Chapter 148 Blue Hue Elixir

Hermit stepped out of the restroom, his scrawny form wrapped in nothing but a towel and a damp tunic clinging to his minuscule shoulder. Trembling like a leaf in the wind, the goblin slowly made his way toward Lisanna, each moist footstep leaving a trail of damp footprints.

His heart pounded within his meager chest, sending waves of pulsating twitches to his swollen ears with every beat. Hermit knew that defying David's orders would bring him unimaginable anguish. 

 After a torturous walk, Hermit arrived at the reception desk where Lisanna leaned casually, immersed in reading a book. 

With all the stealth a goblin can muster, he crept behind the desk, his puny frame barely noticeable. With each step, Hermit's fear grew, his beady eyes fixed upon Lisanna's vulnerable behind. With a feeble leap, he extended his trembling hand and struck her cheek with a resounding clap as he shouted in his feeble voice, "L-Lisanna, you're a bitch!"

The moment Hermit's hand left her delicate skin, a chilling realization gripped him. He hastily covered his ears, his heart pounding with anticipation of the punishment that awaited him. Trembling in fear, he awaited the wrathful retribution for his heinous act.

Realizing the magnitude of his transgression, Hermit's heart raced, and a cold sweat dripped down his wrinkled green skin. His beady eyes widened, filling with tears as he pondered the imminent punishment that awaited him. With desperation gnawing at his every thought, he knew he had to protect his ears at all costs. He knew that with his twisted ankle, he couldn't make a run.

In an act of desperate protection, Hermit's trembling fingers reached up, their gnarled and calloused tips delicately cradling his beloved ears. With a tenderness born out of pure desperation, he pulled them closer, their fleshy lobes enveloped within the warmth of his palms. His grip tightened as he pressed them gently against his chest, seeking shelter and protection.

Hermit's heart pounded within his bony ribcage. He knew that in the face of imminent punishment, his only refuge lay in the embrace of his own trembling limbs, as he shielded his cherished ears from the impending doom that awaited him.

His body shivered uncontrollably, every muscle shuddering with the burden of anxiety. The fear in his eyes was visible, reflecting the realization of what his actions had brought him. Time seemed to stand still, as Hermit stood frozen, awaiting the arrival of his fate, his ears clasped firmly against his heaving chest, his ears cradled tightly in his own embrace.

Lisanna felt an incredibly gentle caress upon her delicate behind, prompting her to delicately set her book aside. Slowly, she turned her gaze, only to be met with an utterly wretched spectacle - a pitiful goblin cowering in terror. Trembling uncontrollably, he cradled his grotesquely swollen, fleshy ears with utmost desperation, as if seeking solace and protection from an unforgiving world.

Intrigued by the goblin's pitiable state, Lisanna leaned in closer to the wretched creature, a mischievous glimmer dancing in her eyes. With a teasing lilt in her voice, she uttered words dripping with playful malice, "Oh, dear little goblin, how unkind of you to utter those words. It seems another round of ear massages is in order. Now that you've been bathed in the depths of the sink, your once-filthy exterior is nothing but a memory. Oh, how I long to savor the sensation of those succulent, fat ears within my grasp once more."

Hermit stopped trembling upon hearing her words and mustered the courage to ask, "M-m-master, not angry? Not hurt Hermit?"

Lisanna chuckled and quickly grabbed the goblin. Scared, Hermit turned on his heel with a high-pitched squeal, "WREEEE!" and tried to scurry away with his hands in the air, but Lisanna was faster and grabbed him, lifting him up in the air. She placed the goblin on her reception desk and said, "Don't run, little guy. I want to have some fun." But after a closer look, she noticed that Hermit's ears were swollen, pulsating, and changing color with each throbbing pulse.

With a commanding tone, she said, "Listen carefully, goblin. I will ask you nicely only once. What happened to your meaty ears? Why are they injured?"

Hermit remained silent because David would punish him if he told on him. But Lisanna insisted, "You better start talking unless you like pain and torture, little goblin."

Hermit was conflicted; he didn't know what to do, his eyes darting around looking for an escape or someone to turn to for help. He looked at Suzuka, but she was in her own world, swinging leaned back in her chair. And David was menacingly glaring at the goblin while sitting in the back of the guild hall. With time and Lisanna's patience running out, Hermit uttered, "I tripped and fell, I hit my head hard."

Lisanna leaned close to his ear and said quietly, "Oh really? Is that all? Oh! So clumsy of you, little guy. But you know what I think?" She moved even closer to his ear and suddenly yelled, "Bullshit!"

Startled by her sudden outburst, Hermit squealed like a squeaky toy, "Wreeeee!"

She grabbed his head and pushed it against the table, then took a sharp pencil and placed his meaty ear flat on the table. Poking the sharp end of the pencil onto Hermit's pulsating swollen ear, then she said, "Do I have to torture you to get an answer? Do I have to hurt you to make you speak the truth? Huh? I will poke holes in your ears with this pencil until you tell me what happened."

Hermit squirmed like a worm impaled on a hook, his only good ear in danger, but her grip was too strong to break free. The goblin started to beg, "Please, Master! Please! Not the only good ear remaining, please! Don't tarnish Hermit's only treasure left, please! It's the only treasure Hermit has left. Show mercy, please."

Lisanna was a bit confused and said, "What are you talking about, what treasure?"

Hermit said, "The ears, the ears! Our glorious hearing appendages, the beauty of our auricles. We goblins determine our beauty by our ears. The bigger, meatier, and fleshier they are, the more beautiful a goblin is considered. Hermit was a lowly slave, reduced to mere filth under the oppressing goblins' feet, but even then, Hermit was recognized by his ears. Even ruthless goblin tormentors didn't raise their hands against other goblins' ears because they are a sacred treasure to us. Master, I beg you, if you ruin the only good ear left, Hermit will have nothing left to live for. Master! Please, don't rob Hermit of his one and only treasure left!"

Lisanna exerted more force on the pencil, each throbbing pulse in his ear driving the sharp tip deeper, causing waves of pain to surge through his hyper-sensitive auditory organ. Each throb seemed akin to a searing hot blade piercing his ear.

With a menacing tone, she uttered, "If you hold your ear in such high regard, then speak up or prepare to part ways with it."

Overwhelmed by fear and agony, Hermit burst into tears and confessed, "It was David! David did it. He forced me face-first into the dirt and whipped my ears with his belt until I disgraced myself and wet myself. Then he kicked me into a pile of garbage and left me there. I swear, Master! Hermit speaks the truth!"

After hearing Hermit's heartfelt confession, Lisanna relinquished her grip, releasing the goblin from the clutches of pain. In that fleeting moment, Hermit cradled his wounded ear with a gentleness that defied comprehension. His touch was delicate as if he held a precious gem in his hands, a jewel more valuable than all the riches of the universe combined. 

Hermit grabbed his ear, placed it on his lap, and gently with great care started to cuddle it while cradling it in his lap. Gently, with remarkable care and tenderness, he embraced the appendage, rocking it back and forth as if it were a precious child. Talking sweet words and pouring gentle kissing on it.

"Oh, my sweet little baby. 'Kiss' It's gonna be alright. 'Kiss' You are safe, now." 

 David leaped from his chair with the force of a thousand raging storms, his eyes ablaze with fury. He advanced towards Hermit with a menacing gait, every step sending tremors through Hermit's body. The goblin, sensing imminent danger, catapulted into action. In his frenzied panic, the goblin sprang back to his feet, chaotic and disoriented. His tunic fluttered to the ground like a discarded remnant of his shattered dignity. The towel betrayed him as it slipped off his trembling form, leaving him completely exposed. In a desperate bid to escape, he leaped off the table, crashed into the chair, and tumbled to the floor in a flurry of limbs.

Hermit pushed himself off the ground and found himself scuttling frantically, his naked form a spectacle of both hilarity and embarrassment. With no time to reclaim his modesty Hermit's naked form scampered across the guild hall, Lisanna and Suzuka couldn't contain their laughter. Their joyful glee filled the room, echoing off the walls as they watched the Hermit's hilarious emergency. Tears streamed down their faces as they struggled to catch their breath between fits of laughter.

Hermit's flailing arms and the chaotic dance of his jewels and egg-laying straw only intensified the absurdity of the scene. With each step he took, his high-pitched screams pierced the air, resembling a distressed animal. "Wreeeee! Wreeeee!" he shrieked, his voice reaching agonizing heights, blending with the clamor of laughter that surrounded him.

David was about to catch the goblin when Suzuka stepped in his way and slapped him across the face. "You damn loser. Are you trying to get me in trouble? I am responsible for this ugly goblin, anything happens to him and my behind will be manhandled for it. I will ask you again. Are you trying to get me in trouble? Huh?"

Devid was fully aware of Suzuka's might; it was all too obvious to him what kind of monster she was. His fear was still deeply etched from his experience in the bandit's hideout. 

With a meek tone, he mumbled, "I-I'm sorry. It was just a little prank. I-I gotta go."

Lisanna and Suzuka exchanged glances as David retreated. They turned their attention back to Hermit, who was still sprawled on the ground, a mixture of appreciation and joy flickering across his face.

Lisanna extended her hand once more, this time with a genuine intent to assist. "Come on, Hermit," she said, her voice now free of laughter. "Let us help you up. That was quite an ordeal, wasn't it?"

Hermit was ecstatic beyond explanation; he danced with delight as he watched his tormentor depart, leaving him alone. The goblin's feeble and scrawny body contorted in peculiar ways, its limbs wriggling like worms on a hot plate, while its jewels and straw for egg-laying dangled unchecked.

Lisanna chuckled and remarked, "We should name you the Hermit of the Naked Scuttle! How does that sound?"

Suzuka pondered, barely containing her laughter, "Naked Scuttle suits him perfectly. He scampers with his tiny little legs with short steps, scuttling like a rat. Plus, he has a knack for losing his rags. Naked Scuttle you shall be, hahaha!"

Lisanna gently picked up the weary goblin, cradling it in her arms, and placed it on the reception desk. With utmost care, she wrapped the creature in a small towel, ensuring its comfort. Then, she retrieved its damp tunic from the ground and laid it on a warm red crystal, allowing it to dry.

In the recesses of a cabinet beneath her desk, Lisanna carefully searched through a collection of potions. After a moment of careful consideration, she retrieved a small vial with a soothing blue hue. Her voice, both compassionate and commanding, resonated as she addressed the goblin.

"Listen carefully Hermit," she said, her tone filled with concern. "You must remain still while I apply this cream to your ears. It will alleviate the swelling, cool the discomfort, and relieve your pain. However, it is important that you refrain from touching it with your hands or placing it in your mouth, as it will feel as though you are touching ice."

Hermit asked Lisanna as she slipped on a pair of gloves, "Master, will this elixir truly vanquish the torment that plagues my ears? Shall Hermit's auricular torment be naught but a distant memory, vanquishing the crying of the painful 'Owieee'? Yet, dear Master, I beg you, rub your aids with the utmost tenderness, for my ears, oh, so sensitive to the gentlest touch."