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Hassan, a local from the swamp
036 ? Swamp Local Hassan #3
Early in the morning, a considerable number of people were gathered at the west gate of Sodomora, making a lot of noise.
Most of them are members of an expedition headed to the Kalan Swamp, having received the same wooden plaque from the guild. At best, there are only about fifteen to twenty people in total.
Except for me, Luna, and the musician Malko who somehow existed, all of them were adventurers of Bronze Tier or higher, and their facial expressions were solemn and determined.
Certainly, the feeling of a full-fledged adventurer’s activity was palpable in this group, and my heart started pounding as I felt the cold dawn breeze.
I did have some experience following Elfriede and participating in large-scale expeditions.
It was just a porter and a slave who did odd jobs. But now, I too can proudly join the ranks.
I feel like the day is not far when I will be able to live a human life with the grace I have as a top-tier adventurer. Today could be considered the day of that glorious first step.
“Oh my god, it’s the department. It looks like the department head is going to be joining this expedition-. Oh my god.”
Luna, who was glancing at the many adventurers here and there, kept patting my arm while exclaiming, “Wow!”
When I turned my head to see something about him, I saw a pervert wearing overalls right above his muscular torso.
“Who is that?”
“Department Ser. The owner of the epic artifact Dalos Hammer! A famous Silver Tier adventurer in Sodomora!”
When I looked at the nape of the man’s neck, whose chest hair was as thick as a bush, at the mention of the Silver Tier, I saw a silver dog tag shining between his pectoralis major muscles, which were as thick as iron plates and looked very small.
“A Department Head is someone who is expected to reach the realm of heroes soon. Gold Tier, that is.”
“Gold tier?”
“The total number is almost 40!”
If it’s a total number, does it mean level? Sval, I’m only at level 9. If it’s close to 40, how powerful is it?
Hmm, that guy is such a great guy.
He just seems like a pervert.
Shit, we made eye contact.
For some reason, my buttocks started to tingle, so I turned my head and pretended not to hear anything. At that moment, a woman appeared among the crowd, wearing a fluttering red cloak, and stood on the stage.
“This mission to subdue the socialites in the Kallan Swamp has been entrusted to Imom Hippolyte, a Silver Tier adventurer from the Mars Guild.”
The chaotic hall that had been filled with the appearance of her, Hippolyte, suddenly became as quiet as a rabbit caught by its hair.
“If you just follow the instructions, things will go smoothly as always.”
The fact that she was able to immediately captivate these extraordinary adventurers just by appearing on stage shows how great the power of the woman on stage is.
“Hehe, even Hippolyte is here. Hassan, it looks like this mission isn’t an ordinary one. Are you going to catch Cerberus or something…?”
There were two Silver Tier adventurers in the expedition. Even I, who knew little about the world, knew what that meant.
That means there might be a lot of things that might be overwhelming for a newbie like me. In this world where capital and resources are precious, we don’t waste human resources.
Sval, or rather Hippolyta.
I never thought I’d be in the same space with the woman who had been watching me the day before. To be honest, I feel very anxious and uncomfortable. I’m weak to such strong-willed women.
No matter what my inner feelings were, Hippolyta on the stage continued to speak.
“We have two missions: find and kill. Let’s slaughter these vicious cult bastards without leaving a single piece of flesh behind!”
Hippolyte let out a loud, strange scream, something that was either a scream or something else. The sword maidens following her also followed the strange sound, causing the west gate to rattle.
My mind was honestly in disarray as I was watching someone chanting and speaking in a fanatical dialect.
Anyway, after that long speech, the twenty or so people were divided into groups of ten and placed under the leadership of Hippolyte and a man named Sir Bucer.
“Samaritan Army, it’s a shame we have to be in a different group.”
A man who looked like a bandit was talking to me.
“Ugh!”
I felt like the hair on my whole body stood on end, like a cat that had been startled from behind while eating. No, how could such a big cat not even make a sound?
“Excuse me, sir? Do you know me?”
“You’ll find out later. Hehe. The Samaritan Army will also get to know me better. Let’s get to know each other better.”
What the hell do you know? Anyway, I can’t tell you how lucky I am to be in a different group from this kid. From what I’ve seen, this kid is that. That thing, that thing, anyway, it’s scary to even explain in words.
“Then let’s see each other later. Group 2, follow me to the carriage! Our little Malko, sit next to me!”
“Please, save me!”
As I was watching the department head and their backs moving away, Luna grabbed my sleeve and tugged at it.
“There, there, there, Hippolyta is coming!”
Indeed, it seemed as if Luna was trying to warn me of the danger that was coming.
But it was too late. Before I could even make an excuse to go to the bathroom, the fearsome female warrior arrived in front of me.
“Hassan of Samaria-. We’re in the same group. We’ll be seeing each other often in the next few days. Please take care of me.”
“Hi, Hippolyta… … Lady! Please take good care of me!”
“I look forward to seeing grandeur worthy of the rumors of the wilderness people.”
Shit, I want to go home.
*
Rattling, rattling-.
Rattling.
In this world where there are no well-paved roads or soft tires, carriages are nothing but torture devices. They bounce all over the bumps placed everywhere, and their buttocks are often cut and bruised.
In fact, it’s no different from a horse-drawn carriage, so the ride is really bad. It would be nice if they had at least laid out some straw or a soft blanket.
How the hell do the other guys stand this?
The pupils moved slightly like that. Since the luggage compartments of the oxcart faced each other like a subway, I was able to observe closely what Hippolyte, sitting across from me, was doing.
“… .”
Hippolyte folded her arms, closed her eyes, and did not move an inch.
Sleeping? Sleeping in this tumultuous chaos? A veteran of the Silver Tier. I can even feel a little respect for him.
“When will you arrive, Hassan? My butt hurts so bad.”
Next to me, Luna, who was suffering at a similar level to me, was tossing and turning in her seat, trying to find a comfortable position.
But soon he realized that no matter how he sat, it would be uncomfortable, so he just spread out and lay down.
“It will arrive by tomorrow morning.”
Sval, that’s surprising. Weren’t you asleep?
Luna and I were so surprised by Hippolyte who suddenly opened her mouth that we ended up shutting our mouths. Hippolyte opened only one eye slightly and looked at Luna and me.
“So, bear with the pain in your butt. If it’s really hard, just walk. That would make the journey at least twice as long.”
With that, Hippolyte closed her eyes again. Luna and I were so scared that the woman might speak to us again that we chose to keep our mouths shut.
The carriage of the department that set off first is for some reason quite noisy. Our carriage is like a hearse carrying a funeral, and only silence and stillness hang around.
Slurp-. Slurp-.
All that can be heard is the ominous sound of a blade being sharpened.
“Hehehe-. I’ll shove this in the belly of those pagan kids-.”
The Sword Maidens continue to sharpen their blades while muttering such scary and sinister monologues. It’s so disturbing that there are no psychopaths who are truly mentally ill.
If there is anyone among the people riding in our carriage who can be called normal… .
Swish-.
My eyes turned to the woman riding next to Luna.
A woman wearing a long, flowing black dress that doesn’t reveal a single bit of skin, with a long net on her head and an eye patch on her face.
Isn’t it hot? Rather, covering your eyes, are you trying to play bondage yourself? Maybe you’re blind and can’t see.
Anyway, the woman in the black one-piece dress was the only normal person who had kept her mouth shut from the beginning until now, just sitting there in silence and swaying along the road.
Of course, I’ll reserve judgment for now because I don’t know what kind of quirk that woman might show the moment she opens her mouth.
Rattling- rattling.
I felt like I was starting to get motion sickness, so I turned my gaze to look at the scenery.
Passing through fields of ripened crops under the blazing sun, we now enter what could be called a wilderness with bare, dry tree branches.
Eagles flying everywhere and the corpses of decaying, dried animals.
When I turned my gaze away, the panting of four-legged beasts that I couldn’t tell were either jackals or hyenas, with their red eyes flashing behind the tall tree trunks, was so creepy that I couldn’t tell.
“So, Hassan of Samaria. How many people have you killed?”
No, it’s been a while since you opened your mouth to ask a question.
When I couldn’t answer right away for a moment, Hippolyte opened her lips slightly and asked again.
“In the wilderness, you were banished for killing so many people. To the point of being banished from Samaria, a place known for its savagery. Fifty people? Did you kill that many?”
“Oh, that’s not it.”
“More than that? He’s beyond my expectations for a young man. He’s getting more and more interesting.”
Can’t you think of going down there?
Anyway, Hippolyta seemed to have drastically revised her impression of me after asking the question and answering it herself.
I was hesitating because I felt like I needed to explain things in various ways, and at that moment, I was wondering how and where I should start talking about this, and whether I really had to say it.
Rattling-.
The carriage in front, which had been moving forward continuously, stopped, and soon the carriage we were riding in also stopped moving.
“The wheels are completely stuck in the mud. The swamp has encroached here. This can hardly be called a road anymore.”
The coachman pulling the policeman’s carriage clicked his tongue as he saw the wheel half-submerged in the road. Our carriage also had its wheel come off.
“Guys, please come down first!”
Clap-clap.
As I got off the carriage, my feet sank into the muddy, sloppy mud and it was incredibly uncomfortable.
“Did it rain? Why is the ground so muddy here?”
Luna frowned and muttered to herself as she watched the mud seeping between her sandals and toes.
The one who took over those words was the blindfolded woman whom I had been watching closely for a while.
“It is the curse of Ceres, the goddess of seasons. The Kallan region was a place where the goddess Ceres was worshipped, so her influence was even stronger.”
“Oh, I see. By the way, who are you?”
“I am a priestess from Delphi. My name is Cassandra.”
“If you are Delphi, you are a priest of the god of light and the sun?”
“For now.”
“I am Luna, a witch doctor from Ideophe. I serve Nox, the mother of superstition and night. Can I be considered a priestess?”
“… .”
The blindfolded woman who identified herself as Cassandra fell silent again without saying anything else. I wondered if she was some kind of silent monk, since she was a priestess.
Luna, whose self-introduction was ignored, also didn’t ask any more questions and just tilted her head while looking at the muddy floor and the carriage gradually sinking into the ground.
While everyone was frowning and looking embarrassed, I approached Luna and asked her secretly.
“Luna, what is the curse of Ceres?”
“Oh, 30 years ago, before I was born, there was a harsh winter in the world. It lasted for about two years? I think that’s what it’s about. The frozen ground melted, and many places became swampy places like this.”
Winter has been here for about two years? Just hearing it makes my bones feel cold.
I don’t know how lucky I am that I didn’t come into this world at that time. Being homeless must have been the worst.
As I was thinking about the world freezing over for two years, our coachman said:
“I guess we’ll have to use some force. If we keep going like this, we’ll have to abandon the carriage. How about pushing it from behind?”
“That is not the job of a warrior of Mars.”
“Sister Hippolyte, we’ll take care of it. You rest. Everyone, gather around.”
So, those who were still a bit tired clung to the back of the carriage and tried to free the wheels that were getting stuck in the mud.
However, it was not easy to get the wheels out of the mud because the ground itself was crumbling and the knees were sinking deep into it.
“Hey, Amazons. Try to use more force. Aren’t you a group of warriors that are said to be on par with the Spartans in terms of strength?”
“We’re using all our strength!? Tell this Samaritan bastard to try harder! He’s just pretending to use all his strength!”
“Oh, what are you talking about? Don’t frame me.”
Shit, how did you know I was losing my strength? You’re really a ghost. Do I need to know how to use the Gyeonmunsae Hakka to get to Bronze Tier?
I had no choice but to put strength into my arms and legs again.
Hehehe!
“Oh, oh, it’s moving! It’s falling out! Push harder!”
At that moment, with the sound of the horse’s powerful trotting, the deeply buried wheel slowly emerged from the ground.
“Almost, almost there! Just a little more-, bang!”
The coachman’s voice, which had been urging us to cheer up while watching the situation ahead, suddenly cuts off as if someone was eating rice cake and got it stuck in his throat.
After a few uneasy sounds like “Crunch, Crunch”, something fell into the wet mud with a thud.
“Oh, the groom was hit by an arrow!”
Luna screamed, her face turning pale. As the man had said, the groom was mortally wounded by an arrow that had pierced through the opposite side of his chest, and was spurting blood.
Kissishik.
Kissy!
At the same time, crowds of people suddenly popped up from all directions in what was thought to be a swamp.
“Hey, it’s a goblin!”
“It’s a swamp goblin, damn it!”
Amidst the din of people screaming and drawing weapons, I could somehow clearly hear Hippolyte’s quiet mutterings.
“Now the warrior has something to do.”
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