King of Underworld

Chapter 146 The Hunt for the Calydonian Boar

While a wedding was being held on Olympus for Heracles and Hebe,
on Earth, humans were preparing for a battle against a divine beast.

The cause was that Oeneus, the king of Calydon, had neglected to perform a ritual for Artemis, the goddess of the moon.
In her fury, Artemis sent her sacred beast, a wild boar, which devastated Calydon’s farmlands.

“Screeeech-!!!”

“Aaagh! That crazy beast is destroying my vineyard!”

“Whose wrath have we incurred? Has His Majesty done something wrong?”

“Ugh… Even the soldiers’ spears can’t penetrate it; we’re out of options.”

This boar was the offspring of Phaea, the sow that once inhabited the area between Megara and Corinth.
When the hero Theseus killed Phaea, Artemis took in the offspring and made it her sacred beast.

It was a boar as large as a bull, with tusks as massive as an elephant’s ivory, and it rampaged uncontrollably, leaving people helpless.

Since it was under the protection of the goddess Artemis… ordinary soldiers’ spears would miss their target, and arrows could not harm it.

Thus, King Oeneus summoned heroes to kill the boar,
and like the Argonaut expedition, heroes from across Greece came to join.

There was Meleager, Atalanta, Nestor, Iolaus (Heracles’s nephew), Idas, and many others.

“Why are there so many familiar faces? Nestor, you’re here too?”

“Meleager, it’s been a while since that expedition where we fought the dragon.”

“Jason! Aren’t you a king now? You could have skipped this…”

“Aha! Destroying monsters is also a king’s duty! And besides, it’s a chance to see old friends! Haha!”

“What nonsense…”

Indeed, the heroes of Greece were those who had trained in the Underworld, journeyed through Thebes, and had accompanied Jason to seek the Golden Fleece.

Naturally, they were well acquainted with each other’s faces, except for a few like Meleager’s uncles.

“Meleager, but who are those men over there?”

“…They are my uncles.”

“They weren’t at the hero training ground or on the Golden Fleece expedition… Hmm.”

So the heroes headed to the place where the boar frequently appeared.

As they waited, hiding in the bushes, they soon saw the monstrous boar charging towards them.

Thud, thud, thud…

“Screeeech!”

It was the sacred beast of Artemis, with a body like a bull and enormous, razor-sharp tusks.

But then…

“Why does it look so weak?”

“…Could that be a young one, with a mother somewhere else?”

“Let’s just kill it quickly.”

Most of the heroes here had faced countless experiences, from hellish training in the Underworld to the Argonaut expedition.

They had fought all kinds of monsters in the Underworld, such as the great serpent Python, the Sphinx, and the Chimera, and had even survived battles against dragons on the Argonaut expedition.

They were truly battle-hardened heroes.

To these veterans, the Calydonian Boar…

The boar was much smaller than the Sphinx.

Its charge was slower than the tail-whipping Python that sent heroes flying.

Its sharp tusks? They were nothing compared to the flames of a dragon that burned everything.

“Just kill it!”

“Die!”

Swoosh— Whiz— Thunk.

Atalanta’s arrows flew in rapid succession, piercing the boar’s left eye, and Meleager’s spear swiftly struck its right eye.

The heroes then rushed in, breaking its legs and brutally hacking at its body.

The beast, its body filled with spears and arrows, let out agonized cries as blood gushed from its wounds.

But the battle-hardened heroes showed no mercy.

“Screeeech!!!”

The sacred beast of Artemis,
the offspring of Phaea, the sow,
the calamity that had swept through Calydon,
was hunted down—or rather, slaughtered—by the heroes as soon as it came into sight.

* * *

The heroes looked down at the lifeless Calydonian Boar with a sense of anticlimax.

Could this even be considered an achievement? For something like this?

“No, this was way too weak. Didn’t they say that spears would bounce off it?”

“I thought it would have scales like that dragon we saw in Colchis.”

“They said it was a giant boar… but isn’t this just a slightly large animal?”

“Why did they summon all of us for this? Just a couple of people could have handled it…”

Some couldn’t understand why others were grumbling about the boar being too weak…

These were the hero aspirants, including Meleager’s two uncles.

“That boar seemed like an incredible monster just now.”

“There are five arrows stuck in it. When did she even fire them all?”

“Did Hypnos kiss me and make me fall asleep? How is the boar already dead?”

These men, who lacked the heroic qualities to reach the Underworld or participate in the Golden Fleece expedition, could only gape in amazement at the boar’s sudden demise.

Crunch. Thump.

“Huh! How did they even pierce this hide…”

“Ha. They really are heroes from Thebes after all…”

Some of them tried stabbing the dead boar’s body,
but even with Artemis’s protection gone, they couldn’t pierce its hide.

With the hunt over, it was time to divide the boar’s hide and other trophies…

“Meleager! Give us the boar’s hide as well.”

“Yes, we also fired arrows, so we have a right to it.”

Those who contributed nothing to the brief hunt declined the division without hesitation,
but Meleager’s two uncles, greedy as they were, demanded a share for themselves.

However, the response from the heroes, especially Meleager, was rather unusual.

“Fine. If that’s what you want, uncles. Actually, just take it all.”

“…?”

“Take it, if you want. I don’t care.”

Since Meleager, who had speared the right eye, and Atalanta, who had struck the left eye with her arrow, and many other heroes had no interest in the boar,
they began leaving the scene with disappointed expressions.

“Ugh. That mutated boar. Take it if you want or leave it.”

“Hey! Is there anyone who even wants to eat that thing?”

“No one would. Honestly, the deer I caught a few days ago would taste much better…”

“Since we’re all here, let’s go have that deer instead. Jason, come along.”

“Of course! Dining with friends, even as a king, is always a pleasure!”

“Tch… I thought we’d accomplish something here…”

Meleager’s uncles, watching the departing heroes, were stunned.

What was wrong with everyone? Normally, they would claim trophies after slaying a monster. Why was this beast not even considered a monster?

Ankaios, who walked past them and sneered, added,

“Hmph. If you want that boar, take it.”

Then Nestor, who seemed genuinely puzzled, commented,

“Putting iron plates on one’s face just for something like that hide. How pitiful. Does it really have any value?”

Meanwhile, Meleager and Atalanta, ignoring the hide, continued their conversation.

“So… ahem. Atalanta, it’s been a while. Just killing one beast feels dull. How about we go hunting together in the nearby mountains…”

“Not a bad idea. Lead the way.”

These heroes, who had fought all manner of monsters, had developed quite a taste for challenge and paid no attention to the boar’s hide.

Feeling utterly humiliated, Meleager’s uncles took on a different perspective.

If they took this hide, wouldn’t it be like a beggar receiving charity?

It was supposed to be a monster’s hide, something to boast about… But wait, was this really an achievement? The others didn’t even care.

If they showed off this boar hide, would they end up being ridiculed instead?

“Agh! Fine! We don’t need this hide either!”

“Ha! It was nothing special after all! Meleager! We’ll be heading back now!”

“…? Ah, yes, I understand, uncles.”

With that, Meleager’s two uncles left in a huff,
leaving Meleager, the master of the spear, scratching his head in confusion.

“Huh. Now, when should I skin this hide… What a hassle.”

“I helped with the eye shot, so I’ll help you.”

“Thank you, Atalanta. Let’s share a meal later… Wait, why is there mist…?”

* * *

Of course, the gods watching from above Olympus were astonished.

It was natural that a sacred beast would be vanquished by that many heroes, but to see Artemis’s protected boar slain so effortlessly was shocking.

“What… that…!”

Naturally, Artemis, the goddess of hunting and the moon, was the most taken aback.

She had sent the boar as a moderate punishment, with the intention to forgive Calydon if the sacred beast were to be slain, yet this creature she held dear was so easily…!

She had no qualms about the beast being killed by heroes, but to see it hunted so effortlessly soured her expression.

Immediately afterward, the goddess of the hunt stormed off somewhere.

“Huh. Even though it was a sacred beast, it went down quite easily.”

“Humans have been quite impressive lately. Just look at the god of strength, a former mortal.”

“That girl, Atalanta, has remarkable archery skills as well.”

And then, the gods who witnessed the unexpected outcome turned their gaze to the ruler of the Underworld.

“Lord Hades, how on earth are you training the humans in the Underworld?”

“We heard Chiron was teaching them, but…”

“Did you perhaps grant them some power of the Underworld?”

Hades, who had been sipping nectar under their gazes, replied slowly.

“It’s nothing special. I simply had them fight the great serpent Python, the Sphinx, and the Chimera. Occasionally, they even sparred with the dead Gigantes or Cerberus.”

“Oh…”

“Ares also came by to help, and the wise Chiron provided excellent education.”

No wonder… the level of these heroes was remarkably high.