Chapter 15：When the Scales Began to Tilt, the Goddess of Justice Turned Away
2026/07/15
ccording to ancient Greek mythology, humanity passed through four successive ages: the Golden Age, the Silver Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age. Each age was defined by a different character and destiny, but none was remembered more fondly than the Golden Age.
During this time, the world was ruled by the Titan Cronos. Humans lived alongside the gods in peace and harmony, free from hardship and worry. Youth and vitality lasted throughout life, while the fertile earth produced abundant harvests without labor, allowing every living creature to share in nature's generosity.
Beneath this peaceful world, however, a conflict was quietly taking shape. Fearing that one of his own children would overthrow him, Cronos swallowed each newborn as soon as it was born. Only the youngest, Zeus, was secretly hidden away by his mother. After reaching adulthood, Zeus united with his brothers and sisters and declared war against Cronos. The conflict grew into the great Titanomachy, a long and devastating war between the Titans and the Olympians. In the end, Zeus defeated Cronos and established a new order under the Olympian gods.
Meanwhile, humanity also began to leave the Golden Age behind. People gradually became arrogant and no longer respected the gods. Land became a cause of bitter feuds, wealth inspired deception, and the pursuit of power led to violence and war. Peaceful meadows were replaced by battlefields, while cheerful villages echoed with cries of sorrow. Later generations came to describe these changing eras as the Silver Age, the Bronze Age, and finally the Iron Age.
As humanity drifted further from its former virtue, the gods lost hope in the mortal world. One after another, they returned to Mount Olympus and withdrew from human affairs. Forests that had once been filled with divine beings grew silent, and encounters with nymphs or wandering gods gradually disappeared.
Only one goddess chose to remain. Astraea, the goddess of justice and fairness, stayed among humanity.
Each morning, Astraea walked into villages to settle disputes. Brothers quarreling over an inheritance received patient guidance. Neighbors arguing over the boundaries of their fields were given fair judgments after both sides had been heard. Astraea believed that, with enough guidance, humanity might one day recover the goodness of the Golden Age.
But events unfolded differently from what she had hoped. Year after year, humanity remained unchanged.
No sooner had one conflict been resolved than another village fell into dispute. One war had barely ended before another erupted elsewhere. Again and again, Astraea returned to help, yet violence and dishonesty continued to spread.
At last, Astraea accepted that humanity could never return to the Golden Age. She turned away from the mortal world and returned to Mount Olympus, becoming the last deity to leave humanity behind.
To honor the goddess who never abandoned mankind until the very end, later generations placed her scales among the stars, where they became the constellation Libra, a lasting symbol of justice and balance.
Observation Guide
Libra is unlike any other constellation in the zodiac. Not only is it the only zodiac constellation represented by an object instead of a person, but it also has a unique history: Libra was not originally considered a constellation of its own.
Located between Virgo and Scorpius, Libra contains two bright stars named Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali, whose names mean "the Southern Claw" and "the Northern Claw." These names preserve the constellation's earlier identity, as the stars originally represented the claws of Scorpius in ancient Greek astronomy.
It was not until the Roman period that this region of the sky was redefined as a separate constellation. One commonly accepted explanation is that the autumnal equinox lay near Libra at the time. Since the autumnal equinox marks the moment when day and night are nearly equal in length, it naturally became associated with balance. The Romans therefore adopted the scales as the symbol of this constellation.
Because Libra is relatively faint, locating it is easier by first finding Antares in Scorpius, and Spica in Virgo. Between these two prominent stars lies a slightly tilted quadrilateral, which is the unmistakable outline of Libra.
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Easter Egg
After carefully placing Hamstein on one side,
he somehow tried to cram himself onto the other...
Yeah, there was absolutely no way that was going to fit.
