The King of the Underworld is Tired

Chapter 127: The Ring of Youth

The Ring of Youth, which I received for helping with the trial of Poseidon and Ares.

It’s a divine artifact with effects similar to the Necklace of Harmonia.

But it was of little use to me.

The ring keeps mortals young until the moment they die, but for an immortal god, it was useless.

And in the underworld, where only the dead reside, there was no mortal who needed the power of this ring.

It’s adorned with fairly beautiful and precious gems, but I already had plenty of treasures like this in my vault.

I am the god of wealth. Gems, gold coins, and enchanted treasures overflow in abundance.

Seeing it casually lying on my desk was proof enough of that.

If it were truly important or valuable, I would have stored it in the underground vaults of the underworld.

“So, you're talking about the item you received for helping with the trial. Are you thinking of using it to propose to a goddess you're fond of?”

“…It would indeed be suitable for a proposal. The ring itself is beautiful, and it’s a powerful item imbued with divine authority.”

“Really? Hoho…”

However, ever since the goddess Mnemosyne visited, the value of the ring skyrocketed.

An item's worth is determined by those who desire it.

I’m not sure what stories she’s been spreading, but the gods have been acting a little differently ever since.

Just this morning, Hypnos asked, “You haven’t given the ring yet?”

When I asked what he meant, he clicked his tongue and said, “Tsk, not yet, huh. A pity…”

“Hm. Hm. Lately, my fingers feel a bit empty.”

“Lady Styx?”

“It wouldn’t hurt to wear something on them…”

I also ran into the goddess Styx, who made a point of emphasizing how empty her fingers felt.

“Hades! Take this! It’s a ring made from roses that never wither!”

“Oh… I’ll gladly accept it.”

“For the record, I like rings too!”

Persephone even gave me a ring made from flowers while showing me her own hand…

The Ring of Youth is practically useless to the gods, so I don’t understand why they all want it so badly.

Even the goddess Lethe, who’s standing before me now, is looking at her fingers with a longing expression…

“Did the goddess Mnemosyne say something about the Ring of Youth?”

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“Hmm? Oh, no… Hmm. I know everything…”

“…?”

Sitting beside me, the goddess watches me quietly, her gaze piercing.

Of course, the Ring of Youth is of no use to me, so if they asked for it, I could give it to them…

“Does this ring truly appeal to the goddesses? If needed, I could ask Hephaestus to make similar ones.”

“That’s not it… Ah. They say you’ll probably use that ring to propose… Hmph!”

“…So it was the goddess of memory who spread that rumor.”

No wonder so many goddesses were eyeing it.

* * *

Well, since things have turned out this way, maybe I should use this ring when proposing.

But if I’m going to propose, to whom?

The goddess Styx, who has been helping me since the Titanomachy? Or the goddess Lethe?

Mente, who brought back my memories, even came to the underworld, wanting to serve me?

Or Persephone, who regularly provides power to the underworld’s training grounds?

“Hades? Why are you spacing out again…”

Each of them is beautiful and has their own unique charm.

As a god, having multiple wives isn’t a big issue. After all, Zeus and Poseidon both have official wives…

Marriage. Marriage, huh. Should I do it too?

My wandering thoughts eventually reached the goddess Lethe.

With her pale, almost porcelain-like skin and her slightly flushed face, she looked like the type of princess humans would call noble and regal.

Noticing my gaze, she subtly leans in closer to me.

“Heh… Are you finally noticing my beauty? And with no other goddesses around… Maybe you’ll give me that ring…”

She gently closed her eyes and extended her right hand toward me.

I caressed her soft hand for a moment but then let it go.

“Ah…”

“I’m sorry, but I think it’s still too soon for marriage.”

It’s not that I dislike her.

The goddesses are all showering me with more love than I deserve, but it’s times like this that I need to be cautious.

Internal strife always stems from love. Though I’m in relationships with four goddesses at the same time, marriage is another matter entirely.

If I were to marry, would I propose to all the goddesses? Or just one…?

“I find it difficult to choose just one; my feelings are too conflicted.”

“Pfft… You could marry them all, and no one would mind…”

Her heartfelt complaint brought a wry smile to my face, and noticing this, the goddess changed the subject.

She was probably being considerate and willing to wait. I’ll have to gather everyone together and talk things through later.

“Apparently, the task assigned to the human hero Heracles this time is to retrieve Triton’s conch shell.”

“This must be his fourth tasks (Labor). The last one was capturing Artemis’s golden-horned hind.”

Among the gods, Heracles was now increasingly recognized as the hero of prophecy.

Each of his deeds alone was enough to make him a great hero, and his strength rivaled that of most gods.

It seemed Hera had also shifted her focus from trying to kill him to making him suffer through grueling tasks.

The recent tasks were more about things that couldn't be solved by brute strength alone.

After all, he’d already dealt with the Nemean lion, the Hydra, Chrysaor, and Lamia…

“That conch shell is something Triton treasures quite a bit. Hera sure gave him a tough task…”

The conch shell, which holds powerful magic, is one of the treasures of the sea.

When I visited the palace under the sea, he used that conch shell, which was a blend of white and black, to summon his seahorses.

The conch shell that controls and summons sea creatures is what Heracles is tasked with retrieving.

He will inevitably have to enter the sea and face Triton.

At this rate, will he eventually come to the underworld as well?

* * *

After capturing Artemis’s hind and delivering it to Hera’s temple as his third task (labor), Heracles immediately received his fourth task.

“The next task is to retrieve the conch shell of Triton, the heir of the sea.”

“The depths of the sea…”

Heracles’ expression slightly crumpled.

Triton was the heir of Poseidon, the lord of the seas, which meant he was a god.

Taking the sacred beast or possession of a god was a bit problematic...

Even when he had captured Artemis’s hind, it had been quite a challenge.

Capturing the swift sacred beast itself hadn’t been too difficult.

After about two days of lightly chasing it, it had tired itself out and collapsed.

But right after that, the real problem appeared—the goddess herself, shining in the moonlight.

With a faint glowing aura and an unsettling beauty, the moon goddess stood before him, pointing her bow and shouting,

“You dare lay your hands on my Taygete? Do you want to die here, task for Hera or not?”

“Um. Goddess of the Moon, I apologize for subduing your sacred beast. But might I take it to Hera’s temple for a short while and then return it to you?”

The goddess Artemis, who was filled with rage, looked down at him as he bowed his head.

She glanced at her hind, which seemed uninjured but merely exhausted.

The virgin goddess pondered for a moment, then answered him,

“If you want to take the hind, you must offer a worthy sacrifice. It must be something that satisfies me.”

Heracles quickly thought.

The goddess Artemis was the goddess of the moon and hunting. Wouldn't it be appropriate to offer something related to hunting or a trophy?

In that case...

“I shall offer you the hide of the lion I hunted during the extermination of the Nemean lions, a descendant of Typhon.”

“…That should suffice. But the hind must remain uninjured, just as it is now.”

At least the hind of Artemis had run away on land.

Triton, Poseidon’s son, resided under the sea. How on earth would he meet him?

No matter how strong his body was, if he wasn’t a god,

he would suffocate and die underwater… He needed to seek help from those who knew more.

With that in mind, Heracles went to seek out Theiodamas, the king of the Dryopes.

“Hahaha! Heracles! The great hero has finally accepted my invitation!”

“…Greetings.”

“I sent you so many invitations because I wanted to hear your stories of valor, but you only come now! I’m a bit disappointed. Hahaha!”

Theiodamas was one of many who wished to bring Heracles into his kingdom after hearing of his heroic deeds.

So, he greeted Heracles with a grand welcome.

“But more importantly, I have a question.”

“You may ask whatever you wish, feel free.”

“Because of my task, I need to meet Lord Triton, son of Poseidon. Do you know of a way to do that?”

Theiodamas, being of a higher status than a wanderer like Heracles, might know more.

Besides, Theiodamas’ concubine was a nymph.

“Hmm… Perhaps Menodice knows something about that. I’ll introduce you to her after the banquet.”

“To take a nymph as a concubine—impressive.”

“It didn’t end with a mere night of indulgence? Of course! If I commit adultery, I would be punished by either Lady Hera or Pluto.”

Teiodamas laughed heartily, drinking wine.

In the midst of the lively banquet, a man in luxurious clothing entered the hall.

“Father. Is this the famous Heracles?”

“Hmm? Hylas? I didn’t summon you to the banquet, why are you here?”

“I came because I also wanted to hear the great hero’s stories!”

The prince, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Heracles, had the unmistakable expression of a young man in awe of a great hero.