013 – For the One I Love #2

Right now, he was nothing more than a noisy source of sound pollution. But in life, Orpheus had been a great musician hailed as a hero. He'd joined the legendary Argonaut expedition and made his mark. After the adventure, he returned home, married his lover Eurydice, tasted the peak of happiness—and met tragedy on the very same day.

The new bride Eurydice was bitten by a poisonous snake and died. At that moment, Orpheus made a bold decision. He descended to the underworld to beg for his wife back. Bringing the dead back to life on earth was the ultimate taboo. But Orpheus's music made it possible, and even the rigid CEO permitted Eurydice's return to the surface—conditionally.

The condition was this:

Tragically, in mythos, conditions always get broken. They're practically made to be. Orpheus turned around just before reaching the surface. There are various tales about why he did it right at the brink of success, but the key point is that he broke the condition. His beloved Eurydice was dragged back into the deep darkness of Happy World, and Orpheus, losing his will to live, wandered aimlessly before being brutally murdered by frenzied women.

So, once he became a resident of the afterlife, did Orpheus reunite with Eurydice? Having come to this Happy World, the answer was a resounding NO.

Orpheus had committed the taboo of entering Soul Society in a living body. His punishment was becoming a resident of Happy World and undergoing memory loss. At the edge of Happy World flows the River Lethe, the river of oblivion. Orpheus drank deeply from it.

What if Orpheus and Eurydice met here? What if an employee executing punishment bent the law to accommodate a prisoner? What if they released him without reason? In Soul Society, where even the CEO is bound by rules, that employee would face severe punishment.

And that was my target. Overt illegality. My luck had been weirdly off lately, tangling my plans, but this—no one could touch it.

"Section Chief Jo, are you sure this is okay? I shouldn't be leaving the house at this hour. That's part of my punishment, as I recall..."

"Hey, I'll take responsibility!"

Bones, on his way out, was startled. He'd received a report that special prisoner A-09C had left his house arrest and was walking the streets.

'Section Chief Jo, did you take Orpheus out with you?!'

Orpheus was under house arrest. His management level was only C, but Manager Bones couldn't help tensing up at the news of him wandering free. It was because Orpheus was a slightly special prisoner.

Smoothly, Manager Bones opened a drawer and pulled out a document hidden deep inside.

This was the original punishment contract for Orpheus. The key was the signature at the bottom. Flaming letters burned there.

It was chillingly goosebump-inducing script. The lowest superior that even the wicked spirits of the underworld and the deepest, darkest shades shrank from. The Soul Society's CEO, whose name was feared to utter. Orpheus's punishment had been devised and executed by him personally. Though his management level was only C, in some ways, he was guarded as strictly as Cronus.

'Jo, I don't know what you're thinking, but this could look like a challenge to the CEO's authority! If it goes wrong, it won't end with a pay cut!'

Bones trembled, his third left rib rattling with anxiety. Then a woman with pomegranate eyes appeared from somewhere.

"Manager-level offices are nice. Spacious. So, Manager Bones, what's the problem?"

"Lady Melinoë! It's... nothing at all!"

Bones panicked. When a subordinate caused major trouble, the prickliest boss had to show up. As he fidgeted, the goddess Melinoë added,

"It's gotta be Section Chief Jo. In this Happy World, the only employee who could tense up a cold-hearted guy like you is that man. So, what's he done this time? Be honest."

"...Well."

"Lie to your goddess, and you'll spend some cruel. crushing. time."

"...He's taken Orpheus and headed out. Seems like toward Elysium. Committing illegality right before HQ inspection. What could he be thinking..."

"Pffft!"

Melinoë spat out her hell-mericano. After a moment—

"Ghost employees, assemble."

—Whoooosh.

—Whooo, whoooo...!

Fluffy ghosts seeped in from everywhere. Goddess Melinoë gathered them into a cloud-like mass and mounted it.

Elysium New City loomed in the distance. Towering new apartments gleamed white—dazzling. It looked close enough to touch, but rivers of the underworld wound between, and the vast Asphodel Plain stretched out. Not so near.

Whoooosh—.

True to its name, asphodel flowers blanketed the plain. A breeze rustled them, and Orpheus collapsed.

"Mr. Jo, I really can't go farther. I don't even know who I'm supposed to meet. Just send me back to that narrow, dark room!"

Send him back? Then nothing happens. Can't have that. Happy World needed more incidents.

"Mr. Orpheus, didn't you say you wanted an instrument made from nymph hair? Cross that river, and everyone gets happy. Stop whining!"

Just cross that river! But trouble arose. The Charon Transport ferrymen knew I had a prisoner—Orpheus—and all shook their heads.

—Whooo, whoooo—!

—Whoooaa—.

No passengers without upper approval? Their professional ethics were too strong.

"Captains. Come on, how about it?"

—Whooo whaaa....

The ghost employees glanced at each other, then pointed vaguely with round hands to the riverbank. An old boat sat there—no motor, the kind you rowed manually.

Screeech—!

I tried boarding and rowing, just in case.

'Ugh, damn, why's it so heavy?'

The oar was insanely heavy. Wouldn't budge.

"Underworld oars weigh at least a thousand geun. Even decent strength won't cut it. I tried rowing once myself and suffered..."

Orpheus scratched his head. He tilted his head.

"...Why did I ever try rowing an underworld oar myself?"

Frustrating. A thousand geun was about 600kg? No ordinary strength would move it.

"Mr. Orpheus, wait here a sec."

A great idea hit. I dashed to the work site. Panting hard, pushing a mountain-sized boulder—a brute appeared.

"Ooh, delicious. That's the weight. Tasty heaviness."

"Senior, you're legendary!"

"Happy World's weight king!"

More people now? If they looked crazy, you were right. I approached them.

"Mr. Sisyphus, I need someone to row a heavy oar. Got time?"

"How heavy?"

"600kg."

"Pass. Too light. Lifting light stuff suddenly causes muscle loss."

"Finish this right, and I'll consider upping the boulder weight you're pushing. Admit it—it's light now, right?"

Sisyphus raised an eyebrow, intrigued. But he nodded at the hourglass before him.

"Can you wrap it in my 10-minute break?"

To ferry Orpheus across the underworld rivers to Elysium? At least an hour. Ten minutes? No way. But?

"Then wait here a bit."

I knew the fix. Sprinting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hard, I spotted an old man plowing a field afar.

"Elder!"

"Who's this? Section Chief Jo? What now?"

The aged Titan Cronus. Straightening from plowing, he eyed me. No time to waste with this giant, so straight to the point.

"A 10-minute hourglass that lasts an hour. Possible?"

"Using time's relativity? Sure."

Srrrrk—. He scooped earth from the ground, knelt, then entered his shabby hut-office and tinkered—tick-tock.

How much time passed?

"Here's your 10-minute hourglass that equals an hour. Certified by this Cronus. Special big signature engraved!"

Thwack—! I took the hourglass from the giant and returned to Sisyphus. Seeing it, his eyes sparkled with interest.

"An hour in ten minutes. Fascinating. Fine. I'll step out till it runs dry. Let's go!"

I led the hulking Sisyphus across the Asphodel Plain to the riverbank. Orpheus stood alone, gazing across.

Sisyphus's eyes flashed panic and tension at the sight.

"Mr. Jo, pushing too hard right after promotion? Everyone in Happy World knows what kind of prisoner Orpheus is. You could lose your job."

"I'll take responsibility. No harm to you, Mr. Sisyphus. Just row. Everything from now is my solo call."

Creak—.

We boarded the rickety boat. Washed-up singer, workout addict, and the guy who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠accidentally took the wrong job. Strong personalities for one boat.

Splash, splaaash—.

Not just show from rolling that mountain boulder—Sisyphus rowed, and the boat shot toward Elysium New City at unbelievable speed.

The distant apartments looked just like earth's, stirring sudden nostalgia. Maybe not wrong. Dock at Elysium, I'd get fired, return topside.

But as the boat neared Elysium's bank—

Fwoosh, flash—!

"Stop."

Princess Melinoë, in a red laurel crown, flew from behind on a fluffy cloud-thing.

—Whooo, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠whooo—.

—Whoooaa...!

Clearer up close—not a cloud, but a magic carpet of mashed ghosts.

"Orpheus, entering paradise Elysium as a prisoner violates regs. Sisyphus's break is over. Section Chief Jo, back off."

"No, not quite."

Boom—!

A red bolt struck. Coming to, a man in a golden laurel crown stood arms-crossed beside Princess Melinoë.

"Just checked—Orpheus completed his sentence early on Section Chief Jo's sole judgment and was released. So, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no issue with him here now."

The odd part? The stranger wore only red panties. Familiar somehow. Sisyphus gawked in awe.

"Muscles like carved marble, miracle body fat. You're... Hell's Prince Zagreus!?"

Zagreus... Soul Society's No. 4, CSO Zagreus? The man spoke.

"Divine effect!"

"Ah, this. Still buggy. Refresh!"

How'd he do that billboard effect? Frowning at the dazzling floating text, Prince Zagreus chuckled lightly.

"Section Chief Jo, with major inspections ahead, you've put us in your debt. Go. To that shining Elysium. We'll settle responsibility and credit after."

What? Why suddenly yield the path? Normally, the prince should chew out my abuse of authority. Then Sisyphus smacked his thigh convulsively.

"Major inspection... debt... release... Of course! Section Chief Jo, you're terrifying! Even Prince Zagreus's arrival was in your calculations!?"

"...Inspection? Ah, so that's it. Section Chief Jo. Impressive."

Even Princess Melinoë, arms crossed, straightened up—.

What was happening? Before I could ask, the boat reached Elysium.