King of Underworld

Chapter 109: The God of Justice, Hades – (2)

Dike knelt before me, her gaze fixed on mine with an expression of resolute determination.

As she knelt before the Lord of the Underworld and King of the Dead, she thought to herself:

There is no god more suited to embody the concept of fairness than the one before her.

She had seen it herself with her divine eyes, which could discern good from evil—there weren’t many gods who truly deserved such a title.

Most of the gods, regardless of their rank or status, were selfish and capricious.

One day they would show mercy, but the next they might be furious over perceived insults to their divinity. These shifts were often arbitrary.

Since gods generally retained the personalities they were born with, mortals constantly had to endure their whims.

It was no surprise that injustice was rampant, even among the gods themselves, especially those driven by power dynamics.

Only a few gods, such as Hestia, consistently showed compassion and mercy.

But in contrast…

Among the capricious and destructive forces of nature that were most of the gods, Hades stood out for his sense of responsibility and character, or rather, his divine character.

Far from tormenting mortals, he instead scolded the gods and worked to uphold justice in the realms of both gods and men.

His hand reached not only the dead but also the living, and mortals sang of his mercy.

Indeed, Hades was known far and wide on Earth for his benevolence, with a devotion that rivaled even that of Zeus.

If he accepted her, Dike was certain that she could spread justice even further under his guidance.

* * *

“I, Dike, the Goddess of Justice, humbly request to follow the Lord of the Underworld as the God of Fairness.”

I couldn’t give an immediate response.

First, the gravity of Dike’s request weighed on me. She sought to uphold justice by borrowing my power.

If Dike were to become part of my divine domain, the high-ranking gods of Olympus might be forced to exercise more caution in their actions.

As the Goddess of Justice, she already oversaw some aspects of fairness. But now, she wanted to relinquish that authority and serve as a subordinate to me.

It wasn’t an impossible task, nor was it beyond my capacity to manage such a responsibility.

And the rationale was sound—supporting the Goddess of Justice wasn’t a bad idea.

However…

“Do you really believe I am fit to be the God of Fairness?”

“Yes? Of course! How could I think otherwise…”

“Once, when mortals began calling me the God of Mercy, I stayed silent. It was a sign of how harsh the gods were toward humans.”

The little mercy I had shown must have felt significant to them.

But I believed the role of the God of Fairness was quite different.

“I’m far from perfect enough to embody the concept of fairness. Do you know how many mistakes I’ve made while judging souls? How often I’ve regretted my decisions and agonized over them? The god of fairness you imagine is surely not like that.”

“But, Lord Hades, you always strive to render fair judgments, don’t you?”

“……”

“Though no god can be perfectly fair, isn’t it your efforts to give mortals a fair judgment that make you the ideal candidate?”

Yes, I’d had a similar conversation with Lethe before.

Though we were alone in the audience hall, I could almost hear Lethe’s voice in my mind.

Of course Hades isn’t the primordial Chaos. Isn’t it natural to struggle with such decisions?

I felt a bit burdened. While Dike might have had her own reasons for seeking my protection, it was clear that as the Goddess of Justice, she believed I could shoulder the responsibility of fairness.

Divine domains must maintain balance and uphold their duties.

Could I manage fairness on top of the domains of the Underworld, wealth, and mercy?

I closed my eyes and let myself drift into thought.

As I cleared my mind of distractions, I began to hear the prayers of my followers from the world of the living.

I could have chosen to ignore them, but instead, I listened quietly to the voices that reached me.

The largest chorus of prayers came from Thebes, followed by Argos and Ethiopia—wasn’t that the kingdom Psyche came from?

“O great Pluto, I beseech your mercy!”

“Please, let my son, who died in battle, find happiness in the Underworld…”

“Thanks to your grace, I have amassed this wealth and offer twenty oxen in sacrifice!”

“O God of Mercy, the mint you sent us has…”

“Pluto, protect me…”

“God, I beg you, I’ve been wronged. Please clear my name!”

“I swear to Pluto, I did not commit the crime I am accused of!”

Prayers of all kinds reached me.

Some called upon me as the god of wealth, but lately, more and more prayed to me for mercy.

And rightly so… this world was filled with mythical creatures, absolute monarchies, and gods with human emotions.

With no other source of protection, mortals had no choice but to rely on the gods, especially the few who showed them kindness.

They were pitiful. And I felt sorry for them.

* * *

After a moment, I opened my eyes and looked at the Goddess of Justice once more.

“I still don’t believe I’m worthy of the role of the God of Fairness.”

“Ah…”

Her shoulders drooped, disappointment and sorrow clouding her expression.

But I wasn’t done speaking.

“However…”

“…?”

“I will trust in your judgment, in a world where you continue to seek justice.”

“Th-then, does that mean…?!”

“I’ll accept the mantle of the God of Fairness, as you proposed.”

Her face brightened with joy. Hm. She seems so thrilled… yet I wonder how long that will last once she works a few days in the Underworld.

The moment I accepted the mantle of fairness, I could feel the power and authority of this new divine domain settling within me.

Unlike the natural transition into the title of the God of Mercy, this felt more like a formal transfer of divine power.

“Thank you! Lord Hades! What a fair and just decision! I will follow your commands faithfully from now on—”

“Then take this. Every god in the Underworld should handle at least this much.”

“…?”

Thud!

I handed her a massive pile of parchment from the stack beside me.

Was this too little for such a capable goddess of justice? Perhaps I should give her more…

“Hades… Lord? What… is all this?”

“Hm? Can’t you tell? The first document is a report on the financial status of the Underworld, along with an audit of the offerings from the faithful.”

“No, I mean… I wasn’t expecting this much work…”

“This much? That’s just the afternoon’s workload. It’s not even counting what the lower-ranking gods already handled.”

“……”

Clang!

The sword and scales of the Goddess of Justice slipped from her hands, unable to hold them while also balancing the mountain of parchment I had given her. Why didn’t she just float them like most gods?

“Oh, and when you’re done, stop by Goddess Styx for more work.”

“……”

The previously unflinching face of the Goddess of Justice darkened considerably.

* * *

At Hades’ temple in Thebes, a commotion broke out among the high priests early in the morning.

“The high priest received an oracle from Lord Hades?!”

“What could he have said this time?”

“Maybe it’s something like the mint plants he bestowed upon us before.”

The priests hurried to the high priest’s chamber to hear the oracle’s contents before quickly spreading the message throughout the city.

The reason for their urgency was…

“Lord Hades has declared that the Goddess of Justice, Dike, now belongs to the Underworld!”

“What?! The Goddess of Justice has joined the Underworld?!”

“Yes, and we must quickly commission new statues of her! Bring the best sculptors and fine marble!”

Some priests rushed to inform scholars and the royal palace about the change.

The news spread rapidly throughout Thebes…

And what had once been a debate about the Queen of the Underworld now shifted to a discussion about Hades’ divine domain.

“The Goddess of Justice in the Underworld…? What does this mean?”

“I think we should interpret the oracle as it is.”

“So… does this mean that justice is now under Lord Pluto’s domain?”

“Given that Pluto is already the God of Mercy, it’s not that strange.”

“But justice can’t be subordinate to mercy, can it? Something seems off. Perhaps Pluto’s domain is…”

“Could it be judgment and fairness?”

The scholars and priests debated fervently, eventually reaching a conclusion.

After all, there had been instances of mortals becoming deified, as in the case of Medusa.

“Wait, isn’t everyone familiar with the story of the goddess Medusa?”

“You mean the story of how Pluto made the unjustly slain Medusa into a goddess?”

“Yes! In the Underworld, souls are punished for their sins, but if they were unjustly wronged or lived virtuously, they are rewarded. Isn’t that the essence of fairness?”

The citizens of Thebes began to realize:

In the Underworld, mortals received fair and just judgment, meting out punishment or rewards, and showing mercy where appropriate.

“So, Lord Pluto is the god of justice, fairness, and judgment…?”

“Perhaps the Underworld inherently embodies all of these concepts.”

“At the end of a mortal’s life, a fair judgment awaits… That does seem to make sense.”

“Those who sin are cast into Tartarus, and Medusa’s story represents fairness and mercy, doesn’t it?”

“And come to think of it… aren’t the three goddesses of vengeance also part of the Underworld?”

“Fair judgment must be administered fairly, so it only makes sense that justice and fairness are also part of Pluto’s domain…”

And so, starting from Thebes, word began to spread widely…

That Lord Pluto was not only the god of wealth, mercy, and the dead, but also the god of justice, judgment, and fairness.

Surprisingly, there was little opposition or dissent.

This new understanding of Pluto’s divine role seemed to perfectly align with everything mortals had witnessed of his actions thus far.