King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 62

The King of the Underworld is Tired – 62

The Story of Perseus – (4)

“Alright, and the second thing…”

Medusa’s gaze turns to my mouth.

“I will grant you the right to choose your own destiny.”

“Does that mean…?”

“If you wish to remain in the Underworld without being reincarnated, I will provide you with the best accommodations. If you wish to be reincarnated, I will allow you to choose everything, including your identity.”

If she wishes, I’m even willing to adjust the blessing of oblivion.

But it doesn’t end here. What’s truly important is…

“Finally… if you wish, you can become a minor god belonging to the Underworld.”

…!!!

Medusa’s eyes widen.

But it’s not that surprising… she’s already a demigod, and her sisters are already gods.

I judged that this level of compensation would be the most appropriate for her.

The Minos brothers next to me have calm expressions, perhaps because I gave them a heads-up and discussed it with them beforehand, but

Thanatos, who brought the deceased, seems quite taken aback.

“Why are you doing this for me?”

Medusa looks at me with a bewildered face.

Her eyes are full of questions.

“Even if you are the God of Mercy, the story of turning a monster defeated by a hero into a god…”

“You are not a monster. You are merely a victim of fate.”

I interrupted her and answered.

“There are many reasons. Even though it was due to fate, I was also involved in your death, and I am the god who governs the Underworld, the final destination of mortals…”

Rest for those who have suffered misfortune in the mortal realm.

Punishment for those who have committed excessive sins.

That is the responsibility that the King of the Underworld must bear to maintain the cycle and balance of the world.

And…

“But the biggest reason is that I have never seen anyone who has suffered so much damage from the gods as you have.”

“…?!”

Because of her beautiful appearance, she was raped by Poseidon, a disaster she could not resist.

Not only did she lose her purity, but she was also abandoned by Athena, whom she served, and became a monster.

She tried to live quietly with her sisters on a small island without harming others, but she was used as a stepping stone for a hero’s achievements.

In my personal opinion… even considering Phaeton, Oedipus, Cadmus, and countless other humans,

No one has suffered more damage from the gods than she has.

“The Underworld is a separate world from Olympus… and although I am not Zeus, I have the authority to promote at least one minor god.”

“Ah… you are indeed the God of Mercy.”

I was not entirely pleased with being called the God of Mercy.

How many wicked gods must there be for simply returning what was received to be called mercy…

But if such words come from her mouth, it wouldn’t be bad to be the God of Mercy for a while.

If she gains comfort and feels a sense of relief from it, then it doesn’t matter.

Like meeting a ray of light in a dark cave…

Expectation and hope fill Medusa’s eyes.

“If I become a god, will I be able to meet my sisters again someday?”

“It is impossible to reside in the mortal realm altogether. But I will allow you to visit them from time to time.”

Her head tilted slightly at my words.

“If I can meet my sisters again… Yes, please make me a god.”

Medusa nods, and I wave my hand.

Black divine power surges towards Medusa in front of me.

Swaaa-

A power that transcends the perception of mortals forcibly expands her status.

The demigod’s soul is engulfed in black flames, and light bursts out as if blessing her rebirth as a new being.

Hwaaa-

I could feel the entire Underworld welcoming the birth of a new minor god.

Since Medusa was originally of the bloodline of the Titan gods and possessed the status of a demigod, her promotion was not difficult.

The black flames that had enveloped her, who was once a mortal, disappear,

And now, the figure that will be called one of the many gods of the Underworld is revealed.

The clothes that her body wore before becoming a deceased are gone, and she returns to the moment of her birth.

The beautiful green hair and the smooth, flawless body elicit exclamations from the Minos brothers.

“From now on, you are Medusa, a minor god belonging to the Underworld.”

Medusa examines her changed body, clenching and unclenching her hands, before letting out a scream.

“Kyaaak!”

Medusa, who was trying to cover her vital spots with her hands, utters a word with a deeply flushed face…

“I… I’m sorry, but some clothes, please…”

Oops.

* * *

After sending off Medusa, who is now a minor god, I lean back on the throne, and the goddess Styx approaches me.

The goddess… her attire is truly daring today as well.

“Hades, now that Medusa has become a minor god, how should we allocate her duties?”

“Do you feel sympathy for what she has gone through?”

“Hoo… of course. There are hardly any gods who wouldn’t feel sorry after hearing her story.”

Once she becomes a god, she must fulfill her responsibilities to maintain the balance of the world.

But since I made her a god as a concept of compensation for what she has gone through…

“Just assign her simple tasks. I didn’t make her a god to make her work.”

“Yes. I will do that.”

“And please call Mente over for a moment.”

The goddess Styx leaves, and soon Mente, looking haggard, comes to me.

She was holding documents in her hand, as if she had been working until just now.

“Hades Niim… why did you call me?”

“Mente, perhaps thanks to your efforts, mint has spread quite a lot in the mortal realm. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Nehee?! Does that mean…”

She glances at the documents she was holding and says to me with a bright expression.

No, you don’t have to get that close, I can hear your voice just fine.

“Does that mean I don’t have to spread mint in the mortal realm anymore?! Please say yes!”

“Uh… that’s right. It’s widely known as my symbol, so you can stop…”

“Waaah! F… Finally…!”

Oh dear, she has more work to do…

Still, Mente seems to be in a good mood for the first time in a while, so I kept quiet.

A brief sense of liberation is fine, she can enjoy it.

“Heh.. hehe… but why did you call me? Could it be a reward, just the two of us sightseeing in the mortal realm…”

“…It’s not that, I called you to discuss how to make mint into food and eat it.”

“Do I have to spread that method in the mortal realm?”

As I nodded, Mente, who seemed to have regained the energy she had when she was a nymph, rapidly shrank.

A face of immense disappointment at first glance. Truly the goddess of frustration.

“The scent of mint emanating from the souls is too strong, so Charon [the ferryman of the Underworld] is having a hard time.”

“Yes…”

“So, if we make mint into food and have humans eat it, the amount of mint used during funerals will decrease…”

I look at the parchment and explain to her, but Mente, who is drooping, looks pitiful.

Still, this is a small amount of work… She must have rested comfortably without working when she was a nymph, so it can’t be helped.

“If you complete this task well, I will take you with me when I go on patrol near Mount Etna [an active volcano in Sicily, associated with the Underworld].”

“….!!! Really? Not with Styx or the goddess Lethe, just with me?”

Did I say something wrong?

Looking at those sparkling eyes… this doesn’t feel right.

“The two goddesses went last time, so maybe…”

“You just said you were going with me, right?! Ihhihihi…”

Mente… is cute, but something is strange.

Somehow, I feel a bit like Aphrodite [the goddess of love and beauty].

“I understand, so first, start with mint tea and mint leaf dishes for the humans…”

“Ihihi.. Yes… Hehe…”

I forcibly turned my gaze away from Mente, whose eyes were becoming increasingly sticky.

Hmm. Hmm. Don’t keep looking at me like that.

* * *

Since Perseus slew Medusa, the Kynee [Hades’ helmet of invisibility] that I lent him should be returning to me.

As expected, Hermes, the messenger god of Olympus, came to the Underworld.

“Uncle Hades, I, Hermes, have returned!”

“Where is the Kynee?”

“Ah, it’s here. But Perseus was definitely polite.”

Polite? Did he show some sincerity because I lent him the artifact?

First, I accepted the Kynee he offered and placed it next to the throne.

“While returning the borrowed artifact, he also offered Medusa’s head to Athena.”

“Hmm. Bring that to the Underworld.”

“Yes?”

Hermes looks at me with a strange face and says.

“Uh… if you ask for it, Uncle, Athena will give it to you. But what are you planning to use it for…”

“Medusa is now a god belonging to the Underworld. I must recover the body that the god left in the mortal realm.”

“A god?!”

The messenger god, frozen in place, stuttered to me with his mouth open.

“Ah… Uncle…? You made the monster that Perseus slew as a feat into a god…”

“Not a monster, but a pitiful woman who was raped by Poseidon [god of the sea] and vented on by Athena [goddess of wisdom and warfare].”

“But Father [Zeus, king of the gods] and Athena will probably protest…”

“What am I supposed to do? Just bring Medusa’s head. And add that if they don’t return it, I will go and find it myself.”

“Yeep…”

Hermes, bowing, returned to Olympus with a troubled expression.

After that, Medusa’s head from when she was in the mortal realm returned to its original owner.

The head of the monster, with countless snake hairs and closed eyes.

When I handed it to Medusa, she bowed her head with a slightly bitter expression.

“…Anyway, that’s how I got your head back.”

“Umm.. Thank you. Really…”

“Your head… um. It’s the body from when you were a mortal, so dispose of it as you see fit.”

As I left those words and tried to turn around, I felt a hand grabbing my sleeve.

“Hmm?”

When I turned around, she hesitated for a moment and then looked straight at me.

“That grace of making a monster who met death into a god, if you allow it, I will widely spread it to the humans in the mortal realm.”

“…You are free to do as you wish with such things. But I also…”

I am responsible for her death.

If it weren’t for the Kynee I lent, Perseus would have died instead of Medusa.

“But unlike other gods, you apologized.”

“……”

“You even made me a god so that I could live a new life… I want to spread that grace widely.”

Did she choose me as a new faith after being abandoned by the goddess she served?

Rather than a faith reformed by grace, it feels like a support to cover up the wounds in her heart.

“…I understand.”

Even so, I couldn’t refuse.