Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Great Cleanup
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“Huup!”
Luna let out a cry as if she were squeezing out every last bit of her strength. Her arms, wrapped around Witch Nemea from behind, bulged with effort.
Drip.
A thick bead of sweat rolled down my furrowed brow as I watched. What the hell was about to happen?
Luna had once pinned down Hippolyte—one of Sodomora’s top fighters—with a suplex, so my expectations were high.
Right now, she was unleashing her ultimate move on Nemea.
“Hup!”
“Huh-. You-, what are you doing-? Don’t press on my stomach like that-. The baby’s gonna come out, kid-.”
But Nemea just burst into laughter, as if her side was tickled.
For some reason, the attack that had effortlessly lifted and slammed Hippolyte looked utterly useless against Nemea.
“It tickles-. Stop it-.”
Smack.
“Eek!”
Nemea lightly slapped the back of Luna’s hand, and Luna jolted away in shock.
“Ha, Hassan…!”
She cradled her reddened hand and looked at me. Her wide eyes glistened.
That gaze seemed to say, ‘My attack worked on Hippolyte—why not her?’
Luna had grown in so many ways and even taken down Hippolyte lately, so she was overflowing with what you could call confidence.
Running into another wall like this must have left her utterly baffled.
Of course, no clever solution came to me just because she was staring, and I couldn’t give her the answer she wanted.
Pat, pat.
Nemea smoothed out the wrinkles in her rumpled dress with her palm, then smiled languidly as if nothing had happened.
“Anyway-. Nice to see you, friends-. I was wandering the streets hoping to run into you-. It’s been forever-. Glad we met today-.”
“Uh, do you need something from us…?”
Honestly, this witch Nemea made me uncomfortable.
Elfriede had instilled a special fear of witches in me. Plus, Nemea and I shared something beyond just acquaintanceship.
What the hell were we to each other? I had no idea. At this point, that time felt like a dream.
Anyway, I had no choice but to stay on guard around Witch Nemea.
Luna didn’t seem to know what had happened between me and this woman, but if Nemea opened her mouth, it could create a huge rift between Luna and me.
Shit, was this the feeling of bumping into an ex while out with your current girlfriend? No experience, so I wouldn’t know. Not a great vibe, though.
Regardless of my unease, Nemea spoke calmly.
“Hmm-. Friend-. No need to be so scared-. I just wanted to see how my cute friends were doing-. Truth is, it’s not me who has business with you—it’s my colleague who lives underground-.”
“A colleague of yours, Nemea?”
“Yeah-. You’ve met her once before-. The piper who lives in the underground sewers-.”
Piper in the underground sewers? I racked my brain. When had I met someone like that?
Luna spoke up instead.
“Th-the rat piper?”
“That’s right-. She’s got a lot on her mind these days-. Well-. Living underground, it’s only natural to have worries-. Anyway, this is the advance payment from her-.”
Witch Nemea reached into the deep cleavage of her ample bosom and pulled out a tiny pouch that could fit in her palm.
Jingle.
I took it absentmindedly and peered inside. A few small black pebbles.
Not money, so I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
“You seem to want to hire us, but this won’t cut it.”
“Hassan, this is black mana ore—onyx! No way, she’s giving us something this precious as an advance…!?”
“Tell us about the job.”
“I don’t know the details-. You should hear it from her directly—it’ll be faster-. Just follow this little guy-.”
Nemea plunged her hand back into her exposed cleavage. Soon, she pulled out a baby rat with a strikingly long tail clutched in her grip.
What the fuck does she keep in her boobs? Like a Doraemon pocket?
The little rat squeaked softly.
Squeak squeak.
I wasn’t a fan of rats, but this one had a small red ribbon on its tail and clean fur, so it was tolerable. A pet rat, maybe.
“Wow, so cute.”
Luna, who’d been hostile toward Nemea moments ago, forgot all about it and happily took the rat from her palm.
“What’s its name?”
“Rat, obviously-. Truth is, I don’t know-. Anyway, that little one will guide you to my colleague-. I’ve delivered the message, so I’ll take my leave-.”
After handing the rat to Luna, Nemea turned her back to us as if her business was done.
Clack, clack.
She took a few steps away, putting distance between us.
Then.
She stopped. The high heels halted, and Nemea glanced back at me.
“Friend-. Sorry about last time-. Looks like the world needs more care than just reading books-.”
With that, she briskly walked off and vanished down her path.
I stared blankly at her red hair swaying under her pointed hat.
Luna sidled up beside me, the tiny rat perched on her shoulder, and scowled.
“She’s still so creepy—I hate her. Don’t trust her too much, Hassan. She’s definitely the type to plot something sinister. That’s my voodoo priestess intuition.”
Squeak squeak.
It hit me now, but Luna’s instincts were pretty spot-on.
The problem? They always arrived a bit late. Way too late this time.
Like Luna said, this Nemea woman creeped me out in many ways.
Still, I hadn’t expected an apology, so it caught me off guard. Didn’t mean our relationship was any better, though.
“So, what now?”
A job offer was great news. But so unexpected, it left me flustered.
“I was gonna head home and rest, but we took the job. What do you think, Luna?”
I asked her, and Luna peered into the tiny bundle at the black pebbles, grinning ear to ear.
“Wow, shit! Real onyx! These are hard to get!”
“What are they? Gems?”
“Yeah, gems from the underworld! Also called Nox’s Tears.”
“Nox’s Tears?”
I pictured Luna’s mom Nox crying. How the hell do you cry black pebbles? Eye problems?
“Valuable?”
“They’re found in rat nests, so sometimes called rat gems. Used for talismans and warding off evil! Expensive!”
Talismans and warding didn’t click for me, so I just muttered, “I see,” half-heartedly.
But Luna got even more excited and raised her voice.
“Anyway, they’re tough to obtain. Handing them over as advance payment outright—she must really trust you, Hassan!”
“Yeah?”
My shoulders perked up at her words, despite my nonchalance. But calm reason soon quelled the thrill.
If the advance was something rare and pricey, the job itself was probably brutally tough.
Luna addressed the baby rat on her shoulder.
“So, you’re gonna guide us?”
Squeak.
The rat hopped down from Luna’s shoulder and scurried off somewhere in a hurry.
Luna bounced with excitement at the sight.
“Hassan, let’s follow quick!”
“Uh, yeah.”
Luna was already pumped for the job.
Stunned by the unexpected encounter, I decided to follow the rat with her.
Completing the job would build Luna’s karma or whatever, letting me craft a Moai totem. And boost my stats.
My body itched to use the stockpiled karma value.
* * *
“Oh, you two again.”
Near the underground sewer entrance, at Lutt’s General Store, the owner—Bronze Tier adventurer Lutt—recognized us and waved.
We’d only been there once.
Was it his sharp merchant memory, or were Luna and I just that distinctive? Who knows.
“You’ve slimmed down since last time. Adventuring pays well, huh?”
“Decent enough. I guess.”
“I ran as an adventurer myself, so I get it. Saved up and opened this shop. But that rumor—is it true?”
“What rumor?”
“They say a Samaritan took down the cultists who stormed Sodomora. Wondered if it was you.”
“It’s Hassan!”
Luna shouted brightly in my place.
“Hassan beat them and threw them in jail!”
She bragged like it was her own feat—kind of funny, kind of not.
It felt like I was showing off myself, so I felt a twinge of embarrassment.
Lutt stroked his scruffy beard and nodded. “Indeed-.”
“Indeed. First time I saw you, you looked rough and sloppy. Few days later, and you’ve got a proper warrior vibe.”
“R-really?”
“Anyway, getting chatty. You’re here to head underground again, right? Same package as before?”
And so, Luna and I bought a pack for four silver: brown cloak for disguise, rations, firewood for torches, insect-repelling herbs, etc.
Spending money before even starting the job stung, but as an investment, it was bearable.
“Anyway, I know you’ve got skills. But be careful. The sewers are different lately.”
“What do you mean?”
At Luna’s question, Lutt blinked at the air, lost in thought.
He stayed quiet for a bit, then spoke.
“I haven’t gone in myself, so I’m not sure. But they say some plants grew. Best not to light torches if possible.”
“Plants?”
“Hassan, plants?”
The word left Luna and me exchanging baffled looks. Plants in the sewers?
“Anyway, those plants are driving even the vagrants out lately. Watch yourselves. Don’t want to lose famous customers.”
Ding-.
With a casual farewell, we stepped outside.
Squeak squeak.
We followed the ribbon-tailed rat into the underground sewers. That’s when I finally understood why Lutt mentioned plants.
“Fuck, what is all this?”
I knew Sodomora’s sewers were filthy and gross.
But this—overgrown with all sorts of green stuff—even I, tolerant of nastiness, grimaced.
Less sewer, more ancient horror jungle. No light sources made visibility shit, worsening everything.
Luna knelt and stroked the plants. She explained gravely.
“All highly flammable. That’s why no torches.”
“Got it.”
If these caught fire, it’d be a nightmare blaze.
Sewers full of gases too. One wrong move, massive explosion—could wipe everything out.
“Fuck, no choice.”
I gave up on torches and rubbed my palms to activate Grace.
A faint light source appeared around me, enough to see dimly.
“Hassan, what a handy Grace! Guess I’ll let these guys out too.”
Amazed by my glowing palm, Luna pulled a small glass vial from her waist pouch.
Whirr.
Wings fluttered inside.
She shook it like a bartender.
Clink clink.
Tiny light sources—fireflies or whatever Luna used in her tent—glowed.
“You carry those around normally?”
“You never know.”
Luna did haul oil and odds and ends daily. Surprisingly thorough—helpful.
Light secured, I moved to follow the rat again.
Growl….
Red eyes glinted around us. Baby rats drawn to the light?
Shining my palm revealed something that shocked even me.
As expected, it was a rat.
“Hassan! The rat’s huge!”
But fuck, half Luna’s size—not a rat, a damn Pokémon. Like a radiation-mutated nutria?
Shit, what did it eat to balloon like that? And that horrific face—strange plant or flower dangling from it.
Kieeeee!
Anyway, it lunged at me.
Tap tap tap tap.
Pure wild beast speed. Ruthless ambush. Aiming for my neck?
But compared to Hippolyte or cultist greatsword berserker Skizo, I could track it with my eyes.
“Tch, your turn.”
Swish.
I drew my new 50cm Terror Crusher from my belt. Slammed it straight into the giant rat’s skull.
Whoosh.
The decent-weight rod cut air.
Splat!
Squeeee!
The rat’s head flattened.