Demeter's Love (Chapter 5)
The night the sky shook.
On the edge of the sacred forest where Demeter was staying, bandits suddenly appeared.
They wore dark clothes that hid their entire bodies and black rooster masks that covered their faces. They hadn't believed in the God of Thieves, Hermes, and hadn't offered any tribute, yet they had used one of his symbols on their faces as a mask. It was nothing but hollow worship of the God of Thieves.
These black rooster thieves had no shame and stole from the sacred forest as if it were nothing today. They were trying to steal grapes, bringing in baskets and more and more people to count the numbers. They even brought axes just in case nymphs tried to hurt them, which was extremely vicious and more than enough to earn the hatred of the dryads.
“Oh, is this really the place? I thought it was just a joke.”
“Did you join because you heard the rumor?”
“Well, yeah, but I joined because I was curious whether the rumor was true. But is this really the place?”
“Of course. The grapes cultivated by Demeter and Dionysus. Just think about how sweet and delicious they are. There are tons of people who want to have these right now.”
“I heard that eating these makes old people young again and keeps them healthy.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Mestra, who hired us, is making a huge profit with this right now. She's a woman, but her feet are so wide that she's been running all over the place selling this in just a day. Her fortune is huge.”
“Oh ho, so it's true about the fortune?”
“Everything else is true too. If you can't believe it, just try eating one.”
“Then where…”
The first man from the grape brigade put a whole bunch of grapes in his mouth and chewed roughly. He didn't even separate the seeds; he just ate the grape stems. Saliva poured from his mouth like a waterfall, and snot and spit kept dripping from his nose. There was no point describing how disgusting that looked.
“Uuuuh~! Oh no, what is this?! What is this?!”
“Grapes. Very special grapes grown in the forest where the gods are cultivating them. Now you understand why we're doing this?”
“How can this be… it's impossible…”
Saliva pooled in his mouth and flowed like a waterfall, dirtying his clothes. By the time he realized his whole body was sweating and losing moisture, his rough fingers had become surprisingly clean, like a woman's. He thought it was a miracle and couldn't hold back the goosebumps.
“This… this means we can definitely sell it. No, we can make a huge fortune! But… is it okay to mess with the forest protected by Demeter? I'm scared of getting punished… but why are you all so brave?”
“You're right. Originally, we shouldn't do this, but we've learned something very important.”
“Important?”
“Mestra said recently that the gods don't harm humans. Especially with such loose gods, they just warn with words and end it. There's nothing to fear. Actually, some of us have met Dionysus or someone calling themselves Demeter, and we didn't get any punishment. Worrying about it is pointless.”
“Oh ho, oh ho, with words like that, my heart is at ease!”
This was the perfect spot with no guards. The bandits laughed and slapped the handle of their axes against a tree while threatening, “Come out~! Hurry up~! Ah, do you want to get scolded again?”
“If you hand over the grapes nicely, we'll leave without harming you.”
“If you don't, you'll see blood. Don't make us angry.”
Their threats led them toward a grapevine hidden in the crevice of a tree. The nymphs of the tree (*1) were guarding other nymphs there so they couldn't steal the grapes. The bandits glared angrily and sharpened their axe blades, shouting back in panic.
『We've told you before, this is Demeter's holy ground!』
『Those who come to pray to Demeter don't stop them, but you rude thieves won't get any grapes!』
『Leave this place now!』
『We're done tolerating your plunder!』
Unlike usual, the dryads came out very roughly. The bandits' expressions became sullen. Of course, their faces were covered by the rooster masks, so the dryads didn't know their true feelings. But when they raised their axes high, screams immediately burst out.
“You stupid things stuck to the tree and can't even fall down with your lives! If we showed mercy and just gave you this, we wouldn't kill you, but what are you saying?! Oh ho? Or are you crazy enough to want to die?! Fine, if you want to become mere wood pieces, there's no problem! Sacred forest lumber sells anywhere, so help fill my stomach!”
『Shameless, fearless idiots! Demeter gave you a chance to live! You don't understand her broad forgiveness and boldly came back to threaten us. Severe punishment will surely come!』
“Unfortunately, the god you believe in doesn't harm us! Did you see?! He warned us with words and turned his back on us. It's almost pitiful!”
“Uahahaha~!”
『You bastards!!!!』
Mocking the gods and laughing loudly made the dryads' eyes roll with rage. They immediately tried to snap their necks, but the swung axe made them wave their hands.
“You're funny! Do you think this is the old days?! The era when you nymphs tremble and bow your heads at the sight of us is long gone! The gods don't care for you, and the temples have declined, so what are you afraid of?!”
『Curse you.』
『Die cursed!』
『Receive divine punishment!』
『Trash.』
『You'll definitely be imprisoned in Tartarus!』
『Wait for the afterlife~!』
“Wahahaha~!”
“You only have curses like that? Haha! Tartarus? Good! You said the grape brigade got locked in Tartarus? If the king of the underworld is that narrow-minded, isn't that funny in itself?”
The bandits, who had been laughing even at the nymphs' curses, brought out their axes again. “If you don't hand them over, we'll chop you down this time!” They threatened once more. Finally, the nymphs of the desperate grapevine lowered the branches with grapes on them as an offering.
“Good, good.”
“It would have been better sooner.”
“If you behave, we won't get wild either. Stay quiet!”
Just as the shameless bandits reached out to pick the grapes, something flew in.
“What?!”
Thud thud!
“Sada! A bird! Hee hee, that was a surprise!”
The silver owl descended from the black night sky, mocking the bandits' startled voices.
『You've made a big mistake now!』
『Yes! Big mistake!』
『Hooon~ remember this!』
The dryads laughed cheerfully at its appearance. The fear from earlier disappeared completely. The grapevines also raised their branches. The bandits who tried to harvest grapes were extremely irritated, but the threats no longer worked.
“What?”
“It's just an owl?”
The bandits, tense at the dryads' strange behavior, glared at the silver owl.
『…………』
The owl perched on the highest branch, planted its sharp talons, stood its body upright, shook its head, and focused its eyes. It took a long time to get its vision right, but eventually it glared at the bandits with round eyes and opened its sharp beak.
『I am Glaucus, and listen to my words. This place is the sacred grove of Demeter, the goddess who works tirelessly for you humans every day. Therefore, these grapes were left by Dionysus to praise Demeter's efforts, so they are not yours. You foolishly try to touch the gods' things, so if you value your lives, leave this forest right now and pray to Demeter for forgiveness.』
“Leader! This guy! It's a bird and it can talk?!”
“It's an animal raised by a god from the myths!”
“R-really?!”
『Don't make me say it twice.』
“Ugh?!”
The bandits' spirits sank at the man's bold voice. Here was only nymphs, but suddenly a man's voice came out. It was especially unsettling. Their bonds were weakening, yet one stupid person showed unnecessary courage.
“Don't believe it! I've met a woman who calls herself a god, but she couldn't punish me anyway! This must be some kind of trick. Don't fall for it!”
“That's right.”
“If it were a real god, it would have punished you.”
“This must be a lie too.”
Their bonds were easy to break, but they were also easy to unite. Desire was in their eyes. They knew fleeing now would avoid trouble, yet they didn't back down. Courage and stupidity coexisted.
『You foolish ones. Demeter's mercy is a fact proven even in myths. She gave you, the bandits, a chance to return with her wide heart. How can you not understand her feelings? I've also come to deliver the final warning at her command. Don't let blood flow here so I don't have to tell Demeter the sad story with my own mouth.』
After that final warning, the silver owl waited for the bandits' last decision. But they refused to admit their stupidity and raised their axes toward the owl.
“You bastard, your tongue is expensive!”
『Cluck cluck. Stupid bastard. Putting blades to Demeter's mercy.』
They watched to see whose tongue would be plucked first. The owl flew up and let out a loud cry. The men were confused by the sudden strange behavior and even said the owl had fled, but soon they realized something was wrong.
Tap tap… tap tap…
Swooosh… whoosh…
The footsteps coming from afar were not one or two people, and men's breathing was mixed in.
“Hah!”
Someone swallowed a startled breath, but before he could scream, he died.
“St-stap, sup?!”
Thud!
He turned his head and saw belatedly that his colleague's head had fallen to the ground. He tried to shout loudly, but his own head and body fell even faster.
“Uaaaaaaaah!!!”
Only then did someone shout that they had been attacked, but the head next to him fell right away. Everyone rolled on the ground in panic and tried to run, but huge men surrounded them from all sides.
“Eh, you said there's no one here! You said there's no one here!”
The newcomer who followed this incident spat out words of resentment, but the arrogant leader who had first riled up the gang had already died. His head alone was rolling on the ground. The nymphs weren't satisfied with him dying and came out from the trees, took his head, and began pulling out his tongue.
『Divine punishment! Divine punishment!』
『You evil bastard!』
『Not enough with the tongue, we'll pull out your eyes too!』
Squish squish squish… squish squish squish…
Girls played cruelly with the bloody heads. Their appearance was extremely gruesome. The surviving bandits trembled. In the darkness, Achilles appeared without caring about such things at all and thrust his spear point at the bandits.
“Y-you! Aren't you a human?!”
“Save us!”
She was the one who, along with the Spartoi, had killed people. The bandits didn't realize the situation. They clung to her only because she was human, but she answered with mockery.
“Even though my beloved warned you sincerely that you were dirtying my place, you decided to do it anyway? You threw away your chance and now beg for your lives. Shameless. For defiling Demeter's name, I'll take your lives and collect your debt. If you have any last words, say them now.”
“M-me… I have a wife and children!”
“Me too! Me too! This is my first time!”
“Please spare my life?!”
“Uaaaaaaaah!!!”
No mercy for the bandits' endless pleas. Their heads were cut off one by one and they all died before dawn. The headless bodies were hung around the forest like warning signs, and the neatly cut heads were taken by the nymphs, who played with them by rolling, chopping, or tearing them apart. Their ugly faces didn't appear outside the forest.
*1) Dryads themselves are the nymphs of trees. In myth, the fairies that sprout from oak trees are called dryads. Nymphs living in the forest are generally called hamadryads or dryads. Each tree has its own type, but since it's not an educational dictionary, I won't mention it.