9 times
Hassan is now a free man
009 –
The receptionist who had disappeared somewhere.
She came back just as I was starting to get bored of being left alone at the counter.
“Mr. Hassan, which temple do you worship? Which of the twelve gods do you worship?”
The receptionist asked me this question right away after I sat down at my desk. Which temple do you worship at? I remembered the face of my prospective partner asking me where I was going for religious ceremonies.
“I don’t go to any temples.”
The only church I’ve ever been to in my life is the one I went to when I was in the military because they said they’d give me Cana Pie. If I think back, maybe it was the neighborhood church I went to with a friend because I was tempted by the Christmas presents.
Of course, this is an act that is very far from being religious.
Aside from that, if I think about religious practices, I would follow my father’s pathological obsession with ancestral rites and ancestral rites every holiday and visit his grave.
It wasn’t like I had any gratitude or anything like that towards my grandfather or great-grandfather, whose face I had never even met.
I just did it because my thick-muscled father told me to. If I didn’t, I would get beaten very painfully and my allowance would be taken away.
But that’s something that any Korean would do.
As I was thinking that, the receptionist’s face turned red like a ripe apple.
“Huh? You’re not going to worship!?”
After a while, he finally let out a loud scream.
“You don’t go to any temples? How can you receive grace then? That doesn’t make sense!”
The receptionist seemed to think I was lying. Well, that’s not so hard to understand.
The world I lived in for two years was a world where primitive superstitions and religions were deeply intertwined with life and could not be separated, as befitting the Dark Ages.
It is said that people offer sacrifices or devotion to the gods they serve and receive corresponding blessings or graces.
Give and take.
It is simpler and easier to understand than the profound salvation or liberation that the religions of the Earth talk about. But I don’t have a given god.
It’s not surprising that I don’t understand it since I only received the take. In fact, I also had many questions about this newly developed ability.
… I even have two. There is one more grace that is so suspicious that it is not even registered in the notation.
What is the “Blessing of Chaos”?
It’s somehow scary.
“You serve no gods. That can’t be happening. Then do you know what effect this grace has? There is nothing more certain than knowing the name of the gods to infer their powers.”
“Oh, in that case-. Could you please give me your hand?”
“My hand?”
In response to my question, the receptionist folded her hands tightly in front of her chest and looked at me with suspicion.
“What about my hand? You’re trying to do something weird! You dirty Samaritan!”
No, is this true?
If a stranger, Hassan, suddenly asked for my hand, I would probably feel a little uncomfortable. But I don’t have to call him a dirty Samaritan, damn it.
But I’m so used to being criticized for my looks that I don’t even feel hurt.
“You were wondering what kind of grace I had. Put your hand here-.”
“Why are you taking advantage of the chaos to touch me so carelessly! It’s obvious you’re flirting with me just because I’m a little pretty!”
I want to smash this kid’s butt with bread.
This was the third time I’d seriously thought about beating up a woman, after my sister and Elfriede. But I guess that’s not how it should be.
Clank-.
Sreung-.
It feels tingling to see the temple guards armed with swords and shining armor watching this place.
If I let my emotions get the better of me and start waving my hands, I’ll end up being dragged away by those ignorant bastards, sob sob…
“It’s not like I’m sick or anything, so just give it to me.”
“Huh, huh… Okay, let’s try it then.”
The receptionist extends her right hand toward me with a look of half suspicion and half anticipation.
I decided to hold back my anger. I wanted to avoid making this weird atmosphere worse.
Ta-da.
So the white back of her hand was extended to me. Surprisingly, for a girl who worked at a counter, she had quite a few scars and calluses.
Well, in this world, everyone has to do their part with their own hands. There are very few women with soft and pretty hands. This is normal.
“Then let me hold your wrist for a moment.”
I was a little scared that she might yell at me for sexual harassment, so I gave her advance notice. Then I placed my index finger on the receptionist’s wrist that was extending beyond her white cotton shirt.
Just place your fingers on it to minimize the contact area.
I wondered if it was okay to do that.
Deering-.
『Name: Daphne Lv. 6
Condition: Indigestion》』
Fortunately, it seemed like the size of a finger on my wrist was enough.
That’s amazing.
“…What are you doing?”
“Ms. Daphne, are you having trouble digesting what you ate?”
“Hey, how did you know my name!? And how did you know that I can’t digest food!”
“This is the grace I have… .”
“I got it! A stalker! I’ve been feeling like someone’s following me for the past few days! That’s you! Security! Security! Catch this kid! Quick! Before he runs away!!”
Clank, clank, clank.
“Huh, hoo-ee-.”
*
“No, I mean, I just found out today. I don’t even know who that woman is, and this is my first time in this city.”
“Hey, don’t lie! You just touched me!!”
slap!
“Gegek-!”
The receptionist Daphne slapped my cheek without mercy as I was tied to the wooden chair. The slap was so sincere that it made even I tear up.
“Fuck! This fucking hurts!”
“Where are you swearing when you did something wrong!?”
Snap, snap-.
A secret prison built beneath the temple. Inside, the sound of sharp impacts continues. Now, my face is so sore that it is almost warm.
As I was having that stupid thought, “If you put a raw egg on my face right now, won’t it get cooked?” the woman continued talking.
“What are you doing? Are you on the orders of the Minerva Guild? Who are you to keep following me around and making my life miserable!!”
Daphne was completely crazy. I felt like I was going crazy too, having been helplessly subjected to her incomprehensible hysterics.
“Geometry! Gaaaah!”
“Hey, you little punk! What did you do to be struggling! You’ve shown your true colors, you dirty savage!”
“Daphne, stop it. I can hear you upstairs right now.”
Clank-.
At that moment, someone came into the cramped dungeon with a noise. Judging from the way the soldiers guarding Daphne were adjusting their postures, it seemed like they were quite tall.
“This guy is a spy for the Minerva Guild? Wow, he’s quite large. He doesn’t seem like a spy.”
“This guy is a real bad guy! He’s a dirty Samaritan! I’ll catch him and beat him to death!”
“Okay, okay, then you go ahead and leave. I’m busy upstairs, so don’t leave anyone unattended.”
“You bad boy!”
slap-.
After another slap to the face, Daphne quickly disappears out of the dungeon.
Only after her shadow had completely disappeared did the man turn his gaze towards me.
An eye patch covering his left eye. An M-shaped forehead that was mostly bare, and a bushy, pumpkin-colored beard. There were ugly scars here and there on his face.
He was wearing plain leather clothes, but he looked very old and experienced.
He is a head shorter than me, but he exudes a spirit that is no joke, and he reminds me of my father.
“You’re a spy for the Minerva Guild? And you’re Daphne’s stalker?”
“Tsk, tsk, I don’t even know what that is.”
I protested my innocence loudly.
Because a woman can throw a man’s life into an irreversible pit with just her voice and tears, without any evidence!
It was like that in my world, which was filled with all kinds of devices including CCTV. How much worse must it be in this barbaric world?
“I heard the story from the guards. He just touched Daphne’s hand and squeezed it.”
“No, no, I swear I didn’t! I just put a finger on your wrist! I’m fucking innocent!”
“Yeah, it looks like that. Let me go.”
At the man’s words, the guards quickly released the restraints and chains that had been wrapped around my body.
oh-.
This is normal, but in this world, there are only a few things that are normal, so I was quite taken aback.
“Do you believe me?”
“No, how can I trust a country bumpkin like you? But more than I don’t trust you, I don’t trust Daphne. She’s kind of… kind of sick. Mentally. She’s been showered with Chaos’s love.”
I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’m glad I’m free. I frowned as I caressed my wrists, which had been tightly bound. You bastards, you tied them so tightly that my skin was chafing.
“Anyway, go to my office, Hassan. Your innocence hasn’t been confirmed yet. If there’s anything you feel is unfair, I’ll clear it up.”
The office of the one-eyed man I followed was in a corner of the guild.
A large room in the back. All you can see is a bunch of junk, stuffed animals, rusty armor, and dusty old books.
It was a space that seemed more like a warehouse than an office.
That may actually be the case.
“Sit down.”
At Aekku’s words, I looked around. Shit, there aren’t even any chairs and it’s just a bunch of junk, so where should I sit?
So I dutifully put my things away and sat down on a flat box. It creaked and wobbled, but it worked as a decent substitute for a chair.
“I wouldn’t sit on that. There’s something horrible and cursed inside that box.”
Shang.
I was originally a person who didn’t really believe in superstitions like “You shouldn’t write your name in red pen because it’s a curse”, but the curses in this world were different in weight and scope.
It really exists. A curse similar to the 《Curse of the Two Sas》.
So I had no choice but to just sit on the bare floor.
“Hasan, your average score is over 2. Your overall score is 7. You are a blessed Samaritan. You said you don’t believe in any gods? Do you really not worship in any temples?”
The man’s only brown eyes looked down at me. It was quite oppressive, and I felt similar to when I was being bullied by Elfriede.
“This paper never lies. It is true that you have been blessed. It happens sometimes. Elves, Samaritans, and strange strangers like this.”
Swish-.
The man sat down in front of me with his legs bent and held out his wrist. In fact, it was more like a thick beam or pillar, rather than a wrist. It was a sturdy frame.
You can feel its hardness and rough bones without even touching it.
“What, what is it?”
“I heard that you can get information by touching someone’s wrist. Is that by any chance only applicable to women?”
Ah, I could understand what this guy was trying to say. He was giving me a chance. It was easier for me that way.
Of course, if I fail to live up to this idiot’s expectations, this arm will just end up beating my head in the ass.
So I moved my fingers, feeling quite nervous, and placed them on his wrist.
Deering-.
『Name: Baltmar lv ??
Status: Hangover》 ???》 ???》 ???》 ???》』
What is this? Why the question mark?
I also have doubts about the questions that are floating around. Could something like this even happen? It was safe to say that there was no other information other than the name.
“Why, what’s wrong? You’re not lying or anything, are you?”
The man with the beard – probably named Baltmar – clenches his fist, as if his suspicions have not yet been resolved.
“Do you know what my name is?”
“Baltmar… Baltmar, right?”
“Yes, you figured it out. But actually, you’re a person from this city. And anyone who comes to the Mars Guild must know my name. Do you know anything else? In Daphne’s case, you even found out that she has indigestion.”
As for other things, aside from the question mark, the only thing I can tell is the hangover listed under the status.
“You look like you have a bad hangover.”
“what?”
The man furrowed one eyebrow as if he couldn’t believe it. His face was so fierce that it made me flinch.
“I have a hangover?”
Baltmar sniffs his own body odor.
“I don’t smell like alcohol. But you’re saying I have a hangover?”
“But I definitely have a hangover.”
After I finished speaking, there was silence for a while. As the man’s eyes became increasingly suspicious, I had no choice but to believe the words I was seeing.
Ah. Anyway, it exists. It has to exist-.
After a while of awkward silence like that.
“…Fuck, how did you know? It’s an odorless drink that even my wife can’t detect. If I get caught drinking at work, I’m screwed.”
Baltmar muttered as if he was muttering something, then searched through some junk and took out a glass bottle from somewhere.
Inside the transparent glass bottle, a purple liquid resembling wine is overflowing.
A man who popped the cork open and drank the contents in one gulp. No, he said I shouldn’t drink while I’m working. I thought he was crazy.
“Would you like a sip too?”
“Oh, no… .”
“It’s a liquor made by soaking wasps in wine. Only those who know it know, but it’s really good for men. … These days, I’m afraid of going to sleep without it.”
The man who muttered information I didn’t really want to know took a few more sips of his drink. However, his attitude toward me had become considerably more refined, which made me feel a little relieved.
“Anyway, I know you’re not lying. I can also guess which god you received grace from.”
“Oh, is that true?”
The pain in my cheek that had been stinging at the thought that I might get a hint of my ability seemed to subside in an instant. Although this position was still quite uncomfortable, it was better than before.
Kuk-.
Baltmar answers my question by putting the cap on the bottle.
“I am a little concerned about the word ‘awkward’ attached to the grace. There is only one person who bestows grace in the form of a trust, such as talent, dexterity, and information appraisal.”
“Who is that?”
[Work review] I’m always grateful for the suggestions and recommendations. Oh my gosh!! Oh my gosh!!
Oh my, there’s a coupon even though only a few episodes have been released ㅠㅠㅠ
Thank you, Halledame!! I don’t know which direction you are in, so I will bow to all four directions!!!!!!!
