Did you succeed?

……Of course!

‘This should be enough, right?’

Persephone smiled broadly and silently spread her hands. Her palms, which had been squirming, shone white as they met the sunlight.

The corners of her mouth kept poking her cheeks. Persephone, her lips trembling with effort, finally clapped her hands as if she couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Wow, Hades is the best!”

Her body began to flop with joy like a fish just out of water.

Giggling laughter could be heard from somewhere in the sky, and she stepped off the furrow, orbiting around like a satellite.

“The kindest and most powerful of the three chief gods!”

“……No, there’s no need to praise me that much-”

“I love it so much! It’s warm and cozy!”

Persephone clasped her hands together and exhaled through her nose.

She spun around once in place, then raised her arms to the sky, looking up at the space covering her domain.

Just as he was about to say that was enough, she spoke again.

“……My favorite god from now on is ‘you’!”

Hades drew in a sharp breath.

His eyes, which had stopped abruptly, squeezed shut.

It seemed the child had lost her senses in the excitement of getting proper sunlight. He managed to open his eyes again and called out to Persephone.

“Um, Persephone?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t say such dangerous things. I don’t want to incur the wrath of the earth again.”

“What do you mean?”

Persephone turned her head towards Hades.

Squinting his eyes, he suppressed the anxiety welling up inside him.

“……Didn’t you just say something?”

“I was just looking at Hemera until now?”

Hades’s neck stiffened at Persephone’s answer. Goosebumps ran from his forearms to his shoulders in an instant.

‘It was just my self-consciousness!’

He almost really got into trouble……

The King of the Underworld, secretly flustered by his own misunderstanding, took in the sight of Persephone leaning her upper body towards Hemera.

‘……She seems very happy.’

As he had been the ruler of the Underworld for a long time, giving gifts to someone was quite rare, but it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.

‘Even though this child will be leaving soon……’

Noticing that Sisyphus and Thanatos were getting up from their seats, Hades turned to leave.

He had finished his inspection, so it was time to return to his main duties.

This is where the reed pen busily traverses papyrus sheets – the office of the King of the Underworld.

There, Hydra, Hades’ assistant, was working until her head was hot.

She was meticulously sorting documents, marking important ones in advance, and writing official letters when.

Darkness revealed itself in one corner of the office.

Hydra noticed that her boss had returned to the office and smiled. She raised her head with a welcoming expression.

“Ah, you’re back?”

She grinned and held out a clipboard.

“Where have you been all morning? Here, please sign this document.”

Hades stared at the clipboard for a moment, then picked up the reed pen from the desk and signed it briefly.

As she checked that the signature was properly done and tucked the clipboard under her arm, Hades spoke.

“Hydra.”

“Oh, yes.”

“I’ll take your morning work off, so would you like to do something else starting tomorrow?”

Hydra’s vertical pupils widened slightly. Hades gestured towards the window outside.

“There’s a domain Persephone created between the Asphodel Meadows and our palace.”

“And?”

“Go to that child every morning and ask about her general condition.”

Hydra nodded, tilting her head to both sides.

Hades took the reed pen and wrote down a few questions on a blank paper, then handed it to her.

“You know, how was her morning, if there’s anything uncomfortable, if she needs anything else, things like that.”

“……Me?”

Hydra’s voice cracked at the end as she unfolded the paper.

“Won’t she be scared if I go?”

“……It might be better than me going.”

“But I’m of monster origin. People who aren’t afraid of me are few and far between.”

Worry spread across Hydra’s expression as she rubbed her cheek.

Hades cleared his throat and spoke carefully.

“Then that might be even better.”

“……Why?”

“Because Sisyphus has become a worker there. The prisoner will fear you too.”

Hydra frowned and suddenly looked up.

“What? Why him? Did he try to deceive Persephone?”

“That’s not it. The King of Corinth is a human who comes out of Tartarus every morning, so he probably encountered Persephone after coming out to carry out his punishment.”

“Ah…… Is it safe then?”

“It seems so.”

Hades nodded and cupped his chin with his hand.

“So I gave Persephone a suitable domain, though small. She will probably cultivate and tend to her domain there. And……”

Hades swallowed dryly and lowered his gaze.

“……I’m thinking of giving her administrative authority.”

“What?”

Hydra’s eyes shook unfocused. Blinking, she gently scratched the back of her neck and waved her hand in the air.

“Surely you’re not planning to make her a permanent member of the Underworld? Our misconceptions and misunderstandings becoming reality……”

“No, of course not. What I’m giving is ‘temporary’ administrative authority for half a year.”

“I see……”

Hydra nodded as if she understood roughly.

As she looked over the paper again and was about to return to her place, Hades’ finger rose.

“Ah, and there’s one more thing I want to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Don’t get attached to someone who’s leaving.”

Hydra’s vertically slit pupils cracked. She blinked rapidly and rubbed her forehead.

“You say that, but you’ve given Persephone administrative authority.”

“That’s consideration as a senior god.”

“Somehow it seems like you’re giving more than Demeter.”

“Tut-tut, you shouldn’t say such things. Not if you don’t want to incur the wrath of the Earth Goddess.”

Hydra closed her mouth, but doubt still remained in her eyes.

Can’t be helped. It seemed he needed to explain this issue a bit more.

“……There’s a reason for giving authority without much interference.”

Hades murmured softly as he sank into his chair.

“If we try to bind that child with strict rules and limitations, she’ll find loopholes and create exceptions somehow. And I don’t want to force my beliefs on others.”

Hades, who had fixed his gaze on the air, exhaled deeply.

Resting his chin on his hand, he tapped his nose bridge with his finger.

“Think about it, Hydra. My domain hasn’t been invaded, and our lives haven’t changed much. We just need to think of it as having a guest for half a year, treat her as well as possible, and then send her back to her mother’s arms.”

“……”

“Originally, if that child and I were associated, it would be troublesome in many ways…… I’ll keep an eye on her in the future, but I shouldn’t pay too much attention.”

Hades, who had been moving his lips, spoke as if sighing.

“……I won’t get attached.”

Persephone would leave enough traces during her half-year of diligent activity, but it was enough to let such memories flow away like water.

That child was Demeter’s daughter, not his own.

So that should be it.

The sky of the Underworld, quiet as if painted with lime.

On this gloomy day like a rainy one, a monster snake was heading towards the meadow designated as ‘Persephone’s domain’.

“……Don’t get attached?”

Hydra, with papyrus sheets inserted into a wooden clipboard, hurried her steps.

How could one not get attached when checking on someone every morning, but she fully understood why Hades had drawn that line.

Even she hadn’t been subjected to all sorts of contempt and disgust for that long, and until she was neutralized by Heracles, only her infamy had been piling up.

‘Hades must know too. That Persephone is very averse to the Underworld……’

The Underworld was actually quite quiet and comfortable if you came to see it, but most people thought of it as a moldy place.

Nevertheless, Persephone seemed to be trying to make a name for herself by cultivating her own territory while staying in the Underworld for half a year, but even she probably wasn’t considering this ominous place as the final destination for her achievements. At most, she might use it as a sort of ‘stepping stone’.

This was such an obvious thing that there was no reason to feel hurt about it.

‘Yeah, Hades didn’t give that advice for nothing, right?’

Hydra closed her eyes and nodded with a slight smile.

She decided to fulfill only her basic duties to Persephone for about 180 days, or 6 months.

As Hydra approached Persephone’s field with this mindset.

Sizzle, sizzle…….

A delicious, oily smell came from somewhere.

Hydra’s gaze, still retaining some wild instincts, naturally sharpened.

Just as she unconsciously swallowed her saliva and turned her head towards where the heavenly smell was coming from.

“Ah, Lady Hydra?”

Persephone, who had been fiddling with something, greeted her with a bright expression.

“What brings you here?”

Persephone hopped over and stood in front of her. A span shorter than Hydra, she stretched her neck to try to meet the other’s eyes.

……Oh no, she had missed the timing to greet back while trying to find the source of the smell.

Hydra, who had been fidgeting in place, rubbed the tip of her nose to avoid the oily air.

“Well, I came to ask you something.”

She tried to squeeze out the question, pulling the clipboard to her chest, but.

“Oh, then while you’re here, would you like to have some meat?”

Persephone pointed to the brazier behind her.