King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 8

The King of the Underworld is Tired 8 (8/82)

The Story of Life – (3)

The underworld, ruled by Hades, King of the Underworld, is as bustling as ever.

Especially now, with all the gods mobilized to prepare for the great flood that will soon sweep the earth.

“When the great flood begins, the small animals in the lowlands will be the first to die.”

“First of all, looking at this underworld, the city we should visit first is…”

“Charon, the ferryman of the Acheron River, will have a hard time.”

“We need to empty this part and move the souls…”

A desperate struggle by the underworld officials to prepare for the explosive population growth.

And I, Hades, handle all the reports they submit.

Allocation and judgment of souls arriving in the underworld due to the great flood, and preparation of space for them to reside.

In addition, the command of subordinate gods, efficient role allocation, and preventive measures against various problems that may occur in the underworld.

Almost every aspect needs my attention.

I have to manage everything without infringing on the jurisdiction of the gods in charge of each area.

Now I understand why there are so few stories of Hades in the 21st-century understanding of Greek mythology, which is gradually being forgotten.

“Hades, if we expand the scope of the underworld towards the Elysian Fields [a paradise for heroic or virtuous souls]…”

“How about hiring more ferrymen to help Charon?”

“Perhaps we should request support from Olympus [the home of the gods]…”

With so much work, it’s impossible for me to leave the underworld.

For reference, the Elysian Fields is a paradise where those who achieved amazing feats or performed good deeds during their lifetime live among the dead souls.

The majority of souls who don’t qualify for entry reside in my underworld.

Elysion, a mysterious space that, despite being underground, has the sun, plants, and animals like an ordinary meadow in the mortal world.

The soul that enters there does what it wants in a meadow full of the blessings of the gods and experiences a spiritual fulfillment that transcends any material pleasure.

To put it simply, think of it as an ancient Greek heaven.

“Hades! Zeus… Zeus has come to the underworld!”

Did I hear correctly?

The soul that ran into my office clearly said that Zeus was outside.

“The chief god Zeus has visited the underworld with Iris, the goddess of the rainbow!”

I conveyed my displeasure through Iris earlier, but is Zeus, who has such high self-esteem, really coming all the way here?

When I nodded, the door to the office was opened by a soul soldier, and the blond god I knew appeared.

Zeus, coughing awkwardly with an uncomfortable expression, and Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, carefully following behind him.

“Hmm. Hmm. It’s been a while, brother Hades.”

You actually came to this dark place yourself.

* * *

The king of the gods comes directly to the territory ruled by one of the three main gods to apologize.

Is his power unstable right now, or is something wrong on Olympus?

“It was my mistake not to tell you about the great flood in advance. I neglected to consult with you because I was focused on punishing those shameless humans.”

I gestured to Zeus and offered him a chair on the other side of the room.

I’m relieved that he came to apologize in person.

“Ahem. I had no intention of ignoring the authority of the underworld. I have prepared some things as an apology for this matter.”

“As an apology?”

“First of all, in preparation for the excessive workload that the underworld will face during the great flood, I will dispatch some of Olympus’ servants and my daughter, Athena…”

Oh… this is pretty good news.

In terms of work, the goddess of wisdom is worth a hundred people, and she will be able to handle the enormous workload of the underworld.

“And there will never be another instance of Olympus extinguishing the lives of the lower world with its own decisions without discussing it with the underworld.”

That’s obvious. Of course.

“I can swear on the River Styx [a river in the underworld upon which gods swear unbreakable oaths].”

I felt relieved that Zeus had come all the way to this underworld to apologize, so I nodded roughly and then stopped.

The oath made on the River Styx has absolute power that even the gods cannot break.

Well, it seems like he’s reflecting.

No matter how much I resent Zeus, he knows when to swallow his pride as the king of the gods.

Of course, the fact that I am not an easily dismissed lower god also contributed to this decision.

“And how about having a glass of nectar with me? I have a lot to talk about after a long time…”

I smiled and temporarily cleared the documents from the desk.

Iris, the goddess of the rainbow, quickly retrieved ambrosia [food of the gods] and nectar [drink of the gods] from the rainbow and presented them.

“Okay, let’s have a drink after a long time.”

* * *

As Zeus and I drank nectar and talked in the office, whispers were heard here and there in the underworld.

Mainly the lower gods, officials, and souls of the underworld were whispering.

“Oh my god… Zeus is in the underworld…”

“He’s Hades’ brother, but were they such close friends?”

“There won’t be any lightning strikes all of a sudden, will there…?”

He must have heard my words to Iris and his feet must have caught fire. To come so urgently and look after the public sentiment of the underworld.

“Other gods besides me have expressed dissatisfaction with the great flood.”

“Poseidon is actually the biggest problem. He keeps trying to undermine my position, and this time he subtly…”

I put ambrosia in my mouth while listening to Zeus’s lamentation.

He gained the justification to wipe out the earth through Pandora’s box [a mythical artifact that, when opened, unleashed all evils upon the world], but some gods had doubts about the great flood, and some opposed it.

I said to Zeus, who was constantly complaining.

There is no need to be obsessed with the position of king of the gods.

“What does the position of ruler of Olympus mean to you and Poseidon…”

“Hahaha! Does brother Hades also covet this position?”

Zeus’s eyes sharpened for a moment, but I nonchalantly took the nectar glass away from my lips.

You know me, and I know you, so there’s no reason to have unnecessary suspicions; it’s just a joke.

“Just kidding. Just kidding. But brother also knows the view from the Olympus Shrine, right? I’m rather curious about brother, who has no interest in power at all.”

The Olympus Shrine, that is, looking down on everything from above the clouds.

All six gods, including me, Zeus, and Poseidon, saw the scenery before fighting the Titans [a race of powerful deities who preceded the Olympian gods].

Certainly, that feeling was truly overwhelming.

Is this the scenery that an absolute being sees? It’s like the whole world is in my hands, a sense of omnipotence and elation.

It was one of the reasons why I decided to fight the Titans.

But if you ask why I am different from Poseidon even though I have the power and position to challenge that position…

“If I ascend to the golden throne of Olympus, I will not be able to stay here.”

“Olympus would be much better than the gloomy underworld.”

Should I explain it in more detail?

If I usurp the throne of the king of the gods and go to Mount Olympus, many changes will occur.

First of all, I won’t be able to see the grateful goddess Styx, who made me a sword, often…

Thanatos, who works hard every day harvesting souls, will not come up to Olympus either…

Hypnos, Moros & Keres, who help with the work of the underworld, and Lethe, the goddess of oblivion.

Finally, all the people who live in the underworld now and follow my rule will have to be separated.

Costaris, the guard who always guards the front of the office, refused to be reincarnated even though his memories were erased after suffering an unfair incident on earth.

Nerdies, the woman who pours nectar next to me at every underworld banquet, also died after being abused by evil thugs…

When I got to that point, Zeus interrupted me for a moment.

Perhaps he was bored because we were getting into human sob stories.

But the golden god was stroking his beard and nodding as if he had realized something.

Zeus showed a glimpse of the king’s authority that had been hidden for a long time. His true colors were briefly visible.

“Indeed, now I understand. Brother is already truly a king, so he doesn’t covet the position of king of the gods.”

That’s right. I am the king of the underworld.

Becoming the most powerful person among the gods is nothing compared to fulfilling the responsibilities befitting my current position or taking care of my people.

Maybe I’ve become attached to this dark and gloomy place.

And if you realize that now, why don’t you, as the king of the gods, stop committing rapes like a thug?

How many times have you committed adultery, not just rape? And you still want to protect your power?

I conveyed the message to do it moderately in a soft and gentle way.

“Well? I have a duty to ensure the prosperity of the Olympus gods. And in fact, Iris’s beautiful figure is still lingering in my mind…”

Zeus shook his head with a stern expression, but his eyes were full of lewdness as he spoke of Iris’s body.

Aren’t you afraid of Hera, Zeus?

Is the prosperity of the Olympus gods, which he says like a habit, just a justification for fulfilling his personal desires?

If not, there’s no reason to have relationships with his sisters and relatives…

“Hmm, why are you looking at me like that?”

The guy avoids my gaze with an uneasy look.

Should I just ‘Uranus’ him [a reference to the castration of Uranus by his son Cronus]?