Chapter 143: Hassan And An Ill-Fated Relationship From The Past (1)

༺ Hassan And An Ill-Fated Relationship From The Past (1) ༻

I decided to part ways with Hippolyte right inside the dilapidated and abandoned cabin.

However, for some reason, I had the feeling that it would be better to stay together until she calmed down somewhat. Since it took her a while to calm down, I had to keep stroking her back throughout the duration of the stay.

"Samaritan, it's for the best if today's events remain a secret between the two of us."

"...Yes, that's probably for the best."

"I... I think I have slightly gone mad, like I have contracted some disease or something. Yeah, that must be it. You don't have to worry about anything I have said before."

Hippolyte erratically tried to explain herself. She seemed to be experiencing a sense of wisdom and clarity after I stopped her panic attack. Her previously relaxed tone became rigid once more, as though she was donning back the armor that she constantly wore over her feelings and sense of self.

"Well then, huh, I have something to take care of. I'll go first. But before that, Samaritan, that... um..."

Hippolyte was hesitating about something.

"Do you have anything else to say?"

"Before, you asked if I liked you, didn't you? "

Hippolyte's words made me recall what had happened earlier between us. What the hell kind of question did I ask her? I felt so embarrassed that my face had become burning red in shame.

"Well, that was just a random question—"

"In that case, what about you?"

"What?"

"Do you like me?"

"Uh, I-"

"No... I'll find out myself instead."

Slide—

Hippolyte placed her palm on my left chest.

Hippolyte's palm was burning hot, like it was on fire. However, since the cabin was chilly, her hand didn't feel unpleasant.

"Um, what is this...?"

I wondered what Hippolyte was trying to do. But suddenly, she let out a sigh.

"Phew... So it's like this. All right, I guess that's how it is. Life is truly fascinating, isn't it? I still have so much to learn. I'll be able to reach even greater heights by doing that.

"I see."

"Lately, everything feels like a new experience. But I've also learned something for sure. I, I indeed, have a strong competitive spirit, don't I? So, even if there's just a slight chance of winning, I can never give up."

I didn't quite understand what Hippolyte was trying to convey with those words. So I just assumed that it was her being contemplative during the early morning hours and just let it pass.

"...But this time, the possibilities seem quite high. I have heard your answer clearly. Ehem. Let's meet again tomorrow. Come to the guild. Ehem... Hmmm. Huft."

After saying those incoherent words, Hippolyte quickly left the dilapidated cabin.

What was that? Was she still shaken up?

Anyway, after Hippolyte left the place, the cabin felt empty once more. I couldn't believe that I had done something with a woman everyone looked up to in a sordid place like this. Honestly, I found it hard to believe, and it felt rather like I was dreaming.

Was it really a dream?

I calmed myself and stepped outside of the cabin. The two moons, which had been strung high in the sky before, were gradually setting right now. By this time, the public bathhouse, which was usually open from the early hours of the morning, must have started its business.

Shhhaaaah—

I went to my usual go-to bathhouse and joyfully splashed water around. I also didn't forget to thoroughly rub my whole body with the sponge-like thing there.

After a quick and refreshing shower, I stepped outside the bathhouse. My rejuvenated skin immediately came in contact with the pleasant warmth of the early morning of summer.

Now that we were really in summer, nights passed quickly.

In the absence of air conditioners and even fans, the summer in this world was truly dreadful. Because of that, I couldn't help but get worried about how to endure the summer of this year.

"L-Look over there. It's a Samaritan. He must be that Samaritan."

"...But, why is he only wearing underwear?"

As I was heading back toward Luna's cabin, some people spotted me and started whispering something among themselves.

Just like the saying that the early bird catches the worm, the residents of the slum would sacrifice their sleep and hit the streets early in the morning to make a living.

I grumbled at the realization of how much effort these diligent bastards were putting in to ensure their lives.

"What are you looking at, you bastards? If you keep staring, I will peel your skin and make clothes out of it. Hand over everything you've got."

"Hiiikk! The rumors must be true! He's a fucking psycho of a barbarian—!"

"Let's run away before our skin gets peeled off!"

It seemed like my threat worked. People quickly dispersed like scared little mice with their tails on fire. Good, I could finally avoid unnecessary attention.

Was I finally in a position where my threats were effective?

As those guys said, I was only wearing underwear right now, so naturally, it was bound to draw people's attention.

If someone asked why I was only wearing underwear, all I could say in reply was that I had given my clothes to Hippolyte. It was actually true. The worn-out blanket that I used as a cover was taken by Hippolyte.

So, all I had left on me were the short pants that resembled underwear and the perfumed oil made of male thunder mandarin duck feathers.

Phew—

I took a deep breath to calm my excited and nervous heart. Soon, the cabin where Luna was sleeping inside would come into view.

It was about time for Luna to wake up too.

Once asleep, Luna would become completely unresponsive, and it would be impossible to wake her up. But oddly enough, she rarely slept in the morning and always woke up earlier than me.

What should I do?

My heart pounded even harder than when I used to secretly take coins from my mother's wallet as a child. What I did today was far more stealthy and immoral than that.

"Whoo—"

I couldn't help but let out nervous sighs repeatedly, my heart was pounding so fast that I felt like I was going crazy from the stress.

Luna had a keen sense of smell, so there was a chance that she might notice what I did last night.

What should I do?

There it was. As Luna's cabin came into view, I found myself in a state of panic. Am I the type who can't stand the feeling of guilt after doing something wrong?

Pluck—

I uncapped the vial containing the male thunder mandarin duck's perfumed oil. Last time, after just having visited the Temple of Venus, I was too preoccupied to think about anything so I didn't get the chance to use it.

This time, however, I won't forget to apply this to my body.

After all, there would be no future left for me if I didn't use this thing right now.

Swirl— Swirl—

The small perfume-sized vial contained a red liquid swirling inside it, so I dipped my pinky finger into the opening and lightly dabbed it on my skin.

Just in case, I tried to smell it, but surprisingly, there was no scent. Wasn't it supposed to be perfume? Was there a perfume in the world that didn't have a smell or scent?

But how exactly was I supposed to use this thing?

If only there was a device to spray it like perfume. In this case, I think I should just apply it directly to my body.

Should I spread it on my body like oil...?

I had no clue what quantity or volume of the perfume should be applied to make it work. So, with a "whatever" attitude, I generously slathered my entire body with the content of the vial of scentless perfume.

After all, it was better to use too much than too little. Besides, there wouldn't be another occasion where I would need to use it again. So, I spread the oil from head to toe, making sure to cover every inch of my body with it.

But it turned out to be more slippery than I expected. Even with a small amount, I could have enough to spread it across my whole body. Thus now, I ended up feeling like I was immersed in a sea of slime.

Anyway, I was able to complete applying the oil throughout my body.

"Phew—"

Now, all I had to do was to cautiously open the door and slip inside the cabin.

To calm my pounding heart, I took a few deep breaths. Once I felt prepared myself enough, I decided to activate my blessing.

"Lady Knox, lend me your strength—"

Heup—

As I held my breath, a few words appeared in my mind.

『Blessing Night's Cloak > is activated.』

『Consuming several task points to adjust the probability of detection during covert actions.』

『Current task point: 92』

91. 91.

90— 90—

All right, I activated the skill properly this time.

According to the emerging words, the blessing I possessed, Night's Cloak, helped me by preventing my presence from being discovered during covert actions. It didn't make me invisible or anything like that.

It just helped me to reduce the sounds of my footsteps and overall presence so that I would remain unnoticeable.

Once, on my day off, I tested it with Luna, and according to that experiment, it also concealed my unique mana.

Anyway, there was nothing better than this for sneaking in unnoticed.

I was a fucking talented thief.

Hassan, the assassin who moved through the darkness.

I brainwashed myself with such thoughts as I grabbed the doorknob.

And pulled it—!

Creeeak—

However, the sound of opening the wooden door was louder than I expected. Thanks to that, I accidentally exerted too much strength on my jaws, tightly gritting my teeth.

Was Luna awake?

Could she be suspicious of Hippolyte and me disappearing in the middle of the night?

Various thoughts crossed my mind as I opened the door and slipped inside the cabin.

Open—!

The gap was wide enough for my body to fit in.

As I pushed my body inside, I could feel that the first floor of this cabin was filled with the usual tranquillity of the morning.

Specks of dust floated in the air.

But when I looked at the wooden statue of the goddess Knox inside the cabin, somehow, it made me feel guilty again.

Large and small jars were placed all over the space on the first floor.

Kong Kong—!

And even the wolf spider emerged from one of those jars!

The creature crawled up the jar and barked as if welcoming my return home. It acted like a dog in many ways, very dog-like.

Damn it, this dog-like spider was rainbow-colored and was as big as a palm! So fucking terrifying.

Kong Kong—!

The sound it made was louder than I expected. I was worried that Luna might notice, and that was even scarier than anything else. So, I extended my palm toward the eight-legged creature, trying to calm it down as though I was calming down an excited dog.

"Shh, b-be quiet."

『Blessing Night's Cloak >has been dismissed.』

『Current remaining task point: 79』

Hiiiioong—

Then, with an eerie growling sound, the creature climbed onto my palm. Damn it! I couldn't believe this. A terrifying spider with fangs as big as fingernails was now perched on the palm of my hand!

Just that alone already made me want to scream and faint. But I couldn't do that. Fuck! Spiders are so fucking scary.

Why did I have to endure this torment? I started to think that maybe it was a punishment for me. I was receiving punishment for my immoral deeds.

Growl— Growl—

"Huft—"

It was a relief that the spider soon calmed down, but my sanity level began to plummet exponentially, to the point where I felt foam was about to leak out of my mouth.

"Heu-ooooo—"

Why was I so scared of spiders like this? I knew the reason, but it was a story that I didn't want to be reminded of anymore. This situation made me shiver all over, and my stomach started to churn. I wasn't sure what to do.

Ssk— Ssk—

This damn wolf spider doesn't seem to want to leave my palm. Damn it!

"Hey, y-you can come down now—"

Growl—

"You don't want to—?"

Growl—

It was truly absurd to have a conversation with a spider like this. But I felt like I knew what the creature wanted.

Luna often placed the spider on the palm of her hand and gently petted it with her other hand. It seems like it wanted me to do the same!

Petting a spider? I really didn't want to do it, but now that the situation had come to this, I had no other choice but to do it.

So, I slowly moved my finger toward the spider on my palm.

With one index finger lifted, I moved it slowly toward the spider's body... slowly... very slowly... Damn it! What if it suddenly had a change of mind and bit me instead? What should I do then?

"Hassan, you're up earlier than me!"

"Oh, my goodness! Fucking hell, you scared me!"

Growl—

Startled by Luna's sudden voice, I instinctively threw away the spider I had been holding in my palm.

It flew and hit the wall, and then, like a ferocious beast, Kong Kong, the wolf spider, growled as it crawled back into its jar.

Ah, damn, I felt so sorry for the creature. I didn't mean to do that.

My heart was racing so fast that it began hurting my chest.

"Huh-uh."

"Hassan, I can't believe this. You are petting Kong Kong so early in the morning! What a surprise! What's gotten into you? Aren't you afraid of spiders? How did you muster up the courage?"

"I-I don't know..."

Luna, who had just woken up, was full of energy. She was so full of energy that it seemed impossible for someone else to be so energetic in the morning in the whole world.

"By the way, Hassan, have you seen Hippolyte? She left her armor here and went out. I can't see her anywhere. We slept together last night."

"...Um, well, maybe she had some important business to attend to. After all, she's a gold-tier adventurer now."

"Is that so? But in the end, I still didn't receive the three silvers from Hippolyte. I couldn't even discuss my elixir promotion plan with her. I'll definitely scold her when I see her again."

"Yeah. Phew—"

"But Hassan, why do you look so pale? Did you have a bad dream? Or do you have a fever?"

Slide—

Luna reached out her palm toward me. For a moment, I almost instinctively avoided her touch.

But I thought that if I avoided it for no reason, it would raise more suspicion and that would only lead to unnecessary situations, so I quietly accepted her touch.

As Luna's fingers touched my forehead, I felt that her hand was cooler than I expected. The coolness made me feel good. Some part of my heart even fluttered due to the pleasant sensation.

"Hassan, you seem to have a fever—?"

"Fever? Me, I have a fever?"

"Yeah. You seem to have a bit of a cold as well. Your face is flushed."

Me, having a cold? I had never caught a cold in my entire life. Me, having a fever? It was even more unbelievable than getting a cold.

"You're not wearing any clothes, so no wonder that you caught a fever. But more importantly, what is all this on your body—?"

Luna placed her palm on my body. Soon, a viscous liquid with a shimmering glow appeared on both my body and Luna's palm. It stretched out like a long, thin thread, making a soft, sticky sound.

"Hassan, what is this?"

"Huh? What, what is it?"

"What is this, exactly?"

Luna seemed puzzled by what was on my body. So she approached me, bringing her nose close to sniff it.

"It's like oil. Hassan, did you turn into a toad? Why is oil coming out of your body?"

My mind went blank at those words. Not blank white though, as whenever I became truly startled, my mind and vision would go pitch black instead.

Could it be the effect of the Male Thunder Mandarin Duck Perfume that I had received from the Temple of Venus?

While I was trembling with a tense heart—.

"Hassan, did you go to the bathhouse?"

"Uh, yeah, just now, right after I woke up. I tried applying this oil as well. They said it's good for the skin."

Luna asked if I had been to the bathhouse, so I replied in a rush.

"There was something like this in the bathhouse? But it makes even the smell on your body disappear completely. Interesting. Can someone's smell just disappear like this?"

Luna continued to sniff my scent as if she found it fascinating. Anyway, it seemed that she didn't suspect anything regarding my experiences with Hippolyte.

Indeed, the thing that Venus's Holy Maiden had given was genuine.

It was indeed worth its expensive price. It must have been something even Luna had no knowledge of. Anyway, I somehow survived.

Feeling like I had just escaped the threshold of death, a sense of relief washed over me, and I felt a surge of color returning to my body. The rush of blood pressure even made my legs go weak momentarily.

"Phew—"

"Hassan, you look exhausted. Do you want to rest for today? We were planning to go to the underground market, but I guess we have to skip it for today."

Luna's words reminded me of what we had planned to do.

We obtained gold coins that circulated in the black market while carrying out the quest from the Temple of Venus. We had planned to meet with Marco at the tavern to spend this money on the underground markets. It seems like today was the day we had planned to meet.

"I've never spent gold before. I wonder what I can buy at the black market with these—!"

Jingle—

Luna pulled out a bunch of gold with an X mark on the front and back from a corner while exclaiming brightly.

Gold.

Just the thought of the eight jingling pieces of golden goodness, that were my share of the loot, suddenly made me feel elated. Even though they were considered black money that could only be spent on the black market, they were still gold.

Gold.

Gold coins.

G.O.L.D.

In the periodic table— Okay, I could no longer remember it anymore, but anyway, gold was a precious metal highly valued both here and on Earth, my home world.

It was even more precious in modern society, much more precious than other gemstones. Wasn't it an essential material in the production of electronic devices too?

But as someone from the 21st century, I had lived a life where I never came into contact with any form of gold, so I didn't know anything about this precious metal. It seems like I have taken a liking to this shining golden piece.

"Hehe."

"It seems like Hassan enjoys spending money too! Have you thought about what to buy?"

"Well, I haven't really thought about it! But we'll figure it out when we get there! Let's go!"

And so, Luna and I headed to the Nymph's Wing Inn— our usual meeting place. I should spend one gold for Luna, today. No, let's spend two.

Anyway, as we entered the inn and tried to find a table to wait for Marco while getting ourselves some breakfast, we unexpectedly encountered a group of people that we never expected to meet here.

"Aren't those people the White Silver Roses or something like that that have recently become the talk of the city?"

"Interestingly, they're all women. They don't look particularly strong, though."

"But all of them are silver-tier adventurers. My relative in Kalkata told me about them. These women have a reputation for being skilled even there."

"What kind of business do they have here in Sodomora then?"

Amidst the gossiping crowd and the female adventurers gathered around the circular table, there was that damn annoying silver-haired pointy-eared elf that I wanted to encounter the least in this whole world.

With a presence so remarkable, that it it could never be missed, I spotted her as soon as we entered the place.