[Greek Mythology] The Demons Under My Command - Chapter 19

Li Jia pulled the “Knotting Post” (Yuantiě) out from under Hera’s sleeve and inspected it under the imposing starlight.

Hera was not angry at Li Jia’s lack of restraint, and Dorin had gradually moved from surprise to getting used to it.

Towards Li Jia, Her Majesty had extraordinary patience.

Holding her publicly and carrying her back to the Hot Spring Stream, enduring the Divine Punishment for her, allowing her to move into the Inner Temple, tacitly permitting her to develop a host of never-before-seen things at the Hot Spring Stream, eating breakfast in the main hall, taking her to the Temple of Matrimony for inspection, and now even letting her look at the confidential Knotting Post.

She had long broken too many exceptions for her.

This was simply because Li Jia was Her Majesty’s attendant.

This was the conclusion Dorin had reached.

Dorin recalled what Hera had asked her before: what it meant to be a qualified Divine Master.

Her Majesty seemed to have her own interpretation: unconditional protection and indulgence.

However, everyone who came out of the Hot Spring Stream was of this disposition—fiercely protective of their own.

Any internal issues would be resolved at home; externally, they would shield their people.

Moreover, Li Jia hadn’t committed any serious mistakes. Dorin thought it would be fine if she continued like this.

In any case, the Temple of Matrimony still had her and Her Majesty. What was the big deal about supporting two slackers? A minor issue.

Hera also didn’t know why she wasn’t angry; she was simply hoping that if Li Jia could see something in it, that would be good. She wasn’t sure if Li Jia had the necessary insight.

The little one felt a bit slow-witted.

Li Jia finished reading the Knotting Post and came to a sudden realization based on her own understanding.

The Fortress of Eternal Night belonged to the Baucape Dynasty and was inherited by the Baucape royal line. Lorelei Baucape was the younger daughter of Baucape II, born to a disgraced, sickly mistress.

The evil dragon Mephilia appeared in the Eternal Fissure of the Fortress of Eternal Night ten years ago.

From the moment of her birth, Lorelei Baucape’s destiny was supposed to be a marriage alliance with a neighboring royal family. A princess’s fate was never her own; she carried the burden of the entire nation on her shoulders.

Last month, they forced the little princess into a marriage carriage and sent her on the way to marry into the neighboring country. Their path was blocked by a sudden descent of the evil dragon. The dragon spewed red flames, incinerating the prison carriage completely and abducting the beautiful bride back to its lair.

Li Jia frowned as she finished the Knotting Post and asked, “Can different species also be joined in marriage?”

“Yes, as long as both parties are willing. In essence, the Temple of Matrimony cannot interfere with the will of others (or other beings).”

Li Jia thought about it and found it quite reasonable. The Legend of the White Snake hadn’t it already broken species diversity?

In modern society, countless people marry fictional characters or those they’ve created as their OCs, leading Li Jia to sigh with emotion: Love truly is a magical thing.

“Well, since the evil dragon and the princess can be bonded, it must be because both parties were willing. If both parties weren’t willing, the marriage contract simply wouldn’t be formed. So, are they getting a divorce now?”

Hearing Li Jia’s words, Hera smiled.

Good, she wasn’t as slow-witted as Hera had imagined.

“It’s common for a couple to argue and make up. Since the princess was willing to marry the evil dragon initially, she must have had some feelings for it. So, who proposed the unbinding post?”

Winslow said as a matter of course, “It must be the princess. Who would be willing to stay with a dragon that violently abducted them for the rest of their lives?”

Hera replied, “No, the Knotting Post was issued by the King and Queen of Baucape.”

Li Jia and Winslow were both silent for a rare moment.

Li Jia then realized that although the Knotting Post was written in Lorelei’s name, the applicants were the King and Queen.

Dorin explained from the side that the parents of both spouses could submit a Knotting Post application. The decision would then be made after Her Majesty Hera personally met with the parties involved to determine if the unbinding process was necessary. The final decision rests with the parties themselves. If the parties are determined to stay together, the God of Matrimony has no authority to manipulate the matter.

Baucape II submitted the Knotting Post application with the reason: he believed his daughter was kidnapped and forced by the evil dragon, coercing Lorelei into marrying it. He argued that Lorelei did not marry the dragon willingly and that the gods should be responsible for resolving the matter.

Lorelei’s and Mephilia’s names were registered in the Book of Marriage, indicating that a marriage fact existed. Baucape II believed that the Temple of Matrimony should rightfully resolve this.

Every legitimate couple in the world, regardless of species, undergoes registration for binding or unbinding at the Temple of Matrimony, similar to a pre-marital check-up. The records show how many times they have been married and how many children they have.

The Baucape royal family could not accept a princess who had been kidnapped by an evil dragon, believing her to be impure.

He needed to use Hera’s divine power to reclaim the princess, erase this humiliating marriage for the entire royal family, restore Lorelei’s pristine and flawless marital history, and then remarry her to a slightly less prominent royal family to maintain the glory of the Baucape Dynasty.

Because their mortal bodies could not enter the evil dragon’s lair, they wrote the Knotting Post, requesting the help of the God of Matrimony.

Li Jia crossed her arms and gritted her teeth, saying, “What kind of nonsense is this? I thought they genuinely wished for their daughter to come home. It turns out they just despise the fact that their daughter has tarnished the royal reputation and want to marry her off to someone else to gain more benefits.”

“It’s like cutting a butt with a small knife—it’s eye-opening! They’re like an old sow wearing a bra—all talk and no substance. They’ve covered all their bases, saying both good and bad things. Maybe the princess willingly married the evil dragon. After all, there are good dragons and bad dragons, but they’re definitely better than her black-hearted parents.”

Li Jia was indignant. The White Dragon Horse was a good dragon, faithfully accompanying the Tang Dynasty monk and his disciples on their journey to the West. The Little Dragon Girl was also a good dragon, sacrificing herself for the peace of the West Sea. Just because an evil dragon is called an evil dragon doesn’t mean it is one.

Hera looked at this “little yellow chick” venting in the cold wind and found it amusing, trying to comfort her, “That’s why we’re here to see who is telling the truth.”

Li Jia said, “Exactly. Every wrong has its perpetrator; it’s not that we won’t get revenge, it’s just that the time hasn’t come yet.”

“Li Jia, that’s not how you use a proverbial saying. You are so entertaining.”

Winslow burst into laughter, wondering where Li Jia found so many expressions. All this laughing was giving her two more crow’s feet.

“So, are we going to the evil dragon’s lair now?”

“No.”

Shouldn’t they go straight to the lair and ask the couple?

“Then where are we going?”

“We’ll enter the capital of Baucape and listen to what others are saying.”

Public opinion is a mirror; listen to the hearts of the people.

Believe what you see, not the mere words of others.

Li Jia looked at Hera and instantly understood what she meant, adding with a smile, “Great minds think alike.”

Hera: “?”

What a mess of words. However, the little one always made outrageous remarks and spat out phrases they didn’t understand.

Let it go; she was used to it.

The Baucape Dynasty was located in the center of the Fortress of Eternal Night, the heart of the entire Extreme Night Land. Unlike the fortress, this place was prosperous and bustling with traffic, no different from any other capital city.

Li Jia looked at the rose shortbread being sold by a street vendor in the city and timidly asked, “Can they really not see us?”

Winslow saw her concern and gave her a “just watch” look before running up to a three-year-old child and taking their rattle drum.

The child watched the rattle drum fly from their hand into the air, shaking. They were terrified and cried out for their mother, bursting into tears.

The sound of hurried footsteps came from a nearby shop. Winslow thought quickly and immediately stuffed the rattle drum back into the child’s hand.

“Betty, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

The woman picked up the child and gently asked.

“M-mom… the rattle drum… it flew… flew…” The three-year-old spoke haltingly. “Good girl, isn’t the rattle drum right in your hand? Are you sleepy? It’s time for a nap now.” The mother interrupted the child, put the rattle drum in her apron, and carried her in for a nap.

The child fell asleep quickly and soon forgot about the incident.

“How could you bully a child like that?” Dorin said helplessly.

“What else was I supposed to do? In this environment, he’s the youngest and least likely to remember things. I had to pick on the easy target,” Winslow countered. “Did you want the adults to actually discover us and cause a scene at the Municipal Officer’s office? That would be embarrassing.”

The Municipal Officer was the authority maintaining public order.

“So they really can’t see us,” Li Jia muttered, taking a bite of the rose shortbread in her hand.

The crispness of the crust was followed by the spread of the rose filling on her tongue. The filling in the center of the shortbread was a delicate dark red, soft, sweet, and fragrant. The fiber of the petals intertwined with the not-fully melted sugar granules. Every bite allowed her to chew on real petals, as if strolling in a rose garden.

Isn’t this just a fresh flower cake?

Sure enough, all delicious foods are essentially the same, just with a new twist.

“You need to pay,” Hera had to correct her bad habit.

“I’d love to, but I don’t have any money on me. My uncle didn’t give me any money when I left home. I’m dirt poor,” Li Jia sighed after taking another bite of the shortbread.

Hera: “…”

She silently glanced at Winslow, who felt a sudden chill down his neck and began sweating profusely.

He secretly placed two gold coins on the vendor’s table—enough to buy his entire cart of rose shortbread.

The vendor was overjoyed when he found the gold coins, slipping them into his pocket, waiting to discuss with his wife that evening what to spend the gold on.

Winslow, a human automated ATM.

From then on, whatever Li Jia took, Winslow followed behind to pay for it.

Hera noticed that this little one loved sweets. Usually, girls her age would want gemstone rings, fragrant pomades, or lip gloss, but Li Jia only loved delicious food.

If she had to add one more thing, it might be money—used to buy delicious food.

As a Goddess, Hera had long lost her craving for food, but whenever she saw Li Jia eating, with her cheeks puffed out by the food and the crumbs near her mouth, it piqued her curiosity.

It made her want to taste it herself, to see if it was truly that delicious.

Feeling thirsty, Li Jia leaned towards Hera and tugged on her sleeve, “Your Majesty, I’m tired. I want to rest and have some water.”

A pouting woman gets the best fate.

Once she started acting spoiled, Hera was habitually unable to deal with her.

Li Jia was her first attendant and the first person who was willing to actively serve her. She had never had an attendant for thousands of years.

She didn’t know how to be a qualified Divine Master in front of her. She had privately asked Artemis how to interact with an attendant.

Artemis, like her, was experiencing the service of an attendant for the first time.

Artemis smiled faintly and said, “You also had a part in choosing her. The relationship between a Divine Master and an attendant is a mutual choice. Since you chose her, you should take on the responsibility of caring for and protecting her.”

“My part?” Hera was stunned.

“Goddess of Matrimony, you have developed a personal affection for her, just as I have,” Artemis paused and continued, “She came to your side with nothing. You must side with her. If anyone puts her down, you must doubly affirm her. You cannot let outsiders bully her.”

Hera paused, her eyes glinting with a cold smile, “Who would dare to bully her?”

It was an affirmation, not a question.

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