Here is the translated novel text based on the provided glossary:
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Episode 288
Delphi, To Delphi #288? Delphi, To Delphi #3
Several hours had passed since departing from Sodomora.
Paranoi, who had been dozing off and muttering nonsense, suddenly let out a loud “Ah—!” as if something had occurred to her.
“I saw another Samaritan in my dream…! In a vast field…!”
She seemed utterly convinced that the strange dream she had would come true.
Well, it wasn’t unusual for people in this world to attach special meaning to dreams.
Personally, I had only skimmed Freud and Jung during general education classes, so I understood dreams as manifestations of the unconscious.
But for the people of this superstitious world, dreams were like spiritual windows or frames—they believed whatever lay beyond that square held profound significance.
For example, there was this one time before all sorts of incidents started happening.
That night, I was sleeping soundly with Luna when she suddenly jolted awake, rustling the sheets.
Since it was impossible for Luna to wake up in the middle of sleep, I was startled awake too—but what came next was even more bewildering.
“Hassan! You left me for another woman!”
Then she bit my arm. It hurt.
Confused, I asked for an explanation, and it turned out Luna had dreamed that I was secretly seeing another woman and treating her coldly.
Seriously? I got bitten over a dream about cheating?
At the time, I figured Luna must’ve subconsciously felt insecure about me and let it slide.
But d*mn, looking back now, was that some kind of prophetic dream?
What even are dreams?
Suddenly, I found myself lost in thought.
Just then, Hippolyte, who had been silently sitting with her arms crossed in a corner of the carriage, drowsily opened her eyes.
“You saw another Samaritan in your dream?”
“She was amazing…! She said she was someone’s younger sister…! Ah, but I can’t remember the rest…! I forgot…!”
“Hassan, didn’t you mention having a younger sister? Could she have left the Black Wilderness and be somewhere on the continent?”
Hippolyte seemed to think the Samaritan from Paranoi’s dream was my sister. Of course, that was impossible.
First of all, my sister wasn’t a Samaritan from the Black Wilderness.
Did she fall through a manhole like me and end up in this world? Oh, sh*t. That would be horrifying in so many ways. Not something I’d even want to imagine.
One of the few good things about being in this world was not having to see my sister’s face.
But why was I even thinking about this?
It felt like Paranoi’s nonsense had polluted my mind.
“Luna, got any candy?”
“I have about ten honey candies. Want one already?”
“Feels like I need it.”
“Hmm—”
Luna let out a reluctant sigh, glanced at Paranoi—who didn’t look too well—and nodded as if giving in.
“Fine. I could use a nap too anyway.”
She rummaged through her large bundle and pulled out a round, oversized candy.
It’d take Paranoi at least half a day to lick that thing clean with her tiny tongue. That meant she’d stay quiet for that long.
“Candy… delicious…! My nausea feels better…! T-This is the taste of 10 coppers per piece…!! This Paranoi is consuming expensive goods…!!”
“Yeah, so just eat it quietly. Don’t bite it.”
Maybe I should catch some sleep too.
A long journey of at least a month—might as well take it easy.
Thinking that, I closed my eyes for a nap.
When I opened my eyes again, the world outside was bathed in sunset.
The sky was ablaze with reds and oranges, as if someone had set fire to it.
We’d been sitting in the carriage since morning, doing nothing but chatting and napping until dusk.
For someone like me, used to grueling labor and training, a day like this was relaxing yet torturous—my whole body ached from sitting still for so long.
Rustle—
My gaze landed on Elpride, who had woken up and was now studying a map.
Though she’d insisted on coming to Delphi, once inside the carriage, she hadn’t said a word—like a wary wildcat.
But that was just how Elpride was. She was shy around strangers.
Unlike Luna, whom she’d sparred with for days, things were awkward with Paranoi and Hippolyte, so she stayed quiet.
Of course, that wouldn’t last. After traveling together for a month, they’d inevitably get familiar.
No need for me to force interactions.
Still, I was curious about the map she was looking at, so I asked:
“Where are we now?”
“Near the Dragon Scale Village.”
Ah, right. Hippolyte, with her expedition experience, had mentioned we’d rest the horses in a village tonight.
Was this a satellite village near the great city of Sodomora?
Having settled in Sodomora for a while, this was my first time staying overnight outside the city. It felt refreshingly new.
Just then, a voice came from the driver’s seat:
“…We’ll arrive at the village soon.”
The voice was horrifying—like a metal rake scraping the bottom of hell.
It belonged to Max, the veteran coachman dispatched by Mercury Transport.
I’d assumed he was a quiet man since he hadn’t spoken until now, but his voice was unnerving.
He spoke only when necessary, like a machine—so much so that I doubted if he was even human.
“Most long-distance coachmen are like that,” Hippolyte explained.
I guess driving a carriage for a month straight would make anyone taciturn and gloomy.
As long as he was skilled, it didn’t matter.
Lost in thought, we soon arrived at the village entrance.
Crudely carved tall logs were stacked like a barricade, giving it a decently fortified look.
Though darkening with dusk, the village seemed larger than I’d expected—maybe over a hundred households. Could it be called a small town?
“Halt. Everyone, please disembark.”
At the guard’s command, we all stepped out.
After half a day in the carriage, my stiff body screamed in protest.
“What brings you to Dragon Scale Village? State your business.”
“Hippolyte, from Sodomora. We’ll borrow the road and a room—meals would be nice too.”
Hippolyte handed the guard a golden necklace she’d kept inside her breastplate.
The guard marveled at the horseshoe-shaped medal and exclaimed:
“Ah, a Gold Badge! Has something big happened? I hope no monsters have appeared nearby.”
“Just heading to Delphi for the Oracle.”
“That’s a relief. Lately, goblin packs have been lurking around. With a Gold Tier adventurer here, I thought something serious was up.”
The golden necklace sure smoothed things over.
Had I arrived alone at night, I might’ve been detained until my identity was verified.
“Then enter. No one traveling with a nymph is a bad sort.”
Oh, so it was because of Paranoi, not Hippolyte.
With that brief exchange, our carriage finally entered Dragon Scale Village.
“It’s bigger than I thought!”
Luna stretched lazily as she spoke.
Though dim with evening, the village was undeniably large.
Torches lined the streets, making it less dark than Sodomora at night—if anything, more people were out and about.
Did that mean the village was safer?
A nymph!
A nymph has come to the village!
But the way people whispered and pointed at Paranoi felt odd. Were nymphs really that rare here?
Soon, we spotted a massive campfire at the village center.
Blue flames flickered, soaring higher than my head, sparking like Olympic fire.
It felt like visiting a tourist attraction, easing some travel fatigue.
“Wow, blue flames! Amazing!”
Luna’s eyes widened.
I was equally stunned, but Hippolyte explained:
“Long ago, a Dragon of the Hearth landed here. These flames are its legacy—blessed by Vesta, Goddess of the Hearth.”
“Ah, this village is under the Hearth’s domain…!”
Paranoi acted like she knew all about it.
Come to think of it, she’d converted from Pluto’s faith to Vesta’s.
But Hippolyte frowned, studying the flames.
“Strange… Last time, they burned much higher—visible from outside the village. Now, even up close, the heat’s weaker.”
Whoosh—
Then, to my shock, Hippolyte thrust her bare hand into the d*mn blue fire.
I nearly screamed.
Blue flames were supposed to be hotter than normal ones—like some Super Saiyan of fire.
And she just stuck her hand in?
Having recently experienced fire’s pain firsthand, I winced at the memory.
But Hippolyte’s expression remained calm.
“It’s not hot. If anything, it’s cold. The fire’s losing heat. Something’s wrong.”
“Cold fire?”
Luna, intrigued, fearlessly reached out too.
“It really is cold! It doesn’t even burn!”
“Seriously?”
Encouraged, I tentively extended my hand.
Sizzle—
A cool, air-conditioned sensation spread from my fingertips to my head.
Despite lingering summer warmth, the chill felt nice.
Cold fire?
Could we take some home for next summer?
As I mused, Hippolyte spoke:
“Elf. You’re a powerful fire mage—one of the strongest I’ve seen. What do you make of this?”
Fair point.
All eyes turned to Elpride.
But she stood three steps back from the flames, disinterested, fiddling with her staff.
Luna grinned.
“She’s scared of fire right now!”
“An elf afraid of fire…! That’s as ridiculous as nymphs fearing water and candy…!”
Paranoi joined in teasing.
“Shut up!”
Elpride, who’d ignored Luna, snapped at Paranoi.
To prove her fearlessness, she stomped toward the flames—but her hand hesitated just before touching them.
Her pupils shook. Shoulders trembled. Breath grew ragged.
“Enough. Let’s stop here.”
Hippolyte pulled Elpride’s hand down.
“The journey’s long. No need to exhaust yourself on the first day.”
Elpride clicked her tongue and put her glove back on.
Clearly, she wasn’t okay.
Even Luna and Paranoi stopped teasing, though an awkward silence lingered.
Just as I considered heading to the inn, someone called out:
“Ohhh, a nymph has truly come to our village…! At last, our worries will be eased…!”
[Author’s Note] DDK2!!! Joyjang!!! Bitddar!!! Vitamin Z!!! Gaiuz!!! Potato Server!!! Thank you so much for the support coupons…!!!
Many others have sent manuscript coupons too… T_T… I always enjoy your comments and recommendations… T_T… They give me strength…!!!!
As thanks, I cast Voodoo of the Hated Thursday* to make Thursday pass quickly…!!!
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