King of Underworld

Chapter 120 The First Task – The Lions of Nemea (1)

It was the third day since the hero had begun seeking forgiveness in front of Hera’s temple.

A storm, aimed solely at Heracles, relentlessly pounded him.

Swoosh—

Cold rain poured down on him, and the ground turned into a muddy swamp.

The sodden, squishy ground and the chill creeping through him…

Whoosh—

Hera’s storm, filled with her divine power, tried to blow Heracles away from the temple, but he stood firm.

The raging storm was something his hardened muscles and the endurance he’d built up in the Underworld could withstand.

A week passed.

By now, Heracles had become a famous figure near the temple of Hera.

The rumor of a muscular giant enduring a storm to seek forgiveness from the goddess had spread widely across the nearby city.

“Hey, are you the one called Heracles? What could you have done to deserve this?”

“Hey! There’s a storm raging near him, be careful!”

“Goddess Hera is really merciless…”

Sympathy for him began to grow among the people of the city, and some even began to cheer him on.

They hoped that this hero could endure the goddess’s punishment and be forgiven for his sins…

Two weeks passed.

As sympathy for Heracles grew among mortals, Hera sent hail to drive away those who supported him.

Massive hailstones, harder than most rocks, rained down from the sky without pause.

Thunk. Thunk-thunk.

“Whoa, let’s move back!”

“Watch out! It’s only hailing over there!”

“It really is the punishment of Goddess Hera…”

But the hero’s skin, tempered by the power of the Styx River, was not damaged at all.

Heracles remained… in the same position as before.

People whispered, and eventually, even those who had spoken to him disappeared.

Rumors began to spread that he might not be human, possibly a demigod or a monster in disguise.

Three weeks passed.

Hera, watching from above the clouds, grew anxious.

Her plan had been for the detestable bastard son of Zeus to lose his mind and go mad.

Yet that human continued to beg for forgiveness and mercy.

If he kept seeking absolution so close to her temple, his eventual madness could bring harm to her priests.

If only she could drive him far enough away… then she could send madness upon him.

Unable to bear it any longer, Hera summoned her daughter, the goddess Hebe.

“Hebe.”

“Yes, mother.”

“As the Goddess of Youth, go and seduce that human. All you need to do is lure him away from the temple.”

Thus, Hebe disguised herself as a human and approached Heracles.

Though she took a human form, she was still the Goddess of Youth, and her beauty captivated all mortals.

“My word…”

“Is there such beauty in the world? Did the ancient princess Psyche possess such grace?”

“She’s no less than the incarnation of Aphrodite herself.”

Despite the praise and admiration of many mortals, the goddess continued her steps toward Heracles.

Seeing her approach the sinner who was receiving Hera’s punishment, the people around sighed.

“Are you Heracles?”

“……”

“Goddess Hera is quite harsh, isn’t she? Why has she given you such a trial?”

“……”

“I’m curious about your story. Let’s go somewhere quiet and talk. Goddess Hera won’t mind if you step away for just a moment.”

Her hand, full of feigned sympathy, gently touched Heracles’ shoulder, but…

He did not move at all. Without showing the slightest interest, he kept his head pressed into the ground.

After a long while of trying to entice him, the Goddess of Youth eventually gave up and left.

It was now the fourth week since Heracles had prostrated himself in front of Hera’s temple.

In a fit of rage, Hera called upon Pan, the god of nature and son of Hermes.

If storms, hail, wind, and the allure of a goddess couldn’t work…!

“Pan, show that bastard the filth of nature. Make him scowl and wipe away the filth like a common human.”

“I understand, my lady. But isn’t that human Heracles?”

“Do not utter that cursed name before me!”

“Uh… my apologies!”

Following the orders of the Queen of the Gods, the god of nature went to work.

Birds flying in the sky, deer drinking from the nearby forest, boars, squirrels, and chipmunks…

“From now on, relieve yourselves there.”

Following their master’s command, all sorts of animals began defecating…

Animal droppings began to pile up, one by one, on Heracles’ body. Eventually, they accumulated more and more.

The filthy dung darkened the front of Hera’s temple, and an unbearable stench filled the air.

* * *

And so, at present, Heracles felt like his nose was going to rot.

Drip. Drop. Splatt—

“Ugh…! The smell! What is that?!”

“Leave him be. He’s a sinner repenting to Goddess Hera. It’s already been four weeks.”

“Then what is this? All the birds and animals are defecating on him as they pass!”

“Shh! Shh! That must be divine punishment.”

“Ugh… The stench is reaching all the way inside the temple. Is this really okay?!”

“I need to pray to Lady Hera that this sinner has repented. I can’t take this smell anymore…”

“What in the world did he do to deserve this?”

The once sympathetic glances turned into looks of disgust as the animals’ waste accumulated on his body.

The foul odor became more immediate than the noble endurance of the penitent who had been silently receiving the goddess’s punishment.

‘Damn it. I’m going to pass out from the stench at this rate.’

Naturally, Heracles felt like he was losing his mind.

Even his iron will, which had withstood hailstorms, winds, and the temptation of a goddess…

Drip-drip.

‘Gah. That filthy beast relieved itself and then… urinated too!’

…was showing its limits in the face of the overwhelming stench and discomfort.

But fortunately for Heracles, his mental strength was stronger than that of Hera’s priests.

The priests, unable to endure the awful stench that filled the temple day and night, began praying.

“Goddess Hera… What crime has this man committed?”

“Please, deliver divine punishment and end him… The entire temple reeks of animal waste…”

“He deserves to die a thousand times over for angering the Queen of the Gods, but surely he has repented by now…”

Watching from the clouds, Hera was furious.

“Grr! That bastard has incredible patience!”

“Mother… Even when I spoke to him, he didn’t react. Perhaps it’s time to forgive him…”

“Be silent, Hebe!”

‘Hmph… Even if he’s been dipped in the Styx, he’s still human. I’ll just kill him with the tasks.’

* * *

A month and a day later, on Thanatos’ Day.

A priest of Hera approached Heracles, whose body was now covered in animal excrement.

It was the very priest Heracles had met on his first day.

“Ugh… The smell. Hey, Heracles! You’ve won.”

“…!!”

“Goddess Hera has issued her oracle. Go clean yourself up and receive the oracle.”

Clutching his nose, the priest quickly retreated back into the temple.

At last, after a full month, Heracles slowly rose from his place.

Thud, thud.

Filth dropped from his body, and yet Heracles smiled.

At last… the Queen of the Gods was going to assign him his tasks.

Splash!

The hero threw off all his clothes and dove into a nearby river to clean himself.

The stench and foulness were so overpowering that the fish hurriedly fled, and even the river god emerged.

Leaning on his staff, the river god pointed furiously at Heracles as he appeared from the water.

“Which lunatic is polluting my river?! Oh, it’s the fool receiving punishment from Lady Hera!”

“The river god…? Ah, I apologize for that.”

“Apologize? Apologize?! You crazy fool! If today weren’t Thanatos’ Day, you’d be dead by my hand, not by Hera’s!”

After finishing his tirade, the river god disappeared, leaving Heracles to stare blankly at where he had stood.

Of course, it wasn’t because he feared divine punishment.

‘I think I could take him in a fight… maybe?’

Momentarily entertained by that reckless thought, Heracles washed his leather tunic, sandals, and other clothes in the river, making them clean and presentable.

Returning to Hera’s temple, he found that all the animal excrement had disappeared without a trace.

Judging by the priests offering prayers of thanks, it seemed the goddess herself had removed it.

“Heracles, come inside. The high priestess will deliver the goddess’s oracle to you.”

“Hmm.”

Upon entering the temple, an elderly woman appeared before Heracles.

Judging by her luxurious attire and the respect shown by those around her, she was clearly Hera’s high priestess.

“I will now deliver the oracle of Goddess Hera.”

“……”

“The only way to cleanse your original sin is to complete all the tasks given by the goddess.”

“How many tasks must I complete?”

“There are ten in total, and I will now tell you about the first.”

Ten tasks? That means I’ll have to travel all over Greece.

Of course, becoming a god is my goal, but…

While Heracles grumbled internally, the first task was revealed to him.

“Your first task is… to deal with the lions of Nemea.”

Lions? But when I learned from Chiron…

He told me there was only one lion in Nemea.