King of Underworld

Today, the underworld is as turbulent as ever.

Aphrodite, the goddess who decided to help with the underworld’s affairs for a while, was hard at work again today.

Until humans reached the River Lethe, they retained all their memories from the living world. Therefore, there were always those who couldn’t accept their deaths and caused disturbances.

"Argh! I'm not dead yet!" "Please, just let me see my mother one last time! I'll come back on my own!" "Damn it, let me go!"

People in denial, those with lingering attachments to the living world, those raging at their murderers... Even souls wandering the Acheron River without a coin to pay Charon.

Tired of trying to maintain her dignity as a goddess, Aphrodite resorted to enchanting the souls with just a look. Charon, who had just returned after ferrying souls across the river, delivered a message from Hades.

"Hades says he's hosting a feast in the underworld for an entire day." "A day... a whole day?!" "Indeed. I was quite surprised myself. It seems the matter with Thanatos is weighing on his mind..."

Though the message was the same, their reactions were different. Charon was delighted to have a whole day off, while the goddess of beauty and love was shocked that it was only a day.

It made sense. What work would the goddess of beauty and love have had on Olympus? Love is a naturally occurring emotion, and as for beauty, there wasn’t much for her to intervene in.

And Olympus was full of other leisurely gods like her. They frequently held feasts and lived a relaxed life.

"Now that I think about it, you lived comfortably on Olympus, so this work must be unfamiliar." "...I think I understand why Athena avoids the underworld after the great flood."

A delicate flower from a greenhouse suddenly thrust into a work hell... Such a reaction was only natural.

"I'm... I'm so wronged... Lord Zeus forced himself on me... why does Lady Hera only..." "...Alright. Rest for a bit and then we’ll talk."

A human soul, raped by Zeus and killed by Hera in revenge, had come to the underworld. The Goddess Lethe quietly approached her from behind and made her forget her memories of the living world.

When delivering judgments in the underworld, you often see souls retaining their memories from the living world. Naturally, the River Lethe’s forgetfulness doesn’t work on those with deep grudges.

"Why are there so many victims of rape in the living world..."

The gods are capricious. It’s not just Zeus, who thinks with his lower half; most of them are like that. The higher their rank, the more likely they are to commit such acts, but even lower gods often assault humans.

Today alone, three rape victims arrived in the underworld. All of them begged me with memories from the living world.

As I held my head, the Goddess Lethe, who had just erased a soul’s memory, approached quietly.

"But Hades, you don’t do such things. Even though you're quite popular..." "Of course not, I’m one of the three major gods after all."

Marrying me would make someone the queen of the underworld, granting them immense power and authority.

Honestly, I think I look quite handsome, even if my face might seem a bit gloomy. Not as promiscuous as Poseidon, whose wife Amphitrite is constantly angry, or Zeus, who has relationships with most visible women, but quite a few goddesses subtly express their feelings for me.

But...

"Seeing souls like this all the time makes me feel that way."

The underworld receives victims of rape, infidelity, and crimes of passion. After seeing those killed due to curses or jealousy from goddesses, the desire for marriage tends to fade...

And choosing a queen of the underworld requires careful consideration. Like Hera, the queen of the gods, who kills rape victims, or Poseidon’s wife Amphitrite, who could overturn the sea in her rage...

Just then, an attendant approached to inform that the feast was ready.

"Looks like the preparations for the feast are almost done. Shall we go to the banquet hall?" "Sigh... Alright."

Everyone would be happy to have a rare day off. I left the office with the Goddess Lethe quietly following and headed to the banquet hall.

I instructed to share Dionysus’s wine with the souls in the underworld as well. Although they don’t need to eat or drink, they might enjoy the festive atmosphere.

"Has the Muse arrived?" "Yes! The goddesses have already arrived and are in the banquet hall."

The nine Muses, daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus, oversee the arts. Hearing about the feast, Mnemosyne contacted Olympus to invite her daughters.

As we entered the banquet hall, the sound of music greeted us. Euterpe was playing the flute, and Terpsichore was dancing to the tune. The other Muses were also contributing to the festive atmosphere.

Taking a seat, I noticed everyone enjoying their rare break. But something seemed off.

"Oh my..." "He must have been so exhausted..."

In a corner at the back of the banquet hall, gods were murmuring about something. As I approached, I found an old god lying down and sleeping.

"Snore... Snore..."

Why is Hypnos sleeping on the floor of the banquet hall? He must have been really tired. Since the feast was meant for rest, I decided not to disturb him.

I had an attendant move the sleeping Hypnos to a quiet room and returned.

"Another one died from disease? Mortals are so weak, tsk tsk..."

In another corner, Thanatos sipped nectar, surrounded by the aura of death. Even during the feast, he couldn’t rest because he had to control his avatars to harvest souls.

"Lord Hades!"

Someone called out to me. The voice was familiar, ah!

"Oh my~! Lord Hades! It’s been so long!" "Erato. It’s been a while."

A goddess with long blue hair and a tunic approached, smiling. Erato, one of the nine Muses, responsible for love poetry and solo singing.

"You’re always working hard in the underworld, and I’ve been so busy I couldn’t visit..."

Erato linked her arm with mine. Don’t get too close, niece.

Her coquettish manner is cute, but isn’t the distance too close?

"Lord Hades~ Seeing you after so long fills me with inspiration~" "...?!"

I felt eyes on us, it’s time to wrap this up...

Contrary to my thoughts, Erato cleared her throat and began reciting poetry. The sweet voice of the goddess of love poetry and solo singing echoed through the banquet hall.

Humans say~ With a smile as bright as the sun, Phoebus, with a chest as vast as the sea, Poseidon. The enchanting Dionysus, the witty Hermes.

Erato paused, took a sip of nectar, placed her hand on my chest, and continued.

But we know~ It’s Pluto of the underworld, feared by all...

"Gasp... I'm sorry! I’ll take my leave...!" "Huh...?!"

Erato suddenly stopped, looked behind me, and hastily stepped back, bowing her head.

Turning around, I saw the smiling Goddess Styx looking at me. But she didn’t seem pleased.

"Hades... you’re flirting with another strange goddess..." "Pardon?" "Sigh... never mind. Why are you holding a feast? Do you know how much damage a day off can cause..."

Yes, yes... I know.

"I thought everyone needed a break..." "But what if the work piles up again like last time?" "Don't worry about that. Look over there..."

We turned to see Thanatos, mumbling darkly while controlling his avatars. The busiest god in the underworld still seemed preoccupied with harvesting souls.

"Was it this way next, oh dear... an entire family starved to death..."

His black wings brushed against the nectar cup, splashing it, but he continued harvesting souls. No god dared to approach the intimidating presence of death.@@novelbin@@

"Thanatos is working hard, and the three judges are taking turns resting." "So, I can go back now, right? Hades?!"

An angry Aphrodite interrupted our conversation. Compared to before, the goddess of beauty had taken on an even more decadent appearance.

I’d worked her hard enough. The workload in the underworld had noticeably decreased thanks to her.

"Thank you for your hard work. If you ever want to return..." "Really?! I can really go, right?"

Aphrodite quickly left the room. The Goddess Styx looked at her in disbelief, shaking her head.

"How could she complain after a bit of work at the Acheron River."

Maybe it’s because she was used to a leisurely life on Olympus, but she quickly escaped the underworld...

...?! Someone is praying to me.

A devotee from Thebes, or perhaps a priest? But the desperate plea, filled with fear and earnestness...

"Lord Hades! Please help! A monster, part snake, part human...!"