27th Episode
Nemea’s Cat
027 ? <Nemea's Cat #3>
As we stepped outside the shop, the street was still brightly lit by the sun.
It’s hard to tell the time, but judging by the sun’s angle, it’s probably around two in the afternoon. Or not.
“May Mars’ blessings be with you, friend-. And the young lady too.”
Witch Nemea waved to Luna and me as we left the shop. Before we could respond, she closed the door and went back inside.
It felt like we had just managed to pull our hand out of a lion’s mouth unscathed, and I heaved a silent sigh of relief.
“Hassan, you can’t trust that woman.”
Luna, who had been sulking ever since being teased by Nemea, finally spoke up.
Her furrowed brow and protruding lips clearly indicated that her first meeting with the witch hadn’t gone well.
I asked.
“Why?”
“That woman is too suspicious. She’s definitely not normal. She could be some terrifying monster in disguise!”
Swish, now where is this coming from?
“Why do you think that?”
“Her chest is as big as a human head! There weren’t even people with chests that big in Ideope. So, she’s definitely a bad person.”
I’m not sure what kind of algorithm turns ‘big chested woman’ into ‘evil person,’ but given how Luna sometimes seems to exhibit slight Asperger’s symptoms, this might just be logical to her.
“Hey, but she’s the one giving us money right now, so it’s not nice to badmouth her this much.”
Although we had put some distance between ourselves and the shop, I suddenly feared Nemea might have overheard.
She calls herself a witch after all; who knows what strange sorcery she might use to eavesdrop on our conversation.
“Anyway, I don’t have a good feeling about this. Why don’t we just give up on this job and do something else?”
“Hey, is the 2 silver commission more important than your friend? It’s not that easy. You haven’t suffered enough hunger yet.”
“But….”
“Are you just upset because you don’t like the witch?”
“….”
After I scolded her, Luna simply clamped her mouth shut.
She has plenty to say, but it just won’t translate into words, or maybe she’s so sulky she doesn’t want to talk at all.
My younger sister would tighten her lips when she was angry, too.
Like a turtle pulling back into its shell, her tongue-tied state makes her a fortress, where any attempt at conversation bounces off.
In my experience, the best thing to do in such situations is to leave her alone.
This situation is a bit uncomfortable, but if I get too used to comforting her, she might develop a habit of sulking and throwing tantrums every time something happens. I guess that’s how it should be.
Anyway, our destination is set. The witch said the cat she was raising, or whatever it is, might be in the underground sewer.
Though I used to frequent the underground sewer when I was enslaved, it is still a familiar place to me. I even used to sleep in the damp underground tunnels to save money on inn fees.
Of course, that was in Kolkata, but whether it’s Sodomora or Kolkata, the underground sewers are likely to be similar.
They’ll be damp and stinky, full of ragged lepers and vagrants with diseased-looking eyes and sinister grins. We’d better be well-prepared to search such a place.
“Hey, you said you’ve lived in this city for a few months. Do you know any general stores around here?”
“…”
Thinking that she might’ve calmed down by now, I asked her, but Luna just glanced at me and said nothing.
If it were my younger sister, I’d probably have given her a good knock on the head by now. This is somewhat annoying and awkward…
“Over there.”
As if reading my discomfort, Luna reluctantly spoke up with a timid voice.
Rut’s General Store
The sign says that.
Jingling.
The bell hanging high rang out as I opened the door. The first thing I noticed was the dusty air, and behind it, all sorts of miscellaneous items. A typical general store.
If I had to compare, it’s like the old convenience stores or stationery shops in front of elementary schools from my very young days.
“Who’s there?”
A burly middle-aged man lumbered out from the back of the store asking. A necklace with a slightly blue-tinted square plate hung from his neck.
It’s the bronze tier recognition badge from the Adventurer Guild.
Is he the owner of the store or just working here? Also an adventurer?
Luna introduced us to the right place. In such a store, you can get recommendations for items we’d otherwise never think of.
“What do you need?”
“We’re planning to go down into the underground sewer. Do you have torches and preserved food?”
“Ah! So, you’re headed to the sewer. I’ve heard many people are going there lately. I’ve prepared this package here.”
The middle-aged bronze-tier man showed me a bulky bundle about the size of a soldier’s pack. The substantial volume and weight suggested it’s well-packed with various essentials.
“Torches, firewood for making campfires, dry rations, water, bandages, insect repellent herbs… All kinds of things are in there. There’s nothing unnecessary. I swear on the name of Mercury.”
“Can I take a look?”
“You can take a look. Just put it back in yourself when you’re done.”
“Then, let me check-.”
Rustling…
With the shopkeeper’s permission, I untied the bundle, and sure enough, it contained various items that looked useful.
In Kolkata, vendors sometimes sell useless items like stones as part of package deals, so you can’t be too careful, but it doesn’t seem to be the case here in Sodomora.
“How much?”
I asked as I repacked the bundle.
“50 copper to me.”
50 copper? That’s pretty expensive.
“You’re thinking it’s expensive now, aren’t you? But there is a reason for this price. If you add 10 more copper, I’ll throw in a raincoat.”
“A raincoat?”
“Yes. The sewers in Sodomora aren’t well-maintained, so water and dirty puddles drip around everywhere. You’ll get completely wet with your current outfit. Especially Miss with the pink hair-.”
The shopkeeper glanced at Luna.
“You can’t enter without shoes. If you buy a pair of sandals, I’ll sell you two raincoats and the sandals together with the package for one silver coin.”
Holy, 1 silver coin? I just get 2 silver coins for this mission, and I’d be spending half of that on preparation. Does this feel like a scam?
While I was pondering this and unsure of what to do, the shopkeeper drove the point home.
“Don’t regret it later. Listen to me. Aren’t you guys from Mars Guild? There’s no guild other than Mars Guild that takes Samaritans. I come from there too, so I’m giving you a discount. Normally, I’d charge others 10 copper more. Since we’re from the same guild, I’m keeping the price lower.”
“Hmm…”
Despite his persuasive words, I was still uncertain and hesitating, when Luna suddenly spoke in a very soft voice.
“Hassan, I don’t need sandals. I prefer walking barefoot.”
I’m not sure if this is because she’s considering my financial situation or genuinely prefers walking barefoot, but I agree that Luna needs sandals too.
No matter where the city is, drains aren’t clean enough to walk around without shoes.
Plus, the feet are sometimes referred to as the second heart, and it’s important to take good care of them for health reasons.
“d*mn. Fine, 1 silver, I’ll take it.”
“Good, glad you decided wisely. And I don’t know why you’re going down there, but if you find anything useful, feel free to bring it back. I will buy it from you.”
Like that, I spent 1 silver coin—precious money like bl**d—on an exploration package for the sewers in Sodomora, two raincoats, and Luna’s sandals.
The raincoat, although called one, was something indiscernible between a sack or a makeshift mat with a hood attached.
Most clothing that costs less than 1 silver is this crude, so complaining about it would just be a luxury.
“How about it?”
I asked Luna as I put on the raincoat made from patched rags. Luna slightly furrowed her brow and responded.
“You look like a murderer.”
Fucking hell.
“Hassan, how about me? It’s a bit long, but – do I look stupid?”
Her raincoat, which is a bit too big, reaches down to Luna’s feet.
She looks like a child who’s wearing an adult-sized garment, which is quite amusing. But it also hides her usually revealing outfit, which gives me some peace of mind and yet makes me feel a little disappointed.
Still, Luna’s outfit tends to draw too much attention, likely inviting unnecessary trouble or getting tangled up in incidents, so it’s safer if she conceals it appropriately.
“Looks fine. Do the shoes fit?”
The so-called sandals are just thick leather panels with straps, but even these simple items make a big difference compared to going barefoot.
As Luna looked down at her feet, she said.
“They’re a bit suffocating, but I like it. You didn’t need to buy me a pair, but… thank you, Hassan.”
Her thankfulness left me feeling quite disoriented.
I’m almost fifty years old and still haven’t gotten used to knowing how to react when someone compliments or thanks me.
“I’ll pay you back someday.”
And that’s what I said, scratching the back of my head uncomfortably, when:
“You remind me of my youth, you two are cute together. My wife and I used to go exploring and adventuring together, too. Here, take this. It’s the sewer map issued by Sodomora’s city hall. They sell it for five copper, but I’ll just give it to you as a freebie.”
A freebie? sh*t, I never thought I would receive goodwill for free someday. This shop owner is good at business!
I should remember the name of this shop.
“Look, Hassan! Puddles of water, it’s convenient with these shoes on!”
Splash splash.
Luna, with her freshly bought sandals, gleefully ran through the muddy puddles and standing water, soaking them thoroughly. She looked like a child with her raincoat, running around and splashing everywhere.
“Hey, then you’ve defeated the purpose of buying the sandals.”
“That… really? Hassan, you’re smarter than you look.”
Is this a matter of intelligence? It felt less like praise and more like teasing.
Anyway, after some lively running about, Luna finally calmed down, walking beside me quietly.
Following the sulky mood since we left the witch’s place was forgotten as if it never existed. She was now in such a good mood that she didn’t know what to do with it.
Watching her made me think that she might not just suffer from Asperger’s, but also ADHD. Would a slap on the cheek help fix her, like it supposedly does with Daphne?
While I was considering whether to slap Luna or if the terrible Nox would reappear if I did, she said.
“Look here, we should check this out, Hassan!”
As we were walking through a back alley, Luna’s voice suddenly became quiet and weak.
She was staring at a large, round hole in the middle of the road, releasing a dark and humid vapor.
As the shopkeeper mentioned earlier, there was supposed to be an entrance leading down to the sewers here.
Woo wooo.
The strange, eerie wind sound emanating from within sounded like a mourning cry from deep beneath the earth. If you listen closely, you can hear animal growls or human screams.
Though the sewers of Kolkata were messy, they didn’t feel like this. sh*t, are we really going in there?
At that moment, Luna, gazing blankly down the dark hole, murmured.
“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s an inscription from Pluto’s underground ruins. They’ve said for ages that some sewers are connected to Pluto’s labyrinth. Is it possible the same is true here?”
After saying that, Luna took a deep breath.
Just for descending into the sewer, she’s acting as if we’re stepping into the mouth of hell, making me even more nervous.
“The cat’s name is “White One,” right? Shouldn’t it come out if we call it?”
“Hey, as much as we don’t want to go in there, calling out like that is just pushing it, isn’t it?”
“But we can’t know for sure.”
“White One, White One, are you in there? Respond if you’re there!”
Luna shouted into the hole and listened carefully, but obviously, there was no answer.
“This is… strange. Why isn’t it coming out?”
“It’s unreasonable for it to respond like that. You need to call in cat language, dummy.”
“Is that right? Heeoooong, yooouung!”
sh*t, will this summon a party?
[Author’s Note] I always appreciate your support—favourites, recommendations, and gifts! Thank you so much!
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