King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 165

The King of the Underworld is Tired 166 (165/179)

Something Strange About the Trojan War – Premonition

King Podarkes was living leisurely in the city-state of Troy.

As soon as he woke up in the morning, he urgently summoned all his ministers.

The Trojan princes Deiphobus and Hector, generals like Aeneas, and even Cassandra, who was dedicated to Apollo and became a priestess of the temple, all gathered.

King Podarkes, having gathered everyone in one place, opened his mouth with a serious face.

“Last night, the god Morpheus [the god of dreams] appeared in my dream… and conveyed Pluto’s oracle to me.”

“An oracle…!”

“Indeed!”

As everyone listened to his words, only Cassandra had a bright expression for some reason.

“The oracle said that if we build a Pluto temple in our Troy, he will help us overcome the impending crisis. How should we accept this?”

“A Pluto temple, you say?”

“But we worship the god Apollo, do we not? If the Sun God were to be angry…!”

“No. If I tell him that Pluto gave the oracle directly, he will not be angry.”

“But a temple for the god of the underworld… it feels a bit ominous.”

The ministers offered their opinions in a flurry. It would be best to follow the oracle of a god if possible.

But how could the god who rules the underworld help Troy? Can we trust the king of the dead?

Before the debate escalated, King Podarkes looked at his daughter, Cassandra.

Having gained the ability to prophesy through Apollo’s love, she was King Podarkes’ reliable advisor and support.

“Cassandra.”

“Yes, Father.”

“You can prophesy with the favor of the Sun God, can’t you? Do you think we should follow the oracle of the god Pluto?”

At this, Cassandra smiled brightly and said.

“Of course. It is the only clue to overcome the crisis facing us.”

“Hmm…”

“If we do not follow the oracle of the god Pluto, Troy will be destroyed.”

She was famous for receiving the ability to prophesy through the favor of the god Apollo.

Usually, the love between humans and gods often ends in tragedy, but for some reason, Cassandra maintained a good relationship with Apollo even though she had prophetic abilities.

Prophets often reject love with gods because they can foresee the future…

A man stepped forward to King Podarkes, who was deep in thought.

A tall height and good physique. With an outstanding appearance, he was the commander-in-chief of Troy and its greatest hero.

“Father. May I say a word?”

“Oh, Hector! Yes. Tell me your opinion.”

And he was also a prince of Troy.

* * *

As the commander-in-chief of Troy slowly opened his mouth, everyone focused on his words.

“Leaving aside the crisis of Troy or whatever, I think it is right to first figure out what kind of god gave the oracle.”

“Didn’t I already say? Clearly, Pluto, who rules the underworld…”

“Then what kind of god is this Pluto?”

Only then did everyone realize Hector’s intention.

The god Pluto is the main god who rules the underworld, but another name is wealth, and…

“Mercy and justice! Hmm. I know what you want to say.”

“That’s right. The god Pluto is considered a benevolent god to the point where you can’t find any bad rumors or records about him. Even if the underworld is an object of fear… the only things related to him are beautiful stories like the case of the goddess Medusa or the story of King Perseus.”

“Well. Compared to the fickle other gods…”

Other ministers also added a word to their conversation.

There are countless deities in Olympus, but the only god with almost no negative reviews is him.

“I’ve heard it too. Since mortals all go to the underworld when the time comes, there are rumors that he is merciful to the living.”

“The only one more trustworthy than the god of justice and mercy is the goddess of justice…”

“At least he doesn’t intend to harm our Troy…”

Thus, a Pluto temple came to be built in Troy.

The reaction of the people of Troy was mixed when a temple of the god in charge of wealth, the underworld, justice, and mercy was built.

“A Pluto temple. They are using mint very well…” [Mint was associated with Pluto and used in rituals.]

“Aren’t we worshiping the god Apollo? I don’t know how to handle it if the Sun God gets angry again.”

“It’s good because he is also the god of wealth. Hmm. I don’t know. His Majesty will take care of it.”

“I heard that Princess Cassandra went into the Temple of Apollo as a priestess. A Pluto temple.”

And while this Pluto temple was being built, Prince Paris arrived in Troy.

Clearly, he had been on a trip, and next to him was a beautiful woman who caught everyone’s attention…

King Podarkes asked Paris, who had brought a woman he had never seen before.

“Paris. Explain. Is that woman someone I know?”

“Yes… That is… Father! This is a blessing from the goddess Aphrodite… the golden apple…” [Referring to the Judgment of Paris, where he awarded the golden apple to Aphrodite.]

Paris stammered and told what had happened to him.

In other words, he seduced and brought Helen, the wife of Menelaus, the king of Sparta.

King Podarkes was naturally furious when he heard this.

“What! Helen is the wife of Menelaus, the king of Sparta!”

“…Th-that is.”

“Now is the moment of that prophecy! I should have kept you from going outside of Troy!”

Prince Paris of Troy had a prophecy related to him.

When he was born… an oracle that he would put Troy in crisis.

King Podarkes and his wife Hecabe pondered for a long time after hearing the oracle, but eventually decided to ignore it.

It was not confirmed that Troy would be completely destroyed, and they could not kill their own child just because he would bring a crisis to the country.

“Because of you, our Troy is engulfed in the flames of war!”

“Yes… Yes, Father…”

“I don’t even want to see your face! Take that woman and immediately confine yourself!”

Watching Paris, who was kicked out of the king’s audience room, King Podarkes rubbed his forehead.

Is this the crisis of Troy that Pluto’s oracle spoke of?

The method Paris used to take Helen, the most beautiful woman in this world, was simple.

He went to King Menelaus of Sparta, revealed his identity, received generous treatment, and then seduced Helen and ran away while Menelaus was away at his grandfather’s funeral.

“Paris!!! You violated the customs of hospitality and ran away with my wife? I will turn Troy into a sea of fire!”

Of course, King Menelaus was furious and went to Mycenae, ruled by his brother Agamemnon, to inform him of this.

Even with the power of Sparta, a powerful nation, it was difficult to conquer Troy alone.

“Yes. Let’s kill Paris, who violated the customs of hospitality, and destroy Troy.”

“I will immediately contact those who courted Helen.”

“If the allied forces gathered from all over Greece invade Troy, they will be able to behead Paris quickly.”

They agreed to destroy Troy, and all of this…

“…That’s right.”

Hades in the underworld also knew.

* * *

Helen is the most beautiful woman in Greece, and her suitors are kings of a country.

In this situation, Paris’s fate is obvious. The Greek allied forces were already being formed.

It is unlikely that the suitors would really raise an army for just one woman.

Greece is the land of heroes, and many of those who courted Helen were royalty or kings of somewhere.

The epic of heroes they heard and grew up with from their parents’ generation filled their minds.

Those who dream of achieving great tasks, spreading their fame, and making a name for themselves were eager for war.

From those who want to gain fame through war to those who covet the gold and silver they will get by destroying Troy, many had their reasons.

Except for Menelaus himself, the person directly involved, regaining Helen is just a good cause, a pretext for war.

War would have happened anyway, even if the gods hadn’t intervened.

But…

“Because of you, our Troy is engulfed in the flames of war!”

“Yes… Yes, Father…”

“I don’t even want to see your face! Take that woman and immediately confine yourself!”

That guy who seduced a married woman with the blessing he received from Aphrodite is quite displeasing to me.

War is war, but shouldn’t he return Helen right away?

But the rewards or punishments given by a god cannot be canceled or interfered with by another god.

That is the implicit promise and law of the Olympian gods.

So…

“Morpheus. Appear in King Podarkes’ dream again and convey my words.”

“What should I tell him this time?”

“Tell him that the goddess of justice belongs to the underworld. Since Troy worships Apollo, they will surely understand my intentions.”

Wouldn’t it be okay if humans ‘voluntarily’ reject the rewards of God?

Although I cannot directly intervene and tell him to return Helen to her original husband, since a temple has been built in Troy… there are plenty of ways to bypass fate or prophecy.

If this is revealed, I might incur some resentment from Aphrodite and get an earful from Zeus.

“What does that mean…? Perhaps…”

“Or just show them the nuance that the underworld is on the side of justice.”

But I have to get rid of that affair problem first.

Now that my temple has also been built in Troy, this level of intervention will not upset Apollo either.