King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 51

The King of the Underworld is Tired 51 (51/82)

The Story of Hephaestus – (2)

Hephaestus, who had been shedding tears, conjured a flame to dry them.

The flames seemed to reflect his emotions; they flickered with a sad light…

Is there truly no other solution…?

Perhaps using divine power to alter his appearance to Aphrodite’s liking…

“Ah, what about visiting Apollo? He’s the god of medicine; perhaps he could change your appearance…”

“I already have visited Apollo.”

According to Hephaestus,

he went to Apollo hoping he could reshape his face to be more appealing to Aphrodite.

But even that was impossible.

It was exceedingly difficult to alter the appearance of another Olympian god, let alone a mere mortal…

“Whenever I create flames for blacksmithing, my face quickly reverts to its original form.”

“Ah…”

No matter how handsome Apollo made his face with divine power,

the flames and inherent power of Hephaestus, the god of fire, always forced it back to its original state.

Come to think of it, the gods generally maintain the appearance they were born with…

The reason the blacksmith god is considered ugly and lame isn’t solely because he fell on Lemnos Island,

but because he was born that way.

“Still, thank you for listening to my concerns so sincerely.”

“No, I… I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. It’s my own fault for being unable to control my wife.”

As he finished speaking and turned to leave, Hephaestus’s eyes flashed with fire.

Again… what idea is brewing in that mind of yours, my nephew?

“But I absolutely cannot forgive that Ares!”

“You mean Ares, who had an affair with your wife and fathered Harmonia [the goddess of harmony]?”

Aphrodite loves Ares so much that she bore Harmonia from their relationship.

But it’s impossible to suppress the goddess of love and tell her not to love…

Still, Hera should have intervened after Harmonia was born, shouldn’t she?

“Didn’t Hera tell Aphrodite to stop having affairs before?”

“Yes, she did. But…”

Hephaestus, unable to endure it any longer, reported the affair to Hera,

and Hera, feeling guilty for throwing her son off Mount Olympus onto Lemnos Island, granted his request.

So, the queen of the gods summoned the adulterous pair and quietly reprimanded them.

To be precise, Hermes, who frequently visits the underworld, told me about it.

The Olympian gods are somewhat liberal when it comes to love.

But if they have a child from an affair, it implies they should cease the relationship at some point.

In fact, Zeus didn’t usually have affairs beyond casual encounters.

When a child was born, he would be wary of his official wife, Hera, for a while…

“Even after my mother spoke to her, she hasn’t changed. I accidentally discovered them enjoying a secret rendezvous just the other day.”

Ares, as the god of war, possesses well-built muscles.

And a handsome face, and a nature that cherishes his children, so it’s understandable that Aphrodite finds it hard to give him up.

“How can she still meet him so shamelessly, even after having a child and being caught!”

“Hmm…”

“I’m also furious with my wife. Considering that it was a forced marriage, I’ve overlooked her indiscretions more than once or twice…!”

“It is a bit much…”

“But thanks to coming to the underworld, my thoughts have become clear! Thank you, great-uncle.”

What on earth are you talking about?

What are you plotting now… nephew?

“Apollo is holding an art festival on Olympus for a few days, and I would like you to attend as well, great-uncle.”

“Well, I don’t particularly want to go up to Olympus…”

“If you come to Olympus, I will personally inspect the Styx Sword, Bident [Hades’ two-pronged spear], and Kynee [helmet of invisibility] for you.”

“…Although, it’s my nephew’s request, so of course, I have to go up.”

It seemed like there was a bit of rust on the Styx Sword,

and having him inspect the helmet of invisibility and Bident would be beneficial for me.

Hephaestus, hearing my words, seemed to have made a firm decision,

nodding heavily and saying.

“I also have a magnificent piece of art to display at the festival. If possible, I would like to show it to as many gods as possible, so invite the other gods from the underworld too…”

What on earth are you planning?

* * *

And so, the day of the art festival on Olympus arrived.

It’s a festival hosted by Apollo, who possesses the divine power of art, so I’m looking forward to it…

“I’m going to accompany you to this festival!”

“I want to go too… Styx.”

Lethe and Styx, these two goddesses, both want to follow me to Olympus.

But only one can leave their post.

If both goddesses were to disappear from the underworld, the remaining gods’ workload would become too burdensome,

so one of them has to remain and work in the underworld…

“Are you going to keep this up?”

“You were hugging Hades behind my back last time…”

“Well, Styx, you with those big breasts…”

“What did you say?!”

The goddess Styx, with her hands on her hips and a pouty expression,

is not at all intimidated by the goddess Lethe, who has her arms crossed and her lips pursed.

Stop… stop it.

“I’ll just… go alone…”

“Then let’s draw lots.”

“Good idea.”

The sight of the goddesses quickly deciding my companion through a lottery…

For some reason, a suffocating tension filled the air.

“Wow! I got picked! Let’s go to Olympus quickly, Hades!”

“Ugh… the goddess of luck, Tyche [goddess of chance, fate and fortune], only turns her back on me at times like this…!”

The excited goddess Styx raises the lot high and shakes it before embracing me.

But if you bury your face like that… 흡! [onomatopoeia for inhaling]

….#$%@%!

“Eek! Get off Hades! Styx!”

“No~”

The underworld is peaceful today too.

* * *

And so, I arrived at Olympus with the goddess Styx.

From outside the Olympian palace, I could hear boisterous laughter and music.

Many instruments, such as lyres, kitharas [ancient Greek stringed instrument similar to a lyre], and aulos [ancient Greek wind instrument], created harmonious melodies.

“Oh…? It’s Lord Hades.”

“The person next to you is… Goddess Styx? Could it be…”

“I haven’t heard any news that the lord of the underworld has gotten married?”

It’s been a while since I’ve heard the gods whispering as I pass by.

Even if you try to block the sound with divine power, I can hear everything. You little ones…

“Wow… Hades, look at that.”

The goddess Styx, clinging to me and holding my arm, points somewhere with her other hand.

There, a weaving competition was taking place, with many goddesses gathered around.

“Oh… everyone’s hand movements are amazing.”

“Does weaving require wisdom as well?”

“Which goddess weaves the best in Olympus…”

Engraving beautiful patterns on fabric is also a form of art.

The participants are… Athena, Hera, and Hestia.

슥슥 [suksuk – rustling sound]. 끼익 [kkieek – creaking sound]. 덜컥 [deolkeok – clunking sound].

Athena’s fabric depicted Zeus sitting on a golden throne.

There were also patterns of numerous gods fighting Typhon [a monstrous giant in Greek mythology] and Athena herself bestowing grace upon humans.

Hera showcased a harmonious scene of a human family living a happy life.

The depiction of a woman holding a child and looking happy was a masterpiece.

Hestia engraved her own hearth illuminating the dark night on the fabric,

creating the illusion that her warm energy was flowing out of the pattern.

“As expected, it’s Lady Hera…”

“Lady Athena is the goddess of wisdom, but she also weaves exceptionally well.”

“It’s difficult to determine who is superior… but Athena’s fabric has the most splendid patterns…”

“I think so too. Is dexterity included in the divine power of wisdom?”

The surrounding gods offered their opinions as they observed the completed fabrics of the three goddesses.

Even to me, the pattern on the fabric woven by Athena seemed the most splendid and skillfully crafted.

“Athena, you’re amazing as expected.”

“It’s merely a small skill, Lady Hera.”

“You depicted us fighting Typhon well…”

Athena’s fabric depicted the gods of Olympus during the Typhonmachy [the battle between the Olympian gods and Typhon].

There was also a depiction of me holding a Scythe in one hand and the Kynee in the other.

I was slowly looking around and admiring the fabric when I heard someone calling me.

“Lord Hades.”

“Dionysus.”

A male god with golden curly hair resembling Zeus and a strong scent of wine.

It was Dionysus, the god of wine and madness.

He shook a golden goblet filled with nectar once, and the contents inside transformed into a red and deep-colored wine.

“Please have a taste. I made it with the most popular flavor among humans.”

I accepted the goblet and slowly savored the wine.

A bitter yet sweet taste, the strong scent of grapes delighted the tongue.

Of course, nectar is more delicious, but Dionysus’s wine is also considered a delicacy.

As I put down the neatly emptied goblet, the god of wine sighed and said.

“Hoo… my faith in Thebes has greatly diminished because of what happened last time.”

“Was it when King Oedipus went mad?”

“The temples were burned, the believers fled, and it seems difficult for my faith to flourish again in Thebes.”

But Thebes, when you were spreading your faith,

you instilled fear by even killing the king, so the believers’ loyalty? Their faith doesn’t seem that deep…

“I have a request, Great-uncle.”

“Tell me.”

“Gaia [the Earth goddess] is unavoidable, but could you give Oedipus, that human, an even harsher punishment?”

That’s not possible.

No matter how much my nephew asks, I cannot arbitrarily alter the laws of the underworld.

“I cannot change the judgment that has already been decided. And I deemed the degree of punishment appropriate.”

“But that human also killed my beloved leopard.”

“I understand your situation well enough. But I hope you remember that that human is also a victim.”

“I see… Yes, I understand, Great-uncle.”

Dionysus bows his head with a bitter smile and quietly retreats.

I clearly explained how the punishment for him was decided last time,

but it seems he couldn’t shake off his resentment towards Oedipus.

“Lord Hades is still generous to humans. You even rejected your nephew’s request.”

“Hermes.”

“And, please lend me your ear for a moment…”

Hermes approaches me with a beaming smile.

Why my ear… is there some secret story to tell?

“Hehe… isn’t it because Dionysus isn’t a cute female niece that you rejected his request?”

“Stop talking nonsense, but where did a war break out?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Because some of the gods are missing even though it’s a major festival. Ares is nowhere to be seen either.”

It’s the same as the festivals usually held on Olympus, but some of the gods have been absent since earlier.

Ares, who should be excitedly drinking nectar, is not there,

nor is Aphrodite, who should be sitting in one place and lecherously eyeing the male gods,

and above all…

“I came because Hephaestus invited me, but where did he go?”

“Yes? I thought Lord Hephaestus went to Lemnos Island for a few days because he had something to do.”

What is that sound?

At that moment, as Hermes also looked puzzled,

the blacksmith god stepped onto the spacious platform.

“Oh…? I thought Lord Hephaestus went to Lemnos Island.”

“I knew he was coming back on the last day of the festival.”

Hephaestus asked Zeus for a moment’s understanding and then began to speak.

His thunderous voice shook Olympus.

“Ahem. Ahem. Everyone! I, Hephaestus, have created a work that can be called the pinnacle of art for the gods participating in the festival!”