I Became A Married Man in Another World
Chapter 105
105. Different Dreams in the Same Bed
Lizi spent several days visiting the leather crafter’s workshop to learn the trade.
While she was at the workshop, Juhwan looked after the carriage. He oiled the parts that needed lubrication and replaced worn-out components with new ones. He couldn’t do everything alone, so he sought the help of a master craftsman.
“This should be manageable for the time being. However, it’s quite old, so you’d better look into getting a new one soon. It’s hard to point to one specific spot, but the whole thing is overall quite worn.”
The carriage master shrugged as he gathered his tools.
Well, that might be true. Even back in the village where he had first met Lizi, the carriage had been sitting there looking as if it had been abandoned for a very long time. It was likely an incredibly old piece of equipment.
But carriages were expensive. A large, sturdy carriage like this one cost a fortune.
Moreover, to buy a carriage, one had to travel to a big city and put in a lot of legwork.
In this era, you couldn’t just look at a catalog or check prices on the internet to order a vehicle like you would on modern Earth. It was something you had to scout out yourself and then visit a workshop to place an order.
Unless you were lucky enough to find the type of carriage you wanted already built, you had to place an order and wait a long time for it to be completed. It cost an enormous amount of both time and money.
Even if one were to buy a used carriage instead of a new one, finding one was just as difficult. In fact, it was trickier.
Since there were no established dealerships like the used car market on Earth, one had to find items for sale through word of mouth or spend time visiting shops personally. You also needed the ability to verify if the item was in good condition or if you were being scammed. It was a headache in many ways.
Juhwan had asked a few people about buying a new carriage but eventually had to give up on the idea.
‘Well, it can’t be helped. I want to buy one after I’ve saved up a bit more money anyway.’
He had some savings now, but he still felt uneasy. He didn’t know what might happen in the future, and he might suddenly end up living in a large city. It was a morbid thought, but Juhwan could also suddenly die.
Thinking of such things, it felt right to wait until more money was saved before buying a carriage. It wasn’t as if they didn’t have a carriage to ride right now, and it was still rolling along perfectly fine.
‘That’s what I thought, but…’
Juhwan crossed his arms as he looked at the carriage parked in the inn’s lot.
A groan escaped his lips involuntarily. Since they were scheduled to leave the village today, they had loaded all their luggage, and the carriage had swollen to twice its original size—upward and sideways.
‘I hope the wheels don’t give out.’
The craftsman who serviced the carriage said it would be fine for a while, but he probably hadn’t imagined they would pile this much luggage onto it.
Flour, meat, very expensive dried fruit, equally pricey sugar and honey, salt, spices, and other foods—not to mention candles, lamp oil, fabric, wooden barrels and axes, saws, nails, locks, clothes, shoes, and mattresses made by stuffing straw into thick fabric…
As they prepared to settle into the cabin, the luggage to be loaded onto the carriage kept increasing. Looking at it now, it was definitely an overloaded vehicle.
Standing beside him, Lizi muttered worriedly.
“Can Yeonhwa pull this? It looks so heavy.”
Yeonhwa, who had been left untied lately, nudged Lizi’s body slightly with her muzzle as if telling her not to worry. Her expression seemed to say that this much luggage was a piece of cake. It was a face full of bravado.
Though she had only acted cute toward Juhwan at first, Yeonhwa had recently become close with Lizi and Dorothy. She often nudged them with her head or licked them. It seemed she was learning by watching Oz’s behavior.
Thanks to that, not only Oz but also Yeonhwa was being recruited into Dorothy’s “wizard play” these days.
When Dorothy shouted something while holding a branch, Oz would snap it, and when she picked up a bug and shouted again, Yeonhwa would kill it.
The wizard play, which had started as mere words, was now involving the use of actual magic.
Juhwan worried if a child’s play should be like that, but he decided it was fine since it served as practice for the Rudolphs and relieved the stress of a lonely Dorothy.
Lizi, who had been pushed forward a few steps by Yeonhwa, let out a giggle.
“It’s Dorothy’s horns.”
A pair of cloth horns Dorothy had made were tied to Yeonhwa’s long horn.
Because Dorothy had pestered her, saying she wanted to be a Rudolph too, Lizi had made horn shapes by stuffing straw into fabric.
Attaching those horns to her head, Dorothy held a Rudolph meeting every day.
The three of them would huddle their heads together and whisper, and Juhwan had no idea what they were doing. Watching them, he couldn’t help but think it looked like a suspicious gathering of little witches.
Juhwan patted Yeonhwa’s neck.
‘Thanks for playing with the kid. I appreciate it.’
When Juhwan spoke in his mind, Yeonhwa’s eyes sparkled.
She seemed happy.
Yeonhwa shook her white mane and headed toward a corner.
In the corner, Dorothy was looking for a bug to use in today’s meeting. Since it was winter, finding bugs wasn’t easy, but she always managed to find something by searching under large rocks or inside rotten wood.
It seemed she hadn’t found one yet today. Dorothy was struggling with a rock, her hands covered in dirt.
Yeonhwa approached and used her horn to push the large rock aside.
“Yes!”
It looked like she found it. Dorothy shouted loudly, caught the bug, and put it into a small bamboo tube.
Watching that scene, Juhwan recalled the words of Percel, the Guild Master.
[Rudolphs exist only for Santa’s contractors. Whether it’s the master’s family or lover, such people mean nothing to a Rudolph. They wouldn’t even blink if those people died right in front of them. This is a story passed down through generations of our Guild Masters.]
He had heard that from the Guild Master, but it was strangely different.
It was likely true that Yeonhwa and Oz existed for Juhwan.
He could feel it to some extent.
However, the creatures were just as devoted to Lizi and Dorothy as they were to Juhwan. Even without Juhwan saying anything, they took care of the two, always worrying about them and following them.
Yeonhwa hadn’t been like that originally, but she was gradually changing to be like Oz…
‘Ah!’
Juhwan realized the reason mid-thought. It seemed to be because his own desires were connected to Lizi and Dorothy. The Rudolphs also cherished what he valued most.
‘I see. The Guild Master’s words that a Rudolph is only for its master are actually true.’
After watching Dorothy play for a moment, Juhwan called the child.
It was time to head to the Guild.
Yesterday evening, he had received word that the Magic Beast hunters who had been injured by the Orthos had arrived in the village.
Even if he didn’t go out, the Guild would handle everything, but Chatterbox had encouraged the meeting, saying that the opportunity to meet such experienced Magic Beast hunters was rare.
‘I also want to hear what I can about Magic Beasts.’
Dorothy ran to him, clutching the bamboo tube with the bug inside.
Yeonhwa followed closely behind her. The sight looked so much like a nanny following and looking after a child that Juhwan smiled slightly.
Considering the time when Yeonhwa was a young girl, it was practically a child looking after a child. When she had her girl-like appearance, Yeonhwa had been like a large child.
*
When they arrived at the Guild, Gwen and Jack were already there waiting.
Upon seeing Juhwan, Jack bowed deeply, his waist at a right angle.
Seeing Jack, Dorothy whispered to Lizi in a small voice.
“It’s the crybaby mister, Mommy. The mister who cried when he saw Daddy is here.”
It seemed those nearby heard her. At the very least, it definitely reached the ears of Jack and Gwen. Jack’s face turned as red as a ripe apple.
Gwen laughed and patted Jack on the back before approaching Juhwan. The wrinkles around Gwen’s eyes deepened as his sharp gaze softened.
“Thank you for the other day. I survived thanks to you. I am Gwen.”
Gwen held out his hand. Juhwan gripped Gwen’s hand firmly.
“I’m the one who should be grateful. I wouldn’t have been able to kill it if you hadn’t told me where the Magic Beast’s weakness was.”
As he said that, Juhwan chuckled inwardly.
The first thought that had crossed his mind the moment Gwen reached out was: He’s not going to pull some trick like the Guild Master did, is he?
He seemed to have developed a habit of doubting people. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Juhwan moved to a table on one side of the Guild with Gwen.
Lizi sat at another table with Dorothy. She seemed to want to avoid being a distraction.
Dorothy sometimes looked at Jack and whispered something to Oz. Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed Jack had become something like a den of evil in their play.
It was a game of make-believe.
Jack seemed used to children. While sitting next to Juhwan and Gwen and listening to the conversation, he occasionally made a growling face toward Dorothy to tease her.
Every time he did, Dorothy would order Oz to do something.
Just in case, Juhwan muttered in his mind.
’Oz, you mustn’t hurt people recklessly. It’ll be trouble if you do everything Dorothy says literally.’
“Pii?”
The ending was a bit strange, but he seemed to have understood nonetheless.
It was a relief that Oz was smart.
Gwen was not a talkative or hyperactive person. He seemed to have a quiet and static side. And he knew a lot about Magic Beasts.
When Juhwan mentioned that he intended to be a Magic Beast hunter, Gwen told him various stories about the beasts he knew.
“The primary weakness of all Magic Beasts is the Mana Stone. If you destroy that, they lose their power as a Magic Beast. However, just because they are the same species doesn’t mean the Mana Stone is in the same place for all of them. Even with the same Orthos, the location of the Mana Stone can vary.”
The Mana Stone was said to be the place where mana gathered. Ultimately, the Mana Stone was the reason a Magic Beast was not just an ordinary animal.
“It’s because of the Mana Stone that they can be called Magic Beasts.”
“Then… does every Magic Beast have a Mana Stone?”
“Not necessarily. Most have Mana Stones, but those with horns might not. The horn takes the place of the Mana Stone.”
Gwen smiled broadly.
“In any case, a Magic Beast must gather mana somewhere. For some, the Mana Stone looks like a horn, and for others, it takes the form of a gem.”
After talking for a while, Gwen lowered his voice slightly.
“This is a private request, but a request to capture a Magic Beast alive has come into the Moderni Guild. Individual notifications were sent only to veteran Magic Beast hunters. I also received that contact and stopped by Moderni before taking on this job.”
“Is it alright to tell me that?”
At Juhwan’s question, Gwen gave a thin smile.
“The reason the request is private is because there aren’t many people who can do it. If a mediocre hunter jumps in thinking it’s a good way to make money, the probability of them dying is higher.”
“…”
“Beginners aren’t dangerous because they know their own limits. They don’t even try to take the request. It’s the people with mediocre skills who are dangerous. Such people rate themselves higher than their actual abilities. In the end, it’s just bravado.”
Gwen shrugged his shoulders slightly.
“There are more people in this world living on bravado and greed than you’d think. Enough that the Guild has to issue requests while considering people’s lives. Well, Jack here is a bundle of bravado despite not even having mediocre skills.”
“M-Master.”
Jack’s face turned red once again. Perhaps because he was still young, his complexion changed frequently.
Gwen’s soft gaze fell on the back of Jack’s bowed head. Gwen seemed to find the old-faced, bravado-filled Jack quite endearing.
Gwen turned his gaze back to Juhwan.
“If you have the ability to capture a Magic Beast alive, you can easily take the request through a recommendation from a notified hunter. Why don’t you give it a try?”
Capturing alive… To catch something like an Orthos without killing it—honestly, he lacked a bit of confidence.
It might be a simple task with Yeonhwa’s abilities, but Juhwan intended to gradually grow his own strength after settling into the cabin. He couldn’t rely on Yeonhwa and Oz forever. Juhwan had to develop his own skills as well.
As Juhwan hesitated, Gwen smiled gently.
“This request has a fairly long duration. They want a large number of them, too. Think about it slowly; I’ll put in a word for you. Whenever you catch a Magic Beast, just head to Moderni.”
“Thank you.”
After finishing his conversation with Juhwan, Gwen left the Guild. He seemed to be heading toward Moderni.
Chatterbox asked for detailed information about where Juhwan would settle and wrote it down in the documents.
“Keeping track of the location of a Santa-rank adventurer is a major task for the Guild. Even if it’s a hassle, please make sure to tell us if your residence changes. It’s rare, but sometimes important contacts need to be made, and there are various other things.”
After filling out the documents, Chatterbox leaned over the counter.
He brought his face so close to Juhwan’s that it looked like he was about to kiss him.
“And while the Moderni Guild is good, I hope you’ll visit here often. Even though we’re the same Guild, Moderni and this place are competitors in terms of sales. If we lose a Santa-rank, it’s a big blow to us. The commission goes over to that side. Of course, the same goes for purchasing Magic Beast hides. Sigh. This may be a small town, but instead, it has heart! Humans are all about heart!”
After speaking with enough passion to spray spit, Chatterbox let out a long sigh.
“I hate those Moderni guys sometimes. Once they get some experience here, all the adventurers head over there. Everyone likes bigger places.”
Looking at the rambling Chatterbox, Juhwan and Lizi exchanged glances and laughed. This man really never changed.
After finishing a few more errands, Juhwan finally left the village.
The unicorn pulling the carriage walked with a step as light as if she were pulling a toy, but the carriage itself was heavy and had little vibration. He was seriously worried that the wheels might actually buckle.
Lizi seemed worried too. She frowned and suddenly muttered.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have bought the wine.”
“…”
Well, buying a whole barrel of wine might have been a bit much.
But that contained a man’s romance. The desire to see the side his cute wife had shown him when she was tipsy on wine once more…
“The wine was a necessity, Lizi. Living in the mountains drinking only water is a bit much. It’s good to have that much luxury. It’ll be a reward for working hard sometimes.”
Lizi tilted her head.
“You think so?”
“…”
Of course it was. Juhwan smiled silently. Lizi also shrugged her shoulders slightly and laughed.
“It was delicious, though.”
“Yeah, really.”
While they each thought of different things, the carriage rolled quietly forward.
