3 times
Hassan, the slave of another world
003 –
“Okay, Hassan. Go up to the stage and get that. It’s easy.”
“yes?”
“Didn’t you hear what I said? Bring that. Don’t make me say it three times.”
A large, open space in an underground ruin with burning torches hanging from the walls. In the middle of it, there is a slightly raised platform with an antique pole resting on it.
It was an item that gave off an extraordinary aura, so much so that anyone who saw it could tell that it was an extremely valuable item.
It was encrusted with jewels and the stick was made of gold, so it looked shiny and expensive, even to me, a layman of the world.
“What are you doing? Hurry up. Unpack your bags and go.”
Elfriede urging me on.
I couldn’t hide my uneasy and anxious feelings.
Most underground ruins, especially those containing treasures, are equipped with traps.
To me, who had already followed Elfriede to many ruins, it had become common sense to some extent, so it was hard for me to move forward.
“Why don’t you move quickly?”
This damn bitch-. It seems like she’s trying to use me as a guinea pig in her trap. But I don’t have any other choice.
No matter how absurd and unreasonable something is, slaves are a race that cannot refuse. That is why adventurers who are doing quite well hire slaves.
Oh, shit.
I said that somehow things were going well.
I put down my bag, which was full of stuff, and relaxed my shoulders, arms, and legs. I heard a cracking sound in my joints, and a refreshing sensation ran through my body.
Because I don’t know what kind of traps might be waiting for me, it’s a good idea to keep all the joints and moving parts of my body extremely flexible.
“What are you doing? Don’t you want to leave the ruins?”
Elfriede poked my back with her finger after I finished my warm-up exercises. I took a deep breath and started walking.
Damn it.
Damn it.
Every step I take feels heavy.
Fortunately, there seemed to be no traps set up on the floor.
I was able to reach the front of the stage without any problems.
“oh.”
A fairly tall platform and a long pole neatly placed on it. Standing right in front of it, I opened my mouth wide and let out a sound of admiration without realizing it.
The staff, seen up close, was adorned with such magnificent carvings and jewels that it could easily be called a staff or a king’s scepter.
On the head, there were several entangled snakes holding jewels in their mouths. Just by looking at them, you could tell that they were very valuable.
“Pick it up quickly!”
It was Elfriede shouting from afar.
However, I couldn’t easily grab the stick that was placed on the stage like a perfect case. If I took it out and lifted it, the trap might be activated.
It’s not like there was any other way.
Before the trap could kill me, Elfriede’s fireball might hit my back.
So I grabbed the stick with a feeling of, “What the heck-!”
Deering-.
『Achievement ‘First to Grab It, Take It!’ Achievement: Be the first to obtain the epic relic, the Staff of Clepius.』
『Task value + 100』
“The tasks done so far will be settled and the grace will be unlocked.”
Huh? Achievements? What kind of settlement? Grace?
At that moment, my eyebrows furrowed for a moment as several letters appeared before my eyes.
Pusheeeek-!
The raised pole sprayed something that could be called gas from its snake-like mouth, and it soaked my face. Of course there had to be a trap, damn it.
“Eughhhhh-!”
An unimaginable pain shot through my eyes and nose.
It was so painful that I almost cried, as if I had gone into a chemical warfare room without a gas mask and rubbed the chemicals in my eyes.
“Fuck- it fucking hurts! My, my eyes! My eyes-!”
“Hey! Hassan!”
“Hey, Elfriede, it’s dangerous!”
“What, what?”
“Ugh! It’s, it’s collapsing!”
In a situation where there was no sight, everything was making a loud noise of rumbling and collapsing.
I couldn’t even open my eyes due to the sharp pain, and I was waving my hands here and there until I was hit in the head by something blunt and lost consciousness.
“Okay.”
*
“So, what do you think? Does it look good?”
When I came to, I found myself lying on what looked like a pure white bed, with a soft mattress and a warm feather duvet.
I wish I could sleep a little longer like this – I thought, as I was about to close my eyes, but then I came to my senses when I saw Elfriede looking at me with fierce eyes.
“Hey, why don’t you wake up quickly?”
“Okay, let me check first. How does it look? How many are there? Count my fingers.”
The person waving at me was a woman with short blue hair who didn’t feel real.
But more than anything, it was the white, flowing one-piece dress that seemed to be covered with curtains that caught my eye. I vaguely remembered that it was the outfit worn by healers.
“How many are there?”
“Two outlines.”
“Then what about this?”
“Four.”
“Then what is this? The part I’m pointing at with my finger.”
“Chest. Head. Legs. Arms. Chest. Stomach. Arms. Legs. Head. No, how long do I have to do this?”
“Well, it looks like there’s nothing wrong with what you see. The treatment went well. If I had been a little later, I would have lost my eyesight completely. The venom of the fire snake needs to be quickly washed away with medium-level or higher holy water.”
I quickly turned my gaze away.
You can see beds scattered here and there and people lying on them groaning.
Even though I had just come to my senses, I could vaguely understand that this was a treatment center. Since the treatment costs were so expensive, I thought it had nothing to do with me.
Who would have thought that I would be taking off my rags and putting on this fluttering hospital gown? Who would have dressed me?
No, wait, wait.
I fumbled with my hands, feeling here and there on my body. But I couldn’t feel what was supposed to be there. The heavy pockets that I had thought were more important than my life. They were gone.
“Are you looking for this?”
Then, Elfriede held out a familiar bundle of coins in front of me, who was flustered.
“That, that is….”
“On the subject of slaves, when did you save up all this money? It’s about 30 silver. What were you planning to do with it? Huh?”
“That’s mine!”
I flailed my palms and tried to snatch the package from the hands of the mean fairy.
But Elfriede raises her palm and moves the bundle of money to a place where I can’t reach it.
“I can’t give it to you. It cost exactly 30 silver to fix your eyes. I’ll use this money for the treatment. Adding the money it costs to move you here and take care of everything-.”
“Fuck… .”
“What were you planning to do with the money you saved? Did you really plan on saving up all the money I’ve spent on food and lodging to become free? You idiot who doesn’t know anything about gratitude.”
“Fuck, fuck! You’re the reason my eyes got smashed in the first place, bitch!”
“what?”
“Give it to me! That money is mine, it’s mine!”
“Is this kid crazy?”
For about two years.
What a shameful and beggarly thing it was to earn that money.
In order to collect that, all the moments that I had held on to until now, just hoping to become free and live a better life, flash before my eyes.
I could no longer maintain my sanity at the thought of losing not only the thirty silver coins, but my very freedom.
“Heeeeek! Geeeek! Guaaaak!”
So I got up from the bed and grabbed Elfriede by the hand as if I was going to throw myself at her. Elfriede was flustered, not having thought that I would act violently.
“What the heck is this!”
It was at that moment that I grabbed that guy’s wrist.
Deering-.
『Name: Elfriede Desmund Lv. 35
Strength: 12
Agility: 11
Stamina: 12
Quirks: Sadism》 Selfishness》
Condition: frozen shoulder》cold hands and feet》irregular menstruation》
Letters appearing before your eyes, accompanied by short, strange sound effects.
“What is this, Sval?”
“Let go of me! You little shit! Don’t touch me without my permission!”
slap-.
My eyes went dark for a moment with a strong slap to the cheek.
As my consciousness grew further and further away, I thought I heard Elfriede grumbling, “That’s why you black-haired bastards-.”
I slowly lost consciousness amidst the noise and hustle and bustle everywhere.
*
When I opened my eyes again, darkness had descended all around me.
I slowly rolled my eyes and was able to discern objects around me thanks to the soft burning of a lantern right next to me.
Thump, thump.
I touched my face in frustration and felt a foul-smelling bandage wrapped from my chin to my forehead.
“Ugh-.”
As soon as I took it off, a splitting pain in my forehead started to swirl around in my head. It was a merciless headache, like an ice pick was digging into my skull.
“Ugh-.”
But there was nothing else I could do but clutch my head.
The only thing that comes to mind right away is the acupressure technique I learned on the street.
Which point is good for headaches?
It was at that moment that I looked at my palms with a frown on my face and a sore head.
Slurp-.
The middle joint of the sword was enveloped in a strange red light, and was clearly visible even in the darkness.
I pressed that part with the thumb of my other hand as if I was possessed by something.
Then, with a snapping sound, a sudden nosebleed burst out of my nose and started to flow out.
“What is it?”
At the same time as the blood burst, surprisingly, the headache that had been pounding my head disappeared refreshingly.
I felt a refreshing feeling, as if my mind had been washed clean by a cool waterfall.
『Status: The Curse of the Two Sasukes』 has been lifted.』
『Task value + 50』
what?
The words that appeared before my eyes were telling an unbelievable story. If it was the curse of Doosa, then it was the very imprint of the slavery that I had cursed and resented so much.
“…Long live chaos.”
As I recite the fierce spell, letters begin to appear before my eyes again.
『Name: Hassan Lv. 7
Strength: 2
Agility: 2
Stamina: 3
Task: 287
Grace: Blessing of Chaos》Clumsy Handicraft》
Indeed, there was something different from the letters I usually saw.
The task value has increased from 137 to 287, which is 150 more, and the status I had has also changed to the word grace, listing unfamiliar items.
blessing.
What a grace.
I felt like screaming at that amazing fact.
There are countless gods in this world, and countless believers in those gods.
Some believers receive what they call grace from the god they believe in.
With it, people can use magic or perform amazing miracles, exerting powers that transcend human perception.
Did that happen because I was holding the staff? Come to think of it, I think the words about grace came to mind at that time.
Anyway, it was certain that the curse had been lifted.
So I closed my eyes and imagined soft, smooth flesh and warm warmth.
Then I feel the blood rushing to my lower body and my pride rising so strong that it feels painful.
“Fuck, nice to meet you, kid!”
I couldn’t be happier, so I couldn’t contain my joy and decided to test its capabilities.
But for me, who had been living as a slave for two years, there was no stimulus that could come to mind.
All that comes to mind are Elfriede’s white thighs, her thin ankles, and the occasional glimpse of her voluptuous cleavage.
“That little girl-. She’s got big breasts-.”
Of course, that alone was enough to make me have a satisfying time.
When I let out all the pent-up anger, even if only in my imagination, my mind feels refreshed and my body starts to tremble.
The time of the wise man arrives without fail.
Even that is welcome right now.
“What do we do now?”
I thought about the future and the future with a much clearer and wiser mind.
It’s clear that the money I’ve barely managed to save up until now has been stolen by the evil Elfriede.
I have no idea how much more trouble I’ll have to go through to start saving that money again from scratch. I don’t have the confidence to do it. I don’t know how long it’ll take.
Should I just run away?
Anyway, the curse of the two that had been binding me has been lifted somehow. What if I run away like this and hide somewhere where no one can find me?
No, it’s not.
I soon remembered that there were slave hunters chasing runaway slaves.
Those who hire slaves are mostly adventurers or nobles who can afford them, and many of them also hire other professional adventurers to kill or capture runaway slaves.
What if it’s Elfriede?
It is certain that they will capture me and torture me.
In any case, unless I formally purchase my freedom, I will always be destined to live in hiding, like a slave or a fugitive.
“Oh, you’re awake.”
Then someone spoke to me and I turned my head in surprise.
[Work Review] Three more pieces will be uploaded tomorrow afternoon!!
