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300 years have passed, yet the appearance of the Underworld hasn’t changed much.

After passing through the first gate guarded by Talos, I walked along the riverbank where many children were gazing into the river.

Crossing the river and proceeding along the path, I reached the bottom of the Underworld after witnessing the scene where many souls were being judged for their sins.

The courtroom of the Underworld, where souls are judged.

“You’re working quite hard.”

“Oh! Goddess of Life! I heard you were asleep. Have you finally awakened?”

It was Yama who was judging souls in the courtroom alone. And behind him, there was a girl resembling me, helping Yama from within a small stone tablet.

Originally, one out of the three was supposed to take a break, but it seems that thanks to Hades, now two out of three are resting.

It’s no wonder Yama is doing everything alone.

“Yeah. I intended to sleep for about 500 years, but somehow I woke up.”

“Is that so? I think it’s a good thing. You’ve only slept for about 300 years, and look at the chaos that’s unfolded. What would have happened if you had slept for another 200 years?”

I nodded slightly at Yama’s words. Just from the things I overheard, I felt this was quite the mess.

Not only the matters concerning Baal but also the new continent that’s surfaced, and those in various factions claiming to be the king of the gods.

At this rate, the plan to let things run smoothly and take a step back to watch is bound to go awry….

But then.

“What’s the status of Hades?”

“Hades? No issues, all systems are clear. Death evaluation system is all green. No problems whatsoever.”

“The overall judgments are generally well made. Initially, the judgments were too strict, but after discussing it with us, we managed to moderate them, and now the judgments are adequately refined.”

Hmm. Since he was learning to reflect on judgments, it’s natural he’d be improving over time.

Hades, unlike me, was doing his job quite well, his hair black without horns.

“However, there are sometimes issues during the trial process. Very occasionally… some reincarnate with their memories from their past lives.”

“Memories from their previous lives?”

“Yes. The soul and spirit need to be separated to completely erase the memories, and it seems the separation process wasn’t entirely successful… Very seldom, some end up reincarnating with past lives or memories from the Underworld.”

“Hmm… if it’s just occasionally, what’s the frequency?”

“Statistically, about once in a hundred years.”

I nodded at Hades’ explanation. Since countless souls are handled each day in the Underworld, one case in a hundred years could be deemed within a tolerable range.

“That’s not a significant issue, but still, please check a bit more thoroughly.”

“Understood. I will add another verification step.”

Hades seems to listen well. Although he was a fragment infused with some of my divinity, unlike Baal’s fragment, he didn’t seem to cause any problems.

By the way, where’s Baal? I heard he was in the Underworld.

“I’ve heard that Baal’s soul is here. Where is he?”

“Is it Baal’s soul you are speaking of? It’s well-timed. His soul is contentious, and if you, Goddess of Life, were to decide, that would be appreciated.”

“Contentious? What happened to make it so?”

“He wishes to be reincarnated as an ordinary human instead of holding the position of a god. However, this is an unprecedented case, so we are currently withholding judgment.”

I tilted my head at Hades’ words. Reincarnated as a human? Baal? A god?

What kind of situation would lead to such a conclusion? I really have no clue!

“First, I should talk to Baal. Where is he?”

“He’s holed up in our lodgings behind the courtroom. To be honest, we’re a bit at a loss about how to handle it.”

Hmm. Trusting someone claiming to be the king of the gods…

“Ah? This aura… Mother of Life, have you awakened?”

When I arrived, I found Thanatos reading something.

“Hmm. Somehow, I woke up. By the way, I heard Baal’s soul is here. Where is he?”

“Oh, you’ve come for him? That’s lucky. He’s locked himself in a room, refusing to come out until he’s reincarnated as a human, so I’d appreciate your handling of it. We can’t decide this matter ourselves.”

“Refusing to come out, is he?”

I looked at the lodging used by the three gods of the Underworld. From one corner of the building, I sensed a familiar aura… it truly was Baal’s.

However, Keres’ aura is absent… Hmm. Maybe he has gone out for a while.

“What about Keres?”

“For personal reasons, he’s gone to meet a dragon he knows. It’s a good thing his days off have increased.”

“Hmm. Well, if it’s for personal reasons, I suppose it’s not really a concern.”

Though he’s now the god of death, Keres was originally a dragon. It makes sense he might have things to attend to with other dragons.

Well then, let’s meet Baal.

I left Thanatos behind and entered the building.

“Baal.”

“…….”

At the door to Baal’s room, I called out quietly.

“I know you’re in there. Open the door. Let’s talk.”

“…….”

Baal remained silent, as if he could not speak with me.

“If you keep the door closed, I’ll have no choice but to break it down. And when that happens… you know what I’ll do, right?”

After giving him a low warning, the firmly closed door slowly creaked open.

And then.

“Gaea….”

Before me was Baal, who looked nothing like the boy I remembered. Instead of his previous appearance, he now looked like a complete mess.

His body, once boyish, had grown to that of a young man, but his hair was disheveled, and his beard was wildly unkempt.

The proud sky god who assumed the throne of the gods was nowhere to be found, replaced instead by a fallen figure seemingly ready to abandon his divinity.

“What on earth happened to you? Why do you wish to give up everything?”

“I… I failed. That’s all.”

His voice was small, as if slinking into a rat hole. To change so much in just 300 years is rather disappointing.

“Yeah. It’s disappointing.”

I could sense him flinching at my words from within the room.

“I’m disappointed to see you so broken by such a failure, unable to rise again.”

I wasn’t particularly disappointed by the failure itself, but the fact he had given up on everything because of it was quite disappointing.

Even with such failures, shouldn’t he rise again?

“But… I’m tired. I can’t handle it anymore.”

Hmm. Has his spirit been crushed?

“Gods keep piling work onto me, and the more I do, the more it accumulates. Those fragments I split off ignore my orders, claiming to be the king of the gods all on their own. Suddenly, a massive continent emerges from the sea with immense magical power. I’m exhausted. I don’t want to do anything anymore.”

Hmm… sounds like he might be experiencing burnout.

Is being the King of Gods really that hard?

“I heard that Gaea had a lot on their plate before making fragments. How could you handle so much? I can’t understand. How did you even manage?”

“Well… all I can say is that I worked hard.”

Before creating fragments, I had no choice but to put in the effort.

I couldn’t delegate the tasks to anyone; I had to do it myself.

It was tiring, but there was no way around it.

If Baal went through such a process, it’s no wonder burnout could set in.

“So, you want to give up your divine position?”

“Yeah. I’d rather be a human who can live without thinking. So, please, reincarnate me as a human. Otherwise, I won’t step out of here.”

Hmm… he really seems to be in bad shape. Breaking the door down to drag Baal out would be easy, but if he’s in such a defeated state, there’s no way he’d do a proper job afterward.

Then… hmm.

“Alright. If that’s what you wish, I will grant it.”

“Really…?”

“Yeah. I do not lie.”

I may refrain from stating a portion of the truth, but…

“However, a god being reincarnated as a human is unprecedented, so… let’s do it this way.”

I addressed the Baal listening from within the room.

“You seem far too weary at the moment. So for now, while you live your life as a human, if you feel confident enough to return to your divine position, prepare to come back as a god.”

“Really?”

“Indeed. Until then, I’ll leave your divine throne unoccupied. Enjoy your human life… It’ll be like a field trip.”

I’m not sure how long such a human life would last, but it likely won’t be for long.

While Baal’s soul lives as a human… I’ll ensure the number of gods is maintained within a reasonable limit.

There are too many gods as it is, many of whom don’t listen well. It seems Baal’s spirit has been broken as well.

So, first, I should deal with Baal’s fragments that weren’t following orders and wipe out those around them too. The children who had been treated by them might express some discontent, but this is necessary.

By thinning out the gods, breaking down the divided factions, and standardizing the beliefs for easier management, it’d be simpler to unify the faith worldwide.

So, until then, I will leave the throne empty.

For the someday return of the King of Gods.

 

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