Chapter 38

[Hera. Look at this. My name is listed in the “Gods’ Appearance World Cup Round of 64” that’s trending in the human world right now.]

[Wow. My husband is amazing! So cool!]

[But why am I listed as a goddess? Hades laughed at me yesterday. There must be some mistake. Hera. Please fix it.]

[…Pfft.]

[Please fix it. I can’t understand machines at all.]

*

What is Zeus?

In mythology, he is the main god and protagonist of the famous Greek and Roman myths, often considered the top of the hierarchy.

He possesses absolute power.

He is also the ruler of Olympus.

Well, I pretended to know, but I only skimmed through a comic about him.

Before the author changed, the erotic atmosphere made it a secret hit among those in the know.

Anyway, in the comic, Zeus was a muscular macho man with lush blonde hair, but the Zeus before me now is so androgynous that I can’t tell if he’s male or female.

Surely, he’s not a woman, right?

“You seem curious about me.”

Zeus speaks bluntly with an expressionless face.

He’s so different from the Zeus I know.

Where is the Zeus who gets angry like thunder and actually strikes with lightning? Instead, there’s a pretty boy standing in front of me.

Zeus muttered softly.

“I’m curious about many things too.”

“……”

“I can’t figure anything out.”

At his words, I glanced at Zeus.

He seemed uneasy, constantly wary of his surroundings, his body trembling slightly.

I felt like sighing.

Well, this is another world, isn’t it?

It’s natural that this Zeus is different from the one I knew.

Realizing I was unexpectedly clinging to past memories, I reached out to the new Zeus.

“Get up.”

I still need to check if he’s intact.

*

Observation results.

Fortunately, Zeus is a boy with an extremely feminine appearance.

“No. This is weird.”

“What’s weird?”

“Why is he a boy?”

Belva pondered my words for a moment, then clapped her hands as if she understood.

“Of course. Unless someone intentionally dropped him, naturally occurring intelligent entities are mostly likely to be female, and even if they’re male, their appearance would probably resemble females. Since Yeona is the first intelligent entity this dimension learned from.”

So, in summary, that face devoid of male hormones is because I, the first intelligent entity, am female?

And even the ones born in the future are highly likely to be female?

“That’s right.”

Damn it.

Sighing, I called out to Zeus, who was looking around.

I still sensed divinity emanating from his body.

He was born with it.

Not a golden spoon, but a divine spoon. Who would have thought?

“……”

Zeus approached me and looked up with his characteristic expressionless face.

It seems his stoic nature is innate.

He’d probably get along well with Draud.

After a moment of thought, I extended a hand to Zeus.

“Take it.”

“…I took it.”

I infused my dimensional power into Zeus’s body.

As my power grew, it began to take on unique properties.

My sinisterly writhing dimensional power started to slowly consume the divinity within Zeus’s body.

Feeling discomfort, Zeus tried to twist away, but it was no use.

At this distance, I could immobilize a weak child with just my magic power.

Safety is important.

No matter how young or weak he seems, as long as he possesses divine power, I can’t let my guard down.

I must be thorough with information I don’t know.

After finally absorbing all the divinity, I let go.

“Ah…”

Zeus staggered and collapsed to the floor.

Born with divine power instead of magic, he struggled to breathe as his condition worsened.

“Haa, haa…”

The fine toxicity in the air was also hard to detoxify, as his limbs stiffened and his face gradually paled.

Hmm…

He’ll last about 15 minutes.

Ignoring him, I began analyzing the extracted divine power.

Structurally, it’s similar to that of the lightning man I defeated before.

But influenced by me, there are pieces of adaptability and survival scattered like puzzle pieces.

I understood why he was dying as soon as the divine power was removed.

“Snap out of it.”

I approached the lifeless Zeus and pushed the divine power back into him.

The divine power, which caused rejection in my body, fit into him like Cinderella’s glass slipper.

Fascinating.

Still, I’m gradually grasping what divine power is.

The once hazy concept.

Now it feels within reach.

Feeling the power of divinity, my whole body itches to use it.

Suppressing the rising desire, I helped Zeus up.

*

“…Hi?”

When I brought Zeus home, Miho greeted him with a strange expression.

Her eyes kept darting towards me, making me uneasy.

“Another one… added.”

Her mouth and eyes smiled separately.

I patted Miho’s head and spoke.

[End of Translation]

“Do you have any complaints?”

“Yes.”

…Is it puberty?

Still, she’s cute.

I gave Miho a light flick on the head as she grumbled.

“Ouch,” she said, her eyes welling up with tears.

“Take him out and show him around the area. The kids are in the Ice Field now, so you’re the only one I can ask.”

At my words, Miho took Zeus out with a pouty face.

Her sly expression made it seem like she had some ulterior motive, but it’s not like she’d abandon him.

Now, only Belva and I remained in the empty residence.

With the noisy ones gone, it felt oddly lonely.

After several renovations, the building had grown larger than most mansions.

My thoughts were like waves crashing against the shore.

In the silence, I suddenly called out to Belva.

“How long has it been since I came here?”

It had been a while since I last thought about time.

I used to keep track, but not anymore.

Belva pondered for a moment before answering.

“About three years.”

Three years, huh.

It’s hard to feel the passage of time in this place.

It’s like I’ve been through two military stints, yet the memory of when I first arrived here is still vivid.

“Interesting.”

“What is?”

“Just that in only three years, so much seems to have changed.”

I spoke nonchalantly and stepped outside.

Over there, I could feel a distortion in the dimension.

It seems the Ogre has arrived.

It’s been about three days.

I was surprised he arrived so quickly.

The Ogre, who had pierced through space, grinned at me.

“Long time no see. Exactly one month.”

…What?

“I see. I didn’t account for the time difference between dimensions.”

The Ogre added that it’s not uncommon for time to flow differently between dimensions.

“Considering everything, it’s about ten times.”

A tenfold difference.

Thinking about that, one person came to mind.

How long has it been since Yui left?

It must have been at least a few months.

I asked the Ogre for details about the family annihilation case I had mentioned before.

He passionately explained that it was an unprecedented event in history where an assassin completely wiped out a family that controlled the empire’s shadows.

The surprising thing was not just the brutality of the crime.

But the fact that the perpetrator’s identity remained unknown.

“Moreover, dimensional power was detected around the area, so the higher-ups have classified the incident as top secret.”

“Why keep it top secret?”

“Because if it gets out, that place will become a battlefield for those seeking dimensional power. Although, those who need to know already do.”

The ancient families and nations around the empire are already preparing to move.

There are many factions searching for the culprit, and I couldn’t help but worry about Yui.

Anyway, let’s finish the deal first.

“Belva!”

I called out loudly to Belva, who was cooking over there.

I’m not good with items, so I took out some mithril chunks from the void space.

Belva hurried over, blinking at me.

“What’s up?”

“Can you check if these items are genuine?”

At my words, the Ogre coughed awkwardly.

“They’re real…”

Well, I wouldn’t know.

Belva looked over the items and nodded.

They were genuine.

Wow, honestly, that’s surprising.

The items I requested from the Ogre are by no means simple.

Some are related to dimensional power, similar to the choker around my neck.

First, I tried on the uniform said to have been worn by the empire’s legion commander.

This outfit is said to enhance sensitivity to both magic and dimensional power.

Hmm…

Let’s test it.

I removed the choker, put on the uniform, and slowly gestured towards the sky.

Swoosh-

The dimensional power extended far into the distance, resonating with my will, tearing through the clouds.

“Definitely effective.”

“……”

I handed the mithril to the Ogre, who had straightened up and fallen silent.

Since the effect was confirmed, there’s no need to skimp.

I also tried some elixirs said to increase magical power.

Though the effect was minimal, there was a noticeable improvement.

“Those elixirs are supposed to change your state with just one pill…”

After some hesitation, I crushed the remaining elixirs in my hand.

I poured them into my mouth and chewed.

The bitter taste made me grimace.

The magic power in my body stirred slightly but soon calmed down.

The Ogre looked at me with a hollow laugh, as if he were seeing something otherworldly.