The Myth of the Greek Heavenly Demon

Even after waking up, I was sitting blankly, wondering what kind of dream that was and if I was sane, almost missing the morning jog time.

-Swaaah…

Looking at the cool, wave-crashing sea under the still dark morning sky, I was hit with the reality of why I was enduring this self-imposed hardship.
Life is ultimately a cycle of overcoming and facing reality, and there I was, just letting it pass, thinking it must be fate.

“Herc.”

“Personally, I’d like you to call me by my real name, but what is it?”

Hercules, who was tying his sandal strap next to me, grumbled something and stood up abruptly.

‘He’s huge, no matter how many times I see him.’

I was quite tall for my age, but Hercules had the build of an adult bodybuilder, fitting for a budding great hero.

“Aren’t you tired?”

“Of what?”

“Life.”

Honestly, the trouble I was having with the crazy twins was nothing compared to what this big guy was dealing with.
He was born as Hercules, but from a fortune-telling perspective, his life path could be seen as one struck by the heavens.

“You say the weirdest things.”

Hercules looked down at me and gave a slight smile, as if my question were nothing significant.

“Since we’re living anyway, how can everything always be good? If a lion attacks, you catch the lion, and if a goddess is angry, you just handle it appropriately and live on.”

Surprised by his seemingly enlightened reaction, I looked at him in astonishment.
Hercules shrugged lightly and continued speaking.

“I didn’t choose to be born with my father’s bloodline, but do you think I had any other choice than the life of Hercules?”

“Um… that’s true.”

Hercules was the quintessential hero.
From lifting mountains with his immense strength to enduring trials from being hated by gods, even if he secluded himself in the depths of a remote valley, a sealed monster would probably emerge from there, and he’d end up capturing it and establishing a dynasty.

“So, there’s nothing else to do but just live with it. If you keep questioning everything like you do, it won’t solve anything and will just make you tired.”

“…Wise words, man.”

When I first saw him, he seemed like a guy whose brain was made of muscles.
But as we talked, I realized he had a very philosophical and logical mindset, unlike what everyone knew.
Well, that’s probably why he’s remembered in mythology not just as a strong fighter but as a great hero.

“I think you understand this too, so why do you ask such things?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’m trying to solve a mystery, not knowing when an orbital strike might come from the sky. I might be having an existential crisis.”

“Stop using that Hyperborean dialect. I don’t understand what you’re saying at all. Also, our short life stories aren’t the important thing here.”

“What?”

“Look over there.”

In the place where Hercules pointed, instead of the collapsed Colosseum, there were students from the Forest of Heroes gathered in groups by the Poseidon Coast, preparing.
Each was tending to their weapons and inspecting their armor, getting ready for the upcoming breakfast rush.

“Tch, we got too excited and rampaged.”

Hercules seemed very displeased as he watched the young heroes, brimming with hope for breakfast, on the wide beach.

“Why is that?”

“What? Are you really asking because you don’t know?”

Hercules was seriously contemplating whether he had heard correctly, but a hidden wickedness lingered on his face.

“With the front so wide open, if those guys run away to avoid me, I can’t catch them all!”

“Do you really have to catch them?”

“Oh, listen carefully to my words, Dianes.”

When I responded incredulously, Hercules cleared his throat and began his speech with a very determined expression.

“As a result of my hard work, after the morning run, no one but me was able to eat breakfast.”

“Oh?”

“As a result, everyone watched me enjoy my breakfast, and then some tried to supplement their meals by helping out in the forest or sneaking into the kitchen to steal food from under the watchful eyes of the nymphs and centaurs.”

“Oh?”

“In other words, our dear comrades faced the tremendous ordeal of me and, craving the delicacy of breakfast, honed their skills or used their wits to secure their morning meal.”

“Is that so?”

“But if it’s such an open coast, even if I’m the son of Zeus and the man destined to be the next great hero, surely someone will sneak out for breakfast.”

“Hmm?”

“If that happens, more and more people will start having breakfast.”

“Uhuh?”

“Then breakfast will no longer be a reward obtained after tremendous trials but just an ordinary meal for anyone to have.”

“I see.”

“In that case, no one will understand the importance of breakfast anymore, and it will just become a routine meal. How disrespectful to Demeter! Moreover, by filling their bellies with lavish bread and wine, they will miss the opportunity to hone themselves!”

How terrifying!

Watching Hercules rehash some sort of passionate and seemingly persuasive speech, I could only express my opinion in one word.

…What the hell is this nonsense?

“Hey, Herc. Weren’t we just having an in-depth discussion about life and hardships five minutes ago? And now you’re suddenly preaching about the importance of breakfast?”

But Hercules, out of nowhere, was spouting some nonsensical argument to me as if we were filming a variety show.

“Ah, breakfast is just that important.”

Feigning ignorance, Hercules flicked his finger at me with a smug look.
Looking at his face, I couldn’t help but ask bluntly.

“So, what’s your real motive?”

“I hate watching others eat breakfast. I’m going to eat alone.”

…
Yeah, right.
No matter how much his body resembled that of a bodybuilder, by modern standards, he was still a kid who had a lot of growing up to do.

“So, Dianes. How about we give them the trials of the morning together? We can eat a hearty breakfast under everyone’s admiration, and they can safely experience an intense battle that money can’t buy, honing their skills in the process.”

“But why are you making this proposal to me?”

“Because if you join them, I might not get to eat breakfast.”

“Oh? That’s surprising. I didn’t expect you to admit it so openly.”

Weren’t Greek heroes supposed to cherish their honor and pride as if it were their life?
Yet, Hercules was surprisingly comfortable discussing himself on equal terms with me.

“Hey, Athena’s teaching emphasizes the owl’s perspective of seeing everything objectively. And if you and I argue, only others will benefit.”

This guy had a surprisingly cold and rational judgment.
Moreover, he even had the generosity to acknowledge his opponent, showing that he was indeed a promising talent with a bright future ahead.
Or maybe he just hated seeing others win so much that his brain was working overtime.

“Oh, by the way, breakfast is on a ration system. It’s served on a first-come, first-served basis.”

In other words, the more people who eat breakfast, the smaller my share would be.

“Sigh…”

So, to sum up this guy’s heroic speech in one word…
He wanted to team up with me to prevent those guys from having breakfast and enjoy it all to ourselves.

In short, it was a really stupid idea.

“Then we should do it right away.”

“As expected, I knew you would understand my feelings!”

Stealing a march on the other fancy guys and eating breakfast alone?
I couldn’t resist such fun.

“Kuhehehe.”

“Kuhehehe.”

I had a restless sleep last night, and it was perfect to loosen up a bit in preparation for the upcoming combat class.

“Then I’ll take the front of the running course, and you block the ones trying to escape.”

Hercules seemed to be thinking of engaging in a straightforward melee fight, as he always did.
But it wasn’t a very suitable idea for hunting in such an open place.

“I have an idea. Listen.”

Hercules bent his massive frame and brought his ear close to me at my gesture.
When I told him the strategy I had in mind, he clapped his hands in satisfaction and nodded.

“As expected, it was a good idea to bring you in.”

“Just out of curiosity, what’s on the menu for breakfast today?”

“Kykeon and lamb salad made by Chariclo’s mother. No matter how much kykeon she makes for us, it’s never enough. It’s that delicious.”

That made me even more eager to win.
As Hercules and I smiled deeply and stood up, the sun slowly began to blaze beyond the coastline.

“…Huh?”

But in the middle of that bright sun, something caught my eye.
For a moment, I thought it was a bird, but somehow I had a feeling it was something else.
Unfortunately, because it was in the direction of the sun, it was hard to enhance my vision to see it properly…

-Whirr!

“Oh? It has this kind of feature too?”

As soon as I turned my qi inward to enhance my vision, the Godly Demonic Qi combined with my qi, strengthened my eyesight as if I were wearing sunglasses.
Thanks to that, despite the strong sunlight, I could observe the strange flying object heading this way with the sun at my back.

“…Damn it.”

Despite the new application of the Godly Demonic Qi, I couldn’t hold back a curse.
It was because a handsome man driving a brightly shining carriage, like the sun, was coming into view.