16 times
First mission. Accomplished! Aftermath… Success?
016 –
The Nemean witch’s alchemy shop had a place that could be called a basement. When you lift the wide door, a damp, moldy stairway appears.
Nemea, holding a small lantern, walked ahead, clack-clack-clack. I followed behind her cautiously, trembling with anxious eyes.
It feels like reaching deep into a spider’s web.
The woman walking in front of me gave off a faint, sweet scent that I couldn’t tell if it was incense or something else. I wonder if this is how ants walking in a line following pheromones feel.
“I haven’t cleaned in a while, so it might be a little messy.”
Finally, the woman reached the basement and opened what looked like a thick iron door. The heavy door opened with a rusty creaking sound.
Just when you think you can’t see anything in the dark space beyond, the woman chants a small spell just loud enough to be heard.
“Barthema-.”
Then, in the dark space, something like a torch lit up sequentially with a crack, crack, crack. Soon, tools of wood, iron, and blood all over them appeared.
“I’m sorry, but I guess I’ll just pretend this never happened… .”
Those were fucking torture devices, no matter how you looked at them.
I have no knowledge of medieval torture devices, but even a child could tell that the sharp thorns and sinister shapes here and there made these objects evil, made for torture or murder!
That was when I slowly started to back away.
“Oh my-. You seem to be more timid than I thought for your size-. Don’t worry-. I’m like that too-. I want to throw them away, but they’re so heavy that I don’t think I can do it with my own strength-.”
Swish-.
A woman’s slender fingers rest on my chest. Her thin, slender fingers freely move across my chest like a spider, then she laughs.
“Great body-. I’m sure you’re strong too-? I wish you could use some of your overflowing strength, Samaritan friend-.”
This witch seems to want me to move the tools in this basement. Does she think I look like a powerful person?
In fact, my size is quite large compared to the guys around me in this world. After working as a slave for two years and suffering from all kinds of physical labor and hunger, I have acquired firm muscles that are hard to find with no belly fat.
Of course, I’m not special, and f*cking anyone would either get bone disease or get stronger after two years of private life.
“All I have to do is move it…?”
“Your friend is very suspicious. Like a wild beast. Yeah, you just have to move it outside the store. The junk collector said he’d come with a cart.”
Is it a half-day day job? Lifting the luggage from the basement up for 30 coppers. The luggage doesn’t look that much, and if you put in the effort, it seems like it could all be done in about 10 minutes, as the witch said.
Even during the slave era, and even during my time living in the present, I often earned pocket money by doing hard work like this. 30 coppers for a simple task that could be completed in 30 minutes felt like a lot of money.
So, I started to move things like wooden frames and iron plates to the front door of the store, feeling like I was making money on the side.
Perhaps because my Strength stat went up by 1, I was surprised that it didn’t take as much strength as I thought. Of course, the heavy load was still really heavy. It was just a lump of iron!
“Okay, everything has been moved-. Now all we have to do is wait for the carriage-.”
A witch who smiles lazily at the sight of all the objects placed in front of her shop.
Although he spoke refreshingly, the store front, which was already located in a gloomy back alley, ended up being transformed into something that people did not want to step foot in due to the horrifying torture machines.
“Here-. The price of the bee, the price of the goblin’s teeth, and the price of the sweat of my friend-.”
The witch’s gentle hand held out to me a pouch filled with a bundle of coins.
Only after I confirmed that the clinking inside was 80 copper could I finally let out a small sigh of relief.
“More than that, friend-. Are you not interested in fortune telling and divination-? It seems like you were born under a strange star-.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Yeah-. I read fortunes-. I also do the light emotional work of reading the power contained in objects-. I think I know that my friend’s karma is strange-. It’s interesting-.”
“I won’t do it if it costs money.”
“Hehehe-. Don’t worry-. Normally, I would have received money, but-. My friend’s karma is so unique that I want to see it-. I won’t ask for money-.”
You don’t ask for money when you have your fortune told? Is that true? It’s amazing that there are such fortune tellers. Are they quacks?
Actually, I wasn’t really a fan of dots or anything like that.
I originally hated pseudo-religions, and I think that I am suffering in this world because of that damn pseudo-religious preacher I met that day.
But when I look at that big thing that I can’t tell if it’s a chest or a watermelon, I can’t help but think it’s good.
So I sat down on the chair on the first floor, facing the witch with the strange crystal ball in the middle.
“Okay, first, put your hands on the crystal ball here. Both hands.”
Thud-.
The round crystal ball literally felt like a round crystal ball. Cold, smooth, hard, and all that kind of feeling.
There were times when I thought it would make a noise or feel a strange sensation like the stone statue I had touched earlier, but fortunately or unfortunately, I didn’t feel that way.
Swish-.
However, I couldn’t help but be surprised by the witch’s palm gently placing itself on the back of my hand.
what?
It was a palm so slender and soft that it made one wonder if he had ever experienced hardship since being born in this savage world.
It caresses the back of my hand with a swish-swish-sound, and I feel confused as to what is happening, but at the same time, I feel a strange sensation.
Deering-.
『Name: Nemea Lv. ??
Condition: Chronic Fatigue》 ????》 ????》 ????》 ????》 ????》 ????》 ????》 ????》』
What the hell, why are there so many question marks?
The words that came to mind when my left wrist accidentally touched the back of my hand. Like the one-eyed middle-aged man in the guild last time, there were many question marks and few items that could be confirmed.
I keep wondering: Is it broken? Or is there another reason?
“You have received grace from the annoying god, my friend-.”
“ah-.”
Did she notice that I was blessed? She must have sensed some kind of magic or something. It wouldn’t be strange if this mysterious witch did something.
“It’s even stranger-. Two… . Three… . No, four… ? I don’t know-. I feel at least two gods inside my friend-. This is impossible-. One of them also seems very unstable-.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know either-. This is the first time something like this has happened-. Normally, it’s impossible for two gods to have their powers in one human body-. But my friend can do it-. What is it-? What is your friend’s true identity-?”
“Yes, okay?”
“The gods are very jealous-. That’s why they don’t like their champions to be with other gods-. But my friend… . Hmm, I don’t know-. My point could be wrong-. I’m tired these days so I’m not very accurate-.”
It was a witch who rubbed her palm against my hand and the crystal ball. The letters that had appeared before her eyes also faded away.
Tired? It looks like the item that says chronic fatigue has had an effect.
What does it mean that it is impossible for one human to have the power of two gods? The graces I have are two, and no matter how I look at them, they seem to be graces bestowed upon me by different gods.
“Excuse me, may I ask what happens to someone who has received the grace of both gods?”
“Huh-? Oh, it’s simple-. You get the support of various gods-. You accomplish unimaginably great tasks-. Or…. Think of a frog with a child pulling its arms from both sides-. Guts squirting-. Bones crunching-.”
The witch describes the ominous facts in a languid, hanging voice. Shit, I can’t just be happy about having two rare blessings. Isn’t this fucked up?
“What-. Anyway, it’s strange-. I could be wrong-. It hasn’t been long since I moved to Sodomora-. And because of all the things that have happened, I’m tired- Huaaa-.”
The witch Nemea yawns with her mouth wide open. This could easily look very ugly, but when a beauty does it, it seems to show a gap somewhere and seems to be full of humanity.
“… I know a massage technique that is good for fatigue.”
Maybe it was because of that gap, or maybe it was because my feelings had softened due to the continued skinship, but I mustered up my courage and spoke to her.
“massage-?”
“Oh, yes. If you don’t mind, I was wondering if you could give me your palm….”
“My palm-? Hmm-. You want me to give you my hand for a massage-. The slurping is so classic-.”
The witch’s eyes were dazzlingly open. It was a daily occurrence to hear cold, chilling contempt from women, so I began to reproach myself for saying something when I was caught up in the atmosphere.
What if you snap at me like Daphne and say, “What the hell! You’re trying to sexually harass me!”? The atmosphere will get really awkward. You idiot Hassan. Are you horny?
“Okay-. What-. About the size of your palm-. My right hand is fine-?”
Shit, you’re an angel!
A thin palm was thrust out in front of me. I glanced at it furtively.
I caught a glimpse of it when I was fiddling with the crystal ball. There were red spots all over the woman’s palm.
It’s a bit unusual that there are several instead of just one. Anyway, it wasn’t because of my mood.
“If you look at it that way, do you see something-?”
“Oh, just something like that… .”
“In the land of the Samaritans, they say there are shamans who read fortunes with gold drawn on their palms. Are you one of those people too?”
Are you talking about palmistry? Do the Samaritan kids do such crazy things? Damn, I’ve never been to the Samaritan wilderness, and it seems like my prejudice against the kids living there is growing.
But it was useful information to me as well.
“… That’s about it. Okay, let me just touch it for a moment.”
“Oh my-. Touching it-. How strange-. Then touch it-.”
I tried not to notice it, but the tips of my ears felt hot because it seemed like he was teasing me.
I tried to keep my composure and focused my gaze on her fingers and palms, and placed them between my little and ring fingers, between my thumb and index finger, and between my ring and little fingers.
According to my father, this posture is the most basic of the basics of palm massage.
If we go into it in depth, there might be some medical terms or professional massage terms, but I, who learned it from my father as a quack, have no way of knowing. I just imitate it. My father probably doesn’t know it either.
“What are you trying to do-?”
“I’ll press it now.”
Kwuk-.
I pulled the woman’s palms from side to side with force so that they would spread apart, and then I pressed the part just above her wrists, where the thick flesh meets and forms a concave shape, with the thumbs of both hands.
As far as I know, this is a good point for chronic fatigue. There are also red spots floating around.
“Huh, huh-.”
Kwuk-.
As I pressed hard with my finger, the witch let out a soft moan, almost like a scream. As the spot where I pressed disappeared, my juice grew bigger. Yes, my juice grew really big.
One might ask why the hell is Juji so big, but I am a man in my prime who was not even allowed to have a daughter for a while.
And it’s rather strange that Juji doesn’t grow grand as he touches the soft palm of a stranger’s hand, which seems to be bursting with health.
“My body feels tingly. How strange. Samaritan’s secret technique? It’s a strange grace.”
“Hey, can I continue-?”
“Yeah, it’s not a bad feeling-. Rather, it’s a bit creepy… . Eww-?”
I pressed the woman’s thumb with all my strength, where the red spot was floating. What part was good about this? Was it the foot? It is no exaggeration to say that if the foot is tired, the whole body becomes tired.
Kook, kook-.
It was when I glanced at it to see if it was effective.
“I feel like my feet are going to cramp-. Why do my feet feel tingly when I press my palms-?”
It seemed to be very effective. I took advantage of the mood and pressed and spun around all the spots that appeared, such as her middle finger, the tip of her ring finger, etc.
At that, the witch’s body trembled and she continued to let out amusing sounds like “Huh-” and “Ah-” through her lips.
Deering-.
『Cures Nemean Chronic Fatigue』.
『Task value + 10』
As I gradually removed the last spot, familiar letters began to appear before my eyes.
But I couldn’t let this hard-earned opportunity slip away, so I continued to stroke Nemean palms.
It was a palm that was soft, smooth, and warm, and seemed like it would break easily if force was applied, but it was surprisingly sturdy and had an attractive feel to it.
Hehe, Kimochi.
“Whew-. This is amazing-. It feels like the disorganized magic power is being reorganized-. It’s done now-, buddy-.”
The witch shouts stop, either because she thought my fatigue had subsided or because she noticed that my hand movements were too sneaky. Shit, was that too obvious!
I couldn’t keep touching it like this, so I had to take my hand away, leaving behind a feeling of regret. The warmth of the woman in front of me still lingered in my palm, and it felt hazy. Probably 36.7 degrees.
“It feels so good-. Mmm, so refreshing-. I’m getting addicted-. It’s been a while since I’ve felt this way-. But be careful, my friend-. Since Clepius was struck by lightning and died, practicing medicine without the temple’s permission is taboo-.”
“Is this type of massage also considered a medical procedure?”
“That’s up to the gods to decide. A simple massage would probably be fine, but what my friend did didn’t seem simple, no matter how I looked at it. Do you know the structure of the magical power flowing through the body?”
Magic? I can’t even do simple card magic, let alone feel magic. So the witch laughs and speaks to me while I’m dumbfounded.
“Anyway, if you find something good next time, come back again. I’ll buy it for you at a good price.”
I was caressing a pretty girl’s hand without any desire, so shouldn’t I be the one paying for it? I quickly turned around, afraid that she might ask me to pay for touching her.
As I leave the store, I hear Nemea’s gentle greeting behind me.
“Oh, by the way, today is a double full moon. Be careful with the light for a while, Hassan-. The week when there is a double full moon is not good for your fortune.”
“yes?”
I turned my head to ask what she was talking about, but the witch had already closed the door and gone inside the store.
What are you talking about? Did I tell you my name? I was so flustered and embarrassed that I don’t remember.
When I raised my head, the sun had set and the sky had become quite dark. I should quickly stop by the bathhouse and then head to the tavern where everyone was waiting.
But maybe because I just had such a shocking experience, I don’t remember the name of the tavern. I think it was the Nymph’s Tail Inn.
[Work Review] There are 5 more to come.. I am always grateful for your suggestions and recommendations..!!
