Chapter 68 · BMMAW

Chapter 68

A Being That Is Human, Yet Not Human

Juhwan’s eyes kept following Dorothy as she ran all over the plaza.

She ran here, then there, laughing loudly.

“Ahaha!”

She looked truly happy.

Dorothy was small. When she mixed into a crowd of adults, she was hard to see.
And she was quite fast too.

Juhwan felt nervous that he might lose her, but seeing her so happy, he couldn’t bring himself to tell her to stay still.

A child should be bright and cheerful above all.

And besides… Oz was with her.

Maybe it would be okay.

“Dorothy, don’t go too far!”

Lizzy called out, but it was unclear if Dorothy heard her.

Still, Oz definitely did. The horned rabbit twitched its ears as if it understood.

Since Oz was buried in Dorothy’s hat, it looked like Dorothy had rabbit ears on her head.

—

When Dorothy chased the moving toilet, Juhwan worried it might disturb business.

But instead, she attracted customers.

When the man shook the wooden container and Dorothy ran away from the smell, someone immediately called him over.

Dorothy quickly found something else interesting and ran off again.

—

At that moment, a fight seemed to break out nearby.

A beggar who normally didn’t come to the plaza caused trouble.

People gathered to watch.

Dorothy disappeared into the crowd.

—

*This is bad. I might lose her.*

Juhwan quickly grabbed Lizzy and lifted her into his arms.

As he stepped forward, people quickly moved aside, frightened by his large body.

Soon, he saw Oz’s ears sticking out above Dorothy’s hat in the distance.

She was running toward the edge of the plaza.

—

She was only five years old.

When a child became interested in something, they focused only on that.

*I can’t let this happen.*

Juhwan started running while holding Lizzy.

People hurried out of his way as he rushed forward with a fierce expression.

—

Dorothy ran out of the plaza.

At that moment, a man who looked like a beggar quietly followed her.

—

> *Kidnapping… ransom… human trafficking…*

All kinds of terrible thoughts filled Juhwan’s mind.

—

At that instant, his speed increased several times.

It felt like wind was pushing his body forward.

*Wind magic…*

He realized it instinctively.

—

> *Faster. Hurry. Before she disappears from my sight.*

—

Juhwan shot out of the plaza in an instant.

Dorothy had entered a narrow alley beside the main road.

At the entrance—

She was blocked by two men.

—

“I don’t want to! Dad! Daaad!”

Her voice was full of tears.

—

Juhwan’s vision burned with rage.

> *You bastards…*

—

In a flash, he reached them.

He set Lizzy down and spun his body, unable to stop his speed immediately.

As he turned, he saw Dorothy between the two men.

His shadow stretched over her.

Oz was just about to jump at one of them.

—

Juhwan grabbed one man by the shoulder with his large hand.

He lifted him up.

“AAAGH!”

The man screamed as his body was dragged upward.

Juhwan threw him.

The man flew through the air and crashed far away.

—

The other man—

Juhwan grabbed his collar and punched him.

Once.

Twice.

That was enough.

The man’s face collapsed, and he lost consciousness.

—

Juhwan threw the limp body aside like trash.

By then, Lizzy was already hugging Dorothy tightly.

Both of them were crying.

Dorothy’s face was covered in tears and snot.

—

“Dorothy! You must not go far from Mom and Dad! Why did you come here?! What if we lost you?!”

Lizzy shouted angrily—something she rarely did.

—

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! But… the pomegranate… waaah… it looked so tasty…”

“What pomegranate?! Why do you worry me like this?!”

“I’m sorry… but they said they’d give it to me… waaah…”

“I thought I lost you!”

“Mom… don’t throw me away…”

—

Watching them, Juhwan strangely calmed down.

Dorothy said she followed a girl who offered her a pomegranate.

But Juhwan had not seen any girl.

When he arrived, only Dorothy was there.

—

“Never follow strangers just because they offer food!”

Lizzy scolded.

Dorothy nodded.

“…Okay… I’m sorry, Mom…”

“…I’ll buy you pomegranates… but no matter what someone offers you, never follow them. Understand?”

“…Okay…”

—

Dorothy wiped her tears.

“…Mom… can I have two?”

—

While they were talking, thin, skeletal people came out from inside the alley.

They dragged the unconscious men away.

Juhwan did not stop them.

They looked like ghosts—so thin their bones were visible.

—

Inside the alley, more people stood watching.

Their eyes were filled with hatred… jealousy… greed.

—

> *If Dorothy had been dragged deeper inside…*

—

A chill ran through Juhwan.

This was not a place to stay.

—

He picked up both Lizzy and Dorothy and walked away.

Lizzy kept glancing back nervously.

Dorothy also saw the people and stopped crying, shrinking in fear.

—

Just a few steps later—

They returned to the main road.

The atmosphere changed completely.

The sticky, suffocating feeling of the alley disappeared.

Bright and lively surroundings returned.

—

It was like two completely different worlds—

Separated by just a few steps.

—

Back in the plaza, Juhwan looked at Dorothy seriously.

“Dorothy, I was really worried. Never follow strangers again. Not even people you know—unless Mom or Dad says it’s okay. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“I was really worried. Truly.”

—

Dorothy asked softly,

“Dad… you won’t throw me away, right?”

—

> “Of course not. I would never throw you away.”

—

“…That’s a relief.”

Dorothy hugged his neck tightly.

—

After that, they walked around the food stalls.

First, they went to a pomegranate stall.

It was cheaper than the restaurant—6 lina instead of 7.

Lizzy hesitated but bought three.

Two for Dorothy.
One for herself and Juhwan.

—

Dorothy happily shared bites with Oz.

Her mood quickly improved.

—

They continued walking from stall to stall.

Meat skewers, vegetables…

A small food tour began.

Lizzy sighed often—usually after paying.

—

At one stall, they saw sugar.

Not white like on Earth, but coarse grains.

The seller had been watching them.

He handed Dorothy a stick coated in sugar.

“Here, try this. It’s sweet.”

—

Dorothy looked at Lizzy.

Lizzy nodded.

Dorothy smiled brightly and took it.

“Wow! Mom! This is sweet!”

—

Even though it was expensive, Lizzy bought one.

The incident with the pomegranate had shaken her deeply.

—

“I think… when we go back to the adventurer village, I should learn cooking from the innkeeper. Even if Dorothy promises not to, she might still follow someone who offers tasty food.”

Lizzy sighed softly.

Juhwan agreed.

She was only five.

It was natural.

—

Meanwhile, Juhwan kept scanning the surroundings.

No one seemed to be following them.

—

At first, he thought it was simple kidnapping.

But now, he wasn’t sure.

Maybe someone had planned it.

Maybe someone who knew he could use multiple kinds of magic.

—

> *I should have captured one of those men and interrogated them.*

—

But at that moment, protecting Lizzy and Dorothy had been more important.

The people in the alley…

Their eyes were not normal.

—

That was not calculation.

That was pure hatred.

—

While Juhwan and Lizzy were deep in thought—

Dorothy had already forgotten everything.

She let go of their hands and started running around again.

—

Thankfully, she stayed close this time.

Just circling around them within arm’s reach.

—

—

### Meanwhile…

Enri had heard the man was a fire mage.

But what he saw—

Was wind magic.

—

He couldn’t fully judge the power, but it was clearly strong.

The beggar that was thrown—

Would never walk properly again.

His body smashed into a wall with terrible force.

His limbs moved like a broken puppet.

—

The second man—

Was no better.

His face had collapsed after just two punches.

—

Enri left immediately.

If the mage noticed him, he might realize who was behind it.

—

As he walked, he suddenly shivered.

—

> “What… was that?”

—

Fire magic from a distance.

Wind wrapped around the body.

—

That was not how normal mages fought.

Especially wind magic.

Enri knew this well.

—

Wind was not meant to be used like that.

It was used to speed arrows or move objects.

Not to cover the body and fight directly.

—

To control wind required long training and deep concentration.

Even then, it could fail with the slightest distraction.

—

But that man—

Used both types of magic naturally.

—

> *That’s not human.*

—

The power he showed went beyond human limits.

—

> *A monster.*

—

Magical beasts were called monsters because they were different from normal animals.

—

Then what about humans?

If someone became too different…

Could they still be called human?

—

Enri thought of the heroes in the Kingdom of Tyron.

A man and a woman.

Both incredibly powerful.

—

Some people called them messengers of god.

Others called them evil beings.

—

But both sides agreed on one thing:

—

> *They are human… but not human.*

—

Just like the mage Enri had just seen.

—

Enri pulled his coat tighter.

—

> *I’ve stepped into something dangerous.*

—