Chapter 269
Chapter 269
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 269
Chapter Title: Autumn's Entrance #5
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Elfride, who had been rubbing her face against Luna's belly and even blowing raspberries.
"Yeah, I'll apologize."
Whether she was accepting Luna's demand to apologize first for calling her a raccoon-dog, she unexpectedly stopped what she was doing and gently set Luna down on the ground.
"Uh, uh-?"
Luna, who had been flailing her limbs like a flipped turtle, let her voice tremble in confusion. She probably hadn't expected to be let down so easily. I hadn't either.
"Yeah, sorry for calling you a raccoon-dog, like you said."
"Grrr...."
Elfride's voice was so calm it was hard to believe she'd been all riled up and fighting just moments ago. That's why her words carried a sense of sincerity.
I was honestly surprised.
Admitting one's own fault and apologizing to another isn't easy. And taking the initiative to yield first is even harder.
"...."
Perhaps because of that, Luna, now standing on the ground, clamped her mouth shut as if she couldn't comprehend the situation. Then she just stared blankly at Elfride's face.
"I, I won!"
She even declared her victory like that. I watched tensely to see how Elfride would react, but Elfride just brushed the dust off her body with her palms casually.
"Yeah, sure, let's call it that."
"Grrr...."
With that, the victor and loser were decided. As Luna said, Luna was the winner.
And Elfride was the one who admitted defeat and apologized first. While Elfride regained her composure, Luna's expression looked like she had something to say but was bubbling with frustration.
At this point, who even won?
What was the fight even about in the first place?
Soon, Luna regained her relaxed expression too.
However, no apology came from Luna's mouth for calling her a stray cat. There must be something she couldn't back down on.
So, as someone who watched the fight from the sidelines, there didn't seem to be anyone worthy of being called a proper winner.
There was a loser, though.
"My breath! My breath won't come automatically...! My eyes, I have to blink them myself...! Terrifying curse! Eek, eek-!"
It was a fearsome showdown that only resulted in Paranoya, who had been watching from outside the arena, suffering from the Curse of Awareness.
"Well then, if fate allows, see you next time. Kiddo-."
After tidying herself up neatly, Elfride turned her back to us and disappeared somewhere.
I didn't know where she was headed, but she was probably returning to an inn or whatever lodging she had arranged, somewhere she could rest.
"That jerk looked down on me. Called me a kiddo!"
Only after Elfride's figure vanished around the corner did Luna finally voice her complaints in a grumpy tone.
She even stroked her fully exposed belly with her palm.
"Treated me like some raccoon-dog!"
"Tell me about it, that's a real issue."
I gave an appropriate response to Luna's words. I'd thought a lot might have changed after being apart from her for a few days, but Luna was still just Luna.
"Anyway, Hassan, let's go to the Juno Temple together! It's a weekday, so there won't be many people!"
"Juno Temple?"
Juno.
Queen of the heavens.
Goddess who protects families and communities.
Anyone from 21st-century Earth that's gone through deconstruction might not get it, but on this Gaia continent, family was the most basic unit of gathering, and thus extremely important.
I'd heard Juno, wife of the thunder god Jupiter, wielded authority and prestige on par with him, and indeed, her temples held significant influence across the Gaia continent.
Given that most married women who formed families converted to Juno's faith, the church must be incredibly wealthy and powerful.
There's nothing stronger than a group of mothers with kids. PTA meetings, mom cafes, green mothers' associations—they all pack insane firepower, right?
I'd thought it had nothing to do with me, but Luna seemed intent on dragging me there right now.
To 'cure' my philandering there? Was philandering even curable to begin with? It definitely wouldn't be a normal method.
Like stirring up my brain with magic or chemical castration.
Ugh, shit. Just thinking about it was horrifying.
On the other hand, I felt a bit grateful that Luna had seriously thought about me during that time and, instead of dumping me, was giving me a chance at redemption.
The incinerator work was all done before late afternoon anyway, so time wasn't an issue. But was this really okay?
"Hassan, let's go-!"
"Sure, whatever."
As I'd said with Elfride's case too, extending the hand of reconciliation first isn't easy. Since Luna reached out to me, I should show some resolve in return.
Alright, whatever it is, I'm going. Juno Temple.
*
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*
Sodomora's Juno Temple was located at the east gate.
Temples are usually in the city center, so building one on prime real estate like the east gate street really drives home just how wealthy and prestigious the Juno Temple is.
In this world, a temple's prestige and a god's authority scale with the number of believers.
Half this world is women, and a huge portion of them marry and have kids.
With most married women devoting their faith to Goddess Juno, it's no wonder they can afford a temple on the east gate street.
Weren't women—married women with children—the backbone of religion originally?
With kids, spouses, homes, health, and all that to worry about, married women naturally seek solace in religion or faith.
Especially in a world where gods actually exist, like this one, and the goddess of family stands tall—it's only natural they'd be fervent believers.
Samaritan.
Be careful, it's a seriously terrifying bunch.
Lost in such thoughts, I heard people whispering about me.
As I grew accustomed to aura, my senses like hearing and sight sharpened, so their voices came through crystal clear, like whispers in my ear. It was a bit awkward.
Is there no on/off switch for this? Even volume control would be nice, but my body doesn't have a switch like that.
Whispering among themselves like this was minor, though.
The problem was.
Pabat-.
Tomatoes thrown at my body like this. Shit, tomato juice doesn't wash out easy and stinks once it sets.
"Hassan, Hassan, you got hit by a tomato!"
Luna raised her voice in surprise at the red splotch on my back.
I'd stayed away from her partly because I didn't want her seeing this, but now there's no helping it.
Pat, papapat-.
Tomatoes and small pebbles flew at me from all directions.
I took them on the body without dodging, but when some veered toward Luna's face or Paranoya, I blocked them with my hand.
Luna said.
"Hassan, you didn't say anything about living like this."
Luna seemed pretty shocked to see me pelted with scorn and insults from so many people.
Of course, I hadn't told her about this. If I mentioned the thugs ambushing me at night, she might faint from shock.
Swish, swiiiish.
I brushed off the tomatoes on my body nonchalantly and said.
"Right now it's tomatoes, but someday, everyone will be throwing flowers at me."
"...."
Luna said nothing to my ambition. She just walked silently, eyes on the verge of tears.
Luna must have realized why I'd been avoiding her. So we walked on without speaking.
Paranoya, however, seemed thrilled.
"As expected of the wealthy east gate street— they're throwing soft stuff like tomatoes and eggs...! If this were the sneaky, lowly west gate slums, bricks and razor blades would be flying...!"
She was right, like Paranoya said.
Hearing it made me a bit angry, though.
"Hey, you happy I'm getting pelted with tomatoes?"
"No way! I, Paranoya, am Sir Hassan's right-hand man! But seeing Sir Hassan's grand plan work so perfectly is just delightful...!"
Grand plan?
She must think me getting jeered and insulted is part of some massive scheme I'd orchestrated.
"Still, I'll remember their faces and add them to hell's ledger later...!"
"Yeah, do whatever."
Pat-.
I caught a tomato flying at Luna's face and bit into it roughly.
It had just the right saltiness, soaking into my sweaty body. As expected of a rich district—even tasty ones get tossed away like trash.
Walking the streets alone would keep starvation at bay.
With that vibe, we walked quite a ways until we arrived at the Juno Temple.
Golden pillars gleaming. Vines strung everywhere, peacocks frolicking in the garden—it felt awfully luxurious.
I'd been walking without much thought till now, but leading my filth-covered body into this temple gave me a moment's hesitation.
That's when Paranoya piped up.
"The priciest spot even on the east gate—Juno Street. This was one of our Pluto Church's targets originally...! To think I'd end up here-!"
"Don't start anything fiery."
"Got it...!"
"Hassan, let's go in."
At Luna's words, I, Luna, and Paranoya all entered the temple. Fountains, gardens, and the peacocks outside parted with dignified steps.
These chicks don't scare easy even with people around. Must be temple-raised peacocks, pampered.
Kids running around everywhere, women chatting in the shade of benches and gazebos. It felt serene, like a park between late morning and afternoon.
Then Luna crouched down on the ground. Stomachache? The worry flashed through my mind, but she was just picking up a peacock tail feather from the floor.
"Hehe, lots of tail feathers."
"Lady Luna, what are you picking up?"
"These good ones go for 5 coppers each. Bet there are plenty usable ones lying around."
"I'll help too...!"
Luna and Paranoya busied themselves picking feathers off the ground. If you think of it as 5,000 won on the floor, of course you'd grab it.
Oh my, why's she picking that up?
Beats me, Tommy's mom. Can't figure out what young girls think these days.
Look at that outfit. Is she dressed or undressed? Fun pink hair, though.
The women chatting in small groups on nearby benches had their voices ring clear in my ears.
They probably thought they were being quiet, but my ears caught every word. It was getting uncomfortable, so I spat on the ground.
Ptooey-.
The surroundings erupted.
Ugh, that barbarian kid—spitting on the ground here of all places.
With foreigners roaming the east gate now, security's dropping, house prices are—
Child-rearing environment's—
The talk about Luna shifted back to me.
This level satisfactory? As I rubbed the spit with my shoe, Luna and Paranoya stood up.
"Hehe, already made 30 coppers."
"Indeed, Lady Juno's temple...!"
"Alright, business done? Let's get on with it."
I entered the temple proper with Luna, who stuffed the fluffy peacock feathers into her pocket. Guards warned about my appearance midway, so I washed up at a nearby well, but that's not important.
"Welcome. I am Arma Mandel, priestess of Lady Juno. They also call me Mandel of the Sad Eyes."
A woman in a red dress with golden hair elegantly pinned up greeted us.
Mid-30s maybe? Her plump, relaxed figure and drooping eyes were striking. She gave off the vibe of a kind-hearted rich housewife who'd never known hardship. Her impression was genuinely soft.
Arma Mandel, huh.
Then Paranoya asked.
"Madam?"
The Juno priestess chuckled.
"Friends call me that. You're a cute nymph too. Juno's temple always welcomes nymphs. So, what brings you here?"
"To get treatment."
Luna answered the priestess's question.
"Treatment?"
"For philandering!"
Then something astonishing happened.
The priestess Arma, who had been all warm and gentle just a moment ago, furrowed her brow in a truly frightening manner.
"Philandering? How irreverent! Must be that unchaste-looking barbarian, right?! But first, fill out this chart."
The Juno priestess exploded in anger, then reverted to her warm smile and handed me something. Seeing the scroll clipped to the wide board, I frowned slightly.
『Philandering Test – Answer Honestly. 1 point per 'O'.』
『While having a wife, turned the neighbor's wife into a sow and raped her. O / X』
『While having a wife, raped a princess trapped in a foreign land and got her pregnant. O / X』
『While having a wife, pretended to be another woman's husband and raped her, getting her pregnant. O / X』
What the hell is this.