Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Descendants of Pluto

076 ? Descendants of Pluto #3

Eventually, only I and this strangely bound nymph remained in the underground chamber.

As if sensing that everyone else had vacated their positions leaving me alone, the Cultist Nymph Paranoi began violently struggling against her handcuffs.

“Urgh, urgh-!”

Was she asking me to untie the gag from her mouth?

Just by appearance, she seemed like any other teenage girl, and so seeing her restrained this inhumane way made her look quite pitiful. Yet, I couldn’t afford to fall for it; this kid was nothing but a psycho cultist.

Curious as to why she had summoned me, I slid the gag out from her mouth.

“Phew-.”

As if exhaling breath she had been holding, Paranoi took a huge gasp of air.

“Hmph. Stupid fools. I thought I was about to suffocate. Mars’ dogs don’t seem to realize just how precious a nymph is! A nymph needs to be handled with care!”

Paranoi continued to gasp for the air she had been lacking. When her breathing had somewhat steadied, I asked.

“You wanted to see me, why?”

“Why, obviously, I asked you to let me go. Quickly, get these restraints off! My back itches, and I can’t scratch it! It feels like ants are crawling all over me! Hurry up!”

It was such an obvious request that I nearly fell for it. Seriously, even though I might not be the brightest bulb, I’m not about to release a psycho cultist like her.

“Why should I release you?”

“There’s no one here, so how long do you plan to keep up this facade? Aren’t you our ally? Aren’t you the covert agent operating within the city?”

“Not me.”

Was she mistaking me for someone else? But talk of allies and covert operatives—it was all news to me. The thought that someone might mistakenly associate me with her kind made me uneasy. If this happened, I might once again be falsely accused of something I didn’t do and end up locked in a dungeon once more, getting slapped around.

“It seems like you’ve mistaken someone. I have no connection to you.”

“Yeah, sure, just keep lying. Despite the overwhelming evidence. Can’t you feel it? The magical power of Pluto radiating off you. I noticed it the moment we first met in the cave.”

Paranoi sniffed the air, wrinkling her nose.

“How strong. It’s almost like Pluto himself is standing before me.”

I thought about the necklace hanging from my neck, which perhaps I had stolen from one of her comrades—a pendant that was possibly connected to Pluto.

Could it be that this situation was a misunderstanding stemming from the necklace? Or could this perhaps be an opportunity to teach these cultists a lesson?

Hassan, the hero who single-handedly wiped out the cultists!

The Gold Tier golden necklace!

Recognized by Nox, the mother of Luna, for my marriage proposal to Luna!

Wa!

How should I propose? Would she like it if I placed candles throughout the room and made it a special event? I could also prepare a heartfelt letter.

Could it be possible that this modern approach might cause Luna to act irrationally? I wouldn’t want her to get overly emotional to the point of crying again.

“Hmph.”

While I was lost in daydreaming about this blissful future, something interrupted.

“Why are you laughing? Anyway, could you please hurry up and untie these restraints? After the failed raid on the Mars Shrine, escape has become impossible due to those dimwitted fools.”

“No, I can’t untie you. If I did, I’d be punished.”

“Alright, the time isn’t right yet, I see. Then could you scratch my back? It feels like ants are crawling everywhere!”

Scratch her back? While I can’t untie her, scratching her back doesn’t sound too difficult. Being bound like this must be extremely uncomfortable if you can’t even scratch yourself when you’re itchy.

Being bound to a chair while being teased by feathers was one of the punishments Elpride occasionally inflicted on me. That girl was truly cruel. Honestly, now that I think about it, it makes me quite irritated.

A strict monk should really take her under his wing and give her a proper education.

At any rate, I held onto the shoulders of the cultist nymph Paranoi, who was complaining about the itching, and exposed her back. And then I was utterly surprised by what I saw.

“What the hell is this thing?!”

Affixed to her back was a spider, about the size of a palm, moving its eight hairy legs. sh*t, no wonder she was feeling itchy!

“What? What is it? Is there something wrong?”

“sh*t! There’s a spider on you!”

“Sp-sp-spider!? Get it off! Get it off me!”

The moment “spider” was mentioned, Paranoi, restrained as she was, started wildly thrashing around in panic.

And so, when the black spider that had been clinging to her back leaped onto my shoulder, I let out a startled scream, nearly foaming at the mouth.

“Fucking hell!”

I managed to swat the spider away with my hand. It yelped twice—”Gong, gong!”—before disappearing into a small hole in the basement.

Fucking hell! Talking spiders? I still can’t get used to that. Luna would probably have been thrilled to see it. She seems to like spiders, toads, and all that stuff.

“Spider, spideriiiit-!!”

Meanwhile, Nymph Cultist Paranoi started shaking violently, having no idea that the spider had already fallen off her back.

“There’s a spider on my body!!”

Her arms remained restrained by chains attached to handcuffs on the wall, and her eyes were blindfolded, so she couldn’t discern her current situation.

The vile cultist girl certainly deserved it. Could this be my chance to settle my grudge with them?

Seizing the opportunity, I slowly moved my hand towards her ankle.

Swoosh.

Paranoi reacted immediately with a shiver as my fingers touched her skin.

“There’s a spider on my ankle! Get it off! Quickly!”

A spider? Was she mistaking my hand for a spider? With her eyes covered, and if I slowly moved my fingers while raising my nails, it could feel like a spider to her.

I mimicked the movements of a spider, slowly dragging my fingers from her thin ankle up her calf and all the way to her thigh.

Swoosh, swoosh.

Each careful upward movement left her quivering in terror and helplessness as she didn’t know what to do.

“Hurry, get it off! Spider, I’m scared…!”

Swoosh, swoosh.

I continued taunting her, my fingers teasingly moving between her thigh and calf, softly pressing at the tender skin through her nails.

“Hiiik! Hiiik!”

Each time my nails grazed her skin, she trembled fiercely as if about to faint. It was somewhat amusing.

“Hurry up, please!”

But then, seeing her burst into tears made her look pitiable. So I withdrew my hand from her thigh and acted like nothing happened.

“Alright, it’s gone now. The spider is no longer here.”

“Is that true? sh*t, spiders are fucking scary…!”

“It’s gone now. You can relax. I’ve removed it.”

“Comrade…! You’re a really good person! When I escape from here, I will not forget this kindness!”

Are you kidding me? I was the one pretending to be a spider.

I was scared of her because she was supposed to be a terrifying cultist, but it seemed Paranoi had certain limitations. By this point, she almost seemed pitiful.

I guess if someone has some slight deficiencies, they end up doing the work of a fraudulent religion in this chaotic world. After all, if she were truly intelligent, she wouldn’t have fallen into something like a cult. Or, was I coming to such a conclusion prematurely? Perhaps I am indeed intelligent.

“So, is there anything else you have to say apart from asking to be released?”

“No, I have one more request. Comrade, it is because I trust you that I can ask this. It’s a really important request.”

A really important request?

With those words, the idea that I might achieve great exploits made my mouth water.

“What is it?”

“Uh, uh, I really have to pee. Could you help me somehow…? Those bastards from Mars locked me up and tied me down so I can’t even use the toilet. I really have to go right now…”

That was completely unexpected. Of course, if someone is tied up like this, at some point needing to use the toilet will be inevitable.

“Actually, I could hold it for a bit longer, but the spider made it urgent…I think I might go…!”

The urgent tone startled me as well.

I was worried that if I didn’t help her now, I might end up witnessing something that could leave a lasting, traumatic impression. So, scanning the surroundings, I noticed a small wooden bucket lying around, perhaps used as a trash can.

I emptied its contents and placed it between her open legs.

“Here, use this!”

“Ugh, you’ll have to take off my underwear first…!”

The what? Was she asking me to take off her underwear too?

At that moment, I began to suspect that this might be an act. Could she be pretending to be foolish to bewilder me and take control of the situation?

“HAAAA!”

But seeing her squirm, twist, and even convulse with genuine urgency, it seemed she wasn’t faking it.

“Since I have no choice, I’ll have to do it. Don’t blame me later!”

“Fine, hurry!”

So I grabbed the flowing black fabric and pulled it down from her hips, past her thighs to her calves.

But sitting in that position, it seemed difficult for her to relieve herself. Therefore, I had to hold the bucket closer between her legs.

“Hurry, pee.”

“Huuu…”

Then, as though an exhalation from deep within came, a soft trickle filled the silence of the dungeon.

Sssssss.

The water trickling like a gentle stream gradually sounded stronger, as if a dam had burst.

“HHAA…”

d*mn, what am I doing helping a nymph relieve herself when the entire city is in chaos because of cultist attacks?

“…Ah, thanks to the comrade’s help, I survived. Thank you so much for helping me with such an unusual request. I will not forget this kindness, even if hell comes to the surface of the earth. Sorry for troubling you with such an abnormal task. By the way, could you help me put my underwear back on? It’s really cold down here.”

“Alright.”

With that, I pulled her underwear back up as if nothing had happened when Paranoi spoke again.

“So, the comrade will continue pretending to be an adventurer, right?”

“I suppose so.”

“Yes, let’s not make this conversation too long for fear of raising suspicions. Go above now. Tell those fools that you tortured me and extracted some information.”

“Information?”

“Right. This might be a good opportunity to spread false information. Since you’re a spy, let’s use that to our advantage. Hm, what false information should I spread? Let’s say buildings with marks will be targeted in the offensive.”

“Buildings with marks?”

At the mention of marks, ideas began to flood my mind. The first thing that came to mind was the X marking I had noticed this morning at Luna’s cottage.

“By marks, do you mean the X symbols carved at the doors?”

“Indeed! And in fact, it’s the homes without any marks that will be attacked three days from now. Don’t you think spreading chaos and fear like this will further destabilize the populace?”

Looks like they are up to some terroristic activities after all. Truly a cult of terror.

“Indeed, things are going to be confusing.”

“Isn’t it? Hmph, looks like I might even be promoted to the Silver Tier as a priest. I’ve been more than competent!”

From Paranoi’s words, I gathered important information. The Plutonian Cultists intend to launch indiscriminate terror attacks within the city.

Their target consists primarily of houses without X marks.

As a side note, the hierarchy of the Plutonian cultists mirrors the Adventurer’s Guild, with ranks like Bronze and Silver tiers.

Yet, thinking about it further, it doesn’t sound much like an adventurer guild but more reminiscent of a pyramid scheme.

Additionally, an important bit of information I noted was that nymphs lack body hair altogether.

“Comrade, I’ll call you again when needed. Next time, bring me some crystallized candy. Without it, I can’t calm down. Also, it’s too dark and lonely in here…”

“Understood.”

With that, the bizarre encounter with the cultist was over. As I ascended from the dungeon, Baltma, who had been waiting for me, narrowed his singular eye with sharp scrutiny.

“Weren’t there screams of a nymph earlier? Did you use violence or torture her?”

“That, well… the screams were from fear of a spider. Not due to torture.”

“Is that forbidden?”

“No, it is not forbidden. But still, it’s curious as to how this usually stoic woman screamed with such intensity in the dungeon.”

“Simply some things here and there with my hands…”

“Indeed, it seems to be the terrifying torture methods passed down from the wilderness of Samara, enhanced with your deft handwork. Even the taciturn cultists couldn’t endure it, it seems.”

It appeared Baltma had misinterpreted both the scream and my vague explanation.

What expression would he make if I told him that I was tickling the nymph’s thigh and even assisted her in relieving herself in the basement?

Fucking hell, this had better remain a secret. If this story gets out, Luna will look at me with cold disdain.

“Rather, there’s something I’ve learned. Three days from now, there will be an assault by the Plutonian Cultists within the city.”

“Assault? An assault?”

At the word ‘assault,’ Baltma’s expression turned quite serious.

“Tell me more.”

So I briefly recounted the information I gained from Paranoi. For instance, houses with and without certain symbols.

“Houses without symbols will be attacked? Then we can throw them off by carving symbols on all homes. Samarian, this is an incredible piece of information! To extract something so crucial through torture… Truly, there’s no greater torturer!”

d*mn, calling me the greatest torturer. Is that supposed to be a compliment? Since our first meeting, I’ve sensed a considerable disconnect in his sense of praise.

“By the way, where’s Luna?”

“Oh, the pink-haired lady? She’s on the training ground with Hippolyte.”

Luna is on the training grounds with Hippolyte?

This fills me with nothing but unease. Even I, with my sturdy physique, found it hard to keep up with Hippolyte. How could the delicate Luna withstand the brute strength of that warrior woman?

Moreover, fucking hell, Hippolyte. Taking Luna to the training grounds, is she some sort of ancient pervert who enjoys same-s*x combat? Truly, she’s despicable.

Hence, I rushed to the training grounds. And within the crowd of murmuring people, I saw Luna, pressed up against Hippolyte’s body.

“HHEEEEP!”

Luna gasped deeply, pulling Hippolyte’s body tightly around her and arching her back, driving Hippolyte’s face into the ground.

“GGGGRRRAAAHH!”

What in the world is going on here?

[Author’s Afterword]

Hello, it’s Michuri! Today I have an important announcement… sniff…

Thanks to the enthusiastic support of our dear readers, we’ve achieved 6th place in the Monthly Best for our first month of serialization, June…!! It’s so moving… HOOOOOT!!

As a way to thank the readers for their kindness and attention, tomorrow’s episode 77!! With two ‘lucky sevens’ in the chapter number, we will host a giveaway! We will randomly select 24 people from those who leave comments and recommendations, and each will receive 24 badges!

It’s not today but tomorrow’s episode 77…!! The announcement will be made in episode 79…!

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