Chapter 137
Chapter 137
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: Sun, Moon, and Sword #2
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Luna's cabin was even narrower than I'd imagined.
In terms of space, it wasn't impossible for three people to squeeze in and sleep.
But with all the material jars she'd set out while preparing her workshop, the massive mortar, and the assorted small tools, it was just big enough for one person to lie down before it felt packed.
At least the second floor had relatively little clutter, so if we huddled together, three of us could manage by pressing right up against each other.
"It's really cramped."
Hippolyte narrowed her brow at the deer hide blanket and cover laid out on the second floor.
"How the hell do two people even sleep in a place like this?"
Her expression was just like that of some famous politician stepping into a capsule hotel for the first time, naturally triggering a flashback to my Earth memories.
Luna, apparently annoyed at her criticizing her precious home as cramped, shot back without backing down.
"If you don't like it, get out!"
"No, that's not what I meant. But in a space this tight, our bodies are bound to bump into each other naturally, right?"
"N-Not necessarily."
Anyway, with two women and me crammed in, the second floor of the cabin really felt stuffed, to the point of being stifling.
"Then I suppose I should change into something comfortable."
That's when Hippolyte started removing her armor. The metallic clinks of *shring-clang* echoed loudly as her smooth, glossy skin came into view, making my heart pound huge in an instant.
Of course, underneath the armor, she was wearing her usual black, tight corrective crop top and hot pants.
But soaked with sweat from the hot night, they clung to her skin, accentuating her body in ways that—arguably—felt even more provocative than if she'd been naked.
Fuck, I could jerk off for three days just picturing that scene.
Luna seemed just as flustered by the sight, flailing around not knowing what to do.
"W-Why are you taking it off all of a sudden…!"
"If you're going to sleep, you need to be comfortable, right? Even I can't sleep in armor—it's bad for the body. For the record, I usually sleep fully naked."
"Arrrgh, H-Hippolyte! Go wait downstairs on the first floor for now!"
With Luna snapping like she was seriously pissed, I had no choice but to head down to the first floor.
I needed to ditch my uncomfortable black tailcoat anyway, so I changed into the light single-layer cotton shirt I'd left at Luna's place.
*Kyung, kyung-.*
That's when some creepy legs climbed up onto the jar. It was Kyungkyung, the wolf spider Luna raised. Had it sensed my presence and come up to check?
"…Hey there."
Since the wolf spider was Luna's other roommate, I tried greeting it to maybe get on friendly terms.
I was scared shitless it might suddenly leap at me, but fortunately, it lost interest and crawled deep into the jar.
Fuck, it's scary no matter how many times I see it.
Shifting my attention from the thing, I carefully hung the pricey party outfit I'd bought for 30 silver on one of the few hooks along the wall.
Figuring the second floor was probably sorted by now, I climbed the stairs—and there was Luna pinning Hippolyte from behind by pressing on the nape of her neck.
"Grk-."
The sight of today's freshly promoted Gold Tier warrior woman being mounted and subdued by Luna. I'd seen it once before, but encountering it again right in front of me felt utterly unreal.
"Hippolyte, you're too cocky! This is my house! Follow my rules!"
"Grraaah…."
Was it because the moon had risen into the night sky? Or maybe because Luna was the daughter of the goddess of night and bore the name of the moon itself?
"C-Can't… breathe…."
Hippolyte could barely lift a hand, just wriggling helplessly under Luna. Was this for real?
The warrior woman's long arms and legs flailed around like a turtle flipped on its shell, legs kicking wildly.
"Say you'll surrender already!"
"I… surrender…."
Only then did Luna release her grip.
"Gahhh, haaah. Haaah-."
Hippolyte gasped raggedly for breath, eyes bulging wide as she clutched her throat.
"I beat Hippolyte again! Hiyooot! Victory over a Gold Tier adventurer means I'm a Gold Tier adventurer starting today, right? Hand over that necklace quick!"
Luna held out her palm to the defeated Hippolyte, who flinched hard and clutched the gold horseshoe-shaped tag around her neck protectively.
"Th-This wasn't a proper duel, so it doesn't count. Besides, Noxdoty, you haven't even reached Silver Tier yet. You don't qualify for it."
The.
Hearing brought back Hippolyte's earlier explanation.
Gold Tier adventurers were those recognized as heroes by the people.
With only 15 such gold necklaces across all the kingdoms combined, the only ways to get one were to advance into an open slot yourself or defeat someone who already had one.
That must've been why Calcuta's adventurer Delphina had her eyes on Hippolyte's necklace.
They said the rewards for Gold Tier jobs were beyond imagination. How much did they rake in? If I hustled for a year, could I buy a mansion?
Fuck, imagining myself in that position was impossible.
Anyway, yet another showdown between Hippolyte and Luna ended in Luna's one-sided victory.
It was starting to make my head spin thinking about it too much, so I decided to stop dwelling on such matters.
* * *
I'd gone to a stranger's party, and we'd wandered the markets all day, so fatigue had built up in my body. Surprisingly, though, neither I nor Luna fell asleep right away—we stayed up for quite a while.
Maybe it was the unfamiliar vibe of having a guest in the cabin where she and I usually slept alone?
We chatted away into the late night instead of sleeping.
"So you really fought all of Cairo's disciples?"
Luna was mostly the one asking questions.
"Yes. I fought each one once. I beat all but one."
Hippolyte, who knew a ton about pretty much everything, was the one answering. Well, yeah—when else would you get to chat with a famous bigshot like her if not now?
But I was dead tired and dying to sleep, so I just lay there.
Fuck, sharing a room with two women had me a bit excited and heart-pounding at first, but now my mind was blank and all I wanted was to crash.
Seriously, when are they gonna sleep?
At this rate, we might pull an all-nighter.
Hippolyte continued.
"Of course, back then they were all incomplete and pretty immature in every way. If I fought them now, I'm not sure I'd win again—but since I've awakened to my divinity, my odds are probably better."
"What's that 'awakened to divinity' stuff mean?"
"It means I've realized the transcendent karma inherent in my blood. What do you think happens when an eagle living among swans realizes it's an eagle?"
"No idea! I never learned eagle. I can kinda understand cats or sparrows, but taming eagles is advanced spirit possession voodoo—only high-level healers can pull that off."
"…You can understand what cats say? Anyway, once the eagle realizes its true identity, it can soar high into the sky. Awakening as a demigod is just like that."
Hippolyte leaned against the wall, clenching her fist tight.
"It shatters the old mold, letting you ascend to heights mortals can't even imagine. Breaking past 40 karma was thanks to that. You can't just brute-force your way past 40."
"So it's just 'good genes' then."
"Th-That's not quite it. Anyway, if I get the ambrosia from under the underground labyrinth, I can become a god. I'm excited to see what domain I'll rule."
"The god of 'borrowing money and never paying it back.'"
"…No such god exists."
"That's why you should do it, Hippolyte."
Luna and Hippolyte chattered on. They seemed totally mismatched, but weirdly clicked in conversation. Was there some girl thing they shared?
I'd been half-dozing when something Hippolyte said sparked a thought.
If Hippolyte had grown so strong by awakening whatever transcendent karma was in her blood…
Could Luna get even stronger if she realized she was Nox's daughter and awakened too?
I pictured Luna, level 40 breakthrough, firing sword beams from her hand.
Her slamming a silence totem down—crack!—splitting the earth and triggering an earthquake. She'd probably call it something lame like "Earthquake Voodoo!"
Fuck, it'd be hilarious.
But I also felt like that world should never come to pass. Luna had a cruel streak; with real power, she'd swing it around irresponsibly.
She might round up every toad and spider in the world and wreck the ecosystem.
Then mosquitoes would swarm everywhere, turning this hellish already-nightmarish world into an even worse inferno.
Maybe that's why Nox never told Luna her true identity? Nah, just my sleepy brain rambling.
"If you're gonna keep talking, I'll just sleep down on the first floor."
Worried we'd be up all night, I grabbed a blanket suitable for the floor, spread it out downstairs, and lay down.
With the floor separating us, their voices from above sounded muffled, letting me drift off relatively peacefully.
Their long conversation seemed to wind down; the voices upstairs grew quieter until only the occasional outside noises reached the cabin.
In that pleasant silence, half-asleep and drifting between sleep and wakefulness…
Rustle.
Scrape.
Something was creeping around me super quietly. Like a cat on tiptoes rummaging through trash with bated breath.
Someone heading to the outhouse outside?
I didn't think much of it and tried sinking back into sleep.
Then a presence loomed larger right beside me.
Something slender reached toward me. Probably a finger.
Sliide.
It brushed my nose. Checking if I was breathing, if I was really asleep.
"…Asleep?"
The voice was too stiff for Luna. Hippolyte?
Cracking my eyes open, I saw her crouched beside me in the pitch-black first floor, peering down.
….
I nearly yelped and bolted upright from the shock.
Fuck, what the—?
"…Ahem, Samaritan. If you're awake, say something."
It felt like déjà vu, like I'd been asked this before.
As the sense of familiarity bubbled up, waking me more, something thin and soft slid across my abdomen—snapping me fully alert.
It was definitely Hippolyte's palm.
She pressed her hot palm against me and started rubbing my belly.
Not just a casual stroke—like licking with a sticky tongue, blatantly sensual. Blood rushed straight to my lower half.
Twitch.
She must've noticed the change; her hand stroking my belly jerked.
Yeah, she'd know I'm awake now.
I figured I'd stir a bit to signal it, but…
Her fingers slid down, deftly untying my pants' knot.
Wait, what? What the actual fuck?
Soon, my rock-hard dick sprang free into the cool air, the sensation stark.
Escaping the stuffy pants felt kinda relieving on its own, but having a woman staring right at it made it way more awkward than when it was covered.
"Th-This thing…."
She murmured under her breath, barely audible, swallowing hard.
"Such a… bizarre shape…."
She extended her index finger and poked at the shaft. Her nail prodded the column repeatedly, then slid lower.
Sliide, sliide.
Now teasing the most sensitive, vital ballsack. Then her whole palm enveloped them—squish.
Holy shit, having your weak spot in someone else's hand. It legit felt like I couldn't breathe.
What the hell is she doing?
Whatever it was, it was wrong—bad—but my head screamed that.
If I sat up and made a fuss, it'd wake Luna sleeping soundly upstairs, and who knows what issues that'd cause between us. I couldn't open my mouth.
Luna's night hearing might suck, but a big commotion would definitely wake her.
Is this hell?
No clue why Hippolyte was doing this, or what I should do. My mind went blank white.
"Such a curious shape—."
Oblivious to my turmoil, Hippolyte kept fondling and kneading with her palm.
Like a pubescent kid discovering sex and poking a model dick.
Wasn't that exactly it?
As leader of the conservative virgin brigade, she'd had zero exposure to this stuff.
But she was also a vigorous warrior woman, so curiosity must've burned.
Still, groping a sleeping guy's junk? If I slept soundly, I'd have missed this sexual harassment.
I'd decided it was wrong and was about to shift to make her stop—
Schlick, slurp, squelch.
Sticky sounds started, like stirring wet mud with a stick.
"Haaahh…."
Fuck, she's insane.
[Author's Note]
yayayeah!!! Kadeom!!! Potatoserver!!! Thank you so much for always sending support coupons...!!!
Also, tons of you sending those accumulating manuscript fee coupons anonymously ㅠㅠ...
Can't wait to see what character July's coupons turn into an illustration...!!!
Loving all the recommendations and comments too...!!! They all give me huge strength....