Chapter 403

Here is the English translation of the provided text, adhering to the given glossaries and maintaining the original tone and style:

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### 403 People Preparing for Winter #1

Winter comes early to the Gaia Continent.

No, to be precise, winter arrives on time—it’s just that people start preparing for it sooner.

Autumn isn’t even over yet, but—

Hey, pull it tight—!

This should hold, right? Even if a ton of snow piles up, the roof won’t collapse.

People gather firewood, stock up on food, or reinforce their roofs to withstand the snow.

Back when I was a slave, I had to work tirelessly just to survive the winter. Finding warm places to sleep, memorizing the locations of soup kitchens, scavenging old blankets—I did all that just to keep from freezing to d*ath.

Come to think of it, this is my first winter as a free man. Seeing everyone preparing for the season feels… new.

“This street hasn’t changed at all!”

The first place we visited upon returning to Sodomora was Luna’s cabin.

As we walked through the slums, Luna’s excitement grew, and the moment she saw the familiar yard and garden, it skyrocketed.

“Wow, it’s been forever! Did no one take care of the yard? The weeds are completely overgrown!”

Her eyes scanned the yard, now filled with strange wildflowers.

The small vegetable patch where she used to grow potatoes, the traps she set to catch raccoons—everything came rushing back.

Tap, tap—

Wearing her old sandals, she stepped through the garden, slowly running her palm over the wild grass and reeds that had grown waist-high.

Honestly, I tried my best to maintain the garden, but no matter how often I pulled them out, the weeds and reeds just kept growing back. It was infuriating.

Maybe that’s a downside of being a druid.

Swish, swish—

After brushing through the reeds for a while, Luna turned her attention to the cabin’s doorknob. Creeeak— The rusty hinges groaned as the door opened, revealing the dusty workshop on the first floor.

The thick layer of dust floating in the air made it obvious that no one had been here for days. Clearly, Paranoi had neglected cleaning, probably because she found it bothersome.

But Luna didn’t seem to care. She stepped inside and began rummaging through the jars on the first floor.

“W-What the hell?!”

She let out a startled yelp.

In her hand was a spider with shimmering, rainbow-colored fur—Keng Keng.

“Hassan, look at this!”

But despite seeing Keng Keng after so long, Luna was frowning. The reason? The spider in her hand wasn’t moving at all. Not even a twitch.

Its body lacked any semblance of vitality.

A chill ran down my spine. Had Keng Keng starved to d*ath in just a week?

d*mn it, Paranoi, I told you to feed it properly!

Just as my vision began to darken with dread—

Hiiiioooong—

A familiar, extremely welcome sound came from somewhere. Then, something flooped out from between the jars and landed in Luna’s palm.

“Wha—sh*t! You’re alive, Keng Keng?!”

Hioong.

That was the happiest sound I’d ever heard. And now, curled up in Luna’s hand, was a bizarre little creature wriggling around.

“Oh! Keng Keng molted! Its colors are so vibrant now! Wait, so this was just the shed skin? You’ve gotten so pretty, Keng Keng!”

Indeed, the Keng Keng now perched on Luna’s palm shimmered with iridescent hues—so dazzling it was almost surreal.

Unlike before, when it was covered in glossy fur, it now looked like a spider made of water droplets or soap bubbles—smooth, soft, and squishy.

Maybe it hadn’t fully regrown its fur or exoskeleton yet after molting.

“Well-raised wolf spiders shed their skin and turn all soft like this when they reach adulthood! Isn’t it amazing? You could sell this for a high price!”

According to Luna, this bubble-like, rainbow form was Keng Keng’s final evolved state.

Keng keng.

It really did look like something that could fetch a high price.

Less like a regular animal and more like a Pokémon—adorable in its own way. Jelly Spider would suit it better than Wolf Spider.

Even though I usually hate spiders, Keng Keng’s current form was fascinating rather than frightening.

Though, it did look like it might pop if mishandled, which was terrifying in its own right.

Hioooong—

Keng Keng, overjoyed to see Luna again, perched on her shoulder and began waving its front legs left and right in a strange little dance.

Luna, in turn, stroked its back and belly with her fingers before carefully placing it back into the jar.

“Seeing Keng Keng makes it feel real. I’m really back… This is my home now.”

After spending about a month and a half in Ideope, Luna had returned to the slums of Sodomora, to the humble cabin near the west gate—

A place filled with nostalgic memories.

Saying “This is my home now” must have carried a lot of emotions for her.

“I tried so hard to save Ideope, but now… I don’t know what to do next. Since my parents are supposedly out there, should I try to find them?”

She still seemed hung up on being exiled from Ideope.

She had worked hard to save the cursed island, only for it to become unnecessary—leaving her feeling adrift.

But Luna wasn’t the type to stay down for long.

“If I become a famous adventurer, maybe my parents will recognize me! Once I perfect the nectar, they’ll definitely come looking for me!”

She was too proactive and ambitious to sit still.

For now, I decided to welcome her back properly.

“Welcome home.”

Swoosh—

Then, I handed her the doll tied to my waist.

It was the one she’d left with me when she went away. “Think of me when you look at it,” she’d said—and I really did.

Sometimes, when I was bored, I even talked to it.

Swoosh—

But when Luna took the doll, her brow furrowed slightly.

“Huh? The doll feels… weird?”

“There’s an evil spirit—or something—sealed inside. What happened was—”

I explained how I’d exorcised the evil spirit and trapped it inside the doll.

I thought she might be angry that I’d sealed something sinister into her handmade doll, but her reaction was unexpected.

“Whoa! So it’s a haunted object now? That’s awesome! It’d be perfect as a protective charm! My voodoo success rate will go way up!”

Apparently, an object imbued with a soul was even better in her eyes.

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“Luna, this is where my shrine’s being built. First time seeing it?”

I took Luna to the old communal graveyard near the west gate—now the site of my future shrine.

“Wow, this is amazing. A shrine built on land saturated with spiritual energy… It suits you and Hassan perfectly.”

I’d worried she might be disappointed by the shabby graveyard, but she seemed to love it.

Relieved, I casually pointed out the different facilities.

“That’s Paranoi’s office, and those people in black robes are the priests I hired.”

“d*mn! Paranoi has an office now? That girl’s made it big!”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Maybe because we were talking about her—

“Aah—!”

A familiar exclamation rang in my ears.

Soon, tap-tap-tap—light footsteps on dirt—and a nymph with orange hair and a black robe appeared.

“Lord Hassan, welcome back…! It is I, Paranoi, the High Priestess and Supreme Deity’s foremost servant! I have been counting the days until your return…!”

Paranoi had always been dramatic, but this time, she was practically bouncing with joy.

It wasn’t a bad feeling—knowing someone was this happy to see me return.

Then, she noticed Luna beside me.

“Lady Luna, welcome back as well…! The ever-vigilant Judge Paranoi has been ensuring no women crossed the line in your absence…!”

“Hey, Paranoi, good to see you. But what’s with all the dirt on your face?”

Swoosh—

Luna pulled a handkerchief from her pouch and wiped Paranoi’s face clean.

“And your hair’s a mess!”

“Antiope is terrible at brushing hair…! Only Lady Luna does it thoroughly and gently…!”

Doris, the Nymph of Honey Water, who had been quietly following Luna, chimed in.

“Our mistress has an exceptional way with nymphs…!”

The nymphs adored Luna. Even Paranoi, who often got flicked on the forehead by her, held deep affection for her.

“What, Paranoi, do you have a cold? Blow your nose—”

“Nymphs are weak to winter… This year seems especially cold… I may need to hibernate…!”

Watching Luna fuss over the nymphs like a big sister, it was easy to see why they loved her so much.

Wait, hibernate?

Do nymphs hibernate?

Either way, seeing the girls gathered together, brushing each other’s hair, warmed my heart against the autumn chill.

“Hey, Noxdotty. Long time no see.”

“Oh, it’s Hippolyte!”

“I heard you rode a giant eagle back to the city. Of course, you made a grand entrance both leaving and returning—couldn’t miss it.”

Clank, clank—

Before I knew it, Hippolyte, clad in full armor, had appeared at my shrine.

I remembered that while I was away, she had added my shrine to her patrol route.

Was she on duty today?

Luna studied Hippolyte and asked:

“Your face looks rounder. Did you gain weight?”

“N-No, of course not. Hmph. What a strange thing to say right away.”

Hippolyte touched her cheeks, then glanced at me—as if silently asking for my opinion.

Well… did she gain weight? Her sharp features did look a bit softer now. But I just shrugged.

Then, Luna tilted her head slightly.

“Who’s that next to you? There’s a weird kid there.”

She had noticed the small girl clinging to Hippolyte’s waist—a nymph with bright orange hair, even lighter than Paranoi’s, and long straight locks tied back. Ignoy.

“This is Ignoy, a nymph I’m looking after for now.”

“Aah, a nymph I’ve never seen before…! I, Doris, the Golden Nymph born at the end of spring, greet you…! So you’re a summer nymph…!”

“…”

Unlike Doris, who was eager to introduce herself, Ignoy hid behind Hippolyte and stayed silent.

She probably still hadn’t recovered from Bacchus’ departure. It had only been a week, after all.

Hippolyte sighed softly.

“Ignoy doesn’t talk to anyone but me. She doesn’t trust people. I’ve been buying her candy, but she barely touches it.”

Luna frowned as if she’d heard something outrageous.

“A nymph who doesn’t like candy? Is she sick? Does she have cavities?”

“I don’t think so. She’s just… still confused about a lot of things. Originally, she was…”

She trailed off. The next words would’ve been Bacchus’ name—and she knew how Ignoy would react.

“Anyway, I’ve been eating a lot of candy because of her. That’s probably why my face looks fuller. I never liked sweets much before…”

So that’s why Hippolyte had gained weight. She must have been trying everything to cheer Ignoy up.

Leaving Ignoy in her care might have been one of my best decisions this year.

Whoooosh—

A freezing wind blew past us.

As Luna and I tightened our robes, the three nymphs all sneezed in unison.

Paranoi, sniffling, raised her voice.

“We shouldn’t stay out here…! Let’s go inside to talk…! Nymphs take forever to recover from colds…!”

So we headed into the small cabin next to Paranoi’s office.

In the week I’d been gone, another building had sprung up beside it. The interior, though crudely built, had a cozy sofa, a carpet, and a roaring fireplace—warm and inviting.

I asked:

“When was this built? What’s it for?”

“This is Paranoi’s lounge…! A space where the heart finds peace…! Over there, you’ll find delicious snacks and sweet drinks…!”

This little brat had used shrine funds to build herself a lounge? I decided then and there that I’d be taking this as my office.

We sat on the surprisingly luxurious carpet. The warmth of the fire and the softness beneath me made me want to lie down and nap—

“Lord Hassan, something terrible has happened…!”

Paranoi’s urgent tone snapped me back to attention.

Come to think of it, she had appeared in my dream earlier, making a fuss about something.

“What’s going on?”

“That wicked girl came to Sodomora…! If not for Paranoi’s heroic efforts, the city and shrine would have collapsed, and all your plans would have been ruined…!”

Luna, who had been idly playing with Doris’ ears, looked up.

“Wicked girl?”

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(Translation ends here.)

Let me know if you’d like any refinements or adjustments!

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