King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 126

The King of the Underworld is Tired 126 (126/140)

Those Who Covet the Mistress of the Underworld – (2)

“Have I ever seen such a crazy bastard!”

“Hey, are you insane? Why are you drawing your sword!”

Theseus couldn’t contain his anger.

Was he friends with such a lunatic until now?

What? After deceiving Lord Pluto, he’s going to take Lady Persephone and force himself upon her?

Has he been consumed by Dionysus’ madness? How could he even think of such a crazy thing?

No, in the first place…

“I was able to protect Ariadne thanks to Lord Pluto, do you think I’d stand by and listen to your nonsense!”

“Huh?! That was ultimately thanks to the Goddess of Justice [Dike]. Do you think the god of the underworld would even care about you?”

“You frustrating fool! How could Dike kick out the Twelve Olympians! Of course, it was possible because the god of the underworld was backing her!”

Theseus forcibly suppressed his anger and put his sword back in.

No matter how much Pirithous blasphemed the gods he served, he couldn’t kill the king of Thessaly.

“Anyway, I absolutely can’t help you, so do whatever you want! Don’t contact me anymore!”

“Ha. To think a coward like you was my friend. Ugh…”

“…A Dionysus who descended to the mortal realm!”

With veins bulging on his forehead, Theseus returned to his city, Athens, with those last words.

The hero of wisdom immediately knelt before Pluto’s statue and offered a prayer.

‘Lord of the Underworld, the King of Thessaly is plotting something crazy!’

* * *

Of course, that prayer reached my ears in the underworld.

A prayer from the hero and king who killed the Minotaur, in Athens where there are few worshippers.

I had heard from Dike about his story involving Dionysus.

I remember giving him the blessing of wealth a few times because he built a statue and his faith was strong.

‘Lord of the Underworld, the King of Thessaly is plotting something crazy! I heard a story from someone named Pirithous…’

Listening to Theseus’ story,

His friend, or rather, his former friend Pirithous, is trying to deceive me and steal my wife Persephone?

Frankly, it’s unbelievable.

What’s the difference between that and trying to steal Hera, Zeus’ wife? Ah… come to think of it, there was such a crazy person.

Ixion, there was a guy suffering in Tartarus [the deep abyss that is used as a dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked and as the prison for the Titans] for that.

So, it could really be that he’s after Persephone.

But… even if he’s relying on his position as a human king, it doesn’t make sense?

Even if tens of thousands of troops came, they would turn into pollen and scatter with a few gestures from the goddess of spring.

If Theseus’ words are true, he’ll come to the underworld on his own, so should I wait a little longer?

I can ask the Goddess of Memory [Mnemosyne] to take charge of the interrogation.

By the way, even though it’s widely known that Persephone receives my favor, this kind of thing still happens,

If she hadn’t come to the underworld, she would have had about three children by now…

“Lord Hades! What were you doing?!”

“…I was thinking of you. You came at a good time.”

Persephone came bustling into the audience chamber. Her shimmering blonde hair is always full of shine.

Menthe is also with her, with drowsy eyes…

First, she clung to me with drooping eyes, so I hugged her, but the words coming from Menthe’s mouth were unusual.

“I’m so tired. Please help me…”

“…?”

“Haa… Lord Hades is gradually permeating my body… more… more…”

Menthe really has a unique personality. Is it because she’s from a nymph?

But she’s not even married yet…

“Sss…”

It’s a little burdensome to bury her face in my chest and breathe.

The dizzying scent of mint stings the tip of my nose.

Is it because of the sensation of her body touching me? There’s a somewhat suggestive atmosphere, and Persephone, who’s watching this, pouts and glares at me.

“Woo… don’t just adore Menthe, look at me too. You said you were thinking of me!”

“Ah, right. Just now, a human named Theseus said…”

As soon as I told her the absurd story I had just heard, her expression gradually turned blank.

Well, she heard the story of a human who came up with the idea of kidnapping a goddess and making her his wife…

“Grind… How dare a mortal not know his place… I’ll take care of that human myself.”

“No, wait, I understand your anger, but calm down a bit.”

Persephone’s eyes are unusual.

If I leave her alone like this, I feel like she’ll curse Thessaly.

“No, how can I calm down! Lord Hades, are you okay with me going to that human… Hup!”

Persephone is about to leave the audience chamber.

I hurriedly got up from my seat and hugged Persephone.

“Kore [Persephone’s original name, meaning ‘maiden’], do you think I don’t cherish you?”

“Ugh… He… No, that’s… not…”

Fortunately, it was quite effective, and the blonde goddess looked at me with a beaming expression.

Looking at her grabbing my clothes with a flushed face, I calmly continued to speak.

“…You came to me first, it’s too late to run away now. Even if Zeus declares war on me, I won’t let you go.”

“No… Lord Hades stole my heart first…”

“If that human really desires you, I will surely inflict divine punishment, so don’t worry.”

“Yes… Yes… I understand! But if that human comes, please leave the divine punishment to me!”

She turned her head to the side and pushed my chest away before quickly running out.

I stared at that familiar sight and turned my head at the voice coming from the side.

The goddess of mint looked up at me pitifully, as if she had been dumped.

“Lord Hades… I… I too…”

I gave a bitter smile and gently grabbed Menthe’s waist.

I need three bodies.

* * *

As expected, Theseus’ prayer was correct…

About a week later, a messenger arrived with a letter from the boatman Charon.

“Hades. It’s Charon. A human claiming to be some kind of king is causing a ruckus at the Acheron River [one of the rivers of the underworld], demanding to be let in. First of all…”

Some crazy human claiming to be the king of Thessaly is causing a commotion, wanting to meet me?

It must be the human named Pirithous I heard about in Theseus’ prayer.

He managed to find the entrance to the underworld. He’s a king in the mortal realm, so did he make inquiries?

The nymphs living near here might know…

Then his goal is still Persephone.

“Bring the human who is making a disturbance at the Acheron River.”

A living human cannot cross the Acheron River,

But it’s a different story if they’re about to die.

As I leisurely drank mint tea, I saw the dead dragging in a sprawled-out human.

A passed out man who looks to be in his 30s or 40s by human standards.

The dead slapped his cheeks to forcibly wake him up.

“Ugh… Hah!”

“Are you the one who caused a disturbance at the Acheron River?”

He quickly looked around, seemingly grasping the situation, then bowed his head, looking at me sitting on the throne.

I saw a hint of disappointment in his eyes, did he look for Persephone?

“Greetings, Lord Hades! I am Pirithous, the King of Thessaly!”

“…Why did you come to the underworld? You’ll come later anyway, did you want to take a look in advance?”

“That is. Actually, there is a grand festival taking place in Thessaly. I would like to invite the mistress of the underworld, who is famous for her beauty, to that…”

Theseus was right. He’s seriously crazy.

How do I deal with this… Should I just give him to Cerberus [the multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld] as food?

Still, I should check thoroughly until the end.

The Goddess of Memory [Mnemosyne], whom I had called in advance, approaches the kneeling Pirithous.

“Really? Goddess Mnemosyne, please confirm if what he says is true.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“…? Mnemosyne is the Goddess of…!”

Pirithous hurriedly tried to say something, but I prevented him from making a sound.

After looking at him for a moment, the Goddess of Memory shook her head.

“Haa… What you suspected is correct, Hades. What kind of human is this…”

“I see.”

I pondered, looking at the human’s eyes that were gradually filling with fear.

It’s not the madness of Dionysus or Gaia, but the ruler of a city-state is like this.

He’s no different from Salmoneus, who imitated Zeus and is suffering in Tartarus.

“Your friend Theseus has already told me everything, and the Goddess of Memory has just confirmed that it is true.”

“……!”

“The crime of trying to deceive me by coming to the underworld, the crime of trying to forcibly violate a goddess, and finally… the crime of not listening to your precious friend’s words.”

His friend Theseus dissuaded him so much, but this man ultimately chose to walk into death.

He could have made a wise decision with a little thought. He must have been blinded by ambition and greed.

“Persephone, you can come in now. As promised, you can take care of this human’s punishment.”

He wanted to see Persephone so much, so I should bring her.

A life that ends with the divine punishment of the Goddess of Spring…

The door to the office opened, and the goddess with golden hair entered.

The goddess of spring, who is beautiful today as well, glared at Pirithous in front of her for a moment before smiling coldly.

“Th-that is…”

“You fell for my beauty and want to take me as your wife? I’ll let you dream that extravagant dream forever.”

Swooshㅡ

Pink petals sprout from the body of the kneeling human, Pirithous. He tried to shake them off and tear them away with his hands, but it was in vain.

The flower was already his body. No, is his body a flower?

“Ugh… Ughaa!”

The legs that were already unmoving turned into beautiful flowers. Abdomen, chest, arms… The human form collapsed in an instant.

Soon after, only a beautifully blooming pink azalea flower existed there.

“…Can I plant this at the entrance to the underworld?”

“You can dispose of it as you please.”

Persephone hummed and carried the flower out.

It might be too weak of a punishment to die as an azalea that blooms only in spring, but I could see it.

If the petals are torn off in that state now, Pirithous will also suffer.

But no matter how much I think about it, I can’t guess what kind of guts he had to come to the underworld.

Or is it? Thinking about Sisyphus, who tried to subdue the god of death, or Tantalus, who tried to feed his son to Zeus, it seems that such humans sometimes appear…

I pondered for a moment and fiddled with an object on the desk.

“Hades. But what is that ring?”

“Yes? Ah…”

Goddess Mnemosyne asked, looking at the ring rolling in my hand.

The ring of youth that I received from Zeus in exchange for taking charge of the trial in the dispute between Ares and Poseidon last time.

It’s a divine object with the same effect as Harmonia’s necklace…

“It’s the ring of youth I received from Zeus.”

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

“…It would be suitable for a proposal. The beauty of the ring itself is outstanding, and it’s an excellent item containing power.”

“Really? Hoho…”

Goddess Mnemosyne smiled slyly after hearing my words.

I have a bad feeling about this.