Episode 39
Hassan, a local from the swamp
039 ? Swamp Local Hassan #6
As I roughly packed my clothes and went out of the tent, two men with sinister looks were glaring at me.
“Hey, come out quickly. Isn’t it basic to come out early and receive the handover before the shift change?”
“Oh, I’m really, really sorry.”
I slightly bent my upper body so as not to be caught by Juji who was standing up straight. As a result, my posture became as if I was apologizing for something I had done wrong.
“Oh, huh?”
The men looked at each other with slightly dumbfounded faces, wondering if my sincere apology had gotten through. I guess they never expected me to apologize so readily.
“Hey, okay. I’ll let it slide since you’re bowing down and apologizing like that.”
The bronze tier man coughed in vain and continued speaking.
“There’s nothing much to say. Just make sure there are no wild animals nearby. And keep a close eye on the campfire so it doesn’t go out. Oh, and-.”
The middle-aged man paused for a moment while saying something.
“The person who is on guard duty with you is a bit strange, so just think of it as working hard on your own. Then, we will go now. If we sit by the fire and chat for a while, time will pass.”
The night watchmen of the previous shift muttered, “Let’s wake up early from now on,” and disappeared into their tents.
Who is the person on guard duty with me that gave me such a warning?
With that thought in mind, I looked at the fire pit set up in the center of the tents, and there was a woman wrapped in black cloth warming herself by the fire.
This was an image that was already engraved in my mind.
Was it Cassandra, the priestess of Delphi?
Oh my goodness, he’s blind. Who on earth would have planned a night watch schedule like this for someone who can’t even see?
It is a truly inhumane and barbaric system.
“I know it might be uncomfortable to watch, but would you mind if I stood guard?”
I approached the priestess and asked politely. The priestess simply leaned closer to the fire and laughed quietly.
“It’s okay. To me, who can’t see, the distinction between darkness and light, night and day, is rather meaningless. Rather, it’s a strange karma that remains unchanged. It’s so similar to someone I know that I still wonder if it’s true.”
“Do you know anyone?”
This woman has a history of mistaking me for someone else and bowing deeply to me. It’s quite ironic that a blind gentleman would confuse people.
Do you distinguish people by smell or something? Since they can’t see, their nerves may have developed more sensitivity in other areas, such as touch or smell.
Cassandra said.
“You know him too. He is always shining on all things from above. He is the one who rules over the light and brightness of this world.”
“Are you talking about the sun god?”
“Hehehe. The sun god? That’s really an irreverent thing to say. But you’re right. Your karma is very similar to his. A savage from the wilderness with karma similar to that of the god of light. How is this possible?”
“Well, what is it? The grace I have is the grace of the sun god, so that could be the case.”
“Grace…? Have you received grace from Apollo?”
The priestess Cassandra reached out her palm to me with a “Ssuk-”. For a moment, I was taken aback and turned my face away.
“What, what is it?”
“Oh, excuse me. Wait, can I touch your face? Ever since my eyes became like this, I feel like I have to touch anything I’m curious about with my hands to feel better….”
“Well, okay then.”
Swish-.
A soft, gentle palm touches my face. The fingers are as cold as ice, so cold that you wouldn’t think they belong to someone who has been warming themselves by the fire for a long time.
The black clothes the priestess is wearing are made of thin material, like the pajamas worn by the wives of wealthy families, and it is probably because the nights are cold and blood circulation is poor.
Still, it wasn’t a bad feeling. Soon, Cassandra was touching my cheeks and nose, and then she started scratching my hair.
“Your hair, your hair is so thick. It’s strange.”
“Well, then that won’t work?”
“I guess it hasn’t been long since you received Apollo’s grace. Men who receive grace… gradually lose their hair and their foreheads shine like the sun.”
What the heck, is this real? You’re telling me I’m going to go bald?
This is fucking horrible. What the fuck, can I have grace?
The gleaming forehead of the adventurer who had his Samdoryu stolen from me, the adventurer who claimed to be the son of the sun god, comes to mind clearly.
Shit, that has to be stopped!
“Well, how can you not stop it? Hair loss!”
“Of course, not all of them are like that. It is just the outward manifestation of the influence of grace that is difficult for people to handle… Hassan of Samaria-. If you cultivate your faith with a strong body and a pious mind, your hair will not fall out.”
“Oh, I see.”
Cassandra kept patting my face repeatedly, patting and patting. It was honestly quite uncomfortable, almost poking my eyes and putting her fingers in my nostrils.
Shit, how long are you going to touch it? Did you wash your hands?
“But when I touched him directly, he was definitely different from me. The karma that resides in existence has different forms. He is truly light. But your karma is a bit… This is like… This is, like… .”
This was a priestess who couldn’t continue her words after saying “This is like-“. How wicked of a salesman is she to cut off her words in the middle of a conversation? If you ask her what it is, she might say she’ll tell you for a fee.
“So it’s like, what is it?”
I asked cautiously and discreetly, as I was willing to pay around 3 Cooper as a prize.
“Hmm… , that’s… .”
The priestess spoke as if she was hesitating whether she should say this or not, and then opened her mouth reluctantly.
“… Your karma is like a huge castle. Only the foundation has been laid. It’s like a large vessel that is empty inside. What kind of life have you lived to be like this vessel…? It’s as if you’re not from this world… .”
“Anyway, are you saying that I am broad-minded?”
Could it be because I can’t see? The priestess Cassandra’s senses were quite sharp. She could tell that I wasn’t from this world. Is it some kind of magic? Is this woman a witch too?
“But, can you tell by touching it?”
“Thanks to the grace I have. I too received grace from on high. When I was a very young girl.”
“aha-.”
“Haha, of course it was such a great favor to me. I foolishly went blind from looking so closely at the shining sun…”
Could it be that I went blind as a side effect of receiving grace?
I wanted to ask more because I was curious about the story, but Cassandra kept her mouth shut, and I also kept my mouth shut because it didn’t seem right to poke at someone else’s sore spot.
I would have asked if I had a horse cub, but I didn’t want to fall like such a clunky clown.
I just stare at the crackling fire, wondering if I should add more fuel, how I’m going to survive another hour or two.
And I was lost in sentimental reminiscences about what had happened with Luna earlier and the warmth and soft texture that still remained in my hands.
It was really soft. And it seemed like Luna was going to say something more… What would have happened if it hadn’t been her turn to be on night watch and the situation had continued like that?
For some reason… didn’t it feel like something could be done?
It was at that point that I was about to become lost in my own thoughts.
“Please, forget what I said earlier.”
“yes?”
“I am a body that falls without even seeing the stone in front of my feet… I am very embarrassed that I pretended to know something on such a topic. If possible, please erase it from your mind.”
“If you say so… I will do so.”
After that, Cassandra never spoke to me again. She just recited prayers to the campfire and threw dry branches into the fire haphazardly for fuel.
It seemed to be a great pleasure for the priestess of the sun god to imagine the invisible flames burning brightly.
Maybe it’s an expression of the desire to set fire to things here and there, because everyone has an inner desire to set fire to good things.
Since I don’t really have anything to say, I just get up from my seat and do some simple stretching and gymnastics.
I just walked around, occasionally checking to see if any wild animals were destroying the tent.
*
As I was dazed, it was soon time to switch shifts with the night watchmen.
The tent where the girls of the Sword Maidens, who are on night watch at Houbuncho, sleep.
In front of him, when he made a sound like “Ahem-. Rene. Tifa.”, women wearing weapons such as swords and armor appeared from under the worn-out cloth.
Clank-clank.
“Ha, it’s my turn already. Shouldn’t you have woken me up earlier?”
“no.”
“Whoaaaaah-!”
Bronze tier women stretching out their arms. When seen during the day, their faces were not very pretty, with their rough skin and freckles.
Seen under the moonlight, these women also look very attractive. Even their unkempt blonde hair looks quite presentable.
“Amazing,” said Renee, a country girl with blonde hair braided behind her back, her eyes wide open with sleep.
“Anything special?”
“There’s nothing in particular.”
“Yes, more than that… Hassan of Samaria-. Isn’t that too dirty? Why don’t you go to the spring over there and wash before you go to bed? Even if you’re a deserter, you should follow the rules of civilized people in civilization!”
Sval, I never thought I would be telling women who brandish swords and scream like beasts that they should follow civilized rules.
But, as they said, my body was incredibly dirty.
Because they rolled around in the sticky mud, their leather clothing and protective gear had dried dirt and other things stuck to them. They also had goblin blood on them. It was the perfect place to get sick.
I had planned to wash in the spring earlier, but the line was so long that I got tired of waiting. It’s probably sleeping now, so if I go to the spring, there won’t be anyone there.
If you pour cold water on this tall Juji, who doesn’t know the sky, you might calm down a little. Shit, how long are you going to stand there like this? Juji, are you protesting to me right now?
So I headed to the small stream next to this abandoned temple. It was strangely foggy, and I was afraid that some wild animal might jump out.
I killed ten goblins today, and with a certain confidence I was able to walk through the fog without any obstacles.
Dribble dribble dribble-.
I continued walking, following the sound of flowing water. Soon, a small lake or a stream appeared in front of me.
It is beautiful when flowers and wild grasses bloom lazily on the side and two crescent moons are reflected on the water.
Since it was completely empty and no one was there, I took off my clothes and tried to get in.
Chorus-.
Suddenly, the water parted and something rose from deep beneath the surface. What the hell, an ancient god? Or a man-eating water ghost?
I was so surprised.
However, upon closer inspection, it was not a water ghost or an ancient god, but a human. The tanned skin sparkled under the moonlight, and the body was tightly balanced and tight with lively movements.
But her two fairly large breasts, her firm, pink nipples, her seductively trimmed abs, her wide hips, and the wet brown bush between her thighs are piercing to my eyes.
Uh, that’s-.
I hastily rolled my eyes. The brown eyes that met my gaze afterwards were filled with an emotion that could be called shock or astonishment.
A woman covering her chest with her arms and jumping into the water, screaming as she submerges herself.
“You, you-!”
“Hey, Hippolyta…! Th, that’s….”
I’m completely turned over now. A woman who smashes goblins’ heads with rocks from her fingers. I can’t believe I’m seeing a naked woman like that.
There was also a time when I accidentally witnessed the witch Elfriede’s undressing scene, and I got slapped in the face and was bedridden for several days.
Moreover, this woman is not a witch, but a warrior who competes with physical strength. If I get hit in the face, my head might turn 720 degrees and be torn off.
“Why are you naked? Are you trying to attack me? This Hippolyte, the daughter of Mars?”
“Well, I can explain everything for now-.”
“Explanation!? That, that evil thing you built has already proven it!”
Hippolyte points between my legs with her index finger as if shooting an arrow with her finger. Indeed, the object rising between my legs is already ready for battle.
But this isn’t just because I saw Hippolyte’s body. Of course, it has an effect, but my Juji has been in this state ever since I came out of the tent where I was with Luna.
“You pervert! Why did you choose to target a moonlit night? You’re so vicious! I’m going to scream!”
Hippolyte took a deep breath and said, “Ugh.” As I watched the guy’s chest rise and fall, I could vividly imagine how fucked I would be in the future.
What the hell, what if this scene is shown to others? And aren’t the ones on guard right now the Sword Maidens, Hippolyta’s comrades?
It would be a good thing to be accused of being a sexual predator and put on trial. My heart and my precious Juji might be cut off by the cruel blades of women’s condemnation right now.
… Juji gets cut off and dies? Shit, I have to stop that!
So, without even thinking, I jumped into the water and covered Hippolyta’s lips with both my hands as she started to scream.
“Hey, hey, you bastard! Who, who is there-!”
To think that you would shut the mouth of a veteran adventurer on par with Elfriede.
It was more foolhardy and courageous than a mouse crawling in and out of a sleeping lion’s mouth, but I couldn’t afford to worry about that now.
“Ugh, ugh!”
“Shh, shh-. Joe, be quiet.”
“Eww!”
Hippolyte resisted fiercely, splashing around in the water. She swung her fists wildly and tried to shake off my restraints, but her power was not as strong as I had thought.
“Quiet, be quiet, I said…!”
They say that men display superhuman mental strength and power in times of crisis, so I wonder if I, who am on the verge of death, may be demonstrating my full potential and strength.
Somehow, I feel confident that I could do something like that.
Actually, I was just subduing Hippolyta with force! If you think about it, is my strength also really strong?
“Ugh, ugh! Ugh!”
“Stay, still, I’ll explain! Shh, shh, shh-.”
Clank, clank, clank-.
“Please calm down first-.”
It was when I grabbed the hand that kept trying to disturb me.
Deering-.
『Name: Hippolyte Heavensinger Lv. ?? 3
Status: Boiling Blood》 Moonlight Allergy》 Severe Menstrual Pain》 ????》』
“Ugh-!”
[Work Review] As a side note, the title of this novel was actually going to be “The Pseudo-Physical Therapy of Another World”… But I was wondering what would attract more aggro, and that’s how it came to this…
Pre-orders, recommendations, comments, coupons!!! I always receive them with gratitude ㅠㅠㅠㅠ….
