Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Pluto's Descendant
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"She won't come to her senses for half a day at least, but just in case, it would be best to bind her with restraints."
At the words of the bald monk Kallidur, we all snapped out of our daze and hurriedly moved.
We each pulled out thick ropes and wooden sticks from the bundles we'd brought, tying up the slender nymph's body this way and that before hanging her from a tree.
She looked pitiful, like a sacrifice being dragged off by cannibals, but this woman was actually a terrifying necromancer. We couldn't afford to let our guard down.
"She might chant a spell, so we need to gag her mouth too."
Luna even picked up a small stick and shoved it into the frothing necromancer's mouth like a gag.
Ding-.
As I double-checked the knots around her wrists, text appeared.
『Name: Paranoya Lv. 21
Status: Unconscious | Curse of Stunted Growth | Loneliness | Sugar Addiction』
According to the text, Paranoya's level was 21.
That meant she was about twice my level.
Hippolyte had said levels weren't absolute, but a gap like this would definitely have made things tough.
"The stomps couldn't keep up with her at all. But she's got some skill at carving up people. They say elven martial arts are like magic—guess it's true?"
Rene sheathed her sword with a *shing* and tossed out a casual comment. Kallidur merely stroked his beard in response.
"It's just one of the minor skills possessed by us lesser vehicles. Nothing to boast about or praise."
Kallidur spoke quite humbly.
But that technique of shooting out like an arrow and striking the nape of the neck precisely was highly refined and skilled, even to me, a martial arts novice. I half-thought he was Bald John Wick.
The question mark on his level when I'd glimpsed his status earlier...
Could Kallidur actually be a ridiculously strong adventurer?
He gave off the vibe of a veteran pretending to be a newbie to hang out with rookies.
Come to think of it, he'd come from Alfheim to pursue Elfriede. Since Elfriede was a powerful witch, it made sense for her pursuer to be equally formidable.
In any case, the necromancer capture quest ended lightly thanks to Kallidur's deadly spear-hand strike.
Moooo...
On the way back, the stomps we encountered just trembled like frozen trees, unable to charge at us.
Maybe because their control tower, the necromancer Paranoya, had been caught by us—or for some other reason. I was curious, but with no one to tell me, I just shrugged it off.
After half a day of travel, we returned to the office, where the bureau chief Joseph greeted us warmly while leisurely sipping sap tea.
"You caught her! The Stomp Queen! This wretched nymph bitch stirred up the trees for strikes and rants about labor law reforms—I've been through hell!"
"We'll report her to the Mars Guild and throw her in jail."
"Good, good. Flat nymphs like her aren't my problem anyway. Heh heh, you stomp bastards. You're all done for now. Overtime without pay every day for a week, you little shits."
Rubbing his palms together in anticipation of the future, he looked every bit the villain. Luna spoke up.
"Do the stomps work?"
"Of course. They're excellent employees. They pull weeds day and night without pay. In return, we take their useless lives and turn them into lumber for beautiful homes and furniture. Symbiosis, you see."
Joseph the lumberjack's idea of symbiosis seemed pretty skewed. I could kind of see why the stomps in this logging site were so pissed off.
Not that it was my business.
"As expected from the adventurer guild—quests solved in a snap! Good work! Pick up your reward at the guild! Oh, and take some usable lumber as a bonus if you need it."
"Lumber!"
Luna yelped excitedly at the word. Well, we'd come to this logging site to make money and snag cheap wood anyway.
And so, we loaded up the wagon to its limit with lumber and headed back to Sodomora.
* * *
From gathered mushrooms to lumber—the load was heavier than when we'd left, but our hearts were so light we felt like we could fly.
The quest reward was 40 silver. Split four ways, that's about 10 silver each. Add that to what I had, and I'd have around 44 silver. Selling the mushrooms and odds and ends would get me close to 50 silver.
Fifty silver in this world? Could I really hold that much money? I was thrilled.
With that, I couldn't afford full plate armor, but maybe a breastplate with wide iron coverage?
In this world where everyone carried swords at their waists due to loose weapon laws, just reducing the chance of a chest stab meant something.
Adventurers in armor were seen as skilled, so it'd bring in more lucrative quests.
Racking up achievements and guild contributions like that would help promote to gold tier.
Things were going smoothly. I was satisfied.
"What to make first with these planks? Bed? Chair? Desk? No, no—start with a privacy screen."
Luna was thrilled with her wood too. There'd been some surprises, but this was a successful quest, right?
As we mused on our gains and future plans, Sodomora's towering walls came into view.
"The sun's set—no entry through the gates. Show your passes first."
But our heavy load had slowed the wagon, delaying us more than expected. The west gate was already shut tight.
"No way."
Rene hopped off the wagon and started arguing with the guards.
"Shouldn't there be at least two more hours of leeway? Why close so early?"
"It's the count's orders. A Pluto cult group ambushed the gates the other day, so security's tightened. Didn't you hear the notice yesterday?"
"Damn it, we left the city the day before—how the hell were we supposed to hear yesterday's notice?"
"Huh, fair point. But nothing we can do. Us guards just follow orders from above..."
The guard vented the woes of public servants. Protesting wouldn't open the sealed gate.
"This is insane. Camp outside the gates? I wanna wash up."
Rene stuck out her tongue in disbelief. Then Kallidur, who'd been muttering prayers or chants to himself, stood up.
What? Was this guy planning to nape-strike the guard too?
After his earlier performance, I had high expectations. But surprisingly, Kallidur spoke normally to the guards.
"Our wagon has a cult priestess on board. Wouldn't it be safer to let us in sooner?"
He even slipped a glowing silver coin to the apparent guard captain.
"A cult priestess?"
Their eyes widened under their helmets at "cult priestess."
They soon checked our wagon, whispered among themselves, and people started rushing about.
As it seemed things might resolve, the gates creaked open with a shout of "Open!"
Thanks to Kallidur's timely judgment and bribe, we avoided camping outside.
"It was a pleasure. This lesser vehicle will now head to the city of Calcuta."
Kallidur turned to leave without any lingering farewell. Probably to pursue Elfriede in Calcuta.
I asked him.
"If you find the criminal elf, what will you do?"
"That depends. She's committed great sins, so she'll face fitting punishment. Well then—."
Kallidur bowed briefly and vanished into the crowd with swift steps.
His gait looked leisurely, but the speed was like running—soon he was gone.
"Weird bald guy. Seemed super skilled. Why's he still bronze tier?"
I had no answer for Luna's question. As I pondered, Rene chimed in.
"He doesn't feel the need to rank up. Kallidur, was it? Wonder who'd win against Hippolyte sis."
If Rene, who trained under Hippolyte, said that, Kallidur was definitely beyond norms when he took down the necromancer.
"I'll take this necromancer to the guild. Afterparty's a hassle, and I don't wanna crash your fun."
Party leader Rene handled the chore, freeing Luna and me for the evening.
I wanted to sell the mushrooms and herbs in my pouch, but it was late—shops were probably closed.
First things first: move the wagon's load to Luna's hut.
I tipped the driver 50 copper to park at the hut, hauling in all the planks.
The already cramped shed was now packed with logs—no room to step. Was there even space for furniture?
I had no idea what blueprints Luna had in mind, but honestly, a bed and desk would fill it. Room for jars or a hearth?
"Luna, isn't it too cramped?"
"Hmm—."
Luna hummed thoughtfully at my question. Then, as if struck by an idea, she parted her small lips and asked back.
"Make a second floor?"
"Second floor? Can we just do that? No laws against it?"
"Hassan, did they have laws like that where you lived? This is my land—I can do what I want."
If no legal issues, a second floor was perfect for space. We had plenty of wood.
"But Luna, do you know how to build a second floor?"
"Nope! You, Hassan?"
"Me neither."
"Oh... Then what do we do...."
The next day, after agonizing, we hired Benjamin, a bronze-tier adventurer and dwarf carpenter through the guild.
"Second floor? Materials are here—could bang it out in a day. But it'll cost ya. 10 silver minimum."
Damn, 10 silver? The labor fee made my head spin.
"Here, 10 silver!"
Luna handed over her full 10-silver quest reward to the carpenter Benjamin.
She treasured every copper with her name etched on it, yet splurged like this sometimes. Which was the real Luna?
Maybe judging her by my meager standards was the problem.
Even my little sister, after 20 years together, showed new sides. Luna, barely met, had even more unknowns.
"Fine, 10 silver upfront. You, Samaritan—look sturdy. Help out? It'll go faster."
"I'll help too!"
We spent the day aiding carpenter Benjamin in expanding the hut to two stories.
* * *
"Repaired the first floor as a service. Pay extra later, and I'll plaster the exterior nicely."
Reinforcing beams, erecting walls, new roof—the noisy work was no joke, but Benjamin's skill was top-notch. In less than a day, the second floor was done.
No wonder he charged 10 silver. Skilled tradesmen never starve.
"Wow, a real second floor! Living in one was my dream! Bed and drawers up here!"
Luna gaped joyfully at the finished second floor. We laid washed deer hide on the floor, making it cozy—I was satisfied too.
The first-floor shed in the slums had always felt iffy.
Repaired thickly or not, only one wall separated it from the street. Locks weren't great—easy to break in.
But with the bedroom upstairs, even if someone broke in, the stair delay gave prep time.
"There's a window too! Looking down feels different. I'm the owner of a two-story house!"
Luna leaned out the window, peering outside.
From behind, her perky butt protruded through her thin clothes, blood rushing south. My libido had spiked lately.
Knowing how warm and soft Luna's body was made it unbearable. Especially her cute reactions.
But groping her secretly would anger even Luna, right?
*Knock, knock*.
Someone knocked on the first-floor door, jolting me from my thoughts.
"What? Someone's here?"
"W-Who is it?"
Luna seemed startled too.
"Did someone just knock?"
I hushed and sensed downstairs. After the knock, no sounds or presences.
Misheard the wind? Then—
*Knock, knock, knock*.
The knock on the shed door resumed.
Exactly three times, even intervals—chillingly precise.
With night deepening and bedtime nearing, a knock naturally tensed us.
"Someone's here? Expecting a guest?"
Had Luna blabbed about her workshop? Friends? Did she have any?
"Guest? Can't think of anyone. What?"
Luna shook her head, denying it. Yeah, no friends for Luna.
Only possibility: carpenter Benjamin forgot tools.
"Hassan, what do we do? Check the door?"
"I'll go down."
"Let's go together!"
We descended to the door. Sensing us—
*Knock, knock, knock*.
Again.
*Ahem*. "Who is it, this late?"
I barked threateningly outside—the rudest tone of my life. Complaint-worthy if from a clerk.
Just bluffing like a puffed-up cat, but it screamed "buzz off if no business."
Then I wondered if I was overreacting, gripped by needless fear.
"H-Hassan, it's scary."
Luna trembled behind me, heightening my anxiety. Sword-ready, I called out.
"Who is it? Last warning."
Skizo.
An unexpected reply from behind. Skizo? What?
The voice—thick, distorted—furrowed my brow.
I am Skizo. Comrade, is this the meeting spot? Rickety wooden house in the slums' corner. Perfect hideout.
I glanced at Luna; she shook her head, unfamiliar.
"Must be a mix-up. Not a meeting spot—get lost. I'm not your comrade."
No way? I sense deep Tartarus magic here. Black, ominous primordial hell pit, like the dark night.
*Grip*.
Luna clutched my sleeve hard. Fearing her mania, I yelled angrily.
"Damn it, I said no! Leave or taste my blade! This is just a home!"
Peculiar.
The man calling himself Skizo ended with heavy footsteps fading away.
Minutes later, I cautiously unlatched and opened the door.
Just the usual dim alley, trash, rats squeaking in moonlight—no person.
What the hell, all kinds here.
Our lot faced west slums—maybe that's why? Once rich, move to south commercial district.
"No one's there. Wrong person, I guess."
After scouting, I reassured Luna.
Her emerald eyes trembled in fear; she sighed in relief.
"Whew, so scary. Without you, I'd have been in trouble alone."
"Slums ain't safe. Need better locks, security. Or..."
Or should I live here too? I wanted to ask, but words stuck. What if she refused?
Cohabiting with a cute girl—every guy's dream. Wake together, sleep together.
Naturally, naughty stuff too. I wanted sex with Luna. Her embraced warmth lingered.
"Uh, Hassan—stay over tonight. It's late..."