Next day, the king Midas XVI got up very early, and without having breakfast, he looked out from the south balcony of the palace.
Many of his subjects were surprised because they had not seen him for days. As usual, they bowed to the sovereign and sang the hymn, corresponding to that day:
-500 years and nine days ago our dear king Midas was born!
-Long live to the glorious king Midas!
-Long live to the glorious king Midas II!
-Long live to the glorious king Midas III!
-Long live to the glorious king Midas IV!
-Long live to the glorious king Midas V!
-Long live to the glorious king Midas VI!
-Long live to the glorious king Midas VII!
-Long live to the glorious king Midas VIII!
-Long live to the glorious king Midas IX!
-Long live to the glorious king Midas X!
-Long live to the glorious king Midas XI!
-Long live to the glorious king Midas XII!
-Long live to the glorious king Midas XIII!
-Long live to the glorious king Midas XIV!
-Long live to the glorious king Midas XV!
-Long live to the glorious king Midas XVI!
-Long live to all the Midas kings, who have brought peace, prosperity and wealth to our kingdom!
Showing a kind smile, the king Midas XVI asked them to stop singing and said:
-Dear subjects!
-I apologize for not having gone out in previous days!
-The rumors about my health are false!
-I am fine!
-I have been working a lot for all of you!
-Your welfare and the prosperity of the kingdom are my greatest satisfactions!
-Yesterday we went to the routes of the end of the world!
-The counselors accompanied me!
-We entered the forbidden caverns!
-The witch Spelly Magiky doesn´t exist!
-This is all a legend!
-Rather…
-We found another gold mine!
Almost all of the subjects clapped loudly for a minute, which seemed endless. Next, the charismatic monarch continued with his speech:
-Today is a new day!
-Much better than the previous ones!
-How are we?
-Very well!
-And every day will be better and better!
-Every time we will be richer and more prosperous!
-Dear subjects!
-As always, you have the blessing of the Midas family!
-More than king and subjects, we are all brothers!
-I say goodbye to you!
-To those who have empty seats in their carriages, do not forget to give a place to a brother!
-Go to work, for you and the glorious kingdom!
The king Midas XVI left, going to the main hall, and as he expected, there was the counselor May, who greeted him cordially:
-Your Excellency king Midas XVI!
-I know you are worried and want to undertake the second part of this test!
-But, I don´t recommend this...
-Last night, I consulted the stars, and I don´t like what I saw...
-I come to warn you!
-It is better to suspend the test for a few days!
-The stars have revealed to me that...
Abruptly, the king Midas XVI raised his right hand, confirming to the cunning counselor May, that he should shut up, and spoke:
-Counselor May...
-You don't know what you are saying!
-Don´t trust the stars anymore!
-Those are false gods!
The counselor May tried to defend himself, saying:
-Your majesty!
-You do not understand!
-The fury of the demon is colossal!
-I came to protect you!
Ignoring May's warnings, the king Midas XVI ordered the test to begin, handing over the first manuscript to his advisor.
Then, the counselor May set fire to this scroll and an immense smoke came out, which covered the entire room, and inexplicably it did not get out of the windows.
The book was opened right in the middle, and counselor May indicated that the sovereign should read its contents aloud.
Following the adviser's recommendation, the bold and skilled king began to read:
"Once upon a time there were two famous writers.
The first aspired to achieve the highest possible perfection to please the gods and be worthy of occupying a relevant position in paradise.
Despite the objections of his family, he freed his slaves, gifted them with properties, and donated big incomes from his tales to the neediest people.
When he was old, and no longer had the strength to continue writing, he worked as a farmer in the only farm that he had left, which he could not give away because it was property of his sons. He was very tired and unhappy for having to work so hard to get his daily bread.
While the second writer, haunted by tragedies in his youth, who was once imprisoned for conspiracy, and was nearly murdered in jail, didn´t follow this lifestyle, knowing that he could not achieve spiritual perfection.
Like the first writer, his literary successes were impressive. Although he accumulated much wealth, sharing a tithe with the poor and the churches, and living a life full of luxury and comforts.
Coming to the end of his life, he felt satisfied with all his possessions, wrote for pleasure, and never went hungry neither suffered financial problems.
Surprisingly, both made it to paradise, and furthermore, the former was not given a prominent place in the afterlife.
What is the moral of this true story?"
The king Midas XVI, choking, coughing and having difficulties to breath by the unpleasant smoke, replied:
-Both reached heaven by different paths.
-The first lived with...
-Absolute ideals!
-Trying to reach a level of perfection that is impossible to achieve by a human being, through its own merits.
-And the second lived through absolute grace, knowing that he could not be as perfect as the gods, and that evildoers can achieve redemption.
-Therefore, it is obvious that both of them reached paradise, by different paths...
-What´s the moral?
-In the paradise, everyone will have the same duties and rights, regardless of the path traveled, because merits and faith are important...
Subsequently, the fire was put out and the manuscript showed no traces of burns. At the same time, the smoke from the main hall disappeared, leaving no odor.
A little tired and dizzy, although satisfied by his new victory, the brave king Midas XVI requested to go to the third part of this test.
Again, the counselor May recommended that the sovereign should rest and leave these tasks for a new day. This was not complied by the intrepid and stubborn king Midas XVI, who gave his spiritual advisor the second manuscript.
The counselor May asked for a reasonable time to review some pages of the document. He read it for half an hour and said:
-Your Excellency king Midas XVI!
-Are you ready for the last test?
Despite his weariness, the king Midas XVI did not hesitate to answer affirmatively.
Saying some strange words, in a language that only the May family and demons know, the wizard May opened the second manuscript, right in the middle, and as expected, set it on fire.
This time no smoke came out, but a strange white mist appeared, which flooded the entire room and came out through the windows, giving the impression that it was expanding throughout the kingdom.
Instead of feeling heat, the king Midas XVI felt extreme cold and in the air, several messages appeared in large gray letters, which were ascending to the sky:
"Once upon a time, there was a faithful administrator that charged for the use of public property…
For many years, he earned the trust of his employers, who were constantly changed...
One day, he found out that he was going to be fired...
He called the debtors, one by one, and reduced their debts...
After his dismissal, the employer realized the cunning of his former employee, and was pleased with his attitude...
What´s going on?"
The counselor May said:
-This is impossible to solve!
-We can still cancel the test!
The king Midas XVI stated:
-No!
-This is not impossible!
-Fortunately, I checked the ancient history...
-A small kingdom was conquered by a powerful empire.
-The administrator is a tax collector, who gave accounts to various employers of the empire, which were changed every three or four years.
-Skillfully, he collected fair taxes from his brothers, avoiding the abuses of the empire.
-Knowing that he was already discovered, he left everything in order, making sure that his brothers were not exploited.
-When the administrator retired, the last employer was happy for the way he had worked for many years, since the official was also a member of a resistance movement against the empire.
-After several centuries, the marginalized, persecuted and unjustly harassed, who shared the same faith, were part of the government of the empire.
-What´s the moral?
-Unethical actions are justified, if they are for a noble purpose, in order to help the oppressed and disadvantaged, and contribute to the restoration of justice.
-I insist, the administrator is a tax collector, and the last employer, who was satisfied by his actions is one of his accomplices.
-They secretly professed the same clandestine religion, which in the long run would be the only religion in the empire.
After this exposition, the mist disappeared and the flames of the second manuscript were extinguished, which remained intact.
There was an environment of peace and tranquility. Nonetheless, before the face of counselor May's disappointment, king Midas XVI agreed that there was still a difficult condition to meet, which would exceed the level of difficulty of all previous tests.
Without saying a word, the counselor May was going to retire to his chambers. However, the king Midas XVI, tired and not as euphoric as on other occasions, expressed:
-Counselor May!
-In few days, I have won all three tests!
-This is extraordinary!
-Stay here!
-Let´s celebrate!
At the request of the monarch, the counselor May accompanied him to lunch in the palace's banquet hall, and while they both ate, the sovereign asked:
-Counselor May...
-Did you see how sunny and beautiful the day is?
-I haven´t seen such a wonderful day for years!
-This is a reflection of the great and splendid situation!
-You, who know everything...
-Do you know why the weather changed?
-I await your answers...
A little nervous, the counselor May replied:
-Your majesty!
-The demon that grants the golden touch was defeated and thrown at the entrance of the underworld!
-That´s why you won´t feel his anger!
-He would not bother us anymore!
-He can´t hurt us!
-Unless…
-You invoke him!
The king Midas XVI continued the conversation:
-Then…
-Of course, I was able to come out of the three tests successfully!
-I defeated the demon!
-Why didn´t you congratulate me?
-Are you an ally of that demon?
-How can you imagine that I´m going to call the demon?
-Reply!
Reflecting with fear and concern, the counselor May stated:
-Your majesty!
-You have done this work very well!
-But, I fear for your life and the welfare of the entire kingdom...
-The final condition is missing!
-Before you ask, I don´t know what it is!
-You must go to the underworld with three advisers and talk to Hades!
-He will explain this condition...
-Now the situation is different.
-If you fail, the price will not only be your soul!
-Hades will demand all the souls of this kingdom!
-And he will exterminate it!
-There will be no stone left!
-Not even a gram of gold!
The king Midas XVI asked again:
-I don´t understand!
-Why do you think I´m going to fail?
The counselor May answered:
-No mortal has been able to communicate with Hades!
-Only the dead ones!
-The only way to go to the underworld is by contacting the demon.
-We must invoke him!
Facing with these statements, the king Midas XVI understood the situation, and after a brief pause, he stated:
-By the way!
-Counselor May...
-What is the name of the demon that we face and now we must call?
The counselor May replied:
-It is not convenient to name him!
-By saying his name, he can return...
-Distinguished king!
-Please listen to me...
Quickly, the counselor May stood up from the chair, kneeling and staring at the monarch, with a face that showed tears, said:
-This demon's powers are nothing compared to those of Hades!
-He is the smallest in the underworld...
-He is the guardian!
-If you continue, it may be the end of the kingdom!
The king Midas XVI asked his subject to rise. In certain way, the sovereign was pleased because now he knew the identity of the demon.
During the afternoon, the monarch reviewed some ancient texts and analyzed the legend of Cerberus. He was so focused on studying him that he forgot to go out to the balcony to see his subjects. Although he gave the order to convene an extraordinary meeting with his counselors for the next day.
He spent the night without sleeping and was surprised by a beautiful and spectacular sunrise, never seen before in his life, which gave him two options: abandon the matter of the trials and supposed salvation of king Midas, his daughter and the servants, or fight for his family and the kingdom. Extremely indecisive, and without going out to the balcony to greet his subjects, he went to the meeting room...