LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 44: Chapter 44: The Coming War
[Responding to your sincere feelings,]
[Atalanta believed that you could bring her happiness.]
[From that point on, there was no longer any barrier between the two of you.]
[After that, the city of Pelasgia was established.]
[You, who were the center of attention, ascended the throne, and the people sang and danced at your coronation, believing that you would lead the country to prosperity.]
[And that was indeed the case.]
[Medea was made your queen.]
[Atalanta didn't choose to take the title of queen; instead, she chose to help you lead the army.]
[For twenty years, you kept your promise and moved towards happiness with them.]
[You didn't neglect the governance of the country either.]
[You opened up sea routes for trade with other countries, and Jason, the newly crowned king of Thessaly, was the first to establish diplomatic relations with Pelasgia.]
[Using the historical knowledge you learned in the modern world, you consolidated your power with a feudal system while also rapidly increasing the country's strength. The people all bowed down to your wisdom and power.]
[With centralized rule combined with your strategies, Pelasgia grew stronger and stronger, attracting the attention of other countries.]
[Even though you were a new country,]
[The four most powerful city-states in Greece didn't dare to underestimate you.]
[The people of Pelasgia enjoyed the blessings of the Mother Goddess to the fullest extent and had unique products that other regions lacked.]
[Namely, the constantly produced Phantasmagoria.]
[Medusa, who possessed the authority of the Mother Goddess, was known as the Mother Goddess of Magical Beasts. As her divinity greatly increased, even noble divine beasts could be born under her.]
[Magical beasts and divine beasts regarded you as their father.]
[You led Pelasgia in emphasizing the concept of human-beast co-existence, with the people and magical beasts helping each other in their daily lives.]
[The people didn't treat magical beasts as tools,]
[But as equal partners and compatriots.]
[In the army, soldiers and Phantasmagoria fought together.]
[Enemy soldiers who came to attack, upon seeing such a fierce army, were already scared out of their wits before the battle even began.]
[On ordinary days, magical beasts and children played in the forest.]
[This country of magical beasts presented a harmonious and peaceful scene, so fantastical and wonderful that visiting bards praised it endlessly, and artists called this land a dreamland.]
[Under your rule and management,]
[The entire country was no longer just a country; it was more like a child you had personally raised.]
[You were revered by the people as the Emperor of All Beasts.]
[Although everything in Pelasgia was thriving,]
[But, you know this is just the calm before the storm.]
[When someone gains happiness, there's a high probability that others will lose happiness because of that person.]
[Due to the increasing strength of the Pelasgians,]
[The faith of the Mother Goddess spread to Athens, Sparta, Thebes, and Macedonia, the four most powerful city-states of Greece.]
[Even though you strictly forbade your followers from spreading the faith externally,]
[And prohibited external propagation,]
[However, the Pelasgians, needing to trade externally, couldn't deceive foreign visitors who saw this dreamlike paradise.]
[As long as they saw this country, like an ideal land,]
[Anyone would inevitably want to worship you, anyone would be unable to resist offering their knees to the great Mother Goddess.]
[Unable to stop foreigners from developing faith.]
[The Greek gods realized the decrease in faith power, and they could no longer sit idly by and ignore the Pelasgians.]
[You are anomalies in Greece.]
[Although that Earth Mother Goddess is the original deity of this land, the current Greece is ruled by Machine Gods.]
"Report! Athens, Sparta, Thebes, and Macedonia have simultaneously announced the severance of diplomatic and trade relations with our country!"
"Recently, in the seas within a hundred miles, warships from different countries have been sighted. To guard against those treacherous individuals with ill intentions towards our country, your subject implores Your Majesty to deploy more warship-class Hydras to guard…"
"My Emperor! Natural disasters are occurring in many parts of the country, and unsavory rumors are spreading from abroad! We…!"
[Successive reports came from the royal palace.]
[You have been on the throne for nearly thirty years.]
[Now, the situation is heading in an extremely unfavorable direction, which cannot be solved by wisdom and decision-making alone.]
[Because, you know the enemy is coming soon.]
[After dealing with the accumulated affairs of state for several days, you sat wearily on the throne, pondering how to move forward.]
"The gods can't ignore it after all…"
Medea accompanied Moran with a worried expression.
She knew the key to the problem.
"Medusa was suppressed by the gods before as an Earth Mother Goddess. Now, the gods cannot allow her to return to her past glory."
Atalanta, who had finished training the troops, was also in the hall.
"…Ata, I knew this day would come sooner or later."
Moran's tone was quite calm.
When he made the decision not to leave the island fifty years ago, he knew that one day he would face the Greek gods.
"However, not all gods are in agreement. Among the twelve Olympian gods, Poseidon, the god of the sea, Artemis, the goddess of the moon, and Ares, the god of war, oppose imposing sanctions on the Pelasgians."
Atalanta is a follower of Artemis.
Even though she chose to stay by Moran's side,
She did not change her faith.
Faith and the happiness she chose were not contradictory. Atalanta was relieved that Artemis was very tolerant.
"Although these three gods are in the opposition, they only voiced their objections and cannot prevent the decision from being made. At most, they can guarantee not to intervene in this conflict."
Atalanta couldn't help but sigh.
After all, the reappearance of the Earth Mother Goddess is an obstacle to the gods.
Not only did the Olympian gods not have a unified opinion on annihilating the enemy,
Instead, some Machine Gods chose to cast dissenting votes.
This is already a miraculously fortunate situation.
"It's best if these three gods don't interfere. We can't expect them to come and help us fight their own kind. Ata, what is the attitude of the remaining main gods?"
Moran was already prepared.
He originally thought that all twelve Machine Gods would have a unified opinion.
Unexpectedly, there would be disagreements.
It is not surprising that Artemis holds a dissenting opinion, after all, her relationship with Moran is indeed profound.
Poseidon and Ares cast dissenting votes.
This was quite unexpected.
"Hephaestus, the god of fire, Hades, the god of the underworld, and Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, the above three gods cast abstention votes. They do not offer any opinions on this matter. As for the remaining gods…"
Atalanta hesitated to speak.
At this point, the opinions of the gods are very clear.
Three of the twelve main gods cast dissenting votes, three chose to abstain, and the remaining six naturally agreed to the sanctions.