Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Hero of Sodomora
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Leaving the Pluto holy knight Skizo underground without another word, I headed up to the pristine first-floor lobby of the Minerva Guild.
Actaeon, who had been waiting upstairs, approached me.
"Did you learn anything, friend?"
"I did learn something, but—"
All I had heard were vague metaphors, so I had no choice but to relay Skizo's words to Actaeon exactly as I'd heard them.
From the part where Skizo suddenly spat up blood to the bizarre prophecy-like ramblings.
"Hmm."
After listening for a while, the pervert crossed his arms and let out a groan.
Honestly, I wondered if telling this guy would even make a difference, but I decided to put my faith in that gold necklace glinting between his massive pecs.
"The son of death, huh... I've never heard that Pluto has a son. Hell, I've never even heard that the god of wealth Pluto ever took a wife. Pluto's famous for being a solitary god."
"Is that so?"
Even I, with my limited knowledge of myths, knew the stories about the underworld god's wife.
So, with a faint hope, I subtly asked,
"You don't know about Persephone?"
"What's that? Did the Pluto holy knight mention it too?"
I'd thought it might help, but Actaeon threw the question right back at me, genuinely clueless.
This world resembled the ancient Greco-Roman cosmology I knew, but it differed in key ways, so my scant mythical knowledge wasn't much use after all.
The gods' names were different from what I remembered anyway.
Guess I should've just kept quiet like always. No point getting treated like a weirdo.
"Anyway, Pluto having a son is a huge issue. And if that son is targeting the surface world, something massive is about to go down."
A son of a god, huh.
For a moment, I glanced at Luna, who was just blinking beside me, listening quietly.
"Why?"
She asked why I was staring at her. This girl was technically a goddess's daughter too, but she was a pink Chikorita.
Sure, a pink Chikorita was rare and cute enough to have cult appeal in terms of rarity, but its performance would still be bound by the base Chikorita framework.
So, I figured even if it was Pluto's son, it couldn't be that big a deal.
Looking at the bumbling, amateurish cultists of Pluto, their god Pluto seemed kinda sloppy too, and his son probably some idiot moron. Or not. Whatever.
"Is that such a big problem?"
But Actaeon's thinking differed from mine.
"Pluto is, like Lord Jupiter, a direct descendant of the ancient ruler Saturn. Though he ranks below Lord Jupiter, Pluto is actually the firstborn of the rulers. His immense power has earned him the title 'Jupiter of the Underworld.'"
Actaeon paused in his explanation and scanned the surroundings with narrowed eyes.
The wide hall inside the guild. After staring quietly at the people milling about for a bit, he muttered softly, just loud enough for me nearby to barely hear.
"The firstborn's firstborn. Not your average threat. I don't get why the great Hypos is staying silent at a time like this. Just as ants can't comprehend humans, we humans can't grasp the gods' will..."
Hypos was the name of a tall mountain somewhere on this continent, where the gods' palaces were built, or so I'd heard.
It was common knowledge that the gods living there had gone silent in human affairs at some point.
Of course, having met a few gods myself, I just shrugged at the talk.
"Anyway, we've captured a high-ranking cultist alive. We've got time ahead, so there's hope. It's all thanks to you, Samaritan friend—you're the hope you created. That's why we've prepared a special reward just for you."
"Reward!?"
Luna yelped in surprise at the word, instead of me. Though I was just as shocked.
Truth be told, I'd been secretly hoping, but asking outright like "No reward for me?" felt shameless and lame, so I'd stayed quiet.
Hearing it confirmed made my gut tingle with excitement.
"Uh, what kind of reward...?"
A pouch full of gold coins?
Land deeds?
A house?
I was hyped for something amazing when Actaeon pushed my back and said,
"Let's eat first and I'll explain slowly. First time at Minerva Guild, right? The indoor dining hall here is delicious."
* * *
"Fuck, what the hell is all this...!?"
I tried not to swear in front of Luna.
But the sight before me was so astonishing that curses spilled from my mouth involuntarily.
"Hassan, I can't believe what I'm seeing...!"
Luna stuck out her tongue in disbelief too.
What reflected in our wide eyes were long tables draped in white tablecloths, piled high with plates of all sorts.
The broad platters held everything from simple veggies to meats and mystery dishes in abundance.
It reminded me of buffets or salad bars from my modern civilized days.
I'd thought I'd never see such a sight again. Who knew in this food-scarce world there'd be a place stacking food for people to eat.
As Luna and I gawked at the bowls of food, Actaeon, who had led us to the dining hall, said,
"Honorable adventures start with a hearty meal. That's why Minerva Guild puts special effort into its dining hall."
"Every day like this?"
"Yes. Bronze-tier adventurers from Minerva Guild can use this dining hall for 10 coppers a day."
"Holy shit!"
"Hm? Something wrong, friend?"
Something wrong? Fuck yeah, huge problem.
Shit! I joined the wrong guild!
Even if it meant saving more money, I should've joined Minerva!
Realizing I'd missed out on cheap daily buffets due to one hasty choice pissed me off for real.
Anyway, we grabbed a corner seat, agreed to pile our plates, and scattered to load up.
"Shh! Look! Marsh snails! These are hard to buy at market!! Lucky!"
Luna shoveled shell-like steamed dishes into her bowl.
"Hmm, hmm..."
She hummed, glanced around sneakily, then opened the multi-tool leather pouch at her waist and stuffed some inside secretly.
"Hey... what the hell are you doing!?"
In my old world, sneaking buffet food out was super rude and illegal. So I couldn't help freaking out anxiously at Luna's actions.
But Luna looked at me like it was the most natural thing.
"Hassan, grab some quick...! We'll be set for three or four days!"
"Hearing that, it's a great idea...!"
But Luna and I were too starved to care about laws or manners.
After days of shitty street food and hard inn bread, this bounty was dizzying!
So I crammed my pockets full of those marsh snails or whatever.
Hehe, fucking sweet!
Only then did our feast begin.
Honestly, mass-cooked as it was, and true to this world's uneven seasoning, it wasn't that tasty.
But it beat the biscuits, bread, and meat scraps I usually choked down—felt like proper food.
"Hassan, sooo good!!"
Luna, tasting such delicious food for the first time, stuffed her belly relentlessly.
Like she had to cram it all in now or regret it forever—pure determination.
As I mentioned before, starving stray cats gorge massively since they never know when the next meal comes.
They eat till they're stuffed.
With no cat mom to ration us, Luna and I shoveled food in like we might die tomorrow.
"Good to see you eating well. I booked the whole dining hall for today, so eat your fill."
"Fuck, mister, you're a real good guy!"
At this point, even Actaeon's cloak and panties looked humbly modest. Revolutionary style—no flaunting wealth.
As plates piled up,
"Ugh..."
Luna's belly bulged out; she winced slightly from overstuffing.
"...Hey, y-you okay?"
"Need to eat more..."
Then she waddled off for another plate. Her gait was like a fat penguin.
Luna lost to gluttony. But who could blame her?
For someone who'd gnawed bark and grass in hunger, today was no day for regrets—she was pushing her limits.
Me, I was truly full—no more room without overflowing.
"But Mr. Actaeon, what's my reward?"
Time to shift gears; I asked while he ate pudding-like dessert. He grinned eagerly.
"Right, the reward. There was much discussion in the short time. The count offered 10 gold outright, but I turned it down—I didn't think you did this for money."
10 gold as reward, and he rejected it? I nearly grabbed his collar in rage.
I held back knowing I'd lose a fight. Fucking asshole! Who the hell are you to reject my money!
No, shit, 10 gold...!
That's huge money. Enough to buy the plots next to Luna's land.
A thousand silvers lined up, or in coppers—fuck, my weak brain can't compute.
"You... rejected that...?"
"Yeah, pocket change like that doesn't matter between friends. You're not an adventurer for the money."
Then why the fuck am I doing this shitty adventurer gig, you bastard!
I was so pissed my face twisted. Actaeon laughed like he was thrilled.
"Blushing from humility—such a virtuous adventurer. So I said no to the deer cave loot too. Selling that alone would've netted over 10 gold easy."
Wait, the crap in the deer cave was worth that much? I thought it was junk, so I refused. Fuck, that valuable?
I'm about to faint. Better not to have known.
Wanted to time-travel and punch myself hard. Then Luna and I wouldn't have suffered.
Too mad at myself—no outlet. Gonna beat Hassan later.
...Fuck.
"I agonized over it. You don't seem materialistic, but can't give junk as reward for such merit. Can't just slap on 'honor and contribution.' So I decided with difficulty. You'll like it, friend."
Then clap-clap—Actaeon applauded twice.
Twin maids in black dresses and white aprons, with sky-blue pigtails, appeared carrying red cushions.
"Th-that's—"
I gawked at the item on the cushion—totally shocked.
Something I never expected. Couldn't believe they'd give this as reward.
"Too stunned to speak?"
"Y-yeah. No way this is..."
I picked up the item on the cushion.
A wooden stick.
About 50cm long.
Pretty thick—could call it a club or bat. Shape like a bat, minus twigs. Heavier than expected.
"Nice stick. So where's my real reward? I don't like pranks."
Where's the real one?
Hidden under the table?
Or maybe these twins are the reward?
Wondering if they'd hidden it under their skirts, I peeked under the frilly fabric when—
"Isn't that what you're holding, friend? Samaritans go with clubs. Suits you perfectly. Could head to a cave in hide clothes right now."
"Fuck, awesome! But... regrettably, it feels too good for me. How about gold instead?"
"No need for excessive humility between us, friend."