King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 45

The King of the Underworld is Tired 45 (45/82)

The Gods’ Excursion – (3)

A little time passed after the goddesses Styx and Lethe disembarked from the chariot.

Flap, flap-

The ghost horses’ legs moved busily, carrying them across the land.

The sound of chariot wheels and horses’ hooves echoed around the outskirts of Mount Etna, where a vast meadow stretched out.

Of course, humans wouldn’t perceive this, as the sight and sound were concealed.

“Kyahaha!”

“Throw it over here!”

Even though it was a dangerous mountain where Typhon’s body was imprisoned,

thanks to the beautiful scenery, nymphs were plentiful with just a turn of the head.

Nearby lay a forest and a small stream with clear, flowing water.

A natural landscape where fairies would likely dwell.

Naturally, my expression relaxed, and my mind found peace.

It was a welcome change of pace compared to staring at parchment scrolls in the office every day.

I briefly dismissed the chariot and ghost horses, further suppressed my power, and approached the mountain.

If my presence saturated this area, Typhon’s suppressed body might rampage and trigger an earthquake.

Swish-

The black divine power slowly scanned the mountain, examining the movements of the entity within.

Hm. Typhon’s body is still there, undisturbed. Quiet.

As I was about to return to the spot where I parted ways with the two goddesses, someone called out to me from the trees.

It was a female nymph who had been glancing my way for some time.

“Hey there, handsome! If you’re bored, why don’t you come and play with me!”

A nymph with striking, bright turquoise hair approached, gesturing invitingly.

A refreshing and clear aura. One of the Naiads [water nymphs], perhaps?

But it seemed I already had a guest vying for my attention…

“Menthe! What’s so great about a guy like that? Why don’t you talk to me instead?”

“No, I don’t want to! Go away!”

A male centaur galloped up from behind the nymph and roughly seized her hand.

I had assumed they knew each other, given his lingering presence near her, but it seemed to be a one-sided pursuit.

“Shut up! Just come with me!”

“Kyaa! Get away!”

The centaur, clearly angered, forcefully pulled the nymph into his arms.

Soon, a disturbingly common crime in Greece was about to unfold.

The kind of act perpetrated by Zeus or Poseidon… gods and men alike raping beautiful women.
The reason why women who were violated and killed harbored deep resentment and appealed to Minos, the judge of the underworld.

“Hey! What are you looking at! This woman is mine… Keuk!”

“Kyaa!… Haa…”

Unable to bear the repulsive scene any longer, I unleashed a wave of intimidation, ending his life.
The heart of the violent centaur, who had just attempted to rape the nymph, ceased beating, and he collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

“Hiek…!”

The nymph made eye contact with me, her eyes wide with fear and brimming with tears.

Seeing her hastily adjusting her half-stripped clothes, I couldn’t help but sigh.

“…I’m not interested in you, so don’t worry.”

“Are you… perhaps a god from somewhere?”

“Yes, and you should stay with other nymphs. There are more than just one or two like him.”

Even the supreme god Zeus is a rapist, so it’s no surprise that other races are no different.

Especially the centaurs, whose lower bodies are those of beasts, are even more driven by their instincts.

I’ve taken care of my business.

I was about to leave when I detected a familiar scent emanating from her.
A very… very old, refreshing scent.

From around the time Athena was born? Around the time I overthrew my father, Cronus, and seized dominion of the world?

No. Even before that, I recall smelling it in my past life…
A truly nostalgic aroma.

The nymph, who had hastily rearranged her disheveled clothing, thanked me.

“Thank you so much. If you encounter any nymphs around here, tell them you are Menthe’s benefactor…”

Ment… No, this is definitely…

“What’s your name?”

“I’m Menthe.”

Menthe. Minte… Mint?

The mint from mint chocolate?

“You are a water nymph, a Naiad… Do you happen to cultivate plants that emit a refreshing scent?”

“Yes? How did you know?”

* * *

“This way, god.”

Menthe gestured for me to follow her when I expressed interest in the plant.

Following her into the forest, I saw plants growing beside a stream.

“This is it. It simply transformed like this when I infused my power into an ordinary plant…”

Small leaves, a new species I hadn’t encountered in this world until now.

This plant is indeed…

“Mint… Peppermint.”

“Yes?”

Ignoring the puzzled Menthe, I plucked a leaf, put it in my mouth, and chewed.
A refreshing sensation spread through my mouth.
A long-lost nostalgia.

“Menthe, you said. I am Hades, the god of the underworld.”

“Yes…? Lord Hades…?!”

“Yes, I will grant you one wish in return for reviving the memories I had forgotten.”

I refrained from making a foolish oath on the River Styx [a sacred and unbreakable oath for the gods].

I intended to grant a reasonable wish within my power.

Of course, the scope of what I considered ‘reasonable’ was quite broad.

Menthe was greatly surprised by my words and frantically waved her hands.

Her face flushed bright red before returning to its normal color.

“Th.. then maybe… Ugh.. Noo… Well, what am I even…”

“You can take your time to consider it and tell me.”

“Th…! Then please spend some time with me!”

….Is that truly her wish?

Barely managing to speak with a flushed face, it was a simple and modest request.

“Was it a rude request after all…? Ugh.. I’m sorry..”

“That’s easy enough. And I want to repay you even more…”

Since she is a spirit and fairy dwelling in nature, she wouldn’t need the blessing of wealth,

and she doesn’t seem to desire anything grand…

Ah! I have a good idea.

I should bestow upon her the honor that everyone craves.

“In addition to that, I will make the plant you created, mint, my symbol.”

“Y.. Yeheee…? Th.. That?! Too much…”

Too much? This is the price for awakening my past life’s memories.

The reward doesn’t end here.

“From now on, mint will always grow in my temple, and I will widely proclaim to humans that you are its creator. Foods made with mint will spread throughout the world, and…”

“Ugh…”

Now, Minte was speechless and could only move her lips.

Her face, hidden behind her hands, was as red as Hephaestus’s [god of the forge] flames.

Next, I was about to grant her wish for a short walk, but…

I sensed the presence of goddesses approaching nearby.
Goddess Lethe and… Goddess Styx?

“Ah, Hades! You were here… Oh?”

“We’ve been looking for you… But who is that?”

The goddesses, drawing closer, alternately glanced at Menthe’s flushed face and then at me.

Their expressions gradually hardened. Divine power emanated ominously.

Menthe, sensing the goddesses’ divine power, looked from me to them and…

“Th.. This power is… Gods, goddesses? Th.. Then maybe! I’m.. I’m sorry!!!”

As if realizing something, she fled.

No, what am I supposed to do if you run off like that?

Should I have grabbed her and asked her to help me explain for a moment?

My heart sank at the sight of the two goddesses slowly advancing.

“Hades was a male god after all…”

“We came to spend time with you, but you’re with another woman again… It’s becoming more and more frequent…”

“…First of all, what you’re thinking right now is absolutely not true.”

* * *

A few days after that incident,

The Temple of Hades flourished greatly in Thebes.

The high priest, who was praying with his eyes closed, was startled and stood up.

And when he struck the bell beside him, a clear chime echoed throughout the temple.

“Lord Hades has given a divine message! All priests, assemble!”

“A divine message?! What will he say this time…?”

“Lord Hades has bestowed his symbol!”

Black divine power swirled in the center of the temple, and Hades’ gift arrived.
Hades, who had barely resolved the misunderstanding with the two goddesses, sent a large quantity of mint to his temple.
The priests’ eyes widened in confusion as they beheld the mountain of mint leaves and seeds.

“This is… a plant I’ve never seen before… The scent is very strong.”

“There must be a reason why Hades sent this to us…”

“He named it mint after the nymph Menthe who created this plant…”

“I wonder if that nymph has made some great contribution.”

One of the priests, who had been pondering for a while, spoke.

It was the next high priest, Penedeia, in whom Hades had directly descended.

“Perhaps Hades is considerate of the dead and their bereaved families?”

“Considerate of the dead…?”

“If we use mint, which has a strong scent to mask the stench of corpses, at funerals, wouldn’t the dead and their bereaved families feel a little more at ease?”

“Ah! Is it a similar sentiment to the coin we give to Charon [the ferryman of the underworld], the boatman?!”

Those who were listening made expressions of realization.

“Indeed! No one wants their family to die and smell bad…”

“Even on their last journey, even a little bit…”

“I wondered why he sent a plant with a refreshing scent. God of mercy…”

The priests offered prayers to the god of mercy, who cared for mortals more than anyone else.

It was a moment when their faith in him grew even stronger.

After that, in Thebes,

A custom arose of placing mint, the symbol of Pluto [Roman name for Hades], the god of mercy, among the clothes of the corpse when holding a funeral.

“They say the mercy of the god Pluto is embodied in mint leaves?”

“It’s a solution to the stench of rotting corpses.”

“The god of the underworld is truly merciful…”