I Became A Married Man in Another World
Chapter 135
#135 You Can't Judge a Person by Their Cover
Everyone was feeling dejected.
Even though they had come to town for the first time in a while to eat delicious food and soak in the bustling atmosphere, the whole family was dispirited, their heads hanging low.
It almost looked as if rabbit ears, which humans shouldn't have, were drooping from the heads of Lizi and Dorothy.
'Is my vision getting blurry lately?'
Joo-hwan chuckled to himself. It wasn't even a joke; it really felt like they had transparent rabbit ears attached to them.
Behind Lizi, Dorothy, and Oz, Yeon-hwa walked without any harness, wearing only a collar that identified her as a magic beast.
A few people made a fuss, shouting about unicorns and magic beasts. They seemed to be people who hadn't been in town for long.
This town was quite large, but by now, there were almost no residents who didn't know Yeon-hwa.
He could hear the people nearby laughing as they explained Yeon-hwa to the newcomers.
Included in that explanation was the warning, "She'll bite if you get too close." It seemed that incident had left a very strong impression on people's minds.
"What, even magic beasts are residents just because it's an adventurer town? Why is everyone so calm? That's a unicorn! A unicorn! It's a legend! It's so special that even a Horned Rabbit looks ordinary in comparison..."
He heard someone speaking in disbelief.
Yeon-hwa's tail flicked back and forth. She seemed a bit annoyed for some reason. While Dorothy and Oz enjoyed being the center of attention, Yeon-hwa was different. She seemed to dislike it.
'Mother and Father said they lived in the mountains as if fleeing because of Yeon-hwa. Is that why she hates being noticed?'
Perhaps Yeon-hwa thought that living quietly, blending in among people, was the most correct way to live.
*
When they arrived at the plaza where the guild was visible, it was already noisy from the outside.
Whether the adventurers who participated in the subjugation force couldn't all fit into the guild or had been kicked out, they had taken over the plaza, sitting or standing around chatting.
Upon seeing Joo-hwan, the people jumped to their feet and bowed their heads.
Some even bent their waists at nearly a right angle.
"You've arrived, Mage-nim."
"You're here."
"Welcome, Captain."
The subjugation force had already disbanded, and Joo-hwan had only been the captain of the third group. In fact, during the subjugation, no one had even called him captain.
Furthermore, more than half of those greeting him were from other groups. When on earth did he become the captain of all these rough-looking men?
"...."
Joo-hwan saw that among them were people he had treated or helped, so he silently gave a light nod.
Calling him captain or bowing low was likely their own way of showing gratitude. The March Lord would pay all the medical fees, so they could only express themselves through their actions.
The adventurers grinned and threw greetings at Dorothy, Oz, and Yeon-hwa as well.
The faces of the dejected Dorothy and Oz brightened a little. Their moods seemed to have improved slightly.
"Are there many people inside?"
When Joo-hwan asked, the adventurers laughed heartily.
"Not that many, but a few guys got into a fight and we all got kicked out together."
"It feels like the guild is treating us more and more harshly."
A man with a bruised face, likely one of the participants in the fight, grumbled. The people next to him each hit him with a fist.
"You idiot, it's because of you!"
"It's a universal rule everywhere that you shouldn't draw blades inside a guild!"
Men who were further away also came over and gave him a hard smack. At the same time, the adventurers bowed to Joo-hwan before heading off.
They must have been strangers at first, but it seemed they had all become close while brawling together in the subjugation force. This was likely how networks among adventurers were formed.
It wasn't just for adventurers. The same would apply to the craftsmen of this world and the ordinary people living in towns. It would probably be difficult to live in this world without such connections, as almost everything was likely resolved through ties with acquaintances.
And in this moment, Joo-hwan realized that he had entered deeply into the network of these adventurers. It felt as if he had been accepted by this world.
"...."
He thought he would be satisfied as long as he had his family and could find Santa to bring his parents back to life. Even now, that was enough. He wanted nothing else.
However, being accepted by society felt special for some reason.
It felt as if he had truly become a person of this world.
Like a single firefly fluttering about, something small drifted deep within his heart. Flicker, flicker—something small and unknown appeared, disappeared, and sparkled again. It was so small that he wondered if it even had any meaning, but it didn't vanish.
The reason he couldn't put a name to it was probably because it was the first time he had felt this way. Before he had a family, society or relationships with others truly meant nothing to him.
Now that his family was around him, something else was growing from that foundation.
It was a strange feeling.
Joo-hwan hid his slightly embarrassed emotions and entered the guild.
Inside, greetings were thrown at him as soon as people saw him. Most called him Mage-nim or Captain.
Dorothy and Oz, whose moods had improved for some reason, walked in front of Joo-hwan with their chests puffed out. Their arrogant posture made them look like the Emperor from the fairy tale 'The Emperor's New Clothes'. No, were they more like a fox borrowing the authority of a tiger?
Yeon-hwa, who couldn't come inside, let out a small whinny as if clicking her tongue and lightly stamped her feet. Perhaps she was muttering, "Those idiots."
As he approached the reception desk, the chatterbox stopped what he was doing and rushed toward Joo-hwan.
"Welcome! You really worked hard.
I've been receiving constant updates from that side, so I know everything that happened. It was truly amazing.
Selecting Joo-hwan-ssi as the captain of the subjugation force was truly an excellent choice.
Thanks to that, more people returned alive from this subjugation than expected. It's a huge relief.
Ah, I can settle your rewards right now.
We haven't received the money from the March Lord yet, but the guild will pay you first.
And we'll collect it from the March Lord later."
The chatterbox's words poured out without a pause. As always, this man never gave the other person a chance to speak.
Joo-hwan quickly spoke up before the chatterbox could open his mouth again.
"I'd like to post a request today."
"Oh, Joo-hwan-ssi is?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, excellent. I'm getting excited for some reason. A request from a Santa-rank adventurer—I expect something incredible."
The chatterbox's eyes sparkled as he picked up a pen and paper. At the very top of the paper, it said 'Request Form'.
"Would you like the client to be the party name, or would you like to use Joo-hwan-ssi's individual name?"
"Either is fine with me."
"Great. Then let's go with the party name."
The chatterbox leaned over the reception desk and looked at Dorothy standing next to Lizi.
"Ah, I also heard that the little lady's friend played a big role in this subjugation. It was Oz, right? The name of that Horned Rabbit? I heard he broke a magic beast's leg?"
"Yes! Dorothy and Oz did special training together every day."
"Oh, that's truly amazing. How wonderful."
The chatterbox smiled broadly and then turned his gaze back to Joo-hwan.
"I don't particularly like children—of course, I still don't like them very much. You can't reason with children. But Dorothy is an adventurer. She's a child, but she's an adventurer nonetheless, so I have to provide this kind of service occasionally. I've found that children really like it when you praise them or tell them they're amazing."
"...."
You're way too honest.
While Joo-hwan was dumbfounded, Lizi burst out laughing.
It seemed the chatterbox's words were too long for Dorothy. Having only heard the first part, she whispered to Lizi.
"Mom, does that guild mister not like Dorothy? That mister always smiles when he sees Dorothy, but he doesn't like me?"
"Well, Dorothy, you see..."
Lizi took Dorothy's hand and headed toward a table a short distance away.
It seemed she was moving away so as not to interfere.
Looking around, it appeared another guild employee had cleared the people near the reception desk. There was no one near Joo-hwan.
'Did he intentionally talk to the child to clear the surrounding people in the meantime?'
The chatterbox dipped his pen in ink and spoke.
"Now then, let's continue with the request. What kind of work would you like to request?"
"I want to get information about Santa Village or Santa. It would be best if I could find someone who knows where Santa is. Even if not, I want to meet everyone who knows something about Santa or possesses related items."
"Hmm... Hmm..."
The chatterbox tilted his head and frowned.
"Normally, getting information is fastest if you go to an information house, but Santa... that's not exactly a category information houses handle. Information houses mostly sell things about current events.
The Adventurer Guild doesn't usually handle information alone."
"Then what should I do?"
"First, it would be best to ask the Guild Master. We'll accept this request internally for now. I'll send word to the Guild Master. He'll know the most about Santa. Though I'm not sure about Santa Village. By the way, is there such a thing as a Santa Village?"
The chatterbox asked as if it were strange. When Joo-hwan told him about finding traces of a Santa Village, his eyes widened.
"Well, that's strange. I see. Magic beasts near a Santa Village...
That area is so dangerous that almost no one goes deep into it. People don't approach it at all.
Even the army doesn't enter such places.
That's why no one knew.
Ah, I see. The area with many magic beasts is exactly where the Santa Village is located.
Hmm, if that's the case, the guild can certainly provide information.
If you were asking for Santa's exact location, I couldn't answer, but yes, for something like an area with an unusually high number of magic beasts, there's no need to even pay an information fee."
The chatterbox scribbled something diligently on the request form and then looked up.
"I'll send word to several guild branches immediately. Every guild keeps track of places with unusually high magic beast populations."
The chatterbox let out a soft breath.
"Also, a gift has arrived from the March Lord. I heard it's a cloak with the family crest on it.
It was wrapped, so I couldn't open it, but I heard an explanation from the person who brought the clothes.
They said it would suit an adventurer's attire, so you'll be able to wear it normally.
General clothing takes time to produce, so I think they chose a cloak. Besides, clothes can only be made if the person is present, so a cloak was the only option.
They didn't say it explicitly, but it seems they gave you something that was already being prepared in the workshop that makes the March Lord's cloaks. A family crest can't be made in an instant. A top-tier artisan has to embroider it by hand."
"That is..."
As Joo-hwan started to speak, the chatterbox immediately shook his head.
"If you're thinking of declining, you absolutely cannot do that. Of course, if you're a Santa-rank of the guild, you don't need to bow down to nobles recklessly.
That's how great a Santa-rank is. I'll tell you more about how great a Santa-rank is later. The first Santa-rank adventurer is practically a legend."
The chatterbox let out a long sigh.
"But even so, you can't refuse a gift from the March Lord. You must accept the gift for now.
He's not just any noble; he's the March Lord.
Joo-hwan-ssi might not know, but the March Lord of this country is a powerful noble with royal authority.
There are Dukes, but in reality, you can consider him much stronger than that.
His territory is large, but above all, his military power is immense.
No matter how much the enemy attacks from this border, the March Lord blocks them all, which is why this country remains intact.
Neither the King nor the Dukes can mess with the March Lord. He's that great of a person."
The chatterbox shrugged and grinned.
"Since you're receiving clothes engraved with the March Lord's crest, you now have a massive supporter outside of the guild. You should be happy. Ah, I heard that in addition to Joo-hwan-ssi's cloak, they also sent ones for your wife and child. I'm not sure what they're like. It seems the March Lord took quite a liking to Joo-hwan-ssi."
"Hmm, I didn't really do anything."
At Joo-hwan's words, the chatterbox looked at his face quietly for a moment and then nodded.
"I think I know why. Perhaps it's because he wants to spar with Joo-hwan-ssi at least once someday.
Well, he wouldn't have sent a gift just for that reason, but that might be part of it.
That man's brain is pretty much filled with muscle. He's a muscle-brain.
He likes fighting more than eating.
If he hadn't become the head of the house, he definitely would have become a mercenary or an adventurer."
"You know him well."
"He's my father."
"...What?"
He thought he had misheard. The chatterbox shrugged and spoke as if it were nothing.
"I had some circumstances, caused some trouble, and got kicked out."
"You... don't really look alike."
Looking at their appearances alone, one would never think they were father and son.
Unlike the March Lord, the chatterbox was strictly the civil servant type.
"Ah, it's because I take after my mother.
Maybe that's why my military prowess has been pathetic since birth, to the point where people wondered if I was really a member of that family.
But because of that, I think I actually received some expectations.
They probably thought it would be good if I became a capable administrator. Since everyone else is just a muscle-idiot who only knows how to use strength.
If a family member serves as an aide and handles important matters, they won't betray you, right?
That's also why a shrewd playboy like that Kyle fellow is being treated well and holding a position. He's from a branch family."
"Is it okay to talk about such private matters so freely?"
"Haha. That's why I got kicked out. Because I talk too much. No matter what nobles do behind the scenes, there are things they shouldn't say outwardly. It's like an unwritten rule. But I broke that..."
The chatterbox let out a sigh and pushed the request form toward Joo-hwan.
"Please read it and sign. If you couldn't sign, we would have just filled it out for you, but well, Joo-hwan-ssi knows how to write."
The paper contained the details of the request and the information to be inquired about at other guild branches. There was also mention of the Santa Village Joo-hwan had discovered.
After the signing, the chatterbox brought out a large box from the back.
"It's the gift the March Lord sent. Since it's an item with the crest, please be especially careful not to lose it. If someone else gets ahold of this and goes around committing fraud, it'll be a disaster."
Did he really have to accept such an item? As if reading Joo-hwan's thoughts, the chatterbox grinned and said,
"You never know what might happen in life. It will surely be helpful to your wife and child later on."
Hearing that, he couldn't refuse.
"Ah, but things might get a bit difficult. Areas with many magic beasts are usually the forests near the borders. Magic beast hunters can hunt almost anywhere, but many places along the borders are forbidden. You need to get permission. The problem is that since the borders touch enemy nations, permission is rarely granted..."
The chatterbox let out a long sigh.
"I'll gather information for now, so please wait a bit. There must be a way to get permission. The best way would be to meet the March Lord directly and get permission..."
"Then that Kyle fellow will surely try something again," the chatterbox muttered in a low voice.
Joo-hwan had thought he would have to search for Santa's whereabouts on his own.
He had been a bit lost on what to do next, but it seemed the guild would actively intervene. He felt a bit relieved. It felt like a reliable friend was joining him.
'But this man, I thought he was just a chatterbox and nothing special, but isn't he actually quite an incredible person?'
They say you can't judge a person by their cover, and it truly seemed to be the case.
