King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 183

The King of the Underworld is Tired 183

Side Story – Alecto, Goddess of Vengeance

After Olympus won the war against the Titans, I immediately descended to the Underworld and met with various gods.

After greeting many gods, such as the Goddess of Discord, and the Hecatoncheires [hundred-handed giants] guarding Tartarus, I headed to…

Step, step.

A cave known to be inhabited by the Erinyes, the Goddesses of Vengeance (also known as the Furies).

Of course, the Goddesses of Vengeance are avoided even by the gods. But since I had good conversations with the Goddess of Famine, Limos, and the Goddess of Discord, Eris, there was no reason not to visit them.

“We have a guest outside.”

As I walked to the entrance, I heard a beautiful voice from inside the cave.

It must be the voice of one of the Goddesses of Vengeance. The presence I felt was chillingly eerie.

Erinyes.

The three sisters of vengeance, born from the blood that fell on the earth when Uranus’s genitals were cut off.

Terrifying virgin goddesses with bronze wings, bleeding eyes, and snake hair.

Shh! Shh!

“Are you the Goddesses of Vengeance? I am Hades. I will be living with you in the Underworld from now on, so please take care of m…”

“…This cave is where our sisters reside, so do not come looking for us.”

They had a strong, ruthless image and were wary of strangers, making it difficult to approach them.

To them, born from Uranus’s severed genitals, I must have seemed like just a young deity.

Perhaps it would be very difficult to become close to them.

But I won’t give up.

I am the King of the Underworld, so how can I exclude and ignore the gods belonging to the Underworld?

To become a god worthy of the heavy title of the Underworld’s master, I must continue on a righteous path.

And…

Drip. Drip.

That sound of blood tears constantly falling on the floor.

Isn’t there a way to stop it?

* * *

I brought nectar and ambrosia [the food and drink of the gods] and periodically visited the cave where they lived.

How many times did I receive the answer from Tisiphone, the representative of the three sisters, to just leave it outside?

“Then I will leave it here again today. Ah, there will be a banquet in the Underworld soon. I hope you will attend…”

“Come in.”

Are they finally opening their hearts even a little?

After visiting the cave periodically for over 10 years, I was finally allowed to enter.

As I stepped into the damp cave, I felt a cold, almost frigid, divine power of vengeance.

And the Goddesses of Vengeance, looking at me with emotionless eyes.

The goddess Alecto, who represents endless rage, opened her mouth.

“…You don’t have to come anymore. You’ve won.”

“Yes? What does that…”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. We have eyes and ears, and we haven’t just been eating away at our age. Call us when you rebel against Zeus. We will pay back the value of the nectar and ambrosia we have received so far.”

The goddesses Tisiphone, who judges adultery, and Megaera, who envies, nodded in agreement.

What on earth are they talking about?

“…Yeah. Hades is better than Zeus.”

“I heard you’ve been meeting with the Goddess of Famine, Limos, and the Goddess of Discord, Eris. Are you planning to gather the alienated and rejected gods and invade Olympus? Your skills aren’t bad, befitting the King of the Underworld.”

So.

All this time, my visits to them were…

They thought it was a persuasion to help with the rebellion against Zeus?

“No. You’re misunderstanding.”

“Don’t worry. This place is beyond Zeus’s reach. If you need to be careful…”

“No, that’s not it! You’re really misunderstanding!”

“…?”

The expressions of the Goddesses of Vengeance became strange.

* * *

Fortunately, the misunderstanding was quickly resolved.

“…So you’re not planning a rebellion or anything?”

“Why would I fight with Zeus? Olympus would only increase my workload.”

“Then your actions of building friendships with the alienated gods were…”

“Because I am the god of the Underworld. At least in the place I rule, no one will be mistreated based on their assigned divinity or appearance.”

The three goddesses stared at me blankly with their mouths open.

Even the snakes that act as their hair stared at me with their mouths open.

“Hmm. Did you bring me inside to say this? If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll go back outside the cave.”

“No… from now on, you can just come in.”

As I rummaged through the nectar and ambrosia and handed it over, the goddesses accepted it with somewhat reluctant faces.

Since I came all the way here, I also drank some nectar.

Gulp, gulp.

“Hades.”

“?”

“You seem a little different from the other Olympian gods.”

I smiled at the goddess Alecto, who was staring at me blankly as she accepted the ambrosia.

That I, the King of the Underworld, came all the way here to care for them?

Of course, many of the current Olympian gods have different thoughts from me.

My brothers, like Zeus and Poseidon… must have pride in winning the Titanomachy [the war between the Titans and the Olympian gods] and seizing the world’s power, and the newly born young gods may just think of them as washed up.

But. But I can’t do that.

What kind of King of the Underworld am I if I can’t even take care of the gods living in the Underworld?

The one who judges mortals must always show a fair and perfect godlike appearance.

“It’s nothing. Rather, I often hold banquets in the Underworld, and I was hoping you could attend.”

“…That seems a bit too early.”

Shh.

The snake in her hair made a small weeping sound.

They are definitely wary of me, but they don’t seem as hostile as when I first saw them.

Are the emotions and feelings of the Goddesses of Vengeance reflected in their snake hair? It’s quite fascinating.

* * *

Time flowed by faster and faster.

Now, even when I visit the cave, they greet me as if they are used to it and make room for me.

But since some time ago, the goddesses Tisiphone and Megaera have been strange.

They often showed signs of leaving only Alecto and going to the mortal realm to torment sinners.

Just like now.

“Hmm. Hmm. I have to go to the mortal realm for a while.”

“Have a good… time…”

“What are you talking about, just go quickly!”

Today, I was left alone with the goddess Alecto in this cave again.

I feel like this has happened a lot recently. No way, right?

Shh. Shh.

Alecto’s snake hair slithered onto my shoulder.

As I became aware of it, I felt that the distance between Alecto and me was close. So close that her snake hair was touching me.

Our shoulders were almost touching. Her breath, which sounded strangely flushed, tickled my ear.

Shh…

Swoosh.

The more I looked at it, the cuter this snake hair seemed. Especially since it never bared its fangs at me.

I raised my other hand and gently stroked it from the top of its head… The snake, or rather the hair, rubbed its head against me as if it felt good.

“Cute.”

“Wh- What! I’m the Goddess of Vengeance, so I’m not cute at all!”

The snakes startled and fell away from me.

But their gazes were fixed on me. Still, cute.

“No. Th- That. Your hair, goddess.”

“Ugh… Th- Then.”

The goddess, whose ears were red, whispered something small to me.

“Th- Then. You can touch it if you want…”

She was cute.

Not the snake hair, but the Goddess of Vengeance, whom everyone avoids.

Good heavens. Did I find the Goddess of Vengeance cute?

In fact, their appearance is much less than that of other beautiful goddesses. Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love, Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, and the goddesses Styx and Lethe, etc.

The Goddess of Vengeance, who cannot be compared to such goddesses?

As I became more aware of her, she caught my eye.

If you exclude the eyes that shed blood tears and the snake hair, her appearance and body were comparable to any goddess.

Swoosh. Swoosh.

“Hngh…”

I reached out my hand as if possessed and began to touch the snakes. One, two. More and more snakes approached me, showing affection.

When there were more than five, the goddess Alecto leaned her head on my shoulder.

Thud. Shhhhh?!?

The hairs seemed flustered by their owner’s sudden approach.

The twitching snakes regained their composure and slowly approached. Really cute.

“Th- This is just… because if you think my hair is cute, you can touch it more comfortably… N- No…!”

“Thank you. I like it.”

“I kind of like this… Haa. When I’m with you, my blade of vengeance…”

Swoosh. Swoosh.

Before I knew it, my face was buried in the goddess’s snake hair.

Just as I was thinking that I should leave soon, the Goddess of Vengeance turned her head sharply and looked at me.

In the scenery covered with snake hair, I met her serious gaze.

For some reason, my heart was pounding. Like her reddened face, my face would be no different.

“Hades. Do you know that?”

“Know what…”

“You were the first to tell me I was cute.”

In that instant, her hair pulled my face towards her.

No. These hairs. Could the goddess control them?

“Hngh…!”

Our lips met. Her hot breath and heat warmed the Underworld cave.

My body also became hot.

I reached out my hands, grabbed the back of the goddess’s head, and pulled her closer.

As we continued the hot kiss, our faces, which had been stuck together, separated with a smack.

“Haa… Haa.”

“Hoo…”

Her face, flushed red, was very different.

Her eyes seemed to crave something more from me, and her lost hands looked even pitiful.

And…

-Whoosh!

Intense light and divine power poured out from the goddess, changing her appearance!

No. It wasn’t just her appearance. Her essence was changing. A change in the very foundation that made up her divinity, the goddess.

Divinity does not simply represent the realm that a god governs.

It is the source of the god and everything that makes up the god. Just as the god of madness expresses madness, and the god of love craves love.

But.

“…Huh?”

If the mind of a goddess who is the personification of vengeance is filled with other emotions, even for a moment…

Could she still be called the Goddess of Vengeance?

Even in a situation where she herself has deeply realized emotions other than vengeance.

Various factors overlapped… and the goddess’s appearance, which was the same as the personification of guilt, vengeance, and retaliation, completely changed.

The snakes, which had embodied the wariness of those approaching, closed their eyes and turned into soft hair.

The blood tears, which had embodied constant pain and hatred, no longer fell.

The bronze wings, symbolizing iron-blooded vengeance, lost their solidity and turned white.

“Ah. Ah…! My appearance… Hicc…!”

“…You are beautiful. Goddess Alecto.”

Alecto, the goddess of first love.

A beautiful goddess with white wings, light green hair, and golden tears of the joy of love.

“Since I made you change, I will take responsibility. Please become the mistress of the Underworld.”

“Re- Really?”

“Yes. My first love is you, goddess.”

It was the moment when a new mistress of the Underworld was born.