Persephone’s eyes narrowed.

“What do you mean all of a sudden?”

[Lord Hades has not eaten for decades.]

What!

Shocked by this astounding fact, Persephone’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s.

“Really? You’re not lying?”

[Why would I lie to you? There’s no benefit in it.]

“I’m very sensitive about food issues. If I see people starving, I feel I should at least feed them barley flour mixed with water and cheese.”

[Did you run a poorhouse on the surface?]

“People live on food!”

Persephone asserted with a seriousness rivaling Thanatos’s attitude. She pondered in her mind.

‘So it wasn’t just empty words when the wall guards were happy about being given nectar and ambrosia! It was possible because Lord Hades doesn’t eat anything!’

[As a high-ranking god, he can survive indefinitely without eating, so he doesn’t feel hunger.]

At that moment, Thanatos added, as if to prevent misunderstanding.

“But you said he hasn’t eaten for such a long time!”

A fierce fire had already ignited in Persephone’s heart.

“Eating food isn’t just about survival. How good does it feel to eat something delicious!”

It was a passion that could have been anger or enthusiasm.

[…That’s true.]

Thanatos nodded as he alternated between looking at the nearly extinguished brazier and the passion about to burst from Persephone’s pupils.

[Honestly, before bringing up this request to you, I wondered if there was any reason to urge him to eat.]

He glanced at a stone rolling on the ground and sighed.

[I worried a lot since yesterday when I heard the news that Lord Hades had eaten, wondering if it might have the opposite effect.]

“If you were worried, why did you ask me?”

[…Originally, Lord Hades used to eat meals regularly.]

Persephone’s eyes were now on the verge of popping out.

Trembling like wheat stalks in the wind, she tilted her head precariously, looking around.

“Perhaps… did he suddenly lose his sense of taste?”

[No, his five senses have actually become sharper.]

“Or maybe an evil spirit possessed the kitchen decades ago?”

[Huh, you think an evil spirit could dare to act up in front of the King of the Underworld? If such a spirit truly existed, it would have been exorcised long ago.]

Then what could be the reason for abstaining from food for such a long time?

“…Ah!”

At that moment, an incredible thought flashed through Persephone’s mind.

‘Come to think of it, isn’t the first offering that humans burn always given to Hestia?’

Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she blurted out words without filtering them through her brain.

“I think I really know now.”

[What is it?]

“Hestia mistook the food cooking on the hearth as the first offering to you, and after intercepting the King’s meals several times, Lord Hades finally gave up−”

[…Enough!]

Thanatos raised his voice uncharacteristically. He shook his head, holding up his palm sternly.

[Are you daring to think of the first of the six children, the goddess of the hearth, as a petty thief?]

“…If it’s a matter of survival, I don’t think we can call it petty theft anymore.”

[That’s not the point. Your opinion is wrong from the premise.]

It seemed like the last part was somewhat original, but is it all wrong?

Persephone drooped her neck dejectedly and crossed her arms. Thanatos let out an even bigger sigh than he had been exhaling all along.

[…Anyway, to conclude, the current situation of not eating is ‘abnormal’. Unlike other spirits who have forgotten their earthly desires. Do you understand?]

Persephone was about to nod half-heartedly but stopped. Her voice rose at the end.

“If I just say I want to have another meal with him, wouldn’t he tell the chef to prepare it?”

[That might be possible, but this would be the second time, not the first, so the probability of him participating is low. It’s assumed that he ate with you the first time because he understood the social meaning of ‘dining’.]

She wondered if there could be such a big difference in possibility just because it wasn’t the first time.

‘Still, Thanatos knows Lord Hades much better than I do, so I guess that statement is mostly correct?’

Persephone rolled her eyes.

“Ah. So, um, the request to help him eat again is…”

She who had been making nasal sounds snapped her index finger.

“You mean I should make the meal myself and offer it to him, right?”

[Yes.]

Thanatos nodded.

However, Persephone put her hands on her hips.

“But I don’t know what kind of food Lord Hades likes, you know? I told you before. I can’t remember what he ate a lot of, or if he even ate properly in the first place.”

[…Hmm…]

As wrinkles appeared between Thanatos’s brows, Hydra, who had been listening to their conversation, raised her hand.

“Since he hasn’t eaten for a long time, shouldn’t we prepare easy-to-eat food first?”

But Thanatos shook his head skeptically.

[Lord Hades’s body is different from ordinary people. He’s hundreds of times healthier than a patient who hasn’t chewed nutrients for a long time.]

“Really?”

[Hydra, I assure you, his digestive system is in better shape than yours. Lord Hades is one of the three main gods, after all.]

Persephone rubbed her slightly wrinkled forehead.

“Ah… Then I guess it’s better to prepare what he likes as much as possible.”

[That’s right.]

Thanatos pointed to the bowl with only oil left.

[Maybe using the meat we used here wouldn’t be a bad idea. Everyone likes meat. I could even procure the ingredients.]

“Nah, that’s not it. He didn’t seem to like greasy things.”

At that moment, Hydra hurriedly objected.

Persephone and Thanatos’s gazes turned to Hydra at once. They spoke simultaneously.

“Do you know what he likes?”

[Do you know what he likes?]

Hydra hesitantly pointed to a spot.

“There was an exchange between the underworlds once, right?”

[…Yes. Our underworld also had mutual exchanges with Ereshkigal, the Yama of the Eastern Continent, and others. We even sent back spirits from other regions who had come to the wrong place. So?]

Hydra, who had been biting and releasing her lips repeatedly, finished her words blandly.

“No, just… Even then, he hardly ate anything except for simple refreshments.”

“Please tell me what kind of refreshments they were.”

“It was ‘tea’, water brewed with leaves.”

Persephone frowned and rubbed her cheek.

Does that mean he drank that ‘tea’ well?

‘Wait, water brewed with leaves…?’

At that moment, when her head sank below the surface of thought.

“…!”

A thought like lightning flashed through her mind.

She jumped up on the spot and hugged Hydra tightly.

“Wow, Lady Hydra! Thank you!”

She exclaimed brightly.

“Thanks to you, I just got an idea!”

Hydra grabbed Persephone tightly to prevent her from slipping out of her arms.

It was when Persephone’s head, which had been buried in her shoulder, looked up slightly.

In the space where there clearly had been nothing just a moment ago, a jet-black robe with a purple tinge spread out conspicuously.

“Gasp!”

Persephone’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s when she discovered the King of the Underworld.

[…!]

“Lord Hades?”

Soon after, Thanatos and Hydra also looked straight at Hades who had arrived at the vegetable garden.

Their faces, changing moment by moment, looked like children caught in the act of mischief.

Hades’s gaze, almost devoid of emotion, began to stare at them.

“…”

A quiet standoff continued between Hades and the three, including Persephone.

“What are you all doing here?”

The first to break the silence was his stern baritone voice.

“Thanatos, I wondered where you had gone all morning as I couldn’t sense even a trace of you. So you were with Persephone. Have you finished your work?”

[Of course, I did it all night.]

Hades nodded and turned his eyes to Hydra.

“Hydra, you.”

“Ah, haha…”

“…I don’t think you didn’t know what task I had given you.”

“Well… Persephone said she ate underworld meat for breakfast. I just wanted to taste it briefly to check if the ingredients hadn’t gone bad, if she was eating well…”

[Gone bad? I just caught it fresh at dawn today.]

“…”

Hydra, who had been fumbling for excuses, avoided Hades’s lukewarm gaze while sweating profusely.

His gaze, fixed on the bowl, scattered somewhere into the air along with a snicker that suddenly escaped.

“So you all fell for temptation, is that it?”

“…”

[…]

Hydra and Thanatos didn’t bother to answer. It was because golden star-like things were now swirling in their superior’s irises.

Even they were afraid of an angry boss.

“Very well.”

Hades’s expression, which had been crumpling like paper in front of rain, suddenly became impassive.

“I think you can occasionally commit transgressions since you’ve worked hard until now.”

“…”

“The remaining work can be assigned to Styx, so enjoy your day of freedom today.”

Hades’s shoulders drooped as he moved away.

They watched the King of the Underworld disappear into the darkness as if an earthquake had occurred. Finally, when Hades’s robe completely blended with the shadows.

“…We should prepare the food as soon as possible, right?”

Persephone’s small voice echoed.