King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 25

The King of the Underworld is Tired 25

The Story of Pluto’s Temple – (2)

“Kyaaaah!.. Hah.. Haa..”

Parona, a priestess of the Hades Temple, screamed and shot up from her seat.

The pain in her head from the injected knowledge, the strange energy she felt in her body.

She hurriedly gulped down the water beside her and began to organize the memories she had received.

First, what her lord, Hades, wanted from her was the revival of the temple and the expansion of its influence.

Ultimately, he wanted her help in finding monsters called Gigas.

For a moment, she recalled the appearance of the Gigas and shuddered at their gruesome form.

A snake’s lower body and a human’s upper body with a large build—man-eating monsters.

“Ugh…”

And the blessings she received from Hades were surprisingly numerous.

Just like how the Oracle of Apollo in the Delphi Temple prophesied in a trance,

Or how huntresses received Artemis’s blessing of the hunt through their vow to uphold their virginity.

She, too, was now able to wield some of the power of the god she served.

The blessing of wealth that followed her even when she was still, the ability to communicate with some souls.

And the dark, chilling energy she felt when she slightly raised her hand.

‘I was already envious of Hecate’s priestesses, but…’

Hecate, the goddess of magic.

To wield magic, humans had to become priestesses or followers of the goddess Hecate.

Only then could they be taught the knowledge of magic and wield mystical powers.

Even though she served a high-ranking god among the Three Great Gods, she had never been granted any abilities until now.

If her god, who seemed to have little interest in the mortal realm, was going this far, did that mean the Gigas were very dangerous?

‘Lord Hades… honestly, it’s a bit scary…’

Lastly, she was appointed as the High Priestess of Hades, the lord of the underworld.

‘It’s obvious that I’ve been given a task that’s too much for me…’

Parona, looking distressed, drooped her shoulders.

Still, as a priestess of Hades, she had some faith, so as she was steeling her resolve…

A guest arrived.

A young servant in splendid and neat attire, as if he were from the royal family.

“Are you the priestess of Hade… no, Pluto? King Polydoros, the rightful ruler of Thebes, summons you.”

* * *

King Polydoros, the descendant of Cadmus, the great hero who founded Thebes, and the current ruler of Thebes.

King Polydoros covered his head as he watched the priestess of Hades walk in.

Soon, as the priestess of Hades paid her respects to the king, he slowly opened his mouth.

“In a dream last night, someone who called himself the god Morpheus told me that if I revive the Temple of Pluto, the country will prosper…”

This was clearly a divine revelation.

A divine revelation is when a divine being conveys their will or warning to humans,

Predicts the fate of a special human, or sometimes when humans ask the gods for information.

“And he also told me to talk to the priestess of Pluto.”

Even though the Olympian gods were involved in the death of Pentheus, who was the king of Thebes before him…

Was a god interfering with Thebes again?

Pentheus met his death as punishment for persecuting the followers of Dionysus, the newly born 12th god of Olympus.

The god Dionysus was the god of wine and madness, but the god Hades was…

“So, if I don’t follow the divine revelation, what kind of punishment does Pluto say he will inflict? Will he take all the people of Thebes to the underworld?”

King Polydoros looked at the priestess before him with a hint of fear and displeasure.

Never before had the words that would come out of the mouth of the beautiful priestess in black robes felt so frightening.

At that question, the priestess seemed flustered but calmly replied.

“Lord Hades… only spoke of benefits and said he would not inflict any punishment.”

“He won’t inflict any punishment?”

The gods are all fickle, self-centered, and arrogant.

At least, that’s what Polydoros thought.

Anyone who had the same experience as him would think so.

The mistake made by Pentheus, who was the king before him.

He had only imposed minor sanctions on the followers of the god Dionysus, who were disturbing Thebes in the past…

“Uwaaaah! Mother, it’s me! It’s Pentheus!”

“A boar! It’s a boar! Kill him!!!”

“It’s a boar interfering with the festival of Lord Dionysus! Kill him!!!”

“Aaaaaaack!!!”

To have the king of a country killed by his own mother, who had fallen into madness.

It was truly a terrible situation, and since then, everyone had been careful not to defy the gods.

For example, no thieves would ever break into the Temple of Hades,

And no one would ever flirt with the beautiful priestess before him.

So, King Polydoros asked again.

“Don’t lie and tell me honestly; I’m going to follow the will of the god Pluto anyway.”

“That’s… really true. He only said that the more followers there are, the more he will bestow the blessing of wealth upon Thebes…”

The god who rules the underworld is more merciful than the god of wine?

Is it because everyone becomes his people when they die, so he shows mercy in the mortal realm?

Or perhaps, he only acts as the god of wealth when he interferes in the mortal realm.

The god Hades is also the owner of all the treasures beneath the earth…

In any case, the will of the gods must be followed, and the probability of Thebes suffering any harm is low.

Although he had to rely on the mercy of the god Pluto… he might receive some of the god’s protection.

After quickly calculating, King Polydoros showed his approval.

“Well, I understand. So, is there anything I can help with?”

“First, in the name of the royal family…”

* * *

A cold, dark, and frightening underworld.

I was watching the events unfolding in Thebes from here.

“If you pray to the statue of the god Pluto, you’ll be blessed with wealth, right?”

“That’s what the royal family officially announced; there’s a widespread rumor that His Majesty received a divine revelation.”

“Huh… is the god Pluto now protecting our Thebes?”

“It doesn’t seem to be to that extent. He’s just said to bring wealth to his followers…”

Inside the only temple in Thebes, I infused power into my statue made of marble.

So that if the followers offer sincere prayers there, they can receive a slight blessing of wealth.

“I picked up a drachma [ancient Greek silver coin] on the ground after praying at the temple.”

“Pluto’s other name is quite frightening, but…”

“The god Ares won’t be angry if I go there, right?”

“I hope I won’t be dragged to the underworld for offering disrespectful prayers?”

The number of people gradually began to increase at my temple, which was built alone on the outskirts of Thebes.

At first, only merchants who wanted to receive the blessing of wealth visited, but

As the royal family’s announcement and word-of-mouth spread, the visits of ordinary citizens with curiosity also increased.

The frequency of offerings coming up from the mortal realm increased,

And the followers who felt the effects of the blessing of wealth attracted other citizens.

“Pluto, please make sure my trading trip to Athens goes well.”

“I’m going into the mine this time, and I’m wondering where a vein of gold might be buried…”

Most of it was because of wealth.

Of course, that’s what I was aiming for.

Although the name Hades is a target of fear, the alias Pluto is the god of wealth that everyone prefers.

If humans are reluctant, I can act in the mortal realm with a different name.

“Hades, the god who rules the underworld… I was wondering if my parents, who passed away last year, are doing well…”

“My friend wasn’t a very good person, but I hope you’ll have mercy…”

Occasionally, there were also followers who sought the lord of the underworld, not the god of wealth.

Usually, they were humans who were nearing death or whose close friends had been visited by Thanatos [the personification of death].

Their prayers were more earnest than those who called out to Pluto.

Sometimes, after listening to the prayers of those who were truly desperate, I would have Morpheus [the god of dreams] meet the dead in their dreams.

Of course, this only happened under the strict supervision of Morpheus or Hypnos [the god of sleep], and most of the humans forgot most of the details when they woke up from their dreams, but…

“Please…! Please let me see my mother one more time!”

“Sniff… I can’t believe I heard my father’s last words in a dream… but I’m so glad he’s doing well there.”

The number of people who wanted to see their loved ones again and came to my temple increased.

Even if you pray so sadly, it’s only once per person… Don’t weaken my heart.

From this time on, strange rumors spread among humans.

A rumor that if you want to see your dead family members even once, you should go to the Temple of Pluto…

* * *

The underworld, Hades’ office.

I was pleased to see the power of the temple growing day by day.

If the influence of the temple grows like this, I might be able to quickly obtain information about the Gigantes…

If necessary, I might be able to descend into the priestess’s body.

If someone prays that their acquaintance died because of a half-human, half-snake monster near Thebes,