111th
The Nymphs and Pluto’s Underground Labyrinth
111 – Nymph Cult and Pluto’s Underground Labyrinth #9
The five of us sat in a circle with a burning campfire in the middle.
A long-abandoned temple.
In the midst of two moonlights and the rustling of reeds in the wind.
As I sat around the fire like this, I felt a tickling sensation under my chest, as if I had entered the center of some savage superstition or secret meeting.
Knock, knock. Knock.
Velmina, the ice wizard, throws sticks into the campfire with a cold expression as usual.
Only when the large, hot flames rose did she show a faint smile on her lips, as if she were satisfied.
“Okay, that should be enough. Mr. Paranoy, do you have any experience with the charcoal shop?”
“… .”
To Belmina’s question, Paranoy simply shook his head without saying anything.
In those crimson eyes illuminated by the campfire, it feels like an emotion that could be curiosity or fear is flashing.
I too felt a mysterious feeling.
“What on earth is a brazier?”
“The brazier shop is a privilege held by the brazier goddesses. It is a place where you can create a barrier around a bonfire to ensure a comfortable night.”
Belmina soon began reciting brief orders.
“Vesta, in the name of Velmina Prodance, I ask for your protection in this place-.”
When I listened closely, it seemed more like a prayer than an order. I watched with nervous eyes, wondering what on earth would happen.
… .
Even after a few seconds, maybe a dozen seconds, since the prayer ended, there was no sign of anything different. Velmina snorted in amusement at that.
“As expected, my prayers are useless since I am not a Vesta believer, Mr. Paranoy. Then, try reciting the incantation as I did. You are the only Vesta believer here.”
“Me, me? I’ve never prayed to Vesta. I’ve prayed to Pluto many times. But I’ve never received an answer to my prayers from Pluto either…”
“hurry.”
At the ice wizard’s cold urging, the nymph cultist Paranoy hesitated greatly and looked around.
Songgol Songgol.
He must have been very nervous, because beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.
“Wow! Paranoy sweats a lot!”
As if she had been waiting for this, Luna opened the mouth of the leather water bottle and took some. At that sight, the mystery of this strange magical act disappeared and my tension was relieved.
It was the same for Paranoy. He let out a small sigh and started muttering some sort of spell.
“I, I am Paranoy, daughter of Demetra… Please hear my prayer. I, please grant us peace and tranquility in the night… .”
Like the mumbling of a mosquito, his voice is sometimes interrupted and his pronunciation is not clear, as if he is embarrassed to offer a prayer on behalf of others.
It was that very moment.
Hururuk.
Didn’t the bonfire, which had been burning normally, burst into a huge flame without any wind or additional firewood being added?
“Hee, huh!”
Paranoy screamed and panicked as the bonfire grew bigger and bigger, seemingly burning down the entire area. Dwarf Didier burst into laughter at the sight.
“It seems that it is true that nymphs are loved by the gods. It seems that the goddess has answered our prayers.”
“My, my prayer…? Did the goddess answer my prayer?”
Along with Didier’s laughter, Paranoy’s shoulders, which had been terrified, also relaxed.
“I, I… .”
On the other hand, he stared at the burning bonfire with wide eyes as if he couldn’t believe what he had done. He had the expression of a child playing with fire for the first time.
“Pluto has never answered my prayers.”
“Well, anyway, the brazier is ready. This fire won’t go out until morning.”
A bonfire that never goes out.
Another thing that the night watchmen of this world have to do is keep the campfires lit, so it was quite convenient not to have to do that.
With the fire burning brightly like this, wild animals and monsters from the fields won’t come near the campsite. Most night animals are afraid of fire.
“Then whose dot shall we start with first?”
“I’ll start with you!”
At the question of the ice wizard Velmina, Luna, who was watching the bonfire, raised her hand. Then, she picked up a handful of dirt and sand from the ground and sprinkled it on the bonfire as if she was seasoning it.
I was wondering what on earth he was doing.
Hururuk.
At that moment, the flames of the bonfire began to emit black soot and soon turned completely black.
Black flames. It was so ominous that it sent shivers down my spine. I felt like I was caught up in some evil cult’s sorcery! What the hell is this?
“Hmm… .”
Belmina’s blue eyes, which were watching the scene, opened slightly. Soon, she began to wave her palm back and forth over the black flames.
“The flames are all black. This is probably the magic of the night. It seems like the Goddess of the Night is quite fond of it.”
“As expected, it’s Lord Knox!”
Luna was really happy to see the black flames. As for me, I was just confused and wondered what on earth was going on.
Didier, the dwarf sitting next to me, must have noticed my puzzled expression as he began to explain in a low voice.
“Everyone in this world receives love from the gods. The amount of love varies from big to small. This is a way to find out which god loves you the most.”
“What does that have to do with finding out properties?”
“The best match is with gods who pour out their affection. It’s good for mana handling and such. Of course, unless you’re a wizard or someone who knows how to handle mana, you’ll just find out for fun.”
“Then I’ll give it a try,” Didier said briefly, grabbing a handful of dirt and sand from around the campfire and throwing the sand into the black flames as if sprinkling salt seasoning.
Bash. Bash. Bash. Bash.
Then, the flames that had been burning black until just a moment ago returned to their original red color and took the form of an original bonfire.
“There is no change?”
“Tch.”
Didier clicks his tongue at my question. Then he starts throwing a handful of sand into the bonfire again.
“Ceres, didn’t I just wash your body? Please remember Didier, son of Troggir…!”
Bass.
When all the sand was sprinkled in, the crackling sound of sparks suddenly became louder. Soon, sparks like fireflies flew up into the sky.
Velmina puts her palm against Luna’s face like that.
“… Although it is faint, I can feel the magic of the earth and the seasons. The goddess Ceres rarely gives affection to her creatures… .”
“That wasn’t the case originally. Until the Great Winter, you were one of the most kind people. Ha, anyway, I’m satisfied that you remember my name. Then, next time, will you do it, Mr. Party Leader?”
“I wonder too. The Samaritan from a faraway land. What kind of god would love him?”
“I’m curious too. Hassan! Are you really the God of Light?”
My face suddenly felt flushed as I watched everyone’s gazes flock towards me. It was because I was not immune to everyone’s expectations.
But I was also a bit curious about what my attributes were.
As Luna said, the God of Light may be watching over me. Or maybe Nox, who may be my mother-in-law, is loving me.
So, half nervous and half expectant, I hold the sand in my hand and throw it towards the campfire.
Bussssss.
Scattered white sands fall like snow on the burning bonfire.
What on earth is going on? I was holding my breath and staring at the flames.
Pass the buck. Pass the buck.
The flames of the campfire gradually grew smaller and smaller, as if they were a ember that had completed its mission, and then they went out miserably.
What the heck, why are the lights going off?
When I felt curious, Didier also felt the ashes of the campfire with his palm and asked with a curious look.
“Excuse me, Mr. Wizard. The flame has gone out. In this case, which god do you think you are receiving affection from?”
Velmina frowns at the question.
She too spoke as if she couldn’t understand, touching the ashes that had all burned away.
“Well, I wonder if this can be considered magic power… Isn’t it because I sprinkled too much sand?”
“Hassan, I think you got too excited.”
“I see. Subal, that’s embarrassing.”
I felt embarrassed because it was like pouring cold water on a heated party. I thought I had grabbed as much sand as others had thrown. But my palm was so big that I ended up putting out the fire.
“Paranoy, you’re sweating again! Shh! At this rate, I’ll fill up the water bottle! Hehe!”
“The bonfire is out….”
Anyway, it was quite an interesting time to spend a quiet night.
* * *
The morning among the forest and trees is quite damp.
We pitched our tent with that in mind, but the dew that had fallen the night before had completely soaked the tent and the ground.
Where did Luna go again?
As I came out of the tent, pushing through the wet grassy ground where the dew had settled, Paranoy, who had been staring at the campfire with rather bleary eyes, looked up at my face.
“Eek…!”
“What, what the hell?”
“Father, I stood guard properly! I didn’t even turn off the campfire!”
“Is that so…?”
I was quite taken aback by Paranoy who suddenly started speaking to me in an awkward, formal tone.
Now, I wonder if he finally wants to respect me as the party leader? But he seemed a bit hazy and didn’t look in a good state.
“Hey, have you not slept at all?”
“That, that’s right! I have a duty to… protect the sacred bonfire!”
“hmm.”
Paranoy’s condition had been unusual since he learned that the Goddess of the Hearth had heard his prayer. It seemed that he was both bewildered and moved by the god’s response.
However, it was an abnormal behavior that went beyond my expectations to the point where he didn’t even take a breath to keep the fire going.
“Hey, I have to go into the labyrinth soon. What am I going to do if I don’t sleep?”
“It’s, it’s, it’s okay… Even if I don’t sleep for three days… I’m fine…”
Come to think of it, Paranoy’s level was higher than mine.
I think he was around 20 years old. And was he a strong guy who wouldn’t lose his mind even if he was locked in an underground prison and starved for several days?
Thinking about it that way, I think it would be okay to not sleep for a day or so. But if possible, I wanted to make sure that all party members were in perfect condition when entering the labyrinth.
It’s already morning, so there’s nothing I can do.
“Let’s prepare breakfast.”
“Party leader, leave breakfast to me. While cleaning the temple yesterday, I caught a turtledove and cleaned it overnight. It’s delicious boiled in clear broth.”
“Then let’s do that.”
I feel relieved that I don’t have to prepare breakfast.
I rest my shoulders and legs on the dew-drenched rock and stretch my body, stretching it out, stretching my body that had become stiff from sleeping curled up in the cramped tent.
“Hatsan! Look at this!”
Just then, I saw Luna waving from afar.
“Night canary! I caught her! Awesome!”
In Luna’s hands, she was holding a bird with a crimson and red glow. She used to catch toads, but today, a bird?
Peep.
Birds have wings, so it would be difficult to catch them unless you sharpen a bow or sling. I wonder how they caught them.
“What is that? How did you catch it?”
“I followed the moonlight at dawn and found this guy quietly! I guess it’s a gift from Nox! I’m sure it is!”
“It’s amazing how the bird can stay still.”
My stomach was already starting to growl at the thought of eating a stew full of fresh meat. Who knew Luna had the talent of a hunter?
“The new meat looks delicious.”
“Hey, he’s not eating, Hassan!”
“You’re not going to eat it? Then why did you catch it?”
“We make threat detection totems with night canaries.”
“What totem?”
Instead of answering my question, Luna began to pluck reeds from the grounds of Ceres’ temple. She began to weave the strong, sturdy stems into a prison-like shape.
“Are you trying to make a birdcage?”
“Yeah, yeah. Put her in there. Night canaries make a lot of noise when there are monsters nearby.”
So it seems like Luna was trying to use a canary in a cage as an alarm, like the miners of old.
Come to think of it, I’ve heard stories of adventurers exploring Pluto’s labyrinths taming beasts and using them as allies.
The difficulty of the labyrinth exploration increases based on the number of people involved, but it is said that there are also hunters who tame a lot of beasts to conquer the labyrinth.
Anyway, we had breakfast and walked among the reeds that had grown long enough to cover our heads.
After wandering around for a while, I finally found the entrance to Pluto’s Labyrinth, where I had fought the social coma last time.
The entrance to the ruins, where the earth looks like an ominous mouth gaping between the reeds shining in the morning.
Gooooo.
From inside, a gloomy, animal-like howl seems to be coming from somewhere. At the entrance, chains and stakes are stuck in like a mask, controlling entry and exit.
Looking at the lock with the symbol of the Mars Guild’s sword drawn on it, it was clear that this was a spell used by the Mars Guild to seal the entrance to the labyrinth.
I picked the lock with the key I received from Hippolyte. Then the chains fell to the floor with a clanking sound.
With this.
The seal of the labyrinth has been broken.
“Hassan, but this is my first time entering a labyrinth. Is that okay?”
“Actually, this is my first time too. Sval, the entrance to hell. To be honest, I’m scared.”
“Exploring the dungeon is usually the job of Silver Tier adventurers. I’ve read a lot about it in books.”
Are you saying that everyone is a newbie? Then am I the only one with experience in clearing dungeons? Of course, my experience is only as a porter. But I still know what I need to know.
“Then I’ll explain it briefly just once. Listen carefully. The most important things to watch out for in the labyrinth are monsters and traps. And also fruits and chairs.”
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