King of Underworld

Chapter 37 Tumultuous Story of the Underworld – (2)

*Crunch—Craaaack!*

The sound of Charon’s ferry splitting in half under the weight. No, the sound of it shattering.

Unlike humans, our gods were transcendent beings with quick reflexes. We moved swiftly, with agility beyond imagination.

Charon hurriedly shoved the souls of Otus and Ephialtes aside and threw himself towards the riverbank. The Acheron River was within the Underworld’s domain, so I manipulated the waters to lift the sinking wreck.

*Boom. Thud.*

“*Huff… What the hell!*”

“*The ferry that hasn’t broken once in thousands of years…*”

“*…?!*”

This was why the souls of Otus and Ephialtes didn’t fall into the river. Charon looked on, his mouth agape in utter shock.

Even Aphrodite seemed stunned, seeing the legendary ferry of Charon destroyed with her own eyes.

“*Wasn’t that a divine object?*”

“*No, I never thought it would shatter like this…*”

“*Do you have any idea why this happened? Perhaps you made a mistake last time…*”

No matter how heavy those two souls were, Charon’s ferry was a divine object. It had multiple functions, including reducing the ferry’s weight through Charon’s authority and assisting in its movement on the river. Typically, no matter how many souls boarded it, there should have been no reason for it to break.

“*It started creaking a bit since the last great flood, and now it’s finally come to this.*”

“*Since the great flood? If you had told me earlier, I could have taken care of it…*”

“*…? How could I have gone to the citadel to talk about it when I was busy enough to die?*”

It was impressive that the ferry had remained intact for so long, given how long it had been in use. Even with the divine powers at work, perhaps it had been overused for far too long.

“*Well, ever since the Underworld was created, countless souls have boarded that ferry. It’s bound to break eventually…*”

“*Tsk… It’s because mortals keep dying over trivial matters.*”

Charon spoke as he stared at the shattered remnants of his ferry and his oar. His face was filled with despair.

“*Damn it! What’s going on here! Hades!*”

“*As you can see, Charon’s ferry ended up like this. Thanatos.*”

Thanatos, who had dispatched countless avatars to the mortal world, appeared. He probably came to protest because of the multitude of souls now stuck at the Acheron River. The souls, unable to cross the river, grew more restless upon seeing us.

“*What on earth is going on here…?*”

“*Gasp… L—Lord Pluto?!*”

“*No way… Just like the statue at the temple… Lady Aphrodite?*”

“*Why is Charon’s ferry…*”

Upon death, souls are guided by Thanatos to the Underworld. But now, the ferry they were supposed to board was shattered, Charon stood holding his oar in a daze, and the souls, seeing Thanatos, me, and Aphrodite, began to look bewildered.

“*Dear Zeus…*”

* * *

I needed to take action quickly. If this situation continued, the cycle of the world could break again, like last time.

“*Aphrodite, from now on, use your charm to line up all the souls that come in an orderly manner.*”

“*Huh…? Oh, yes…*”

“*Thanatos! There should be a small boat near the Styx River for retrieving souls that have fallen in. Please bring it here.*”

“*Damn it! Alright!*”

“*Once Thanatos brings the boat, we should be able to ferry the souls across the Acheron River, right, Charon?*”

“*I can do it, but the speed and durability of that boat won’t compare to my ferry…*”

“*For now, please make do with that. I’ll quickly arrange for a new ferry to be sent here!*”

Damn it, this Underworld never goes a day without some kind of trouble.

“*Hades! The souls have suddenly stopped coming, what on earth…*”

“*Lady Styx! Charon’s ferry has been destroyed!*”

The Goddess Styx rushed over, alarmed by the sudden halt of souls. I quickly explained the situation, and she too wore an expression similar to Thanatos’s.

“*That’s impossible! That ferry has been unscathed for countless years…*”

“*It’s been countless years, so it’s due to break down!*”

“*…?!*”

Seeing the goddess Styx’s attendants quickly working alongside Thanatos’s avatars to transport the boat, I hurried back to the Underworld’s office to handle the situation.

“*Lord Hades! Could it be that, like last time, Lord Thanatos…*”

“*It’s not that. This time, it’s because Charon’s ferry broke, so just get back to work.*”

“*Y-yes…?! Ah… understood!*”

“*And contact Olympus. Tell them I urgently need Hephaestus.*”

Might as well take this opportunity to remodel Charon’s ferry. I’ll have to make it bigger and stronger so that something like this never happens again. If Hephaestus, the greatest blacksmith in the world, who far surpasses even the Cyclopes, makes it himself, this shouldn’t happen again. But if there are others who can assist the blacksmith god…

If we’re going to build it, we should do it right, shouldn’t we?

“*Summon Daedalus and Pygmalion as well. Stop by Lady Mnemosyne’s to restore their memories first.*”

“*Understood!*”

No matter how eventful their lives were in the mortal world, they all end up in the Underworld eventually. Daedalus was the greatest architect and inventor who lived during the time of King Minos, one of the judges of the Underworld. Pygmalion was the sculptor who fell in love with the statue he created.

It’s said he even married the statue, unbelievably enough… Because Aphrodite turned the statue Pygmalion made into a real person.

“*So, Aphrodite turned the statue you made into a person?*”

“*Yes, after I offered sacrifices and prayed, she answered my plea!*”

“*No wonder there was a statue listed in the Underworld’s records…*”

I was quite taken aback when that statue-turned-person came to the Underworld as one of its denizens.

* * *

Thus, the greatest architect, sculptor, and blacksmith of Greece all gathered at the Underworld’s citadel. The reason? To create a new ferry for Charon.

“*Huff… It’s an honor to be able to work alongside Lord Hephaestus!*”

“*Daedalus, was it? I’ve heard much about you.*”

“*I’m a sculptor, so… are we going to create a figurehead?*”

Pygmalion was right. Now that the ferry was destroyed, we were going to make Charon a proper new vessel. Naturally, it would need a figurehead resembling Charon at the prow.

“*Uncle Hades, what do you think about making the ferry out of metal?*”

“*Metal? Is that possible?*”

“*Yes, since it’s powered by divine authority, we can focus on ensuring its durability…*”

“*The internal design is…*”

If it were my past life when I ventured into the sky and space, I might know better, but even the god of blacksmiths has his limits in technology. A metal ship might not move well, but since this is the mythic era, we can compensate for any shortcomings with supernatural power. Besides, while there are no trees growing in the Underworld, there’s plenty of metal, so it might work out?

“*Let’s give it a try. I’ll provide whatever materials you need.*”

“*Then, Uncle! You can count on Hephaestus, the world’s greatest blacksmith!*”

The god of blacksmiths laughed heartily, pounding his muscular chest. Next to him, Daedalus seemed to be deep in thought, pondering the challenge.

And so, an unexpected shipbuilding project began in the Underworld.

*Clang! Clang!*

“*Is this the metal they say only comes from deep underground?*”

“*So, this will soon be sailing on the Acheron River?*”

“*Move that a little to the side.*”

“*A metal ship… who would’ve thought such a thing would exist in the Underworld…*”

Countless technicians, blacksmiths, and workers from the Underworld swarmed around, moving materials according to instructions. On one side, those serving hard labor for their sins were hauling heavy metals, while Hephaestus and Daedalus busily went around giving orders.

“*Hm. How should I represent Charon’s baldness in a grand way…? Maybe I should just make it look full…*”

Greece’s greatest sculptor, Pygmalion, was working on the figurehead modeled after Charon. After Pygmalion finished sculpting Charon’s likeness, I planned to place it at the prow with divine power infused into it. The work on Charon’s new ferry finished quickly, thanks to the leadership of the god of blacksmiths, Daedalus’s design, and the tireless efforts of the ghostly laborers.

“*This should satisfy Charon, right?*”

“*As you requested, we installed several devices on the underside of the ship to push against the current…*”

I looked at the enormous ship, which seemed capable of carrying dozens of souls without any issue. It was made entirely of metal, equipped with devices that naturally deflect the currents as I had asked Hephaestus, imbued with divine power, and had a figurehead resembling Charon.

“*Even Poseidon might covet this.*”

It was incomparable to Charon’s old, shabby ferry.

* * *

Near the entrance of the Underworld, at the Acheron River.

Charon, who had been urgently ferrying souls, and Aphrodite, who had been controlling the unruly souls, greeted us.

“*Wha—You want me to ferry souls with this from now on?!*”

“*Hades, how much longer do I have to keep doing this job?*”

Aphrodite was another matter, but Charon’s reaction caught my eye as he stared at the grand new ship. He climbed aboard and started touching various parts, expressing his amazement.

“*Oh! It even has the power to cut through the current. With this, I won’t need to row anymore…*”

“*Ah, due to the laws of the Acheron River… you’ll still need to perform the act of rowing.*”

Charon’s face, which had brightened for a moment, darkened once again.