Chapter: 205
The Messenger of Olympus. The swift-footed Hermes grumbled inwardly as he made his way through the dark forest.
‘What kind of place is this to live in?’
The trees were so densely packed that the thick greenery obscured all sunlight. In the heart of this expanse, there were tales of a sage who could read the future.
Who or what that being was—whether human, divine, or something altogether different—was a complete mystery.
Though little was known about this enigmatic figure, an intriguing rumor circulated:
This being could predict the future.
“There’s also a rumor that the wise Odin despaired after hearing the sage’s prophecies, but could that really be true?”
Odin, the god said to possess all wisdom beneath the sky, renowned as the most sagacious among the gods. It was said that he watched over the world through the eyes of two crows, understanding all that unfolded. It seemed nonsensical that such an extraordinary being would fall into despair because of some questionable entity’s words.
Even Hermes himself had met Odin for work once, and the singular eye filled with boundless wisdom was one that pierced through everything.
“Well, I’m no slouch in cunning either. But the mere fact that such rumors are swirling is the real problem.”
Gods ought to be revered by humans. They should lead humanity and reign above them. Humans should exist for the gods, not the other way around.
The thought that such superior gods could feel despair left Hermes shaking his head. It must be a case of other gods embellishing the tale for drama.
And so, with lowered expectations, Hermes headed toward the small stone hut deep in the forest where the sage was said to reside. At the behest of Zeus, king of Olympus, to determine the truth of the rumors.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“Welcome, Messenger of Olympus.”
In a shabby stone hut that looked like it was hastily built from piles of rocks, there was—at its center—a being absent of any vitality.
An eerie presence, wrapped in thick cloth, obscured its appearance.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” it said.
“You are… no, are you the sage of the deep forest?”
“Yes. It’s an undeserved title, but it is what all call me.”
The sage of the deep forest gave a small bow.
“What the hell are you?”
Hermes doubted and doubted again the being before him.
That thing did not feel alive. There was no essence of life in it at all.
Yet it possessed self-awareness. It thought, spoke, and moved on its own.
A contradiction, a being that seemed not of this world.
Even Hermes, as a messenger of Olympus, who had roamed the earth, had never encountered anything like it.
Perhaps it was somewhat like Talos, the guardian of the entrance to the underworld, but Talos was merely a lifeless puppet executing commands.
This being, however, moved like a sentient creature.
“I am what I am. There is no other way to explain it. I merely transformed after knowing what cannot be known, hearing what cannot be heard, and seeing what cannot be seen.”
Hermes frowned at the sage’s vague replies.
No, what mattered now wasn’t the sage’s identity.
“Right. Whatever you are, it doesn’t concern me. What’s important is the truth of those rumors.”
“Yes. I understand. I know why you’ve come. What answers you seek, and the words I must speak.”
“Then speak. Is that rumor true?”
With urgency in his voice, Hermes asked, and the sage nodded slightly.
“Yes. The age of the gods will come to an end.”
“Why? The heavenly gods before merely mediated conflicts between the gods. Isn’t the current situation, with each god maintaining their territory, more stable?”
The sage shook their head.
“Outwardly, it may seem stable. But that is not the crux of the matter.”
“Then what is it?”
“The king of the gods. The recognized king of the gods in this world. That position itself is what matters.”
The supposed king of the gods, Baal, merely bogged down with coordinating other gods while sitting on his divine throne. His absence wouldn’t disrupt the world at all. What could possibly be important about that?
“The king of the gods was proof of the gods’ existence, a barrier protecting them.”
“Protecting them? From what?”
“From life.”
The sage uttered softly.
“The existence of a god relies on having believers. Without those who believe, they cannot exist. However, the gods have grown increasingly arrogant. Full of themselves, they began to demean and dominate everything beneath them.”
The sage paused for breath and continued.
“Thus, life began to ponder. How can such a worthless god, who relies on life to exist, show no respect for it?”
“Life? Are you referring to the Goddess of Life?”
The sage nodded.
“Life was one of the few gods capable of existing in her own right, unlike other gods. In fact, she is the very being that birthed life into this world, akin to its origins.”
“The Goddess of Life…?”
Flashes of the goddess who remained confined in the Temple of Life, listening to the prayers of other beings, passed through Hermes’ mind.
A deity who neither met nor engaged with other gods, only listening to prayers. An inorganic god.
Rumor had it she suddenly started shutting herself away in that temple around 300 years ago.
Once the most powerful master of faith in the world.
“The Goddess of Life is… now just a fading god?”
“That cannot be. As long as there is life in this world, even if life disappears or the world perishes, she will still oversee it.”
Hermes refuted the sage’s claims.
That shouldn’t be. A god who doesn’t reign but merely listens to humans’ prayers couldn’t possibly be such a powerful entity.
“Are you not aware that the current Goddess of Life is merely a shard of the long-lost goddess?”
“A shard of the goddess…?”
“You appear to have been unaware. How unfortunate.”
The sage shook their head in genuine pity.
“W-Wait. If the age of the gods is ending…”
“Yes. Life is assembling a list of gods, determining which should survive, which must die, and which should be expelled from their positions… Ah, it’s probably already finished by now.”
The sage spoke with an unsettling calmness and composure, while Hermes started to sweat profusely.
“Th-That’s a lie, right? You must have made that up!”
“Think whatever suits you. You can believe it to be true or think it a lie. However, one thing is certain…”
The sage spoke in a low voice.
“The six Ancient Gods, whom one could call the children of life, have already begun to distance themselves from other gods.”
At those words, Hermes fell silent.
His suspicions regarding the sage began to crystallize.
The Light God and the Wind God, who had close ties to Olympus, had recently not approached Olympus at all.
Particularly the Wind God, who was friendly enough to enjoy racing against him, hadn’t shown up for the last few months.
Various news of the Ancient Gods had ceased coming to the Pantheon.
The truth of the sage’s words dawned upon him.
“I-I need to know… how can we bend the will of the Goddess of Life?”
“You cannot.”
“What?”
“It is already too late. Unless Baal returns, her will cannot be altered. Not until the king of gods she promised comes back.”
“I-If all the gods unite to take down the Goddess of Life…”
“Do you genuinely believe that?”
Hermes was left speechless by the sage’s words.
Although he had only heard it as rumor, there was a saying from long ago.
All humans once venerated the Goddess of Life, the Mother of Life, as their object of faith.
If there were indeed a God of Gods, it would have been the Goddess of Life.
They might say she had faded now, but what if that was not true? What if she merely presented a shard and remained silent?
And when the time came, if she sought to execute the gods, could they stop her?
Could they prevent such a powerful goddess, who could raise Ancient Gods as children, from breaking free?
Cold droplets of sweat trickled down Hermes’ back.
It was impossible.
The Goddess of Life held dominion over all life in this world.
Even as the number of gods snowballed, even with many gods having similar powers, none had emerged like her.
Only she possessed all of life.
If she desired to, reaping all life that worshiped other gods would be as easy as flipping a palm.
Thus, they could not fight her.
To do so would be tantamount to a divine suicide.
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