King of Underworld

Chapter 113 Justice and the Underworld.

I was able to moderately mediate the dispute between Ares, Aphrodite, and Eos.

Still, calming Aphrodite’s anger had been quite challenging.

[Aphrodite, don’t be too angry, and listen calmly.]

[Hades?!]

[If Eos took Ares from you, is there anything preventing you from taking him back? I don’t think the goddess who governs love and beauty would be less appealing than the goddess of dawn.]

[…But.]

I reminded her of the achievements that the goddess of dawn had accomplished and persuaded her, saying, wasn’t it Aphrodite herself who sought freedom in love by wanting to divorce the god of blacksmiths?

“Goddess Eos, it wasn’t right to pursue Ares, who already had someone.”

“Is that your judgment as the god of justice?”

“…Anyone would say the same. Even if they weren’t officially married, Ares already has children with Aphrodite, so to covet him…”

I also reprimanded Eos, gave Ares—who had been watching awkwardly—a stern word, but I didn’t use the powers of justice in this matter.

Though I didn’t bring out Dike’s divine scale, the scales of justice, there was still a sense of unease that would arise if something was out of balance.

This was the power and obligation of justice.

But I wouldn’t let myself be swayed by it. I would make a proper judgment with my own reason.

After all, the divinity of justice wasn’t something I originally possessed. It was a divinity that had been added on when I became the ruler of the underworld.

‘The standards of justice aren’t always clear. Just like how blasphemy warrants the death penalty as a basic rule…’

It was suitable as a reference but far from perfect.

Could the judgments I made with my understanding of fairness truly be called just?

With these thoughts in mind, I headed towards where Zeus was.

* * *

When I saw Zeus again, he was leisurely enjoying himself, gazing down at the humans beneath the clouds.

Sitting on his throne with his hand resting on his chin, a blue light shimmered in one of his eyes.

When I entered the audience hall of Olympus, Zeus waved his hand, dismissing the other gods and attendants.

“Were you observing the mortal realm?”

“Indeed. Lately, it feels like humans are committing fewer sins, perhaps thanks to you, brother.”

“All this talk about the divinity of justice… it’s nothing but tiresome.”

Zeus glanced at me and smiled faintly.

“I think I understand why so many divinities were bestowed upon you. Even the humans are worshiping you…”

“So, what’s the reason you called me? It must be something important, right?”

“Ah… about that.”

Clearing his throat, the king of the gods stroked his beard.

What in the world was he trying to say that he was taking so long to get to the point?

“Ahem. Ahem. Well… about the goddess of justice, Dike.”

“Dike, who recently came under the underworld’s domain? Surely she hasn’t caused any trouble…”

“I understand why you took on the divinity of justice, but couldn’t you consider my reputation a bit?”

Ah. I immediately understood what Zeus was getting at.

I had heard rumors that Dike, who was now working in the underworld, had been scolding the gods whenever she had the chance.

Of course, the once unruly gods wouldn’t have taken this quietly, and it seemed they had complained to Zeus.

And since I was the god of justice standing in their way, they must have gone to Zeus instead.

“I dismissed them swiftly, but there still seems to be a lot of dissatisfaction. After all, they’ve lived this way for countless ages…”

“There are quite a few gods who haven’t come to their senses. Tsk.”

“Hmph. It would be nice if everything flowed justly, but that’s not always the most effective solution.”

Chasing after perfect justice inevitably leads to conflict with reality.

Like the clash between reason and emotion, the conflict between injustice and justice requires a delicate balance.

Even if I supported Dike, achieving drastic change would be difficult.

But if I didn’t help her, there’d be no point in accepting her into the underworld. Perhaps gradual change would be possible.

Zeus likely anticipated this, which is why he wanted to speak with me in person.

If he had sent a letter instead, it could have caused misunderstandings on this end…

“I’ve also heard that you’ve been holding back recently. Is it because you’re wary of Hera?”

“Hercules is growing well too, so, ahem.”

“You have a point. I’ll have a word with Dike.”

“Oh, you’re actually listening? Thanks.”

“But you should also manage the gods a little better so they don’t indulge recklessly. If Dike is an inconvenience, wouldn’t creating fewer opportunities for her to intervene solve the issue?”

Zeus nodded reluctantly.

Well, it’s hard to manage and control every single god, I suppose…

“If the high-ranking gods set an example from the top, perhaps the other gods’ temperaments will slowly change as well.”

“I’ve heard mortals praise you as the god of mercy and justice, and I see now that there’s some truth to that.”

“In my opinion, it’s just unnecessary baggage… I also accepted it with future battles against the Gigantes in mind.”

“Well, as things stand, you’re likely stronger than Poseidon now, brother.”

Zeus was right. With all the praise I received from the humans, I was now stronger than Poseidon.

Of course, if we were to fight in his domain, the sea, I would lose, but under equal conditions, I’d have a slight advantage.

Not that it made much of a difference.

The divinity of the underworld naturally came with other divine powers attached to it.

“Anyway, I’ll make sure to speak to Dike in the underworld.”

“Dike’s sisters were upset about it. They’re my daughters, but their bond is strong.”

Time to return to the underworld.

* * *

At the same time Hades was heading to Olympus, the underworld.

—

A goddess of justice appeared to be waiting for someone.

That was because today… Persephone was scheduled to properly introduce Dike to the workings of the underworld.

“Sister Dike!”

“…Are you the daughter of Demeter, favored by Lord Hades?”

“Please, speak casually! You can just call me Persephone!”

“Alright. Persephone.”

“Since you’re now part of the underworld, shouldn’t you get an introduction to how things work around here?”

In other words, today was the day she had promised the goddess of spring and seeds, Persephone, to meet.

Soon, the lively goddess waved her hand and came running from a distance.

She was much later than the agreed-upon time.

“I’m so sorry. Have you been waiting long?”

“Not for too long…”

“It’s just that, I stopped by the mortal realm to bless the seeds so they would grow well…”

Dike knew. Persephone, along with many other gods, worked busily.

Though Lord Hades had been considerate by not giving her too much work in his attempt to establish justice…

She had already done a fair amount of work herself here.

She had learned that the enormous amount of tasks she had been given on her first day in the underworld was only a small portion of the actual workload.

“Since it’s fine, go ahead and introduce what you’ll be showing me today.”

“Yes, Sister! Please follow me. Our office is over this way…”

Following Persephone, Dike soon found herself faced with mountains of documents.

In the vast office, comparable in size to the personal palaces of the twelve Olympian gods, countless people were busily moving, carrying scrolls.

Many messengers and lower deities rushed in to report, while the heads of departments relayed orders.

In one corner, high-ranking deities, buried in a sea of scrolls, worked furiously, their heads bowed over their desks.

“We have a problem! Another riot has broken out at the Pyriphlegethon!”

“It seems the souls are throwing tantrums again, refusing to cross the river of flames. The goddess who used to oversee that area…”

“Hey! The nectar count in the 112th food storage doesn’t match up! What’s going on?”

“I’ll instruct the guards to recount the inventory properly.”

“Do I really have to deal with this too? Re-investigate thoroughly and report back!”

“It seems there was a mistake during a reincarnation. A soul that was supposed to be reincarnated as a man was placed in a woman’s body…”

“Who’s the idiot that messed that up?!”

“You put a soul in the wrong body?!”

“Who’s responsible? Is it that one with the red horns?”

“Have you received the blessing of Lady Lethe too? That guy’s in charge of torturing the sinners!”

The underworld was utterly chaotic. A scene of complete pandemonium.

Amid this spectacle that overwhelmed Dike, a deity approached her.

No, it was Persephone beside her that they spoke to.

“Lady Persephone?! What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be over here?”

“Oh, I’m guiding Sister Dike today!”

“…I’m envious.”

Persephone smiled brightly.

She pointed towards another goddess. Upon seeing Persephone and Dike, the goddess slightly bowed her head.

The shadows under her eyes evoked a sense of sympathy and pity.

“Let me introduce them to you one by one. You should at least know their faces.”

“Mmm.”

“First, this is Medusa. You know her, right? From the story of Perseus…”

“Greetings to the goddess of justice.”

“…You may call me Dike.”

“Well, I have a lot of work to get back to.”

After Medusa gave a polite greeting and turned back to her desk, Persephone explained to Dike.

She was a mortal who had suffered greatly at the hands of the gods and had been made into a goddess by Hades.

Though Hades had assigned her a lighter workload and granted her various conveniences,

she often voluntarily helped with work on busy days like today, demonstrating her good nature.

“…Ah. And over there is the goddess of mint, Minthe.”

“Ah.. H-hello…! Goddess of Justice!”

“Yes. I’ve heard a lot about the nymph who created Lord Hades’s symbol and became a goddess.”

The goddess of mint, Minthe, with a refreshing fragrance about her, was moving hurriedly with a troubled expression.

Before Persephone and Medusa arrived in the underworld, Minthe had been the youngest among them.

Next, Persephone pointed towards two goddesses, whose presence could be felt amidst the pile of scrolls.

They seemed to be of a higher rank than Persephone, and their conversation could be heard from where they stood.

“Styx… I think I wrote this wrong.”

“Oh! I’m sorry, Lethe! It’s been so busy today that I keep making these mistakes…”

“Sigh…”

Dike approached them and greeted them quietly.

From their conversation, she deduced that they were the goddess of the Styx and the goddess of forgetfulness.

These were high-ranking deities who had existed since the age of the Titans.

“I am Dike, the goddess of justice, who recently started working in the underworld.”

“I’ve heard about you. You’re the daughter of the goddess Themis, correct? But if you’re the goddess of justice…”

“Wouldn’t it be better to assign her as a judge? Her divine scale is quite renowned…”

“That might work, but since she oversees justice, she’d also need to be involved with mortal affairs…”

Dike pondered.

Does justice not exist in the underworld?

This was the reality of the underworld, the workplace that all the gods avoided.