Chapter 137

Here is the English translation of the provided text, following the given glossaries:

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### Episode 137

Sun and Moon and the Sword

137 ? Sun and Moon and the Sword #2

Luna’s hut is more cramped than expected.

In terms of space, it wouldn’t be impossible for three people to squeeze in and sleep. But with all the material jars, a large mortar, and various small tools she’s set up in preparation for her workshop, there’s only enough room left for one person to lie down.

At least the second floor has relatively fewer items, so if they huddled together, three people could manage by tangling themselves up in a tight bundle.

“Yeah, it’s cramped.”

Hippolyte frowned as she examined the deerhide bedding and wool blanket spread out on the second floor.

“How on earth have the two of you been sleeping in a place like this?”

Her expression was reminiscent of a famous politician stepping into a tiny dormitory for the first time—so naturally, memories from Earth flashed through my mind.

Luna, perhaps irritated that someone was badmouthing her precious home, didn’t back down.

“If you don’t like it, get out!”

“No, it’s not that I dislike it. But with it this cramped, we’re bound to bump into each other.”

“N-Not necessarily!”

Anyway, two girls and me. With all of us inside, the second floor of the hut was now genuinely packed and stifling.

“Guess I should change into something comfortable.”

Just then, Hippolyte began removing her armor. The metallic sound of clanking plates echoed loudly, and soon her smooth, glowing skin was exposed right before my eyes, making my heart pound uncontrollably.

Of course, beneath the armor, she was still wearing her usual tight-fitting black crop top and hot pants for support.

But since the fabric clung to her skin from sweat on this hot night, it somehow felt more suggestive than if she were actually n*ked.

Dammit, just recalling that scene could keep me satisfied for three days.

Luna seemed just as flustered, squirming in place, unsure of what to do.

“Wh-Why are you stripping all of a sudden?!”

“If we’re going to sleep, shouldn’t we be comfortable? Even I wouldn’t sleep in full armor—it’d cut into my skin. For the record, I usually sleep n*ked.”

“Uuugh—H-Hassan! Go downstairs for now!”

At Luna’s frustrated command, I had no choice but to head down to the first floor.

I, too, needed to get out of this stuffy black tailcoat, so I changed into a simple one-piece cotton outfit I’d left at Luna’s place.

Scritch, scritch.

Just then, strange legs climbed over the edge of a jar. It was Keng Keng, Luna’s pet wolf spider. Had it sensed my presence and come up to investigate?

“…Hey.”

Since the wolf spider was essentially Luna’s other roommate, I figured I might as well try to get along and greeted it.

For a second, I was afraid it might suddenly jump at me—but thankfully, it seemed to lose interest and crawled back into the depths of the jar.

Dammit, no matter how many times I see it, that thing is terrifying.

Shifting my attention away, I carefully hung my party outfit—which I’d paid a hefty 30 Silver for—on one of the few wall hangers.

By now, the second floor situation must have been resolved, so I headed back upstairs—only to find Luna pinning Hippolyte down by the nape from behind.

“Guh—!”

Luna, mounted on the back of the newly Gold-Tier-ranked warrior like some kind of conqueror—I’d seen it once before, but witnessing it in person again made it feel unreal.

“Hippolyte, you’re being way too cocky! This is my house! My rules!”

“Uuuuuugh…”

Was it because the moon had risen? Or maybe because Luna was the Daughter of the Night Goddess, marked by the name “Moon” itself?

“C-Can’t… breathe…!”

Hippolyte writhed helplessly beneath Luna, unable to even put up a fight. Was this for real?

Her long limbs flailed like a turtle flipped onto its shell, desperately struggling.

“Say you surrender!”

“F-Fine… I surrender…”

Only then did Luna release her grip.

“Haaah… haaah… haaah…”

Hippolyte gasped for air, eyes wide as she rubbed her sore neck.

“I beat Hippolyte again! Hyaaah! I’ve defeated a Gold-Tier Adventurer, so does that mean I’m the Gold-Tier Adventurer now? Hand over your necklace!”

Luna held out her palm demandingly, making Hippolyte flinch as she reflexively clutched the golden hoof-shaped emblem hanging around her neck.

“Th-This wasn’t an official duel, so it doesn’t count! And Noxdotty, you haven’t even reached Silver Tier yet. You don’t qualify for a Challenge.”

Challenge.

That word reminded me of what Hippolyte had explained earlier.

Gold-Tier Adventurers—the ones recognized as heroes by the people.

With only fifteen of those golden necklaces in the entire kingdom, there were only two ways to obtain one: either by earning an open slot through promotion or by defeating a current holder in combat.

That must be why Delphina, the Adventurer from Kolkata, was after Hippolyte’s necklace.

Becoming a Gold-Tier meant pay would skyrocket beyond imagination—just how much were they making? Enough to buy a mansion after a year of hard work?

Dammit, I couldn’t even picture myself ever reaching that point.

In any case, another bout between Hippolyte and Luna ended in a one-sided victory for Luna.

The more I thought about it, the more my head spun—so I decided to stop dwelling on it.

—

I’d attended an unfamiliar party, wandered the markets all day, and was weighed down by exhaustion. Yet, surprisingly, neither Luna nor I fell asleep immediately.

Was it because having a guest in the hut where we usually slept alone felt unnatural?

We stayed awake late into the night, chattering away.

“So you really fought all of Kairos’s disciples?”

Luna was the one mostly asking questions.

“Yes. Fought them all—and only lost to one.”

Hippolyte was the one answering, given her vast knowledge. Well, it wasn’t every day you got to chat with a busy celebrity like her.

But I was so sleepy that all I wanted was to pass out.

Dammit, sleeping in the same room as two girls had me excited at first, but now I just wanted to sleep—no more thoughts.

When are they even planning to sleep?!

At this rate, we might stay up till dawn.

Hippolyte spoke.

“Of course, at that time, they were incomplete. Still immature in many ways. I can’t say for sure if I’d win against them now, but… now that I’ve awakened my divinity, my chances should be high.”

“What do you mean, ‘awakened your divinity’?”

“It means I’ve realized the transcendent Karma inherently within me. You know how an eagle living among swans suddenly realizes its true nature? What do you think happens then?”

“I dunno! I never learned eagle language! I can understand cats and sparrows, though. Taming eagles is advanced shamanism—only high-level medicine practitioners can do it.”

“…You understand cats? Anyway, once the eagle realizes its identity, it can soar into the skies. A Demigod’s awakening is like that.”

Hippolyte leaned against the wall, clenching her fist.

“It breaks past existing limits, rising to heights ordinary people can’t fathom. That’s why I surpassed Level 40—it’s not a milestone effort alone can achieve.”

“So you’re saying it’s just luck in parentage.”

“Th-That’s not the point! Anyway, if I obtain the Ambrosia said to lie deep in the Underground Labyrinth, I will ascend to godhood. I wonder what domain I’ll govern.”

“God of Loan Evasion.”

“…That’s not a thing.”

“Well, if it isn’t, you can be the first! Congrats, Hippolyte.”

The two kept bickering—somehow, despite their mismatched energies, they found common ground. Was there some kind of girl-to-girl wavelength at play?

Anyway, half-asleep as I was, Hippolyte’s words gave me an idea.

If Hippolyte had grown so strong by awakening the transcendent Karma (or whatever) lying dormant in her bl**d…

Could Luna also grow stronger by realizing she was the Daughter of Nox and undergoing some kind of awakening?

I pictured a Level 40+ Luna firing sword beams from her hands.

Her silence totem slamming into the ground—BAM!—splitting the earth and triggering massive quakes. She’d probably name the move something lazy like “The Great Earthquake Voodoo!”

Dammit, the image was hilarious.

But it also made me think such a world should never come to pass. Luna had a cruel side—if she got her hands on real power, she’d definitely misuse it irresponsibly.

She might just capture every toad and spider, wrecking ecosystems. Then swarms of mosquitoes would overrun the world, turning it into some kind of apocalyptic hellscape.

Maybe that’s why Nox hadn’t told Luna about her origins? Though, that was probably just sleep-deprived nonsense.

“If you two are gonna keep talking, I’ll just sleep downstairs.”

Figuring we’d stay up all night otherwise, I grabbed a spare blanket and laid down on the first floor.

Being on a separate level muffled Luna and Hippolyte’s voices enough to let me doze off somewhat comfortably.

Eventually, their chatter faded, leaving only occasional noises from outside the hut.

Drifting between sleep and wakefulness in the pleasant silence—

Rustle.

Shuffle.

Something moved quietly around me. Like a cat tiptoeing toward a trash can, minimizing its presence.

Maybe someone’s going outside to use the bathroom?

Dismissing it, I tried sinking back into sleep—when suddenly, the presence beside me grew more pronounced.

Then, something slender reached toward me. Probably a finger.

Skiiiitch.

The fingertip touched the space right before my nose—as if checking if I was breathing, or truly asleep.

“…Asleep?”

The voice didn’t sound like Luna’s. Too firm. Was it Hippolyte?

Cracking an eye open, I saw her crouched beside me in the dimly lit first floor, staring down.

…

Caught completely off guard, I nearly yelped and bolted upright.

Dammit, what the hell?

“…Ahem. Samaritan. If you are awake, answer me.”

Hadn’t she asked me something like this before?

The déjà vu was slowly waking me up—until something slender and soft brushed against my stomach, snapping me fully alert.

It was definitely Hippolyte’s hand.

She pressed her warm palm against my abdomen, sliding it across my skin.

This wasn’t just a casual touch—it felt more deliberate, like a sticky tongue licking over me, so blatant it sent bl**d rushing south.

Twitch.

She must have noticed my bodily response—her fingers twitched against my stomach. Yeah, she definitely knew I was awake.

I considered shifting my body—

But then her fingers slid under my waistband, undoing the knot holding my pants together.

Wait, what?!

Instantly, the stiffened part of me met the cool air, now uncomfortably exposed under her very attentive gaze.

Sure, freeing it from the stifling fabric was a relief—but being stared at by a woman made it infinitely more awkward.

“T-This is…”

Her murmur was so soft only I could hear.

“Such a… bizarre shape.”

She poked at it curiously with a finger, like inspecting a peculiar specimen. Tap, tap, tap. Her nail kept jabbing at the shaft before slowly trailing downward—

Skritch, skritch.

Then, she started rubbing my most sensitive spot—the part that made my breath hitch the instant her palm cupped me entirely.

Holy hell—getting groped like this is—

What is she even trying to do?!

Whatever it was, it felt wrong—yet if I made a scene, Luna might wake up.

And if Luna saw this—that could cause problems.

Was this hell?

Why was she doing this? What was I supposed to do? My mind was blank, flashing white like an empty page.

“Fascinating form…”

Completely oblivious to my inner turmoil, Hippolyte kept kneading me with increasing fascination—like a teenager experimenting with an anatomy model.

Maybe that’s exactly what this was?

Hippolyte, the austere leader of a conservative maiden order…

…was also a battle-hardened warrior with pent-up energy. This might just be her morbid curiosity about the opposite s*x.

But groping someone in their sleep? If I wasn’t such a light sleeper, I wouldn’t have even noticed this assault.

Realizing how messed up this was, I shifted slightly, hoping she’d stop—

Squelch. Shlick. Squish.

Suddenly, a slick, wet sound started.

“Haaahh…”

Oh. Oh no.

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[Author’s Note]

Thank you so much, yayayeah, Kadeom, and PotatoServer for your generous support coupons!!!

And to all the readers who anonymously contributed—your cumulative support means the world!!

I can’t wait to see which character’s illustration July’s coupons will bring to life!!

Your upvotes and comments are always a delight to read—they give me so much motivation!!

<3

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