I became a barbarian living on the run in another world

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༺ First Quest Accomplished! After Party… for Succeeding? (2) ༻

In Nemea, the witch's alchemy shop, there was a place that could be called a basement. When I opened the wide door, a staircase appeared, along with a musty and muddy stench that lingered in the air.

Nemea was walking in front of me while holding a lantern. I followed her cautiously, my legs trembling and anxiety dwelling in my eyes.

I felt like I was walking straight into a spider's web.

A subtle sweet fragrance emanated from the woman walking in front of me. I don't know if it was a scented candle or something else that was producing it.

"I haven't cleaned in a while~ So it's a bit messy~"

Finally, the woman arrived and opened a thick iron door. The rusted and thick door opened with a 'creak.'

Just when I noticed that I couldn't see anything in the darkness beyond her, she uttered a nearly inaudible incantation.

"Varthema-"

At that moment, in the dark space.

Flare, Flare, Flare.

Torches began to light up sequentially. Soon enough I could also see bloodstained tools made from wood and iron.

"W-Well, I'm sorry. I'm just gonna pretend nothing happened…"

They obviously were torture tools.

I have no knowledge of medieval torture tools but even a toddler could tell that these sharp, thorny, and hideous shapes were malicious objects made for the purpose of torture and murder.

It was time for me to slowly take my leave.

"Ah~. You're a little more scared than what your size lets on. No worries. I'm just as troubled. I want to throw them away, but it's so heavy I don't think I can do it on my own~"

Ugh-

The woman's slender fingers were resting on my chest. Her thin, slender fingers were freely wriggling on my chest like a spider. She then grinned.

"Such an impressive physique~ You must be pretty strong right? I want you to use your unparalleled strength, my Samaritan friend~"

It seems this witch simply wants me to move the tools out of the basement. Did I look like I had experience in this?

Actually, my size was bigger than most guys around me in this world. Two years of slavery and suffering from physical exertion and starvation made my body quite tough, with no sign of fat.

Of course, I wasn't a special case or anything. Anyone who had gone through military life for two years would either give up or end up becoming strong.

"All I have to do is move them…?"

"You are rather wary my friend~ just like a wild beast. Yeah, just move them out of the store. A friend of mine who collects junk said he was going to take them with her in a cart~"

Could this be considered a quick errand? Taking the luggage out of the basement for 30 coppers. It doesn't seem like there are a lot of them either. As the witch said, I'll be done in 10 minutes by using all my strength.

Whether it was before becoming a slave or after becoming one, I often earned pocket money by working hard like this. For a simple task that can be completed in 30 minutes, 30 coppers seem like a lot.

This felt like a side-hustle to make some extra money. I started moving the wooden frames and iron needles to the front of the store while groaning.

Perhaps because my strength stat rose by one, this work wasn't as difficult as I expected it to be. Of course, it was still pretty heavy. They were whole ass lumps of iron.

"All right, we've moved everything~ All we have to do now is wait for the cart~"

The witch languidly smiled at the sight of all the items in front of her store.

Although I clearly mentioned it earlier, because of those menacing tools of torture, the front of the store, which was located in a gloomy back alley, had now transformed into something that I'd never want to set a foot inside again.

"Here~ For the bees and the goblin fangs~ And your efforts~"

The witch's slender hand reached out to me. She was holding a bag full of coins.

Only after confirming that it was my due 80 coppers was I able to sigh in relief.

"More than that, friend. Aren't you interested in fate and divination~? I think you were born under a strange star~"

"Fortune Telling?"

"Yes~. Fortune~telling~. I also work as a part-time fortune teller. My friend, your karma is very bizarre. So interesting~."

"I don't want to if you're gonna charge me for it."

"Heh~ Don't worry~ Although It's usually a paid service~ my friend's karma is so unique I don't want to miss it~. I won't charge you a dime~."

You won't charge me for fortune~telling? Is this for real? It's nigh unbelievable that such fortune tellers existed. Is she a quack?

Frankly, I wasn't really a fan of divination and such things.

If anything, I mostly disliked things like these. I can't help but grind my teeth in anger when I recall that I'm suffering in this world because of these superstitious beliefs and the cultist that sent me here.

But looking at those big things, not knowing if they were watermelons or a regular chest, I think it's okay to indulge her.

Therefore, I took a seat on one of the chairs located on the first floor and then turned my gaze towards the witch, who placed a strange crystal ball at the center.

"Now, touch the crystal ball~. With both hands~"

Grasp-

Upon touching, it literally gave a sensation of a round crystal ball. It was smooth, hard, and cold.

I earlier thought I'd hear voices or a strange feeling like when I touched the statuette. However, whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, I didn't feel anything like that.

Swoosh-

What surprised me, however, was the witch's palm that gently rested on the back of my hand.

What?

I began doubting whether she was truly a resident of this barbaric world with how soft and slender her hands were.

I felt somewhat embarrassed and weird at her touch.

Ding-

[Stats]

Name: Nemea

Level: 7

Conditions: Chronic Fatigue " ????" ????" ????" ????" ????" ????" ????

Why are there so many question marks?

The usual letters appeared in my sight as I accidentally touched her left wrist. Like the middle-aged man at the guild, there were a lot of question marks and thus and not a lot could be inferred.

These question marks keep popping up time and time again. Is it broken? Or is it something else?

"You have been blessed by an annoying god, my friend~."

"Ah~."

Did she realize I'm blessed? She seems to have sensed some sort of magic or something. It wouldn't be strange if this mysterious witch actually manages to do so.

"No, it's even weirder. Two… Three… No four…? I don't know. I can feel at least two gods. This shouldn't be possible. Well, one of them seems very unstable."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know either. It's the first time I've witnessed such a thing. It's normally impossible for a human to contain the power of two Gods. But you unusually can do this, my friend. What… Who are you really?"

"Y~Yeah?"

"Gods are jealous. So, for two gods to share their champion. But you… Hmmm, I don't know~ Maybe my divination isn't accurate. I've been so exhausted these days, I'm not sure."

The witch gently rubbed her hands on mine that was touching the crystal ball. The floating letters in front of her also disappeared.

Exhausted. It seems my blessing is still as accurate as ever.

What did she mean by saying it was impossible for the power of two Gods to reside in a single human? I have two blessings that seem to have been granted to me by different Gods.

"Well, I wonder what happens to a person who has been blessed by two Gods… Could you tell me?"

"Yes. Oh, it's very simple. If you're blessed by two Gods. You can't get too strong. Or… Think of two boys pulling on the legs of a frog. Its internal organs would spill out. Its bones would crack."

The witch was describing a gruesome scene with her usual languid tone. Damn it, so having two blessings really was nothing good. This is so fucked up.

"Well, anyway, that's intriguing. My divination could still be wrong. I only recently moved to Sodomora and I've had so much to do. I'm exhausted. Huuam~"

Nemea, the 'Witch' yawned with her mouth agape. This somehow unsightly action created a large gap in her peerless beauty, showing a glimpse of her humane side.

"…Well, I know a good massage to relieve fatigue."

Was it because of that, or maybe because of my softening feelings after the skinship? I gathered my courage and offered her a massage."

"Massage~?"

"Oh, yes. That's Umm, sorry, I was wondering if you could let me touch your palm…"

"My palm~? Huh~ let you touch my hand for a massage~? How original~."

The witch's eyes fluttered open. I was so used to being on the receiving end of women's cold and frosty contemptuous looks that I got drunk on the current mood and messed up.

Would she go "What the fuck! You're trying to molest me!" like Daphne and then slape me? This is going to be so awkward. What the fuck are you doing, Hassan? Are you a damn dog in heat?

"Alright, well~. A palm. My right hand should be fine, right?"

Damn it, she's an angel!

I softly glanced at her stretched~out slender palm.

I had already seen it when she touched the crystal ball, but the woman's palms had red spots all over them.

It wasn't just one, but several. Although it looked a bit peculiar, it wasn't any of my business.

"Why are you looking at it like that? Is there anything wrong?"

"Oh, It's just…"

"I heard that there were shamans that could read fate with lines drawn in their palms in Samaria. Are you like one of them?"

Was she talking about palm reading? Are there quacks in Samaria too? Damn, it looks like the preconceived notions about Samaria and the savages living there are only getting worse.

This information was very useful to me in this case.

"… Yeah, something like that. Now, let me touch you for a moment."

"Oh. Touch. So naughty~. Go ahead."

I tried not to be too conscious of it, but my ears were burning red because of her teasing.

I calmed my mind and glanced toward the woman's fingers and palms. My eyes then scanned the region between her thumb and index finger. Soon afterward, I pressed the area between her thumb and ring finger.

According to my father, this posture was one of the basics of palm massaging.

I'm pretty sure there was a deeper medical terminology for this, but I knew nothing as I learned this from just watching my father. I doubt he knew the medical terms himself.

"What are you going to do?"

"Well, I'm gonna press hard right now."

Press-

I slightly tried to pull the woman's palm by exerting a bit of force right above her wrist. I then pressed the concave part of her thick flesh with both of my thumbs.

As far as I know, this was good for blood flow and to alleviate chronic fatigue. I could see a red spot on it too.

"Heunghh~"

Press-

The witch was letting out soft moans each time I strongly pressed on her fingers. A red spot was disappearing on each area I pressed, at the same time my little brother was rising higher and higher. Yes, it was gradually getting bigger.

Some might wonder why the hell it was getting bigger. I was a guy in his prime that wasn't allowed to relieve himself for a long time.

Wouldn't it be stranger if my little brother stayed paralyzed while touching the soft palms of a voluptuous woman who I didn't even know?

"I feel tingling all over my body~ So intriguing~ Is this a Samaritan secret? Or maybe a foreign blessing~?"

"C-Can I continue?"

"Yes, I'm not feeling bad at all. If anything, I'm feeling rather great… Oh God~"

I pressed the red spot on the woman's thumb as hard as I could. What's so good about this part? It affects the feet. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that your whole body will be tired if your feet are.

Press, Press-

It was time to see if it was going well.

"It feels like I have a cramp in my foot. Why do my feet feel so numb if you are only pressing on my thumb?"

It was definitely effective. I got in the mood and began pressing and twirling around all the spots that appeared on her middle finger, such as the tip and so on.

The witch's body trembled at my every touch and couldn't help but utter moans of 'Hungh's and 'Ah's from her lips.

Ding-

『Healed: Nemea's Chronic Fatigue』

『Task points: + 10』

When the last spot was cleared, familiar letters appeared in my sight.

It's not like I could get this opportunity again so I continued to rub Nemea's hand.

It was smooth, soft, and warm. It looked like it would easily break if I just applied a little pressure but it was surprisingly strong…

Ahh, Kimochi~*

"Woah~. So Intriguing~. It looks like my disturbed mana is being readjusted. That's enough~ friend~."

The witch then asked me to stop. I wonder if it was because she was tired or whether she noticed that my hand movements became a bit suspicious. Damn it, I was too obvious!

I had to regretfully stop touching her hand. I could still feel the woman's warmth in my hand. Probably 36.7°.

"I feel so refreshed. pleasant and cool~. I'm going to get addicted for sure~. I haven't felt anything like this in forever. But be careful my friend~. After Asclepius has been struck by lightning, medical practice without authorization from the temple has become taboo."

"Does this kind of simple massage count as medical practice?"

"That is for the Gods to judge. A simple massage would be fine~. But no matter how I look at it, what you seemed to do didn't look simple at all. Do you know the pathways Mana flows through in my body~?"

Mana? I can't even do simple magic tricks, let alone real magic. The witch then smiled upon seeing my dumbfounded expression.

"Anyway, visit me again if you acquire quality goods such as what you sold me earlier~. I'll give you a good price~."

Normally, I'd have to pay for rubbing such a beautiful woman's hand as much as I wanted. Realizing that, I quickly turned around before she got the chance to ask for money.

I heard Nemea's farewell as I turned around.

"Ah, today is the double full moon~ Be careful of the light, Hassan~. Days with the double full moon are omens of bad luck."

"Huh?"

I turned my head to inquire about what she was talking about, but she had already entered her store and closed the door.

What was she talking about? Wait, I don't remember telling her my name. Maybe I forgot because of the embarrassment and nervousness back then.

I lifted my head and noticed that it was already pretty dark outside as the sun had set. I should probably stop by a bathhouse and then join everyone in the tavern.

I'm still so shaken that I don't even remember the name of the tavern. Was it Nymph's Tail inn?

Visit the boss to read 250 fully translated chapters. (patreon.com/Denji02)