Hades’ thought process came to a halt.

Stunned into silence, he opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish.

However, the soldiers seemed to think Hades was making excuses for not treating Kore as a bride, and their eyes lit up with determination.

Even those who had been swallowing dry saliva in fear of their superiors gathered courage and stepped forward.

“That’s right, you should treat your future bride kindly!”

At last, fierce protests erupted.

“Let us serve the Queen!”

“Lord Hades, don’t you know you’re old enough to get married! You should tie the knot!”

“What are you doing with that handsome face of yours!”

“Even if you don’t take her as your bride, shouldn’t you take responsibility!”

Hades’ spirit began to crumble under the voices of the soldiers.

Unable to endure any longer, he shouted with a sharp tone.

“Ah, come on! I never said I wouldn’t get married!”

The soldiers were pushed back like seaweed swept away by a tidal wave.

After quelling the commotion with his divine power, Hades turned back to Hydra and Thanatos.

“Hydra, Thanatos. I’ll ask you again. Bring that child to my palace.”

However, what he received in return were looks that seemed to say, “Do we really have to do this ourselves?”

For someone who had grown up being called a model student since childhood, these were gazes he couldn’t withstand.

‘Where exactly did things go wrong?’

Why did the soldiers think he should marry Kore, and why were Hydra and Thanatos looking at him as if he were an irresponsible piece of trash?

This was beyond what he could handle.

Meanwhile, Hydra, who had been muttering something, walked towards Persephone. After taking a deep breath, she approached the castle wall.

“Um, Lady Kore! I know it’s not my place to say, but!”

Her knees hit the ground with a thud.

“Our boss! We’re sorry!”

Finally, Hydra prostrated herself on the ground, bowing deeply.

[This is the timeline separator]

Persephone, clinging to the castle wall, blinked her eyes.

She wasn’t quite sure, but judging from the woman who appeared to be Hades’ subordinate bowing to her…

‘It seems things have been resolved in my favor?’

Thinking positively, Persephone nimbly leaped. She quickly descended the opposite side of the wall, timing her movements, and sprinted towards the boundary.

Looking back, it didn’t seem like anyone was chasing her.

Good, now there was only one hurdle left.

Persephone, who had run full speed to reach the boundary, caught her breath.

The three-headed dog with a mountainous body took its place before her.

“Cerberus…”

Swallowing a sigh, she scanned the monster before her eyes.

The gatekeeper of the underworld, said to guard the boundary between the world of the living and the dead.

Known for its grotesque form with three heads on a single body, it was said to crush the will of spirits trying to escape the underworld from the very beginning.

Persephone met the gaze of Cerberus, who had opened its eyes lazily.

How much time had passed?

As she examined its sleek, well-formed muzzles, Persephone scratched her chin.

“The more I look at you, you’re quite cute, aren’t you…?”

Yes. It was the master who was at fault, not the dog.

At that moment, as if to say it didn’t want to be found cute by her, Cerberus began to growl.

Persephone slowly lowered both hands towards Cerberus, who was about to bark.

Lowering her body, she circled around Cerberus like a fly.

‘Shall I try barking along?’

Someone had said it before. If you lower your body and growl along in front of a barking dog, the other dog will soon become docile.

There was no need to deliberate further.

“Woof!”

A literal dog sound came out of Persephone’s mouth.

‘…Why is there no response?’

Could it be that she succeeded on the first try? She looked at Cerberus with expectant eyes after barking, but…

“…”

Cerberus stared at her with a look of disdain.

“Woof…”

Persephone barked once more, meaning to convey that she and it were of the same kind.

“…”

Of course, the result wasn’t very good.

What remained was silence.

And a goddess who had lost her divine dignity.

Persephone stood up without hesitation.

As if that had been her intention from the start, she dusted off the hem of her clothes and adjusted the brooch on her sleeve.

After wiping the sweat from her forehead, she greeted cheerfully.

“Hello!”

“…”

“Since we’ve met like this, it’s fate. Could you let me pass?”

Woo-woo-!

Then, as if to show that her dog sound was fake and that it, being a real dog, would demonstrate a true dog sound, Cerberus let out a deep howl.

The gust from its mouth was strong enough to make Persephone’s clothes flutter.

“Ugh, you, you’re incredibly strong…!”

Persephone blurted out a line like a villain.

‘I have no choice.’

She’d have to use the method she had thought of in advance…!

She turned around, making loud smacking sounds as if hiding food.

At the same time, she lifted the sleeve where she had hidden the seeds.

Among the seeds, there were some with special medicinal effects.

Growing herbs that aid in hypnosis or sleep was also one of Demeter’s specialties.

Among the various seeds attached to her hair ornament, there was a seed of an herb that helps with sleep.

If she had enough power earlier, she should be able to grow a sleep-inducing plant by scraping together a bit more divine power.

“…Huh?”

…But there was one problem.

No matter how much she searched, she couldn’t find the seed.

“Did I drop it?”

Persephone rubbed her nape and bit her lip. She muttered, “Please, please,” as if praying.

Her brain quickly scanned the past for her owner. Realizing the cause of the anomaly, she let out a gasp.

‘Could it be when I confronted Hades at the bottom of the castle wall earlier?’

No wonder she felt something strange under her feet then…!

‘So that was the sleep herb seed!’

A thunderbolt struck in Persephone’s heart with a ‘Kwang!’

To make matters worse, a large shadow writhed around Persephone. Cerberus pounced on her defenseless form as if it had been waiting for this moment.

“Kyaak!”

Persephone instinctively kicked the ground.

Oh, no! The Goddess of Seeds is going to die! She’s going to be eaten!

“Cerberus, are you vegetarian or carnivorous!”

“Woof!”

“Right, you’re carnivorous! Aren’t you?”

“Grr!”

“I’m the Goddess of Seeds, so you can’t eat me! Wheat will grow in your stomach!”

Persephone ran around, flapping her mouth recklessly.

However, Cerberus was no longer listening to Persephone’s words.

Or more accurately, it wasn’t in a state to listen. It was thoroughly excited to meet someone challenging its role after a long time.

“I’m not meat, I tell you-!”

Finally, Persephone, with the end of her clothes torn by Cerberus’ muzzle, took out the shovel she had been carrying on her back and swung it.

Startled by Persephone’s surprise attack, Cerberus leaped away from her. She covered her mouth.

“Ugh! I’m sorry!”

To think that I would try to hit a puppy! I’m trash!

…Of course, this self-loathing was only momentary.

“But I want to go home with all my limbs intact!”

Persephone swung her shovel wildly as she moved away from Cerberus.

It was a tactical retreat for now.

[This is the timeline separator]

Persephone ran frantically, avoiding the rampaging Cerberus.

After running mindlessly like that…

“Where is this now?”

She found herself in a forest dense with trees and undergrowth.

Perhaps it was because Persephone herself was the Goddess of Seeds, but it seemed she had instinctively headed towards a place lush with vegetation.

She rubbed her dry eyes.

“They say you suffer like a dog when you leave home.”

Sob sob, indeed, there was nothing wrong with the old sayings.

“I should have listened to my mother…”

Persephone, naturally reflecting on her past, rubbed her face dry. As she sighed and suddenly took a step, she felt something odd beneath her feet and looked down.

Lifting her shoe, she saw red moisture on the sole.

‘Tree fruit…?’

It seemed a fully ripe fruit had fallen to the ground.

Persephone looked up.

In her field of vision, she saw a red and luscious fruit with a split skin.

‘Pomegranate!’

Startled, Persephone took a step or two back.

There was tension in her movements.

Glaring fiercely at the innocent fruit as if it were an animal’s claw, she suddenly brushed her lips with the back of her hand.

“Tsk.”

She swallowed and furrowed her brow.

“…What’s this.”

Persephone looked at the back of her hand.

It was strangely moist…

‘Don’t tell me I’m salivating at the sight of a pomegranate?’

She grumbled discontentedly, saying that indeed, the fate of myths doesn’t go away.

But like rice eaten secretly at night without mother knowing is delicious, her gaze kept returning to the pomegranate.

Her steps also gradually slowed.

She thought unconsciously.

‘I want to eat it.’

Would it be okay to just chew on one? Really?

“No! I can’t!”

Persephone slapped her own cheek.

‘Are you crazy? Have you finally lost it?’

If you eat food from the underworld, you can’t return to the surface.

Knowing this fact, Hades in the myth feeds Persephone pomegranate from the underworld, making her a member of the underworld.

Anyway, the King of the Underworld was a bastard. She couldn’t go to the underworld where such a bastard existed.

‘I need to keep my wits about me.’

Persephone, licking her lips in regret, trudged deeper into the forest.

If she hid for a little while and then left, she should be able to escape the underworld without being caught by Hades.

It was then that a fountain came into her view as she looked around.

Persephone blinked at the suddenly appearing structure.

A quiet atmosphere enveloped the fountain. She pushed through the surrounding grass and approached the fountain where clear water was flowing.

[Healing Spring]

A bronze plaque was attached to the fountain.

Only then did Persephone’s body cry out in pain.

She had been so focused on trying to escape the underworld that she hadn’t noticed the pain, wounds, or even thirst.

‘I shouldn’t drink it, right…?’

Persephone swallowed hard.

Perhaps because she had been running non-stop since being hit by the chariot, she needed even a little water to drink.

But just as she shouldn’t eat food from the underworld, she probably shouldn’t swallow even water.

“…Tsk.”

Persephone, swallowing dry saliva, teared up like a fox looking at sour grapes.

The water coming from the fountain looked so refreshingly cool.

She wanted to drink it.

She really wanted to drink it.

As Persephone looked at the fountain longingly, she lowered her head.

At that moment, an explanation beside the bronze plaque entered her field of vision.

[Immersing oneself in the water will provide healing effects. – Asclepius, God of Medicine]

Her voice trembled faintly.

“…So it’s not for drinking?”

Persephone stroked the smooth marble of the fountain. She let out an exclamation.

‘I wondered why it looked like a fountain instead of a well…!’

So that’s why it was made for immersing the body!

Persephone’s eyes sparkled. As if the fountain were her lover, she hugged the rim of the fountain with both arms.

‘Oh gods, thank you! Indeed, there’s no law saying to just die!’

Smiling brightly, Persephone jumped into the fountain without hesitation.

…There were several words written besides the simple explanation next to the bronze plaque, but the goddess, blinded by the thought of enjoying the coolness, failed to see them.

[This is the timeline separator] [Healing Spring] [Immersing oneself in the water will provide healing effects. – Asclepius, God of Medicine] [In memory of my wife, five daughters, and two sons.] [Composition:

Purified water 85%
Mint extract 4%
Various good things 10%
……
……
……
Underworld pomegranate tree sap 0.001%
Underworld pomegranate juice 0.00001%]