CH 42

Without delay, Thanasios and I returned to the royal castle and made preparations to visit the Arche of Apeiron, where the Styx Temple was located. Thanasios held my hand, which made me a little nervous, but thanks to him, I believed that we were doing the right thing and didn’t get lost.

The mysterious spherical sanctuary Arche of Apeiron was just as it was before, with a white sun of light floating in the center. People such as priests and priestesses were spending their time leisurely doing their work. It was a peaceful scene, and nothing could disturb the tranquility here, no matter what happened on the surface.

As Thanasios and I stepped into the Arche of Apeiron, the high priestess Panagiota, whom I recognized, came to greet us as a visitor.

“Good day, Your Highnesses. What brings you here today?”

Her voice was somewhat stern. Thanasios might have come to request something from the Styx Temple, I thought.

Thanasios calmly said, “We urgently need to obtain the oracle of the main god Styx. I believe it is possible if we go through Eleni, the chief priestess.”

High Priestess Panagiota was clearly surprised. And no wonder, for oracles are bestowed by the gods as they see fit. It is rare for humans to obtain them through mere request. Even if the prince insisted, it would be dismissed as impossible.

However, High Priestess Panagiota crossed her arms and pondered.

“Obtaining an oracle… is that really possible? According to the literature, there were cases where a priestess could obtain one if she wished. But the priestesses here cannot do such a thing. Would it be different for Eleni-sama?”

High Priestess Panagiota did not start with a denial, and seemed to be taking Thanasios’s unreasonable request seriously. Since she had not outright refused, it should be possible to try.

“For now, I want to try. Please let Eleni enter the temple.”

“Understood. Then, Eleni-sama, please fetch this water and offer it at the altar.”

As instructed, I approached the stream of water flowing through the hollow of the Arche of Apeiron, the sacred domain, and dipped the small jar I was given. The main god, Styx, is also the god of the great river. The small streams in the Arche of Apeiron are said to mimic the great river that Styx rules over. I offered the water from the stream and prayed. That was the procedure.

I entered the small temple alone. I placed the jar on the simple marble altar inside and knelt on the floor covered with a woven mat. I intertwined my fingers, closed my eyes, and clenched my hands.

Come to think of it, I haven’t prayed to God much. I don’t have much faith, and I also have anger towards the God who didn’t help my praying mother. I think it’s meaningless. Even now, I still feel the presence of the main god Styx and the Goddess of Forgetfulness, Lethe, but I still think so. Even if I pray, God won’t grant my wishes. It’s pointless to ask something from a capricious God. So, to be honest, I didn’t expect anything.

“Main God Styx. I am not in a position to ask you for anything, and I am just a small human who relies on your capriciousness. If you don’t answer me, Thanasios and I will be disappointed, but that can’t be helped. It’s wrong for humans to expect something from God.”

That’s what I truly believed.

However, the main God Styx easily gave me a divine message.

“Eleni Athanasia Sipunimo, the priestess who received my blessing. Spread this message to everyone.”

A clear and resonant female voice echoed in my ears and head. Without any delay, the voice continued.

“Carry the mark of Styx. Carry the medal of Lethe. Then, I shall answer your wish.”

As if having said what needed to be said, the voice stopped.

I looked at the Lethe medal that I always wore on my chest and then briefly thought about where the mark of Styx could be. Yes, it was there. Thanasios had it. I would borrow the golden mark of Styx that the priest of the Styx Kingdom possessed.

I rushed out of the temple and shouted to Thanasios, who was waiting outside.

“Thanasios-sama!”

“I heard you! Use this!”

Thanasios removed the golden mark of Styx that he was wearing around his neck and pressed it into my hand.

The moment I received it, my consciousness began to fade. I felt the ground shake and sway. But someone immediately supported my weak body, as if taking over my body.

My mouth moved on its own.

“No, it’s difficult to synchronize the wavelengths. I thought I could do better.”

What?

It wasn’t my voice. It was the clear female voice that I had heard earlier. And it was coming out of my throat.

Thanasios, the high priest Panagiota, and other priests and priestesses had expressions of shock on their faces. I didn’t know what to do and my eyes were swimming. However, the control of my body was in the hands of the main god, Styx. The goddess with long silver hair had taken over my body and descended to the earth.

“Eleni?”

At Thanasios’ call, my body reacted on its own.

To my surprise, my body hugged Thanasios and I was very excited.

“Athanasios! Kyaa, you’re so cool and cute! I’ve known you since you were born!”

“What? Uh, yes?”

“When you made a fortune at Nikita’s gambling den, I was cheering you on so much! I got carried away with the blessings and the bet didn’t work out, but it was a shame.”

For a moment, Thanasios had a look of concern on his face. He may not have wanted others to know about it. He seemed a little flustered.

Perhaps the main god, Styx, who had taken over my body, sensed this and coughed deliberately to change the subject.

“Ahem. Athanasios Cypnimus, the most intelligent young man in the Styx Kingdom. This is the oracle from Styx.”

Styx, the main god, suddenly became serious. Tension filled the air, not only for Thanasios, but also for the priests and priestesses who held their breath. It was even possible to sense their confusion, as it was unthinkable for a divine oracle to descend before them.

However, Styx spoke in a nonchalant manner.

“It’s been a while since I last punished anyone, so I went a little overboard and destroyed a few countries.”

I’m sorry! Styx cutely apologized through my mouth. Please don’t say such outrageous things through me, Styx.

“Oh, but it won’t be bad for this country! What else did you want to ask?”

“That’s right! God Styx, is Eleni’s revenge not over yet?!”

Thanasios didn’t forget the main topic even in this situation. He was indeed a wise prince favored by Styx. He would fulfill his purpose in my place.

Styx, on the other hand, seemed rather indifferent.

“Well, since the nobles did something bad to Eleni, why don’t we just get rid of the nobles? So, it will end with the end of the nobility system. Therefore, please work to reform the nobility system or go to war, or whatever you want to do.”

“Wait a minute, God Styx. Isn’t that a really grand story?”

I couldn’t move my own mouth and it was frustrating. Without giving me a chance to ask or speak freely, God Styx finished the story on his own.

“Well, I’m about to disconnect, so the oracle is over! See you later!”

With a snap, as if a thread had been cut, I lost all strength in my body and collapsed to the ground. My mouth moved up and down, and I confirmed that I could move my body as I pleased, clenching and releasing my hands.

Thanasios looked down at me. I was so scared that I couldn’t look him in the eye.

Even though it was God Styx who did it, it was me who hugged Thanasios and talked to him in a familiar way. It was my body.

“…Thanasios-sama.”

I curled up like a pill bug.

I was blushing so much that I could feel the heat coming out of my face.

“Please don’t look at me, it’s embarrassing…”

“Ye, yeah…”

And this incident was recorded as an oracle of God Styx in an official document.

Afterwards, I was horrified and despairing at the thought that my embarrassing behavior would be remembered for generations to come.