King of Underworld

Chapter 65 Banquet of the Underworld – (2)

“””Glory to the Underworld!”””

Everyone raised their golden goblets high and drank the nectar, following Thanatos’ words.

I also gulped down the divine drink from my goblet.

Gulp, gulp— glug—

“Heuu… So this is the taste of nectar… It’s incredibly delicious…!”

“Hahaha! Mente, you’ll get used to it quickly now that you’re a god.”

“Heh. It reminds me of the first time I tasted nectar and ambrosia, a very long time ago.”

“Hypnos, stop teasing the young god.”

“This is nectar…”

“Try the ambrosia too, Medusa.”

The heavenly taste is something that tea made from mint or Dionysus’ wine can never match.

Since it doesn’t have a fixed flavor, no drink can compare to nectar.

Nectar is not just about good taste; it also provides the gods with spiritual satisfaction.

There’s a reason mortals don’t age while consuming nectar and ambrosia.

But… If you drink too much, this is what happens.

“Hades… It’s been a while, let’s share a drink… Hehe…”

“You seem quite drunk, Lady Styx…”

Yes, just like the Goddess Styx, who staggered toward me, holding a goblet.

With her cheeks flushed as if she had drunk too much nectar, a seductive smile lingered on her lips as she walked.

“Hadeeesss… Ehehe.”

Actually, with just a little bit of divine power, this drunkenness could easily be shaken off, so the gods do drink it like humans drink wine…

But. Somehow, it seems she’s getting drunk on purpose…

“Oh my!”

Plop.

Ah. Was this her intention…

Her foot tripped very unnaturally, and she looked at me with such a desperate gaze that I instinctively caught her.

As I tried to let go of her arm and waist to help her up…

“Oh…”

The Goddess Styx closed her eyes and puckered her lips.

She’s expecting something troublesome from me…

“Eek! Get off, Styx! You’re doing this again when I wasn’t looking!”

“…Oh no! Are you really going to do this, Lethe?”

The Goddess Lethe quickly approached and pulled up the Goddess of Oaths, who had her eyes closed.

And just like that, the goddess who had been too drunk to stand a moment ago, suddenly sobered up and began to argue with the Goddess Lethe…

Let’s just share the drink together…

“Mente? Nectar is dripping from your mouth.”

“…What? Oh…”

“Tsk tsk… That’s why you should have married earlier…”

“Zeus and Poseidon have more wives than they can count, and here we are…”

“Hades, you sure are popular.”

Ahem… Well, uh… Sigh…

I moved my steps toward where Medusa and the three Erinyes sisters were gathered.

The goddesses of vengeance, with their bronze wings, blood flowing from their eyes, and snake hair, have a daunting appearance…

But since they had finally agreed to attend the banquet, which they had repeatedly declined, it was only right for me to approach them first. This was an act to show the lower gods and the underworld’s officials.

These are the people I, the ruler of the underworld, am treating with this much respect and care.

…If I make that clear, there shouldn’t be any disrespect towards them.

“Medusa, are you enjoying the banquet?”

“Yes. Thank you for your consideration.”

“Hmph! Of course, a philanderer god like you would be so considerate.”

Alecto, who represents ceaseless rage, glared at me and then turned away.

But why are the snakes, which serve as her hair, looking in this direction…

Hiss. Hiss.

“Ugh… What’s with these things now!”

“Hades, as I’ve told you many times, please stop this…”

“Mm…”

Alecto scolded her hair, her face flushed, while Tisiphone sighed and spoke, and Megaera, with a mouth full of ambrosia, nodded in agreement.

“Hmm… In the future, I will invite you to banquets more often. Will you attend?”

“…Hmph!”

“We’ll see. It’s not bad, but…”

For some reason, I felt like I’d experienced something similar last time too… What was it?

Still, after having a bit of conversation, they shouldn’t be shunned at future banquets.

* * *

Next, I approached Charon, the ferryman of the Acheron River, who was sitting alone, sipping wine.

For some reason, he was only drinking wine, leaving the nectar untouched.

“Charon.”

“Ah, Hades. Have a glass of this wine.”

“Are you not drinking the nectar?”

“Sometimes, the taste of wine isn’t bad either. Wasn’t this made by the god Dionysus?”

Charon, who was neither eating ambrosia nor the food from the cornucopia, suddenly spoke as if he remembered something.

“Recently, I’ve noticed that many souls coming to the underworld have rather calm expressions.”

“Why is that? For mortals, the underworld is…”

“Yes, it’s a symbol of inescapable death and fear. But you see… As your followers increase, more people are pondering their life after death.”

The influence I can exert on the mortal world through the temples in Thebes and Argos is gradually growing.

But I thought it was still a minor faith; if Charon noticed, it seems there are quite a few followers.

“Those who lived upright lives in the mortal world appear to face death with great composure.”

“That is indeed good news.”

“Your followers believe they will receive a fair judgment after death, don’t they? As that belief spreads in the mortal world…”

As the story of Medusa spread, particularly in Thebes, rumors began to circulate that even a monster-turned-human could receive my mercy.

Even now, if I listen closely to the mortal world…

“Are you sure it’s okay to go back with this false accusation?”

“Don’t worry too much… Lord Pluto is a just deity…”

“Ugh… Those scum will surely be judged in the underworld!”

“Can you say with the same confidence before the god Pluto that you are innocent of this crime?”

“Of course! I can even swear it at the temple!”

“…You seem so sure. I’ll reopen the investigation.”

But still, not many people call me Hades.

No matter how much I’m known as a god of mercy and wealth more than as a deity of the underworld… This can’t be helped.

For humans, death, and therefore the underworld, is as terrifying as Zeus’ thunderbolts… Hmm.

As proof of that, most of the people praying at the statue of Thanatos in Thebes are elderly.

Even Perseus, now king, heard about the rumors regarding Medusa.

He came directly to the temple in Argos to offer prayers to me.

“O Lord of the Underworld… Is it true that the Medusa whose head I severed was originally human?”

Perseus’ face was a mix of slight disbelief, guilt, and concern.

I possessed the body of a priest to answer him…

“It is true that she was transformed into that hideous form by a cruel twist of fate.”

“What…! How could this be…”

“She has become a lesser god of the underworld and wishes to meet with you. Would you like to speak with her?”

“…!! Please, I beg of you!”

Just then, Medusa, who had become a deity, requested to switch with me, so I did.

Medusa, possessing a human body, showed no particular emotion even after meeting Perseus, who had severed her head.

“So, you are the one who beheaded me. Perseus.”

“That… Are you Medusa… What should I say…”

“…It’s fine. You were swept up in fate as well; I do not resent you.”

“But…”

Perseus appeared very troubled and apologetic.

The one who achieved heroic feats also had a good nature.

As their conversation grew longer, I quietly left them alone.

Sometime later, a small temple was built next to mine in Argos…

The temple was dedicated to a lesser god of the underworld, Medusa.

* * *

‘There are rumors that King Perseus occasionally visits the temple of Medusa to offer prayers…’

I was lost in the memory of Medusa and Perseus’ story when I was brought back to reality by a loud noise.

Thanatos, the god of death with black wings, rushed into the banquet hall.

He had hurriedly left the banquet earlier… Had he gone to check on something?

I should give Thanatos a vacation sometime…

“Keres, Moros, Charon, there’s big trouble! A war has broken out in the mortal world!”

“What?! Again?”

“Damn it! Let’s go, Moros.”

“Humans are at it again, starting another war?”

Charon, who had been gulping down wine, threw his goblet aside and quickly stood up.

The other gods of death, Moros and Keres, also left the banquet hall.

“A war in the mortal world…? How many souls will come this time…”

“Lord Hades. I’m sorry, but I must go as well.”

More than half of the lesser gods and officials, upon hearing this news, hurriedly departed.

Even the three brothers, Minos, subtly took their leave and headed toward the courtrooms.

“How is it that every time I try to take a break, there’s a flood, a rampage of heroes, or a war…”

“It can’t be helped. Hades… Let’s get back to work.”

The Goddess Lethe passed by me, leaving a word behind.

Her beautiful eyes drooped powerlessly, leaving me at a loss for words.

“Lord Hades?! Is the underworld’s banquet always like this?”

“…?”

Medusa and Mente were frozen at the sight of the gods and officials leaving the banquet hall in such an orderly manner.

Yes… This is the underworld. You can never truly rest.

Mente, who made eye contact with me, awkwardly swallowed the ambrosia she was eating and spoke.

“Lord Hades. Should I be working too…”

“Mente, let’s finish developing that mint dish we couldn’t complete earlier. We also need to think about how to spread it in the mortal world…”

Since things have turned out this way, I might as well finish what I was doing and then rest.

Unfortunately, the banquet ends here.

As I was about to take the sulking Mente back to the office, I heard Medusa’s voice.

“The underworld is… quite a unique place.”

I think so too.