I Became A Married Man in Another World
Chapter 125
Why Does Dorothy Look Like Her Dad?
Life in this world begins at dawn, or sometimes just before.
As the sky was slowly stained with the color of pale ink, Juhwan and the adventurers began their capture preparations.
They gathered all the nets at the base and checked them to see if there were any tears or if they were large enough to fully cover a magic beast.
In particular, they paid close attention to areas that looked fine on the surface but felt weakened to the touch.
If a net is weak or snaps, the magic beast will escape even if it is caught.
Juhwan and the adventurers pressed and pulled at the nets with their fingers one by one, making sure nothing was overlooked.
The condition of the nets wasn’t terrible, but they weren’t sufficient for catching a magic beast. They had grown weak in various places, likely from long use.
Those nets were passed over to the group where Riji was. They were the repair team.
They cut and added netting to the marked areas, and sometimes stitched up holes with netting twine.
Riji was right there among the men, diligently mending the nets.
Dorothy ran around between the workers, running errands.
She carried several large needles that looked like darning needles to those who needed them, or struggled along while hugging rolls of netting twine.
The work on the nets took longer than expected. Juhwan had thought a few hours would be enough, but to his surprise, it continued past noon.
Just as the sun moved slightly past its zenith, word came from another subjugation party.
It seemed Gwen’s group—the one Juhwan had met when catching the two-headed dog, the Orthos—had nearly closed in on the young magic beast.
Juhwan immediately led the adventurers toward Gwen’s location.
*
Catching a magic beast requires a certain level of interaction and a strong sense of camaraderie. At the very least, everyone needs to be in sync.
Instead of riding in the carriage, Juhwan walked alongside the adventurers.
Every now and then, trivial conversation broke out.
Whenever the talk died down, someone would toss out a ribald joke too crude to tell in front of women, or a boastful adventure story full of bravado.
Whether in this world or on Earth, it seemed the things men talked about when they gathered were much the same. Even the Guild staff joined in with a word or two. It wasn’t necessarily because they were adventurers; it was just because they were men.
After walking for a long time following the Guild staff’s lead, they found a single stake standing lonely in the dirt. It wasn’t painted, but the top was charred black.
The guide pointed to the wooden stake and said, “We can tell if we’re going the right way by looking at those wooden stakes. We plant them at forks or confusing spots for the people behind us.”
However, carrying around pre-made marker stakes would be a burden. So, they used branches found anywhere but charred the tips black.
“It’s an imitation of the hunters’ method. Instead of the marks hunters carve into trees or rocks, we do this.”
The Guild guide grinned and pulled the stake out, tossing it into the forest.
The rule was to discard it once it was found so that no one else could follow.
“Being an adventurer is a profession that earns a lot of grudges, after all. You die if you aren’t careful. Especially here, near the border, we have to be cautious. We might run into enemy soldiers.”
Listening to the guide’s words, Juhwan walked quietly with the adventurers.
It seemed the Adventurer’s Guild took every opportunity to hammer into the adventurers the things they needed to survive.
‘I’m making a living like this thanks to the Guild, too.’
Thinking back, he had received a great deal of help. Moreover, he felt that the Guild never deceived its adventurers. It felt a bit different from other organizations.
Perhaps the true purpose of the Adventurer’s Guild wasn’t the prosperity or profit of the organization, but rather keeping the adventurers alive.
Seeing how they assigned guides to new members and provided constant education on even minor matters whenever Screaming Carrots or magic beast carcasses came in, it really seemed that way.
In a world where everyone ran toward their own gain, perhaps only this Adventurer’s Guild held an altruistic goal…
Thinking that and looking at the guide’s back made Juhwan feel strangely self-conscious. He idly scratched near his eye and looked off into the distance.
In the territory of Bern, there were many places near the border that were difficult for people to live in. Because the land was so vast, while one part of the border was a sprawling forest and mountain range, it was said that another part was a parched land that was practically a desert.
As if to support those words, the path Juhwan’s party took was occasionally quite treacherous.
After passing along a wide dirt road, they would find themselves on a path overgrown with trees and grass, and sometimes they walked alongside a stream where the bed was almost exposed. With the coming of spring, the creeping grass had reclaimed much of the road.
Riji had become so skilled that she could drive the carriage better than a professional coachman, but even with her skills, there were paths so difficult they were hard to navigate.
At times, the slope was so steep it felt like they would tip backward if they just stood still.
In those moments, Yeonhwa’s monstrous strength was a huge help. Even when they encountered marshland, Yeonhwa was so strong that it seemed she could pull the carriage through with sheer power.
The watching adventurers clapped every time they witnessed Yeonhwa’s raw strength. Of course, bets were invariably exchanged.
The distance itself wasn’t that great, but because of the rough patches, they had to camp out for a night.
The howling of wolves echoed from somewhere. There was the moon in the sky and a campfire before them. It felt as if he had stepped into a movie.
[You take after your father.]
Whenever Dorothy ran back and forth among the adventurer uncles to run errands, one in ten would always say that.
At first, those words made her so happy. She took after the father she loved so, so much. Of course she was happy.
But after saying that, they always added one more thing.
[If you had taken after your mother, you would have been a beauty, hahaha. It’s a shame, but don’t be disappointed. Being pretty is good, but being sturdy is the best.]
She had heard it just a moment ago. It was while she was going around handing out small amounts of salt to the men on her mother’s errand.
“….”
Dorothy lowered her head. For some reason, she felt like she was going to cry.
Why did she take after her dad? It would have been nice if she took after her mom. Then she would have been a great beauty.
As she trudged past the campfire, she saw her own black shadow.
It was huge.
It looked much bigger than Dorothy.
“….”
It really looked like her dad. Not a beauty.
When she lifted her arm, the shadow moved its dark arm as if imitating her. Suddenly, she felt a surge of fear.
‘The shadow looks like it’s alive.’
Something crept down the back of her head, from her neck to her bottom. It felt like something cold was running along the bones inside her body. She felt as if her hair was standing on end.
She started running toward her mom and dad sitting in the distance.
The shadow chased right beside her.
Oz’s shadow on top of her head was chasing her too.
“Waaaaah!”
A cry burst out of her before she knew it.
Her startled father looked at Dorothy. His face looked especially large today. Her dad’s arms and legs were big and thick.
When she grew as tall as her dad, she might grow black whiskers on her chin and under her nose. Because she took after her dad.
Surely her arms and legs would become incredibly thick too. Because she took after her dad.
Thinking that made her feel even more miserable.
As if being chased by the shadow, she ran wildly with the shadow and threw herself into her mother’s arms.
“Mom! Why does Dorothy look like Dad!”
The arms Juhwan had opened wide felt embarrassing.
It was because Dorothy, who had seemed to be running toward him at first, threw herself into Riji’s arms at the last second.
And for some reason, she was weeping sorrowfully, saying she took after him.
Sobbing, Dorothy was saying something in a jumble. Her words were mixed with tears, making them hard to understand.
Combining the words he caught occasionally, it seemed Dorothy expected to grow whiskers and thick limbs. And for some reason, a shadow was chasing her. He wasn’t sure if she meant a monster or a shadow that looked like him.
‘…What on earth does that mean?’
He couldn’t understand at all. He didn’t know why she thought she’d grow whiskers and thick limbs. Had the child had a waking dream?
“….”
Riji patted the child’s back and looked up at Juhwan.
She had a strange expression. Her brows were furrowed, but she somehow looked like she was smiling.
Seeing how her lips were tightly pressed together, he suspected she was holding back laughter.
In any case, Riji seemed to have understood everything Dorothy said—the context and why she was crying.
Juhwan crouched down and placed his hand on Dorothy’s head.
She wasn’t wearing her hat, but Oz was stuck firmly on top of her.
Oz, who didn’t fall off even when she ran, also seemed quite impressive in his own way.
With both the child and Oz under his palm, Juhwan spoke soothingly.
“Dorothy, it’s okay. I don’t know what happened, but there’s no need to cry. Everything will be fine.”
Dorothy lifted her face, messy with tears and snot, looked at Juhwan, and burst into tears again.
“…Dad… it’s not okay… Dorothy hates whiskers… I like Dad, but… I hate growing thick arms and legs… Why do I look like Dad… Dorothy wants to be a beauty too…”
“….”
Dorothy knew he wasn’t her biological father. But for some reason, Dorothy seemed to think she looked like Juhwan.
He didn’t know how or why that happened… but in reality, they didn’t look alike at all. They were Asian and Western, so even their bone structures were different, not to mention they were male and female. There couldn’t be any resemblance.
Besides, she was the cute type. Her features were delicate and clustered toward the center, making her look petite and adorable.
If Riji felt like a Russian doll or Elsa from Frozen, Dorothy would probably be the Anna type. She was also a bit like Anne of Green Gables. Though she didn’t have freckles.
He wanted to tell her that, but he didn’t have the confidence to explain what Elsa and Anna looked like. He couldn’t just say they were the same type as Riji and Dorothy.
It was only later, after piecing the story together, that he realized why Dorothy had come to think that way.
“….”
It seemed to have been a shock to Dorothy, but to be honest, he was a little happy.
She must have said that because she thought of them as a real father and daughter. If she had been conscious of the fact that they weren’t blood-related, she wouldn’t have thought she looked like him.
Still, the fact that they looked like a real father and daughter to others made him shyly happy.
And he felt a bit frustrated that he couldn’t make the child understand that a daughter taking after her father didn’t mean she would look like a man.
“Juhwan, to a child, it’s either this or that. Black is black and white is white. The idea that she can look like her father but still be a beautiful girl is something Dorothy can’t understand yet.”
Was it all or nothing?
That evening, Dorothy hardly left Riji’s side.
Usually, she would hang off Juhwan’s arm at least once or be carried like a kangaroo, but she didn’t come near him.
The words Riji said to comfort the slightly dejected Juhwan actually felt like a critical hit.
“I think she’s afraid she’ll look more like you if she stays near you. She’ll forget all about it after a night’s sleep.”
“….”
Whoever told Dorothy she looked like me, come out. Let’s start with one punch each.
The next day, after traveling for about two more hours, they were able to join up with Gwen.
Gwen’s subjugation party was small. Barely over ten people. Since it was the first team formed, they had reportedly set out before enough adventurers could be gathered.
Instead, besides Gwen and Jack, there was one Magic Beast Hunter. They were a sort of small elite force.
The Magic Beast Hunter appeared to be about ten years older than Juhwan. He was a sturdy-looking man. He heard the man was an acquaintance of Gwen’s. However, he barely spoke. He didn’t even offer a greeting, merely nodding his head.
“It’s not particularly because you’re a stranger, Juhwan-ssi; he’s just a man of few words by nature.”
Gwen offered a brief supplementary explanation in case Juhwan felt offended.
The Magic Beast Hunter left shortly after Juhwan joined.
It seemed he was going to join another subjugation party.
“With you here, Juhwan-ssi, the combat power on this side is sufficient.”
Jack said, welcoming Juhwan like a dog wagging its tail. His face looked old, but his behavior was cute.
After a brief exchange of light greetings, they immediately got to work.
Gwen led Juhwan to one side.
“I discovered something strange while tracking its footprints. But I think it’s better for you to see it for yourself than for me to tell you. I’d like to hear your opinion, Juhwan-ssi.”
The spot where Gwen’s group had stopped was where the mountain range sloped gently down to meet the plains.
Gwen took Juhwan to a spot where branches were broken and trampled, and pointed to a single area.
“Over there. See for yourself.”
Juhwan approached and crouched down. A few black crumbs, like ash, were scattered on the soil.
After gauging the position and shape of the footprints, he sniffed the black crumbs.
“This is…”
Juhwan’s complexion changed slightly.
