I've Possessed Persephone - Chapter 43

“Are you afraid of Lord Hades?”

“It would be a lie to say I’m not afraid.”

Asclepius retorted as if it were obvious.

“I’m his personal physician, but I can count on one hand the times I’ve been summoned. In fact, it’s just a nominal position.”

“……”

“If I were a cunning god like that king of Corinth, I would have found loopholes in those principles… But I was honest about my work, and ended up falling to the underworld like this.”

Persephone glanced at Sisyphus, who was being attacked by wild animals in Elysium – the animals seemed to recognize him as a prisoner.

“Lord Hades certainly values rules.”

She got the impression that he especially valued procedures among the rules.

Just look at how he gave her the position of administrator.

This was clearly different from Demeter, who didn’t give hierarchy to her subordinate fairies or human workers, except for her assistant Hecate.

“But I don’t think Lord Hades is a cruel person.”

“Cruel?”

“Well, I should say he’s not the type to punish excessively?”

Persephone continued.

“Of course, I don’t think you’re bad, Asclepius. Saving people is mostly a good thing.”

“But?”

“Well, but bringing back the dead…”

Persephone made a small gesture.

“That’s actually blasphemy against the underworld.”

“……”

“Asclepius, you should have originally gone to Tartarus.”

One of Asclepius’ eyebrows twitched.

“…So you’re saying the Lord of the Dead showed me mercy by not sending me to Tartarus?”

But he shook his head as if he couldn’t agree.

“Mercy is the prerogative of the strong.”

His sharp white eyes, as if covered in frost, narrowed.

“The strong cannot understand the weak. So their ‘mercy’ is nothing more than self-satisfaction.”

“……”

“For example, if the weak try to undermine their authority, don’t the strong suddenly change and try to crush them with hierarchy?”

…Indeed, an intellectual.

‘How philosophical.’

Persephone silently observed Asclepius’ demeanor.

Just listening to his words could easily lead to misunderstanding, but surprisingly, his tone lacked any resentment towards the unspecified group he referred to as the ‘strong’.

Even the eccentricity he showed when first meeting Persephone was completely absent.

He seemed to be stating only objective facts derived from observation and logic.

So Asclepius probably didn’t resent Hades.

Persephone could instinctively sense his emotions.

“Well, I don’t know? What I meant to say wasn’t about ‘mercy’.”

So, she opened her lips leisurely.

Pointing at Sisyphus, who was being pecked by quails.

“Do you know what kind of guy that Sisyphus over there is?”

“Roughly. He deceived the god of death and the lord of the underworld, right?”

“Yes, but he’s not actually a bad guy. Tartarus is full of scum worse than him.”

“True. But I heard he became a prisoner of Tartarus and could not escape from there.”

“Could not escape, huh.”

“……”

“Don’t you think there’s something strange about that?”

At that moment, Asclepius’ bushy eyebrows trembled.

“…Come to think of it, how is that guy able to come out?”

He turned his head towards Persephone.

“Is it perhaps your arrangement?”

“No, that guy was able to come out of Tartarus even before he became my worker.”

It meant that Hades had allowed Sisyphus to enter and exit Tartarus from the beginning.

Asclepius opened and closed his mouth for a long time.

“…So it wasn’t something like mercy.”

After a long silence, he nodded.

“If you commit blasphemy, you unconditionally become a prisoner of the underworld, but…”

“The level of punishment is determined based on good and evil.”

Persephone shrugged, winking one eye.

“I talked with him a bit after coming to the underworld, you know?”

“……”

“I think the past Hades must have realized the limitations of principles and rules when he saw the cases of Sisyphus and you, Asclepius.”

If Hades had only emphasized ‘rules’ as Asclepius thought, he would have made sure Sisyphus could only stay in Tartarus.

He would have been merciless, as Asclepius said.

But now he was not like that at all. Hades was quite flexible.

Even if that appearance might seem rigid to others, it was clearly better than the past that Asclepius spoke of.

“By the way, sometimes when things don’t go well, you can upset the gods a little. I understand you, Asclepius.”

Persephone stood up proudly.

“Whose nerves did you fray?”

“My mother’s. Before coming here, I was even attacked by, no, a monster.”

Asclepius opened his lips blankly.

“…You’re a complete unfilial daughter.”

“No way. It’s not my fault I was attacked by a monster.”

Persephone laughed as she retorted to Asclepius’ words.

“And now I don’t regret coming to the underworld.”

Persephone didn’t have good feelings about this place until she came to the underworld.

What’s the use of accumulated wealth?

A gloomy place full of dead people. A terrible place that smells of mold. She thought it would be the opposite of her, who liked fresh air and vegetation.

But actually staying here, it wasn’t such a terrible place.

No, it even had some points better than the surface.

Coziness.

Yes, unlike the somewhat chaotic surface, the underworld was peaceful and cozy.

Because…

“Everyone is really kind.”

The people of the underworld were very considerate of Persephone.

It was similar yet subtly different from Demeter’s maternal love. They were kind in their own ways.

Persephone liked them for that.

Her desire to return home remained unchanged, but she thought it was really fortunate that she could make good memories of the underworld thanks to its people.

Asclepius stared at her with a strange look for a moment, then nodded casually.

“Well, I thought the same when I had to revive the dead. Even if this was blasphemy… I would never regret bringing back the deceased.”

His eyes reflected Persephone’s field.

“I’ve been hiding secretly in Elysium until now, but it seems I don’t need to anymore.”

Among them, some seemed to have already sprouted, with green parts occasionally visible.

Asclepius, who had been staring at the sprouts for a long time, took a deep breath.

“It seems the underworld isn’t just a terrible place that smells of mold…”

How long had Asclepius’ gaze wandered in the empty air?

“You.”

“Yes?”

“One bo of field.”

He suddenly raised his index finger to make the number ‘1’.

“Can I have one bo of field?”

“Why suddenly a field?”

“I’d like to grow some medicinal herb seedlings. Elysium isn’t suitable for artificially growing things like fields.”

“……”

A grin spread across Persephone’s lips.

“Of course.”

She held out her right hand as if to shake hands.

When Asclepius’ hand intertwined with hers, it happened.

Raven-like wing feathers flashed at the edge of Persephone’s vision.

【Sprout, I have something to ask.】

Before Persephone could ask what was wrong, Thanatos pointed to the waterway right next to the field.

【It’s not for me to say since I dug it, but don’t you have to leave the underworld in five months?】

Persephone’s expression froze while still smiling.

【How will you deal with this?】

Asclepius, blinking his eyes, came into view.

After hearing Thanatos’ question, he tilted his neck creakily.

“…You’re not… staying in the underworld… forever?”

Cold sweat ran down the back of Persephone’s neck.

That’s right. She had only told Asclepius that she came to the underworld because of the Healing Spring, but didn’t say she could return.

It was quite intentional, but.

Before she could think properly, her shoes kicked the slope.

Asclepius, realizing she had lied to him, began to rage.

“You, this won’t do! Come here!”

“I’m sorry! I was wrong!”

“So you know you’re sorry! If you really think you did wrong, become my slave!”

“Can’t you let me be your assistant instead!”

Persephone fled, avoiding Asclepius’ staff attacks.

That day ended up with her arguing with her newly acquired teacher.

Persephone thought that someday she would become Asclepius’ master, and vowed to rebel.

It was a peaceful day.

[This is the timeline separator]

And on an equally peaceful morning in the underworld, one day.

“Lord Hades−?”

The sound of the reed pen scratching papyrus abruptly stopped.

Hades, who was processing reports as usual in his office, turned towards the owner of the playful voice.

A young man with brown hair waved at him. Hades stood up from his seat.

“Ah, Hermes. You’ve come.”

“Guess what I brought?”

Hermes approached Hades with a crab walk, then grinned.

Hades frowned and asked.

“…What is it?”

“Come on, guess!”

Hades’ gaze turned to Hermes’ waist.

The messenger god had his hands behind his back, apparently hiding something of moderate size behind him.

Looking at that sight, Hades suddenly swallowed dry.

Could it be…

‘A birthday present? For me?’

Well, Hermes was very quick with rumors.

If Persephone had told him about her birthday, Hermes might have prepared a gift for him too.

…Suddenly, he remembered the taste of the honey cake he had eaten recently.

Hades, who momentarily closed his eyes tightly, shook his head slightly.

‘No, don’t think about it.’

He had wiped his mouth clean to his subordinates who asked how it was after returning to the office, saying ‘Persephone liked it enough’.

Now if he gradually pushed away thoughts of her, everything would be resolved. If he maintained an attitude of indifference or interest that was unclear which it was.

When the true Hades opened his eyes again, it was then.

“…Why are you eating that?”

Hermes was holding a plate and eating something that was presumed to be the ‘gift’.

Judging by its color and shape, it seemed to be a cake.

“What?”

Hermes, who was happily devouring the cake, threw a question back at Hades.

He raised one corner of his mouth crookedly as if he had seen all sorts of strange people.

“No, I was going to brag about receiving a birthday present, but you suddenly closed your eyes as if you didn’t want to see it.”

“So, that…”

The tip of Hades’ index finger pointed towards the cake.

Then Hermes pointed with the tip of his utensil at the cake that had collapsed by a quarter.

“Ah, this? Persephone gave it to me as my birthday present.”

Hermes smiled brightly.