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Descendants of Pluto
075 ? Descendants of Pluto #2
“Then, Hassan, you should sleep here today. It’s late… ”
“Really? Is that okay?”
I was lost in my thoughts, but Luna’s words made me feel like I was spinning in the air. Going to sleep?
Actually, I was looking for some excuse to stay here with Luna a while longer. Now that it’s like this, I feel grateful to that guy who was like a schizo or something.
So I went to sleep on the second floor of the cabin, which smelled like a wooden birdhouse, lying down on the deerskin next to Luna.
Sniff sniff.
I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but I still feel like I can smell the deer skin. It’s because Luna pooped on me last night. Of course, it was because I kept her from going to the bathroom.
“But, did you really wash this carpet?”
“Of course. I washed it three times.”
“But why does it seem like there’s still a bit of a smell?”
As I sniff, Luna also sniffs, her nose twitching against the carpet on the floor.
Sniff sniff.
“… It’s my imagination.”
“I don’t think it’s because of my mood.”
“…If you keep smelling it, I’ll curse you.”
“curse!?”
“My voodoo skills have improved, so my curses will be effective as well.”
Luna is cursing.
Voodoo is a collection of various superstitions, so it would be a comprehensive sorcery that includes everything from barbaric medical practices to curses and exorcisms.
But Luna and the curse, there were some parts that didn’t match up at all, so I couldn’t really believe it.
“How do you do that curse?”
“Like making a cursed doll and hammering nails into it. Or reciting a spell on a moonless night to drive away evil spirits. I know some simple curses, too.”
“Wow, that’s amazing. Can you show me?”
“Rice, I don’t really recommend it… . I can’t guarantee the effect without a warding device…”
Luna let out a shaky voice, perhaps out of embarrassment or lack of confidence. My expectations, which had been slightly raised, also dropped.
“What? That was a lie.”
“Seriously! I don’t know, Hassan. Don’t regret it.”
Luna suddenly jumped up from her seat. Then she brought out a sharp needle and a piece of cloth used for patching clothes from somewhere.
Then he pricked his little finger with a needle, drew blood, and wrote my name on it with that red blood.
“This is a curse!”
“What is that?”
“If you write a name in red, the person with that name will be cursed!”
No, is this true?
But just in case, I also got up from my seat and felt a little nervous, wondering if something would happen. But nothing happened.
“What? It’s nothing.”
“… It’s because there’s no ward off, kid. Then, sleep well, Hassan.”
Luna, unable to overcome her shame at having failed the spell, gave a brief greeting and turned her back on me before lying down.
I was wondering if something soft and gentle might happen while I was sleeping.
Maybe it was because I was so tired from building a two-story house, but I fell into a deep sleep as soon as I laid my head down.
* * *
“Wake up. It’s morning-.”
I woke up from my nap to the feeling of something thin and soft tickling my face.
I didn’t feel like I was sleeping at all because I had a dream all night that a rabbit as big as me was climbing onto my stomach and pressing down on me. What kind of dream is that? Is it the effect of a curse?
“Get up, Hassan.”
When I opened my eyes, Luna was looking down at me, shaking her hair and tickling my face.
“When did you fall asleep? It’s already morning.”
“He fell asleep as soon as he laid his head down. He must have been very tired. I thought Hassan was dead.”
“You’ve been physically very busy lately. Are you feeling tired?”
My strength is increasing, but I feel like my stamina isn’t keeping up.
At times like this, I think to myself, “If my father was here, he would have made me some medicine,” and then I quickly get over my thoughts. Oh my, I never thought there would come a day when I would miss those tasteless and suspicious juices.
Anyway, I felt like I needed to build up more stamina.
If I get another chance to raise my stats, I’ll try investing a bit in stamina as well as brute force. Maybe it’ll be more efficient to focus on everything equally rather than focusing on just one.
Luna said.
“You say your stamina has declined? Come to think of it, Hassan, I made something for you!”
Luna quickly ran down to the first floor and soon handed me something like a small bottle.
“Okay, take this!”
It was an earthenware container the size of a soy milk bottle that could fit in one hand, with a mouth covered with thin leather like a handkerchief and sealed with a knot. It was very suspicious.
“What is this?”
As I was still half-asleep and felt somewhat embarrassed, I accepted it, and strangely enough, letters appeared before my eyes.
『A low-level stamina elixir filled with a little night’s affection』
『When consumed, it can strengthen certain values for a certain period of time.』
Now, in addition to totems, you can also create magical potions.
No, Luna’s original specialty wasn’t totem carving, but elixir making, right? This barn was also said to be used as a workshop for making elixirs, including casting.
“Drink it quickly! Hassan, I worked really hard to make it for you! Tell me what it tastes like and how you feel about it. If you like it, I’ll sell it as a product!”
I reluctantly took off the leather stopper because Luna was looking up at me with really expectant eyes.
Sour and sour.
Then, from inside, a smell like yogurt that had been left to ferment for a year irritated my nostrils. In an instant, I lost all sleep.
“Should I really drink it? The smell is no joke. To be honest, the smell is really unpleasant.”
“You must be feeling bad because you don’t know what’s inside. If you listen closely to the contents, it’ll be okay.”
“Really? What’s inside this?”
At my question, Luna gave a short, mumbled “Hmm,” then rolled her eyes around as if she was thinking about something.
“I added crushed wasp larvae, goblin teeth, and a little sequoia sap to give it some flavor, along with troll blood. Oh, and my special secret additive… Anyway, what do you think?”
Are you serious about asking how it is?
“Is it okay now that you know the details?”
“No, thanks to that, I feel bad in detail.”
“The ingredients that go into making one bottle alone cost about 1 silver. I really worked hard to make it… I even borrowed a kiln from the bakery next door…”
Luna looked very depressed when I scolded her. For a moment, I pictured Luna going through all sorts of hardships to make this elixir.
“Okay, okay. I’ll try it.”
… I really didn’t want to drink anything like this again. Now that my father is gone, Luna will be the one handing me this.
Sigh-.
I held my nose and poured the contents into my mouth. Then, an indescribable sour taste came over me and my whole body trembled.
The horrible taste made me snap back to my senses as if a glass window had shattered, and the slightest hint of drowsiness that had remained was completely gone. Shit, is that a stimulant?
『Temporarily increases stamina by 3.』
『23:59:59』
The taste was so sour and bitter that I really didn’t want to describe it, but the effect was quite extraordinary. Stamina increased by 3 for 24 hours?
“How is it? How is it? Do you feel like you have more strength?”
“It seems to be working. How can’t you just make it taste good? Then it’ll probably sell well.”
If it’s disgusting to me to eat, other people might not even be able to put it in their mouths. If you’re selling it as a product, wouldn’t it be better to pay a little more attention to the taste?
“Who eats elixir for its taste? People eat it to stay healthy! Anyway, I’m glad you like it! I’ll make it again next time!”
“Uh, uh… Anyway, thank you for making it for me. But I definitely feel more energetic.”
After waking up from a moderate sleep, Luna and I gathered our clothes and swords and headed out of the cabin.
Luna, who was just about to leave the cabin, let out a short “Uh-.” as if she had seen something strange.
I turned my head wondering what it was and saw a ? X ? mark carved into the front of the wooden door, as if it had been cut with a knife.
“Hassan, was this always here?”
“I don’t think so.”
Even if I search my memory, it was the first time I saw something like this engraved. If Luna and I don’t know, should I assume it happened last night?
Luna is shivering.
“It feels a bit creepy.”
“Then why don’t you just erase it?”
I remembered that there was a leftover rag inside the cabin from yesterday, so I rubbed the strange markings away with it.
“Hassan, look here. It’s here too.”
As I walked down the street and looked at what Luna was pointing at, I saw houses everywhere with X’s on them, just like the sign in front of Luna’s house.
What? Did you do some kind of generational survey? I tried to reason in my head, but I couldn’t come up with a plausible answer.
It was with such a sense of ecstasy that I arrived at the Mars Guild building located in the center of the city.
“Fuck, what is this?”
“Ha, Hassan, what is this…?”
Luna was greatly perplexed as she looked at the guild building that was almost destroyed.
Of course, I was also very embarrassed.
The building, which was used as a temple for Mars, the god of strife, and boasted a magnificent and splendid appearance even in this world, had been bombed the night before, with its marble pillars and roof all in ruins.
“Did a dragon appear…? What should I do to prevent this sturdy building from collapsing?”
Luna trembled. When he said dragon, I thought of a monster with wings and spitting fire from its mouth. It’s so scary that even something like that exists in the world.
“Oh, you’re here. The guild looks terrible.”
Then a woman approached us from the rubble. It was Daphne, the guild receptionist with striking green hair and short ears.
“What on earth is going on?”
“The Pluto cultists attacked. The Silver Tier adventurers, including Hippolyte, managed to repel them. No matter how many cultists there are, they would attack the temple inside the city. It seems they don’t fear divine punishment.”
Even from the perspective of Daphne, a resident of this eccentric world, this incident seemed to have crossed a certain line.
But with the guild building like this, how do I handle requests? Will I not be able to make any money for a while?
As I was thinking that, Daphne spoke to me.
“Oh, and Mr. Hassan, Mr. Baltmar was looking for you in the guild basement. Go there quickly.”
The name Baltmar brought to mind a middle-aged man with a bald head and an eye patch. He must have been a man of considerable rank in the Mars Guild.
Even in the midst of a commotion so loud that the building was almost destroyed, the prison located in the guild’s basement seemed to have escaped with some degree of damage.
But I never thought I’d end up in this guild’s dungeon again.
Thinking back to the humiliation of being locked up and getting slapped in the face because of Daphne’s rash, I honestly didn’t want to go into the dungeon.
“Hassan, let’s go quickly!”
I walked with Luna supporting me on my back and found an entrance leading underground among the various debris.
As we went down, the musty dungeon was in relatively good condition compared to the upper level.
“Oh, you’re here, Samaritan. The cute pink-haired girl is here too. I heard you’ve been really active lately? You’ve grown so much all of a sudden. Is there a secret?”
“That, that… I don’t really know.”
“Well, let’s hear about that later. I have more pressing matters to attend to.”
Baltmar is standing in front of the prison bars with his arms crossed, looking intently at something. Next to him is Hippolyta, also with her arms crossed, bleeding from wounds all over her body.
Her magnificent bronze armor was torn and ripped like a sheet of paper, a sign of the severity of the previous night’s fighting.
“Why did you want to see me?”
Hippolyta then opens her heavy mouth and answers on Balthmar’s behalf.
“We didn’t ask to see you. This guy called you.”
Swish-.
I wondered what was going on in the prison cell as Hippolyte nodded through the bars.
A person with a mummy-like appearance was seen, wearing a blindfold, a gag, handcuffs, and shackles wrapped all over his body.
The chains that bound both arms were hanging on the stone wall, giving the appearance of arms spread wide open.
The shackles that bind each leg are tied to the floor, making it look a little erotic to spread the legs in an M shape.
Her true identity is probably that of a Pluto cult member captured in a logging area some time ago.
The name was Paranoy, I think. It was my first time seeing a nymph cult, so I memorized the name in my head so I wouldn’t forget it.
The crimson bob and distinctive pointy ears are an unforgettable sight.
“He’s here? Why on earth?”
“We want to know the reason too. Anyway, you two should talk it over.”
Then Hippolyta and Balthazar left the cellar, leaving only this strange nymph who was a socialite.
“Ha, Hassan-.”
“You too, Halfpenny. The cultist said he wanted to be left alone with Samaritan. You have business to attend to, Knoxdotty.”
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