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Translator: penny
Chapter: 188
Chapter Title: New Holy Knight #2
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Thud thud thud-.
I woke up to the sound of someone pounding on the door.
I'd been sleeping like the dead, but to think I'd be woken up like this.
Judging by the sunlight filtering through the window, it was probably around noon or lunchtime.
Maybe I'd slept five or six hours. Still felt sleepy, though.
"Sir Hassan! Lady Luna! Is no one home...? The door, the door is locked...!!"
Thud thud thud-.
From the persistent knocking, it seemed Paranoya had come by. She must've slept in the cabin with us last night. When did she slip out?
She had a habit of wandering off on her own and showing up unannounced like this, so it wasn't all that surprising.
Not quite a feral cat... more like a squirrel or chipmunk.
"Luna, Paranoya's here."
"...Hassan, could you get it? I wanna sleep a bit more. I'm sleepy...."
Luna wasn't usually one for sleeping in. But after everything that happened late last night, she probably couldn't fight the drowsiness.
Luna throwing a sleepy tantrum was a rare sight. It was kinda novel.
She must really be wiped out.
Come to think of it, Luna's stamina was always lower than mine.
With no choice, I dragged myself up and opened the door on the first floor. There stood Paranoya in her usual flashy robe.
"Sir Hassan, the sun's already high in the sky, and you were still asleep...?"
"Yeah."
"Then, since we're at it, could you spare some food? Truth is, I haven't eaten since yesterday, and I'm starving...!"
I couldn't follow her logic jumping straight to asking for food. But she often dropped by the cabin for meals.
She ate and paid it back with labor—something like that.
I rummaged around the cabin for something edible.
Found a few strips of dried meat and some leftover potatoes from planting. Handed them over, and she devoured them like a starving man who'd gone days without food.
"Hoo, now I feel alive...."
"So, what's the deal today? I told you to lay low and do nothing for a while."
"But today is the second day of the festival, right? We can't just sit around on a day like this, can we?"
She glanced around.
Seeing no one nearby in the yard, Paranoya lowered her voice.
"As you saw yesterday, tons of undead flock to Sodomora's festival.... We can use them to take out those rotten temple knights...! There's still one more of those bastards left in this city...!"
"Damn it, what the hell. I told you to stay put."
I raised my fist and brought it down on Paranoya's small head.
Thonk-.
"Eeek-!"
A decent thud echoed as the Ditch Water Nymph clutched her head.
I was already tense and exhausted from yesterday's chaos, and now she'd woken me up for this nonsense. No way I was letting that slide.
"Ow, it hurts.... You hit a pressure point...."
"I'm going back to sleep, so tidy up the yard if you've got nothing better to do. Watch out for the traps. You ate, so earn your keep, Paranoya."
I peered past her shoulder at the yard.
Yesterday's uninvited guests had trashed the place, leaving traps and fields in a mess.
I'd put off fixing it till I got up, but now that she was here, might as well put her to work.
"Tidy the yard? You're entrusting me with your and Lady Luna's domain, that sacred space...?"
Paranoya trembled like it was some grand honor, at a loss for words.
"As the top disciple and your right hand, is it really okay for me, Paranoya, to tidy the yard? I-Is this a task you're giving me?"
No clue what she was on about. But she seemed eager, so I gave a vague nod.
"Yeah, something like that. I'll sleep another hour, so wake me when it's done. Keep out shady merchants."
"The mission you've entrusted to me! I'll see it done...!"
"Yeah."
Wonder if Paranoya could actually handle yard work.
Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I scanned the yard again.
Would be nice to add a parasol out front and a long bench for lazy afternoon naps.
I'll look into it later.
....
....
Some time passed.
"Sir Hassan, Sir Hassan...!"
A whisper woke me.
I opened my eyes to find Paranoya's crimson gaze right in my face. Nearly jumped out of my skin.
"What the hell."
Staring down at a sleeping person's face up close like that. Gave me such a fright, it chased away any drowsiness.
People in this world had no sense of personal space. Guess the Ditch Water Nymph was no exception.
"Damn, you scared me. What is it."
"The yard's all tidied up.... What next?"
"Already done?"
"For a top disciple like me, it was a piece of cake.... So, what's next...?"
Paranoya brimmed with eagerness to work.
"Then clean the first floor and workshop."
"Figured you'd say that, so I already did...! Sorted the materials by type in jars...!"
"...Huh. Fed the hellhounds?"
"Knew you'd ask, so I caught rats and fed 'em...! Two even, so they should be good for a week...!"
She'd anticipated every order and handled it all. Way more competent than expected—woke me right up.
I racked my brain for more ways to put her labor to good use, but nothing came to mind.
"Take a break then."
"Could I pluck just one strand of your hair?"
"Why?"
"For the monkey bone wand. With your hellish magic power, it'd make something really useful...!"
I pictured the monkey hand bone she'd been scammed into buying underground. Ended up free, anyway. Guess she planned to make a wand with it.
Dunno if my hair would add any magic.
"You worked hard. Can't I have a little reward? Just one strand...!"
Her pleading eyes were so desperate, I relented.
"Fine, one strand."
"Thank you.... Hoo, to grant me such a blessing again.... Hair from Sir Hassan, who crushed the temple knights.... Given only to me, your right hand...."
I closed my eyes loosely. Felt small hands rustling through my hair. Tickled more than I thought, perking me up.
"No white hairs at all—amazing.... Jet black through and through. Which one to pick...."
Like monkeys grooming each other. Felt like I was the monkey here.
Pop-.
A sharp sting hit my scalp.
"Ow- hey. That hurt. Did you get it?"
"...N-No, slipped... couldn't pluck it...."
"Damn fool. Can't mess up as my right hand."
"N-No mistakes this time...! How about this one on your crown...."
Rustle.
Felt a hair on my crown tugged. Then another sting.
"Ow-."
"Slipped again...! They're tougher than they look...! N-Not my fault...!"
"Forget it."
Damn it.
I sat up, grabbed a random strand, yanked it hard, and handed it over.
"Here."
"Hnggg."
Paranoya took it like a priceless treasure, trembling. Pulled a handkerchief from her bosom and wrapped it carefully.
"Sir Hassan, thank you so much.... To bestow such a holy relic on me.... I'll devote my loyalty forever...."
Who gets this thrilled over a hair?
Paranoya really was off.
Seemed more unhinged each time I saw her. Made me uneasy—what if she totally lost it later?
As I pondered her mental health seriously, Paranoya tucked the handkerchief away and spoke up.
"By the way, Sir Hassan, that guy you left lying on the first floor.... He seems to have come to. It's fine to leave him be...?"
"He's awake?"
"Yes.... Wanna check?"
I sat up fully and glanced at soundly sleeping Luna.
After last night's ordeal, she was out cold—even with Paranoya yapping nearby.
And the one who'd worn Luna out was Antiope.
Antiope, crudely tied up on the first floor.
She was under me now.
* * *
I threw on some clothes, grabbed my club and gauntlets, and headed downstairs. In the corner, someone huddled and shivering was plain to see.
Kneeling on the floor, head bowed low, arms cradling her head, shaking like a leaf. Looked bad for her back, neck—even her waist.
"Antiope."
I called out to the woman whose hair had gone white from shock in half a day.
The huddled figure in the corner flinched harder, terror-stricken.
"P-Please, spare me, spare me...! Don't sacrifice me, don't sacrifice me as an offering-."
Obvious at a glance.
She was in bad shape.
Repeating the same lines like a poorly trained parrot. Creepy enough to give me chills.
I subtly asked Paranoya.
"Hey, was she like this when she woke up?"
"Nah. I scared her saying I'd sacrifice her as an offering, and she turned out like that."
"Damn it, your fault. Why'd you do that?"
"Heh heh, dog of the temple knights. Slave to the debauched Jupiter. Now she knows the terror of you, Sir Hassan, and me, your right hand and top disciple...!"
"You little...."
Dunno why, but seeing Paranoya always made me wanna smack her head.
But constant knuckle-rapping might worsen her already weird brain, so I held back.
Anyway, the priority now was the quaking Antiope, not Paranoya.
"Ahem."
I cleared my throat and addressed her again.
"Antiope, can you hear me?"
"Hng, hngg, I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry-."
But she was too panicked for conversation.
"Hey, damn it, Paranoya. What'd you do to break her like this."
"Hmm-."
Paranoya scowled at my words. Then growled at Antiope in a furious tone.
"Dog of Jupiter! Can't you hear Sir Hassan?! Unlike me, he's utterly merciless and terrifying...!!"
"Hng, hng...."
Did the threat work?
Antiope, who'd only clutched her head till now, slowly raised it.
Her snow-white hair parted, revealing terror- and tear-streaked indigo eyes meeting mine. But only briefly.
The moment our gazes locked, she scratched frantically at the floorboards in panic.
Scrrch, scrrch.
Even with her tattoo faded and level dropped, her form was solid—wood splintered like soft chocolate under her nails.
At this rate, she'd punch holes in the floor. I grabbed her wrist and pressed the sinew point hard.
Squeeeze.
"Ahhh!"
She writhed in agony, thrashing to escape my grip.
Looked just like a wild wolf-girl captured by humans and forced into socialization.
Ding-.
Text floated up.
『Cured Antiope Grimkeeper's status: Great Terror.』
『Karma Value +10』
『Current Karma Value: +185』
Her debuff lifted, and karma points rolled in. Damn, 200 soon.
Hitting 200 karma opened up so much—made my chest itch with anticipation.
"Huuu...."
Antiope let out a deep sigh, like it bubbled up from the soles of her feet.
So overt in regulating her breath. Feeling better now? After banishing her massive fear, she should be coherent.
"Feeling better?"
Tried gentle words to ease her fright. Sounded so sappy even to me, made me wanna cringe.
But the blatant kindness seemed to steady her.
"Ugh, y-yeah.... Yeah...."
At least she understood me. Time to reconfirm last night's worry.
"Antiope, you haven't forgotten our deal, right? Not a word about us. You swore on the Styx—you have to keep it. Right?"
"Y-Yeah...."
Her reply came weak and hesitant. Paranoya clearly hated it.
"You-!! How dare you not honor Sir Hassan with respect! He is no mere mortal like us...!!"
Antiope jolted like she'd been shocked.
"M-Mere mortal? No?"