King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 74

The King of the Underworld is Tired 74

A Slightly Different Story of the Underworld – (2)

Stumble, stumble.

Holding Persephone, I returned to the fortress, feeling a slight movement in my arms.

Has she recovered enough to regain consciousness?

“Umm… Where is… Huh!”

“You’re awake. I’ll move you soon, so just wait.”

It’s not easy to overwrite another god’s domain with one’s own power.

The reason why Gaia [the primordial goddess of the Earth] has difficulty interfering with Thebes, which is overflowing with my followers, is the same.

Even I, one of the three main gods, find it difficult to completely cover Athens or Delphi with my power.

It’s not impossible, but it does take a toll on my energy.

But a deity who doesn’t even reach the level of the Twelve Olympians is tampering with my domain, one of the three main gods?

Even if they only manipulated a part of the Underworld, it’s definitely not easy.

It’s only possible because Persephone is a descendant of Zeus and Demeter.

If my niece wasn’t in the Underworld, the Twelve Olympians would have to directly neutralize the energy of the Underworld themselves.

“Uncle Hades… Holding me so tenderly… Have you finally decided to marry me?”

“Be quiet and recover your strength before I just put you down.”

The goddess in my arms smiles weakly and jokes, but her face is pale.

Right now, she probably can’t even move a finger.

When I checked the energy and power of the Underworld that she had neutralized…

“This isn’t a one-time thing. You need to keep injecting power about once every six months to maintain it.”

“So, I get to be held by Uncle Hades once every six months?”

“…Since you’ve done something, as much as you want.”

The spring energy that Persephone injected doesn’t last forever.

After some time, it will be re-invaded by the energy of the Underworld and eventually return to its original state.

“Hehe… Hehe…”

“Why are you grinning like that? You won’t even be able to use your divine power for a while.”

“I’m just happy right now…”

“Haa…”

Looking at Persephone smiling up at me, I wonder if the corners of my mouth unknowingly lifted.

The niece in my arms looks up with a slightly surprised expression.

“Huh?! Didn’t you just smile?”

“…You saw it wrong.”

* * *

I put Persephone down in a suitable room and returned to the throne to close my eyes.

Because from now on, I have to prepare to issue oracles to the mortal realm and nurture heroes.

Zeus took Morpheus [the god of dreams] a few days ago, saying he would directly give an oracle to the King of Thebes…

I should tell the priests of my temple in advance.

Various training tools and items must also be brought to the canyon…

The food that the heroes will eat must be supplied from the mortal realm, not the Underworld, so that too…

The priests of the mortal realm will suffer for a while.

“Are you the high priest now? I called you because I have something to tell you.”

“T-This! Lord of the Underworld…! Command me!”

The current high priest was an old man.

Seeing the faces and positions of mortals I knew change makes me feel the impermanence of time, but…

“I will connect the Underworld and the mortal realm, starting with my temple.”

“Y-Yes?!”

Now is not the time to be lost in such sentiments.

The high priest is flustered by the sudden main point, but I ignored him and continued the explanation.

About the snake monsters, the Gigantes [a race of giants], the nurturing and management of heroes, and the oath of secrecy sworn on the River Styx [a river in the Underworld on which gods swear unbreakable oaths]…

“…That’s all. Discuss the details with the King of Thebes, who will receive Zeus’s oracle in a few days, and decide.”

“I will follow your command. Pluto, god of mercy!”

“Oh, and… build a statue of Persephone, the goddess of spring and seeds, and the daughter of Demeter and Zeus.”

“The goddess of spring… resides in the Underworld…?!”

“That’s how it happened. She is now a goddess belonging to the Underworld.”

I conveyed appropriately limited information to him in Thebes and cut off the message.

Even though he is the high priest of my temple, there is no need to tell him all the details of the gods.

But this high priest seems to have a really strong faith.

It is very easy to connect with the mortal realm and convey my will.

Somehow, it seems that the faith of the believers is gradually increasing over time…

“Lord Hades! This is a letter from the goddess Demeter to the goddess Persephone!”

“…There’s no need to bring it to me, deliver it directly to Persephone.”

Sitting still on the throne, I thought about the work that was pouring in.

Now it’s like the usual Underworld.

“Next, there are those who came to the Underworld with strong grudges and memories, and their disrespectful words towards the gods…”

“Inform Lethe [the goddess of oblivion], the goddess of oblivion, of this fact.”

“Eros [the god of love], who is in charge of punishing the great sinners of the Underworld, is now petitioning to stop pulling his bow…”

“Did he beg to be let out?”

“Uh… he didn’t.”

“He still hasn’t come to his senses. Don’t convey Eros’s words for a while.”

“Also, Triton [a merman demigod], the legitimate son of Poseidon, the ruler of the sea, has arrived to say hello…”

“Guide him to the audience chamber and bring out the nectar.”

I thought while handling the work that the messenger brought one by one.

Now it’s like the usual Underworld.

* * *

Oracles from the Olympian gods descended upon the mortal realm.

To the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, to the Temple of Athena in Argos…

The content that the Olympian gods unanimously conveyed to the lower realm was only one thing.

Those who want to become heroes should head to Thebes.

It was just a short oracle, but it greatly stirred the hearts of all young people who dreamed of becoming heroes.

After Chiron [a centaur known for his wisdom and teaching], the teacher of well-known heroes, died, it was thought that becoming a hero would be difficult…

Perhaps because the rampages of giant monsters with the lower bodies of snakes swept across Greece not long ago,

There were more than enough people who wanted to become heroes.

“Are you saying that you can gain strength there and become a hero?”

“Apollo said that the names of those snake monsters who killed Chiron were Gigantes.”

“I heard that the goddess Athena descended from Athens and killed the Gigantes?”

“A monster that only a hero can face… Good! That’s what it should be!”

Moreover, if all the gods said it through oracles, the conclusion was clear.

“If you go to Thebes, you can get into the eyes of the gods!”

“Those who are chosen there receive blessings and weapons and become heroes!”

“Like King Perseus of Argos…!”

Every day, dozens of aspiring heroes gathered in Thebes.

As people of all genders, ages, and talents gathered in the city, Thebes experienced an unexpected boom.

“Your Majesty, the number of people who have passed through the city gates today alone…”

“The city’s population is increasing rapidly.”

“There are too many people gathered in the commercial district, so there is a need to expand it a little…”

It seems that essential goods and facilities will be insufficient due to the excessive population increase, but

This is a city blessed by Pluto, who is also the god of wealth.

The Theban royal family’s coffers were always full, and no one was starving.

The specialty and famous product, mint, spread all over the world through the merchants who passed through here.

“So, this is mint. It’s the grace of the god Pluto… Is that what you mean?”

“It’s also perfect for tea leaves, and if you put it on the funeral of the dead, it can prevent the stench.”

“It’s a useful leaf for headaches or stuffy noses… There’s no other way to explain it than Pluto’s mercy to mortals.”

Naturally, believers flocked to the Temple of Pluto in Thebes.

The believers were surprised by the grandeur of the temple, surprised once again by the statues of all kinds of gods belonging to the Underworld, and finally…

“No, why is there a statue of the goddess of spring in the temple of the god Pluto?”

“Ah, this one?”

“Isn’t Lady Persephone the daughter of the earth goddess Demeter and Lord Zeus?”

“Haha. That’s because… Pluto was hit by Eros’s arrow and brought her to the Underworld!”

“What?! Hit by Eros’s arrow?”

“Otherwise, there’s no way the lord of the Underworld, who existed so nobly, would suddenly fall in love with the goddess of spring, right?”

The misunderstanding that Pluto kidnapped Persephone was also spreading.

The suspicion about the mistress of the Underworld, which did not exist since the first temple of the Underworld was built, gradually grew.

“Well, if that god of mercy brought the goddess of spring to the Underworld, it would be impossible without Eros’s arrow.”

“Since Pluto is the Zeus of the underworld, no matter how hard the goddess Demeter tries, it may be useless…”

“Isn’t Eros’s golden arrow the one that arouses feelings between the same sex?”

Believers who worshiped the goddess who was not originally a god belonging to the Underworld, but newly came to the Underworld, also emerged.

They were the ones who believed the theory that Pluto loved Persephone so much that he brought her to the Underworld.

“Hera of the Underworld, who is favored by Pluto, may this year’s harvest be good…”

“But since the seasons are normal, she must be coming up to the mortal realm from time to time, right?”

“She must be loved by the god Pluto.”

However, those who thought of Persephone as the mistress of the Underworld soon faced fierce opposition.

There were many believers who asked what the numerous statues of goddesses that had existed in the temple from the beginning were.

“No, Lady Persephone is just Pluto’s whim!”

“Just the statues of goddesses here include Lethe, the goddess of oblivion, Styx, who rules the River Styx, or…”

“Then what would Mente say, who made mint, became a priestess of Pluto, and eventually became a goddess belonging to the Underworld?”

“Just as Hera is the official wife of Lord Zeus, and Amphitrite is the official wife of Lord Poseidon, the mistress of the Underworld is…”

“Isn’t there actually no official wife? Isn’t it just our thoughts…”

“Bah! That’s nonsense! How can there be no one next to someone who rules a world!”

“That’s true, but Pluto is so busy…”

The characteristics of the ancient Greeks, who liked to discuss truly useless things, were revealed.

In the end, the wide open space in front of the Temple of Hades…

It was transforming into a place where the believers of the Underworld gathered every day to discuss Pluto’s official wife.