༺ Whose Hand will the God of War Raise (1) ༻
War-induced market downturn.
It’s a term used to describe the situation of the market after a war broke out or when the threat of one starting soon would loom over the heart of the people, leading to the marketplace becoming noticeably active and lively.
Various items, including food supplies and medicine for soldiers going to war, would sell like hotcakes. There would also be frequent incidents of hoarding emergency food supplies and essential items by the citizens.
The market Luna and I went to was bustling with people shouting in every possible direction.
Of course, Sodomora’s market was never known for its decency, but today it was particularly intense.
“Hey, you motherfucker! I was the one who grabbed it first!”
“What are you talking about, you idiot?! Can’t you see the marking I made on this item? I reserved this sword a long time ago!”
People could easily lose their rationality in the face of a major crisis.
People who had lost their rationality became more selfish and greedy than ever, sweeping away all the goods without leaving a single item behind for others.
Luna and I went to the general store to buy dry biscuits or jerkies— instant rations that could be eaten as is or boiled with water.
After searching through the entire store, it became evident that the goods inside the general store were quickly sold out.
“Hassan, there’s plenty of mint stargazy pies here!”
Huh, mint stargazy pies?
It seemed that despite people losing their rationality in this time of war, they were still uninterested in buying such an abomination.
But since there was nothing else left to eat, Luna and I had no choice but to purchase the mint stargazy pies and dried cocoa steamed sardines that even the most desperate of people were unwilling to buy.
“Hehe, we’re lucky. We were at least able to buy something delicious.”
“Luna, what kind of food do you think is not tasty?”
“Sand! And ants also don’t taste good. Of course, there are some ants that taste good. But generally, ants don’t taste good.”
I wondered just how she was able to know that ants didn’t taste good, but I opted to not ask her about that. It seemed that even between lovers, there were some things that were better kept secret to maintain a good relationship.
Frankly, my father also made me eat ants multiple times. Shit! It really wasn’t something I wanted to remember ever again.
Anyway, we were able to acquire some food to eat during the war.
Luna, who always had a bit of a problem with her taste buds, seemed satisfied with these horrible-tasting food supplies, but I couldn’t help but worry.
“I wish we had come out earlier to buy everything we needed.”
“The result would have been the same even if we came out earlier. Do you really not need any armor or weapons, Hassan?”
In response to Luna’s words, I briefly glanced at the various armor shops in the distance. They were also bustling with people and thus seemed to be super chaotic right now.
“I don’t think I need anything in particular.”
I supposed the breastplate, gauntlets, and greaves I was wearing should be sufficient for me. Adding more armor would only weigh me down.
While having a helmet to protect my head would have been nice, I was too exhausted after going through the crowded market and didn’t feel like searching for one.
Since I would be leaving the very next day, it might be better to return to the cabin and replenish my stamina instead of wasting my energy like this.
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So I decided to go back home with Luna.
“Hassan, are you really sure you don’t need anything? I’ll go buy it for you!”
“It’s fine.”
Luna seemed just as nervous and overwhelmed as I was about my participation in the upcoming war.
It was quite apparent to me that she was even more flustered and anxious than I was, who was about to be deployed. She was probably worrying a lot about me.
To be fair, if Luna had told me that she would be going to war, I would also have sent her off with a bunch of stuff to increase her chances of survival.
After we returned to the cabin, Luna started bustling around, making some elixirs for me.
Luna used herbs and the earthworms we barely managed to buy during our half-day journey through the market as the ingredients of the elixir. Not only that, but she also put a few strands of her own hair inside the pot.
“Luna, why are you putting your hair in there?”
Looking at how it was made, could we really call this concoction an elixir?
If this world had a strike zone for food hygiene regulations, that out-of-standard elixir creation would be categorized as a dead ball to the umpire’s face and get struck out long ago.1Tennis terms.
However, Luna shouted confidently as though there was nothing to be worried about.
“Luck Elixir! It will enhance your luck! With this, no arrows will be able to hit you!”
Luck Elixir, she said. That was something I had never heard of before. But Luna made it so earnestly that I just decisively accepted it
In fact, I was quite unsure about what to do myself. I was feeling super anxious, to the point that I was banking my hopes on bizarre things like this suspicious elixir.
War.
It was war.
The time had come for me, Hassan, to participate in a real war, swinging blades and bludgeons with only the determination of not dying and surviving to see another day.
“Huff.”
I leaned against the wall, closed my eyes, and listened to Luna’s hurried footsteps— the sound of her bare feet hitting the floor, and the faint noise of various ingredients being ground inside a small bowl.
There have been countless wars in human history. There must have been plenty of reluctant civilians like me who had no choice but to participate in them.
Among those were people like me.
Were they feeling the same emotions I was feeling right now…?
Of course, there was no way I could figure out what they were thinking because even ‘I’ didn’t know what ‘I’ was thinking at the moment.
It was like my consciousness was floating like dust in the air, occasionally flickering and reflecting light. My heart was beating restlessly, pounding to the point of pain.
While my mind was entangled in these complex thoughts, my eyes kept watching Luna busily moving back and forth in front of me.
It was quite nice to see her pink twintails swaying back and forth as she moved.
Pink hair.
It was such a funny and surreal color that even at this point in time, I couldn’t help but question whether I was dreaming or not.
So, to find out whether it was reality or not, I reached out and gently grabbed Luna’s wrist as she moved around. Her wrist was very thin and slender. A woman’s body was truly delicate and soft.
“Oh—” ”
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Luna stumbled on her feet and seemed like she was going to fall because of my sudden action. I buried my nose in her neck and tightly held her slender body.
Sniff.
“H-Hassan…?”
A faint, slightly salty, and sweet scent of sweat emanated from Luna’s body. And as always, the refreshing scent of menthe that naturally wafted from her body made my nose feel a nice and cool sensation.
Small shoulders.
Trembling breaths.
Luna tensed and fidgeted as though surprised due to my sudden act, but soon, she relaxed her body. She then leaned against my chest, wrapped her arms around me, and returned my hug.
A woman’s characteristic soft, warm, and gentle feeling somehow brought a bit of calmness to my disoriented mind.
Luna and I stood there, holding each other without a word for a while. Perhaps we didn’t even need any conversation in the first place.
Just knowing that we were both in this place was enough for us.
How much time had passed like that?
“I’m sure even in the noisy and chaotic battlefield of war, nothing will happen to you because you’re a ferocious Samaritan, Hassan.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, I’m sure of it. I’m sure that nothing bad will happen… Well, that’s what I would have said before. When I first saw you, Hassan, you looked like a barbarian who had just ascended from hell. Completely covered in darkness.”
“Isn’t that a little bit too much?”
“But, but, you are actually a fool and you are not even that strong.”
I honestly wanted to protest, saying, “Hey, how could you call me a fool? You’re being too harsh.”
But I couldn’t say anything in response to Luna’s words as she began to sob soon after.
Hot tears streamed down Luna’s eyes and trailed down her cheeks as she buried her face in my chest, drenching my collar as a result.
As I said before, a woman’s tears were a powerful weapon.
All sorts of thoughts were swirling in my head, but I was unable to convey even one as I witnessed Luna crying.
Suddenly everything from the upcoming war to the thought that I might soon die disappeared from my mind, and I could only think about how to make this petite girl in my arms stop crying.
So, just like when I comforted the sulky Luna before, I began scratching her back with my hand.
Scratch— Scratch—
It would be nice if I could say something to console her at the moment, but unfortunately, I was tongue-tied. If only I had the blessing of eloquence instead of dexterity, maybe I could have said something appropriate to soothe her mood.
“Don’t cry.”
So, after much hesitation and pondering, I only managed to say those two words. Then in response to that, Luna quietly responded with her trembling voice.
“…I won’t cry. It is said that seeing men off brings bad luck in the lands of Ideope.”
“Is that so? Ideope seems to have all sorts of stories.”
“I am Luna, the daughter of Ideope. And women from Ideope are good at waiting more than anyone else. So, despite the fact that I really hate doing this, just for this once, really just for this time, I will let you go, Hassan.”
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“Alright.”
Luna’s crying gradually came to a stop and I was finally able to breathe a slight sigh of relief. It seemed that Luna, too, momentarily became emotionally unstable because of the upcoming events and even shed a few tears because of that.
“I really hate it. I really hate it, but I have no choice but to let you go, Hassan.”
“Alright, I understand.”
Luna looked quite adorable as she continued to whine like that. I knew that it was a serious situation, but I felt troubled because of my gradually growing schlong.
It would be strange if my lower half didn’t react while I was holding a girl’s body for a long time like this. So, with a sense of regret, I continued to caress Luna’s back as she spoke.
“Therefore, just for once, visit the Mars Temple. There’s nothing more I can do for you. I’m not a demigod… so I don’t know how to offer blessings…”
“The temple?”
“Yes, to receive the protection of the God of War. In return, in return, I’ll wait for you just for this time only. I totally hate the idea of you getting seriously injured or killed in the war.”
Swoosh—
Luna stood up as she finished speaking those words. Then she opened the window on the second floor and stood beneath the dim moonlight, looking out at the streets below.
Now that I thought about it, Hippolyte did say that she would bestow her special blessing on me and even asked me to come find her in the evening to receive said blessing from her.
By this time, most of the people, who had gathered to the point that the guild had become utterly cluttered this morning, had surely returned home to prepare for the upcoming war.
“Come back safely.”
Luna said so without looking at me, simply gazing at the night sky. I thought that we would be going together to receive the blessing. But it seemed like Luna intended to stay in the cabin.
So I also reluctantly stood up from my seat.
“Aren’t you coming with me?”
“I told you. I’ll wait for you here. Just this time. Go quickly before I change my mind.”
Luna spoke with a resolute voice. I couldn’t see her expression since I could only see the back of her head, but I imagined that she must have been deeply frowning as she said those words.
“Hurry!”
She even shouted at me with a loud, high-pitched voice. So, I could only step back hesitantly with a startled heart.
“Well, fine. I’ll be back soon.”
Luna might need some time alone as well. We’d been sticking together quite frequently lately, so it made sense that she would need some time to be alone to think and meditate— to clear up her mind.
So, leaving Luna behind, I stepped down the stairs to the first floor of the cabin to go out. One, two, three…
As I slowly descended the stairs and reached out to open the entrance door on the first floor—
Thump— Thump— Crash—!
With a loud noise, a strong presence approached me from behind. It was Luna who was hesitating and stumbling as she approached me from upstairs. She came running with a face so red that it was simply indescribable with words alone.
“Indeed, I can’t just let you go like this!”
Like a hungry lion, Luna jumped at me and buried her face in my chest. I thought she wanted to hug me, but—
Bite hard—
“Ahhhh!”
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Instead, the sensation of an unbearably painful bite emanated on my chest and I couldn’t help but leak out a scream from my mouth.
“Now go!”
Then Luna forcefully closed the door with a bang after pushing me out. What the hell was that?
I could only swallow my tears as I looked at the clear bite marks on my clothes and the aching I felt on my chest.
War seemed to have a way of driving people crazy like this.
Anyway, with a rather bewildered state of mind, I scratched my head and set off for the Mars Guild.
The streets leading to the guild were all filled with soldiers due to the upcoming departure to the battlefield tomorrow. Their loud footsteps conveyed a sense of urgency and anxiety.
There were incidents like me being interrogated by those soldiers along the way, but I managed to reach the ruins of the Mars Guild building safe and sound.
I wondered in my mind if the crowd had decreased by now as evening approached.
Even at this time of the day, when the sun had set and the moon rose high in the sky – as a place dedicated to serving the god of war and battle – the temple of Mars was illuminated by the flickering of flames from the lit braziers and the chants of the priests and priestesses could be heard echoing from every nook and cranny of the house of worship.
Where is Hippolyte?
I wandered among numerous priestesses, searching for her familiar face. Then, someone tapped me on the back.
Hippolyte was the only person who was able to touch my back so unexpectedly.
“Are you Miss Hippolyte, by any chance?”
“Yes. Y-You really came as promised. Honestly, I didn’t expect Knoxdotty to let you come here.”
When I turned my head, I noticed that Hippolyte’s skin appeared far redder than usual, perhaps due to the glow of the braziers that were illuminating our surroundings.
Her hair was neatly tied back, and instead of her usual armor or the attire she wore as a priestess of Mars, she was wearing a fascinating red dress.
The dress hugged her body tightly and was short enough to reveal her plump thighs prominently. It was actually quite a plain dress, but Hippolyte’s physique alone was captivating enough to draw attention, even in such plain clothing.
In fact, I could see men stealing glances at Hippolyte from all kinds of directions. Some were even shamelessly staring at her with their gazes affixed on her lascivious form.
This was how a popular woman in a dress would be treated anywhere in the world.
Her appearance now was like a well-known beautiful athlete at a celebrity party. Now that I noticed, her face seemed to have been adorned with quite sparkling cosmetics, too.
Hippolyte applying makeup?
It suited her well, but it was quite unexpected for me, as I had always thought she was quite distant from indulging in such things.
Although I had brainwashed myself into believing that no woman was prettier than Luna, I was momentarily stunned and forgot about that fact as I saw her enchanting form.
“…Why, why are you staring at me like that? Do I look strange?”
“No, it’s just that you seem to have put in more effort than usual in dressing up…”
“Hmm, I guess that means nothing is strange with my appearance, right?”
“I thought you were someone else.”
“Someone else, someone else, you say. That’s one interesting way to look at it.”
I wasn’t particularly brave enough to smoothly convey to a girl that she was looking pretty. So I thought about saying something nice about her appearance.
But Hippolyte spoke to me first.
“As the priestess of war, I have to dress appropriately on a day like today. Anyway, I’ve been waiting for you. Over there, come this way.”
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