Chapter 121

Episode 121

Samaritan of the Black Rock Mountain

121 ? Samaritan of the Black Rock Mountain #2

Even for me, it took quite some effort to calm down Luna, who was thoroughly sulking.

With a blanket pulled all the way over her head, not a single strand of her pink hair visible, Luna had curled up into a tight ball. I had to keep stroking her back nonstop while insisting on my innocence.

Smooth, smooth. Stroke, stroke.

“It was just work, I swear. I even got paid in advance—see? This is real gold. Do you know what you can do with just one gold coin, Luna?”

“…”

“With one gold coin, you can buy five hundred of those new birds you love. Five hundred birds means a thousand legs. A thousand wings. Wow—!”

“…Heh.”

“Luna, you just laughed.”

“…N-no, I didn’t! More importantly, your hand stopped, Hassan! Keep stroking properly!”

The moment my hand slowed even slightly, Luna would whine from under the blanket, forcing me to keep moving my hand without pause.

Luna’s small, round figure peeked out slightly from under the thick, coarse blanket. Because of the rough fabric, I couldn’t feel her usual soft warmth. Between Luna and me, this single blanket had become an impenetrable wall.

It wasn’t just a physical distance—it felt like a psychological gap had formed between us, too.

A gap both thick and thin.

Some might think a mere blanket’s worth of distance is nothing.

But for someone like me, who had never once had a falling-out with Luna, this was genuinely bewildering. I thought we’d been getting closer lately, so why did this happen?

Do all those couples wandering the streets go through these same cycles of fighting and sulking when no one’s watching?

Some of them must be fighting over reasons similar to mine. And when they do, how do they make up?

I tried recalling scenes from all the dramas and media I’d been forced to watch because my younger sister had control over the remote. Could the endless romantic plots I’d endured actually help me now?

But no matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t remember any female character resembling Luna. And I was certainly no romantic protagonist either.

Which meant I’d have to develop my own “Hassan Method” tailored specifically for Luna.

What would Luna do if I were the one sulking like this?

As soon as I wondered that, an idea came to mind. So, like a pianist, I curled my fingers and spider-walked them across Luna’s back, tickling her.

Skitter, skitter.

Twitch, twitch.

The moment my pointed fingers touched her back and sides, Luna shuddered under the blanket, clearly ticklish.

“Eeheehee—!”

Unable to hold back, Luna burst into laughter. But realizing she was supposed to be angry, she immediately growled like an irritated beast.

“…S-stop tickling! I’m not joking. I’m really mad…!”

“It’s not me. It’s Keng Keng.”

“Liar. Hassan, you liar.”

“W-what lie? What did I lie about?”

“You said you were studying. But you went to the Shrine of Venus. I even sent Paranoi ahead so I could wait for you at the library…”

I had no idea Luna cared that much. It was touching, but my chest prickled with guilt, like my conscience was sprouting hairs.

“I-it really was just work. Nothing happened at the shrine.”

“Liar…! No man goes to the Shrine of Venus and comes out without doing something.”

“B-but it’s true! That’s really what happened!”

Rustle.

Luna pushed the blanket aside and sat up.

Her eyes were puffy—she must have been crying under there. My head throbbed as if it might split open.

Luna cried…!

Just the thought of making her cry left my mind blank, unsure what to do. Now I understood why so many stories described a woman’s tears as a weapon.

They were a weapon.

An overwhelming one, beyond mere description.

My face burned as if I’d been slapped, and my chest ached like I’d committed some terrible sin. I didn’t know what to do.

But I had to stand firm.

I had a rough idea of what Luna was suspecting, but whatever she imagined, it hadn’t happened.

All I did was get recklessly hugged by some overpowered woman and stare at a shiny marble floor.

“Nothing happened.”

Gulp.

At my words, Luna’s red, swollen eyes narrowed.

Slowly…

She leaned closer. I tensed, unsure what she was doing—but then she started sniffing around me, her gaze darting over my stiff posture.

“…Really nothing?”

“Yeah, I told you! It was just work. Look, I even got this gold coin.”

I pulled out the gold coin from my pocket and showed it to her.

A gold coin.

The first lump of gold I’d ever earned through my own efforts. Normally, I’d guard it with my life, never showing it to anyone—but for Luna, I made an exception.

I wanted her to hold it, to know I trusted and cherished her. I just hoped the message got through.

“Wow, it’s real gold. It has Jupiter’s face on it.”

Luna’s reddened eyes sparkled as she examined the coin. Even she wasn’t immune to the allure of gold.

“…But why are there teeth marks?”

“I bit it to check.”

“Oh my god, Hassan! What if you get struck by lightning for biting Jupiter’s face?!”

“Uh… really?”

I’d just bitten it out of excitement—no deeper meaning. Getting struck by lightning for something so trivial seemed unfair.

Wouldn’t anyone bite their first gold coin like I did?

No, biting a coin wouldn’t summon lightning. I almost fell for Luna’s bluff but quickly steadied myself.

At any rate, Luna had emerged from the blanket, and her anger was fading. That was what mattered most right now.

“I got 1 gold as an advance. Once the job’s done, I’ll get even more.”

I tried explaining, but Luna was too busy trembling like an elementary schooler gifted a Yokai Watch, unable to tear her eyes from the coin.

“Wow… real gold. I’ve never touched gold before.”

“Really? Didn’t you say your land was worth 3 gold?”

“It was all paperwork and loans—I never actually held a gold coin. Wow, it’s so shiny. Wow. A thousand legs— Wow.”

I lost count of her “wows,” but I understood. Even now, holding gold felt surreal to me too.

After staring at the coin for a while, Luna finally handed it back.

I’d half-expected her to demand it as compensation for forgiving me, but she wasn’t that unreasonable.

“Hassan, getting 1 gold as an advance means this isn’t just any job. Are you sure it’s safe?”

Now Luna seemed curious about the job details. Maybe she’d decided to believe me about the shrine.

“They want me to fetch something called ‘black springwater.’”

“Black springwater? They really said that?”

“Yeah.”

“Only seasoned adventurers even attempt that place. They say weird guards are posted there…”

—

The next morning.

Luna and I headed for the west gate, carrying a large jar for the springwater.

The jar was big enough to fit a small child and weighed a ton. It’d be even heavier once filled.

Still, with my Strength stat at 9, I could manage.

“…Hail Chaos.”

Ding—

『Name: Hassan Lv. 19

Strength: 9

Agility: 4

Stamina: 6

Tasks: 282

Blessings: Blessing of Chaos》Shining Hand》Cloak of Night》』

Since this might be tough, I saved my Task points. If things went south, I might need to burn 200 points to beg the gods for help.

If not, I could always convert leftover totems into points later.

While strategizing, Luna—carrying a smaller jar—looked around.

“Hassan, we’re the first ones here.”

Despite the early hour, the west gate bustled with parties preparing for quests.

The crowd was thick, but spotting Malco’s ridiculous pointy hat wasn’t hard.

“There he is.”

Now that I thought about it, Malco’s absurd outfits were probably intentional—like performers wearing flashy costumes to stand out.

At any rate.

Malco noticed me and waved.

“Kehehe, that face of yours never fails to stand out. Rare to find someone as bizarre-looking as my brother.”

“d*mn, didn’t expect you of all people to say that. Where’s Kalidur?”

“Brother said his leg’s still healing, so he couldn’t come. Just me today.”

“Hi, big nose! Long time no see!”

Luna waved at Malco, who tipped his ridiculous hat in greeting.

“That bone helmet suits you, Sister. Quite fearsome. And who’s this beside you?”

Malco’s gaze shifted to the red-haired nymph girl nervously looking around behind Luna.

“A rare sight indeed—a nymph. They say strings made from nymph hair produce the clearest tones.”

“U-uh, hello… I’m, um, Paranoi.”

“Ah, so you’re the nymph who recently converted. I’m Malco, the wandering bard. A servant of Mercury.”

True to his back-alley and underground lifestyle, Malco seemed well-informed. Without us explaining, he and Paranoi exchanged brief introductions.

“The carriage will be here soon. Let’s do a final check.”

After meticulously inspecting our gear, we boarded the usual cargo wagon.

“Off we go.”

Neigh—!

The carriage soon left the west gate, heading toward the vast plains and the distant Black Rock Mountain.

Clatter, clatter. Clatter.

The repurposed cargo wagon was as uncomfortable as ever. I worried the jar might break from the bumps.

How much more money would I need to buy a proper private carriage?

“Say, Brother, that’s new. Quite the sturdy-looking breastplate.”

Amid the endless rattling, Malco—seated across from me—struck up a conversation.

He’d only just noticed the iron-plated armor covering my chest. Or maybe he was just bored.

Either way, his words made me aware of the heavy weight pressing against me.

This breastplate, bought during the post-dungeon reorganization, cost a whopping 80 silver.

I’d pooled 40 silver from my savings, sold spare gear like iron swords from the dungeon, and Luna chipped in 20 silver. Now, it was my third most valuable possession after my necklace and club.

I wasn’t sure about its performance, but it could supposedly block an arrow or two. The weight would take some getting used to, though.

“That armor makes you look like a proper warrior.”

“Yeah?”

The design was crude, but I was still satisfied.

Upgrading my gear felt like leveling myself up—progress was tangible. And knowing d*ath was now separated from me by a thick iron plate brought some relief.

Still, I felt guilty about taking 20 silver from Luna.

“Hassan, you fight recklessly—you need to protect yourself!” she’d insisted, pushing me to buy the expensive armor.

She must’ve been worried after seeing me battle powerful monsters and the greatsword-wielder Schizo.

If this quest paid well, I’d repay Luna and buy greaves and gauntlets for my arms and legs.

d*mn. Hassan, the Steel Warrior.

Now that would look intimidating.

Street rats would scatter at the mere clank of my armor.

“d*mn, you’re all dead.”

“Kehehe, eager for a fight already? We’re nearly there—you’ll get your chance soon. I’m itching to test my new talent too.”

“New talent? What’ve you got?”

“Keep your expectations high. Anyway—look there.”

Malco raised his head, gazing at the horizon. Following his line of sight, I straightened and focused on the distant black shape.

As the wagon rattled on.

Far ahead, a mountain of dark rock loomed, shrouded in black clouds, steadily drawing closer.

—

[Author’s Note]

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