The King of the Underworld is Tired

Chapter 126: The One Who Covets the Queen of the Underworld – (2)

"Have you ever seen such a madman?!"

"Hey, have you gone crazy? Why are you drawing your sword?!"

Theseus could no longer contain his anger.

Had he really been friends with such a lunatic all this time?

What? He plans to deceive the god Pluto and then forcefully have his way with the goddess Persephone?

Has he succumbed to the madness of Dionysus? How could he even think of such insanity?

No, to begin with...

"I was only able to protect Ariadne thanks to the god Pluto, and you think I'd let your nonsense slide?!"

"Ha?! In the end, it was thanks to the goddess of justice. Do you really think the god of the underworld cares about you?"

"You idiot! How could Dike alone banish one of the Twelve Olympians? Of course, it was only possible because the god of the underworld supported her!"

Theseus suppressed his rage with difficulty and sheathed his sword.

No matter how much Pirithous insulted the gods he served, he couldn’t kill the king of Thessaly.

"Anyway, I can’t help you. You’re on your own! Don’t contact me again!"

"Ha. To think that a coward like you was my friend. Ugh..."

"...You’re just like Dionysus, descending upon this world!"

With his forehead veins bulging, Theseus uttered those last words before returning to his city, Athens.

Immediately, he knelt before Pluto’s statue and prayed as the hero of wisdom.

"Oh lord of the underworld, the king of Thessaly is plotting something crazy!"

* * *

Naturally, that prayer reached my ears in the underworld.

A prayer from Athens, where I have few worshippers, and from the hero and king who slew the Minotaur.

I had already heard from Dike about his involvement in a story tied to Dionysus.

I recall bestowing blessings of wealth upon him a few times, as he had erected a statue in my honor and demonstrated steadfast devotion.

"O Lord of the Underworld, the King of Thessaly is plotting something crazy! I heard this from a man named Peirithous..."

Listening to Theseus' words...

His so-called friend, no, former friend Pirithous plans to deceive me and take my wife Persephone?

To be honest, I find it hard to believe.

How is this any different from trying to steal Hera, Zeus’ wife? Ah... now that I think about it, there was one madman who tried that.

Ixion, a fool suffering in Tartarus.

So perhaps Pirithous really is aiming for Persephone.

But even if he believes in his title as king of mortals, this is simply ridiculous.

Even an army of thousands would be reduced to flower petals by a mere gesture from the goddess of spring.

If Theseus' words are true, he'll come to the underworld himself, so I guess I'll wait.

I could ask the goddess of memory to interrogate him.

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Still, even though it’s widely known that Persephone is favored by me, something like this happens?

If she hadn’t come to the underworld, she might have had three children by now...

"Hades! What are you doing?!"

"...I was just thinking about you. You came at the perfect time."

Persephone hurriedly approached the audience chamber, her golden hair shimmering as always.

Beside her was Mente, looking drowsy.

She clung to me with droopy eyes, so I hugged her, but what she said next was alarming.

"I’m so tired. Please help meee..."

"...?"

"Haaa... Hades, you’re slowly seeping into me... more... more..."

Mente really has a peculiar personality. Is it because she’s a nymph?

But still, we haven't even married yet...

"Sssss..."

It’s a bit overwhelming when she buries her face in my chest and breathes in like that.

A dizzying scent of mint fills my nose.

Maybe it's because of the sensation of her body, but there's an air of seduction, and Persephone, watching from the side, pouts and gives me a sharp look.

"Ugh... Stop doting on Mente and pay attention to me too. You said you were thinking about me!"

"Ah, right. I was. Just now, a man named Theseus said..."

I recounted the ridiculous story I had just heard, and her expression gradually turned blank.

Of course, hearing about a mortal plotting to kidnap and marry a goddess...

"How dare a mere mortal not know his place... I’ll handle that human myself."

"Wait, I understand your anger, but calm down a little."

Persephone’s eyes were blazing with fury.

If I left her alone, I felt like she’d cast a curse on Thessaly.

"How can I calm down?! Are you okay with me going to that human... ugh!"

As Persephone moved to leave the chamber, I hurriedly stood up and embraced her.

"Kore, do you think I don’t cherish you?"

"Uh... no... that’s not..."

Luckily, it seemed my words worked, as the golden-haired goddess looked at me with a flushed face.

As she held onto my robe, her face red, I calmly continued speaking.

"...Didn’t you come to me first? Even if you wanted to run away now, it’s too late. Even if Zeus declared war on me, I wouldn’t let you go."

"But... Hades, you were the one who stole my heart first..."

"If that human truly desires you, I’ll deliver divine punishment. Don’t worry."

"Y-yes... understood! But if that human comes, please leave the punishment to me!"

Turning her head to the side, she pushed against my chest before quickly darting out.

As I watched that familiar scene, a voice beside me drew my attention.

Mente, looking as though she had just suffered heartbreak, gazed up at me pitifully.

"Hades... I... me too..."

With a bitter smile, I gently wrapped my arm around Mente's waist.

Even if I had three bodies, it wouldn’t be enough.

* * *

As expected, it seemed that Theseus’ prayer was correct...

About a week later, a messenger arrived carrying a letter from the ferryman, Charon.

“Hades. It’s me, Charon. Some human who claims to be a king is causing a commotion at the Acheron River, demanding to be let in. For now…”

Some crazy human who calls himself the King of Thessaly is causing a scene, saying he wants to meet me?

It must be that man, Pirithous, from Theseus’ prayer.

He actually managed to find the entrance to the underworld. Since he’s a king in the mortal world, he probably asked around to find it.

If he asked the nymphs living nearby, they might have known the way...

So, his goal really is Persephone, isn’t it?

“Bring me the human causing the disturbance at the Acheron River.”

Living humans cannot cross the Acheron River, but if he’s close to death, that’s a different story.

As I calmly drank my mint tea, I saw the shades dragging a limp human towards me.

He appeared to be in his late 30s or early 40s, by human standards, and he was unconscious.

The shades slapped him, forcibly waking him up.

“Ugh… huh!”

“So, you're the one who caused a ruckus at the Acheron River?”

He quickly scanned his surroundings to assess the situation before bowing his head to me, sitting on my throne.

I could see the disappointment flash in his eyes. Was he looking for Persephone?

“Greetings, Lord Hades! I am Pirithous, King of Thessaly!”

“…Why have you come to the underworld? You’ll be here eventually, but did you want a sneak peek?”

“Well, actually, there’s a grand festival in Thessaly. We would like to invite the mistress of the underworld, whose beauty is renowned, to join us…”

So, Theseus was right. This guy’s completely insane.

How should I handle this? Should I just feed him to Cerberus?

But I need to make sure before doing anything rash.

I motioned for the Goddess of Memory, who had already been summoned, to approach the kneeling Pirithous.

“Is that so? Lady Mnemosyne, please verify if his words are true.”

“Yes, of course.”

“…? Mnemosyne? You mean the goddess of…!”

Pirithous tried to say something urgently, but I silenced him before he could speak.

Mnemosyne glanced at him for a moment before shaking her head in disbelief.

“Ah… it’s just as you suspected, Hades. What a pitiful human…”

“Is that so.”

I watched the human’s eyes slowly fill with fear as I fell deep in thought.

This isn’t the madness of Dionysus or Gaia. How could someone who rules a city-state be so delusional?

He’s no different from Salmoneus, who imitated Zeus and now suffers in Tartarus.

“Theseus has already told me everything, and the Goddess of Memory has confirmed the truth of his words.”

“……!”

“You have committed three offenses: attempting to deceive me, trying to violate a goddess, and lastly… failing to heed the warnings of your close friend.”

Despite Theseus’ desperate attempts to dissuade him, this man ultimately chose to walk the path of death.

A little bit of thought would’ve led to a wiser decision, but he was blinded by ambition and greed.

“Persephone, you may come in now. As promised, I’ll leave this human’s punishment to you.”

Since he was so eager to see Persephone, I should at least let him meet her.

To die by the divine punishment of the goddess of spring… what a fate.

The door to the office opened, and the golden-haired goddess entered.

The beautiful goddess of spring, who was radiant as always, glanced at Pirithous for a moment before smiling coldly.

“T-That’s…”

“You were captivated by my beauty and wanted to make me your wife? Then I’ll let you dream that dream forever.”

Rustle—!

From the kneeling man, Pirithous, pink flower petals began to sprout. He tried to brush them off, to tear them away, but it was useless.

The flowers were already part of his body. No, his body had become the flowers.

“Ugh… Aaaah!”

His unmoving legs had already turned into beautiful flowers. His torso, chest, arms… In an instant, the human form collapsed.

Moments later, only a beautiful pink azalea remained.

“…Can I plant this at the entrance to the underworld?”

“You can dispose of it however you wish.”

Humming a light tune, Persephone picked up the flower and walked out.

Becoming an azalea, a flower that blooms only in spring, seems like too lenient of a punishment, but I could see it.

Even in his current state, if someone plucks the petals, Pirithous will still suffer.

But no matter how I think about it, I can’t imagine what kind of confidence led him to come to the underworld.

Or maybe… if I consider Sisyphus, who tried to outwit the god of death, or Tantalus, who tried to feed his son to Zeus, perhaps humans like him show up from time to time…

While musing, I fiddled with a ring that lay on my desk.

“Hades. By the way, what’s that ring?”

“Hm? Ah…”

The Goddess Mnemosyne had noticed the ring I was rolling between my fingers.

It was the ring of youth that I received from Zeus as payment for presiding over a dispute bet

ween Ares and Poseidon.

Like Harmonia’s necklace, it was an artifact imbued with divine power…

“This is the ring of youth I received from Zeus.”

“Oh, I see. The one you received for assisting with that trial. Were you planning to propose to a goddess you’ve had your eye on?”

“…It would indeed be fitting for a proposal. The ring is not only beautiful, but it also possesses divine powers.”

“Is that so? Hoho…”

Mnemosyne gave a mischievous laugh as she listened to my words.

For some reason, that made me feel uneasy.