Chapter 138 – 138. Council of Goddesses (1)
After the destruction of the earth, the seven goddesses who sprouted the seeds of a new humanity and recreated the world in a world where the era of emptiness ended and the end came are as follows.
Juno, the guardian of marriage
Venus, patroness of creation and childbirth
Proserpina, the world of the dead, the guardian deity of the underworld
The series, the guardian deity of grain
Diana, patroness of the hunt and the moon
Minerva, patroness of wisdom and crafts
Vesta, the patron god of homes and temples
In the Arcena continent, seven goddesses gave blessings and took a day, a creation myth that gave a ‘goddess name’ and gathered the days with the ‘goddess name’ to make a week.
On the first day, a man and a woman meet, marry, and start a family.
On the second day, a new life is created through childbirth in the family.
On the third day, new life is given life and destiny.
On the fourth day, the blessing of grain was given to the living beings.
On the fifth day, blessings are bestowed on hunting and livestock.
On the sixth day, the living beings are given wisdom and talents in crafts so that they can enjoy a more abundant life.
In the last days, it is said that she ordered rest in hopes of leading a prosperous family and life.
On Vestadia, the last day of the week, maids, general soldiers, knights, and wizards who hold public office in the kingdom also receive an unconditional one-day vacation, except for the minimum number of people who must remain in the palace and take care of the minimum amount of work.
Because of this, there were many cases where vacationers came to the capital to take a break or spend time with their lovers and families, and the capital’s shopping districts, which welcomed them as guests and did business, were lively every holiday, Vestadia.
‘God, I can’t believe the day will come when I can meet these people in person…’
Even though humans believe in the existence of gods, there will be no one who can think that they can directly receive them.
‘Maybe even the chieftain can receive it?’
[Hey… Concentrate.]
“Oh, sorry.”
Eunhyun, who hastily shook off the miscellaneous thoughts that entered her head, came to the back of Belldandi’s seat and stood still.
The chairs arranged at the round table in the conference room were widely scattered, but when I saw the positions of the seven goddesses sitting separately in an irregular arrangement, I felt intuition that all the chairs were the chairs of gods with their own owners.
Thinking that it would be difficult for her to sit on her own, she stood behind Belldandy, saw Urud and Skuld sitting on either side of Belldandy, and greeted them lightly.
“It’s been a while since I saw you two. It’s the first time I’ve seen you since you gave me the power of an apostle.”
[… Okay.]
[Yes.]
One goddess accepted Eun-hyeon’s greeting with a cold nod, and the other goddess calmly nodded her head, and Eun-hyeon moved her gaze back to the center of her round table.
[Before starting the meeting, the three goddesses of Norn, who are appointed as apostles and human overseers, also participated in this meeting. God who objected, may he raise his hand now.]
With a grave and forceful voice, no goddess raised objections.
[Then, I will declare the beginning of this Genesis Conference. The first agenda is the treatment of the existence of the ‘necromancer’ who played with the souls of mortals. Proserpina, what happened to the beings called ‘necromancers’ and ‘alchemists’ who disturbed the continent?]
The goddess, the wife of the god who manages the ‘underworld’, the place where the souls of the dead gather, stood up from her seat and opened her mouth in response to Juno’s question, who was leading this meeting.
[The two souls have not reached the underworld. It is determined that she did not die after all.]
[Then, there is a possibility that the transcendent ‘Queen of the Dead’ still has those two souls. The possibility that she will eventually be revived cannot be ignored.]
[I’m sorry, but it’s like that. If those souls arrive only in the underworld, they can take river water that annihilates them without a purification process, but… As long as the souls are bound to the underworld, it is impossible for me or my husband to use their hands. Interference with the lower world is really difficult to break through. In the first place, that existence is truly an out-of-standard existence. An existence that intervenes in the underworld and forcibly takes out souls…]
They can’t put restrictions on themselves, but the other side casually interferes with this area and takes what they want.
In many stories, ‘God’ is described as an absolute being who can achieve anything, but in reality, a situation that is very unreasonable is taking place because of the single restriction, ‘God cannot interfere in the underworld.’
Even from the point of view of the gods, Mediah’s existence seemed to be a troublesome problem that they could not really do anything about.
[… I can’t help it at the moment. Anyway, as long as the transcendent is sealed in the Pandemonium with the demons, there won’t be any dangerous situations for the time being.]
[Isn’t it because of that human that the transcendental person manifested in the underworld at least with his mental body in the first place?]
Fundamentally, the reason Mediah appeared in the underworld was because she wanted to reunite with Eunhyeon, which she longed for.
When a goddess pointed out that part, Belldandy stood up from her seat in a fit of rage.
[Diana, how come it’s my child’s fault? My child saved many lives in Arkena, and in this case he tried and tried again to save many humans! Why do I have to listen to that!]
[Hmph, then can you say that that human has nothing to do with the causal relationship in which the transcendent appeared?]
She made an ecstatic expression while looking at Eun-hyun, whispered that she loved her, and left with a promise to meet again. Left.
[If only the Transcendentalist hadn’t invaded, by now the necromancer and alchemist would have been dealt with, and the seeds of beings that would pose a threat to the underworld could have been dealt with and the crisis passed. However, the Transcendentalist broke in, rescued the two humans, and vanished proudly. If only that person hadn’t been there, the situation could have been easily sorted out.]
[No. That’s just a consequential story.]
[… Do you think my opinion is wrong, Minerva?]
Minerva, denying Diana’s words with a twitching eyebrow, nods her head.
[If you look closely at the case, it’s thanks to that child that the necromancer reduced the number of casualties that could have been in the thousands to a few hundred. It is obviously the result of twisting the flow of the original destiny.]
[It doesn’t matter how many thousands or tens of thousands of people die! The biggest problem is that we missed the seeds that were destined to cause the destruction of the underworld!]
To the gods, human lives were not a very important issue.
To them, humans are consumables that maintain and circulate the world, and if necessary, humans can be printed as much as they want, just like the ones who created the world.
The most important thing for such gods is ‘management of the underworld’, and the death of many living beings in the underworld is seen as part of the cycle of the world.
Even though he knew that there was a clear difference in values between humans and gods, Eun-hyeon could not hide his bitter feeling when he heard the story again.
[Do you have any complaints? Human?]
Seeing Eunhyeon’s expression, Diana raised her eyebrows and asked Eunhyeon.
“No. Doesn’t exist.”
[Looking at your expression, you seem to have something to say? If you have something to say, try it.]
“Doesn’t exist.”
Eunhyun said firmly.
[With that expression?]
“Isn’t it a matter that changes just because I say something? Goddess can’t understand my words. I am only human.”
There is no way a goddess could understand human thinking.
The two beings have different births, different roles, and different environments.
[… What?]
“However, I understand what the Goddess is saying. But I don’t agree. It is just that.”
Eunhyeon understands the way the gods think very well.
For 400 years, I have lived by adapting to that way of thinking, killing individual emotions and thoughts, and ‘choosing’ the lives of many people.
But I didn’t think that way was right.
Now I don’t want to understand, and I don’t want to understand.
That’s all, Eun-hyeon was disappointed and resigned at the point where she had already understood the way the gods thought and suffered tediously.
Belldandy couldn’t control his apologetic feelings for making him that way and put on a pitiful expression.
[Right now, human beings are playing with words with me, a rookie… !]
[Stop!]
[Nice… !]
When Juno, who was leading the meeting, roared, Diana bit her lip and glared at Eun-hyeon.
[I respect the achievement of that child who killed the necromancer witch and prevented countless casualties 300 years ago, shortly after our seven goddesses created the continent. This is not a place to hold that child accountable. Diana, refrain from unnecessary words that do not fit the occasion.]
[Nice… Eww! Got it… There…]
With a look of indignation on her face, Diana bit her lip and replied reluctantly.
Even so, she glared at Eun-hyeon, trembling with anger at the thought that he had insulted her.
Eun-hyeon stood calmly while receiving the goddess’s furious gaze, but rather, she laughed at Verdandi’s actions as she grabbed Eun-hyeon’s arm, hid it behind her chair, and protected her from Diana’s gaze.
“Goddess. I’m fine.”
[I’m not okay.]
Eunhyeon was grateful for Belldandy’s actions and nodded his head slightly.
[Let’s move on to the second item. The second item is a reward for that child who is the child of the three Norn goddesses.]
‘What?’
When she suddenly became a topic of conversation herself, Eun-hyeon opened her eyes wide and turned her head to the side of her, and she looked at Belldandi’s expression.
[Whoops.]
I saw the expression of the goddess nodding her head with a happy expression, and looked at the expressions of Urud and Skuld on either side, but unlike Berdandi, the two goddesses did not make any special expressions, and met Eunhyeon and her eyes. He just smiled and nodded his head slightly.
The reaction of the two goddesses was like affirming that ‘You deserve to be rewarded.
[Therefore, I, Juno, propose to bestow the ‘Hammer of Vulcan’ on the ‘Child of the Norn’. A vote of pros and cons will be held, and the three ‘Goddess of the Norn’, who are the supervisors of the apostles, cannot participate in this vote. Do you agree?]
[I agree.]
Voting began with Urd, the eldest of the three goddesses, nodding her head in agreement.
In the conclusion, it was decided that the ‘Hammer of Vulcan’ would be awarded to Eun-hyeon with 5 votes for and 2 votes against.
Of course, one of the two goddesses who objected was Diana, and unlike Diana, who expressed her dissatisfaction with the result of the vote and was angry, the other goddess silently looked at Eun-hyeon and showed no reaction.
[As a result of the vote, a majority of 5 votes will award the hammer of Vulcan to the child of Norn. Does the child have any questions?]
“… Hammer?”
[It must be the first time for a human child to see the arms of the gods.]
Juno got up from her chair at the round table, and she slowly approached Eunhyeon.
When she raises her right hand and shows her palm, white flames begin to float above it.
“This. Ah…”
Without a moment to say anything, she reached out her hand to Eun-hyeon and shoved holy flame into his chest.
Mysteriously, it calms her body, and at the same time makes her feel warm.
Sensing the clear difference between before and after the holy flame came in, Eunhyeon couldn’t hide her mysterious yet puzzled expression.
[Imagine ‘hammer’ in your head. Not just a hammer, but the best hammer that can contain the essence of all your skills as a blacksmith.]
Taking Juno’s advice and putting it into practice, Eun-hyeon held a blacksmith’s hammer with excellent grip in her hand.
“This… Arms of God… Is it?”
[Yes. To be precise, Vulcan’s arms were imprinted directly in the child’s soul. God’s arms don’t have a shape. It’s just made into an appropriate form according to the child’s ability and desire.]
On the contrary, it was said that it would be impossible to fully utilize the god’s weapon if the user, Eunhyeon, lacks the ability and does not have a clear will for what he wants to achieve.
However, not only that, but what is even more surprising is that divine power naturally began to dwell in the body just by carving the god’s armor into the soul.
‘This… Definitely awesome…’
For Eunhyeon, who always borrowed divine power from Belldandy, being able to use her own divine power was the happiest news.
“Thank you.”
Eunhyun bowed her head to express her gratitude not only to Juno, who delivered the god’s weapon, but also to the goddesses who participated in the vote.
[The second agenda has also been completed, so I will conclude the ‘Genesis Conference’ with this.]
As soon as Juno’s declaration was over, the goddesses who had finished their business began to disappear one by one.
[Then, you should finish talking in moderation and go back.]
“All right.”
[… It was nice to meet you after a long time. Still, it seems to be brighter than before, so I feel relieved.]
“… Thank you for your concern.”
Unlike Urd, who was indifferent, Skuld seemed to be deeply troubled that Eunhyeon’s mind was being destroyed like Belldandi.
[I look forward to seeing you again.]
“Yes. Please go in.”
After Urd and Skuld disappeared, Eunhyeon turned her head to Verdandi.
“Goddess. Then me too…”
[Boy.]
“Yes?”
Eunhyeon opened her mouth to say goodbye to Belldandi, but soon she turned her head to the voice of a goddess calling her.
The goddess with long silver hair smiled in her eyes as she waved her hand at Eun-hyeon and greeted her.
[Hi?]
