Chapter 32
Admetos stood quietly, waiting for the second round to begin.
In his hands, he held a worn photo of his wife tucked inside his wallet, whispering a prayer.
‘Alce… please, give me strength.’
Admetos was small and slight.
All his life, people mocked him for it.
— “That runt calls himself a man?”
— “Drink? You? Go back and suck your mama’s milk!”
That was why he always threw himself into reckless situations.
He lived under constant pressure to prove his manhood and worth.
Every day was a battle for validation.
Then one day…
He stumbled upon a four-leaf clover near a flower field he happened to pass.
He bent to pick it up—thinking it must be rare—when someone behind him giggled.
— “You like flowers and grass even though you’re a boy?”
— “N-No! Don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t like girly stuff like that!”
Admetos always tried to distance himself from anything “cute.”
— “I hate small, cute things! Blegh! I’m a man’s man, alright?!”
But the woman only laughed.
— “I like them! Flowers, grass, and lying in meadows to watch the clouds float by. I come here every day just to watch the sky!”
Every day? To watch clouds?
How carefree… thought Admetos, so different from himself.
But it was true.
She came every day.
She could name the weeds by their proper names.
And Admetos started having small chats with her.
Like the drifting clouds above, he gently fell in love.
But her father, Pelias, clicked his tongue when he saw Admetos.
— “Tch. A puny little man, barely evolved from a nymph, wants to court my daughter? Fine. If you can show up in a chariot pulled by a lion and a boar, I’ll approve. If such a thing even exists! Hah!”
A chariot pulled by a lion and a boar?
Ridiculous. The lion would eat the boar first.
But thanks to his bond with Apollo, Admetos was able to get exactly that—a lion and a boar who wouldn’t eat each other.
With that mythical chariot, he triumphantly married Alcestis.
That’s when the real trouble started.
‘Of all creatures… that boar turned out to be Ares…’
The God of War, Ares, had begrudgingly taken the form of a boar at Apollo’s request.
But the idea of pulling a mere mortal’s chariot was a humiliating blow to his pride.
So he cursed Admetos, dooming him to an early death.
The only way to survive? Someone had to die in his place.
And that’s when Alcestis, as serene as ever, said:
— “Admetos, I’ll take your curse. I know just how strong and noble you truly are. You have to live long and achieve something great in this world.”
— “Alce, no! Please—”
— “Just… even if our time together was short, I hope you’ll remember me as a good wife. At least until… until you meet someone else and start over someday…”
“The day I went to your house to take your dying wife to Soul Society, your good friend Heracles just happened to be there. He grabbed me by the collar, remember?”
“…Thanatos-nim!”
Thud—.
Pulled from his memories by the sudden appearance of a superior, Admetos bowed deeply.
Slide—.
Thanatos turned to show the back of his neck.
“I still have the handprint. Because of that, I couldn’t take Alcestis. I was humiliated. Sure, you got to break her curse—but I…”
“……”
It was true.
On the day of the funeral, Heracles happened to visit—and thanks to him, death loosened its grip on Alcestis.
They were granted happiness.
But Thanatos never forgave them for it.
It’s why Admetos kept failing the Deputy Manager promotion exam in Soul Society.
Because Thanatos held a grudge.
“Still, Manager Admetos, that handprint is fading. I’ve decided to forgive you. In fact, I have a proposal… regarding Manager Joy.”
“Manager Joy…?”
“I already know you contacted Councilman Apollo and pulled strings for this round. But I promise you—it won’t be enough to stop Joy. That much, I can assure you.”
Admetos was confident he could win this match.
But life always has its “what ifs.”
‘What if I lose to Joy…?’
Then Alcestis would lose all her memories… and become a ghost.
She was already unstable; even a small shock could push her over.
This wasn’t the time to worry about honor or fairness.
But—
“Let me eliminate Joy in this trial. Honestly, he’s not ready to become Deputy Manager. That position comes with responsibilities he can’t handle—at least, not while he’s still alive.”
Slide—.
Thanatos held out his hand.
“Take my hand, and everything will be yours. Don’t you want to save your wife? I hear her ghosting is accelerating. The winner’s reward could restore her, no doubt about it.”
***
“Joy, what’s going on? Why’d you call me out of the waiting room?”
The communicator really worked.
Melinoe herself came back to my lounge.
Though… she did look a bit annoyed.
“I told you already, I’m not giving you special treatment. Or wait—did you change your mind and decide you do need my help to win?”
“It’s not that. It’s about this ghost.”
Woooo… woooo…!
I held out the cloudy, floating ghost toward her.
Instantly, her expression softened.
“Aww, what a cute little ghost.”
“Right? She just turned. She used to be a woman—a person.”
“A woman?”
Melinoe frowned again.
I quickly added more before she got the wrong idea.
I explained how I was attacked by a manager-class roach while picking clovers,
how this woman saved me,
and how she suddenly turned into a ghost.
“I see. Then this ghost was already unstable. The shock—enough to make her nose bleed—probably accelerated her ghosting.”
So she became a ghost while trying to save me?
Her words echoed in my mind—how she wanted to see her husband one last time.
My chest ached with guilt.
“Then… is there a way to turn her back? I mean, you’re the goddess of ghosts, Melinoe-nim. If anyone can do something, it’s you.”
“I am a flawless goddess by birth, yes. But that doesn’t mean I can do everything. Even when it comes to ghosts, there are limits. My ‘stake’ only goes so far.”
“…Your stake?”
“Think of it like the divine version of shareholding rights,” said Melinoe.
“The more authority a god holds over a domain, the more influence they can exert within it.
Right now, my ‘stake’ sits at 11%—”
11% of all of Soul Society?
That alone was incredibly impressive.
“—With that, all I can do is read this ghost’s name. Who she used to be. Even that will cost me a great deal of divine energy.”
“I see…”
Even just knowing her name might help us find her husband. That was enough.
Just as I was feeling a little relieved, Melinoe suddenly shuddered—as if pricked by a cactus thorn.
“…Still, that’s all I can do. You see, even our divine powers are bound beneath the ‘Fate’ spun by the Moirai. That stake I mentioned? It represents the chance to override a destined outcome.”
So basically—
Her 11% stake only gave her enough room to read the ghost’s name.
The more stake a god has, the more power they wield against fate.
“Just curious, but… how much stake does our great CEO (CEO) hold?”
“Ninety-one percent.”
Whoa. That was enormous.
Wait a second.
Melinoe has 11%, and the CEO has 91%…
That’s 102% total.
How does that make sense?
Then again, we are talking about gods. Divine accounting probably doesn’t follow mortal logic.
Still, as fascinating as all this was, I had to stay focused on what mattered now.
“So then… what’s this ghost’s name?”
“Hold on.”
Swoosh—.
Melinoe gently brought the ghost to her forehead.
The way she did it—it reminded me of the traditional greeting among nymphs…
…which was a totally inappropriate thought to be having at that moment.
“Little ghost… your name is…”
Her name was—
***
“So, what do you think of my proposal?”
Thanatos asked.
“I’ll make sure Manager Joy is eliminated.”
Admetos hesitated.
Joy was still a living man.
What drove someone like that to throw himself into reckless trials here in Soul Society?
‘He must have a reason… A desperate one.’
Thinking of Joy brought back memories of his own past—how hard he worked to prove himself.
And how he, too, had risked everything for the sake of the one he loved.
“It’s a generous offer, but may I decline?”
“Oh? And why’s that?”
“Yes, I did alter the match in my favor. I admit that alone was already a dishonorable move. But I don’t want to strip that man of his opportunity entirely.”
“Even if it earns my resentment? You do know how terrifying my resentment can be.”
“…Yes. Even so. I believe he has his own desperate reasons. And I refuse to trample another man’s resolve. I ask that you not forgive my selfishness.”
Thud—.
Admetos bowed low, forehead to the floor.
Thanatos narrowed his glowing blue eyes.
“You dare reject an executive’s offer—”
“……”
“—That said… I don’t hate it. That kind of manly conviction. I can see now why Apollo and Heracles liked you. I’m starting to like you too.”
Beep beep beep—.
The alarm rang in the waiting room.
It was time. The second round was about to begin.
“This is likely the final match. If Joy wins again, the third round won’t matter—he’ll have enough points to secure promotion.”
“That won’t happen. I’ll win this one.”
Fueled by renewed determination, Admetos headed to the arena.
“Round Two: Retrieve the flag from the top of Headquarters!”
“There can only be ONE winner!”
“Use any means necessary!”
Headquarters was buried in the deepest region of Soul Society.
Just free-falling to it would take 9 days.
Not to mention the vicious spirits and monsters that guarded the place.
‘But I have my chariot.’
A lion and a winged squirrel pulled his majestic ride.
He’d borrowed it from Apollo and had been training with it ever since.
This time, he was riding a chariot he had purchased with years of saved gold.
He was sure victory was his—until…
“Manager Joy has entered the arena!”
“Wh-What is that!?”
Puff—Puff—
Joy floated in on something strange and cloudy.
As someone who worked in transport and loved vehicles, Admetos immediately recognized it.
“A ghost carpet…?!”
A miraculous vehicle that could outpace even his chariot—
Not only that, it could avoid attacks from evil spirits guarding the Headquarters.
Legend had it Melinoe crafted it with her divine 10% stake, pouring her very soul into it.
And Joy was riding it.
“Go!”
Oh no—!
Caught off guard, Admetos launched late.
But even if he’d started on time, it wouldn’t have mattered.
Joy soared like an arrow through the skies—straight down into the abyss.
“Joy has retrieved the flag! He’s the winner of Round Two!”
“No one expected him to have such a secret weapon!”
“Where in the world did he get that?”
Everything had happened in an instant.
“Joy now leads by a massive margin!”
“No one has ever taken first place in two consecutive rounds before!”
“Even if someone else wins the final round, they can’t catch up!”
“His promotion to Deputy Manager is practically guaranteed!”
Admetos felt more hopeless than he had the day he faced death.
A crushing despair washed over him.
‘Is it over…?’
Floating high in the air on his ghost-cloud, Joy called out to the audience:
“I heard the winner’s prize would be a personal gift from the CEO (CEO)! But what I want is something different!”
“Esteemed Chairman, I beg of you—please show mercy to this small ghost!”
He raised the round little ghost high above him.
Admetos couldn’t tell who the ghost was…
But he could recognize what she held in her hand:
A Hell Clover.
‘Alcestis…!’
CRACK—!
A thunderous boom echoed in the sky.
Words burned themselves across the heavens in fire:
【You dare refuse a prize I prepared myself?】
【You’ve clearly lost your mind, mere department manager.】
【Would you still make this plea, even if it meant getting fired for that round little ghost?】
Fired.
That word struck Admetos like a dagger.
Being fired in Soul Society was worse than death.
The whole crowd murmured in panic—but Joy remained calm.
He raised his voice firmly.
“I am not afraid of being fired.”
And then… he smiled.
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