Chapter 25
"Kyaaah!.. Ha... Haah..."
Pharona, the priestess of Hades' temple, woke up screaming.
The pain in her head from the knowledge being injected, the strange energy felt in her body.
She hurriedly drank the water placed beside her and began to organize the memories she had received.
First, what her lord Hades wanted from her was the revival and expansion of influence of the temple.
Ultimately, he wanted her to help find monsters called... Gigantes.
For a moment, she recalled the appearance of the Gigantes monsters and shuddered at their horrific form.
Snake lower body and human upper body with a large build, man-eating monsters.
"Ugh..."
And surprisingly, the blessings she received from Hades were quite numerous.
Just like Apollo's priestess at the Delphi temple prophesies in ecstasy,
and how female hunters receive Artemis's hunting protection through their vow to maintain virginity.
She too could now exert some of her god's power.
The blessing of wealth that brings fortune even when doing nothing, the ability to communicate with some souls.
And the dark, chilling energy felt when she slightly raised her hand.
'I was already envious of Goddess Hecate's priests, but...'
Hecate, the goddess of magic.
For humans to use magic, they must become priests or followers of Goddess Hecate.
Only then can they receive knowledge about magic and handle mysterious powers.
Despite serving a high divine status as one of the Big Three, she hadn't been given any abilities until now.
If her god, who seemed uninterested in the world of the living, was doing this much, could these Gigantes monsters be very dangerous?
'Lord Hades... Honestly, I'm a bit scared...'
Lastly, she was appointed as the high priestess of Hades, the lord of the underworld.
'This responsibility seems too much for me...'
Pharona's shoulders drooped as she made a sad face.
Still, as she had some faith as Hades' priestess, she was steeling her resolve when...
A visitor arrived.
A young attendant in splendid and neat attire, seemingly from the royal family.
"Are you the priestess of Hade... no, God Pluto? The rightful ruler of Thebes, King Polydoros, summons you."
***
The current ruler of Thebes, descendant of the great hero Cadmus who founded Thebes.
King Polydoros held his head as he saw Hades' priestess approaching.
As the priestess of Hades paid her respects to the king, he slowly opened his mouth.
"Last night in a dream, someone calling himself God Morpheus said that if I revive Pluto's temple, the country will prosper..."
This is clearly a divine oracle.
An oracle is when a divine being conveys their will or warning to humans,
prophesies the fate of special humans, or sometimes when humans ask gods for information.
"And he also told me to talk with Pluto's priestess."
As if it wasn't enough that Olympian gods were involved in the death of Pentheus, who was the king of Thebes before him...
Are the gods interfering with Thebes again?
Pentheus met his death as a consequence of persecuting the followers of Dionysus, a newly born god of the Twelve Olympians.
While God Dionysus was the god of wine and madness, Hades was...
"So, did he say what punishment Pluto would inflict if I don't follow the oracle? Will he take all the people of Thebes to the underworld?"
King Polydoros looked at the priestess before him with eyes showing a bit of fear and displeasure.
Never before had words from the mouth of a beautiful priestess in black clothes felt so frightening.
To this question, the priestess answered calmly, though she seemed a bit flustered.
"Lord Hades... only spoke of benefits, and said he would not inflict any punishment."
"He said he won't inflict any punishment?"
All gods are capricious, self-centered, and arrogant.
At least, that's what Polydoros thought.
Anyone who had the same experience as him would think this way.
The mistake made by Pentheus, who was the king before him.
Just because he imposed a small restriction on Dionysus's followers who were disturbing Thebes before...
"Aaaaah! Mother, it's me! Pentheus!"
"A boar! It's a boar! Kill it!!!"
"It's a boar disturbing Dionysus's festival! Kill it!!!"
"Aaaaaargh!!!"
To make a king of a country, and by the hands of his own mother who had fallen into madness.
It was truly a horrific incident, and since then, everyone was careful not to go against the gods' will.
Like how thieves never enter Hades' temple,
or how no one dares to flirt with the beautiful priestess before him.
So King Polydoros asked once again.
"Tell me honestly without lying, I'm planning to follow God Pluto's will anyway."
"That is... it's true. He said he would bestow blessings of wealth on Thebes as the number of followers increases..."
The god ruling the underworld is more merciful than the god of wine?
Is he showing mercy in this world because everyone becomes his subject when they die anyway?
Or perhaps, when he interferes with the world of the living, does he only act as the god of wealth?
After all, Hades is also the owner of all treasures beneath the ground...
In any case, the god's will must be followed, and the probability of disadvantage to Thebes is low.
Although it depends on Pluto's mercy... we might receive some divine protection.
Having quickly calculated, King Polydoros showed his agreement.
"Well, I understand for now. Then, is there anything I can help with?"
"First, in the name of the royal family..."
***
The cold, dark, pitch-black, and fearsome underworld.
I was watching the events unfolding in Thebes from here.
"They say if you pray to Pluto's statue, you'll receive blessings of wealth?"
"That's officially announced by the royal family, there's a widespread rumor that His Majesty received an oracle."
"Huh... Is Pluto now protecting our Thebes?"
"Not to that extent, it seems. But he brings wealth to his followers..."
I infused power into my statue made of marble inside the only temple in Thebes.
So that followers who pray there sincerely can receive a slight blessing of wealth.
"I picked up a drachma from the ground as I was coming out after praying at the temple."
"Pluto's other name is quite frightening, but..."
"I hope Ares won't be angry if we go there?"
"I wonder if we'll be dragged to the underworld for offering disrespectful prayers?"
People gradually started to increase at my temple, standing alone on the outskirts of Thebes.
At first, mainly merchants wanting to receive wealth blessings visited,
but as the royal announcement spread and word of mouth circulated, visits from ordinary citizens out of curiosity also increased.
The frequency of offerings occasionally coming up from the world of the living increased,
and followers who felt the effects of the wealth blessing brought in other citizens.
"Pluto, please make my trade journey to Athens go well."
"I'm going into the mine this time, could you possibly tell me where gold veins are buried..."
Most were for wealth.
Of course, this was what I aimed for.
Although the name Hades is an object of fear, the alias Pluto is the god of wealth preferred by all.
If humans avoid it, I can just act under a different name aspect in the world of the living.
"Lord Hades, ruler of the underworld... I wonder if my parents who passed away last year are doing well..."
"My friend wasn't such a good person, but I beg for your mercy..."
Occasionally, there were followers seeking not the god of wealth, but the lord of the underworld.
Usually humans who were near death or whose close ones had received a visit from Thanatos.
Their prayers were more desperate than those calling on Pluto.
Sometimes, hearing the prayers of those truly desperate, I had Morpheus let them meet the dead in dreams.
Of course, this only happened under the strict supervision of Morpheus or Hypnos, and humans forgot most of the content when they woke up from the dream, but...
"Please...! Please let me see my mother just one more time!"
"Sob... To think I would hear father's last words in a dream... I'm so glad he's doing well there."
The number of people coming to my temple wanting to meet their loved ones again increased.
Even if they pray so sadly, it's only once per person... Don't get soft-hearted, okay.
From this time, a strange rumor spread among humans.
If you want to see your dead family just once more, go to Pluto's temple…
***
The underworld, Hades' office.
I was satisfied seeing the temple's influence growing day by day.
If the temple's influence grows like this, we might be able to quickly obtain information about the Gigantes...
If necessary, I could even descend into the priestess's body.
If someone comes to pray saying their acquaintance was killed by a half-human half-snake monster near Thebes,
that would be a trace of the Gigantes.
The priestess Pharona is doing well too, so now we just need the Gigantes to get caught in the information network I've spread in the world of the living...
"Hades."
When I turned to look, it was Lethe, the goddess with long silver hair.
She was approaching with her lips pursed. What's displeasing her now...!
"Hades, I hear you've been growing your temple in Thebes lately?"
"That's right, but..."
Disappointment flashes across Lethe's blank eyes, staring into space.
Could she be sad about not having her own temple?
"Then why isn't my statue next to yours...?"
Sometimes married gods are enshrined together in one temple, but...
We're not married, are we?
Lethe slightly opens her mouth and looks at my face.
The words softly escaping from her delicate lips are...
"I... want to be by your side too..."
If you look at me like a small animal drenched in rain... it's not good for my heart.