I've Possessed Persephone - Chapter 74

In front of the entrance to Tartarus.

“Hey, Persephone…?”

“What is it?”

“Why are you here?”

He rubbed his chin and pointed to the bronze door.

“Don’t tell me that worker you mentioned… is a prisoner of Tartarus?”

Persephone blinked innocently. The more she shone her innocent eyes, the more his expression gradually clouded over.

‘Hmm, he clearly looks displeased.’

Well, if the man in front of her was a proper father, he would be worried about her going in and out of Tartarus like Demeter.

However, Persephone believed more in the abilities of Thanatos or Nyx, who stayed in Tartarus – they would protect her the moment she entered Tartarus – rather than Iasion.

Or even Hades, who manages the underworld.

Moreover, the fate of ancient Greece was incredibly cruel and fair.

If the subject of Demeter’s prophecy was herself, trying to avoid death itself could be the cause of ‘death’.

It was really annoying, but that’s how it was.

This was why Persephone did not hesitate to go to Tartarus.

“You probably don’t want to go. I understand. They say it’s particularly scary here.”

And if the slave is not seen, shouldn’t the owner go and look for them personally?

“But I’ve been here before, and there are people I know inside, so I have some backing in many ways.”

“…”

“If you want, you can wait outside for a bit.”

She felt sorry for Iasion, but even if he was worried about her, she would not leave Sisyphus alone.

…Well, she thought that if he was her father, he would have passed on his spirit or boldness to her, but it turned out he was a coward, so perhaps their blood connection wasn’t that strong after all.

Persephone, who swallowed her inner disappointment while frowning her nose bridge, was about to take a step when…

“It’s not that I’m reluctant to set foot. It’s not that scary.”

“Then why are you acting like this?”

His golden-brown eyes narrowed.

“You, are you paying wages to the prisoner you use as a worker?”

“I don’t give money, but I give food.”

“Gasp…!”

Unlike Persephone who answered readily, Iasion was startled like a cat seeing a cucumber. He shouted in a fuss.

“You’ll be completely taken advantage of like that!”

“What?”

“Don’t give them that!”

Persephone shook her head.

“Ah, I tamed him a long time ago. He may have deceived gods before, but when I stimulated his appetite, he behaved on his own.”

“No, Persephone. Those guys are like foxes, only aiming for your heart!”

It was questionable that he chose soft words like heart instead of the back of the head, contrary to the content of his words, but Persephone scratched her cheek.

“Well, as you saw earlier, there’s so much work that he won’t have a rebellious spirit, right?”

“…If that’s the kind of prisoner who is a worker, you should make him work more. So he can’t think of anything else.”

“Why?”

“That’s…!”

Iasion, who was running around frantically like a courting bee, shouted as if it was very obvious.

“What if that worker falls for you!”

What nonsense is this.

Persephone, who deliberately waited for him to finish speaking to see what he was talking about, was overcome by the urge to pluck her biological father’s hair.

If she hadn’t reminded herself that they had only met for a few hours, she would have really reached for his hair.

“There’s no romantic interest. Neither from me nor that human.”

“…No, I know. My relationship with your mother was similar back then.”

Iasion raised his finger, using Persephone’s feet as the starting point, and pointed to a place that was immeasurably far away.

“I suffered so much cultivating a field about this size all by myself for half my life after getting caught stealing your mother’s vegetables.”

“What?”

“Yes, a field of just that size is not enough.”

“…Vegetable theft?”

At that moment, Iasion’s complexion sank without a trace of life. Only after Persephone’s remark did he seem to calm down from his excitement.

“Your first meeting with Mom was when you got caught stealing?”

“…”

The gentle smile that never left the corner of his mouth was preserved as it was. He widened his eyes brazenly.

“No? We first met at an acquaintance’s wedding?”

“How on earth did you marry Mom? She buries all thieves up to their heads in the ground.”

“Well, because I’m good-looking.”

“You just said you met at a wedding?”

“…”

Iasion remained silent. Persephone poked her father’s side as if telling him not to lie anymore.

When his ribs were poked directly, he let out a groan and carefully opened his mouth.

“…At first, your mother made me work even under the scorching sun. I only intended to steal a few vegetables and fruits, but I wondered why she was tormenting me like this.”

“…Ah, yes. But…”

“Well, but as we bumped into each other living together, I fell for your mother first, so somehow in the field that I had plowed three times, uh? That…”

Persephone’s mouth gaped open.

Even the gatekeeper of Tartarus behind them made the same expression as her.

“Anyway, that’s how we ended up living under the same roof.”

Iasion cleared his throat and raised his index finger.

“So how would I know if there are more guys like me? Not just another solid worker, but a prisoner at that.”

“…”

“Guys with nothing to lose are all like that. They become obsessed with catching the love in front of their eyes.”

The focus disappeared from Persephone’s eyes.

She staggered to the side door of the bronze gate that was slowly opening and concluded.

“No, so in conclusion… The prisoner I feed could be a cunning guy like my father who became a worker for stealing my mother’s crops?”

“That’s right.”

“…”

…How am I supposed to react to this?

It’s an interesting story, but I feel a bit dirty being associated with that middle-aged man. That man would probably find it as dirty as a cockroach touching a human.

When she looked at him dismally, Iasion scrambled for excuses.

“At that time, all I had was my face and body. Your mother was really cool and lovely even in my eyes.”

One of the gatekeepers of Tartarus raised his index finger toward Iasion and brought it close to his temple, spinning it round and round.

He seemed quite perplexed, as it was the first time he had seen someone causing such a commotion in front of the bronze gate, and dozens of his arms and eyes hidden during normal times appeared and disappeared like fog.

Persephone, who witnessed that signal, also nodded her head slightly.

‘…He means if you’re going to go, quickly drag him into Tartarus because he’s crazy.’

It seemed better to enter Tartarus quickly. To resolve this absurd misunderstanding!

* * *

Somewhere in Tartarus.

“Hmm… Is it still daytime?”

Sisyphus, who estimated the time by the nearby cliffs, raised one eyebrow.

There was still time left, so he would not be scolded by the farm owner, at least.

Sighing with relief, he pulled the iron chain and was about to walk towards the entrance.

There were two figures entering through the entrance.

“Wow, so this is Tartarus!”

“Yes! Isn’t it amazing?”

“Yeah!”

What, why are there two farm owners?

Rubbing his eyes, Sisyphus observed them a little more and realized that the two were father and daughter.

He tried to discreetly back away, pretending not to know.

“Where are you going!”

Unfortunately, a slave cannot escape from their master.

“This is my father. Introduce yourself.”

Persephone, who brought Iasion, caught Sisyphus, who was sweating nervously, and turned him around.

“Gasp…!”

Then Iasion covered his mouth in shock.

“H-How could you be with such a scruffy middle-aged man…!”

“…What?”

“No, of course there are young ladies who like that kind of appearance, but those guys only say things like ‘Oh, why me, an old man’…!”

Sisyphus, who was suddenly attacked personally, let out a hollow laugh.

Persephone tapped her arm as if telling him not to do that.

“He’s a bit lack- No. He’s very worried about me. So it would be nice if you could clarify that our relationship is a strict employer-employee relationship.”

“What nonsense is that?”

When Persephone whispered, Sisyphus made a retching sound as if a centipede was crawling on his body.

“No, well, ha. Farm owner’s father. Look at me for a moment.”

“…Why.”

“I am this person’s worker, but I don’t only help her alone. And the only ulterior motive I have is imagining how much and how the plants will grow tomorrow and what delicious snacks there will be.”

Anyway, it meant that it was not the relationship the agricultural god had imagined.

Nevertheless, Iasion bowed his head as if he was wronged.

“…No.”

“What?”

“Even if not you, this place is overflowing with unscrupulous prisoners.”

A scythe that he must have gotten from Persephone’s warehouse at some point appeared in his hand.

“I’m going to castrate all of them.”

“…”

“Yeah, that would be better.”

Sisyphus was terrified. He screamed silently and hid behind Persephone.

But Persephone smiled brightly and pushed Sisyphus’ back.

“Can you give us a tour?”

“…Wh-What did you say-”

“Let’s go, to neuter your friends!”

…These crazy, entitled customers!

“W-Wait! Not there!”