King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 7

The King of the Underworld is Tired 7 (7/82)

The Story of Life – (2)

“Lord Hades, my souls are complaining of fatigue.”

“Even Zeus doesn’t listen to the Underworld’s opinion…”

“Do the gods above the clouds not care about the Underworld at all?”

In an instant, the Underworld’s banquet hall transformed into a forum for denouncing Olympus’s decisions, and the beautiful goddess Iris, in charge of the rainbow, visibly paled.

I surveyed the gods gathered there.

The lesser gods who guide souls across the River Styx and manage the Underworld; Thanatos, the god of death, tirelessly reaping countless souls day and night; Hypnos, his twin brother and the god of sleep, who aids Thanatos by inducing deep sleep at his request.

“Isn’t death by the Great Flood an unavoidable, fated death, Moros [god of doom]?”

“What nonsense! It’s more likely a punishment aimed at destroying most of humanity, so it’s your responsibility, Keres [spirits of violent death].”

Moros and Keres, children of Nyx [the goddess of night] like Thanatos, and other gods of death, continued their grim debate.

“What if so many souls suddenly flood in that the river dries up?”

That was Lethe, the goddess of oblivion, granddaughter of Nyx. The River Lethe [river of forgetfulness in the Underworld] is named after her.

“To think that the reward for being the first to rush into the war against the Titans is such poor treatment… Zeus is too much.”

Even the goddess Styx [goddess of the River Styx], who, unable to bear the Underworld’s excessive workload, volunteered to help, looked at me with tearful eyes, overwhelmed by unfamiliar paperwork.

I am, undeniably, the King of the Underworld, and I cannot ignore their hard work and grievances.

Closing my eyes and quietly raising one hand, I silenced the hall.

In the suffocating silence, I carefully chose the words I would convey to Iris, who remained frozen in place.

“Goddess of the Rainbow, Iris.”

“At your command, Lord Hades.”

I looked down at Iris, kneeling on one knee, intimidated by my low voice.

“Why didn’t Olympus inform us about the Great Flood in advance?”

“That is… because the wickedness of humans intensified so rapidly that there was no time to give you a heads up…”

No, Zeus sent Pandora’s Box in the first place to create an excuse to wipe out humanity.

Since Pandora’s Box was opened, evil has spread across the earth, and the number of souls arriving in the Underworld has rapidly increased.

That petty Zeus certainly planned to punish humans as retribution for Prometheus stealing fire and sharing it…

And he probably created Pandora on purpose as an excuse to make humans commit evil deeds.

* * *

Managing the souls arriving in the Underworld is, of course, our responsibility, so there are no complaints about the increased workload due to the Great Flood.

However, I am displeased that Olympus made the decision to wipe out humans without consulting me.

Even if Zeus is the King of the Gods, shouldn’t the Underworld be consulted on such an important matter, rather than simply notified?

“Go back to Zeus and tell him that the Underworld expresses deep regret over Olympus’s decision.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Iris’s face froze.

“…..!”

“Is there anything else to convey, Goddess of the Rainbow?”

As I spoke, I unknowingly became a little annoyed. The floor cracked from the release of my power, and an eerie divine energy emanated from my body.

I seemed to have vented my anger on the messenger for no reason, so I composed myself and issued a dismissal.

Zeus, who is sensitive to displays of power, will understand my intentions well enough.

The goddess Iris bowed deeply and left the banquet hall.

Only then did the other gods, who had paused the banquet, begin to move and prepare for the Underworld’s saturation due to the Great Flood.

“We need additional places to house the souls until the Great Flood ends and life begins again…”

“Thanatos, take it easy until the Great Flood comes. I will help you with the task of bringing souls, even more so.”

“You’re the only one for me, my brother. I’ll leave it to you then, Hypnos.”

“Keres, let’s get moving too.”

“Moros, why don’t you put down the nectar in your hand and talk?”

The most unpleasant fact remained that Iris conveyed news of the Great Flood without consulting me, the King of the Underworld, in advance.

If a disaster like the Great Flood suddenly occurs without any time to prepare, the Underworld’s officials would feel blindsided.

If they had consulted with the Underworld in advance, they could have put the souls under their command to work in shifts, or at least given them time to mentally prepare.

Thinking about it, it’s even more annoying.

Last time when I fought the Gigantes [giants], I went directly to Olympus to help.

* * *

This is the Olympus Divine Palace.

Zeus, looking down at the earth from his golden throne above the clouds, listened to Iris’s report.

When Iris, a fairly high-ranking god, returned to Olympus, pale with fright, he was puzzled, but he understood after listening to her report.

“And so, Lord Hades was very angry and said that he expresses deep regret over Olympus’s decision…”

“Oh dear, I forgot about my brother!”

Why hadn’t he thought of Hades, who manages the dead souls?

Seeing Iris sweating profusely, Zeus contemplated how to handle this situation.

He had made the decision to cause the Great Flood without considering the Underworld’s opinion, so it was understandable that Hades felt ignored.

If another god, who had no power or influence, dared to disobey or complain about his decision, he could simply suppress them with his authority, but…

He needed to think more carefully about one of the three main gods who ruled the Underworld, especially the god who resided near Tartarus [the deep abyss used as a dungeon of torment and suffering], where the Titan gods were imprisoned.

Zeus called himself the King of the Gods, ruling the heavens, but there were those who could check his power.

“Zeus! Did another goddess run off because she liked you?!”

Hera, his sibling and wife, flying towards him, arms crossed and fuming, was one of them.

“No, that’s a misunderstanding. I may momentarily glance at other women, but you are the only one truly worthy to be by Zeus’s side…”

“You can glance?! Grinding teeth… Were you trying to seduce Iris just now?”

Hera, Zeus’s legal wife, presides over marriage and family.

No matter how much Zeus is the King of the Gods, he has to yield to her when it comes to affairs or infidelity.

“No! This time it’s really a misunderstanding. It’s about the Great Flood and my brother Hades in the Underworld…”

The King of the Gods was sweating and making excuses.

However, Hera’s brow furrowed more and more as she listened to the story.

“Since the one who is called the King of the Gods is only thinking about how to get with goddesses every day, wouldn’t he forget the simple logic of listening to the opinions of other gods?”

“That is… um. It’s my mistake. How should I appease the Underworld…”

“Hmph. If it’s so difficult to make a decision, why don’t you ask Metis’s daughter?”

“Metis’s daughter… That’s right, Iris, bring Athena here.”

Metis, Zeus’s cousin and first wife, who made Cronus [Titan king and father of Zeus] vomit out the gods by feeding him an emetic.

Her marriage to Zeus brought about the birth of Athena, the goddess of wisdom.

The prophecy that a son born between her and Zeus would threaten Zeus’s throne was averted by the birth of their daughter, Athena.

Athena, as a wise goddess, reassured Zeus, who feared that the prophecy would continue with the son she bore.

She swore on the River Styx to remain a virgin forever.

Only then did Zeus stop all suspicion and love and cherish her very much.

“Father, did you call?”

Not long after, a rainbow appeared in front of Zeus, and Iris and Athena walked out together from within it.

Athena was always armed with a golden, solid helmet and armor, spear and shield.

Nevertheless, the beauty of the silver-haired goddess, shining brightly, could not be hidden.

Zeus asked the noble and wise goddess of wisdom a question.

“…And so, I need your wisdom. If you have any good ideas, tell me.”

Athena, having heard all of Zeus’s story, pondered for a moment before speaking.

Hera and Iris quietly watched her, waiting for her words.

“How far are you considering going to appease your older brother’s anger this time, Father?”

“I called you because it’s difficult to judge that. Speak freely.”

At Zeus’s words, the goddess of wisdom, dressed in armor, carefully expressed her opinion.

Hera and Iris also quietly watched her, waiting for her words.

“This time, it would be better for you to go down to the Underworld yourself and apologize.”

“What?! This Zeus himself?!”

Instead of sending a messenger god like Hermes or Iris?

The King of the Gods was taken aback, but he decided to continue listening to his beloved eldest daughter.

However, the goddess of wisdom did not open her mouth any further after that.

“Why are you not saying anything more? My beloved daughter.”

“I’m sorry. I was momentarily contemplating this situation where the trivial wickedness of humans has gradually intensified, eventually leading to a Great Flood that must wipe them out…”

The wickedness of humans was intentionally induced by Zeus himself through Pandora’s Box.

The excessive tyranny they wielded gave Zeus the justification to cause the Great Flood.

However, there is no need to say such things here now.

Athena, the goddess of wisdom, is not so foolish as to be lost in other thoughts in front of the chief god… If so…

“It’s better to resolve the situation in advance with measures that might be considered excessive, rather than letting a big problem arise? Is that what you want to say?”

Athena did not say anything and bowed her head.

The upcoming Great Flood was clearly in line with Zeus’s intentions, and the humans had crossed the line, so he was able to gain justification.

However, what if Hades becomes dissatisfied with him because of this incident and raises the banner of rebellion someday?

His older brother, whom Zeus had seen so far, was not the type to become enraged over trivial matters and start a fight with him.

So, judging from Iris’s words that he was enraged, he must have protested to Olympus as the King of the Underworld.

His throne was in danger if he lost the public sentiment not only of Hades but also of the other gods of the Underworld.

Especially considering the importance of Tartarus near the Underworld even more.

“Are you still hesitating, Zeus? You have time to go around having affairs, but you’re not saying you don’t have time to soothe the Underworld, are you?”

Hera’s words drove a wedge into Zeus, who was deeply contemplating.

“Alright. I will go and have a frank conversation with my brother Hades myself.”

Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I met my brother who lives in the Underworld, so I should take this opportunity to catch up.