Episode 86
The Hero of Sodomora
086 ? Hero of Sodomora #2
The fog that had covered Sodomora had completely cleared the next morning. It was a bright and sunny morning, with the sun rising so clearly that the disturbance of the previous night was forgotten.
Contrary to expectations, there was no offensive by the cultists.
We didn’t know why, but somehow the city that had been cowering in fear of the cultists began to come to life a little.
The streets are once again bustling with vendors, and children who don’t know what they’re doing are running around the park, swinging wooden toy swords at each other.
“I am Hippolyte, daughter of Mars! Take my sword, Altair!”
“Why am I Altair? I want to be Hippolyte!”
“You idiot, you’re a man. How can a man play the role of a woman-.”
In any case, it was clear that the city that had been trembling with fear at the thought of social distancing was beginning to come alive again.
In fact, from my perspective as a modern person, I think we should be more careful for at least a few days to a week. That’s when it’s dangerous to let our guard down like this.
“Everything that happened yesterday seems like a lie.”
Luna, who was standing next to me, listened to my words as I muttered them as if I was talking to myself.
“That’s right! Still, it’s fortunate. It ended well without anyone getting hurt! To be honest, I didn’t know that Hassan would catch even a socialite. Hassan, you did well!”
“I did try hard.”
Luna’s excitement made me feel a little proud. However, I think it wasn’t because I was strong enough to defeat the cultist yesterday, but rather because I was just lucky.
But if you think about it, in terms of survival and struggle, it’s not the strong who survive, but the ones who survive are strong.
So, am I not stronger than that little punk named Schizo?
Actually, I’m really strong!!
I was so proud, but then I remembered that it wasn’t all good things I had done, so I swallowed my shame and opened my mouth.
“But you lost the elixir you made yesterday. I tried to get it somehow.”
I felt regretful as I recalled Luna’s elixir that was taken away by the cultist Somnia yesterday. Then Luna slowly shook her head.
“It’s okay, it’s a test piece so it’s not that expensive. What’s important is that I somehow survived. More importantly, Hassan, if this keeps up, I might actually become a gold tier!”
“Is that so?”
The word gold tier brought a picture of a sparkling gold necklace to my mind. Honestly, it seemed so far away that I half-gave up wondering if I could ever achieve it.
If you look at it now, it starts to appear in the distance as if it were really possible.
It was while I was walking around like that, chatting with Luna about this and that.
“I see it over there!”
When Luna looked where her finger was pointing, she saw a tall statue standing there, like the Statue of Liberty.
Of course, it was only about half the size, but it was the first time in this world that I had seen a statue so tall.
A goddess wearing a helmet advances, holding a shield and a long spear.
It seems to be a sculpture of Minerva, the goddess of wisdom and exploration.
“Why did the Minerva Guild ask to see Hassan?”
“Well, I don’t know.”
I received a call from the Minerva Guild early in the morning.
When I asked the messenger who came to see me what was going on, I was only told that I had to keep it a secret from everyone.
“What? Are you offering some kind of bounty?”
“I hope so! Hassan, you’ll get a lot!”
I have put an end to the cult, and according to Actaeon, I shall be given a fitting reward.
It’s really fun to work because you get paid for the work you do, damn it.
Anyway, the Minerva Guild building that I found had many interesting corners. The building itself was no different from the Mars Guild before it was destroyed.
The atmosphere of the people coming and going here, or rather their personalities, were clearly different.
If the Mars Guild had a strong feeling of being a human resources office where all the Kims, Parks, Chois, and Lees gathered to form a crew.
People dressed neatly and cleanly were moving around, as if they had entered a government facility.
It is also quite surprising that very few people are wearing armor, and most are wearing clothes made of soft cloth.
“Are there no warriors here?”
“But you can’t enter the guild building while wearing armor. The Minerva Guild is a bit more strict about rules and standards.”
“I see. There’s everything there.”
Anyway, even within the Minerva Guild, I felt eyes glancing at Luna and me.
Well, it’s only natural, since black or pink Irochi monsters have appeared.
“I don’t know why you’re here, but this is a sacred temple. I’ll keep your weapons and armor in safekeeping.”
At that moment, a man who appeared to be a temple guard approached me. He said that it was a sacred temple, but he was armed with armor, a spear, a shield, and so on.
Convex.
Judging from the streamlined protrusion on the chest of the armor, it appears to be a woman. A female guard, this is a very rare thing.
Not only this woman, but all the guards seen everywhere seem to be women. Is there some kind of rule in effect?
Anyway, I put the remaining one longsword and one dagger, excluding the two longswords that were broken yesterday, into the basket.
I took off the spider skin armor I was wearing on my arms and legs, so my body felt considerably lighter, so it wasn’t such a bad feeling.
“Please return it to me when you leave.”
After finishing my conversation with the stiff female guard, I walked towards a place that looked like a bank window.
In the midst of the bustle, the only empty seat was the window where a beautiful woman with dark purple hair was sitting.
“Excuse me, I came here because I have some work to do.”
“You must be here because you have something to do. But, our guild doesn’t have the luxury of dealing with barbarians.”
Tiyong.
In Daphne’s case, the guild receptionists were so cold to me when they first met me that I almost cried.
“No, I am Hassan from Samaria… . Someone called me here and came to see me. By any chance-”
“Hassan of Samaria… Hassan… Hassan? That Actaeon’s…!”
The receptionist cut me off mid-sentence and opened her eyes wide.
“You should have said that earlier! Who do you want to see get cut off!?”
“I, uh, I’m sorry.”
No, shit, I don’t know if this is something I should apologize for. I was so overwhelmed by the pressure that I ended up apologizing.
“Anyway, she’s waiting for you in the basement. Go there. And, the pink-haired girl over there, stay here.”
“Hassan, I guess I’ll have to wait here again.”
“I’ll bring a souvenir when I come.”
* * *
I was wondering what the Minerva Guild’s dungeon would look like, but it was surprisingly nothing special.
Just like the basement of Mars Guild, rusty iron bars line the walls and rats squeak through holes here and there.
Anyway, it was still an unfamiliar and unpleasant place, no matter where I was, so I felt a little discouraged.
“Hey buddy, you’re here.”
Actaeon, wearing a red cloak and revealing clothes, welcomed me with open arms.
I’ve only met this guy a few times, but every time I see him I feel like he should have just been left as a deer.
There must be a reason why a person is cursed to turn into a deer. Anyway, I had no desire to be hugged by the boy, so I pushed his torso away.
“So, why did you want to see me?”
“Because I have something to say about the priest of the cult you subdued.”
“Subdue?”
My brow furrowed slightly at the word subduing, not killing or executing.
When I turned my head inside the underground iron bars, I almost screamed when I saw the figure of Schizo, a man in black armor, sitting cross-legged with his arms tied behind his back.
“Mom, I got a surprise!”
Actually, I screamed. I was so shocked that I couldn’t help but scream!
No, damn it, he must have stabbed me in the eye and brain with a dagger.
I felt a little guilty about killing someone last night, so I prayed for their soul, but I feel like I lost something, damn it!
How on earth are you still alive?
Is this a different kid with the same armor?
My head was filled with a thousand thoughts and I was out of my mind.
“You must be surprised. We were surprised too. We managed to restrain him somehow. But I felt we had to tell you.”
“Are you sure it’s you? Or maybe it’s someone else with the same armor…?”
When I ask with such doubt, Actaeon shakes his head.
“That won’t happen. That man’s armor is already a prison. No one can take it off. Not even himself. There’s no change to the fact that that man is the man my friend killed yesterday.”
“What do you mean…? So you’re saying he died and came back to life?”
I couldn’t understand what Actaeon was saying to me. I couldn’t believe that the man I thought was dead was still alive.
No matter how chaotic and ruleless this world may be, everyone dies when stabbed in the heart.
That’s why people value their lives, and adventurers who risk their lives to make money earn high profits.
But damn, this black armored bastard was cheating.
“Have you ever heard of the Holy Knights?”
“No, what is that?”
“It’s a long time ago now, but it’s said that until 30 years ago, the gods who resided on the high mountain of Hypoth communicated a lot with humans. The holy warriors are a vestige of that time. The cursed great warriors of the gods.”
I also knew a little about the Great Warrior of the Gods.
The gods of this world bestow grace and blessings on humans they please.
And among them, those whom he likes the most are made his archenemies and are used for various purposes as if they were the hands and feet of the gods. In other words, they are the same as the servants of the gods.
But I didn’t really get what he meant by the cursed warrior of the gods. If it’s a warrior, then why is he cursed again?
“Judging by your expression, you don’t seem to understand. It is said that the gods do not only bless those they love and make them great warriors. Sometimes, they curse those they hate so much that they are forced to complete impossible tasks for the rest of their lives.”
Actaeon with his arms crossed, saying the word curse.
This man was a man who almost gave up his humanity and turned into a deer because of a curse. I wonder if he has a very serious view on the ramifications of the word curse.
Of course, I too suffered from something called the horrifying curse of the two-year-olds that rendered me sexually impotent for about two years. Damn, that curse is fucking scary.
Actaeon said.
“Those who are cursed like that must live as slaves to the gods until the moment of their death. That is what a Templar is. A person who continues the endless holy war. And this man is probably a Templar of Pluto.”
“Are you saying that not being able to take off your armor and not dying have something to do with it?”
“Yes, it’s good that you understand faster than I thought. Of course, coming back from the dead is something that no great hero can do. I’m sure there will be conditions or backlash for that.”
I trust this because it’s said by Actaeon, a gold tier adventurer. It’s not like you can just die and come back to life as you please.
“Anyway, I wanted to question you about this and that, but you won’t open your mouth at all. I called you here because I thought you might open your mouth if you were here. Would it be okay if we two were left alone?”
Leaving Schizo and me alone in this dungeon? Honestly, it was fucking scary. Even with my hands and feet tied up, I thought that cultist would shoot beams from his eyes and attack my neck.
“Then if anything happens, call me. I’ll come running right away.”
But Actaeon didn’t even listen to my answer and just went out of the dungeon. Suddenly, I was left alone with this monster-like bastard who wouldn’t die no matter how much I killed him.
I feel very awkward and anxious.
“… .”
He was originally a quiet kid, but he wasn’t mute. He didn’t open his mouth even though I was in front of him.
Are you really that pissed? I would be really pissed if I met a guy who stabbed me in the eye.
“What, what is that? Don’t blame me. You rushed at me to kill me, so you must have been prepared to die, right?”
I was panicking, thinking that maybe that bastard had escaped and was going to take revenge on me. Then, suddenly, his shoulders began to tremble.
Are you laughing?
It’s scary how you laugh without making a sound.
The guy laughed silently for a while.
Seconds, tens of seconds.
I began to seriously wonder if there was something wrong with the head of the guy who had been hit by my dagger.
That’s when I was watching that guy laugh for a long time.
“… I, Schizophrenia, am only a storyteller. I am not even allowed to lift the shoelaces of the One who is to come.”
The man spoke in a terrible voice, as if he were scraping an iron floor, but I could not understand what he was saying at all.
“What? What are you talking about shoelaces all of a sudden?”
“You foolish slaves of the Twelve Seats… . You probably think we’re fighting a losing battle. But we’ve been given a prophecy. Soon, soon… . Knuckle.”
The bastard suddenly coughed loudly, as if he was spitting up blood.
“… the first death, two eyes. The second death, a nose. And the third death, my tongue. Alright. Come.”
Choaaaak-.
At the same time, blood spurted out of the bastard’s dragon head helmet. Even as he spurted blood, he couldn’t stop laughing.
“… Soon, He will descend upon this earth. No one can stop Him.”
I don’t know what it is, but there was something about his attitude that made the hairs on my body stand on end. I thought he was just some crazy cultist. Could it be that he has some kind of faith?
“What, who’s coming? Could it be Pluto from the Underground Labyrinth?”
“Son of Death… . Successor of the demon Pluto. Rider of the new order ruled by Chaos… . You too, have been bound by this fate.”
The bastard kept his mouth shut, leaving only a ridiculous analogy.
I tried asking him more questions and even threw rocks into the bars, but he just stood there, like a machine that had stopped functioning.
[Work Review]
Illustrator ‘star741’ seems to be busy these days with a lot of work…!!!
So, my drawing, which is a full-body illustration commission for the background photo, takes quite a while to complete ㅠㅠ…
Even if it’s just a part of the rough, I’ll report the condition..!!
