King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 44

The King of the Underworld is Tired 44 (44/82)

The Gods’ Excursion – (2)

The goddesses Styx and Lethe, who had left to change, returned.

But their outfits…

“Goddess Styx, that chiton [a type of ancient Greek tunic]… isn’t that blessed by Hecate with the magic of tranquility?”

“That’s right. I received it as a gift when I went to Olympus last time.”

Goddess Styx appeared in a revealing chiton with a deeply plunging neckline.

The beautiful black fabric accentuated the goddess’s beauty even more.

“And… how about me?”

Goddess Lethe, also wearing a thin dress that showed off her thigh line, approached shyly.

No… I’ve never seen her wear such clothes before?

“I saved it for times like today when I go out with Hades. Did I do well?”

“Yes… you look especially beautiful today.”

Her face, smiling bashfully unlike her usual emotionless eyes, was truly beautiful.

And so, I left the fortress with the two goddesses, as if possessed.

But isn’t linking arms a bit too much?

It’s a bit suffocating when you’re both doing it…

“Squeak! Woof!”

“Alright.”

I petted Cerberus, who guards the entrance to the fortress,

and passed the River of Forgetfulness, the River of Flames, and the River of Sorrow in order, arriving at the River Acheron.

Charon, who was piloting the newly created giant ferry(?), froze when he saw us.

The ferryman, looking over my face and those of Styx and Lethe, muttered quietly.

“…So, who is the official wife?”

“Me!”

“Of course… it’s me…”

The strength in their arms is gradually increasing.

The softer sensation is starting to be felt more and more, so let’s stop here…

“Charon, please don’t say unnecessary things…”

“Okay, okay…”

And so, we somehow made it to the mortal realm.

It had been a while since I, in my true form, had encountered the clear air and warm sunlight.

Chirp chirp- Tweet tweet.

The sounds of life and the vitality of nature, which are hard to feel in the underworld.

“How will we get to Mount Etna?”

“I usually use a chariot. I always rely on the ghost horses.”

Of course, humans are not the only beings who die and come to the underworld.

The same goes for all kinds of animals and monsters.

I waved my hand and summoned a semi-transparent chariot and ghost horses into the empty space.

The horses, with blue flames burning in their pupils and never tiring, were summoned with rough cries.

Neighhhhh-

The chariot is also a masterpiece made directly by Hephaestus.

It’s not quite a divine object, but it’s very sturdy.

I lightly climbed into the chariot and extended my ungloved hand,

and soon the goddesses smiled and took my hand in turn, climbing up.

But… Lethe’s belt, which is slightly visible, looks familiar somehow…

I tried to take a closer look, but Goddess Styx urged me on.

“Let’s go quickly! Hades!”

I nodded and drove the chariot towards Mount Etna.

The chariot of the underworld, invisible to human eyes, moved swiftly.

* * *

Near Mount Etna.

Except for the snow-covered summit, the scenery is filled with warmth no matter where you look.

A wide meadow stretched out near the mountain, and various animals roamed around energetically.

However, because Typhon’s body is buried under the mountain, frequent earthquakes occur.

That’s why I sometimes come to the surface to patrol, also to see the mortal realm.

“I really wanted to come here. The goddesses of Olympus often come down here too, I heard.”

“There are nymphs over there, as well.”

I stopped the chariot for a moment and looked around.

The beautiful nymphs of the forest, wearing revealing chitons, were singing.

“Kyahahaha!”

“Kore! Let’s go together!”

“Next time, let’s go into the forest!”

Hmm… but who is that blonde goddess running around so energetically?

Since it’s a face I don’t recognize, is she a newly born god?

Just as I was about to drive the chariot again and look around near Mount Etna,

Goddess Lethe gently tugged at my sleeve and called me.

“Hades. Hades.”

“What is it?”

“Styx and I will get off here for a while.”

“We’re just going to look around nearby for a bit. I see an acquaintance nymph over there…”

“Then I’ll go around the mountain once. Enjoy yourselves.”

An acquaintance nymph? Well, that could happen.

The goddesses seem excited because they are always in the underworld and have come to the mortal realm.

“We’ll be back after looking around!”

“Then see you later…”

* * *

The goddesses who got off Hades’ chariot went deep into the forest.

The goddesses looked around, searching for someone.

“Weren’t we supposed to meet here?”

“Ah, there…”

Soon, they smiled faintly and walked towards the one they were looking for, as if they had found her.

Because in the middle of the forest was a goddess who was beauty itself, with her arms crossed.

“No, did you really come out with Hades? With that wooden man?”

“It’s all thanks to the belt Aphrodite lent me. Hee…”

The one the goddesses of the underworld were looking for was Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love.

Goddess Lethe approached her and handed over the belt.

It was the Girdle of Temptation, Kestos Himas, made directly by Hephaestus.

Aphrodite, who received her belt back, wore a puzzled expression.

“The belt I lent you was effective?”

“Yes! Hades, who always refused whenever we asked him to go somewhere, came to the mortal realm with us for the first time!”

“It’s all thanks to Goddess Aphrodite.”

The goddesses smiled brightly, while Aphrodite looked rather bewildered.

“Ugh… when I wore it, he seemed indifferent and didn’t seem interested at all…”

“…Really? He was being more gentle than usual today.”

“Maybe you wore it wrong…”

Aphrodite’s face crumpled as she looked at the two goddesses who looked truly clueless.

The goddess of beauty, as if her pride had been greatly hurt, covered her head and shouted.

“No way! That can’t be! I’m the goddess of beauty and love, you know… Argh! Annoying!”

Aphrodite, who had been huffing and puffing for a while, crossed her arms again with a sulky expression.

And as she was about to summon a cloud and return straight to Olympus, Goddess Styx called her.

“Hey… Aphrodite.”

“What…?”

“But Aphrodite originally liked Hades, didn’t she? So why did you lend us the belt?”

Goddess Lethe also stared at Aphrodite as if she was curious.

The fact that Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love, had followed Hades down to the underworld,

was a fact known to all the gods working in the underworld.

Even the most oblivious person could sense that the goddess had ulterior motives.

But why did she lend the belt of enchantment to her love rival?

Aphrodite smiled and answered the question-filled goddesses.

“What I wanted was just one night, and it wouldn’t be strange for someone of the Three Chief Gods to have many women, right?”

“Then what about Poseidon or Zeus…”

“They’re not really my type. And Hera’s glare is a bit much…”

The goddesses nodded as if they understood, and Aphrodite whispered in a low voice.

The goddess of beauty, who was beauty itself, looked alluring even with a sinister face.

“And you have to know the pleasure of marriage before you can look elsewhere, right?”

“Hades doesn’t seem to like goddesses who commit adultery.”

“Argh! Shut up! It’s not like I wanted to marry Hephaestus…”

However, her expression immediately crumbled at Lethe’s words.

This time, Aphrodite asked the goddesses of the underworld a question.

“But aren’t you burdened by marriage? If you marry the lord of the underworld, there’s so much work to do, and the weight of being the wife of one of the Three Chief Gods…”

Hades, the god of the underworld, is popular with women.

His high status as one of the Three Chief Gods, his gloomy but handsome face, and his kind nature unlike his brothers.

However, there were also some goddesses who were reluctant to become his official wife.

Great power comes with great responsibility.

Having to reside in the dark underworld instead of Olympus,

and the numerous tasks that must be managed as the mistress of the underworld, were also reasons for reluctance.

“I don’t care about that.”

“I have a lot of work to do anyway…?”

However, the goddess of oblivion and the master of the Styx River did not.

The answers came without a moment’s hesitation as soon as the question was asked.

Aphrodite briefly thought of Pygmalion.

A mortal who was more sincere in love than anyone else, a mortal who moved the heart of the goddess of love.

“…Thanks to the goddess’s blessing, I lived a life without regrets with my beloved wife!”

Pygmalion achieved love by receiving the blessing she had given to the statue,

but she herself, despite being the goddess of love, had not achieved the love she desired.

“Oh, how beautiful you are, you are mine, Poseidon!”

“Uncle Poseidon, please yield to me.”

“You are more than anyone I have ever seen…”

“Goddess, I have written a poem praising your beauty.”

“Stop, stop!”

If this continues, there will be internal strife among the gods,

so I, Zeus, will decide Aphrodite’s husband!”

Beauty that was so beautiful that all the gods coveted it.

Her husband was forcibly decided by the supreme god Zeus to prevent internal strife in Olympus.

“The lame Hephaestus? Why me…”

“Father, this is too much…”

“What? But…”

“Letting Aphrodite decide is…”

Rumble! Flash!

“I will not accept any further objections! From now on, the husband of the goddess of beauty is Hephaestus!”

And so, she was forced into marriage.

Her husband, Hephaestus, tried his best to be good to her.

He made her whatever she wanted and even gave her the magic girdle, Kestos Himas.

But she couldn’t bring herself to feel affection for her husband and began to commit adultery.

She had Harmony, the goddess of harmony, with Ares, and had relationships with many male gods.

Love is something that burns even more fiercely the more it is forcibly suppressed.

A somewhat sad smile flickered on the lips of the goddess of love.

She sent a blessing to the two women who were challenging love with a pitiful look.

“…Well, that’s what love is. I, Aphrodite, will cheer you on, so try your best.”

And at this time, Hades…

“What’s your name?”

“My name is Menthe.”

He was meeting and talking with a nymph who evoked nostalgia for the past.