Chapter 87

87th Episode

The Hero of Sodomora

087 – The Hero of Sodomora #3

Setting aside Pluton’s silent paladin, Schizo, in the underground, I ascended to the neat first-floor lobby of the Minerva Guild.

There, Actaeon, who was waiting above, spoke to me.

“Did you uncover anything, friend?”

“I did find something, but—.”

Since all I could gather were vague metaphors, I had no choice but to relay all that Schizo had said to Actaeon as it was.

From suddenly spitting bl**d to uttering bizarre prophecy-like statements.

“Hmm.”

After listening for a long time, he crossed his arms and mumbled thoughtfully.

“Hmmm.”

Frankly, I wondered if it even made sense to tell this guy, but I decided to trust the golden necklace gleaming between his massive pectorals.

“Son of d*ath… The notion of Pluton having a son is something I’ve never heard before. To begin with, I’ve never even heard that Wealth God Pluton took a wife. Pluton is renowned as a deity who stands alone.”

“Is that so?”

Even I, someone with limited knowledge of mythology, knew the lore concerning the wife of the God of the Underworld.

So, I asked subtly out of curiosity.

“Do you know nothing about Persephone?”

“What’s that? Did Pluton’s paladin mention that too?”

Though I thought it might help, Actaeon instead seemed genuinely unaware and asked me in return.

It seems that while this world does resemble the ancient Greco-Roman worldview I was familiar with, there are also differences. My limited mythological knowledge was clearly of no great use here.

Even the names of the gods differ from what I know.

I mentioned it just in case, but as usual, it might be best to just stay quiet. I don’t want unnecessary attention.

“Anyway, the fact that Pluton has a son is a major issue. And if this son is setting his sights on this earth, something monumental is bound to happen.”

Son of a god—

I suddenly glanced at Luna, who was simply sitting beside me, blinking as she listened.

“What?”

Luna, noticing I was looking at her, questioned why. In reality, she is also somewhat of a deity’s daughter. But she’s a pink Chicorita.

Of course, a pink Chicorita might be rare and might attract a cult following, but her capabilities are ultimately limited by the fact that she’s still a Chicorita.

Thus, I figured that even if Pluton had a son, it probably wouldn’t amount to much.

Watching the scatterbrained and amateurish followers of Pluton, I concluded that their leader, Pluton, must also be somewhat incompetent, and his son might just be an idiot—though, who knows?

“Would that really be a big problem?”

Apparently, Actaeon’s thoughts differed from mine.

“Pluton, like Lord Jupiter, is kin to the old ruler, Saturn. Although he ranks lower than Lord Jupiter, Pluton is actually a legitimate heir. His immense power is so formidable that he’s often called the Jupiter of the underworld.”

Actaeon paused his explanation, glanced around with narrow eyes.

The vast hall inside the guild. After observing the people moving around for a moment, he muttered quietly to me so only I could hear.

“The heir of an heir… This is not typically a safe opponent. I do not understand why Hypos, the great one, remains silent at such a time. Just as ants cannot comprehend humans, it’s difficult for us humans to grasp the will of the gods.”

Hypos is the name of a high mountain located somewhere on this continent, where the palace of the gods is said to exist.

The gods who live there decided at some point to remain silent from human lives, a notion widely known throughout the land.

Of course, since I’ve already encountered a few gods, listening to such tales doesn’t phase me too much.

“Anyway, you’ve captured one of the key culprits. We have plenty of time ahead, so it’s fine to remain hopeful. All of this is the hope you, our friend Samaritan, have created. Therefore, we’ve prepared a special reward just for you.”

“Reward!?”

At the mention of a reward, Luna exclaimed in surprise before I even reacted. Honestly, I was equally shocked.

Though I had been quietly hoping for it, I felt it would be shameless to be the first to ask, “Aren’t you going to reward me?” So, I just waited.

But when I finally heard the word “reward,” it gave me an indescribable sense of excitement, almost like a flutter in the pit of my stomach.

“What is this reward…?”

A bag full of gold coins?

A land deed?

A house?

I was brimming with anticipation, imagining I was about to receive something wonderful.

But then Actaeon pushed me gently on the back and said,

“Let’s talk about it while eating. If this is your first time at the Minerva Guild, you’ll find the food here is exceptional.”

*

“d*mn, what the hell is all this…!?”

I tried not to curse in front of Luna, but when I saw what lay before us,

I couldn’t help but swear involuntarily.

“Hassan, I don’t understand what I’m seeing…!”

Luna also stuck out her tongue in disbelief.

Before our eyes were long tables draped in white tablecloths, laden with all kinds of plates.

The large plates contained everything from simple vegetables to meat, and dishes of unknown origin—all laid out in abundance.

The sight reminded me of the buffets and salad bars of the modern civilization I once enjoyed.

I thought I’d never see such abundance again in this food-scarce world. Yet, here was a place where food was heaped high.

As Luna and I stared wide-eyed at these dishes, Actaeon, who had guided us to the dining hall, said:

“Honorable adventures begin with a hearty meal. That’s why the Minerva Guild puts particular effort into the restaurant.”

“Is this served every day?”

“Yes, bronze-tier adventurers of the Minerva Guild can dine here for only 10 copper coins a day.”

“sh*t!”

“Ah? Is there a problem, friend?”

Is there a problem? There’s a huge problem!

I just realized I joined the wrong guild! If only I could have saved up a little more money and joined the Minerva Guild, I could have been enjoying this cheap buffet every day!

Thinking about the missed opportunity made me genuinely furious.

Nevertheless, after securing a corner seat, we each prepared to fill our plates and bustled about.

“sh*t! Look at this! Swamp snails! They’re hard to find at the market, and yet here they are!! Lucky us!”

Luna piled her plate with steamed snail-like dishes.

“Hum, hum…”

She continued humming, glanced around, and then quietly opened the multifunction leather pouch she carried at her side, stuffing the snails inside.

“Hey… What are you doing!?”

In my world, taking food from a buffet was considered both highly disrespectful and illegal. So, I couldn’t help but panic at Luna’s behavior.

But Luna reacted as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Hassan, hurry and grab some too! We’ll save a few days’ worth of food!”

“Come to think of it, it’s actually a great idea!”

But hunger had stripped us of our sense of law and order. The abundance of delicious food was mind-blowing to us who’d been eating bland street food or stale inn bread daily.

So, I started stuffing all sorts of mysterious snails into the pouches scattered around me.

Ha ha, this is sweet!

Only after filling our pouches to the brim did Luna and I begin to feast.

Honestly, the taste wasn’t all that great; it was, after all, large-scale cooking, and the flavors were somewhat inconsistent in this world’s cuisine.

But compared to the biscuits, bread, and meat scraps I usually ate, this food was a revelation.

“Hassan, it’s amazing!!”

Luna, of course, stuffed her belly with everything in sight as if she’d never tasted something this delicious before.

It felt like she was determined not to regret the moment, fearing she’d never have such a feast again.

As I mentioned earlier, starving stray cats never know when they’ll eat again, so they eat an enormous amount all at once.

Even more so for Luna and I, who lacked even a ‘cat mom’ to feed us. With the mindset of eating until we dropped, we stuffed ourselves senseless.

“Eat well; it makes me happy. I’ve booked the entire restaurant for the day, so enjoy yourselves as much as you like.”

“sh*t, you’re really a great guy!”

At this point, even Actaeon’s modest robe and pants seemed to reflect his humility. Perhaps his clothing choice was quite innovative?

As the plates began to pile up,

“Ugh…”

Luna, having crammed her stomach to the point of bulging, winced slightly on her face.

“Hey, are you… okay?”

“I need to eat more…”

And true to her words, she shuffled off with a waddling walk, like a plump penguin, to gather yet another plate.

The gluttony of Luna. But who could blame her?

Having gnawed on tree bark and picked at grass for days, today, she was pushing herself to her limits to make the most of this rare opportunity.

As for me, I had completely eaten my fill—no more room. Eating any more would’ve made me sick.

“But Actaeon, what exactly is this reward for me?”

Deciding to shift the mood, I casually asked Actaeon, who was munching on a pudding-like dessert. He smiled in response.

“Ah, the reward. There was much discussion, albeit brief. The Marquis planned to give you a simple reward of about 10 gold, but I felt you weren’t doing this for the money, so I declined.”

He gave 10 gold as a reward, but Actaeon rejected it!? Involuntarily, I almost grabbed him by the collar.

I didn’t because I knew I’d lose in a fight. d*mn it, who does this guy think he is to reject my money?

sh*t, 10 gold! That’s a hell of a lot of money! With 10 gold, Luna could buy up additional plots next to the land she purchased.

Converted into silver, it’s an overwhelming thousand silver! To put it in copper terms, with a mind like mine, I can’t even process how much that is.

“But you refused that…?”

“Yes, such paltry sums aren’t necessary for a friend like you, are they? You’re not adventuring for the money, are you?”

sh*t, for what reason am I doing this idiotic adventurer job then?!

My face went beet red with anger. But Actaeon smiled wider, delighted by my reaction.

“Blushing out of shame, huh? It seems you’re a humble adventurer, too, possessing all the virtues. That’s why I rejected those items from the deer den back then. You could’ve easily made more than 10 gold just by selling the stuff you rejected.”

What!? The items from the deer den were worth so much money? I just thought they were miscellaneous junk. If I knew that, why didn’t I just take them?

I feel like fainting. Honestly, it might’ve been better if I hadn’t known.

I want to punch my own deadpan face and travel back in time. If I’d known, Luna and I wouldn’t have suffered so much.

I’m so angry, but I have no one to vent my anger on. Hassan’s gonna get it bad. I’ll beat him to a pulp later.

…sh*t.

“I was troubled. It seems our friend doesn’t have a strong desire for wealth, and giving away something trivial as a reward wouldn’t do, either. To simply equate it to honor and contributions would belittle the magnitude of the work done. So after much deliberation, I made a decision. You’ll surely approve.”

Then Actaeon clapped his hands twice.

Shortly afterward, two female twin maids appeared, dressed in black dresses with white aprons, carrying crimson cushions.

“That, that’s—.”

I couldn’t help but be extremely shocked looking at what was on the cushion.

It was something I never expected. How could they give something like this as a reward? It was hard to believe.

“Too shocked to even speak?”

“Yes, I am. Incredible…”

I picked up the object placed on the cushion.

It was a wooden stick.

A wooden stick about 50cm long.

Rather thick—so much that it could rightly be called a baton or club. The presence of twigs slightly resembled a club, but it was heavier than I anticipated.

“Nice stick indeed, but where’s my real reward? I’m not really into these kinds of jokes.”

Where’s the real prize?

Is it maybe hidden under the table?

Or perhaps this is my prize—these twin maids?

Just as I was about to lift the voluminous skirts of the silent twin maids, checking if the prize was underneath,

“Isn’t it clear? You hold it in your hand. Mentioning Samarians, one thinks of clubs. You look quite fitting swinging it. You could head to some cave and start a life in leather jackets right away.”

“sh*t, this is great! But… unfortunately, it’s a bit too much for me. Wouldn’t you consider just giving me gold instead?”

“Between us, don’t be too modest, friend.”

[Author’s Afterword]

Mr. Ddingchul Kim! Kadeom! Nireuljiwoyaehae! Truly thank you for the sponsorship coupons…!!! And also, thank you so much to those who sent the manuscript coupons. I deeply appreciate it…!!

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