King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 127

The King of the Underworld is Tired 127

The Ring of Youth

The Ring of Youth, which I received for helping Poseidon and Ares with their trial last time.

A divine artifact with the same effect as Harmonia’s necklace [a necklace that grants eternal youth and beauty].

But it was of little use to me.

It keeps mortals young until they die, but it was useless to an immortal god like me.

In the Underworld, where only the dead come, there were no mortals who needed the power of this ring.

It also has quite beautiful and precious jewels embedded in it, but I have more than enough of these kinds of things in my vault.

I am the God of Wealth. I have plenty of jewels, gold coins, and enchanted treasures.

Just looking at what’s rolling around on my desk proves that.

If it were really important or precious, I would have kept it in the Underworld’s vault.

“You’re talking about the item you received for helping with the trial. Are you thinking of proposing to a goddess you have in mind with it?”

“…It would be suitable for a proposal. The ring itself is beautiful, and it’s a great item with power contained within.”

“Is that so? Hoho…”

However, after the goddess Mnemosyne [the goddess of memory] visited, the value of this ring skyrocketed.

The value of an item is determined by those who want it.

I don’t know what kind of stories she spread, but the gods have changed a little since then.

Just this morning, Hypnos [the god of sleep] asked, “Haven’t you given her the ring yet?”

When I asked what he meant, he said, “Tsk, not yet, I guess. Ahem…” and left.

“Hmm. Hmm. My finger feels empty these days.”

“Goddess Styx?”

“It would be nice to have something on it…”

Goddess Styx, whom I happened to meet, emphasized that her finger was empty.

“Lord Hades! Take this! It’s a ring made of roses that never wither!”

“Oh… I’ll take it.”

“By the way, I like rings too!”

Persephone gave me a ring made of flowers and showed me her hand…

The Ring of Youth is not very useful to the gods, so why are they all coveting it?

Just looking at the goddess Lethe [the goddess of oblivion] in front of me, caressing her finger with a longing expression…

“What did the goddess Mnemosyne say about the Ring of Youth?”

“Ehh…? No… Hehe. I know everything…”

“…?”

The goddess sits gently next to me, and her gaze, staring at my profile, is piercing.

Of course, I don’t need the Ring of Youth, so I can give it to her if she asks…

“Do you goddesses like this ring? If you need it, I can ask Hephaestus [the god of blacksmiths] to make similar rings.”

“It’s not that… Haa. Hades is going to give that ring when he proposes… Sniff!”

“…The goddess of memory spread such rumors.”

No wonder so many goddesses are after it.

* * *

Now that it’s turned out like this, should I use this ring when I propose?

But to whom should I propose?

Goddess Styx or Goddess Lethe, who have helped me since the Titanomachy [the great war between the Titans and the Olympian gods]?

Or Mente, who made me remember mint and came to the Underworld because she wanted to serve me?

Or Persephone, who still regularly supplies power to the Underworld’s training center?

“Hades? Why are you spacing out again…”

All of them are beautiful goddesses with their own charms.

Having concubines is not a big problem in the position of a god. But Zeus and Poseidon both have their own official wives…

Marriage. Marriage, huh. Should I do it too…

The scattered thoughts soon reached Goddess Lethe.

Her skin was so fair it was almost pale, and her face seemed slightly flushed. She possessed the delicate beauty of a noble princess.

Noticing my gaze, she gently moved closer to me.

“Hehe… Are you finally noticing my beauty? And there are no other goddesses around… Are you willing to give me the ring…”

The silver-haired goddess closed her eyes slightly and held out her right hand.

I caressed her soft hand and then let it go.

“Ah…”

“I’m sorry, but I think marriage is premature.”

It’s not that I dislike her.

The goddesses are giving me excessive love, but I need to be careful at times like this.

Internal strife is always caused by love problems. I’m dating four goddesses at the same time, but marriage is still out of the question.

If I ever want to get married, should I propose to all the goddesses? Or…

“My heart is too confused to choose one.”

“Phew… You could just take them all, and no one would hate it…”

I wore an awkward smile at her sincere grumbling, and the goddess changed the subject.

She’s probably being considerate and waiting for me. I should gather them all later and talk to them.

“This time, the human hero, Heracles [also known as Hercules], has been tasked with bringing Triton’s conch shell.”

“This is probably his fourth task. The last task was to capture Artemis’ [the goddess of the hunt] golden-horned hind [a female deer].”

Heracles was slowly becoming recognized as the hero of prophecy among the gods.

Each of his achievements was enough to make him a great hero, and his power rivaled that of most gods.

Hera [the queen of the gods] seemed to have changed her mind from killing him to making him suffer to death.

She was giving him tasks that were difficult to solve with force alone.

Well, he had already dealt with the Nemean lion, the Hydra, and Chrysaor and Lamia…

“That conch is something Triton [Poseidon’s son] cherishes quite a bit, Hera is giving him a difficult task…”

The conch, enchanted with powerful magic, is one of the treasures of the sea.

When I went to the sea palace last time, he used that white and black conch to summon seahorses.

The task is to bring the conch that contains the power to control and summon sea creatures.

Inevitably, going into the sea to meet Triton must come first.

He’s already going into the sea, is he going to come to the Underworld later?

* * *

Capturing Artemis’ hind and bringing it to Hera’s temple was the third task.

And Heracles immediately received his fourth task.

“The next task is to bring the conch of Triton, the eldest son of the sea.”

“The sea…”

Heracles’ expression slightly crumpled.

Triton is the eldest son of the sea god, Poseidon. In other words, a god.

It’s a bit difficult to bring the divine beast or possession of a god…

He remembered how difficult it was to bring Artemis’ hind, which he had just finished.

It wasn’t difficult to catch the divine beast that ran away quickly.

I just chased the hind for about two days, and it was exhausted and collapsed on its own.

But the problem was the goddess who appeared with the shining moonlight right after that.

A subtly shining halo. A beauty that was chilling. The goddess of the moon, holding a bow in one hand, pointed at him and said.

“How dare you touch my Taygete [Artemis’ sacred deer]? Do you want to die here, regardless of Hera’s task!”

“Ahem. Goddess of the moon, I apologize for subduing your divine beast. But can’t I take her to Hera’s temple for a while and then return her?”

The angry goddess Artemis looked down at him for a moment as he bowed his head.

She also saw her deer, which seemed only tired, without any wounds.

The virgin goddess thought for a moment and soon answered him.

“If you want to take the hind, you must offer a sacrifice. However, it must be something that satisfies me.”

Heracles quickly racked his brains.

Goddess Artemis is the goddess of the moon and hunting, so wouldn’t it be okay to offer items or prey that would help with hunting?

If so…

“When I subjugate the Nemean lion herd, I will offer the skins of the lions born from Typhon’s child [a monstrous giant in Greek mythology].”

“…That’s enough. But there must be no wounds on the deer, just like now.”

At least Artemis’ hind ran away on the ground.

Triton, the son of Poseidon, was in the sea, so how should I meet him?

No matter how strong his body is, unless he is a god,

He will die if he falls into the water and suffocates… I need to ask for help from people I know.

With that thought, Heracles visited Theiodamas, the king of the Dryopes [an ancient Greek tribe].

“Hahaha! Heracles! The great hero has finally accepted my invitation!”

“…Greetings.”

“I’ve sent so many invitations because I wanted to hear your heroic tales, but I’m a little sad that you’ve only come now. Hahaha!”

King Theiodamas was one of the many who wanted to hear his heroic tales and recruit him into his country.

That’s why he welcomed Heracles with great fanfare.

“More than that. I have a question.”

“Feel free to ask anything.”

“I need to meet Lord Triton, the son of Lord Poseidon, because of a task, and I would like to know if you know of any way to do so.”

Perhaps someone in a high position knows a little more than a wanderer like him.

Moreover, King Theiodamas’ concubine is a Nymph [a mythological spirit of nature].

“Hmm… Menodice might know about that. I’ll introduce you after the banquet.”

“By the way, it’s amazing that you have a nymph as a concubine.”

“Because it didn’t end as a one-night stand? Of course. If I commit adultery, I will be punished by Goddess Hera or Pluto [the Roman name for Hades].”

King Theiodamas laughed heartily and drank wine.

While the banquet was in full swing, a man in ornate clothing entered the banquet hall.

“Father. Is this Lord Heracles?”

“Hmm? Hylas? I didn’t call you to the banquet, what’s going on?”

“I also wanted to hear the great hero’s heroic tales!”

The prince’s eyes were shining as he looked at Heracles,

Undoubtedly, he was acting like a boy who admired a great hero.