Chapter 45
Some time had passed since the two goddesses, Styx and Lethe, got off the chariot.
Whoosh-
The ghost horses' legs moved busily, galloping across the land.
The sound of chariot wheels and horse hooves echoed across the vast grasslands on the outskirts of Mount Etna.
Of course, humans wouldn't know, as the appearance and sound were blocked.
"Kyahaha!"
"Throw it this way!"
Despite being a dangerous mountain where Typhon's body was sealed,
Thanks to the beautiful scenery, many nymphs could be seen with just a slight turn of the head.
Nearby, a forest spread out, and a small stream with clear water could be seen.
Just the kind of natural landscape where many fairies would likely live.
Naturally, my expression softened and my mind became peaceful.
It's certainly a better change of pace than looking at papyrus scrolls in the office every day.
I briefly made the chariot and ghost horses disappear and approached the mountain while further suppressing my power.
If my presence were to envelop this area, it might stimulate the buried body and cause an earthquake.
Whoosh-
Black divine power slowly scanned the mountain, checking on the state of the being buried beneath.
Hmm. Typhon's body is still there as it should be. All quiet.
As I was about to return to the place where I parted with the two goddesses, someone called out to me from between the trees.
The presence of a female nymph who had been glancing this way for a while.
"Hey, handsome! If you're bored, come play with me!"
A nymph with striking light blue-green hair approached me, gesturing.
A cool, clear aura. Is she one of the Naiades, water nymphs?
But it seems she already has a suitor, though unwanted...
"Menthe! What's so good about a guy like that? Why won't you talk to me?"
"No, I said I don't want to! Go away!"
A male centaur ran up from behind the nymph and roughly grabbed her hand.
I thought they knew each other since he had been hovering around the nymph for a while, but it seems to be a one-sided courtship.
"Shut up! Just come with me!"
"Kyaa! Get away!"
The centaur, seemingly angry, roughly pulled the nymph into his arms.
Soon, a crime all too common in Greece would occur.
This is how the mortal world always is, so it's nothing surprising.
"Hey! What are you looking at! This woman is mine... Gack!"
"Kyaa!... Haa..."
Unable to bear the truly disgusting sight, I killed him with my aura.
The violent centaur who was trying to drag the nymph away just moments ago collapsed, foaming at the mouth as his heart stopped.
"Eek...!"
The nymph met my eyes and trembled in fear, tears flowing.
Seeing her hastily putting on her half-stripped clothes, I couldn't help but sigh.
"...Don't worry, I'm not interested in you."
"Are you... perhaps a god from somewhere?"
"Yes, and you should stay with other nymphs. There are many guys like him around."
Centaurs, with human upper bodies but beast lower bodies... are even more instinct-driven than humans. More violent, faithful to their primal desires. Beasts.
Of course, there are exceptions like the wise Chiron, but...
Anyway, I've finished my business here.
As I was about to leave, I noticed a scent from her that I'd smelled somewhere before.
An incredibly... very long-ago refreshing coolness.
Around the time Athena was born? When we overthrew Father Kronos and took control of the world?
No. Even before that, a smell I'd encountered in my previous life...
A truly nostalgic scent.
The nymph, having fully put on her half-fallen clothes, expressed her gratitude to me.
"Thank you so much. If you see nymphs around here, tell them you're Menthe's benefactor..."
Men... No, this is surely..
"What did you say your name was?"
"I'm called Menthe?"
Menthe. Minthe... Mint?
The mint in mint chocolate?
"You're a water nymph, a Naiad... but are you growing plants that emit a refreshing scent?"
"Huh? How did you know?"
***
"This way, my lord."
When I showed interest in the plant, Menthe told me to follow her.
Following her into the forest, I saw plants growing beside a stream.
"It's this. It just changed like this when I infused my power into an ordinary plant..."
Small leaves, a new species I hadn't seen in the mortal world before.
This plant is indeed...
"Mint... peppermint."
"Pardon?"
Ignoring the puzzled Menthe, I put the plant in my mouth and chewed.
A refreshing coolness spread in my mouth.
A nostalgic sensation I hadn't felt in a very long time.
"You said your name was Menthe. I am Hades, god of the underworld."
"What...? Lord Hades..?!"
"Yes, as a reward for reviving memories I had forgotten, I'll grant you one wish."
I didn't make the foolish mistake of swearing by the River Styx.
I intend to grant a reasonable wish within my capabilities.
Of course, the range of "reasonable" is quite broad.
Hearing my words, Menthe was greatly surprised, then became flustered and waved her hands.
Her face repeatedly turned bright red, then back to normal.
"Th-then maybe... ugh.. no... Right, who am I to..."
"You can think it over slowly before answering."
"Th-then! Please spend a little time with me!"
....Is that really your wish?
With a face flushed red, she barely managed to express her modest and small desire.
"Was it too presumptuous after all..?! Uh.. I'm sorry.."
"That much is simple. And I'd like to reward you even more..."
As a spirit and fairy of nature, she probably doesn't need blessings of wealth,
And she doesn't seem to have any grand desires...
Ah! I have a good idea.
I can bestow upon her the honor that everyone desires.
"In addition, I'll make that plant you created, mint, my symbol."
"Wh-what..?! Th-that?! It's too much..."
Too much? It's a reward for awakening memories from my previous life.
The reward doesn't end here.
"From now on, mint will always grow in my temples, and I'll widely inform humans that you are its creator. Foods made with mint will spread throughout the world..."
"Uuugh..."
Menthe could no longer speak, only opening and closing her mouth.
Her face, covered by both hands, turned as red as Hephaestus's flames.
Next, I was about to grant her desired reward, a brief walk...
When I sensed the presence of approaching goddesses nearby.
Lady Lethe and... Lady Styx?
"Ah, Hades! You were here... Huh?"
"We've been looking for you... But who's that..."
The approaching goddesses alternately looked at Menthe's bright red face and me.
Their faces gradually hardened. Divine power emanated ominously.
Sensing the goddesses' divine power, Menthe looked at me and them...
"Th-this power... G-goddesses? Th-then maybe! I-I'm sorry!!!"
As if she had realized something, she ran away immediately.
No, if you run away like that, what am I supposed to do?
Should I have stopped her from fleeing and asked for help in explaining?
My heart aches at the glares of the two goddesses as they gradually approach.
"So Hades was just another male god after all.."
"Coming out with us and then another woman... They keep increasing..."
"...What you're thinking right now is absolutely not the case."
***
A few days after that incident,
At the greatly prosperous Temple of Hades in Thebes.
The high priest, who had been praying with closed eyes, suddenly stood up in surprise.
Then, ringing a bell placed beside him, a clear bell sound echoed through the temple.
"Lord Hades has bestowed an oracle! All priests, please gather!"
"An oracle?! What kind of message this time..."
"The Lord Hades has bestowed his symbol!"
Black divine power swirled in the center of the temple as Hades' gift arrived.
Hades, having barely cleared up the misunderstanding with the two goddesses, sent a lot of mint to his temple.
The priests' eyes filled with confusion as they saw the mountain of mint leaves and seeds.
"This is... a plant I've never seen before.. The scent is incredibly strong."
"There must be a reason Lord Hades sent this to us..."
"It says he named it 'mint' after a nymph called Menthe who created this plant..."
"That nymph must have done something of great merit."
After pondering for a while, one of the priests spoke up.
It was Penedeia, the next high priest candidate who had been directly possessed by Hades.
"Could it be that Lord Hades is being considerate of the deceased and their bereaved families?"
"Considerate of the deceased...?"
"If we use this strongly scented mint in funerals to reduce the odor of corpses, wouldn't it ease the minds of both the deceased and their families a little?"
"Ah! Is it similar to the coins given to the ferryman Charon?!"
The others finally seemed to understand.
"Indeed! No one would want their family members to emit a foul odor after death..."
"To make the final journey a little more..."
"No wonder he sent a plant with such a refreshing scent. Oh, merciful god..."
The priests offered prayers to the merciful god who cares for mortals more than anyone.
It was a moment when their existing faith grew even stronger.
After that, in Thebes, a culture developed where
mint, the symbol of the merciful god Pluto, was placed between the clothes of corpses during funerals.
"They say the mint leaves are Lord Pluto's mercy?"
"It's said to be a solution for the stench of decaying bodies."
"The god of the underworld is truly merciful..."
"That nymph Menthe must be amazing too."
And a certain god in the underworld felt a strange sensation of growing stronger...
"Has another temple of mine been built in the mortal world besides Thebes?"