311 - Laughter #1

The Hydra was dead.

I clearly felt its last breath being exhaled.

One could say that the will that had supported its heavy body, or rather, the life force itself that could be called its soul, left its body with its last breath and scattered somewhere.

"Good heavens, was it Hassan you said? You killed the Hydra! You eliminated the gods' headache! It was a feat no one could easily accomplish, but you did it!"

Tritan shouted as if delighted by that fact.

However, I couldn't simply rejoice at this. Because it wasn't true.

It wasn't me who killed the Hydra.

Seuuk-.

As proof, I looked at the thick piece of wood in my hand.

A very bizarre and ominous-feeling piece of wood, heavy enough to be comparable to my club, was in my hand.

Seueu-.

The wood was thoroughly soaked with the Hydra's poisonous blood.

One could say that this had torn its organs, damaged its lungs, and turned the living snake into something like a black curse dyeing the sea. In other words, it could be called a cursed stake.

Jeorit, jeorit-.

Holding it in my hand, I could vividly feel what could be called its resentment and hatred in my arm.

Of course, that was an abstract concept, and it would be more accurate to say this pain was an allergic reaction caused by the Hydra's venom.

Indeed, it was a potent venom.

Even I couldn't stand the tingling in my palm. So, thinking it might be a bad idea to keep holding it, I was about to fling it far away when Tritan, startled, stopped me.

"Whoa-! How dare you try to throw something like that into the sea! That needs to be purified by special fire! If you throw it into the sea, who knows what might happen! The same goes for this corpse!"

"Then what should I do?"

"What do you mean, 'what should I do'? You have to carry it. It seems no one else but you can handle this Hydra's corpse right now."

Tritan's words made sense.

In the end, I decided to carry the Hydra's corpse and the club.

When we returned to the ship we had arrived on, something incredibly massive was floundering in the sea.

Wondering what on earth it was, I saw something, whether an octopus or a squid, so enormous it could overturn a corner of the sea, flailing its tentacles and struggling.

"Hippolyte! I'll sprinkle salt! Just hold on a little longer! The spell is almost over!"

"Nox's daughter! Hurry up! I can't hold on much longer!"

"It's, it's done! Hiiioooh-!"

━Hiiing-.

As Luna sprinkled the salt from her pocket, the tentacles wrapped around the ship shrieked bizarrely and slowly retreated.

Tadat-.

Perhaps seizing that opportunity, Hippolyte climbed onto its massive head, plunged her sword in, and sliced it open, scattering its brain matter.

━Geueeek-!

The giant octopus's breath ceased with a terrible death rattle. Hippolyte descended from the octopus's body, wiping off the black ink that had stained her entire body.

"Phew, I've really turned completely black. At this rate, I'd be indistinguishable from a Samaritan."

"Black hair suits you well, though."

"Ah-?"

Hippolyte, as if she had just noticed me, shouted brightly.

"Ah, you've come at just the right time! I was just in the middle of catching a giant octopus!"

"I just saw it from beside you."

What the hell, why is that fucking octopus so huge?

And how on earth did she deal with something like that?

There were so many incomprehensible points that I stopped trying to think.

While Tritan and I were having various skirmishes with the Hydra in the black fog, had Hippolyte and Luna's party, who were guarding the ship, also been fighting their own battle?

However, at the sight of the octopus, Tritan raised his voice as if greatly surprised.

"That bastard, isn't he the master of these waters? I thought he had hidden away, pushed back by the Hydra, but he showed himself like this."

At those words, Hippolyte furrowed her brow.

"Was it perhaps someone we shouldn't have defeated? It attacked us, so I killed it."

"No, the problem was that we *couldn't* defeat it. It was a nuisance to my cute mermaids and the sailors in the vicinity. I was planning to subjugate that bastard soon. You've reduced my workload."

"I see. More importantly, the Hydra."

Hippolyte seemed to have just then noticed the enormous snake corpse I was dragging along.

"Good heavens, is that really *the* Hydra? Horrifying. Just having its corpse nearby makes it hard to breathe and my chest ache. How did you defeat something like that?"

"I don't know either. This guy named Hassan just handled it himself."

To that, I had no choice but to answer honestly.

"I didn't defeat it; I just let it rest in peace. Honestly, I didn't do much."

* * *

Rumors about Hippolyte, Luna, and the Nymph Paranoy, heroes who had defeated the Kraken, the master of the nearby waters, spread like wildfire throughout Delphi, the city of prophecy.

━Good heavens, isn't that a Gold Tier subjugation monster? How did they defeat something like that?

━Apparently, the ink that Kraken bastard sprayed was enough to dye the sea black.

━There was a prophecy that the black sea would turn blue, wasn't there? Indeed, it was an omen that the Kraken would fall!

Everywhere we went, people were only talking about the giant octopus's defeat.

In Delphi, a city close to the sea, the giant octopus Kraken was revered almost as a myth or legend, so it was inevitable that attention would be drawn to those who had defeated it.

━Pull out the corpse-!

━Heave-ho-! Yo-ho!

At the docks, people were busy pulling the tentacles of the colossal octopus corpse with Chains from all directions.

The sight of the giant octopus's corpse, dragged ashore by their hands, was truly more enormous and overwhelming than anyone could imagine, enough to leave everyone speechless.

Soon, someone shouted upon seeing the sight.

━Look here! Someone was blabbering that this giant octopus could be greater than Neptune! Everyone, look closely! Is this a god? No, this is just an octopus!

━Hear, hear! Let's spit on the octopus's corpse-!

━Long live Hero Hippolyte! Long live Hero Nox's daughter-!

They were mostly residents who had suffered from the giant octopus's tyranny, losing their families and livelihoods.

The fishermen and their families raised their hands towards our party, who had brought peace to the waters near Delphi, and showered them with praise.

Luna, watching from a distance, trembled as if extremely embarrassed.

"Wow, they're calling me a hero! It's so embarrassing!"

"I don't know why they're not calling Paranoy's name...! I also suffered alongside them...!"

"Paranoy, you got eaten, though."

"That was all bait...! It was truly a heroic act, volunteering as bait...! Didn't its movements become sluggish after it ate me...?"

"That's true. But..."

Paranoy and Luna, who had been chattering like that, eventually turned their gaze towards me.

"But compared to Hassan, who defeated the Hydra, what we did was nothing. I don't understand why such a great deed has to be kept a secret."

Luna asked, as if she couldn't understand why she and her companions, not I, were receiving the people's attention and spotlight.

"To defeat the Hydra! That was a task even the gods struggled with!"

Luna was right.

If the Kraken was a monster that made the nearby sea tremble, then the Hydra was a monster known as the symbol of all monsters across the entire Gaia continent.

Its subjugation rank was Platinum, surpassing Gold Tier.

It could truly be called a god-like feat.

But as I said earlier, it wasn't me who defeated the Hydra.

It was the club deeply embedded in its body, eating away at its life. To be precise, it was the one who had driven that club in.

Because of that problem, the Oracles and the Priests of Light, who were in charge of many things in Delphi, seemed to have decided to keep silent about the Hydra for the time being.

In other words, something like an embargo?

To that, Hippolyte, who had been leaning against the railing beside us and gazing at the seashore, said a word.

"The Oracles said they would consult the gods. The results will come soon. It's already been two days, so we should receive a summons within four days at most."

"Hassan, you might even be recognized for your merits and become Gold Tier!"

Luna seemed incredibly happy that I had achieved such a great feat. She was truly rejoicing as if it were her own accomplishment. But Hippolyte merely clicked her tongue, as if it wasn't such a simple matter.

"Because you accomplished something so extraordinary, problems might arise instead. Whether you like it or not, the kingdom might assign surveillance. There might even be investigations."

Because of this, we, who had defeated the Hydra, spent a few days quietly in our lodging, not showing ourselves outside for the time being.

Being confined indoors with the sea right before our eyes seemed boring and agonizing for everyone, but thinking of it as enjoying a rest, it was tolerable enough.

"Too bad, Elfriede wasn't the impostor."

"See, I told you it wasn't me."

"Aah-! What the heck! I was absolutely convinced Elfriede was the culprit! Then why did you keep glancing at Hassan and smiling slyly?"

"I did that? Don't lie."

"Actually, the culprit was Paranoy...! Everyone was completely fooled by my brilliant strategy...!"

Was it after a few more days had passed like that?

As I gazed at the sea, the sound of the raging wind suddenly reminded me of the strange breathing sound the snake I had met, the Hydra, had made in its final moments.

It was a peculiar breathing sound, just like the raging wind of the sea.

Could it possibly have some meaning?

So I decided to ask Luna, who was stealthily approaching behind my back.

"Luna, I have something I'm curious about."

"Aah-? I came super stealthily! How did you know? Hassan, you have eyes on the back of your head!"

"No, not that. Just a hunch, I guess."

"You've become incredibly sensitive after fighting the Hydra! So, what are you curious about?"

"Oh, it's nothing much, what was it... shhh, shiiik, shhh-something like that."

"Are you talking about snake language?"

"Yes."

I racked my brain, trying to imitate the sound the Hydra had made. It didn't go well, but Luna laughed as if it was a very simple thing.

"That's beginner level. 'Thank you,' and 'Be careful.' Those are the two words."

"Really?"

"Thank you," huh. To hear words of gratitude from a dying snake. It felt very strange. However, it wasn't a bad feeling at all. Just then, someone knocked on our Door.

━We have come from the Delphi Temple. The Great Prophet, Pythia-nim, is looking for you. All of you.

Finally, what was bound to happen has happened.

We ended our rather long yet short seclusion and stepped out onto the city streets.

As we walked through the streets, escorted by priests from the Delphi Temple, everyone in the city turned their gaze towards us and made comments.

━Look, look at that. They must be the protagonists of this year's prophecy festival.

━They say they're the heroes who carried out the Great Prophet-nim's task, don't they?

━But who's that black-haired man next to them?

In the midst of people's attention, a long line was visible.

Travelers who had come from distant cities to meet the prophet, pilgrims, and seekers of questions who firmly believed themselves to be sons of gods, were lined up all the way to the stairs of the Delphi Temple, located at the summit of a high mountain.

The sight was just like a snake.

A long, long snake formed by the stretched-out line of humans.

Of course, that was just my random thought.

When climbing countless stairs, there's nothing better than idle thoughts.

After climbing over a thousand stairs like that, we finally arrived at the Temple of Light, located at the summit of Delphi's mountain.

A high mountain and countless pillars atop it.

Wildflowers blooming brightly on the mountain.

However, rather than the image of a Temple I had imagined, it was quite crude, filled with stones and rocks, so it might be more accurate to call it a ruin.

The sight of people bustling everywhere also gave it the feeling of a tourist site at some ruins.

What the heck.

Is this really the right place?

As I was feeling such doubts, the Priest of Light who had guided us spoke.

"Over there, you should go down that forbidden secret path. The Great Prophet Pythia-nim is waiting for you there..."

"Aren't you going to guide us further?"

"The secret path, Adyton, is a sanctuary permitted only to the Great Prophet and the gods. We could be blinded by unauthorized truths, so..."

I didn't know what he meant, but I understood it was a place no one could enter. In the end, we passed through the bustling ruins where people gathered and followed a deserted stone path.

Then, a strange, smoke-like substance, appearing from who-knows-where, began to gently envelop our shoulders. It was smoke with a rather peculiar smell.

To that, Luna, who had been sniffing her nose, said a word.

"It's the smell of sulfur. It seems there's a hot spring somewhere nearby! You shouldn't smell it for too long! Your head might go crazy, you know!"

Ah-ha, so it's the smell of sulfur.

But your head might go crazy, she says.

A Great Prophet in a place like this?

Just then, Hippolyte said a word.

"Hassan, I knew you were hiding many things from us. But I didn't press you unnecessarily. However, now, even if you want to hide them, you won't be able to."

It was like a warning.

Isn't that a little creepy?

As I was thinking that, strangely rising stone pillars began to appear within the thick smoke.

Pusyiiii-.

A hole from which smoke billowed was between those pillars, and just beyond it, a figure in black robes, sitting cross-legged, opened its mouth towards us.

"Welcome. I've been waiting. What you will ask, and the answers to it, are already prepared."

The way she chuckled, *holhol-*, seemed quite seasoned. Her face was hidden by a black veil, but the hair extending beyond it was pure white, like a symbol of old age.

Fitting for the name Great Prophet, was she a very old woman?

Just then, Paranoy said a word.

"Th-that old woman seems to be the Great Priestess of the God of Light, Pythia...! She looks more ordinary than I expected...! She might even be a fraud...!"

"You are Paranoy, the Nymph of the ditch water, aren't you? Today, you secretly took two candies from your pocket and ate them, hiding it from your master, a man named Hassan."

"Th-that's..."

"If you don't believe me, shall I tell you an even greater secret? Let's see..."

"I, I believe you...! It seems to be true...!"

Seeing Paranoy begin to tremble, we realized that the old woman in the black veil sitting before us was indeed something like a true prophet.

To meet this woman, we had come a long way from Sodomora to this place.

So many things had happened, and-.

"You had to do many things, Hassan of Samaria."

Whoa, fuck, did she just read my mind?

I sank into the thought that this old woman might truly answer many of the things I was curious about. Just then, the Great Prophet Pythia burst into laughter again.

"I've never seen anyone as special as you in my long, long life. Bulbul? Who on earth is Mikami Yuya?"

"...Fuck!?"

The truths I wanted to hide began to be revealed by another's mouth.