King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 185

Underworld King is Tired 185

Extra Story – Aphrodite, Goddess of Beauty and Love (2)

As Aphrodite looked around, seemingly fascinated by this place so different from bright, lively Olympus, numerous gazes turned toward us as we descended into the Underworld.

From the souls crossing the five rivers of the Underworld [Acheron, Cocytus, Phlegethon, Styx, and Lethe, each representing a different aspect of death and the afterlife] to deities like Charon [the ferryman of the Underworld], everyone stared.

“Hades… where did you find that beautiful goddess beside you?”

“This is Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, who will be helping with Underworld affairs for a while.”

“Is that so? Well then… ahem. I am Hypnos [the god of sleep], and I was wondering if we could talk for a moment…”

“Oh, I’m sorry, but my eyes are only for Hades.”

“Ha… Hades? Who is this goddess beside you now?”

“Lady Styx [a Titan goddess and the river of unbreakable oaths], this is the goddess of beauty. I brought her to the Underworld temporarily to stop the fighting in Olympus…”

“Grind… You’re not. Grind. Involved, are you?”

“…Of course not.”

The overwhelming beauty of the goddess of beauty and love shone a light in the Underworld, and minor misunderstandings often occurred.

Receiving gazes filled with envy, jealousy, and all sorts of emotions, we finally arrived at the audience chamber.

“Hee. There are many interesting people in the Underworld.”

Watching Aphrodite toss her glamorous blonde hair back and smile, I was filled with all sorts of worries.

She truly is beautiful. If I had left her in Olympus, a fight would have broken out sooner or later.

At least there are fewer gods here, and I brought her to the Underworld where there are only old gods like Thanatos [the personification of death] who aren’t very interested in women… but will she be able to do her job well?

Well, if I leave her to it for a few hundred years, she’ll get used to it on her own.

“The work you need to do in the Underworld is paperwork. It may be unfamiliar now, but you’ll get used to it as you do it, so don’t worry too much. And as someone said in Olympus earlier, don’t eat the food of the Underworld.”

“Can’t I eat the food here?”

“Those who taste the food of the Underworld must belong to the Underworld. That is the rule. If the goddess of beauty and love belongs to the Underworld, it could instill strange misunderstandings in mortals.”

“Strange misunderstandings? Why shouldn’t I be here?”

“It could lead to the idea that death itself is beautiful.”

The gods belonging to the Underworld each have a corresponding divine power.

Death, sleep, dreams, oblivion, anger, hunger, etc. Divine powers that are not very good from a mortal’s point of view.

However, I understand this fact.

Death should not be friendly. Even though mortals are running towards death, if they do not focus on their current lives and only look to the afterlife, this world will become a mess.

The reason for pushing away the beautiful goddess of beauty and love is precisely because of that.

“Hmph. Still, you can tell me what kind of goddess is to your taste, right?”

“Anyone who works diligently and only has eyes for one god. Now that I’ve told you, take these documents and go out and…”

I cannot accept her based solely on my own feelings.

* * *

But how did it come to this?

“Hades, we have a problem. There’s another war in the mortal realm…!”

“What? Aphrodite, go to the Acheron River and maintain order among the dead. And Charon…”

Aphrodite adapted to the Underworld better than I thought.

Sometimes she grumbled and went to Olympus, and gods frequently came to the Underworld to woo her.

Yet, Aphrodite managed to settle down in the Underworld with her sociability.

Does the beauty of the goddess of beauty also appeal to the goddesses?

Every time I see her laughing and chatting with the goddess of jealousy, Eris, who used to look at her beauty with displeasure, I feel a sense of incongruity.

“The goddess of beauty and love, Aphrodite, is said to belong to the Underworld.”

“Could it be that death is beauty and love is…”

“Ahem! Have you not heard the oracle given by Pluto [another name for Hades]? The reason why the goddess of beauty and love is in the Underworld is to signify the love sent by the families of the dead remaining in the mortal realm…”

“There is also the saying that it is Pluto’s mercy bestowed upon the dead who have faced death. Rumor has it that before boarding Charon’s ferry, they see the beauty of the goddess and…”

“Hmm? From what I’ve heard, it represents the parental love that the god of mercy sends to mortals?”

Of course, strange rumors are spreading in the mortal realm as Aphrodite stays in the Underworld for a long time, but…

I issued an oracle and suppressed it appropriately. Fortunately, it helped that Pluto’s image in the mortal realm was not that bad.

They roughly lump it together with mercy… perhaps it’s a rumor to dilute the fear of death.

After finishing paperwork for a while, I sat on the throne to rest, and Aphrodite approached with her chest slightly unbuttoned.

Have I been influenced by her too? My gaze is drawn to her movements, which seem quite seductive.

“Hehe. Are you still not fond of me, Ha-des?”

“Ahem…”

The goddess of beauty, who ran her fingers, which had touched her lips, across my face, was getting closer.

I couldn’t answer. Was it because the goddess’s soft and full breasts were touching me? Or was it because I had grown fond of her while working together in the Underworld?

In fact, I may have been captivated by the fact that she rejected the countless gods who had courted her and only showed this side of herself to me.

If the most beautiful goddess of beauty in the world only looks at me, who could reject her?

“Heueung~ Heung~ Hades? You’ve suddenly become quiet? Have you finally started to recognize my charm?”

“…Let’s work.”

“Heueueung…”

When I grabbed her shoulders with my hands and gently pushed her away, the goddess pouted her lips while making a nasal sound.

Looking at Aphrodite with complicated eyes, I opened my mouth.

“Why did you reject Ares [the god of war] when he proposed to you last time? Ares is quite a wonderful husband material.”

“Well… the god of war is handsome and has a good body, but he’s not as good as Hades?”

“There were many gods who asked to spend just one night with you. Honestly, it was a bit unexpected.”

When the story that I didn’t marry Aphrodite and only had her help with Underworld affairs became known, many gods visited the Underworld.

They offered all kinds of gold, silver, treasures, divine beasts, and even items containing divine power, wanting a night with her…

“Why?”

“I never thought that the goddess of love would reject being loved.”

Aphrodite never allowed the gods to approach her even once.

She consistently said that she only had feelings for me and rejected all those gods.

She didn’t even eat the food of the Underworld as I told her to, so I had to periodically bring nectar and ambrosia [the food and drink of the gods] from Olympus.

As a long time passed, Aphrodite was even called a foolish goddess who was hung up on an impossible love, but she remained unmoved.

“…What value do I have that you’re doing this much? You could choose any god you want.”

“But the god I want to be loved by doesn’t fall for me?”

She crossed her arms with a resentful look on her face.

Her specific areas were emphasized, and I couldn’t find a place to look.

“And, there’s one more reason. Actually, this is the most important thing.”

“What?”

“You said you like a goddess who works diligently and only looks at one god, right?”

“What… did you say? You still remember that?”

“Of course, I’m Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love. I will definitely win the love I’ve set my sights on!”

I was speechless when I saw Aphrodite puff out her chest and smile triumphantly.

She had been working hard since the first time we met a long time ago… Could it be that she had been working diligently in the Underworld for thousands of years as well?

Also, she didn’t eat the food of the Underworld as I told her to. Was it all an appeal to me?

“A goddess of love who gives up on love does not exist. Never.”

Aphrodite, who looked at me and smiled brightly, reached for the grapes a little further away.

The goddess put a grape in her mouth and approached me.

The grapes are not from Olympus, but from the Underworld’s food. One step. Another step.

The playful face of the goddess of beauty, who came close to me with a grape in her mouth, was looming before my eyes.

The goddess, who was so close that I could hear her breath, kissed me as it was.

A grape rolled between our softly touching lips. It rolled around in each other’s mouths, revealing its presence.

“Hueueup…”

Will I swallow this grape? Or will I let her eat it?

Is she telling me this indirectly now? I could clearly feel Aphrodite’s sincerity, who had only looked at me for a long time.

Yes. She is indeed the goddess of love.

Is this sweetness I feel in my mouth because of the grape?

Or is it because of this heated atmosphere that even changes the air in the audience chamber?

Or is it because of the heartfelt kiss of the goddess Aphrodite?

Either way, I didn’t mind it either.

Soon, the short but long kiss ended, and the goddess of beauty swallowed the grape that had returned to her mouth.

Aphrodite’s face, flushed red, was clearly hoping for something.

Gulp.

“Oops. What should I do? I ate the food of the Underworld. Ne. Yo?”

Looking at her expectant eyes, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

So it ends up like this. Ares even asked me for advice on how to connect with Aphrodite, but I’m sorry.

“I think I’ll have to live here forever from now on… I wonder if there’s a god who will take responsibility for this poor goddess?”

“…Well, there happens to be a god of the Underworld who lives alone here. If even someone like me is okay, then by all means.”

Before I could finish speaking, Aphrodite jumped into my arms.

Pooh.

“I love you! Hades!”

“I love you too, Aphrodite.”

I have to set a wedding date.