Chapter 155: Hassan and the Nine-Headed Thief (6)

"I-It feels like something might pop out from below...!"

Paranoy, the ditch water nymph, was someone who feared a lot of things. To explain how easily she was frightened by something, she couldn't even do anything alone in the dark of night.

She also seemed to have some symptoms of paranoia as well.

While I could sympathize with how tough her life must have been to be like this, it was a bit annoying at the same time.

"Then, what? You want me to hold your leg?"

"P-Please...! I feel like I'm going to explode, but nothing's coming out...!"

The nymph's clear voice was mixed with fear and trepidation. Since she couldn't take care of her urgent matters, it must be quite distressing.

"Mr. Hassan...! Huwaaa..."

"Ugh, fuck."

My mind was still groggy since she suddenly woke me when I was sleeping. What the hell is going on here?

"Then I'm coming in."

"Yes, y-yesh..."

I saw Paranoy stamping her feet on the floor when I opened the shed door, crossing her thighs and looking like she didn't know what to do. Seeing her being like that made me nervous as well.

What the hell am I trying to do right now? But well, I felt a little less guilty thanks to all the alcohol I drank.

"How do you want me to hold your leg?"

"Just like this from behind... Like, hold on both of my thighs and lift them up... That's how my mother used to hold me in when I was young..."

Held both of her thighs from behind and lifted them, she said.

I wondered if I understood the position correctly. If there was someone in front then they would see something quite revealing.

"Then let's do this quickly and go back to sleep."

Lift—

I lifted Paranoy, the ditch water nymph, and her rough, ashy robe up to her thighs.

Her quite slender and soft calves and thighs were exposed, but I didn't feel anything strange, not much different from when I looked at my little sister when we were younger.

Ssk—

I held Paranoy's thighs from behind, just as she had asked.

"Hyaaaa!"

"Why, why are you making a weird noise?"

"Mr. Hassan, your palms are hot...!"

"There's nothing I can do about it. Bear with it."

On contrary to my hot palms, Paranoy's thighs were surprisingly cool, smooth, soft, and squishy.

It made me realize how delicate and fragile young girls could be.

Drip—

But still, this was a bit awkward and embarrassing.

I thought about staying silent, but I couldn't bear it anymore. So I decided to ask anything to break the silence.

"By the way, just curious, how old are you?"

"I am a ditch water nymph..."

I asked her age, but why did she reply with "ditch water nymph?"

"No, I mean, how old are you, your age."

"Ditch water nymphs are as old as a small palm tree in age... And when they reach the age of a slightly larger tree, they become stream water nymphs..."

Ditch water nymphs, stream water nymphs.

Nymphs and humans seemed to have quite different ways of calculating age. From what I'd heard, nymphs were known for their long lifespans. So even though she looked like this, I guess she was already past adulthood.

Not only nymphs but there are also other races in this world that live longer than humans, like elves. Elves can typically live for almost 200 years.

A race that could live twice longer than humans...

"Um... Mr. Hassan."

Paranoy asked me to put her down since she had done with her business. After I did as she requested, I could hear various rustling sounds, one after another.

"Huh, it's all done now. Thank you... It felt good since you reminded me of my mother..."

Huh? Her mother?

Paranoy occasionally mentioned her mother in conversations like this.

Nymphs were a race with only females, and they said that only female nymphs were born from nymphs. So her mother must be a nymph similar to her.

"My mother was a kind person."

On our way back, perhaps Paranoy noticed that I was thinking about female nymphs, or she just wanted to tell a story. So she started a conversation.

"My mother and I lived hidden in a cave. But one day, she went out to pick fruits and didn't come back..."

"I-I see."

Her mother didn't come back one day. Just a moment ago, I felt quite light-hearted, but now my heart started to feel heavy, as if someone had placed a lump of metal on it.

"Do you think something bad happened to your mother?"

"It's not like that. My mother received the Blessing of Chaos, so her mind tends to wander. Perhaps, she forgot her way back..."

"The Blessing of Chaos?"

I was struck by a quite familiar word.

"...Long Live Chaos."

I murmured softly, and the words appeared before my eyes.

[Stats] Name: HassanLevel: 22 Strength: 12 Agility: 4 Stamina: 61 Task Points: 60 Blessing: Blessing of Chaos > Shinning Hand > Night's Cloak > There was clearly the word "Blessing of Chaos" in my stats.

So, I asked.

"Do you know what The Blessing of Chaos is? Can you tell me what it is?"

"I don't know much either, but according to my mother, in the ancient past... in a period of time where the distinction between gods, humans, and beasts did not exist. There was a time when the world was filled with a circular and black void, like a hollow egg. The Void. The Primordial Abyss..."

While smoothly reciting the story, Paranoy suddenly got choked up and was unable to continue.

She started sobbing.

"Hey, why are you crying all of a sudden?"

"I miss my mother...!"

Her crying only grew louder, so I felt flustered.

Did I ask something unnecessary? So, to calm her down, I pressed the wrinkles on her wrist, the Spirit Gate acupoint, with my thumb.

"Ah, ouch—!"

For people under stress, pressing this point can improve mental and physical stability.

Ding—

[Stats] Name: ParanoyLevel: 21 Condition: Curse of Slow Growth >Loneliness >Sugar addiction > I wondered if pressing the acupoint on her wrist could let me feel her pulse and judge her condition. So, when I pressed her wrist, the words also appeared before my eyes. The information was the same as before. She was showing conditions like "Loneliness" and "Sugar Addiction."

I wonder if her loneliness stemmed from her mother not returning to the cave. Could this even be cured by pressing on her acupoints?

Surprisingly, it was possible.

It was just amazing to have an acupoint specifically to resolve loneliness.

Those damn crazy acupressure points. If you put it on your nose, it becomes a nose ring. If you put it on your ear, it becomes an earring. When I was forced to learn it back then, I thought it was just hilariously absurd. Honestly, it still feels like one to this day, what a complete scam.

"Ah, it hurts...!"

I pressed the spot on the palm of her hand. It was the acupressure point known as the Palace of Toil.

This place has excellent effects on physical and mental stability and also digestive function, so pressing it wasn't a waste of time to press it anyway.

"Huawt! It hurts, it hurts...!"

But even then, it shouldn't hurt that much, right? Paranoy seemed to be overreacting. Or maybe it was because her palm was small and delicate, so her nerves were slightly more sensitive.

However, after thinking about it again, I realized that my strength stat had recently grown more than twice so I shouldn't apply the same force as before.

Using excessive force to press on the acupressure point wouldn't make it work well, after all.

Slide—

Therefore, I eased a good amount of pressure needed on my grip. Because of that, Paranoy, the ditch water nymph, seemed to relax a bit.

"Haah..."

At the same time, the ding sound and some words appeared.

『Paranoy's Loneliness>has been healed.』 『Task points +10』 『Current task points +70』 My task points went up smoothly, and I could say it was a rewarding harvest for waking up in the middle of the night.

"How do you feel? Are you feeling better now?"

"Maybe it's because you held my hand, my mood has improved a lot, Mr. Hassan...!"

"That's good. Now let's go back and rest."

"Well, um..."

But Paranoy hesitated as if something else was bothering her.

"What now?"

"C-Could you... hold my hand a bit longer? Just until we get back, if that's okay..."

Hold her hand?

Was she not fully recovered from feeling lonely due to thoughts of her mother?

Well, the fact that human emotions could change so easily just by getting a little palm acupressure itself was already quite strange.

So, I decided to hold her hand until we returned to the cabin. It reminded me of the memories when I was with my younger sister.

"Mr. Hassan, your hand is big..."

"Is that so?"

"It feels like when I met Lord Pluto when I was a child..."

We were simply walking, but then Paranoy mentioned a name that seemed to slip from her lips accidentally.

"You ever met Pluto?"

"Although it feels like a dream now, I'm sure the reason I could survive that time was because of him. He was a big man with black hair and eyes and big hands, just like you, Mr. Hassan..."

It was hard to believe she once met Pluto. I was not sure if that was true. However, this girl seems to owe her life to that man.

"So was that why you became Pluto's cultist?"

"When you bring skeletons back to life, it gives you a sense of having many companions... However, I'm not particularly adept at necromancy. The best I can manage is crafting a golem out of mud..."

Holy fuck! I didn't know that she became a cultist because of something like that. But come to think of it, most cultists on Earth seemed to delve into people's hearts through similar methods.

These cultists cleverly delved into the inner thoughts of the troubled, lonely, difficult, and poor and deluded them.

Even those who knew what they believed was wrong might not be able to break free because they believed that only those pseudo-religion members treated them well and cared for them.

Of course, exploiting vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals was what made cults and sects bad.

On the other hand, it was ironic for someone like me, the son of an illegal treatment center owner, to say something like this.

Anyway, the cabin was now visible in the distance. I should get some rest. A good night's sleep and being fully prepared would be beneficial for tomorrow's event.

Just as I thought that, Paranoy spoke in a subtle voice.

"Mr. Hassan, do you perhaps have an interest in necromancy...?"

"Why are you saying that all of a sudden?"

"Since Mr. Hassan is so powerful, just saying 'Arise' should be enough to wake those skeletons up..."

"Oh, arise? What the hell do you mean by 'Arise.' Are you still not fully recovered from being a cultist? Do you need a punch to snap out of it again?"

"Hiiik!"

Paranoy was startled when I showed her my other hand, then quickly shook off my hand and dashed upstairs.

Indeed, an appropriate amount of violence could be a good remedy for those who have gone astray in this world.

It was the true kind of physical therapy.

Miraculous physical therapist, Hassan...

With such light-hearted thoughts, I fell back to sleep.

* * *

The next morning.

When we arrived at the Mars Guild, Hippolyte was leaning against the statue with her arms folded, waiting for Luna and me.

"Good morning, Hippolyte!"

"... Knoxdotty. You seem quite energetic this morning. Did something good happen?"

"I'm working on a Wildling Elixir! It's going to be amazing when it's done! Now I won't have to bother going to the bathhouse!"

"What kind of elixir? Anyway, as planned, today we'll investigate and gather information about the Thieves' Guild."

Hippolyte briefly explained her plans for what we were going to do later.

"Unraveling the identities of their executives is a daunting task due to the veil of rumors surrounding them. This could turn into a prolonged project, potentially extending beyond a month. Thus, it won't be a straightforward effort."

However, Luna seemed more interested in something else than Hippolyte's plans. She was examining Hippolyte's face closely.

"...Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Hippolyte, you're wearing makeup! This is the first time I've seen you wearing makeup!"

"Hmm, well, it's nothing much. I just don't do it often. I don't have anything to do, so..."

Hippolyte fidgeted uncomfortably in her armor, unsure how to handle the situation. Eventually, the female warrior turned her face away, but only to make eye contact with me.

When I saw her face, I was surprised by her unexpectedly long eyelashes and the subtle glimmer in her eyes.

While I was so taken aback that I couldn't say anything, Hippolyte was similarly flustered. She looked around before turning her face away in the end.

"Anyway, well, yeah. Kalkata's Silvers, that Roses Group, or whatever it is, is already exploring the underground, too. We can't just sit back and relax."

The Roses Group probably referred to Delphina, Elfriede, and their colleagues, a silver-tier adventurers party.

They were also competing with us to wipe out the Thieves' Guild. If they had already started their moves, then it meant we needed to act as well.

However, I did have some advantages.

"By the way, Ms. Hippolyte."

"W-What is it? Samaritan?"

Hippolyte jumped slightly at my call.

I thought I was just exaggerating by imagining things, but her reaction indicated that she was clearly still concerned about what happened in the cabin the other day.

Well, if you're human, you can't just ignore and forget about something like that.

But still, this was a matter of public concern. It could potentially put Hippolyte's life in danger as well.

So, after calming my emotions, I decided to tell her everything I had learned yesterday as if nothing happened between us.

"...And that's what happened, they are targeting gold-tier adventurers."

Upon hearing my words, Hippolyte furrowed her brow. I couldn't detect the same level of surprise as before.

Lately, despite displaying many human-like behaviors in her actions, as an accomplished adventurer reaching the status of a hero, she ought to be capable of discerning between public and private matters.

"Who else knows about this fact?"

"I haven't told anyone else here."

"That's good. If this news spreads, the reputation of our already struggling guild will hit rock bottom. Then, the value of the shares I hold in the Mars Guild will plummet as well."

"What? Hippolyte, you invested in the Mars Guild?"

Luna shouted in disbelief at Hippolyte's words. Hippolyte replied.

"I received guild shares as a reward instead of a monetary reward. This way, it will turn into a much larger fortune someday."

"But the Mars Guild hasn't even gone public yet!"

"They will soon. After we successfully wipe out the Thieves' Guild and I complete more quests as a gold-tier adventurer, you'll see."

Luna and Hippolyte continued to discuss the value of Mars Guild shares for a while.

Feeling like it didn't concern me much, I was half-listening when Hippolyte suddenly asked me a question.

"So, they said that thieves gather in the underground of the central street where the guild buildings are located. Do you know who the gold-tier adventurer they're after?"

"I'm not sure about that either..."

"It's probably that Actaeon guy. He wanders around half-naked, making a fool of himself here and there. He doesn't seem like he's fine up there."

Hippolyte never seemed to entertain the thought of becoming a target.

Her pride would never allow her to accept the idea of herself being threatened or appearing weak enough to become a target to someone.

"Well then, it's probably better to wait until evening."

Therefore.

Time passed on.

And evening came.