I Became A Married Man in Another World
Chapter 61
061 It Feels Like There’s a Rat Among Us
Is a crisis necessary in life?
Not at all. He wished such things would never happen.
Juhwan sat down, leaning his back against a carriage wheel. He rested his head against the wood and closed his eyes.
He had read somewhere that humans expend a significant amount of energy just by seeing things. The amount of information the eyes process is supposedly staggering.
Perhaps that was why simply closing his eyes whenever he had a moment made him feel a little less fatigued.
‘Just how long are they going to keep following us?’
There had been another bandit raid during the night. This time, the merchant company at the very end of the procession was hit. Everywhere else was safe.
‘It’s strange.’
There were other groups besides them that hadn’t been attacked for days. Yet, something felt off. It was a sensation similar to feeling someone’s gaze on you.
‘Is it because there’s a Magician here?’
In this entire merchant caravan, theirs was the only company with a Magician. Perhaps the bandits knew that, and so…
‘But it’s also strange for bandits to know something like that.’
Yes, it was definitely strange.
Juhwan opened his eyes while remaining leaned against the carriage. The silent sky above the earth came into view. The sky, which had been pitch black just a moment ago, had shifted to the color of diluted ink.
Once day broke, they wouldn’t attack.
The movements of the people, who had grown accustomed to that fact over the past few days, became hurried and disorganized.
Throughout the procession, people checked for broken carriages or stolen goods and sorted the wounded to be placed on carts. Those close to death were already being treated as corpses.
Juhwan stood up and looked for Leonard, the owner of the merchant company.
Leonard was staring in the direction where the bandits had disappeared. He seemed lost in deep thought.
Juhwan hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should interrupt, when he saw several carriages from other companies ahead breaking away from the procession. Leonard’s gaze shifted toward them as well.
Juhwan took a few steps toward Leonard, who was about to move.
“What is it?”
Juhwan thought Leonard hadn’t noticed him, but the man turned his head and asked abruptly. Juhwan approached him and lowered his voice so others couldn’t hear.
“Something is strange. We’re the only ones not being attacked.”
“…”
Leonard’s eyes fixed on Juhwan’s face. His gaze was sharp, like a leopard before its prey. Surely he didn’t suspect him. Juhwan met Leonard’s eyes directly and continued.
“I think there’s a rat among us working with the bandits.”
“…I see.”
Suddenly, Leonard cracked a smile.
“Are you a Hunter?”
“I’ve learned a bit.”
“Is that so? You must have been taught by a good master. I can hardly hear your footsteps.”
“…”
Leonard glanced at the bow Juhwan was holding.
“That’s a very unusual bow.”
“…The person who taught me made it for me.”
“A long time ago, I saw someone from another country using a bow like that. They said you could use any kind of wood to make it, and it was easy to construct. It’s a rare sight in this kingdom.”
Leonard beckoned Gordon, the escort leader. Watching Gordon run over after speaking with the guards, Leonard asked Juhwan a question.
“How many seriously injured people can you treat in a day?”
“I could probably handle as many guards as there are in this procession. I haven’t tried it yet, but that’s what my mana tells me.”
Leonard, who had been watching the approaching Gordon, turned back to Juhwan with a surprised expression.
“You can handle dozens in a single day?”
“That’s more than possible. It wouldn’t even take a whole day.”
“Truly remarkable.”
As Leonard spoke, Gordon arrived.
“Gordon, if we leave things as they are, more companies will break away. Go around and persuade them. Tell them that if they leave now, they’ll just be food for the bandits. That seems to be what those bastards are after—picking us off one by one.”
Gordon bowed his head without any particular surprise or question.
“Understood.”
“It’ll be hard to persuade them with words alone. Tell them that from now on, our side will pay for the healing magic for any seriously wounded who can be saved.”
Gordon, who had been listening silently, asked, “That will be a considerable sum, Master.”
“It can’t be helped. If the other companies leave, a large company like ours will be next. We don’t have enough guards to face them alone.”
As Gordon turned to leave, Leonard added one more thing.
“Exclude those who are certain to die and those with minor injuries. Only those who are seriously wounded but can be saved. Make sure that’s clear.”
“Understood.”
Gordon immediately set off with a few servants. While Gordon ran toward the departing carriages, other servants began making rounds to each company to announce Gordon’s upcoming visit.
Leonard looked at Juhwan and smirked.
“I agree with you. It feels like there’s a rat among us.”
Time passed without much incident after that. Despite Gordon’s persuasion, a few companies still left, but most remained.
After treating the wounded from the other companies, Juhwan headed toward the carriage where Lij and Dorothy were. He hadn’t seen their faces properly for several days. He had been too busy staying alert outside to step into the carriage.
“Lij, it’s me.”
When he knocked on the carriage door and spoke, the door opened with a clatter. Lij and Dorothy rushed toward him at once.
“Papa!”
He opened his arms and pulled them both into a hug. Lij and Dorothy squeezed him back as if in response.
“Juhwan, are you hurt anywhere?”
As Lij asked worriedly, Dorothy snapped her head up.
With a face that looked ready to cry, Dorothy looked up at Juhwan and said, “He’s not hurt, Mama. Papa is super, super strong, so he doesn’t get hurt. Right, Papa?”
It sounded more like a question than a statement of fact. Her voice was thick with unshed tears. Juhwan smiled.
“Of course. Your papa is a healing Magician. Even if I get hurt, I can fix it right away.”
“See?”
Dorothy breathed a sigh of relief. Oz was still perched atop the hat on the child’s head. Seeing her wearing her favorite hat even while worrying about him made him chuckle.
Children were easy to reassure, but adults were different. Lij still looked at him with a worried expression, not entirely convinced by his words.
“It’s okay, Lij.”
When he said that and hugged her gently again, Lij’s slender body leaned back slightly as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and whispered.
“Be careful, Juhwan. If it gets dangerous, please get away no matter what. Promise me you’ll put yourself before anyone else.”
Lowering her voice even further, Lij whispered, “Even if we’re in a bit of danger, it’s the same, Juhwan. You get away first. Please.”
“…”
Juhwan held Lij and Dorothy in silence.
“That kind of situation won’t happen, Lij. I won’t let it.”
“…”
When he lightly kissed Lij’s lips, Dorothy pouted her lips like a little pig.
After kissing her too, next was Oz.
Because Dorothy held Oz out and wanted a kiss for him, Juhwan had no choice but to press his lips to the Horned Rabbit’s forehead.
“Piii.”
“…”
A strange sensation washed over him. It felt as if something had passed between him and the Horned Rabbit. It was a different feeling from when he gave it mana.
“Papa, what’s wrong?”
Dorothy tilted her head.
Saying it was nothing, he looked at Oz and noticed that the fur on the rabbit’s forehead had turned slightly white.
It wasn’t much. It was about the size of a fingernail. There were only a few strands of white fur.
‘Wait, was that always there?’
Oz’s fur was a mottled dark brown. Except for the belly, his whole body was like that, and his face was a bit darker.
If there had been white fur like that, it would have stood out, but he had no memory of seeing it until now.
But it probably wasn’t a bad thing. He just had a feeling.
Juhwan took the chamber pot, which had accumulated waste over several days, outside. He went to a spot a short distance from the carriage and buried it.
Lij had offered to do it, but she wasn’t allowed to leave the vicinity of the carriage.
Bandits were one thing, but with the possibility of a traitor inside the company, he couldn’t trust anyone.
While he was tending to various tasks, the procession began to move again.
Juhwan went inside the carriage and lay down.
Lij and Dorothy lay down side by side with Juhwan in the middle.
The space was so narrow that their bodies overlapped slightly. It was because his frame was so large.
Juhwan tried to move to a corner, but both Lij and Dorothy shook their heads, refusing. They both wanted to be close to him.
Inevitably, he held them both in a tight squeeze, lying flat on his back and closing his eyes.
He had heard that their destination wasn’t far. Just a few more days of endurance. Since the destination was a large city, there would be soldiers there. They could send a few people ahead to ask for help. All the other companies seemed to be counting on that.
But it wouldn’t be that easy. Because Leonard had prevented the other carriages from leaving, there was a high probability the bandits would change their tactics. It would be foolish to think they would back off quietly after putting in this much effort. Today, or perhaps tomorrow, they would make a move.
‘I need to rest now.’
He had to fully replenish his physical strength and mana. He had to be ready to fight whenever those bastards attacked.
“Lij, Dorothy. Don’t open the door for anyone but me. Not even for the merchant people, the guards, or even the Red Swords. Keep the door locked and don’t respond to anyone.”
“…I understand.”
Lij answered, but he didn’t hear Dorothy’s voice. When he turned his head slightly to look, the child had already fallen asleep.
“She couldn’t sleep at all during the night. She must have been scared.”
Had she fallen asleep in relief once she was in his arms? If he gave her the feeling that ‘Papa is strong’ and ‘I’m safe in Papa’s arms,’ then he was glad.
As he tightened his arm around the child, Lij reached over Juhwan’s body and stroked the girl’s hair.
“Like I said earlier, please be careful. Please prioritize your safety above all else.”
“…”
It seemed he hadn’t been able to give Lij peace of mind. If anything, he had only made her anxious. Juhwan pulled his wife close to reassure her and drifted into a light sleep.
But contrary to his expectations, there was no bandit attack late that night, nor even as dawn approached.
In a little while, it would be light.
In all these days, there had never been an attack at this hour.
The tension that had been coiled in people’s shoulders relaxed slightly.
Juhwan did not leave the vicinity of his carriage. He stayed close, keeping a constant watch on his surroundings.
And then, just before dawn, at the hour when the darkness was deepest.
The guards’ nerves slackened, and the positions of several people around the merchant carriages shifted slightly.
Someone seemed to have gone nearby to relieve themselves. He heard the rustling of footsteps. Soon after, the sound of a stream of urine hitting the ground echoed.
At that moment, someone lit a torch near the merchant wagons.
It was a spot quite far from Juhwan. It was near the front of the line of Miller Merchant Company carriages.
With the crackle of the burning torch, a portion of the darkness brightened.
He didn’t know who had lit it. Several people were standing scattered near the carriages. However, it seemed no one had seen the face of the person who lit the torch. If they had, they would have called out a name.
While people were bewildered, someone spoke.
“Dawn is coming, why light a fire all of a sudden—”
Before the man could finish his sentence, he collapsed. The torch flickered violently as a sudden gust of wind blew past. Beneath the swaying torch, the man swallowed by the darkness was faintly visible. An arrow was lodged in his head.
“Bandits! It’s the bandits!”
Someone shouted, and people grabbed their weapons. But with a series of thuds, arrows flew in and pierced through people.
Flaming arrows flew through the air. They weren’t aimed at the carriages. The oil-soaked arrows fell nearby without touching the wagons, dimly illuminating the surroundings.
