Chapter 7

Even at 10 p.m., the company dinner showed no signs of ending.

You said after-hours work was banned, didn’t you?

So what, a company dinner doesn’t count as work?

To make matters worse, I was stuck next to the executives, unable to open my mouth like a sack of barley dumped in the wrong place. One wrong word, and it wouldn’t just be “fired”—it could be “punishment” or even getting “Orion’d.”

That’s why I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation between Thanatos and Melinoe.

“Still, it’s surprising. Weren’t you the one most opposed to this whole reform effort? I never imagined you’d descend personally to oversee things in Happy World.”

“I’m only where I’m needed.”

“Your Highness, there are rumors circulating among the executives. That you’ve been demoted to this out-of-the-way Happy World after being overshadowed by Prince Zagreus. What are your thoughts on that?”

“It’s true that my brother was the one who pushed to rebrand Tartarus into Happy World. Most of the executives sided with him, not me.”

Zagreus.

From what I know, he’s the CEO’s eldest son and the legitimate prince of this Soul Society.

Granted, he wasn’t much of a presence in traditional Greek mythology, but those tales focused mostly on the gods and heroes aboveground. The underworld didn’t get much spotlight.

I’d only heard his name in passing.

But at this moment, to me, Prince Zagreus had officially become a mortal enemy.

He’s the one who changed Tartarus to “Happy World,” confusing me during job hunting!

All this torturous work reform? It’s all his fault!

“And you, Thanatos—you voted for my brother at the board meeting too, didn’t you? I figured someone like you would obviously be against a ridiculous name like Happy World. Did he bribe you?”

“Your Highness, I simply enjoy things that are... interesting. Nothing’s quite as thrilling as a radical change.”

I wanted to cover my ears.

I had no business knowing this stuff about the gods, but the more I heard, the more my head spun.

Getting involved in these divine dramas only lowered my already slim chances of ever escaping the underworld.

Melinoe swirled the wine in her glass.

“‘Interesting,’ huh? So bringing in ‘time’ as part of Happy World’s management—that was your idea too? I heard you’re preparing a place for Chronos. Just a rumor?”

“It’s no rumor. The hourglass he’s developing has greatly improved our operational efficiency. All thanks to Associate Joy. We’ll be proposing a collaboration.”

“But Chronos is a stubborn old god. He’s not exactly known for cooperating willingly. What if this turns into drinking from a poisoned chalice?”

“Well, that’s something only ‘time’ can solve.”

…Was that a pun?

Thanatos continued with a faint smile.

“How was that joke? Chronos is the god of time, and the problem will be solved by time—get it? That’s the joke.”

“Pfft! ‘Time will solve it,’ he says!”

“Boss, that’s hilarious!”

“That joke killed! Deathly funny!”

“Want to hear another one? What happens when an almond dies? It becomes a ‘die-amond.’ Get it? DIE + almond?”

“Crrk-hihi!”

“Kki-ruk-kki-ruk!”

“Boss, your sense of humor is divine!”

…

It was like someone had rung the laughter bell. The banquet room erupted in chuckles, while cold sweat ran down my back.

This is Happy World?

No, this was just one big, black comedy.

But in that moment—

An idea sparked in my mind.

“…I’m sorry to interrupt, but about the matter with the special management subject, Chronos…”

“Oh? A mere mortal employee dares speak without permission? But since it’s Associate Joy, I suppose we can hear what you have to say.”

“…Joy?”

Eyes of death and nightmares turned toward me.

Even the chattering employees fell silent, the room quiet as a dead almond.

“Regarding collaboration with Chronos—”

It was like a private sal in the presence of generals. My knees wanted to give out, but I pressed on.

“—Please entrust it to me.”

“J-Joy, no! You can’t take on something even the executives hesitate to do! If anything goes wrong, you’ll be forced to resign from Happy World!”

Manager Bones clattered his teeth in protest.

But I just smiled, full of confidence.

“Then I’ll take off the uniform.”

“…What? Take off—?”

Melinoe’s elegant eyebrows twitched.

Like a brave hero, I declared:

“I, Associate Joy, will take full responsibility if I fail to secure Chronos’ cooperation!”

The die had been cast.

A rigged die with nothing but 1s on every side.

If released, he could bring about the end of the world.

That’s the kind of final boss we’re talking about here.

Which meant he was under extreme supervision—and access to such a place was strictly forbidden to most.

In that moment, I felt like I’d caught a glimpse of the front fringe of Opportunity itself.

“I was fully prepared to persuade Chronos and secure a collaboration. But alas, a lowly mortal like myself isn’t even allowed to meet him. I suppose getting fired was my destiny all along! How frustrating!”

I clenched my fists and widened my eyes in dramatic sorrow.

The regret of a hardworking employee who wanted nothing more than to succeed, but was cruelly held back by circumstance!

Melinoe watched me for a moment, then finally spoke.

“To think you’d take it that hard. I guess your ambition is what helped you become Employee of the Year in just two years and get promoted to associate.”

“No, really, that was just luck—”

“Ahem. Be grateful. As a mature and gracious goddess, I’ll bestow my ‘Blessing’ upon you. With it, you’ll be granted access to the doomsday-class containment level.”

“…Excuse me? A ‘Blessing’?”

“It’s in return for helping me find my wallet… and keeping that whole affair a secret. Thanks to you, I avoided being publicly humiliated for being late.”

Then, Melinoe kissed her palm with a soft smooch, then blew gently toward me.

A red lipstick mark fluttered from her hand, transforming into a butterfly that floated toward me.

Some instinct deep in my gut screamed don’t let that hit you, so I jerked my head to the side—but the thing flew too fast to dodge.

SMACK!

The butterfly stuck to my forehead.

“By the authority vested in me as the goddess of ghosts and nightmares, I, Melinoe, grant Associate Joy the Blessing of an Executive. It shall remain until he returns from meeting Chronos.”

Ssssssszzzz—

“Ow?”

“To be honest, this is my first time bestowing a blessing, so I can’t say for sure… but I don’t think there’ll be any side effects. Probably. Ahem.”

My forehead burned as if on fire.

And when I finally came to, I was standing alone in front of the company HQ.

It all felt like a dream.

Except… the bright red lipstick mark glowing on my forehead, reflected perfectly in the glass windows of the building, made it crystal clear: this wasn’t a dream.

Scrub, scrub, scrub—

‘It won’t come off. Don’t tell me… I have to meet Chronos before it disappears?!’

Walking around with the underworld princess’s kiss on my forehead…

Considering I may or may not have spent a night with her, this mark alone was punishment enough.

‘Melinoe, goddess of nightmares—who knew a kiss alone could torment someone this much!’

***

Chronos’s solitary cell was located deep underground—even darker than any other place in Happy World.

Fog choked the halls, an eerie silence hanging over everything.

At least there were no infernal wheels rolling around. That was a small mercy.

WOOOOOMMMMM—

The massive steel door, crafted by the Cyclopes over countless sleepless nights, reached so high you couldn’t even see the ceiling.

A sign staked beside it read:

「Prisoner – Chronos」

「Level – Ω」

「Punishment – Killing Time」

“Associate Joy, from Execution Division Team 4, requesting entry.”

As I greeted the skeletal security guards at the entrance, they eyed the kiss mark on my forehead.

The red glow from their sockets flickered slightly, and for some reason… I felt incredibly embarrassed.

Eventually, a small visitor door beside the main seal creaked open.

Inside was a stark white room.

And in its center, seated cross-legged, was an ancient god who looked up and shouted—

“So, you’re the negotiator, huh?! The same punks who locked me in this boring hole now want a favor? What a joke! Kids these days have no shame. Back in my day—”

His bald head gleamed, wrinkles covering his face.

Chronos was every bit the cranky old man.

Which was perfect.

No way he’d cooperate so easily, right?

Mission failure, here I come!

Time to start planning my transfer to Olympus!

“…But fine, I’ll cooperate.”

…Whaaaaat!?

Why!?

“…Why… why, great former ruler!? A project of this scale must have a proper reason. Please convince me with something I can understand!”

“Tch. Kid, don’t you already know the answer?”

“Me!?”

“Of course! Hmph. You’re persistent enough, I’ll give you that. Not bad for your generation.”

What the hell are you saying!?

KRAAAUGH!

I screamed internally.

That’s when the supposedly terrifying Chronos explained.

“What, you think I didn’t notice? A fragile little mortal coming all the way down into this pit of wraiths just to ask for my help? That kind of desperation—how could I ignore it?”

Pit of wraiths?

I hadn’t seen anything except fog down here.

Was that because of the blessing from Melinoe?

The wraith guards were technically under her domain as the goddess of ghosts, after all.

That had to be it.

“…Ahhh…”

This is a dream.

A horrible, horrible dream.