Episode 39: The King of the Underworld is Tired

Episode 39: Ominous Signs – (1)

The afterlife was as turbulent as ever today.

Aphrodite, who had agreed to help out in the underworld for a while, was having another exhausting day.

Before reaching the River Lethe, where souls drink and forget their memories of the mortal world, they still retained all their earthly memories.

Because of this, some of them couldn’t accept the fact that they had died and began causing trouble.

"Argh! I’m not dead yet!"

"Please, just let me see my mother once more. I’ll walk in on my own after that!"

"Damn it, let me out of here!"

There were those who denied reality, those who still clung to regrets from the living world, and those who vented their rage at the enemies who had killed them...

And even those who wandered the Acheron River because they didn’t have a single coin to pay the ferryman.

Exhausted from dealing with all of this, Aphrodite found herself too tired to maintain her divine dignity, so she resorted to mesmerizing the souls with just a glance. But just as she sent the souls across the river, Charon returned with a message from Hades.

"Hades says he's going to host a banquet in the underworld that will last an entire day."

"A whole... day?!"

"Hmm. I was surprised too. I guess he's still worried about that incident with Thanatos last time..."

Though it was the same news, their reactions were different.

While Charon, the ferryman of the Acheron River, was delighted at the prospect of having a full day off, the goddess of beauty and love was shocked that it was only one day.

It made sense—after all, what work did the goddess of love and beauty have to do on Olympus?

Love was an emotion that naturally arose, and beauty was something she didn’t need to interfere with. And Olympus was full of other carefree gods like her.

Banquets were frequent, and life was leisurely.

"Come to think of it, you must not be used to work, having lived comfortably on Olympus."

"...Now I understand why Athena avoids any talk of the underworld since the Great Flood."

It was only natural for her to react this way, given that this delicate flower had suddenly found herself trapped in a workaholic's nightmare.

* * *

"I... I am innocent... Lord Zeus forced himself on me... Sob... Why is Lady Hera only punishing me?"

"...Alright. Take a moment to rest, and we’ll talk again."

A human soul who had been raped by Zeus, punished by Hera, and sent to the underworld.

As she wept bitterly, the goddess of forgetfulness, Lethe, quietly approached from behind and made her forget her memories of the living world.

Sometimes, when delivering judgment in the underworld, souls would arrive still clinging to their memories of life.

When one dies with deep resentment, it’s only natural that the waters of the River Lethe have no effect...

"Why are there so many rape victims from the mortal world...?"

The gods are reckless.

Not just Zeus, who thinks with his lower half—most of them are like that.

The higher the god’s rank, the more inclined they are to behave this way, but even the lesser gods are guilty of raping mortals.

Just today alone, three rape victims arrived in the underworld.

All of them begged me, still holding onto their memories of life.

As I held my head in my hands, the goddess Lethe, who had just erased a soul’s memories, quietly approached.

"Still, Hades isn't like that, right? Even though he’s quite popular..."

Well, of course not—after all, I am one of the three great gods.

Anyone who marries me would become the Queen of the Underworld, gaining immense power and authority.

Honestly, I might look a bit gloomy, but I still think I’m quite handsome.

Even if I’m not as bad as Poseidon, whose frequent affairs make his wife Amphitrite furious every day, or Zeus, who sleeps with almost every woman he lays eyes on, there are still a fair number of goddesses who subtly express interest in me.

However...

"Sigh... It’s because I keep seeing souls like that."

The underworld is filled with victims of rape, infidelity, and crimes of passion.

After seeing so many souls who died because of goddesses’ curses or jealousy, my desire for marriage often vanishes...

And I must choose the Queen of the Underworld carefully.

A wife like Hera, who kills rape victims, or Amphitrite, who overturns the sea in anger—that’s not for me.

Just then, one of my attendants approached and informed me that the banquet preparations were complete.

"It seems the preparations for the banquet are about finished. Shall we head to the hall?"

"Sigh... Fine."

It’s been a while since we’ve had a day off, so I’m sure everyone will be pleased.

I left my office and headed to the banquet hall with the goddess Lethe quietly following behind me.

I instructed them to distribute Dionysus’ wine to the souls of the underworld as part of the celebration.

Even though the souls no longer needed to eat or drink, at least they could still enjoy the festive atmosphere.

"Have the Muses arrived?"

"Yes! The goddesses have already arrived and are in the banquet hall."

The nine Muses, who preside over the arts, are the daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus.

When Mnemosyne heard I was holding a banquet, she contacted Olympus and called for her daughters.

A melodious tune filled the air as I entered the banquet hall.

Euterpe played the flute, while Terpsichore danced to the music.

The other Muses were also livening up the banquet atmosphere in their respective fields.

As I sat down for a moment and looked around the banquet hall, I noticed that everyone seemed to be enjoying this rare moment of rest.

But something felt off.

"Oh my..."

"How exhausted must he have been..."

The gods were whispering about something in a corner at the back of the banquet hall.

When I sneaked closer, I saw an old god lying down, trying to sleep.

"Zzz... Zzz..."

Why is Hypnos sleeping on the banquet floor? He must be that tired.

Still, the banquet was meant for rest, so I shouldn't disturb him.

I instructed a servant to move the sleeping Hypnos to a quiet room and then returned to the hall.

“Another death by disease? Those fragile mortals... tsk tsk tsk...”

In another corner, Thanatos was sipping nectar, surrounded by the energy of death.

Even during the banquet, he had to control his avatars to harvest souls, so he couldn't rest.

“Hades!”

Someone called out to me.

Where have I heard that voice before? Ah!

"Oh my~! Lord Hades! It's been so long!"

"Erato. It's been a while."

A goddess with long cyan hair, who looked stunning in a tunic, approached me with a charming smile.

It was Erato, one of the nine Muses, the goddess of love poetry and lyric poetry.

“You’re always working so hard in the Underworld, but I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had a chance to visit...”

Erato came closer and linked her arm with mine.

Don’t get too close, niece...

Though her playful behavior was cute, wasn't she standing a little too close?

"Lord Hadeees~! Seeing you after so long is sparking my inspiration~"

"...?!"

I had a feeling people were watching us, so it was about time to end this...

Contrary to my thoughts, Erato cleared her throat and began to recite a poem.

The sweet voice of the goddess of love poetry and lyric poetry echoed through the banquet hall.

* * *

Humans say~

There’s Phoebus with a smile as bright as the sun, and Poseidon with a chest as vast as the sea.

The alluring figure of Dionysus and the witty tongue of Hermes.

Pausing for a moment to take a sip of nectar, Erato placed her hand on my chest and continued.

But we know~

That Pluto of the Underworld, whom everyone fears, is...

“Gasp... Forgive me! I will take my leave...!”

“Huh...?!”

Erato abruptly stopped her words, staring behind me, and then, looking very flustered, she bowed her head and stepped backward.

When I turned around, there stood Goddess Styx, smiling at me.

However, she didn’t seem to be in a particularly good mood.

“Hades... again with some strange goddess…”

“Huh?”

“Ugh... Never mind. So why did you host this banquet? Do you realize how much damage could be caused by skipping work for just one day...?”

Yes, yes... I’m well aware.

“I just thought everyone could use a break...”

“But what if the work piles up like last time?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. Look over there...”

We turned our heads to see Thanatos, controlling his avatars with a sinister gaze, still muttering something under his breath.

The busiest god in the Underworld was clearly too preoccupied with harvesting souls to rest.

“The next one’s over here... Oh dear... An entire family starved to death...”

Never mind the black wings brushing against the nectar cup—his fearsome figure, harvesting souls in real-time, left no other gods daring to approach him.

“Thanatos is still working diligently, and the three judges are taking turns resting.”

“So, does that mean I can go now? Hades?!”

The goddess Aphrodite interrupted our conversation with a very irritated expression.

Compared to before, the goddess of beauty had an even more decadent appearance.

I had worked her hard enough by now.

The reduction in the Underworld’s workload had been noticeable for a while.

“You’ve done well. But if you ever feel like returning to the Underworld...”

“You... really?! Can I really go?”

The moment I agreed, Aphrodite quickly left the room.

Goddess Styx, watching her go, shook her head in disbelief.

"Honestly, complaining just because she did a little work by the Acheron River."

Perhaps because she usually lived such a leisurely life on Olympus, she was quick to escape from the Underworld...

...?! Someone is praying to me.

A believer from Thebes? No, a priest?

But this desperate plea, filled with fear and anxiety...!

"Lord Hades! Please save us! A monster with the body of a snake and a human...!"

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