I Became A Married Man in Another World
Chapter 34
034 I Think I Picked Up a Strange Rabbit
Dorothy was wandering all over the house, clutching the basket with the baby rabbit.
She showed the rabbit to Lij, then went back to the bed to set the basket down and chatter away at it. For some reason, she then picked the rabbit up again and gave it a tour of every nook and cranny. This is the kitchen, this is the floor, this is the wall… Juhwan wasn’t quite sure why she was introducing those things.
However, as he listened quietly to her wandering commentary, it seemed the rabbit was becoming the youngest member of the household. What she had initially called “Rabbit” had already been replaced by another name.
He wasn’t sure if it was a name Dorothy had made up or a title he simply hadn’t learned yet. Regardless, the baby rabbit had acquired a new designation.
‘I really won’t be able to eat that rabbit even when it’s fully grown.’
Juhwan smiled warmly at the sight of the mottled, tawny rabbit and Dorothy’s face as she ran toward him with it in her arms.
A broad grin was plastered across the child’s face. It seemed she had completely forgotten the sorrow of the rabbit escaping yesterday, thanks to eating meat this morning and seeing the baby rabbit start to move. It was a relief. He had been worried she might wail like that all day today as well.
“Papa, the rabbit is Dorothy’s ##!”
Dorothy shouted as she ran.
Wondering what she meant, Juhwan looked at Lij. She approached with a damp cloth, looking thoughtful for a moment. She seemed to be struggling with how to explain.
After a brief pause, Lij pointed to her own stomach and spoke shyly.
“Baby.”
Then she pointed at Dorothy, and then back to her own stomach. After repeating the motion a few times, the meaning became clear.
“Oh my god.”
Juhwan muttered unconsciously, staring blankly at Lij’s stomach. His mind went completely white.
Surely, in that small, slender body… No way… but then again, they had been doing what needed to be done. It was a bit early, but it was certainly something that was bound to happen.
Juhwan knelt down and gently placed his hand on Lij’s stomach. Fearing he might apply too much pressure, he touched her with extreme care, barely grazing her.
Dorothy watched with wide eyes before suddenly shouting loudly.
“##?”
Lij looked startled and shook her head vigorously.
“No, no, no, no! Not a baby. ##! It’s a word!”
“….”
Juhwan slumped forward, his knees still on the ground. The strength had left his lower back, leaving him unable to move. It felt as if someone had suddenly hurled him into the distant sky and then slammed him back down to earth.
The first shock had been intense, but this one was just as jarring. He was confused by his own emotions, unable to tell if he felt relief or disappointment.
He had thought he would leave having children to the will of heaven. In this world of a cabin with limited information, he didn’t know how to delay a pregnancy, and seeing how Lij never seemed to give it any thought, he figured there might not even be a way. He also had a secret desire for a larger family.
But honestly, he wanted to avoid having a baby right now. He wanted to have one after the environment was a bit more established.
He wanted to build a stronger bond with Dorothy first and pour out all the love the child hadn’t been able to enjoy until now.
Even if she had a sibling, Dorothy would still be loved, but there were things only an only daughter could enjoy.
He hoped that period would last as long as possible, as long as God allowed. Ideally, until Dorothy felt she had received enough.
Wouldn’t it be best to have a child after that, when he, Lij, and even Dorothy were all waiting for it?
Yes, that was definitely what he had thought.
Yet, when he realized he had been mistaken, he felt strangely disappointed.
‘But it was just a misunderstanding. She was only trying to explain a word…’
He felt like a fool for misinterpreting it. Even though he had clearly seen Lij trying to explain a word, his mind had gone blank at the mention of a baby.
Lij knelt down beside Juhwan. As if feeling sorry, she wiped his forehead and neck with the damp cloth.
The cloth that was meant to wipe away the sweat from chopping wood was now wiping away cold sweat.
Perhaps a portion of that cold sweat was actually tears from his body and sheer embarrassment. He felt a bit ashamed.
Whether she thought Lij’s diligent wiping looked fun or not, Dorothy hugged the rabbit basket with one arm and reached out with her other hand.
“Mama, Dorothy too!”
As she flapped her hand, the basket wobbled.
Oh no, the baby rabbit is going to fall. This was no time to be dazed.
Juhwan hurriedly reached out. Fortunately, he caught it just before the baby rabbit could tumble out.
Being a child, Dorothy’s attention shifted sporadically in every direction. Every time it happened, the onlookers were on edge, but Dorothy remained completely oblivious.
He wondered if spending all day with a child would completely drain one’s mental strength. In some ways, it seemed harder than hunting. He wondered if Lij was okay.
No, Lij was fine. It was he whose mental strength had run dry and whose soul had practically left his body.
“….”
Though she looked fragile on the outside, Lij might actually be a strong person. He thought so as he looked at her, now smiling brightly.
When he turned toward Dorothy, the child began rubbing his forehead vigorously with the damp cloth. She was incredibly earnest. However, she wasn’t so much wiping as she was scrubbing him like a bathhouse attendant. A normal person would have screamed in pain by now.
Dorothy asked with sparkling eyes.
“Papa, do you like it?”
“…Yeah.”
“Dorothy likes Papa too. So much.”
Lij chuckled beside them. He was certain the question had been about whether he liked being wiped, but he wasn’t sure when it had turned into Dorothy liking him.
The rabbit basket was sitting on the floor. With its round black eyes wide, the baby rabbit wiggled and looked around.
Its wounds had healed a lot, but it still seemed too early for it to go hopping around. Although there were no more places where bone was exposed, the areas where new flesh had grown were still sunken compared to the rest.
Dorothy had been scrubbing the same spot for a while now, but she showed no sign of stopping. Even as she said, “Oh, I’m tired,” she continued to rub his forehead roughly with her small hand. It felt like his skin was going to be rubbed raw.
Feeling awkward just sitting there, Juhwan cast healing magic on the baby rabbit. At first, the healing was visible every time he cast it, but it wasn’t like that anymore. It felt as if it was now healing internal injuries that weren’t visible to the eye.
Watching the scene, Dorothy suddenly spoke as if she had remembered something.
“Papa, baby rabbit has ##. Cute.”
“?”
Not understanding what she meant, he looked at Lij. His wife tilted her head and then placed her fingers on top of her head to mimic deer antlers.
“Horns?”
“Yes, horns. On baby rabbit’s head. Here! Right here!”
Tossing the damp cloth aside, Dorothy pointed at the rabbit’s head. Between the ears, slightly down toward the forehead. To the naked eye, there was nothing but soft, fluffy fur.
There was no way a rabbit would have horns. Despite thinking that, Juhwan placed his hand on the rabbit’s head to play along with the child.
At a casual touch, it felt like there was nothing there.
But as he rubbed and felt the skull with his fingers, he definitely felt small, bump-like protrusions.
They weren’t rounded like typical bumps, but pointed. Just as Dorothy said, they felt like horns.
“….”
What should he do? It seemed he hadn’t picked up a normal rabbit, but something else entirely.
He had debated whether he should throw the creature away or leave it outside, but both Dorothy and Lij were against it. It seemed they had grown quite attached to it over the past few days.
To Juhwan’s eyes, it didn’t look particularly dangerous, but he wondered if it was truly alright.
Regardless, it looked just like a normal rabbit on the outside. He had checked its teeth and other features, and aside from the horn-like things, there was no difference from an ordinary rabbit.
Its temperament was also gentle. Perhaps because she had been carrying it around and feeding it for days, it even leaned its body against Dorothy’s hand in a sort of spoiled manner. It might really just be a simple rabbit. Just one with a unique skull.
“….”
If Gus were here, he would have asked him what it was, but the man still hadn’t returned. He had expected him to come back in three or four days, but it was already the fifth day.
Had he gone somewhere far?
‘And with that limp of his.’
Since he was far more skilled in the mountains than Juhwan, nothing bad had likely happened. But he was still a bit worried.
Considering Gus’s age and physical condition, the mountains wouldn’t be entirely safe for him.
Once more time had passed and he could confirm how people who used magic were treated in this world—and if he judged it was okay to reveal his healing magic—he thought he might try to treat Gus’s leg.
‘Well, I suspect he probably already knows I can use healing magic.’
When he hadn’t known much about the profession of a hunter, he didn’t think Gus would have caught him using healing magic.
Since it was midwinter and he wore long sleeves, usually only the part near the back of his hand was visible, and even if Gus had seen a large wound through a torn sleeve, it would have been only for a moment. Unless he was incredibly sharp, he would have only seen that there was a wound.
But after traveling with Gus, he realized, ‘Ah, he must have noticed.’
The man could find footprints that were invisible to Juhwan’s eyes. There was no way he hadn’t noticed.
Recalling Gus’s somewhat gruff face, Juhwan let out a small laugh.
Unlike the small rabbit’s wounds, a human’s might take a long time.
Injuries that were old and already scarred might not be fully curable.
Still, at the very least, if there was pain, he should be able to alleviate it.
If that happened, would he be a little happy? He hoped he could repay Gus in some way for everything he had taught and helped him with.
He hoped that on the path Dorothy would walk, there would be many adults she could trust and follow, and he hoped Gus would be one of them.
In a world where they had not a single relative, he liked the idea of Gus becoming like a grandfather to Dorothy and a father to Lij.
Juhwan began the work of building a fence around the house. After sharpening bamboo poles to make them difficult to climb over, he continued to build a bamboo wall next to the fence he had made earlier.
After working for a while, Dorothy came out carrying a cup of water with her small hands cupped together.
The cup must have been nearly full when the child first picked it up, but by the time she arrived, it wasn’t even half full.
Seeing how her hands were wet, it was obvious where all that water had gone.
“Thank you, Dorothy.”
“You’re welcome!”
Juhwan stroked the child’s head once and drank the water. The child then collected the wooden cup to take it back.
For some reason, as soon as he handed the cup back, Dorothy tilted it to her mouth to drain the last few remaining drops.
There was plenty of water available, so he wondered why she insisted on drinking the leftovers. Children were sometimes impossible to understand.
“It’s delicious!”
Dorothy smiled brightly and ran back toward the house with the cup.
‘Tomorrow, I should check the snares and see if I can find any beehives.’
Among the items purchased from the peddler was a small amount of honey. But sweet food seemed to be rare. It was a very small quantity.
If he could find honey, both Dorothy and Lij would be delighted. Perhaps he could even sell it for a good price.
‘Let’s look for some.’
It might even be okay to keep bees himself.
Back when he lived on Earth, his grandfather had kept bees in a clearing near the mountains. Juhwan didn’t know the details since he had never gone close, but it didn’t seem like it would be too difficult.
The things he wanted to do and the things he hoped for kept increasing.
Imagining the faces of Dorothy and Lij as they enjoyed sweet honey-water, Juhwan found himself grinning foolishly.
While resting from building the fence, Juhwan practiced magic to make fire dwell within blocks of wood.
To ensure Gus wouldn’t see it even if he happened to visit, Juhwan placed a small block of wood between himself and the fence.
This way, because of his large frame, it wouldn’t be easily noticed by anyone who came by. They would only see Juhwan sitting and resting for a moment during his work.
In this world where Magicians seemed rare, magic that stood out too much was problematic. It would be better to have a fire that wasn’t visible on the outside—one that burned within while being unnoticeable for everyday use.
Juhwan sent mana into the block of wood on the ground, visualizing an image of the inside glowing red like lava.
The block of wood showed no change on the outside. Not even smoke rose from it.
Had he done something wrong? Was the heat insufficient, or was the method of visualizing the mana incorrect?
After watching the block for a moment, Juhwan sighed and was about to reach out when the block suddenly changed color, becoming like a red ball of fire.
It had been so ordinary until a moment ago that it was impossible to notice, but the transformation was instantaneous. It seemed the gradual change inside hadn’t shown on the outside at all. It was a perfect success.
Fearing a fire might start, he poured the water he had prepared nearby onto the fireball. With a sizzling sound, smoke rose. The fireball that had been glowing red like lava instantly turned into black charcoal.
After checking meticulously to ensure no embers remained, he returned to the task of building the fence.
As he worked, the sun that had been high in the sky began to sink. It was likely around three or four in the afternoon.
Dorothy ran out of the house with an exceptionally bright face.
“Papa, come eat! Rabbit meat!”
As Juhwan approached, the child hopped up and down like a flightless bird. When he quickly grabbed Dorothy’s waist and lifted her high, she laughed loudly. He was glad she was happy, but he sometimes worried she might fall face-first into the ground.
He tucked the child under his arm. She giggled and flailed her limbs. She seemed to find it fun.
About to enter the house, Juhwan suddenly turned his gaze.
He felt as though he heard the cry of a bird from very far away. It was too distant for the sound to be clear. It was just a feeling.
As he watched the distant sky, a few birds were circling in wide arcs high above. They were so far away that they looked like tiny dots.
Between where the birds were and the mountain, several peaks stood in the way.
‘That’s strange.’
He didn’t think he had ever seen birds circling like that at such a high altitude; it looked somewhat unfamiliar.
“Papa! Papa! Meat! Meat!”
Dorothy shook her body, urging him to go inside quickly.
Juhwan watched the birds for a moment longer before turning away.
