The King of the Underworld is Tired

Chapter 148: The Story of Asclepius – (2)

"Well done. Next time, I’ll see you on Olympus."

"...?!"

Squeeeeak...

The goddess Artemis gently stroked the revived boar’s fur and departed with her divine beast in tow.

Though the outcome was favorable, having fulfilled the goddess's command and avoided divine punishment, Asclepius couldn't completely relax.

Unlike breathing life into someone whose heart had merely stopped, this time, the boar he treated was unquestionably dead...

The potential to become a god of medicine aside, wouldn’t this surely incur the wrath of Pluto?

“Hmmmm...!”

Asclepius was the man with the greatest medical knowledge in Greece.

His mind, having absorbed Chiron's medical knowledge in just a few years, was racing to find a way out.

Even if it was the goddess Artemis's command, wouldn’t he be the one to be punished for his transgression?

Pluto may be a merciful god, but resurrecting the dead without permission is a grave offense.

Anyone involved with the gods never meets a good end. The same goes for me... I have to find a solution somehow.

The only glimmer of hope is that the domain he dared to infringe upon was the underworld.

Pluto is a god of mercy and fairness... Those who are wronged and those who commit sins receive fair judgment after death...!

Wait a moment, did I really bring that boar back to life because I wanted to?

All of this was due to Artemis's "forceful request."

The goddess of the moon and the hunt is one of the Twelve Olympians. Few can oppose her.

But if I explain the situation and seek Pluto’s protection...!

A gleam of hope appeared in Asclepius's eyes.

‘Yes. I'll go to Thebes right now, fall to my knees at Pluto's temple, and plead my case. If I answer honestly, surely the god of mercy and fairness will forgive me...’

The hero of medicine immediately bought a horse nearby and set off for Thebes.

He had to reach Pluto's temple and explain everything before the god imposed any punishment.

* * *

This is the Underworld.

Just as all humans imagine, it is indeed terrifying and truly grim…

"Who put a male soul into a female body again?!"

"Last time, someone was reincarnated with memories not fully erased. Why do these mistakes keep happening?"

"Isn't this clearly the fault of the gods above the clouds? We don’t make these kinds of errors..."

"Wait, we should report this directly to Lord Hades."

"Tsk, tsk. Those gods on Olympus are always idling, never handling anything swiftly."

It’s a place where grim gods work tirelessly, day and night.

Flipping through stacks of documents with one hand, managing souls with their voices, even using divine power to ease their fatigue...

As always, I was observing this daily routine and receiving reports myself.

"Lord Hades, now that the hero of prophecy—no, the god of strength and struggle, Heracles—has ascended, we should shut down the training center in the underworld."

"Hmm. Tell Persephone that her work neutralizing the underworld’s energy is no longer needed, and convey my thanks for her efforts."

"I will send Chiron and the monsters back to their original places. But what about the remaining heroes?"

"Have them all swear an oath on the River Styx to keep silent, then send them back to the surface. They will be the last group. Notify Olympus and announce this to all deities in the underworld."

Then, I closed my eyes and focused, turning my gaze to the mortal realm.

Among my countless devotees, there was one who shone the brightest, one I was most familiar with.

But lately, it seems my influence is spreading… there are quite a few like this now.

That devoted faith—could it be Theseus? There’s also someone in Argos, and near the sea… but why there? That’s an area heavily influenced by Poseidon.

Ah, finally found him.

I reached out to the mind of the old high priest in my temple at Thebes.

"Are you my high priest…?"

“This... this voice...! Could it be Lord Hades?!”

As expected, I could sense his shock as he immediately prostrated himself.

"From now on, Thebes' hero training center will be closed. This has been agreed upon by all gods, so spread the word."

“Yes, I will deliver your command!”

"Of course, if someone with the qualities of a hero is nearby, the statue won’t emit any light."

“I understand!”

I was about to disconnect and continue my work when the high priest hurriedly spoke up.

“Wait. Please, wait a moment, Lord Hades!”

"…What is it?"

“This morning, a man named Asclepius, known as the greatest physician in Greece, came seeking forgiveness for resurrecting the dead. If you could find it in yourself to…”

As he pleaded, a low-ranking god from the underworld also came to report.

“Lord Hades, a report from Lord Minos at the judgment hall. He says that a monster’s soul, which should have arrived here, hasn’t come… he suspects that Thanatos has escaped once again.”

Now, what is this?

* * *

I turned my attention to the lesser god who had just reported to me.

"Set that matter aside for now. Go to Thanatos and the goddess Mnemosyne and tell them I’m looking for them."

"W-What? Ah…understood."

"Pause the reports. It seems that a mortal has been resurrected."

I heard whispers for a moment: that Lord Thanatos must have escaped again, or that this time Charon had been negligent in his duties.

Anyway, I closed my eyes again to listen to the high priest’s plea.

"A mortal named Asclepius, claiming he revived a creature of Lady Artemis by mistake, is bowing and pleading for forgiveness."

"Asclepius?"

"Yes! I’ve heard he’s the greatest physician in Greece, and that there are ignorant people who even revere him as a god of medicine!"

Yes, I’d heard of him. He’s even in my memory…wasn’t he one of the Argonauts?

I suppose I should read his thoughts just to be sure.

"I’ll borrow your body briefly to speak with him. Let this man, Asclepius, into the temple."

"Y-Yes! It is a great honor!"

A gentle descent—

In that moment, I descended into the body of the high priest and looked upon the mortal named Asclepius.

A little distance away, another priestess was also possessed, this time by Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory.

Asclepius, seeing the high priest’s eyes where I had descended, immediately prostrated himself, forehead to the ground.

As expected of Greece’s finest physician…he could recognize me with just a glance.

"This lowly sinner greets the Lord of the Underworld!"

"Whether or not you’re a sinner is yet to be determined. First, explain your situation."

"Yes! I—"

He explained everything in detail.

He told of the times he had breathed life into drowning people who had stopped breathing…and that this had led to rumors that he could revive the dead.

Hearing this, Lady Artemis suddenly appeared, asking him to revive the Calydonian boar. Unable to refuse, he had performed treatment, and, miraculously, it had come back to life.

Determining that he must have defied my authority, he’d rushed here to beg for forgiveness.

Hmm. He doesn’t seem to be lying, but it’s better to verify.

I looked at Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory, who nodded in agreement.

So…he truly brought a dead creature back to life?

Resurrecting the dead without permission…this is a feat no less impressive than Orpheus, who tried to retrieve his beloved from the Underworld.

And looking closer now, I can feel an aura from him closer to a god than a mortal.

To bring back a life that had fully expired…that is indeed a godlike achievement.

"It’s true, then. You revived the dead without my permission…you are indeed at fault."

"……"

"Normally, this would be a grave sin, warranting immediate death. However, given that you came here to atone, also the treatment was forced upon you by Artemis, and there was no clear intent to trespass upon my realm, I will spare your life."

"Th…thank you! Lord Pluto!"

"But heed this: revive the dead once more, and you shall be dragged to Tartarus."

Hearing this, Asclepius, who had been bowing repeatedly in gratitude, subtly raised his head.

What I saw in the eyes of this hero of medicine was not fear, but curiosity.

"Lord Pluto…!"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"…?"

"I once treated those who had stopped breathing after drowning. Was that not reviving the dead?"

All heroes are like this. A bit audacious, always honing their skills to reach the realm of the gods.

They are the sort who don’t even hesitate to risk their lives for their cause.

And of course, that was not reviving the dead. I still vaguely remember it from past knowledge.

The act he’s describing is called resus…resuscitation, yes. It’s a medical act that saves those on the verge of death.

"Drawing those who merely knocked at death’s door back to life does not count as a sin."

"Ah…! So, after all, I did not revive the dead…!"

"But do not even attempt that again. Your medicine now surpasses Apollo’s, which means you hold the potential to revive the dead."

"I understand! Then…is it permitted for me to write down what I have just learned?"

"…That is acceptable."

As I disconnected and refocused on the Underworld, I turned to Thanatos in front of me.

The eyes of the old god with black wings darted around nervously.

"Thanatos. Why did you fail to inform me of a soul returning to life? I had to hear it from another god’s report."

"…Did that happen? I didn’t know."

"Don’t lie to me."

"I really didn’t know. Do you have any proof?"

I looked at the god of death who pretended innocence right in front of me.

Hah…this is absurd. He’s not some minor god.

The god of death, who knows precisely when, where, and how every soul on Earth perishes, says he didn’t know?

Ridiculous…might as well say a human held him back.

"Sigh…in any case, the creature is apparently one of Artemis’s, so go and retrieve it."

"Tch. It’s just a boar’s soul—why does it even need to come to the Underworld…"

I watched Thanatos leave, his shoulders slumped.

As he muttered under his breath about the boar’s soul, I smirked to myself.

I hadn’t even specified which soul it was, yet he knew it was the boar?

…So that’s how it is.

As I suspected, he’s perfectly aware but too reluctant to send another avatar to retrieve it.