King of Underworld - Chapter 75



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A slightly different story of Thebes – (1)

A few months after the oracle about Thebes had spread widely in this world, a strong man entered Thebes.

The protagonist was Pilatos, who was renowned for his brute strength in Sparta.

‘Is this Thebes? It’s a very large city, just as I expected.’

As soon as you cross the wall, you can hear merchants soliciting customers and children laughter coming from all directions.

The faces of those passing by were covered in a glossy oil, and a faint, refreshing scent emanated from the bodies of those passing by.

A little way off the main street, there were simple houses made of well-baked bricks, closely packed together.

One could also find the homes of wealthy nobles with gardens and the largest royal palace in Thebes.

“Selling high-quality olives that have been blessed by the goddess Demeter!”

“How much is this?”

“There are fish left over after sacrificing them to the gods of Olympus! Each one costs only…”

“It’s clear that Phoebus has blessed you, hahaha!”

‘I wonder if this is the city of the god Pluto. It smells like mint… Hmm?’

Bam.

Someone knocked on Pilatos, who was standing in the middle of the street blankly staring around, and passed by.

The street was wide, but it seemed to have become a nuisance because there were so many people.

“Hey, what are you doing blocking the road? You seem to be a foreigner who came to Thebes hoping to become a hero… Let’s go towards the Agora.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Hey… Tsk. There are so many stupid outsiders these days…”

A merchant wearing a chiton made of animal fur and sandals made of cowhide passed by, grumbling.

Seeing the servants following him one after another, it was clear that he had made a lot of money through trade.

As Pilatos was walking around like that, a group of children ran somewhere next to him.

“Kyahahahaha! So the reason it thundered yesterday was because of Zeus…”

“Let’s go up the mountain today without telling our parents…! Let’s bring back lots of wild strawberries!”

“You guys are going to get in trouble again if you do that? The security guard would have stopped you in the first place.”

“Go to the Hypnos statue in the Pluto Temple and pray. I heard you’re afraid to fall asleep these days.”

‘Why is there a statue of Hypnos, the god of sleep, in the temple of Pluto?’

His curiosity piqued by what the children were saying as they passed by, he stopped by the Temple of Pluto for a moment.

Although it was located on the outskirts of the city, the temple, which had the grandeur of a castle, was packed with people.

As if to prove that the other side of the god of wealth and mercy is the underworld,

Pluto’s priests and servants were all dressed in black and gloomy attire.

“Ugh… There are a lot of people today.”

“I brought a few eggs from our chickens to offer as a sacrifice.”

“Won’t God be angry if I just offer that much?”

“You don’t know anything, my friend. Pluto is the god of wealth and mercy, and he is indifferent to sacrifices.”

“Yes. It’s the heart that matters.”

As I finally got inside, I saw Pluto’s priests and servants controlling the crowd.

Those who brought various tributes such as honey, grain, and animal skins also looked unusual.

After waiting in line for a while, a beautiful priestess dressed in black approached him.

She looked to be in her early 30s, raised her hands toward Pilatos and opened her mouth.

“May the grace of Pluto be with you. I am a junior priestess, Philona. What brings you here?”

“I just stopped by out of curiosity. I heard there are many statues of other gods around here…”

“Ah! If you want to see the statues of other gods belonging to the underworld, just go over there.”

A priestess with her finger extended and pointing in one direction.

* * *

As I walked around the temple, following the priestess’s finger,

Soon numerous statues and long lines in front of them came into view.

Each statue carved from marble was guarded by heavily armed guards.

Judging by their attire, they were definitely royal guards.

“Next person!”

“You offered a prayer earlier, didn’t you? Once per person. This is a measure taken because the number of people has increased…”

“Lord of the River of Forgetfulness, my son has not been able to sleep since he returned from war…”

“I swear before the statue of Styx that I will…”

“Today, I want to show my honesty before the fair and just god Pluto…”

“Ahem! To the Goddess of Mint…”

Believers close their eyes and clasp their hands together, muttering in small voices in front of the statues of their respective gods.

Pilatos asked the guard about the strange scenery.

“Look here. I’m an outsider so I don’t know much. Why are there statues of other gods in the temple of Pluto?”

“Oh, how many times has that question been asked…”

Were there many people who asked the guards questions like that?

The guard explained, sounding very annoyed.

“I’ll only explain this once, so listen carefully.”

“Okay, I understand.”

“Pluto, being the merciful god he is, had statues of most of the gods who reside in the underworld made in his temple. As you can see, there are goddesses of vengeance, Tana… ahem. And the god of death?”

“That’s true…”

Come to think of it, there were also statues of gods that people avoided made here.

At least in Sparta, they didn’t even mention the god of death, Thanatos, or the three goddesses of vengeance.

“You even embraced gods that mortals were reluctant to believe in or whose names you didn’t even know. Thanks to you, we were able to let go of our prejudices more than we thought.”

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“I see…”

Pilate waited a moment in a suitable line, then placed his hands together in prayer before a statue of an unknown goddess.

The content of the prayer was… something about expressing gratitude for the grace…

Phew!

“Hmm?! What is this?”

“Another one has been chosen.”

“You look like a foreigner, I envy you.”

“Is this a statue of the Goddess Styx?”

Surprisingly, a soft light began to shine and surround his body?!

But not many people were surprised by the miracle of God, and the guard who had just been talking approached and spoke to them.

“Congratulations. If you have come to Thebes because you wish to become a hero, will you follow me?”

“What just happened was…”

“The Goddess Styx has recognized the latent power within you. Those who are chosen here are often chosen.”

“It’s true that I came here because I wanted to be a hero, but…”

“You have passed the first test, so come here.”

Pilate followed him into a part of the temple with a trembling face.

* * *

Pilatos was led to a large room that looked like a banquet hall and was told by the guard to take a seat and wait.

There was a lot of food around, and there were about 10 people killing time like that.

“You are free to do whatever you want, just wait until dinnertime.”

“But are all the others also chosen by the gods?”

“Of course not. If you go to the Agora in the center of the city and wait, you can receive training from an instructor. You’ll have to pass various tests, but… well, most of those who stand out there come here.”

Those who wish to become heroes are made to gather in the Agora in the center of the city.

Gather them and see if they can pick out the jade, whether it’s carrying rocks, demonstrating swordplay, or examining their strange special abilities.

Sometimes, those chosen by God or by oracles are chosen.

“Among those who failed to become heroes, there are many who became soldiers. Not long ago, one was selected as a royal guard.”

‘There is a reason why the royal family of Thebes upholds the word of the gods. It is because it is beneficial to everyone.’

Those who stand out like that gather in the room where Pilatos is.

He nodded with understanding, and the guard returned to his original position.

We waited until evening, the door opened and a man in black robes who appeared to be a priest of Pluto came in.

Behind him, soldiers and other priests follow, the man who appears to be middle-aged.

“Hmm. Is that all for today? Everyone, come out and touch this one by one!”

Bam.

The middle-aged priest placed a small, glowing stone from his bosom on the table.

One by one, people come forward and start touching the mysterious object.

Paat.

“Hmm. It’s shining. Stand over here.”

……

“There’s no reaction at all. Unfortunately, you’re eliminated.”

“What? With just this piece of stone…”

When you touch the stone, it glows, and those who do so are likely to become heroes.

The eliminated man was furious, but Pilatos could tell.

I felt a sacredness in that stone, as if God had breathed power into it himself.

“What’s wrong with a stone like this? I didn’t come all the way to Thebes to play pranks like this…”

“…I guess it won’t work.”

Phew!

“This is what will happen to those who cause trouble. Everyone, take note.”

The one who could not accept the given result and grabbed the soldier by the collar was soon hit in the neck by the guard’s spear and fell down.

That’s why you came in with so many soldiers and priests of the gods.

Without even looking back at the man who was being dragged out unconscious by two soldiers,

The middle-aged priest continued his work of discernment.

“Next, come out.”

“Is it my turn?”

The next one to step forward was a scholar who couldn’t even catch a chicken.

But the result passed.

Paaaaat-

“You’re the second one. Stand here.”

Are you saying that a hero chosen by the gods can be someone who looks so weak?

“next.”

Now all that remained were the muscular, balding man and Pilatos.

A muscular man brushed past him and placed his hand on the stone, and there was an immediate reaction.

Paaaaat-

But… something was strange.

The stone that had been emitting white light until now was emitting a bright red light.

The bald man tilted his head, wondering why this was happening to only him, then suddenly pulled out a sword from his waistband.

Drool started flowing from his mouth, which had been fine until just now, and his eyes gradually turned red.

“Ugh… ugh…!”

“A spy consumed by madness! Kill him!”

The soldiers rushed towards him as the middle-aged priest uttered unintelligible words.

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