Ch. 132: Midnight Confessions
It had been a moment since I left the snakeman tribe, I had set on a long walk back to my mansion. Why long? Simply because I needed more time to think and ponder on my choices more efficiently.
In my pocket was a magic ring said to contain an ample amount of black amber, if anyone could operate it, it would without a doubt be Hecate. Almost every piece had fallen into place, with the possession of black amber I had made a great progress.
Saying I had gained an upperhand against the circle would just be an act of overconfidence. I had to keep a level head.
Caw, caw.
I raised my head as I exited the forest to see flying overhead a flock of blue winged night owls flying overhead. The sky dyed a dark green and stars twinkling brightly.
It all make me stop and wonder what I would do if I ever resolve the calamity. Would I really take the place of Hades as ruler of the underworld. To be honest I don’t think I though of this when I was being reborn, the true reason I chose Hades was so that I would not be involved in any of the conflicts here. Amazingly I became at the center of it all, the irony of it. I became the one thing I had always I shied away from— a leader.
I made my way down the road, the mansion already at eyes view. Though it was still a walk.
More time to think for me then. I muttered.
As I proceeded forward in a calm walk, my hands tucked away in my pockets I thought back to the Serpentine tribe. If I had been hibernating for two hundred years like I was in the original timeline then Arman would have been eliminated if he had gone alone.
“Gah!” I groaned as my hands balled into fists, I recalled the blow I had landed on Poseidon back in the Death’s Gaper. Even with all my training I felt that it did not pack the right punch.
Recalling the battle between Zeus and Poseidon was enough to tell me I was not on par with them, even more I felt Poseidon was restricting his power down here. This brought me to the conclusion that I was still weak no matter how hard I trained.
Repeating what Hecate had taught me was not enough, since she majored in sorcery it was no surprise there. Meaning I would need a more capable teacher, one much stronger than me and willing to train me for all it’s worth.
“What a hassle this is.” I muttered.
A white light flashed at me in front.
VRRM, VRRM!
It was a car, one of those old models I had seen in old photos dating to the late 1900s, who the hell would ride such a vehicle on my private road?
And from the looks of it, I was the one being waited for. The car gave a low nasty hum as the door came open, I could barely feel the person’s aura which meant the person was good at concealing it. From the person’s stride I instantly knew who it was, her pale face, black painted lips and wearing a thick fur coat.
“You really do like your late nights, my lord.” Hecate said with a light bow as she stopped before me and stretched out a coat to me too. “It’s chilly out here.”
I looked at her face, plain and complicated as always. Her eyes fixated on me, her breath a puff of hot air before me. There was a stillness in the air as no of us spoke, she was waiting for my response and I had my thought on the bigger things.
Did she think I would catch a cold out here or was she being sentimental about it? Wasn’t she recovering from the shock of Hermes betraying her trust.
“How long have you been out here?” I asked in a cold voice as I looked at her eyes with evident signs of dark bags under them. She must have been crying and waiting, I was right to assume that she shared a connection with Hermes. She also grieved him when he died in the future but she tried to hide it then.
She responded without fail. “The whole night, when I came back Walter said you were yet to return so I chose to wait for you since you went out on foot.”
“Why?” I pressed further.
I could sense her voice break but she managed to pull it back together. “It’s my duty to keep you safe, most especially after I failed to protect you earlier. I won’t let a problem like that repeat itself a second time.” Her body trembled with guilt as she spoke.
I reached out and took the coat, slipping into it and saying. “I suspect you to drive me back to the mansion then?” The warmth from the coat made me realize how cold I really was in the open.
The serpentine tribe really was deep in the forest so the cold was understandable.
“If possible.” She responded to my question. “But that is all based on your decision my lord.”
I nodded and looked at the expanse of the road running to my mansion then back at the road that led to the city and puffed out hot air. “I will stay a bit here, helps me think some more.”
She bowed her head and said. “Understand my lord, then I will wait here for you to finish.”
I had always wondered why she was always loyal to me despite being my attendant, did she not have real emotions of her own or did she choose to lock it all up. Being the goddess of sorcery and ghosts must have had something to do with it, seeing souls and all. If I were to guess I would say she was just another stray Hades picked up.
There was always more to what one could percieve with his own eyes. In my past life stories of greek mythology were always percieved as one sided in most cases. Hades was always seen as the broody god, some saw him as a villain. Hera was an elegant and jealous queen of the gods, Hermes was a trickster god. These fully fleshed out characters had complexity that was startling.
“Hecate, if I was not your lord and you were never obligated to me what would you do with your life?” I turned and looked at her, the genuine look of shock on her face.
A cold breeze blew by carrying leaves with it and making the air even colder than it already was. Awaiting her reply did not take long as she said. “I would–” somehow her words ended there and she then spoke. “I am sorry I, I don’t have the right answer now.”
I smiled and pat her on the shouldee gently, “It’s alright and thanks.”
She opened her mouth. “Huh?”
“The coat, it’s very cozy.” I smiled again.
She nodded. “I am glad you appreciate it.”
We stayed there forba while longer, it felt oddly more relieving to talk there. “Hecate…” I began narrating the events of the long night to her, the events of Arman, Miss Sin and the black market. Unlike before where I kept it to myself and felt cornered, pressured, vulnerable. Sharing the information this time with another seemed to lighten my heart and allow me to verbally relate my words more efficiently.
As I finished I handed her Anok’s magic ring which she inspected. She held it and examined it for a moment before gripping it right, as I spoke to her she did not over react but instead pay attention to everything I said.
“So what do you think?” I asked finally.
Hecate opened her mouth to speak. “I can unlock the ring. But if you are talking about finding a cure I will try to my fullest.”
I nodded and said. “I have been wondering for a while that I wanted to train my body since my sould was scattered you know. My power has dropped a bit.”
She spoke my mind without thinking any further. “You want a trainer?”
I chuckled nervously. “Yeah, exactly that. It’s been a while since I let loose so I am kind of unsure of who to be tutored by.”
I was thinking if Chiron the centaur would take me under his wing, he did train a number of the Greek heroes but he light not be up to train a gloomy god such as myself.
Hecate raised her gloved hands in the air and said. “Why not meet your old mentor? Though you will have to convince him yourself.”
I raised an eyebrow. “My… Old mentor?” Now I was totally lost here, so Hades had an old mentor who would no doubt be another piece of work.
Hecate nodded. “Yes, Charon the ferryman.”
I felt my heart tighten by his words. “Charon?” This was even worse than I had expected.
If I revive a magic castle I will mass release 10 chapters
