Chapter 151: The Birth of the Mycenaean Empire (9)
In Dike’s eyes, the deeds Perseus had accumulated throughout his life were clearly visible. An ordinary human might spend an entire lifetime and still fail to amass even a fraction of the immense volume that now enveloped his body.
She carefully extracted just a small portion of them and channeled it into Medusa’s petrifying gaze, which had begun to be overwhelmingly pushed back.
Once again, the violently pulsing light of the petrifying gaze clashed against the white flames—even Dike had found them troublesome—and erupted in a fierce explosion as their powers collided.
KABOOM!
***
When the tremors and roar finally subsided at the battlefield…
The only figure still standing was Perseus, holding Medusa’s head aloft.
WAAAAAAAAAAHH!
Those who had watched the battle with bated breath burst into thunderous cheers.
Aethiops had vanished without a trace, and Perseus stood alone and triumphant—the clearest proof that they had survived.
It was an undeniable, perfect victory for the hero, and that was exactly how it appeared in their eyes.
“Ugh… this might turn into a bigger problem than expected.”
(—…Sigh. Dike revealed herself too hastily, didn’t she? I doubt even Lady Eurynome expected this level of involvement.)
But unlike the cheering crowd, Poseidon, Atropos, and a few others who had reached a high level of power stiffened their expressions.
Setting aside the question of how Aethiops could vanish so completely without a trace…
They clearly sensed a presence deep beneath the sea—exactly where Aethiops had stood moments ago.
Gulp!
Even those who had attained high realms could barely swallow their saliva from the sheer tension, their faces hardening.
Waaah… aaah… ah?
Only then did the cheering crowd finally sense something was wrong and turn their gazes toward the spot everyone else was staring at.
—Interesting. So a god has intervened in a trial meant for humans.
Along with a chilling sensation as though an amorphous, heavy, cold mass had brushed against their skin, they witnessed it.
A colossal eye—surveying the entire world—was gazing down upon Perseus, Dike, and the whole of Aethiopia.
—This is merely an avatar, not my true form. How is it? They say it symbolizes me.
Two enormous pupils, accompanied by pitch-black streams of water so dark not even a single point of light could penetrate, formed hair-like tendrils. Her body shimmered like a galaxy in the cosmos.
Her avatar was clearly visible from every corner of Aethiopia.
Among those on the coast with weaker cultivation, merely looking at her caused them to vomit blood.
Those fleeing instinctively dropped to their knees and bowed their heads.
King Cepheus and his entourage—who had been fleeing in confusion—froze in place, unable to take another step.
Even those who had already escaped to nearby regions with their possessions wet themselves in terror…
The fear felt by the people of Aethiopia upon first encountering her was beyond words.
(—…Was it really possible for her to return in her complete form?)
Among them, the one truly shocked was Atropos, the goddess of fate.
She had never imagined that Eurynome would actually regain her full power.
(—Hehe, don’t worry. I’m still not complete. Besides, you and your sisters have always kept us Protogenoi in check, haven’t you? So not yet.)
Atropos flinched.
She hadn’t expected Lady Eurynome to know she was present here.
And the words “not yet” implied that full recovery was only a matter of time.
(‘Poseidon… what in the world has this man been doing?’)
Atropos couldn’t speak directly while staring through the necklace at Eurynome’s true form gazing back at her.
But she felt a pounding headache at Poseidon’s ever-unpredictable thoughts and actions.
Above all, Poseidon remained utterly calm even after seeing Eurynome nearly restored to full power.
That composure alone was proof he had known something all along.
Now three Protogenoi were clinging to Poseidon.
Until now, only Gaia had been mostly whole; the other two had lost far too much power and were treated merely as strong goddesses to be kept in check…
(‘I need to talk to my sisters again. The balance of the world may have tilted far more than we ever imagined!’)
***
Meanwhile, the next most shocked after Atropos was Dike.
She had never expected Lady Eurynome to personally manifest.
(‘Why would Lady Eurynome intervene in something so trivial?!’)
It was completely beyond expectation.
If Eurynome had truly stepped in, all Dike could do was grab Perseus and flee.
(‘Unless Father or Mother intervenes… everyone here will die. And even saving Perseus and escaping intact is uncertain.’)
The avatar of Eurynome that Dike now faced was overwhelmingly powerful beyond imagination.
Merely meeting her gaze caused Dike’s physical body to tremble uncontrollably.
(—Don’t worry too much, daughter of Zeus. I’m not going to meddle in children’s play at this point.)
At that moment, a voice that seemed to pierce straight through her inner thoughts reached Dike.
(‘Flinch!’)
Dike shuddered under the dissecting gaze, yet at the same time felt relief.
At the very least, it didn’t seem Lady Eurynome had come to harm them.
“Seriously. Then why show up all of a sudden? Just sound the ‘fanfare’ for completing the trial. An adult barging into the children’s playground, honestly.”
Until that sharp, insolent voice rang out from the coast.
All eyes turned toward the source of that abrasive tone.
There stood Njord—arms crossed, one leg crossed over the other.
Crazy bastard!!!
***
He knew every eye was on him.
But right now, Poseidon was thoroughly pissed off.
From Eurynome’s dramatic entrance to Perseus staring at her with sparkling eyes.
None of it pleased him in the slightest.
“Hey now. The so-called Queen of the Sea showing up for something like this is a pretty big problem, don’t you think?”
So he shouted.
A clear signal:
‘Don’t touch what I’ve raised.’
After all, Eurynome already knew he was Poseidon.
(—Hehe… Looks like someone’s quite upset. Should I apologize?)
“…No need. I’ll punish that clueless fool in your place. He simply doesn’t know the extent of Your Divinity’s power.”
At Eurynome’s subtle question, Dike quickly stepped forward and did her best to badmouth Njord. If the goddess grew angry, the child she had chosen might suffer terrible consequences.
—Is that so? Then, Dike, I’d like to ask the child you’ve chosen. What do you think, Perseus?
From the moment Eurynome appeared in her avatar form, Perseus—unlike everyone else—had felt no particular fear.
To his senses, the aura of Njord and the aura of Lady Eurynome were strangely similar.
Moreover, the goddess who had appeared now showed him no hostility whatsoever. If anything, she radiated goodwill.
(‘Probably because I’m Lord Poseidon’s priest. When I officially became a priest, Dictys—no, Father—said I would be loved by all the seas.’)
Back then, Perseus hadn’t fully understood what being “loved by the seas” meant. He had simply interpreted it as being favored by the sea gods.
Because of that, unlike the others, Perseus actually found Eurynome’s appearance comforting.
He was Poseidon’s priest, after all.
Perseus’s inexplicable confidence wasn’t entirely correct, nor entirely wrong—but in the current situation, it fit perfectly.
At the very least, Lady Eurynome held goodwill toward this child whom Poseidon favored.
It stemmed from the ancient mindset of goddesses from an older era: husband and wife are one.
In any case, right now it worked in Perseus’s favor.
“Hm? Well… even so, if you punish Lord Njord, won’t Lord Poseidon get angry? From what I’ve heard, the Neptune family was personally named by Lord Poseidon himself.”
—Hm? Neptune? Pfft… Yes, you might be right. Punishing him could indeed anger Poseidon.
“Yes. And… this might be best kept between us, Lady Goddess, but Lord Njord might actually be one of Lord Poseidon’s illegitimate children.”
—What? Hehehe… That’s quite the interesting piece of news. But are you sure it’s wise to tell me that? What if I get angry like Hera?
“Uh… from what I’ve heard, the sea goddesses aren’t really interested in Lord Poseidon’s illegitimate children born among humans… or is that wrong?”
—Indeed, that’s true. In fact, we sometimes even encourage it. He spends far too much time looking only at us. We think it would be good for him to expand his influence on the surface world the way Zeus does.
“Hm. So Lord Poseidon is surprisingly a devoted husband? I didn’t know that. He’s not very well-known for it.”
—Yes, and that’s exactly the problem. That philanderer Zeus may be a headache for Olympus, but we have our own issues. Because Poseidon acts this way, the other gods can’t live quite like the Olympians either.
“Ah! So that’s why the sea gods’ influence is practically nonexistent on the surface.”
Dike and the others desperately swallowed their astonishment.
Who wouldn’t be stunned to see Lady Eurynome conversing with a boy as if they were grandparent and grandchild?
Moreover, the content of their conversation was divine gossip—the kind that would normally bring severe punishment upon any mortal who overheard.
***
Contrary to the stunned reactions around them…
What interrupted the long conversation between Perseus and Eurynome was a sharp, irritated voice from below.
“Seriously. Doesn’t anyone see the person standing here with aching legs? How long are you planning to chat?”
It was clearly a mutter meant for Eurynome to hear.
Everyone present was once again struck speechless.
He’s completely lost it!!!
(—…Tsk tsk tsk. A grown man with so little patience.)
Contrary to everyone’s expectation that Eurynome would fly into a rage, she showed no anger at all.
Instead, she let out a long sigh—like a wife looking at a childish husband—then turned to Perseus with an apologetic expression.
—I’m sorry, child. It’s been so long since I had such an enjoyable conversation that I lost track of time.
“No, it’s fine. I enjoyed it too. And please don’t be too upset with Lord Njord for acting that way. Despite how he seems, among mages, his character is actually the best.”
—My, my. How did a child like you end up by that man’s side? What a pity. If you were a god, I would have tried to arrange a match with one of my daughters.
“Hehe, thank you for the kind words, but… I’ve already fallen in love at first sight with someone.”
With those words, Perseus looked toward Andromeda, still protected within the rose garden.
Seeing her safe among the roses pierced his heart once more with Eros’s golden arrow.
—Your fated partner? That’s wonderful too. You have rightfully overcome the trial. I, Eurynome, shall personally bless you—and your woman. Consider it the reward for passing the trial.
At Lady Eurynome’s words, a small sea-horse emblem engraved itself on Andromeda’s wrist.
—And Dike, congratulations on your choice. I hope my decision was the right one.
“Thank you. Lady Eurynome’s blessing will be a great strength to Perseus.”
—Already looking out for him? Zeus still doesn’t seem to know yet. In any case, the trial has been completed. We sea gods will also overlook Cassiopeia’s insolent words. And…
WAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!
(—I’ll borrow him for a moment.)
Just as she had appeared, a massive wave surged once more, and Lady Eurynome’s avatar vanished.
But unlike when she arrived empty-handed, this time she dragged one mage along with her…
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!
““Hero Perseus has overcome the goddess’s trial and received her recognition!!!””
Long live!!!
Long live!!!
Long live!!!
No one paid it any mind.
“Sigh… I was planning to have a celebration party with Lord Njord once the trial ended.”
“Hmph! My child. Leave that foolish human be. He went looking for his own death. More importantly—look at all those people. Somehow so many have gathered.”
And Lady Eurynome’s final gift was to gather everyone in Aethiopia in one place and proclaim Perseus’s achievement.
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!
Perseus! Perseus! Perseus! Perseus!
But more important to Perseus than the roaring crowd…
He approached Andromeda, still surrounded by roses. She, too, stepped out from the protective ice garden.
And…
The two shared a kiss.
Beneath the blessing of the gods.
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