NOVEL WEB Chapter 27: Is it too wasteful?
Praise the wise goddess Athena!
If Promise still had the wooden bow he had when he first descended the mountain, rather than having sacrificed it to Queen Hera that night, he wouldn't have hesitated to break it by the river's edge in this sunset to pledge his loyalty to the goddess before him!
But before he could fully revel in his joy,
"Even if you want it, for now, it's just a dream."
Athena still wore that divine... no, demonic smile that teased his heart as she spread her hands and continued, "Because I cannot create such a divine tool.
There is only one god who can."
Hearing this, Promise, slightly taken aback, instantly realized and said, "The god of craftsmanship... Hephaestus?"
Hephaestus, the god of craftsmanship,
He is one of the twelve Olympian gods, the son of Zeus and Hera.
When Promise mentioned Hephaestus's name, Athena wasn't surprised.
After all, Promise was a student of the centaur sage Chiron, and Hephaestus was renowned even among mortals.
She continued smiling, the corners of her mouth lifting even higher as she said to Promise, "Yes, it is Hephaestus. Only he can forge the paintbrush and canvas I mentioned, which can truly bear the images of us gods."
"And fortunately, although he has a temper as volatile as a constantly erupting volcano, he usually responds to the requests of children. But Promise... you are not among them!"
"Why?"
Confused, Promise asked instinctively, as he had never had any interaction with the god of craftsmanship and didn't believe he had done anything to offend him.
At this point, the river goddess Aegina, hesitating for a moment, thoughtfully said, "Could it be because... of Hera?"
Upon hearing this, Athena glanced at her, scaring Aegina into lowering her head quickly, not daring to meet the piercing golden eyes of the goddess of wisdom.
"That's correct." Athena nodded, her smile fading slightly as she explained, "Because Hephaestus despises Hera... to be precise, he probably hates her more than any other god!"
Athena did not elaborate on the reasons, for in ancient Greek times, Hephaestus would undoubtedly hear her words.
While she didn't mind, revealing such secrets to Promise could lead to disaster.
Nevertheless, being a transmigrator familiar with Greek mythology, Promise naturally had his thoughts on the matter.
As he pondered about the god of craftsmanship, Hephaestus, Athena suddenly turned her head and looked at the silent and serene Themis, standing in her white robe.
Athena stepped aside, making way for her.
Themis approached Promise, and as he sensed her presence and instinctively looked up at this dignified yet somewhat alluring goddess, she asked,
"Promise, would you be willing... to accompany me for a while?" Themis asked in her cold, clear voice.
Thus, Promise followed her and left the area.
With their departure, only the river goddess Aegina and Athena remained.
Aegina stood nervously beside Athena.
Then, Athena's golden eyes turned towards the kingdom.
The sun was setting, the night and stars about to replace the twilight. In the last light of the setting sun, the people of the kingdom were still busy and noisy, appearing quite chaotic.
But Athena couldn't help but smile.
Having seen the kingdom at its darkest, she found this scene rather beautiful.
"Very nice, your country," she said.
Upon hearing this, Aegina was stunned for a moment.
She looked up, somewhat surprised, at Athena, probably not expecting her to say such a thing.
Then, following her gaze, she also looked towards her kingdom.
Before long, she too smiled, a blend of happiness and pride evident as she responded to Athena,
"Thank you."
..
"Hmm... By the way, you've fallen in love with that child, haven't you?"
..
This seemingly casual question caused Aegina to freeze completely.
But soon, she relaxed again, for she had never intended to hide anything from the eyes of the wise goddess or the goddess of justice.
"Yes." She nodded, turning her gaze towards the direction where Promise had followed Themis, his figure disappearing in the distance.
"I have fallen in love with that child, but... please forgive me, wise goddess, for in that high tower, he was the only one who reached out to me.
Moreover, I can never forget the scene of him standing before me, and standing before Hera..."
It was like seeing a ray of light piercing through the abyss just as one was about to fall into it.
That night, knowing the boy stood before Hera, pleading for her blessing, not out of ignorance but fully aware of everything, she felt overwhelmed with astonishment and guilt, mixed with deep gratitude and anxiety.
If Themis had not appeared, Aegina's first instinct would have been to push Promise away.
For she did not want him to fall into the abyss with her.
From the beginning, she never believed Hera would truly bestow a blessing.
As Athena looked at her gentle smile, about to speak.
"But rest assured, wise goddess, I do not intend to do anything." Aegina retracted her gaze, looking at Athena with a somewhat forlorn expression, and said with a bitter smile, "Because even though I appear in my most beautiful form before him, his eyes... do not hold my image."
"I understand what you're worried about, that I might harm him, but how could I possibly hurt him?"
Athena's golden eyes quietly observed the candid Aegina for a moment, saying nothing more.
"But... wise goddess, you seem to like that child a lot?"
Looking curiously at Athena, Aegina's courage in asking such a question seemed surprising, but Athena eventually answered, "At first, it was just a small interest."
"You know I love heroes."
Aegina nodded; both Greeks and gods knew Athena's love for heroes.
"So initially, I wasn't very interested in him; he seemed too fragile, like a gust of wind could knock him over."
"Indeed," Aegina agreed, "but precisely because of that, when he stood before me, before the noble Queen Hera, how could I remain unmoved?"
...
"And later, he presented me with a painting, a very beautiful one, which I loved. I intended to grant his wish... do you know what his wish was?"
Athena smiled and, without waiting for Aegina to answer, continued, "He wished to become a hero and... desired a glorious end!"
"...End?" Aegina blinked.
"Yes, to die gloriously," Athena confirmed. "Because it was so intriguing, I agreed... but even then, I still only saw him as an interesting child, not someone worth competing for."
"But this time, due to Themis, everything was disrupted, yet I also saw his demeanor in the courtroom."
"Let me tell you something amusing," Athena's smile grew. "When that child first descended from Chiron's mountain, every time he encountered bandits, he would defeat them and make them swear to proclaim his name to the first hundred people they met."
"...How adorable!" Aegina couldn't help but exclaim.
"Yes, but this same child, who yearns to be a hero and for the land to sing of his existence, gave you all a dream during the trial."
Athena continued, "When the dream ended, people naturally forgot everything."
Hearing this, Aegina was momentarily stunned, then she finally realized and looked at Athena.
By then, Athena had already turned her gaze towards the direction where Promise had left with Themis, and said, "So, for the first time, I wondered...
Is it... too wasteful to just let him go to Hera?"