The Hero's Death (3): 'The Sin of Monopolizing a God?'
At Yanluo's words, Ceres, standing beside him, made a dissatisfied face.
"No, it's annoying that she monopolized the goddess for decades... but are you really going to count that as a sin? If the goddess finds out, she'll chew you out big time."
"She needs to become more aware of her position," Yanluo said softly. His face was hidden behind veils, so his expression remained unseen.
"The one who should rule over this entire world, the master of this realm... staying by a single human's side for a lifetime—do you know how great a loss that is to this world?"
Yanluo gazed down at the hero with endlessly cold eyes.
"The time she spent by the hero's side as the Dragon Priestess. Consider how much work she should have done during those decades... Wasting her time like that is a grave sin, wouldn't you agree? Of course, she handled things remotely, but the volume of work she could accomplish directly versus indirectly is worlds apart."
"No, but instead of blaming the hero for that, wouldn't it be faster to just tell the goddess directly? Huh? If she finds out you're pinning a crime on an innocent soul like this, she'll get seriously mad! Especially since it's a human soul she cherishes! An innocent soul! A crime! This is wrongful accusation! Wrongful accusation!!"
Ceres refused to agree with Yanluo.
"That's why, I oppose it! Oppose! I don't want to slap extra crimes on a hero who's worked for the world! Oppose! Absolutely oppose!"
Ceres shrieked like a banshee.
"And for sure! The goddess will find out later! I don't even want to imagine the aftermath!!! If you're going to get buried in a grave, do it alone! Don't drag the other gods into it!!!"
"I'm in favor. Ceres opposes. What say you, Thanatos?" Yanluo turned his attention to Thanatos, who had been silently observing.
"......"
Thanatos looked at the hero. What thoughts lay within that pitch-black shadow?
"I..."
Thus, Thanatos's taciturn mouth opened.
"I agree that the Life Goddess needs to recognize her own position."
"What?! Even Thanatos?! You two old fogeys are ganging up on him!!!"
"However, I oppose turning that into a crime and pinning it on the hero."
Thanatos's words held both approval and opposition.
"Uh... so which side are you on?"
"If there's a problem, tell the goddess directly. Don't foist it on an innocent human."
"But it seems unlikely the goddess would readily listen to us."
"Even so, this won't do. We can't fabricate an innocent crime."
Thanatos said quietly.
"Then that's one in favor, two against! Right!"
Ceres spoke in a slightly upbeat voice, and Yanluo nodded faintly before replying.
"Hmm... seems that way. However, without such an extreme measure, I doubt the goddess would take notice."
"Even so, this is going too far. No matter how important delivering the message is, you can't do that to a human the goddess cherishes! Absolutely oppose!"
Yanluo sighed as he watched Ceres throw a childish tantrum.
"Very well. I'll withdraw my stance."
"Yeah. That's right. Looks like the goddess made the underworld a triumvirate to prevent stuff like this!!"
"Perhaps she just liked the number three."
The hero could only blankly watch the three gods' conversation.
In that short time... did I just go back and forth to hell?
"Hmm. Forgive us, lad. Yanluo is usually mild-mannered, but he gets radical when it comes to the Life Goddess."
"Honestly, is there any god who doesn't admire the Life Goddess? Especially the old-generation dragon-derived gods—many regained bodies and ascended to godhood thanks to her grace."
Ceres grumbled as she skewered the faint form clinging to the scales with the tip of her greatsword and returned it to the hero.
"Now, let's render judgment. Hero Johanan. Not guilty. To paradise."
Yanluo slammed the end of the bamboo scroll in his hand onto the table with a thwack!.
Light poured down from above the hero's head, and his soul began to slowly rise.
"Farewell, hero."
"Tell the goddess that the hero nearly got convicted because she didn't work properly while by his side."
"Ah, no! Don't say that! If you do, she'll definitely come storming back to overturn it!"
The light pouring from above enveloped his feet, and the hero's vision filled with brilliance.
"Alright, where were we...?"
"Page 54. The underworld gods section."
"Ah, thanks, class rep."
The bespectacled teacher checked the page, picked up the chalk, and began writing on the blackboard.
"You all know there are more than a few gods of the underworld, but today we'll discuss the three with the greatest authority."
Thanatos. Moros. And Ceres.
The names of the three divinities known as the triumvirate of the underworld were written on the blackboard.
"There are various reasons for the underworld's triumvirate, but the biggest is... to ensure fair judgments."
A triangle formed between Thanatos, Moros, and Ceres, with lines connecting them and their names at the vertices.
"Gods who handle the souls of the dead—their importance is immeasurable. If they went rogue arbitrarily, the damage would be incalculable. The creator of the underworld considered this and established the triumvirate—that's the prevailing view."
Brackets appeared at the ends of the lines pointing toward each other, turning them into double-headed arrows.
"They check each other to prevent erroneous decisions. We don't know who made the underworld, but it must have been a profoundly wise being."
"Isn't the creator's identity known?"
The teacher nodded at the student's question.
"Scholars and historians have investigated endlessly... but it's unknown. Even the oldest text on the underworld, Notes on the Afterlife, doesn't record who created it."
"Couldn't it be the three underworld gods?"
"There are theories like that, but they lack persuasiveness. The Life Goddess, seen as their superior, is more likely..."
"That goddess again? She must've made the whole world."
"The theology textbook's summary and interpretations of her deeds fill a whole separate book..."
"We'll explode memorizing all that!"
The teacher nodded in agreement with the students' grumbles.
"Frankly, it's a bit much. That's why some academics quietly suggest that numerous gods from that era were conquered and subsumed under the Life Goddess's name. Her pilgrims were famous from ancient times, backed by ample force. And... otherwise, her feats are too numerous to explain."
"Is it okay to say that? What does the Life Church say?"
"Of course not. So keep this classroom talk secret. Teacher doesn't want to be dragged off by the Life Church's inquisitors either."
A sleepy-looking girl watching the class scene merely let out a small yawn.
And so, the dazzling light faded.
"This place..."
The hero beheld a familiar landscape. The small mountain village where he'd lived until just before his death. The village where he'd married his wife and spent peaceful days. That very scenery unfolded before his eyes.
And there.
"You've come."
A silver-haired girl stood with a playful smile on her lips. The Dragon Priestess.
"Good thing the completion wasn't delayed. If it had been, we wouldn't have this reunion."
No—his revered big sis stood before him.
"I'm glad to see you again, big sis."
"Mm. Welcome to paradise, hero."
"Still calling me hero? Even after I'm dead? When will you call me Johanan?"
"Once a hero, always a hero."
She chuckled merrily.
"Ahem. As the first soul to reach paradise, I've prepared a little gift for you."
"Huh? A gift? What gift out of the blue...?"
"Close your eyes first. Can't give it if you're peeking."
At big sis's words, the hero tilted his head in confusion but closed his eyes.
And after a moment.
"There. Open your eyes."
The hero slowly opened his eyes.
And.
"Honey...?"
Standing before the hero was his wife.