The King of the Underworld is Tired

The goddess, shyly blushing, slowly walked into the audience chamber. It was undoubtedly Mente.

It seemed certain that she was now a goddess, not just a nymph, as divine power radiated refreshingly from her entire body.

"Uncle, then please have a conversation with the newly born goddess. This humble messenger will now return to Olympus. Haha!"

"Ha… Hermes. Yes, see you later."

Hermes waved his hand, watching my bewildered expression, clearly enjoying my reaction to her unexpected appearance. It was obvious he had volunteered to bring Mente personally, expecting this.

As Hermes left, I looked at Mente, who still couldn’t meet my eyes. There was a lot to explain, but where should I even begin…

“So, Men…”

“H-Hah! Y-Yes! Lord Hades… ugh…”

Mente stammered nervously as soon as I started to speak.

This wasn’t our first time meeting, and she had even served as a priestess for me, so why was she acting like this?

"Mente. I don't know why you're frozen like that, but stop being so embarrassed and calmly explain the situation."

“…Ha. But…”

“…?”

Mente’s face flushed even more, and she began to speak quickly.

"Volunteering to come to the underworld ruled by Lord Hades means I've accepted that you may take my body at any time…!"

“No…”

“Were the other goddesses I saw last time the mistresses of the underworld? Hah… But I’m fine being a concubine too…!”

"Enough. That's enough…"

As the conversation started heading in a strange direction, I waved my hand to stop her.

Mente, who had been speaking with a strange excitement, took a deep breath and calmed down.

She’s still young… Tsk tsk. It seems she’s suffering from an overactive imagination. I’ll have to send her to Apollo for treatment at some point.

“So, how did you, a former nymph, become a goddess, and why have you come to the underworld?”

“Well… it’s a bit of a long story…”

The explanation Mente shyly gave me was as follows:

First, mint began to spread throughout Greece, especially around Thebes, and was eventually exported across the region…

The prominence of mint, which is considered my symbol, rose significantly in the mortal world.

“Hm. The grace of the god Pluto. I don’t believe in him, but it’s something to be thankful for…”

“Though the name Hades may be feared, hasn’t he bestowed something upon humanity?”

“A merchant from Thebes said Pluto is a merciful god to the living.”

As a result, Mente, who was believed to have created mint, began to gain prominence as a goddess.

Since she was not human but a nymph and had served as my priestess, her status rose even more.

“There’s a nymph at Pluto’s temple who is said to have created mint…”

“Could an ordinary nymph create something like that? Perhaps she’s a goddess sent from Pluto.”

“I don’t know. Either way, I prayed to him.”

Gradually, humans began to worship her as the goddess of mint, and faith started to gather around her.

Eventually, the god Hermes descended before Mente, who had been praying at the temple, and took her to Olympus…

"Are you the nymph called Mente who receives faith among mortals? You’re quite beautiful…"

“Father, I heard that nymph is greatly favored by Uncle Hades.”

“Ahem! Well, you should have mentioned that earlier… Anyway, since she created a symbol of the underworld, it’s fitting to elevate her to the status of a goddess.”

Thus, Zeus, the king of the gods, recognized her as a goddess.

Mente, now the goddess of mint, expressed her wish to work in the underworld.

“Hermes, isn’t there some way to make that happen?”

“The underworld? They are short on… divine power down there…”

And that’s how the newly born goddess of mint came to the underworld.

* * *

Having finished her explanation, Mente gazed at me with sparkling eyes.

She seemed to be expecting something.

“Lord Hades! So what work will I be doing now?”

“…I don’t know if you were aware, but the underworld is quite busy. You may be assigned tasks beyond your authority.”

“Hehe! I may not look it, but I adapted well to the hard work at the temple when I was a priestess!”

Mente placed her hands on her hips, emphasizing her chest.

But was working as a priestess in the temple of Thebes really that difficult? I wonder if she’ll adapt well to the underworld…

I should offer some advice to the cheerful Mente.

“Mente, do you know why we gods live for eternity and are strong?”

“Huh?”

She looked at me with a confused expression.

She tilted her head slightly, trying to guess my intent, and her response was just as I expected.

“Um… because we inherited the great power and bloodline of the primordial god Chaos?”

“…Wrong.”

To mortals, gods may appear great, powerful, and sometimes even flawless.

Our ability to see the future or alter the land provides enough reason for mortals to worship us.

However…

“Because we must maintain the world, we are given overflowing strength and minds that do not erode with the passage of time.”

“Ah...” 

"Even you were just an ordinary nymph and became a goddess. Do you know what that means...?" 

Saying it means becoming a slave to keep the world running smoothly would be a bit much, wouldn’t it? 

That’s how I feel, working here in the underworld, but...

"Just think of it as taking on the task of maintaining the balance of the world." 

"Indeed! It's because the great gods perform such noble duties that they are so strong!" 

You’re now one of those great gods as well. 

And the noble duty... well, that's somewhat accurate.

"Maintaining the balance of the world... it's just like the responsibility and tasks I imagined gods would have!" 

"There’s a saying that gods are not strong because they rule the world, but because they must rule the world." 

"Ah! So, with great power comes great responsibility!"

It’s true that with the gods' immortality and vitality come countless tasks...

Menthe, seeming to have grasped something, nodded and then once again shyly twisted her body as she spoke.

“For you to care about me like this... I will fulfill my responsibilities as the goddess who created mint, your symbol, Hades!” 

"...? Oh... yeah. Do that."

I feel like the conversation is both making sense and not making sense at the same time. 

Well, since she’s so confident, I might as well assign her to a suitable position.

As I was flipping through some scrolls, considering where to place her, a messenger rushed in. 

It was a familiar face—one of the soul warriors, a young man wearing a toga.

"Hades, my lord! There's trouble in the court once again..." 

"It must be something that the three judges of Minos cannot resolve on their own—likely involving prophecies or divine interference, no?"

"Gasp! How did you know? This time, it's even..." 

It's not uncommon for Apocretes, the swift messenger from the court, to come running. 

No doubt it’s another case involving divine meddling. Likely an issue so complex that even the judgment of the Minos brothers is uncertain.

Though I trust their judgment, there are times when high-ranking gods express displeasure with Minos for being too lenient in punishing mortals whom they themselves had condemned. 

Of course, they wouldn’t voice such complaints in front of me... 

Hermes, the messenger and informant of Olympus, had passed on such rumors to me.

To lessen the burden on the Minos brothers and ensure fair judgment, I often stepped in when there were disputes involving humans who had been punished by the gods or those who had fallen victim to the meddling of multiple gods. 

Naturally, I also intervened in the sentencing of grave sinners who were too much for the brothers alone.

"Is it another mortal tangled in the romantic affairs of the Twelve Olympians? Likely a victim of rape or adultery, right? Tell Minos I’ll be there shortly." 

"Understood! I shall deliver the message at once!"

The messenger departed, and I turned to Menthe. 

"Go see the goddess Lethe. She’ll assist you with the duties you’ll be assigned. I’ve got urgent matters to attend to, so..." 

"Ah, yes!"

* * *

"Thank... thank you. O great lord of the underworld..." 

"Indeed, in life, you suffered disgrace at the hands of a god because of your exceptional beauty, but such things will no longer happen to you here." 

"Sob... sob..." 

The beautiful soul in front of me wept bitterly.

This was the soul of a woman who had been raped by a minor god after rejecting his advances in life.

The issue was that she had been a devotee of Artemis, the virgin goddess. After losing her purity, she was cursed by Artemis and driven to suicide.

That strict Artemis... she's always overly severe with her own followers.

It wasn’t even by her own will that she lost her purity. Couldn’t Artemis have shown a bit more compassion?

"Who’s next, Minos?" 

"Yes, the next is a human woman named Arachne."

"Arachne? Let her in. Which god was involved in this case?" 

"... The document states that the goddess of wisdom, Athena, personally punished her."

So, this time it’s Athena, the goddess of wisdom? 

As Athena is a goddess who swore her virginity by the River Styx, this won’t be another romantic scandal.

A bitter-looking female soul slowly entered.

According 

to the document on my desk, this was a soul that retained its memories even after crossing the River Lethe—one that harbored a deep grudge.

No doubt she resented the goddess Athena for causing her death.

A guard brought her forward and made her bow before me. 

The female soul collapsed onto the ground, prostrating herself in my direction.

"Your name is Arachne, correct? Speak the truth about what happened before your death, without lies."