8 times
Hassan is now a free man
008 –
“Samaritan, we’re all here. This is Sodomora, the city of pleasure. People like you who want to use their power all flock here.”
The city of Sodomora, which took a whole day to reach by carriage drawn by two horses.
My first impression upon entering the city walls was that it was extremely disgusting and dirty.
Calcata, the city where Elfriede once had a stronghold, was also full of the filth and barbarism characteristic of the Middle Ages.
This Sodomora, the former city of Calcata, was so dirty that it looked like a very grand new city.
It goes without saying that trash and waste are carelessly thrown away.
The sewer system was not even maintained, and water was flowing back in all over the place, creating a sloppy mud puddle.
The road was so bumpy that it was difficult to drive a carriage.
The buildings were mostly made of rag-like wooden planks, and the clotheslines hanging here and there were dripping wet, tangled together, making for a very dirty mess.
Just standing on the street will lower your Sanchi.
Shit, if you live in a place like this, you’re definitely going to get sick. Cholera, malaria, plague, you name it.
But I, who had been torn to pieces as a slave, was not soft enough to complain or frown about something like this.
“What the hell are you looking at, you fucking punk.”
“You have black hair. I’ve been unlucky since morning, so drink some water-.”
A few passersby swore at me. Of course, this is a normal thing. However, in Calcutta, I felt that there were some rules and common sense.
All the rough-looking people walking along this street looked like robbers with knives hidden in their bosoms, and the eyes of the beggars and homeless people begging were not usually sharp.
The look in his eyes is clearly aimed at the victim. He looks as if he might hit the back of the head with a hidden club and steal all of their belongings if necessary.
In fact, in the alley over there, I saw a homeless person, or maybe a beggar, being trampled by some men.
“Ugh, ugh! Ugh! Th, stop, I’m really gonna die-!”
“I dare to put the pineapple in my pizza!”
“Let’s cut off his fingers so he never cooks like that again!”
What the hell. You’d cut off a finger for something like that?
I half-ignored the commotion and looked away, afraid that if our eyes met, I might get caught up in something annoying.
Then, the coachman with his yellow front teeth smiled at me, startling me.
The groom said.
“Isn’t this a lovely city? I’ve come a long way, so give me 80 coppers. More is fine.”
80 Cooper. It was about the same price as the carriage Finley had mentioned. I guess I didn’t get beat up or anything because I was a Samaritan.
A silver coin is worth about 100 coppers, so if you hand over a silver coin, they’ll give you some change.
So I took out a silver coin that I had put aside in my pocket and put it in the coachman’s hand.
The coachman said, accepting the coin.
“Silver coin-! I guess I should give you change now.”
“No, I’d rather give you change. I have a question for you. You said you’re from Sodomora, right? Do you know your way around the city?”
“That’s right. The geography here is such that you can find your way around with your eyes closed.”
“Then I would like to ask where the Adventurer’s Guild is.”
I had been living in Calcata for about a year, so I had some knowledge of the city’s geography, including its outskirts. But here in Sodomora, I was like a complete newbie.
In this world where there are no smartphones or friendly maps, you have no choice but to ask for directions.
Rather than asking a passerby on the street right away, it would be better to ask the coachman who had been with you through the fields and forests for a night. He happened to be from Sodomora.
“hmm-.”
The coachman scratches his dirty beard with his fingernail as if he understands what I mean.
“If it’s the Adventurer’s Guild, then of course you know. So, are you going to the Minerva Guild or the Mars Guild?”
“There are two guilds?”
“Yes. This Sodomora is a fairly large city, comparable to the royal capital. Of course, its vulgarity is incomparable to any other. Anyway, if you’re planning to register as a new adventurer, you’ll have to choose carefully.”
Minerva Guild and Mars Guild. I vaguely remember hearing about both, but I couldn’t remember the details.
For the past two years, most of my knowledge has been biased towards pleasing Elfriede’s mood.
The coachman clicked his tongue, perhaps noticing that I had stopped talking.
“Mr. Samaritan, you’ve just come to the capital, so you really don’t know anything. That’s why you won’t last even a week in this city. But since I paid you in silver, listen carefully when I explain it to you.”
The coachman glanced around with his yellow eyes and continued speaking.
“The Minerva Guild is an organization that serves as a temple to Minerva, the goddess of wisdom and exploration. The Mars Guild is a guild that serves Mars, the god of struggle and courage. The two have slightly different characteristics.”
“Are the features different?”
“Actually, they are similar. Minerva Guild is full of illegitimate children of nobles who pretend to be famous, and perverts who risk their lives to discover the unknown. Mars Guild has a strong feeling of violent gangsters and vagrants who can’t control their temper. Since you’re also a Samaritan, I think it would be better for you to go to Mars Guild.”
To the coachman’s explanation, I nodded my head and said, “I see.”
I felt a sense of awkwardness when I heard Minerva and Mars, as they seemed similar to the names of gods from ancient Roman mythology.
In reality, the gods, culture, religion, and language that people believe in in this world have many similarities to those on Earth, even though I can’t quite understand them.
Of course, there are other differences as well.
Anyway, it seems that people live in a similar way wherever they are.
“Then shall I take you to the Mars Guild? I’ll do that as a service.”
*
“That’s cool.”
I got off the carriage and looked at the tall building in front of me with a smile on my face. I wasn’t laughing or mocking, I was truly truly amazed.
Was it ever a lie to say that it also serves as a temple to serve God?
The guild building, which I wasn’t expecting much from, was quite impressive and boasted a grandeur that I couldn’t help but gasp in amazement.
To put it simply, it was a pillar made of processed granite and marble, and topped with a triangular roof, resembling an ancient building.
In this world of barbarism and violence, it is hard to believe that there were people with this level of architectural skill. After all, religious structures were also built with even more care on the Earth I lived on.
Things like pyramids, ancient Greek temples, or the ancestral rite tables our fathers used to set up for the holidays.
“Well then, I’ll be going now. I wish you good luck in Mars, Samaritan. If you ever need to go to another city, please ask for this Kyurio!”
“Kyurio?”
“It’s not easy to remember since it’s a name similar to the messenger god, right? Anyway, cheer up. Let’s go, Speedo Wagon!”
Phew-.
As the coachman cracked the whip, the horses trotted away, the carriage moving away.
Standing in front of the Adventurer’s Guild, I tidied up my messy beard and hair, which were reflected in the stagnant water on the floor, and my leather clothes, which looked no different from rags, before entering the huge building.
The interior was as spacious as it looked from the outside of the building, and a wide-open space-like space appeared before my eyes.
There are rows of counters similar to those at a bank, and neatly cut women sit in front of them and deal with people.
Unlike the disorder of the city where vagrants roamed, this place had something that could be called regularity and sophistication that tickled my heart as a civilized person in the 21st century.
Is this really a temple?
Although I was a little embarrassed by my messy outfit.
The bearded men and the bulky men moving around the building are not much different from me, so I feel a little more confident.
The sight of men and women walking around with armor, shields, swords, bows, and other things on their person was quite unfamiliar and created a bit of tension.
“Hmm, hmm.” I coughed a few times and approached the empty window. Then a green-haired woman with slightly pointed ears looked at me and asked in a soft voice.
“What’s going on?”
“I, I would like to apply to become an adventurer for the guild.”
“Are you saying you want to register as a new member?”
“Yes, yes.”
How long has it been since I’ve had a procedural conversation like this? It was nothing special, but I felt like sweat was forming between my buttocks.
“Did you bring the money?”
“yes?”
“There’s a registration fee for new adventurers. It’s 20 silver. Over there, do you see it?”
The receptionist turned around and pointed to a spot on the wall of the building with the tip of her finger.
Following the tips of her slender fingernails, I saw a large wooden board with the words “Reception Fee: 20 Silver!” written in large letters: Mars Guild.
“Oh, before that, can you read the writing?”
“Oh, yes, I can read it.”
“aha-.”
The receptionist raised her eyebrows as if she was quite surprised by those words. It seemed surprising that I, who looked like a savage in this world with such a high illiteracy rate, could read.
Actually, I’m surprised that I can read the writings of this world.
anyway.
I just found out that I have to pay a whopping 20 silver to register my identity with the Adventurer’s Guild. Is this like a membership fee?
But 20 Silver isn’t the name of someone else’s dog, so I just feel regretful.
“Compared to Minerva Guild, we’re cheap. They charge 40 silver for registration, including tuition and training. The tuition and training are only basic swordsmanship. Aren’t there any other complete thieves?”
“Oh, that’s right.”
The receptionist must have sensed my hesitation as she spoke skillfully. My mind went blank at the thought of the huge sum of 40 silver.
Shit, the thought of going to the Minerva Guild and almost getting kicked out for lack of money makes my heart sink.
I can’t tell you how thankful I am that the groom, whose name I don’t even remember, recommended me to the Mars Guild instead of the Minerva Guild.
Thank you, Mr. Explainer.
“Then, since you said you can read the text, please read the rules here and stamp it. Refunds are not possible, so think carefully before you decide.”
Thump-.
The receptionist held out a thick bundle of rolled up scrolls in front of me.
A crude book made of low-quality parchment and paper glued together tightly.
The letters written there were also squiggly like earthworms, so I wondered if they were letters unique to another world that I couldn’t read.
Or maybe it was simply bad handwriting that had become so old and worn that it was illegible.
“It’s a formality. Just put your stamp there.”
“Oh, yes.”
Kwuk-.
“Then I’ll help you with the settlement. It’ll be 20 silver.”
I took out 20 silver coins from the package and handed them to the receptionist. How many bowls of noodles would I get for that amount?
As I was hesitating with a somewhat regretful heart, the receptionist snatched the silver coin from my hand.
“Um, 20 silver, that’s exactly right. I checked. Then, may I ask your name? What is your name?”
The receptionist who had been counting the money one by one met my eyes. When I looked at her face, she was prettier than I had expected, so I felt a little nervous for some reason.
After the “Curse of the Two Sas” was lifted, it seemed like Juji would jump up whenever we made eye contact.
“Ha, it’s Hassanimda.”
“Haak, Mr. Sanda.”
“No, Hassan. Hassan.”
“Oh, Mr. Hassan. Then, could you put your finger here? It might sting a little for some people.”
The receptionist held out something like a small fountain pen to me. The tip was quite sharp, and I could not help but think that it would hurt if I got stabbed in the back.
“Which finger?”
“Any finger. Use the one that hurts less.”
No, I mean, what is a less painful finger?
I had no choice but to poke my left thumb on the corner, where it would hurt less. Then, along with a stinging sensation, a drop of blood began to drip down the nib.
“Then please return it here.”
The receptionist, who had been given a pen, took out a blank piece of parchment and wrote something on it in red letters.
Square, square.
『Name: Hassan
Strength: 2
Agility: 2
Stamina: 3
Grace: Clumsy Handicraft》』
“What is that?”
The receptionist answered my question calmly.
“This is a copy of Hassan’s karma, which is contained in blood. This paper and pen will allow you to read it. Strength 2, Agility 2, and Stamina 3. Not bad overall. Add them all up and the overall score is 7. You are very healthy. There is no reason for disqualification.”
“Is that so? Is there a reason for disqualification?”
“For a healthy adult male, the average value is 1, and the overall value is around 3. Those who fall below that number are likely to have problems, so it is difficult to register in a guild.”
It seems that the number 1 is exactly one person. If that’s true, then the numbers that appear as my abilities don’t seem that low.
I said.
“There’s no way the notation can be wrong, right? Something might be written wrong, or something might not be written at all.”
“I swear on Mars’s name that that won’t happen. This Emotional Needle is an epic-level artifact. Anyway, you passed the physical examination…”
This is the first time I’ve heard that there’s such a thing as ineligibility in a guild.
However, as I was looking at the words that bothered me, the receptionist swallowed hard and continued speaking quietly.
“But you have received another grace. “Clumsy dexterity”. It is a kind of grace I have never seen before… Please, please wait a moment.”
Knock knock-.
The receptionist pushed the chair away and ran off somewhere in a hurry. I looked away from her back and back at the paper.
And then he recited, so quietly that no one could hear, the ugly spell written on a crumpled pamphlet from long ago.
“Long live chaos-.”
Deering-.
Letters appearing before your eyes with artificial sound effects.
『Name: Hassan Lv. 7
Strength: 2
Agility: 2
Stamina: 3
Task: 307
Grace: Blessing of Chaos》Clumsy Handicraft》
No matter how I look at it, something seems wrong.
[Work Review] I’m uploading it as a scheduled serial, and another one will probably be uploaded in three hours!!!
Please click on the thumbs up and recommend!! I can’t say with confidence because I don’t have many copies!!
