King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 43

The King of the Underworld is Tired – (1)

Another dark day in the Underworld.

I, Hades, paused my work and fell into contemplation.

Lately, when I sit on my throne and listen to the world above, I feel that something has changed significantly.

“Merciful God Pluto… I thank you for your grace today.”

“Grant me the blessing of wealth. Richest of all…”

“My father, who has passed to the Underworld…”

For some reason, the prayers directed to me have recently increased.

It’s not just a slight increase, but it feels like the entire Thebes is praying.

I only descended near Thebes and fought in the mountains a while ago…

Did the aftermath increase the fear of death, leading them to pray to me?

Elsewhere, a wealthy nobleman was building an altar out of wood and kneeling reverently.

Twenty cows lay dead on the altar, and the nobleman, holding a torch, lit the altar and shouted.

“Almighty Lord Pluto! I offer you ten bulls and ten cows!”

*Omnipotence* is something even Zeus cannot achieve, and looking at the servants behind you, it seems you’ve overworked them to offer me sacrifices.

And the cows offered as sacrifices are either sick or old.

It seems that as the number of those who believe in me increases, so do the strange ones.

That guy won’t receive a good evaluation from the judges of the Underworld, the three Minos brothers.

As I was about to look elsewhere, a messenger ran up to me and reported.

I’m now familiar with this messenger’s face. Probably a guard near the courthouse where Minos is…

“Lord Hades! Another soul who hasn’t lost their memory in the River Lethe has appeared!”

“Again…?”

“They’re causing a ruckus, claiming injustice, near where the judges are…”

Those who died with immense grudges keep appearing.

But there’s no end to meeting all these people, so I should call the goddess Lethe…

“But it seems that person is a grandson of Cadmus, the hero who founded Thebes.”

“Cadmus’s grandson? Let’s meet him, bring him here.”

Thebes is where my faith has spread widely.

And it is the birthplace of the great hero Cadmus, who practically saved the world from Typhon.

Cadmus lived a glorious life, worthy of Elysium [the paradise in the Underworld], but,

I wonder what his grandson went through to retain his memory.

After waiting for a moment, the door to the audience chamber opened, and the soul of a handsome young man entered.

But the first thing he said after seeing me was quite something.

“So, you’re the grandson of Cadmus…”

“Merciful God Pluto! I am a human named Actaeon! Please, resolve my injustice!”

I’ve seen many who are dragged into the Underworld and call out to the god of wealth, Pluto, but…

Why am I the god of mercy?

“I am not the god of mercy. But what grudge do you hold that makes you act like this?”

“I died because I saw the naked body of the goddess Artemis!”

What? What are you talking about?

As I was speechless, Actaeon cried out, wailing.

“I never approached with malicious intent! I never dared to peek at the beautiful body of the goddess!”

“…Calm down first.”

* * *

After some time, Actaeon regained his composure.

In a gloomy tone, he slowly recounted what happened to him.

“From a young age, I was taught by the centaur sage Chiron…”

A centaur [a creature with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a horse].

They are often a violent and barbaric race, but Chiron was different from the other centaurs.

Chiron was born when Cronus transformed into a horse and raped his niece.

He was a gentle and wise character, skilled in martial arts, music, literature, and more.

As his reputation grew, it became natural for humans who wanted to become heroes to study under Chiron.

Thus, Actaeon also received teachings from Chiron, who gained the nickname ‘teacher of heroes.’

“Thanks to Chiron’s teachings, I was able to gain some fame as an adventurer.”

“I see, you were Chiron’s disciple.”

“The day I died… I returned from a difficult adventure and headed to the forest of Cithaeron to hunt. But there…”

“Artemis was there?”

“Yes… the goddess Artemis and her nymphs were bathing…”

Artemis, who made eye contact with him, was furious and cast a curse, he says.

Actaeon’s body turned into a deer, and eventually, he was chased and killed by his own hunting dogs.

“I am truly wronged. I knew that the goddess Artemis had sworn to be a virgin, but…”

The reason Artemis was so angry was the shame of showing her naked body to a mere human,

And… the situation was threatening to her virginity.

Artemis’s virginity, sworn on the Styx [a river in the Underworld, also a goddess], was in danger of being broken by showing her naked body to Actaeon.

She killed him to prevent him from spreading rumors that he had seen the goddess’s naked body…

“I understand your grievance well. I will tell Minos to consider your unfortunate circumstances in the judgment.”

“Yes… Thank you so much for listening. Glory to Pluto, the god of mercy…”

There’s no other way to explain it but that he was really unlucky.

Is this the influence of the curse Ares placed on Cadmus’s descendants?

Actaeon bowing his head and sobbing,

Since his situation is so pitiful, I should grant him some convenience in his Underworld life.

* * *

“…That’s what happened.”

“The goddess Artemis is really merciless.”

“…How pitiful.”

The goddess Styx, leaning against the throne next to me, shakes her head.

The goddess Lethe, sitting on the floor and looking up at me, slightly lowers her eyes.

“But why are the goddesses here?”

“We need time to rest too. We’ve worked so hard.”

“I’m not the god Thanatos [the god of death]…”

A certain god who seems like he’s about to cry and wail somewhere comes to mind, but let’s move on for now.

But if you get too close, I keep feeling a soft touch…

Both of them are giving me expectant looks, so I forcibly turn my gaze and change the subject.

“By the way, Actaeon called me the god of mercy. I wonder if my divine persona is being misrepresented among humans…”

“Well, there are rumors spreading in Thebes right now.”

Come to think of it, the goddess Lethe often blankly observes humans in the world above.

She sometimes bestows the blessing of oblivion and watches the reactions of humans, so she is sensitive to rumors from the surface.

“The rumor is that the merciful lord of the Underworld appeared in the flesh to save a follower in danger.”

“But don’t other gods often help their followers too?”

Helping one’s followers or turning them into constellations is quite common.

That’s why humans call on the name of the god they believe in when they are in danger.

“Well, death is a scary and frightening thing. And it’s unavoidable.”

“Humans don’t even like to say the word ‘Underworld’…”

Is it because I’m acting contrary to the image known among humans?

Indeed, there are still not many followers who seek Hades rather than Pluto…

“But I think Prometheus or Hestia are more suited to the divine persona of mercy.”

Prometheus, who delivered fire for the sake of the pitiful humans.

Hestia, the gentle and soft guardian of the hearth and home.

To call me the god of mercy, surpassing them…

As I fell into thought, the goddess Styx gently smiled and clung to me.

No, if the goddess Lethe does that too…

“Hehe… Hades has really firm arms.”

“Then maybe here too…”

How many souls came to the Underworld today if I count the number of goddesses Zeus and Poseidon raped one by one one two three…

While I was frozen, unable to move even a little, a seductive whisper reached my ears.

The soft hair of the goddess Styx touches my shoulder.

“Hades, shall we go to the world above to clear our heads? You’ve been working too hard lately.”

“I like that too. The Gigas [giants] won’t invade for a while, so how about going out without worry.”

“But I have to be in the Underworld…”

Just as I was thinking of excuses, trying to avoid the expectant gazes of the two goddesses,

The silver-haired goddess, looking up at me and muttering softly, caught my eye.

“I’ve had a hard time too… Can’t I? Ugh…”

“Gasp…!”

Too clear blue pupils, cheeks and ears gradually reddening as if the goddess herself is embarrassed.

The heart of a god who transcends humans doesn’t stop, but right now I was not a god but a man.

“Y-yes… Then let’s go out for a while.”

…!

Since there was something I had to do in the world above anyway, it would be fine to go together.

The Underworld system has been reorganized to the point where two goddesses can take a break from work,

But more than anything, it’s important to escape this difficult situation.

“It’s about time to patrol near Mount Etna, where Typhon’s body is buried, so would you like to go with me?”

The faces of the goddesses lit up as they heard my story.

“Really? The goddess of oaths heard it, so you can’t break it!”

“Hehe… I succeeded. Styx!”

Ah… I was tricked by the goddesses’ scheme.

Indeed, the veteran gods of the Underworld, persuading me with words and bodies(?).

Well, still…

“Hehe… I’ll go change my clothes. Wait a moment, Hades!”

“Ah. Lethe, I’ll go with you too!”

This peace isn’t bad either.