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EP.205

The Lion of Olympus. Swift-footed Hermes grumbled to himself as he ventured deeper into the dark forest.

‘What in the world am I doing here?’

The dense foliage was so thick that it blocked out all sunlight.

In the heart of this forest, he had heard tales of a sage who could read the future.

As for whether they were human, divine, or something entirely different—who knew?

No one knew anything about this mysterious figure, but one intriguing rumor circulated.

This being was said to be able to read the future.

‘Is it true that the wise Odin heard the sage’s prophecy and fell into despair? I wonder if that’s actually the case.’

When it came to Odin, he was said to possess all the wisdom under the sky, the most sagacious of the gods.

With the eyes of two ravens, he was believed to observe the world and understand everything, yet he wouldn’t be in despair over the words of such a dubious figure, would he?

Hermes himself had encountered Odin for work once, and that single eye, filled with unfathomable wisdom, was an all-seeing gaze.

‘Well, I’m crafty enough myself. But the fact that such rumors are floating around is the real problem.’

Gods should be beings whom humans look up to.

Gods should be entities that guide humans.

Gods should reign above humans.

Humans exist for the sake of the gods.

For such superior gods to fall into despair… Hermes shook his head.

It must surely be the gods who love to embellish rumors.

With no great expectations, Hermes headed towards the little stone house deep in the forest where the sage was said to dwell.

On behalf of Zeus, the King of Olympus, to ascertain the truth of the rumors.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“Welcome. Messenger of Olympus.”

The ramshackle stone house looked like it had been hastily pieced together.

In the barren center, devoid of any sense of home, there it was.

A being that exuded absolutely no life.

Draped in thick fabric, this figure concealed its own appearance.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

“You are… no, are you the sage of the deep forest?”

“Yes. It’s an exalted title, but that’s what everyone calls me.”

The sage of the deep forest bowed slightly.

“What… exactly are you?”

Hermes looked at the being in front of him with suspicion.

That was not a living creature. It radiated no vitality whatsoever.

Yet it possessed a self. It thought, spoke, and moved on its own.

A contradictory existence. A being that seemed not of this world.

Even as a messenger of Olympus, having traveled the world, Hermes had never encountered anything like this.

Perhaps the most similar he could think of was Talos, the guardian deity at the entrance to the underworld.

But Talos was a being that couldn’t speak. It was merely a moving puppet that executed commands.

It didn’t move like this, with a self.

“I am I. Nothing else can explain it. I have merely transformed after knowing the unknown, hearing the unheard, and seeing the unseen.”

Listening to the sage’s ambiguous words, Hermes frowned slightly.

No, what was important now wasn’t the identity of this sage.

“Right. Whatever you are doesn’t matter to me. What’s important is whether the rumor is true.”

“Yes. I understand. I know why you’ve come. And what answer you seek. What I must say.”

“Then speak. Is the rumor true?”

In a hasty voice, Hermes pressed for an answer, and the sage nodded slightly.

“Yes. The age of the gods will come to an end.”

“Why is that? The sky god of the past merely mediated the conflicts among the gods. The current state, where various gods hold their domains, seemed more stable, didn’t it?”

The sage shook his head.

“On the surface, it may seem stable. But that’s not what’s important.”

“Then what is?”

“The king of the gods. The mere presence of a king acknowledged by the world is what matters.”

The king of the gods, Baal, who had simply occupied the divine throne while shuffling the other gods around.

Even if he vanished, the world would remain unchanged.

“What’s so significant about that?”

“The king of the gods is proof that the gods exist and a shield that protects them.”

“Protect them? From what?”

“From life.”

The sage spoke in a hushed tone.

“Gods cannot exist without belief. If there are no believers, they cannot exist. However, the gods have grown increasingly arrogant. They’ve become self-absorbed and have started to place everything beneath them.”

The sage paused for a moment to catch his breath before continuing.

“That is why life contemplated. How can a lowly god, who relies on life to exist, not respect it?”

“Are you talking about the Goddess of Life?”

The sage nodded.

“Life is one of the gods that can exist by itself, unlike other gods. In fact, it could be said that she was the one who gave birth to life in this world, akin to the very beginning of existence.”

“The Goddess of Life…?”

Hermes recalled the deity who was always holed up in the Temple of Life, listening to the prayers of other beings.

A god who didn’t meet other gods at all, only listening to prayers. An inorganic deity.

Rumor had it that she had suddenly locked herself away about 300 years ago.

Once the most powerful deity of belief in the world.

“The Goddess of Life… she’s just a fading deity now, isn’t she?”

“That can’t be the case. As long as there is life in this world, even if life were to disappear, even if the world were to perish, she would still be looking down upon it.”

Hermes dismissed the sage’s words.

That couldn’t be true. A god who merely listened to human prayers couldn’t possibly be such a powerful being.

“Do you not know that the current Goddess of Life is merely a mere avatar of the ancient Goddess of Life?”

“An… avatar of a god?”

“It seems you didn’t know. How unfortunate.”

The sage shook his head, genuinely expressing sympathy.

“Then… the rumor that the age of the gods is ending…”

“Yes. Life is preparing a list of gods, deciding who should be spared, who should perish, and who should be cast out from their divine positions… Well, by now, it’s likely already done.”

The sage spoke with an unsettling calmness.

In contrast, Hermes began to sweat profusely.

“Y-you’re lying, right? You’re just making this up.”

“Think what you like. Whether you choose to believe it or consider it a lie is up to you. But there is one thing that’s certain…”

The sage spoke in a low voice.

“The six ancient gods, who could be termed as the children of life, have already begun to distance themselves from the other gods.”

At those words, Hermes was left speechless.

He had an inkling of what the sage meant.

The light god and the wind god, who had been close to Olympus… had recently stopped visiting altogether.

Especially the wind god, who used to enjoy racing with him. Hadn’t shown up for months now.

And the news of other ancient gods had also ceased to reach the Divine Hall.

The fact that the sage’s words were true…

“If that’s really the case… how can we thwart the will of the Goddess of Life?”

“You cannot thwart it.”

“What?”

“It’s already too late. Unless Baal returns, her will cannot be bent. Not unless the king of gods she promised to return does.”

“Then… if all the gods unite to take down the Goddess of Life…”

“Do you truly believe that?”

Hermes couldn’t muster any reply to the sage’s question.

He had only heard tales.

That in ancient times, all humans revered the Goddess of Life, the Mother of Life as a deity.

The god of all gods. If such a being existed, it would be the Goddess of Life.

Though she was said to have faded now, what if that wasn’t true? What if she merely withdrew herself with an avatar and remained silent?

What if, when the time came, she decided to execute all the gods?

Could the gods stop her?

Could they stop a deity capable of raising ancient gods with powers beyond their own?

Cold sweat trickled down Hermes’ back.

Impossible.

The Goddess of Life held dominion over all life in this world.

Even with the number of gods endlessly increasing, even among those with similar powers, none appeared that equaled her.

Only she had command over all life.

If she wished, collecting the lives of those who believed in other gods would be as easy as flipping a hand.

Thus, they could not fight her.

Engaging her would be akin to committing divine suicide.

 

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