500 - Historic City, Olympia #3

"The King of Kings, Hassan-nim, is entering the Neutral City, Olympia-imnidat...! The city gates are opening, and everyone, prostrate yourselves and worship-imnidat...!"

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Amidst the dragon and griffon banners fluttering left and right, Paranoy, holding high a flag with a squirrel drawn on it, shouted boisterously.

Goooooo-. Deureureureuk-.

Then, the heavy city gates of Olympia, which had been tightly closed, slowly began to open upwards with the sound of pulleys winding.

Kuuung-.

Finally, the city opened its mouth wide.

What was visible inside were clean, polished roads and soldiers standing around them.

Everyone had their helmets pulled down deep, and in their eyes, astonishment, bewilderment, fear, and curiosity seemed exquisitely intertwined.

At least, they don't seem like they'll attack me.

Well then, shall we enter?

"I'll go inside now."

As we stepped inside the city gates, the soldiers blocking our path opened a way for us like parting waters.

Perhaps thanks to the Miracle worth 100 Task Points that I had just performed in front of the city gates, people dared not even think of blocking my way.

"Um-."

Only someone barely managed to open their mouth and speak to me.

Seuk-. As I turned my head, among the similarly dressed soldiers, I saw one alone with a long brown cloak. Should I assume he's a guard captain or a public security officer here?

"Excuse me, I am Parnax, the South Gate Guard Captain of Olympia. Could you perhaps, tell me where you're from, who you are, and sign the entry log?"

The man's trembling voice conveyed fear.

His hands and armor were trembling, looking as if he were suffering from a high fever. His breathing was also rough, and the mist from his breath obscured his face.

━Ugh, I told you already. Captain Parnax, aren't you being too stiff? What if you get torn to shreds for speaking to him?

━I don't know, but it is somewhat respectable. If it were me, I wouldn't even have dared to speak. Truly dedicated to his profession-.

The faint reactions reaching my sensitive ears were of astonishment. I clicked my tongue softly, wondering if the problem was that I had put too much power into my entrance to the city. I hadn't intended to scare them this much.

As I hesitated to answer, Paranoy, instead of me, raised the flag high.

"Don't you recognize this magnificent and splendid beast's flag...? Guard Captain Parnax! These individuals here, without needing to prove their identities, are the esteemed guests and masters of this city and continent-imnidat...!"

At Paranoy's growl, Guard Captain Parnax craned his neck and lifted his helmet. What he was examining was the flag in Paranoy's hand.

"A squirrel...?"

"That's right-imnidat...! Squirrels are the creators of forests, planting seeds to grow trees-imnidat...! I, Paranoy, guarantee that squirrels are far more splendid and resilient beasts than noisy dragons and griffons-imnidat...!"

"I-I see."

Watching a man old enough to have a daughter Paranoy's size flounder at the words of a small Nymph was also a kind of ordeal for me.

"Squirrels also hibernate like Nymphs-imnidat...! The stripes on their backs are camouflage to survive in the harsh wilderness-imnidat...! And a squirrel's two cheeks are strange storage compartments, Mwooooeueup-."

I roughly covered Paranoy's mouth with my palm as he launched into a long explanation about squirrels. I didn't want to be dragged along at his pace like this.

Perhaps because I had consumed 100 Task Points and the mana boiling in my body, or perhaps due to fatigue from the carriage journey, I quickly wanted to warm myself by a cozy fire.

"You said you were the Guard Captain?"

"Yes, uh, my name is Parnax."

"I am Hassan from Sodomora. And these are my companions, so let's fill out that entry log."

"...Thank you. Hey, you there, bring the entry log-."

As the Guard Captain gestured with his chin, soldiers waddled over from somewhere and presented a long scroll and a quill. On it were sections for date and time, the entrant's identity or name, and special notes. The Guard Captain spoke as if explaining.

"Olympia, being one of the few Neutral Cities currently, the situation is chaotic, so we are managing entrants like this. I apologize, but please bear with us...."

Although it felt like he was making excuses, writing our names here wasn't particularly difficult, so we each filled out the entry log and completed the admission procedure.

The Guard Captain, after glancing Seuk- at the scroll with our names written on it.

"Hassan-nim, Luna Noxdoti-nim, Hippolyte Heavensinger-nim, Antiope Grimkeeper-nim, and finally Paranoy the Great Nymph-nim, confirmed."

He handed us small wooden tags, one for each of us. They were like ID cards, made with a string so they could be hung around the neck, arm, or shoulder. Since the city is chaotic, there must be a marker to signify proven visitors.

Since hanging a wooden tag around my neck was not difficult, I obediently followed the procedure, and the Guard Captain stammered as if he had something more to say.

"Is there something else we need to do?"

"No, if anything, I would appreciate it if you could, uh, give me an autograph...."

Is there something else to fill out? The entry procedure is quite strict. Is this like a QR code entry for this Gaia continent?

As I held the quill, Guard Captain Parnax removed his helmet. Then, his receding hairline and bushy beard were revealed.

"C-could you perhaps sign here...."

He held out his helmet to me. As I briefly pondered what signing a helmet had to do with the entry procedure, he added.

"Hassan-nim and your companions. Your names are already famous even here in the southern city of Olympia. They say you held back the armies of Hell with a small force and saved the world once...."

"Ah-."

"I saw it from the city walls. You wielded tremendous magic, no, Miracles that could easily be called divine authority. In that case, you must be the real deal, not a fake or an impersonator."

I understood the man's intention. He wanted an autograph as a souvenir. That's not a difficult thing to do.

Instead of the quill, I drew my dagger from my waist and scratched my name, Hassan, onto the forehead area of the Guard Captain's T-shaped helmet.

Seuk, seuk-.

Although the letters were etched onto the well-polished, shining helmet as if it were scratched, the Guard Captain seemed very pleased, opening his mouth wide in a smile.

"Wow, to receive a god's signature. This, we will keep as a family heirloom forever. Wow-."

He was more like a child who received a Christmas present than a middle-aged man. Am I their Santa?

"M-my name is Ilmond. Could you perhaps sign my helmet too-."

"Could you, on my shoulder pauldron, write 'Invincible Warrior, 21st Guard Unit'...?"

Soon, with soldiers flocking one after another, I was busy signing. To think I'd be doing something like this in a completely unfamiliar land, not even in the city of Sodomora. It seems I've become quite famous.

Do foreign stars on a tour feel this way? No, if I had to compare, it feels more like being an overlock artisan embroidering military uniforms for soldiers.

"Hehe-, I can brag about this at home."

Seeing the soldiers who received my signature rejoice as if they had obtained some great relic item, well, I didn't mind anymore.

"You're Antiope of the Temple Knights, right? The one who wields javelins freely-. My daughter is your follower, and she says she wants to become an Amazoness warrior. Could you perhaps sign here...?"

"No problem. Tell her to come watch the Queen's Festival that's opening soon. It'll be fun if she wants to become an Amazoness warrior. Het-."

"Is the signature of Hassan-nim's sole right-hand man, the great Nymph the Great Paranoy, not needed by anyone...? This isn't an opportunity that comes every day-imnidat...!"

"What a strange Nymph. Who are you? You're different from the Nymphs of the south. So sharp-tongued."

"Are you saying the rumors about Paranoy, the true Nymph among Nymphs, haven't spread here in the south...?"

Anyway, after a round of autograph signing, the Guard Captain, who was tracing the letters on his helmet with his finger, spoke to me.

"So, what is the purpose of your visit to the city? Are you perhaps going on a pilgrimage to Mount Hypnos?"

At first, they seemed to fear me, but perhaps the gift of my signature had a great effect, as their eyes were now filled with goodwill towards me.

A pilgrimage to Mount Hypnos, huh.

I lifted my head.

─Gooooooo-.

Then, beyond the city walls, a gigantic and majestic peak, revealing itself amidst white clouds, became visible. The region of Hypnos, said to be so high and rugged that it's visible from anywhere in the south.

Volcano Hypnos.

They said gods reside on that peak, hidden above the clouds, didn't they? Because it's such a high-altitude region, it's said to be impossible for mortals to even ascend beyond the halfway point.

What an interesting place.

Of course, the reason I visited this southern region this time wasn't for that.

"I came to end this war quickly."

* * *

After various delays, we were finally able to unpack our luggage late in the evening at a mansion-like guesthouse next to Olympia City Hall.

A spacious and luxurious room. Seeing the warm fireplace and abundant firewood, Luna spoke.

"I thought we'd just sleep in some inn, but they even lent us such a nice room. The people of Olympia must be really generous-! It was written in a magazine that they're kind to travelers, but...!"

At her words, Hippolyte, who had already finished showering and returned, replied while drying her long hair.

"That's part of it, but we're like a hero's party, you see. They probably want to treat us well. The story of the party that destroyed Tartarus must have already spread everywhere."

"So, you're saying we're like heroes who defeated a terrifying Demon God?"

At Luna's words, I thought about the popular books on this Gaia continent. Even in this world, stories of Demon Kings and heroes are consumed as entertaining content.

Hippolyte nodded.

"Exactly. Also, Hassan, who is with us, is a god. They don't want to make an enemy of him."

According to Hippolyte, because Mount Hypnos, the sanctuary of the gods, exists in the south, faith in the gods is still stronger there than in other regions. Since it's a pilgrimage route for pilgrims heading to Hypnos, well, it might be natural.

If one sees the active volcano Hypnos rumbling daily, and the eruptions of lava and the thunderous wrath of nature, they would naturally revere divine beings.

Even now, if I listen closely, I can hear the volcano, hidden in darkness beyond that balcony, rumbling Ureureureu- like a beast.

"Ureureueueu-!"

Luna stretched out, making a sound like an active volcano. It wasn't the sound of a volcano, but Luna's sound, I see.

"Hoo, I've unpacked everything. Anyway, I never thought we'd reach a position where we'd be treated like this. It's fun!"

After saying that, Luna went into the shower room to wash herself. Since it was late, proper activities would have to start tomorrow. It seems best to relieve the fatigue of the journey for today.

"Antiope...! Let's go down to the first-floor lobby with that Paranoy and try a 'Fruit Nymph Cocktail'-imnidat...!"

"Oh, cocktails are good...! Let's go...! I also wanted to smoke a mana-herb cigarette."

Antiope and Paranoy had scurried Hodadak- down to the first-floor lobby like children on a picnic.

In the end, only Hippolyte remained with me, stretching various parts of her body and applying something like lotion. Hippolyte's long legs stole my gaze.

Splendid.

"Shall I give you a body massage?"

"Then that would be comfortable for me."

I pressed and kneaded Hippolyte's body with my palms, as she must have been tired from the long carriage journey. Perhaps because she was so well-trained, there were no muscle knots, but a massage, when received by a healthy person, only makes them healthier.

After thoroughly loosening her lower body, thighs, and calves, down to her ankles, which must have been fatigued from sitting in the carriage for a long time, I touched her feet.

Seuk-.

Heumchit.

Hippolyte trembled.

"Shall I not do your feet?"

"No, it's just that, I'm still not used to someone else touching my feet. It's not a place for others to touch."

"But, I'm not 'someone else' anymore."

"Th-that's true."

To be ashamed of having her feet touched, even after we did more than just touch feet and she became pregnant. The women's sense of propriety on this Gaia continent is a bit strange. Even Luna still used to get embarrassed if I touched or looked at her feet.

Only Elfriede entrusts her feet to me as if it's natural. I wish Elfriede would get a little embarrassed. It's not like I'm a foot massage shuttle.

Kkuu-uuk.

"Euaaat-."

As I pressed the pressure point in the center of her foot with my thumb, Hippolyte's body arched like a bow and sprang up. Did it hurt a little? But now, her embarrassment must have vanished.

"Euaaat-! Aaat-! Apaaaat-!"

"Even if it hurts, it will be good for your body."

With exquisite hand movements, I pressed and stimulated the soles of Hippolyte's feet, careful not to affect the child in her womb. As I always say, loosening the feet, which have suffered at the lowest part of the body their entire lives, can instantly wipe away body fatigue.

If there are people whose fatigue doesn't recover well no matter how much they rest, I'd even recommend they try a warm foot bath or a foot massage.

"Euyahahaha-!"

"Is your fatigue easing a bit?"

"It's easing, it is easing, but.... Hat-!"

Finally, Hippolyte, whose waist was arched like a bent leg, trembled Parereu-. Seeing her twitching, Umjjil, Umjjil-, it seems she was very pleased with my miraculous handiwork.

While I was at it, I also carefully massaged her shoulders, waist, back, and neck.

"Aht, Hassan, what's this? Massage my neck too...!"

Luna, who had finished showering and returned, saw the scene and grabbed my arm.

"Just a moment, I'll finish with Hippolyte-nim first."

"Heueueung...."