"Old man Charon, at least you'll have to row less than before..." "Ugh. What do you know! Even before, I didn't have to row much due to my powers. The important thing is that I still have to ferry these mortal souls across the Acheron River! Even though the boat can move on its own, why do I still have to row..."

It must have been really hard for him to ferry the souls all the time. This job at the bottom of the underworld is tough indeed.

"But isn't it better than what Thanatos has to endure? Cheer up." "That’s not comforting at all..."

Charon, the ferryman—or rather, the captain—of the Acheron River, began to row on his newly acquired boat. His oar had also been lengthened to match the size of the giant boat.

"I'll try to increase the number of coins placed in the mouths of the dead in the living world." "...I don't need money, just let me rest."

Still, I should inform the priests at my temple to say something. Even if the dead's families are poor, the visitors at the funeral can contribute a bit, and Charon’s pockets will be filled. Eventually, this might be known as condolence money.

"Get on board, you lot! I'll take you across the Acheron River!"

The boat carrying the souls moved away again, propelled by Charon's rowing. Although an automatic motor was installed at the bottom of the boat, the rules of the underworld dictated that Charon still had to row.

"Hades. Can’t you hear me..? I’d like to spend some passionate time together now..."

Aphrodite, who was controlling the souls on one side, approached and placed her hand on my chest. The goddess of love smiled sweetly, trying to seduce me.

Hm, step back.

"There's a soul who came here upon hearing that you’re in the underworld." "Huh? A soul that wants to see me?"

Aphrodite made a puzzled expression and waited for a moment. From the boat that had just returned after dropping souls on the other side of the Acheron River, a man emerged. As soon as he saw Aphrodite, he ran over and knelt down.

"Ah.. you’re the human I remember." "Goddess Aphrodite... I, Pygmalion, who received your grace, offer my heartfelt thanks."

His name was Pygmalion. He was the world's greatest sculptor, who could marry the statue he created thanks to Aphrodite's grace.

Pygmalion, with a more serious expression than when he was sculpting, bowed in front of the goddess Aphrodite. The goddess of beauty and love adjusted her posture at the mortal’s sincerity.

Aphrodite placed her hand on the shoulder of her devotee. Pygmalion lowered himself even more, overwhelmed with emotion.

"The sculptor from Cyprus who prayed to me while making a statue." "Yes! Thanks to your blessing, I lived a fulfilling life with my beloved wife!" "I saw that sincere love till the end, with the woman I breathed life into."

The sculptor shivered at her reference to his creation as a woman rather than a mere statue.

"All this is your grace. I wanted to thank you for helping me fulfill my love." "Consider it a reward for your earnest yearning for love."

I stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt their conversation. Aphrodite, with a kind smile befitting the goddess of love, spoke gently.

Pygmalion, who expressed his gratitude with tears, left. Come to think of it, there was something I was curious about...

"What were you thinking when you breathed life into that statue?" "Oh, that?"

Aphrodite pondered for a moment. Her beautiful contemplation reflected on the Acheron River.

Soon, she smiled mischievously and spoke.

"Isn't it the essence of a god to grant mortals' impossible desires and answer their earnest prayers?"

Impossible desires and earnest prayers. Though we gods live eternally, we don't become desensitized or repetitive like machines. We maintain formed personalities, or perhaps we should say we are deities with human traits.

That's why incidents like Zeus's assaults, the tragedy of Phaethon and Helios, the gods' rebellions, or Thanatos's strikes happen...

"Well, to be honest, it was just a whim. I never thought a human could move my heart..."

Sometimes such heartwarming stories occur.

As I nodded in understanding, Aphrodite glared at me sharply.

"By the way, I've been asking since earlier. When will we have some... fun time together?" "Oh, if you like hot times, I can assign you to the Phlegethon River." "No! Why would I work in the underworld?" "...? Didn’t you want to come to the underworld?"

The goddess of beauty’s expression crumpled in frustration.

"That’s not what I meant! I wanted to spend joyful time with you...!" "You met Pygmalion, and it’s quite enjoyable working here..." "Argh! I just want to go back!"

What. Go back? Not a chance. I already got permission from Zeus to bring any god I wanted. You need to work here a bit longer.

"For your information, Zeus approved of me bringing you here." "What...?!" "I protested about the Thanatos issue, so we decided to deploy some gods from Olympus."

Aphrodite’s face went blank upon hearing that Zeus sold her out. She looked like she couldn't accept the reality.

"Since it’s decided, please take care of the souls at the Acheron River." "H.. Hades!"

Aphrodite diligently working at the Acheron River. Thanks to her, I can feel a lot of changes in the underworld.

With Charon quickly handling souls, Thanatos’s work efficiency improved, and more souls reached the River of Lament, Cocytus, quickly, giving all the gods of the underworld more time. Even those who couldn't accept their deaths and caused trouble decreased...

"Hades! This is not what I expected!"

After encouraging Aphrodite, who was working hard at the Acheron River, I returned to the underworld’s stronghold, leaned on the throne, and closed my eyes.

Recently, there have been too many incidents... But with Aphrodite helping in the underworld, I should have some time...

Hug.

A subtle presence behind the throne approached and embraced me. Soft silver hair, gentle touch.

"Goddess Lethe, how are things going with managing the souls at the Lethe River..." "I left it to my followers." "What about the selection of new attendants..." "Don't think about such things."

The small goddess’s touch covered my sight gently, so I just closed my eyes. The feeling of my head resting comfortably on something soft... hmm.

I tried to get up from the embrace of the Goddess Lethe behind the throne, but I failed. She’s tightening her grip...

"Zeus or Poseidon don't seem to have as much work as you, Hades." "...It’s unavoidable due to the nature of the underworld."

Zeus, ruling the sky and the world, might be the busiest, but he has distributed the work to many gods.

Sun, wind, nature, earth, arts, madness... Other Olympian gods handle things unless it's a major incident like the Gigantomachy or war.

Poseidon, ruling the vast sea and waters, also entrusts most of the work to numerous sea nymphs, Nereids, and divine beasts. He doesn’t need to worry unless an event affects the entire marine ecosystem.

But the underworld is different. It’s responsible for ensuring the cycle operates correctly.

If there’s an issue with the souls entering the underworld, it becomes difficult to assign souls to new lives. If space in the underworld runs out or becomes overpopulated, it’s hard to receive more dead. If judgments on sins in the underworld aren’t properly executed, the laws of the world falter.

And the most critical issue is...

"All the gods are very busy. Look at Charon or Thanatos..." "True..."

Unlike Olympus, where the division of labor is effective... There aren’t many idle gods here to share the work. And asking the dreaded goddesses of vengeance for help isn’t an option either.

"Shall I use my power to clear your mind?" "...Please do."

The Goddess Lethe whispered in a worried voice. With her power of forgetfulness, she could probably relieve my fatigue for a while. It’s like temporarily shedding unnecessary memories from my mind...

Kiss.

...?!

A soft touch on my forehead, followed by a clearing of my mind, melting away mental fatigue.

Wait, did she just kiss my forehead...

"Shh. Just rest without saying anything."

Opening my eyes, I saw the bright red face of the goddess, contrasting her silver hair. Looking at her flushed face, I closed my eyes again.

"...Alright."

My face likely mirrored hers.