The King of the Underworld is Tired

"...Ha. Hades?"

Mente anxiously called out to me upon seeing my stiffened face, but I couldn’t focus on her.

Sacred Band? Homosexuality is true love? What on earth are they talking about?

It couldn't possibly be something Dionysus would dare to do, so has this culture really emerged naturally?

Could it be Zeus's influence, having brought the Trojan boy, Ganymede, up to Olympus?

Or perhaps...

"Wait, I need to ask you something."

"Oh, are you a foreigner by any chance?"

I grabbed the arm of a boy who was running past. He seemed accustomed to strangers approaching him, not surprised by a man who appeared to be an outsider talking to him.

It was a good sign that many people were flocking to my city of Thebes, showing its prosperity. But first, I needed to figure out this strange situation.

"Yes, I’ve been away from Thebes for a while. What is this Sacred Band?"

"Sacred Band? That’s our elite force here in Thebes! They weren’t formed that long ago."

"So what I’m asking is... why is this group made up of men like that?"

I tried not to look at the hundreds of men still openly displaying affection toward each other as I questioned the boy.

"Oh, that’s because the wise philosophers all said so!"

"Philosophers?"

"Yes! After months of debating about love in the square, they concluded that [the love between men is pure, as it excludes the purpose of reproduction.] Pretty clever, right?"

Wait... what?

"Was this based on any divine oracle or other reason?"

The boy looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"Huh? But wouldn’t the gods like it too?"

"Like this?!"

"Well, since our city of Thebes discovered part of the truth earlier than others, wouldn’t the gods be pleased with that? Even the theologians and priests say that the gods approve of relationships between men..."

So this is Zeus’s influence, after all...

Now that I think of it, these theologians have been around for a while too.

They aren’t priests, but people who write about stories related to the gods and their genealogies.

And these people also concluded that?

"Mente... let’s go somewhere quiet."

"Hades..."

I sighed as I watched the boy run off joyfully, rewarded with a few drachmas for answering my questions.

Is this Dionysus's madness manifesting among humans? I should have paid more attention to Thebes.

I've been quite busy lately, neglecting Thebes, and now it's turned into this.

This is exactly the kind of situation where the power of a god comes in handy.

Once this date with Mente is over, I’ll appear in the dreams of the king or the high priest of Thebes and deliver an oracle.

If I order the immediate disbanding of the Sacred Band or declare that all those practicing homosexuality will be thrown into Tartarus, chaos will ensue...

But even a vague statement like Pluto does not favor same-sex love should be enough to stop them.

I stopped my thoughts and gently held Mente’s right hand, who had been quietly watching me.

"Ah...!"

"Sorry, Mente. I got lost in thought for a moment, neglecting you."

"No, it’s fine. As long as you weren’t thinking about other goddesses, I don’t mind!"

"It looks like there’s a festival happening over there, let’s head that way."

* * *

Hand in hand with Mente, I headed in one direction.

It was a relief not to see any more of those strange Sacred Band people.

As I suspected, there seemed to be a festival going on in Thebes today, with people walking around with cheerful smiles.

But what caught my eye were the mint leaves in everyone’s hair...

"Certainly, the festival has drawn quite the crowd today... I suppose I’ll take a mint leaf too."

"Yes, here you go."

A man, having bought a mint leaf from a street vendor, tucked it behind his ear.

It seemed that participating in the festival required wearing a mint leaf in your hair.

So could today’s festival in Thebes be for Mente?

"For three days only! Mint oil at a discount! Great for bathing, or even applying directly to your body!"

"Is it more effective than olive oil?"

"This is the mint perfume that supposedly reveals Elysium right before your eyes! And right now..."

"Indeed, a mint festival in a city that venerates Pluto."

"It’s fascinating that such a fearful god of the underworld is worshipped in this city."

"Shh, don’t say that here. The people of Thebes are mostly worshippers of Pluto, remember?"

"Even the priests at the far-off Temple of Apollo in Lydia acknowledge the benefits of mint."

"The god of medicine, Phoebus himself, has a favorable view of mint leaves."

"They clear the mind and reduce heat in the body. They also have other..."

So many people were talking about the symbol I had chosen and even holding a festival for it.

They were all praising and thanking the grace of the god.

No matter how many times I see it, such scenes always warm my heart and give me a sense of fulfillment.

Mente, who had been following me, was also smiling pleasantly.

"Hehe... Hades, the humans really love mint!"

"That’s all thanks to you for creating it. It was certainly a great enough feat to make you a goddess."

Mente looked at me and beamed brightly.

Is this refreshing scent coming from her, or from the humans nearby who are enjoying the mint festival?

"Um... there’s something I’ve been wondering about."

"What is it?"

"It’s about when we first met. You mentioned making mint your symbol back then."

"...?"

"The lost memory... Can you tell me what you meant by that? Why would you choose something as simple as a plant I made to symbolize it?"

"Yes, as a reward for bringing back a forgotten memory of mine, I will grant you one wish."

Mente looked at me with sparkling eyes.

But... even if I were to tell her now that there was a time, long ago, when I was a mortal, she wouldn't believe me.

The reincarnation of mortals is something handled by various gods of the underworld.

Mente wouldn't understand the foods made with mint in a world where science had developed, or the fact that, back then, its distinct scent was something I would smell every day after a meal to keep my mouth fresh.

So my answer is...

"The mint was a plant I was already familiar with."

"Huh? But before I accidentally created it, it didn’t exist in the world..."

"Long ago, in a time you are unaware of... it was a plant that always existed by my side, and its name was Mint."

Mente's expression grew distant, as if she were imagining something.

I didn't know what she was picturing, but I continued speaking.

"When that refreshing, distinctive scent reached my nose, I realized that the plant you created was the same one I knew."

"Ah..."

"That's why I chose mint as my symbol."

The mint leaves stuck in the hair of the noisy humans around us...

To other gods, it may be nothing more than a peculiar plant with a unique scent, but to me, it was a link to old memories.

A precious plant that reminded me that I was once mortal, not an immortal.

That plant is mint. And the one who created it for me is Mente...

I brought my hand to her cheek as she gazed silently at me.

She didn’t pull away; instead, she leaned into me, and the refreshing scent of her hair drifted toward me.

"I’m always grateful to you, Mente."

"What do you mean... I'm just a mere nymph, and the grace you’ve shown me, Lord Hades, is..."

"No, you've brought back memories to me that nothing else could replace."

Strength, status, fame... Since my reincarnation as a powerful god, none of those things have eluded me.

It’s been so long, I barely remember, but I’m sure in my past life, I worked hard to obtain such things.

So now, the one thing that slips through my grasp...

No, the one thing I clearly remember yet escapes like flowing water are the memories of my past life.

"...Sometimes, I find myself thinking dangerous thoughts. At times, I look down on mortals, much like the gods I once despised."

"Even you, Lord Hades, the one mortals call the god of mercy?!"

I am not just any god, and even Zeus, the king of gods, cannot easily interfere with me.

Most gods are younger than I or hold lower positions.

And as the ruler of the underworld, I preside over what mortals fear the most—death.

To say I never feel any arrogance would be a lie.

"As an imperfect god... there are times when mortals' reverence and fear of me make me feel as if I deserve it, and I fall into arrogance."

"Lord Hades..."

"As the great ruler of the underworld, there have been times I thought I should punish the insolence of humans and assert my dignity."

"But Lord Hades, you are praised as the most just and merciful of all gods."

"That’s the result of effort, not something inherent in my nature."

I, who mortals call the god of mercy...

Even when I punished Tantalus recently, I had to suppress darker thoughts of giving him a more brutal punishment.

I also had to hold back from wanting to execute him without giving him a chance to explain, driven by the fury of him cooking and serving his son to the gods.

Though most of that rage stemmed from the fact that he dared to deceive and insult the gods, there was a lingering sense of resentment at the idea that a mere human would try such a thing.

"As the ruler of the underworld, who must be the most just of all, I am, in reality, a faltering god. Has your image of me been shattered a little, Mente?"

"No, not at all... The Lord Hades I know is..."

I smiled at Mente, whose eyes were beginning to glisten with tears.

I reached out to wipe the tears from the corner of her eyes and gently rested my hand on the back of her neck.

Seeing the goddess’s fair skin up close stirred my heart. It seems I have the same feelings as her.

"It’s you who holds me back at times like these."

"Me...?"

"Yes, whenever I recall the scent of mint, I reflect on my actions."

As time passes, my view of mortals shifts, eroded by the flow of the ages. But what holds me back is the memory of being human.

In my past life, it was a scent I encountered daily and didn’t find particularly special...

But now, as the god of the underworld,

That mint is a precious reminder that I, too, was once mortal.

"And I’m always grateful to you, for creating it."

"And... And... what else...?"

"...I think I feel the same way you do."

Mente’s face, which had been gazing longingly at me, flushed bright red.

As I looked at her face, which seemed ready to burst if touched, I gently pulled her closer by the back of her neck.

Like iron drawn to a magnet, the goddess’s face approached mine without any resistance.

Amid the overwhelming, fresh scent of mint... I kissed her.

"Ah..."

This sweet and refreshing sensation...

It's exactly like peppermint candy.