The Goddess of Mint and Thebes - (2)
"....Ha. Hades-nim?"
Mente called out urgently after seeing my rigidly frozen face, but I couldn't spare her any attention. The Sacred Band? Homosexual love as true love? What in the world was this nonsense? Dionysus wouldn't dare pull something like this, so had this culture arisen naturally? Was it influenced by Zeus bringing Ganymede, the Trojan boy, to Olympus? Or perhaps...
"Wait, I have something to ask."
"Ah. Are you a foreigner, sir?"
I grabbed the arm of a boy running past after briefly revealing myself to the mortals. The child didn't seem flustered despite a man who looked like an outsider speaking to him—clearly, he'd had similar experiences before. It was a good sign that so many people were flocking to Thebes under my rule and bringing prosperity, but first I needed to understand this bizarre situation.
"Yes. It's been a while since I last visited Thebes... What exactly is this Sacred Band?"
"The Sacred Band? Why, it's Thebes' elite unit! It hasn't been long since it was formed."
"That's not what I'm asking... Why was a unit made up of men like that created?"
I tried not to look at the hundreds of men still exchanging affectionate gestures while questioning the boy looking up at me.
"Well, the wise philosophers all said so!"
"Philosophers?"
"Yes! After months of debating love in the public square, they reached the conclusion that [love between men is pure love with the purpose of procreation removed]. Ahem!"
No... what?
"There wasn't any oracle from the gods or some other reason?"
The boy looked at me with a puzzled expression instead.
"No? But the gods would probably approve as well, wouldn't they?"
"This?!"
"It's because Thebes was the first among cities to grasp a part of the truth. The theologians and priests say that even the gods..."
This must be Zeus's influence... Come to think of it, these so-called theologians hadn't existed for long either. They weren't priests, but people who recorded anecdotes about the gods or compiled their genealogies. Even they had reached this conclusion?
"Mente... Let's go somewhere quiet."
"Lord Hades..."
I handed the boy a few drachmas as thanks for answering well and watched him run off happily before clutching my head. Was this the madness of Dionysus as humans perceived it? I should have paid more attention to Thebes. I'd been quite busy lately and hadn't checked on the city, and now this was the result. This was exactly when the gods' power should be used. Once my date with Mente ended, I'd have to appear in the dreams of Thebes' king or high priest and deliver an oracle. Ordering the immediate disbandment of the Sacred Band or threatening to throw homosexuals into Tartarus would cause chaos, so... something with the nuance that "Lord Pluto does not favor homosexuality" should be enough to make them stop on their own.
Stopping my thoughts, I took Mente's right hand as she quietly watched me from the side.
"Ah...!"
"Sorry, Mente. I got lost in thought and left you behind for a moment."
"It's all right. As long as you weren't thinking about the other goddesses, I'm fine!"
"It looks like there's some kind of festival over there. Let's go."
* * *
Holding Mente's hand, I moved in that direction. Without those Sacred... whatever they were in sight, things felt much better. Just as I'd expected, Thebes seemed to be holding some festival today—people were walking around with lively smiles. But what was stuck in the citizens' hair... mint leaves?
"There really are a lot of people because it's festival day... Give me one of those mint leaves too."
"Yes, here you are."
A man who bought a mint leaf from a street vendor tucked it behind his ear. It seemed people wore mint in their hair if they wanted to participate in the festival. Did that mean the festival being held in Thebes right now was for Mente?
"Starting today for three days! We're selling mint oil at a discount! It's great to add to your bath or apply to your body!"
"Does it work better than olive oil?"
"This is the mint perfume that lets you glimpse Elysium right before your eyes. If you buy now..."
"As expected of a city that worships Lord Pluto, they're even holding a mint festival."
"It's strange for a city to serve such a terrifying lord of the underworld..."
"Shh, you'll get scolded if you say that here. Most Thebans are devotees of Lord Pluto, remember?"
"Even the priests at Apollo's temple in distant Lydia acknowledged mint's efficacy..."
"It must mean that Phoebus, the god of medicine, thinks highly of mint leaves as well."
"They say it clears the mind and reduces fever. Besides that..."
All these people were chattering about the symbol I'd chosen and even holding a festival for it. Everyone was praising the gods' grace and expressing gratitude. It was a sight that always warmed my heart and made me feel fulfilled. Mente, who had been following me hand in hand, also had a pleasant smile lingering on her lips.
"Hehe... Lord Hades. The humans really love mint!"
"It's all thanks to you creating it. It was an achievement worthy of becoming a goddess."
Mente looked at me and smiled brightly. Was this refreshing scent coming from her? Or from the nearby humans enjoying the mint festival?
"Um... There's something I'm curious about."
"What is it?"
"Back when we first met. You said you'd make mint your symbol."
"...?"
"Could you tell me what you meant by 'lost memories'? What was it that made you choose the plant I created as your symbol..."
"Right. In exchange for restoring my lost memories, I'll grant you one wish."
Mente stared at me with sparkling eyes. But... even if I told her about that impossibly distant past when I had been a mortal, she probably wouldn't believe it. The reincarnation of mortals was managed by various gods under the underworld's domain. Mente wouldn't know about the various foods made with mint in a world where science had advanced, or how I'd smelled that unique scent every day after meals to keep my mouth clean. So my answer was...
"That mint was a plant I already knew."
"What? But it didn't exist in the world until I happened to create it..."
"A very long time ago, in an era you don't know... there was a plant that always existed by my side, and its name was mint."
Mente's face as she looked at me turned wistful. I didn't know what she was imagining, but I continued speaking.
"When that refreshing and distinctive scent that divides opinions so sharply reached my nose, I knew that what you'd created was that plant."
"Ah..."
"That's why I made mint my symbol."
Mint leaves tucked into the hair of the loudly chattering humans around us. To other gods, it was merely a plant with a unique scent, but to me, it was a medium that evoked old memories. A precious plant that reminded me of a time when I had been mortal, not immortal. That was mint. And Mente, who had created it for me as well...
I brought my hand to Mente's cheek as she gazed at me quietly. She didn't pull away; instead, she leaned into me, and a refreshing scent wafted from her hair.
"I'm always grateful to you, Mente."
"What are you saying... The grace this mere nymph received from Lord Hades..."
"No. You restored memories for me that nothing else could replace."
Power, status, honor... As someone reborn with a powerful divine status, I lacked nothing. Though it was so long ago that I couldn't remember clearly, I felt like I'd struggled to obtain such things in my previous life. That was why what I couldn't obtain now... no, what clearly slipped away like flowing water were the memories of my past life.
"...Sometimes I have unpleasant thoughts. Occasionally... I look down on mortals just like those scoundrel gods I despise."
"Even you, Lord Hades, who is called the god of mercy by humans...?!"
Not just any god, but one of the three chief gods—Zeus, the king of the gods, couldn't treat me carelessly either. Most gods were either younger than me or lower in rank. On top of that, my domain was the underworld that mortals feared most. I was the lord of the underworld who possessed everything: position, wealth, and power. It would be a lie to say no arrogant thoughts ever arose.
"Because I'm not a perfect god... I often fall into arrogance, thinking it's only natural whenever mortals praise and fear me."
"Lord Hades..."
"There were times when, as the great lord of the underworld, I thought I shouldn't tolerate human rudeness and should display my dignity."
"But you're praised as the fairest and most merciful among all the gods."
"That's the result of effort, not my innate nature."
I, who was also called the god of mercy by mortals... Even when punishing Tantalus recently, I'd had to suppress even more horrific punishments that flashed through my mind. The desire to inflict extreme punishment on serious offenders without giving them a chance to explain also existed. Most of those thoughts stemmed from anger toward someone who had killed his own son and turned him into a dish, but there was also a faint anger at the audacity of insignificant humans trying to deceive and insult the gods.
"The lord of the underworld, who should be fairer than anyone, is actually an imperfect god who wavers like this from time to time. Has your illusion of me been slightly broken, Mente?"
"No, no... Not at all. The Lord Hades I know is..."
I grinned at Mente's face. I could see a bit of moisture gathering in her clear turquoise eyes. I reached out to wipe the corners of her eyes and placed my hand on her soft nape. Seeing the goddess's pale skin up close stirred my heart. So I felt the same way she did.
"You're the one who holds me back from time to time."
"M-me?"
"Yes. Whenever I recall the scent of mint while thinking of you... I reflect on my actions."
What held back my perspective on mortals, which gradually wore down with the passage of time, were the memories of being human. In my previous life, it had been an unremarkable scent I'd always smelled, but now as the god of the underworld, mint was the very thing that reminded me that I too had once been mortal.
"And I'm always grateful to you for creating mint, and I think of it as a favor I received."
"Th... then...? Also..."
"...It seems I feel the same way about you."
Mente's face, which had been looking at me pitifully, turned bright red. As I gazed at her face that looked like it would burst if touched, I slowly applied force to the hand holding her nape and pulled her in. Like iron drawn to a magnet, the goddess's face drew closer without resistance. In the intensely minty scent that was almost suffocating... I pressed my lips to hers.
"Hah..."
This sweet and tangy feeling was... definitely a peppermint candy. That's what it was.