[The Demon Who Blasphemed the Gods]
These days, the names most frequently on the lips of the Athenian citizens are, naturally, Theseus and Dianes.
Theseus.
To think that the hero of wisdom, who once stood toe-to-toe with the likes of Heracles in the Forest of Heroes, was actually a prince of Athens! For some reason, he had left the Forest of Heroes early, and single-handedly sent the pirate captain Cercyon—who had occupied the sacred Salamis—and his entire crew back to the embrace of Poseidon. He had even earned the glory of exterminating the schools of sharks and whales that plagued the merchant and fishing vessels of Athens.
And then, he returned to Athens with his head held high and revealed to King Aegeus that he was his son. Seeing the sword stained with the blood of his enemies and the sandals worn thin by the sea, King Aegeus was convinced that the man was indeed his child and restored him to his position as prince.
Aegeus, who had remained unmarried since the passing of his former wife, rejoiced that the hero who was named alongside Heracles was his own son. He celebrated his journey and return with a grand festival, and seeing the majesty with which he had traversed the seas—even while hiding his name—he entrusted Theseus with the military command of Athens.
"Now, there is no one in the Aegean who dares to stand against Athens!"
General Berkentos, who had spent his entire life crossing the Aegean with the owl of Athens at his back, declared with certainty.
Never since he first boarded a ship had the Athenian navy been this powerful. Theseus had fully exerted his strategies and military brilliance to strengthen the fleet, and the various new weapons born of his wisdom allowed the Athenian soldiers to send even the corrupted demigods of Poseidon back to their father’s side without shedding a single drop of blood.
"Truly, they are mysterious and admirable things."
An exploding black mace that reminded one of Zeus’s thunderbolt. A shocking green pipe that made the poison of the Hydra across the sea look like a joke. And the mysterious cylinder that Theseus had personally crafted and sent to those he trusted, allowing them to see a thousand miles away as if it were the palm of their hand! It must be that Athena herself had blessed him and breathed wisdom into him!
"Hehehe, there is nothing more useful in this sea than the eyes of Hermes."
Berkentos laughed contentedly, tapping the magical tool of Theseus that was neatly tied to his waist.
"Tell me, General. Was Lord Theseus truly that great?"
"Of course. You must have missed it because you were on land for your daughter’s birth. He leaped into the pirate ship single-handedly and sent all those pirate bastards to Poseidon’s side...!"
That day, Berkentos saw for the first time what a hero truly was. The divine power with which he leaped across the distance between ships—as if Ares himself had manifested! And the majesty with which he sent those wicked pirates to Hades’ side, as if he were cutting down scarecrows! Every Athenian soldier who witnessed that sight could not help but be captivated by the hero named Theseus.
If one who possessed both the wisdom of Athena and the strength of Ares were to become king, Athens would surely cross this sea and unite all of Greece under the name of Athena!
"However, there is a great wall to overcome for that. Do you know what it is?"
"...The whore Atalanta and the magician Dianes, who reigns over her like a god."
Even if they were heroes, the fact that a woman held royal power and used other heroes as her servants—especially the way she destroyed Thespiae, the kingdom of warriors, and mocked Thespios like a lowly gladiator before killing him—made the pious believers of Athens, including Berkentos, view Arcadia with discomfort.
Theseus had said that the reason he was driven out of the Forest of Heroes was precisely because of Dianes’s schemes.
At the hero’s tearful appeal, the generals of Athens shed tears and bowed their heads, swearing that they would liberate Arcadia and restore order.
"And yet... to think that he would shamelessly sail his ship into the sea of Athens, which I, Berkentos, protect, with such foolishness..."
Theseus had said it. The demon named Dianes was a devil of Tartarus who brought only chaos and harm to Greece, and for that very reason, he was one who deceived everyone with a beautiful appearance and dazzling tricks. His magic was so bizarre that it could even turn the pitiful Atalanta into an inhuman monster. Because he performed miracles that deceived even kings and heroes, he hid his true nature behind a beautiful mask, so if one were to see him in the Aegean, they would surely be able to recognize him.
"General. What shall we do? It looks like a ship from Corinth..."
"It doesn't matter. This is the sea of Athens. Once they have entered this sea, they must follow the laws and justice of Athens."
Berkentos, who had already identified the ship with the magical cylinder developed by Theseus, gave a firm command.
"All troops! Show the justice of Athena to the demon who insulted our hero Theseus and mocked the gods with magic!"
-Yes, sir!!
At Berkentos’s roar, the warriors, their discipline sharpened, answered, and the ship increased its speed.
"There is no ship in this Aegean that can defeat an Athenian warship!"
-Whoosh!
-Thump! Thump! Thump!
Every time the sound of the drums urging the rowers made the air tremble, the warriors of Athena marched forward, creating pure white ripples.
Praying only that peace would return to Greece, and that the solemn laws would be established once again!
"You wretch! Demon of Tartarus! Did you come to sprinkle poison in the solemn territorial waters of Athena! Receive the spear of Theseus and the judgment of Berkentos!!"
What is the moment when one can most surely feel the thrill of power?
Is it when even the emperor of ten thousand people cannot pay homage to me and we share a drink at eye level?
Or is it when I surround the headquarters of the righteous sects, the Murim Alliance, and the name of the Heavenly Demon Sect and my own title ring out?
It was neither.
I had truly not known the true taste of power.
Power, by nature, is thrilling when the responsibility belongs to others and the rights belong to me. In my past life, power was power in name only; it was closer to the strength of my martial prowess. No matter how absolute the power was, the responsibility was equally heavy, so I never had the time to properly enjoy it. Because, unlike other rulers, I was too simple-minded and responsible to just chase the sweetness of power without a care.
But this is Greece.
A land of myth where beasts bearing the names of gods run wild!
Therefore, I intended to fully enjoy the sweetness of power this time.
For example.
Should I try brandishing a divine artifact of Athena at a fanatic of Athena who jumped at me to kill me?
"Why are you like this? Keep going. What did you say? Tartarus’s... what did you call it?"
"I, I have committed a mortal sin! O Governor of Athena!"
I don't know how well my face is known, or how Theseus incited the Athenian soldiers. Among the three of us left on the empty deck, the Athenian warships attacked us as fiercely as wolves seeing prey the moment they saw me.
And among them, the guy who looked like a general, Berkentos-something, had been on the verge of sinking the ship entirely, claiming he would avenge Athena’s justice and Theseus’s grudge the moment he saw me. But now, he was bowing his head before me along with his soldiers.
"Ha, I’m speechless."
"Chiron said: The strength of heroes is sometimes divine, but sometimes it is magic. Be careful of their conduct and behavior! My other mentor."
"In that sense, it is not strange that your divine power looks like magic to ordinary people. O originator of the Phesakaines."
"In a word. Doesn't that mean I’m a son of a bitch, a demon?"
"“That is the correct answer.”"
-Hehehehe!
The great hero who seized the opportunity and the Sword Demon of the era just giggled, unbothered by the notoriety of their mentor.
In fact, it was funnier that there was nothing wrong with what they said.
It was true that I had come up to the surface from the abyss of Tartarus, and since my name was the Heavenly Demon—the demon sent by the heavens—the title of demon was not incorrect either.
And I insulted the gods?
That was also true.
The Sun God had been held in my grip and beaten until he was a bloody pulp, and his sister, the Goddess of the Moon, was fawning over me and being trained without even realizing it. There wouldn't be many people more fitting for the name of a demon than this.
But even demons have their differences.
I was a demonic cultivator, and at the same time, as a hero of this Greece, I was the representative of Athena, whom they so revered. Once that status was confirmed, it was understandable that the general and the Athenian soldiers were bowing their heads, and those two troublemakers were giggling.
"Oh, I can't even smack them."
"Oh my god! Jason, my friend. Look at that demon. The way he slanders us for stepping forward to prevent unnecessary blood!"
"Oh! Zeus, my god! To think such a demon is wandering around Greece. It is our sin for not stopping this!"
"Son of a bitches..."
Seeing that they had seized an opportunity, they rushed in and giggled, and curses naturally spilled from my lips at those two eyesores.