“Did you understand, Charon?”

Hades pointed to the ground where several words were written.

Pink hair, light green eyes, cute face, white skin, etc. Most were phrases describing the appearance of ‘Kore’ he was looking for.

Charon, the ferryman of the underworld, glanced at the words written in stone and nodded. He wrote an answer in an empty corner with his staff.

[So you’re saying to let you know if someone named ‘Kore’ who looks like this comes to the Acheron River?]

“Yes. That’s the person I’m looking for. Please be sure to tell me.”

[Of course. I’ll let you know by messenger bird.]

Charon clattered his bony mouth as if in understanding.

“Good, I’ll be counting on you.”

Hades nodded as he gazed at the diligent ferryman.

Just as he was about to move on to the next topic after the Acheron River, exhaling…

“…”

For some reason, his senses were on high alert.

Hades’ sharp gaze turned towards the distant walls of the underworld.

His furrowed brow fixed on the empty air where blue foliage rustled.

‘I thought I saw something there just now.’

[This is the timeline separator]

The moment Hades turned his head towards the wall,

Persephone quickly hid her body behind a rock.

‘Wow, that was close.’

She had almost been caught.

After taking a deep breath, Persephone peeked out again.

Fortunately, the ferryman of the underworld seemed to have asked something, so Hades’ attention had shifted away from her.

As the king of the underworld disappeared like a shadow, Persephone crouched down and approached the cliff.

“Hah…!”

Persephone extended her arm, enduring the pain.

Without hesitation, she began to climb down the massive cliff, stepping downwards.

How much time had passed?

‘It looks like a really big wall.’

Persephone, having descended the entire wall, tilted her head back to look at the cliff.

Words escaped her lips in a murmur.

“Is this what the outer shell of houses built by humans looks like?”

What she was looking at was the towering wall of the underworld.

In her current life, Persephone had seen far more of the calm and vast golden horizons than cities.

She had rarely seen such a large structure with her own eyes.

‘The color is somewhat similar, but the size is on a completely different level.’

If she hadn’t been so desperate to escape the underworld, she probably wouldn’t have been able to come down here.

After all, Hades’ will to never let out anyone who had once entered was clearly felt.

Persephone quickly moved away from the wall and walked towards the Acheron River.

She peeked around here and there like a mouse looking for food by the riverbank.

‘So the boat carrying the dead comes from far away, and those who arrive on this side enter the judgment hall?’

As Persephone was looking at Charon’s ferry, her brow suddenly furrowed slightly.

“It’s completely packed.”

It was just as Persephone said.

She had hoped she might be able to hitch a ride as Demeter’s daughter, but it seemed impossible due to the souls that had crowded in after Hades left.

Persephone clicked her tongue and glanced at the ferryman.

Ferryman Charon was wearing a black robe and rowing the oar.

His jaw bone peeked out from under his pulled-down hat, and the sound of corn stalks breaking could be heard from his finger joints gripping the oar tightly.

‘How does he row the boat with just bones?’

She had heard bits and pieces about the members of the underworld, but Charon truly had a form that was an exact replica of human bones.

Perhaps because his appearance was so frightening, most of the dead souls sat quietly in Charon’s boat, even as they sniffled.

“What’s this now?”

At that moment, Persephone’s foot caught on some writing on the ground as she walked along the riverbank.

[Pink hair, light green eyes, cute face, white skin…]

In that instant.

‘Could this be referring to me?’

Persephone’s face turned pale.

She realized that Hades was still looking for her and had described her appearance to the ferryman of the underworld.

Persephone frantically pulled at her hair, flustered.

‘What should I do, there’s nothing to cover up my appearance!’

Now Charon’s boat was just about to dock at the river port.

If she couldn’t hide her striking appearance in that time, she would inevitably be caught by either the ferryman or the king of the underworld.

It was then.

“…”

The pitch-black river water entered Persephone’s eyes, as if black paint had been poured into them.

Yes, if there was nothing to cover her body with…

‘Hide!’

In the river!

[This is the timeline separator]

There was no need to think for long. Once a woman made up her mind, she had to jump in.

Persephone threw herself into the Acheron River.

Splash-!

An impossible splashing sound erupted in the Acheron River.

Not only the dead, but even the tears shed by the living for the dead had gathered here, so how quiet it must have been until now, except for the sound of sobbing.

Amidst that, when the lively noise burst out, everyone’s gaze flew to one place as if predetermined.

The surrounding souls forgot even their sadness and stared at the culprit of the noise – Persephone.

But conscience had long since disappeared from within her.

It didn’t matter who was looking. She only cared about escaping.

Persephone, who had instantly become shameless, paddled forward frantically.

‘Hmm, the water temperature is okay.’

Fortunately, as she entered the middle and lower reaches, the temperature seemed to have dropped to just the right level of coolness.

Moreover, even though it was the river of the underworld, it didn’t feel that bad.

The coolness enveloping her from head to toe was enough to make her forget her worries for a moment.

Apart from escaping, her diving posture seemed to have been quite good. Before she knew it, she had come at least halfway across the river.

‘Good, at this rate I’ll soon reach the other side.’

Persephone’s mouth curved into a grin. She clenched her fist.

If she could find the way the souls who crossed the Acheron River like this came in, she would be able to go to the surface.

It was when Persephone’s eyes unconsciously turned towards the riverbank, thinking this.

Charon, with his jaw dropped wide open, entered her field of vision.

Blue ghostfire flickered in the ferryman’s eye sockets and mouth, and then he rowed his boat towards her.

“Uh, uh?”

A flustered Persephone stretched out her legs, diving into the river like a mermaid.

Unfortunately, the ferryman’s rowing speed was much faster.

His boat reached Persephone at high speed, as if equipped with a waterwheel.

The water rippled in the blue light source. Blue wavelets shimmered like fish scales.

Charon blocked Persephone’s path with his ferry. His dark hull appeared right in front of her.

He looked even more terrifying up close.

Persephone, who had surfaced, glared at Charon.

‘How did he come so quickly when there are so many bundles of coins in the ferry?’

All the coins the ferryman had were given by the dead souls. Even if each one was only about the size of a grain, they would weigh quite a bit when gathered together.

“…♪ -♬”

Having failed to avoid Charon, Persephone now whistled pretending not to notice.

At the same time, she tried to dive under his boat and pass by leisurely.

Of course, that didn’t work either.

Charon quickly moved his boat to block her path.

“…Hmm.”

Persephone, tying her wet hair to one side, glared at Charon.

Charon was focusing all his attention on her. He seemed to be observing whether she was indeed the person Hades was looking for.

Persephone’s eyes, which had seemed docile at first glance, were also gradually changing into a triangular shape.

Ah, she didn’t want to do this, but…

‘I have no choice.’

The moment Persephone made up her mind.

“Wah!”

She yelled out loud, pretending to try to overturn the ferry.

“…!”

Charon rattled, startled by her sudden action.

As he quickly tried to balance the rocking ferry, Persephone dove underwater as if she had been waiting for this moment.

By the time Charon turned around, sensing something was off…

Persephone already had a bundle of coins in her arms!

Charon stood up abruptly.

However, Persephone, who had decided to escape the underworld, was not to be underestimated either.

“Just try to come!”

She glanced back and held the bundle above her head. With a devilish expression.

“I’ll drop it!”

[This is the timeline separator]

Persephone thought that the bundle of coins inside Charon’s boat would be heavy.

She also thought that if there were several such seemingly heavy bundles, Charon wouldn’t be able to recklessly maneuver his boat.

But contrary to her carefree expectations, wasn’t she caught up too quickly due to the ferryman’s waterwheel-like rowing!

This was the reason why Persephone, trying to escape the underworld, resorted to the relatively extreme method of taking a hostage.

‘I wondered how he came like the wind, but it seems the coins themselves aren’t very heavy?’

Persephone furrowed one eyebrow as she fiddled with the coins in the pouch.

“Wait a minute…”

Are these really coins inside?