Inside the gate, as the mist gradually descended, three figures appeared. One sat upright upon a lava throne, while a dense, almost tangible aura of death surged toward them.
The moment Nero saw her, the name Hades surfaced in her mind... King of the Underworld, God of Death... All sorts of titles flooded into her awareness at once.
Knowing the name at a glance, knowing why he existed... The unification of legends could be called a god—Hades was such a god.
But what about the other two?
Although the man was not seated upon the throne, he stood on equal footing with Hades... He did not seem much inferior to the legendary King of the Underworld—was he the shopkeeper?
But wasn't the shopkeeper her master?
Nero's mind was completely blank. As for the conversation between Hades and the shopkeeper, she seemed unable to hear it clearly... Or rather, she had actually heard it, but was unable to understand the contents, as if she had suddenly fallen into some kind of cognitive impairment.
It was only when the beauty dressed in the same maid's uniform slowly walked over—right up to her—that Nero suddenly shuddered. Her consciousness was released from some kind of frozen state, and she finally came to her senses.
At the same time, however, the woman named Eleanor brought her outside the gate... The gate began to close again. Just before it shut completely, Nero seemed to hear some of the conversation between King Hades and the shopkeeper inside.
It seemed to be Hades' voice... As though he were negotiating something.
"...The profits from this Underworld aren't very good. Regarding the rent stipulated in the contract, I wonder if it would be possible to..."
As for what exactly would be possible, Nero could no longer hear—it was because the