Oedipus's Tragedy - (End)
Familiar sensations, shifting perspectives.
The dark energy, proof that I have possessed a human body, flows out in all directions.
"Uh...? Could it be...!"
"Hades...?"
The priests around me hurriedly bow their heads.
As I push through the crowd in the temple, I see the mad king of Thebes.
"Huh..."
It is clear that King Oedipus has been granted the power of Gaia.
He was once a hero, praised for his wit and strategy, having defeated the Sphinx.
Yet, upon descending into a human body, Oedipus rushes at me as if he does not recognize me.
No, it feels more like he has surrendered his mind to madness.
"Ahhh!"
Boom!
I extend my hand slightly towards him and unleash my divine power.
Even though he has become a hero-level powerhouse among humans, he is not strong enough to defeat a god in a human body.
Crash!
Oedipus, who is struck by the wave of divine power, rolls on the ground and staggers to his feet.
For a brief moment, a confused look flashes across his face.
This is not the madness of Dionysus's curse.
It is a madness that could be shaken off after receiving strong shocks multiple times.
Boom!!!
"Cough!"
But he burns the temple and slaughters the people of Thebes?
It must take a seriously unstable madman to do such a thing.
Once again, King Oedipus staggers to his feet.
"Are you coming to your senses?"
"Huh... Hades... god..."
The madman looks directly at me.
"... You are grieving. I shall listen to your circumstances."
"Huh..."
The madness bestowed by Gaia was merely a small spark thrown onto a pile of kindling.
In Oedipus's eyes, which looked at me once more, reason momentarily returned.
The madman, alternating his gaze between the black divine power around him and my pupils, slowly brought a sword to his own arm.
Swish.
"Ahhh!"
"Oedipus... is cutting his own arm..."
"No?!"
"What is happening...!"
Oedipus, kneeling on one knee, gritted his teeth.
Having cut off his own arm, he looked at me directly, slightly freed from the influence of madness.
Finally, the king of Thebes, with a glint of clarity in his eyes, bows his head.
"Merciful god Pluto."
Yet the emotions that accompanied that clarity were far too varied.
Sadness, anger, self-loathing, guilt, resentment, despair...
"Please do not grant me mercy... I am a sinner... Ugh... Huh..."
A collection of all negative emotions.
What on earth happened to him before he was cursed by Gaia?
However, the wrongs he committed were enough to take the living to the underworld for judgment.
Concentrating my energy on my palm, I moved my possessed body towards the kneeling man.
"It seems difficult to converse in your current state. We shall speak again shortly."
"I am sorry... Mother."
Thud.
Thump.
Roll.
The neck of King Oedipus, who seemed to have given up everything and offered no resistance, rolled on the ground.
For a sinner who burned down the temple and fell into madness, killing countless citizens, his end was far too empty.
After glancing at the head rolling on the floor, I turned to observe the humans.
The citizens of Thebes, fearing divine retribution, could not meet my gaze.
"Pluto..."
"Have mercy..."
The priests of the temple quietly closed their eyes and clasped their hands.
The newly appointed priest could be seen shedding tears of gratitude.
"... Not a single one of you has fled the temple. I shall remember your faith."
With one last word, I immediately shifted my consciousness to the underworld.
Once I moved my consciousness back to the underworld,
I saw gods with stern faces all around.
It seemed they had gathered after hearing about the situation in Thebes.
"Thanatos, bring King Oedipus here immediately. Also, summon Minos, the judge of the underworld."
"Understood."
"Shall we bring the waters of memory?"
"Goddess Mnemosyne, that may not be necessary."
Considering the eyes of Oedipus I saw in the living world, even if he crossed the river of forgetfulness, his memories would remain intact.
Now it is time to hear his story.
A short while later, Thanatos roughly dragged Oedipus's soul before me.
His eyes no longer showed madness, but complex emotions swirled within.
"I will listen to your story thoroughly and consult with Minos, the judge of the underworld, to render a verdict."
"....."
"Speak freely, all that you have. Even if you curse Zeus, it matters not to me."
At those words, Oedipus's mouth slowly opened.
"I killed my father and had relations with my mother, resulting in children."
His voice trembled, sounding hoarse as he recounted his deeds.
The tale of a prince raised in Corinth, Oedipus, who murdered his father in a chariot.
The Sphinx and Thebes, his mother and wife, Jocasta.
And... the truth spoken by the prophet Tiresias.
The power granted by the one who called himself Gaia.
Having said this much, Oedipus closed his mouth again.
If he had not burned down the temple and killed people under the influence of Gaia, his sins would have been considerably lessened.
"You were led astray by Gaia."
"At first, my mind was filled with resentment towards the gods, but at some point, my own will also joined in."
Did Oedipus also surrender to madness?
Why? Of course, it is not easy to resist madness and regain one's senses...
"... Were you resentful towards Apollo, who foretold the prophecy?"
"He merely revealed a future that was already set."
"Then was your anger directed at Ares, who placed the curse upon the royal family of Thebes?"
"If I had a child who killed their own, I might have placed such a curse as well."
"Then do you think Gaia, who corrupted you, bears any guilt?"
"She merely changed the direction of the burning flame."
Though he said this, it is not that he holds no resentment towards the gods.
In truth, when he fell into madness, he destroyed the temple, and hatred towards Olympus erupted.
However... his other desires were so great that he had no time to blame the gods.
It is time to confirm whether my thoughts are correct.
"Then what is it that you desire?"
"I wish to be punished for being the monstrous parricide who had relations with my mother and for destroying the temple and slaughtering the citizens of Thebes."
Perhaps he wished for divine punishment.
Despite the horrific sins of having relations with his mother and killing his father, the three goddesses of vengeance did not torment him.
Perhaps it was because there was no intent behind his actions, but did that make Oedipus even more miserable?
"You do not say that you killed people because of the curse Gaia placed upon you."
"... I am sorry."
Is it only the terrible and desperate divine punishment that befalls one who has committed such grave sins...
Is that the only way he thinks he can atone?
The human mind is weaker and more unstable than that of the gods.
A human pushed to the extreme will ultimately choose self-destruction.
Sometimes, those who overcome it are called heroes among heroes, but...
Unfortunately, Oedipus was not one of them.
Human emotions are complex, and sometimes one does not even know what they truly desire.
Let alone a human who has lost their mind and been granted Gaia's madness...
"... Please punish me."
"It is difficult to decide on your punishment quickly. I shall postpone it for now."
Was it not the madness that drove him to insanity, but rather his own plea to the gods for punishment for surrendering to madness?
Oedipus left under the strict watch of the soul guards.
I momentarily set aside all the gods and summoned Minos, the fair judge of the underworld.
His two brothers were too busy judging other souls to come, but Minos alone was sufficient for counsel.
"Minos, do you have any opinions?"
"The extent to which Gaia's curse affected that man's mind will likely determine the severity of his sins."
"And?"
"Aside from that, if we consider the blasphemy against the gods, the prophecy of tragedy, his contributions to Thebes, and the wrongs of killing humans..."
Minos's words are correct.
When he slaughtered the citizens and burned down the temple,
It is a matter of how much balance there was between Oedipus's own intentions and the madness of the curse.
I must render a judgment as fairly as possible.
"Gaia surely tempted him into believing that everything was the fault of the gods."
"However, according to Oedipus's words upon arriving in the underworld, he also began to align himself with madness and went on a rampage from a certain point..."
"Even without the whispers of Dionysus, there must have been a thread of will remaining amidst the madness."
"That is likely why he expressed that his own will was also involved."
"If it were not for Gaia's curse, would he not have ended at merely blinding himself? He swore that if he found the parricide, he would blind himself."
"Gaia's curse pushed Oedipus, whose mind was already broken, to make wrong judgments..."
After a long time, I discussed with Minos.
Considering the dead humans, the reputation in the living world, the influence of the curse, and his attitude...
"Bring Oedipus back."
It is time to render a verdict.
I saw Oedipus being brought back before me.
I slowly opened my mouth to the silent king of Thebes.
"Your charges are that you violated your mother, killed your father, and, in a fit of madness, burned down the temple of Dionysus in Thebes and killed innocent citizens."
Perhaps Oedipus is the most tragic figure in the history of Thebes?
"Judging solely by the crimes committed, it would be right to send you to Tartarus for endless toil, but..."
Most of the charges he committed were not his fault.
Even the killing of the citizens of Thebes and the burning of the temple were unfortunate acts committed in a state of madness.
"Considering your descent into Gaia's madness and the prophecy of a tragic fate, I will take into account that you were once revered as the wise king of Thebes until you realized the truth."
He was tossed around by the gods from beginning to end.
Due to Ares's curse, misfortune befell the royal family of Thebes...
Because of the tragic prophecy, he was abandoned by his biological father and violated his biological mother.
After realizing the truth, he was further used by Gaia and fell deeper into despair.
"I decree that you shall receive the blessing of forgetfulness and shall pile stones in the outskirts of the underworld for 200 years without any memory of the living world."
For a man who slaughtered dozens of humans and burned down a temple, this is a light punishment.
But I deemed this to be appropriate.
"You shall not be reborn, and when your labor ends, you will work as a guard of the fortress for eternity."
"The blessing of forgetfulness... Is this mercy you bestow upon me?"
"Consider it a small compensation for one who has suffered at the hands of the gods from the moment of birth until the end."
I turned my gaze from the speechless Oedipus to the goddess Lethe.
"Lady Lethe, I beg you."
The judgment was complete.
After Oedipus received the blessing of forgetfulness and was taken to the labor camp,
I fell into thought for a moment.
"Hades, the Olympian god Dionysus has requested that Oedipus be punished severely."
"...."
"Hades...?"
As I slowly raised my head, I saw the silver-haired goddess with a sad expression.
"I am unsure if the judgment I rendered was correct."
"Hades did your best. Appropriate punishment and mercy for a human swayed by fate..."
"Well... I don't know."
Did I judge Oedipus correctly?
Was the punishment and compensation appropriate, or were there any unfair aspects?
"Our gods are not omnipotent as humans wish and believe."
"Yes, that's true."
"Even Zeus does not know everything, and even the three great gods are ultimately swayed by emotions."
"Yes, of course."
"Athena is not always wise, and Hephaestus sometimes swings his hammer poorly."
Gods are not omnipotent.
Even Athena can forget her wisdom when swept up in momentary emotions,
And even Hephaestus can sometimes create failures.
"However, as the god of the underworld, I must not allow such things."
When humans die, they come to the underworld.
Perpetrators and victims meet in the underworld.
Murderers and innocent victims also come to the underworld.
Those who committed sins while being used by others, and those who died at the hands of gods also come to the underworld.
Those who committed blasphemy against the gods, those who were deceived and made mistakes, and those who were unjustly sacrificed and resent the gods also come to the underworld.
The underworld is the final destination for all mortals and the place where their deeds are evaluated.
Therefore, I must render judgments as fairly and coldly as possible.
That is the duty given to the god of the underworld, who possesses great power.
"Why not? Hades is not the primordial god, Chaos, so it is only natural, isn't it?"
"But..."
"I sometimes make mistakes when bestowing the blessing of forgetfulness upon humans, so what if I make a small mistake?"
"My duty is to judge mortals..."
"You are doing well enough already. Minos accepted the judgment and returned."
The fair-minded Minos is not someone who would be silenced by my authority.
I know that fact well.
"But still... I wish to render a more just judgment..."
"Enough... Stop talking. Just forget everything for a moment and be at peace."
Suddenly, the goddess Lethe embraced me and manifested her power of forgetfulness.
The warmth of the goddess enveloped me.
I did not resist.