Chapter 64

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Episode 64: The Quack Masseur Hassan

064? The Quack Masseur Hassan #3

Nymph? My ears perked up at the word.

“Nymph?”

“Yes, a nymph! Nymphs naturally grow slower, so they look at least twice as young as they really are! Look, you can clearly see she’s different from humans or dwarves.”

The Tavern Owner protested as if greatly wronged. Just as he said, my gaze flicked back to the girl sitting stiffly on the bed.

Her long, rippling blue hair resembled the sea, and the pointed ears peeking out from the sides were indeed different from a human’s.

But seeing those pointed ears sent an uneasy chill down my spine—probably due to past trauma.

Of course, Elpride’s ears were even longer and sharper. Thinking about it, Daphne’s ears were probably similarly short and pointed.

“So, she’s really not human?”

“That’s right. Though, it’s understandable why you’d be mistaken. After the Curse of Ceres thirty years ago, most nymphs died out, so they’re rare now. Many people don’t even know they exist.”

I’d vaguely heard there were other fairy-like races besides elves. So, this must be one of them. But seeing one in person was a first.

“…”

The Tavern Owner’s wife—her name was Echo, I think?—blushed deeply in embarrassment and pulled the blanket over her head as I stared.

“Can your wife not speak?”

“She’s very shy. Nymphs are naturally prone to bashfulness. In many ways, they’re quite different from the elves from the outer continents.”

Elves and nymphs—their names sounded similar, but in person, they were clearly different.

From what I remembered, Elpride was noticeably voluptuous—tall, slender, and well-developed.

But this woman, Echo, looked unmistakably like a young girl. Her face was delicate and cute, as expected of a fairy-like being, but she didn’t give off an adult’s presence.

Comparing them, elves were like large, sturdy foreign bullfrogs, while nymphs were more like the delicate native blue frogs of this continent.

The thought that the native species couldn’t survive against the invaders made me pity them a little.

“Samaritan, I’ll leave her in your care. I can’t leave the tavern unattended for long, so I’ll be going now. I’ll check in occasionally, so let me know if you need anything!”

With that, the Tavern Owner quickly excused himself. Leaving me alone with this strange nymph in the basement felt awkward.

“…”

True to her shy nature, Echo didn’t say a word to me, which made things even more uncomfortable.

But I couldn’t just sit there in silence. Tonight, I’d been summoned by Hippolyte for training, and refusing or being late to an Adventurer of Silver rank could spell trouble.

Ahem. “Um, may I call you Echo? I heard you have back pain.”

“…”

I tried to lift the mood by speaking first. In response, the blue-eyed nymph trembled slightly, still half-buried under the blanket.

d*mn. Anyone could see she’s terrified. But to be fair, I’d be scared too if I were stuck in a room with someone like me—some dark, shady dude.

“Uhh, I don’t know if your husband mentioned it, but I’m actually pretty good at massages. Maybe I can help with your back pain. Would it be okay to take your hand?”

“…”

The nymph remained silent. Only her faintly visible face blinked beneath the blanket.

She didn’t say yes, but she wasn’t refusing either. So, she must have no objections.

I put on the most harmless expression I could muster and slowly approached the bed, cautiously sitting near the edge.

“Then, I’ll touch you now. May I see your wrist first…?”

A thin arm peeked out from under the blanket—so slender it would leave room in my grip even if I wrapped my hand around it.

As my fingers made contact, letters appeared with a ding!

『Name: Echo Lv. 4

Status: Curse of Stunted Growth | Chest Tightness | Weak Disc』

The back pain must be due to the weak disc. But what’s this Curse of Stunted Growth? Did curses like that even exist?

“Um, could you lie flat on your stomach, please?”

“…”

Again, no verbal response. But in lieu of words, the Tavern Owner’s wife wriggled into position, slowly lying face-down on the bed.

I straightened her delicate frame and checked the alignment—whether her legs were even, if her pelvis or spine was misaligned.

Her balance wasn’t as bad as I expected. A chiropractic adjustment could fix this.

The real problem was the disc.

Disc issues were hard to cure without surgery. Could massage even help with that? I hesitated.

“I’ll start pressing near your lower back now. I’ll need to lift your clothes a bit—is that okay?”

“J-Just a little…”

Oh! Finally, her first words. Barely audible, but the difference between silent permission and verbal consent was huge.

Swoosh—

As I reached to lift her dress, I realized: Wait, this is a one-piece. To access her lower back, I’d unavoidably have to lift the skirt all the way up to her hips.

“Um, sorry, I think I’ll need you to pull the dress down from the top instead.”

Jolt!

The nymph trembled again.

“Lifting it from the bottom would be… too much.”

“Ah…”

Finally understanding, she awkwardly began peeling the fabric off her shoulders and back.

Swoosh… swoooosh—

Her small frame shifted, and soon, she lay face-down again, hugging the blanket to cover her chest while leaving her back exposed.

The first thing that caught my eye were red spots near her waist—reminiscent of Luna’s delicate back.

What was that spot called again? Kidney pressure point?

Kidney points were acupressure spots near the lower back. Pressing them could relieve chronic pain or stimulate organ function.

Back pain could cause organ discomfort, and vice versa—so releasing tension here had broad health benefits.

Even setting that aside, disc issues often involved muscle stiffness around the spine, so proper massage could still help ease the pain.

Huu—

I exhaled softly and placed my hands on her back. This was a routine massage, but I couldn’t help feeling tense—if done wrong, pressing a disc could make things worse.

Amateurs shouldn’t mess with this. I wasn’t a professional—was trusting my hands and Grace enough?

Tsk. What’s the worst that could happen?

“I’ll start pressing gently.”

Squish—

“Nngh…!”

Echo let out a deep m*an and gripped the blanket, apparently in pain.

Her back had almost no muscle to speak of—soft, delicate skin, supple to the touch. Yet even those sparse muscles were rigid with fatigue. The lack of support likely worsened her pain.

“Ah… Hah…”

She trembled, breathing heavily beneath me.

I kept my focus entirely on my thumbs working her back, careful not to strain nerves or weaken my pressure.

Press… press… squish—

Beads of sweat formed on my forehead.

“Nnngh—!”

CRACK!

After silent minutes of pressing, Echo suddenly clawed at the bedsheet, like she’d felt an intense jolt. Had I pressed wrong?

Ding!

『Treated Echo’s Weak Disc』

『Quest Points +10』

『Current Quest Points: 87』

I sighed in relief. d*mn, did I just fix a slipped disc?!

Curses were abstract, but healing something real like this felt—Wow. If I could take this ability back to my world, I’d be rolling in cash!

Just as I was basking in pride and a tinge of regret—

“Hah… Nh… Doctor…?”

Gasping, Echo called for me. Had I messed up?

“What’s wrong? Did something go bad? And I’m not a doctor.”

“M-My… chest feels tight… W-What is this…?”

Chest tightness? What kind of symptom was that? My thoughts raced—

Swoosh—

Echo turned onto her back and grabbed my wrist, pulling my hand toward her chest.

Squish—

A soft, palm-sized mound filled my grip—plush yet firm, warmth pulsing under my fingertips. I nearly yelped.

“Nhh…”

“Wh-What are you—?!”

A woman guiding my hand to her chest?!

What the hell?! Stunned, I recalled: Right—the kidney point! Pressing it could boost female hormones and… function.

No way this shy woman would do this otherwise.

“Haaah…”

“Uh, this is kind of…”

Squeeze—

Even when I tried pulling away, Echo clung tight—as if forcing me to keep kneading.

Not that I didn’t want to. But massaging a young bride’s chest? If caught, I’d be executed on the spot.

Yet the sensation—soft yet firm, stuck to my hand like glue—made it impossible to stop.

Squish, squish—

“…Ah!”

But the more I pressed, the more I realized: beneath the softness was a small, hard lump.

Was this the chest tightness from before?

Knead, press, knead—

It shrank bit by bit under my fingers.

Squish, squish—

“Ahn! Haaa…!”

With a sudden jolt, Echo arched her back like a bridge, thighs trembling uncontrollably.

Ding!

『Treated Echo’s:

Curse of Stunted Growth | Chest Tightness』

『Quest Points +20』

『Current Points: 107』

Both conditions were cleared. My points had crossed 100 again—huge!

…But now what?

“Do… Doctor…”

Echo lay limp, calling me in a sticky voice.

“You have… blessed hands… Have you… received Grace?”

“Uh… Sorry about this.”

“…”

She fell silent, pulling her dress back on and wrapping herself in the blanket.

“I’ll go now. Try not to lift heavy things—strengthen your back muscles instead.”

The awkward silence made me flee toward the tavern’s exit.

“Done? How is she? Will she recover?”

The Tavern Owner stopped me. Guilt weighed on me—I couldn’t meet his eyes.

“She should be fine now!”

“What a relief! Why are you so sweaty?”

“It was… a tough procedure.”

“Well, no miracle comes easy. Here—your pay.”

He handed me a pouch. Five silver coins—500 copper. Enough for a hundred bowls of soup.

I just groped a married woman and got paid for it. I felt like some legendary gigolo.

“Next time, I want a sess—”

I ignored him and stepped outside. The cold wind cooled my flushed face.

“Phew…”

I replayed the basement in my head. It felt like a dream.

A nymph… She looked frail, but touching her was heavenly.

How did women even have such softness? If I had those, I’d never stop touching them. Maybe they do just fondle themselves all day.

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Later—Guild Training Grounds

“You’re late. I was waiting. …Actually, I wasn’t.”

Late at night, in the empty guild hall, Hippolyte—wearing very light attire—sat waiting.

A tight tank top and short, form-fitting shorts left her toned abs and thighs gleaming under moonlight. The difference from her usual armor was striking.

No makeup, but her natural beauty needed none.

Facing such a woman under the moon? Yeah, I’m nervous.

“Why did you summon me tonight…?”

“Hassan. I hear you have magic hands.”

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[Afterword]

Elves = alien species, nymphs = native. (…Hassan’s an alien too, technically.)

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(Translation complete.)

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