Chapter 91

Chapter 91

The Great Cleaning

“Keee!”

Luna screamed, as if she was going to squeeze out her last ounce of strength. The arms she had wrapped around witch Nemea from behind were strained to their fullest.

Drip.

As I watched the scene unfold, thick beads of sweat rolled down my furrowed brow. What the hell was about to happen?

Luna, in her earlier days at Sodomora, had once subdued Hippolyte, known as one of the stronger beings there, with a suplex, which gave me hope.

Currently, Luna was showcasing her ultimate technique on Nemea as if nothing else mattered.

“Huff!”

“Huff… Wha-, what are you doing—? Stop pressing my stomach—baby’s coming!”

However, Nemea only let out a burst of giggles, as if her sides were being tickled.

Who knew why, but the same attack that once easily lifted and slammed Hippolyte now seemed entirely useless against Nemea.

“Stop it—it’s ticklish!”

Smack.

“Nyaaaah!”

And when Nemea lightly slapped the back of Luna’s hand, Luna startled, rebounding backward in shock.

“Hassan…!”

Luna, immediately cradling her now reddishly swollen hand, turned her gaze to me. Her round eyes glimmered with an almost pleading sparkle, as if to say, “Why doesn’t my attack work on her this time?”

No matter what, it was clear that Luna, who had seen growth and had successfully defeated Hippolyte, had been brimming with confidence these days.

Yet facing this new obstacle, she was left utterly perplexed.

Of course, simply glaring at her wouldn’t conjure up any ingenious solutions or the answer Luna sought.

Tap, Tap.

After smoothing the wrinkles out of her ruffled dress with her palm, Nemea smirked nonchalantly, as if nothing had happened.

“Hmph—friends, no need to be scared. I just wanted to see how my cute friends were doing. Actually, the one who needs something isn’t me—it’s my associate who lives underground.”

“Nemea-san’s associate?”

“Yes—someone you might’ve met before—someone who lives by the underground sewer pipes.”

The mention of someone living in the underground sewers jogged my memory a bit. I tried to recall when I had met someone like that—until Luna spoke up first.

“The guy who controls rats?”

“Exactly. Lately, he’s been quite troubled—well, it’s only natural since he lives underground—but anyway, this is his good faith offering.”

Nemea then pulled out a small pouch no bigger than her palm from between her ample bosom.

Ching.

When I instinctively caught and opened it, I saw a few stones that looked like regular pebbles inside.

Not being actual money, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

“Whether you’ll accept a commission or not, these seem pretty worthless.”

“Hassan, these are black agate and onyx! Goodness, these are extremely precious items!”

“Can you explain what the job is?”

“I don’t know the details myself—it’d be faster to tell you directly from her. Follow this little fellow.”

Once more, Nemea plunged her hand into the exposed depths of her cleavage, from which emerged a little mouse with a significantly long tail this time, jumping into full view.

What exactly does she keep in there? Is it like Doraemon’s pocket?

At that moment, the small mouse gave a faint squeak.

Squeeak.

Though I’m not particularly fond of rats, this one’s clean fur and a small red ribbon tied to its tail made it somewhat endearing—an adorable pet rat perhaps.

“Whoa, cute.”

Luna, seemingly having forgotten that she just moments ago viewed Nemea as an enemy, gladly accepted the rat when handed it, clearly delighted.

“What’s its name?”

“Of course, it’s ‘Mouse.’ Actually, I don’t know either—but anyway, this little one will guide you to my associate. Since I’ve delivered my message, I’ll take my leave—see you!”

After pushing the little mouse into Luna’s hands, Nemea turned around with the apparent understanding that she had completed her business.

Clack, Clack.

Just as she began to distance herself by walking away,

She stopped abruptly.

Then, the sound of her high heels halted as Nemea casually glanced back at me.

“Friend—I’m sorry about the last time. Seems like there are things in this world that require more caution than simply reading a book.”

With that, she swiftly turned again and sauntered off in her destined direction.

I stood there, blankly watching her fiery red hair swaying under her wide-brimmed hat.

At my side, Luna, who had placed the tiny mouse on her shoulder, frowned as she remarked,

“I still don’t like that woman—Hassan shouldn’t trust her too much. She definitely seems like someone who plots sinister deeds. That’s my voodoo priest’s opinion.”

Squeak.

Thinking about it now, Luna’s intuitions usually end up being quite accurate.

However, the problem was that her instincts sometimes took too long to kick in—it was already too late this time.

To me, Nemea still appeared quite unsettling.

Though it was surprising to see her extend an apology, I certainly didn’t think this would improve our relationship.

“So, what do we do now?”

Acquiring new jobs was excellent news, but the unexpectedness brought a sense of unease.

“I was planning to relax at home, but we’ve received a commission. What do you think, Luna?”

When I asked Luna, she seemed delighted as she looked into the tiny pouch containing the black stones.

“Wow! Seriously, they’re real onyxes! These are quite hard to come by!”

“What are they?”

“Hmm—gems of the underworld! They’re also known as Nox’s Tears.”

“Nox’s Tears?”

I couldn’t help but imagine what scene might cause my mother Nox to cry tears that would form into these black stones. Is it perhaps an issue with her eye health?

“Are they valuable?”

“Since these are usually found in rats’ nests, they’re called rat gems too. They’re gems used in talismans and protective charms—pricy ones!”

While the talismans and protective charms bits didn’t fully resonate with me, and I responded half-heartedly, “Oh, I see,” Luna seemed genuinely thrilled.

“Anyway, these are hard to obtain. The fact that so much was handed over as an advance must mean they trust Hassan quite a lot!”

“Is that so?”

Her tone perked me up briefly, but my rationality quickly dampened the excitement.

If she’s putting forth valuable and expensive items as an advance, the job’s likely to be a challenging one.

Luna turned to the small mouse settled on her shoulder and asked,

“So, you’re going to be our guide?”

Squeak.

The small mouse scampered down from Luna’s shoulder and began to scurry away quickly. Luna responded immediately, bouncing energetically.

“Hassan, let’s hurry and follow!”

“Ah, right.”

Though I was bewildered and caught off guard by the unexpected encounter, I decided to join Luna in following the little mouse.

After all, accomplishing missions allowed Luna to accumulate karma, which could help in crafting the Moai Totem. And that could enhance my abilities.

The collected task values were itching for application.

“Oh, those are the customers from before.”

At the entrance of the underground sewer, near Rude’s sundry shop, the bronze-tiered adventurer and shop owner Rude recognized us as we approached.

We had only visited the shop once before.

The fact that Rude remembered us could either be due to his seasoned shopkeeper’s impeccable memory or perhaps the sheer oddity of our appearances.

“You’ve grown stronger since the last we met. Adventurer’s life must be treating you well, huh?”

“More or less.”

“I used to be a field agent myself, so I know. I opened this shop with all the money I collected back then. By the way, is that rumor true?”

“What rumor?”

“There’s talk of an adventurer named Samaritan who took down a cultist who invaded Sodomora—could that be you?”

“That’s Hassan!”

Luna cheerfully announced, speaking for me.

“Hassan defeated him and sent him to jail!”

Her proud claim, as if it was her own feat, made me chuckle slightly.

I felt a tinge of awkwardness as I self-consciously puffed out my chest, at which point the shopkeeper Rude rubbed his bristly chin and nodded appreciatively.

“Indeed, truly impressive. The last time we met, you seemed pretty green and unpolished, but now you’re radiating quite the warrior’s aura.”

“Is that so?”

“Anyway, this is taking too long. If you’re here, it must mean you’re heading down to the underground again. Need the same package as before?”

Thus, we purchased a kit for 4 silvers that included a brown cloak for camouflage, food provisions, timber for torches, and some herbs to drive away bugs.

Although it was painful to spend money before beginning a job, reminding myself that it was a preemptive investment made it a bit more manageable.

“Anyway, though I know you have some skills, it’s best to be cautious. The underground sewer has changed a bit recently.”

“What do you mean?”

Upon Luna’s inquiry, Rude paused to ponder, glancing upwards as if lost in thought. After a while, he continued,

“I haven’t been inside myself, but I heard there’s been some sort of grass sprouting down there. They say it’s better not to light torches if possible.”

“Grass?”

“Hassan, grass?”

The mention of grass left both me and Luna staring at each other, utterly baffled—what kind of grass grows in underground sewers?

“Nevertheless, because of these grasses, even vagrants who once stayed underground have started fleeing. So, be careful. I don’t want to lose famous customers.”

Ding.

With those departing words, we stepped outside the shop.

Squeak.

And so, with the mouse sporting a ribbon tail guiding us, we entered the underground sewer. It was only then that we understood why the shopkeeper Rude had mentioned the grass.

“d*mn, what is all this?”

Sure, we knew the sewers in Sodomora were dirty and disheveled, but this? This was something else entirely.

The sight of all kinds of green moss-like plants growing around here was enough to make even me, accustomed to harsh environments, screw up my face.

It almost felt like an ancient jungle deep underground. And the lack of any light only worsened the situation.

Luna kneeled, brushing her fingers against the plants.

“All these are highly flammable plants. Now it’s clear why we were advised to avoid using torches.”

“That’s true.”

If these plants caught fire, there’s no question it’d result in an enormous inferno underground.

Especially with the numerous gases trapped in the sewer, one wrong move might lead to an catastrophic explosion wiping everything away.

“d*mn, we have no choice.”

I gave up on lighting a torch. Instead, I vigorously rubbed my palms to invoke divine grace, creating a soft glow that barely illuminated my surroundings.

“Hassan, that is a pretty convenient grace! Now, I should bring these out as well.”

After admiring the light radiating from my glowing palms, Luna reached into a small pouch hanging at her waist and pulled out a glass bottle.

Hum.

We could hear the sound of fluttering wings within. Then, in an act resembling a bartender’s shake, Luna moved the bottle, and tiny luminous entities began to emit light.

These were the fireflies she had mentioned before, right, used to light up her tent earlier?

“Do you usually carry stuff like this?”

“You never know when you’ll need them.”

As always, Luna had come prepared with various items, including oils and who-knows-what, proving helpful due to her thoroughness.

In any case, now that we had a light source, it was time to follow the ribboned mouse again.

Just as I shifted to do so,

Grrrr…..

I noticed red eyes beginning to flash around us. Was it perhaps another mouse drawn to our light?

Shining the light from my palms revealed something else entirely.

As I had suspected—it was a rat.

“Hassan! The rat’s huge!”

However, it wasn’t merely a rat—its size rivalled half of Luna’s form, resembling more of a monstrous Pokémon. Perhaps akin to a mutated nutria affected by radiation.

d*mn it, what did this rat manage to eat to grow this big? Worse, there were strange plants hanging from its horrifying face—whether they were vines or flowers, it was all quite unsettling.

Kiaaaah!

Without wasting time, it charged directly at me.

Tak-tak-tak-tak!

With the speed of a wild beast, the attack was merciless. It targeted my throat.

Yet, compared to previous adversaries like Hippolyte or the greatsword-wielding cultist Schizo, this movement was somewhat manageable to follow with the eyes.

“Time for you to shine.”

Swiftly,

I gripped the 50cm-long terror crusher recently secured at my waist. With one swift motion, I slammed it into the monstrous rat’s skull.

Woosh.

As the bat cut through the air with an audible sound,

Crack!

Squishh!

The rat’s skull was flattened completely under the impact.

[Author’s Postscript]

A great big thank you to Kadeom, Dandrovium12, Asx, and the folks at Potato server for the generous support with sponsorship coupons!

I’m also deeply grateful to those who sent anonymous manuscript coupons…

And as always, thank you for the recommendations and comments!

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