Chapter 168 Hoeh
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: Hoeh?
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On the way to the temple.
Jeong Yoo-shin's steps were heavy.
On the other hand, Karin and Luna's steps were light.
Luna, in particular, was even humming.
What was she so happy about?
'No matter how much I think about it, this doesn't seem right.'
Even if he had the letter from Luna's mother, Edel, shouldn't he at least have a discussion with her about this?
He could leave Luna with a nightmarish memory that she could never wash away.
Of course, it wouldn't be a more painful sight than watching her mother die.
But there was no possibility of finding a teaching material that was less shocking than this and could still fully convey the dangers of imprints.
Besides, he didn't have Delia's consent.
He felt like he was carelessly infringing on Delia's privacy.
'At the very least, I should consult with Luna's mother first.'
He made up his mind and said to Karin.
"Karin, can't we postpone this 'procedure' for a while?"
Karin made a reluctant face.
"Now? Mion is doing the procedure this time."
"Can't we wait a little?"
"Skar, Mion is a high-ranking priestess. Don’t you know how busy Mion is these days?"
"I know she's busy teaching the orphanage children."
Karin shook her head.
"That's part of it, but there was a crazy priestess at the Earth Mother Goddess’ temple recently, so there was a big fuss, right? There's a regular meeting for the priests who serve the elemental gods, and Mion is often called to it. You think that's all? She's also currently interviewing every priest who enters the labyrinth. She's so busy, she can't even sleep properly."
Jeong Yoo-shin scratched the back of his head.
She was that busy?
He had no idea.
Mion was personally performing the 'procedure' for him despite not having enough time to sleep.
Had he been too indifferent to her plight all this time when she was taking such good care of him?
He couldn't postpone this then.
"Still..."
Jeong Yoo-shin hesitated.
"Skar-niiim!!!"
Someone pushed through the crowd and approached them.
Edel.
The fox beast-person Luna's mother.
Edel rushed over and apologized.
"Skar-nim, I-I'm sorry! Luna, you little rascal!"
Edel gently tapped Luna on the head.
"Eek!"
Luna clutched her head and made a crying face.
Jeong Yoo-shin was secretly relieved.
To be honest, he didn't want to take Luna with them.
It wasn't going to be a pleasant sight.
"Edel, I received the letter. I should have visited you from time to time, but I'm sorry I couldn't because I was busy."
"N-No, it's alright."
Edel blushed.
It was a letter she had written to Skar-nim, but she had no intention of sending it.
He was a very busy person, and she couldn't dare to ask for another favor from him after receiving his grace so many times, so she had just kept it.
But while she was cleaning the shop, Luna had secretly taken the letter and shown it to Skar-nim.
She couldn't tell Skar-nim that.
"Luna, let's go home."
Luna clung to Jeong Yoo-shin's thigh like a piece of gum.
"I-I don't want to. Mister Skar said he would show me a slime turning back into a human!"
Jeong Yoo-shin felt wronged.
It was because Karin had brought up her tough childhood and tried to take Luna with them.
Edel hesitated, then bowed her head to Jeong Yoo-shin.
"Skar-nim."
"Yes."
"I'm very ashamed to say this as someone who owes you an unpayable debt…"
"..."
"But would you give Luna the opportunity to witness the scariness of imprints?"
"Edel, it could be more terrible than you think. I'm saying that it could be a psychological shock to Luna. Would you reconsider?"
"I think Luna needs to taste a bitter pill. She's just been flitting around and playing these days. Didn't you almost follow a strange person the other day? The one who said that they would buy you something delicious?"
Edel said while giving Luna a pointed look.
"..."
Luna became a mute who had eaten honey and buried her face in Jeong Yoo-shin's thigh.
This was difficult.
He didn't know much because he had never raised a child.
But he knew for sure that Labyrinth City wasn’t a good place to raise a child.
He felt like he understood why Dalmong ran the inn alone, away from his family.
"I understand for now. I can't explain in detail, but I want to say that it's not simply a scene of a slime turning into a person."
"Luna is a child of Labyrinth City. I believe that at least clearly recognizing the scariness of imprints will be a great help in her future life."
Edel stated firmly.
Had she become stricter because her husband had gone missing in the labyrinth?
Jeong Yoo-shin sighed and nodded.
"Hoo. I understand. If you wait at the pharmacy, I’ll bring Luna back after we're done."
"Thank you."
Edel bowed her head.
'Please don't thank me.'
Please.
He sent Edel off and looked down at Luna.
'Now, the only one I can trust is Mion.'
The only person with common sense in Labyrinth City.
He decided to leave the decision to Mion, who had a kind heart and soft, fluffy healing breasts.
The group left Edel and walked down the street again, eventually arriving in front of the Earth Mother Goddess’ temple.
Barion was standing in front of the main gate.
They sent a sign language message.
'Skar, have you been well?'
"How long has it been since we last saw each other? Nothing much happened, right?"
Barion nodded and took out a piece of paper to show him.
'Priestess Mion is waiting. Follow me.'
"Alright."
Barion, who was about to turn their back, flinched.
It was because Luna was looking up at them while wagging her tail.
"Hello."
Barion turned their head and looked at Jeong Yoo-shin.
They didn't say anything, but it was clear what they wanted to ask.
"She's the daughter of the pharmacy owner. She wants to watch this 'procedure'. What should we do? Are there any specific regulations?"
'The matter of an outsider's observation is something we must ask Priestess Mion. Let's go in for now.'
Barion led Jeong Yoo-shin and his group into the temple.
They passed the reception desk and reached the garden.
The group didn't stop there and went deeper.
The feeling of going deeper into the temple than ever before…
Beyond the garden, after passing through a maze-like corridor, a huge iron door appeared.
Two holy knights in old-fashioned plate armor were guarding the iron door, which was engraved with a sacred picture.
"Halt."
One of the knights raised his hand and stopped the group.
"Priest Barion, who are these people?"
'They are Priestess Mion's guests.'
"Is that so? Pass."
As soon as Priestess Mion's name was mentioned, the holy knight immediately let them pass.
Their trust in Mion was sky-high.
Ruuuumble.
When the iron door opened, a strange sight was revealed.
A huge cavern.
In the center was a statue of the Earth Mother Goddess, about 3 meters tall, and at its feet was a huge spring.
The stream of water from the spring flowed along the floor and spread leisurely to the corners.
It was a place full of sacred energy.
At the edge of the cavern, several more paths were open.
"Skar-nim?"
Mion slowly approached them.
She was wearing a white outer garment over her black priestess robes.
"Priestess Mion-nim."
Jeong Yoo-shin bowed his head.
"The preparations for the procedure are complete, but...?"
Mion was speaking, then she looked down at Luna.
Luna was looking around with sparkling eyes.
Her fluffy tail was spinning like a helicopter blade, showing how excited she was.
"Why is Luna here?"
Luna jumped into Mion's arms and rubbed her cheek against the latter.
"Priestess Mion-nim!"
Mion smiled faintly and gently stroked Luna's head.
"Have you been well, Luna? How’s your mother?"
"Ummumu! My mom is healthy!"
Luna said while rubbing her face with all her might against Mion's soft belly.
Mion smiled benevolently.
"That's good news. I'm relieved to see that you're healthy too, Luna."
Jeong Yoo-shin spoke with a heavy expression.
"Um... Priestess Mion-nim?"
"Yes, Skar-nim."
"Luna wants to watch the 'procedure'. What should we do?"
Mion's expression hardened.
"W-Watch?"
"Yes. I think it's a bit much. I'm worried it might be a bit problematic for her education."
"Th-That's certainly true. It could be a bit too stimulating of a sight."
As expected.
Since Mion taught children, she had common sense.
"But I do occasionally get the consent of explorers and show it to the orphanage children. Since this is Labyrinth City, it's a way of teaching them the scariness of imprints. But it could certainly be a stimulating scene. We don't have Delia-nim's consent either... Then wouldn't ‘that’ work?"
Mion suddenly tried to suggest an alternative.
Jeong Yoo-shin's mouth fell open.
He felt betrayed.
'I trusted you.'
"Um... It's difficult to explain here, so let's go into the procedure room first."
The group followed Mion through the cavern and down a corridor before arriving at a large room.
On a large bed, Delia was lying there while wearing a white gown.
Like a sleeping princess, she had her two hands placed neatly on her stomach.
Mion briefly left the room and returned with a large white cloth screen.
It looked similar to what you would find in a regular hospital room.
"I always have one on hand. Sometimes, embarrassing things happen during procedures. This should work, right?"
Mion said with a smile.
Would it work?
'Ah, I don't know anymore.'
Jeong Yoo-shin shook his head and half-gave up.
He took Delia's 'personality' out of the leather pouch.
Luna approached it.
"Delia-unni!"
The golden slime tilted its head(?).
"I want to see you turn back into a human!"
The slime raised its head and bumped against Luna's cheek.
"Does this mean you approve?"
Luna asked with sparkling eyes.
"..."
He didn't know. Jeong Yoo-shin looked at the golden slime and sighed deeply.
"Hoo. Luna, don't come any closer and just watch from a distance. Got it?"
"I got it!"
He left Luna in a corner of the room and set up the screen around Delia.
"We need to make Delia-nim's buttocks face the sky. Before that, Skar-nim, please cover your eyes with this cloth."
"I understand."
Jeong Yoo-shin didn't argue and covered his eyes with the cloth Mion handed him.
"Now, let's begin."
Karin, Jeong Yoo-shin, and Mion turned Delia over.
When they took off her white gown, a loose-fitting bra and panties were revealed.
There was a hole in one side of the panties, revealing Delia's fair anus.
Jeong Yoo-shin couldn't see because his eyes were covered.
He grabbed Delia's 'personality' that was wrapped around his arm.
Now, if he put the 'personality' into Delia's anus, the procedure would be over.
End it quickly.
For Delia's dignity, and for Luna's sanity.
Gulp.
Luna was standing far away from the bed.
Because of the screen, she could only see the flickering shadows.
'A slime is going into a person's body?'
She had seen many people with strange imprints while wandering around Labyrinth City.
But she had never seen an imprint like this before.
The innocent Luna stood still and let her imagination run wild.
Would they put it in her mouth and make her swallow it?
Or would the slime turn into light powder and be sprinkled on her body?
Thump, thump.
Luna's heart began to pound with anticipation.
The bed with the screen was quiet.
'That's strange.'
The shadows behind the white screen were moving, but it was too quiet.
Just as Luna, tired of the boredom, was about to open her small mouth to yawn.
"Hoooooooo!!!!!!"
A woman's scream filled the room.
Luna's eyes widened like saucers.
A frantic conversation erupted from behind the screen.
"I-Is this right?!"
"Not there! Don't just poke around!"
"N-Not here?"
"Y-You have to hold it gently!"
"I'm sorry! I-It's just so slippery!"
Behind the screen, a long slime could be seen wriggling in a hand.
"I-Is it in?"
"Not there! A little higher!"
"Ah. I have to pull this out again... Wait! It's too tight, it won't come out."
"Th-That's because you're rubbing D-Delia's pointy part!"
"W-Wait a minute! I don't know where to put my hands!"
"Please be gentle! Delia-nim is in pain!"
The situation was getting more and more chaotic.
The shadows moving behind the screen could be seen moving frantically.
"H-Here, right? It's not going in though."
"Th-That's strange. It should normally just pop right in. Karin-nim, um... could you try to widen the hole a little?"
"Me? Ugh. Alright. Gently, gently... Kyaaak!!!"
Suddenly, the slime started to struggle.
"Ah, wait a minute! I just got slapped in the face!"
"D-Delia-nim! Please calm down!"
Luna stared blankly at the screen.
She could only see the shadows, but she could tell for sure.
A long slime was stuck in something and was spinning around like a tail.
She could see the panicked movements of Mister Skar, Karin, and Priestess Mion.
Luna approached the screen with an anxious expression.
"M-Mister Skar, Karin-unni! A-Are you alrigh—?"
At that moment…
"Uggghhh!!!"
Pshhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!
Along with a woman's suppressed scream, a strong stream of water shot out from the bed and soaked the screen.
A few drops splattered on Luna's face.
And at the scene visible through the fluttering screen...
"Hoeh?"
Luna had a blank expression.
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T/N - Well, I guess there’s nothing more effective in making children remember a lesson more than a traumatic experience. And Luna was plenty traumatized in this one. That last part with the shadows moving behind the screen was really funny to me but was probably quite traumatic for Luna.