King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 71

The King of the Underworld is Tired 71

Persephone’s Story – (6)

Even so, thanks to Iris arriving in the Underworld at just the right time, the situation was salvaged.

Everyone seems to be letting it go for now…

“Iris, did you find me in Olympus?”

“Yes. Lord Zeus has ordered me to bring Lord Hades to Olympus.”

Keiron’s death… it’s definitely Gaia’s strike mentioned in Prometheus’s prophecy.

The task of nurturing heroes to prepare for the Gigantes [Giants] can only be done by the wise men of the Centaur race.

It’s impossible for the gods of Olympus to directly train heroes in the Mortal Realm,

and if we find a suitable person among mortals, their abilities are questionable.

“The prophecy said to connect the Underworld and the Mortal Realm, so I need to discuss the specific methods with Zeus. Understood.”

This isn’t just a problem for the Underworld, so I can’t make a decision based on my own judgment.

I need to go up to Olympus, hear the information Demeter has about the Gigantes’ base,

and also convey the news about her daughter, Persephone.

“Have a good trip, Uncle Hades!”

“H-Have a good trip?! This isn’t your house, it’s…”

“What does it matter? I’m going to live here now anyway. Hehe!”

“Hmph… This is the first time I’ve seen a god adapt to the Underworld so quickly…”

* * *

Ignoring the strange noises behind me, I followed Iris to Olympus.

It seemed all the gods had gathered in the center of the Olympus Divine Palace; the sheer presence of the gods was palpable there.

Zeus must have gathered all the gods.

Passing through the massive golden doors and walking above the clouds, I saw a crowd of murmuring gods.

Zeus, holding a thunderbolt and sitting on the golden throne with his eyes closed, Poseidon talking with Hera.

The immortals of Olympus chattering about the Gigantes and the prophecy.

“Was the wise man Chiron killed by the Gigantes’ torture?”

“If so, what will happen to the nurturing of heroes? It will be difficult to find an educator like him again…”

“The prophecy said to connect the Mortal Realm and the Underworld… Perhaps Hades could make an exception and revive Chiron…”

“Even if it’s a prophecy, how can a dead man…! Hmm. This is not something I should say lightly.”

“It seems Typhon’s body was almost released…”

“If that terrible being had fallen into Gaia’s hands again…”

“Haa… To think the strike mentioned in the prophecy was this, a painful blow.”

Hmm. The meeting doesn’t seem to have even started yet, but the atmosphere is already tense.

Thud. Thud.

“Ah… Lord Hades.”

“You’ve arrived, Great-Uncle.”

Pushing through the crowd… no, the god-crowd, and walking to a suitable spot, the gods recognized me and cleared the way.

Zeus, noticing my presence, opened his eyes and cleared his throat.

“Ahem. Ahem. Now that Brother Hades has arrived, let’s begin the meeting. Hermes!”

“Yes, sir!”

Hermes brought a massive piece of parchment and spread it wide in the air.

A map depicting the entire world was revealed before our eyes, with red dots marking the places that had been attacked by the Gigantes.

“Recently, there was a great invasion by the Gigantes. As you can all see on the map, Corinth, Athens, Chiron’s residence, and Mount Etna were their targets.”

The red dots shone in response to Zeus’s words.

Since they attacked simultaneously like this, only Hermes came down during the Mount Etna attack.

If I hadn’t been there… hmm.

“Lord Hades took care of Mount Etna, Athena took care of Athens, and Apollo went down to Corinth, but… there was one place we missed.”

The King of the Gods lowered his voice, and lightning crackled from his body, reflecting his emotions.

A subtle aura spread out with it.

“As the gods in this place all know, the Centaur wise man Chiron was attacked, tortured, and relinquished his immortality.”

Fzzzt-

Zeus’s eyes were covered in blue lightning, and electricity began to gather in the clouds.

The Sky God’s rage flowed out with a solemn aura, engulfing Olympus.

Sweat dripped from the foreheads of the lower-ranking deities, and even those who were granted golden thrones didn’t know what to do.

“Kuugh…”

“Hmm…”

The King of the Gods, greatly angered by the death of Chiron, whom he usually valued and cherished.

It was Poseidon who calmed him down.

“Zeus. Chiron’s matter is truly unfortunate, but please calm down.”

“…I apologize, everyone.”

“Ahem! Let’s put that aside for a moment, and use the Omphalos Stone [a sacred stone in Delphi] to discover their base. Demeter!”

“The Gigantes were in the Plesra Fields in the Thrace region. The power of the earth that wasn’t mine was coming from there, so it’s certain.”

“Apollo and Athena are currently monitoring those fields. The monsters will never attack us again.”

The discussion about the Gigantes continued for a while.

Methods to completely destroy their base or Poseidon’s plan to sink it with water were suggested…

There was even talk of splitting the earth and turning it into an island… but it was all rejected because it could lead to an all-out war.

The conversation went around and around…

“In any case, we need a hero to defeat the Gigantes… Hades, what do you think about reviving Chiron?”

The story of Chiron came up again.

* * *

As Poseidon’s opinion came out, everyone seemed to be paying attention to what would come out of my mouth.

Reviving Chiron… this is something that would break the laws of the Underworld that have continued for countless years.

This is different from the case of Sisyphus.

He was unfairly dragged into the Underworld without enjoying his allotted lifespan, so he was sent back…

But in Chiron’s case, he voluntarily gave up his immortality and chose death.

“Hmm… If we revive the dead because they have unfinished business in the Mortal Realm, what meaning would the boundary between the Mortal Realm and the Underworld have? And even if we revive Chiron, what if Gaia intervenes and kills him?”

“Even though their base in the plains is sealed off with thorough surveillance?”

“If a hero, driven mad by Gaia’s whispers, runs wild and inflicts curses or poisons, he will relinquish his immortality again.”

Chiron is not a powerful being like our gods.

His excellent teaching ability is recognized, but his own martial strength is something that even a human hero could attempt.

Even if he is granted immortality again, one arrow with poison or a god’s curse…

“Well, it would be a terrible thing to do to Chiron.”

“If the revived Chiron is attacked again, he could face a second death.”

“The gods can’t keep guarding him… hmm.”

“But the reality is that there is no one suitable other than him. Can’t you reconsider, brother?”

I pondered again at Zeus’s serious words.

The prophecy of Prometheus clearly stated that victory could be achieved by connecting the Mortal Realm and the Underworld.

But the reason why the gods don’t bring up that story and focus on Chiron is simple.

If Gaia concentrates her power on the Underworld connected to the Mortal Realm… Tartarus [the deep abyss that is used as a dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked and as the prison for the Titans], where countless Titans are imprisoned, will open.

According to Hermes, the number of Gigantes visible in the plains is at least several thousand.

No matter how much I am one of the Three Main Gods, I cannot face thousands of lower-ranking gods, dozens of the Twelve Olympians, and one of the primordial Protogenoi [primordial deities].

If the Underworld is captured and Tartarus is opened while trying to nurture heroes, we will be defeated in an instant.

There must be another way.

A way to entrust education to the dead Chiron while avoiding Gaia’s eyes…

Then… perhaps this might work?

“I will connect the Underworld and the Mortal Realm and entrust the education of living heroes to the dead Chiron.”

“As Brother Hades suspects, it is risky to accept Prometheus’s words as they are…”

“How about creating a small passage in Thebes, my territory where Gaia’s eyes cannot reach?”

If most of the population believes in one god, that city completely belongs to the god’s domain.

A prime example is Athens, the city of Athena.

Within such a transformed city, even the Earth Mother Gaia cannot convey her will to humans.

Clearly, when King Oedipus went mad, Gaia exerted influence from the mountains outside Thebes.

“Gaia cannot reach inside Thebes. Issue an oracle that humans who want to become heroes should come to Thebes…”

“Appoint a suitable person as our representative, and then send promising heroes to the Underworld to be educated by Chiron?”

“That’s right. Connect my temple in the outer reaches of the Underworld with the inside of Thebes, and only allow those who show promise to pass through…”

The audience became quiet, and then one by one, they nodded.

“Instead of entrusting the training of hero aspirants to the King of Thebes as a representative, how about taking those who show outstanding talent to Lord Hades’s temple?”

“The Omphalos Stone is needed to continuously maintain the passage between the Mortal Realm and the Underworld.”

“The heroes who cross over to the Underworld must take the Styx Oath [an unbreakable oath sworn by the gods].”

Originally, humans from the Mortal Realm cannot leave once they enter the Underworld…

But as a very special exception, it can be allowed if many restrictions are placed through the Styx Oath.

Prohibition of disclosure through actions, words, or drawings, and sending them to Tartarus if they try to return to the Underworld again.

If we prevent them from setting foot in any area except the outer canyon of the Underworld and block contact with souls…

“Alright. Alright! Then let’s summarize! How about this as a countermeasure against the Gigantes?”

Zeus closed his eyes and listened to the opinions of the audience, then silenced everyone.

A small thunderbolt extended from his hand and engraved letters on the parchment.

The content was roughly as follows.

1. Issue an oracle to the humans of the Mortal Realm… that those who want to become heroes should come to Thebes.

2. Inform the King of Thebes of this through an oracle and build a training center to nurture heroes.

3. Those who show outstanding talent in that training center are quietly moved to Hades’s temple and cross over to the Underworld.

4. In the outer reaches of the Underworld, heroes are educated by the dead Chiron and come to the Mortal Realm when the time comes.

4 – 1) Heroes and related humans are made to take the Styx Oath with numerous restrictions, including a prohibition on disclosure.

4 – 2) The Omphalos Stone is temporarily transferred to Hades to continuously maintain the passage between the Underworld and the Mortal Realm.

“Would it be okay to leave the more detailed parts to Brother Hades here?”

“Of course. If we do this, the Underworld and the Mortal Realm will be connected… and we will be able to win according to Prometheus’s prophecy.”

“If you need help, tell Olympus at any time. Hermes! Iris! I need you two to work hard.”

We will not be defeated by the Gigantes.

We will surely win.

* * *

After the meeting, I walked over to Demeter.

To convey the story about her and Zeus’s daughter, Persephone.

The expressionless goddess with yellowish hair stopped as she saw me approaching.

“What business do you have with me? Hades?”

“Demeter. Your daughter, Persephone, is now in the Underworld.”

“What? So the Gigantes were not important after all! If you don’t release my daughter immediately…!”

Seriously… she loses her mind as soon as her daughter is mentioned.

That’s why I came directly instead of sending a messenger…

I need to get to the point as quickly as possible and clear up the misunderstanding.

“I can’t help it either. She was hit by Eros’s golden arrow and met my face, and she also ate food in the Underworld…”

“Wh- Wh- What?! Haa… Ha-des!!!”

Please calm down because it’s not the kidnapping you’re thinking of…