445 - Moon and Fairy #1

The day after sharing warmth with Hippolyte.

I went to work at the Temple early in the morning.

Because there were piles of documents that needed to be processed immediately for the reconnaissance of the Underworld, which was only a few days away.

「Nymphs' Winter Gear Purchase and Usage Budget Confirmation Form」

「Content: With winter upon us, we wish to purchase fur hats and coats for the Nymph Choir members shivering in the cold. As it is difficult to cover the cost with sponsorship funds, we are reluctantly requesting a budget. Author - Martha.」

Seukseuk-.

Of course, all I had to do was glance at the documents that the priests and Paranoy had already racked their brains to create, then sign or stamp them.

「Paranoy Salary Increase Plan」

「Content: Paranoy's salary shall be adjusted upwards by 100% to pay 5 gold coins per month. - Author Unknown.」

"What the hell is this?"

It was obvious at a glance who submitted this.

Paranoy's salary, five gold coins?

What was he planning to do with so much money?

Pass.

「Stray Cat Relief Plan」

「Content: As the number of stray Cats around the Temple increases, problems such as noise are occurring. In that sense, Archduke Paranoy's salary should be adjusted upwards by 100%. - Author Unknown.」

Shit, what the hell do more Cats have to do with Paranoy's salary?

That bastard Paranoy, he needlessly mixes in these trap cards, forcing me to scrutinize everything.

Anyway, thanks to Paranoy, I had to dedicate quite a lot of mental energy to these piles of documents from early morning, and I was feeling quite vexed when-.

"Hassan, where did you go yesterday?"

Someone slowly approached me, sitting by the fireplace in the pantry, warming myself. When I looked up, I saw a white face with rather long ears.

It was Elfriede.

To think Elfriede, who loves her morning sleep, would come all the way to the Temple so early in the morning.

Elfriede spoke.

"Luna went to the Deer Forest yesterday and said she couldn't find you. Did you perhaps stay out all night?"

Yesterday, I had spent some soft time with Hippolyte. But as I was pondering how to answer without making the Elf in front of me flare up.

"If you suddenly disappeared for a whole day, it's obvious, isn't it? You were with a woman. You must have been with Hippolyte."

Elfriede accurately guessed my whereabouts, as if she had been watching from the side. I felt a slight chill.

"What, Elfriede? Are you stalking me or something?"

"What? Why would I do that? That's ridiculous. Your thoughts, they've been clear as day in the palm of my hand for two years now, you know?"

"Then guess what I'm thinking right now."

I carefully observed Elfriede, lost in thought. What could I think that Elfriede wouldn't be able to guess?

But to come all the way to the Temple to pick a fight with me first thing in the morning. That Elf bastard must have absolutely nothing to do. Annoying little thing. I want to pull her ears.

"You're thinking some fucked-up shit right now, aren't you? If it's 'Elf this-and-that,' I'll really kill you."

Shit, how did she know?

Could Elfriede actually use mind-reading magic or something?

Magic seems to hold endless possibilities, so mind-reading might even be possible.

In fact, now that I think about it, mind-reading might even be easier than spewing fireballs from one's hands.

Seureuk, Seureuk-.

Of course, even while I was thinking such thoughts, my eyes remained fixed on the documents.

「Temple Guard Organization Plan」

「Content: We wish to hire capable individuals from among the Followers who are adventurers or former soldiers as Temple guards. - Proposer Paranoy.」

For once, this was a plausible suggestion.

It was so plausible that it made me even more suspicious.

There wouldn't be any invisible text about Paranoy's salary increase, would there? Or on the back.

Seukseuk-.

As I was scrutinizing the documents for a long time, Elfriede, who had been sitting on the sofa by the fireplace, watching me, said a word.

"Hassan, you're so quiet, it's making me sleepy."

"Of course you'd be sleepy. You love your morning sleep. If you're sleepy, just take a nap."

"No. Hassan, tell me something interesting."

"Something interesting, you say. If there's something like that, why don't you tell me?"

With that, our conversation ended for a moment.

Seuseuk, Seuseuseuk-.

How many more minutes passed as I fully engaged my brain, feeling like I was tackling a backlog of assignments on the submission day?

"Hassan, why are you acting so serious, it doesn't suit you. Paperwork, for someone like you. Just babble about something."

"...."

Elfriede seemed very bored. Indeed, if she wasn't bored, she wouldn't have come all the way to the Temple where I was working so early in the morning.

I thought she had something important to say, but it seemed she just felt lonely being by herself.

"If you're that bored, should I call Paranoy for you?"

At my words, Elfriede suddenly frowned.

"No. He's noisy. Among the Nymphs, he seems to be the loudest."

"That's true."

Paranoy was exceptionally talkative, even among Nymphs. He's the kind of guy who rattles off what dream he had in the morning and what he'll do all day.

Soon, Paranoy might come to the office and say, 'Hassan-nim, I dreamt of catching a big crucian carp in the river today-imnidat...! Doesn't this big crucian carp mean that my, Paranoy's, status will grow-imnidat...?'

If that happens, Paranoy chattering next to me might cause even more problems with the paperwork.

Therefore, I increased my concentration to quickly finish the work before he arrived.

"Hassan, wake me up when you're done-."

Perhaps my lack of reaction bored her, as Elfriede lay down on the sofa and fell asleep.

Tadak, Tadadak-.

Now, the only sounds in this space were the crackling fire in the hearth, the steady breathing, and the chattering laughter of the Nymphs outside.

In that languid, relaxed atmosphere, I too felt a wave of sleepiness.

But I shouldn't fall asleep.

"...."

"Hassan, you idiot. I told you to wake me up when you were done, so why are *you* asleep?"

"Eomma, shibal, you scared me."

Feeling someone hit the desk with a *Tak-*, I woke up with a start. When I came to my senses, Elfriede was looking down at me with a furrowed brow.

"What the hell, when did I fall asleep? What was that?"

It seemed I had fallen asleep without even realizing it. It felt like I'd been hit by some fucking magic. Seriously, when did I fall asleep? Did I pass out?

But it couldn't be helped.

With the cold wind whistling outside, and a warm fire burning in the hearth inside, it was only natural to feel sleepy while looking at documents in such a cozy situation.

The problem was that I had fallen asleep with work piled up.

"Ugh, I have to do paperwork."

As I fumbled around, Elfriede furrowed her brow.

"I finished it all, you idiot."

"You, Elfriede?"

"Yeah, it's just paperwork, nothing special."

To think Elfriede finished my work while I was sleeping. This was the first time I realized Elfriede had such a kind heart. What a fucking sweet deal.

Anyway, I stretched out and stood up. It felt like every cell in my body was waking up, which was a great feeling.

Elfriede said a word to me.

"Well then, since I did your annoying work for you. I'd like you to help me a bit this afternoon, too?"

"What do you need help with?"

* * *

"Today, I'm definitely going to find the winter bamboo shoot...!"

Elfriede took me to the Deer Forest in the south. There, Luna and Paranoy, already bundled up in warm clothes, were rummaging through the snow.

They said it was to find winter bamboo shoots.

Paranoy said.

"The first person to find a winter bamboo shoot will receive an additional 10 Paranoy points-imnidat...! 10 points is a huge deal-imnidat...! It's a chance for a great comeback to leave other competitors far behind-imnidat...!"

At those words, I roughly understood.

Yesterday, Luna and Elfriede had gone to the Deer Forest for some strange competition. It seemed the competition hadn't been settled, so it carried over to today.

"It won't end until we find the winter bamboo shoot...!"

At Luna's declaration, Elfriede merely made a nonchalant "Heung-" expression. From the looks of it, Elfriede wasn't very interested in the competition, and Luna alone seemed to be burning with enthusiasm.

For Elfriede, she probably wanted to quickly finish the competition and go rest by a warm fire. So that's why she asked me to help today.

Luna said.

"Elfriede, I won't lose to you!"

"Whatever. I'm not really interested in Nymph points or anything."

"You say that, but you're planning to get ahead of me, aren't you...! I know everything...!"

"It's good you're full of energy. Anyway, you all do your best. I'll just sit here. This fairy tree stump looks perfect for sitting."

"It's not a fairy tree, it's a Nymph tree stump-imnidat...! So that Elf shouldn't sit there-imnidat...!"

"What's he saying?"

Elfriede finally sat on something like a tree stump, resting her chin in her hand.

Of course, whether Elfriede did that or not, Luna raised both hands high, burning with enthusiasm to find the winter bamboo shoot.

"Alright-! It's starting now-!"

Thus, the competition to find whatever that bamboo shoot was, began. Luna and Paranoy started digging through the snow with their hands, here and there-.

"Luna-nim, is this the bamboo shoot-imnidat...?"

"No, that's just a weed...!"

"Then is this a bamboo shoot-imnidat...?"

"No, that's a tree root!"

That work seemed incredibly sluggish.

Digging through snow piled up to their calves to find bamboo shoots was quite a difficult task even for Luna, the herbalist.

I asked.

"Luna, what's that winter bamboo shoot you're trying so hard to find?"

"If you boil it down and drink it as an elixir, it greatly increases karma...! We have to go to the Underworld soon, you know. We need to prepare even a little bit...!"

According to Luna, the winter bamboo shoot seemed to be an elixir that raises one's level. Luna was thinking about various things for the Underworld expedition after all.

So I also followed Luna, digging through the snow, trying to find that bamboo root. But the forest was so vast that it wasn't easy to find.

"Should I tell Kkeongkkeong-i to look for it?"

Finally, Luna reached for a small birdcage-like object hanging from her waist. Inside was Kkeongkkeong-i, a pet Spider shaped like a pale water droplet.

"Kkeongkkeong-a, find me some bamboo shoots! If you find them, I'll share some with you, Kkeongkkeong-i...! They're pointy things sticking out of the ground!"

━Kkeongkkeong!

Kkeongkkeong-i, placed on the snow from Luna's palm, soon darted off and disappeared somewhere. Could Kkeongkkeong-i do something like that?

I just thought it was a pet Spider.

"Then Hassan, Hassan, please search the southern forest over there! Paranoy, you go north...! I'll search the western radius from here...!"

"Alright. Then let's meet back here in an hour."

So we scattered in all directions of the Deer Forest. I wondered if it was okay to leave Luna and Paranoy alone in the forest, but.

The most ferocious creatures in this Deer Forest were Diana's deer, at most.

Since they were beasts around level 15, Luna and Paranoy wouldn't be in danger now.

"It really is cold."

I tried hard to find what Luna called a bamboo root, as she had instructed. But I had no idea where to look and was feeling quite perplexed when-.

『Hmph, how dare you trespass into my sanctuary without permission-. Still a rude one, aren't you. Ridiculous.』

Someone spoke to me.

A voice as cool as snow and as unfeeling as a thorny bush.

Wondering where the voice came from, I looked around and realized someone was sitting in the tree directly above my head.

It was a woman.

It would be more accurate to call her a girl.

Her long, sky-blue hair was simply braided and tied back. But her face was as refined as a cold crescent moon, making even that look like a magnificent fashion statement.

The problem was her attire.

In this cold winter forest, where the chilly wind whistled, she wore only a short tunic that exposed her arms and legs, and her feet were bare.

Such revealing attire in such a cold winter. It would be impossible unless she was out of her mind.

"Ugh, shibal-! It's a crazy woman-!"

I screamed *Baek-* to let Luna and Paranoy know there was a crazy woman in this forest. At that, the woman, frowning as if angered, jumped down *Pulssuk-* in front of me.

『How dare you call me a crazy woman? Do you want a taste of divine punishment from the great goddess Diana-nim?』

"The great goddess Diana...?"

『Yes! I am Diana, who presides over the purity of maidens, the cold crescent moon, and hunting and wild beasts...! It's not even our first meeting, so why are you making such a fuss?』

"Ah-."

I knew something about this girl.

As I recall, she was the goddess who tried to stomp on my neck and kill me. I hadn't seen her face back then.

So this is what she looked like.

She's pretty, but she seems to lack some manners.

But her chest was bigger than I expected, so I decided to forgive her.

I asked.

"So, Diana-goddess-nim, what brings you before me?"

『You keep digging around in my sanctuary without permission. Thanks to that, my beloved deer can't hibernate.』

"Do deer hibernate too?"

『I-I don't know! Anyway! You are trespassing in my sanctuary without permission! Even if you've become a god, arbitrarily trespassing on someone else's territory or interfering with their authority is against the laws of Hypnos!』

I don't know what it is, but she seems to be angry that I entered her private property.

As I was about to say something, Diana added a few more words.

『However, I am a merciful goddess. If you grant my request, there's nothing I can't forgive. We are, well, family, even if I'm reluctant.』

"A request?"

『Yes. And if you grant my request, I'll give you something like this. Don't you want it? A thick, sturdy winter bamboo shoot root.』

Seureuk-.

Diana swept the snow with her bare sole.

Then, in the forest that had only been covered in snow moments ago, a bamboo shoot the size of my knee quickly grew out of the ground?

Diana pulled it out with a *Ttududuk-* and held it out to me.

『A bamboo shoot root grown by meeting the cold moonlight and chilly winter snow is special. With this, you can gain senses as keen as a winter rabbit. How about it? Do you feel like granting my request?』

"So, what is this request you have for me?"