Episode 37: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode 37: The Chaotic Story of the Underworld – (2)

Crack—Crackle!

The sound of Charon's boat splitting in half under the weight, or rather, shattering into pieces.

Unlike humans, we gods possess lightning-fast reflexes, moving with incredible speed beyond imagination.

Charon quickly shoved Otos and Ephialtes' souls aside and hurled himself toward the riverbank.

The Acheron River is part of the Underworld’s domain, so I controlled the river, pulling the sinking wreck of the boat back up.

Thud. Thud.

“Huff... What the hell!”

“The ferry that hadn’t broken even once in thousands of years…”

“…?!”

This is why Otos and Ephialtes’ souls didn’t sink into the river.

Old man Charon looked utterly dumbfounded, mouth agape.

Aphrodite was also astonished, witnessing the destruction of Charon’s ferry, something she had only heard about before.

“Wasn’t that a divine artifact…?”

“I never thought it would completely shatter like this…”

“Do you have any idea what happened? Did you make a mistake recently?”

No matter how heavy those two souls were, Charon’s ferry is a divine object.

Charon’s powers reduce the weight of the souls, assist with movement across the river, and include various other functions.

Under normal circumstances, no matter how many souls boarded, there would be no reason for it to break…

“It started creaking a little after that great flood and now it's finally ended like this.”

“Since the flood? If you had told me earlier, I could’ve taken action…”

“…? How was I supposed to go all the way to the fortress when I’m so busy?”

Well, it's a miracle the boat even lasted this long, after working for such a long time.

Even with divine powers, maybe it had been overworked for too long.

“Well, ever since the Underworld was created, countless souls have boarded that ferry. It was bound to break eventually…”

“It's because mortals keep dying over trivial things.”

Charon muttered while staring at the wreckage of the ferry and his oar, his face filled with helplessness.

“Damn! What the hell is this? Hades!”

“As you can see, Charon’s ferry is in shambles. Thanatos.”

Thanatos, who had sent countless projections to guide souls in the mortal world, appeared.

He must have come to complain about the chaos caused by the accumulation of souls at the Acheron River.

The souls, unable to cross the Acheron, were growing increasingly agitated.

Upon noticing us, the murmuring of the souls became even louder.

“What is going on here...?”

“Huh... L–Lord Pluto?!”

“No way... It looks just like the statues in the temple... Is that Lady Aphrodite?”

“Why is Charon’s ferry...?”

Upon death, they had been guided by Thanatos down to the Underworld.

But when they arrived, the ferry they were supposed to board was broken, Charon was standing there in shock with his oar, and they were met with Thanatos, myself, and Aphrodite.

The souls began looking completely dazed.

“Oh, great Zeus…”

* * *

We need to fix this quickly.

If this keeps up, the cycle of the world might break again like last time.

“Aphrodite, charm all the souls arriving here and get them to stand in orderly lines.”

“Huh...? Oh, yes...”

“Thanatos! There should be a small boat near the River Styx used for rescuing souls. Go fetch it.”

“Damn it! Alright!”

“When Thanatos returns with the boat, you’ll be able to ferry the souls across the Acheron River, right, Charon?”

“I could, but the speed and durability of that boat won't compare to my ferry…”

“Let’s just do it for now. I’ll get a new boat made and sent here as quickly as possible!”

Damn, something always seems to go wrong in this Underworld.

“Hades! The souls suddenly stopped arriving; what in the world is going on...?”

“Lady Styx! Charon’s ferry has been destroyed!”

The goddess Styx, shocked by the sudden halt in soul arrivals, rushed over.

After quickly explaining the situation to her, she wore an expression similar to Thanatos'.

“That can't be! That ferry hadn’t even gotten a scratch in all those years…”

“Well, after all those years, it was bound to break!”

“…?!”

Soon, Styx’s servants, along with Thanatos’ projections, began busying themselves by hauling the boat, while I hurried back to my office in the Underworld to deal with the situation.

“Hades! Could it be like last time, with Thanatos…”

“No, this time, it’s because Charon’s ferry broke, so get back to work.”

“Y-Yes…?! Oh... understood!”

“And send word to Olympus that I urgently need to see Hephaestus!”

I Should Take This Opportunity to Remodel Charon’s Ferry

To ensure this kind of situation never happens again, I need to build it bigger and stronger.

If the greatest blacksmith in the world, Hephaestus, who far surpasses even the Cyclopes, creates it himself, nothing like this should ever happen again.

But if there are others who can assist the god of blacksmiths...

Since we’re going to make it, let’s make it right.

“Summon Daedalus and Pygmalion. Stop by Goddess Mnemosyne and restore their memories before bringing them.”

“Yes, sir!”

No matter how tumultuous their lives were in the mortal world, everyone eventually comes to the Underworld.

Daedalus was the greatest architect and inventor of the era of King Minos, one of the judges of the Underworld.

And Pygmalion was a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he created.

Remarkably, he even married the statue he fell in love with...

This was because Aphrodite turned the statue Pygmalion created into a real person.

“So, Aphrodite turned the statue you made into a person?”

“Yes, after I offered sacrifices and prayers, she answered my request!”

“No wonder I saw a statue listed in the Underworld’s records…”

I was quite taken aback when the statue-turned-human arrived as a citizen of the Underworld.

* * *

Thus, the greatest architect, sculptor, and blacksmith in Greece gathered in the Fotress of the Underworld.

The reason: to build a new boat for Charon.

“Huff... It’s such an honor to work alongside the god Hephaestus!”

“Daedalus, is it? I’ve heard your name quite often.”

“I’m a sculptor... Are you planning to craft a figurehead?”

Pygmalion is right.

Since the ferry was destroyed, we’re going to build Charon a proper new boat.

Of course, there should be a figurehead of Charon at the prow.

“Uncle Hades, what do you think about making the boat out of metal?”

“Metal? Is that possible?”

“Yes, since the movement can be powered by divine abilities, ensuring its durability…”

“And the internal design…”

In my past life, where humans had ventured into the sky and the space, I might have known better.

But even for a god of blacksmiths, there are limits to technology, and I doubt a metal boat would move well...

However, since this is the age of myth, we can compensate for any shortcomings with supernatural powers.

And in the Underworld, while trees don’t grow, there is an abundance of metal, so it might actually work.

“Let’s give it a try. I’ll supply all the materials you need.”

“Then, Uncle! Leave it to the world’s greatest blacksmith, Hephaestus!”

The god of blacksmiths let out a hearty laugh, thumping his muscular chest.

Next to him, Daedalus was deep in thought, seemingly contemplating something with an expression that suggested he was up for the challenge.

Thus began an unexpected shipbuilding project in the Underworld.

Clang! Clang!

“Is this the metal that’s said to come only from deep underground?”

“So, this will be sailing on the Acheron River from now on?”

“Move it a little more to the side over there.”

“A boat made of metal… Who would have thought something like this would exist in the Underworld…”

Countless technicians, blacksmiths, and laborers in the Underworld were busy moving materials according to instructions.

On one side, those serving their sentences through labor were moving the heavy metal.

Hephaestus and Daedalus were bustling about, giving orders.

“Tsk. How should I magnificently express Charon’s baldness… If I make it too full...”

Pygmalion, Greece’s greatest sculptor, was busy creating the figurehead in Charon’s likeness.

Once Pygmalion sculpted Charon’s likeness, we planned to imbue it with divine power and place it at the prow of the boat.

The work on Charon’s new boat was completed swiftly.

This was thanks to the leadership of the blacksmith god, Daedalus’ design, and the tireless efforts of the laboring souls.

“I think Charon will be satisfied with this, don’t you think?”

“As you requested, we’ve installed several devices beneath the boat to help push through the currents…”

I gazed at the massive boat, which seemed sturdy enough to carry dozens of souls without a problem.

It was crafted entirely from various metals, outfitted with devices to naturally repel water currents as per my request to Hephaestus,

and included a figurehead of Charon imbued with divine power.

“Poseidon would be jealous of this.”

It was incomparable to Charon’s old, shabby ferry.

* * *

At the entrance to the Underworld, near the Acheron River.

Charon, who had been hastily ferrying souls across, and Aphrodite, who had been controlling the unruly souls, greeted us.

“What… You want me to ferry souls with this thing from now on?!”

“Hades, how much longer do I have to keep doing this?”

I wasn’t too concerned about Aphrodite… What really caught my eye was old man Charon, staring up at the magnificent boat.

He climbed aboard and began to inspect various parts, marveling as he did.

“Oh! It even has powers to push through the currents! With this, I won’t even need to row anymore…”

“Well, because of the laws of the Acheron River… you’ll still have to continue the ‘act of rowing,’ even if it’s unnecessary.”

Charon’s face, which had momentarily brightened, immediately darkened again.

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