274th Episode
Ceres’ Obsession – Part 2
On the day Hippolyte visited the inn at the North Gate.
That night, we simply spent it talking in our chairs all through the night.
“Let’s stay together tonight. We must have a lot to talk about, and I’m curious as to why you’ve chosen to endure such hardship.”
As we spent time together, the rigid attitude and mindset that had been tight for the past few days began to soften, and the tension in my shoulders lessened.
So, I told Hippolyte various stories, starting from stopping the ‘Burning Elf’ and concluding with the results of the trial that had recently taken place.
“Prince Friedrich, huh-. You certainly met quite an important figure. I also had a chance to meet and talk with him regarding the Abyss matter. He was a man of peculiar impression.”
“Is that so?”
“However, that’s what royalty usually is. Kings have extraordinary and exceptional abilities, so they can bear the weight of the crown. It only makes sense that the lineage of such people would be peculiar.”
Hippolyte’s words held considerable persuasiveness.
Surely, to become a king, one must possess something that stands out among people—talent for leadership or ruling, for instance. It would be the same for a prince.
How wonderful must it be to be born as a prince? What does it feel like to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth?
I was imagining myself being fed grapes by beautiful maids when Hippolyte continued with a few words.
“But, Prince Friedrich was not loved by everyone from the start. During his youth, he had so many enemies that he was always at risk of being poisoned. Overcoming and surviving such dangers, he eventually established a strong foundation for himself.”
Poisoning, huh. Living as royalty must be terrifying. The maids imagining feeding me grapes could suddenly turn into assassins in disguise feeding me poison at any moment.
Indeed, if exposed to such threats from a young age, one would either collapse early or become stronger and bolder by overcoming them.
“Though waves and winds may shake the boat, a ship with sails can go further with the wind. The same goes for our lives. What matters is enduring hardships.”
Hippolyte concluded this way.
Judging from the proverbs-like advice she’s been giving like this all along, it appears she has some kind of purpose in mind. And I’m not such a fool as to not sense the intention behind it.
I asked.
“Hippolyte, did you come tonight to console me?”
At my question, Hippolyte, who was sitting casually on the edge of the bed like me, clanked her armor.
“Yeah, did it show too much? To begin with, I’m not very good at these sorts of things.”
“Even Hippolyte has her weak points, I see.”
“That’s right. Actually, I have many things I’m not good at. There are times when I also want to rest. Many times, I wished I could rest for a day. It’s tiring to keep running forward every day. Whenever I feel like that, I talk with Antiope or other Amazon Sisters to relieve it.”
“I see.”
“So, did my comfort help at all?”
“To be honest, it feels nice not to have a lonely night.”
At that moment, a big yawn escaped me, opening my mouth wide. While trying to catch my breath with slightly squinted eyes, I felt Hippolyte’s finger touch my throat.
“Seeing you yawn like that, you’re really letting your guard down. You just died once, didn’t you?”
“…”
“But, it probably means my words have effectively comforted you. You haven’t been sleeping well lately, right? I’ll keep watch tonight, so you should get some rest.”
“Is that really okay? That’s too much of an imposition.”
“I prefer ‘thank you’ over ‘sorry.'”
“In that case, I accept with gratitude.”
I slightly laid down on the bed.
Since a young barbarian child was occupying the best spot of the bed and was fast asleep, I could only curl up around the edges. But strangely, because my mindset has changed from last night, it feels surprisingly comfortable.
I’m so exhausted that it feels like I could sleep continuously until the day after tomorrow if I fall asleep now.
Ah, I’ve only rested my head, but sleepiness is already washing over me. However, there’s one thing I have to ask Hippolyte, who’s been in my thoughts.
“I heard that you’re living with Luna. Are things going well?”
“Yeah, couldn’t be better. In fact, it troubles me a bit. Samaritan, it seems like your troubles are partly due to my involvement.”
“Involved, huh. Your words make you sound like someone who deals with stocks. Then Hippolyte struggled heavily to speak, like pulling up an anchor.
“Hassan, if, if we could go back to that night—If we could go back to that night—.”
What night did Hippolyte mean by that night? Even though my mind was becoming clouded, I could still easily recall it.
“If we could go back to that night, wouldn’t you want to make it as if it never happened? At that time, I wasn’t quite…normal, and I assume you weren’t either.”
“You’re right. But, regretting it now won’t change anything, will it? As for me, I seem to be enjoying a kind of calmness within this storm, like finding tranquility in the eye of a typhoon.”
“Enjoying calmness?”
“Without what happened that night, Hippolyte wouldn’t have come to put me to sleep like this, right?”
“True-. Well, if we could change the past, life would indeed be much easier. I’ve talked too much. Now sleep—and tomorrow, come to the Mars Guild—.”
With that, Hippolyte’s gloved hand covered my forehead and eyes. I felt the cold touch of metal, and my vision quickly darkened. Before I knew it, I had lost consciousness.
When I regained consciousness, I was lying alone on the bed. Hippolyte was gone, and the barbarian child who had been sleeping was also missing. Did they both wake up and leave?
First, I checked my pockets and belongings. The few coins I had kept in my pocket were still there, and all my bags were safely in place. I was relieved to see nothing was stolen or broken.
Then I noticed the window outside.
It was still early morning. I had slept deeply for about four or five hours, and my body felt incredibly light.
As I prepared to gather my belongings and leave the room, I noticed a rolled-up note nailed near the crooked door.
“Come to the Mars Guild when you wake up—.”
Seeing the neat handwriting that looked like it was carved with a kn*fe, it was clear Hippolyte left a note behind. Descending to the lobby on the first floor, I saw a familiar face wiping the floor here and there.
It was Barak, the Samarian kid who tackled me and passed out last night.
“What are you doing there?”
At my casual question, the kid who was hard at work with some kind of towel wrapped around his forehead looked up at me.
“I earn my own lodging. I don’t owe you anything.”
“Ah—.”
What a self-reliant lad. And that was correct.
This world is unpredictable; it’s important not to owe anything to strangers you don’t know.
At first, I thought he was just a fool who jumps into things, but this kid seems quite wise for his age.
“Hey, innkeeper, throw me some breakfast.”
While watching the kid enthusiastically cleaning and wiping dishes, I quickly stuffed some watery porridge and dry bread into my mouth. Perhaps because I slept so well, my strength was restored, and even the bland meal went down easily. After finishing my meal, I said to the kid, who was still cleaning.
“Hey, you. Since you said you’re from the Juno Shrine, I thought we could be considered fellow temple members. Do you know the way back there?”
“…”
But the kid didn’t answer, just silently and busily scrubbing the table with a rag in hand. It seemed less like he didn’t hear me due to being focused on work and more like he was intentionally ignoring me.
“Hey, brat, do you know the way? They must be looking for someone like you back at the shrine. You should head back!”
“….”
“Hey, kid, hey!”
“My name’s not ‘hey’—it’s Barak Kirya. Daughter of Rak, Kir—!”
“Ah—.”
It seems this kid was upset because I kept calling him ‘hey.’ As he introduced himself as Kir, he continued with a few words.
“Besides, no one will miss someone like me if I disappear. This time, I might as well come out and start over. I’ll earn fame by cutting off your head!”
“This, this is a problem, kid. Hey—no, Kir, right? Since you’re starting anew, how about doing some errands for me?”
“Why should I?”
“I’ll pay you. Ten copper coins. If you want to be independent, you’ll need funds, won’t you?”
“….”
Ten copper coins.
That’s ten thousand won. And for a kid like him, probably ten years old or so, ten thousand won would definitely be a significant amount. With that money, he could buy various things.
“What do you want—? I’ll at least hear you out.”
I could sense the bait had caught. But he wasn’t completely hooked yet. He was suspicious and needed more reassurance.
“Before you head back to the temple, just go to the location I tell you and say that Hassan had to delay the task due to unforeseen circumstances.”
“What if they ask what the task is?”
I intended to give him a simple errand, but judging by his response, this little Samarian seems pretty smart for his age.
Generally, when thrown into the world alone, one either becomes cunning or acts foolishly like a trickster.
“If you just say it’s Mars Guild business, they’ll probably understand.”
“If it’s Mars Guild business, is it related to the Autumn Rift?”
“How do you know about that?”
“Well, when people talk loudly next to someone sleeping, they can hear everything. Listening while sleeping is basic discipline for a Samarian.”
“Got it. Anyway, you’ll now understand my situation too. I’ll write down the address here, so just go and tell them.”
I reused the piece of paper Hippolyte had nailed on the door earlier in the morning, writing down the addresses of the places he should find in the East District.
Then I handed over ten copper coins. After hesitating a bit, the barbarian kid, Kir, took them and placed the clinking coins into a worn-out pouch he pulled from his clothes.
“Even if I take the money, I could always not deliver the message, you know. Why give me the money beforehand?”
“Then you’d lose your credibility, and you’d miss out on future opportunities to earn more money by doing such errands.”
“Credibility? Never thought a Samarian would use such a lukewarm term. My mom would have scolded me for using such words.”
“That’s none of my concern. Anyway, just do the job well. If you do, I’ll assign you more errands in the future. But if you don’t deliver and take the money, you’ll lose your credibility, and I won’t hire you anymore. Got it?”
“I’m not a kid—I understand that.”
“Ah—. That’s good.”
“Because of this so-called credibility, isn’t Hassan acting like a slave to rich people in the east district? You’ve already lost a lot of credibility and your name is ruined. That’s why you’re heading into the Autumn Rift, isn’t it?”
“That’s right, more or less. There’s nothing better than killing monsters to build a reputation, right? Are you interested too?”
For some reason, this Samarian kid seemed quite interested in uplifting his name.
Samarians have always been interested in building their name, so it’s not surprising. Even as a child, the bl**d of the wilds in him seems impossible to suppress.
“So, Kir, will you take the job or not?”
As I tapped my fingers on the table and asked, the kid reluctantly nodded.
“Fine, I’ll get it done.”
It had been quite a while since I visited the Mars Guild.
The building that was destroyed by the horrific terrorist attacks and arson of the cultists has now been rebuilt even more grandly.
“Wow, it’s just like a palace.”
“It also serves as a temple, so we needed to spread the grandeur of the gods properly.”
Hippolyte, who was waiting for me at the guild entrance, proudly explained the magnificence of the newly built temple.
To her, this place is a shrine honoring Mars, who she assumes is her father. Wanting to boast about her father’s prestige is only natural.
“Thanks to the donations during the last war with the cultists, we managed to build it bigger. Honestly, wars would be good for us from time to time. It’s been too peaceful lately.”
Isn’t peace a good thing? Although from the perspective of a priestess serving the God of War, Mars, peace might as well be a low season without any business.
War and distress must elevate the prestige of the Mars Temple.
Still, didn’t they build it a bit too extravagantly? I heard the Mars Guild’s finances were struggling. It reminds me of a church with only a stunning main hall or office building.
While I was having such thoughts with slight concern, Hippolyte patted my back.
“Let’s go inside to talk. Everyone’s waiting for us.”
[Afterword] Mr. PotatoServer! Mr. Caffuccino! Mr. CrazyStar! Mr. Zero the Familiar! Cherry Mint Chocolate! Mr. Kadeom! Roughly Made Nickname! Mr. KuandIceCream! Mr. Joy Jang! Mr. Fuwjsf! Thank you very much for the donation coupons!!!
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In appreciation, nymphs will appear slightly in this episode!!!
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