Pact with the Goddess
Hecate.
She is commonly known as the Goddess of Magic.
In truth, the domains under her charge are considerable. That is what happens when countless myths and traditions tangle together over time.
Sorcery, magic, the moon, the night, shadows, doors, crossroads and thresholds, souls—and more.
Her influence is woven through all of them, and she can exert no small power over the three great realms of earth, sea, and sky.
That is how formidable a goddess she is.
Even Zeus cannot lay a hand on her lightly.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
And yet that goddess was a gloomy shut-in?
With her hair hanging over her face like this, no less?
I could hardly picture it.
"I, uh, well…"
How was I supposed to put this? I hesitated for a moment.
If I told her I had figured out who she was, would that make her suspicious?
"Did you figure something out? About me?"
But Hecate only looked up at me with sparkling eyes.
The way she was acting, it felt like I was out for a stroll with a little niece in tow.
I found myself reflecting on the fact that I had ever entertained lewd thoughts about Hecate.
What kind of thoughts was I having about a pure goddess like this…
"You're not thinking anything indecent, are you?"
Never mind.
This woman was an ancient Greek goddess after all.
The way she asked so bluntly suited this world perfectly.
"I'm not."
"Then what is it?"
"You're Hecate, aren't you?"
The eyes of the girl who had been walking beside me, clutching my hand tightly, went wide.
Then a bright, sunny smile slowly bloomed across her parted lips.
"I knew it! You really do have something incredible! To recognize me at a glance!"
The sight of her clinging to my leg with that gloomy face was more than enough to draw every stare on the street.
The murmuring grew louder.
"Wh-whoa—?"
I peeled her off by force, grabbed her hand in a hurry, and ducked into an alley.
"Keep it down! Everyone can hear you!"
"No they can't! Nobody heard my name!"
"How would you know?"
"I put a spell on it!"
Well. Nothing I could say to that.
I was starting to wonder if I had made a fuss over nothing.
"Even so, drawing people's attention is a bad idea!"
"Why?"
"Well…"
What was I supposed to tell her?
That Zeus was after my ass?
That I might get taken by that bastard?
Ah, damn it. No matter how much Hecate ranked among the highest gods, right now she looked like a little girl to me.
I wanted to protect that innocence and childlike purity of hers.
"It's just…"
"Is Zeus after you for sex?"
Oh, for fuck's sake.
So the inside was an old hag after all.
"He's after my rear end."
"I can protect you from that!"
Hecate raised both fists and her eyes sparkled. The look she fixed on me was overflowing with pure curiosity.
"In exchange, let me study your power!"
Uh… wasn't this dangerous?
No—thinking about it again, this was a golden opportunity.
I didn't understand this Status Window of mine all that well either. Even the five passives I currently had had only revealed themselves one by one when I needed them.
But if I could get Hecate's help and figure the whole thing out properly…!
Zeus!
I would be one step closer to receiving the blessings of countless other goddesses in full and cutting Zeus down.
Besides, hadn't the Status Window's own skill already spelled it out?
I was the Nemesis of Olympus.
"All right."
I accepted on the spot.
Hecate's face lit up with pure delight.
"R-really? I'm so happy!"
I smiled faintly.
She seemed to have no idea what I was really thinking.
"Of course. Then shall we head to your place together?"
Hecate nodded vigorously.
"Yeah! Okay!"
And so I set off for the home of the Goddess of Magic.
Hecate's house looked exactly like a classic witch's cottage. A bubbling cauldron sat amid shelves crammed with every kind of magical elixir and reagent.
The sight of her tiny self grunting as she dragged a ladder around to pull down thick tomes was genuinely adorable.
"Is that form your true body?"
I asked from the guest table, sipping tea. Hecate came down the ladder with an armload of books and answered.
"Hnn…! I-I like this form better. It's comfortable. So… Kyaaaaah!"
Oh no. I shot up from my seat and ran to her.
The books toppled in a cascade, and Hecate's body went airborne.
Whoosh!
I caught her small frame cleanly and pulled her into my arms. Hecate looked up at me, breathing hard.
Her face was turning red.
"P-put me down, human!"
"It's Homeron."
I gently helped her get both feet back on the ground.
Hecate clearly did not care for my hands under her arms, but she had no choice, so she stayed still.
"I am not a child!"
And yet she talked like one?
Granted, she had lived for thousands of years.
"Of course not."
"I mean it!"
"Yes, yes."
"Y-you…!"
Hecate seethed. She chewed her lip, then clenched both fists tight.
"Then watch this!"
And her body began to transform.
Her chest swelled full and heavy, rising into a generous curve.
Then her body shrank right back down again.
"Hweh?"
Hecate looked herself over from every angle. Then her face crumpled.
"I-I've been like this for too long. I don't think I can go back."
Hecate's original power has been sealed.
Conquest difficulty has been lowered from High to Medium.
So that was why the difficulty was Medium.
This would make things considerably easier.
"Let's not worry about that for now."
I kept my true thoughts buried behind a shameless face and helped her pick up the books.
At last Hecate huffed and puffed her way into the chair across from me and began spreading various tomes open.
"I have many questions about your ability. Will you tell me as much as you can?"
I propped my chin on my hand and nodded.
"Yes, I can."
"Good! Then go on—tell me!"
"When I have sex with a goddess, I receive her blessing."
Hecate wore a blank look for a moment, as if she could not quite process what she had just heard.
Then her mouth slowly fell open.
Her face went scarlet, and she panicked.
"Wh-wh-wh-what?!"
"I'm serious."
I spoke with a straight face.
"Having sex grants me blessings and makes me stronger. That's also how I recognized you at once, Lady Hecate."
Hecate fidgeted.
"W-with whom exactly did you h-have sex?!"
"Aphrodite."
Hecate smacked her forehead.
"That pervert!"
Ah. Just as I thought.
Even among the ancient Greek gods, she was notorious as a complete slut.
"And there's one more, but I can't tell you about her."
Hecate's eyes flew wide as she glared at me.
"And why not?!"
"I made a promise."
I answered flatly.
"That I wouldn't reveal it if I could help it, at least until the wedding. On the River Styx…"
I let the words trail off.
I had never actually sworn that oath.
I deliberately held back, just in case saying it wrong would count as swearing it right now.
But even that much was enough for Hecate to fill in the rest herself.
"I-I see. Then it can't be helped."
The Styx, after all.
Even that absolute degenerate Zeus had to take a step back at the sound of that name.
"So what do you plan to do?"
"For now, I intend to stay in Odysseia and build my reputation as a hero."
I laid out my purpose.
There was no need to hide anything in front of Hecate.
Hecate, Goddess of Magic and Crossroads, has taken a liking to you.
And the feeling was mutual.
With Hestia, I had gone completely mad and taken her outright.
With Aphrodite, she had come to me first.
This time, I meant to take it slow and steady.
That her petite, slender build was not really my type was a fairly large factor as well.
"I'll build my fame, and whenever I get the chance to meet other goddesses, I plan to collect more blessings."
Hecate traced her lips with a finger as she studied me.
"Do you want my help?"
"I'd be grateful if you would."
I bowed my head.
"I want to grow strong enough to escape Zeus's grasp."
What I really wanted was to kill him.
But saying that carelessly might bring trouble down on her, so I held back.
"That much, I can help with!"
Hecate grinned as she spoke.
I lifted my head.
"Really?"
Even if she had taken a liking to me, I had expected her to refuse at first.
This was a surprise.
"I don't like Zeus either! He screwed my friend Rhea and my aunt Gaia!"
Ah, shit.
Zeus, you insane bastard.
He even did his own mother and grandmother?
No, wait a second.
I was in a quasi mother-son relationship with Hestia myself, wasn't I?
I had no room to talk.
"Rhea I can still understand! But because he had sex with Gaia, the Gigantomachia happened!"
Hecate filled me in on the details.
Zeus had made a pass at Gaia, and Gaia had demanded the Titans be freed in return.
But once he had thoroughly conquered her in bed, Zeus washed his hands of the whole thing.
Enraged, Gaia had personally attacked Olympus.
That was the true story of this world's Gigantomachia.
"And after her defeat, Gaia was sealed just like that! She's probably still furious!"
Hecate planted her hands on her hips and puffed herself up. I propped my chin on my hand with a look of pure disbelief.
Zeus, you absolute lunatic.
No matter how you looked at it, this bastard was a once-in-a-generation maniac.
"Then where is she?"
I asked carefully.
"Where Lady Gaia is sealed."
If I could gain her power, it would be a tremendous help in dealing with Zeus.
"She's sealed inside a goddess!"
Hecate said it with a bright, sunny smile.
I raised one eyebrow.
"Excuse me?"
"So that Zeus couldn't act freely…!"
Thump.
Hecate spread a book open in front of me.
It was an illustration of a two-faced goddess, each face looking in the opposite direction.
"He jammed her straight into one of the goddesses' bodies!"
Was this guy actually insane?