I'm eating with Hel.
"Hmmm, come on, tell me, why did you start collecting souls?" Hel swirls her wine glass, making me feel like she's interrogating me.
I took a bite of my steak. "Yum yum, hold on, this steak is amazing. I started this when I was a kid, around ten years old... I saw that no matter how much people sinned, they were never punished. So, I got involved. You know, I beat them at their own mind games and taught them the importance of mercy." I try to act as gentlemanly as possible.
Hel narrowed her eyes. "No, in the underworld, there are places of punishment for people like that. You sound like a selfish vigilante enforcing your own justice."
"You're partly right, but no one has the right to decide what's good or evil. Cultivators call it karma, other religions call it sin—only the names change. I make them feel the pain while they're still alive, not after they're dead." I paused and looked at Hel the same way she was looking at me.
She tilted her head and stirred the mashed potatoes next to her steak. "Sure, but that's unnecessary, and your soul is too powerful, even for a god."
"Thanks, but I don't like examining my own soul..." That was true because looking at my soul reminds me of memories from my previous world that I'd rather forget.
Then Hel laughed. "Do you know why I didn't try to kill you with my full force?" she said, pausing again, bringing her hand to her chin, and leaning on the table.
"Hmm, let me think. I'm handsome, strong, charismatic," I started, but Hel cut me off. "Your soul doesn't have a speck of sin. You can't escape the karma you talk about—it follows you no matter what. You're like a merchant: you give, and you take in return. But you've also helped people, because the light radiating from your soul is immense," she said.
I sighed. When you look at someone's soul, you can tell what kind of person—or god—they are. Artemis's soul was a white light with some dark spots. Hel's was gray.
Neither good nor bad.
I've helped a lot of people with my power, even if they don't know it. I keep them from committing sins. I see myself as an anti-hero.
I wouldn't kill a good person, but if they stand in my way when I'm about to kill a bad one, I'd take them both down. Take Lara, for example...
No matter how much Lara tried to stop me, I didn't listen. She's probably traumatized.
The first time is always the hardest.
I coughed a little. "Goddess Hel, isn't Fenrir locked up in the underworld? Why don't you set him free?"
"I can't release him. While Odin is looking for an excuse to destroy me and my brother, if I did something like that, he'd kill us both..." Hel said, slipping into a depressive mood.
This was supposed to be a romantic dinner under the candlelight, but for some reason, we've been acting like old friends for a while now. "He's probably afraid of Ragnarök. Lucifer will speed it up, you know that... And that idea of bringing meat and bones for Fenrir? That was Artemis's idea."
Hel's expression changed. "Is that NEET still on the moon? Even his brother doesn't care anymore. I don't know how many years it's been, but it's a lot. Take good care of him... He's been a bit depressed since his brother abandoned him."
"I don't like the Olympian gods. Zeus fucks everything that moves, including his own daughter, and that's why Hades wears a green hat. In your pantheon, the only one I can't stand is Loki. Otherwise, I liked Baldr the most, but he was an idiot. Odin, on the other hand, suits me best. Cultivators are out of my league—they're obsessed with nonsense like jade beauties or fairies. As for the Mesopotamian gods, the one I respect most is Ereshkigal. Honestly, I respect most underworld gods; they do their jobs properly..." Hel listened to my long explanation with rapt attention, curious about my thoughts.
Then she spoke, her voice tinged with melancholy. "You know a lot about gods. I can guess why you hate Loki. Hades's wife gave birth to Zeus's child, Zagreus, so I understand why you look down on him a bit. But Hades is a good father, though sadly, his child died. As for Odin, you should know I hate him. Why didn't you lie to win my favor?"
"Pfft, Hel, I don't need your favor. I gave you my honest opinions. One of the most important things in building a friendship is honesty and sincerity. I laid out my thoughts for you. Honestly, managing all those souls and working constantly must be tough." Hel and I finished our meal but kept looking at each other, still sipping wine.
Hel giggled. "Seriously, I'm glad I met you, Raul Cainhurst. Some gods who hate you would probably like you if they got to know you. Even if they wouldn't approve of your trading, I get it. You ensured that the dead girl found eternal peace in Valhalla. Despite all your power, you still stood up to me for a dead girl. If you wanted, you could've sent her to Valhalla without me noticing."
"Of course I could've, but that would've been disrespectful to you. And about Sphiros, was his soul corrupted?" I quickly changed the subject because I didn't want to linger on one topic.
Hel looked like she had a headache. "Yeah, that bastard Mephisto killed him, or rather, caused his death. I barely managed to save his soul."
"Hmm, by the way, Hel, check on Artemis sometimes. That NEET goddess is bored out of her mind on the moon, as you said, and leaving her there even feels bad. Also, for Fenrir, it's not just meat and bones, I've got something special." But Hel appeared right in front of me, very close. "Hm, hm, I'm listening. What toy do you have for Fenrir?"
I brought my hand to the back of my neck because, although I'm immune to beautiful women, when they get this close, something rises—and it's definitely not the shield hero.
"If possible, I'd like to give it to him myself. I swear on my soul, even if he tears me apart, I just want to talk to him and won't attack." I said.
Because Fenrir is tragic.
In this world, he has no one to trust but Hel. "Are you serious? My brother is a bit... wild."
"Let's go. You can give him the meat and bones while we're at it," I said, but Hel, already close, grabbed my shoulders.
I found myself in another place—a grim cave with barely any light.
"Thank you for accepting my offer," I said, and Hel nudged me gently with her shoulder.
For a god to trust someone, they only need to look at their soul. Even if Hel used all her power, she could only see a billionth of Raul's soul, but Raul allowed her to see it because he understands underworld gods; they're soul experts.
As I walked with Hel in the cave, all I could hear were my footsteps and the growling of a wolf. "Hey, Hel, is Fenrir okay here? Isn't he losing his mind?"
I'd go crazy in a place like this. "No, I come here every day to keep him from losing his sanity. The last visitor Fenrir had, besides me, was 5,000 years ago."
Shit, that's a long time. My steps quickened, and I started hearing the sound of chains.
I followed Hel, but the cave was massive, and the sound of water droplets falling to the ground made the atmosphere eerie. For me, though, it was no different from an amusement park.
Then I saw a figure wrapped in chains. When I squinted, I could see someone imprisoned by them.
I looked at Hel first, then at the figure. "Hel, isn't Fenrir your brother? Why is a girl locked here?"
"Yeah, why are you surprised?" Hel gave me a weird look, but in front of me was a woman with wolf ears, white hair, and blue eyes.
She was adorable. "Hel, did you betray me too?" It was Fenrir, lowering her head. "No, sister, I didn't do anything like that. This is Raul. He brought you food and bones. He thought you'd like them... and he wanted to see you himself."
I felt Fenrir's eyes on me, but my curiosity got the better of me. I approached Fenrir, and Hel tried to stop me, but I kept going. "Fenrir, why are you chained like this? You don't seem like a bad guy to me."
"I don't know which god you are, but there's room in my stomach for you. Stay away," Fenrir bared her teeth, but I got closer and petted her ears.
She tried to bite me, but I tapped her head. She almost turned into a form that could swallow me in one bite.
Every time she tried to bite, I tapped her head. "Hel, help!" Fenrir's eyes were tearing up, but Hel was standing there laughing.
"Shhh, Fenrir, you're pretty cute and beautiful. Do the gods hate you because you're Loki's child?" Fenrir's eyes widened in shock, but I felt a dark death energy behind me. Hel looked like she was about to lose control. "Sis, stop, don't do it. Raul, right?"
"Yeah, go ahead, Fenrir."
"Am I really cute and beautiful?" Fenrir lowered her head.
This might've been the first compliment she'd ever heard in her life. Even though Hel fed her, Fenrir could sense that Hel was still afraid of her.
But the human named Raul in front of her felt only curiosity and compassion. "Okay, how am I supposed to believe your sweet words?" Fenrir turned her head.
It was the only part of her body she could move. "Shhh, you had that test with Tyr, right? Shall we try it?" I suggested, knowing it was the only way to convince her.
"Hmm, okay," Fenrir said, and her head transformed into a wolf's head. She opened her mouth—terrifying, capable of devouring countless worlds, one of the beings feared by all pantheons.
As soon as Fenrir opened her mouth, I stuck my head in. "Wow, Fenrir, your teeth are pretty sharp, huh?" Hmm, quite interesting.
Fenrir tried to speak, but she didn't expect this Raul guy to stick his head in her mouth. Either this guy was insane, or he trusted her that much...
Hel watched with her mouth agape, hoping Fenrir wouldn't swallow Raul, or she'd lose her newly gained friend.
"Okay, get out of my mouth, Raul," Fenrir mumbled incoherently. Raul slowly pulled back, and Fenrir returned to her normal form, tears streaming from her eyes. "I... I'm sorry."
A tissue appeared in my hand, and I wiped Fenrir's tears. "I want to free you, Fenrir, but if I do, Tyr or Odin would attack you, and I'd become an enemy of the entire pantheon."
"I'd protect you..." a voice said.
I heard it clearly. "I didn't hear that," I said, but then Hel approached, grabbed my shoulder, and pulled me back. "Raul, thank you for everything, but freeing Fenrir is impossible. You might break those chains or steal their ownership, but Odin would go so far as to destroy not just you but everyone you love."
"Hmm, people I love? There are two humans I care about in the world, not romantically, mind you. Other than that, there's Artemis. If Odin wants, he can kill my dad and make him suck his own dick."
"Uh, you know he can hear you, right? He's always watching this place," Hel said, but I surprised her by raising my middle finger. "Old coward, instead of fearing prophecies, discipline Loki. He's a terrible father, went to get milk thousands of years ago, and never came back." But then Hel's fist hit my stomach. Even though it felt like a slight tickle, I acted like it hurt.
"Idiot, don't go that far," Hel shouted, but then Fenrir interrupted. "Thank you, Raul, really... You don't need to rebel against Odin for me."
"No, not just for you, Fenrir. That idiot is creating Ragnarök with his own hands, and he denies it even though he knows it. When Lucifer wakes up soon, it'll be too late for everything." Raul was shouting into the air, looking in a specific direction.
But since nothing happened, I assume we're safe. "Come back here, Raul, okay?"
"Hahaha, with a wolf girl waiting for me, of course I'll come back," I said and winked at Fenrir. Even though chains covered her body, her head moved slightly.
Then I found myself back in the palace with Hel. "Seriously, thank you, Raul. I've never seen my sister smile, but you made it happen."
"No big deal, Hel," I said, but she pulled me, and I felt something on my lips—her tongue slipped into my mouth. Our tongues battled for dominance for a few minutes before I stopped.
"Uh, Hel, don't get me wrong, but I see you as a friend." She nudged my shoulder lightly. "Idiot, I know. That was just a little reward. The underworld welcomes you with open arms."
Hel, looking at me, was enchanting. I touched my lips; the taste was indescribable. I turned my head. "Thanks, Hel, but I've gotta go. Artemis is waiting," I said.
Raul vanished, but Hel looked at the spot where he disappeared and giggled. "Silly Raul, you're kinda cute too..."