Chapter 13

Bones approached, clacking his skeletal jaw as he handed me a document.

“Section Chief Joy, you’ve been working too hard lately. You look exhausted. Just take care of this one outside assignment and call it a day. Coincidentally, it involves a nymph.”

A nymph-related case?

I scanned the report. It detailed a particular special inmate.

“Inmate A-09C…”

Considering his background, it indeed had ties to nymphs.

Before heading out, I glanced around the office once more. That noisy little rascal used to be everywhere…

We only knew each other for a day, but thinking that no one remembers her now left a strange hollowness in my chest.

‘…Maybe I really did just dream her up.’

Then again, bizarre things happen in this place called “Happy World” all the time. If I got surprised or confused every time, my poor heart wouldn’t survive. So I pushed aside the unease and made my way to an old multi-family residence.

Now, someone might ask—why meet a special inmate in a place like this, instead of a proper correctional facility or an interrogation chamber?

That’s because this inmate is truly special.

JANG JANG JANG JANG—!

The moment I neared the residence, a raucous sound hit my ears. Strings plucked violently, like thunder crashing against the walls.

—Kill! Kill me! I am the terrorist of Happy World!

The wailing, ghostlike singing continued all the way to Room 404.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

“Mr. Orpheus, this is Section Chief Joy from the Punishment Division. Please open the door! We’ve received numerous complaints about the noise!”

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Finally—

Creeeeak…

“Ah, you who arrive like fate itself. Your knocking has such excellent rhythm!”

The door opened, revealing a man with a face painted ghostly white.

His long black hair flowed down like a phantom’s, and the heavy eyeliner made him look downright demonic. Yet this was Orpheus, the infamous singer of “Happy World.”

“Haha! Come in!”

Reluctantly, I stepped inside. Trash, clothes, and demonic cockroaches filled the space.

“George.”

“George.”

“Could you at least clean up a little?! Anyway, Mr. Orpheus, I’ve lost count of how many complaints we’ve had. Singing is fine, but could you please lower the volume?”

“My apologies. Truly. But just a little longer! I feel a masterpiece coming—one that’ll surpass even ‘Song of the Nymph’! Just a little more time, please!”

“I’ve heard that same thing several times. Be honest—aren’t you in a slump? Your new songs haven’t exactly impressed.”

“S-slump? Me? Hmph… Ahem. Absolutely not!”

He looked genuinely wounded. His pale-painted face went even paler—enough to make me feel sorry for him.

Orpheus, once the greatest bard of myth, now reduced to a clownish figure in “Happy World.”

“The problem lies with the instrument. If only I had a lyre made from a nymph’s hair! That sound, it would be divine!”

Actually, from what I heard earlier, it sounded more like a lyrics issue than an instrument one…

He had an obsession with “instruments made from nymph hair.” I could guess why, but I decided to play dumb and asked,

“Why are you so obsessed with instruments made from nymph hair? Any particular reason?”

“In life, I played one. The tone—it was incomparable. You know, nymph hair is highly sought after but rarely obtained.”

“Why is that?”

“Nymphs only gift their hair to those they deeply treasure. I was lucky to receive it… Wait. How did I even get it again?”

Orpheus tilted his head in confusion.

I pressed further.

“Do you remember Eurydice?”

“Eury… what? Who’s that?”

Orpheus and Eurydice—one of mythology’s most tragic and romantic pairs. But he looked completely blank.

Simple reason.

Inmate A-09C Orpheus’s punishment was coded as: A.

A for Amnesia.

He had forgotten everything—who he was, what he loved—while living on in “Happy World.”

Officially, mentioning Eurydice was forbidden…

But I went ahead anyway.

“Mr. Orpheus, how would you feel about seeing Eurydice again?”

“See who? I… I’m not allowed to leave this place. You know that as well as I do.”

“Then let’s change that. Make it so you’re no longer a prisoner.”

“…What?”

As a section chief, I had the authority to suspend punishments for C-rank inmates.

“I am Section Chief Joy of Happy World.”

「Name: Orpheus」

「Cause of Death: Multiple fractures and beheading from assault」

「Charge: Taboo」

「Punishment: House Arrest + Amnesia」

“Under my sole discretion and authority, I hereby suspend the punishment of Inmate A-09C Orpheus.”

“W-What?”

“Let’s go. There’ll be paperwork back at the office, but for now, consider yourself temporarily free.”

FWOOOSH—

I tossed the punishment contract into a candle’s flame.

Was there a good reason? None at all. It was a textbook abuse of power. No doubt the gossip around the office would never let this die down.

And that’s exactly what I wanted.

“600Kg.”

“I refuse. That’s too light. Lifting something light out of nowhere would ruin my muscle gains.”

“If you help us finish this task, Mr. Sisyphus, I’ll personally propose increasing the weight of your current boulder. Let’s be honest—what you’re pushing now is kind of light, isn’t it?”

Sisyphus raised an intrigued brow at my proposal. But then, with a sharp nod of his chin, he gestured toward the hourglass in front of him.

“Can this be done in the ten minutes of my break time?”

Transporting Orpheus across the underworld’s rivers to reach Elysium would take at least an hour. Ten minutes wasn’t nearly enough.

But—

“Just wait here for a moment.”

I knew exactly how to solve this.

I sprinted, hard, and in the distance spotted an old man tilling a field.

“Sir!”

“Well, if it isn’t Section Chief Joy. What brings you here again?”

Old Titan Chronos. He straightened his back and looked at me with ancient eyes. No time to waste—I got straight to the point.

“A ten-minute hourglass that feels like an hour. Can you make it?”

“You mean manipulating time relativity? It’s possible.”

Ssshh—

Chronos crouched down and scooped up dirt from the ground. He shuffled into his shabby shack of a workshop and began hammering something together.

After a while—

“Here. A ten-minute hourglass that feels like an hour. Officially certified by yours truly, Chronos! Even carved my signature in bold.”

Thud—!

I took the hourglass from the towering god and returned to Sisyphus, who blinked with interest when he saw it.

“A ten-minute hourglass that functions like an hour? Fascinating. Fine. I’ll step away while that sand runs out. Let’s go.”

And just like that, I led the mighty Sisyphus across the Asphodel fields toward the ferry.

There, Orpheus was standing alone, gazing across the river.

But the moment Sisyphus saw him, his eyes lit up with alarm.

“Chief Joy… aren’t you pushing your luck? Everyone in Happy World knows what kind of prisoner Orpheus is. You could lose your job.”

“I’ll take full responsibility. Just row. Everything from this point forward falls under the sole discretion of Section Chief Joy.”

CREAK—

We climbed into the old ferry.

A washed-up singer, a boulder-obsessed musclehead, and a poorly-placed employee, all in the same boat.

Swish, swish—

Apparently, Sisyphus wasn’t pushing mountains for nothing. His rowing cut through the water like a blade, speeding us toward the gleaming skyline of Elysium.

For a moment, those white high-rises reminded me of the world above, and a strange longing washed over me.

Perhaps it wasn’t so far from the truth. Once I got fired for this stunt, I’d be able to return to the surface.

But just as we were nearing Elysium’s riverbank—

FWOOSH—CRACK!

“Stop right there.”

Princess Melinoe, wearing a blazing red laurel crown, flew in behind us, riding something soft and billowy.

—Huuu, huuuu—

—Huuuuuuu…

As she drew closer, I realized it wasn’t a cloud, but a magic carpet made by compressing fluffy ghosts together.

“Orpheus, stepping foot in Elysium as a prisoner is a direct violation of regulation. And Sisyphus—your ten-minute break is already over. Section Chief Joy, step back immediately.”

“Not so fast.”

BOOM—!

A sudden red bolt split the sky, and when I looked again, a man in a golden laurel crown had appeared beside Melinoe, arms crossed.

“I just checked—Orpheus was officially released by Section Chief Joy’s sole discretion. So technically, his presence here isn’t a problem.”

Strangely enough… the man was wearing nothing but bright red underwear.

He looked oddly familiar.

Sisyphus practically gasped in admiration.

“Muscle density like it was carved by the gods themselves… could it be? You’re Prince Zagreus, the Scion of Hell!?”

Zagreus…

Fourth in the Soul Society hierarchy… that means he’s the CSO—Chief Strategy Officer—Zagreus.

The man announced boldly—

“Divine Status Display!”

POP—!

【Illegal Immigrant from Another World】

“Oops, that’s the wrong one. Refresh!”

POP—!

【CSO】

【The Mighty Prince of Soul Society】

【God of Happy World – Zagreus】

Where the hell was that glowing title effect coming from?

While I squinted up at the floating text, Zagreus chuckled.

“Section Chief Joy, with a major audit approaching, it appears we owe you a significant debt. Go on. Enter that shining Elysium. We’ll discuss the responsibility—and recognition—once this is all over.”

Wait, what?

Why were they suddenly letting me pass?

Shouldn’t he be chewing me out for abusing authority?

Just then, Sisyphus slapped his thigh like he’d been struck by lightning.

“Audit… debt… release…! So this was all part of your plan?! Chief Joy, you’re terrifying! You even accounted for Prince Zagreus’s arrival, didn’t you?!”

“…An audit? Oh. I see now. Chief Joy, you really are impressive.”

Even Princess Melinoe crossed her arms and stood tall.

What was going on?

Before I could ask, the ferry reached the shore of Elysium.