King of Underworld

Chapter 119 The Trials of Heracles

After informing Olympus of the situation, I immediately descended to the Underworld and headed for Tartarus.

As I approached Tartarus… just like last time, a black darkness settled, and Lady Nyx appeared.

“Come quickly. Did you bring the token of Uranus?”

“Yes. She gave me a strand of her hair.”

I pulled out the silver thread from my pocket as I gazed at the face that resembled a beautiful night sky.

Swoosh.

“The scent of the deep sky suggests it’s indeed Uranus’s hair.”

“So now, will you help us?”

The Goddess of the Night answered my question with a mischievous smile.

“Heh heh… But how did you manage to come back unscathed? Knowing Uranus, I thought she’d punch first and talk later…”

“The sky momentarily opposed me. But she let me off, and I safely passed the trial.”

It was a sight that reminded me of how important it was to persuade Lady Nyx.

Creating storms with the winds between stars was something even Zeus could do. Such a powerful attack could be performed by me or Poseidon as well.

But only the Protogenoi could summon such disasters with just a playful wave of their hand.

No matter how much mortals praised us Olympian gods as absolute beings, the only true absolute entity in this world was Chaos.

And the Protogenoi, like Gaia, who were closest in lineage to Chaos, wielded overwhelming power.

“Hmm… Since you brought the token of Uranus as I asked, I suppose I should keep my promise.”

“…!”

“If you defeat those children called the Gigantes but Gaia appears, I will help you then. However…”

The Goddess of the Night trailed off.

The surrounding darkness seemed to deepen, and her voice echoed from all directions.

“If you seek my help after being defeated by those Gigantes, I will punish you, not Gaia.”

“…I understand.”

With her final words, the deep darkness that had enveloped the area vanished without a trace.

I must have had a triumphant smile on my face as I stared at the spot where Lady Nyx had stood.

* * *

A worldwide holiday known by mortals as ‘Thanatos Day.’

Once a month. A day when death is avoided, and people enjoy rest. The impact of this on the Underworld was considerable.

The oracle that declared the day as an official holiday came from temples established all over the world.

On this day, executions were banned, and conflicts were discouraged.

Even the gods of war temporarily laid down their weapons, and the goddess of peace held sway.

Naturally, the number of souls entering the Underworld was reduced by more than half…

And as a result, an unusually harmonious atmosphere spread throughout the Underworld.

“…Is it really possible for work to finish this quickly?”

“No matter how recent the oracle was, I didn’t expect the number of deaths to drop this much.”

“Perhaps it’s because mortals are trying to avoid death on Thanatos Day?”

Overall, there was much more free time, and it felt peaceful.

Even the gods restrained themselves a bit and enjoyed the day, so there were hardly any humans who died due to divine punishment.

According to Hermes’s report,

The goddess of peace, Eirene, was very grateful to me.

“I feel like taking a bit of a break myself, uncle…”

“…You and Iris are still working hard, I see.”

“Though I’m not as overworked as Lord Charon or Lord Thanatos, I’m doing my share…”

Of course, a few gods like Hermes, Charon, and Thanatos, who never rested, were exceptions.

At least their workload had lessened a bit, which was a relief.

The same went for me, after all.

The work had lightened, but it didn’t mean I could completely rest.

Still, this was better than before. In the past, not a day went by without being on standby, let alone once a month.

I remember worrying even during feasts, wondering if a war might suddenly break out on the surface…

Whenever a plague swept through, everyone cursed Apollo, the god of disease and medicine.

Anyway, now there was plenty of leisure. Which meant…

Sluurp… Mm…

“…Let’s take a little break, Styx.”

It also meant that I could spend some sweet time with the goddesses.

Since all my tasks were done, Lady Styx, who had brought nectar and was setting the mood, suddenly kissed me on the lips. I was taken aback, but fortunately, I responded quickly with my divine reflexes.

When that sweet moment ended… or should have ended, she didn’t get off my lap.

With her hand gently resting on my chest and her seductive smile, her voluptuous and soft body pressed closer.

As the atmosphere became increasingly heated and I even began to feel a bit tipsy… the goddess whispered something into my ear.

“Hades. I…”

“…?”

“Shall we continue… Hmm? Today we have the time…”

What? Continue with what?

I glanced at her with trembling eyes, and as if she understood my look as permission, her hand started reaching down…

“Hades, sir. A regular report from the sage Chiron. Heracles has gone to the surface… Oh!”

“Ah.”

* * *

“Why… why did it have to be then! Ugh… The mood was completely ruined!”

“It was a regular report about Heracles, so I had no choice…”

I barely managed to stop the Goddess of the Styx from angrily declaring divine punishment on the messenger, who had knelt with his head on the ground, immediately understanding the situation.

Her face was not only flushed red, but small tears had formed at the corners of her eyes.

Her tightly clenched fists trembled. If she keeps biting her lips like that, she’ll bleed…

I slowly reached out with a rough hand and gently wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes.

She pouted for a moment, sighed, and then drew even closer… Another kiss?

I flinched, thinking she was about to kiss me again, but instead, her lips moved to my ear, where she whispered sweetly.

“Let’s continue next time, okay?”

“…Yes, let’s do that.”

It was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

The pouting goddess left the fortress, and I began to review the report from the messenger, who had narrowly escaped eternal suffering.

The news that Heracles had gone to the surface meant that he had been acknowledged by the goddess Megaera.

While he couldn’t defeat the Goddess of Vengeance, it seemed he had managed to land a blow on her.

When I arrived at Chiron’s hero training camp, I saw a deep crater in the gorge.

It was the size of a giant’s fist striking down. It was hard to believe this level of destruction was caused by human strength.

Waiting for me in front of it was Lady Megaera.

The snake-like heads in her hair hissed as they greeted me after a long time.

“That crater, was it made by Heracles?”

“Yes…”

After listening to the story from the Goddess of Vengeance for a while, I could clearly see how much Heracles had grown.

“At first, he tried to overpower me with brute strength, but when he wasn’t sparring with me, he stuck to Chiron all the time…”

“He must have realized that he couldn’t defeat you with strength alone and learned some technique.”

“He was incredibly talented. I now understand why Hades threw him into the Styx River…”

Of course, even recently, he hadn’t been able to wound the Goddess of Vengeance, but… she said the time he could endure her attacks had increased.

Rather than enduring by relying on his skin, strengthened by the power of the Styx River, he had begun deflecting attacks and using technique to defend himself.

“I’m planning to watch him when he goes to Hera’s temple. Would you like to join me?”

“Hera won’t deliver divine punishment, right?”

“…Probably not.”

Since I told her, I doubt she’ll try to kill him.

* * *

On the surface, Heracles, having returned to Thebes, breathed in the fresh air.

So much had happened in the Underworld until now.

He had made many friends who didn’t fear him, served the sage Chiron as his master,

He had spoken with the great Lord of the Underworld, and even sparred with one of the Goddesses of Vengeance.

“Whew…”

Even though Heracles had overcome many trials, he was still a bit afraid of the divine punishment from Hera that awaited him.

As Lord Hades advised, he had to go to Hera’s temple and beg for forgiveness…

The divine power he felt from his fight with Megaera was truly overwhelming.

She wasn’t even a god of rivers or forests, but one of the three Goddesses of Vengeance. Then how powerful must Hera, the Queen of the Gods, be?

However, the tasks she would assign him would surely be a great help in his journey to become a god.

Thus, with a firm resolve, Heracles arrived at Hera’s temple.

After entering the temple, his plan was to ask for forgiveness before the goddess’s statue…

“I am Heracles, and I have come from Thebes to seek the forgiveness of the goddess.”

“Wait, please. You cannot enter.”

“What? Why can’t I enter?”

“There was an oracle from Lady Hera not to let you in under any circumstances.”

Of course, Hera had anticipated this and blocked his entry into the temple through her oracle.

Seeing the stern look of the priest blocking him, it really seemed to be the oracle.

“Then, did she forbid me from asking for forgiveness outside the temple?”

“…She didn’t say anything about that.”

Upon hearing the priest’s words, Heracles knelt on the ground in front of Hera’s temple and lay prostrate.

He was in a position of asking for forgiveness from Hera, so the priest didn’t say anything…

But after four weeks, Heracles faced a serious crisis.

Though he had a body that was trained to rival the gods and skin tempered by the Styx River…

Drip. Drop. Splatt—

“Ugh…! The smell! What is that?!”

“Leave him be. He must have done something wrong and is repenting to Lady Hera. It’s already been four weeks.”

“Then what’s that? All the birds and animals are defecating on him as they pass!”

“Shh! Shh! That must be some kind of divine punishment.”

“Ugh… The smell. The stench is reaching inside the temple, too. Is this right?!”

“I need to pray to Lady Hera to let him off soon. I can’t take this smell any longer…”

“What did he even do to deserve this…?”

Because his sense of smell wasn’t trained at all.

‘Damn it.’