I Became A Married Man in Another World
Chapter 74
074 The Adventurer’s Essentials
While escorting the merchant group, the Red Sword party had been relatively quiet. They still maintained their habit of trying to look imposing or wearing fierce expressions, but they didn’t curse at people or pick fights.
Thinking back, it was likely because of the Magician party. Even without hearing the details, I could easily guess they’d clashed with that group several times and come out on the losing end. They probably just didn’t want to stand out.
But it seemed this was how they naturally acted when they fought. Without exception, curses flowed from every one of their mouths. Their language was coarser than a marketplace hag’s.
Lij stared at the Red Sword members and the bandits with wide eyes.
Though she hadn’t lived the smoothest life, Lij always used refined speech. It wasn’t something she’d been taught; it was simply her nature. She seemed more shocked by Red Sword’s vocabulary than by the bandits themselves.
Dorothy had stood up from the driver’s seat. The child wasn’t looking at Red Sword, but at the bandits. She didn’t look scared. It was likely due to her experiences so far.
I felt a bit bitter. There was no benefit in a child getting used to things like this.
Dorothy, her fists clenched tight, looked at Juhwan.
“Papa! It’s bandits. Bandits appeared. They’re bad people. You have to smash them!”
“….”
I really needed to start telling the child more beautiful fairy tales.
Red Sword rushed toward the bandits, and soon the loud clang of clashing weapons rang out.
While Red Sword handled the bandits, Juhwan checked the surroundings to see if anyone else was there. But no one was hiding. It seemed these seven were the only ones.
The seven bandits were on the thinner side, even among the people I’d seen so far. They were skin and bones, and their eyes were bloodshot. They looked more like wandering refugees than bandits.
Despite being attacked by them, I felt more bewildered than angry.
Red Sword was fighting better than expected. They lacked strength, but they had more technique than the bandits.
Well, even if they were a weak party, they were still adventurers. And 5th Grade at that, not 6th. They must have encountered many such situations in their lives. Even though the bandits outnumbered them more than two to one, it was Red Sword who was overwhelming their opponents.
The bandits, pushed back by the women, looked at each other in confusion. The man who seemed to be the leader shouted.
“If we lose here, we die anyway! Don’t go easy on them just because they’re women! It doesn’t matter if they get hurt. Otherwise, we’re the ones who’ll die. Push them back!”
“Aaaaah!”
The men suddenly let out loud roars and began swinging their weapons. It wasn’t proper martial arts. It was just desperate flailing.
But even a wild swing is dangerous when it’s a steel weapon. Naturally, it was threatening. Furthermore, despite being thin, the men fought with a strange, desperate instinct for the vitals.
Men of this era did almost everything with their own hands: farming, chopping wood, simple carpentry, and even catching and butchering wild animals in the fields.
I’d even heard that in some villages, people fought off bandits with pickaxes. Even without knowing martial arts, they instinctively knew how to fight.
As time passed, Red Sword was slowly pushed back. They were fighting well in their own right, but the difference in numbers and strength made it inevitable. With Red Sword’s physical strength, the longer the fight dragged on, the more disadvantaged they became.
Thinking this was their chance, a few men broke off to the side and circled behind Red Sword.
‘They’ll get hurt if I leave it any longer.’
Juhwan ran toward the bandits surrounding Red Sword. It didn’t seem like he’d even need to use his axe. He felt as if the wind was gathering around his body. He felt light.
Arriving behind the men in an instant, Juhwan brought his fist down on the head of the bandit directly in front of him.
Perhaps because of the wind’s help, his punching motion was significantly smoother than before. It felt like a skate gliding over ice.
With a dull thud, the man collapsed forward.
The moment the man next to him let out a gasp and turned his head, Juhwan’s fist cut through the air again. The man turning his face was struck in the cheek by Juhwan’s fist and slumped down without even a scream. He had been knocked unconscious by the impact.
One more.
As Juhwan’s fist flew out, another bandit fell like a pigeon hit by a stone.
When three of them collapsed in an instant, the bandit group that had been pushing Red Sword suddenly threw down their weapons. The remaining four prostrated themselves on the ground.
“Forgive us, milord!”
“Please spare our lives!”
“We were so hungry we lost our minds. Please forgive us!”
“Milord!”
Behind where the men lay, a trench had been dug into the ground. It hadn’t formed naturally. If the wagon and cart had continued at full speed, there would have certainly been an accident.
‘Surely not.’
I thought that couldn’t be it—it would be too foolish—but just in case, Juhwan asked.
“Who dug up the dirt back there?”
The bandits pressed themselves even flatter against the ground. They were trembling. The sound of their stomachs growling echoed repeatedly. The man who seemed to be the leader pressed his forehead to the ground and answered with a sob.
“W-we dug it, sir. Please forgive us.”
“Forgive us.”
“Milord!”
“Spare us!”
At this point, even the curses stopped coming from Red Sword. They didn’t seem to have the heart to fight or be angry anymore.
Somehow, the tension drained away. What was with these guys? Juhwan threw another question at the sobbing men.
“I’m not going to kill you, so stop crying. If you dug a hole, why did you jump out before we hit it?”
The men lowered their heads and glanced at each other. The leader answered again.
“W-we thought only one carriage would be coming. But two came out… and if things went wrong, there would be an accident. There’s a child, and women. It’s dangerous if a carriage flips over…”
“….”
I was a bit speechless. Were they idiots?
Great and wealthy merchants meet great bandits, and small-scale travelers meet small, poor, foolish bandit groups. The balance seemed appropriate, but it felt strangely unsettling.
Juhwan let out a sigh and spoke to the bandits.
“Hey, being bandits doesn’t suit you guys, so give it up.”
Realizing he intended to spare them, the bandits prostrated themselves even more deeply and spoke through their tears.
“We had no choice, milord. We lived as ordinary farmers, but the taxes increased every year, and the harvests dwindled because of the drought.”
“We’ve been living hand-to-mouth, but last year, we couldn’t pay the poll tax.”
“My wife was taken by a rich man in the village because of the poll tax, and I ran away. My children must be working like slaves in that house.”
“Thinking of my kids and my wife, I couldn’t even manage to pull off a proper robbery.”
“We had nowhere to go.”
“We even tried joining a real bandit gang, but we couldn’t stand it and left.”
“Spare us, milord.”
“I want to see my family’s faces one last time before I die. Please spare us.”
The bandits wailed, making strange sobbing sounds as they lay on the ground. Perhaps finding the sight pitiful, Karin of Red Sword spoke up.
“Then join the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“But the poll tax…”
“It’s fine. If you join the Guild, they’ll wait about a year for you. You can earn the poll tax money during that time.”
“I-is that true?”
“If you still can’t pay after a year, well, there’s nothing that can be done.”
“Thank you so much!”
The bandits were bowing so hard their heads hit the ground, when one of them suddenly glanced at Red Sword and asked.
“But we’re bandits. Aren’t bandits executed the moment they’re caught?”
“Bandits with bounties are. The Guild won’t accept people like that, but you guys won’t have bounties or anything. We’ll pretend this never happened, so just go to the Guild.”
“Thank you. Thank you.”
When told to restore the ground to its original state, the bandits naturally replied that they would. By the time Juhwan and Karin left the spot, the bandit group had already begun filling in the hole.
The carriage rattled along. Glancing back, I saw several of the bandits bowing toward the carriage and cart.
Lij, who was sitting next to me on the driver’s seat, suddenly muttered.
“The poll tax is truly terrifying.”
Come to think of it, Juhwan still didn’t know how much the poll tax was.
“How much is it for you to say that?”
“12 lina. It’s one silver coin a year. From the moment you turn 16, you have to pay it every year.”
It wasn’t a large amount of money to the current Juhwan. But thinking back to when Lij first went to the inn, it must be a significant sum for an ordinary commoner. Moreover, the poll tax would be paid per family member. It would certainly be a burden.
Lij sighed.
“There are many people who become slaves because they can’t pay the poll tax. Though they aren’t branded.”
“You become a slave forever just because you couldn’t pay a tax once?”
“Not exactly. Someone who becomes a slave because of the poll tax can reclaim their status if they can pay back the tax and the interest. But since a slave can’t own their own money, it ends up being the same in the end.”
“….”
Selling children and selling wives because of the poll tax. And if they still couldn’t pay, they ran away.
“Among women, there are those who live like slaves because of the poll tax. That’s likely what that bandit meant. But since it’s still better than being a real slave, many people do it.”
Lij gave a weak smile.
My chest felt tight. Lij and I were fine. Even if something happened and we couldn’t live normally, we would find a way to escape and survive.
But what about Dorothy? And the children born after her? And their children’s children? Thinking about the future of children who had to live in such a world made me feel bleak.
Juhwan cast his gaze into the distance. His eyes felt unusually stung by the blue light of the sky where it met the earth.
After a few days of peaceful travel, they finally arrived at the Village. Since the procedures for completing the request were already finished, there was nothing specific to do at the Guild. He thought they might be able to rest for a few days.
However, Karin suggested it would be good to take a medicinal herb request tomorrow.
“The order got a bit mixed up, but normally you start with herb requests. That’s the most basic thing.”
She explained that not all adventurers fought or handled weapons. Many specialized in gathering herbs or used their other talents for different tasks.
However, Karin explained that almost everyone learns herb gathering first when they join.
“Your situation is different since you’re a healing Magician, Juhwan-ssi, but you still need to know which herbs can bring down a fever or be applied to a wound. An adventurer never knows when they’ll get hurt or sick.”
“Of course, there are people who process herbs to sell. We should go visit one of them later, too.”
“But since no one really knows what might happen where, an adventurer needs to know the basics.”
Marie and Jessie chimed in to support Karin’s words. Karin looked at Dorothy and Lij with a slightly apologetic expression.
“It might be a bit tiring, but because we took the merchant guild request, too much time has passed. There’s still so much I need to teach you, but time is running short…”
If that was the case, it couldn’t be helped.
“But it’s winter; are there any herbs?”
Karin grinned.
“There are things you can gather even in winter. It’s a bit difficult, but the prices are higher in this season.”
That was likely why Red Sword was so keen on gathering herbs.
After promising to meet the next day, Juhwan headed straight for the inn.
As they passed through the square and looked toward the Guild, the innkeeper’s son was clinging to an adventurer and talking about something.
‘That kid is the same as ever.’
Even though he’d only stayed for a short time, he felt as if he had become quite familiar with this village.
After having a meal at the inn, he picked up the nodding Dorothy and headed for the square. As they headed toward the weapon street, Lij’s eyes sparkled as she realized why they were going there.
“We’re going to pick up that… Karambit thing, right?”
“Yeah. It should be finished by now.”
While Lij had been very worried about wasting money when they ordered the Karambits, she now seemed to be looking forward to it. Her pace seemed to quicken.
The shop owner, upon seeing Juhwan, didn’t even say hello and scurried into the back of the shop. He wasn’t visible even after Juhwan entered. He had likely gone through the door at the back of the shop.
A moment later, the shop owner came out carrying a small box.
“It’s finished.”
The shop owner’s voice held a hint of excitement. He held the box out to Juhwan.
“What do you think? Is it what you wanted?”
Inside the box were four Karambits, each with slightly different shapes.
The basic appearance was exactly as Juhwan had described. They were curved knives like an animal’s claw. The handles were slightly longer than the blades. There was a ring at the end of the handle where a finger could be inserted.
Lifting one to check, he found the weight to be on the lighter side.
“Lij, try holding one.”
At Juhwan’s word, Lij gripped a knife with eyes shining like a child’s.
One of the four was on the larger side. When Lij held it, it felt a bit mismatched. But the other three were a perfect fit. They fit so snugly in her hand that it was visible to the eye.
“It’s very comfortable.”
Lij, having moved her hand a few times to check, smiled happily.
“The sheaths are here.”
The shop owner grinned and offered the lid of the box. Inside the overturned lid were four leather sheaths.
“Since you seemed to prioritize lightness, I made the sheaths out of thick leather. How are they?”
“They’re good. I like both the knives and the sheaths. But are you sure you don’t want any money?”
When Juhwan asked, the shop owner smirked.
“Items like these will sell for a high price from now on. I feel like I should be the one paying you instead. If you ever need a new weapon, be sure to come to my shop. I’ll do my best to make it for you.”
They stepped outside as they listened to the shop owner. Afterward, they walked around looking for a belt to hold the weapons. When they bought a belt that suited Lij and tucked the Karambits into it, she looked like a female adventurer straight out of a painting.
“Juhwan, how do I look?”
Lij asked, sounding a bit shy.
“You look wonderful, Lij. I think I’m falling for you all over again.”
At Juhwan’s words, Lij’s cheeks turned bright red. Seeing Lij so happy made Juhwan’s heart light as well. He was glad he’d had them made.
Unlike the young Dorothy, Lij knew that she had only become a member of the party in name thanks to Juhwan. And that seemed to be a burden on her heart. She wanted to be helpful in any way she could.
Even without that, she was already helpful enough. Just having her by his side made him feel secure. It made him think he could do anything, that he would do anything. Just having the status of an adventurer belonging to the Guild was enough, but Lij didn’t know that. She wanted to contribute something, even if it meant pressing and scraping leather until the skin under her fingernails cracked.
“….”
If having the gear could give her even a little confidence, or if being seen as an adventurer by others made their gazes feel less burdensome, that would be enough.
Dorothy, who had woken up at some point, stared blankly at Lij and then muttered.
“Mama became an adventurer.”
“Fufu, do I look like one?”
Lij laughed happily.
Dorothy watched quietly for a moment, then suddenly spoke.
“Mama, I want one too. Dorothy is an adventurer too.”
Still being held, Dorothy turned her head to look up at Juhwan.
“Papa, when does Dorothy get one of those?”
“….”
That evening, while Dorothy was asleep, Lij made a belt for the child. It seemed she had some cheap leather left over. After making the belt, she cut small pieces of leather into the shape of Karambits. She then attached them to the belt.
“I hope she likes it. What if she hates it because it’s a fake knife?”
Lij seemed a bit worried.
The moment Dorothy woke up in the morning and saw the belt lying with her clothes, that worry flew far away.
“Oz, Oz is a baby, so he doesn’t have a belt. Poor thing. But Dorothy-unnie is an adventurer, so she has a belt and a knife. Babies can’t have this. Only adventurers can.”
She started bragging to Oz the moment she opened her eyes, and she continued to brag to him while eating meat and while washing her face.
“….”
Maybe he found it annoying. Oz flattened his ears and pretended to sleep.
“Oz, are you sad because you don’t have a belt? Is that why you’re sleepy? Should Dorothy-unnie ask Mama? To make a belt for Oz too?”
Dorothy lay down next to the prostrate Oz and began chattering away. In the end, Oz could not escape Dorothy’s boasting.
Lij watched the scene and giggled.
