King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 112

The King of the Underworld is Tired 112 (112/140)

The Hercules of Thebes – (3)

Herkules questions me further.

“What do you mean by that?”

“First of all, you know your father is Zeus, right?”

“Yes. My foster father mentioned it… and my mother, and Chiron…”

Well, he was extraordinary from a young age, so it was hard to keep it a secret.

“You’ve earned Hera’s wrath since birth.”

“Well, I am a bastard, after all…”

“That too, but you were held in Zeus’s arms and drank Hera’s milk. I advised you to dip yourself in the River Styx because her wrath could strike you at any time.”

“Excuse me?! Lord Hades? And I am the Queen of the Gods…”

Herkules looks embarrassed. I’ve laid the truth bare.

“Yes. Of course, the reason I had you dipped in the River Styx wasn’t only that, but also because you were destined to be a hero.”

“……”

“It was because I calculated that you wouldn’t die easily if you received the power of the River Styx.”

“I had a vague idea… but it’s more shocking than I thought. I never imagined…”

Herkules hesitates, clearly taken aback.

He’s likely learning the full truth about his birth for the first time.

“Then, do you know what you need to do when you leave this place?”

“Is it because of Hera’s wrath towards me?”

“Yes. Go to Hera’s temple, kneel down, and beg for forgiveness. You haven’t done anything wrong, but you still have to do it.”

“…I understand.”

“Storms may rage and curses may fly. But never stop begging for forgiveness.”

Herkules nods, his face sullen.

Hera will surely give him a task, a way to vent her anger while simultaneously providing Herkules with valuable experience.

“You must have heard rumors about the River Styx in the mortal world.”

“Yes… that it makes mortals who enter it invincible…”

“It’s not invincible. It just makes the body a little tougher. Don’t go showing off the strength of your body.”

Pooh!

I flicked my finger, creating a small wound on his shoulder.

Herkules can’t hide his surprise and embarrassment. It’s only natural, since he’s never been injured since birth.

But that’s the extent of it. It might be considered invincibility among mortals…

If you possess a certain level of divinity, it’s easy to bypass the strengthening effects of the River Styx.

Not to mention the Gigas [monstrous giants in Greek mythology]. This is even more true if you use poison, fire, or water attacks.

“At the human level, it grants an invincible body that can never be injured, but in the realm of the gods, it’s a little different. Your goal is to become a god, isn’t it?”

“Blood from my body…”

“I’ll find you a suitable sparring partner. First, so you can get used to being injured…”

As I turned my head, one of the three goddesses of revenge, Megaira [one of the Erinyes or Furies], approached.

It hasn’t been long since I sent the message, but seeing that she’s already here… she must have been very bored living in that cave.

“Snake hair and bronze wings…! The goddess of revenge?!”

“…Hades.”

“Thank you for coming, Megaira.”

“We were deciding who would come… we drew lots among ourselves… Alecto [another of the Erinyes] is sulking again.”

“Ahem. As I said, you can spar with Herkules here.”

The eyes shedding blood stared intently at Herkules.

The eyes of the goddess of revenge who relentlessly pursues sinners until their death.

It wouldn’t be strange if an ordinary human fainted, but Herkules smiled, burning with a desire to win.

“If I win against the goddess, can I become a god too?”

“…Pfft.”

The goddess of revenge smiled slightly, finding the mortal’s audacity amusing.

Having a longing for God is common among mortals, as seen with Bellerophon [a hero who tried to fly to Olympus on Pegasus] and Mente [a mythical king].

However, it’s absolutely impossible for Herkules to defeat the goddess Megaira at his current level, and even if he did, that alone wouldn’t make him a god.

“Do you know what a god is? Do you just think of it as a perfect being with a strong and immortal body?”

“…? Isn’t it?”

“Divinity is an existence meant to maintain the balance of the world. If you only have such thoughts, no matter how great your achievements… you will never become a god.”

What does it mean to be an Olympian god? What kind of burden do they carry?

I believe he will realize something as he progresses through his trials.

Of course, I need to tell Chiron to give him a better character education.

Still, with Megaira-nim [a respectful suffix in this context] with him, wouldn’t that arrogance and conceit be somewhat tempered?

I slowly bid farewell to Herkules, who wore a puzzled expression.

“Then I’ll be on my way. When we meet again… I hope to face you as a god.”

“…!”

With a gust of black wind, my figure slowly disappeared, and,

Herkules’ last greeting, bowing in my direction, reached my ears.

“…Thank you. Great-uncle.”

* * *

Returning to the throne in my castle, I closed my eyes for a moment to organize my thoughts.

I needed to refine my plans for Herkules and the future once more.

Zeus’s bloodline, Hera’s milk, the strengthening of the River Styx, Chiron’s education, the experience of sparring with a goddess, and the ultimate goal of becoming a god.

All of this will greatly benefit Herkules when he becomes an adult and undertakes his labors.

If he completes all the tasks that are difficult for a mortal to achieve and helps us against the Gigas, there’s no reason why he can’t become a god.

Of course, he could potentially become a god even before that.

Since I informed Hera through Iris [the goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the gods] last time, challenging tasks will undoubtedly come his way.

Still, as long as it’s not a direct divine punishment that would overwhelm Herkules, he should be able to handle it.

If possible, I would like to bestow upon him the blessing of Tyche [the goddess of luck], but that might be too much.

The trials only hold meaning if they can be overcome with appropriate effort.

“Lord Hades. A letter has arrived from Olympus requesting mediation due to a dispute.”

“What’s going on this time?”

Looking at the letter brought by the messenger, I saw the nature of the dispute. Since I obtained the divinity of fairness, I’ve often been tasked with mediating disputes between high-ranking gods, so I frequently receive such letters.

This time, it involves Eos [goddess of the dawn], Aphrodite [goddess of love and beauty], and Ares [god of war].

If Aphrodite is involved, it’s likely just a love affair, so I don’t think I need to intervene… Zeus?

There was also a letter from Zeus, the king of the gods and my brother, asking me to come to Olympus for a while.

But why is Zeus looking for me?

Perhaps it has something to do with Dike [goddess of justice], who has been scolding the gods relentlessly these days…

* * *

The biggest change since obtaining the divinity of fairness:

The fact that gods are frequently asking me for help.

My workload has decreased considerably since the goddess of justice, Dike, arrived in the underworld, but there are still situations where my mediation as the god of fairness is required.

Of course, I don’t mediate all disputes, but Zeus forwards moderately significant incidents that are difficult to resolve.

Just like now, when the 12 Olympians or divinities of equivalent rank are engaged in a fierce conflict…

“Eos! Just because humans admire you as the goddess of dawn, you think you can steal my lover?”

“The beanstalk of Ares, who was dating a vicious goddess like you, has been cut down! You have nothing to offer the opposite sex except your beauty!”

“No… Aphrodite… that…”

“Shut up! Ares!”

Aphrodite and Ares are in love with each other… but did Ares have an affair with Eos?

So that’s why they’re fighting like this. But is it really an affair? Didn’t this happen after the two broke up?

“First, everyone be quiet and speak one at a time. Goddess Eos, you go first.”

The sister of the god Helios [god of the sun], a goddess with dark brownish-black hair reminiscent of the night sky, looked at me.

Unlike Helios and Selene [goddess of the moon], who transferred their divinities to Apollo [god of music, arts, knowledge, healing, plague and darkness, prophecy, poetry, manly beauty and archery] and Artemis [goddess of the hunt, wilderness, wild animals, the Moon, and archery], the goddess of dawn, Eos, retained her divinity intact.

“Hmm. Hmm. Hades, I’ve heard that you’ve received the divinity of fairness, and seeing you come all the way to Olympus to mediate this fight, I must express my gratitude.”

“Small disputes often lead to big fights, like the dispute between Apollo and Eros [god of love]…”

In fact, it’s not a small fight. What small fight is it when the goddess of dawn and the goddess of beauty are fighting over the god of war?

If a curse that works even on gods runs rampant, and a god becomes so angry that they abandon their duties, another troublesome situation will arise.

Above all, the mortals caught in the middle suffer the most.

There may be those who get caught up in it without knowing why, so it’s better to resolve these disputes in advance.

“Ares and Aphrodite are no longer in a loving relationship. Ares informed Aphrodite of this beforehand.”

“Then Aphrodite is simply unable to accept it and is acting out?”

“Precisely. They may have had many children together, but isn’t it an ended relationship?”

I glanced at Aphrodite, who was suppressing her anger, and then at Ares, who was restless beside her.

“Aphrodite, according to Goddess Eos, aren’t you and Ares over?”

“Eee! What ended relationship is it when Ares unilaterally notified me! And that Eos clearly flirted with me often even when Ares and I were dating…”

“Wait. Don’t get too excited and speak slowly.”

I listened to all of Aphrodite’s words, who was breathing heavily, and then looked at Ares.

He closed his eyes tightly and then opened his mouth to me with a face that revealed his complicated feelings.

“Ares, don’t you have anything to say?”

“…Great-uncle, when my relationship with Aphrodite became strained, Goddess Eos…”

After listening to all three of them, I realized it was a simple love triangle.

1. Eos originally had feelings for Ares, so she constantly courted him, even when Aphrodite and Ares were on good terms.

2. Aphrodite didn’t like this very much, but until now, she had been receiving Ares’s love entirely, so she didn’t take any major action.

3. As the relationship between Ares and Aphrodite became strained, Eos approached Ares, and they became lovers…

Why ask me to mediate such a trivial love fight? Were there no other gods they could trust so much?

If they just told Eros or Zeus, or the other 12 Olympians…

No. I wonder if there’s anyone who would give proper advice?

I finished thinking and looked at them.

“I wish you wouldn’t call me for such love fights. Goddess Eos, I’m quite busy, so Dike or…”

Rejection came as soon as I finished speaking.

“But how can Dike mediate such a thing!”

“That… Great-uncle, Dike is a goddess who has sworn virginity, and she said that this doesn’t seem to be a matter of justice…”

“Well, since it’s a matter related to love, I entrusted it to Hades, who receives the purest love.”

I am receiving excessive love from several goddesses, but…

I’m not the god of love counseling.