nthe, the Goddess of Mint - (1)
The goddess, shy and blushing deeply, slowly entered the audience chamber. It was unmistakably nthe. Now, she was no longer a re nymph but a fully-fledged goddess, radiating a fresh and potent divine aura.
"Uncle, I'll leave you to talk with the newly born goddess. This humble ssenger will now return to Olympus. Haha!"
"Ha... Hers. Yes, I'll see you later."
Hers waved his hand with a grin, clearly enjoying my startled expression. It was obvious that he had volunteered to bring nthe here himself, anticipating my reaction.
As Hers left, I turned my gaze back to nthe, who was still avoiding eye contact with . There were so many questions to ask, but where to start...
"So, n..."
"H-Yes! Hades, sir... uh..."
nthe stamred, clearly flustered. We had t before, and she had even served as my priestess—why was she so nervous now?
"nthe, there's no need to be so flustered. Just relax and explain how this all ca to be."
"B-but..."
"...?"
nthe's face turned an even deeper shade of red as she hurriedly blurted out her words.
"Volunteering to serve in the Underworld under your rule ans I've accepted that you may take as you please...!"
"Wait..."
"Were those goddesses I saw before your consorts? But I don't mind being just a concubine...!"
"Stop. That's enough..."
Realizing that the conversation was spiraling out of control, I waved my hand to halt her. nthe, who had been speaking with an odd mix of excitent and embarrassnt, took a deep breath and cald down.
She's still young... Poor thing, it seems she's fallen victim to her own wild imagination. Perhaps I should ask Apollo to take a look at her soti.
"So, how exactly did a nymph like you beco a goddess, and why did you choose to co to the Underworld?"
"Well... It's a bit of a long story..."
nthe began her tale, speaking shyly but clearly.
It started with the spread of mint, my sacred plant, from Thebes throughout Greece. As mint beca more widespread, its status as my symbol grew more prominent.
"Hmm. A blessing from the god Pluto. I don't worship him myself, but it's a blessing nonetheless..."
"Though so fear the other na, it seems the god has indeed provided for us."
"A rchant from Thebes told that Pluto is a kind god who shows rcy to the living."
As the mint's reputation grew, so did the reverence for its creator, nthe. Although she was a nymph, her association with , the god of the Underworld, elevated her status significantly.
"They say there's a nymph in Pluto's temple who created mint..."
"Can an ordinary nymph create sothing like that? Perhaps she's a goddess sent from the Underworld."
"I don't know, but I offered my prayers to her as well."
As her reputation as the goddess of mint spread among mortals, they began to worship her, and her divine power grew. Eventually, Hers himself descended to her shrine and brought her to Olympus.
"So you're the nymph called nthe, who receives the prayers of mortals? I see you're quite beautiful..."
"Father, I've heard that this nymph is favored by Uncle Hades."
"Ahem! Well, say that earlier... In any case, creating a sacred symbol for the Underworld is worthy of recognition. She deserves to be made a goddess."
Thus, the king of the gods, Zeus, recognized her as a goddess, and nthe, now the goddess of mint, expressed her desire to serve in the Underworld.
"Hers, is there any way to make that happen?"
"The Underworld? Well, they're certainly understaffed there, so..."
And that was how the newly born goddess of mint ca to be assigned to the Underworld.
nthe, having finished her explanation, looked at with eyes full of anticipation. She seed to be expecting sothing.
"Hades, sir! So, what should I do now?"
"...You should know that the Underworld is quite busy, and you may be asked to take on tasks beyond your authority."
"Hehe! I may have struggled with the duties at the temple, but I managed just fine!"
nthe placed her hands on her hips, emphasizing her chest as she did so. Was working as a priestess at the temple really that difficult? I wondered if she could handle the demands of the Underworld.
Seeing her smile confidently, I decided it was ti to offer her so advice.
"nthe, do you know why we gods live eternally and possess such power?"
"Huh?"
She looked at , puzzled. After a mont's thought, she answered, just as I expected.
"Umm... Because we inherited the great bloodline and power of the primordial god, Chaos?"
"...That's not it."
To mortals, we gods must seem mighty, invincible, even perfect. Our ability to foresee the future and reshape the world is reason enough for them to worship us.
But...
"We are granted imnse power and minds that do not erode with ti because we must maintain the balance of the world."
"Oh..."
"Take yourself, for example. You were once a re nymph, and now you are a goddess. What does that tell you?"
If I told her that it ant becoming a slave to keep the world running smoothly... No, that might be too much.
"...It ans you're tasked with maintaining the balance of the world."
"Of course! We, the great gods, are powerful because we must carry out our sacred duties!"
Yes, now you're one of those great gods. And your sacred duty... Well, to so extent, I suppose that's true.
"Maintaining the balance of the world... That sounds exactly like the responsibility and duty I imagined a god would have!"
"So say that it's not because the gods are powerful that they rule the world, but because they must rule the world, they are powerful..."
"Aha! With great power cos great responsibility, right?"
Yes, the gods' immortal strength cos with an endless list of tasks. nthe nodded as if understanding sothing, then began twisting her body shyly again.
"To think that you care so much for ... I'll fulfill my duties as the goddess who created the sacred mint of Hades!"
"...? Oh, well... Yes, do that."
It felt like our conversation was both connecting and missing the mark at the sa ti. But since she seed so confident, I decided to assign her a suitable role.
As I rifled through the parchnt, pondering the best position for her, a ssenger hurried in. A young male spirit soldier clad in a toga—an all too familiar face.
"Hades, sir! There's another case in the courtroom..."
"The three judges, Minos, must be dealing with a case beyond their ability, involving divine prophecy or a victim of the gods?"
"H-How did you know, sir? This ti, it's even..."
It wasn't uncommon for the quick-footed herald, Apokretes, to co running from the courtroom. It was almost certainly another victim of the gods. Was it a case too complex for the judges to handle alone, involving multiple gods?
I had always trusted the judgnt of the three Minos brothers. However, the higher-ranking gods sotis took issue with the lenient sentences the judges handed down. After all, Minos was still just a human, and they didn't like it when a human's judgnt contradicted their own.
Naturally, they wouldn't complain in front of , but I'd heard the rumors from Hers, the ever-informative ssenger of the gods.
To ease the burden on the Minos brothers and ensure fair judgnt, I often took on cases involving humans punished by the gods or those caught in the crossfire of divine conflicts.
I also took part in the trials of serious offenders who couldn't be judged by the Minos brothers alone.
"Is it another mortal caught up in the love affairs of the Twelve Olympians? Likely a victim of rape or adultery... Tell Minos I'm on my way."
"Yes, sir! I'll deliver the ssage right away!"
As the ssenger departed, I turned to nthe.
"Go find the goddess Lethe, and she'll help you get started on your duties. I have urgent matters to attend to..."
"Ah, y-yes, sir!"
"Thank you... Thank you, lord of the Underworld..."
"Yes, in life, you suffered greatly due to your beauty at the hands of a god, but that won't happen anymore."
"Sob... sob..."
The beautiful female spirit before wept bitterly. In life, she had been a woman who caught the unwanted attention of a minor god, eventually leading to her rape. To make matters worse, she had been a devotee of the virgin goddess Artemis, and upon losing her purity, she was cursed by the goddess herself, driving her to suicide.
That gentle Artemis... She's always so strict with her followers. I an, it wasn't even the woman's fault—couldn't she have shown a little more leniency?
"Who's next, Minos?"
"Yes, the next soul is that of Arachne, a mortal woman."
"Arachne? Send her in. Which god is involved this ti?"
"...The docunt states that the goddess of wisdom, Athena, personally punished her."
This ti, it's Athena?
Athena, who swore an oath of chastity to the River Styx... So, it wasn't a love affair.
A spirit, brimming with resentnt, slowly entered. The docunt on my desk indicated that this was a spirit who had sohow retained her mories even after crossing the River of Forgetfulness.
No doubt, she harbored a deep grudge against Athena, who had caused her death.
The guards brought Arachne before , and the female spirit knelt down, bowing deeply.
"Your na is Arachne? Tell , truthfully, what happened to you before your death."
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