Chapter 252 God’s ‘Mercy’

Time passed by, and in the blink of an eye, several months passed.

The weather is getting colder and the situation in the Kingdom of Eleusis is getting more difficult, but this does not affect Demeter in the palace, and her life remains the same.

Although there was not much food left, King Kelius did not reduce the meals for Moir even if he cut his own expenses, so the goddess did not notice any special changes at all.

In this case, she didn't need to worry about anything. Demeter just followed her own rhythm, anointing the little prince with holy food during the day, and then burning him with sacrificial fire at night.

The flames burned away Demophon's original blood and bones, and the vitality brought by the holy food allowed new ones to continue to grow. The goddess's ceremony went very smoothly, except that it made her a little tired, there was nothing wrong with it.

The same was true on this day. The prince fell asleep bathed in the flames without feeling any pain. Beside him, Demeter was concentrating on baptizing his body.

The night was dark, and the palace was completely silent. Only the crackling sound of the sacrificial fire could be heard throughout the house. Everything was the same as before.

Until a certain moment, a knocking sound came from near the door.

"Dong dong——"

"Dong dong dong——"

"Moir, are you there?"

There was a slight knock on the door, but it was very clear in the quiet room.

That was the voice of Queen Murtanella. Her tone was a little nervous and a little anxious, but she still didn't speak loudly.

She hoped to get some response, but after a while, there was still no other sound in the room.

Demeter, whose mind had already been placed in the little prince's body, did not notice the visitor at all. She just continued her work. Most of the flesh, flesh and bones have been replaced, and there is not much left.

And the target of today's sacrificial fire was Demophon's still pink cheeks. The goddess's fingers gently traced his face, and mysterious changes followed.

From now on, the power of the world will no longer be able to harm him. Even the influence of divine power will be greatly reduced, and he will no longer be able to kill him easily.

…

Outside the house, Murtanella was hesitant and worried.

There was a bright light in the wooden house in front of me, which proved that the people living here were probably not asleep yet. But there was no feedback to her about her call.

The queen did not know the identity of the person in the house, or in other words, even if it was her husband, King Kelius only guessed about Moir's identity. However, as the most powerful warrior in Eleusis, it must be extraordinary to be able to prevent him from noticing strange existences, so he repeatedly told everyone in the palace not to disturb each other easily.

Her husband's warning finally made Murtanella realize that Demeter was different, so logically speaking, she should not disturb this mysterious existence in the middle of the night, but today was an exception.

Not long ago, the queen woke up from her sleep and suddenly missed her child. She went to the room where Demophon usually stayed to visit her youngest son, whom she had not seen for a long time, but it was obvious that there was nothing there.

Just like every night for the past few months, the goddess had taken him away, leaving only the small wooden bed.

Metanera was a little flustered for a moment. She didn't know where Demophon was now. But she soon remembered that her child was left in the care of the mysterious guest by her husband.

So when the queen who hurried over saw the still bright fire in the house, she felt a little relieved.

Maybe he was just brought to his room by Moir. After all, it was impossible for outsiders to break into the palace, and they didn't have any enemies outside... But despite this, Moirtanella still knocked on the door. .

Just confirm it, or apologize seriously later... The queen thought, so she stood in front of the door and knocked on the wooden door again.

"Dong dong——"

"Dong dong dong——"

"Moir, are you there?"

"..."

"...Moir? Is Demophon here with you?"

However, there was no response, and it was as if there was no one in the room.

"...Moir, if you are here, if it is inconvenient for me to come in, then please respond."

Murtanella asked again, but there was still no reply in the room. Apart from the sound of the wind, only the sound of the burning fire could be faintly heard in the night sky.

After asking several more times, the queen hesitated for a long time without responding. The longing for her youngest son finally took over, and with the sound of the wooden shaft turning, the queen pushed the door open.

She walked into the house carefully and looked at the scene inside. Almost immediately, she spotted Demeter standing in front of the stove.

"Huh - Moir, so you are here."

He breathed a sigh of relief, as long as he didn't fall asleep yet. So Murtanella took a few steps forward and asked with a smile:

"Moir, why didn't you respond to me just now? I thought -"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"……ah!!!"

In the city of Eleusis under the starlight, a sharp scream pierced the quiet palace, and almost the next moment, the lights everywhere were lit one after another.

The guards woke up one after another, and the few who were still on patrol set off immediately. They didn't know what had happened, but the queen seemed to be in danger. Deep in the palace, hearing his wife's shrill and desperate voice, Kleus also stood up from the table. The powerful warrior subconsciously drew his bronze sword, but the next moment, he froze in place.

The king, who had already touched the edge of legend, easily judged that the source of the sound was in the palace, or even not far away. And that place was where the existence that seemed to be a god lived.

In an instant, all kinds of emotions flashed through his heart. He wanted to draw his sword and move forward regardless of everything, but all kinds of old rumors emerged one by one.

Kleus didn't know why everything turned out like this, and why the queen provoked that mysterious existence, but if it was really a god, then the consequence of angering her might be the destruction of the entire city-state.

The king began to hesitate, and he felt like he was carrying a heavy burden. As the son of the first founder of the city, Kleus, who followed his father to open up the new city, actually didn't care much about his life or death. But if his death was not only useless, but would cause a greater disaster, the courage to draw the sword suddenly retreated from his heart.

Moreover, he had two sons and four daughters, which made the king extremely entangled... However, before he could really make a decision, the next moment, a terrible momentum exploded again from the place where the sound came from.

The huge pressure covered the entire palace, stopping the guards patrolling everywhere... Feeling the breath that he could never resist, the king couldn't help but grit his teeth and walked in that direction.

Now, he is the only person in this palace who can still move freely. Kleus walked forward under this terrible oppression. No matter what, he must know what happened... No matter whether the result is good or bad.

…

"Crackle-"

"…"

"Crackle-"

"…"

In the room, the goddess's hand was on the baby's face. The subtle sound of fuel bursting in the fire seemed to keep ringing in her ears, like a melody without rhythm.

But it was always like this, and Demeter had long been accustomed to it. Even vaguely, when she seemed to hear some other sounds, she didn't care much.

It was just a mortal country. No matter what happened to them, it had nothing to do with the goddess. Now for her, completing the baptism of Demophon was the key.

The happy life in the past made her feel that no one would disturb her... It seemed that it would not take long. At most, in a few days, the offspring of this mortal would gain immortality and live with the gods from then on...

"..."

"Crack--"

"..."

"..."

"...Ah!!!"

Suddenly, a sharp cry suddenly came from her ears, and the goddess who was originally concentrating suddenly woke up. The fiery emotion contained in this voice frightened Demeter for a moment, and her subordinates couldn't help but tremble in consciousness, and then the power to protect the little prince also shrank.

Then the next moment, loud cries rang out in the room.

"Wow!"

Even if it was only for a moment, the pain brought by the fire sacrifice still woke the baby from his sleep. He began to cry loudly to express his dissatisfaction, and at the same time, the queen also realized that her child was still alive.

Her eyes widened suddenly, and the queen seemed to have forgotten the deterrence of the flames. She rushed forward and took Demophon out of the fire.

When Metaneira felt the normal skin of the baby in her arms and his loud cry, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, and until this moment, she turned her head to look at Demeter beside her.

The queen had realized that perhaps the other party was not murdering Demophon, but doing something else that she didn't understand.

Maybe this wasn't a bad thing... Thinking of this, she planned to make some excuses for her impulse. But when Metaneira raised her head, she was greeted by a pair of cold and indifferent eyes.

At this moment, the queen felt that the other party was not looking at a person, but at a blade of grass or a stone. She wanted to say something, but the other party spoke first.

"Mortal, do you know what you did?"

After coming back to her senses from the previous shock, Demeter's calm voice sounded in the house.

Opposite her, the queen wanted to explain in a panic:

"... Moir, I didn't mean it, I just..."

"You disturbed my ceremony, mortal... there will be an indelible mark on his face from now on - just like a sinner."

Calmly narrating, at this moment, boundless anger rose from her heart, but this anger was not for the little prince, but from another source.

At this moment, Demeter suddenly realized that she didn't seem to like this child that much. She was a little confused and didn't know why she felt this way, but when she said it, looking at Metaneira's reaction in front of her, the goddess suddenly understood something.

After hearing Demeter's words, the queen showed no disdain on her face. Although she felt a little regretful, she would not change her feelings towards Demophon. But the goddess would not do that.

She liked this child, but she liked a flawless, perfect offspring that she had nurtured. That was a transfer of her longing for her daughter and a reflection of her jealousy towards the son of the goddess of care, Leto.

Also without strong power, and even forced by Hera to have no way to go to heaven or enter the earth, Apollo was so outstanding. In comparison, Demeter could only let her daughter hide from place to place, and even failed to escape in the end.

Just a mortal... Even if he was a prince, what was so special about him to the gods?

He just appeared in front of the goddess of abundance at the right time, and then won her love. But he was never irreplaceable, especially at this moment, this masterpiece that should have been perfect had cracks.

The goddess had not experienced the game of the future, and she would not know how upset and dissatisfied the person who was about to pass the level perfectly would be when facing a low-level mistake. She only knew how much energy she had invested before, and now, how high her desire for destruction was.

"Sorry, Moir, I didn't know you were doing this for him-"

"Enough!"

In front of Demeter, Metaneira wanted to explain, but the goddess didn't want to listen anymore. The queen's voice only made her feel bored. The more she cared for the child, the more the goddess realized that the other party was a mother, and she was not.

So this pretending game ended here... Since it was no longer perfect, there was no need for it to exist.

So the next moment, the holy power that reached the demigod realm spread out and instantly enveloped the entire Eleusis. The lights that had just been lit went out in an instant, and looking at the queen who was crushed to the ground, Demeter's appearance began to change.

Old age retreated and youth reappeared. Wearing gorgeous ornaments on her body, the gods' attire replaced that of mortals. At this moment, the goddess who showed her true body was so dazzling, so noble and inviolable.

However, in the eyes of Chrysos who finally arrived outside the door, the goddess who showed her true face at this moment was so terrible. The pressure from the essence of life made him feel terrified, but the king still stepped forward and tried to calm the other party's anger.

"Your Highness, I--"

"I am Demeter."

The king's voice was interrupted. Looking at the two people in front of him, the goddess' voice was like eternal ice.

"I am the main god of Mount Olympus, the god who controls the growth of all things."

"Foolish mortals... you have made a big mistake."

"I could have given your beloved son immortality, but now he can't escape death!"

Silently, the vitality in the baby's body that was originally used to fight against the sacrificial fire suddenly boiled up. It was originally a treasure that mortals dreamed of, which could make the old return to youth and the dying recover from their injuries. But now, its power is like a deadly poison, taking Demophon's life in an instant.

The baby's cry stopped abruptly, and the queen, who was originally pressed to the ground, opened her eyes suddenly. She put her cheek in front of her young son, but now, the other party was already lifeless.

"No--!"

A shrill voice sounded again in the palace, but this time, the goddess didn't even look at her.

The gift to Demophon was only due to her own thought, so it should naturally end with one thought. So she looked at the king outside the door and quietly waited for his reaction.

Facing Demeter's gaze, Chrysos clenched his hands fiercely. His wife's reaction made him realize something, and he even put his hand on the long sword at his waist, but in the end, the king put his hand down.

He knelt on one knee, right beside the queen. Then, with a slightly trembling tone, he expressed to the god in front of him that he had no second thoughts.

"... Thank you for your gift, goddess, if this is your decision, then this is his best fate."

"Very good."

Nodding, when the anger was vented, Demeter's emotions gradually calmed down. Looking at the king in front of her, she was not unable to feel the other party's pain and resentment, but the goddess didn't care.

Not every mortal is as powerful as the man who swung the sword at the Son of God on the day of the flood... Moreover, even if that human was, he was only facing a demigod, and a being like Triton, even if he was not good at fighting, could be easily wiped out by the goddess.

So at this moment, Demeter felt a little pity in her heart - she had just caused the result herself, and now she felt sorry for it. This seemed very contradictory, but it was not contradictory.

The human heart is always so complicated, and the gods of Chaos are no different from humans in this regard. Standing in the house, Demeter thought of a lot of things, including the scene when she was warmly welcomed by the king's daughters when she first came to the city, the scene when she saw Demophon for the first time and was amused by an old servant in the palace with a joke when she thought of her daughter's sadness, and the happy life in Eleusis these days.

Looking at the queen who had fallen to the ground and had long lost her voice in despair, a sense of alms rose from Demeter's heart. In any case, she is just a mortal.

The reason she disturbed me was her ignorance, and now she has paid the price for it.

So looking at the king in front of her, Demeter slowly spoke:

"Your queen disturbed me, the mortal king, but I mercifully pardoned her crime. And now that the sin has ended, your merits should not be erased."

"From tomorrow, send your other son here. Although your second son has no chance to be with the gods, I will still give your eldest son the glory closest to the gods."

"..."

The blood seemed to turn cold, and Chrysos opened his mouth, but did not say anything for a while.

He didn't know that Demeter didn't plan to do anything this time, or even really planned to give some rewards. He just thought he was going to lose another child. But in the end, the king just bowed his head slightly.

"Your Highness, thank you... Thank you for your gift."

Waving her hand, Demeter turned around. The baptism of the prince was already tiring, and everything that followed made the goddess a little tired.

So she walked into the house and said to the two people behind her lightly:

"That's it for today... I'm tired, you can leave."

"... Yes, Your Highness."

The king responded in a low voice, pulled up his wife who was beside him and quietly left the room.

He wanted to bury his child... Even if he came to this world, but only for one spring and autumn.

·······

The underworld.

The Garden of Truth.

Compared with the earth, the core of this underworld has become a little more lively than before.

Over the years, the cold winter in the human world has become more and more severe, and a large number of mortals have died as a result. Because the reproduction of human beings in recent years has been so fast and so fierce, most of the human beings actually do not have much faith in God.

Therefore, according to the agreement between the gods on earth, a large number of human corpses came to the underworld. The losses caused by Gaia were quickly made up, and even more.

At this moment, in the palace of Hades, Hades sat quietly on his throne, enjoying the rare delicacies in the desolate underworld, and beside him, Persephone was also sitting there.

Demeter's worries were justified. Her daughter inherited her beauty and was even better than her. However, at this moment, contrary to the expectations of many gods, this goddess who had been in the underworld for more than a hundred years did not mean to be forced at all, or to be more precise, she was in a good mood.

And the reason for her good mood was naturally the cold winter on earth that affected the world.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Hades on the throne let out a light exclamation. He put down the cup in his hand and looked up.

However, he could not see through the ground, he just vaguely sensed something, that was a new dead person without faith... But what surprised Hades was that the breath was definitely not from a god, but it was probably not like a mortal either.

Beside him, Persephone was not surprised by this. She just tasted a fruit casually, and then asked:

"Why, is there another powerful mortal who died?"

"Then go ahead, I have no interest in carrying a corpse."