After all these years in the underworld, Ereshkigal had tried to grow flowers, but every attempt ended in failure.
This bitter, frozen land could sustain no living thing besides her. Even the souls of humans, upon falling into the underworld, would be frozen solid in an instant without her protection—let alone any other form of life.
Ever since arriving in the underworld, the lonely Ereshkigal had searched for all sorts of ways to find something, anything, to keep her company. But in the end, nothing worked.
She had planted countless flowers, but they never even sprouted, much less bloomed.
Even when she nourished them with her own divine power, the result was the same.
Of course—this was the underworld. How could life possibly blossom here?
But today, Ereshkigal realized she had been wrong. Staring at these flowers gently swaying in the breeze, she was left speechless. Unconsciously, tears traced down her cheeks and fell to the ground. In that moment, even she couldn't name the emotions swirling inside her.
Joy? Gratitude? Or confusion, perhaps? A little of each, maybe—but more than anything, she felt happiness.
"So… even this frigid underworld can give rise to beautiful blossoms… That's wonderful… truly wonderful…"
Watching the scene, she couldn't hold back a sob.
She stepped softly to the edge of the flower field, gazing at the gently swaying blooms. She wanted to reach out and touch them, but she feared her own power might cause them to wither.
It took a long while before Ereshkigal finally mustered the courage to gently brush her fingers against a petal. She leaned down, inhaling the delicate fragrance.
These underworld flowers didn't carry a strong scent, but to Ereshkigal, it was the most wonderful aroma in the world.
Only after a good while did her emotions finally settle.
It wasn't that Ereshkigal was overreacting—one only had to imagine her position to understand.
From the moment of her birth, she had been assigned her divine duty.
From that time until now, she had faithfully guarded the underworld. She could have become a rebellious goddess, leaving for the world above—but every time she saw those lonely, flickering soul-fires, she swallowed her own sorrow.
Humanity needed gods.
Even if their feelings toward the goddess of the netherworld were fear rather than reverence, that was fine.
So long as they could attribute the unknown and their fears to the gods, they wouldn't have to live in constant dread.
And so, all these years, Ereshkigal never left the underworld. When Ishtar once came down, Ereshkigal beat her up and threw her out.
Truth be told, Ishtar had actually pitied Ereshkigal back then and wanted to take her out for a change of scenery. But both of them were tsunderes.
Faced with Ereshkigal's suspicion, Ishtar immediately fell into her old habits and started speaking in insults—what began as an invitation came out as mockery.
That made Ereshkigal see red on the spot, and she gave Ishtar a thorough thrashing.
All this time, Ereshkigal had endured the loneliness of the underworld entirely alone. For so many years, she hadn't had a single person she could talk to.
And now, at last, this barren realm had bloomed with flowers—how could she not be moved?
Soon, though, she began to wonder—who had done this?
If flowers could have grown here, surely they would have covered the underworld long before now. Why only today?
Then she remembered Castorice. This was the very path Castorice had taken to reach her.
'Was it her?'
Ereshkigal wondered with growing excitement.
It had to be.
That distinct aura of death around her—it must have been a blessing from some death deity. If that were the case, it would make sense how she could make such beautiful flowers grow here.
Before long, however, Ereshkigal noticed something else about the blossoms.
They were capable of storing souls.
After entering the underworld, souls would turn into dew, nourishing the flowers. And when the flowers bloomed, they would release those souls back as dew—completing a cycle.
But now, the most crucial step was missing.
Her consent.
Without the permission of the underworld's goddess, these souls could never leave.
Gazing at the flowers, Ereshkigal felt a twinge of reluctance. But in the end, she waved her hand, releasing the souls stored within in a great sweep toward the human world.
The west wind would carry them, falling as rain, and in time, new life would be born upon the earth.
And these underworld flowers would complete their purpose. Once their blooming season ended, they would fade and wither.
But life and death are an unending cycle. Sooner or later, new souls would fall into the underworld, awaiting the next turn.
Ereshkigal could easily have kept the underworld closed, letting those souls remain as flowers forever, keeping her company here.
But if she did that… she wouldn't be Ereshkigal. No matter how lonely she felt, she had never entertained such a selfish thought—to make these souls stay just for her sake.
With these thoughts in mind, she left the underworld and walked into the distance, hoping to find Castorice.
But the outcome was disappointing.
The tasks they needed to complete were already done, so the group had hurried back to the city at full speed.
After all, roughing it outdoors couldn't compare to the comfort of sleeping indoors.
So they made straight for Uruk.
'Never mind. We'll have a chance to meet again later. There's no need to rush.'
Seeing that she couldn't find Castorice, Ereshkigal shook her head gently and returned to the underworld.
Noticing the soul-fires flickering in the braziers near her throne, she gathered them up and brought them to the flower field.
Deprived of souls, the underworld flowers had begun to wilt. Seeing this, Ereshkigal scattered the souls in her hands, letting the flowers absorb and shelter them.
'I'll protect this flower field.'
She couldn't help but smile as she looked at the blooming flowers.
From now on, she would release these souls to the human world at regular intervals—until then, they would be sheltered by these flowers.
Ereshkigal was genuinely happy. Though tending the flowers would be troublesome, she didn't mind. Here in the underworld, the one thing she had in abundance was time.
At the very least, now she had something to do besides sitting idly by.
Meanwhile, after a long day of travel, Castorice returned to the rooftop, breathing in the fresh night air.
Her white dress fluttered casually in the evening breeze. Castorice tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and turned to see Ana approaching slowly.
"Is something the matter, Ana?"
Castorice looked at Ana, a faint smile on her lips.
"I just couldn't sleep and wanted to get some air," Ana said, her tone a little unsteady.
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.