Chapter 62
"Yes, and the second option is..."
Medusa's gaze turns to my mouth.
"I'll give you the right to choose your own fate from now on."
"What do you mean...?"
"If you wish to remain in the underworld without reincarnating, I'll provide you with the best accommodations. If you want to reincarnate, I'll let you choose everything, including your status."
If she wishes, I'm thinking of adjusting the blessing of forgetfulness too.
But this isn't the end. The truly important thing is...
"Lastly... if you wish, you can become a lesser god belonging to the underworld."
...!!!
Medusa's eyes widen.
But it shouldn't be that surprising... You were already a demigod, and your sisters are already goddesses.
I judged this level of compensation to be the most appropriate for her.
The Minos brothers beside me have calm expressions, probably because I gave them a heads up and discussed it with them,
but Thanatos, who brought the deceased, seems quite bewildered.
"Why are you doing this for me?"
Medusa looks at me with an astonished face.
Her eyes were full of questions.
"Even if you're the god of mercy, the idea of making a monster slain by a hero into a god..."
"You're not a monster. You're just a victim of fate."
I interrupted her words and answered.
"There are many reasons. Although it was because of fate, I was also involved in your death, and I'm the god who rules the underworld, the final destination of mortals..."
Rest for those who suffered misfortune in life.
Punishment for those who committed excessive sins.
That's the responsibility that the king of the underworld, who maintains the world's cycle and balance, should have.
And...
"But the biggest reason is that I've never seen anyone who suffered such great harm by gods as you did."
"...?!"
Because of her beautiful appearance, she was raped by Poseidon, an unstoppable disaster.
Not only did she lose her purity, but she was abandoned by Athena whom she served and turned into a monster.
While trying to live quietly with her sisters on a small island without harming others, she was used as a stepping stone for a hero's feat.
In my personal judgment... even considering Phaethon, Oedipus, Cadmus, and countless humans,
there's probably no one who suffered more harm by gods than her.
"The underworld is a separate world from Olympus... and while I'm not Zeus, I have the authority to promote one lesser god."
"Ah... You truly are the god of mercy."
I was a bit displeased with being called the god of mercy.
How many mischievous gods must there be for simply returning what was received to be called mercy...
But if such words come from her mouth, it wouldn't be bad to be the god of mercy for a moment.
If she finds comfort and relief in that, it's fine.
Like finding a ray of light in a dark cave...
Expectation and hope flicker in Medusa's eyes.
"If I become a god, will I be able to meet my sisters again someday?"
"Living in the mortal world is impossible. But I'll allow you to visit them occasionally."
Her head moved slightly upon hearing my words.
"If I can meet my sisters again... Yes, please make me a god."
Medusa nodded, and I waved my hand.
Black divine power surges towards Medusa in front of me.
Whoosh-
A power beyond mortal comprehension forcibly expands her status.
The demigod's soul is engulfed in black flames, burning, and light bursts forth as if blessing her birth as a new being.
Flash-
I could feel the entire underworld welcoming the birth of a new lesser god.
Since Medusa was originally of Titan blood and had the status of a demigod, the promotion wasn't difficult.
The black flames that enveloped her, who was once mortal, disappear,
revealing a form that can now be called one of the many gods of the underworld.
The clothes her body wore before becoming a deceased soul disappear, returning to the moment of birth.
Her beautiful green hair and soft figure without any sharp edges elicit exclamations from the Minos brothers.
"From now on, you are Medusa, a lesser god belonging to the underworld."
Medusa examines her changed body, clenching and unclenching her fists, and then lets out a scream.
"Kyaaah!"
Medusa, trying to cover her private parts with her hands, blurts out with a deeply blushing face...
"Um... I'm sorry, but could I have some clothes..."
Oops.
***
After sending off Medusa, who has now become a lesser god, I lean back on the throne and Goddess Styx approaches.
The goddess... her outfit is really daring today too.
"Hades. Now that Medusa has become a lesser god, how should we distribute her work?"
"Do you feel sympathy for what she went through?"
"Sigh... Of course. There would hardly be any god who wouldn't feel sorry after hearing her circumstances."
Once one becomes a god, they must fulfill their duties to maintain the world's balance.
But since I made her a god as compensation for what she went through...
"Let's just assign her simple tasks. I didn't make her a god to make her work."
"Yes. I'll do that."
"And please call Menthe for a moment."
Goddess Styx leaves, and soon a haggard-looking Menthe comes to me.
She was holding documents in her hand, probably having been working until just now.
"Lord Hades... Why did you call me?"
"Menthe, I don't know if it's thanks to your efforts, but mint has spread quite a lot in the mortal world. Good job."
"Hehe?! Does that mean..."
She looks at the documents in her hand once and then speaks to me with a bright expression.
No, you don't need to get that close, I can hear your voice well...
"Does this mean I don't have to spread mint in the mortal world anymore?! Please say it is so!"
"Uh... that's right. It's widely known as my symbol now, so you can stop..."
"Waaah! Fi... Finally...!"
Oh dear, she has more work to do though...
But since Menthe looks happy after a long time, I stayed quiet.
A brief feeling of liberation should be fine to enjoy.
"He... hehe... But why did you call me? Could it be a reward, like sightseeing in the mortal world just the two of us..."
"...It's not that, I called you to discuss ways to make mint into food."
"Do I have to spread this method in the mortal world?"
When I nodded, Menthe, who seemed to have regained the energy she had as a nymph just moments ago, shrank rapidly.
A face that's clearly extremely disappointed. Truly the goddess of frustration.
"I hear that Charon is struggling because the mint scent coming from the souls is too strong."
"Yes..."
"So if we make mint into food and have humans eat it, the amount of mint used in funerals will decrease..."
As I explain to her while looking at the parchment, the drooping Menthe looks pitiful.
But this is actually less work... She must have rested comfortably without doing any work when she was a nymph, so it can't be helped.
"If you finish this task well, I'll take you with me when I go on patrol near Mount Etna."
"....!!! Really? Just with me, not with Goddess Styx or Goddess Lethe?"
Did I say something wrong?
Seeing those sparkling eyes... this doesn't feel right.
"Those two goddesses went last time, so probably..."
"You just said you'd go with just me, right?! Hehehe..."
Menthe is... cute, but something's off.
Somehow, she's giving off an Aphrodite-like vibe.
"Alright, for now, start with mint tea and mint leaf dishes for humans..."
"Hehehe.. Yes... hehe..."
I forcibly turned my gaze away from Menthe, whose eyes were becoming increasingly sticky.
Ahem. Ahem. Stop looking at me like that.
***
Now that Perseus has beheaded Medusa, it's time for Kynee I lent him to return to me.
Sure enough, Hermes, the messenger god of Olympus, came to the underworld.
"Uncle Hades, I, Hermes, have come again!"
"Kynee?"
"Ah, here it is. By the way, Perseus was certainly polite."
Polite? Did he show some sincerity for lending him the divine objects?
For now, I took Kynee he held out and placed it next to the throne.
"While returning the borrowed divine objects, he also offered Medusa's head to Sister Athena."
"Hmm. Bring that to the underworld."
"Pardon?"
Hermes looks at me with a strange face and says.
"Um... If you ask for it, Sister Athena will probably give it to you. But may I ask what you plan to use it for..."
"Medusa is now a god belonging to the underworld. It's the body a god left in the mortal world, so we need to retrieve it."
"A god?!"
The messenger god, frozen in place, stammered at me.
"Ah... Uncle...? You made the monster that Perseus beheaded as his great deed into a god..."
"Not a monster, but a poor woman who was raped by Poseidon and became the target of Athena's anger."
"But Father and Sister Athena will probably protest..."
"What do you want me to do? Just bring Medusa's head. Add that if they don't return it, I'll come to get it myself."
"Y-Yes..."
Hermes bowed his waist and returned to Olympus with a troubled expression.
After that, Medusa's head from when she was in the mortal world was returned to its original owner.
The monster's head with numerous snake hairs, eyes closed.
When I handed it over to Medusa, she lowered her head with a slightly disgruntled look.
"...Anyway, that's how I got your head back."
"Umm.. Thank you. Really..."
"Your head... Well. It's your mortal body, so dispose of it as you see fit."
As I was about to turn around after saying that, I felt a hand grabbing my clothes.
"Hmm?"
When I turned around, she hesitated for a moment and then looked at me straight on.
"If you allow it, I would like to widely spread the grace of making a monster who met death into a god to the humans in the mortal world."
"...You can do as you wish with such things. But I too..."
I am also responsible for her death.
If I hadn't lent Kynee, Perseus would have died instead of Medusa.
"But unlike other gods, you apologized."
"......"
"You even made me a god so I could live a new life... I want to spread the word of your grace."
Has she chosen me as her new faith after being abandoned by the goddess she served?
It feels more like a crutch to cover the wounds in her heart rather than faith transformed by grace.
"...I understand."
Nevertheless, I couldn't bring myself to refuse.