Chapter 377: Present
「I’m back. 」
「Welcome back. 」
Hauron was lying down and smoking his hookah when I returned.
「You’re back. 」
Khan and Retze seemed to be in the middle of a game.
The former wordlessly glanced at me while still facing the board, while the latter replied without tearing his eyes off the same board.
「What are you playing? 」
「I found this game in the night market. It’s an ancient game passed down throughout Es, but since the board and the pawns are similar to the ones played during King Tirdonai’s era, we tweaked the rules a bit. 」
They’re playing the game according to the rules that Khan knew and it’s quite nostalgic for the king, apparently.
Bayliss was leaning on Khan with her chin propped on his thigh as she watched their game. Similar faces surrounded us, waving huge fans to make it cooler.
Retze changed into Es clothes, which are airy and cool and don’t have anything that requires tying or buttoning up.
「Call me once you’re done with your game, I have a souvenir for Khan. 」
「Alright. 」
Hauron answered.
「Hold up, what did you bring? 」
Retze looked up from the board which he had been staring at so intently moments ago.
「… 」
Khan wordlessly raised a hand, and the servants who had been fanning us left the room one after the other.
「Eh? You manage to get those folks out of this room!? 」
I’ve been begging them to stay away but they kept on tagging along!!
「So? What is it? 」
Khan asked.
「You’re not allowed to ignore that! 」
So Hauron reserved the room on behalf of Khan!?
「 Come now, what did you bring for Khan? 」
Retze said as he stood up and made me sit on the spot he was sitting on. He then pulled the table over so that Hauron wouldn’t mess up the board game in case he collapsed, leaving a space in between Khan and me.
「Here. 」
I put the bag containing the pillar between us. It might be a simple jute bag, but I still decorated it with a ribbon. The pillar’s height is almost the same as my eye level when I’m sitting down, but it’s a bit low in front of Khan.
Khan doubtfully untied the ribbon and peered inside.
「… 」
He then backed away and slumped on the chair, his entire body leaning heavily against the backrest as he covered his brows and face with one hand.
「What might it be? 」
Hauron asked, but Khan wordlessly pointed with his free hand, gesturing that Hauron should take a look.
「…A spirit. Seems like you brought something strange again, huh… 」
Bayliss also took a peek with him, but she immediately stuck herself onto Khan’s back afterward. Retze was the last one to peer in, and he had an indescribable expression when he was done.
By the way, since the jute bag is just big enough to house the pillar, you’ll see a face on the pillar staring back at you, kinda like Kintarou candy, when you look inside it.
「He’s visible to me too, so either this guy’s a powerful spirit, or he’s deliberately letting me see him, right? I very rarely see spirits myself, but they seem to be different from those depicted as arts and sculptures in temples, huh. 」
Retze voiced his impressions.
「If we’re only talking about the face, then I’m pretty sure it’s a familiar one from the relief in the temple. 」
Khan propped his elbows on his knees and continued clutching his forehead as he gazed at the floor.
「Wait a second, no way, I don’t believe it, this is so not real, right? 」
Bayliss was still on Khan’s back sneaking glances at the jute bag from his shoulder.
「The temple’s relief? 」
Hauron zoomed in on Khan’s words. He conjured a thing that looked like a rolling pin and propped it on his knees. It’s a scroll, apparently; he unfurled it and the image of a certain crocodile and a certain cobra came to view.
「Ah, right, this person and this person too, they said he is Asas, the God of Bountiful Harverst. 」
Hauron suddenly collapsed on his knees.
「Eh? 」
I worriedly turned my gaze to Khan, but he hadn’t budged from his pose at all.
「Why don’t we start by listening to your explanation first. Why did you bring this spirit in the bag back here? 」
I turned to Retze for help, so he sighed and said that.
And so, with the jute bag in front of us, it was decided that I spill the details.
「Khan declared that he’s gonna do his best to revive his kingdom, so this is kinda like an advance congratulatory gift, or should I say a token that I’m going to help him. 」
「So, you captured this spirit and came back here? 」
Retze stared at the jute bag.
「Nope, I was looking for the spirit of the Es River. I wanted to ask and request if he or she can change the course of the river so that it’ll run to the place where Khan will establish his kingdom. 」
The jute bag started quivering, probably as a reaction to the phrase “Spirit of the Es River”.
「Don’t casually go looking for a deity. 」
Khan muttered with a sigh.
「Isn’t that something that’s supposed to be done by conducting a ceremony and praying for that deity to grace us with their presence…? Why did you have to go yourself? 」
「But why? I’m the one who needs something from them. 」
I answered Hauron’s query with a question of my own.
「… Stop it. Don’t mess up with my common sense, please. 」
Hauron raised his hand and gestured me to stop while covering his face with his other hand.
「Stop applying what you know about human relationships when thinking about the deities. They’re usually in places you normally can’t go to, and maybe their whereabouts are unknown, or they might even be in another realm that is off limits to humans. 」
Retze caught me grimacing in disagreement to Hauron’s words, so he chided me. My cheek already lost its human rights again after being pulled like this as usual.
「One thing I understand, at any rate, is that you went there to request water for me — the way you got it is weird, though. 」
Khan said.
「Well, the process is so Jean. 」
Retze said with another sigh.
「It’s fine, it’s not like there hadn’t been anyone who went on adventures to seek deities before. But please stop applying day-to-day common sense to something this dynamic!! 」
Hauron was on the verge of tears as he shrieked.
NEXT CHAPTER
RELEASE RATE
I Got Transferred in the Middle of a Mountain
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 80 hours
He and his stupid half-assed explainations …
Is he to stupid to tell a story from beginning-middle part- end ?
“I went up the river to look for Es, Spirits were guiding me, found Es, Es gave me this Spirit/Deity here, have fun with it Khan~”
Not so hard, isn’t it? xD