52nd
Hassan, the Morning Star of Sodomora
052 ? Sodomora’s Morning Star Hassan #3
Even breathing was difficult, but I somehow managed to stick the sword into the ground, put my feet on the ground, and get up. Honestly, I really wanted to just lie there.
The anxiety that if I just lay there and faint, I might become a laughing stock for the rest of my life drives my body.
I, a slave, can be laughed at as much as I want.
I, a free spirit, must never become a laughing stock. Even if it was an act of arrogance or presumption, I gathered strength and stood in front of the woman.
“after….”
“Just like that-. Lying down-isn’t it comfortable-? That-is-enough-to-try-.”
Hippolyte’s voice, as she stood there, looking at me, was also getting louder and louder, making it difficult to hear.
It’s been a while since I’ve felt this kind of silence due to violence. It might be the first time since I was in middle school when I secretly touched my father’s wallet and got beaten up.
No, I was beaten like this and lost consciousness when I was captured by hunters and made a slave. Of course, I honestly don’t want to remember the time when I was a slave.
Shit, I got up, but can I win this? I’m screwed. What should I do?
It was while I was letting out a breath full of hesitation like that.
“You’re fighting a tough battle. Should I help you out a little?”
A vivid voice came to my ears, where everything was spreading like ink.
It was a very confident male voice, and it was loud and booming in my ears, almost like a shout or a yell.
“It looks like it’s hard to answer. Just nod your head.”
I don’t know what it is. Since coming to this world, I’ve experienced countless events that are incomprehensible and beyond my reason.
So this time, I wonder if some magical power is working on me again. Or if there is a wizard hiding in the crowd.
Anyway, in a desperate situation, a request for help came in, and I had no energy left to think or reason in a complicated way, so I just slowly shook my head.
“You refuse? I never thought of that. Why?”
After all, I’m not stupid enough to nod my head at a suspicious favor that was suddenly offered to me.
As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t think there is any free favor in this world. Everyone has their own ulterior motive or something to hide, and they try to disguise it as a favor.
Moreover, since he is using magic to transmit his voice so accurately to my ears, he may be asking something tremendous of me.
Rather than being used for something like that, it’s better to just fight fair and lose.
Anyway, it was at that moment that I was about to take a step forward.
“What an interesting brother.”
With that voice, the thing that could be called the world began to move slowly and slowly, and then eventually came to a complete stop.
The sand blowing in the wind, the cries of people, the flying birds and the falling leaves, everything seemed to be frozen in the air.
Of course, it’s the same when my body doesn’t move.
The only things that were free in it were my eyes and my thoughts. However, no matter how much I looked at this situation and thought about it, I couldn’t understand it.
What the hell? Is this some kind of new concept of a kaleidoscope? Is this shitty world a shitty kaleidoscope? When I was thinking about that.
Phew-. Thump.
Something fell freely from a great height and landed lightly between me and Hippolyte.
The first thing you see is a red cloak, and a helmet with flowing brown hair. Beneath it is a face with copper-colored skin.
A man wearing body armor looks at me from this frozen world and grins with his white teeth. It’s a hearty laugh, but for some reason it sends a chill down my spine.
『It’s nice to see you up close. First of all, I’d like to thank you for choosing me over Minerva. Minerva’s horns were really strong. Anyway, this is my small thank you.』
A man moves his hand and puts it into the knot of Hippolyte’s armor, which has stopped.
Ting-.
He cut the knots in Hippolyte’s armor with his fingers as if he were pulling out a grenade pin.
And then, with the words, “This is against the laws of Hypox,” he leaped forward again and disappeared out of my sight.
The fluttering red cloak disappears, and at the same time, the world that had been at a standstill begins to move slowly again as if it is being supplied with electricity.
It was moving really slowly, really slowly, but soon it accelerated and regained its original speed.
Ting, thump-.
At that moment, the armor fell off Hippolyte’s body standing before my eyes, revealing her copper-colored skin.
“What, what-!?”
I mustered up all my strength and leapt towards Hippolyta, who was suddenly flustered, and reached out my hand.
I don’t know what it was, but didn’t an opportunity come along?
The suffocating pain and the aftershocks are things to think about later. You never know when you might get another chance like this.
“Oh, oh my god-.”
I felt Hippolyte, who was covering her body, click her tongue. It seemed that she too was having trouble adjusting to this sudden situation.
For the first time, I saw confusion in her eyes that had been blazing like fire at every moment. At the same time, a hand covered her chest area and another hand reached out to grab me.
These two conflicting actions seem to well represent Hippolyta’s state of mind, which is precariously tightroped between being a woman and a warrior.
“Where-!”
Hippolyte tried to grab my palm, which was reaching out to her waist, but she hesitated for a moment and it was impossible for her to stop my hand.
Gotcha, dammit!
I was able to grab the string tied around Hippolyta’s waist with my right hand. Now all I had to do was pull hard on it and it would be over.
However, at that moment, something very strong and sturdy wrapped around my wrist. Damn, I thought I was caught in some kind of noose, but it was just Hippolyta’s hand.
Kwaaak-.
Moreover, I could not help but scream because I felt a strong grip as if it was going to burst. What the hell, what kind of tightness is this?
This is exactly what it feels like to have your arm stuck in a machine.
“Oh my, strange, geometry-!”
Because of that, my hands that were holding Hippolyte’s belt lost their strength, and I ended up twisting my arm so that I fell to my knees and prostrated myself on the floor.
“Surrender. The power around you will be squandered.”
Shit, your bones are crumbling? There is a miracle called healing magic, but can it really heal the shattered bones? In this world where you can’t even dream of disability pensions or welfare, being one-armed is a huge loss.
“Ha, surrender-! I surrender! Th, eueeeeet!”
“after-.”
Only then did Hippolyte let go of my hand with a small sigh. Damn, I felt like tears were about to prickle my aching arm. It hurts so bad. It’s not broken, is it?
Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be broken or cracked or anything. However, if Hippolyta had really put more force into my hand, my arm would have literally been shattered.
It’s so painful- it’s painful-.
This is a true story. No, how can a person’s evil power be like that? The density of muscles and bone structure itself may be structurally different from that of an ordinary person like me.
“Whew-. You got excited, which is not typical of me. You caught me off guard, no matter what you did. Either way, it’s your loss. But you’re the first man to grab my belt. You can be proud.”
Clank, clank-.
Hippolyte picked up her armor from the floor and put it back on her body. However, her eyebrows furrowed as she saw the knot that was unusually torn off.
And then he looked up at the sky with his eyes furrowed.
* * *
“It doesn’t look like anything is wrong.”
The receptionist Daphne commented as she looked at my arm, which was swollen and red in the shape of a handprint.
I can only be astonished at how a person’s palm print can remain so bright red.
Shit, what on earth did I decide to fight against? This is why men should always be wary of Juji. Because of that Juji bastard, they end up doing reckless things.
But my throbbing arm and throbbing Juji showed no signs of going down. Ever since I saw Hippolyte’s shining skin and flesh earlier, it’s been like this.
Hey Shiva, you little Juji, you need to learn to be a little more humble.
Anyway, I was completely defeated. I did have a strange experience along the way.
What on earth was that? I don’t remember exactly what happened because I was so confused. All I remember is that it was something really big.
While I was lost in thought, Daphne spoke again.
“Anyway, you’ve grabbed Mr. Hippolyte’s belt. That’s quite something. You can add one more line to Mr. Hassan’s life’s achievements.”
Add to your life’s achievements? That reminded me of the bulletin boards that adventurers put up to promote each other’s names.
Would it be okay to add text like “Hassan: Grabbing Hippolyta’s Belt”?
“Is that such a big deal?”
“Imagine opening the mouth of a sleeping lion, sticking your head inside, and coming back alive. Wouldn’t that make you proud? Phew…”
Daphne’s description made me imagine putting my head in a lion’s mouth. Indeed, that would be enough to pass as a drinking snack for a lifetime.
“It’s something similar to that. It’ll probably help your adventurer career, too.”
“Aha-. So, when is the next request?”
I had just returned from an expedition. I was still hungry for money. I didn’t have a single home of my own in this world, and I was sick of living in inns.
I have to pay someone else every time I sleep, man. This is crazy.
I want to make money quickly, buy a house, and get promoted to the Silver Tier to create my own home, my own space.
If there is such a space, how about opening a small health center with Luna? Luna makes alcohol with bees and elixirs with medicinal herbs.
I give massages to customers and get paid for it. I think we can create synergy in our work.
I’m going to have about ten children. Since I’m not the one giving birth anyway, it’s okay to have more.
But I’m a little worried about whether Luna, who is small in stature, can actually have that many children. Should we compromise and reduce the number to five?
“Mr. Hassan, you look like shit. What are you thinking about?”
What the fuck.
“Ms. Daphne, could you please just think about that and not say anything out loud?”
“I wanted to do that too, but it was just too much. Anyway, it’ll be a while until the next request. I have things to take care of. Phew…”
Daphne sighs. Daphne has been adding sighs to the end of her sentences like this since earlier.
I think I have a vague idea now that she is overworked to the point where it wouldn’t be surprising if she were mentally ill. But this feels a little different.
“Is there anything that hurts?”
“Huh? Oh, I just feel a little bloated. Maybe it’s because I sit down and work all day. I don’t like the beef I had for lunch.”
“Oh, indigestion. Hey, could you hold out your hand for me?”
“Huh? Your hand? Why?”
Daphne’s gaze became sharper than ever. She had treated him so badly in the past that he began to worry that something bad might happen again.
Still, it’s a shame to miss out on the opportunity to slightly increase the task’s value.
“No, it’s not strange. You know I have grace.”
“Oh, that’s right. There are a lot of kids who always try to touch my hand with all sorts of excuses. I should just give them up and get rid of them.”
And so Daphne’s hand is extended to me. The thin and long fingers are very pretty, but the palm is surprisingly rough and coarse.
“I’ve felt this way before. Have you ever held a sword or a weapon, Daphne?”
“Huh? How did you know that? Were you doing background checks on me? A stalker!”
“What the heck!?”
“Hehe, just kidding. That’s right. I used to be a Dong-rank adventurer. I got a big injury to my shoulder, so I can’t swing my sword anymore. But I got recognition for the things I’ve done so far, so I ended up doing this sitting job.”
“aha-.”
Could you think of it as something similar to the Military Mutual Aid Association for Disabled Veterans?
It also feels new to me that people who get injured while working as adventurers are given the opportunity to work.
Anyway, I gently placed my finger on Daphne’s wrist. Then, just like last time, numbers appeared along with a clicking sound.
『Name: Daphne Lv. 6
Condition: Indigestion》 Hyperhidrosis》
Aha-. I think I remember when I see the letters. Last time, Daphne had the word indigestion written on it. I think it’s the first time I’ve seen hyperhidrosis next to it. It’s possible that she’s developed a disease that didn’t exist before.
“Mr. Hassan, I have a question. What can you tell by touching your wrist like that?”
“It’s just taking your pulse. It’s just, you know. Think of it as reading the karma flowing through Daphne’s body. Excuse me, can I press your palm?”
“Try it, then.”
Anyway, I wiped my mouth appropriately and grabbed the thick flesh between my thumb and index finger with my fingers and pressed it with my thumb.
This is the Heokgok point. If you press it while you are in a cold state, it is very effective as it improves blood circulation and aids digestion.
Since something like a palm massage is relatively far removed from being considered an illegal medical practice, you won’t have to worry about getting hit with a rock, so it should be fine.
More importantly, I’ll have to find out later where medical practice begins and ends.
Kwuk-.
“Ugh, ugh, ah, it hurts!”
“I didn’t even press that hard, but it looks like you’re in pain. Your blood flow and energy are blocked.”
Guk, kuuk.
I continued to stimulate that part. In fact, it was more effective to stimulate this part strongly enough to hurt. However, Daphne began to twist her body as if she couldn’t bear it anymore.
“Ugh, uh, ha, uh… . N-It feels weird! S-It’s sexual harassment! Ah, ah-!”
What the hell, this is a reaction I never expected? That’s why I was so surprised that I was about to slap my hand in the face.
Deering-.
『Cure Daphne’s Indigestion』
『Task value + 10』
『Current task value: +47』
“Ugh-.”
Daphne blushed with a small squeak.
“… What, what is it? What is it…?”
[Work Review]
I’ll upload it as a regular series…!!!
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