Chapter 69 · BMMAW

Chapter 69

To Stand Beside My Husband

Leaning against the window of the lodging, Lizzy looked down at the square, which had already fallen into darkness.

In the village where she used to live, once the sun set and night came, everyone returned home and went to bed early. Then they would wake again in the pitch-black dawn.

But the city seemed different. Around the darkened square, there were scattered shops still open, their lights glowing in the night.

Occasionally, loud bursts of laughter drifted from afar, carried through the darkness. It sounded like people drinking and having fun. Among the men’s voices, sharp laughter from women pierced into the night sky.

“Are you cold?”

Juhwan came up behind her. He brought a wool blanket and draped it gently over her shoulders with one hand. Such a kind man. Lizzy softly leaned her head against her husband.

Right in front of her gaze was Dorothy, fast asleep. Juhwan was holding her in his arms.

The child seemed to have calmed down, but the incident from earlier must have frightened her a lot.

As she grew sleepy, unlike usual, she clung tightly to Juhwan and refused to let go. Whenever they tried to lay her down, she would wake up again. She even whined—a behavior she never showed before.

Even when Lizzy tried to hold her, she wouldn’t go. She only clung to Juhwan. In the end, Juhwan kept holding her, having taken off only his outer clothing.

With his free hand, he wrapped an arm around Lizzy’s shoulders and looked out the window. Somewhere in the darkness, someone was shouting loudly.

Lizzy quietly watched the sleeping face of the child.

Until now, she felt like she hadn’t truly realized she was a mother. Perhaps she had thought of Dorothy as more like a much younger sister. When they first met, both she and Dorothy had been lonely and exhausted, so maybe what began as simple sympathy had deepened.

Only after nearly losing the child today did she realize she was truly a mother. Only now did she understand what it meant when this child called her “Mom.”

“Juhwan, you’re amazing.”

When she suddenly said that, her husband smiled.

“What are you talking about?”
“…It feels like you were Dorothy’s father from the moment we met. But I think I’ve only just realized that I’m her mother.”

Juhwan tightened the arm around her shoulders and spoke softly.

“I wanted that from the beginning. Lizzy, you don’t have to force yourself. We become parents slowly, making mistakes and wrong decisions along the way. Both of us—Dorothy is our first child.”

“….”

Lizzy closed her eyes. Hearing him say that made it feel true. As expected, Juhwan was different. She couldn’t quite put it into words, but there was weight in what he said.

She remembered how he had checked the documents at the Miller Merchant Company earlier that day. The way he read and spoke on equal terms with the merchant—it had dazzled her. He had looked like someone truly remarkable.

She had always thought that reading and writing were useless for survival, but seeing him made her realize something else—what it meant to live like a proper human being and be treated as one.

Karine of the Red Sword had once said she was envious. That lingered in Lizzy’s mind.

Any woman who met Juhwan would probably feel the same. He was that impressive.
Maybe someday, a woman of far higher status—someone Lizzy couldn’t even imagine—might fall in love with him.
If that day came, could she really continue to stand beside him?

‘This won’t do.’

She wanted to become a woman who could stand beside him without shame. Only then could she proudly say she was his wife. And she would fight to remain by his side. Even if someone came demanding her husband, she didn’t want to lose.

‘And I want to raise Dorothy well too.’

She hoped Dorothy would grow into someone stronger than herself, someone who could live well in the world. To do that, she would have to study and become a better person. Yes, she had to.

“Juhwan, you know what you said before? About teaching me how to read… I want to learn.”

Most people disliked the idea of women learning to read. But when she looked up at her husband, Juhwan was smiling brightly, genuinely happy.

Ah… she really loved this man.

For a while, Lizzy embraced both Juhwan and Dorothy as they gazed out over the dark city night.

—

As always, Lizzy woke up early.

Juhwan, who had fallen asleep with the small woman nestled in his arms, quietly watched as she busily moved around the room.

Sunlight streamed in, illuminating her golden hair. It shimmered beautifully, as if scattering light throughout the room. The hair she once cut short for money had grown a bit.

Lizzy was putting away the socks she had washed the night before. They didn’t seem fully dry yet, and she frowned slightly. When she turned and saw Juhwan, she smiled brightly.

“Juhwan, if you’re awake, you should say something. Why are you just staring? It’s embarrassing.”

Her pale cheeks flushed like peaches.

When Juhwan reached out his hand, she came over reluctantly and leaned into him. As he pulled back the blanket to draw her in, she twisted her body, struggling to escape.

“It’s okay to sleep in a little today.”
“No, I can’t. There’s always work to do. While we were traveling with the merchant group, I couldn’t do any laundry, and now we’re out of clean clothes. The clothes are practically growing mushrooms.”

Yes, he knew. That’s why Juhwan had slept completely naked. There was no way he could get into bed wearing clothes soaked with blood and unknown substances.

Lizzy turned her head away, her face bright red, and muttered,

“You’ll catch a cold. Put your clothes on.”
“…”
“If the child wakes up, she’ll ask why her dad is naked.”

Well, he had no choice. Juhwan slowly got up and dressed. The smell was terrible.

“We should buy some clothes before leaving today. We definitely need more.”

Lizzy let out a small sigh.

—

While helping Lizzy pack, Dorothy woke up.

It was as if her clingy behavior from the night before had never happened—she was back to her usual bright self. She ran around the bed, playing with Oz.

“….”

He had expected her to cry or cling to him a bit more. But she seemed completely normal. Still, something felt off.

As he packed, his attention kept drifting toward her.

After playing for a while, Dorothy went to wash up when Lizzy told her to.

In the corner of the room was a basin and a bucket of water. Guests fetched water themselves from a large container behind the inn. Used water was dumped into a wooden bucket to be cleaned up later.

Dorothy splashed her face with water, droplets scattering onto the floor.

After washing, it was Oz’s turn. She wet her small hands and rubbed his horn.

Ever since it appeared, she had done this every day. She seemed to think Oz’s horn was like her teeth—that it would rot if not cleaned.

Oz didn’t seem to like it, but he stayed still. After clumsily cleaning the tiny horn, Dorothy stretched her body.

“Ah, I’m tired!”

Then she ran to the table where food had been set, even before Lizzy called her. Completely normal.

“Juhwan, breakfast is ready.”

Lizzy called out.

Even while eating, Juhwan felt a faint unease.

—

Outside, Dorothy once again fluttered around like a butterfly, curious about everything. But she didn’t stray far from Juhwan and Lizzy. Maybe their repeated warnings had worked.

The guild office in Moderni was similar to the one in the adventurer village, but much larger and cleaner.

On the signboard, as expected, there was a drawing of Santa. It seemed every Adventurer’s Guild branch used that same symbol.

The women of the Red Sword party waved from a corner.

As Juhwan approached, his eyes fell on Karine’s waist. Something unusual was stuck into her belt.

“….”

They were nails. All members of the Red Sword party had several nails tucked into their belts.

They looked different from modern nails—angular, thick, and long, more like chisels than nails.

Seeing his gaze, Marie giggled.

“We bought them yesterday. These are our secondary weapons. Just like you said—when there’s an opening, stab!”

As Marie mimicked the motion, Dorothy stared, then whispered to Juhwan,

“Dad, I want one too.”
“…I don’t think that suits you.”
“But if I have that, I can beat bad guys!”

“….”

That strange feeling returned again.

Juhwan crouched down and gently patted Oz’s head.

“Dorothy, you’re a beast tamer. You fight with Oz, not with nails.”

Dorothy’s eyes widened as she thought about it seriously. Then she nodded repeatedly.

“Yeah! Dorothy and Oz are one, so we can fight well!”

It seemed that even yesterday, when she looked frightened, she had been thinking in her own way about how to fight.

She leaned in and whispered to Juhwan,

“Dad, next time I’ll save you.”
“Alright. Thank you.”

She would grow up brave, it seemed.

Juhwan lined up with the others. The place was crowded, unlike the quiet village before.

People whispered as they looked at Dorothy and Oz. With the horn visible, it was clear Oz was a magical beast.

A guild staff member noticed them and quickly approached.

“Are you the party [Dorothy and Oz]?”
“That’s right.”
“Ah, as expected. Please come this way. We’ve already received word about you. Your registration as Rank 2 is ready. Rank 2 members don’t need to wait in line.”

The staff glanced at Oz.

“I heard it was a child and a magical beast together. They suit each other well.”

“Dorothy and Oz.”

Dorothy smiled brightly, patting Oz. The staff member smiled in return.

After processing their request and payments—including healing magic fees—the total came to 9200 Lina.

Lizzy looked like she might faint from shock.

After depositing most of the money and upgrading their rank, everything was done.

As they discussed their next move, the guild door opened.

A well-dressed man entered with hurried steps.

The staff member smirked.

“I thought he’d come—but he’s faster than expected. That’s the aide to the border count.