kscans

During lunch break, I slipped out of the office saying I’d eat out, and headed to a cafe run by people from the “other side.”

I wasn’t really in the mood to eat out, but having been summoned, I had no choice.

(Well, considering who it is…)

It would be a bit uncomfortable to ignore them. Nothing would probably happen if I blew them off, but emotionally…

“Ah, Mr. Sato. They’re waiting for you at the back table.”

“Got it. Oh, and I’ll have a cafe au lait, cafe au lait.”

Having decided to meet, I ordered just a drink. It would be rude to eat during the conversation, and headed to the table.

“Shall we say ‘Nice to meet you’?”

“I suppose. Though I already know about you.”

A bewitching woman with purple hair greeted me with a faint smile. One eye hidden by her bangs was subtly alluring. She had sex appeal, no doubt. Being a “married woman,” I had no intention of hitting on her… or perhaps she’s a “widow” now?

“So, what business do you have with me today? Have you come to avenge your husband, Queen Persephone?”

“Fufu.”

Persephone. Also known as Persephone or Proserpina. The name of the goddess who is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, and the consort of Hades.

“What’s so funny?”

“Of course I’d laugh. You’re asking so directly? About that?”

“I choose my words carefully for those who deserve consideration.”

I’m Japanese, after all. I don’t owe anything to the Greek gods. If anything, they’ve caused me more trouble… and her husband was the prime culprit.

“How arrogant.”

“Not to brag, but in high school, I was known as a DQN.”

Really, it’s nothing to brag about. Just embarrassing. Even now, huh? As an adult, I’ve learned to put on airs, but I feel like my core hasn’t changed much. Well, even now as back then, I only act that way towards enemies… right?

“Dokyu…?” (t/n: DQN pronounced as ドキュン dokyun. it’s japanese slang for delinquent)

Seems Japanese slang doesn’t translate well to gods. Of course not.

“Well, putting that aside, let me clear up a misunderstanding first.”

“Misunderstanding?”

“I didn’t call you here out of a grudge. If anything, I’m grateful you thwarted Hades’ scheme.”

“…You don’t share his views?”

“If his plan had succeeded, it would have caused serious chaos in human society.”

“And you don’t want that?”

“If I disliked humans, I wouldn’t dress like this, would I?”

As she said it, I noticed. Persephone’s outfit was head-to-toe, perfectly coordinated brand items. Her natural way of wearing them. It’s not something you acquire overnight. It’s partly about personal taste, but to reach this level of mastery isn’t just about taste. You need to have loved and used those brand clothes and accessories for years.

“…I understand. Indeed, if things had gone according to his plan, we’d be worrying about more than just brands.”

We’d be at a level where we’d have to worry about what we eat today. Restoring the faded reverence and authority of death… As a death god, it might be natural, but…

“That said, it’s not that I don’t have any affection for Hades.”

“…Seriously?”

So she didn’t come to avenge Hades? I asked that, but I didn’t think it was out of affection for her partner. I thought it was to maintain her face as the Queen of the Underworld… Gods tend to have high pride, after all.

“You actually loved Hades?”

You’d think it’s natural for a married couple, but if you hear how this couple got together, it’s hard to think that. To explain it simply, it went something like this.

Hades: “I’ve fallen for my brother’s daughter. Will you give her to me as a wife?”
Zeus: “Sure.”
Hades: “Great! Then I’ll kidnap her so she can never return home!”
Zeus: “Fine by me.”
Mama Demeter: “Are you kidding me? I’ll kill you!”

I’m not joking. It was pretty much like this. Try this in modern times. It’d become a social issue. It’d be in the news every day. Even in ancient times, it must have been quite something. Who would think there’s love in a couple that got together like this?

“Isn’t it arrogant to measure gods by human standards?”

“Even if you say that… There are stories of you being quite dissatisfied too.”

“Well, when you’re married for a long time, all sorts of things happen.”

“But if there’s love, all the more… well, it’s not confirmed that he’s completely annihilated yet.”

To my words, Persephone said,

“No. He has truly been annihilated. I know it, being his wife.”

These are the words of the Queen of the Underworld. I don’t know the logic, but it should have a certain credibility.

“…Even so, you hold no grudge against me?”

“Precisely because we’re married, there are lines that shouldn’t be crossed, and it was Hades who tried to cross them first.”

And she says she can understand why I, a human, eliminated Hades.

“…You’re surprisingly understanding for a woman from Greek mythology.”

“How rude. Oh yes, I should mention that while the underlings might, Zeus and the others don’t hold anything against you either.”

“Is that so?”

“It was common knowledge that Hades was acting somewhat out of control, so the general view is that it couldn’t be helped.”

“I see.”

“Athena even seems to think favorably of you.”

“Because I’m strong?”

“Because you’re strong.”

That’s not pleasing at all… Athena’s totally a landmine woman. Well, most of the Greek gods are landmines anyway.

That’s why truly good ones like Hestia stand out so much. Giving up her seat among the twelve gods to her crying nephew, or continuing to support people’s lives as the goddess of the hearth… isn’t she a good woman…

“Putting Athena aside… what did you come to see me for, after all?”

“A warning.”

“A warning?”

“…Hades has been annihilated. That’s a fact. But just because he died doesn’t mean the underworld disappears.”

“I suppose not.”

The underworld is just Hades’ territory, not something that would disappear in a chain reaction. If it were such a system, the people who requested me wouldn’t have asked to eliminate Hades.

“So as the Queen of the Underworld, I need to succeed Hades and govern the underworld, but…”

“But?”

“…His powers haven’t been transferred to me.”

“Huh?”

“It might be because it’s unprecedented for a top-tier death god like Hades to meet a complete death, unlike lesser beings.”

Hades was a serious man. It wouldn’t be strange if he had prepared for his powers to be transferred to his partner in case of emergency.

Yet Persephone says that hasn’t happened. Apparently, there’s no disruption in running the underworld, but…

“So you’re saying there’s a possibility he transferred his powers to someone else.”

“Yes. And that someone…”

“Might have also inherited Hades’ grand cause.”

“Exactly.”

Ugh, what a pain…

“But do you have any obligation to warn me?”

“Olympus has no intention of getting involved with you.”

“…Ah, you want to say that if such a person appears, it has nothing to do with you.”

“That’s right. That’s why I came as Zeus’s representative.”

They want to have Persephone, Hades’ wife, directly state that they have no ill intentions.

“Hades and some other Olympian gods have caused you a lot of trouble, so we’re on edge too. You’re ridiculously strong to begin with, and now you’ve done something outrageous like giving true death to a death god, so we can’t just stay silent.”

Persephone sighed.

“Well, that’s all I had to say. I have some business to attend to, so I’ll be going now. Ah, I’ll take care of the bill here.”

“Alright. By the way, what business?”

“Flirting and sightseeing. Now that I’m free, I thought I’d enjoy myself.”

“…”

“Well, that’s that.”

Persephone left the place with a flourish.

(Oh, Hades…)

I shed a small tear.