King Of Underworld [EN]: Chapter 84

The King of the Underworld is Tired 84

The Goddess of Oblivion, Lethe – (1)

Another peaceful day in the Underworld.

The Goddess of Spring, Persephone, who departed for the mortal realm, will soon return.

Persephone… she also held deep feelings for me.

As my thoughts drifted to the Goddess of Spring, Demeter came to mind.

“I don’t know if you and that child will eventually marry. But if that day comes, please take good care of Kore [Persephone’s original name].”

Demeter’s request to take care of her daughter.

She’s my niece… but I don’t seem to have the yoyu [Japanese word for ‘composure’ or ’emotional space’] to think about Persephone yet.

Like the resolute-looking Goddess Lethe, who is now entering, there are people around me…

“Hades! C-can I go to the mortal realm with you too!”

“Pardon?”

I stopped thinking and looked at her, her silver hair fluttering.

The Goddess of Oblivion, looking quite determined, clenched one fist tightly as if heading to a battlefield.

“Ah… that’s not it… I heard there’s a festival dedicated to Zeus being held in Olympia! I thought it would be a good opportunity to observe the state of humans, so I was wondering if you would accompany me…”

The festival held in the Olympia region is part of a ritual dedicated to the supreme god, Zeus.

It takes place every four years, lasting for five days, and many gods also attend the Olympia Festival.

During the Olympia Festival, all acts of war or conflict are prohibited, and even the wars waged by Ares are suspended.

If any human violates this, appropriate divine punishment will befall them.

Since it’s a ritual offered to Zeus by mortals, it’s only natural.

“I apologize. I should have suggested it first. I’ll prepare quickly, so let’s go.”

“What? Hades suggested it first…?!”

“I also wanted to spend time with you, Goddess.”

I approached the Goddess of Oblivion, who was frozen in place as if she never expected me to change like this.

I looked straight down into her blue eyes, filled with a mixture of doubt, bewilderment, and anticipation, and placed my hand on her shoulder.

“I seem to have been too indifferent, but… I intend to change now.”

“Y-yes…”

If I experience love a little more, will I be able to understand what it is?

* * *

We ascended to the mortal realm and headed to the Olympia region, where the festival dedicated to Zeus was being held.

This place is entirely within Zeus’s domain, so I should at least stop by to say hello.

Zeus wouldn’t welcome a god hiding their identity and wandering around the city.

“Let’s go to Zeus’s temple first.”

“Are you planning to talk to him since we’ve come all the way here?”

We concealed our presence from the eyes of humans and entered Zeus’s temple.

As expected of the temple of the supreme god Zeus, the building is enormous, and countless people are visible.

I wonder how it compares to my temple in Thebes in terms of size?

Considering that the Olympia Festival is about to begin, countless tourists, merchants, and athletes are flocking here…

“Oh, great master of the heavens, thank you for your grace…”

“These cattle here are healthy ones that I have raised well. I would like to donate them to the temple of Zeus…”

“A sculpture of an eagle, the symbol of Zeus…”

After passing through a long line, human guards, and priests, we approached further inside.

We passed devotees who were neatly washing their hands and moving incense burners… and then we came to a wide area…

Finally, a giant statue of Zeus revealed itself.

The statue of Zeus, holding lightning in one hand and sitting on a throne, was as large as dozens of people combined.

We passed the marble pillars on both sides and approached the statue of Zeus.

A massive throne covered in ivory and gold over a wooden frame, made of cedar and gold.

Zeus’s devotees have depicted the throne of Olympus quite well.

Thud.

I placed my hand on the throne part of the statue and focused my mind.

This is one of the places where Zeus’s power reaches the most, so communication is possible in this way.

“…Zeus.”

“That voice… Hades, brother?! Why are you in my temple in Olympia?”

“I came out for a while to see the festival that humans are offering to you.”

“Ah… I see. I will tell my priests to treat you well…”

“No, that’s alright. I’m just planning to watch quietly and return.”

I heard various stories from Zeus, including that he would personally attend this festival since there was no need to worry about the threat of the Gigantes [Giants in Greek mythology].

And I also heard about Persephone.

He asked me to take good care of his daughter and when the wedding would be.

He also told me that Demeter has been smiling more often in Olympus these days.

Maybe it’s because I had a conversation with Zeus after a long time, or maybe he was just bored.

At that moment, Goddess Lethe, who was standing next to me with her arms crossed, called out to me.

Is it because of that human who has been suspiciously watching us from earlier?

White hair, a wooden staff, and an incense burner in his hand, an old mortal who looks like he will be coming to the Underworld soon.

But more important than that is the fact that he is Zeus’s favorite high priest.

Thud.

“Could you be… a g-god…!”

“Shh.”

The old man, who clearly realized something was wrong thanks to the blessing he received from Zeus, spoke.

I hate things getting noisy, so I looked at him and put my finger to my lips, and the priest hurriedly nodded.

I also nodded and concealed my presence again.

It would seem to that human that Lethe and I had simply disappeared.

I wonder if rumors will spread that other gods have visited Zeus’s temple?

* * *

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

“Greetings, everyone! I will be hosting this festival…”

Goddess Lethe and I were inside a large circular stadium.

To be precise, we were sitting in the audience seats of the stadium where the Olympia Festival was being held.

“First, we will perform a ritual to honor the great god Zeus! The offerings to Olympus this time will be about 100 lambs and…”

The circular stadium was filled with crowds, and the host was constantly talking.

Goddess Lethe and I were watching while chewing on pies filled with tree nuts and dried fruits.

“Umm…”

Goddess Lethe, who was picking up dried fruit while mumbling, seemed dissatisfied with something.

Could it be because the surroundings are too noisy?

“Goddess.”

“Don’t give it to me like that…”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

“….Ah.”

When I offered her a small piece of cheese, the Goddess of Oblivion closed her eyes and opened her mouth.

She looked like a baby bird opening its mouth to be fed, so I put the cheese inside.

But now that you’ve eaten the cheese, wouldn’t it be better to let go of my finger from your mouth?

“Uuum… Hades too…”

The goddess, who ate either the cheese or my finger, slightly opened her mouth…

This time, she offered me a pie.

Her face was flushed red, and her hand was trembling, but even at this moment, her eyes were blank.

The owner of one of the five rivers that surround the Underworld, and the granddaughter of Nyx [Goddess of the Night], the Goddess of Oblivion, rarely showed any change in expression.

That’s how the power of oblivion is.

Heartbreaking sorrow, raging anger, even love that seemed eternal…

If you lose the memories that contain all those emotions, they fade away like a fire that has gone out.

The reason why emotions are faint in the Goddess of Oblivion’s expression must also be because of that.

“What are you doing… hurry… ah~”

But that’s just the appearance.

If you spend a long time with her, you will realize that she has the sensibilities of a spring-like girl.

She treats everyone equally with a blank tone and expressionless face…

When did I realize that she was a little different to me?

Was it when our gods seized power over the world, and I still bowed to her?

Or was it because, unlike my reckless brothers, I didn’t covet the goddesses?

Or was it when I made a direct judgment and provided convenience to a human who was first involved with a god?

Or even if it wasn’t that…

“Ugh… my arm hurts…”

“I remember when I first met you.”

“…?”

“It was not long after I became the master of the Underworld. At that time…”

I closed my eyes and reminisced about the past for a moment.

A very old memory, I was looking at the five rivers surrounding the Underworld.

Since we had won the war against the Titan gods, I had to learn about the Underworld that I would rule.

In the meantime, I met a goddess in the River of Oblivion.

A silver-haired goddess burying her face in her knees by the river.

As I approached her, I could feel the power of oblivion spreading in all directions.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Hades. Are you perhaps the Goddess of Oblivion…”

“…Please go away.”

Although the first impression wasn’t good, as a result of constantly visiting her, I was able to have many conversations with her.

Creatures that forget about her just by being near her. Oblivion that swallows the history of mortals.

The Goddess of Hunger, Limos, drives all living things around her into hunger just by being still.

A god can resist, but that also requires continuous expenditure of power.

In a similar vein, the Goddess of Oblivion was feared by mortals and not very welcomed among immortals.

To be precise, it seemed like she herself was in despair.

But she reacted when I kept visiting…

“Aren’t our gods able to resist the power of oblivion? It would be better to live together in the Underworld…”

“…Why do you keep doing this?”

“Well, it’s because you’re always alone here, so I don’t feel comfortable.”

“For the busy chief god to come to me like this…”

So what did I say…

Ah. Did I just say it honestly because I was frustrated?

“This is also my duty.”

“Pardon…?”

“Helping a depressed goddess with a power that is shunned is also something that the master of the Underworld should do.”

For the first time, her head was raised, revealing a slight emotion.

“No living thing likes oblivion. Just leave me alone…”

“…I like it.”

“Pardon?…”

After that day, the Goddess of Oblivion came to stay in the fortress of the Underworld.

Returning to reality, I stared silently at Goddess Lethe.

I could feel a smile filled with my emotions naturally appearing on my face.

“Why… why are you smiling, Hades?”

Her face, looking at me, also seemed to brighten slightly.

A lot of change in expression compared to the first time. Maybe it’s thanks to working in the Underworld for a long time…

No, that’s not it. Let’s not avoid it.

I know why she’s acting like this.

An emotion that even Aphrodite finds difficult to define… it must be because of love.

“…I’m just smiling because I see the Goddess.”

“Ugh… eat this instead.”