Chapter 311
Chapter 311
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 311
Chapter Title: Laughter #1
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The Hydra was dead.
I could clearly feel its final breath escaping.
The will—or soul, if you prefer—that had been propping up its massive body, the very essence of its life force, had slipped out with that last exhale and scattered somewhere.
"In the world, Hassan, was it? You killed the Hydra! You did away with the gods' headache! It was a feat no one could easily pull off, and you managed it!"
Triton shouted as if thrilled by the fact.
But I couldn't just rejoice over it. Because it wasn't true.
I wasn't the one who killed the Hydra.
Swoosh—.
As proof, I looked down at the thick piece of wood in my hand.
A chunk of timber, heavy like my club, with an intensely eerie and ominous feel, right there in my grip.
Ssssh—.
The wood was soaked through with the Hydra's toxic blood.
You could say it had torn through its organs, ravaged its lungs, and turned the living serpent into a black curse staining the sea.
In other words, a stake of malediction.
Tingle, tingle—.
Holding it sent a vivid sensation through my arm, something like resentment or hatred.
Of course, that was an abstract notion. More accurately, it was an allergic reaction caused by the Hydra's poison.
It was potent stuff, no doubt.
Even I couldn't stand the itching in my palm. Since holding onto it any longer seemed like a bad idea, I was about to hurl it far away when Triton freaked out and stopped me.
"Whoa—! You can't just toss something like that into the sea! It needs to be specially burned for purification! Who knows what'll happen if you dump it in the ocean! The corpse too!"
"Then what?"
"What do you mean? You carry it. Right now, seems like no one else can handle this Hydra carcass but you."
Triton had a point.
In the end, I ended up taking custody of the Hydra's corpse and the club.
When we returned to the ship we'd arrived on, something enormous was thrashing about in the sea.
What the hell was that? A gigantic octopus or squid—impossible to tell—which had overturned a whole corner of the ocean, flailing its tentacles wildly.
"Hippolyte! I'm sprinkling salt! Just hold on a bit! The ritual's almost done!"
"Noxdoti! Hurry it up! I can't hold out much longer!"
"It's... done! Hiooooot—!"
Hiiing—.
As Luna scattered the salt packed in her pouch, the tentacles coiled around the ship let out grotesque shrieks and slowly withdrew.
Thud—.
Seizing the opening, Hippolyte leaped onto its massive head, drove her sword in, and sliced straight through, splattering brains everywhere.
Geeeeek—!
With a horrific death cry, the giant octopus went still. Hippolyte hopped down from the thing's body and wiped the jet-black ink staining her from head to toe.
"Whew, I've gone completely pitch-black. I could pass for a Samaritan now."
"Your black hair suits you well."
"Ah—?"
Hippolyte spotted me and cried out brightly.
"Ah, perfect timing! I was just in the middle of catching this giant squid!"
"I saw it from right beside you."
What giant squid gets that damn big?
And how the hell did she even fight something like that?
Too many incomprehensible things, so I stopped thinking about it.
While Triton and I had been tangling with the Hydra in that black fog, Hippolyte and Luna's group had apparently been fighting their own desperate battle to guard the ship?
But Triton raised his voice in surprise at the squid's appearance.
"That bastard—the lord of these waters, isn't it? I thought it'd gone into hiding after the Hydra showed up, but it came out after all."
Hippolyte furrowed her brow at his words.
"Was it something we weren't supposed to take down? It attacked us, so we killed it."
"Nah, the problem was we couldn't take it down. It'd been terrorizing my cute mermaids and the sailors around here. I was planning to subjugate it soon myself. You've saved me the trouble."
"I see. More importantly, a Hydra."
Only then did Hippolyte seem to notice the massive serpent corpse I was dragging along.
"Good grief, is that really the Hydra? Horrifying. Just having the carcass nearby chokes me and makes my chest sting. How'd you take something like that down?"
"No idea. This guy Hassan handled it on his own."
To that, I had no choice but to answer honestly.
"It wasn't taken down. I just let it rest. Truth is, I didn't do much."
*
*
*
Rumors of the heroes Hippolyte and Luna, along with the nymph Paranoia, who felled the lord of the nearby seas—the Kraken—spread like wildfire through the prophetic city of Delphi.
In the world, isn't that a gold-rank subjugation beast? How'd they take it down?
They say the ink that bastard Kraken spewed turned the whole sea black.
There was a prophecy that the black sea would turn blue? Indeed, a hint that the Kraken would fall!
Wherever you went, people were only talking about the giant squid going down.
In the coastal city of Delphi, tales of the giant squid Kraken were treated like myths or legends, so it was inevitable that attention would pour onto those who'd slain it.
Pull that carcass ashore—!
Heave—ho—! Heave—ho!
At the docks, people were everywhere, yanking on chains looped around the tentacles to drag in the colossal squid.
The sight of that enormous corpse being hauled onto land was beyond imagination—gigantic and overwhelming enough to leave everyone speechless.
Soon, someone shouted at the sight.
Take a look at this! Some fool was blabbing that this giant squid might be greater than Neptune! Everyone, get a good look! Is this a god? No, it's just a damn squid!
Right you are! Let's spit on the squid's corpse...!
Long live Hero Hippolyte! Long live Hero Noxdoti—!
Most of them were locals who'd suffered under the giant squid's rampage, losing family and livelihoods.
Fishermen and their families raised their hands high, showering praise on our group for bringing peace to Delphi's waters.
Watching from afar, Luna trembled as if deeply embarrassed.
"Wow, they're calling me a hero! This is so embarrassing!"
"I don't understand why they're not calling my name...! I suffered right alongside them...!"
"Paranoia, you got eaten."
"It was all bait...! Volunteering as bait—that was the height of heroism...! Didn't it slow down right after eating me...?"
"That much is true. But..."
As Paranoia and Luna chattered away, their gazes eventually turned to me.
"Still, compared to Hassan who took down the Hydra, what we did is nothing. I don't get why we're supposed to keep such an amazing feat a secret."
Luna sounded baffled, as if she couldn't comprehend why she and the others—not me—were soaking up all the attention and spotlight.
"Taking down a Hydra. Even the gods struggled with that task!"
She was right.
If the Kraken was a monster that terrorized the local seas, the Hydra was a beast whose infamy spanned the entire Gaia continent—a symbol of monstrosity.
Its subjugation rank went beyond gold, straight to platinum.
A godlike achievement, you could say.
But as I'd said early on, I wasn't the one who killed the Hydra.
It was the club buried deep in its body, gnawing away at its life. Or more precisely, whoever drove that club in.
Because of that issue, the oracles and priests of light handling Delphi's affairs had apparently decided to stay silent on the Hydra for the time being.
Like an embargo, you could call it?
Leaning quietly against the railing beside us and gazing out at the sea, Hippolyte chimed in.
"The oracles said they're consulting the gods. We'll have results soon. It's already been two days, so at longest, we'll get the summons within four."
"Hassan, you might even get recognized for your merits and hit gold tier!"
Luna looked thrilled that I'd pulled off something huge, rejoicing as if it were her own achievement. But Hippolyte just clicked her tongue, implying it wasn't that simple.
"Pulling off something that incredible can actually cause problems. Like it or not, the kingdom might put surveillance on us. There could be investigations."
That's why those of us who'd "slain" the Hydra spent the next few days lying low, staying inside our lodgings without showing our faces outside.
Stuck indoors facing the sea right in front of us, everyone looked bored and miserable, but thinking of it as a chance to rest made it bearable enough.
"Too bad, but Elfride wasn't the imposter."
"See? Told you it wasn't me."
"Ahh—! What the hell! I was totally convinced Elfride was the culprit! Then why was she always glancing at Hassan and smirking slyly?"
"Did I? Don't lie."
"The real culprit was this Paranoia...! Everyone got fooled by my brilliant stratagem...!"
It was a few days later, perhaps.
As I stared out at the sea, the howling wind suddenly reminded me of the strange dying breath the serpent I'd met—the Hydra—had let out at the end.
A bizarre sound, just like the swirling winds over the ocean.
Maybe it meant something?
That's why I decided to ask Luna, who was sneaking up behind me.
"Luna, I've got a question."
"Aah—? I came super stealthily! How'd you know? You got eyes in the back of your head too, Hassan?"
"Nah, not that. Just a feeling."
"You've gotten insanely sharp since fighting the Hydra! So, what's the question?"
"Nah, nothing big. It was like... shh, shiiik, shh—something like that."
"You're talking about snake-tongue?"
"Yeah."
I racked my brain to imitate the sound the Hydra had made. It didn't come out right, but Luna laughed like it was the easiest thing.
"That's beginner level. 'Thanks, and careful.' That's two words."
"Really?"
Thanks—huh. Hearing gratitude from a dying snake. Felt awfully strange. But not in a bad way.
Right then, someone knocked on our door.
We've come from the Delphi temple. The great prophetess Pythia summons you all. Every one of you.
It had finally arrived.
We ended our fairly long yet short seclusion and stepped out into the city streets.
Escorted by the priests from Delphi's temple as we strolled the streets, every person in the city sent glances our way and murmured.
Look over there, check it out. Must be the protagonists of this year's prophecy festival.
They say they're the heroes who fulfilled the great prophetess's task?
But who's that black-haired guy next to them?
Amid all the attention, we spotted a long line snaking along.
Travelers who'd come from distant cities to meet the prophetess, pilgrims, and self-proclaimed sons of gods seeking answers—all queued up the stairs to Delphi's temple atop the high mountain peak.
It looked just like a serpent.
A long, long snake formed by the line of humans.
Just my random thought, of course.
Nothing beats random thoughts for climbing countless stairs.
After ascending well over a thousand steps, we finally reached the temple of light at the summit of Delphi's mountain.
Tall peaks and countless pillars atop them.
Vibrant wildflowers blooming on the slopes.
But for a temple, it was so full of stones and rocks—pretty crude, more like calling it ruins would fit.
With people swarming everywhere, it even felt like some tourist trap at a historic site.
What the.
Is this really the place?
As I pondered that, the priest who'd guided us spoke up.
"Over there, take the forbidden secret path. The great prophetess Pythia awaits you beyond... "
"You're not guiding us further?"
"The secret path Aditon is a sanctuary permitted only to the great prophetess and the gods. We could go blind from forbidden truths..."
I didn't get all of it, but it was clear not just anyone could enter. In the end, we passed through the noisy throng at the ruins-like site and followed a quiet stone path with no signs of people.
Then, from somewhere, a strange misty smoke—or vapor—began enveloping our shoulders snugly. It had a pretty distinctive smell.
Luna, sniffing at it, piped up.
"It's sulfur. Must be hot springs around here! Don't breathe it too long! Your head might start spinning!"
Ah, sulfur smell, huh.
But head spinning?
The great prophetess lives in a place like this?
That's when Hippolyte spoke.
"Hassan, I knew you were hiding a lot from us. But I didn't pry. However, from here on, you won't be able to hide even if you want to."
It felt like a warning.
Kinda creepy, isn't it?
As I thought that, amid the thick haze, strangely protruding stone pillars came into view.
Pssshhh—.
Holes spewing vapor dotted between the pillars, and just beyond them sat a black-robed figure in a cross-legged position, mouth opening toward us.
"Welcome. I've been waiting. Your questions, and the answers to them, are already prepared."
Her chuckling—hol hol—had a seasoned air. Though her face was hidden by a black veil, the hair spilling out was stark white, a mark of advanced age.
Fitting for the great prophetess—fully ripened with years, perhaps?
Then Paranoia chimed in.
"Th-that granny must be the high priestess of the light god, Pythia...! She looks way more ordinary than I imagined...! Could be a fraud...!"
"You are Paranoia, the ditch-water nymph, yes? Today, you secretly took two candies from your master Hassan's pocket and ate them."
"Th-that's..."
"If you don't believe me, shall I reveal an even greater secret? Let me see..."
"I-I believe you...! She's the real deal...!"
Seeing Paranoia tremble, we realized the black-veiled granny before us was indeed something like a true prophetess.
To meet this woman, we'd come all the way from Sodomora.
So many things had happened along the way—.
"You had to do many deeds, Samaritan Hassan."
Whoa, damn, did she just read my thoughts?
I sank into the idea that this granny might really answer all the questions I'd been wondering about. Right then, the great prophetess Pythia burst into laughter again.
"You're the first like you I've seen in my long, long life. Blunt one? Who on earth is Mikami Yuya?"
"...Fuck!?"
The truths I'd wanted to hide began spilling from another's lips.