King of Underworld

Chapter 39 Ominous Signs – (1)

The Underworld was not peaceful today, either.

Aphrodite, the goddess who had agreed to help with the affairs of the Underworld for the time being, was having a rough day once again.

Humans who had not yet reached the River Lethe still retained their memories of the living world.

As a result, there were always some who couldn’t accept the fact that they had died and would cause disturbances.

“Argh! I’m not dead yet!”

“Please, just let me see my mother one last time! I’ll walk in on my own after that!”

“Damn it, let me go!”

Those who denied reality, those who were still attached to the living world, those who raged at their killers…

And even those souls who, lacking a single coin, wandered the banks of the Acheron River.

The goddess was getting tired of trying to maintain her dignity. She was almost exhausted, using only her gaze to enchant the souls.

Just then, Charon, who had ferried the souls across the river and returned, conveyed a message from Hades.

“Hades says he plans to hold a banquet in the Underworld for an entire day.”

“A day… A whole day?!”

“Hm. Even I was quite surprised. It seems he’s still bothered by what happened with Thanatos last time…”

Although it was the same news, their reactions differed.

The ferryman of the Acheron River was pleased at the prospect of having a full day off, while the goddess of beauty and love was shocked that she would only get that one day.

And it made sense. What kind of work would the goddess of beauty and love have had on Olympus?

Love was a natural emotion, and as for beauty, there was no need for her intervention.

Besides, there were plenty of other gods on Olympus who led leisurely lives, just like her.

Banquets were frequent, and they could live in comfort and luxury.

“Come to think of it, you’ve been living comfortably on Olympus, so you must not be used to work.”

“…I think I understand now why Athena avoids any talk about the Underworld ever since the Great Flood.”

A flower nurtured in a greenhouse had suddenly been thrown into a work hell…

Such a reaction was only natural.

—

“I’m… I’m so unfairly treated… Lord Zeus forced himself on me… sob… Why does Lady Hera only punish me?”

“…Right. Take a moment to rest, and then we can talk again.”

A human soul who had been raped by Zeus, then killed by Hera in revenge, and had now arrived in the Underworld.

As she wept bitterly, the goddess Lethe quietly approached from behind, erasing the memories of the living world.

Sometimes, when passing judgment in the Underworld, there would be souls who retained their memories from the living world.

It was only natural that the River of Forgetfulness wouldn’t work on those who had died with deep resentment…

“Why are there so many rape victims in the living world..?”

The gods were so reckless.

It wasn’t just Zeus who thought with his lower body—most of the gods were like that.

The higher the rank of the god, the more pronounced this tendency was, but even minor gods often raped humans.

Just today alone, three rape victims had arrived in the Underworld.

All of them begged me, still holding onto their memories of the living world.

As I held my head in frustration, the goddess Lethe, who had just erased the soul’s memory, quietly approached me.

“At least Hades isn’t like that, right? Even though he’s so popular…”

Well, of course not; after all, I am one of the three major gods.

Marrying me would make someone the queen of the Underworld, granting them immense power and influence.

Honestly, I might have a somewhat gloomy face, but I think I’m fairly good-looking.

I’m not like Poseidon, whose wife Amphitrite is constantly angry due to his frequent infidelity,

Nor am I like Zeus, who has relationships with nearly every woman he sees. Yet, there are quite a few goddesses who subtly express their feelings towards me.

But…

“Sigh… Seeing souls like that every day makes me feel this way.”

The Underworld was filled with victims of rape, infidelity, and murders born of jealousy.

Seeing those who had died due to a goddess’s curse or envy makes me lose the desire to marry…

And the queen of the Underworld must be chosen with great care.

Someone like Hera, the wife of Zeus and queen of the gods, who kills rape victims,

Or Amphitrite, Poseidon’s wife, who flips the entire sea upside down when she’s angry…

Just then, an attendant approached to inform me that the banquet preparations were complete.

“It seems the banquet preparations are about done, so let’s head to the hall.”

“Tch… Fine.”

Since it was a rare day off, everyone should be pleased.

I left my office with the goddess Lethe, who quietly followed me, and headed towards the banquet hall.

Since we were holding a banquet today, I also instructed that the wine made by Dionysus be distributed to the inhabitants of the Underworld.

Although the souls didn’t need to eat or drink, it might help them get into the festive spirit.

“Has the goddess Mousai arrived?”

“Yes! The goddesses are already here and are in the banquet hall.”

The nine Mousai goddesses, who presided over the arts, were the daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus.

When Mnemosyne heard that I was hosting a banquet, she personally contacted Olympus and summoned her daughters.

*Riiiing~*

As soon as I entered the banquet hall, the sound of music filled the air.

The goddess Euterpe played the flute, and Terpsichore danced to the melody.

The other Mousai goddesses also added to the festive atmosphere in their respective fields.

As I sat down and looked around the banquet hall, I noticed everyone seemed to be enjoying the rare break.

But something seemed off.

“What in the world…”

“How tired must he have been…”

In one corner at the back of the hall, the gods were murmuring about something.

When I took a closer look, I saw an old god lying down and trying to sleep.

“Snooore… Snnn…”

Why was the god Hypnos sleeping on the floor of the banquet hall? Was he that tired?

Well, since I threw this banquet for everyone to rest, I shouldn’t disturb him.

I had an attendant quietly move the sleeping god Hypnos to a room and then returned.

“Did someone die from a disease again? These weak mortals, tsk tsk tsk… mutter mutter…”

In another corner, Thanatos was sipping nectar, with an aura of death swirling around him.

Even at this very moment, he was controlling his avatars to harvest souls, so he couldn’t rest.

“Lord Hades!”

Someone called out to me.

That voice… Where have I heard it before? Ah!

“Oh my~! Lord Hades! It’s been so long!”

“Erato. It has been a while.”

A goddess with long, flowing blue hair that suited her tunic approached me with a dazzling smile.

One of the nine Mousai goddesses, the goddess Erato, who presides over love poetry and lyric poetry.

“You’re always working so hard in the Underworld, but I’ve been too busy to visit…”

The goddess Erato approached me and linked her arm with mine.

Please, don’t cling so closely, dear niece…

Though her playful behavior was cute, wasn’t she standing a little too close?

“Lord Hadeeees~ Seeing you after so long is making the inspiration flow~”

“…?!”

I could feel all eyes on us. Maybe this was enough…

Despite my thoughts, Erato cleared her throat and began to recite poetry.

The goddess of art, who presides over love poetry and lyric poetry, filled the banquet hall with her melodious voice.

—

Humans speak of it~

The radiant smile of Phoebus, the broad chest of Poseidon like the sea.

The captivating form of Dionysus, the charming eloquence of Hermes.

After a brief pause to sip some nectar, Erato placed her hand on my chest and continued.

But we know the truth~

That Pluto of the Underworld, whom all fear…

“Gasp… P-Please excuse me! I’ll take my leave now…!”

“Huh…?!”

Suddenly, Erato stopped speaking, stared behind me, and began to back away, bowing her head.

When I turned around, I saw the goddess Styx smiling at me.

However, she didn’t seem to be in a particularly good mood.

“Hades… Again with another strange goddess…”

“Pardon?”

“Sigh… Never mind. But why are you holding a banquet? If you skip work for even one day, do you realize how much could go wrong…?”

Yes, yes… I’m aware.

“It just seemed like everyone needed a break…”

“But what if the work piles up again like last time?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. If you look over there…”

We turned our heads to see Thanatos muttering darkly to himself as he controlled his avatars.

Even in this moment, the busiest god in the Underworld was too occupied with harvesting souls to even consider resting.

“Is this the next one? Oh, an entire family starved to death…”

His black wings dipped into the nectar in his cup, but that was the least of it.

His terrifying appearance as he harvested souls in real time left no other gods near him.

“Thanatos is still hard at work, and the three judges of Minos are taking turns resting.”

“So I suppose I can leave now, right? Hades?!”

Aphrodite, her face filled with anger,

interrupted our conversation.

The goddess of beauty, who had become even more decadent in appearance compared to before.

At this point, she had certainly worked enough.

It was enough to noticeably reduce the workload in the Underworld.

“You’ve done well. If you ever wish to return to the Underworld…”

“Really?! I can really go now?”

Before I could even finish agreeing, Aphrodite bolted from the room.

The goddess Styx looked at her retreating form and shook her head in disbelief.

“Unbelievable, she’s complaining after just a little work at the Acheron River.”

Maybe it’s because she’s used to lounging around Olympus, but she sure was quick to flee the Underworld…

…?! Someone was praying to me.

A follower from Thebes, no… a priest?

But this desperate plea, filled with fear…!

“Lord Hades! Please, help us! A monster, part snake and part human, is…!”