Episode 38: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode 38: The Chaotic Story of the Underworld – (3)

“Old man Charon, at least now you’ll have to row less than before…”

“Ugh. What would you know! I barely had to row before since I could move with my powers! The real issue is that I still have to keep ferrying these mortal scum across the Acheron! Even though the boat can move on its own, why do I still have to keep rowing…”

I guess the task of ferrying souls has always been tough for him.

That’s the nature of all work here in the Underworld, though.

“Well, at least it’s better than being Thanatos, right? Cheer up.”

“That’s not comforting at all…”

The ferryman—or now, the captain—of the Acheron, Charon, began rowing on his newly crafted boat.

Fitting its massive size, his oar had also become much longer.

“I’ll increase the influence on the living world so they’ll place more coins in the mouths of the dead.”

“…Forget the money, just let me rest.”

I’ll still send word through the priests of my temple.

Even if a family is poor, if the funeral guests chip in just a little, Charon’s purse should fill up nicely.

In the future, this might even be known as a kind of condolence money… funeral offerings.

“Get on, you lot! I’ll take you across the Acheron!”

The boat, filled with souls, moved away as Charon rowed once again.

Even though we installed an automatic motor under the boat, due to the laws of the Underworld, Charon is still fated to keep rowing.

“Hades. Can’t you hear me..? I’m ready for some passionate time together…”

Aphrodite, who had been controlling the souls on the side, approached and placed her hand on my chest.

The goddess of love smiled gently, seducing me.

Hm, step back.

“Actually, there’s a soul who came to the Underworld to see you.”

“What? A soul that wants to meet me?”

Aphrodite looked puzzled, but soon a man stepped off Charon’s boat after it returned from dropping off souls on the opposite shore of the Acheron.

As soon as he saw Aphrodite, he hurried over and prostrated himself.

“Ah… I remember you, a mortal from long ago.”

“Goddess Aphrodite… I, Pygmalion, who received your grace, your blessings, and your mercy, humbly offer my gratitude.”

This man’s name was Pygmalion.

He was the greatest sculptor in the world, allowed to marry the statue he created thanks to Aphrodite’s favor.

With a face more serious than when he was sculpting, Pygmalion paid his respects to the goddess of love and beauty.

The mortal’s sincerity moved even the goddess of love, and she straightened her posture.

Aphrodite gently placed her hand on the devotee’s shoulder.

Pygmalion, overwhelmed with emotion, bowed even lower.

“You’re the sculptor from the island of Cyprus, the one who prayed to me while making that statue.”

“Yes! Thanks to your blessing, I was able to live a life without regrets with my beloved wife!”

“I saw that pure and unwavering love you had for the woman, whom I breathed life into.”

The sculptor trembled at the way she referred to the figure not as a mere statue, but as a woman.

“All of this was because of your grace. I wanted to personally thank you for helping me realize my love.”

“Think of it as a reward for your desperate longing for love.”

I stayed quiet, not wanting to interrupt their conversation.

For at this moment, Aphrodite was no longer just the goddess of beauty but a compassionate goddess of love, smiling warmly.

* * *

Pygmalion, who had even shed tears as he expressed his gratitude, eventually departed.

That reminds me… there’s something I’ve been curious to ask her.

“At the time, what made you decide to breathe life into the statue?”

“Oh~ back then?”

Aphrodite paused, thinking for a moment.

Her thoughtful expression reflected on the Acheron’s waters, a beautiful sight in itself.

Soon, she broke into a playful smile and spoke.

“Isn’t it the role of the gods to make impossible wishes come true and answer the desperate prayers of mortals?”

Impossible wishes and desperate prayers, huh.

Even though we gods live eternally, our emotions don’t dull, and we don’t become mechanical, endlessly repeating our tasks.

It’s more accurate to say that we retain our personalities, or perhaps that we are personified deities with human-like traits.

That’s why things like Zeus’ many acts of violence, the tragedy of Phaethon and Helios, the rebellion of the gods, or Thanatos’ strike occur...

“Well, to be honest, it was just a whim. Who knew a mortal would move my heart...”

And sometimes, these kinds of heartwarming tales come about, I suppose.

As I silently nodded in understanding, Aphrodite shot me a sharp look.

“That’s all fine and good, but I’ve been asking you for a while now—how about we finally…”

“Oh, if you like the heat, I can assign you to work at the Phlegethon River.”

“What?! Why should I have to work in the Underworld?!”

“…? Didn’t you want to come to the Underworld?”

The goddess of beauty’s face twisted in frustration as she began to raise her voice.

“That’s not what I meant! I meant spending some fun time with you…!”

“You’ve already met Pygmalion, and working here has been somewhat enjoyable…”

“Aaaaah! Fine, I’ll just go back!”

'No way you're going back.'

I’ve already received Zeus’ permission to bring whichever god I want.

You’ll have to work a bit more here.

“By the way, Zeus himself approved of bringing you.”

“What?!”

“I lodged a complaint about the Thanatos incident, so I’ve arranged for a few gods from Olympus to be sent here.”

Aphrodite’s expression went blank when she heard the news that Zeus had essentially sold her off. She was in denial, unable to accept the reality of what had happened to her.

“So, it’s settled. I’ll leave the souls at the Acheron to you.”

“H-Hades!”

Aphrodite, now hard at work on the Acheron River.

Thanks to her, the Underworld has undergone noticeable changes that even I can feel.

As Charon quickly handed over the souls, Thanatos’ work efficiency improved.

More souls swiftly arrived at the River Cocytus, and as a result, all the gods of the Underworld had a bit more breathing room.

Even the number of souls who caused trouble, unable to accept their death, had decreased…

“Hades! This isn’t what I signed up for!”

* * *

After encouraging Aphrodite for her hard work at the Acheron River, I returned to the fortress of the Underworld, leaned back on my throne, and tilted my head.

So many things have happened recently…

Still, with Aphrodite’s help, I should have some time to…

A soft embrace.

I felt a presence behind my throne, slowly creeping up and wrapping around me.

Soft silver hair, delicate hands.

“Lady Lethe, how are the souls at the Lethe River being managed…”

“I left it to my attendants.”

“And the selection of the newly hired attendants…”

“Don’t worry about that.”

As the small goddess’ hands gently covered my eyes, I closed them without resistance.

The sensation of something soft touching the back of my head… hmm.

I tried to get up from the embrace of Lethe, the goddess behind me, but failed.

Um… it seems like you’re gripping tighter…

“Neither Zeus nor Poseidon seems to have as much work as you do.”

“…It can’t be helped due to the nature of the Underworld.”

Zeus, who governs the sky and the entire world, might be the busiest of us all, but…

Because of that, he’s delegated much of his work to countless gods.

The sun and the wind, nature and the earth, art and madness…

Except for major incidents like the threat of the Gigantes or wars, most things are handled by the other Olympian gods.

Poseidon, who rules the vast seas and waters, has also entrusted much of his work to the many sea nymphs, the Nereids, and divine beasts.

Honestly, unless it’s something that affects the entire marine ecosystem, there’s no need to worry about it.

Whether an earthquake happens under the sea… or a shark eats a fish in the depths of the ocean…

All of these are part of natural death, the cycle of life.

But the Underworld is a bit different.

I’m in a position to ensure that cycle happens smoothly.

If there’s a problem with the souls coming to the Underworld, it becomes difficult to assign souls to new lives being born.

If the space in the Underworld runs out or reaches capacity, we’ll struggle to accommodate the deceased.

If the judgments on the souls’ sins aren’t carried out properly, the laws of the world will become unstable.

And the most critical issue is…

“All the gods are incredibly busy. Just look at Charon or Thanatos…”

“Well, that’s true…”

Unlike Olympus, the division of labor here isn’t very effective…!

There are hardly any idle gods, so how can I delegate work?

It’s not like I can ask the Furies for help since everyone avoids them.

“Shall I use my power to clear your mind?”

“…I’d appreciate that.”

Lethe whispered in a concerned voice.

With her power of forgetfulness, she could help me temporarily forget my fatigue.

It’s like she would lift away unnecessary memories from my mind…

A kiss.

…?!

The soft touch on my forehead lasted only a moment.

From that spot, my mind cleared, and the mental exhaustion began to melt away.

Wait, did she just… kiss my forehead?

“Shh. Don’t say anything. Just rest.”

When I opened my eyes, I saw Lethe’s face, contrasting her silver hair, flushed bright red.

I stared at her face, which looked like it would explode if touched, for a moment before closing my eyes again.

“…Alright.”

I had a feeling my face wasn’t much different from hers.

**************

T/N: I have uploaded new illustrations. You can check them out on my ko-fi page.

Link: https://ko-fi.com/astrascans

**************

||Previous||TOC||Next||