Chapter 7 - The Start Of A Problem (2)

Chapter 7 – The Start of a Problem (2)

“…ummm…”

Hades’s words fumbled as he had no idea what to say. After a minute he suggested to her with a tone that was as stern as possible but not too threatening.

“I don’t know what you’re wishing for, but if you keep this up it will never come true.”

“I’m not hoping for anything from you, Hades. I just wanted to see you again.”

“….”

“That’s it.” The girl’s voice was so full of conviction that even Hades was unconsciously convinced.

“I remember you were the one who bolted away like a mountain bird.” He said, remembering the first time he saw her.

“I couldn’t help that it felt like my chest was about to burst. What was I supposed to do?”

Her eyes glancing up at him had Hades looking away. If she hadn’t said his name earlier, he supposed he wouldn’t have any idea who she was. No matter what the truth is, he was always the main one putting fear in others. It was hard to tell whether the hug, which felt like it was from a little brute, had a big meaning for her, or if she was just a thoughtless child.

“What is it, Hades…?”

“I have no idea what to say, and I can’t think of anything to say,” Hades said with a troubled expression while his hands rubbed his cheeks. “Do you have a goal you’re trying to reach?”

“No.”

“There’s no point in wandering around aimlessly. Wanderers have vague expectations that there will be something at the end of their path, much less a child in the underworld.”

“Really, I’m telling the truth.”

He just stared at her disbelievingly.

“If I naturally had a reason, it would be to meet you again Hades.”

“Why?”

“You tell me, Hades. Why would I visit the Acheron river at the same time you return to the underworld?”

Looking at the girl who was starting to seem either naive or thick-skinned, Hades was wound up with tension. Whatever the child’s purpose, he decided to look it over once more.

“So you’re really interested in me. Tell me your story then.”

What would be the point in hiding their true minds? The chilly darkness, the rising fog, and the wind whistling like screams of the dead were as usual, with the illusion of a warm tremble in his chest.

“After following the edge of the river for some time, I just ended up back in the forest.” She said grudgingly.

“That’s what happens to wanderers like you. But, escaping out of this maze through the Achelon river, I do not suggest it.”

“But why?”

Hades started walking as he gave a detailed explanation and looked back at the girl who followed him at a snail’s pace. Her excited steps were light and had no sign of fear of the underworld, but her hands clung to the hem of his himation, like a child anxious of getting lost.

“What is it?”

“It’s a hassle when the living come all this way to cross the river,” Hades, who turned his head toward the footpath again, replied.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“This feels like a dream.”

“Apart from your purpose, who gave you directions to the underworld? The last time wasn’t your first time.”

“You have been keeping track of me?”

Hades burst into laughter at the sight of her small ears perking up.

“Kharon told me. Weren’t you scared of being in a place where no one wants to come in and everyone who makes it in wants to get out of?”

“The boatman” she huffed. “I’m excited to see what lies beyond the river, but it doesn’t scare me. It’s different from the place I used to live, so I still can’t believe a place like this exists. An unseen world—”

“This is only the edge of the Acheron River, so you’ll change your mind once you cross it.”

“How so?”

“It is only beyond this river that you will see the true nature of the monsters and the dead from the stories that you might have grown up listening to.”

“I know you’re trying to scare me, but it’s not working.”

“I’m not trying to scare you, but you should know better.”

“There are a lot of sick people in this world, and every single day people who take from others are free to walk. But isn’t this place where those people get punished? So, you’re telling me that I should be more afraid of the place of sentencing than the place where the heinous acts are committed?”

He just blinked at the girl, taken aback by her wise words.

“Do you think differently, Hades?”

Hades cracked a smile and nodded his head. It wasn’t a sign of agreeing, but even the simplest logic made sense. Because if you’re not guilty, there would be no reason to be afraid.

“But did you want to cross the river knowing that if you cross the river, you will not be able to leave until I allow you to?”

“I can’t just secretly get out of here?”

“If the dead were just like you, the guards wouldn’t have to wander the forest for three days straight trying to catch the souls that had fled.”

He looked down at the girl rubbing her earlobes as if embarrassed, and sympathized with her. He knew she’d be so lovely regardless of whether she was a living creature or not. At least that’s how her eyes looked. He had no idea that was the start of a problem.