episode_0073

The old god Kronos and Chairman Hades-nim had a bad relationship.

Both of them were living in this Soul Society, but.

They had never faced each other even once, and it was expected to remain so in the future.

But?

Those two met now.

It was because I ran away to the old man Kronos-nim.

“…Old man!”

“Do you live without even looking in a mirror?”

The Chairman-nim’s anger, which had been pouring out towards me, instantly turned towards the colossal god Kronos. Of course, he didn’t forget to glance at me with his red gaze.

“Section Chief Joy, you’re playing a ridiculous trick. Even if you lead me to an old man who is completely old and without even strength, nothing will change!”

Crackle, crackle, crackle-!

The intimidating aura that began to emanate from the Chairman-nim’s body turned into red lightning, striking in all directions.

At this moment, I swiftly hid behind the old man Kronos-nim.

The old man Kronos-nim picked up his pickaxe and simply removed stones from his field.

“Get your feet off my field. Aren’t you stepping on the sprouts?”

“A sprout, you say?”

The Chairman-nim withdrew his anger and slightly pulled his foot back.

Then the stepped-on sprout was limply drooping.

“You swallowed and ate your own children, yet you raise plants that aren’t even connected by blood so well.”

“You didn’t eat your children, yet I heard your son grabbed you by the collar? I’m talking about Zagreus. They were saying that fellow perfectly resembled you.”

Truly amazing!

To not lose a single word in front of the terrifying Chairman-nim, to the extent that even the Underworld’s executives would bow their heads!

Running away to the old man Kronos-nim was the correct answer.

“One who rises by pointing a sword at his father has no choice but to suffer the same fate from his own son. Rebels are also like that. One who rises by rebellion is destined to fall by rebellion! That is fate, you know.”

“Nonsense! We are different from the old man!”

“Your brothers and sisters might be different. The second son or the youngest might be different. But not you, Hades. My eldest son. You resemble me the most. Even down to your twisted and eccentric points!”

“Ugh, I don’t want to hear it! Just you wait and see. I will cut off this cycle of hatred flowing in this black and murky blood! I will see if you can say the same words then!”

“Alright! When you come next time, at least bring a gift!”

“I refuse!”

With those words, the Chairman-nim turned his back and swiftly disappeared into the darkness.

Only then was I able to breathe a sigh of relief.

The old man Kronos-nim looked at me and laughed heartily.

“Section Chief Joy, you will be the only person, including executives and ordinary people, who has survived after being hated by that terrifying eldest son. His temperament is such that even my guts get chilled, yet you survived surprisingly well!”

“What could I have done? It’s all thanks to you, old man-nim.”

“Is that really so?”

The old man-nim shrugged his shoulders.

I don’t know what “Is that really so?” means.

So, as I was thinking about the old man-nim’s intentions, the old god’s hand moved towards the light.

“More than that, look at that sun. Hasn’t it broken free from merely imitating light and is now shining beautifully like a real sun? They say you helped make that?”

The old man Kronos-nim admired the sight of the fake sun, which had been shining in the Underworld sky, setting.

“Looking at that sky makes me think of my father.”

“If it’s your father, old man-nim… you’re talking about Ouranos-nim, the Protogenoi of the sky, right?”

“Yes. He was a truly frightening gentleman. But as I look at the sky like this, I sometimes remember. When his era ended, he told me. That I too would fall by the hand of my son, just the same.”

“Just now, old man-nim, you said something similar to the Chairman-nim, didn’t you?”

“That’s how it is between father and son. If a son cannot surpass his father, he cannot fulfill his role as a man. Section Chief Joy, since you are also a son, you’ll understand what I mean, right?”

I looked at the sky where the sunset glow was fading.

It resembled that of the surface world.

When night falls, that “Celestial Body ver.2” will shine even more splendidly, right?

“I had a good relationship with my father. Honestly, I only have good memories.”

“What? How can that be?”

The old man Kronos-nim asked as if he couldn’t believe that a father-son relationship could be good.

Since the father-son relationship the old man-nim experienced would have been a fierce one of killing each other, it might seem like a natural question, in a way.

I recalled old, dusty memories.

“My father liked stars, you see. When night fell, he would take a large telescope to the rooftop and tell me stories about the stars and constellations.”

I liked the stories of heroes who became stars.

Perhaps half the reason I am here is due to the nymph, and half is because of my father.

Suddenly, it occurred to me that tonight, even more splendid stars than ever before would appear in the sky of this Soul Society.

This was not the time to be doing this.

# # #

Countless people gathered on the various riverbanks and meadows where Asphodel flowers were in full bloom in the Underworld.

Families had come out for an outing to see the moon and stars that would shine after the sun set.

“Honey, there are so many people!”

“Kshali, hold my hand tightly. Son! Don’t go too far either!”

“Admetus! It’s here! Here! I’ve reserved a spot!”

“It’s a good spot.”

“……!”

“Yes, yes. I think so too, Echo.”

Lovers who loved each other also came out to the streets.

Tonight, probably all residents of the Soul Society will go outside.

“Wow, it’s really good that there’s no overtime today!”

“Krauser-ssi, it’s been a long time.”

Even Krauser, an employee of Happy World, for whom overtime work was always a daily routine.

Even Sisyphus, the prisoner who had been engrossed in the punishment of pushing a large rock, appeared in the park.

“I didn’t know even Sisyphus-ssi would come here.”

Isn’t that news that the prisoner’s punishment has stopped?

In response to my question, Sisyphus-ssi shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s thanks to Section Chief Joy-nim.”

“Me?”

“Thanks to the old man Daedalus’s masterpiece being completed beyond expectations, it seems the Chairman-nim’s mood was remarkably good. We prisoners also became able to freely enjoy the night, free from punishment, tonight.”

The Chairman-nim’s mood is good, they say?

If I recall how he followed me as if to kill me a while ago, I couldn’t imagine it.

As the sun slowly set like that-.

The night began to be beautifully dyed with purple light.

At that moment, some people greatly admired it.

“It’s certainly the power of Nyx-nim and Erebus-nim.”

“A sky where the power of night and darkness resides. Daedalus made something great.”

The people who had been chattering one word at a time soon closed their mouths.

As if overwhelmed in front of some masterpiece.

Twinkle, twinkle-.

Countlessly shining stars above the sky.

The flowing Milky Way shone like glittering bead fragments on ink-colored silk, making them speechless.

Anyone who is alive is bound to have at least one memory of beautiful stars and the night sky.

The residents of this Soul Society were also the same.

Each one seemed to recall the days they had lived on the surface world, burning their short lives brightly.

Everywhere, only the sounds of regretful sighs, filled with longing, became abundant.

“It’s a truly wonderful night sky.”

Whoosh-.

At that moment, Melinoye-nim appeared beside me.

“This sky was a birthday gift my father promised me. It was an item specially ordered for me, who would never see the surface world in my entire life.”

I see this night sky was a gift from a solemn father to his daughter.

I understand why the Chairman-nim was so desperate for its completion.

“Honestly, I didn’t even expect its completion. But it’s beyond imagination, indeed.”

Melinoye-nim’s red eyes reflected the countless starlight.

How would the night sky and starlight, seen for the first time since birth, have felt to the perfect goddess-nim?

Soon, Melinoye-nim’s finger pointed towards the sky.

“That’s Altair, and next to it must be Vega. They say that on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, when it becomes Chilseok, the man and woman appearing in foreign myths step on the bridge made by magpies and crows to meet each other.”

“Oh.”

It was surprising.

Because in Greek mythology, Altair was related to Zeus’s eagle, the king of the gods.

And Vega, the Weaver Girl Star─.

“My nymph Lyra! My nymph Lyra, preserved as a constellation after I died, is there!”

It was related to the Lyra constellation, which became his lyre after Krauser, no, Orpheus died.

But since Melinoye-nim spoke of the Weaver Girl and Cowherd, who are far removed from Greek mythology, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Melinoye-nim, you know a lot about constellations from foreign lands.”

“Hmm, of course, since I am a perfect and beautiful goddess, I have no choice but to be knowledgeable. But it’s strange. It’s certainly the first time I’ve stood under such vivid starlight, yet somehow I….”

Glow-.

Melinoye-nim’s eyes glowed subtly.

“Somehow, I know this night sky. As if I’ve seen it someday, even in a dream. It’s strange. I’ve never left this Soul Society since I was born, yet…”

“……”

“However, what’s important now isn’t that, is it? Joy, you worked hard for me. You overcame the master artisan’s whims, which were being delayed endlessly. You finally accomplished such a great feat.”

Ding, ding, ding-.

At that moment, a beautiful melody began to be heard from somewhere.

“It’s E&S!”

“It’s the nymphs and sirens!”

“They said they’d do a special performance, and it’s true, indeed!”

The beautiful voices of the fairies began to adorn the riverbank, which reflected the night sky.

In the midst of a romantic myth.

Melinoye-nim’s gentle voice remained even clearer, without fading, even amidst the fairies’ singing.

“Joy, I’m thanking you. As I said last time, if it weren’t for you, it would have taken me countless time to get to this point. I might not even have seen this kind of night sky.”

“…That’s not true. Melinoye-nim, you would have stood here like this even without me. Because ‘fate,’ spun by the Moirai, is like that.”

I was a small mortal, like dust.

In this well-structured world, whether I existed or not, the predetermined fate would have become an unavoidable outcome.

However, Melinoye-nim shook her head.

“That’s not entirely true. I can’t say too much, but Joy, if it weren’t for you, all these things would have been utterly impossible. To that extent, you have done something great.”

Melinoye-nim began to hesitate.

…No.

I became nervous.

“It’s a natural principle that a person who has done a great deed should be rewarded. And I, as a naturally fair and just goddess, must certainly keep my word once uttered.”

At this moment, I had a hunch.

If Melinoye-nim opened her mouth the next moment, my resolve and plan to escape this underground world and ascend to the surface would become extremely difficult-.

“As long as you remain in this Soul Society. I will be on your side. The opposite is also true. That is our contract─.”

Melinoye-nim offered her pinky finger to me.

Boom─at that moment, the magic of the fireworks shot up into the sky by an elf magician decorated the night sky in various colors.

My body froze stiff.

“Joy, what are you doing?”

“My body isn’t moving.”

Someone was grabbing my arm tightly.

Soon, a voice was heard from mid-air.

“You rascal! Joy! Let your relationship be thoroughly secret, but also platonic, with not even a fingertip touching each other!”