
"Co to think of it, aren’t the Three Furies also part of the Underworld?"
"Since judgnt must be fair, the divinities of justice and fairness would naturally fall under Pluto's domain..."
Thus, from Thebes, word spread widely that Lord Pluto now presided over justice, judgnt, and fairness.
Surprisingly, few people expressed opposition or disagreent, for this new revelation matched perfectly with the history of Lord Pluto they had witnessed until now.
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