Chapter 78 · BMMAW

Chapter 78

It Was Korean

There is a saying that your breath stops—but maybe it’s not just a saying.

When they play, children never get tired. It’s hard to understand where such a small body gets so much energy. But maybe because they use it all without thinking about later, once they’re done playing, they collapse like a toy with dead batteries.

Dorothy was the same. On the way back to the guild, with Oz tucked into the front pocket of her skirt, her steps gradually slowed.

If you watched closely, her eyes would sometimes close. It was hard to tell how she could walk while half asleep.

Her soft curly hair nodded forward, and maybe because Oz was heavy, her shoulders leaned forward bit by bit. Oz was still small and young, but Dorothy was also just a small child. Of course it was too heavy for her.

At first, she insisted that she had to walk because she was the adventurer who found the scream carrots, but after only a few steps, she reached out her hands and asked to be carried.

Juhwan carried the child in his arms and walked silently, with the sack of dirt and carrots tied to his back. Dorothy fell asleep almost instantly.

Lizzy and the Red Sword party were laughing and chatting the whole way back. They seemed so happy.

Whatever the Red Sword women said, Lizzy smiled brightly. She turned back and looked at Juhwan, her eyes curved like crescents as she smiled again. Maybe they were talking about him.

“…”

Hopefully it was something good. Women’s opinions could be a bit scary. It made him feel uneasy for no reason. Still, seeing Lizzy smile, it was probably fine. Back on Earth, he would have gotten terrible scores—but here, was he being seen as a good husband? A good man?

Sunlight reflected off Lizzy’s hair, making it shine.

She’s beautiful.

More beautiful than when they first met. Her pale face had filled out a little, and her skin had a soft glow.

Maybe she had some foreign blood in her. She looked a little different from others around her. Her white skin, her delicate face—she was far more lovely than anyone nearby.

Or maybe it only looked that way to him.

Still, no matter how many times he looked, she was beautiful.

Walking ahead with the others, Lizzy stretched her arm back and wiggled her fingers—open, close.

“Hi? Hi?”

That’s what it felt like.

Maybe she was just playing around. The childish gesture made him smile without realizing.

He quietly wished that this simple, peaceful life would continue.

When they arrived at the guild, it was already late afternoon.

He had never come at this time before, but there were at least twice as many adventurers as in the morning. The guild was noisy and crowded.

There were long lines at the reception desk. Many people were holding wooden request tags. It seemed like this was when people finished their daily jobs.

Juhwan and the Red Sword party headed to the purchase counter. There were even more people there. Since there was only one counter, the line was longer than anywhere else.

Just like other guilds, Rank 2 adventurers didn’t need to wait in line.

The Red Sword women ignored the line and walked forward with Lizzy. Lizzy looked a bit nervous about the people around them, but the Red Sword party looked calm.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going, cutting in line?”
“Can’t you go to the back?!”

Some male adventurers stepped out and blocked their way.

Lizzy’s pale face turned even whiter.

Juhwan was about to step forward, but he noticed that all the Red Sword women had their hands near their waists.

They were holding nails.

For something like this? he thought—but when he saw the men’s faces, he understood.

One of them was the Rank 4 adventurer who had slammed Karin’s face into a table before. This must be his party.

This wasn’t something Juhwan should interfere with. There was clearly a long history between them.

He signaled Lizzy to come over. After hesitating, she walked toward him.

At that moment, one of the men who had been arguing casually reached out his hand.

It was aimed at Lizzy’s leg.

Juhwan’s foot shot up instantly.

He didn’t hesitate.

Thud!

He kicked the man straight in the head.

“Guh—!”

The man flew backward, crashing into a table before collapsing on the floor.

He tried to stand, blood dripping from his head, and spoke toward a wall instead of a person.

“You… what did you…”

Then he collapsed again, unconscious.

Everyone stared at Juhwan with wide eyes.

The man’s companions drew their weapons.

“You wanna fight?!”
“What are you, their pimp?!”
“You bastard!”
“You think being Rank 3 makes you special?!”

They were completely misunderstanding.

Juhwan frowned slightly.

He hadn’t acted because of anything like that—he just kicked him because he tried to touch his wife.

Still, if they wanted a fight, he wouldn’t back down.

The Red Sword party also looked furious. Karin had already drawn her weapon.

The atmosphere was about to explode—

“Stop.”

A voice came from the entrance.

It was the Guild Master.

“That man tried to touch that mage’s party member. And that mage is already Rank 2 in the city. He doesn’t need to stand in line.”

The Guild Master sighed.

“If you keep going, you’re all going to regret it. I’ve fought him myself—it’s not an exaggeration. You’ve heard the rumors, right? They’re all true.”

He looked at the broken table and the unconscious man.

“I warned you before. Don’t mess with just any woman.”

Then he walked over to Juhwan. Behind him was a teenage girl.

“Juhwan, if you have time later, I’d like to talk.”

Then he looked at the sacks.

“Oh? You gathered herbs today? But those bags look strange.”

Dorothy, who had just woken up, suddenly sat up in Juhwan’s arms.

“They’re carrots! Dorothy found them! They scream!”

“…What?”

The Guild Master froze.

People nearby turned toward them.

“Scream carrots? It’s been a while. They’ve been rare lately. Congratulations.”

He grinned and led them to the counter.

“Let’s hurry. Once touched, scream carrots lose their magic quickly.”

He called out to everyone.

“If you’ve never seen one, come here! Especially beginners—watch carefully. This is a dangerous item.”

People gathered around.

Juhwan placed down the two sacks.

“What? You got two?”

“No! This many!”

Dorothy held up ten fingers proudly.

Some people laughed, thinking it was just a child exaggerating.

They would see soon enough.

The staff brought a locked box.

“It’s a magic box. It prevents the magic from leaking.”

The Guild Master explained.

“Scream carrots contain magic. Mages use them to recover mana. But once touched, the magic starts to fade.”

The staff carefully dug into the dirt.

“Everyone, cover your ears.”

Juhwan held Dorothy close and covered her ears.

The carrots were revealed—

“…Huh?”

The staff froze.

All of them were limp.

“What? Not just one?”
“Why aren’t they screaming?”
“Are they dead?”

The staff ignored the noise, picking them up one by one.

Then suddenly—

“Master! The magic is still there! Almost completely preserved! I’ve never seen anything like this!”

Everyone went silent.

“How did you do this?!”

Juhwan didn’t know.

Oz did it.

He remembered the moment—the red glow, the strange circle.

Maybe Oz wasn’t a normal horned rabbit.

A merchant rushed in, panting.

“I’ll buy them! One gold coin each!”

The crowd exploded.

“Twelve gold coins?!”
“No way…!”

Lizzy and Karin collapsed to the ground in shock.

“One gold coin…”

“Dorothy found them.”

“No, Oz did,” Juhwan thought.

“Dorothy and Oz found them together!”

Oz’s ears flattened in annoyance.

Juhwan smiled slightly.

I should treat him to meat today.

At that moment—

The teenage girl behind the Guild Master tilted her head and spoke to Juhwan.

[Christmas Eve… make a wish? Santa… bad guy?]

It was Korean