The Myth of the Greek Heavenly Demon

There were also the years I spent suffering under the Twelve Demons in that desolate wasteland.
Thanks to the complete recovery from the Nectar, the class wasn’t too tough, but still, being a demigod in a human body, the mental fatigue was significant.

I quickly washed up and raised my energy to dry my body and hair, leaving me feeling fresh.
Wearing light pajamas, meaning just pants, I threw myself onto the bed.

“Whew… good.”

As soon as I lay down on the wide bed, my mind was filled with the images of my sister and the beautiful goddesses I had just met.
Nemesis and Eris.

At the temple of Zeus, it was strongly advised to the orphans to avoid any confrontation or conflict with the gods, or rather, not to encounter them at all, and if we did, to bow our heads and remain silent until the gods passed by.

At the time, I thought, “Oh, since Neri is a nymph, there must be gods too,” and I didn’t take it seriously. However, even as I was casually listening, the bloodline of Nyx was infamous for their extreme notoriety.

Among them, the most dangerous and to be avoided goddess was Eris, the Goddess of Discord and Strife.
Any hero of high renown or powerful god who crossed her path met with bitter ruin.
All the disputes and wars on this land were the divine works of Eris, paired with Ares.
We were told never to utter her name, look at her, or praise her.

Yet, when the time came to meet her in person…
I found her to be more like a playful pink kitten, lazing around and only occasionally getting mischievous when it suited her.
Of course, being an ancient goddess descended from Nyx, whenever she was close, an aura of discord would somewhat cling to me.
But to get so heated and spew fire just for that, my accumulated karma was too pitch black.

“Come to think of it, even if Eris spread discord and started wars, would it have been more chaotic than the Great Demon War?”

First of all, the area difference between Greece and the Central Plains was several times.
On top of that, the Martial Alliance and the orthodox factions, who would charge at me shouting “Catch the demonic warrior! Kill him!” numbered in the hundreds of thousands at a rough estimate.
Even if we mobilized the entire population of the largest polis in Greece today, it would be similar to the Imperial Army’s strength. Meanwhile, I had personally taken down at least a hundred thousand orthodox faction guys.

“…Am I the true God of Discord and Strife?”

I recalled how, according to Gwi Hyun-sa, the number of people involved in our battles was always in the tens of thousands…

“No, let’s not think about it.”

It was starting to make me feel like a crazed warmonger or a bloodthirsty killer.

Anyway, I had come too far to be afraid of that cute little Goddess of Discord and Strife.
Once you got past her initial unlikable phase, she was actually quite endearing.

And then there’s another person.
The upright goddess Nemesis, whom I truly called my elder sister.
Eris was shunned and tabooed by all Greeks because of her nature and deeds, while Nemesis was shunned for a completely different reason—what on earth did the humans do to summon her?
A cold and stern judge, the Guardian of Justice.
For such a goddess to descend herself, it must mean that the crime committed was truly horrific.
In fact, those whom Nemesis targeted were said to have committed such grotesque and insane acts that even a show like ‘I Want to Know That’1 would struggle to reveal them.
And when her pure white Judgement Sword would behead sinners, their bodies would be left unburied, shunned even by corpse-eating creatures, and rejected by Mother Earth.
Their souls then fall into the bottomless pit of Tartarus, suffering eternally.

These two goddesses seemed similar yet were completely opposites.
Although the directions were different, they were all great goddesses who inspired fear and awe among the Greeks and were identified with their divine works themselves.

However, looking back at the time spent with such goddesses, the lesson they gave me was that this body of mine had entered puberty and developed an axe disease.2

“Ugh… No, but still, no. But still, those reactions are a bit…”

Even in Greece, where all sorts of romantic entanglements transcend gender, age, race, and even blood relations.
We had only met for a few days, and the two of them fell for me?

Honestly, if someone else had told me that, I would have told them to get lost because of their excessive self-consciousness.
But Eris blushing as I held her hand, and Nemesis flapping her wings in frustration when she fumbled with the barriers I set up—those images kept planting seeds of doubt in my mind.

“No, but still… they’re gods, not bound by flesh and blood like mortals. And here in Greece, blood ties don’t matter much, do they?”

Gods wouldn’t have DNA, and besides, I also perceived them more as beautiful goddesses than as my blood relatives.
I was secretly delighted by the fact that they held affection for me.

No matter their notorious reputation or divine duties, the two goddesses boasted beauty and distinct charms that even radiated sanctity.
Moreover, the sight of these powerful goddesses, whom others feared and avoided, blushing at my words or gestures, experiencing mixed emotions, filled even this old soul with pride.
As a male, it might be called a sense of conquest or a feeling similar to fulfillment.
Any man in the world would feel good if such beautiful and mysterious women were interested in him.

However, along with the satisfaction as such a man, what filled my mind was bewilderment.

Setting aside why the two were showing such reactions towards me, I was now unexpectedly in a state of having two lovers.

“Should I stop worrying about it right now…?”

Honestly, it wasn’t even certain what the two were feeling, and it was quite funny to be worrying about this and that like a middle schooler in puberty.
With a bitter smile at the slight sense of self-deprecation creeping in, I was about to fall asleep.

-Knock, knock!

“?!”

I heard someone knocking on the balcony door.
Could it be that they came to catch me for having disrespectful thoughts about them? But through the half-open door, I saw a glimpse of white hair.

“Neri?”

“Yes! I’m here!”

Nesneria, the sea nymph with sparkling blue eyes resembling the ocean.
She was a beautiful nymph who always appeared at unpredictable moments, making me smile.
It wasn’t a recent occurrence that Neri popped in like this.
Ever since I started receiving lessons from the three gods, somehow, she managed to break through the forest’s strict security and began visiting me every night.

“No way, you came again? How did you get here?”

The Forest of Nymphs had the strictest security due to the constant illegal intrusions by small heroes.
Even I almost got skewered unexpectedly when I went looking for Neri.
Could it be that this little lady used the skill she took from me to eliminate a few nymphs? The chilling thought passed, but Neri waved her maple leaf-like hand to reassure me.

“Oh~ It’s fine for us to go out. Aunt Chariclo often goes out with Uncle Chiron, right?
Other sisters also go out to the forest and the river at night because it’s boring.”

“Oh, really?”

So, it’s like an open-door policy for them? I suppose it made sense that the nymphs wouldn’t prevent their own from going on nightly adventures. This wasn’t some strict training academy, after all.

“How is it? Isn’t it nice? Aren’t you happy? The beautiful sister of the waves has come to visit you in person. You can boast about it, you know?”

Seeing the little kid proudly lift her head made me chuckle naturally.
Neri’s sudden behavior and her out-of-place arrogance suggested she heard something strange from her sisters again.

“…What did your sisters say this time?”

“Well! They said that when a man is tired, you should hold him tight in bed so he won’t be tired and will feel energized the next day.”

With a “Ta-da!” Neri spread her arms towards me like wings, signaling she wanted a hug.

What exactly do the Sisters of the Thousand Waves want their youngest sister to do?

“Alright, alright. I give up.”

Although, in fact, I’ve never really won.
Am I an easy guy after all?
With such pointless thoughts, I hugged Neri and threw myself onto the bed.
Then I sank deeply into the feather-filled mattress, and Neri laughed gleefully, enjoying it.

“Hehehe…”

“Sigh. I don’t know anymore.”

The time inside the barrier of the three gods flowed much slower than in the real world, so I had grown rapidly in just over a month, quickly taking on the appearance of a young man.
My body, which was originally only slightly larger than Neri’s, had grown to the point where I could easily hold her in my arms as if she were a light little sister.

“Wow… Dia, when did you grow so much? You’re solid!”

Noticing the change anew, Neri rubbed her face against my chest and laughed gleefully.

“That’s what I’m saying. You’re too small.”

“Huh? Small?”

“Yeah, small.”

To me, I looked about twenty, while Neri looked no older than a middle schooler around fourteen or fifteen.
In other words, if you even thought about touching her, it would be a crime.
That’s why I told Ares she was too small to stir my feelings.
Even so, I was always disarmed by the blue eyes that only looked at me and the innocent yet occasionally darkened white face.
To this young and innocent one who followed me here, I couldn’t bear to completely shut her out, and it wasn’t just her who felt affection.
Such close physical contact was a greeting and a sign of affection between Neri and me.

But when I said she was small, Neri somehow looked like she had lost her spirit.

“Uh, so, even though I come to see you every day…”

“Huh?”

Neri stared at me with wide, shocked eyes, then slowly buried her face in my chest.
Because of that, I couldn’t hear exactly what she said, but one thing was certain: this young lady was somehow upset.

“Heeiiiiing!”

Like a woodpecker, she clung to me with her small limbs, repeatedly tapping her forehead against my chest.
Naturally, it didn’t hurt, but I was at a loss as to why she was doing this.

“Calm down, Princess. Doesn’t it hurt?”

“It hurts! You don’t get it!”

For some reason, Neri, who was struggling in a fit of pique, was slowly calmed down, but the Princess of the Sea sulked for a long time and didn’t let me go.

ED/N: A documentary-style program that covers a wide range of topics, including unsolved crimes, social issues, and controversial events in Korea. ↩️

ED/N: 도끼병 (dokki-byeong) used to describe someone who has an exaggerated or unrealistic belief in their attractiveness or charm. ↩️