The King of the Underworld is Tired

Chapter 49: The Tragedy of Oedipus – (END)

A familiar sensation, shifting sight.

The black energy seeping from all directions is proof that I have possessed a human body.

“What the…? No way…!”

“Lord Hades…?”

The priests around me hastily bow their heads.

As I make my way through the crowd in the temple, what I see is the maddened king of Thebes.

“Ughhh…”

King Oedipus, who clearly has the power of Gaia.

He was the hero praised as a wise and strategic ruler who defeated the Sphinx.

But now, he charges at me, unable to recognize me on the day I descended into a human body.

No, rather than not recognizing me… it feels as if he has surrendered his mind to madness.

“Hyaaah!”

Boom!

I lightly extend my hand and unleash divine power at him as he charges.

Even though he has become a hero of unmatched strength among humans,

he is no match for a god who has possessed a human body.

Thud!

Oedipus, struck by a wave of divine power, rolls on the ground, staggering as he rises.

It was only a brief moment, but a flash of confusion passed through his eyes.

This isn’t a curse from Dionysus, the god of madness.

This madness is something that might be dispelled if he receives several strong shocks.

Boom!!!

“Guh!”

But to burn down the temple and massacre the people of Thebes?

Only a man already deeply unhinged could do something like that.

Once again, King Oedipus staggers to his feet.

“Are you regaining some clarity?”

“Ugh… Hades… God…”

The madman stares directly at me.

“…You are sorrowful. I will listen to your story.”

“Ugh…”

The madness granted by Gaia was merely a spark thrown onto an already smoldering pile of wood.

A moment of sanity flickers in Oedipus’s eyes as he alternates his gaze between my dark divine power and my pupils.

He slowly brings his sword to his arm.

Slice.

“Aaagh!”

“King Oedipus… has cut off his own arm…”

“What?!”

“What is happening…?!”

Oedipus grits his teeth as he kneels on one knee.

Cutting off his own arm, he has freed himself slightly from the influence of madness, and he looks directly at me.

Finally, the king of Thebes, now with clear and sober eyes, bows his head.

“Merciful God Pluto.”

But with that clarity comes a flood of emotions too varied to describe.

Sorrow, anger, self-loathing, guilt, resentment, despair…

“A god of mercy should not grant mercy to me… I am a sinner… Hehehe… Hahaha…”

A catalog of all negative emotions.

What on earth happened before he was cursed by Gaia?

But the sins he committed are enough to drag him to the underworld for judgment.

Focusing my energy into the edge of my hand, I moved the possessed body toward the kneeling man.

“You’re in no state to talk right now. We’ll speak again in a moment.”

“I’m sorry… Mother.”

Slice.

Thud. Roll.

Oedipus’s head rolls on the ground, as if he has given up on everything, offering no resistance.

For a criminal who burned down the temple of Dionysus and killed countless citizens in madness, his end was all too anticlimactic.

I glanced at the head rolling on the floor for a moment before turning my back to observe the humans.

The citizens of Thebes, unable to meet my gaze, are filled with fear of divine punishment.

“Lord Pluto…”

“Grant us mercy…”

The priests of the temple close their eyes and clasp their hands in silent prayer.

I see that one of the newly appointed priests is so moved that they shed tears.

“…Not a single one of you fled the temple. I will remember your faith.”

With one final word, I immediately transferred my consciousness back to the underworld.

* * *

As I returned my consciousness to the Underworld,

I was greeted by the sight of several gods with stern expressions.

They had all gathered after hearing about the situation in Thebes.

"Thanatos, summon King Oedipus immediately. Also, bring the judge Minos with you."

"Hmm. Understood."

"Shall I bring the waters of the Fountain of Memory?"

"Goddess Mnemosyne, I don't think that will be necessary."

Considering the look in Oedipus’s eyes when I saw him in the living world, it’s likely that even after crossing the River of Forgetfulness, his memories would remain.

Now, it’s time to hear his story.

Shortly afterward, Thanatos dragged in the spirit of Oedipus roughly.

Though there was no longer any madness in his eyes, a storm of complex emotions swirled within them.

"I will hear your story in full and, in consultation with Minos, the judge of the Underworld, I will render a verdict."

"....."

"Speak without reservation, tell me everything. Even if you curse Zeus, it doesn't matter to me."

With those words, Oedipus’s mouth slowly opened.

"I killed my father and had relations with my mother, even bearing children."

In a voice hoarse and faltering, he recounted his deeds.

The story of being raised as the prince of Corinth, killing his father who was riding in a chariot.

The Sphinx and Thebes, his mother and wife Jocasta.

And then... the truth told by the prophet Tiresias.

Even the power granted to him by the one who called themselves Gaia.

Having spoken this far, Oedipus closed his mouth again.

Had he not succumbed to Gaia's influence and burned the temple, killing people, his sins would have been significantly reduced.

"Gaia planted wrong thoughts in your mind."

"At first, indeed, resentment toward the gods filled my mind, but at some point, my own will joined in."

Did Oedipus willingly surrender himself to madness?

Why? Of course, it’s not easy to resist madness and regain one's sanity, but...

"...Were you resentful of Apollo for his prophecy?"

"He merely informed me of a predetermined future."

"Then was it anger at Ares, who cursed the Theban royal family through generations?"

"If someone had killed my children, I might have cast such a curse myself."

"Then do you believe Gaia, who led you to corruption, is to blame?"

"She merely redirected the course of an already burning flame."

He says this, but it's not as if he holds no resentment toward the gods.

When he was consumed by madness, he destroyed a temple, letting his hatred for Olympus explode.

But... the other desire he harbors is so great that it leaves him no room to resent the gods.

It’s time to see if my guess is correct.

"So then, what is it that you desire?"

"I wish to be punished as a heinous criminal who killed his father, had relations with his mother, destroyed a temple, and massacred the citizens of Thebes."

Perhaps he truly seeks divine punishment.

Despite the terrible sin of killing his father and slept with his mother, the three goddesses of vengeance did not torment him.

Perhaps this was because his actions lacked malice, but did this only make Oedipus feel even more wretched?

"You don’t blame the curse from Gaia for making you kill people?"

"...I'm sorry."

Perhaps he believes that the only way to atone is to suffer a cruel and merciless divine punishment for all the grievous sins he has committed...

The human mind is weaker and more fragile than that of the gods.

When pushed to the extreme, a person eventually chooses self-destruction.

Sometimes, those who overcome such trials are hailed as heroes among heroes...

But, unfortunately for Oedipus, he was not one of them.

Human emotions are complex; sometimes, even one’s own desires are unclear.

Especially for a person whose mind has shattered, who was then further burdened by the madness of Gaia...

"...Please, punish me."

* * *

"Your punishment cannot be decided quickly. It will be delayed."

Perhaps it wasn't the madness that drove him to insanity,

but rather his own plea to the gods to be punished for surrendering himself to it.

Oedipus was led away under the strict watch of the spirit guards.

I dismissed all the other gods for a moment and called upon Minos, the fair judge of the Underworld.

Though his two brothers were too busy judging other souls to come, Minos alone was enough for counsel.

"Minos, do you have any thoughts?"

"The severity of his crimes depends largely on the extent to which Gaia's curse influenced his mind."

"And?"

"Beyond that, we should consider the blasphemy, the tragic prophecy, his contributions to Thebes, and the wrongs he committed against the people..."

Minos’s words were correct.

The key issue is the balance between Oedipus's own intentions and the madness of the curse when he slaughtered the citizens and burned the temple.

We must deliver as fair a judgment as possible.

"Gaia must have tempted him by blaming everything on us gods."

"However, according to Oedipus's words after arriving in the Underworld, he also admitted that he himself succumbed to the madness midway and began to act even more violently..."

"Even without the whispers of Dionysus, a thread of his will must have remained intact within the madness."

"That must be why he mentioned that his own will was also involved."

"If not for Gaia's curse, it would have ended with him gouging out his eyes. He swore that he would blind himself if he found the monstrous sinner."

"The curse of Gaia drove the already broken Oedipus to make the wrong decisions..."

After that, I spent a long time discussing with Minos.

Considering the opinions of the dead, his reputation in the living world, the influence of the curse, and his attitude...

"Bring Oedipus back."

It was time to render the verdict.

* * *

Once again, Oedipus was dragged before me.

I slowly began to speak to the silent King of Thebes.

"Your crimes are that you committed incest with your mother, killed your father, succumbed to madness and burned the temple of Dionysus in Thebes, and killed innocent citizens."

Perhaps Oedipus is the most tragic figure in the history of Thebes?

"Judging by your crimes alone, it would be just to send you to Tartarus for endless labor, but..."

Most of the crimes he committed were not entirely his fault.

Even the burning of the temple and the slaughter of Theban citizens were tragic acts committed after he had lost his sanity.

"I will take into account the fact that you fell into Gaia’s madness, the prophecy that foretold your tragic fate, and the fact that you were revered as a wise king of Thebes before you realized the truth."

He was manipulated by the gods from beginning to end.

The curse of Ares brought misfortune to the royal family of Thebes...

He was abandoned by his father because of the tragic prophecy and ended up committing incest with his mother.

After realizing the truth, he was further exploited by Gaia and fell deeper into despair.

"I sentence you to 200 years of labor in the outer reaches of the Underworld, building stones, with the blessing of forgetfulness so that you will have no memory of the living world."

A light punishment for a man who massacred dozens, burned a temple, and even killed a divine creature.

But I judged this to be appropriate.

"You will not be able to reincarnate, and after your labor sentence, you will serve as a guard of the fortress for eternity."

"Is the blessing of forgetfulness... an act of mercy towards me?"

"Consider it a small compensation for someone who has suffered under the will of the gods from the moment of birth until the end."

I turned away from Oedipus, who was at a loss for words, and looked at the goddess Lethe.

"Lady Lethe, please."

The verdict was given.

* * *

After Oedipus received the blessing of forgetfulness and was led to the labor camp,

I found myself lost in thought for a moment.

"Hades, the Olympian god Dionysus has requested that Oedipus be punished more severely."

"...."

"Hades...?"

When I slowly lifted my head, I saw a silver-haired goddess with a sorrowful expression.

"I'm not sure if the judgment I made was correct."

"Hades, you did your best. You gave a fitting punishment and mercy to a man who was tossed by fate..."

"Well... I'm not sure."

Did I truly make the right judgment regarding Oedipus?

Was the punishment and mercy appropriate, or was there some unfairness in it?

"We gods... we are not omniscient, as humans wish to believe."

"Yes, that's true."

"Even Zeus doesn't know everything, and even the three great gods are eventually swayed by their emotions."

"Yes, of course."

"Athena isn't always wise, and even Hephaestus sometimes swings his hammer incorrectly."

Gods are not omniscient.

Even Athena can sometimes forget her wisdom in a moment of emotion,

and even Hephaestus occasionally creates failed works.

"But as the god of the Underworld, I must ensure that such things do not happen."

When humans die, they come to the Underworld.

The victim and the perpetrator meet in the Underworld.

The murderer and the innocent victim also come to the Underworld.

Those who committed crimes under coercion, those killed by the gods, all come to the Underworld.

Those who committed sacrilege, those who were deceived into wrongdoing, and those who unjustly suffered and resent the gods, all come to the Underworld.

The Underworld is the final destination of all mortals, where they are judged for the karma of their lives.

That's why I must deliver as fair and impartial a judgment as possible.

That is the duty of the god of the Underworld, who wields great power.

"But why shouldn't it happen? You're not the primordial god Chaos, Hades, so isn't it natural?"

"But..."

"I sometimes make mistakes when I bestow the blessing of forgetfulness on humans, so what if something goes a little wrong?"

"My duty is to judge mortals..."

"You're already doing well enough. Even Minos was satisfied with the verdict and returned."

Minos, who is known for his fairness, is not one to be silenced by my authority if he had disagreed with the judgment.

I am well aware of that fact.

"But still... I wish I could have given a more righteous judgment..."

Tightly.

"That's enough... Stop talking. Just forget everything for a moment and find peace."

The goddess Lethe suddenly hugged me and activated her power of forgetfulness.

Her warm affection enveloped me.

I didn't resist.