Bab 176: Chapter 1. On That Day, the Pure White Hero Met the Pure White Child
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If one were to describe the woman before him in a single word, "noble" would suffice. Although she wore ordinary clothes, just being looked at by her made one feel compelled to bow down. Not bowing felt like sacrilege.
After all, she was...
"It's been a long time," Cyd said with a wry smile, lowering his head. "Lady Queen Hera."
Though his mission was to locate the Greek gods, he hadn't expected to run into Hera so soon after the transfer. Or rather, it seemed as though Hera had anticipated his arrival and was waiting for him.
It was still a bit surprising.
"Welcome back, Cyd," Hera said with a faint smile, raising her hand to gently place it on Cyd's head. "You've suffered because of our whims."
A blessing can also be a curse. Their well-meaning but selfish actions had led Cyd further away from his true desire. They should have realized this long ago. But that wasn't what they considered happiness.
They had always believed that Cyd, as a human, would regret pursuing a life of ordinary happiness because, as gods, they had seen too much. They were convinced that, over time, Cyd would come to understand the importance of those things, so they arrogantly sought to make him happy.
But the result of that happiness was unimaginable despair...
"I'm sorry," Hera said, turning her head away.
In their self-assumed wisdom, they had never considered that Cyd, already blessed by thirteen gods and fearless of anyone, would truly wage war against the former king of gods.
Why would he still be afraid? Why would he smile and leap into the fray?
Even now, she couldn't forget or imagine the sight of that once-proud king of gods, Zeus, returning to Olympus in defeat, looking utterly lost.
He regretted it, but it was too late.
To him, that hell was Pandora's Box. The Titans imprisoned inside would overturn his rule with despair, and the Cyd he had sent inside himself was the hope that would soothe his soul. Could he manage that?
Because of a guilty conscience that threatened his reign, and since he had already done it once, he might as well...
The king of gods, who could see through the future with wisdom, didn't even have the courage to look at himself.
He had made up his mind, but it was too late.
When he opened the "box" with the other gods, all he found was emptiness—neither despair nor hope, just nothingness.
So he fled, or rather, the gods fled. They escaped from that world. The so-called omnipotent beings had done everything they could to try and make a child happy, only to "kill" him.
Could they even still be called gods?
They were nothing more than a bunch of arrogant...incompetent beings with a little power.
"It's fine, I'm back now," Cyd said with a light smile, scratching the back of his head. "There's something I'd like to discuss with you."
"He really misjudged things," Hera sighed. "It's precisely because he knows that he doesn't dare to come. He was the first to realize it."
"Is Lord Zeus also here?" Cyd tilted his head.
"He is, but you probably won't find him. He'll hide from you," Hera said with a pout.
Being avoided by Zeus...that's quite impressive.
"By the way, ahem, there's actually something I'd like to ask of you," Hera said with an awkward expression. "You're probably the only one I can ask."
"Uh..." Cyd hesitated. "If it's something I can do."
"I want you to look after someone," Hera cleared her throat and looked seriously at Cyd. "He's Zeus's grandson."
Now, Hera was most famous for her jealousy and her tendency to cause trouble for Zeus's offspring, like Heracles, who was notoriously tormented by her. So, when she mentioned "looking after," could she mean it in every sense of the word?
"No, no, no, I'm no good at 'looking after' others!" Cyd shook his head like a rattle.
"No! This is something only you can do! Zeus spoils that child too much, and now, finally, he's on his own."
Wow, so it is that kind of "looking after"!
"And Zeus has filled his head with all sorts of strange ideas," Hera sighed, holding her forehead. "He says things like 'a hero's romance is in a chance encounter,' just spouting nonsense..."
Hmm? Doesn't seem to be out of jealousy.
Cyd blinked. Could it be that the notoriously jealous Hera really just wanted him to take care of the kid?
No way...
"Also, there are two other gods there. If you go, they'll probably come to you," Hera's expression turned strange. "If possible, I'd like you to look after one of them—a goddess. She's not the one you know, but...you'll understand when you meet her."
Memory fades.
"You must be Bell," Cyd said, raising his hand to poke the forehead of the white-haired boy sitting dazed on the ground.
"Yes!" The boy shouted as if some switch had been flipped.
"Mm-hmm," Cyd nodded. "You look like an innocent kid who's never been beaten."
"Roarrr!" The Minotaur wailed as it dropped to its knees, its right hand that had been aimed at Bell now crushed in Cyd's grip.
"Um..." Bell swallowed hard.
He didn't know why a monster from the fifteenth floor had appeared on the fifth, but who was this young man who had just crushed the monster's hand and forced it to kneel?
"Oh, and this guy," Cyd said, waving his hand. "Quiet down."
"Boom!"
The wailing Minotaur flew up like a cannonball, crashing into the rock ceiling above, silencing its cries.
"Can you stand?" Cyd extended a hand to Bell.
"Yes, yes!" Bell nodded vigorously like a little chick and pushed himself up against the wall.
He didn't dare touch the hand that had just crushed the Minotaur.
"Good, you can still stand on your own," Cyd said, nodding as he casually caught a crystal that fell into his hand. "Here, your reward."
With that, Cyd tossed the crystal to Bell.
"Eh...Eh, eh, eh! Are you sure?!" Bell's mouth dropped open. "A Minotaur's magic stone shard is really valuable!"
"Use the money you get from selling it to treat me to a meal," Cyd said, stretching lazily. "Can you do that?"
"Mm-hmm," Bell nodded eagerly.
Forget just a meal—he could eat until he burst.
Not far away, a blonde girl tilted her head in confusion.
She had accidentally let that Minotaur get past her and had planned to deal with it herself. But then someone had rushed ahead even faster than she could and grabbed the Minotaur's hand...and crushed it.
While she could have easily dealt with the Minotaur, she couldn't have made it kneel with just brute force.
Oh well, as long as it was dealt with.
The girl shook her head, sheathed her sword, and walked toward her waiting companions.
Today, the dungeon was as thrilling as ever.
The Pure White Hero had met the Pure White Child who longed for a fateful encounter.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
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