I've Possessed Persephone - Chapter 39

“No, is it barely possible?”

Persephone began gauging the seasons with her fingers. Then she rubbed the back of her neck with a bright face.

“Hmm, I’m not sure because the calendar used on the surface is different from the one used in the underworld!”

“… I see.”

Well, it would be better to spend her birthday with her mother. It would be better than being congratulated by people who don’t know what’s going on.

He swallowed the faint bitterness in his mouth.

“Oh, speaking of calendars.”

Persephone pulled out a clay tablet.

It seemed to be the calendar Hydra had mentioned, with star marks and cuneiform patterns, but upon closer inspection, there were characters engraved on it.

“I’ve been thinking about what to do while I’m in the underworld, would you like to hear it?”

“… Alright.”

As Hades nodded, a smile crept onto Persephone’s lips.

Once she started talking, she enthusiastically continued.

She mentioned things like now that light and wind were taken care of, she would aim for water next, and that she was also thinking of making the field a bit bigger…

Listening carefully, there was one conclusion.

“So, in the end, what we need to secure now is water.”

“Yes!”

Was this why they were digging a well, as Hydra had said?

It was then.

“Oh, would you like to grow something together?”

Hades’ eyebrows raised.

What did she want to grow together?

“Ah, of course, I’ll only plant things that will grow within half a year, so don’t worry!”

… So it was about crops.

“It’s been ages since I played with dirt.”

“Hey, you shouldn’t talk about farming like that!”

“Ah.”

Realizing his mistake, Hades momentarily let out a stupid exclamation.

“I apologize.”

“Just don’t do it next time. Understood?”

Persephone raised her finger as if teaching a child.

“Well, if you’re busy, it can’t be helped… But I thought that since you work too much, it might be good to have a little leisure time.”

“As you say, I do have a lot of work.”

“Can’t you delegate to others? Like hiring more people, and so on?”

“…”

It’s not an impossible task.

He hadn’t given it any thought until Persephone mentioned it. But thinking about it, Hades himself had dozens of times more work than the other three main gods.

If one is suffering from such overwork, it would be good to hire a few more talented individuals and divide the work.

However…

‘I decided not to give affection, though.’

Swallowing a groan, Hades bit the inside of his lip hard.

Momentarily forgetting in the mood, the woman in front of him is someone who will leave in half a year.

Apart from her being objectively a good person, is it okay to get any closer than this? Doubt bloomed in his heart once again.

‘But after having eaten, it’s a bit… to outright refuse saying it won’t work.’

After all, she is proposing with good intentions. Growing crops is good for the mind and body.

Hades slowly looked around.

“… A flowerpot might be possible.”

He spoke cautiously, almost in a whisper.

In other words, he couldn’t go along with her words except for a flowerpot.

There wasn’t even a flowerpot that would suit her in Persephone’s room, so this was a polite refusal.

“Ah, a flowerpot is not bad either.”

However, Persephone nodded carefully.

She stood up. After rummaging through a wooden box, she finally pulled out a clay pot that was quite tall.

Persephone’s hand turned the utensil that looked like a trident upside down and then.

“Hup!”

She punctured the bottom of the pot.

‘What did I just see?’

Hades forgot he was the Lord of the Underworld and was about to rub his eyes in an undignified manner.

“Phew, fortunately I made a hole in one go.”

Persephone wiped her forehead with a satisfied expression. Then she ran outside in a flash.

Before he could shout asking where she was going.

Bang!

“Here! Take this!”

Persephone burst back into the room, kicking the door open forcefully.

Could she have filled it with soil from outside in that short time? Hades dazedly received the flowerpot Persephone handed over.

The soil evenly filled in the clay pot wasn’t the dry, grayish color commonly seen in the underworld. It was a brown color rich in nutrients.

Moreover, instead of tiny seeds like wheat grains, a bulb about the diameter of a finger was half-planted.

“Wait, I can’t grow this.”

Hades spoke with a very perplexed tone.

“As I just said, my talent is specialized in destruction, so this little one will die soon.”

“It’s okay, just try growing it.”

Persephone passed the flowerpot to him despite Hades’ gestures.

He examined the bulb with a troubled expression.

“… Then what’s planted here?”

“I’m not sure exactly what it is either. It’s a bulb, but…”

At that moment, Persephone cupped her cheeks with both hands as if in dismay.

“Wait, it’s not an onion, is it? I brought it because it didn’t seem like an edible vegetable!”

“What’s wrong with an onion? I heard onion flowers look like dandelions, that wouldn’t be bad either.”

“No, there are so many prettier bulb plants than that! Haven’t you seen things like hyacinths?”

“Hmm…”

“Oh no, now that I look at it, it really resembles an onion!”

Persephone exclaimed, grabbing her head.

“This won’t do, I’ll show you what kind of plant this is right now.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Persephone hurriedly reached out her hand towards the flowerpot.

Under her fingers, divine power filled with life force emitted a beautiful platinum light.

The power flowed into the soil like water.

Soon after, a pale green sprout poked its head through the soil, and leaves grew along with a long stem bearing a bud.

At the end of the stem, a bright yellow flower head popped out.

“… It’s pretty.”

It was a daffodil.

Persephone’s expression, which had been like that of the God of Death, finally softened like silk.

“What a relief. It’s a daffodil, not an onion or garlic.”

Persephone let out a sigh of relief.

It was then that she pouted her lips while gently touching the daffodil petals.

“Hmm, I was hoping for something that can’t be seen often around here though.”

“…”

“Should I plant something else for you?”

The moment Persephone was about to put her hand on the flowerpot.

Hades skillfully turned his arm and pulled the flowerpot back.

“No, I’ll keep it.”

“Really?”

“Of all the things I’ve received, this is the only one that will continue to remain.”

Hades gazed at the honey-colored petals that looked like cake.

“I’ll take special care of it.”

Although Hades’ own heart became a bit more complicated because of this incident, at least now was much better than before when it was quiet without life.

Yes, let’s leave this much as a memory.

After all, the daffodil will continue to bloom next year, and the year after that.

As for the person who gave the daffodil, it would be enough to just maintain boundaries well from now on. Diluting the intense emotions that momentarily arose, and excluding unnecessary thoughts about the deity in front of him as much as possible.

That would do.

[This is the timeline separator]

Some time after that simple commotion.

Persephone found one more good thing about being in the underworld.

It was that summer was relatively cool.

“Aren’t you hot?”

Sisyphus, who was turning over the field, asked Persephone.

“No, why?”

“Well, I feel like I’m sweating a bit.”

It wasn’t just talk, Sisyphus’ forehead was slightly flushed.

Persephone was in the middle of having him expand the field. She looked up at the sky without sun and replied.

“Is Tartarus cooler than the underworld? This is just right for me now.”

“Well, not particularly… I guess it’s because I’m moving my body.”

Sisyphus wiped his forehead where beads of sweat had formed.

Then he suddenly moistened his lips.

“Hmm, suddenly talking about the heat makes my mouth feel dry.”

Persephone’s sharp intuition perked up.

Sisyphus kept glancing at her, then cleared his throat and swung the plow roughly.

“Wouldn’t someone bring some water or something.”

“…”

“If the most esteemed Goddess of Life in the underworld brought water, I think I could work…”

Here we go again, this old geezer.

“Drink your own sweat.”

“What!”

Sisyphus jumped up.

“What kind of filthy thing are you saying now!”

“Acting all noble when you’re just a prisoner. Are you a king? Huh, are you?”

“Yes, I was a king, mind you!”

“What’s the difference between a village chief and a king!”

Sisyphus’ lips sealed shut as if magnetized.

Objectively, in this era, a king on earth is not an absolute ruler of a centralized power. He was closer to a representative of the city who could be driven out by elder nobles or citizens if things went wrong.

Knowing this, Sisyphus grumbled but couldn’t say anything.

Persephone grinned as if pleased. She thought he’d probably go along well enough if left alone like that.

But once you become aware of the heat, it continues to irritate your nerves.

“Ah, I don’t know!”

Finally, Sisyphus flopped down on the ground.

“Why are you suddenly like this.”

“I think I’m too old to work anymore. Please be understanding.”

“Oh… The whining of a middle-aged man.”

Persephone got up from her seat and frowned, stroking her chin.

“There is some demand for that, but I don’t like it, so look elsewhere.”

“What do you mean whining!”

“Then do you want to find water channels and dig wells instead?”

“…”

Sisyphus closed his mouth again.

That’s right. This time it wasn’t just Sisyphus doing the work.

Persephone walked around the field looking for water channels. She was hoping to find a tributary of the underworld river that could be used as a water source.

Of course, there were no special results, so she came back empty-handed today as well.

It was then, as Persephone was looking at Sisyphus with disapproving eyes.

“Ah, come to think of it, you…”

She smiled ominously.

“Didn’t you make a well or something in your city?”

In the original story, Sisyphus asks for a well to be dug in his city in exchange for telling a father looking for his kidnapped daughter the location of his daughter.

Perhaps Sisyphus could help her.

Persephone looked at him with expectant eyes.

“… What is a well?”

Of course, the moment Persephone looked at him, Sisyphus halved his own intelligence.

“Is what’s above your neck made of wax?”

“Wax? I don’t know what that is either. It’s the first time I’ve heard that word.”

“Really?”

A bright smile spread across Persephone’s lips.

“Then let’s say if I hit what’s above your neck and it gets squashed, it’s wax, if it doesn’t get squashed, it’s a head.”

“… I’m sorry!”

Quick apology, good.

“But it’s obvious that I won’t be of help, Persephone.”

“Why?”

“Well, I didn’t dig the well myself, I asked a god to dig it for me…”

“Hmm…”

Is this not a metaphorical meaning, but literally according to the original story?

“But why suddenly talk about wells?”

“I need water to sprinkle on the field, but the river is a bit far from here. It’s annoying to go.”

“Why didn’t you just make the field near the water from the beginning…”

“What did you say?”

Sisyphus avoided the sharp gaze.

Persephone looked at him with blazing eyes, then eventually sighed.

“When I first made the field, there was no choice but this place.”

The area she claimed as her territory was between the entrance of Tartarus and Hades’ palace.

If she strayed even a little, it would get close to the Asphodel Meadows where the souls lived, so she had no choice but to choose beyond the alley where souls rarely pass by.

Sisyphus glanced at Persephone’s mood, then coughed, clearing his throat.

“Well, if there’s no well, how about making a fountain…”

“What nonsense is that. It’s not like saying ‘if there’s no bread, eat cake’.”

It was at that moment when Persephone was scolding Sisyphus.

“… Wait a minute.”

A fountain?

A fountain?

… Persephone herself had seen a fountain somewhere in the underworld.

“I think I know.”

Persephone straightened her crooked posture and smiled.

“Know what?”

“I’ll be right back!”

The small body shot out like an arrow to somewhere.

“But…”

Sisyphus, who came to his senses belatedly, mumbled softly.

“Shouldn’t you at least feed me before you go…!”