The Goddess of Mint, Mente - (1)
The goddess, who walked into the audience room with a shy demeanor and a face flushed with embarrassment, was undoubtedly Mente.
It was clear that she was no longer just a nymph but had transformed into a goddess, radiating a refreshing divine power from her entire being.
"Uncle, why don’t you have a chat with the newly born goddess? I, a humble messenger, will take my leave and return to Olympus. Haha!"
"Ah... Hermes. Yes, let’s meet again later."
My nephew waved his hand, seemingly enjoying my flustered expression at her unexpected appearance.
He must have anticipated my reaction and volunteered to bring Mente here.
After Hermes departed, I looked at Mente, who still couldn’t meet my gaze.
There were so many explanations I needed to hear, but where should I even begin...
"So, Mente..."
"Ah! Yes! It’s Hades... um..."
Mente stuttered, flustered as soon as I spoke.
It wasn’t our first meeting, and we had even been teacher and student, so why was she acting this way?
"Mente. I don’t know why you’re so frozen, but stop being shy and slowly explain what happened."
"... Ah. But..."
"...?"
Mente’s face turned even redder as she quickly spilled her words.
"To volunteer to go to the underworld ruled by Lord Hades means I am prepared to be taken at any time...!"
"No..."
"Were the goddesses I met last time indeed the mistresses of the underworld? Ah... but I would be fine even as a concubine...!"
"Stop. Just stop..."
As the conversation took a strange turn, I waved my hand to halt her.
Mente, who had been speaking with peculiar excitement, took a deep breath to calm herself.
She was still quite young... tsk tsk.
It seemed she had fallen into some delusional state.
I should find a time to have Apollo treat her.
"So, how did you, a nymph, become a goddess, and why did you come to the underworld?"
"Well... it’s a bit of a long story..."
Mente, speaking shyly in front of me, began her tale.
First, mint gradually spread from Thebes and was exported throughout Greece...
The status of mint, which was regarded as my symbol in the mortal realm, rose significantly.
"Um. It’s the grace of Lord Pluto. I don’t believe in him, but it’s something to be thankful for..."
"No matter how much Hades... I know you fear other names, but didn’t he grant something for the sake of humans?"
"According to a merchant from Thebes, Lord Pluto is said to be a merciful god to the living."
Then, naturally, my declaration of Mente as the creator of mint also gained prominence.
Especially since she was not even human but a nymph and was serving as my priestess.
"I heard there’s a nymph who created mint in the temple of Pluto..."
"Could an ordinary nymph create something like that? Perhaps she is a goddess who came to the mortal realm on the orders of Lord Pluto."
"I don’t know. Anyway, I prayed to him as well."
Gradually, among humans, she began to be worshipped as the goddess of mint, and faith started to gather.
Eventually, the god Hermes descended before Mente, who was praying in the temple, and took her to Olympus...
"Are you the nymph Mente, who is receiving faith among humans? You seem quite beautiful..."
"Father, I’ve heard that nymph is favored by Uncle Hades."
"Ahem! Speak quickly... Anyway, since you created the symbol of the underworld, it’s enough to elevate you to a goddess."
Thus, Zeus, the king of the gods, recognized her as a goddess,
And Mente, now elevated as the goddess of mint, hoped to serve in the underworld.
"Lord Hermes, is there any way I can do that?"
"The underworld? There’s a shortage of manpower... or rather divine power..."
This was the reason the newly born goddess of mint came to the underworld.
After finishing her explanation, Mente looked at me with sparkling eyes.
She seemed to be expecting something quite eagerly.
"Hades! So what should I do now?"
"... I don’t know if you’re aware, but the underworld is quite busy, and there are times when you may be assigned tasks beyond your authority."
"Hmph! Even when I was a priestess, I adapted well to the difficult tasks in the temple!"
Mente placed her hands on her waist, emphasizing her chest.
But did she really find working in the temple of Thebes difficult? I wonder if she can adapt well here in the underworld...
I felt I should give her a bit of advice as she smiled brightly.
"Mente, do you know why our gods live eternally and are strong?"
"What?"
She looked puzzled.
As if trying to guess my intention, she tilted her head for a moment, and her response was as expected.
"Um... Perhaps it’s because we inherit the great bloodline and power of the primordial god, Chaos?"
"... Wrong."
To mortals, gods may seem great and strong, and sometimes even perfect.
Prophecies that foresee the future or powers that change the landscape serve as valid reasons for mortals to worship us.
However...
"It is because we must maintain the world that we are given overflowing power and a mind that is not eroded by the passage of time."
"Ah..."
"Just look at you; you were an ordinary nymph and then became a goddess. What does that mean..."
It would be a bit excessive to say it means becoming a slave to keep the world running smoothly...
But from my experience in the underworld, that seems to be the case...
"... Just think of it as being entrusted with the task of maintaining the balance of the world."
"Indeed! It is because we must perform a noble duty that the great gods are strong!"
Now you are also one of those great gods.
And the noble duty... well, that’s somewhat correct, I suppose?
"Maintaining the balance of the world... that’s exactly the responsibility and task I envisioned for a deity!"
"It is said that gods are strong not because they rule the world, but because they must rule the world to be strong..."
"Ah! So great power comes with great responsibility!"
It is true that the immortal gods have many tasks to handle...
Nodding as if she understood something, Mente twisted her body again and spoke.
"You worry about me so much... I will fulfill the responsibilities befitting the goddess who created the mint, the symbol of Lord Hades!"
"...? Uh... yes. Do that."
Something felt off, as if we were communicating yet missing the mark.
But since she was so confident, perhaps I should assign her to a suitable position.
As I flipped through the parchment, pondering which position would be appropriate, a messenger rushed in.
A young male spirit in a toga, a familiar face I recognized.
"Hades! This time at the trial..."
"The Minos brothers would find it difficult to judge alone. Were there any prophecies from the gods or victims involved?"
"Wow! How did you know? This time, it’s even..."
It was common for the swift messenger, Apokretis, who worked near the trial, to rush in.
It was likely another victim of the gods.
Was it a case that was difficult to judge due to the involvement of several Olympian gods?
Of course, I trusted the judgment of the Minos brothers,
But higher deities sometimes looked down on Minos for being lenient in their judgments.
As if the dead humans... were going against the judgments of the gods themselves.
Naturally, they couldn’t voice such complaints in front of me...
It was a rumor conveyed by Hermes, the messenger of Olympus and the informant of all.
Thus, to lighten the burden on the Minos brothers and ensure a fair judgment,
I often took charge of the cases involving humans punished by the gods or those who died in the gaps between various deities.
Of course, I was also involved in the trials of serious offenders where their judgment was difficult...
"Has another mortal entangled in the romantic dramas of the twelve Olympian gods appeared? It’s probably another case of rape or infidelity. Go tell Minos I’m coming."
"Yes, understood! Then I will take my leave..."
As the messenger departed, I turned to Mente.
"If you visit the goddess Lethe, she will help you with your duties. Now I have some urgent matters to attend to..."
"Ah... yes!"
"Thank you... thank you, O king of the underworld..."
"Yes, you were subjected to disgraceful acts by a god due to your outstanding beauty in life, but such things will not happen again."
"Ugh... sniff..."
The beautiful female spirit before me wept sorrowfully.
This spirit had rejected the advances of a lesser god in life but was ultimately raped by him.
However, the problem was that she was a follower of the virgin goddess Artemis, and upon losing her purity, she was cursed by the goddess and committed suicide...
That strict Artemis is known to be particularly harsh on her followers,
But shouldn’t she show a bit of leniency, considering it wasn’t by the woman’s own will that she lost her purity?
"What’s the next soul, Minos?"
"Yes, this time it’s a woman named Arachne..."
"Arachne? Let her in. Which god is involved?"
"... The documents state that the goddess of wisdom, Athena, personally punished her."
This time it’s the goddess of wisdom?
Athena is a goddess who swore purity by the river Styx, so it wouldn’t be a romantic drama among the gods.
The female spirit, seemingly filled with resentment, slowly entered.
Looking at the documents on the desk... it seemed she was a soul with a mind that retained memories even in the river of forgetfulness.
She must be harboring resentment towards Athena, who killed her.
The soldier who brought her made Arachne bow down.
The female spirit fell to the ground, bowing her head towards me.
"Your name is Arachne? Confess honestly what happened before your death."