kscans

Chapter 211 - The Cheat vs. The Villainess 7

"You know, that old guy hasn't been showing his face around at all lately."

"Satou-san has an office job, so it can't be helped. It's the end of the year, he must be busy. Right, Sakuya-san."

"Yeah. He's barely even coming home, so it must be pretty serious."

December eighth. There were just over two weeks left until the Day of Fate. Only a handful of people in the entire world probably knew that a battle for its very existence was set to begin on Christmas.

...And to my dismay, I was one of them.

Thanatos is a death god of considerable rank in Greek mythology. For that reason, word reached him from the chief god Zeus, and through Thanatos, I learned everything as well. I was told that the world had already been destroyed once. That Hero-san had turned back time, saving us by the skin of our teeth. And that on December twenty-fifth, there would be an all-out war against the woman who destroyed the world before. I was told all of it.

Hero-san probably intends to keep all of this from us.

It is not because we would be useless in a fight. If his plan proceeds as intended, even a novice should be able to become a competent fighter. The reason we cannot participate in the battle is because we are children. I heard that any child of eighteen or younger who has not reached a certain level of strength by this stage is to be excluded. Part of it is because he cares for us, but I think it is more that he does not want to involve children.

Rika-san, Akatsuki-san, Ayase-san...

They were dragged into the hidden world and forced to fight there. But those were battles for themselves. That is why Hero-san says nothing. You could say this upcoming battle is the same, but it inevitably comes with the burden of the world's survival. His reluctance to place such a burden on children... might have something to do with Hero-san's own past experiences. I can understand. I can understand, but...

Whether or not I can accept it is another matter, isn't it.

Just as Hero-san treats me, I am a child. There are things that, even if I understand the logic, I just cannot swallow. I believe I should at least tell those three. Just as Hero-san treasures us, we love Hero-san very much too. If he loses, everything will end.

To be able to meet the end without knowing anything might be a mercy in its own way, but...

As the one who will one day become the king of the underworld, I do not think so. I want to do everything in my power for the people I care about. Even if it is all going to end, I want to fight until the very last moment.

—I have made up my mind. I will tell everyone the truth.

Doing so will require me to reveal my identity, but... it cannot be helped. I do not want to keep secrets forever, and, this is a selfish thought, but I have faith that everyone will accept me.

"Everyone... do you have any plans after this?"

When I asked, they replied that they had nothing in particular.

"Then, after we file our report, would you mind coming to my house? There's something important I need to tell you all."

"...Mhm, okay! I'll tell Mama I'll be a little late."

"Me too."

"I... Hero Uncle probably isn't coming home today either, so I should be fine."

They must have sensed something. They all nodded readily. After reporting the completion of our request at the Mutual Aid Society and receiving our payment, we headed straight for the apartment building where I lived.

"? Aren't you going in? Oh, did you maybe drop your key?"

They looked at me curiously as I stood frozen before the front door. I had not dropped my key. I had it right here.

"...When I open this door, you are all going to see something quite extraordinary."

"""Huh."""

"I'll explain everything, so for now, I would appreciate it if you could just accept it."

I unlocked the door and pushed it open.

"...Welcome home, My Lady. And to our honored guests. I am pleased to have you."

The three of them looked at Thanatos, who greeted us kneeling with her hands placed formally on the floor, and,

"""—"""

They froze, their faces like cats in the middle of a Flehmen response.

"Let me introduce you. This is Thanatos. She is a death god affiliated with Greek mythology."

"Huh? A death go..."

"Thanatos, please prepare some tea."

"As you wish."

I watched Thanatos disappear into the back before ushering the three into the living room. Their faces showed nothing but confusion. Honestly, I am so sorry. It is not like I want to air my family's dirty laundry either. I do not want to, but if I am going to explain things, I need them to acknowledge Thanatos's existence...

"..." "..."

"Um... Sarna-chan? About, uh, Thanatos..."

Prompted by the gazes of the two boys, Rika-san spoke up as their representative. They must have decided that since Thanatos was like a walking piece of sensitive content, a girl should be the one to ask.

"As I said a moment ago, she is a death god. And a rather high-ranking one at that. Thanatos."

Thanatos, who had brought in the tea, trembled with shame as she released a tiny fraction of her power. That should have been enough for the three of them to understand. To understand that the lewd woman before them was a high-ranking divine being.

"Uh, umm... so, is she Sarna-chan's mama-san?"

A human who inherited the power of a death god. They probably assumed that was the setup.

"No, I do not have a mother. Not because she died or anything like that, she simply never existed in the first place. I only have a father."

Even if she were my mother, having such a pervert for a parent would be too much of a punishment. I paused for a breath, then spoke his name.

"My father's name is Hades."

"Hades!? You mean..."

"Yes. The king of the underworld who was destroyed by Hero-san. And let me say this first, I hold no grudge against Hero-san."

I stated it clearly, that it was his own fault and could not be helped. I had to say that at the start, or things would get complicated if they misunderstood.

"Why did I, the daughter of Hades, transfer to your school, Rika-san? The reason is..."

"U-Um!"

"Yes?"

"That... I'm curious about that too, but... uh, what? What is she? What is Thanatos-san?"

When I was first dragged into the hidden world, Hero-san gave them a certain amount of explanation. But even though he was flustered, he must have retained some adult rationality. He never explained what happened to the death god who attacked us on that trip. It was not in the gossip magazines that came out before, either. I assume that was out of consideration for Olympus's reputation. ...Well, he did talk about turning the underworld into a brothel, though.

"""Is she crying!? Isn't Thanatos-san crying!?"""

Thanatos, standing by behind me, was weeping sorrowfully. I imagine she would want to cry, having to show herself like this to human children. Well, this is also a case of her getting what she deserved.

"I will explain all of it, including that."

I told the three of them the entire story of how we got here, holding nothing back. After hearing my tale, the three of them were simply dumbfounded, but...

"For now, um, there's a lot I want to say, but."

"Yes."

"I know it's a bit late to ask, but is this person someone we minors should even be looking at? Isn't this breaking some kind of law?"

...Probably.