Danmachi Familia from Hell

*

The land was devoid of even a single blade of grass. Rotten, leafless trees with broken branches. No fauna except for the mercilessly annoying cawing of emaciated crows.

- All that's missing is a hanged people - Hades said to himself as he traversed this inhospitable country. - Though I doubt they'd be able to hold on to these dried-up branches.

No one would believe that this wasteland used to yield abundant crops, and on the other side of each grove a village full of well-fed, happy inhabitants could be found. Unfortunately, during the darkest years of the Age of Heroes, monsters came here too. Everyone used their knowledge of the terrain or strategic skills to their advantage, many times superior to the often mindless beasts.
Unfortunately, they were too powerful and too numerous to be able to fend them off forever. Through years of fighting, fire, the desire to destroy of the creatures born in Dungeon, this civilization was wiped off the face of the earth. The few survivors fled to other lands. What were they supposed to do in this devastated wasteland? Both in caves and among trees, a mass of the beasts' offspring lurked. The flames consumed all life, and the hectoliters of blood spilled over the years poisoned most of the rivers and groundwater, so naturally most of the wells became toxic.
Only a madman would live in such a place, and it was for such a madman that Hades had come here.
He had been carried by a horse for many kilometers, but during the first surprise attack carried out by the monsters inhabiting the area, the stallion was killed, and the king of the Underworld had to walk the rest of the way.
If I hadn't got carried away then, I wouldn't have had to make this journey, thought the gold-eyed one. He
still remembered the day when he had seen the Landgrave for the first and last time.
He and his entourage had made quite an impression on Hades. He breathed a sigh of relief when the elf agreed not to take his subordinates with him behind the railing.
In Tartarus, he had seen worse horrors than a band of undead, but ordinary mortals could have nightmares for the rest of their lives after seeing them. Especially children, who still had sensitive and delicate minds.
Hades, Kora, and Belakher entered the house inhabited by the couple. The purple-eyed man expected a large, dark, gloomy building made of gray or black brick with completely covered shutters, heavy furniture made of ebony wood and an atmosphere of horror worthy of the god of death. Instead, he came across a modest but cozy, well-lit house full of potted plants grown by Cora. Greenery took up a large part of the living room, at the back of the house there was a vegetable garden, and she also a field belonging to her family. Hades could swear on everything that if Demeter ever met his wife, they would not have to search for a common language for long.
The brown-haired one herself, like a true hostess, did not pay attention to the fact who the newcomer was and gave him kind hospitality, serving him cookies and tea.

- Thank you, madam - the purple-eyed said humbly.

It wasn't just an act of courtesy, but a sincere thanks. It had been many years since he had had the opportunity to drink tea with anyone, too many.

- So - said the king of the Underworld in a grave tone. - Will you now tell me why you have come to me?

Landgrave stopped his hand when it was halfway to his lips with the cup. Well, he wasn't at the party in his castle, and he had a god and his wife across from him, not close friends.

- If you allow me, sir, I will start from the very beginning.

Hades nodded and grabbed a biscuit, as did his wife, who was sitting to his right.

- I was born a minor nobleman serving at the court of the royal family of the forest of Rasa Sill - he announced in a tone devoid of both pride and shame. - Our lord, Aurelion was a benevolent ruler. He did not dream of conquest, but of peace and the good of his subjects. Thanks to his innate diplomatic skills, after taking the throne at the age of two hundred and seventeen, he did not fight a single war for the next three hundred years. He concluded non-aggression pacts, trade agreements, and even married off some of his family members to relatives of other elven monarchs, thanks to which he could count on the all-round friendship of his race.