I read the book about Hermes and his followers until the evening, when Joseph asked if I would pull a night-over.
"No, I will take these three books and continue my reading in my room."
Joseph nodded. "Perfect. We shall register the loan with Joanna. If you don't mind, given her last behavior, I would like to do this."
"Fine by me." I said, I think he was worried that I might switch sides. But I believe Athena could not offer me a transmigration plan.
Joanna was less aggressive this time. She just registered our loan and desired a good night for us.
The Olympus night was silent. Some centurions from different gods could be seen talking on the streets. The mood is sure to be a leisurely one. Despite the earlier conversation about sporadic wars, nobody here seemed to be worried or taken it seriously. That was my impression.
The market was already closed when we arrived at our transportation to return to the mansion. We went up, then I asked Joseph, "Are you hungry? I did not feel it. I think I am getting used to my circumstances."
"I will get a snack in the mansion's kitchen. I can grab something for you, Mr. Rufus."
"You can address me as Rufus, I think you are my senior, by the way."
"Well, I went on missions for Hermes before, but not as an apostle. I could be experienced, but I was never assigned to such a high position."
I felt sorry for his answer, as he appeared to be a dedicated and serious devotee of Hermes. How could he not be an apostle, either?
"A higher position, as you can imagine from our god's perspective, implies a higher risky and," he said, making a pause to emphasize the "and," then continued, "implicit strong belief in Hermes's causes too."
"I lacked such strong devotion at the beginning." He lamented.
"I see, in this case, my thoughts about economy from mortal life made the whole difference."
"Actually, most of the people who come from Earth have stronger beliefs toward social and abstract beliefs than in other mortal realms. It is far more common for devotees to astral entities, natural phenomena, and more general gods. Specific believers, like knowledge, economy, trade, and truth, usually come from your realm."
Joseph was curious about how Earth had reached such strong beliefs towards moral societal structures, and we discussed some more historical events from my home realm. He avoided mentioning his personal history because he came from Midgard, to avoid Causality issues and blah-blah-blah.
---
As we arrived, we went to the main estate. Some people that I did not notice the first time seemed to be patrolling the area. "Is there a problem?" I
asked Joseph.
"No, nothing in particular. Just the usual guarding routine. This is the standard protocol for when Hermes is absent."
We continued toward the mansion, and when we were inside, Joseph gave his farewells to me, then I headed to my room. Tomorrow, I will receive the apostle's authority. According to the book about Hermes, I am going to receive a part of his divine power and will become its representative.
There are some legends of apostles who could perform astonishing miracles, but the most intriguing ability is the influence area. I will become a living walking temple for Hermes, where he can possess my body, and I can speak literally on his behalf. There is a strong remark that this affects Causality.
At first, I understood that Causality was some kind of constraint, but according to this book, it is a natural force that tries to enforce the freedom of mortal souls against the god's idiosyncrasies.
I left the book about gods and went to the "Divinity 101". The first lesson stated something utterly unexpected: "Every being in the whole universe possesses some degree of what people call divine power, which is actually an understatement to its true meaning, the capacity to nullify Causality rules for a given time."
This definition appears to have a loophole that Causality might revert, but when its rules are turned null, the changes are perpetual. It meant that to reverse a divine spell, one needs to employ divine magic.
Even my clothing change was a small demonstration of a divine spell, contrary to its arcane counterpart, divinity requires will, knowledge, and enough contributions to be cast.
Based on how much a being is closer to the Origin, more powerful spells can be cast. Mortal realms, however, prevent the existence of divine beings. Causality demands that entities that exceed mortal limitations should no longer live among mortals. As its mere presence will render their freedom void, violating the Universal Principles.
This introduction was heavily setting the fundamental background for one to comprehend how the universe worked. It avoided the entire arcane spells in order to prevent the learners from misunderstanding the concepts.
I continued to dive deep into this book, as this was a whole new world for me. Curiously enough, this book just touches on the surface of the subject and does not cover actual divine casting.
Finally, I was free from mortal limitations and did not need to sleep! Thus, I went on all night reading.
---
I woke up. I failed and slept. I felt ashamed of my behavior. However, it did not seem that much time has passed, it was dark outside. Then, I heard someone knocking on my door.
"Sir Rufus, it is Helena here. I come to wake you up."
"I am awake. Thank you for coming. Ms. Helena."
"Can I enter?"
I was wearing the same suit from yesterday. I took a moment to relax a little bit, and changed into more comfortable clothes. A green t-shirt and a pair of jeans—let's use the colors of the house. After my smooth casting, I called her, "Please come in."
She opened the door, and he was not wearing his maid outfit. She was wearing a nun attire, similar to the one that Joanna had yesterday, but with Hermes's color. I'm not into this kind of thing, but I have to admit that Helena doesn't look the same.
As I remained silent, she might have noticed my admiring gaze and gave me a shy smile. She said, "The ceremony will start in thirty minutes." Then she unfolded a small package and resumed, "As you had never worn formal divine attire before, I had prepared one for you."
It was an emerald tunic with several embroidery designs of a caduceus alternated with the rod of Asclepius—this time with the snake around the staff.
I took some time to wear the ceremonial vestments. I did not have breakfast, but I was not feeling hungry. Helena told me that it is very natural for me to fall asleep suddenly or get hungry sporadically. Every mortal soul had to adapt to the absence of their mundane needs.
Moreover, she said that I should not worry too much about this and even recommended that I keep this habit. I will be transmigrated, and thus, if I develop new habits regarding basic needs, I will need to engrave all of them back when I arrive at Midgard.
I finished the preparation, and when I went to the main hall of Hermes' state, there were Zoe, Helena, and Joseph waiting to accompany me to the ceremony. They joined me and opened the door leading not to the corridor in the rear part of the temple, but to its main entrance.
The hall was filled with people that I had never seen in my short time here. I could recognize the centurion and the librarian from yesterday, as well as some merchants that were sitting in the middle part. The statue that adorned the temple's main hall was missing, and in its place was Hermes itself.
My chaperones went ahead and sat in the front line. I was asked to wait until I was called.
"Welcome everyone. I greet all the great brothers and sisters that come to appreciate the birth of a new apostle." Hermes proclaimed.
A round of applause followed his speech, then he continued: "The majority of you know that we are responsible for numerous mortal realms in order to ensure that their lives will not be restricted by our divine moods."
"The eons where Titans had ruled over mortals and divine beings as if we were pests and toys had been gone. However, even from their prison, they remain trying to destroy the beauty of mortality."
"Today, we gathered here to remember our vow and our mission that Zeus delegated to us!"
A thunderous roar could be heard outside, the hall trembled, and a legendary person sitting in the front line stood up. Zeus himself!
"Our promises shall not be broken!" A thunder could be heard in, and the atmosphere grew tense.
"Come forth, apostle candidate!" Commanded Zeus.
I started walking toward the altar, where were Zeus and Hermes. I would never figure out that Zeus would preside over this ceremony. Likewise, I thought that it would be something more private, as they were explaining to nobody that I was Hermes's apostle.
A moment before reaching the altar, Zeus began saying, "You were appointed to be the apostle of Hermes. Are you prepared?"
His question almost triggered a joker inside me that was desperate to reply: "I am not prepared! So I am getting off here!" But this was not the moment for that, so I held back and answered back.
"Yes, I am."
"Very well." His eyes shone with a yellowish color, and then he went back to his seat.
"You, Rufus Costa, mortal from the Earth Realm, are designated as my new divine apostle. Will you fulfill my will and work for the benefit of mortal souls and their lives?"
"Yes, I will."
A caduceus has appeared in his right hand, and he raised it above my head.
"Hence, I bestow upon thee the Authority of Commerce, the Authority of Speed and the Authority of Languages!"