Chapter 321

321 Girl of Steel #2

Juno’s paladin, Gloria.

They say that Gloria appeared out of nowhere one day, like a comet falling from the sky, without any prior notice, a few years ago.

“She would go around picking fights with strong people. Whether men or women, she would attack them all indiscriminately, smashing everything in sight. That was Gloria.”

I lay on the bed that Carvigas lent me, listening to Hippolyte’s explanation.

By my bedside, Luna was dabbing ointment on my face, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Hassan, you’re being targeted by some rude girl! You might d*e!”

And Luna was right. It was a battle that made me feel the fragility of life—something I’d never experienced, not even when fighting Hydra or the small king Regulus.

“Where the hell does such a terrible kid come from?”

“Gloria is a force of nature. There’s not much we know about her and no way to control her. If there’s any possibility… then it would be…”

“Gloria’s brother?”

I recalled the keyword that had come up repeatedly. Near the foot of my bed, Hippolyte nodded.

“Yes. They say Gloria is searching for her brother, though whether this person actually existed or is a product of her delusions remains unknown.”

A delusion, perhaps. Yet, there was something genuine about her longing for her family, or so it seemed to me. As I pondered that, unsure whether it was just my impression or not, Hippolyte continued.

“Anyway, Gloria has lost the ability to feel emotions or fear. The only thing she can sense is the fear of d*ath.”

Perhaps she’s addicted to adrenaline.

I’d heard that people who indulge in extreme sports experience a powerful release of adrenaline and endorphins when faced with the possibility of d*ath. Once hooked, it becomes nearly impossible to stop. I wondered if Gloria might be suffering from a similar condition.

Of course, there’s no definitive answer.

“Many have been destroyed by her games. Unable to harm herself, she breaks others instead.”

“Are these ‘games’ dangerous, then?”

“Yes. It’s an absurd term, but the fights are truly terrifying. Many have died. Nonetheless, Hassan, you managed to survive them. And that means you may need to keep surviving her attacks.”

“sh*t…”

The thought that Gloria might attack me again made me feel dizzy.

I remembered something Hippolyte had once warned me about: the more my reputation as a warrior grew, the more a terrifying Samaritan would come after me. Experiencing it now, it felt like being struck by lightning.

“Be careful when you’re out at night, Hassan. If possible, don’t wander alone. You never know when or where Gloria might ambush you. I’ll guard you for a while.”

Being treated like a VIP. If Hippolyte is guarding me, I might feel a little safer. A sudden calm washed over me, and drowsiness soon followed.

“Then, you should rest. Nonetheless, it was impressive how you fought off Gloria. Even I thought so. The count and everyone else keep talking about it.”

Hippolyte scratched her nose, looking slightly embarrassed, and I felt a bit awkward as well.

At that moment, Luna asked while sticking a bandage on my face.

“So, how long will we have to keep running from this nasty girl? Forever? It’s too cruel for Hassan to live like this.”

Luna was absolutely right.

Occasionally, Luna makes piercingly realistic remarks. This was one of those times.

Although Hippolyte offered to protect me, we can’t live like this forever. Is there a way to resolve the root of the problem?

“There are indeed two options. One is a realistic solution, and the other is an unrealistic one.”

“What’s the realistic solution?”

In response to Luna’s question, Hippolyte let out a small hum as if contemplating. After making a few short sounds of thought, she seemed to organize her words.

“Hassan needs to become a married man.”

“What? What does that mean?”

Luna asked, clearly puzzled. I was equally confused and was about to voice my curiosity when Hippolyte continued.

“Gloria is Juno’s paladin. For some reason, she has the enmity of the goddess Juno, and she is bound by duty and mission to maintain her temple and carry out her deeds. Thus, she cannot harm someone who has a family.”

“So, married men are off-limits? Because if they get hurt or d*e, their families could be destroyed?”

“That’s right, Noxdotty. It serves as a leash restraining Gloria and also reinforces her strength.”

Something that strengthens her power?

I recalled the rules the elf monk Kalidur followed. He claimed that restricting oneself could grant immense strength. I had also heard that Hippolyte’s moonlight allergy, a peculiar constraint, enabled her to wield greater power. It seemed that Gloria was no different.

At that moment, Luna cheerfully exclaimed in a bright voice.

“Well then, if Hassan gets married and becomes a married man, the problem is solved! That sounds easy! So, I could-”

“Not quite. Ideally, it should be that way, but things have changed. You remember, Noxdotty. There was another prophecy concerning Hassan.”

There was silence after Hippolyte’s statement. Luna bit her lips, refusing to respond. The prophecy Hippolyte mentioned was likely this one.

That I would k*ll my first family, the ones I loved the most, with my own hands, making my existence whole.

It was an enigmatic and chilling curse.

Everyone probably realized it already.

Whomever becomes my wife will d*e by my hands.

At that, Luna, who had previously been quiet, spoke in a small but distinct voice, unable to suppress it any longer.

“Maybe the prophecy is wrong?”

“No. The prophecy from Delphi always comes true, in some form or another. It’s unstoppable. Even mighty Jupiter couldn’t change what is foretold.”

“But…,”

“Didn’t you see the god of light who descended that day? It was a prophecy directly received from the god of light.”

“But… the first family could be someone else, not a spouse? Prophecies are like superstitions, often cryptic. Don’t they depend on interpretation?”

“You have a point. But nothing is absolutely clear. What is certain is that Hassan will one day k*ll his own family with his own hands.”

Under Hippolyte’s cold explanation, Luna had no more arguments and closed her mouth. And Hippolyte added a few more words decisively.

“You must know the story of the Trojan War, right. When they predicted that the first person to step off the ship would d*e, ultimately Teleutas disembarked and was killed by Hector’s spear. Now Hassan, this is a similar situation. Who ever becomes Hassan’s first family will one day be killed by his hands.”

“I don’t care. Even if I d*e at Hassan’s hands…”

Luna’s large emerald eyes were brimming with tears.

“I’ve been waiting for this since we made a promise long ago.”

Laying her head on my stomach, Luna burst into tears. The thought that I might have to k*ll her terrified me. Though Luna might feel fine with it, I certainly did not want such an experience.

Luna was prepared, but I wasn’t.

As Luna sobbed upon my stomach, Hippolyte scratched her nose awkwardly.

“If… well, I could get married first. As daughter of Mars, I live with d*ath every day wherever I am, so I’m not afraid of dying.”

“What? What are you saying?”

Luna, her eyes red with tears, her makeup smudged like a raccoon, looked up. Hippolyte hesitated in responding.

“Maybe this feeling I’ve developed for Hassan isn’t coincidental. After all, the daughters of Mars always carry d*ath. Mars was close friends with Pluto as well. So… I mean…”

“Are you saying you want to become Hassan’s first family?”

“Of course… assuming Hassan consents.”

Hippolyte’s face, illuminated by the candlelight, seemed unusually flushed. Am I… receiving a marriage proposal?

Thinking about it made me dizzy. My spine itched, and warmth quickly spread from my neck to my entire face.

“You know… I am the daughter of Mars and a Gold Tier adventurer. I believe I would make a perfect wife for a young god like Hassan. What do you think?”

“…”

Thoughts swirled in my head like overdrive. I found myself naturally imagining life with Hippolyte.

Hippolyte—an accomplished career woman.

She excels in all domestic chores, including cooking. She’s competent in everything except for stock trading. Moreover, she has a large, beautiful bust and a model-like slim figure. What an enviable domestic life that would be, with a track athlete as a wife.

But then I imagined myself strangling Hippolyte with my hands one day.

The happy image quickly turned grim, painted with shades of dark red. The thought of killing Hippolyte was as unsettling as killing Luna.

I found myself utterly repulsed by the idea of killing her.

“Anyway… I think that’s not possible. The thought of killing you, Hippolyte, with my own hands—it’s too terrible.”

“Hmm, yes. That does make sense. The more I think about it, it is indeed terrifying.”

“How about the unrealistic option to get rid of Gloria? What is that?”

At my words, Hippolyte cleared her throat and regained her composure.

“It’s precisely as it sounds—an unrealistic method: finding Gloria’s real brother and bringing him before her.”

“Oh.”

“That could work!”

At that, Luna raised her voice, suddenly brightened after having kept quiet until then.

“If we reunite her with her real brother, she won’t bother Hassan anymore! There would be no need to rush into marriage!”

“But as I said, this is the most unrealistic method. There’s very little to go on besides the fact that her brother is a strong Samaritan male.”

So, how do we proceed with that? As Hippolyte said, it’s an entirely unrealistic method.

“There have been attempts to find Gloria’s brother before. People wanted to put a leash on this reckless woman.”

“Are there no clues at all? Nothing?”

“There was a Samaritan male near Delphi, one who gained fame through his magical powers, but he disappeared about two years ago.”

“I’m good at finding people! If it’s a real family member of Gloria, we could use divination magic. If we have something like one of her hairs, we might be able to find her family!”

Ah, that’s right. Luna was a master of various spells. I had seen her use spells to locate and summon people before.

Like when she used magic to summon Actaeon while I fought Schizo.

“Indeed, it’s Ideope’s magic. It’s not an entirely reliable method, but with some variables at play, there’s a possibility.”

Rustle.

Someone stirred under my feet.

“In the name of all that’s holy, how long am I going to be awake? Paranoi here is so sleepy I might drop dead… and I need to properly instruct tomorrow’s new followers on the doctrines if I’m to get some rest…”

Our noisy chatter must have awoken Paranoi, who was curled up at my feet.

Thus, we realized just how late it was and how much time we had spent talking.

“Lord Hassan, I suddenly woke up mid-sleep, and now my mind is wide awake… Can you please, while I’m up, stroke my hair until I drift back to sleep?”

“What a demanding girl.”

“It’s a natural gesture from the paramount devotee who will one day become the first high priest in your temple…”

A temple.

It made me think of something, so I asked Hippolyte.

“How much does it generally cost to construct a temple?”

“Hmm, there’s no fixed amount, but a basic estimate would be around a thousand gold. It depends on how vast the land you acquire and how grand the building you construct. By the way, the newly built Mars Guild cost 2500 gold.”

Sheesh, how much is that?

I couldn’t quantify the amount but understood it was an incredibly large sum. I had no idea how long it would take me to save up that much money.

“Can’t we make it cheaper?”

“A shabby foundation in an obscure location could cost about a hundred gold. But who would willingly believe in and follow a destitute god?”

Ah, I thought I understood now. The grandeur of the temple symbolizes the prestige of the deity.

An opulent interior would likely attract more followers, which explained why the support of nobles was important.

“Paranoi, how much did you manage to collect at the latest fundraiser?”

I asked while absentmindedly stroking her hair. In response, she yawned and a cascade of small coins tumbled out of her mouth.

That was quite a scene, like smashing a piggy bank as a child.

“22 gold, and 30 silver, and 25 copper!”

“One gold coin that you swallowed earlier, Paranoi! It belongs to Luna!”

“Miss Luna already took one gold, so it’s 21 gold, 30 silver, and 25 copper!”

“Something seems off here. This feels less than what we should’ve collected. Is this really all?”

“Y-Yes, this is all!”

I wasn’t sure if it was because she was still half-asleep or if she was nervous about being caught, but I pinched Paranoi’s cheeks and stretched them up and down, front to back, like squeezing out the last bit of toothpaste.

A few more coins clinked and fell from her mouth.

“Here we have an extra gold and five silver coins.”

“B-But that’s money I was saving for myself!”

“Whatever. It’s nowhere close to the thousand we need.”

Just as I let out a small sigh, disappointed, Hippolyte pulled the curtains and answered me.

“It’s quite impressive for the first fundraiser. Bacchus, during his time as a young god, reportedly earned around 20 gold at his first fundraiser.”

“Is that so?”

Thinking about it, this does seem like a decent amount.

Although it’s far from a thousand gold, it’s still surprising how much was made just through socializing and hosting a sponsor event.

At least, I won’t starve anymore. My life is finally heading somewhere!

As I rejoiced at that thought, Hippolyte added more in a subtle tone.

“The conflict with Gloria isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The fact that you fought against someone so formidable and even managed to land a hit on her will spread quickly, enhancing your divine status in the world.”

And so, time passed quickly as we prepared for the next day.

We organized our thoughts about our experiences in Delphi and readied ourselves to return to Sodomora, where we had established our base of operations.

However, before leaving, we devised a trap to obtain one of Gloria’s hairs, which could help free me from her obsessive behavior.

“Luna, are you sure you’ll be okay? She’s extremely strong. Her entire body is like solid steel.”

“That’s something we’ll find out once we try! Hassan, you distract her while the rest of us three focus on subduing her. Got it?”

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