18th
The waters of the river Styx flow majestically
018 –
I opened my eyes in a room with a single candle burning brightly. A room filled with a musty and damp smell.
Is this a hotel room?
I looked around and saw a fairly spacious space. There was a desk and a chair. And a candle burning on top of it.
Anyone who sees it can tell that it’s a single room in a hotel. To think that I’m sleeping in a single room. Who would have thought that I would have such luxury.
The bed is not just a pile of straw with a rag-like blanket placed on top, but is made of thick cotton that makes it feel like your body is melting into it.
So it had to take quite some time to get up.
The first thing I checked after barely getting up was my pockets.
This is something of a habit of mine, to check if the money I saved the night before has been stolen or lost.
In a world where pickpockets and thieves abound, this is something that everyone has to do.
The money in the package is 10 silver and 40 copper. It seems like there is slightly less money than before, but it seems like it was used to reserve a room at the inn.
The next thing I checked was the number of my fingers and toes, and whether I had any broken teeth or injuries.
Fortunately, neither money nor body parts seem to be a problem.
So now my thoughts turn to the next question. When on earth did I come here and sleep? I tried to recall my last memory, if possible.
But after drinking with Luna, my consciousness faded out and the screen went black. You could say that the film broke.
I’m the type of person who never blacks out no matter how much I drink. The bluish liquor that Luna poured me must have been a really strong drink.
I drank so much I passed out. If I had been lucky, I would have lost all my money or hurt myself.
Oh, shit, let me try drinking again. With that thought in my mind, I packed my bags in my hotel room and headed out.
Let’s go down the stairs and head to the first floor lobby, which has become quite familiar. Unlike last night, the atmosphere is eerie, the tables are deserted, and people are sitting there having a quick breakfast.
“Who is this? Isn’t this the Samaritan?”
A bald man who was wiping dishes and cups with a dry cloth at the checkout counter looked at me and pretended to know me.
I vaguely remember that this man was the innkeeper. I wonder if we were close enough to know each other like this.
“The pain has eased a lot since you pressed my shoulder. It doesn’t hurt anymore. Sit down. I’ll bring out breakfast.”
“… .”
Not knowing how to respond, I just sat down at an empty table nearby, doing as the bald innkeeper told me.
It’s an uncomfortable chair with no backrest and so hard that it feels like my butt will bend just by sitting on it. But it’s not just because of this chair that I feel particularly uncomfortable.
“Look over there, it’s that guy from yesterday. Look at that fierce expression on his face, he’s scary.”
“Did you hear the song the musician sang yesterday? I heard he slaughtered 50 goblins by himself.”
“Indeed, he is as scary as he looks.”
People seem to be gossiping about me here and there. I don’t know why, but it seems like some strange rumors are spreading.
Judging from the fact that the musician is mumbling something about a song, it seems like Malco has something to do with that interest. Since neither Luna nor Malco are visible, it’s hard to know what’s going on.
“Here, breakfast. This was included in the single room rate yesterday, so don’t worry about the price. Oh, and I added some extra toppings for free.”
As I was looking around, a bowl of breakfast soup was placed in front of me.
A simple breakfast, filled with a thick soup in a large, wide earthenware pot. As the innkeeper had said, there were quite a few vegetables and meats floating on the plate.
It looks delicious.
After I woke up from the alcohol and felt nauseous, I was still very hungry, so I picked up a spoon and ate it little by little.
The soup was extremely bland because the liver wasn’t digested, but I had to fill my stomach anyway, so I took a spoonful and poured the rest into my mouth, emptying the entire bowl.
As my stomach gets colder, my head feels a little clearer. As my head gets clearer, my current chaotic situation feels a little calmer.
To sum it up, I drank a lot of alcohol yesterday to celebrate the completion of a request.
When I woke up in the morning, the innkeeper and strangers were whispering to me and acting secretly friendly towards me.
I think something happened yesterday. Did the innkeeper say I treated his shoulder?
So, just in case, I muttered something quietly so no one could hear.
“…Long live chaos.”
And then he frowns.
Deering-.
『Name: Hassan Lv. 8
Strength: 3
Agility: 2
Stamina: 3
Task: 227 247
Status: The Oath of Styx》
Grace: Blessing of Chaos》Clumsy Handicraft》
What the heck. What seems to have changed a lot?
The first thing you see is the change in the task value. Judging from the number 20 that has increased, I guess I have helped someone with insomnia or stiff shoulders without even knowing it.
What bothered me the most was the status section. There were some strange letters there.
Oath of Styx?
What is this?
I don’t know what it is, but I don’t have a good feeling about it. The only words that came to mind in the status section are the curse of the two people or insomnia.
And most of the factors that had a negative impact on people’s lives, such as back pain, were:
It’s highly likely that the Oath of Styx is also not a good one. Could it be another curse or something?
What a curse.
When I think back to the nearly two years I was cursed and became a eunuch, I can’t help but feel sweat forming between my buttocks and my palms getting cold.
When I see the lower half of the tent roaring in the morning, it seems like it is something different from the curse of the two men… .
At the moment, there was nothing I could think of or infer on my own.
So I decided to sneak up on the balding innkeeper, who had been smiling and winking at me with satisfaction for a while, and chat with him.
“I want to tell you about what happened yesterday….”
“Oh, it’s okay. No one will care. Let’s keep it a secret for the rest of our lives. I swear it in the name of Bacchus, the god of taverns and pleasure!”
I don’t know what he thought I was going to say, but the bald innkeeper just finished the story on his own.
Even when I tried to ask her more questions, she just stubbornly said, “I have nothing more to say. Don’t worry.”
Shit, I’m worried.
I wondered if there were any red spots blooming somewhere on my body like when I had cast the curse on Doosa, so I took off my clothes in the room and checked here and there, but I couldn’t see anything.
*
“Ah, Mr. Hassan.”
When the sun began to rise, I went to the Mars Guild. I returned the wooden plaque and sat down in front of Daphne to receive the commission.
“I heard the story from Mr. Platan. The old man is known to be not the type to praise others. I heard that Mr. Hassan has a rare talent for budding.”
Dr. Inspiration Platan must have told Daphne about me. I don’t think I’ve ever done anything to deserve praise or to look good to the Inspiration.
If there was such a thing, it was just a few nods to what the inspiration said, and then a few goblins got beat up for it?
Anyway, I accepted the 30 coppers as a deposit. And I decided to ask about another thing that was one of the reasons I came here.
“Is there anyone else besides Platan? Malcona, Lunana.”
If I were to ask them what happened at the tavern yesterday, nothing would be more effective than asking them. So I headed to the guild to find out where they were.
“Those people would have taken the money early this morning and left.”
“Don’t you know where it went?”
“Well, I don’t know about your personal life. What’s the problem?”
Swish-.
Daphne’s eyes, looking at me, open slightly.
Although it seemed like the evaluator was kindly asking if there was a problem, I couldn’t ask any more questions because the evaluator’s eyes were evaluating me as if he was saying, “If there’s a problem, we’ll reflect it in your performance evaluation.”
“No, there isn’t.”
“Actually, I was worried after sending Hassan away, so I couldn’t get anything done. His arms and legs seem fine. Anyway, I’m glad it ended well without any accidents.”
If you’re doing cleaning work, there’s no way you’ll have any problems with your arms and legs. Anyway, that’s not the important thing right now.
“Daphne, I have a question for you. Do you know anything about Styx?”
“Isn’t that the river of the underworld that flows deep underground? Why is that?”
“Then what about the Oath of Styx or something like that…?”
“Ah-. In that case, it would be faster to go to the library than for me to tell you. Since you said you can read, you can borrow the book I wrote for you.”
Ji-i-ik-.
Daphne tore off a small piece of parchment and wrote something on it. She then handed me something like a wooden keychain that she had.
“It’s a library pass. They don’t give it to just anyone, but I owe you something, Hassan. Until the next commission comes in, it would be good for you to learn some continental common sense and such!”
He receives a piece of parchment and a wooden plaque from Daphne, who encourages him by saying, “You will meet many people in the future.”
“If I just have this one book, can I be a Continentaler?”
The title of the book was a bit strange. I thought it was normal for most things and people in this world to be strange.
*
It was past lunchtime when I arrived at the library. The signs and directional signs in this city were so unfriendly that I had been wandering around, so I was a little late.
Later on, when I have time, it might not be a bad idea to memorize all the city geography.
Rather, is this a library…?
Having been overwhelmed by the guild building that doubled as a temple, I had some expectations about what a library in this world would look like.
What appeared before my eyes was a warehouse that seemed to have been built shabbily. It felt more like a used bookstore in an alley than a library.
As I opened the door and stepped inside, a man with a face so pale that his bones were visible glanced at me at what I couldn’t tell if was a reception desk or a cash register.
With his gray hair and pale skin, he had a mysterious appearance that made it hard to tell if he was young or old. Anyway, he spoke to me in a slightly hoarse voice.
“This is not a place you can come and go carelessly, Barbaroi.”
Barbaro is a rather archaic word among the derogatory terms used to refer to barbarians. It is mainly educated people who call me that.
This man, who appears to be a librarian, seems to be quite a cultured man, as he is in charge of managing books. But speaking elegantly doesn’t mean that cursing is a compliment. You punk.
“Here is your pass.”
I handed the pass I had prepared in advance to the man in the colorful robe and looked around.
It looks like all sorts of scrolls and old books are lined up on the bookshelf. The outside looks shabby, but the inside looks pretty decent.
“Did you steal it?”
“No, I got it from Daphne of the Mars Guild. You can check it out.”
“Okay, then just wait a minute. Is there anyone there?”
“Lord Erymanthus, it’s my turn today.”
“Yes, Aesopus. Go to the Mars Guild. Go and talk to the receptionist Daphne…”
Shit, it takes time to ask if something was stolen and check everything. Living as a Barbarian in this world is such a hassle.
… .
… .
“Okay, I checked. Looks like it’s fine. So, what book are you looking to borrow? Isn’t it better to learn how to kill someone in the wilderness than in a library?”
The librarian smiled brightly, as if he thought he had a good sense of humor after saying that. Why did you learn such things, you brat?
“Do you have a book like this here?”
When I showed the note I had received from Daphne to the librarian, a wrinkle appeared between the man’s smiling forehead.
“Just wait and see.”
Then he disappeared between the bookshelves and soon reappeared holding a thick, heavy hardcover book in his hand.
It was a very thick book, even at first glance. It was so thick and hard that it made you think that if you hit someone’s head with it, they would die instantly.
How does that skinny librarian carry books that look heavier than his body? If it were up to that, the books would be carrying the librarian.
“The rental period is one week. I swear on Minerva’s name that if you damage or scratch the book, you will be charged a fee.”
“How much is it?”
“23 silver.”
“geometry-!”
“Isn’t this book a geometry book?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Shit, 23 silver. That’s more than I have.
In this world where printing technology was not yet developed, books were truly luxuries that filled the intellectual entertainment of the wealthy and literate.
Since each one is handcrafted, it is bound to be expensive.
So I had to carefully handle this thick and heavy book as if it were my master. I had to quickly finish what I was curious about and return it right away.
So, after experiencing my first loan from the library, I headed out onto the street. I sat down in the shade under a tree in a rather deserted park, leaning my back against the tree and opening up a book.
Oh, I just opened the bookshelf and I’m already sleepy. Maybe it’s because I’ve been away from books, letters, and studying for two years, but my mind isn’t ready to accept this many letters.
Wake up, kid. If you drool while sleeping, you’re screwed.
After I woke up with a sense of alertness about money, I opened the table of contents. Then I could see that it was written in categories from ‘ㄱ’ to ‘ㅎ’.
Because you need to know about the River Styx. S, s, s… .
『Styx? One of the rivers said to flow deep in the underworld of Pluto’s underground labyrinth. It is said that all kinds of resentment and monsters of the dead lurk at the bottom of the river Styx.
Styx also has a very great meaning to both gods and humans. It is said that even gods cannot break promises and oaths made to this river.
Modern systematic theologians, who seek to drive out superstition and barbarism from faith, sometimes dismiss it as having a mere symbolic meaning.
There are actually quite a few people who have suffered misfortune because they failed to keep their oath on the River Styx. Whether this is simply a coincidence or not is still a matter of much debate.
Famous figures associated with the River Styx include the goddess Styx and-
The entry on Styx was so long, over sixteen pages, that I didn’t think it would be of much help to read it all, so I just extracted the main points.
The River Styx appears to be a device used to demonstrate firm resolve regarding promises or oaths.
Now that I think about it, I seem to remember seeing something similar in a mythological story I saw in a cartoon when I was young.
Anyway, the fact that such an oath is imprinted on me means that I promised something to someone.
[Work Review] When it comes to Greek and Roman history, Hassan only remembers the scene in the comic books he read as a child where Hercules sucks Hera’s breasts… That’s exactly how I am, hieeeek!
