Deity 2.308

Having seen the ray of sunlight at the top of the great tower of Babel, Hitomi turned away from the window with baby Vergil in her arms. She moved to her desk in the right corner of the office and checked the nearest mountain of papers on the right side. She took out the documents with her right hand while holding Vergil with her left hand. Once she found what she was looking for, she checked it and then walked to the door. However, before she reached the door, someone knocked on the other side.

—Who is it?— asked Hitomi.

—Asfi, boss— Asfi replied from the corridor on the other side of the door.

—Pass—

Asfi pushed the sturdy door made of natural varnished wood and showed her face. Seeing Hitomi carrying baby Vergil, small, with sparse red hair, smiled —ma'am, I came for the document— she said.

—That's what I'm going to take you— Hitomi replied, in accordance with Asfi's forecast —take—she held out the document and Asfi took it.

Asfi looked at the document, nodded, and looked at Hitomi —I will hand over her orders to the god Hermes and coordinate with the workers to start changing the murals. As you request, everything will be ready in five days. No one in Orario will be able to ignore the message and most likely, the neighboring kingdoms will not either—

—Yes, thank you for your work—

—You're welcome, ma'am—

Asfi bowed a little and left the office. Hitomi turned around and stared at the goddess Bishamon, carrying baby Dante and the goddess Athena. Hitomi passed Vergil from her left arm to her right and pointed her left hand at the long oval meeting table. Then she walked to the table, sat at the bedside and stared at the red-haired baby Vergil. In a sense, she thought that this is how her son would look, the baby only lacked pointed ears to be an elf. She smiled, bit her lower lip in a gesture full of anticipation.

Within seconds, the goddess Athena sat to the right of Hitomi and after her the goddess Bishamon as she carried in her arms the baby Dante with white hair and thin.

—Are you okay? I can take Vergil along with Dante and put them in his stroller— Bishamon said.

—No need, Bishamon— Hitomi replied with a gentle smile. Then she looked at the goddess Athena and continued —referring to what you asked me a few minutes ago: yes. As you could see, at this time the instructions were given and the thirty murals in the busiest regions of Orario will be changed to signal the arrival of the king of the gods. The message will be poetic, but simple, so that anyone can interpret it. The painting will show the tower of Babel from the top, a ray of sunlight in the middle of the night while ten bright stars are shown, as a reference to the ten days they must wait—

Atena rests her elbows on the table and interlaces the fingers of her hands. She looked at Hitomi's face and reevaluated her taking into consideration Hermes' words. Without a doubt she had an incredible creative capacity to attract the imagination of the viewer and guide them to the truth that she wished to show. Athena wondered what would happen if Hitomi had this opportunity in another kingdom, where there was no god or family to balance her ways. She would probably have been killed for being a danger to the sovereignty, economy, or honor of influential people. Public opinion was a terrible weapon that could demoralize an entire country or turn it into an irrational beast.

—May I ask about the other documents you have on your desk?— asked Athena.

—Do you mean real estate, jewelry, high-value products like the armor and weapons of retired adventurers, or the businesses that are carried on Orario's back like the sale of monsters from the dungeon?—

Athena took a deep breath and said —let's start with the first thing you mentioned—

Hitomi nodded, sat baby Vergil on her knees, looking forward and holding him by the waist – regarding real estate– said –I am considering buying the houses of nobles that have been abandoned for years. Their prices, either because of their location or infrastructure are overrated, but their usefulness for such people is nil. So, it's a valuable opportunity for me. I know several nobles who are looking for residence in Orario and want something like a summer house. I can earn money and expand my network—

Athena grimaced awkwardly but nodded and held out her right hand for her to continue.

Hitomi nodded in understanding and began combing Vergil's sparse red hair. The skin on the scalp was warm and the hair silky soft —the high-value products of adventurers that are being retired, either because of age or irreparable damage, are sold at derisory prices, end up in the hands of thugs, or are lost. If that's the case, I'd rather buy them myself and generate a market for travel between cities. Adventurers who have armor or weapons of high value can sell me their products, I pay them and guarantee their trip to destination—

—And their families?—

—Excuse me?—

Athena took a deep breath and rephrased her question —What about their families? Don't they support them by retiring?—

Hitomi brought her right hand to her mouth and coughed as if she wanted to fine-tune her throat —with regard to the families, I apologize for what I am about to say— she looked a stall beyond, where the goddess Bishamon was holding baby Dante in her arms and added —to you too, I beg your pardon, but, most of the gods are a scourge to Orario. There are very few gods who really care about their adventurers after they leave the family, either because of age or irreparable damage. They are practically left to their own devices—

Bishamon and Athena were left with their mouths open, but they did not delve too deeply into the matter. Every god had a divinity, but that did not make them honorable, intelligent, or merciful. The gods were selfish and indifferent. Many of them had come to earth to "play".

—So, if these adventurers are going to be left to their fate— Hitomi continued in a serious voice —I prefer to take these items for myself and promise the adventurers a return to their homes. Of course, I will give them equivalent compensation and that in turn will prevent high-powered elements from falling into the wrong hands—

—I feel like your idea isn't finished yet—

—That's right, it's just a business prototype— Hitomi said —but I want to try. Now, about jewelry, they are commissioned by Semiramis. Many disgraced nobles or civilians have beautiful treasures, but they don't even know what it is. So, we, through the Hermes information network, discover such treasures, evaluate them, and buy them. I then talk to Semiramis, sell her the jewelry with a twenty percent commission, which is still good for her, and so we all win—

—Did I think you would dedicate yourself only to the newspaper and the handling of information?— asked Athena, squinting.

—Yes, I thought so until a couple of months ago, but little by little I began to dream about the possibilities that came with knowing all these things. We cannot miss this opportunity; it is our advantage. Semiramis has his intelligence and instinct for business. I don't have any of that, but I can make my move by anticipating others and taking advantage of what I know—

—Manipulation is a negative extreme of wisdom; I think I've told you before—

—Yes, manipulation is bad, but I haven't manipulated anyone— Hitomi replied —I've only taken what I know and anticipated what others can do. If you want to see it as the chess you love to play with Bishamon, I am an advanced pawn, just one step away from becoming queen—

The goddess Athena held Hitomi's gaze as the latter combed Vergil's red hair in a nervous gesture, as if afraid of being disapproved by the goddess. Athena took a deep breath and said —Knowing is a great gift, but at the same time, a terrible force. If it is used with a selfish thought, it can be a huge demerit, but if it is used with a generous thought, it brings virtue. Do not forget, Hitomi, I have given you my guide so that you know how to apply wisdom, not so that you enrich yourself only in a competitive eagerness—

—I am competitive, but I can also think about helping others— Hitomi said with a serious expression, she stopped her hand on Vergil's pate, she could feel the warmth of the baby's skin and the softness of his hair —I am fair based on what represents a benefit for both parties. I'm not so short-sighted that I want to monopolize everything—

—I hope that thought will be maintained in time and reach real wisdom— said Athena as if she understood what she says. Hitomi was like a child who had discovered that she had a power and wanted to occupy it to become the greatest of all. More than being scolded, she needed a guide and that was her. Athena let out a sigh and looked to her left, thinking of that red-haired man who summoned her to this world. He had wisdom in contacting her. No, it wasn't, as he said, it was his instinct. Viggo had spoken to two other goddesses of wisdom, but only insisted with Athena.

Athena brought her hands to her face and whispered —have a wise reign, Viggo— then raised her face, smiled, and looked at Hitomi, with red hair, pointed ears, and delicate elf features. She held baby Vergil with her left hand on his waist and her right on his head —for the next five months we're going to work together, every day.

—Are you disappointed?— asked Hitomi with a sad look.

Athena shook her head —a master guide and accompanies you on the path to discovering the truth. But what kind of teacher would I be if I left you alone all the time to follow a bumpy road?

—You are disappointed— Hitomi said, looking down and resting her lips on Vergil's pate.

—I already told you, I'm not disappointed, I'm just guiding you. You already feel strong enough to do everything on your own. You will never arrive at the truth on your own, you need to set aside opinions and prejudices to find the truth. Your assumption that I'm disappointed is just a fear-driven opinion—

Hitomi raised her face and looked at the goddess Athena, with purple hair, benevolent look, almond-shaped eyes, upturned nose, and heart-shaped face. Hitomi felt calmer seeing her expression and nodded.

—Do you think I did it right?— asked Hitomi.

—I think you've been too creative, but that's okay. If you don't see things from different perspectives, you can never find the truth. I want you to understand the scope of what you do and what it can generate. It's your mission, Hitomi, as the future queen of the gods—